**Appendix A -- Federal-State Cooperative Water- Resources Program Fact
Sheet**

**U.S. Geological Survey**

**Federal-State Cooperative Water-Resources Program**

*The USGS provides maps, reports, and information to help others meet
their needs to manage, develop, and protect America\'s water, energy,
mineral, and land resources. We help find natural resources needed to
build tomorrow, and supply scientific understanding needed to help
minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards and environmental
damage caused by human activities. The results of our efforts touch the
daily lives of almost every American.*

Reliable supplies of suitable quality water are necessary to the health
and well being of America\'s people, cities, and businesses. Numerous
Federal, State, regional, and local agencies share keen interests in
appraising the Nation\'s water resources and seeking solutions to
water-related problems. Because of their varying missions and areas of
responsibility, these many agencies hold diverse perceptions of
approaches, needs, and priorities. The U.S. Geological Survey\'s (USGS)
Federal-State Cooperative Program accommodates this diversity through
joint planning and funding (50:50 matching) of systematic studies of
water quantity, quality, and use on a national basis. The Cooperative
Program has contributed to water-resources knowledge for 100 years. From
its earliest days, the Program has been responsible directly for the
development of procedures for streamgaging, concepts of surface-water
and ground-water flow, and analytical techniques for investigations of
water quality.

The Federal-State Cooperative Program, a partnership between the USGS
and State and local agencies, provides information that forms the
foundation for many of the Nation\'s water-resources management and
planning activities. In addition, the information may function as an
early warning of emerging water problems. The fundamental characteristic
of the Program is that local and State agencies provide at least
one-half the funds, but the USGS does most of the work. Having the USGS
do the work results in consistent techniques of data collection and
archiving, with the information stored in a common database readily
available to all. The knowledge gained in the studies is published and
added to the growing body of information about the hydrology of the
region or area.

Most work in the Cooperative Program is directed toward potential and
emerging long-term problems, such as water supply, waste disposal,
ground-water quality, and effects of agricultural chemicals, floods,
droughts, and environmental protection. Standardized methods are used so
that study results are transferable to similar problems in other areas
and contribute to issues that have interstate, regional, or
international significance. Data collected by USGS and the results of
its studies are accepted by parties on both sides of disputes and
furnish the basis required for interstate and international compacts,
Federal law and court decrees, congressionally mandated studies,
regional and national water-resources assessments, and planning
activities.

A comprehensive and forward-looking program of hydrologic data
collection and investigations is needed to provide the information
necessary for the wise development and use of the Nation\'s water
resources. The jointly planned and funded Cooperative Program provides
assurance that the information needed to meet national and local needs
will be produced and shared. Because rivers and aquifers cross
jurisdictional lines, studies and data collected in one county or one
State have great value in adjacent counties or States. It is therefore
effective to have one agency involved in these studies so that the
information can be shared and is comparable from one jurisdiction to the
next. The USGS can respond to major floods with crews from all over the
Nation who bring to bear common knowledge of streamgaging technology and
procedures. This versatile response capability would not be possible if
State agencies had to act alone in flood emergencies.

Program priorities are developed in response to mutual Federal,
regional, State, and local requirements. Thus, the USGS and cooperating
agencies work together in a continuing process that leads to adjustments
in the program each year. During 1994, cooperative water studies were
conducted by USGS personnel in every State, in Puerto Rico, and several
territories. About 1,100 cooperators participated in the program (see
table 1). These cooperators include State, county, and municipal
agencies, as well as interstate compact organizations, conservation
districts, water-supply districts, sanitary districts, drainage
districts, flood-control districts, and similar organizations. Through
the pooling of support, the USGS is able to conduct studies that lead to
an improved understanding of the Nation\'s water resources to the mutual
benefit of all levels of government\--at substantial financial savings.

Within the Cooperative Program, typically about half of the funds
support the collection of hydrologic data; the remaining half support
hydrologic investigations and research. In 1994, the Federal-State
Cooperative Program served as the sole source of funding for the
operation of more than 4,200 continuous streamflow stations and
partially funded an additional 650 continuous streamflow stations. These
stations constitute about 67 percent of the continuous streamflow
stations operated by the USGS. The Program also provided funds for the
collection of ground-water levels at approximately 27,300 wells and the
collection of water-quality data at about 1,900 surface-water stations
and 4,800 ground-water well and spring stations. These data provide
information necessary for the determination of the suitability of water
for various uses, identification of trends in water quality, and
evaluation of the effects of stresses on the Nation\'s surface- and
ground-water resources. Since the early 1970\'s, there has been an
increase in the number of investigations that have emphasized
water-quality issues, such as aquifer contamination, river quality,
storm-runoff quality, and the effects of acid rain, mining, and
agricultural chemicals and practices on the hydrologic system.

