The recommendations in each section now describe WRD policy on the issue. The resulting recommendations result from questions that are frequently posed by those in the field charged with the collection, management, and preservation of data. OFR 92-56 was widely circulated in WRD for comment prior to publication. The recommendations of the committee, now WRD policy, generally follow existing WRD policy or custom. There are, however, some areas where significant new policies are established.
Guidance is provided as to what constitutes original data for legal purposes.
An updated list of the kinds of data that should be placed in archives is included in the report. Data, once approved and moved from working files, will be archived in NWIS-II and receive the protection necessary for that status. Once NWIS-II is functional, paper copies will no longer have to be made for archiving hydrologic data that are in electronic form. The policy that all WRD data will be stored in NWIS is expanded to include data from outside sources that are used in support of WRD published conclusions and are not archived or published elsewhere. District offices are allowed to give access to the local approved data base to cooperators and others at their discretion.