National Water Extension Program

About

In the United States and around the world, water security is at risk. Too much water, too little water, or water of poor quality endangers life, property, economies, and ecosystems. These threats to water security arise from several factors, including increased water demand from population growth and weather and water-related impacts of climate variability and change. Unfortunately, these threats to water security are intensifying, and risk is difficult to predict when coupled with the already complex natural water cycle.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has initiated a variety of efforts to address risks to the nation's water security. As a part of these efforts, NOAA, The University of Alabama, and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) combined efforts to create a National Water Extension Program, based at the National Water Center (NWC) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The intent was to foster collaboration among organizations, communities, and stakeholders who need water data and tools to help support their decision-making processes.

The goal of the National Water Extension Program was to facilitate the delivery of resources that allow communities and organizations to accurately and efficiently make vital short- and long-term planning decisions regarding the safety and security of their citizens and water resources. Such tools allow individuals, governmental entities, emergency response personnel, resource managers, and businesses to plan for and protect citizens, water resources, property, and the long-term sustainability of public health, the economy, and daily lives.

The National Water Extension Program has been placed under a temporary hold to allow the funding entity to evaluate needs and priorities.

 

 

The National Water Model is America's first national water forecast model. It is a is a high-resolution hydrologic model that provides estimates of existing conditions and forecasts of key components of the water cycle (including snowpack, soil moisture, streamflow, and evapotranspiration) across the continental United States and Hawaii. Learn more about it in our fact sheet.