The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a
new report on July 19 covering the federal role in groundwater supply, focusing on legislation in the 115th Congress.
The report discusses the important role groundwater plays as a natural resource for drinking water, agriculture, and other applications.
The federal government typically defers to states in the role of regulating groundwater, and this report reaffirms that policy is unlikely to change. The report is useful in explaining the scope of groundwater’s footprint among various federal agencies like the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, and Army Corps of Engineers. It also highlights the activity in Congress around promoting recharge of aquifers, a priority NGWA is promoting, as well.
The report will be a useful tool for members of Congress interested in groundwater. NGWA will use it as a tool to help educate lawmakers on politics that could help promote groundwater recharge. NGWA worked with CRS to ensure charts and materials on recharge in the report that were developed by NGWA contained proper attribution.