Our Mission

The Water Resources Team mission is to conserve and restore water resources to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manage its trust resources for, and with, the communities we serve. 

Our History

The Service’s Water Resources Team was first chartered in 2003 to provide national coordination and technical advice on water-related matters across the National Wildlife Refuge System.

In 2008, the team’s charter was expanded to include ensuring water quantity and quality needs of the National Fish Hatchery System, also managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. 

In 2016 the Service further enlarged the team’s cross-programmatic framework by formalizing team membership to include a Refuge System representative from each region, two representatives from Fish and Aquatic Conservation, and two representatives from Ecological Services. Today the Water Resources Team has representation from Migratory Birds and Science Applications as well.

The Water Resources program is part of the Natural Resources Program Center’s Branch of Air and Water Resources. Water resources staff are located across the country to support water initiatives and address management challenges.