Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The Chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment,  House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, asked GAO to  address a number of issues concerning the water data that various  organizations collect, and the degree to which their data collection efforts  are coordinated with each other. Specifically, we were asked to determine  (1) the key entities that collect water quality and water quantity data,  including the types of data they collect, how they store their data, and how  entities can access the data; and (2) the extent to which these entities  coordinate their water quality and water quantity data collection efforts. Water Quality Data Collection

At least 15 federal agencies, as well as state agencies, local governments,  volunteer monitoring groups, industry groups, members of academia and  others, collect water quality data. While several federal agencies store at least some of their data in STORET  and NWIS, officials in ten of the agencies we surveyed said that all or most  of their water quality data are stored in databases that are specific to the  project or program for which the data are collected. Volunteer monitoring groups collect data for a variety of parameters. States use volunteer monitoring groups’ data in a variety of ways. The U.S. Geological Survey is also a  major collector of water use data under its National Water Use Information  Program. Improved Coordination of Water Quality Data Collection Can Help Watershed Managers Make More Informed Decisions

Despite the vast array of organizations collecting water quality data, we  and others have documented a considerable shortage of these data. Specifically, organizations (1) collect data for disparate missions, (2)  often use inconsistent data collection protocols, (3) are often unaware of  data collected by others, and (4) often assign data coordination a low  priority. Matter for Congressional Consideration

To enhance and clearly define authority for coordinating the collection of  water data nationwide, we recommend that the Congress consider formally  designating a lead organization (either an existing water data coordinating  entity or one of the federal agencies with broad water data collection  responsibilities) for this purpose. Coordinate the development of an Internet-based clearinghouse to  convey what entities are collecting what types of data. Overall Lack of Water Quantity Data Is a Key Concern

Among federal and state officials we interviewed, the most frequently cited  concern about water quantity data was the general lack of data available to  aid decision making. Federal and state officials cited several key reasons  for better coordination of water quantity data as follows:  Water quantity data collection is more centralized among fewer entities,  which allows users and collectors to more easily identify data sources  that may be helpful in making watershed management decisions and  encourages coordination to meet a common purpose. At the same  time, we found that more water quantity data are needed to make well- supported watershed management decisions.
Why GAO Did This Study

Reliable and complete data are needed to assess watersheds--areas that drain into a common body of water--and allocate limited cleanup resources. Historically, water officials have expressed concern about a lack of water data. At the same time, numerous organizations collect a variety of water data. To address a number of issues concerning the water data that various organization collect, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, asked GAO to determine (1) the key entities that collect water data, the types of data they collect, how they store the data, and how entities can access the data; and (2) the extent that water quality and water quantity data collection efforts are coordinated.

What GAO Found

At least 15 federal agencies collect a wide variety of water quality data. Most notably, the U.S. Geological Survey operates several large water quality monitoring programs across the nation. States also play a key role in water quality data collection to fulfill their responsibilities under the Clean Water Act. In addition, numerous local watershed groups, volunteer monitoring groups, industries, and academic groups collect water quality data. In contrast, collection of water quantity data is more centralized, with three federal agencies collecting the majority of data available nationwide. While GAO found notable exceptions, officials in almost all of the federal and state agencies contacted said that coordination of water quality data was falling short of its potential. Key barriers frequently identified as impeding better coordination of water quality data collection include (1) the significantly different purposes for which groups collect data, (2) inconsistencies in groups' data collection protocols, (3) an unawareness by data collectors as to which entities collect what types of data, and (4) low priority for data coordination, as shown in a lack of support for councils that promote improved coordination. GAO concluded that designating a lead organization with sufficient authority and resources to coordinate data collection could help alleviate these problems and ensure that watershed managers have better information upon which to base critical decisions. Data collectors strongly agree that coordinating water quantity data collection is considerably less problematic. Reasons include the fact that controversial water allocation decisions require accurate and complete water quantity data; that some of the technologies for measuring water quantity allow for immediate distribution of data; that water quantity data parameters are generally more consistent; and that coordination is simplified in that relatively fewer entities collect these data. Collectors of water quantity data generally agreed that an overall shortage of data was a more serious problem than a lack of coordination of the data that are collected.