# Presentation: 359434

## Update on the Cooperative Water Program Task Force

- Presentation for the
- September 14-15, 2004
- ACWI Meeting
- Herndon, VA

**Barney Austin,  Western States Water Council**

## Overview of the Cooperative Water Program

- Created in 1895
- Combine resources of the Federal gov’t with other governmental units to collect and analyze water resources data
- In 1905 Congress appropriated funds specifically for cooperative studies
- Main objectives:
- To collect data for the continuing determination and evaluation of the quantity, quality and use of the Nation’s water resources.
- To appraise physical, biological and chemical characteristics of surface and groundwater through data analysis and interpretive studies.

**Notes:**
 Paraphrased main objectives
 Limited Federal financial contribution to 50%
 Previous Task Force recommended a Mission Statement for the Cooperative Water Program: “...to provide reliable, impartial, and timely information needed to understand the Nation’s water resources through a program of shared efforts and funding with State, Tribal, and local partners to enable decision makers to wisely manage the Nation’s water resources”. USGS adopted this Mission Statement.

## Overview of previous Coop Task Force

- Task Force established by the ACWI at their August 1998 meeting in Denver, CO
- Terms of Reference:
- To assess the effectiveness of the Cooperative Water Program;
- To make recommendations;
- Provide a written report of the findings...

**Notes:**
Circular 1192 released in August 1999

## Overview of previous Coop Task Force

- Membership: 21 individuals representing 21 organizations
- A total of 59 findings in areas of:
- Mission;
- Priorities for funding;
- Funding levels;
- A national streamgaging program;
- Collabortaion and communication;
- Competition with the private sector;
- Quality of USGS work;
- Products
- Response letter by Gale Norton to ACWI with enclosed USGS responses to report recommendations (10/3/01).

**Notes:**
No members present at today’s meeting???

## Overview of the 2004 Task Force

- To review the progress of the USGS in implementing the recommendations from the 1999 report.
- Report will serve as the basis for the ACWI to recommend mid-course corrections to enhance the Program...form the basis for an internal USGS 5-year action plan for the Program.

## Task Force Membership

| Barney Austin, Chair | Texas Water Development Board | Western States Water Council |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fred Bloetscher | Public Utility Management & Planning Services | American Water Works Assoc. |
| Bill Cauthren | Oklahoma Water Resources Board | Assoc. of State & Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators |
| Tom Dietrich | NOAA, National Weather Service |  |
| John Jansen | Aquifer Science & Technology, Inc. | National Groundwater Association |
| Rick Johnson | Camp, Dresser & McKee, Inc. | Water Environment Federation |
| Sue Lowry | Wyoming State Engineer's Office | Interstate Council on Water Policy |
| Karl Muessig | NJ Geological Survey | American Association of State Geologists |

**Notes:**
Glenn Patterson is Executive Secretary
8 members out of a maximum of 9 (as specified in 2004 ToR)

## Progress thus far...meetings

- May 2004—Organized
- June 25—Meeting in Reston
- July 22—Conference Call
- August 20—Conference Call
- October/November---Meeting in Denver??

**Notes:**
Should be able to finish report through use of the internet and conference calls.

## Progress thus far...status

- Status of 59 TF recommendations
- 24 recommendations fully implemented!
- USGS disagrees with 2 recommendations
- USGS should consider using outside contractors
- Explore feasibility of billing cooperators based on actual costs instead of average cost per station
- Agree or partially agree with all remaining
- In various stages of completion
- 2004 TF prioritization (see handout)

**Notes:**
Glenn - Do we comment on “disagreements” in 2004 report?

## High Priority Recommendations

- 4.1 Full match for Coop stations + inflation
- 9.1 NSIP...100% funds for national streamgaging network
- 9.3 Limit loss of long-term streamgaging stations
- 11.2 Use of contractors/cooperators for data collection
- 25.1 On reporting:
- Improve timeliness of deliverables;
- Explain report preparation, review and release procedure;
- Accessibility to data in ongoing projects;
- Maintain point of contact for long-term projects.
- 11.3 Use of in-kind services to maintain data collection stations

**Notes:**
Note correction to handout...

NSIP is separate line item in USGS budget...
Funding is appr. $14 per year.
Full implementation would cost $95M, with upfront infrastructure costs of about $103M.
4,425 identified streamgages...appr. 500 are currently funded by NSIP.

## Funding issues!

- Data quality has improved since 1895!
- Real time information invaluable
- Access to water info databases & stats
- High tech equipment and staff now required for developing rating curves...

## Slide 11

## Average rate of increase

**Average rate of increase**
**3.8 % per year**

## Slide 13

## Slide 14

**Notes:**
In contrast to most other Federal agencies, the U.S. Geological Survey must rely on funding from partners for much of its water-resources activities, including streamgaging.  While the advent of the Federally-funded National Streamflow Information Program in 2000 has provided 100-percent Federal funding for a few important gages, most of the support for streamgaging still comes from non-USGS partners.  Since 1994, the amount contributed by State and local partners has exceeded the amounts from either the USGS or other Federal partners, and has been growing more rapidly.  In FY 2003, 45 percent of the total cost of streamgaging was provided by State and local partners.

## 2004 Task Force Report Outline

- Introduction
- USGS progress since 1999
- Prioritization of 1999 recommendations
- Supplemental information of interest
- Anything else of interest...ACWI?
- Conclusions & recommendations
- Draft report available by the holidays

## For more information...

- About the Task Force Review:
- _[http://](http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/coop/)__[water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/coop](http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/coop/)__[/](http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/coop/)_
- About the Cooperative Water Program:
- _[http://water.usgs.gov/coop/](http://water.usgs.gov/coop/)_
- Barney Austin (WSWC/TWDB)
- Glenn Patterson (USGS)