Images

Hydrologic technicians during field work maintaining the Detroit Lake water-quality profiler. 

Hydrologic technician during field work maintaining the Blue River Lake water-quality profiler. 

Hydrologic technicians survey the Willamette River at Portland’s streamflow gage datum. Every streamgage measures water levels (gage height) relative to a datum, a fixed elevation chosen to ensure consistent, long-term measurements.

ORWSC’s Klamath Falls Field Office staff departing our previous building after more than 20 years. The team worked hard to complete the ambitious move during the busy summer field season. 

The Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the people, has a lighting system with 178 lights illuminating 40 bridge cables that span the bridge. The colorful lighting is synced with U.S.

USGS hydrologist Patrick Haluska prepares to collect side-scan sonar data as part of the Klamath Integrated Water Availability Assessments program's dam removal studies.

Klamath River Basin straddles northern California and southern Oregon. The Klamath River empties into the Pacific Ocean just below the Oregon/California border.

Water availability in the Klamath Basin is shaped by three interconnected factors, like overlapping circles in a Venn diagram. First, upper basin controls—such as groundwater, snowpack, and runoff—determine how much water is available. Second, biological opinions set flow requirements to protect endangered fish and habitats, including flushing and geomorphic flows.

Wildlife sightings are the best job perks! Fish swim around in the Willamette River beneath the Morrison Bridge dolphin.

A routine field visit at the Bull Run River at Lower Flume near Brightwood, Oregon (14138720). The U.S. Geological Survey operates several streamgages and monitoring stations throughout the Bull Run watershed.

This floating platform in Upper Klamath Lake is home to two seasonal water-quality instruments. The instruments are positioned to capture data one meter below the lake surface and one meter above the lake bottom.

A photo from inside the boat during a field visit to inspect water‑quality instruments in Upper Klamath Lake. To ensure data quality, sensors are regularly exchanged for freshly calibrated and cleaned replacements.

A gravelometer is a field tool used to measure and classify the size of sediment particles, like gravel, cobbles, and boulders, in streams and rivers. It’s a rectangular metal plate with different sized holes corresponding to standard grain-size classes.

Rain or shine our scientists get out in the field to collect eDNA data that could indicate mussel presence. Immediately after a rain event the eDNA in a river may be more dilute than a sample taken after several dry sunny days.

USGS hydrologic technician, Cara, collects an eDNA sample in triplicate using an eDNA Sampler.

Freshwater mussels can be hard to find because they nestle into riverbeds. With new tools, we can find mussels by looking for their DNA in water samples in the lab.

USGS hydrologic technician uses a ruler called a gravelometer to classify streambed particles into size classes. These data can be used to calibrate models of streambed sediment. 

Fragilaria crotonensis is a well-known species of planktonic diatom within the genus Fragilaria, commonly found in freshwater lakes across North America and other temperate regions.

Two technicians deployed the water-quality monitor for the 2025 season on the dock at OMSI. See the data live: Willamette River Below the Holgate Channel, Portland, OR

A USGS research boat cruises through Shoalwater Bay on the west side of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon.

USGS staff member collects sediment samples at the upstream Chicken Creek water-quality monitoring location in the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.