Table 1. Number of cooperators in the 1994 Federal-State Cooperative
Program.

  -------------------- ----------- ------------ --------------- ------------ ----------- -----------
                                                                                         

                       **State**   **County**   **Municipal**   **Indian**   **Other**   **Total**

  Alabama              5           4            10              \--          1           20

  Alaska               7           \--          5               \--          1           13

  Arizona              4           3            2               6            6           21

  Arkansas             7           2            3               \--          1           13

  California           6           28           17              4            20          75

  Colorado             6           13           27              1            30          77

  Connecticut          2           \--          4               \--          2           8

  Delaware             2           \--          \--             \--          1           3

  District of Columbia \--         \--          2               \--          1           3

  Florida              3           14           23              \--          12          52

  Georgia              6           10           14              \--          2           32

  Hawaii               3           5            \--             \--          \--         8

  American Samoa       2           \--          \--             \--          \--         2

  Guam                 1           \--          \--             \--          \--         1

  Northern Marianas    1           \--          1               \--          \--         2

  Trust Territory      4           \--          \--             \--          \--         4

  Idaho                2           2            1               2            7           14

  Illinois             5           7            8               \--          4           24

  Indiana              3           1            3               \--          1           8

  Iowa                 3           \--          9               \--          3           15

  Kansas               6           3            4               4            5           22

  Kentucky             3           2            6               \--          4           15

  Louisiana            5           2            1               \--          4           12

  Maine                5           1            2               \--          3           11

  Maryland             4           2            2               \--          \--         8

  Massachusetts        6           \--          1               \--          3           10

  Michigan             2           6            17              2            3           30

  Minnesota            4           5            3               6            4           22

  Mississippi          5           3            1               \--          4           13

  Missouri             4           2            4               \--          2           12

  Montana              6           2            1               4            3           16

  Nebraska             4           \--          2               \--          15          21

  Nevada               6           5            2               4            4           21

  New Hampshire        1           \--          1               \--          \--         2

  New Jersey           4           5            6               \--          4           19

  New Mexico           4           1            7               3            8           23

  New York             4           13           9               1            3           30

  North Carolina       3           2            12              \--          3           20

  North Dakota         5           \--          3               2            1           11

  Ohio                 3           7            5               \--          4           19

  Oklahoma             5           \--          1               3            1           10

  Oregon               5           4            8               1            4           22

  Pennsylvania         6           4            13              \--          7           30

  Puerto Rico          6           \--          \--             \--          \--         6

  Rhode Island         3           \--          1               \--          1           5

  South Carolina       6           1            7               \--          6           20

  South Dakota         8           3            4               5            7           27

  Tennessee            5           4            21              \--          2           32

  Texas                5           7            19              \--          28          59

  Utah                 5           2            3               \--          5           15

  Vermont              2           \--          \--             \--          \--         2

  Virginia             3           2            4               \--          4           13

  Virgin Islands       1           \--          \--             \--          \--         1

  Washington           4           12           7               9            \--         32

  West Virginia        5           \--          2               \--          \--         7

  Wisconsin            5           5            30              4            26          70

  Wyoming              7           3            4               \--          6           20

  TOTAL                237         197          342             61           266         1,103
  -------------------- ----------- ------------ --------------- ------------ ----------- -----------

All data and results of analytical studies are made available to
cooperating agencies and to the public through published reports, and
through computerized data bases. Hydrologic data can be accessed through
USGS offices in every State and will soon be available over the
Internet. The benefits of the program are demonstrated by the extent to
which other agencies apply the information produced. For example, the
National Weather Service uses streamflow and water-level information
from some 3,000 USGS-operated gaging stations for their
flood-forecasting systems.

Many Cooperative Program activities provide information necessary for
making water management decisions. Investigations are undertaken in
response to a specific need but produce information and/or techniques
that are applicable to other situations in related settings. Several
examples follow.

