Current Research
Idaho's Water Quality
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/idaho-water-science-center/science/water-quality
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/idaho-water-science-center/science/water-quality
Idaho National Laboratory Project Office
Idaho Water Science Center
Water is critical to Idaho's quality of life and economic vitality. We provide reliable, unbiased hydrologic data and scientific studies to help our local, state, tribal, and federal partners effectively manage Idaho's water resources.
Idaho Water Dashboard
Idaho Water Dashboard
Explore real-time streamflow, groundwater, water-quality, and weather conditions and access data via our interactive map.
News
Idaho Hydrologic Update, November 2024
Idaho Hydrologic Update, November 2024
Idaho Hydrologic Update, October 2024
Idaho Hydrologic Update, October 2024
Celebrating 75 Years of USGS Science at the Idaho National Laboratory
Celebrating 75 Years of USGS Science at the Idaho National Laboratory
Publications
Longitudinal and seasonal changes of organic matter sources through a semi-arid river-reservoir system
The quality and quantity of organic matter (OM) in a river system directly affects ecosystem health; thus, managers benefit from an in-depth understanding of the drivers and sources of OM. In the Snake River, a highly altered river-reservoir system in the semi-arid western United States, OM production and loading are key drivers of reservoir anoxia, which leads to several deleterious processes suc
Riparian methylmercury production increases riverine mercury flux and food web concentrations
The production and uptake of toxic methylmercury (MeHg) impacts aquatic ecosystems globally. Rivers can be dynamic and difficult systems to study for MeHg production and bioaccumulation, hence identifying sources of MeHg to these systems is both challenging and important for resource management within rivers and main-stem reservoirs. Riparian zones, which are known biogeochemical hotspots for MeHg
Real-time pier scour monitoring and observations at three scour-critical sites in Idaho, water years 2020–22
To observe real-time pier scour at three scour-critical sites in Idaho, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Idaho Transportation Department, installed and operated fixed real-time (15-minute interval) bed elevation scour sonar sensors at three bridge locations associated with U.S. Geological Survey streamflow gaging stations for water years 2020 through 2022. Daily mean and peak stream
Science
Mercury Cycling in the Hells Canyon Complex
The Hells Canyon Complex (HCC) is the largest privately owned hydroelectric power complex in the United States. Upstream are millions of acres of irrigated agricultural lands and Idaho’s largest metropolitan area clustered around the state capital Boise. Downstream lie confluences with the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers, critical habitat for threatened bull trout and fall chinook salmon. Elevated...
Real-Time Pier Scour Monitoring and Evaluation
The most common cause of bridge failure is scour, when high-velocity streamflow scours streambed material from around bridge piers and abutments. As of 2017, the National Bridge Inventory listed 265 of Idaho's nearly 4,500 bridges (about 6 percent) as "scour critical." When rivers rise quickly, bridge inspectors have little or no time to mobilize and monitor bridges at risk of scour. Real-time...
Characterizing the Water Resources of the Camas Prairie, Southern Idaho
Southern Idaho's Camas Prairie is a 730-square-mile basin nestled between the Mount Bennett Hills and the Soldier Mountains and drained by Camas Creek. The area is culturally significant to native peoples who have gathered the bulbs of the common camas for food. Since the late 19th century, the basin has also been an important agricultural area. Camas Creek contributes water to Magic Reservoir, a...