USGS to Develp Indicators to Better Measure Nation's H2O Supply: Greenwire

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Greenwire Thursday, May 27, 2004 WATER Pagel of 2 USGS to develop indicators to better measure nation's H2O supply Marty Coyne, Greenwire senior reporter The U.S. Geological Survey has proposed a system of benchmarks for measuring the nation's water supply that will provide the foundation of a new comprehensive database on water availability for a variety of uses, including drinking water, industrial withdrawals, irrigation for agriculture and even endangered species habitat. The project, known as the National Assessment of Water Availability and Use, stems from a congressional directive to the Interior Department under the agency's fiscal year 2002 budget, and details of the analysis are provided in a recent USGS report to Congress. "At once simple and yet so very complex and vital to our well being and prosperity, the availability of useable water is becoming one mark by which economic health and national security will be measured in the future," states the USGS report. USGS notes that while water availability and use have long been debated in the western United States, the issue "is becoming evermore critical in the East and throughout the country as states struggle to contend with rapid development and scarce resources. "In many parts of the country, competition for water to meet the needs of cities, homes, farms and industries is increasing," the report to Congress states. "At the same time, requirements to leave water in streams and rivers for environmental and recreational uses are expanding." The agency's most recent five -year water use report shows that irrigation remains the nation's leading sector for water consumption, while consumption by the manufacturing sector dropped 12 percent between 1995 and 2000. Water consumed for public use remained largely unchanged during that period at an estimated 48 billion gallons per day ( Greenwire, March 15). USGS spokeswoman Heather Friesen said a national water availability assessment would cost $40 million per year initially, but the agency does not expect to pursue that funding level now due to the high costs of the Iraq war and a looming budget deficit. In the interim, USGS plans will work to obtain an estimated $5.2 million annually to fund pilot studies on water availability in two regions -- the Great Lakes and Lower Colorado River Basin. After two years, the program would be expanded to include other regions with full nationwide implementation expected after 2010. In addition to its own data collection, USGS will work with nonprofit organizations, other government agencies, and university researchers to coordinate its findings with data from other water - availability studies. The effort will be coordinated under the Advisory Committee on Water Information, and a review of the program by the National Research Council will be requested to refine the program after two years. The report to Congress outlines a strategy calling for indicators of the two key components of water http: / /www.cenews. net/ GreenwireBackissues /052704/05270415.htm 5/27/2004