California\-\--Contaminant Transport in Fractured Rock, Penn Mine

The USGS is conducting a study, in cooperation with the California State
Water Resources Control Board and the East Bay Municipal Utility
District, to verify

Ground-water flow paths and quantify ground-water flow in the fractured
rock aquifer that connects unlined mining waste-water ponds to Camanche
Reservoir; to quantify the water-rock interactions that control the
geochemistry of the ground-water system; and to quantify transport of
major chemical constituents and trace elements along ground-water flow
paths from the mine to the reservoir. This study represents one of the
first attempts at modeling contaminant transport in fractured rock, and
will serve to advance the understanding of fractured-rock hydrogeology.
This knowledge will be used to solve contamination problems in other
fractured-rock environments.

Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia\-\--Bridge Scour Studies

The undermining (scouring) of bridge-pier and abutment foundations by
erosive action of water can result in structural failure of bridges. The
numerous equations that have been developed to predict scour produce a
wide range of estimates for the same set of conditions. However, field
data to test the validity of these equations are sparse. The USGS, in
cooperation with State Highway Departments in Delaware, Maryland, and
Virginia, is developing techniques for measuring scour continuously at
bridge piers to improve the predictive equations. The results of these
and other similar USGS studies are being used by engineering firms,
State departments of transportation, and the Federal Highway
Administration to determine the risk of and to prevent bridge failure.
Bridges identified as having high risk for destructive scour are
investigated in detail by private or State engineers who devise ways to
safeguard the bridge.

Florida\-\--Development of Flow Models for Wetlands, Dade County

The USGS has developed numerous computer techniques to simulate both
ground-water flow and surface-water flow. These models are now in use by
State and local agencies, consulting firms, and universities throughout
the Nation. The USGS, in cooperation with the South Florida Water
Management District, is investigating methods of combining the
capabilities of ground-water and surface-water models to study the
effects of water-management alternatives in ecologically sensitive
wetlands that commonly are in direct connection with the ground-water
system. Hydrologic data collected in Dade County will be used to
construct and calibrate models of the Biscayne aquifer that will include
simulations of the interactions between surface water, ground water, and
wetlands. This study will help improve the understanding of the
hydrologic relations in the South Florida Everglades area, and will
provide improved analytical tools to the water-resources community.

Illinois\-\--Improved Techniques for Predicting Flood Risks

Understanding the relation between rainfall and resulting runoff is
important for accurate prediction of the risk of flooding. Many
computer-based models have been developed to simulate this relation, but
they need significant improvement to better describe how factors such as
land use, soil properties, and rainfall distribution affect runoff. The
USGS, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation, is
using geographic information system technology to improve the way that
models handle the various factors involved. Improved model simulations
will provide better predictions of runoff and enable forecasters to
provide more accurate flood information.

Damage caused by floods is especially acute in highly urbanized
watersheds. Yet the predictive tools used to estimate the potential
effects of flooding are least accurate in urban areas because of rapidly
changing land-use activities. The USGS, in cooperation with DuPage
County and the Illinois Department of Water Resources, is improving
statistical methods used to estimate peak flood levels and volumes in
densely-populated, rapidly-changing areas around Chicago. The methods
will provide better information for protecting existing structures and
for planning future development. These studies and similar work
nationwide have resulted in a USGS report that provides the means by
which to estimate the magnitude and frequency of floods at ungaged sites
on streams. The equations in this report are widely used by consulting
engineers and government agencies for flood prediction.

Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North and South Dakota, and
Nebraska\-\--Midwest Floods, 1993

During the 1993 Mississippi River floods, USGS field personnel made more
than 2,000 visits to streamgaging stations in the flood-affected areas
to verify that the instruments were working and communicating properly,
to make repairs as needed, and to make direct measurements of the
streamflow. Approximately 70 percent of the USGS streamgaging stations
were operated in cooperation with various State and local agencies. The
data from the gaging stations were provided continuously to the National
Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and formed the
basis for flood forecasts that allowed people and personal property to
be evacuated from areas about to be inundated. It also enabled the Corps
of Engineers and others to focus flood-fighting activities where they
would be most useful. Without the long-standing gaging station network
and well-developed communications systems, accurate forecasts could not
have been made and loss of life and damage to property would have been
far greater than it was (47 lives were lost, and property damages
totaled \$16 billion). This same experience with the real-time use of
USGS gaging station data is repeated several times each year as
catastrophic floods strike various sections of the Nation. In addition,
the hydrologic information is used by transportation planners to design
safe bridges and roadways and to establish valid zoning and insurance
regulations that protect people and property during future floods.

