National Water‐Use Information Program

The National Water‐Use Information Program is a cooperative program between the states and the Federal Government. The purpose of the program is to determine how much fresh and saline surface water and ground water is withdrawn and for what purpose, how much water is consumed during use, and how much water is returned to a water body (stream, lake, or aquifer) after use. To accomplish its purpose, the program's goals are to: (1) Collect and compile water‐use data; (2) develop and refine computerized wateruse data systems at both the state and national levels; (3) devise new methods and techniques to improve the collection and analysis of water‐use information; and (4) disseminate this information to those involved in establishing waterresources policy and to those managing the resource. The program was established in 1977, when the Congress of the United States recognized the need for uniform information on water use and directed the U.S. Geological Survey to establish a program to complement the Survey's data on the availability and quality of the Nation's water resources.