Water availability in the U.S. characterized by four years of drought in the West and more rainfall in the East reflects the nation’s geographic extremes from deserts and mountains to low-lying almost tropical swamplands. Even where water seems abundant, increasing demand is stressing the ability to re-charge groundwater supplies everywhere. From all appearances, the West Coast in 2015 was thirsting for more water with its parched lands and dried up lakes and rivers, while most of the Southeast was wetter than average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.