Integrated Water Science (IWS) Basins Active
Trinity-San Jacinto River Basin selected as 5th Integrated Water Science Basin
Studies in this Texas basin will focus on the impacts of climate change and sea level variability in urban envirnoments
Willamette River Basin selected as 4th Integrated Water Science Basin
Studies in this Pacific Northwest basin will advance the science used to manage water for the diverse needs of major cities, fertile agriculture, and ecologically important species
Integrated Water Science Basins fact sheet
Integrating recent advances in monitoring, research, and modeling to improve assessments of water availability throughout the U.S.
The U.S. Geological Survey is integrating its water science programs to better address the Nation’s greatest water resource challenges. At the heart of this effort are plans to intensively study at least 10 Integrated Water Science (IWS) basins — medium-sized watersheds (10,000-20,000 square miles) and underlying aquifers — over the next decade. The IWS basins will represent a wide range of environmental, hydrologic, and landscape settings and human stressors of water resources to improve understanding of water availability across the Nation.
State-of-the-art water-availability models—supported by high-density innovative monitoring and cutting-edge research—will be developed and applied in each IWS basin in ways that are extensible to larger regions represented by the basins and ultimately to the entire Nation. Water availability here is defined as the spatial and temporal distribution of water quantity and quality in both surface and groundwater, as related to human and ecosystem needs and as affected by human and natural influences. Together, various USGS water science programs, including the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs), and Integrated Water Prediction programs, are providing the observations, understanding, predictions, and information delivery necessary for sound decision-making related to emergency response, flood forecasting, reservoir management, drinking water delivery, permit compliance, water-quality improvement, recreational safety and more.
A regional framework was developed and is being used to ensure that basins selected from different hydrologic regions collectively represent the range in major drivers of the hydrologic cycle across the contiguous United States. A quantitative ranking scheme, primarily based on human stressors of water resources, is being used to ensure that the selected basins also address important water-resource challenges (Van Metre et. al., 2020). IWS basin activities are underway in the Delaware River Basin, where the impact of the drought of record under current water supply and demand restrictions is being studied, the Upper Colorado River Basin, where cold-region processes of snow, ice and frozen soils are being studied, and the Illinois River Basin, where the relation between an overabundance of nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus), associated harmful algal blooms (HABs), and water availability are being studied. Planning has begun for activities in the Willamette River Basin, where there is a need to balance water demands for human and ecological sustainability. Beginning in 2023, planning will begin for IWS basin activities in the Trinity-San Jacinto River Basin to focus on evaluating the impacts of large urban environmental settings and high-impact weather events on water availability and societal welfare.
Key questions the USGS can address with Integrated Water Science
- What is the quality and quantity of atmospheric, surface, and subsurface water, and how do these vary spatially and temporally?
- How do human activities affect water quantity and quality?
- How can water accounting be done more effectively and comprehensively to provide data on water availability and use?
- How does changing climate affect water quality, quantity, and reliability, as well as water-related hazards and extreme events?
- How can long-term water-related risk management be improved?
Below are other science projects associated with Integrated Water Science Basins.
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Delaware River Basin
Integrated Water Availability Assessments
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Integrated Water Prediction (IWP)
Next Generation Water Observing System: Illinois River Basin
Next Generation Water Observing System: Upper Colorado River Basin
Next Generation Water Observing System: Delaware River Basin
Below are publications associated with Integrated Water Science Basins.
Water priorities for the Nation—USGS Integrated Water Science basins
Water priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessments
Prioritizing river basins for intensive monitoring and assessment by the US Geological Survey
Water priorities for the nation—The U.S. Geological Survey next generation water observing system
Below are news releases associated with Integrated Water Science Basins.
- Overview
The U.S. Geological Survey is integrating its water science programs to better address the Nation’s greatest water resource challenges. At the heart of this effort are plans to intensively study at least 10 Integrated Water Science (IWS) basins — medium-sized watersheds (10,000-20,000 square miles) and underlying aquifers — over the next decade. The IWS basins will represent a wide range of environmental, hydrologic, and landscape settings and human stressors of water resources to improve understanding of water availability across the Nation.
State-of-the-art water-availability models—supported by high-density innovative monitoring and cutting-edge research—will be developed and applied in each IWS basin in ways that are extensible to larger regions represented by the basins and ultimately to the entire Nation. Water availability here is defined as the spatial and temporal distribution of water quantity and quality in both surface and groundwater, as related to human and ecosystem needs and as affected by human and natural influences. Together, various USGS water science programs, including the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs), and Integrated Water Prediction programs, are providing the observations, understanding, predictions, and information delivery necessary for sound decision-making related to emergency response, flood forecasting, reservoir management, drinking water delivery, permit compliance, water-quality improvement, recreational safety and more.
A regional framework was developed and is being used to ensure that basins selected from different hydrologic regions collectively represent the range in major drivers of the hydrologic cycle across the contiguous United States. A quantitative ranking scheme, primarily based on human stressors of water resources, is being used to ensure that the selected basins also address important water-resource challenges (Van Metre et. al., 2020). IWS basin activities are underway in the Delaware River Basin, where the impact of the drought of record under current water supply and demand restrictions is being studied, the Upper Colorado River Basin, where cold-region processes of snow, ice and frozen soils are being studied, and the Illinois River Basin, where the relation between an overabundance of nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus), associated harmful algal blooms (HABs), and water availability are being studied. Planning has begun for activities in the Willamette River Basin, where there is a need to balance water demands for human and ecological sustainability. Beginning in 2023, planning will begin for IWS basin activities in the Trinity-San Jacinto River Basin to focus on evaluating the impacts of large urban environmental settings and high-impact weather events on water availability and societal welfare.
