Environmental Matters in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

The Bush Administration has asked Congress to provide $3 million to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assess water use nationwide in the agency’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 (FY ‘09). At the same time, however, the administration has proposed slashing funding for USGS’s well-established National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program by about $9.8 million.  Water experts are concerned about money being taken away from programs that assess water quality, even if it is to focus more on water quantity. According to a press release from the USGS, as a result of the budget cuts to the NAWQA program, many physical, chemical, and biological measurements will not be collected in steams and wells in 29 states including Kentucky. Without such data, it may be difficult to assess water quality trends in groundwater and drinking water wells.