American Whitewater recently joined a strong coalition of voices calling for adequate ongoing funding for stream gages throughout the country. Deep cuts are proposed to many vital public programs as Congress works to pass a fiscal year 2012 budget, including continuing to underfund the already ailing USGS National Streamflow Information Program and Cooperative Water Program. These programs fund a nationwide network of stream gages that provide reliable data about our nation’s streamflows, groundwater, tidal surges, precipitation and water quality. This information is critical for protecting communities from storms surges and floods, providing adequate water resources and projecting future resource needs for municipal, agricultural, industrial and recreational uses, and responding to climate change. American Whitewater and other public interest and governmental entities sent letters urging continued support to members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
88% of the active gages in the United States depend on these funds to operate. Reliable science is all the more important as we face budget shortfalls – it is critical to reducing our vulnerability to floods and droughts, thereby reducing our expenses for disaster relief. It also helps us make wise decisions as we plan how to invest in our communities, business and infrastructure. Many of these gages have over 50 years of continuous records, and we can’t afford to stop monitoring and lose this valuable flow information.
Paddlers have historically been among the most vocal supporters of a robust streamgaging program and members of Congress strongly value hearing from us. Speak up now before your favorite local river gage is threatened. As Congress debates the current fiscal year’s budget and looks to discuss next year’s budget, now is a great time to contact your Congressional representatives and tell them about the value of our USGS stream gage network. If your representatives are on either the House or Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, your request to fund the National Streamflow Information Program and Cooperative Water Program is especially important!
Members of the Senate Subcommittee are:
Democrats: Senators Jack Reed (RI) (Chairman), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Patrick Leahy (VT), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Herb Kohl (WI), Tim Johnson (SD), Ben Nelson (NE), Jon Tester (MT), and Mary Landrieu (LA).
Republicans: Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK) (Ranking), Lamar Alexander (TN), Thad Cochran (MS), Susan Collins (ME), Ron Johnson (WI), Roy Blunt (MO), and John Hoeven (ND).