This statement comes from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a report published in 2003 titled "FRESHWATER SUPPLY: States’ Views of How Federal Agencies Could Help Them Meet the Challenges of Expected Shortages" The report was generated after the 2002 drought to help federal agencies determine how their activities affect states and how they can be more supportive of state efforts to meet their future water needs.
The report states that "even under normal conditions, water managers in 36 states anticipate shortages in localities, regions, or statewide in the next 10 years."
How did all the water resource planners in the GAO calculate this shortage? They didn't.
The results were only a compilation of web-based surveys of state water managers. Three important states didn't even participate; California, Michigan, and New Mexico.
FAIL.
