Solving western water supply problems remains an ongoing debate

The House Natural Resources Committee on Water, Power, and Oceans Subcommittee met to discuss conflicting proposals between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on water release from the Shasta Dam.

What is groundwater used for?

Roughly 60 percent of global groundwater use is for irrigation; most of the rest is used in households and industry.¹ Groundwater uses vary significantly by country, and partly depend on climate. In some countries with abundant rainfall, such as Indonesia and Thailand, irrigation needs are very low, so household water supply is the main use for groundwater.

Hearing to address contentious tribal water rights issues

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing led by Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) to discuss bills addressing contentious tribal water rights in Montana and Arizona (S. 3013 and S. 2959) and repealing obsolete laws relating to Native Americans (S. 2796).

Data as a National Asset for Decision-Making

Monday, July 25, 2016

Background:

Robust data collections are vital for understanding and managing Earth’s natural resources and hazards:

Earthquake data can help identify quake-prone areas and inform earthquake preparedness.
Air quality data can reveal potential health risks and hazards from air pollution.
Water quality data can capture noteworthy trends and changes in safety and accessibility.

Our speakers are:

Virginia Burkett, Associate Director for Climate and Land Use Change, U.S. Geological Survey | Slides Video
Katrin Hafner, Global Seismic Network Program Manager, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology | Slides Video
Tim Dye, Senior Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer, Sonoma Technology, Inc. | Slides Video
Mark Bennett, Director, USGS Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center | Slides Video

Webinar Co-Sponsors:

American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Geological Society of America, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, U.S. Geological Survey

Resources to learn more:

View this webinar's Question & Answer session
U.S. Geological Survey, Landsat archive
U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
U.S. Geological Survey, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
NOAA, Sea Level Trend Data
IRIS Data Archive
US Array, Central and Eastern U.S. Network
AirNow program
Chesapeake Bay Nontidal Network Station data
Facing Tomorrow's Challenges: U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017, USGS Circular 1309
National Assessment of Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise: Preliminary Results for the U.S. Atlantic Coast, USGS Open-File Report 99-593

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about geoscience data.

AES: Data As A National Asset for Decision Making - Introduction

Interactive map of produced waters in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's Produced Waters app provides information on over 100,000 samples of produced water from the oil and gas industry, waters extracted from hydrothermal systems (geothermal water), and some additional water wells.

CBO reports cost of Senate Water Resources Development Act

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a report outlining the projected costs of the Senate’s reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). CBO projects the bill will cost an estimated $10.6 billion over the next decade.

Visualization of water use in every state

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, under the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy and using data from the U.S. Geological Survey, has produced flow charts showing the major sources and uses of water in every U.S. state in the year 2005.

What is produced water?

Produced water is naturally occurring water that comes out of the ground along with oil and gas

Did you read the May Geoscience Policy Monthly review?

The monthly review summarizes federal-level legislation and activities that impact geoscientists.

Five Senate bills focus on western water

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing this May to discuss a suite of water bills aimed at addressing the drought across the West.

American Geosciences Institute

water