Plan identifies four areas for improvement with twelve actions already completed or underway.
In the Western United States, meeting water demands with available water supplies is becoming increasingly complex. Knowing where, when, and how much precipitation in a particular valley, mountain, lake, or river will become available for use to the people living there promotes efficiency as water managers will be able to more effectively prepare and meet the various water users’ needs and obligations.
To promote reliable access to water, last year President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West. In that memo, the President directed the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop an action plan, in coordination with water experts and resource managers, to improve forecasts of water availability. In response to the President’s directive, today, the DOC and the DOI are releasing the Federal Action Plan for Improving Forecasts of Water Availability (Action Plan).
"The Administration is committed to advancing America’s water infrastructure, and ensuring communities have reliable access to water," said Mary B. Neumayr, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. "The Action Plan is an important step toward improving our Nation’s observation, modeling and forecasting capabilities related to water availability, enabling the Federal government and stakeholders to make more timely and informed decisions."
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