The USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) are a multi-extent, stakeholder driven, near real-time census and prediction of water availability for both human and ecological uses at regional and national extents.
The USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) will provide nationally consistent assessments of water available for human and ecological needs in the United States and identify factors that limit water availability or could lead to conflict. The IWAAs are designed to provide information to meet the goals of the National Water Census as established through the SECURE Water Act. These goals are to:
- Provide accurate assessment of available water resources
- Determine quantity of water available for human and ecological needs
- Quantify long-term trends in water availability
- Provide assessment of change in water availability
- Explore factors that limit water availability or could lead to conflict
- Forecast water availability for economic development, energy production or conservation, and environmental or other in-stream uses
When fully implemented, the IWAAs will, at national and regional scales:
- Evaluate current water supply and demand and the factors that influence availability
- Evaluate long-term trends in water availability and their causes
- Provide seasonal to decadal forecasts of availability
- Support water-resource management through design and delivery of management-relevant data and water-availability assessment products.
National IWAAs
The national IWAAs will provide periodic scientific assessments of water availability in the United States. Those assessments will be supported by a near-real-time census of water resources at the sub-watershed scale (tracts of 10,000–40,000 acres). When fully realized, this National Water Census will provide status, trends and forecasts of the amount of surface water and groundwater available to support various uses over spatial extents including individual watersheds, major hydrologic regions, and the Nation.
The National IWAAs water-availability map (a deprecated demonstration of operational modeling capabilities) will be replaced by a new prototype National Water Census webpage (currently under development) to deliver estimates of water availability for the conterminous United States.
As this National IWWAs census product evolves additional hydrologic parameters will be produced and other indicators of water availability will be included on this representation, as well as water availability predictions.
Regional IWAAs
Models, tools, and supporting data developed for the national IWAAs will be augmented by more refined information from select regional studies and assessments to improve national IWAA water-availability models. The specific information needs of each regional IWAA will be informed by local hydrologic conditions and input from partners and stakeholders regarding information gaps and resource management needs. Work is underway in the Delaware and Upper Colorado River Basin and will begin in FY2022 in the Illinois River Basin. Regional IWAAs plans to intensively assess at least 10 basins—medium-sized (10,000-20,000 square miles) and underlying aquifers—over the next decade.
IWAAs Design
The USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) combine resources and knowledge gained from previous and ongoing USGS efforts such as Focus Area Studies; Regional Groundwater Availability Studies; and Water Use, Environmental Flows, and Streamflow estimation, in addition to utilizing and providing feedback to the National Water Model.
IWAAs will be supported by innovative data collection and delivery, incorporated, in part, through the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) programs, and by the integrated hydrologic cycle and water-quality modeling capacity developed by the USGS Integrated Water Prediction Program. For Regional IWAAs specifically, these three programs, with support from other USGS activities, will combine in an Integrated Water Science (IWS) Basin approach to provide the observations, understanding, predictions, and information delivery necessary for sound decision-making related to water availability management.
IWAAs also works through collaborative agreements with State and local partners with the support of Cooperative Matching Funds. In FY 2019, 10 projects were selected across the U.S. that will help to support development of National and Regional IWAAs. These projects will focus on improving the data, tools, and information stakeholders need to make water-resource management decisions.
Featured Water Availability Data, Maps, and Tools
Below are other USGS science efforts related to Integrated Water Availability Assessments.
Water Availability and Use Science Program
Integrated Water Science (IWS) Basins
Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS)
Integrated Water Prediction (IWP)
Integrated Water Availability Assessments: Upper Colorado River Basin
Integrated Water Availability Assessments: Delaware River Basin
National Hydrologic Model Infrastructure
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
National Water Quality Program
Below are multimedia items associated with Integrated Water Availability Assessments.
- Overview
The USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) are a multi-extent, stakeholder driven, near real-time census and prediction of water availability for both human and ecological uses at regional and national extents.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Water availability reflects the quantity, timing, quality, and use of water resources. More specifically, water availability has four components: (1) the need for a certain volume of water to meet the intended purpose, (2) the timing characteristics with which water is delivered, (3) the adequate quality of the water for the intended purpose, and (4) the need for water to meet human and environmental/ecological uses. The USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) will provide nationally consistent assessments of water available for human and ecological needs in the United States and identify factors that limit water availability or could lead to conflict. The IWAAs are designed to provide information to meet the goals of the National Water Census as established through the SECURE Water Act. These goals are to:
- Provide accurate assessment of available water resources
- Determine quantity of water available for human and ecological needs
- Quantify long-term trends in water availability
- Provide assessment of change in water availability
- Explore factors that limit water availability or could lead to conflict
- Forecast water availability for economic development, energy production or conservation, and environmental or other in-stream uses
When fully implemented, the IWAAs will, at national and regional scales:
- Evaluate current water supply and demand and the factors that influence availability
- Evaluate long-term trends in water availability and their causes
- Provide seasonal to decadal forecasts of availability
- Support water-resource management through design and delivery of management-relevant data and water-availability assessment products.
National IWAAs
The national IWAAs will provide periodic scientific assessments of water availability in the United States. Those assessments will be supported by a near-real-time census of water resources at the sub-watershed scale (tracts of 10,000–40,000 acres). When fully realized, this National Water Census will provide status, trends and forecasts of the amount of surface water and groundwater available to support various uses over spatial extents including individual watersheds, major hydrologic regions, and the Nation.
