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Many reports have recognized the need for a National Water Census (Water Census) for the United States, and have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to undertake this challenge. The United States Congress, in Subtitle F of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law (P.L.) 111-11), established a "blueprint" for a national assessment of water availability and use that outlines the information needed from a Water Census. This report, "Progress Toward Establishing a National Assessment of Water Availability and Use," describes the initial steps taken by the USGS to institute a Water Census and the progress the USGS has made toward establishing such a Census. It explains, for both Congress and the public, the steps the USGS will take to fulfill the requirements of Subtitle F of P.L. 111-11, and describes plans for the future of the Water Census. This report presents the history and background of and the need for a Water Census. It describes the initial steps taken toward accomplishing the Water Census, which is designed to systematically provide information that will allow resource managers to assess the water availability of the Nation. The report explains how the Water Census is being organized around the unifying theme of a water budget, and explains why water budgets are critical for assessing water availability for the Nation. The report describes the importance of understanding, assessing, and delivering information about the uncertainty of water-availability information, as well as the collaboration and coordination with other agencies and organizations that is essential for the Water Census to succeed. The report explains the planned regional framework for presenting water-availability data through a set of geographic focus area studies and the planned national framework for providing uniform information on water-budget components across the country through topical area studies. The report also explains how the USGS will incorporate water-quality information into the water-availability analysis. Finally, the report describes the information management and delivery activities that are necessary for the goals of the Water Census to be achieved. v
Many reports have recognized the need for a national water census for the United States and have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake this challenge. For example, the National Science and Technology Council stated: "The United States has a strong need for an ongoing census of water that describes the status of our Nation's water resource at any point in time and identifies trends over time." Responding to the need for this information, the U.S. Congress established the SECURE Water Act. The directives are to provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the water resources of the United States; determine the quantity of water available for beneficial uses; identify long-term trends in water availability; assist in determination of the quality of the water resources; and develop the basis for an improved ability to forecast the availability of water for future economic, energy production, and environmental uses. This article provides summary and new information on the process and progress on work to estimate water budget components nationwide, involvement of stakeholder interests, efforts to examine water-use characteristics throughout the Nation, studies of water availability in geographically focused areas and the initiation of methods to provide open access to existing and new water resources information contributing to Open Water Data Initiative (OWDI) efforts and objectives.
The scope of each of these new mission areas is broader than the science directions outlined in the USGS Science Strategy and together cover the scope of USGS science activities. In 2010, I also commissioned seven Strategic Science Planning Teams (SSPTs) to draft science strategies for each USGS mission area. Although the existing Bureau Science Strategy could be a starting point for this exercise, the SSPTs had to go well beyond the scope of the existing document. What is of value and enduring from the work of the programs that existed under the former science disciplines needed to be reframed and reinterpreted under the new organization of the science mission areas. In addition, new opportunities for research directions have emerged in the five years since the Bureau Science Strategy was drafted, and exciting possibilities for cooperating and collaborating in new ways are enabled by the new mission focus of the organization. Scientists from across the Bureau were selected for these SSPTs for their experience in strategic planning, broad range of experience and expertise, and knowledge of stakeholder needs and relationships. Each SSPT was charged with developing a long-term (10-year) science strategy that encompasses the portfolio of USGS science in the respective mission area. Each science strategy will reinforce others because scientific knowledge inherently has significance to multiple issues. Leadership of the USGS and the Department of the Interior will use the science vision and priorities developed in these strategies for program guidance, implementation planning, accountability reporting, and resource allocation. These strategies will guide science and technology investment and workforce and human capital strategies. They will inform our partners regarding opportunities for communication, collaboration, and coordination. The USGS has taken a significant step toward demonstrating that we are ready to collaborate on the most pressing natural science issues of our day and the future. I believe a leadership aligned to support these issue-based science directions and equipped with the guidance provided in these new science strategies in the capable hands of our scientists will create a new era for USGS of which we can all be proud.
For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov.Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. AbstractThe use of water in the United States is arguably one of the most important factors determining water availability at any specific place and time. Numerous local, State, and Federal entities develop, compile, and report water-use data, which can lead to confusing or conflicting information. This report was authored jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to compare and contrast the two agencies' water-use information programs in the Colorado River Basin. The report also describes the legal drivers for each program, clarifies confusing terminology, compares the methods used, and contrasts the information reported by each agency. This detailed comparison demonstrates that these two Federal agencies have different missions, different programmatic drivers, and different user communities, all of which lead to different approaches to water-use data collection, analysis, and reporting. This report highlights those differences and explains why the USGS and Reclamation programs exist and how the data serve different user communities. Even though the two water-use programs are different by design and purpose, the program comparison presented in this report has identified opportunities for closer coordination and sharing of information between the USGS and Reclamation, as well as program components where agency collaboration can improve water-use estimate methodologies. This comparison effort emphasizes that it is incumbent upon each agency to clearly define the meaning of the terms used and the appropriate application of the reported information to avoid confusion or the accidental misuse of the information. An additional benefit of this comparison effort is the formation of a joint USGS/ Reclamation water-use team that will continue to investigate opportunities to expand and coordinate future water-use data compilation and reporting.
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