1 HIC Winter Meeting February 24, 2010 Integrated Water Resources Science and Services IWRSS Status Update Don Cline Office of Hydrologic Development National

1HIC Winter Meeting February 24, 2010HIC Winter Meeting February 24, 2010

Integrated Water Resources Science and Services

IWRSS Status Update

Don Cline

Office of Hydrologic Development

National Weather Service, NOAA

2HIC Winter Meeting February 24, 2010

IWRSS Status Update


National Needs Assessment

• Led by USACE in 2008 to 2009; builds on previous assessments– Series of Listening Sessions conducted around the country in 2000 and 2001

– 1999 report by National Academies' National Research Council, “New Strategies for America's Watersheds”

– Series of Water Policy Dialogues conducted by the American Water Resources Association between 2002 and 2008

– 2006 and 2008 reports by the Western Governor's Association

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“Collaborating for a Sustainable Water Future”

Objective assessment of states’ water planning to:

• identify common water resources needs and opportunities for enhanced collaboration with states and Federal agencies

• leverage joint resources for national water planning



• Objectives– identify key water resources challenges, needs and critical

priorities among the 50 states

– Identify the major programmatic water resources activities within the Federal government agencies, and opportunities for collaboration

– build strong support among a national team (federal, state, basin commissions, tribal, and NGOs) in support of doing more integrated water resources management

– improve dialogue about key challenges and ways to meet them

– gain support for a “Federal Support Toolbox” of information deemed useful in helping states in their water resources planning

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Recommendations and proposed actions were based on:



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Eight overarching themes emerged as a course of action:



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8HIC Winter Meeting February 24, 2010Collaborating for a Sustainable Water Resources Future - August 26, 2009 - Washington, D.C.

Mary M. GlackinDeputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Agency Collaboration in Support ofIntegrated Water Resources Management


National Imperatives


Enhance Federal Partnerships

• Water resources problems are significant and getting bigger

– Climate change and variability are dramatically impacting water availability and quality

– Socio-economic impacts of floods and droughts are escalating

– Population growth and economic development are stressing water supplies

– Increasing global demand for food and energy are causing unprecedented pressure on water resources and aquatic ecosystems

• Seamless integration and enhanced collaboration are required to address these challenges

• Each agency has an important role


National Federal Water Partners

Primary Roles:• Monitoring• Science• Prediction• Management• Conservation• Regulation• Protection• Mitigation• Restoration• Response• Recovery

Assessment Agencies:• U.S. Forest Service• Natural Resources Conservation

Service• National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration• Army Corps of Engineers• Environmental Protection Agency• Federal Emergency Management

Agency• Bureau of Land Management• Bureau of Reclamation• Fish and Wildlife Service• National Park Service• U.S. Geological Survey• Tennessee Valley Authority


Federal Agency Assessment

• The USACE’s assessment of 12 Federal water resources agencies revealed broad recognition of the need for an integrative “Federal Tool Box” (FTB) to:

– Streamline access to Federal water resource capabilities

– Share technology, information, models, best practices

– Leverage resources more effectively

– Enable improved collaboration

• The Assessment highlights effective collaborations:

– Bay Delta Conservation Plan

– Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Partnership


Vision for the Federal Tool Box

Components• Data, Forecasts, and

Services (integrated at all scales)

• Models and Tools (catalog and guidance to help users)

• Information (agency programs, authorities, policies, and best practices)

Characteristics• Interoperability

between decision support systems and tools

• Seamless data exchange

• Flexible and extensible design

• One stop shopping

Components Characteristics


Federal Tool Box - Benefits

Federal Tool Box

Integrate and improve access to information, enable collaborative workflow, and establish a common operating picture to support critical decision making

Enhanced observations and forecasts Updated water use statistics and demographics Climate change impacts Current environmental status and trend indicators Shared policy, authorities, and best practices

Sustain water quality Minimize flood and drought impacts Promote conservation and ecosystem health Optimize water allocation and use Maximize hydropower generation

Foster coordinated water policy Balance competing needs Support adaptive water supply planning Build community resilience Sustain economic growth


Federal Assessment Views

• The Federal Tool Box requires:

– Significant, continued stakeholder input

– Robust framework for data exchange and simplified information access

– Viable cross-agency management, governance and funding strategy

• Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (IWRSS) is recommended as the prototype



National Water Resources

Information System

Leap AheadImplement information and tools for next-generation adaptive water-related planning, preparedness and response activities

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Goals


Establishing and maintaining a strong participatory process for building the social capital necessary for success

Implementing sound IT engineering practices to promote the coordination and integration of interagency activities to achieve common goals

Apply physical and social science strategies to deliver an information system that is responsive to the needs of stakeholders


Three Cross-cutting Themes



• Work in progress; still informal and unofficial

• Only three agencies thus far – NOAA, USACE, USGS

• FY 2010 – 12 goals include:

– Establish formal agreements and proposed governance model

– Conduct pilots to demonstrate interoperable infrastructure and deploy new science and technology

– Develop integrated data, tools and services

• All envisioned components of the Federal Tool Box are not addressed


Federal Tool Box - Next Steps

• Establish an interagency steering committee to:

– Involve additional Federal water agencies

– Assess IWRSS as a potential prototype

– Prepare development and implementation plan, including:

• State and other stakeholder involvement

• Business case to quantify benefits

– Document cross-agency funding requirements and programming strategy

– Recommend executive agency and governance structure

– Identify priorities for development and demonstration


IWRSS Status Update


IWRSS Governance

• Design and Management Team Meeting (December 11)– Senior hydrology/water resources leadership for NOAA, USACE,

and USGS

• Agenda– Governance Structure

– Federal Toolbox

– Demonstration Projects

– Communications/Outreach

– Expansion to other agencies

– Future Collaboration• Monthly IWRSS Coordination Calls/Quarterly In-Person Meetings

