Water Resources
Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands
Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands Water Science Center
The USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center conducts hydrologic monitoring and investigative studies on a wide variety of issues affecting water resources in the State of Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands.
Science
Science
The USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center provides reliable, objective scientific information to address water-related issues in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands.
News
Community Meeting for Reimagining Molokaʻi's Wetlands
Community Meeting for Reimagining Molokaʻi's Wetlands
USGS Unveils Mobile Flood Tool for the Nation
USGS Unveils Mobile Flood Tool for the Nation
Adaptive management strategies for potential impacts of climate change on Guam
Adaptive management strategies for potential impacts of climate change on Guam
Publications
Groundwater and surface-water interactions in the Waihe‘e-Kahalu‘u watershed, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i—Analysis of historical data and numerical groundwater-model simulations Groundwater and surface-water interactions in the Waihe‘e-Kahalu‘u watershed, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i—Analysis of historical data and numerical groundwater-model simulations
The Waihe‘e-Kahaluʻu watershed and surrounding areas lie in a dike-impounded groundwater setting of the Ko‘olau Range, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, where groundwater withdrawal from wells and tunnels have resulted in reductions in streamflow. Resource managers and surface-water users seek information that can be used to balance the needs of competing uses of groundwater and streamflow in the...
Divergent trends in fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations following improved land-use practices, southwest Washington State Divergent trends in fluvial suspended-sediment concentrations following improved land-use practices, southwest Washington State
Improvements in logging practices since the mid-20th century are widely presumed to have reduced suspended sediment loads in streams across the Pacific Northwest. However, there have been few opportunities to directly assess this, particularly in larger rivers. We compare modern (2019–22) and historical (1960s) suspended sediment monitoring in three large, actively managed watersheds in...
Correlation analysis of groundwater and hydrologic data, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i Correlation analysis of groundwater and hydrologic data, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i
Designated in 1978, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park is located on the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi. The Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park encompasses about 1,200 acres of coastal land and nearshore ecosystems, which include wetlands, anchialine pools (landlocked bodies of brackish water with hydrologic connections to the ocean), fishponds, a fishtrap, and coral...
Science
Groundwater Availability on the Island of Saipan, CNMI
Most of the public water supply on Saipan comes from wells that tap groundwater from the island’s aquifers. The island is small, so the amount of groundwater available is limited. The aquifers also contain saltwater from the ocean, so wells may yield salty water if pumping is excessive, the wells are clustered together, or if droughts cause a reduction in natural groundwater recharge. The USGS...
Effects of Drought and Cloud-Water Interception on Wildfire Hazard in Hawaiʻi
Understanding the effects of drought and cloud-water interception on wildfire hazard is critical to Hawai‘i’s water-resource managers, farmers, ranchers, and forest, watershed, and wildfire managers for developing adaptive management strategies. Identifying areas of increased wildfire hazard is also important for developing strategic monitoring programs to help assess and predict the effects of...
Groundwater Recharge in Hawaiʻi
Groundwater provides 99 percent of Hawai‘i’s drinking water and about 50 percent of all freshwater used in the State. Groundwater recharge is water derived from precipitation and other sources, such as irrigation and leakage from surface reservoirs, that moves through or bypasses the plant-soil system and replenishes aquifers. Groundwater availability in Hawai‘i is affected by changes in...