Position #2026-01 – Support for Critical Federal Water Data, Forecasting, and Applied Research Programs
Policy Summary
The West depends on accurate, timely, and accessible water, weather, and climate data to protect lives and property, manage scarce water supplies, operate critical infrastructure, administer water rights, and support economic and ecological growth. Federal water data, forecasting, and applied research programs are essential to state water management and should be treated as core public-safety and water-management infrastructure rather than optional programs.
WSWC Urges Congress and the Administration to:
1. Fully fund, maintain, and modernize core federal water data and observing programs. Critical federal programs that collect, analyze, and deliver water, weather, snowpack, streamflow, groundwater, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and water quality information must receive stable authorization, appropriations, maintenance, and modernization support.
2. Strengthen drought, flood, and extreme-weather forecasting and early warning. The federal government should improve forecasting skill and decision support at all time scales – from hours to seasons – to better support drought
preparedness, flood risk reduction, forecast-informed reservoir operations, and water-supply planning.
3. Support applied water research and research-to-operations. Congress and the Administration should maintain and strengthen programs that help move water research into practical use, including the Water Resources Research Institutes, the USGS Water Resources Research Act program, and related federal-state-university partnerships.
4. Protect the infrastructure and spectrum that water forecasting and monitoring depend on. The nation must protect observation networks, remote sensing systems, data communications, and radio frequencies necessary for weather forecasting, satellite observations, streamgaging, and water management.
5. Strengthen federal-state partnership and data collaboration. Federal programs should work with, not around, the states by improving coordination, consultation, interoperability, and data-sharing, recognizing regional differences and respecting state authority over water allocation and administration.
Core Message:
For the West, these programs are not abstract science programs. They are operational tools that help prevent loss of life, reduce economic damage, improve water management, strengthen drought and flood preparedness, and support sound state decision-making.
What WSWC Is Asking For
1. Provide sufficient appropriations and durable support for core federal water, weather, drought, and climate observation, forecasting, and data-delivery programs.
2. Prioritize maintenance, modernization, and restoration of aging or damaged observation networks and associated communications systems.
3. Support legislation and administrative actions that improve data availability, quality, interoperability, accessibility, and usability.
4. Strengthen applied research, research-to-operations, and state-university-federal partnerships, including WRRIs and the Water Resources Research Act program.
5. Improve drought prediction, early warning, and preparedness through coordinated research, forecasting, and implementation.
6. Advance forecasting capabilities needed for flood protection, water supply planning, and forecast-informed operations.
7. Protect spectrum and technical infrastructure necessary for satellite observations, remote monitoring, and weather and water forecasting.
8. Work with states through strong federal-state partnership and data collaboration that respects state water authority.
Closing Statement:
WSWC supports a strong federal-state partnership to ensure that the West and the Nation have the data, forecasting, research, communications infrastructure, and practical tools needed to manage water wisely, prepare for extremes, and protect the public. These investments are foundational to water security, public safety, and the long-term resilience of western communities, economies, and ecosystems.