Water Availability

The Research Triangle area, located within the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River basins, is one of the most rapidly developing areas in the Nation. Growth has increased demand for water from public suppliers, the majority of which draw water from streams and lakes in the region. Growth also brings the threat of greater loads of contaminants and new contaminant sources that, if not properly managed...

This ongoing USGS study for Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina aims to (1) compute low-flow statistics at selected continuous-record streamgages in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina and to (2) develop regional regression equations for a subset of those low-flow characteristics for streams that are not substantially affected by tides, regulation, diversions, or other...

In the Atlanta metropolitan area, a hydrologic data-collection network has been established to collect real-time streamflow, precipitation, continuous and discrete water-quality data. The USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) Urban Hydrology Unit (UHU), located in Norcross, Georgia, has been working in cooperation with local municipal and county agencies in and around the Atlanta...

As one of several national “Focus Area Studies” in the Department of Interior’s WaterSMART initiative, USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center is undertaking a 3-year study of water availability and use to meet competing societal and ecological needs in Southeastern Atlantic Coastal Basins of the Carolinas. The Coastal Carolinas study area includes lower parts of the Pee Dee/Waccamaw River and...

The objective of this project is to develop a groundwater-flow model that can be used by Aiken County water managers to manage current and projected reported and unreported demands on groundwater resource and to ensure the highest quality of groundwater. Project Chief: Bruce Campbell Cooperator: Aiken County, Gilbert-Summit Rural Water District, City of Aiken, Breezy Hill Water and Sewer and...

An increasing demand for drinking water is one of the major issues facing the Moore County area. Managers need accurate information on surface and groundwater conditions to plan and balance maintaining an adequate water-supply and meeting in-stream flow requirements. The principal study objective is to collect water-level data at existing monitoring wells to establish a long-term data set that can...

Groundwater use from the Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifers in South Carolina has increased during the past 70 years as the population has increased along with demands for municipal, industrial, and agricultural water needs. While South Carolina works to increase development of water supplies in response to the rapid population growth, the State is facing a number of unanswered questions regarding...

Water supply in the Augusta–Richmond County, GA area is provided in part by three well fields that withdraw water from the Dublin–Midville aquifer system. The U.S. Geological Survey operates a groundwater-level and water-quality monitoring program to support water-management decisions and provide a basis for future groundwater modeling efforts while adding to regional characterization of...

The objective of this research is to provide an automated methodology and data products to the GCPO LCC partners by (1) developing a multi-model synthesis to simulate streamflow using a monthly water balance model and daily time step hydrologic models (physical process-based and statistical) for all watersheds of the GCPO LCC geographic region and (2) providing products from these models (flow...

New Hanover County is one of the most populated areas along the North Carolina coastline and the population is projected to expand by 25 percent over the next 20 years. County managers and town planners are concerned about escalating demand for groundwater within the county and recognize the importance of high-quality drinking water to meet the demands of a growing population. This study will...

In the Brunswick, Georgia area, saltwater has contaminated the Upper Floridan aquifer for nearly 50 years. Saltwater contamination has constrained further development of the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Brunswick area, which has stimulated interest in the development of alternative sources of water supply, primarily from the shallower surficial and Brunswick aquifer systems. USGS is working...

Episodic droughts and increased pumpage since the mid-1970s have caused unprecedented ground-water level decline in the Upper Floridan aquifer in much of the roughly 8,000 square-mile Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee (ASO) River Basin. To address concerns about water availability, USGS worked with Georgia Environmental Protection Division to improve understanding of the hydrogeologic framework and...