backUS DoI: BR: WaterSMART- Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow
Mission Statement: The WaterSMART Clearinghouse is a public resource to provide leadership and assistance to state and local governments, tribal nations, and others in coordinating and integrating water conservation and sustainable water strategies. The Clearinghouse will convene interested governmental entities,water user and supplier organizations, conservation and scientific organizations, and others to identify best practices in water conservation, incentives, the most cost-effective technologies that stretch existing water supplies, and actions that integrate energy and water policies, including land use planning. Through the WaterSMART Clearinghouse, DOI will also facilitate access to and information sharing for conservation-related government grants, funding, and programs. The Clearinghouse will provide appropriate recognition and focus national attention on outstanding examples of water sustainability efforts. The WaterSMART Clearinghouse will assist the U.S. in securing its own water future while taking a leadership role in providing the technologies and management strategies that will be key to addressing global water issues in the 21st Century. Water and energy are inextricably linked. Water shortages can affect energy production, energy development requires substantial quantities of water, and reduction in water demand can reduce the energy requirements for water distribution, to name just a few of the connections. The WaterSMART Program will ensure that DOI applies criteria that identify and support projects and actions that promote sustainable water strategies, and support development of incremental hydroelectric power generation. The DOI WaterSMART Program will coordinate with the Task Force on Energy and Climate Change to identify the water footprint of various energy technologies in order to ensure that this use of resources is considered as part of any decision process on the development of such technologies. The DOI WaterSMART Program will also work with the Energy and Climate Change Council, the DOI Climate Science Centers, and the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives to obtain the best available science on the impacts of climate change on water supplies and to ensure integration of sustainable water strategies within the field offices of the Department’s bureaus and agencies. The DOI WaterSMART Program will adhere to the principle that one cannot adequately manage a resource that is not measured. As such, the Program will evaluate the information needed for sound decision-making on sustainable water and will determine whether there is adequate information about the availability, quality, and use of water across the Nation for this purpose. The Program will make recommendations for enhancements to information collection, analysis and delivery where needed. The DOI WaterSMART Program will coordinate with the relevant offices within the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Policy, Management and Budget to develop a water footprint reduction program for facilities and water-consuming operations within the Department; provide input and information on water conservation methods and technology to bureaus and offices; and work together with the Senior Sustainability Officer (the Assistant Secretary – Policy, Management and Budget) in order to achieve and exceed the Department’s water consumption goal set forth in Executive Order 13514.
Contact Information
(no addresses found for this institution)
Links:
http://www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/ (Home Page)
http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/upload/WaterSMARTOrder.pdf (PDF: Press Release on the Creation of WaterSMART)
http://dbedit.rivers.txstate.edu/rg/database_profile.php?iid=221 (Rio Grande Database: Bureau of Reclamation)
Themes:
Human Aspects: Improvement Projects
Human Aspects: Planning
Policy and Regulation: Coordination - Federal Government
Policy and Regulation: Coordination - Local Government
Policy and Regulation: Coordination - State Government
Research: Grants/Funding
Research: Request for Proposals
Water: Management Approach- River Basin
Water: Water Quantity
Water: Water Usage
Geographic Areas:
Colorado
New Mexico
Texas
Audiences:
Private Sector
Public Sector
Languages:
English