Back to U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1192 contents page
This section is also available in pdf format:
activities.pdf
Back to U.S. Geological
Survey Circular 1192 contents page
This section is also available in pdf format:
activities.pdf
The Task Force was very proactive in obtaining information about the Cooperative Water Program from a wide variety of sources. The Task Force held meetings in USGS offices and met with USGS staff; had panel discussions with representatives of agencies participating in the Cooperative Water Program; had a panel discussion with users of the products resulting from the Cooperative Water Program; had panel discussions with private sector consultants relating to the issue of competition with the private sector; reviewed paper documents of policy statements, financial data, and project-description information relating to the Cooperative Water Program; and conducted numerical and verbal surveys of agencies participating in the Cooperative Water Program to determine the effectiveness of the Cooperative Water Program.
The Task Force divided itself into three subgroups to facilitate information gathering and deliberations. The subgroups were aligned with the four elements of Scope in the Terms of Reference: Subgroup 1 focused on the "Mission" of the Cooperative Water Program; Subgroup 2 focused on "Prioritization" and "Conduct of Work" in the Cooperative Water Program; and Subgroup 3 focused on the "Products" of the Cooperative Water Program. The membership of each subgroup is listed in table 2.
The Task Force held five meetings during the period of existence established
by the ACWI--September 1998 to June 1999. Meeting minutes for each of the five
meetings, including the meeting agendas, are provided in the Appendix, Section
B
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/b/).
The meeting locations and dates are listed in table 3.
The first meeting in October 1998 was held at the USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia. The primary purpose of the meeting was for the Task Force to gain a better understanding of the USGS, the Water Resources Division (WRD), and the Cooperative Water Program. The Task Force reviewed the Terms of Reference to understand their charge, elected a Chairperson (Larry Rowe) and a Vice-Chairperson (Fred Lissner), and spent time brainstorming potential issues related to the Cooperative Water Program that might be considered in addition to those specified in the Terms of Reference.
The second, third, and fourth meetings were held at USGS District Offices in Denver, Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; and Troy, New York, respectively. The meetings were structured to provide the Task Force with (1) a "field" perspective from District personnel of how the Cooperative Water Program is operated, (2) interaction with Cooperators who participate in the program, (3) interaction with individuals and groups that use Cooperative Water Program products, and (4) interaction with individuals and groups who could speak to the issue of competition with the private sector.
Each of these District meetings included a presentation by the District Chief that explained the District's Cooperative Water Program and the primary water-resources issues of interest. The Arizona meeting also included a presentation by the Florida District Chief about the Florida District Cooperative Water Program. In addition, there were topical presentations by USGS staff in response to Task Force requests for specific information. A list of the topical presentations is presented in table 4. Each of the three District meetings included two different panel discussions with the Task Force. The panels consisted of individuals who could provide the Task Force with an "outside" perspective of different aspects of the Cooperative Water Program. The panels are described in more detail below. Each meeting included time for the Task Force to discuss the information it was gathering, to develop preliminary findings and recommendations, and to begin writing the final report. A considerable amount of time during the New York meeting was used to develop consensus findings and recommendations.
The fifth meeting of the Task Force was held near Chicago, Illinois to finalize the Task Force's findings and recommendations and to complete the final report.
Each of the three District meetings included two different panel discussions
with the Task Force. Each panel included five to seven individuals, and the
discussion lasted about 2.5 hours. The minutes of each meeting, which are provided
in the Appendix, Section B, contain a list of the individuals that participated
in each panel and a summary of the panel discussions. (Section B also is on
the World Wide Web at
http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/b/.)
At each of the meetings, a panel of individuals representing cooperating agencies
that participate in the Cooperative Water Program was convened to provide the
Cooperator perspective of the Cooperative Water Program to the Task Force. A
list of prepared questions was used to guide the Task Force's discussion with
the Cooperators. The list of questions, which the Task Force called a "verbal
survey", is included in the meeting minutes in the Appendix, Section B
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/b/).
The questions that are in bold print are the questions that the Task Force focused
on in their discussion with the Cooperator panel.
The purpose of the second panel discussion held at each of the District meetings
varied slightly. At the Denver meeting, the panel consisted of individuals representing
organizations that were not currently participating in the Cooperative Water
Program but were using products resulting from the Cooperative Water Program.
This panel provided the Task Force with information relating to the types of
products used, the value of the products, and suggestions for improving the
products. A set of prepared questions was used to guide the discussion. The
list of questions is included in the meeting minutes provided in the Appendix,
Section B
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/b/).
