In 2025, the Western States Water Council identified data used for water resources decisions as a significant issue for discussion among member states. Accordingly, various subsequent meetings and webinars were focused on exchanging information.
Deep Dive Topic: Water Data (San Pedro Draft Report)
This September 2025 roundtable discussion among WSWC member states identified growing concerns regarding the reliability and funding of federal water data programs, which are critical for state decision-making and planning. Various states highlighted their heavy reliance on federal agencies for essential information like stream gaging, snow surveys, and water quality monitoring. The true value of this data lies in long-term historical trends, which are indispensable for managing drought, planning for future water use, and mitigating natural disasters like floods. They noted that maintaining consistent, federal-level data collection is more efficient and reliable than individual states attempting to replicate these complex systems. (See draft report)
Other data information in progress