A new report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) warns that America’s groundwater resources—which provide nearly half of the nation’s drinking water and sustain agriculture and industry—face significant threats from depletion, contamination and climate variability.
Without addressing these challenges, communities could experience widespread disruptions to water access, food production and economic stability, the committee said.
“The U.S. is facing a serious and unprecedented groundwater challenge,” the report said. “Across the U.S., groundwater withdrawal has outpaced natural recharge, while slow natural recharge has been exacerbated by climate change and precipitation variability, including floods, droughts, and early snowmelt.”
The report continued that groundwater is a critical resource for not just agriculture, but also domestic manufacturing, construction, mining, energy production and other uses.
“Sustaining and securing groundwater is thus central to our Nation’s health, food, water, and energy security, and economy,” the committee said.
PCAST, an independent federal advisory committee, advises the president and the White House on science, technology and innovation policy. Its members, who come from industry, academia and non-profits, develop evidence-based recommendations on various issues, including the economy, education, energy, public health, national security and environmental sustainability.
Recommendations
According to the report, while the federal government has limited authority to regulate groundwater, it plays a critical role in addressing groundwater challenges through collaboration and incentives. PCAST commends the efforts of state governments, non-governmental organizations, professional groups and private citizens in managing groundwater within a highly decentralized framework, where each state enforces its own laws and policies.
In its report, PCAST underscores the importance of ensuring groundwater sustainability demands a comprehensive approach. This includes enhancing research, data collection, modeling and predictive capabilities and adopting innovative technologies to protect groundwater reserves. The report also emphasizes the need for federal incentives to support planning, recharge and sustainable groundwater management, alongside active collaboration with stakeholders and investments in workforce training. PCAST asserts that by prioritizing these efforts, the nation can secure its groundwater resources for future generations, safeguarding public health and economic prosperity.
To safeguard the future of groundwater supplies, the report makes several recommendations, including:
• Establishing an Interagency Working Group on Groundwater Security and Sustainability to coordinate efforts, provide oversight and guide the development of data, software and tools necessary for effective groundwater management and risk mitigation.
• Establishing research programs focused on three key areas: measuring the chemical composition of surface and groundwater; enhancing groundwater storage through recharge, recycling, reuse and infrastructure innovations such as re-engineering towns, water pipelines and developing new water sources; and identifying strategies to optimize sustainable groundwater use to bolster food security and biodiversity.
• Establishing a federal incentive program and a network of groundwater engagement hubs, including hubs specifically for Tribal Nations, to support sustainable groundwater planning and management. These hubs would serve as accessible platforms for local communities to understand their groundwater resources, access research and make informed decisions.
• Creating a competitive grants program to drive the planning, sustainable management and restoration of aquifers and their associated surface waters. While some regions have adopted scientifically grounded measures to manage and restore aquifers, funding limitations hinder broader adoption and the scaling of promising techniques like enhanced recharge, which could significantly increase sustainable water withdrawals nationwide, the committee said.
• Supporting efforts to develop methods for valuing the nation’s natural assets, including groundwater. The report said incorporating these valuations into federal cost-benefit analyses and planning would enhance the government’s ability to steward groundwater resources on federal lands and provide more effective support to state and local managers.
• Advocating for federal investment in educational and training programs centered on advanced technologies and best practices in groundwater management. By collaborating with academic institutions, industry leaders and professional organizations, the federal government can cultivate a skilled, multidisciplinary workforce to tackle present and future challenges while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the nation’s groundwater resources, the committee said.
“Our findings reflect the urgent need for a more in-depth, integrated understanding of groundwater systems and the development of innovative strategies to address challenges such as depletion and contamination,” the report concluded. “These challenges are not insurmountable, but they demand significantly more attention and investment to ensure access to this essential resource now and into the future.” — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
