The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has introduced its first nationwide platform designed to help water planners evaluate whether current and future water needs can be met. The new National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion aims to simplify access to critical information that was previously scattered across multiple sources. According to the agency, nearly 27 million people in the United States—around 8% of the population—live in regions where water demand regularly approaches or exceeds natural supply. The newly released tool addresses longstanding challenges in accessing comprehensive datasets by consolidating information on water supply and demand for approximately 80,000 watersheds.

Other water monitoring news:

• GV Wire (Fresno, Calif.): Opinion: California water by the numbers. Do you know what they mean?