Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) program
Program Proposals and Awards
Grant application information, State workplans, program awards
More informationWater Use Open Forum
Water-use webinar series for the greater water-use community to share challenges and solutions to water-use data issues
More informationScience Center Objects
The USGS Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) program provides financial assistance through cooperative agreements with State water resource agencies to improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and delivery of water-use data that is collected or estimated by States.
Background
Water managers across the United States require more complete, timely, and accurate water-availability information to support policy and decision-making, specifically, data associated with water withdrawals and consumptive use. Recognizing the limitations of current water-use data, the SECURE Water Act authorized a program that supports activities related to data collection and methods research and development at the State level. The Act requires that these State water use and availability datasets be integrated with appropriate datasets that are developed or maintained by the USGS.
Federal fiscal year 2015 (FY15), was the first year that funding was appropriated for this program. In FY15 funding was distributed to State Water-Resource Agencies non-competitively to allow each State to evaluate their current water-use data in relation to USGS baseline standards for each category of water user and to develop a workplan to improve it. In FY16 and subsequent years, funding was distributed under a competitive proposal process.
In 2015, the Interstate Council on Water Policy held three stakeholder meetings to further develop the technical priorities of the WUDR Cooperative Agreements and help develop the foundation for the competitive announcement in FY16.The stakeholder meetings provided the State water-resources agencies an opportunity to share the water-use data and research priorities for each of their respective States, and how their State priorities fit with USGS priorities.
ICWP stakeholder listening and input session notes
- Tuscaloosa, AL, 9/15/2015
- Salt Lake City, UT 9/17/2015
- Chicago, IL, 10/27/2015
Information sheets
- WUDR program information sheet
- WUDR overview and status, with summaries of completed projects (updated Oct 22, 2020)
Water-Use Open Forum
The USGS is pleased to host a water-use webinar series to provide the greater water-use community with an opportunity to share challenges, and solutions to water-use data issues such as data collection, data storage, quality assurance, analysis, and data dissemination. To see information on upcoming and previous presentations visit the Water Use Open Forum page.
Please email the WUDR Coordinator to be added to the email list for announcements of future talks.
Program proposals and awards
The 2021 awards cycle is complete.
- FY21 WUDR Program Announcment on Grants.gov
- Proposal due date was May 13, 2021, at 4:00 pm ET
More information on grant applications and workplans.
Program awards
- FY20 Program Awards list
- FY19 Program Awards list
- FY18 Program Awards list
- FY17 Program Awards list
- FY16 Program Awards list
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.
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Date published: August 24, 2021Status: ActiveWater-Use Data and Research program: Proposals and awards
Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) financial assistance is awarded in a competitive process each Federal Fiscal Year. The funding cycle begins with the WUDR Program Announcement being made available on Grants.gov. State water resources agencies can then prepare proposals for improving their water-use data under the priorities described in an approved workplan. All submitted proposals are...
Attribution: Water Resources, Water Availability and Use Science Program -
Date published: August 24, 2021Status: Active
Water-Use Data and Research program: Completed State workplans
Under the Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) program, workplans are developed by States to evaluate their current water-use data in relation to USGS baseline standards for each category of water user and develop a workplan to improve it.
Attribution: Water Resources, Water Availability and Use Science Program -
Date published: August 24, 2021Status: ActiveWater-Use Open Forum
The USGS Water-Use Open Forum is for those involved in water-use data collection, data management, and regulation to communicate about challenges and solutions to water-use data issues, such as data collection, storage, QA/QC, analysis and data dissemination.
Attribution: Water Resources, Water Availability and Use Science Program -
Date published: March 4, 2019Status: ActiveWater Use in the United States
The USGS works in cooperation with local, State, and Federal agencies to collect water-use information, then compiles these data to produce water-use information aggregated at the county, state, and national levels. Every five years, data at the county level are compiled into a national water-use data system and State-level data are published in a national...
Contacts: National Water-Use Science ProjectAttribution: Water Resources, Water Availability and Use Science Program -
Date published: February 22, 2019Status: ActiveState Contacts for Water-Use Data
Water-use data is compiled for each of the United States as well as for the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The list below contains a link to the USGS water-use site for each entity, if one exists, as well as the point of contact for State-level information.
Contacts: National Water-Use Science ProjectAttribution: Water Resources, Water Availability and Use Science Program