Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

California Water Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center (CAWSC) provides reliable, impartial, foundational data and scientific analysis to address water issues facing California today. We conduct hydrologic monitoring and investigative studies in partnership with tribal, federal, state, and local agencies to assist them in managing California's water resources.

News

link

Six Page Summary

link

Scientists Discuss Research at Geological Society of America Meeting

link

New science informs extent of hexavalent chromium groundwater plumes in Hinkley Valley

Publications

Neonicotinoid sunflower seed treatment, while not detected in pollen and nectar, still impacts wild bees and crop yield

Neonicotinoid seed treatments are commonly used in agricultural production even though their benefit to crop yield and their impact on pollinators, particularly wild bees, remains unclear. Using an on-farm matched pair design in which half of each field was sown with thiamethoxam treated seed and half without, we assessed honey bee and wild bee exposure to pesticides in sunflower fields by analyzi
Authors
Laura T. Ward, Michelle Hladik, Aidee Guzman, Ariana Bautista, Nicholas Mills

Comparing domestic and public-supply groundwater quality in the northern San Joaquin Valley, 2019—California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Groundwater quality in the Northern San Joaquin Valley region of California was studied as part of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program-Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP). The GAMA-PBP made a spatially unbiased assessment of the aquifer system used for domestic drinking-water supply in the study region and compared the results
Authors
George L. Bennett V, Emily A. Haugen, Zeno F. Levy

Comparative toxicity of two neonicotinoid insecticides at environmentally relevant concentrations to telecoprid dung beetles

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) frequently traverse agricultural matrices in search of ephemeral dung resources and spend extended periods of time burrowing in soil. Neonicotinoids are among the most heavily applied and widely detected insecticides used in conventional agriculture with formulated products designed for row crop and livestock pest suppression. Here, we determined the compara
Authors
Michael C. Cavallaro, Michelle Hladik, Samantha Hittson, Greg Middleton, W. Wyatt Hoback

Science

Results of Hexavalent Chromium Background Study in Hinkley, California

John Izbicki, PhD, a Research Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) California Water Science Center (CAWSC), led a five-year scientific study to determine the range of natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) hexavalent chromium concentrations, also referred to as chromium-6 or Cr(VI), in Hinkley Valley. The study was cooperatively funded by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control...
link

Results of Hexavalent Chromium Background Study in Hinkley, California

John Izbicki, PhD, a Research Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) California Water Science Center (CAWSC), led a five-year scientific study to determine the range of natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) hexavalent chromium concentrations, also referred to as chromium-6 or Cr(VI), in Hinkley Valley. The study was cooperatively funded by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control...
Learn More

Emergency Drought Barrier’s Impacts on cyanoHABs and Water Quality

Drought is making the Delta Saltier. Less freshwater coming from watershed runoff and reservoir releases means that more salty water flows into the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Delta) from the Pacific Ocean. Changes in Delta salinity have far-reaching impacts, affecting the water supply for agriculture, drinking, wildlife, and Delta ecosystems.
link

Emergency Drought Barrier’s Impacts on cyanoHABs and Water Quality

Drought is making the Delta Saltier. Less freshwater coming from watershed runoff and reservoir releases means that more salty water flows into the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Delta) from the Pacific Ocean. Changes in Delta salinity have far-reaching impacts, affecting the water supply for agriculture, drinking, wildlife, and Delta ecosystems.
Learn More

Salinas Valley Operational Model: Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project

An operational model for Salinas Valley is needed to evaluate and compare ecosystem, conservation, and water demands. This model must simulate current operations, assess benefits of and evaluate scenarios for tunnel operation and potential reservoir and spillway modifications.
link

Salinas Valley Operational Model: Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project

An operational model for Salinas Valley is needed to evaluate and compare ecosystem, conservation, and water demands. This model must simulate current operations, assess benefits of and evaluate scenarios for tunnel operation and potential reservoir and spillway modifications.
Learn More