Performance Measures

By National Water Quality Program

The National Water Quality Program tracks progress toward Department of the Interior Performance Goal 3.3.4 established in the Departmental Strategic Plan.

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), and the subsequent GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, require that federal agencies establish performance measures to track and assess progress toward Departmental performance goals.

Performance Goals and Measures, FY 2022-2026

The FY 2022-2026 Department of the Interior (DOI) Strategic Plan identifies the strategic goals, strategic objectives, and performance goals that DOI will work to achieve. The National Water Quality Program supports DOI Performance Goal 3.3.4, under DOI Strategic Goal 3 and DOI Strategic Objective 3.3.

DOI Strategic Goal	DOI Strategic Objective	DOI Performance Goal
Goal 3: Sustainably Balance the Use of Resources While Supporting Communities and the Economy	3.3: Land, Water, and Non-Energy Mineral Resources Support the Diverse Needs of Communities	3.3.4 Communities have access to more robust water data, nationally consistent water availability assessments and predictions, and modeling tools to make decisions under changing climate conditions and competing urban, agricultural, and ecological demands.

The National Water Quality Program tracks and assesses progress toward DOI Performance Goal 3.3.4 using the following measures:

Performance Measure 1: Percentage progress toward the delivery of an Integrated National Water Census
Performance Measure 2: Percentage progress toward the development, testing, and delivery of modern water prediction tools to the public
Performance Measure 3: Percentage progress toward full implementation of the Next-Generation Water Observing System design

These performance measures are published annually alongside the President’s Budget Request in the Department of Interior's Annual Performance Plan and Report. To see each of the published Annual Performance Plans and Reports, please reference Department of Interior’s Budget and Performance website.

Performance Measure Status

Performance Measure 1: Percentage progress toward the delivery of an Integrated National Water Census

In FY 2023, the USGS completed an evaluation of stakeholder interest in an Integrated National Water Census. The evaluation included users of national information and assessed how the information is used, what gaps are evident, and what format and delivery methods are preferred. There was also progress through the development of website hosting structures, application programming interfaces, and mockup sites toward the prototype testing environment.

Performance Measure 2: Percentage progress toward the development, testing, and delivery of modern water prediction tools to the public

In FY 2023, the USGS completed the development and released the CONUS404, a high-resolution hydro-climate dataset designed to provide climate information for the past 40 years at a 4-km resolution in hydrological models over the contiguous United States. Additional progress continues in the compilation of subsurface data to provide a framework for groundwater modeling at national scales.

Performance Measure 3: Percentage progress toward full implementation of the Next-Generation Water Observing System design

Progress on the pilot Next-Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) continues to provide water information at more locations and more rapidly in user-friendly formats. This information will help communities at risk prepare for and respond to water hazards, particularly those communities historically and currently disadvantaged. NGWOS will also deliver high density, high-quality and reliable water information in at least 10 reference watersheds for enhanced water prediction and understanding at Regional to National scales.