Nearly 27 million Americans, or 8% of the U.S. population, live in areas where water demand consistently approaches or exceeds naturally available water supply. Until now, accessing comprehensive water availability information required navigating fragmented datasets across multiple agencies. The new tool eliminates many of those barriers. The  USGS National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion provides water managers, agricultural communities and researchers with detailed information about water supply and demand across approximately 80,000 watersheds nationwide.  “While the United States has abundant water nationally, regional imbalances between supply and demand may create water challenges affecting millions of Americans,” said Shirley Leung, lead scientist . “This tool can help decision-makers understand whether challenges may stem from limited natural water supply, high demand, or both.…