Water resources research is diverse and there are many organizations dedicated to helping us all become better water stewards.

Here is a list of prominent and notable research and reports produced by water resources groups dedicated to studying and protecting water resources. These key research papers present data and statistics about how and where we use water.

Research About Attitudes/Behavioral Changes

• WTTC Unveils World-First Global Travel & Tourism’s Water Footprint by the World Travel & Tourism Council and the Sustainable Tourism Global Center 
• Turning the Tide: A Collective Call to Action by Johan Rockstrom and Mariana Mazzucato of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water
• Domestic Water Use Grew 600% Over the Past 50 Years by Betsy Otto and Leah Schleifer, World Resources Institute
• Water Footprint Statistics by Water Footprint Network
• From Water Footprint to Climate Change Adaptation: Capacity Development with Teenagers to Save Water
  by Christin Haida, Ashok K. Chapagain, Wolfgang Rauch, Maximilian Riede and Katrin Schneider, alpS GmbH
• Perceptions of Water Use by Dr. Shazeen Attari, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
• The Water Short List: The Most Effective Actions US Households Can Take to Curb Water Use by Dr. Shazeen Attari, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
• Don’t Rush to Flush by Dr. Shazeen Attari, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
• Residential End Uses of Water, Version 1 by Water Research Foundation
• Residential End Uses of Water, Version 2 by Water Research Foundation
• Understanding Environmentally Significant Consumption by Thomas Dietz, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Michigan State University
• EWG’s Tapwater Database by Environmental Working Group
• Large Cities Get More for Less: Water Footprint Efficiency Across the US by Tasnuva Mahjabin, Susana Garcia, Caitlin Grady and Alfonso Mejia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University
• Supply Concerns Continue, and Uncertainties Complicate Planning by US Government Accountability Office
• State Water Plan Monographs from 17 States by American Water Resources Association
• Aqueduct: Measuring and Mapping World Water Risk by World Resources Institute
• Water + US: How We Think, Feel and Take Action on Water by The Water Main
• Water-Use Data in the United States: Challenges and Future Directions by Landon T. Marston, et. al., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
• 2023 Conservation in the West Poll by Colorado College State of the Rockies Report
• 2023 Water in the West Poll by Colorado College State of the Rockies Report

Articles About Diets, Agriculture and Water Footprints

• Water Use in the United States by the United States Geological Survey
• Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2015 by the United States Geological Survey
• Irrigation by Crop in the Continental United States From 2008 to 2020 by Paul J. Ruess, Megan Kona, Niko Wanders and Marc F.P. Bierkens, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois
• Grass-fed vs. Grain-fed Beef Systems: Performance, Economic and Environmental Trade-offs by Sarah C. Klopatek, Elias Marvinney, Toni Duarte, Alissa Kendell, Xiang Crustal Yang and James W. Oltjen, Department of Animal Science, University of California
• Treenuts and Groundnuts in the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet: Concerns Regarding Sustainable Water Use by Davy Vanham, Mesfin M. Mekonnen and Arjen Y. Hoekstra, Water Footprint Network
• The Effect of Diet Changes and Food Loss Reduction in Reducing the Water Footprint of an Average American by Mesfin M. Mekonnen and Julian Fulton, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, University of Nebraska
• The Water Footprint of Different Diets Within European Sub-National Geographical Entities by Davy Vanham, Sara Comero, Bernd Manfred Gawlik and Giovanni Bidoglio, commissioned by the European Commission
• Annual Irrigation Dynamics in the US Northern High Plains Derived from Landsat Satellite Data by Jillian Deines, Anthony Kendall and David Hyndman, Dep’t. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University
• Water Stress and Human Migration: A Global, Georeferenced Review of Empirical Research by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• The Water Footprint of Food by Arjen Hoekstra, Twente Water Centre, University of Twente
• Limits to the World’s Green Water Resources for Food, Feed, Fiber, Timber, and Bioenergy by Joep Schyns, Arjen Hoekstra, Martijn Booij, Rick Hogeboom and Mesfin Mekonnen
• The Water Footprint in Bioenergy – A Comparison of Four Biomass Sources to Produce Biofuels in Argentina: Energy and Building Sectors by Paula Araujo, Alejandro Arena, Barbara Civit, Silivia Cuadrelli, Susana Feldman, Emiliano Jozami, Fernando Mele, Roxana Piastrellini and J Silva Colomer
• A Map of the Future of Water by Jay Famiglietti
• Drought in Numbers by United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Research About Energy and Water Footprints

• The Intensification of the Water Footprint of Hydraulic Fracturing by Andrew J. Kondash, Nancy E. Lauer and Avner Vengosh, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

Research About Consumer Goods and Water Footprints

• Measuring Fashion: Insights from the Environmental Impact of the Global Apparel and Footwear Industries by ClimateWorks Foundation and Quantis
• Water Footprint of Production in the United States by Landon Marston, Yufei Ao,  Mesfin Mekonnen and Arjen Hoekstra

Research About Drinking Water Quality and Surface Water

• Quality of Groundwater Used for Public Supply in the Continental United States: A Comprehensive Assessment by Kennith Belitz, Miranda S. Fram, Bruce D. Lindsey, Paul E. Stackelberg, Laura M. Bexfield, Tyler D. Johnson, Bryant C. Jurgens, James A. Kingsbury, Peter B. McMahon and Neil M. Dubrovsky
• Using Google Earth Engine to Generate Monthly-to-Weekly Maps of Surface Water by Chris Soulard with the USGS Western Geographic Science Center