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In the mood for a little gloom, doom and reason to invest in low water-use construction techniques and appliances?

Look no further than the first Oregon Climate Assessment Report, which was just released from the at Oregon State University.

The report predicts the average temperature could rise from 0.2 to 1 degrees Fahrenheit per decade this century in The Beaver State.

That, in turn, could make summer droughts more pronounced – and also reduce the snowpack used to fill the state’s water coffers for summer use.

That one-two whammy could be combined with increased production in the agricultural sector due to a prolonged growing season – which would require even more water.

Oregon’s wine regions have already seen the length of the frost-free period increase from 17 to 35 days, and that could easily continue to increase as the climate continues to change.

Will it be worth it to turn the state’s water into more wine? That’s a good question that can’t answer, but perhaps can.