Forests to Faucets

The USDA Forest Service National Forests to Faucets 2.0 Assessment builds upon an earlier version of the project from 2011. The Assessment uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine the relative importance of small watersheds to surface drinking water. Imbedded in the data is the vital role forests play in protecting source water: the extent to which these forests are threatened by development, insects and disease, and wildland fire. The 2.0 Assessment updates and improves base data layers and adds climate change as another threat considered in the threat assessment. In addition, an interactive map viewer with reporting capabilities is being developed for the project.

This Assessment provides information that can identify watersheds of interest for protecting or restoring forests to benefit surface drinking water supply. The spatial dataset can be incorporated into broad-scale planning, such as the State Forest Action Plans, and can help identify areas for further local analysis. In addition, it can be incorporated into existing decision support tools that currently lack spatial data on important areas for surface drinking water.

This project connects downstream users to conservation actions that may be needed to improve the source of their water. In this respect, the data indicates where a payment for watershed services (PWS) project may be an option for financing management of forest lands. The National Forests to Faucets data identifies areas that 1) supply surface drinking water, 2) have consumer demand for this water, and 3) are facing significant threats—all important criteria for successful PWS initiatives.

In perhaps its most important role, this work can serve as an education tool to illustrate the link between forests and the provision of surface drinking water—a key watershed-based ecosystem service.

Maps

Explore the National Forests to Faucets StoryMap …

Data

• Download the F2F2 Assessment Dataset
  Note: These data are national in scope; local data sets are likely to be more accurate.
• Dataset Read Me Document

Documentation

• GTR WO-99, Forest to Faucets 2.0
• Forest To Faucets Version 1.0 Archive

Related Articles and Reports

• Valuing Drinking Water as an Ecosystem Service, The Pinchot Letter, Winter 2010 (PDF, 1.02 MB)
• Forests, Water and People Analysis: Drinking water supply and forest lands in the Northeast and Midwest United States, USDA Forest Service, June 2009
• Quantifying the role of National Forest system lands in providing surface drinking water supply for the Southern United States, September 2014
• Quantifying the role of State and private forest lands in providing surface drinking water supply for the Southern United States, March 2020
• Quantifying the role of forested lands in providing surface drinking water supply for Puerto Rico, September 2017
• Private forests, housing growth, and America’s water supply: A report from the Forests on the Edge and Forests to Faucets Projects, September 2014

Contact

Forest to Faucets Team
USDA Forest Service
Washington, DC