USGS News Release

[Anne-Berry Wade <abwade@xxxxxxxx>]

News Release
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey

Release Date: February 8, 2006

Contact: A.B. Wade     703-648-4483

Key Challenges for Science Identified
by the USGS to Support Western Water Management 

Ensuring stable water supplies has grown
more complex as the challenges facing water managers continue to mount,
especially in the West.  Informed decisions of water users and public
officials will be necessary to ensure sufficient freshwater resources in
the future to support a growing population and economy.  The USGS
has released a report that examines Western water availability, the modern
role for science, and the value of monitoring and research to ensure an
adequate water supply for the Nation’s future.
 
According to USGS scientist and co-author
of the report, Mark T. Anderson, “Effective water management in the West
is challenged by increasing and often competing needs among various water
users: agricultural use and consumption by cities, maintaining water reservoirs
and ensuring in-stream flows for aquatic ecosystems, industrial and energy
production, and recreation.  Scientific information becomes a crucial
factor for resource managers to support their decision-making.” 
  
Such factors as a demographic shift,
climate variability (including the potential for severe sustained droughts),
climate change, water-rights issues, depletion of ground water in storage,
introduction of new storage and water use technologies, and protection
of endangered species, add to a growing complexity for water management.
 Several of the key scientific challenges are examined in this report,
including the determination of sustainable ground-water use and the physical
habitat needs of ecosystems and individual endangered species.

According to USGS Associate Director
for Water, Robert Hirsch, “A constant and assured supply of fresh water
is critical to sustain our economy, our communities, our ecosystems and
our Nation.  This USGS report shows how the role and priorities for
science to support effective water management are changing to meet current
and future issues.  

Scientific information plays an important
role in describing the hydrologic and environmental consequences, quantifying
and monitoring changes in the hydrologic system, defining the physical-habitat
requirements of stream and riparian ecosystems, and characterizing the
life-sustaining needs of threatened or endangered species. The conduct
of science to support water resource management is bringing about a new
and more integrated role for the science of the U.S. Geological Survey.
 

This report brings together findings
from a wide variety of USGS studies and data in a manner that will help
citizens and public officials better understand changing water situations
in the West and the ways that new scientific understanding can support
wise management of the resources. 

The USGS report cites examples and scientific
challenges from four basins in the West that have significant water availability
and sustainability concerns: Middle Rio Grande Basin, NM., the Greater
Los Angeles area, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, AZ, and
the Upper Klamath Lake, OR.

The report, Water Availability for the
Western United States-- Key Scientific Challenges (Circular 1261), can
be obtained by calling 1-888-ASK-USGS or viewed online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/circ1261/

The USGS serves the nation by providing
reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize
loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological,
energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.


         
               
               
               
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___________________
A.B. Wade
Public Affairs Specialist
703-648-4483
abwade@xxxxxxxx