In an Aug. 25 news release, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation confirmed $1.2 million in grants for improvement of water modeling and forecasting.
"Having the accurate data and quality information is essential for water managers to make critical and timely decisions," Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation David Palumbo said, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. "We must ensure that we are supply smart. Applied science grants support improving water management tools so water managers can make informed decisions and improve their management of water, especially in times of prolonged drought and climate change."
Funded projects are situated in Texas, Arizona, California and Nevada. The Texas project involves $200,000 for the Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District in Central Texas and is in collaboration with the Meadows Center for Water and Environment at Texas State University. The money is meant to be used for development of an operations and management model to be used by the district to help establish a comprehensive set of rules, policies and strategies to address water resource management challenges in Central Texas. The total project cost is $550,080.
There are five projects throughout California, one in Nevada and one in Arizona.
The WaterSMART program is an attempt by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to work in collaboration with states, tribes and local groups as they plan for and put into effect actions to increase water supply.
More information on selected projects is available from the Bureau of Reclamation.
