Preparing for the Twenty-First Century A Report to the USGS Water Resources Division (1991) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 6-15
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From page 6... ...
Its sole product is unleased information, gathered from nationwide programs that can be grouped into three categories: · Data collection and resource evaluation: WRD field researchers gather data on and analyze stream flow, ground water characteristics, lake water quality, and other factors related to the quantity, quality, and use of the nation's water resources.
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From page 7... ...
Prompted by the drought, Congress in 1888 requested that the USGS investigate water resources for agriculture in the west. Congress sought data on stream flow, potential reservoir sites, and suitable locations for water distribution channels so that the government could build an infrastructure to shield farmers from future droughts.
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From page 8... ...
At the time of World War I, the USGS's water programs were weighted heavily toward characterizing stream flows for irrigation in the west and for hydroelectric power generation and public water supplies in the east. After World War I, increased industrialization that the war effort had fostered and increased immigration placed additional demands on water supplies.
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From page 9... ...
The Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with the USGS, developed techniques for estimating flood frequency for use in the hydraulic design of flood control levees. By the time the nation became involved in World War II, the USGS had developed programs to characterize and quantify water supplies, and it had helped form the scientific basis for the discipline of hydrology.
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From page 10... ...
The Water Resources Research Act of 1964 lent further support to the research the WRD had undertaken. This act established a Water Resources Research Institute in every state and territory, with the aim of promoting fundamental water science research and applying the results to state and national problems.
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From page 12... ...
Energy supply disruptions led to legislation that expanded the capacity to obtain stream flow data in areas rich in fossil fuels. Nuclear waste disposal problems prompted legislation that authorized the WRD to undertake research needed for the siting of nuclear waste repositories.
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From page 13... ...
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From page 14... ...
(A few project offices in other sections of the country also aid in fundamental research.) Thus, the Geological Survey's role in water resources has evolved: from a few men on horseback who mapped water supplies for agriculture to a large network of scientists who gather data, conduct research, and carry out sophisticated scientific analyses.
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From page 15... ...
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