Abstract
Quantifying annual fluctuations in the volume of water resources
available for public and private use is essential for planning. Although
data is available to quantify the state of water resources across the
United States, many Federal and State level agencies develop their own
systems for serving the data to the public. Additionally, the time
period for analysis is inconsistent between systems, and even between
sites on the same system. We have developed a single centralized web
site for disseminating information on water quantity in Indiana that
provides an annual snapshot of water resources at the start of each
water year. Analysis presented here was conducted using USGS water data
for the last 30 water years up to and including the 2017 water year. The
current state of Indiana water resources was assigned based on a ranking
of how the current groundwater and surface water metrics compare to
previous water years. The statistical significance and magnitude of 30
years trends are also calculated. The 2017 water year had above average
mean water levels for both surface and groundwater. Over the past 30
years, there has been an overall increase in surface water levels with
no overall trend in groundwater levels. The rankings and long-term
trends can also be displayed geospatially to represent the location and
status of water resources within Indiana using interactive webmaps.
These webmaps and other water resource summaries are shared with the
public through the State of Indiana Water Resources Website
(https://iwrrc.org/indiana-water/).