Water budget addresses critical infrastructure issues

April 10, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Growing competition for water, increasing populations, more volatile stream flows, energy development and municipal demands, and the uncertain effects of a changing climate amplify the need for a better understanding of water use and availability. The National Water Census is being developed at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to address this critical need.

As part of the Department of the Interior's WaterSMART initiative (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow), the National Water Census identifies measures needed to address climate change and future demands, and describes the "water budget" -- which accounts for the inputs to, outputs from, and changes in the amount of water in the various components of the water cycle in an effort to assess water availability. USGS likens the water budget to the deposits to, withdrawals from, and changes in the balance of a checking account.

"This update to the National Water Census -- the first since 1978 -- will give the nation critical new information about the availability and use of America's freshwater resources," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said in a statement.

"Development of the new state-of-the-art National Water Census forms a vital component of the Department of the Interior's overall strategy to help ensure sustainable water resources for the United States. Similar to the need for the U.S. population census to make informed societal decisions, resource managers need the water census to support wise policy and decision-making on water matters," Salazar added.

For more:
- see the report

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