WAUSP Performance Measure #2: Aquifer groundwater availability studies

Groundwater is among the Nation’s most important natural resources, providing half of the our drinking water and being essential to economic development, as well as to the health of rivers, wetlands, and estuaries throughout the country. Large-scale development of ground-water resources with accompanying declines in ground-water levels and other effects of pumping has led to concerns about the future availability of groundwater to meet domestic, agricultural, industrial, and environmental needs. The WAUSP is working to complete groundwater availability assessments for the Nation’s 40 principal aquifers. These assessments evaluate a region’s groundwater resource and its impact on current and future water availability. This is critical information that supports regional water resource management decisions and planning activities. This performance measure tracks progress as the USGS completes these assessments. This table shows a snapshot of the performance measure history and the 2022 goal aligned with the 2018-2022 DOI Strategic Plan.

*The 2022 Goal assumed level funding from FY 2017 through FY 2022.