S. 4245: WATER Data Improvement Act

This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 the following initiatives of the United States Geological Survey (USGS): (1) Federal Priority Streamgage program (previously known as the National Streamflow Information Program); (2) groundwater monitoring program, including the National Groundwater Monitoring Network; and (3) grants for water estimation, measurement, and monitoring technologies and methodologies.

The bill also modifies the Federal Priority Streamgage program, which measures and tracks the amount of water in nationally significant watersheds and provides information about those watersheds and their conditions, such as floods and droughts. Currently, the USGS must ensure that all streamgages are equipped with water-quality sensors. The bill requires that those sensors are precipitation water-quality sensors. The bill also requires each streamgage site to conform with the federal needs established through regular solicitation and feedback, such as that documented in the report titled Re-prioritization of the U.S. Geological Survey Federal Priority streamgage program, 2022.

Finally, the bill requires the USGS to coordinate with the applicable Indian tribe, tribal organization, or Native Hawaiian organization with jurisdiction over a given aquifer before initiating groundwater monitoring activities on tribal land.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.