How do we benefit from USGS streamgages?
Information on the flow of rivers is a vital national asset that safeguards lives, protects property, and ensures adequate water supplies for the future. The USGS is the federal agency responsible for operating a network of about 7,000 streamgages nationwide.
Data from this network are used by water managers, emergency responders, utilities, environmental agencies, universities, consulting firms, and recreation enthusiasts.
A few examples of the many uses for streamgage data include:
- Planning, designing, operating, and maintaining the Nation’s multipurpose water management systems.
- Issuing flood warnings to protect lives and reduce property damage.
- Designing highways and bridges.
- Mapping floodplains.
- Protecting water quality and regulating pollutant discharges.
- Managing water rights and transboundary water issues.
Learn more:
Related
Filter Total Items: 16
An evaluation of selected extraordinary floods in the United States reported by the U.S. Geological Survey and implications for future advancement of flood science An evaluation of selected extraordinary floods in the United States reported by the U.S. Geological Survey and implications for future advancement of flood science
Thirty flood peak discharges determine the envelope curve of maximum floods documented in the United States by the U.S. Geological Survey. These floods occurred from 1927 to 1978 and are extraordinary not just in their magnitude, but in their hydraulic and geomorphic characteristics. The reliability of the computed discharge of these extraordinary floods was reviewed and evaluated using...
Authors
John E. Costa, Robert D. Jarrett
From the River to You: USGS Real-Time Streamflow Information...from the National Streamflow Information Program From the River to You: USGS Real-Time Streamflow Information...from the National Streamflow Information Program
This Fact Sheet is one in a series that highlights information or recent research findings from the USGS National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP). The investigations and scientific results reported in this series require a nationally consistent streamgaging network with stable long-term monitoring sites and a rigorous program of data, quality assurance, management, archiving, and...
Authors
Joseph P. Nielsen, J. Michael Norris
StreamStats: A U.S. Geological Survey Web Application for Stream Information StreamStats: A U.S. Geological Survey Web Application for Stream Information
No abstract available.
Authors
Kernell G. Ries, Peter A. Steeves, Jacqueline D. Coles, Alan H. Rea, David W. Stewart
Related
Filter Total Items: 16
An evaluation of selected extraordinary floods in the United States reported by the U.S. Geological Survey and implications for future advancement of flood science An evaluation of selected extraordinary floods in the United States reported by the U.S. Geological Survey and implications for future advancement of flood science
Thirty flood peak discharges determine the envelope curve of maximum floods documented in the United States by the U.S. Geological Survey. These floods occurred from 1927 to 1978 and are extraordinary not just in their magnitude, but in their hydraulic and geomorphic characteristics. The reliability of the computed discharge of these extraordinary floods was reviewed and evaluated using...
Authors
John E. Costa, Robert D. Jarrett
From the River to You: USGS Real-Time Streamflow Information...from the National Streamflow Information Program From the River to You: USGS Real-Time Streamflow Information...from the National Streamflow Information Program
This Fact Sheet is one in a series that highlights information or recent research findings from the USGS National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP). The investigations and scientific results reported in this series require a nationally consistent streamgaging network with stable long-term monitoring sites and a rigorous program of data, quality assurance, management, archiving, and...
Authors
Joseph P. Nielsen, J. Michael Norris
StreamStats: A U.S. Geological Survey Web Application for Stream Information StreamStats: A U.S. Geological Survey Web Application for Stream Information
No abstract available.
Authors
Kernell G. Ries, Peter A. Steeves, Jacqueline D. Coles, Alan H. Rea, David W. Stewart
Updated Date: August 20, 2026