The theoretical approach proposed in a previous investigation (L. II. Coudert, J. Mol. Spectrosc. 165, 406-425 (1994)) to account for the anomalous centrifugal distortion displayed by the water molecule is slightly altered, The new theoretical treatment is first used to carry out a line position analysis of a large data set including the infrared transitions belonging to the nu(2) band measured by Toth (J. Opt. Sec. Am. B 8, 2236-2255 (1991)), far-infrared and microwave transitions within the ground and nu(2) = 1 vibrational states, and rotational levels of the same two vibrational states. After a dipole moment function is chosen, an intensity analysis is performed of a body of data involving mainly the transitions reported by Toth, in which linestrengths are calculated by evaluating the matrix elements of this function with the spectroscopic constants determined in the previous analysis. This second analysis yields information on the dipole moment surface. (C) 1997 Academic Press.