Water Sustainability
There are two primary sources of water: surface waters (rivers and lakes, including the Great Lakes) and groundwater aquifers. Both sources provide for a variety of uses, including residential, business, industry, agriculture, energy production, mining, and recreation. The Upper Midwest Water Science Center collects basic hydrological data and conducts studies to understand how much water is currently available, how surface water and groundwater interact and affect availability, the rate at which we are using our water resources, and to forecast how much water will be available in the future.