The Great Lakes form the largest volume of unfrozen freshwater in the world (5,000 cubic miles of water) and supply drinking water for 26 million people in the United States and Canada. The Great Lakes also form a major shipping corridor and water supply for many uses, the largest of which are public supply; domestic, commercial, and industrial use; irrigation and livestock; recreation and tourism; powerplant cooling; hydroelectric-power generation; and mining extraction. The size and importance of this resource and the need for careful management by States and Provinces and the federal governments highlight the need for a data-collection program to provide a basis for future management decisions. The Great Lakes Commission was recommended to be the regional database repository to the governors and premiers by the Water Resources Management Committee after cost estimates and proposals were reviewed. Questionnaires were sent to more than 30 agencies and ministries to evaluate their interest and ability to house and maintain the data base.

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The most productive aquifers in the Fishkill-Beacon area are the sand and gravel beds in the valleys of Fishkill and Clove Creeks. The average yield of these aquifers to wells is 190 gal/min (gallons per minute). The most productive bedrock aquifer is limestone, which yields an average of about 150 gal/min. Shale and granite each yield an average of less than 35 gal/min. About 4 billion gallons of available water is estimated to be in storage in the sand and gravel aquifers in the area. In 1977, an average of 3.3 Mgal/d (million gallons per day) of water was withdrawn in June, July, and August and 2 Mgal/d during the remainder of the year.

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The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin provides water for drinking, power generation, industry, navigation, recreation, and wildlife habitat. In 1986, the United States and Canada requested the International Joint Commission (IJC) to report on methods of alleviating adverse effects of fluctuating water levels in the basin. One task was to review consumptive water-use data of the International Great Lakes Diversions and Consumptive Uses Study Board (Study Board), the IJC, and the U.S. Geological Survey and to assess the magnitude and effects of consumptive water uses under present and projected economic and hydraulic conditions.