Does the United States Have Enough Water? 04-May-05

The Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality, reporting to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, National Science and Technology Council, has released their first report, Science and Technology to Support Fresh Water Availability in
the United States.

A press release about the report stated that the report takes a brief but careful look at what is known about our nation’s fresh water supply, what we don’t know about it, and the ramifications of our current state of knowledge. It also describes high-priority science and technology efforts needed to provide adequate information for decision makers and water managers.

At the request of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, as a follow-up to this report, the Subcommittee is now developing a strategic plan for Federal science and technology research and development to support freshwater availability and quality.

Briefly, included in the report are these findings:

Does United States have enough water?

We do not know.

We do not have an adequate picture of water availability at national, regional, and local levels. “National water availability and use has not been comprehensively assessed in 25 years” — U.S. General Accounting Office report, July 1, 2003.

What should we do?

• Improve coordination of existing federal, state, academic and private sector water resources research activities using a watershed-based approach.

• Make a direct connection between information needs of water managers and identification of water science and technology priorities.

• Use modern science and technology to determine how much water is currently available in our rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and aquifers, how much water is likely to be available in future decades at current or projected rates of use, and improve our understanding of the nation’s water resources and their natural variability.

• Determine more precisely how much water is used for human needs, agriculture, industry, energy, and develop scientifically reliable methods to determine the amount of water needed for the environment.

• Evaluate alternatives in order to use water more efficiently, including technologies for conservation and supply enhancement, such as water reuse and recycling, as a way to make more water available and determine the factors that influence their adoption2.

• Examine the factors that encourage the economical use, production, supply, and exchange of water.

• Improve tools needed for predictions (at time scales of days to decades) about the future of our water resources to facilitate improved planning and more efficient operation of the water infrastructure.

Click here to read the report.


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	Wednesday May 4, 2005 Does the United States Have Enough Water? Science and Technology to Support Fresh Water Availability in the United States Source: NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality The Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality, reporting to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, National Science and Technology Council, has released their first report, Science and Technology to Support Fresh Water Availability in the United States. A press release about the report stated that the report takes a brief but careful look at what is known about our nation’s fresh water supply, what we don’t know about it, and the ramifications of our current state of knowledge. It also describes high-priority science and technology efforts needed to provide adequate information for decision makers and water managers. At the request of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, as a follow-up to this report, the Subcommittee is now developing a strategic plan for Federal science and technology research and development to support freshwater availability and quality. Briefly, included in the report are these findings: Does United States have enough water? We do not know. We do not have an adequate picture of water availability at national, regional, and local levels. “National water availability and use has not been comprehensively assessed in 25 years” — U.S. General Accounting Office report, July 1, 2003. *What should we do?* • Improve coordination of existing federal, state, academic and private sector water resources research activities using a watershed-based approach. • Make a direct connection between information needs of water managers and identification of water science and technology priorities. • Use modern science and technology to determine how much water is currently available in our rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and aquifers, how much water is likely to be available in future decades at current or projected rates of use, and improve our understanding of the nation’s water resources and their natural variability. • Determine more precisely how much water is used for human needs, agriculture, industry, energy, and develop scientifically reliable methods to determine the amount of water needed for the environment. • Evaluate alternatives in order to use water more efficiently, including technologies for conservation and supply enhancement, such as water reuse and recycling, as a way to make more water available and determine the factors that influence their adoption2. • Examine the factors that encourage the economical use, production, supply, and exchange of water. • Improve tools needed for predictions (at time scales of days to decades) about the future of our water resources to facilitate improved planning and more efficient operation of the water infrastructure. Click here to read the report. Copyright ©1999-2005 Stratecon Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use \| Privacy Policy \| Disclaimer