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The U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Research Act Program—Meeting local, State, and national needs for water resources science and training

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a broad research portfolio that addresses water resource issues that are critical to our Nation’s prosperity and quality of life. Socioeconomics, geopolitical stressors, population growth, climate variability, and other factors provide challenges for the management of water resources. Working collaboratively with partners, the USGS observes and monitors water and water-related parameters, provides assessments, conducts targeted research, and delivers information to users. Residing within the USGS Water Resources Mission Area, the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Program is a Federal-State partnership that uses a matching grant program to plan, facilitate, and coordinate water resources research, training, and information transfer to help meet the Nation’s water science needs.

Fact Sheet↗

Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal

Aquatic systems are critical to food, security, and society. But, water data are collected by hundreds of research groups and organizations, many of which use nonstandard or inconsistent data descriptions and dissemination, and disparities across different types of water observation systems represent a major challenge for freshwater research. To address this issue, the Water Quality Portal (WQP) was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council to be a single point of access for water quality data dating back more than a century. The WQP is the largest standardized water quality data set available at the time of this writing, with more than 290 million records from more than 2.7 million sites in groundwater, inland, and coastal waters. The number of data contributors, data consumers, and third-party application developers making use of the WQP is growing rapidly. Here we introduce the WQP, including an overview of data, the standardized data model, and data access and services; and we describe challenges and opportunities associated with using WQP data. We also demonstrate through an example the value of the WQP data by characterizing seasonal variation in lake water clarity for regions of the continental U.S. The code used to access, download, analyze, and display these WQP data as shown in the figures is included as supporting information.

Water Resources Research↗

Groundwater-Surface water interactions research: Past trends and future directions

Interactions between groundwater and surface water sustain groundwater-dependent ecosystems and regulate river temperature and biogeochemical cycles, amongst many other processes. These interactions occur in freshwater environments including rivers, springs, lakes, and wetlands, and in coastal environments via tidal pumping, submarine groundwater discharge, and seawater intrusion. Here, we explore groundwater-surface water interactions research using bibliometric analyses of titles, abstracts, and keywords from 20,275 journal papers published between 1970 and 2023 extracted from Scopus. Analyses show that research into groundwater-surface water interactions is highly multi-disciplinary, with growing contributions from the social and biological sciences. The number of groundwater-surface water interactions papers is rapidly increasing with over 1200 papers published per year since 2020. Drawing on our data-driven approach and expert knowledge, we synthesise current research trends and identify critical future research directions. Despite the thousands of papers on groundwater-surface water interactions, important processes are still difficult to quantify or predict at meaningful spatial scales to inform water-resources management. We see benefits in future groundwater-surface water interactions research focusing on: (1) using new technologies including internet-of-things-based sensors, uncrewed vehicles, and remote-sensing approaches for data collection to inform groundwater-surface water interactions at large scales, (2) seeking approaches to upscale site-specific findings to better inform management, and (3) continuing the movement towards multi-disciplinary investigations to better inform the understanding of groundwater-surface water interactions and processes that will enable better management outcomes.

Journal of Hydrology↗

Water Resources Research Act Program—Current status, development opportunities, and priorities for 2020–30

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Program connects our Nation’s academic capital to the USGS mission by delivering university-based research, outreach, and education services to our citizens. For more than 50 years, the WRRA Program has invested in local, State, and regionally focused water-related research; information and technology transfer; and workforce development through student training and professional internships. This report presents a long-term (10-year) vision for the WRRA Program that the USGS Water Resources Mission Area and 54 State water resources research institutes (or centers) can use to continue this Federal-State partnership to help solve the Nation’s water problems.

Circular↗

Overview of research on water, gas, and radionuclide transport at the Amargosa Desert Research Site, Nevada: A section in U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program: Proceedings of the technical meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999: Volume 3 (Part C) (WRI 99-4018C)

Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey Amargosa Desert Research Site have focused on characterizing factors and processes that control transport and fate of contaminants in arid environments. This paper summarizes research results that have been published through 1998. Results have improved understanding of water and gas movement through a thick unsaturated zone, including the degree to which features of the natural unsaturated-flow system can be altered by installation of a waste-disposal facility. The study of radioactive-contaminant transport at the site is at an early stage. Field data measured in association with this new component of research have generated speculation regarding the exact mechanisms that control tritium transport in arid unsaturated zones.

