Surface Water
Surface Water
The New England Water Science Center has a long history of monitoring surface-water conditions throughout New England. Continuous and discrete measurements of streamflow and water levels of lakes, reservoirs, and coastal zones provide the foundation for hydrologic assessments, hydraulic and climate-change modeling, and reporting streamflow during floods and droughts.
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Evaluation of Lakes and Impoundments Drought Index for the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan
Lake and impoundment levels are used for calculating a drought severity index.
Satellite-based Remote Sensing of River Discharge
The U.S. Geological Survey and NASA are collaborating on a study to develop methods to estimate river flows from satellite observations.
Base-Flow Water Quality Sampling in Small Basins Draining to Long Island Sound
During the past 20 years, nitrogen loads to Long Island Sound (LIS) have been substantially reduced in large watersheds affected by municipal wastewater loads.
Water Quality Sampling in the Tributaries of the Long Island Sound
Coastal estuaries in southern New England and New York show the effects of excess nutrients and coastal eutrophication. These include excessive growth of macroalgae, excessive blooms of phytoplankton, oxygen depletion, hypoxia and deteriorated substrates. State and Federal regulators have responded to these nutrient-caused impairments by requiring more stringent permit limits for National...
Flood Documentation and Inundation Mapping of the January and March 2018 Nor’easters in Coastal Massachusetts
2018 Nor’easters in Coastal Massachusetts
Transportation-Related Water Projects in New England
The New England Water Science Center collects data and does interpretive studies on hydrology, hydraulics, and water quality in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in New England and other states.
Long-Term Data Collection Provides Insight to Changes in Water Resources in New England
Primarily through the efforts of Glenn Hodgkins and Robert Dudley, the New England Water Science Center has been studying historical changes in streamflows, groundwater levels, and lake ice in New England and across the country for 20 years. Glenn and Rob have analyzed a wealth of historical data, including 100+ years of streamflow data and 150+ years of lake-ice data at some locations...
Water Quality Monitoring in the Scituate Reservoir Drainage Area, Rhode Island
The Scituate Reservoir system is the largest inland body of water in Rhode Island and the principal drinking-water supply for more than 60 percent of the State’s population. The system includes the Scituate Reservoir and five tributary reservoirs with a maximum storage capacity of 37 billion gallons. The drainage basin that contributes water to the reservoir extends across 93 square miles in...
Sleepers River Research Watershed
The Sleepers River Research Watershed in Danville, Vermont has been the site of active hydrologic research since 1959, when the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) established a research program in the watershed. The Sleepers River site is now operated by the USGS, in cooperation with several other Federal agencies and universities.
New England Flood Information
The USGS delivers continuous streamflow, stage (water-level), and tide data to help emergency managers and other decision makers protect life and property caused by floods and other water-related hazards.
New England Drought, 2020
Below average and infrequent rainfall from May through September 2020 led to an extreme hydrologic drought across much of New England, with some areas experiencing a flash (quick-onset) drought.
New England Drought Information
Droughts are one of the most expensive and damaging hydrologic hazards in the United States. They are generally slow in developing, frequently occur over a long period of time, and can affect large areas and populations.