Water Supply

Electronic Resources

• EBSCO Online includes, among others, the Environment Complete database, with full text for more than 920 journals, and indexing for 2,200 domestic and international periodicals going back to 1888 (including over 1,350 active titles), as well as more than 190 books.
• Encyclopedia of Water Politics and Policy in the United States
  The link will open the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Encyclopedia of Water Politics and Policy in the United States can be found under the 'Nation and World' tab.
• Water: Science and Issues
  The link will open the Gale Virtual Reference Library. Water: Science and Issues can be found under the 'Environment' tab.
  Other titles related to water in the Gale Virtual Reference Library include:
• Pollution A to Z
• Gale Encyclopedia of Science
• Encyclopedia of Hydrological Sciences
• Encyclopedia of Geology
• Water and the Future of Humanity
   
• Gale In Context: Environmental Studies: Water
• Gale In Context: Environmental Studies: Water Pollution
• Gale In Context: Environmental Studies: Water Use

 

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Open-Access Sources on Water Resources Management
 

• News
• Libraries
• Interesting Sites
• Water Supply
• Federal and State Government Programs
• Water Law
• Organizations
• Local and Regional Water Projects Around the U.S.

 

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News

• Circle of Blue
• Hydrowonk Blog
• Water Technology
• WaterWired

 

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Libraries

• Wisconsin Water Library
• Water Resources Collections and Archives
  A collaboration of the University of California, Riverside, and the California State University, San Bernardino Libraries, it collects contemporary and historic materials on all aspects of water resources.

 

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Interesting Sites

• Global Water Partnership
• The Great Lakes
  Information provided by the Environmental Protection Agency
• How's My Waterway? version 2 (formerly "Surf Your Watershed")
  Makes information available by geographic unit, which includes state, watershed, county, metro area, and tribe. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Native American Water Rights in Arizona
  The University of Arizona Library is digitizing primary source documents relating to water rights for the Navajo, Hopi, and Pima Indian tribes in Arizona.
• Stream Notes
  Produced quarterly by the National Stream & Aquatic Ecology Center, USDA Forest Service 
• Water Topics (Environmental Protection Agency)
• Western Waters Digital Library
  Contains government reports, classic water literature, legal transcripts, water project records, personal papers, photographic collections, and video materials about the Columbia, Colorado, Platte, and Rio Grande river basins.

 

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Water Supply

• Central Arizona Project
  Redirects water from the Colorado River to counties in Arizona
• Current Water Data for the Nation
  Provided by the U.S. Geological Survey
• Desalination and Membrane Technologies: Federal Research and Adoption Issues
  CRS Report for Congress, January 2, 2015
• Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding
  CRS Report for Congress, November 9, 2017
• Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads
  Produced by the Environmental Protection Agency. Total Maximum Daily Load is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards.
• Klamath River Basin Issues and Activities: An Overview 
  CRS Report for Congress, September 22, 2005, by the Resources, Science, and Industry Division, Congressional Research Service.
• Klamath Basin Settlement Agreements
  CRS Report for Congress, October 1, 2015, by Charles V. Stern, Cynthia Brougher, Harold F. Upton, Betsy A. Cody, Congressional Research Service
• National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Database
• National Water Information System
  The United States Geological Survey has collected water-resources data at approximately 1.5 million sites across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Surface-water data, such as gage height (stage) and streamflow (discharge), are collected at major rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Ground-water data, such as water level, are collected at wells and springs.

  Water-quality data are available for both surface water and ground water. Examples of water-quality data collected are temperature, specific conductance, pH, nutrients, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds. Data are retrieved by category of data, such as surface water, ground water, or water quality, and by geographic area.
   

