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Washington Water Science Center

This is your direct link to all kinds of water resource information. Here you'll find information on Washington's rivers and streams. You'll also find information about groundwater, water quality, and many other topics. The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of stream-gaging stations in the state, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems.

Current Washington Water Conditions

Current Washington Water Conditions

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

Current Conditions

View current water conditions

Uncrewed Aviation Systems Program

Drone

Data collection provided by uncrewed aviation systems (UAS) enhances the Washington Water Science Center’s (WAWSC) ability to monitor dynamic environmental systems, respond to natural hazards, analyze the impacts of climate change, and assess landscape change.

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News

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USGS Unveils Mobile Flood Tool for the Nation

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Lending a Hand During COVID-19: Maintaining a Streamgage on the Canadian Border

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FLOwPER User’s Guide—For Collection of FLOw PERmanence Field Observations

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Publications

Predicting probabilities of late summer surface flow presence in a glaciated mountainous headwater region

Accurate mapping of streams that maintain surface flow during annual baseflow periods in mountain headwater streams is important for informing water availability for human consumption and is a fundamental determinant of in-channel conditions for stream-dwelling organisms. Yet accurate mapping that captures local spatial variability and associated local controls on surface flow presence is limited.
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Kristin Jaeger, Roy Sando, Sarah B. Dunn, Andrew S. Gendaszek
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Water Resources Mission Area, Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center

In-stream laser diffraction for measuring suspended sediment concentration and particle size distribution in rivers: Insights from field campaigns

This study evaluates the laser in situ scattering and transmissometry (LISST) instrument LISST-SL2, a laser diffraction instrument for suspended sediment sampling in rivers, with concurrent physical measurements of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and particle size distribution (PSD) as well as velocity measurements by an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). We collected 136 LISST-SL2 s
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Muneer Ahammad, Jonathan A. Czuba, Christopher A. Curran
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Water Resources Mission Area, Washington Water Science Center

Changes in suspended-sediment yields under divergent land-cover disturbance histories: A comparison of two large watersheds, Olympic Mountains, USA

Improvements in timber harvest practices and reductions in harvest volumes over the past half century are commonly presumed to have reduced sediment loads in many western US rivers. However, direct assessments in larger watersheds are relatively sparse. Here, we compare 2019–21 sediment concentrations against those of the late 1970s in the Bogachiel and Calawah  River watersheds, adjacent and simi
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Kristin Jaeger, Scott W. Anderson, Sarah B. Dunn
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Water Resources Mission Area, Washington Water Science Center
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Science

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Kitsap Peninsula Washington

A cell-by-cell water budget output from USGS Kitsap Peninsula groundwater model for VELMA

The Issue: The Visualizing Ecosystem Land Management Assessments (VELMA) model is a spatially explicit, eco-hydrological watershed model that was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The VELMA model can be used to examine a wide variety of environmental systems; however, an area where the model could be improved is in its accounting of the interaction of groundwater and...
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Washington Water Science Center
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A cell-by-cell water budget output from USGS Kitsap Peninsula groundwater model for VELMA

The Issue: The Visualizing Ecosystem Land Management Assessments (VELMA) model is a spatially explicit, eco-hydrological watershed model that was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The VELMA model can be used to examine a wide variety of environmental systems; however, an area where the model could be improved is in its accounting of the interaction of groundwater and...
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JBLM Particle Tracking

Simulated groundwater flow paths and travel times near Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington

The Issue: Past activities at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM)—located in west-central Washington—resulted in releases of hazardous waste and contaminants to the environment, and the most recent chemical of concern is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are a broad class of anthropogenic chemicals used in industrial and consumer products for their stain- and water-resistant properties...
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Washington Water Science Center
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Simulated groundwater flow paths and travel times near Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington

The Issue: Past activities at Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM)—located in west-central Washington—resulted in releases of hazardous waste and contaminants to the environment, and the most recent chemical of concern is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are a broad class of anthropogenic chemicals used in industrial and consumer products for their stain- and water-resistant properties...
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Hydrogeologic framework near the Yakima Training Center, Washington

Hydrogeologic framework near the Yakima Training Center, Washington

The Issue: The Yakima Training Center (YTC)—spanning Yakima and Kittitas counties in south-central Washington—is a satellite installation of Joint Base Lewis-McChord and is used for military training (fig. 1). Past activities at the YTC have resulted in releases of hazardous waste and contaminants to the environment, and the most recent chemical of concern is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances...
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Washington Water Science Center
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Hydrogeologic framework near the Yakima Training Center, Washington

The Issue: The Yakima Training Center (YTC)—spanning Yakima and Kittitas counties in south-central Washington—is a satellite installation of Joint Base Lewis-McChord and is used for military training (fig. 1). Past activities at the YTC have resulted in releases of hazardous waste and contaminants to the environment, and the most recent chemical of concern is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances...
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