U.S. Geological Survey Streamgaging Networks: 89 Organizations/Coalition Letter to United States Congress Supporting Funding/Modernization

Eighty-nine organizations (collectively “Coalition”)two sent letters, respectively, to United States Senators Merkley and Murkowski, and Congresswoman Pingree and Congressman Joyce urging their support to enable the U.S. Geological Survey (“USGS”) to fully maintain its streamgaging networks.

USGS is an agency in the United States Department of Interior.

Streamgaging networks:

• Direct water resource information that is gathered
• Provide life and property saving information

The Coalition argues that repeated inadequate funding has resulted in the discontinuance of various streamgage networks.

Currently, 8,535 real-time streamgages are stated to collect streamflow data in a variety of waterbodies such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals, and wetlands. The data is utilized to estimate flows and water levels at ungaged locations.

The Coalition states that streamgage information supports activities such as:

• carrying out the mission and operations of federal agencies, including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, FEMA, EPA, USDA, Interior, NASA, DOD, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies
• forecasting extreme stream flow and water level events such as floods, droughts, and hurricanes
• tracking and forecasting climate change trends and projections,
• completing water-quality assessments of major rivers, lakes, reservoirs and estuaries, and other wetlands
• infrastructure design, operations and capacity for facilities such as roads, bridges, high-rises, dams and coastal development
• providing municipal, public and private water supply needs
• energy generation and exploration
• oversight and implementation of many federal laws including the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Endangered Species Act
• compliance and implementation of interstate and international compacts, court decrees, treaties, and other border water agreements
• determining environmental impacts to disadvantaged communities, and
• environmental mitigation including impacts to disadvantaged communities

The Coalition requests funding for the Federal Priorities Streamgages of $30 million for FY2023. The funds are stated to be needed because of the critical shortfall of funding for the National Streamflow Information Program over the last several years. Total Cooperative Matching Funds is requested at $68 million.

A copy of the two letters can be found here.