At the Arizona and New York meetings, the second panel focused on determining
the appropriate role of the USGS in conducting projects as part of the Cooperative
Water Program and on the issue of competition with the private sector. The individuals
on these panels were from the private sector and represented private consulting
firms that performed water-related work. These panels provided the Task Force
with information on whether competition with the private sector is an issue
and the magnitude of the issue. Additionally, the panels provided information
on their perspective of the appropriate role for the USGS in performing projects
as part of the Cooperative Water Program and suggested criteria for determining
the appropriateness of projects for inclusion in the Cooperative Water Program.
A set of prepared questions was used to guide the discussion. The list of questions
is included in the meeting minutes provided in the Appendix, Section B
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/b/).
One additional panel discussion took place at the Arizona meeting. This panel consisted of four USGS managers. This panel discussion took place after the panel discussion with the private sector consultants on the subject of competition with the private sector. The purpose of this panel discussion was to provide the Task Force the opportunity to ask questions of USGS staff about the issue of competition with the private sector.
The Task Force received topical briefings, primarily at their request, on various subjects from USGS staff to obtain specific information and to gain a better understanding of the topic in question. A list of these topical briefings is provided in table 4. There are no topical presentations listed for the New York and Chicago meetings because there were no topical presentations given.
In 1994, the USGS conducted an informal survey of organizations participating in the Cooperative Water Program. The purpose of this pilot survey was to assess existing perceptions of customer service and to provide input to preliminary customer service standards for the Cooperative Water Program. To get a broad sampling of the Cooperator community, each District (State) office sent a questionnaire containing 11 questions to two Cooperators. The results of this survey were provided to the Task Force and served as background information about Cooperator satisfaction with the Cooperative Water Program. The results of this survey are presented in the Appendix, Section C (http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/c/).
The Task Force developed a list of questions about the Cooperative Water Program
that they could use to interview Cooperators to obtain the Cooperator's perception
of the Cooperative Water Program. The questions are presented in the Appendix,
Section D (http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/c/).
There were questions related to each of the four elements of Scope (mission,
prioritization, conduct of work, and products) in the Task Force Terms of Reference.
Each Task Force member then used the questions to do a verbal survey interview
of at least two Cooperators. The Task Force members took notes of their interviews,
and the information resulting from the verbal survey interviews is summarized
and presented in the Appendix, Section D
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/d/).
To get a broad level of concrete feedback from Cooperators about the Cooperative
Water Program, the Task Force developed and implemented a numerical survey.
The survey consisted of a series of questions in which the Cooperators could
rate aspects of the Cooperative Water Program on a scale that ranged from "excellent"
to "poor" or "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."
The survey questionnaire was mailed to 400 randomly selected Cooperators across
the country. In FY 1998, 1,287 Cooperators participated in the Cooperative Water
Program; about one-third of the Cooperators received a questionnaire. The number
of Cooperators receiving the survey in any State was in proportion to the number
of Cooperators participating in the program and the size of the Cooperative
Water Program in that State. About 170 Cooperators responded and returned a
completed survey. The numerical questionnaire and the results of the survey
are presented in the Appendix, Section E
(http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/e/).
The numerical survey was conducted in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The survey was approved by the Department of the Interior and the OMB and received the authorization number OMB No. 1028-0071; Expiration Date: 2-28-2002.
The Task Force asked for and received numerous paper documents related to the Cooperative Water Program. These documents provided information on such things as USGS policy, funding for the Cooperative Water Program, and Cooperative Water Program project information. A list of the most important documents the Task Force received is provided in table 5. The WRD memorandums listed in table 5 are presented in the Appendix, Section F, http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1192/appendix/f/.
The Task Force accomplished much of their initial decision making through the subgroups. The subgroups were tasked with developing findings and recommendations related to their area of emphasis. The findings and recommendations were based on the synthesis of a wide range of information the Task Force received, such as the informational documents list in table 5, the documents provided in the Appendix, and the verbal input received from the panel discussions. At the New York and Chicago meetings, each subgroup presented their preliminary findings and recommendations to the entire Task Force for comment, revision, and acceptance or rejection. The resulting findings and recommendations all have the consensus acceptance and support of the entire Task Force. These consensus findings and recommendations are presented in the section "Review of the Cooperative Water Program."
Go to Review of the Cooperative Water
Program
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