Nevada↗

Infrared photography and imagery in water resources research

This article briefly describes the characteristics of infrared radiation and demonstrates how infrared photography and infrared imagery can be applied to water resources research, specifically to the identification and description of hydrologic features.

Journal - American Water Works Association↗

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1989

Information on the 36 new projects funded by the US Geological Survey 's (USGS) Water Resources Research Grant Program in fiscal year 1989 and on 27 projects completed during the year, is presented. For the new projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), project duration, and a project description that includes: (1) identification of water-related problems and problem-solution approach; (2) contribution to problem solution; (3) objectives; and (4) approach. The 36 projects include 6 in groundwater transport and flow, 4 in the water quality treatment processes, 5 in water quality processes, 5 in biology, 9 in economics and management, and 7 in climate and hydrology. For the 27 completed projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), starting date, date of receipt of final report, and an abstract of the final report. Each project description provides the information needed to obtain a copy of the final report. The report also contains tables showing: (1) proposals received according to area of research interest; (2) grant awards and funding according to area of research interest; (3) proposals received according to type of submitting organization; and (4) awards and funding according to type of organization. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1987

This report contains information on the 34 new projects funded by the United States Geological Survey's Water Resources Research Grant Program in fiscal year 1987 and on 3 projects completed during the year. For the new projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), and a project description that includes: (1) identification of water related problems and problem-solution approach (2) contribution to problem solution, (3) objectives, and (4) approach. The 34 projects include 12 in the area of groundwater quality problems, 12 in the science and technology of water quality management, 1 in climate variability and the hydrologic cycle, 4 in institutional change in water resources management, and 5 in surface water management. For the three completed projects, the report furnishes the grant number; project title; performing organization; principal investor(s); starting data; data of receipt of final report; and an abstract of the final report. Each project description provides the information needed to obtain a copy of the final report. The report contains tables showing: (1) proposals received according to area of research interest, (2) grant awards and funding according to area of research interest, (3) proposals received according to type of submitting organization, and (4) awards and funding according to type of organization. (Author's abstract)

Open-File Report↗

Water Resources Research Grant Program Project Descriptions: Fiscal Year 1988

This report contains information on the 38 new projects funded by the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Research Grant Program in fiscal year 1988 and on 11 projects completed during the year. For the new projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), project duration, and a project description that includes: (1) identification of water-related problems and problem-solution approach, (2) contribution to problem solution, (3) objectives, and (4) approach. The 38 projects include 14 in the area of ground-water quality problems, 10 in the science and technology of water-quality management, 4 in climate variability and the hydrologic cycle, 7 in institutional change in water-resources management, and 3 in miscellaneous water-resources management problems. For the 11 completed projects, the report gives the grant number, project title, performing organization, principal investigator(s), starting date, date of receipt of final report, and an abstract of the final report. Each project description provides the information needed to obtain a copy of the final report. The report also contains tables showing (1) proposals received according to area of research interest, (2) grant awards and funding according to area of research interest, (3) proposals received according to type of submitting organization, and (4) awards and funding according to type of organization.

Open-File Report↗

A selected bibliography of water-related research in the upper Klamath Basin, Oregon

A bibliography containing 165 selected references was compiled to assist local, State, and Federal agencies that have ongoing water-related research interests in the Upper Klamath Basin. The report has two parts. Part 1 is a list of bibliographic citations alphabetized by author, and Part 2 is a subject index that references bibliographic entries. Categories of the subject index include chemistry, ecology, geology, hydrology, land use, and water management related reports. Maps, reports, proposals, theses, dissertations, and journal articles are referenced. Some of the environmental issues addressed by references in the bibliography are hypereutrophication, nuisance algal blooms, endangered fish species, water allocation questions, wetland and riparian habitat restoration, and pesticide and fertilizer utilization.

Open-File Report↗

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1985

Information on each of the 24 projects funded by the U.S. Geological Survey in FY 1985 under section 105 of Public Law 93-242 (the Water Resources Research Act of 1984) is presented, including the grant number, organization, the period of performance, and a brief description of the work to be carried out. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗

Groundwater Recharge Conference Reading, England September 21-24, 1970

An international Conference on Artificial Groundwater Recharge was held at the University of Reading, Whiteknights Park, Reading, Berkshire, England, sponsored by the Water Research Association, Medmenham, Marlow, Buckinghamshire. One hundred sixty-one delegates, representing 20 countries, registered. Five excellent tours were made available for them, to such installations as: the Hydraulics Research Station and Institute of Hydrology, Weilingford, Berkshire; the Metropolitan Water Board, Ashford Common Works, Sunbury-on-Thames; the Water Pollution Research Laboratory, Stevenage; and the Water Research Association, Medmenham, and Water Resources Board, Reading, Berkshire.

