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Water data for Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

Access real-time and historical data for surface water, groundwater, water quality, and water use

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Edge-of-field monitoring

Testing the effectiveness of agricultural conservation practices for reducing nutrient and sediment runoff

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SPARROW models of streamflow and nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended-s

SPARROW Watershed Models of Loads in Midwest Streams

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Great Lakes urban stormwater monitoring

Assessing the ability of green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff in Great Lakes urban areas

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Great Lakes mercury sources revealed

Mercury "footprinting" identifies sources of pollution in the Great Lakes

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Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Our USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center priority is to continue the important work of the Department of the Interior and the USGS, while also maintaining the health and safety of our employees and community.  Based on guidance from the White House, the CDC, and state and local authorities, we are shifting our operations to a virtual mode and have minimal staffing

Current conditions in MI, MN, and WI

Explore real-time streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data with our interactive map application.

Message from the Director

Headshot of John F. Walker

Learn more about the Upper Midwest Water Science Center from John Walker, our Center Director.

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UMid WSC Quick Links

News

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Using sensor technology to develop a recreational contact warning tool for the Grand River, Grand Rapids, MI

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New study highlights correlations among cyanobacteria and understudied toxins in recurring blooms

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Media Alert: Low-flying Helicopter Will Survey Southern Wisconsin for Geologic, Water Studies

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Publications

Simulation of regional groundwater flow and groundwater/lake interactions in the Central Sands, Wisconsin

A multiscale, multiprocess modeling approach was applied to the Wisconsin Central Sands region in central Wisconsin to quantify the connections between the groundwater system, land use, and lake levels in three seepage lakes in Waushara County, Wisconsin: Long and Plainfield (The Plainfield Tunnel Channel Lakes), and Pleasant Lakes. A regional groundwater-flow model, the Newton Raphson formulation
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Water-surface profile maps for the Mississippi River near Prairie Island, Minnesota, 2019

Digital water-surface profile maps for a 14-mile reach of the Mississippi River near Prairie Island, Minnesota, from the confluence of the St. Croix River at Prescott, Wisconsin, to upstream from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam No. 3 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams number MN00595) in Welch, Minnesota, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in coope
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center

A computer-aided approach for adapting stage-discharge ratings and characterizing uncertainties of streamflow data with discrete measurements

Relations between stage (water level) and discharge of streamflow through a natural channel are the result of time-varying processes, which are commonly described by time-varying stage-discharge ratings. Hydrographers with the U.S. Geological Survey successfully maintain the accuracy of streamflow data by manually applying time-tested approaches to adapt ratings to temporal changes in hydraulic co
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center
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Science

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Illustration of typical green infrastructure installation for RecoveryPark

Assessing stormwater reduction through green infrastructure: RecoveryPark (Detroit, Mich.)

The effectiveness of green infrastructure (including urban land conversion and bioswales) at reducing stormwater runoff is being assessed at RecoveryPark, a redeveloped urban farm in Detroit, Michigan. This study will monitor pre- and post-construction storm-sewer flow, groundwater levels, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration (ET) to evaluate stormwater-volume reduction in response to...
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Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
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Assessing stormwater reduction through green infrastructure: RecoveryPark (Detroit, Mich.)

The effectiveness of green infrastructure (including urban land conversion and bioswales) at reducing stormwater runoff is being assessed at RecoveryPark, a redeveloped urban farm in Detroit, Michigan. This study will monitor pre- and post-construction storm-sewer flow, groundwater levels, precipitation, and potential evapotranspiration (ET) to evaluate stormwater-volume reduction in response to...
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Slideshow of Gary City Hall, before and after redevelopment with green infrastructure

Assessing stormwater reduction using green infrastructure: Gary City Hall (Gary, Ind.)

The effectiveness of green infrastructure (rain gardens and decreased impervious surface) at reducing stormwater runoff and capturing dissolved chloride is being assessed at a redevelopment project at Gary City Hall (Gary, Indiana). This study will evaluate pre- and post-construction hydrologic conditions using data collected by monitoring storm-sewer flow, groundwater levels, soil moisture, and...
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Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
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Assessing stormwater reduction using green infrastructure: Gary City Hall (Gary, Ind.)

The effectiveness of green infrastructure (rain gardens and decreased impervious surface) at reducing stormwater runoff and capturing dissolved chloride is being assessed at a redevelopment project at Gary City Hall (Gary, Indiana). This study will evaluate pre- and post-construction hydrologic conditions using data collected by monitoring storm-sewer flow, groundwater levels, soil moisture, and...
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Photo of a tree-lined street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Monitoring and predicting the impacts of trees on urban stormwater volume reduction

Much has been learned about how effectively individual green infrastructure practices can reduce stormwater volume, however, the role of urban trees in stormwater detention is poorly understood. This study quantified the impact that trees have on stormwater runoff volume.
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center
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Monitoring and predicting the impacts of trees on urban stormwater volume reduction

Much has been learned about how effectively individual green infrastructure practices can reduce stormwater volume, however, the role of urban trees in stormwater detention is poorly understood. This study quantified the impact that trees have on stormwater runoff volume.
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