Status and Future

The NPS Water Rights program office is located in the Water Resources Division of the Natural Resource Program Center. State water rights administrators and Courts nation-wide rely on consistent interaction with the NPS and are in need of detailed science for decision-making. A central staff of 13 FTE and several partner positions assure Superintendents that the quality and consistency of the science is available even if rare water rights expertise is not available at the park or regional level. Maintaining NPS water-dependent resources for the benefit of future generations requires an ongoing investment in the science necessary to site specifically describe the relationship between the occurrence of water and the condition of NPS water-dependent resources. With relationships understood, information can be input into the decision-making processes of the State and Federal entities. When protection strategies are implemented by those entities, long term monitoring is often necessary to ensure continued protection or to manage the protection strategies. Long term monitoring can coincide with the goal of the NPS' I&M program, however, the science needed to understand relationships is much more detailed and site specific than is envisioned by any other NPS program. Additionally, water quantity related issues usually need to be addressed in very short timeframes so budgeting and staffing flexibility is essential.