APPLICATIONS OF OPENET AND SATELLITE-BASED EVAPOTRANSPIRATION INFORMATION TO ADVANCE DATA-DRIVEN WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN PLAINS REGIONS

The goal of the project is to quantify field to basin-scale water needs and evaluate the conserved consumptive water use from previous water conservation investments. To understand realistic water savings from conservation investments across the South West and Southern Plains regions, this project will answer timely and relevant questions such as: How much water is needed to support irrigation within a given basin? What changes in consumptive use of water have resulted from past and ongoing interventions and investments in water conservation and irrigation efficiency? To achieve this goal we plan to: 1) Build OpenET custom data reporting services to automate and deliver actionable data to stakeholders 2) Quantify the amount of water needed within a water management system and quantify the conserved consumptive use from prior conservation investments 3) Increase training opportunities focused on OpenET data for quantifying water demands and quantifying conserved consumptive use; 4) Identify remaining user-driven data needs and challenges to steer future work through a final evaluation workshop. Through these objectives we will expand the USDA Climate Hub capacity to "serve as a 'climate clearinghouse' of tools and technologies for region-specific needs."