Water-resources activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in Utah, October 1, 1995, to September 30, 1996

Abstract

The following report describes the many data-collection activities and interpretive investigations in which the Utah District is involved. The results of this work have traditionally been provided through various types of printed reports: Fact Sheets, Open-File Reports, Water-Data Reports, Water-Resources Investigations Reports, Water-Supply Papers, and Professional Papers, as well as through Utah Department of Natural Resources Technical Publications. Release of information through printed media will no doubt continue in the foreseeable future. However, it is clear that rapid development of electronic communication technology is having and will continue to have a profound effect on the way information is shared. The U.S. Geological Survey is at the leading edge of this new technology.I encourage those agencies and individuals with access to the World Wide Web and the Internet to visit the Utah District Web Page (address listed below) and the many other sites within the Division. One important advantage of this technology is access to "real-time" streamflow information 24 hours a day. In Utah, 49 streamflow-gaging stations and 3 lake-elevation gaging stations on Great Salt Lake provide real-time data, and more stations are planned for the future. The information is used for everything from lifesaving evacuations during flood emergencies to whitewater boating and knowing if the fishing is good. Throughout the Nation, thousands of such sites can be accessed instantly from any computer with Internet access. The ramifications for information transfer are staggering.It is clear that in the future the ways in which information is provided to the public will be quite different than they have been in the recent past. I expect to see a time when all basic data, map information, and interpretive reports are available over the World Wide Web. This is just one more way in which the U.S. Geological Survey helps provide the sound scientific information needed to manage our Nation's water resources.The future promises the continued challenge of helping local, State, and Federal agencies meet their waterresources information needs. I look forward to another active year in which the U.S. Geological Survey helps meet these needs.