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OCR for page 16
2
Future WRD Roles and Interactions
The USGS has been investigating water resources for more
than 100 years. Thus, it has developed a broad picture of the
nation's water supplies. It has built a resource of expertise,
particularly in the fields of hydrology, hydrogeology, geology,
geophysics, geochemistry, engineering, and, more recently, biology.
Despite the agency's long history, the nation's relatively recent
environmental awakening has resulted in substantial increases in
water resources activity and funding in agencies other than the
USGS. Consequently, some of the leadership in the field has
moved away from the USGS. For example, the EPA has become a
key player in funding site-specific investigations of water
contamination in connection with its regulatory missions. The
Departments of Defense, Energy, and Agriculture have rapidly
growing needs to investigate water pollution sources that are
related to their missions: toxic waste at military bases, wastes at
energy facilities, and nonpoint-source pollutants (such as
pesticides) from agricultural activity. In the future, the nation's
ability to address water pollution problems will depend on
effective interaction and cooperation by all agencies. Clearly, the
success of WRD programs will depend in part on how effectively
the WRD cooperates with other agencies that are undertaking
similar works
~ Other divisions of the USGS--notably the National Mapping
Division and the Geologic Division--have programs and services
available to the WRD (e.g., land-use and geographic information
systems) that strengthen the WRD's ability to carry out its
responsibilities. These resources are well understood by the WRD
and are not addressed here.
16
OCR for page 17
Future WRD Roles and Interactions
17
The WRD's progress will also depend on its ability to keep
abreast of new scientific discoveries. The extent to which major
scientific advances have already affected WRD programs is
illustrated by the current work in ground water contamination.
Advances in analytical chemistry have contributed to the high
level of federal funding for efforts such as the NAWQA program,
which the WRD is currently implementing to assess the extent of
water pollution nationwide. Before 1950, NAWQA would have
been impossible because the capability to measure the concen-
trations of organic contaminants (like pesticides and industrial
solvents) was limited. The few calorimetric methods available
could not detect concentrations below the 1 to 10 milligrams per
liter (mg/L) range. The development of gas chromatography by
Martin and James in 1952 made it possible to detect chemicals
with concentrations in the sub-mg/L range. More recently, the
advent of better materials for separating organic chemicals from
water and the coupling of the gas chromatograph with the mass
spectrometer have allowed measurements even below the micro-
grams per liter range. The current concern about contamination
of water supplies with synthetic organic chemicals became an
issue only with the development of methods to reproducibly
measure organic contaminant concentrations at these very low
levels.
This chapter discusses ways in which the WRD should
cooperate with other federal agencies, states, universities, and
other research organizations. It also recommends how the WRD
can promote technology transfer most efficiently: both inside and
outside its offices. Further, it suggests ways the WRD can work
with schools to recruit future scientists for water resources
research.
EXTERNAL COOPERATION
Cooperating with outside experts is not new to the WRD. For
example, the WRD has been fostering joint research with states for
decades. It administers the Water Resources Research Institutes
that provide an avenue for communication with universities and
state agencies. Additionally, it coordinates the collection of water
data for all federal agencies. But as water science problems
become more complex, WRD cooperation with outsiders will
become increasingly important. Below are recommendations for
OCR for page 18
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OCR for page 19
Future WRD Roles and Interactions
19
how the WRD can streamline its work with other federal agencies,
states, and universities.
Federal Agencies
The Office of Management and Budget authorized the USGS
by Circular A-67, issued in 1964, to coordinate the water data
acquisition activities of all federal agencies. The circular speci-
fied that the WRD, through its Office of Water Data Coordina-
tion, should:
· lead the coordination of water data from the agencies that
collect it;
· review requirements for water data;
· prepare a federal plan for more efficient data collection;
· maintain a central catalog of existing data and federal
plans for acquiring more data;
· design and operate a national network for acquiring data
on the quality and quantity of surface and ground water; and
· organize the national network and catalog to facilitate the
data's maximum use.