Key questions the USGS can address with Integrated Water Science
- What is the quality and quantity of atmospheric, surface, and subsurface water, and how do these vary spatially and temporally?
- How do human activities affect water quantity and quality?
- How can water accounting be done more effectively and comprehensively to provide data on water availability and use?
- How does changing climate affect water quality, quantity, and reliability, as well as water-related hazards and extreme events?
- How can long-term water-related risk management be improved?
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with Integrated Water Science Basins.
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin
Regional Water Availability Assessments are scientific assessments of water availability in different hydrologic regions across the Nation. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, the USGS will conduct a focused assessment of how snowpack and snowmelt influence hydrology and water quality, and an integrated and comprehensive assessment of multiple water quantity, quality and use factors.Regional Water Availability Assessment: Delaware River Basin
Regional Water Availability Assessments are scientific assessments of water availability in different hydrologic regions across the Nation. In the Delaware River Basin, the USGS will conduct a focused assessment of increasing freshwater salinity and an integrated and comprehensive assessment of multiple water quantity, quality and use factors.Integrated Water Availability Assessments
The USGS Water Resources Mission Area is assessing how much water is available for human and ecological needs in the United States and identifying where and when the Nation may have challenges meeting its demand for water.Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Substantial advances in water science, together with emerging breakthroughs in technical and computational capabilities, have led the USGS to develop a Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS). The USGS NGWOS will provide real-time data on water quantity and quality in more affordable and rapid ways than previously possible, and in more locations.Integrated Water Prediction (IWP)
The USGS Integrated Water Prediction science program focuses on the development of advanced models for forecasting multiple water quality and quantity attributes including water budgets and components of the water cycle; water use; temperature; dissolved and suspended water constituents, and ecological conditions. It is also developing the cyberinfrastructure and workflows required to implement...Next Generation Water Observing System: Illinois River Basin
The Next Generation Water Observing System provides high-fidelity, real-time data on water quantity, quality, and use to support modern water prediction and decision-support systems that are necessary for informing water operations on a daily basis and decision-making during water emergencies. The Illinois River Basin provides an opportunity to implement the NGWOS in a system challenged by an...Next Generation Water Observing System: Upper Colorado River Basin
The Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) provides high-fidelity, real-time data on water quantity, quality, and use to support modern prediction and decision-support systems that are necessary for informing water operations on a daily basis and decision-making during water emergencies. The headwaters of the Colorado and Gunnison River Basins provide an opportunity to implement NGWOS in a...Next Generation Water Observing System: Delaware River Basin
The USGS Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) provides high-fidelity, real-time data on water quantity and quality necessary to support modern water prediction and decision support systems for water emergencies and daily water operations. The Delaware River Basin was the first NGWOS basin, providing an opportunity to implement the program in a nationally important, complex interstate... - Publications
Below are publications associated with Integrated Water Science Basins.
Water priorities for the Nation—USGS Integrated Water Science basins
The United States faces growing challenges to its water supply, infrastructure, and aquatic ecosystems because of population growth, climate change, floods, and droughts. To help address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Mission Area is integrating recent advances in monitoring, research, and modeling to improve assessments of water availability throughout the United StaAuthorsMark P. Miller, Sandra M. Eberts, Lori A. SpragueWater priorities for the Nation—U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessments
The United States faces growing challenges to its water supply, infrastructure, and aquatic ecosystems because of population growth, climate change, floods and droughts, and aging water delivery systems. To help address these challenges, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Mission Area has established new strategic priorities that capitalize on the operational and scientific strengthAuthorsMark P. Miller, Brian R. Clark, Sandra M. Eberts, Patrick M. Lambert, Patricia ToccalinoPrioritizing river basins for intensive monitoring and assessment by the US Geological Survey
The US Geological Survey (USGS) is currently (2020) integrating its water science programs to better address the nation’s greatest water resource challenges now and into the future. This integration will rely, in part, on data from 10 or more intensively monitored river basins from across the USA. A team of USGS scientists was convened to develop a systematic, quantitative approach to prioritize cAuthorsPeter C. Van Metre, Sharon L. Qi, Jeffrey R. Deacon, Cheryl A. Dieter, Jessica M. Driscoll, Michael N. Fienen, Terry A. Kenney, Patrick M. Lambert, David P. Lesmes, Christopher Allen Mason, Anke Mueller-Solger, MaryLynn Musgrove, Jaime A. Painter, Donald O. Rosenberry, Lori A. Sprague, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, David M. WolockWater priorities for the nation—The U.S. Geological Survey next generation water observing system
The challenges of providing safe and sustainable water supplies for human and ecological uses and protecting lives and property during water emergencies are well recognized. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) plays an essential role in meeting these challenges through its observational networks and renowned water science and research activities (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and MedicAuthorsSandra M. Eberts, Chad R. Wagner, Michael D. Woodside - News
Below are news releases associated with Integrated Water Science Basins.