National Water Availability Assessments
The USGS National Water Availability Assessment (NWAA) consists of the Report, which provide a scientific summary and interpretation of water quantity, quality and use, the Data Companion, which delivers model-based estimates of water supply and demand, and an interactive Key Findings website.
The National Water Availability Assessment puts emphasis on quantifying and understanding water availability to provide estimates of water supply and demand in the past, present, and future. Highlighting changes in water supply and demand and their causes will help identify when and where the Nation may have challenges meeting water demands due to insufficient water quantity or quality.
The Assessment supports adaptive management in areas of emerging imbalance between water supply and demand. Understanding water supply and demand will support more efficient water management for economic growth, protection of aquatic ecosystems, agriculture and energy production, and human population growth.
These three products are designed to be interdependent:
- The National Water Availability Assessment Report provides a comprehensive, scientific summary of past, current, and future water availability.
- The NWAA Data Companion delivers the modeled water availability data underlying the National Water Availability Assessment.
- The NWAA Key Findings Website uses data-driven storytelling and interactive visualizations to highlight key scientific takeaways of the Assessment.
