LegiStorm

Summary:

Groundwater, the water in aquifers accessible by wells, is a critical component of the U.S. water supply. It is important for both domestic and agricultural water needs, among other uses. Nearly half of the nation's population uses groundwater to meet daily needs; in 2015, about 149 million people (46% of the nation's population) relied on groundwater for their domestic indoor and outdoor water supply. The greatest volume of groundwater used every day is for agriculture, specifically for irrigation. In 2015, irrigation accounted for 69% of the total fresh groundwater withdrawals in the United States. For that year, California pumped the most groundwater for irrigation, followed by Arkansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Texas, and Kansas, in that order. Groundwater also is used as a supply for mining, oil and gas development, industrial processes, livestock, and thermoelectric power, among other uses. Congress generally has deferred management of U.S. groundwater resources to the states, and there is little indication that this practice will change. For example, several bills introduced in the 115th Congress contain provisions that would direct that the federal government recognizes that aspects of groundwater, such as the connection between surface water and groundwater, be consistent with state water laws (surface water includes streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and is not groundwater or atmospheric water, such as rain or snow). Those same bills also would prohibit the federal government from requiring the transfer of water rights to the United States or obtaining a water right in the name of the United States as a condition for receiving, renewing, amending, or extending "any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement." In addition, these bills contain language asserting that the legislation would not alter certain reserved rights associated with federal and tribal lands. Congress, various states, and other stakeholders recently have focused on the potential for using surface water to recharge aquifers and the ability to recover stored groundwater when needed. Some see aquifer recharge, storage, and recovery as a replacement or complement to surface water reservoirs, and there is interest in how federal agencies can support these efforts. In the congressional context, there is interest in the potential for federal efforts to facilitate state, local, and private groundwater management efforts (e.g., management of federal reservoir releases to allow for groundwater recharge by local utilities). The two primary federal water resources agencies are the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). No significant federal restrictions apply to Reclamation's authorities to deliver water for purposes of aquifer recharge, storage, and recovery. USACE authorities also do not contain restrictions on the nonfederal use for groundwater recharge of water stored or released from USACE reservoirs. Both agencies acknowledge that some state restrictions affect the use of the delivered or stored waters for groundwater activities. Some legislative proposals would provide the agencies with additional directives and mechanisms regarding their authority to support nonfederal groundwater recharge. Other federal agencies support activities that inform groundwater management. For example, the U.S. Geological Survey monitors and reports groundwater conditions across the country, develops groundwater models and software tools for characterizing aquifers, and provides long- and short-term forecasts of changing groundwater conditions as part of local and regional groundwater studies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also make observations and collect data that are relevant to groundwater monitoring and assessment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture collects groundwater data related to irrigation. Long-term changes to the climate affecting the United States, particularly rising temperatures and changes in the patterns, quantities, and type of precipitation (i.e., rain versus snow), could affect the availability of groundwater in the future. Other factors, such as changes to land use, irrigation practices, and patterns of water consumption, also may influence groundwater supplies.