# What the Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act Does

This bill creates a new federal program to collect and share free, publicly available data about how much water evaporates from soil and plants across the country. Think of evapotranspiration as water that leaves the ground and goes up into the atmosphere—either directly from soil and water surfaces, or through plants that pull water up from the ground and release it into the air. Right now, this information is scattered, hard to access, and often expensive to get, which makes it difficult for people managing water resources to make good decisions.

The bill directs the U.S. Geological Survey to establish the OpenET program, which will use satellite technology to measure evapotranspiration across large areas of land. The program will work with universities, state agencies, Native American tribes, private companies, and nonprofits to develop and maintain this data system. By making this information freely available to everyone, farmers, water managers, and government agencies will be able to better understand how much water is actually being used in their regions—information that's crucial for managing droughts, planning irrigation, and protecting water supplies for the future.

The practical benefits are significant for people who depend on water management. Farmers could use this data to make smarter irrigation decisions and save money during droughts. Water managers could develop more accurate plans for how to allocate water fairly among different users. States and tribes could better understand their water budgets and plan for conservation. The bill authorizes $23 million per year for five years to get the program up and running, and it requires the government to report back to Congress in five years about how the data is actually being used and whether it's helping with water management decisions.

Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act

Lee, Susie

Open Access Evapotranspiration Data Act This bill directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to establish an Open Access Evapotranspiration (OpenET) Data Program that supports the operational distribution of satellite-based evapotranspiration data generated under the program to sustain and enhance water resources. The bill defines evapotranspiration as the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by (1) evaporation from soil and other surfaces, and (2) transpiration from plants. Under the program, the USGS must provide for the delivery of evapotranspiration data to advance the quantification of evaporation and consumptive water use and to provide data users with estimates of evapotranspiration data across large landscapes over certain periods of time.