Mission Areas
Water Resources
Water information is fundamental to national and local economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective management of the Nation’s water resources. The USGS works with partners to monitor, assess, conduct targeted research, and deliver information on a wide range of water resources and conditions including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and water use and availability.
USGS Water Data for the Nation
Surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.9 million sites across all 50 states.
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Learn more about the WMA from Dr. Don Cline, the Associate Director for Water Resources.
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USGS Water Data for the Nation
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More data and toolsNews
Homing in on sources and yields of nitrogen and phosphorus throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin
A new USGS study estimates total nitrogen (N) and total phosphorus (P) yields from catchments throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, which drains about 41% of the conterminous United States.
Chemical mixtures are common in small streams in the U.S.
Mixtures of organic chemicals are ubiquitous in small U.S. streams, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. In many streams the mixtures could be affecting stream organisms.
USGS Announces the Availability of the Environmental Assessment & Section 106, Protection of Historic Properties Review, for a new Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility – Public Comments Sought
The USGS Water Resources Mission Area has prepared an Environmental Assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act for a new Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) in Alabama. The USGS is requesting your comments on the EA and Section 106 review by March 3, 2021.
Publications
Volcanic Aquifers of Hawai‘i—Construction and calibration of numerical models for assessing groundwater availability on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Maui
Steady-state numerical groundwater-flow models were constructed for the islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Maui to enable quantification of the hydrologic consequences of withdrawals and other stresses that can place limits on groundwater availability. The volcanic aquifers of Hawai‘i supply nearly all drinking water for the islands’ residents,...
Izuka, Scot K.; Rotzoll, Kolja; Nishikawa, Tracy
Salinity changes the dynamics of pyrethroid toxicity in terms of behavioral effects on newly hatched delta smelt larvae
Salinity can interact with organic compounds and modulate their toxicity. Studies have shown that the fraction of pyrethroid insecticides in the aqueous phase increases with increasing salinity, potentially increasing the risk of exposure for aquatic organisms at higher salinities. In the San Francisco Bay Delta (SFBD) estuary, pyrethroid...
Segarra, Amelie; Mauduit, Florian; Amer, Nermeen; Biefel, Felix KJ; Hladik, Michelle; Connon, Richard E; Brander, Susanne M. Determination of vadose zone and saturated zone nitrate lag times using long-term groundwater monitoring data and statistical machine learning
In this study, we explored the use of statistical machine learning and long-term groundwater nitrate monitoring data to estimate vadose zone and saturated zone lag times in an irrigated alluvial agricultural setting. Unlike most previous statistical machine learning studies that sought to predict groundwater nitrate concentrations within aquifers...
Wells, Martin J.; Gilmore, Troy E.; Nelson, Natalie; Mittelstet, Aaron; Böhlke, John K.