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Water Supply in the Conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, Water Years 2010–20

Professional Paper 1894-B
Water Availability and Use Science Program and National Water Quality Program
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
By: , , , , , , , , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1894B

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Abstract

We present an assessment of water supply across the conterminous United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico covering water years 2010–20. Our analysis drew on two national hydrologic models, the National Hydrologic Model Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System and the Weather Research and Forecasting model hydrologic modeling system. Both models produced estimates of streamflow, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, snow water equivalent, and other hydrologic states and fluxes. The models were driven by the bias-adjusted 4-kilometer-resolution, long-term regional hydroclimate simulation over the conterminous United States dataset (CONUS404). We assessed spatial and temporal error distributions by comparing monthly simulations at the 12-digit hydrologic unit code and regional scale from both models against external benchmarking datasets. Results showed that average annual rainfall across the CONUS was 857 millimeters per year for the period of analysis, with water year 2012 the driest year (729 millimeters) and water year 2019 the wettest year (995 millimeters). Key interannual variability results included the following: (1) the California–Nevada hydrologic region had the highest variability in precipitation and snow accumulation, and (2) the Texas hydrologic region was among hydrologic regions with the highest variability in precipitation. We related interannual variability in precipitation to storage volumes in soil moisture, snow water equivalent, and lakes and reservoirs to highlight areas with little storage and large year-to-year variability in precipitation. These areas included the Southern High Plains, Central High Plains, Texas, Souris–Red–Rainy, Mississippi Embayment, and Midwest regions. Our analysis of groundwater-level data showed that several of these areas overlap aquifers where groundwater levels were considerably lower than historical averages, including the Colorado Plateaus aquifers, the Rio Grande aquifer system, and the Central and Southern regions of the High Plains aquifer. Many of these lowered groundwater levels are continuations of decades-long declines from overpumping that started well before the assessment period. The resulting water budgets and their analyses provide a high-resolution foundational assessment of the mean state and variability of the terrestrial hydrologic cycle across the CONUS and Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico to support a wide range of water resource management applications.

Suggested Citation

Gorski, G., Stets, E.G., Scholl, M.A., Degnan, J.R., Mullaney, J.R., Galanter, A.E., Martinez, A.J., Padilla, J., LaFontaine, J.H., Corson-Dosch, H.R., and Shapiro, A., 2025, Water supply in the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, water years 2010–20, chap. B of U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1894–B, 60 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1894B.

ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Abstract
  • Key Points
  • Accounting of Water-Storage Components and Fluxes
  • Synthesis and Discussion of Water Budgets
  • Uncertainty of Simulated Results
  • Summary
  • References Cited
  • Glossary
  • Appendix 1. Comparison of Individual Hydrologic Budget Components to External Datasets
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Water supply in the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, water years 2010–20
Series title Professional Paper
Series number 1894
Chapter B
DOI 10.3133/pp1894B
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) WMA - Earth System Processes Division
Description Report: ix, 60 p.; Data Release
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details