Oregon Water Science Center
Groundwater
Browse Groundwater science related to:
Oregon Data Release(s)
As a federal research agency, the USGS collects natural resource data all across Oregon. These data may be stored in a variety of databases, including our National Water Information System (NWIS). Other data are stored in the ScienceBase Catalog. Here are recent ...
Oregon Water Use Program
With the ever-increasing rate of utilization of and competition for water (particularly during periods of drought) accurate, current water-use information is of considerable value. This is particularly so in determining future water availability in hydrologically critical areas and for making sound resource-management decisions. For the Oregon Water Science Center, a viable water-use data-...
Groundwater of the Umatilla River Basin
Water management in the arid Umatilla Basin has become increasingly complex in recent years. Competing demands from society for generating hydro-electric power, maintaining and restoring fisheries, restoring watershed health, providing water for growing communities, and increasing agricultural production through irrigation, have put water resources in the Umatilla Basin and throughout the...
Spring Vulnerability Study for Southeastern Oregon
Evaluating Spring Vulnerability to Climate Change on BLM Priority Management Areas in Southeastern Oregon
Harney Basin Groundwater Study
This study will characterize and quantify the groundwater system in the Harney Basin to address gaps in our present understanding.
Upper Klamath Basin Groundwater Studies
Since the late 1990s the USGS has worked to characterize the regional groundwater hydrology of the upper Klamath Basin. Research focuses on collecting data to help evaluate the state of the groundwater system and its response to external stresses, and to develop computer models to provide insights useful for water management. These efforts build on earlier USGS studies in the basin going back...
Upper Klamath Basin Studies
In 1992, the USGS began studying possible causes for the change in trophic status of Upper Klamath Lake. Since then research has expanded to include groundwater, geomorphology, streamflow forecasting, and fish ecology.
Groundwater Elevation and Temperature in Johnson Creek Basin
Water elevation and temperature in groundwater and Johnson Creek at Sycamore, near Portland, OR
Willamette River Studies
Welcome to the Willamette River Study page. Here you will find links to USGS research for the Willamette River and the Willamette River Basin.
Groundwater in the Upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon
Groundwater monitoring in the Deschutes Basin shows water-level declines are larger than might be expected from climate variations alone, raising questions regarding the influence of groundwater pumping, canal lining, and other human influences.
Hydrogeologic and Geothermal Conditions of the Northwest Volcanic Aquifers
Although sparsely populated, this area in southeastern Oregon, northeastern California, northwestern Nevada, and southeastern Idaho has high geothermal heat flow that may be used to generate large amounts of electricity.
Columbia River Basalt Stratigraphy in the Pacific Northwest
The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) consists of a thick sequence of Miocene flood basalt that covered northern Oregon, eastern Washington, and western Idaho between 17 and 6 million years ago. It is an important regional aquifer system, and, in its folded and faulted flows, it records the...