Eos Science News↗

USGS research on saline waters co-produced with energy resources

The United States energy industry faces the challenge of satisfying our expanding thirst for energy while protecting the environment. This challenge is magnified by the increasing volumes of saline water produced with oil and gas in the Nation's aging petroleum fields. Ultimately, energy-producing companies are responsible for disposing of these waters. USGS research provides basic information, for use by regulators, industry, and the public, about the chemistry of co-produced waters and environmentally acceptable ways of handling them.

Fact Sheet↗

Plans of the U.S.Geological Survey, water resources division for research, investigations, and data collection in ground water

The Geological Survey has been the foremost agency in the investigation of ground ‐ water resources in the United States beginning about 1910. Most of the basic principles of modern ground ‐ water hydrology were developed in the Survey ' s program of cooperative investigations . Use of ground water in the United States in 1960 was about 17½ percent of all water uses, excluding water power. The use will probably increase, though at a decreasing rate. Although amount of use may level off, the need to know about it will not. While coordinating its activities with those of the Office of Water Data Coordination and the Office of Water Resources Research , the Survey expects to step up its work in all three areas of data collection , investigations , and research . However, there will be changes of emphasis. Collection of raw data will tend to stress key observation points, and more and more observation of temperature and quality, including contaminants. Investigations will be aimed at upgrading reconnaissance coverage to general coverage for most of the Nation. The areal basis will be stream drainage basins and special hydrologic terranes, rather than political units. There will be an increase in the preparation of analog models for representative ground ‐ water systems. In research , the problem‐oriented basis will continue. Stress will be on basic principles that pertain to artificial recharge, and the natural recharge and discharge of ground ‐ water reservoirs; and also on the application of geologic principles on a regional scale. These are critical elements in the management of surface‐ water and ground ‐ water resources conjunctively in river basins.

Groundwater↗

Water Resources Research Grant Program project descriptions, fiscal year 1986

Information is presented on the 43 projects funded by the United States Geological Survey 's Water Resources Grant Program in fiscal year 1986. The report gives the grant number; project title; performing organization; principal investigator(s); dates; and a project description which includes (1) identification of the water related problems and problem-solution approach, (2) contribution to problem solution, (3) objectives, (4) approach, and (5) result users. The 43 projects include 14 in the area of groundwater management, 6 in surface-water management, 2 in systems-operating/planning, 3 in irrigation management, 8 in desalination/reuse, 6 in economic/institutional studies, and 4 in climate variability. The reports contain tables showing (1) funding according to research topic, (2) projects funded to type of submitting organization, (3) proposals received, research topic, and funding levels, and (4) submitting organization. A comparison is given to fiscal year 1985 in each case. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Surface water investigations in Afghanistan: a summary of activities from 1952 to 1969

The purpose of this report is to summarize briefly the history of the Surface Water Research project since its inception in 1952, the work accomplished, and the problems encountered. In general, each topic is discussed under two periods of time: 1952-1963, when projects were confined to the Helmand River Valley and was entitled Helmand Surface Water Investigations (306-12-021, 306-M-12-AD and 306-AC-12-AD5), and 1963-1969 when activities were expanded to cover most of Afghanistan and title was changed to Surface Water Research (306-11-190-002). Prepared by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the Water and Soil Survey Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Royal Government of Afghanistan under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development.

Open-File Report↗

Your land, your water—Using research to guide conservation practices on local farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Agricultural lands are an important part of the economy and heritage of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and are a focus of conservation activities. Streams and rivers around farms provide communities with drinking water and recreational opportunities, but these local benefits can be impaired by elevated nutrient and sediment concentrations. Compared to inputs from the atmosphere, wastewater, and urban and suburban areas, agricultural lands are the largest source of nutrients and sediment in many Chesapeake Bay streams. Farmers are voluntary conservation partners and have an important role in improving water-quality conditions. This fact sheet summarizes recent scientific insights from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that can help farmers use conservation practices and their knowledge of local site conditions to achieve cleaner water.

Chesapeake Bay watershed↗