The major accomplishments of the A-67 coordination process have
been the establishment of the National Water Data Network and
the Catalog of Information on Water Data, the publication of the
National Handbook of Recommended Methods for Water Data
Acquisition and a series of hydrologic unit maps, sponsorship of
conferences and meetings, and the development of consensus
standards.
The WRD should reexamine the intent of Circular A-67 as an
instrument for interagency coordination. Changing land-use
practices, pollution problems, and potential global change have led
to a shift from research that involves just one scientific discipline
to research that examines the interactions of physical, chemical,
and biological processes. Consequently, many emerging federal
programs, such as those that address global change, wetlands
protection, and environmental restoration, do not fall within the
domain of any single government agency but require coordinated
efforts in which each agency program is integrated into a larger
whole.
One example of WRD cooperation with other agencies to solve
water quality problems is the Mid-Continent Herbicide Initiative.
OCR for page 20
20
Preparing for the Twenty-First Century
Under this initiative, the WRD and the Department of Agriculture
are jointly researching the fate and transport of agricultural
chemicals in midwestern water supplies. In the future, the WRD
should undertake more cooperative research efforts of this type.
States
Most of the projects at WRD district offices receive joint
funding from state and local governments. The projects that
receive joint funding are usually meant to evaluate a particular
local problem or address a specific local need for information.
The WRD's high level of credibility derives in large measure from
these unbiased investigations. Moreover, the WRD presence in
every state has established a framework of applied research
management and technical talent that is often called upon to
provide the nucleus of various other programs. However, in some
cases, the WRD is acting as a consultant to the local government;
this situation should be avoided unless some broader purpose is
served. Clear exceptions are portions of the stream flow network,
RASA, and NAWQA, all of which have national-interest
implications and operate in part or entirely outside the
federal/state cooperative programs. Other exceptions occur at
sites where cutting edge science is being applied or where the
results of the activity may be expected to contribute to more
generalized understanding of a water resource problem.
The WRD should continually evaluate the merits of its local
assessments and cooperative activities to ensure that its limited
personnel are engaged in projects with a scientific or national
purpose. This change may mean that many states will have to
increase their own expertise in water resources, gradually
replacing some WRD personnel from projects that address
primarily state and local concerns. The WRD could help the states
in acquiring greater technical competence and autonomy by
involving state personnel in cooperative studies, advising on
programs, and providing training through short courses. Over the
past decade, there have been many calls for the states to play
increased roles in natural resources management, especially
ground water management, and this heightened technical
capability should support such initiatives well.
At the same time, the cooperative program will continue to be
an important element in the WRD. Although fundamental
OCR for page 21
Future WRD Roles and Interactions
21
research and other programs may begin to account for a larger
proportion of the WRD budget, cooperative efforts with state and
local governments focused on data networks, local problems with
a broader transferability, and state personnel working in
cooperative studies will continue to be important functions of the
WRD.
Universities
The WRD's collaboration with academia has been mainly
informal, occurring through universities that are near district or
regional offices or through professional contacts. Recently,
however, the WRD has involved university researchers in ongoing
USGS projects. We believe such projects hold promise for future
extension and expansion.
One example of WRD cooperation with universities is it work
at the Cape Cod toxic waste research site in Massachusetts. The
site is part of the WRD's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, set
up to examine the fate and transport of hazardous waste. One of
the studies at Cape Cod concerns a sewage plume originating from
a former Otis Air Force Base sewage treatment facility. WRD
personnel carried out most of the early investigations. As the
various processes that affect the transport and attenuation of
contaminants in the plume became better known, the WRD invited
university researchers to use the site for their own experiments.
The long-term nature of the Cape Cod project and the well-
defined hydrological and hydrogeological framework make it
ideal for multidisciplinary and multi-institutional involvement.
Another research site where the WRD has cooperated with
universities is at Konza Prairie, in Kansas. Konza Prairie is part
of the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological
Research (LTER) Program, established to promote academic
research into whole ecosystems, such as watersheds, rain forests,
and prairies. At the site, WRD researchers worked alongside
university researchers studying plant communities as indicators of
global change; WRD staff focused on water resources aspects of
the project.