Kansas\-\--Effects of Soil- and Cropping-Management on Atrazine Movement

Contamination of surface water by atrazine and other herbicides may pose
a serious problem for public water supplies. Experiments conducted at
the Kansas River Valley Experimental Field near Topeka, Kansas, as part
of a USGS-Kansas State University cooperative study, reveal that some
simple improvements in farming techniques can greatly reduce herbicide
loss from fields. A farming technique that results in considerable
reduction in herbicide concentrations in runoff from cultivated fields
is the incorporation of the herbicide into the soil. Runoff from
experimental plots in which the herbicides were incorporated into the
soil during application had initial concentrations of herbicides 10 to
100 times less than initial concentrations in runoff from plots in which
the herbicides were applied directly to the soil surface. Other
experiments showed that encapsulated herbicides help reduce herbicide
loss, especially when incorporated into the soil. These findings are
significant in light of a common farming practice of spraying herbicides
on the surface of minimum-tilled fields. The additional crop residue on
the surface of such fields reduces soil erosion, but the surface
application of the herbicides clearly contributes a large amount of
herbicide to surface water. This study brought together the
University\'s expertise in agricultural systems and soils with the USGS
capability in water-quality monitoring and organic chemistry. The
information produced by the study is of great benefit to the Nation\'s
agricultural community in making decisions with respect to techniques
for herbicide application.

Louisiana\-\--Flooding on the Lower Pearl River

Severe flooding on the lower Pearl River in the vicinity of Slidell,
Louisiana occurred in April of 1979, 1980, and 1983. Each flood
approached or exceeded a 100-year frequency of recurrence. The chance
for three such floods happening within a 4-year span is about 1 in
10,000. Following the 1980 flood, the USGS, in cooperation with the
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Office of
Highways, began a study of river flow at the I-10 Interstate Highway
crossing of the Pearl River near Slidell. The USGS developed a
mathematical model to simulate flow conditions through the existing
bridge openings. The model also can be used to simulate conditions
without I-10 in place, the effects of alternative bridge designs, or
modifications to the existing bridge. After further development, the
model has been adopted by the Federal Highway Administration, many State
departments of transportation, and consulting engineers to analyze
complex streamflow situations at existing or proposed bridge crossings.
The information from the model results in safer and more cost-effective
bridge design.

South Carolina\-\--Rates of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degradation

The USGS, in cooperation with the South Carolina Water Resources
Commission, is investigating an extensively contaminated shallow
water-table aquifer underlying a fuel tank farm in Hanahan, South
Carolina. Data collected to date have revealed that petroleum
hydrocarbons in the aquifer are being degraded in a complex pattern of
zones dominated by chemically distinct conditions that change
dynamically in time and space. Future studies are planned to determine
relative rates of hydrocarbon degradation under these conditions and how
degradation rates are affected by changes in conditions. This
information will benefit the evaluation and design of low-cost
bioremediation strategies at this and similar sites nationwide.

Texas\-\--Areas of High Risk from Contamination, Edwards Aquifer

The USGS, in cooperation with the Edwards Underground Water District in
San Antonio, Texas, mapped outcrops of the Edwards aquifer in northern
Bexar, Comal, and Hays counties. The Edwards aquifer is the sole source
of water for 1.5 million people in San Antonio and the surrounding area.
The resulting hydrogeologic maps indicate areas of the aquifer most
susceptible to contamination by surface sources, such as spills or
stormwater runoff from residential or commercial development on or
adjacent to the aquifer outcrops. This information is essential for
land-use planning to protect the Edwards aquifer in the rapidly
urbanizing outcrop area. In addition, the hydrogeologic maps are useful
for determining relative fault displacement, which, when combined with
the defined \"most sensitive to pollution\" areas, aids in inferring the
path of ground-water flow from the outcrop into the aquifer. USGS
investigations of the Edwards aquifer led to enactment of a Federal law
to protect aquifers that are the sole source of public water supplies.

From U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Fact Sheet
FS-052-95