Advanced Technologies and Modeling

The Southwest Gravity Program provides high-precision time-lapse gravity (repeat microgravity) data for hydrologic studies in the southwestern US. Recent projects include monitoring recharge underneath ephemeral-stream channels, monitoring aquifer-storage change in unconfined and compressible aquifers, measuring storage change at surface-spreading and injection-well artificial-recharge facilities...

USGS, in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, began repeat microgravity measurements in 2015 to monitor aquifer-storage changes in the Albuquerque basin.

The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes at an artificial recharge facility operated by Tucson Water in southeast Tucson. Aquifer-storage change is monitored by measuring changes in gravity over time at the same network of benchmarks. As water is added or removed from the aquifer, there is a change in mass and a corresponding measurable change in gravity.

The City of Phoenix has traditionally relied on surface-water supplies from the Salt, Verde, and Colorado River watersheds. To increase water-supply resiliency and flexibility, the City is expanding its Artificial Storage and Recovery (ASR) operations in the north Phoenix area. USGS is measuring small changes in gravity caused by groundwater-storage changes to better understand where and when...

The Arizona Water Science Center’s reach-scale monitoring program uses recent advances in techniques and technology to enhance the Arizona streamgage network with more accurate streamflow measurements and provide more extensive streamflow records and geomorphological datasets for our agency partners and the public.

The Arizona Water Science Center (AzWSC) maintains a robust Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program, functioning as a regional field office for the USGS National Unmanned Projects Office (NUPO). We assist with close-range remote sensing data collection and processing for our regional and national cooperators including other Dept of Interior (DOI) Bureaus, while complying with all DOI and FAA...

The Arizona Water Science Center is monitoring aquifer-storage changes and land subsidence within the Tucson Active Management Area (AMA). Land-surface elevation change is monitored at a network of benchmarks throughout the Tucson AMA by measuring changes in land surface elevation over time (approximately annually) with Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Aquifer-storage change is...

The Arizona Water Science Center has been using survey-grade GPS since the mid 1990’s for several large studies, including the Lower Colorado Decree Accounting Project. Center staff continue to learn new ways to use survey-grade GPS in order to increase efficiency, data reliability, and to account for upgrades in technology.

Gravity is a measurement of mass: the greater an object's mass, the stronger its gravitational pull. By measuring changes in gravity over time, inferences can be made about changes in mass. In hydrology, this can be used to study water in the subsurface. If the amount of groundwater in a particular area increases over time, through processes such as infiltration of rainfall or aquifer recharge...

Pilot phase This study is in a pilot phase during fiscal years 2017 and 2018. The purpose of the pilot phase is to identify possible technical challenges of using the USGS code GSFLOW for simulating groundwater and surface-water flow in the Colorado Plateau principal aquifer system. During the pilot phase, the project will evaluate GSFLOW in the San Juan River Basin (SJRB). The SJRB was selected...