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U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey A National Water Census You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Slide 2 Water is critical to sustain and support: Life Ecosystems Economy Life Ecosystems Economy You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Slide 3 How much water do we have in the U.S? Is the amount changing over time? How much water do we have in the U.S? Is the amount changing over time? Slide 4 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure What is a water census? Slide 5 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Account for water with a budget Slide 6 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Precipitation Evapotranspiration Storage in Reservoirs, Lakes, Snow and Ice River Flow Groundwater Recharge rates Water level in aquifers Ecological Needs Water Withdrawals Return Flows Consumptive Uses Run-of-the-River Uses A Nationwide System to deliver water availability information Slide 7 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Envision a seamless coverage of information for each component Slide 8 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Surface StorageRecharge Evapotranspiration BaseflowRunoff USGS will provide this for all components Precipitation Slide 9 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Can our water sustain important habitats? A water census will allow managers to balance healthy habitats and human water use Slide 10 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Flow Needs for Wildlife and Habitat Slide 11 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Can freshwater supplies meet long-term needs? A water census will identify how much water is available for renewable energy development. Slide 12 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Enhancing the Nations Water Use Information Slide 13 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Why Now? Competition is increasing, climate is changing, water in storage is declining Slide 14 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure What will a Census provide us? It will provide State, local and Regional water professionals the Information they need to plan for and allocate water resources. Slide 15 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Periodic Studies on Topics of National Interest Slide 16 You Cant Manage What You Dont Measure Are we making progress on the Water Census?