Inter-basin surface water transfers database for public water supplies in conterminous United States, 1986–2015
| Authors: | G. Rebecca Dobbs, Ning Liu, Peter V. Caldwell, Chelcy F. Miniat, Ge Sun, Kai Duan, Paul V Bolstad |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Type: | Scientific Journal |
| Station: | Southern Research Station |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02148-5 |
| Source: | Scientific Data |
Abstract
The manipulation of water resources is a common human solution to water-related problems. Ofparticular interest because of impacts on both source and destination is the anthropogenic movementof water from one basin to another, or inter-basin transfers (IBTs). In the United States, IBTs occurwidely in both wet and dry regions, but IBT data are not collated and served in a coordinated way.Thus researchers wishing to account for transfers between basins have faced difficulty in doing so.Here we present the outcome of a systematic investigation into inter-basin surface water transfersconnected with public water supplies in the conterminous United States (CONUS), 1986 to 2015.The present open-access geodatabase includes transfer volumes collected, evaluated, and compiledfrom disparate sources. We provide an updated snapshot of CONUS IBTs at a higher spatial resolutionof points of withdrawal and delivery than previous datasets. This paper puts the national inter-basintransfer data in context, and shows how we acquired, structured, and validated the locations andvolumes of surface water transfers in public water systems.