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<br />~.~1 <br /> <br />, <br />~ <br />tit <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />tit <br /> <br />Attachment B <br /> <br />August 12, 2005 <br /> <br />The Honorable Gale A. Norton <br />Secretary of Interior <br />U.S. Department ofInterior <br />1849 C Street, N.W. <br />Washington, D.C. 20240 <br /> <br />Mr. David Anderson <br />Associate Director, Natural Resource Programs <br />Office of Management & Budget <br />Eisenhower Executive Building <br />Washington, DC 20503 <br /> <br />Regarding: STREAM GAGE FUNDING IN FY-2007 <br /> <br />Dear Secretary Norton and Mr. Anderson: <br /> <br />The undersigned organizations strongly support increasing federal spending to restore the U.S. <br />Geological Survey's Cooperative Water Program and National Streamflow Information Program <br />(NSIP) to previous levels in FY2007 and eventually full funding. Together, these two programs <br />comprise a critical national system of streamgages. Without timely and accurate information, <br />human life, health, welfare, property, and environmental and natural resources are at considerably <br />greater risk ofloss. <br /> <br />The Nation's demands for accurate streamflow data continue to increase along with our <br />population. This information is used by federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies, as <br />well as private and non-profit entities and individuals, on a regular basis to forecast flooding and <br />drought and to project future water supplies for agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses; <br />hydropower production, recreation, and environmental purposes, such as for fish and wildlife <br />management and for endangered species needs. While these data collection and analysis programs <br />benefit so many, their funding has been allowed to erode to the point that the quantity and quality <br />of the basic data is threatened, with significant adverse consequences to a growing and diverse <br />number of decision makers and stakeholders. <br /> <br />Many of our members are active, fmancial partners in the Cooperative Program or otherwise rely <br />on the streamflow data coHected and disseminated by these two important programs. These <br />programs provide information that is vital to water resources management in the Nation. Years of <br />neglect from slow erosion in federal funding - with flat or nearly flat appropriations in the face of <br />continually rising costs - threatens the availability of critical data regarding stream flows, which <br />are the basis for myriad public and private decisions. <br /> <br />In 1998, Congress' concern about streamgaging led the USGS to create the National Streamflow <br />Information Program (NSIP). Unlike the Cooperative Water Program, which is funded in part by <br />non-federal cooperators, the NSIP is funded entirely with federal funds. In November 2004, the <br />National Research Council's Committee on Water Resources Research completed an assessment <br />of the USGS plans for the NSIP and said, "Overall, the Committee concludes that the National <br />