• Projects and Facilities Database
  The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's portal for information on dams, powerplants and projects. Reclamation projects, substantially complete and in operation, are reviewed in detail with considerable attention to history, costs, beneficiaries, engineering, water data, and productivity.
• U.S. Drought Portal
  The U.S. Drought Portal is part of the National Drought Policy Commission's efforts to disseminate information on anticipated droughts and drought risk management. The site includes maps, data tools, events, news, graphs, and educational resources for primary and secondary school students and above.
• USGS Water Quality Information by Topic
• Water Resource Issues in the 116th Congress
  CRS Report for Congress, February 7, 2019
• Water Resources of the United States: Historical Maps of Monthly and Annual Streamflow Conditions by Water Year
• Water Use in the United States
  Contains statistics provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.

 

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Federal and State Government Programs

• Bureau of Reclamation
• Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water
• Geological Survey Water Resources Division
• National Centers for Environmental Information
  NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information provides public access to climate and historical weather data and information.
• National Institutes for Water Resources
  Nationwide network of water research institutes. A Water Resources Research Institute is located in each State, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam, for a total of 54 institutes. The Guam Institute also serves the Federated States of Micronesia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Hawaii Institute also serves American Samoa.
• National Water Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Water Quality
  National Agricultural Library

 

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Water Law

• The Law of the Colorado River
  The Colorado River is managed and operated under numerous compacts, federal laws, court decisions and decrees, contracts, and regulatory guidelines collectively known as the "Law of the River." Produced by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
• Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database
  This site contains a searchable database of summaries and full text of water-related treaties and a database of interstate compacts within the United States.
• Waterlaws.com
  "An interactive water resources journal of water law, policy, and commentary," emphasizing Minnesota law. Also includes a section called WaterCourt, which is a summary of recent court decisions establishing water law in Minnesota and across the country.
• Western Water Resource Issues
  A CRS Issue Brief for Congress, March 8, 2006, by Betsy A. Cody and Pervaze A. Sheikh, Resources, Science, and Industry Division, Congressional Research Service
• The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and Federal Water Rights
  A report to Congress, by Cynthia Brougher, January 9, 2009

• The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA): Protections, Federal Water Rights, and Development Restrictions
  A report to Congress, by Cynthia Brougher, December 22, 2010

 

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Organizations

• American Ground Water Trust
  Education organization that promotes opportunity, cooperation and action among individuals, groups and organizations in order to educate the public how best to benefit from and protect ground water
• American Rivers
  Dedicated to protecting and restoring America's rivers
• American Water Resources Association
• American Water Works Association
  Scientific and educational society dedicated to the improvement of drinking water quality and supply
• Clean Water Action
  National citizens' organization working for clean, safe and affordable water
• Clean Water Network
  Alliance of more than 1,000 organizations that promotes the National Agenda for Clean Water.
• Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation
  Multidisciplinary organization of individuals who study and manage the structure and functions of estuaries and the effects of human activities on these fragile environments
• Ground Water Protection Council
  Non-profit organization with members on federal, state, local and individual levels
• International Rivers Network
• National Drought Mitigation Center
  Helps people and institutions develop and implement measures to reduce societal vulnerability to drought
• National Ground Water Association
• National Water Resources Association
  Nonprofit federation of state organizations concerned with the appropriate management, conservation, and use of water and land resources on a national scope
• Universities Council on Water Resources
• Water Environment Federation
  Organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the global water environment
• Western States Water Council
   

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Local and Regional Water Projects Around the Country

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation
  Foundation for Chesapeake Bay resource protection, restoration and environmental education
• Chesapeake Bay Program
  Directs and conducts the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay
• Clark Fork Coalition
  Works to protect and restore water quality throughout the Clark Fork River Basin in western Montana and northern Idaho
• Friends of the River
  California's statewide river conservation organization
• International Association for Great Lakes Research
  Scientific organization of researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world
• Klamath Waters Digital Library 
  A centralized clearinghouse for information on water issues in the Klamath Watershed, the library currently contains documents, reports, maps and images.
• New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Technical Reports
• Potomac Conservancy
  Regional land trust dedicated to the protection of the Potomac River
   

 

Updated October 2022