National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program
The USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Liaison Committee recently assembled, August 22, 2008, to learn about USGS plans for a national assessment (or “census”) of water availability and use. This meeting was a follow-up to the NAWQA March 2008 Congressional briefing that illustrated the linkages between water quantity, quality, and use in determining water availability for human and ecological purposes. Below you will find the biographies of each speaker, their presentations, and companion products and supporting materials.
USGS Moderator Donna Myers, Chief, National Water-Quality Assessment Program
USGS speaker Eric Evenson described the USGS plans for Water for America Initiative on assessing water availability and water use, relying in part on the results of a pilot study in the Great Lakes region.
Kevin Dennehy, from the USGS Ground Water Resources Program, described the USGS plan for a National Assessment of Ground-Water Availability. These studies serve as a springboard to continued and future USGS work throughout the U.S.
Tom Crane, Resource Management Program Manager of the Great Lakes Commission, provided examples of how USGS information is used for managing current and future water needs, as well as identified information needs and gaps on water-availability issues in the Great Lakes region.
Available Supporting Materials: