INTRODUCTION

The Advisory Committee on Water information (ACWI) is a Federal Advisory Committee chartered by the Secretary of the Interior. Dr. Mark Schaefer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, is permanent Chair of the Committee. In Dr. Schaefer's absence, Mr. David Cottingham, Counselor to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, chaired the first day of this meeting, and Dr. Robert Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, chaired the second day. An Agenda and List of Attendees are Attachments 1 and 2, respectively, of this Report.

SUMMARY OF ACTIONS

ACWI took the following actions on Subgroup reports:

1. ACWI endorsed the  NWQMC Work Plan.  (Attachment 4), and advised NWQMC to prioritize its tasks.

2. ACWI endorsed continuing the debate on a   Performance Based Methods System  (PBMS). (Attachment 5) Many questions and issues remain.

3. The National Methods and Data Comparability Board ("Methods Board") will prepare a text describing PBMS for publication in ACWI member organizations' newsletters.

4. ACWI endorsed the concept of laboratory accreditation described by the Methods Board. Further work will be received at the next meeting.

5. Dr. DeHan raised concerns about funding for NWQMC (Attachment 6)

6. NWQMC will prepare an agenda item for the Clean Water Action Plan Principals meeting in the near future, proposing ACWI tasks that agencies may be able to carry out using existing CWAP resources without interagency transfer of funds.

2.  Task Force on Stream Gaging (SGTF)

1. ACWI approved the Task Force's work plan. (Attachment 7)

2. ACWI accepted the current list of members (Attachment 8), but requested the Task Force to involve more non-Federal members, especially from user communities such as recreation users, irrigation interests, power generators, and navigation interests. Examples suggested: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), State Academies of Science, National Hydrologic Warning Council, Inland Navigation Council, National Water Coalition, Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation, and Freshwater Inflow Task ;Force.

3. SGTF will identify additional sources of stream gaging data. They will ask for assistance from USGS Districts and other organizations .

4. SGTF will develop tiered (national, state, and local) goals for stream gaging for the next ACWI meeting.

3.  Task Force to Review the Federal-State Cooperative Program (Attachment 9)

The Executive Secretary will distribute the Task Force report, which is expected in June, to ACWI members for review and comments. When any needed revisions have been made, a poll of members will be taken to endorse the report.

4.  Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data (Attachment 10)

1. ACWI endorsed beginning the process of interagency standard-setting for spatial water data via Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and/or Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).

2. ACWI asked that its members receive notice of regional workshops so they can participate.

3. The Subcommittee will create a group to work on defining watersheds in near-coastal areas, asking EPA and NOS for assistance.

4. ACWI agreed to review interim products as they are developed.

5.  Subcommittee on Hydrology (Attachment 11)

1. The Subcommittee needs to add members from the nonfederal community, as well as representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

2. The Models Subgroup shall continue to evaluate models, identifying redundancies. This item shall be added to the Subcommittee Work Plan.

3. The Model Subgroup was reminded of a commitment to create an inventory of models, and was asked to consider the problem of training for users of models. This task will also be added to the Subcommittee Work Plan.

6.   General

1.   The subgroups are urged to identify members of their committees who are not active participants, and work with their organizations to replace them with other representatives. The Executive Secretary's office will help if necessary.

2.   ACWI shall review "Strategic Directions for USGS Ground Water Resources Program."

During the discussion of New Business, ACWI reached consensus on the following action items:

7.   Workshop on Total Maximum Daily Load (TDML)

ACWI agreed to sponsor a forum or workshop on the science issues that will arise in applying the TDML rules in the summer or autumn of 1999. Among the topics that the forum will address is that of Risk Reduction. The workshop will include successful case studies to illustrate how the science can be carried out. Both Federal and non-Federal agencies will participate in planning and conducting the forum. Organizers will include USGS (Schipp), EPA (Heber), NCASI, AWWA, AASG, EPRI, GWPC, ASIWPCA, ICWP, ESA, KYW, and UCOWR.

8. Notification of Subgroup meetings

ACWI members request that Subgroups notify them of meetings, so that they have the opportunity to attend or send an alternate.

9. Identification of Native American Representatives to Join ACWI

ACWI currently has no representation from Native American tribes. USGS, EPA, and USDA will use their channels to find an organization that can represent the entire Native American community on ACWI.

SYNOPSIS OF MEETING

Five new member organizations described their water resources programs (Attachments 12-16)

• League of Women Voters
• Know your Watershed
• National Association of Counties
• National Mining Association
• National Ground Water Association

The Committee took action on five subgroup reports (Attachments 3; 8-11)

• National Water Quality Monitoring Council
• Task Force on Stream Gaging
• Task Force to Review the Federal - State Cooperative Program
• Subcommittee on Spatial Water Data
• Subcommittee on Hydrology

The Committee discussed National Issues in Water Resources Information. At the request of several members, the Chair moved this discussion from Day 2 to Day 1, so that members who had to leave early on Wednesday could participate. The American Association of State Geologists, Electric Power Research Institute, Know Your Watershed, League of Women Voters, and submitted letters (Attachments 18-21). Discussion centered on these topics:

• Scientific issues in application of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rules need study.
• Scientists must communicate water resources information in plain English for decision-makers, educators, and informed citizens. Plain-English summaries of important findings should replace traditional abstracts in scientific reports directed to government officials.
• Issues orientation must not be lost when focusing on technological responses.
• Hydrologic processes in small watersheds change during development.
• Funding issues exist at several levels:
  • Federal funding for stream gaging is grossly inadequate to the task
  • Asking agencies to adopt ACWI tasks is a better approach than asking for cash
  • Increased efficiency through reduction of redundancy in models
  • Increased effectiveness through better prioritization

The Committee heard and discussed reports on five national initiatives (Attachments 22-26)

• Implementing the Clean Water Action Plan
• Strategic Vision of the National Weather Service
• American Heritage Rivers Initiative
• Community/Federal Information Partnership
• National Water Quality Assessment Program

A call for public comments elicited the following response:

• No comments were received from members of the public.

Dr. Geoff Dates of River Watch Network presented a luncheon address on Volunteer Monitoring Activities (Attachment 27) on Tuesday, May 18.

NEXT MEETING

No date was selected for the next meeting of ACWI. A range of dates from autumn 1999 through early 2000 was considered.

Topics suggested for future meetings include:

• A presentation on the Water Information Network (WIN)
• A presentation on improving communication in plain English
• A presentation on the effects of floods and dams on water quality
• The Committee called for an action on Decision Support Systems to be brought forward from the meeting of February 1998.

• Where possible we have provided a hotlink to the attachments that reside on the WEB. If you want to request paper copies of the attachments please write, fax, or call us. See contact information below.

• U.S. Geological Survey
  Water Information Coordination Program
  417 National Center
  Reston, Virginia 20192-0001
  Phone no. 703-648-5676
  fax no. 703-648-5644 or 703-648-5295
  Email: cilewis@usgs.gov

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