USGS Releases Draft Report to Congress:  Strengthening the Scientific Understanding of Climate Change Impacts on Fresh Water Resources.  Public Comments Requested.

The Omnibus Public Lands Act (Section 9506 of Public Law 111-11, Appendix A, which incorporates the SECURE Water Act) calls for a report to Congress that describes the current scientific understanding of each impact of global climate change on freshwater resources of the United States.  This draft report identifies key actions to improve the nation's capacity to detect and predict changes in freshwater resources that are likely to result from a changing climate.  In addition, a series of next steps for federal agencies is provided.  The ultimate goal is to help decision-makers and water resource managers by facilitating improvements in observational, data acquisition, and modeling capabilities. To read the report, click here.