Streamgaging Support for USGS: In December 2009, 56 national and statewide organizations and 35 officials representing 27 states endorsed letters to Congress, the Interior Department and the OMB urging full implementation of the NSIP and restoration of the Cooperative Water Program’s ability to match non-federal investments 50:50. In March 2010, the President’s budget request proposed cutting support for both water data programs!  With the help of a group representing the organizations and states that endorsed the December 2009 letters, we briefed USGS Deputy Director Kimball June 2010 with to assure that USGS leadership appreciates how valuable their water data & science programs are. Contact our Director, Peter Evans, if you have any suggestions or questions.

"Value Engineering" Studies -- Making Good Progress: Another way that ICWP has found to collaborate with USGS to expand the capabilities of its water data and science programs has been to engage several interested equipment vendors in an assessment of USGS methods for installing, operating and maintaining data collection equipment in the field, retrieving and processing the data and delivering it for public use.  ICWP invited 10 companies to participate in any the studies.  Two of those companies, YSI and In-Situ, have volunteered to participate in water quality, ground water and surface water studies that will examine field and office conditions in several environments and produce recommendations that may identify improvements for the procedures, protocols, software or hardware involved. Those recommendations may or may not be feasible for USGS implementation (USGS will make that determination after it has a full understanding of them), but the surface water and water quality are already complete and available for all Cooperators and others with a significant stake in water data and science programs. With luck, the ground water study and recommendations will be completed later this year.

“WaterSMART” Initiative Funding and Water Census Design: During our 2008 Washington Roundtable and in several meetings with USGS, we studied the Administration's proposal to initiate a new sequence of regional water budget assessments, which USGS describes as a “national water census.” The proposal of these assessments has raised many questions among the intended users of the studies, including concerns that their implementation will require funds that might otherwise be available to support data collection and restore the USGS capacity to fully match Cooperator investments in the Cooperative Water Program. The ICWP is very supportive of the design process that USGS has implemented, and we commend Matt Larsen and Eric Evenson for the responsive and inclusive approach this design has engaged.  Excellent background on their plan is available on the USGS website. Let Peter Evans know if you have any suggestions or questions.

CWP Cooperator Recommendations to USGS
Jun30, 2006 Letter to USGS
Sept13, 2006 Response from USGS

Streamgage Program Support
USGS National Streamflow Information Program Background (NSIP)
USGS Cooperative Water Program Background (CWP)
Stakeholders’ Effort to Support Stronger Streamgage Programs

ICWP Position Statements
October 2008 Position Statement on Water Data & Science