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<br />.. ,~ <br /> <br />'Conclulling presenter: William Stell, Jr. of Seattle provided what he found to be the key <br />. ingredients for tile emergence of watershed managemei1t initiatives. <br /> <br />U.!!i. Department of Agriculture/Snow Surveys: On ~eb. 23 Western States Water Council . <br />(WSWC) Chairman Mike Brophy asked the Administr~tion to request $11,719,000 in FY2002 <br />I for the NRCS's Snow Survey and Water Supply Forec*sting Program. Over the past five years, . <br />: stagnant federal appropriations have left this system in:troubie, while demands for the data <br />: continue to increase. The information is used to project spring and summer water supplies for <br />: agriculture, municipal and industrial uses, hydropower,production, recreation, fish and wildlife <br />! management, endangered species needs, and other purPoses. This data is also used to forecast <br />! flooding and drought. : <br /> <br />[' National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP)~ The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and <br />Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP) sponsored:a workshop on streamgaging in <br />I Washington, D.C. on Feb. 14 to discuss the future of the USGS streamgaging program. <br />! . i <br />In the eariy 1990s the USGS lost some 90 streamgages a year because of the loss of cooperator <br />, funding. This led the USGS to reassess the program's goals. In N ov. 1998, a report was sent to <br />the Congress entitled, "A New Evaluation of the USGS Streamgaging Network." Among the <br />I issues addressed were the loss of stream-gages, the ability to meet federal goals, implementing <br />I new teclmoiogies, and decreasing network costs, whil~ increasing reliability. <br /> <br />In 1999 the streamgaging network included 2727 acti~e gages, 401 being entirely funded by the <br />USGS. In FY2000, USGS funded 420 of2755 gages.ln FY2001, the USGS funded 522 of2837 <br />gages. FY200i USGS funding totals $14.9 million, with $7.8 million for gage operation and <br />maintenance, $3.4 million for new or reactivated gages, and $3.7 million for system <br />enhancement and support. To fully implement NSIP, lJSGS estimates it would take $64 million <br />in federai capital expenditures and $78 million for operation and maintenance. <br /> <br />Visit www.USl!s.~ov for an overview ofNSIP concepts and plans. <br />! <br />Infrastructure Needs: On Feb. 13, the American W~ter Works Association (A WW A) endorsed <br />a blueprint for a new infrastructure partnership. The b~ueprint notes that drinking water and <br />wastewater utilities need to invest nearly $1 trillion f~r treatment plants, distribution systems and <br />wastewater collections system over the next 20 years.: At the same time, the report notes that the <br />competing needs of pipe replacement and expensive treatment and technology upgrades to insure <br />compliance with increasing federal regulations have ~apped the ability of utilities to fully invest <br />in infrastructure replacement, resulting in an investm~nt shortcoming of $23 billion every year. <br />, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />. <br />