National Water Use & Water Loss Program

The U.S. Geological Survey Water Mission Area, (USGS WMA), is developing national water use models that estimate public supply water use for the Nation. The models depend on data that characterizes conveyance infrastructure that is used to deliver water to customers to represent water losses. 

Representation of water losses supported by pipeline infrastructure data will enhance USGS models and provide a means of 1) estimating losses for public supply systems across the nation, 2) incorporate previous upgrades to infrastructure to impacts on water delivery efficiency, and 3) representing future upgrades to infrastructure on public supply withdrawals and losses.

A collaboration between USGS and VT will bring together the PIPEiD and historical public supply water use data to develop a series of pilot systems with the greatest data support for developing a public supply water loss data-driven model using machine learning and artificial intelligence.

National compilations of water use are critical to the National Water Census in order to include public supply water use as part of the nine water budget components for the Nation and to meet the SECURE Act requirements.

CONGRESSIONAL INTEREST

• United States Senate Committee on Appropriations for Water & Energy

• United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources