USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure

Over two dozen U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Centers are slated to close due to Department of Government Efficiency cuts, putting key water management resources at risk, reports Wyatt Myskow in Inside Climate News.

According to Myskow, “Staffers at targeted centers, speaking anonymously because they are not authorized to speak to the media, said they are in the dark as to what happens when the leases end and how their operations, vital to water management across the country, will be able to continue, though talks continue about renewing some of the affected leases.”

The centers monitor water quality and collect data crucial to states’ water management plans. “In a worst case scenario, workers said, the termination of the leases would result in employees being unable to get out in the field to make the necessary checkups and repairs, making the agency unable to produce the data.” The USGS manages stream gauges that dictate how water is appropriated and determine when drought conditions require cuts in water use, among other functions. Myskow points out that most of the work done by the Science Centers is actually funded by states, not federal dollars.