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Water Resources

Water information is fundamental to national and local economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective management of the Nation’s water resources. The USGS works with partners to monitor, assess, conduct targeted research, and deliver information on a wide range of water resources and conditions including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and water use and availability.

News

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David Applegate Sworn In as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey

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New one-stop shop webpage for all things Great Salt Lake

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Media Advisory: Public and media invited to view helicopter and survey equipment for Delaware Bay study

Publications

Simulated global coastal ecosystem responses to a half-century increase in river nitrogen loads

Coastal ecosystems are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic stressors such as harmful algal blooms and hypoxia projected to intensify through the combined effects of eutrophication and warming. As a major terrestrial nitrogen (N) source to the ocean, rivers play a critical role in shaping both coastal and global biogeochemical cycling. Combining an enhanced-resolution (1/4°), global ocean ph

Examination of dissolved uranium concentrations in regional shallow groundwater relative to Operable Unit 8 of the Denver Radium Superfund Site

A radium industry existed between about 1914 and 1920 in Denver, Colorado, with operations located along the South Platte River. Sites associated with that industry were contaminated with radium and uranium processing residues and were incorporated into clean-up efforts as Operating Units (OUs) of the Denver Radium Superfund Site. Concentrations of uranium exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protecti

Green infrastructure in the Great Lakes—Assessment of performance, barriers, and unintended consequences

The Great Lakes Basin covers around 536,393 square kilometers, and the Great Lakes hold more than 5,400 cubic miles of water, accounting for more than 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water supply. The Great Lakes provide a source of drinking water to tens of millions of people in Canada and the United States and support one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Increasing urbanizati

Science

Rancho Ancón – Water Cycle Augmentation

The USGS is working with partners to understand the impacts of installing structures made from rock, sandbags and wood in channels at a dryland ranch in southern Baja California. Hydrogeological instrumentation, recording observations, modeling hydrogeological scenarios, and an interdisciplinary scientific study of the watershed interactions between water, ecological systems, and human activities...
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Rancho Ancón – Water Cycle Augmentation

The USGS is working with partners to understand the impacts of installing structures made from rock, sandbags and wood in channels at a dryland ranch in southern Baja California. Hydrogeological instrumentation, recording observations, modeling hydrogeological scenarios, and an interdisciplinary scientific study of the watershed interactions between water, ecological systems, and human activities...
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Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Water Resources | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Recursos de agua

The USGS monitors and studies water resources to deliver a wide range of data including streamflow conditions, groundwater information, lake and reservoir elevation, water quality, water use, and water availability, which can be accessed through the USGS National Water Dashboard. As of 2022, the USGS real-time water data network is comprised of 109 streamflow observation stations, 20 groundwater...
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Puerto Rico Natural Hazards: Water Resources | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico: Recursos de agua

The USGS monitors and studies water resources to deliver a wide range of data including streamflow conditions, groundwater information, lake and reservoir elevation, water quality, water use, and water availability, which can be accessed through the USGS National Water Dashboard. As of 2022, the USGS real-time water data network is comprised of 109 streamflow observation stations, 20 groundwater...
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Describing the Water Quality of Lake Koocanusa (Koocanusa Reservoir)

Lead Researchers: Travis Schmidt and Chris Mebane Project Manager: Melissa Schaar
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Describing the Water Quality of Lake Koocanusa (Koocanusa Reservoir)

Lead Researchers: Travis Schmidt and Chris Mebane Project Manager: Melissa Schaar
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