Quantifying what we all know: our rivers are intertwined with federal lands in the West

While reading an interesting new policy brief – The Headwaters - Climate Change, Water, and National Forests in the West – from the smart people at Exloco's Carpe Diem Project, I came across a reference to an interesting paper river stewards in the West should take a look at.

Published in December 2008 in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Spatial Distribution of Water Supply in the Coterminous United States (Brown, et al) investigates available water supply in the lower 48 states

and summarizes the contributions from both land use types (forested, agricultural, etc.) and by administrative boundaries (Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc.).

In short, the paper quantifies what most of us in the Intermountain West know – our water supply relies on flows generated from federal lands…and the quality of our water and riparian habitats follows.

The study found that nationally 24 percent of our water supply originates on federal lands, but that increases to 66 percent in the 11 Western states. In those 11 states, the report found 51 percent of the water supply originates on Forest Service land, even though Forest Service lands only make up 21 percent of the surface area.

The report's appendix breaks down the results by state, which makes the findings even more interesting for our work. In a summary of the state findings within the main report the authors point out:

"The role of federal lands also differs greatly among the states, with 24 states receiving less that 10% and seven states receiving more than 75% (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming), of their water supply from federal lands."

This list of the states most reliant on federal lands for water supply leaves only New Mexico out from the targeted Clean Water West region.

Why do I point this report out so specifically? In the Needs Survey done last year at the start of our Clean Water West project, partners in the region identified working on water quality and habitat issues on federal lands as one of two top priorities for a regional campaign. Findings in the Assessment included:

"Nearly 60 percent of the survey respondents were already working on water quality issues on federal lands. Fifty percent of those working on these issues felt that additional support would help them be more efficient, while 32 percent were not sure.

Of those not working on water quality issues on federal lands, most (75 percent) said they did see water quality problems on federal lands. However, the top reason most cited for not working on these issues was a lack of understanding on the extent of the problem (45 percent).

When asked what would most help them be more effective or engage on these issues, both groups (those currently working on federal lands issues and those not) most often requested training in how to apply Clean Water Act tools on federal lands.

River Network sees this regional need as an opportunity. There are unique tools that may be applied to federal lands water quality issues, yet these have been largely under-utilized. In addition, the political playing field has recently shifted in ways that may open up new opportunities for working with federal land management agencies to improve water quality. There is an enormous opportunity here for change."

The last two sentences of the AWRA report drive home just how on target our partners were with their focus on federal lands water quality and habitat work. The report states:

"It may also be said that we are indebted to those of our forebears who set aside so much forest and other land in the public domain, thereby helping to maintain the quality of much of our runoff, especially in the West. As private lands continue to be developed, public and other protected lands will grow in importance as sources of high quality runoff."