Water Availability and Use Science Program
Home
The Water Availability and Use Science Program (WAUSP) assists in the determination of water that is available for human and ecological uses, now and in the future. This includes evaluating the quantity and quality of water, identifying long-term trends in water availability, and developing an improved ability to forecast water availability for economic, energy production, and environmental uses.
National Water Census Science Links
News
A Century of Watching the Colorado River
Right where the Colorado River flows into the mouth of the Grand Canyon, an inconspicuous 20-foot-high concrete tower rises from the riverbank.
Media Alert: Flights Above the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and Adjacent Areas to Continue Aquifer Mapping
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the U.S. Geological Survey is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance informing the local communities is appreciated.
Media Alert: USGS Dye Tracing Study on the Kansas River to Aid in Protecting Water Supplies
U.S. Geological Survey scientists and partners will inject a harmless, bright red fluorescent dye into the Kansas River at Eudora July 7-9, weather permitting.
Publications
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana, 2007–17
This study of water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the Williston Basin is intended to provide a preliminary model-based analysis of water use in major regions of production of continuous oil and gas resources in the United States. Direct, indirect, and ancillary water use associated with development of...
McShane, Ryan R.; Barnhart, Theodore B.; Valder, Joshua F.; Haines, Seth S.; Macek-Rowland, Kathleen M. ; Carter, Janet M.; Delzer, Gregory C.; Thamke, Joanna N.
Withdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed models to estimate thermoelectric water use based on linked heat and water budgets. The models produced plant-level withdrawal and consumption estimates using consistent methods for 1,122 water-using, utility-scale thermoelectric power plants in the United States for 2015. Total estimated withdrawal for...
Harris, Melissa A.; Diehl, Timothy H.
Continuing progress toward a national assessment of water availability and use
Executive SummaryThe Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111—11) was passed into law on March 30, 2009. Subtitle F, also known as the SECURE Water Act, calls for the establishment of a “national water availability and use assessment program” within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS issued the first report on the...
Evenson, Eric J.; Jones, Sonya A.; Barber, Nancy L.; Barlow, Paul M.; Blodgett, David L.; Bruce, Breton W.; Douglas-Mankin, Kyle R.; Farmer, William H.; Fischer, Jeffrey M.; Hughes, William B.; Kennen, Jonathan; Kiang, Julie E.; Maupin, Molly A.; Reeves, Howard W.; Senay, Gabriel B.; Stanton, Jennifer S.; Wagner, Chad R.; Wilson, Jennifer T.