Forest Service Stewardship of Groundwater Resources on National Forest System Lands

Berger, Elizabeth

Forest Service Stewardship of Groundwater Resources on National Forest System Lands

Tuesday, September 22, 2015: 3:30 p.m.

Christopher P. Carlson, Ph.D. , Washington Office, USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC

Elizabeth Berger , US Forrest Service, Washington DC, DC

The National Forests and Grasslands were established in large part to improve the management of lands that provide freshwater to the nation. The U.S. Forest Service is responsible for managing 193 million acres of public lands that are the source of about 14 percent of the nation’s overall freshwater supply and approximately one-fifth of the municipal supply. Groundwater plays a significant role in sustaining those water supplies. In recent years, attention to groundwater has become more pronounced due in part to droughts, and the public and the courts have increasingly expressed expectations that the Forest Service will address potential impacts to groundwater resources as part of its decision making.

To help meet these expectations, the Forest Service has been working on national direction to its decentralized field units on how to fulfill the agency’s stewardship responsibilities for groundwater, recognizing state and tribal authorities for water allocation and water quality protection. The goal is to make Forest Service decision making more consistent, credible, predictable, and transparent and help the agency be a better partner with states, tribes, and others when decisions are being made about uses of National Forests and Grasslands that may affect groundwater.

In May 2014, the Forest Service published for public comment and initiated tribal consultation on a proposed directive (internal instructions to agency offices in 44 states and territories) on groundwater resource management, Forest Service Manual 2560. The Forest Service received over 250 comment submittals containing more than 2500 individual comments. In response to the concerns raised about the proposed directive, the Forest Service stopped the directives process in December 2014 and is proceeding with additional engagement with states and tribes. The agency wants to make sure it clearly understands their concerns and can appropriately address them before proceeding with public comment and tribal consultation on a new directive.

Christopher P. Carlson, Ph.D., Washington Office, USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC

Christopher Carlson has served as the National Ground Water Program Leader in the Forest Service's Washington Office since 2005. Prior to that he had been a senior hydrogeologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for nearly 15 years, focusing on mining issues and permitting and landfill permitting and remediation. Carlson has a Ph.D. in geological sciences, an M.S. in geology, and an M.S. in environmental sciences from Indiana University-Bloomington and a B.A. in physics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Elizabeth Berger, US Forrest Service, Washington DC, DC

Liz Berger has served in a number of roles related to water resources and planning for the Forest Service in Washington, D.C. for the last three years. She is currently the Acting National Groundwater Program Leader and serves as the Assistant Water Program Leader in her permanent position. Prior to working in Washington, D.C., Liz worked in Oregon for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in the field as a hydrologist and wildlife biologist for 14 years. Liz has a BS in Environmental Biology from the University of California, Davis and a River Restoration Professional Certificate from Portland State University.