Thursday, Aug 2 2012 5:01PM

As average temperatures reach record highs during 2012, many areas throughout the U.S. have been experiencing droughts while other water issues continue to escalate.

The Epoch Times reports many of the problems with water supply stem from a lack of adequate infrastructure. This includes areas that have old pipes and population growth or where there is not enough conservation to maintain current water levels.

Rural communities continue to struggle with this the most, as nearly one-third of Alaska's rural residents lack safe drinking water and other basic water needs. Senator Lisa Murkowski noted that those living in these conditions are at a greater risk for disease.

In other situations, progress has stalled. A water allocation to the Chippewa Cree tribe's Rocky Boy's Reservation in Montana in 1999 set aside 10,000 acre-feet of water. However, with delivery details unsettled, the tribe has not yet seen the full benefits of the agreement.

Both Murkowski and the chairman of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Bruce Sunchild, spoke at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in support of a new bill that would provide funding for rural communities that are in need of projects to improve water supplies.

"The ongoing drought in many parts of the West underscores the importance of rural water supply projects, such as the ones that would be covered by this bill," said New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman, another supporter of the proposal.

For further information, check out this source: The Epoch Times