The USGS Water Resources Research Act Program: 54 Institutes for the Nation's Water

Water is critical to the nation's prosperity and quality of life, and managing it is complicated by economics, geopolitics, population growth, climate variability and more. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works with partners to monitor water, assess it, carry out targeted research and deliver information to the people who use it. Within the USGS Water Resources Mission Area, one of the ways it does this is the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA) Program — a federal–state partnership that uses matching grants to plan, support and coordinate water research, training and information sharing.

Origins

The Water Resources Research Act was first passed in 1964; in 1984 the Secretary of the Interior delegated the program to the USGS, and the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended, is its current basis. The act established Water Resources Research Institutes at universities around the country. Today there are 54, serving every state, the District of Columbia and all U.S. territories. They link the nation's academic research to the USGS mission and coordinate water research, student training and the exchange of information and technology among USGS and university scientists, water managers and the public.

Four core capabilities

1. A national network based in universities — the framework under which everything else operates.
2. Research driven by stakeholders.
3. Outreach and engagement.
4. Infrastructure for workforce development and water literacy.

What the program works on is set by society's changing science needs, as identified by Congress and stakeholders.

How society's changing science needs relate to the program's core capabilities; the university network is drawn as an umbrella over the other three. U.S. Geological Survey, modified from Donohue and others (2021).

Research

Every institute receives an annual base grant under the 1984 act. Nationally competitive calls also fund research on regional and interstate water issues, to build collaboration between the USGS and universities, and Congress has recently added money for specific priorities, including:

• water quality conditions that drive harmful algal blooms and hypoxia;
• the spread and persistence of aquatic invasive species;
• per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in streams and other waters.

Coordination awards let other federal agencies draw on the institutes' expertise. Work that starts locally can have effects across the country.

Training the next generation

Like other agencies, the USGS expects a shortage of science and technology professionals, even as growing pressure on water resources calls for more skilled people in water science and management. The institutes train graduate and undergraduate students through research and education, locally and alongside USGS scientists, and many support early-career professionals — encouraging them to build careers in water resources.

Sharing what is learned

The institutes communicate their findings and technology to federal agencies, states, local governments and the public, show how their research meets state water management needs, and support sound policy through clear science communication. They host state water conferences, run websites and social media, and produce public radio programs.

Sources

• U.S. Geological Survey: "The U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Research Act Program—Meeting local, State, and national needs," Fact Sheet, citing Donohue and others (2021) and U.S. Geological Survey (2015).