The USGS Arizona Water Science Center announced publication of two reports pertaining to water use in the Colorado River Basin.
The first report, a collaborative analysis that compares the methods used to assess water use by USGS and Reclamation, helps to explain the differences in the values produced by their assessments. It also discusses terminology and how the two agencies use similar terms differently.
The second report presents water-use data and trends at 5-year intervals between 1985 and 2010 for 11 categories. It contains interesting information on how water use has changed relative to population, how supplies are distributed between groundwater and surface water in the Upper and Lower Basins, and more.