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Idaho's Water Quality

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/idaho-water-science-center/science/water-quality

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Idaho National Laboratory Project Office

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Idaho Water Science Center

Water is the lifeblood of Idaho. Our mission is to provide our local, state, tribal, and federal partners with reliable, unbiased science information to help them effectively manage the state'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.

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Featured Study

Getting into position to collect samples in Hells Canyon Reservoir

Mercury Cycling in the Hells Canyon Complex of Reservoirs

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News

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Idaho Hydrologic Update, February 2023

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Idaho Hydrologic Update, January 2023

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USGS Presenters at the 33rd Annual Idaho Water Quality Workshop

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Publications

Mapping the probability of freshwater algal blooms with various spectral indices and sources of training data

Algal blooms are pervasive in many freshwater environments and can pose risks to the health and safety of humans and other organisms. However, monitoring and tracking of potentially harmful blooms often relies on in-person observations by the public. Remote sensing has proven useful in augmenting in situ observations of algal concentration, but many hurdles hinder efficient application by end user
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Water Resources, Idaho Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Groundwater budgets for the Big Lost River Basin, south-central Idaho, 2000–19

The Big Lost River Basin, located in parts of Butte and Custer Counties in south-central Idaho, supports the communities surrounding the cities of Arco, Leslie, Mackay, and Moore and provides for agricultural resources that depend on a sustainable supply of surface water from the Big Lost River and its tributaries and groundwater from an unconfined aquifer. The aquifer, situated in a structurally
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Water Resources, Idaho Water Science Center

Updated annual and semimonthly streamflow statistics for Wild and Scenic Rivers, Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness, southwestern Idaho, 2021

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), continued streamflow data collection in water years 2013–21 to update daily streamflow regressions and annual and semimonthly streamflow statistics initially developed in 2012 for streams designated as “wild,” “scenic,” or “recreational” under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in the Owyhee Canyonlands Wi
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Water Resources, Idaho Water Science Center
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Science

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Measuring Discharge with an ADCP, Clear Lakes Spring, Idaho

Estimating Spring Discharge to the Snake River, Milner Dam to King Hill, Southern Idaho

Groundwater discharges to the Snake River from numerous volcanic rock springs along the northern canyon wall between Milner Dam and King Hill. Water-resource managers need to be able to quantify the amount of this water to understand the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer's recharge, storage, and discharge. When completed, this study will provide the Idaho Department of Water Resources with an...
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Idaho Water Science Center
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Estimating Spring Discharge to the Snake River, Milner Dam to King Hill, Southern Idaho

Groundwater discharges to the Snake River from numerous volcanic rock springs along the northern canyon wall between Milner Dam and King Hill. Water-resource managers need to be able to quantify the amount of this water to understand the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer's recharge, storage, and discharge. When completed, this study will provide the Idaho Department of Water Resources with an...
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USGS bathymetric survey vessel on Lucky Peak Lake, southwestern Idaho

Bathymetric Survey of the Mores Creek Arm of Lucky Peak Lake

In 2004, about 90 migrating elk and 25 mule deer broke through thin ice and drowned as they attempted to cross the Mores Creek arm of Lucky Peak Lake upstream of the Highway 21 bridge. To prevent any similar incidents, reservoir managers and wildlife biologists needed a better understanding of water depths over a range of reservoir pool elevations.
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Idaho Water Science Center
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Bathymetric Survey of the Mores Creek Arm of Lucky Peak Lake

In 2004, about 90 migrating elk and 25 mule deer broke through thin ice and drowned as they attempted to cross the Mores Creek arm of Lucky Peak Lake upstream of the Highway 21 bridge. To prevent any similar incidents, reservoir managers and wildlife biologists needed a better understanding of water depths over a range of reservoir pool elevations.
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Computer screen showing bathymetry data from American Falls Reservoir, Idaho

American Falls Reservoir Bathymetry

In cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, we surveyed the bathymetry within an area of about 500 acres of American Falls Reservoir between River Miles 713 and 714 August 6-8, 2019. The bathymetric survey provided high-resolution detail of a proposed treatment area for an aeration system that is being developed to support water quality during the American Falls spillway concrete repair project...
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Idaho Water Science Center
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American Falls Reservoir Bathymetry

In cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, we surveyed the bathymetry within an area of about 500 acres of American Falls Reservoir between River Miles 713 and 714 August 6-8, 2019. The bathymetric survey provided high-resolution detail of a proposed treatment area for an aeration system that is being developed to support water quality during the American Falls spillway concrete repair project...
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