Groundwater Governance in the U.S.: Summary of Initial Survey Results

Abstract

Executive Summary: In fall 2012, the Water Resources Research Center and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona initiated the project “Groundwater Governance in the U.S.” The effort aims to better understand the scope of groundwater governance across the United States today. As a first step, the project launched a national-scale survey of state agency officials in the U.S. The objective of the initial survey was to acquire baseline information regarding state-level groundwater governance practices. For the survey, a respondent was recruited from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The online survey, which was conducted between November 2012 and February 2013, was designed to take approximately 15 minutes. Agency officials were identified through online research and consulting members of the National Institutes of Water Resources, a network of federally-authorized water resource research institutes at universities across the U.S. This report presents major findings from the initial survey and focuses on analyzing survey results. Depending on available funding, future efforts will expand upon this research and include a broader set of survey participants. We find great diversity in terms of the scope and extent of groundwater use across the states. In some states, as little as 3% of human water demands are met by groundwater supplies. In others, as much as 95% of human demands are met by groundwater supplies. The survey results also suggest great variation of groundwater use within states. About three-quarters (78%) of survey respondents report that reliance on groundwater use varies by region within their state in terms of relative reliance on groundwater to supply human demands. Similarly, 88% of respondents report that the proportion of groundwater use by each major groundwater-using water sector varies by region across their states. Despite this diversity by state in terms of reliance on groundwater, the vast majority of states – some 96% – report the presence of formal groundwater laws regulations, including widespread adoption of state laws addressing groundwater quality and water conservation. Most states also encourage the use of voluntary measures for addressing groundwater issues. Authority for groundwater oversight and enforcement resides largely in state agencies (98%) along with some shared authority with local agencies (64%). However, survey respondents highlight a great diversity in terms of the users of groundwater subject to state groundwater regulations. States rely on diverse tools and strategies to manage groundwater use and quantity and groundwater governance priorities vary by state. We observe less consistency across states in addressing international, interstate or Native American groundwater issues. And the role of the courts varies as well. In addition, there is significant variance in terms of the role of state law in recognizing the connection between surface and groundwater, and consideration of the water needs of groundwater dependent ecosystems. Finally, survey respondents report differences in terms of agency capacity to carry out policies and responsibilities, and the public accessibility of groundwater information. This report is posted at http://wrrc.arizona.edu/groundwater.