About 27 million people live in parts of the U.S. where water availability is limited, according to a first-of-its-kind federal assessment. The analysis from the U.S. Geological Survey compared water supply and demand from 2010 to 2020. It found “severe” limitations on the amount of available water in groundwater and surface waters in California, the arid Southwest, and much of the Great Plains and Texas. Other regions facing slightly less severe water constraints include Florida and eastern Washington state and Oregon. The report is the most comprehensive federal study to date on whether the U.S. has enough water to power the economy, researchers said during a call Thursday.

Other water supply and drought articles:

• The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.): Southern California is extremely dry. Here’s how bad the drought is in the region.
• ABC 10 News Sacramento: New U.S. Drought Monitor shows growing severe drought in Southern California. Water supplies in Northern California are still in good shape.
• Manteca/Ripon Bulletin: It’s abnormally dry
• NASA study: NASA scientists find new human-caused shifts in global water cycle