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IWRSS Governance

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IWRSS Governance

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Federal Toolbox

• Federal Toolbox (FTB) overlaps IWRSS but is substantially broader– Includes policy, regulation, authorities, etc. as part of the one-

stop-shopping “catalog” of information to support water resources planning and management

– Concept development involved 12 agencies

– FTB includes similar strategy for demonstration projects

• Design and Management Team (DMT) agreed to merge IWRSS and Federal Toolbox development– Use IWRSS as the prototype for the FTB, starting within the

three initial IWRSS agencies

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Demonstration Projects

• Short-fuse Opportunity: Great Lakes Region– IWRSS Great Lakes Demonstration Team established to

respond to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (EPA) funding opportunity

– NOAA Great Lakes Regional Team (GLRT) recommended that IWRSS Design and Management Team (DMT) actively pursue regional funding for support of a GL IWRSS demonstration project.

– To this end, the NOAA GLRT is providing staff assistance and coordination support to a cross-agency working group tasked by DMT to draft an IWRSS GL demonstration project proposal in CY2010.

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Demonstration Projects

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Goals of IWRSS Great Lakes Working Group


IWRSS Communications

• Preparing to stand up a Communications Team under the DMT to:– Identify critical audiences for key messages– Identify key messages for each audience– Identify methods/media to communicate key messages

to each specific audience– Establish an evaluation plan or way to assess the

effectiveness of communications messages– Establish ways to tap into/communicate with aligned

initiatives that promote IWRSS/FTB objectives

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IWRSS Communications

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Key Messages for each audience:


IWRSS Status Update


NOAA Strategic Plan (Draft)

• Letter from the Administrator– “Informed by our stakeholders, this plan represents our

assessment of the highest priority needs for NOAA”

• Confronting Change: NOAA's Vision and Goals for the Future– “The interactions between people and the global environment

will determine the outcomes of society’s great predicaments: the availability and quality of fresh water,…”

– “Given its stewardship responsibilities and expertise, NOAA will play a leading role with consideration of ocean and coastal ecosystems, living marine resources, and water resources.”

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NOAA Strategic Plan (Draft)

• Four interrelated long range goals1. Climate Adaptation and Mitigation

2. Weather Ready Nation• Goal 2.2: Improve water resources management with integrated

weather and water forecasts and information (IWRSS)

3. Sustainable and Resilient Fisheries, Habitats and Species

4. Sustainable Coastal Communities and Economies

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NOAA Goal 2.2 (Draft)

• NOAA will focus on improving:– Quantification of hydrologic forecast uncertainty

– Advancing understanding of cloud and precipitation processes

– Advancing hydrologic and hydraulic modeling capabilities, including…developing high-resolution coupled models for rivers, lakes, and estuaries within an Earth system framework

– NOAA will expand river, surface, and remote observations for hard-to-observe and emerging service areas

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NWS Strategic Plan (Draft)

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Aim to attain five societal outcomes:


NWS Strategic Plan (Draft)

• Five goals provide the foundation to achieve these outcomes

• Goal 2: Deliver a comprehensive suite of improved water services to support management of the Nation’s water supply– Two objectives within goal

• Strategies are divided into two categories– NWS Next: five‐year priorities within the 2012‐2017 planning

and budgeting cycle– NWS After Next: more conceptual and longer‐term, from

2018‐2035

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NWS Goal 2 (Draft)

• Objective 1: Develop cross‐government, integrated water resource services

• Measures of Success– More efficient and effective management of Nation’s

water supplies– Increased use of water resources information by the

water resources management community– Easily accessible suite of summit‐to‐sea water resource

forecasts including water quality and water quantity information

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NWS Goal 2 (Draft)

• Objective 1: Develop cross‐government, integrated water resource services

• Strategy for Achieving (2012-2017)– Improve quantification of hydrologic forecast uncertainty

– Integrate long‐range weather forecasting in hydrologic modeling

– Advance hydrologic and hydraulic modeling capabilities, including inundation mapping

– Cross‐cutting strategy: Advance understanding of precipitation, temperature, evaporation processes in an Earth system framework

– Cross‐cutting strategy: Advance higher resolution coupled models for rivers, lakes and estuaries

– Cross‐cutting strategy: Expand river, surface, and remote observations for hard to observe and emerging service areas

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NWS Goal 2 (Draft)

• Objective 2: Improve and expand water forecasting from the summit to the sea with new science, observation, and modeling capabilities

• Measures of Success– Reduction of river forecast errors– Forecasts communicated with quantifiable uncertainty– Increased number of water and river observations

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NWS Goal 2 (Draft)

• Objective 2: Improve and expand water forecasting from the summit to the sea with new science, observation, and modeling capabilities

• Strategy for Achieving (2012-2017)– Develop and deliver, with partners, a “one‐stop shop” of integrated, high

resolution summit‐to‐sea water resources information, with increased emphasis on climate‐related impacts for arid and coastal watersheds. Common operating pictures and data exchange among federal partners will be critical to achieving.

– Partner with academia, private sector and the water resource management community to better understand their needs and requirements to become a trusted, honest broker of information

– Improve capacity to provide valuable information and meet partner needs by increasing number of trained hydrologists in NWS workforce

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Documents

1 HIC Winter Meeting February 24, 2010 Integrated Water Resources Science and Services IWRSS Status Update Don Cline Office of Hydrologic Development National