NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR WATER RESOURCES

The Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) is a partnership between several Federal water agencies, State water associations, universities, professional non-profit water organizations, and the private sector. This partnership operates through several active working subcommittees to improve interagency coordination, increase collaboration with non-government water organizations, and develop public-private partnerships to resolve issues related to access and excellence in water information. Subcommittees address major issues across the Nation, such as water-quality monitoring. Formal tools such as development of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, and the use of facilitators and mediators, as well as collaborative meetings and national conferences, have resulted in a wide range of useful products that enhance our ability to share information and improve management of water resources in the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), whose mission is to provide reliable scientific information for the Nation, actively participates in the ACWI and its subcommitteesThe USGS also engages in numerous international partnership efforts to improve the understanding and wise management of water resources throughout the world in support of United States foreign policy. These efforts range from performing basic water-resources assessments to applying state of the art modular modeling tools and creating decisions support systems. Activities include exchanging scientists to study problems of mutual interest; improving the scientific basis for managing ecosystems and natural resources; providing scientists with unique environments for research; coordinating multilateral data sharing projects to ameliorate regional conflicts through the sharing of data and scientific expertise; and providing technology transfer and encouraging capacity building (i.e., building scientific knowledge and skills) in underdeveloped nations. These international efforts are conducted at the request of United States Government agencies, the National Science Foundation, and other nations. The USGS has worked with local, regional, and national agencies and non-governmental organizations representing more than 40 countries and key international organizations such as the United Nations.