FUTURE WATER
PRIORITIES FOR
THE NATION
Directions for the U.S. Geological
Survey Water Mission Area
Committee on Future Water Resource Needs for the Nation:
Water Science and Research at the U.S. Geological Survey
Water Science and Technology Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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This material is based on work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Grant Agreement No. G17AP00050. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Geological Survey. Mention of trade names or commercial products do not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-47709-3
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-47709-3
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25134
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Future Water Priorities for the Nation: Directions for the U.S. Geological Survey Water Mission Area. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25134.
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COMMITTEE ON FUTURE WATER RESOURCE NEEDS FOR THE NATION: WATER SCIENCE AND RESEARCH AT THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER (NAE), Chair, Vanderbilt University
KENNETH R. BRADBURY, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
YU-PING CHIN, University of Delaware
ELLEN GILINSKY, Ellen Gilinsky, LLC
PETER H. GLEICK (NAS), Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security
ROBERT E. MACE, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Texas State University
ANNE W. NOLIN, University of Nevada, Reno
ROGER K. PATTERSON, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
YING FAN REINFELDER, Rutgers University
JENNIFER L. TANK, University of Notre Dame
HOWARD S. WHEATER, University of Saskatchewan
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff
DAVID M. ALLEN, Co-Study Director, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
DEBORAH GLICKSON, Co-Study Director, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
BRENDAN R. McGOVERN, Research Assistant, Water Science and Technology Board
CARLY BRODY, Senior Program Assistant, Water Science and Technology Board
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WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD
CATHERINE L. KLING (NAS), Chair, Cornell University
DAVID A. DZOMBAK (NAE), Carnegie Mellon University
WENDY D. GRAHAM, University of Florida
ARTURO A. KELLER, University of California, Santa Barbara
MARK W. LeCHAVALLIER, Dr. Water Consulting, LLC
DINAH LOUDA, Veolia Institute
MARGARET A. PALMER, National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland
STEPHEN POLASKY (NAS), University of Minnesota, St. Paul
DAVID L. SEDLAK (NAE), University of California, Berkeley
DAVID L. WEGNER, Jacobs Engineering
P. KAY WHITLOCK, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.
JAMES W. ZIGLAR, SR., Van Ness Feldman
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Staff
ELIZABETH EIDE, Director
LAURA J. EHLERS, Senior Program Officer
STEPHANIE E. JOHNSON, Senior Program Officer
M. JEANNE AQUILINO, Financial/Administrative Associate
COURTNEY R. DEVANE, Administrative Coordinator
BRENDAN R. McGOVERN, Research Assistant
CARLY BRODY, Senior Program Assistant
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Preface
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long and distinguished record as a source of unbiased data, information, and scientific results that support wise use and management of water resources. The “customers” of the Water Mission Area (WMA) of USGS range across a spectrum of agencies and actors, from federal, state, tribal, and local agencies, to academic research scientists, to private companies both large and small, and even to individuals who want to plan a fishing or rafting outing. For much of their work related to water resources, these customers fundamentally rely on USGS.
There is broad agreement that solving problems related to use of water resources will be of paramount importance in coming decades. In a 2017 policy statement, for example, the American Meteorological Society summarized the consensus view of scientists: “The provision of adequate freshwater resources for people and ecosystems will be one of the most critical and potentially contentious issues facing society and governments at all levels during the 21st century.”1 In the United States, the issues with which we are currently grappling—such as the widespread depletion of groundwater in the High Plains, the fact that the Colorado River rarely reaches the ocean any longer, and the persistent, harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie—are harbingers of the potential impacts that can occur in the future if steps are not taken to avoid negative consequences. The many water resources challenges of the nation have related science challenges because the data
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1 See https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/about-ams/ams-statements/statements-of-theams-in-force/water-resources-in-the-21st-century1; accessed September 17, 2018.
and results stemming from scientific work provide a basis for the difficult trade-off decisions that will be necessary.
Given the seriousness of looming water challenges, the work of WMA and other USGS mission areas will become even more important over the next decades and beyond as changing water resources conditions are experienced. But it would be ill-advised for WMA to spread its work thinly across all possible questions about water resources. What are the strategic water science and research opportunities for WMA that would address the highest-priority national water challenges in the future? These opportunities will evolve substantially from what they have been in the past as “big data” accumulates and as rapid advances in technology for measurement and computation continue apace. WMA will have to make wise decisions about choosing key opportunities and be flexible and nimble in order to adapt to new challenges and apply new advances as they occur. The Committee on Future Water Resource Needs for the Nation: Water Science and Research at the U.S. Geological Survey was appointed in August 2017 by the Water Science and Technology Board (WSTB) and charged with identifying key water resources challenges and the corresponding strategic opportunities for USGS, particularly WMA, over the next 25 years. This report represents the consensus views of the committee that were developed over 9 months of study. Committee members reviewed published documents and other sources of information, including material gained through interactions with selected stakeholders who routinely depend on collaboration with WMA in their work and with USGS and academic scientists.
I thank the members of the committee for their hard work in preparing the report, for their good-natured approach to reaching consensus on the many issues that we discussed, and for the collegiality that they exhibited throughout our work together. I also thank all of the people who took time to provide input to the committee. This report, like all National Academies reports, was made possible by excellent staff work. I especially want to thank David Allen and Deb Glickson, the study directors for the project, for their major contributions—both editorial and substantive—to the work, for keeping me focused on the tasks that needed to be accomplished, and for shepherding the report through the publication process. I also thank Brendan McGovern and Carly Brody, WSTB staff, for their incredibly hard work throughout this process. I also thank the reviewers for their helpful suggestions, which strengthened the report tremendously.
George M. Hornberger, Chair
Committee on Future Water Resource Needs for the Nation:
Water Science and Research at the U.S. Geological Survey
Acknowledgments
M any individuals assisted the committee and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine staff in their task to create this report. The committee met four times over a 6-month period: twice in Washington, DC, once in San Diego, California, and once in Chicago, Illinois. Over the course of those meetings, the committee consulted with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) staff and stakeholders across the nation, including those from the federal, state, and nongovernmental sectors. During its open-session meetings and through questionnaires, the committee had the opportunity to interact and learn from numerous individuals about the importance of USGS research and data to their own programs. Individuals also provided written feedback to the committee. Their voluntary engagement with the committee is an indication of the importance of input to the USGS Water Mission Area.
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Marylynn Yates, University of California, Riverside, and Dick Luthy (NAE), Stanford University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Contents
The U.S Geological Survey and the Water Mission Area
2 WATER SCIENCE AND RESOURCES CHALLENGES FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS
Water Science and Resources Challenges
3 PRIORITY QUESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
New Approaches for Old Problems
Priority Questions and Recommendations