The National IWAAs water-availability map (a deprecated demonstration of operational modeling capabilities) will be replaced by a new prototype National Water Census webpage (currently under development) to deliver estimates of water availability for the conterminous United States.
As this National IWWAs census product evolves additional hydrologic parameters will be produced and other indicators of water availability will be included on this representation, as well as water availability predictions.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.This animation highlights the USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) Program’s evolving capacity to estimate water availability at a national scale by visualizing daily estimates of natural water storage (water present on the landscape such as standing water, snowpack, soil water, and shallow groundwater) for approximately 110,000 regions across the conterminous United States. The data shown in this visualization were sourced from the IWAAs concept map, which is currently offline for revisions and enhancements. Regional IWAAs
Models, tools, and supporting data developed for the national IWAAs will be augmented by more refined information from select regional studies and assessments to improve national IWAA water-availability models. The specific information needs of each regional IWAA will be informed by local hydrologic conditions and input from partners and stakeholders regarding information gaps and resource management needs. Work is underway in the Delaware and Upper Colorado River Basin and will begin in FY2022 in the Illinois River Basin. Regional IWAAs plans to intensively assess at least 10 basins—medium-sized (10,000-20,000 square miles) and underlying aquifers—over the next decade.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Delaware River Basin: The Regional IWAAs study in the Delaware River Basin will develop integrated assessment and modeling approaches in a complex interstate river system.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Upper Colorado River Basin: A new Regional IWAAs in the Upper Colorado River Basin will provide an opportunity to improve regional water prediction in snowmelt dominated systems.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Illinois River Basin: A Regional IWAAs in the Illinois River Basin is being added in 2022 to assessment capacity gaps including nutrient delivery and harmful algal bloom prediction.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Future Regional IWAAs: New Regional IWAAs will be added as funding is available. Basin selections will consider environmental, and human settings, ecological resources, and water supply, use and quality characteristics. IWAAs Design
The USGS Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs) combine resources and knowledge gained from previous and ongoing USGS efforts such as Focus Area Studies; Regional Groundwater Availability Studies; and Water Use, Environmental Flows, and Streamflow estimation, in addition to utilizing and providing feedback to the National Water Model.
IWAAs will be supported by innovative data collection and delivery, incorporated, in part, through the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) programs, and by the integrated hydrologic cycle and water-quality modeling capacity developed by the USGS Integrated Water Prediction Program. For Regional IWAAs specifically, these three programs, with support from other USGS activities, will combine in an Integrated Water Science (IWS) Basin approach to provide the observations, understanding, predictions, and information delivery necessary for sound decision-making related to water availability management.
IWAAs also works through collaborative agreements with State and local partners with the support of Cooperative Matching Funds. In FY 2019, 10 projects were selected across the U.S. that will help to support development of National and Regional IWAAs. These projects will focus on improving the data, tools, and information stakeholders need to make water-resource management decisions.
Featured Water Availability Data, Maps, and Tools
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.National Water Dashboard: View over 13,000 USGS real-time monitoring stations in context with current weather and hazard conditions.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Water use in the U.S.: View 2015 water withdrawals by county, state comparisons, and other information in this interactive data visualization.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Surface Water Flow Trends in the Nation's Streams and Rivers: Trends in low and high streamflows in the Nation's streams and rivers over the past 100, 75, and 50 years.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Multisource Water-Quality Trends in the Delaware River Basin: Changing water quality in rivers and streams across the Delaware River Basin from 2008-2018. - Science
Below are other USGS science efforts related to Integrated Water Availability Assessments.
Water Availability and Use Science Program
The Water Availability and Use Science Program exists to provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the water resources of the U.S., assist in the determination of the quantity and quality of water that is available for beneficial uses, identify long-term trends in water availability, and develop the basis for an improved ability to forecast the availability of fresh water.Integrated Water Science (IWS) Basins
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...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...Integrated Water Availability Assessments: Upper Colorado River Basin
Integrated Water Availability Assessments examine water supply, use, and availability. Snow from the Upper Colorado River Basin contributes 92% of the natural streamflow to the entire Colorado River Basin. The UCOL IWAAs will improve our understanding of the water budget, status and trends in water quality and ecological conditions, and ecosystem response to changes in climate and human water use.Integrated Water Availability Assessments: Delaware River Basin
Integrated Water Availability Assessments examine water supply, use, and availability. In the Delaware River Basin, which serves over 13 million people, water availability can be affected by drought, river temperature, salinity, and more. The Delaware River Basin IWAAs will investigate these and other water quantity, quality, and use issues to assess available water and how it changes over time.National Hydrologic Model Infrastructure
The USGS National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure supports the efficient construction of local-, regional-, and national-scale hydrologic models. The NHM infrastructure consists of: 1) an underlying geospatial fabric of modeling units with an associated parameter database, 2) a model input data archive, and 3) a repository of the physical model simulation code bases.Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program
The Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program serves as the national source of impartial, timely, quality-assured, and relevant water data for short- and long-term water decisions by local, State, tribal, regional, and national stakeholders. Our objectives are to collect, manage, and disseminate consistently high-quality and reliable hydrologic information in real-time and over the long-term.National Water Quality Program
The National Water Quality Program seeks to answer four questions regarding the quality of our freshwater resources: 1) What is the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater? 2) How is water quality changing over time? 3) How do natural factors and human activities affect water quality? 4) How will water quality change in response to future changes in climate and human activities? - Data
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with Integrated Water Availability Assessments.
- Publications
- Web Tools
- News