ASDWA Submits Groundwater Comments to White House PCAST Advisors

On June 27, ASDWA submitted comments to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology’s (PCAST) important questions related to the nation’s groundwater challenges. In the comments, ASDWA emphasizes the need for the President and the Federal government to promote collaboration with states and partners, to support further development of tools and resources such as the USGS water programs, and to ensure flexibility for allowing current Federal funding programs to be directed toward groundwater.

ASDWA’s overarching recommendations are that this effort should:

• Focus on developing strategies to assess and address groundwater quantity and quality challenges throughout the entire U.S., not just water conservation and drought resilience in the Colorado River Basin and across the West
• Ensure deference to and consultation with the state programs
• Focus on hydrologic and regional areas of scale for decision-making
• Consider impacts to groundwater from agriculture and energy laws, policies, and funding, as well as economic and community development factors.

 The comments also provide specific responses to the six PCAST questions for building a better understanding of total groundwater use, recharge, and storage across the U.S., and for developing national groundwater stewardship strategies. For more information, read the ASDWA comment letter here.