The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has launched a working group on America's groundwater. The working group will consider the challenges and opportunities to improve the nation’s knowledge and management of groundwater supplies. To do so, the working group is collecting public input to address questions related to total groundwater use, storage, recharge, and quality to support the development of a report that will advance government-wide action.
The working group has requested input on following six questions:
- How can the nation enhance the timely collection of data on groundwater inventory, use, recharge, and flow across the United States to gain a whole-of-country picture of the nation’s groundwater resources?
- How can the nation effectively model and predict changes in the inventory, recharge, and flow of groundwater in the context of the overall water cycle and provide that information to stakeholders and decision-makers?
- How can the nation efficiently scale groundwater recharge while mitigating risks?
- How can the nation ensure clean and safe groundwater, especially for the communities that are affected most by groundwater contamination and depletion?
- How can the nation engage with communities to successfully ensure a sustainable supply of groundwater, including for agriculture, industry, energy, human consumption, and healthy ecosystems and biodiversity?
- What strategies and incentives can help limit groundwater overuse?
AMWA will work with members to provide written submissions from the association. Additionally, AMWA encourages individual member utilities with groundwater supplies to provide information to the advisory council with examples of needs, challenges, and successes to help the council understand the varying needs of water suppliers. Interested utility leaders should email Jessica Evans, AMWA’s Senior Manager of Government Affairs and Sustainability Policy, to learn more or provide feedback. The advisory council requests written submissions be sent to [email protected] by July 1 with “Groundwater” in the subject line.