The development of more research sites like that at Cape Cod
and further participation in LTER projects are but two examples
of how the WRD can establish better ties with universities. Such
relationships are critical to the development of the human
resources that the WRD will require to carry out its future
· -
mission.
OCR for page 22
22
Pre paring for the Twenty-First Century
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Technology transfer--the dissemination of new data and
research results beyond the lab or study site from which the
information originated--is key to the advancement of water
science. The WRD produces several types of information
important in technology transfer: water data gathered through its
national networks, problem-solving approaches devised in its
district offices, and fundamental research reports written by its
scientists. Below are recommendations for improving the WRD's
technology transfer capabilities.
External Technology Transfer
The best way for the WRD to improve technology transfer to
scientists outside the agency is to encourage WRD scientists to
publish their research in widely circulated technical journals. A
common complaint in the technical community is that WRD data
are difficult to obtain. Before WRD work products can be
published, they are subject to a time-consuming internal review.
The review process delays communication of work products. We
recommend that the WRD streamline the process to ensure that
key research findings are published promptly.
A second way the WRD can improve technology transfer to
outside scientists is by expanding its sponsorship of conferences,
workshops, and seminars.
Internal Technology Transfer
There are three paths for internal technology transfer at the
WRD: between district offices, between National Research
Program scientists and district offices, and between WRD
scientists and USGS management. The WRD's internal communi-
cation process could be enhanced by establishing two newsletters:
one dealing with technical material and the other with policy
Issues.
A technical newsletter would improve communication among
district offices and between districts and the National Research
Program. Technology transfer among districts is difficult because
of the districts' wide geographic distribution. Opportunities to
share valuable lessons learned with other district offices are rare;
OCR for page 23
Future WRD Roles and Interactions
23
most district offices operate fairly independently. Technology
transfer between National Research Program scientists and
district offices is difficult because research scientists focus on
fundamental work, and district scientists typically focus on
applied work. A technical newsletter would help overcome these
communication barriers by providing a regular forum for WRD
technical discourse. -
A policy newsletter would improve communication between
WRD scientists and managers at the USGS and other federal and
state agencies. The policy newsletter could discuss research results
and their implications. Managers, though they may be technically
trained, typically are less in touch with the newest technical
terminology than are front-line scientists. Consequently, the
newsletter should be written in plain language. The newsletter
could also be distributed externally to increase the usefulness of
WRD accomplishments.
EDUCATION
There is a general concern in the scientific and engineering
communities that the United States will face a shortage of
technically trained personnel in the next decade and beyond. In
conjunction with all U.S. scientists, the WRD needs to become
more active in nurturing student interest in science.
At the primary and secondary school levels, WRD district
office staff could help recruit future scientists by working with
schools to expose young children to science's challenges and
rewards. To promote interest in their fields, WRD personnel could
educate students through such activities as visiting schools,
serving as mentors to stimulate students to take science and
engineering courses, and participating in science fairs. They
could also host open houses at district offices for students and
their parents.
At the college level, the WRD could expand its programs of
part-time and summer employment for students. Employment
programs provide a source of trained future employees; they are
ideal for field offices because they require more service than
money. WRD offices and personnel should also consider hosting
field trips and open houses for college students, donating older
scientific equipment to schools, and developing educational
materials for classroom use that use information gained through
OCR for page 24
24
Preparing for the Twenty-First Century
the agency's various technical programs. Among their potential
benefits, such activities provide important visibility for the
agency.
At the graduate level, the WRD should allot more funds for
projects that involve graduate students. The WRD should also
consider establishing USGS fellowships for master's and doctoral
students, similar to those offered by the Department-of Energy.
Increasing the number of graduate students who work on WRD
projects would give the WRD the inside track for hiring the best
young scientists. It would keep the WRD up to date on the cutting
edge science taking place in universities. And it would help
educate students in scientific areas in which the shortage of well-
trained people is acute.2
2 See the recent (1991) Water Science and Technology Board
publication, Onnortunities in the Hydrologic Sciences, for exten-
sive discussion of frontiers and education in the hydrologic
sciences.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
water data
