New Nationwide Tool Helps Answer: Do We Have Enough Water?

New Nationwide Tool Helps Answer: Do We Have Enough Water?

Resource can help water managers make informed decisions about supply, demand and future growth

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey released the first nationwide tool to help water planners determine if communities have enough water for current and future needs. 

Nearly 27 million Americans, or 8% of the U.S. population, live in areas where water demand consistently approaches or exceeds naturally available water supply. Until now, accessing comprehensive water availability information required navigating fragmented datasets across multiple agencies. The new tool eliminates many of those barriers.

The USGS National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion provides water managers, agricultural communities and researchers with detailed information about water supply and demand across approximately 80,000 watersheds nationwide. 

“While the United States has abundant water nationally, regional imbalances between supply and demand may create water challenges affecting millions of Americans,” said Shirley Leung, lead scientist. “This tool can help decision-makers understand whether challenges may stem from limited natural water supply, high demand, or both. This information is helpful for effective water planning.”

There are also water‑rich regions of the country where communities and water managers may use the tool to identify potential economic opportunities tied to their water supply, as well as to support long‑term planning to preserve and protect this vital resource.

More than 224 billion gallons of freshwater are withdrawn daily across the lower 48 states for crop irrigation, municipal water supply and thermoelectric power generation. Until now, understanding where and when this demand intersects with natural water availability required comprehensive data that has been difficult to access.