• Selected Federal Activities on Hydraulic Fracturing

    Briefing on three water-resource assessment areas on unconventional oil and gas development activities: EPA study of potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources: Jeanne Briskin (briskin.jeanne@epa.gov), Hydraulic Fracturing Research Coordinator, EPA Office of Research and Development (Click to view presentation) Trends in water quality in areas of unconventional oil and gas development – Watershed/surface-water […]

  • Western State Water Resources: Planning, Policy and Appropriation

    Tony Willardson, Executive Director of the Western States Water Council presented WestFAST member and others with an overview of water allocation approaches and policies in western states. The Webinar was co-sponsored with WestFAST by the Western Regional Partnership’s Natural Resources Committee. The  WRP provides a proactive and collaborative framework for senior-policy level Federal, State and Tribal leadership to […]

  • (2015) WSWC/CDWR Workshop on Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting

    WSWC/CDWR Workshop on Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting The Western States Water Council and the California Department of Water Resources cosponsored a workshop on precipitation forecasting held May 27-29, 2015 in San Diego, California. REPORT: Workshop on Improving Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Precipitation Forecasting for Drought Preparedness WORKSHOP PURPOSE: The purpose of the workshop was to develop […]

  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Collaborations in “Challenge & Prize Competition” Programs for Priority Water Resource Solutions

    Challenge and prize competitions are one path that federal agencies are taking to drive innovation and solve mission-centric problems. More than 425 challenges have been run in the Federal government since 2010.  The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is participating, in collaboration with other WestFAST agencies, in several water-resource challenge and prize competitions including solutions in […]

  • NASA – Watching Water in the West: An Overview of NASA Missions and Applied Science for Water Resources Management

    Dr. Bradley Doorn and Forrest Melton from the NASA Applied Sciences program provided an overview of NASA satellite and airborne missions relevant to water resources monitoring and management in the western US. They also presented highlights from NASA’s portfolio of applied science activities that are focused on applying NASA’s remote sensing capabilities to support advances […]

  • (2015) 14th Symposium on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims

    2015 NARF Symposium on Indian Water Rights Settlements The Western States Water Council and the Native American Rights Fund  held their fourteenth Symposium on the Settlement of Indian Reserved Water Rights Claims on August 25-27, at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada.  The Symposium began on Tuesday, August 25, at 8:30 a.m. and continued throughout […]

  • USGS – Water Programs and the National Water Census

    WestFAST members and webinar participants reviewed selected USGS Water Resources Programs with focus on the National Water Census .  Pixie Hamiliton, USGS Cooperative Water Program National Coordinator  and Sonja Jones, USGS Water Census Programs, led the discussion which included an overview of the USGS Water Availability and Science Program. Click here to find webinar presentation materials.

  • U.S. Forest Service Water Resource Roles and the USFS NorWest Stream Temperature Program

    Mike Eberle, USDA Forest Service Surface Water Program leader, reviewed priority water resource issues and program in the Forest Service and Daniel Isaak, USFS Research Fish Biologist presented on the activities and products of the USFS NorWest stream-temperature database and modeling program. The NorWest Program provides stream temperature data and geospatial map outputs from a regional temperature model for the Northwest U.S. […]

  • Update on the National Drought Resilience Partnership, next steps, and WestFAST Roles

    The interagency National Drought Resilience Partnership (NDRP) was established in 2013 as part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to help communities better prepare for future droughts and reduce the impact of drought events on livelihoods and the economy. WestFAST was briefed on the progress and products of the NDRP including the activities of the […]