Freshwater: Availability & Management Issues for the United States

Key issues related to freshwater availability and use, such as concerns about population growth straining water supplies, lack of information on water availability and use, and trends in types of water use, remain largely unchanged since 2003, according to state water managers, experts, and literature. The nation’s water bodies have long supplied Americans with abundant freshwater, but recent events, such as the ongoing California drought, have focused attention on competing demands for this limited resource. In the United States, the states are primarily responsible for managing freshwater resources, and many federal agencies influence states’ management decisions. This book examines issues related to freshwater availability and use; expectations for water availability and use over the next 10 years and how these expectations may affect water planning; steps, if any, states have taken to manage freshwater resources; and actions, if any, federal agencies have taken to support management of freshwater availability and use and perspectives from state water managers, experts, and literature on what the federal government can do to enhance its support.