Critical Needs: Water

To optimize availability of clean water:

Increase monitoring of both the quantity and quality of surface water and groundwater. Knowledge of the state of water resources and how they are changing is critical for protecting, maintaining, and restoring the nation’s water resources. It is important to collect and manage this information effectively and share it widely.

California senators unveil drought relief bill

July 29, 2015

Interactive map of the U.S. energy sector's vulnerabilities to climatic conditions

The U.S. Department of Energy's interactive map of the energy sector's climatic vulnerabilities allows users to explore how climatic events have impacted the energy sector over recent years. You can view how impacts due to increasing temperatures, decreased water availability, and increasing storms, floods, and sea level rise have adversely affected energy resource development, distribution, production, and transmission.

Click here to use the interactive map.

Visualization of drought in California

The U.S. Geological Survey provides a website of visualizations that show how California's extreme drought in the early-mid 2010s progressed through the early-mid part of the decade and then was relieved with significant rain and snowfall in 2016-2017. Visualizations of the extent and severity of drought, change in reservoir volumes, and streamflow compared to historic rates are all available on the website, which you scroll through to see different features.

Click here to see the visualization of California's drought

House bill addresses water infrastructure and drought mitigation in California and the West

On June 25, Representative David Valadao (R-CA) introduced H.R. 2898, entitled the “Western Water and American Food Security Act,” in an effort mitigate the impacts of the drought in California and other Western states.

Water as One Resource: How interactions between groundwater and surface water impact water availability

Monday, July 13, 2015

Overarching questions addressed in this webinar include:

How do surface water and ground water interact and what implications do these interactions have for sustainable water management?
Are there new tools/resources/partnerships that can be used to better manage surface water and groundwater as connected resources?
What policy limitations exist for managing water as one resource?
Are there best practices that water management organizations can implement?

Our speakers include:

Ken Bradbury, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey | Slides Video
William M. Alley, National Ground Water Association | Slides Video
Thomas Harter, University of California, Davis | Slides Video

Webinar Co-Sponsors:
National Ground Water Association, Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey, Association of American State Geologists

CEU Credits

To earn CEU credits, please complete the associated on-demand GOLI course that was developed from this webinar with a grade of 70% or higher and then submit your application for CEUs. CEUs are awarded from the American Institute of Professional Geologists. To view the full list of on-demand GOLI courses, please browse the GOLI course catalog.

Resources to learn more:

View this webinar's Question & Answer session
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1139: Ground Water and Surface Water: A Single Resource
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1376: Streamflow Depletion by Wells - Understanding and Managing the Effects of Groundwater Pumping on Streamflow
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1766: Groundwater Availability of the Central Valley Aquifer, California
National Ground Water Association: Groundwater Fundamentals
Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey: Water & Environment Resources
University of Wisconsin Extension: Water Resource Webinars
University of California, Davis: Groundwater Information & Educational Resources
University of California, Davis: Scott Valley Research

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets on water resources.

Water As One Resource: How Groundwater Interacts with Lakes and Streams

NOAA opens $24.5 million National Water Center in Alabama

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) opened its new National Water Center on The University of Alabama campus on May 26.

Bureau of Reclamation sends $50 million to water-starved Western states for water conservation

The Department of the Interior announced on May 20 that $50 million from the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART grants will be sent to 12 drought-stricken states for water reclamation and reuse facilities, recycling and desalination programs, and water and energy infrastructure and efficiency initiatives.

Interactive drought risk map for the United States

National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC)

Map of groundwater depletion in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) map of groundwater depletion shows the cumulative depletion of groundwater for 40 aquifer systems across the U.S (excluding Alaska). The map depicts depletion over the time period of 1900 to 2008 and is measured in cubic kilometers.

Click here to go to the USGS groundwater depletion webpage

Source: USGS - Water

American Geosciences Institute

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