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.
Get DataMessage from the Associate Director for Water
Learn more about the WMA from Dr. Don Cline, the Associate Director for Water Resources.
ReadPopular Water Data and Tools
Explore our science by the topical areas that drive the research and projects conducted by our Programs.
USGS Water Data for the Nation
National Groundwater Monitoring Network Data Portal
More data and toolsNews
Isotopic tracers in fish in Northeast provide clue to mercury sources
Isotopes of mercury in fish can indicate the source of that mercury, reports a new study from the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment.
Groundwater in Moab Area Less than Previously Reported
A new assessment of groundwater resources in the Spanish Valley watershed in southern Utah shows an amount that is about 30–40% lower than previously reported, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report.
USGS National Water Quality Laboratory protocols effective at minimizing false-positive pesticide results
A new analysis of USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) quality-control protocols finds that “false-positive” and “false negative” results—reporting that a compound is present in a sample when it is not or that a compound is not present when it is—are minimal.
Publications
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals in ambient sediment at mussel biomonitoring sites, Puget Sound, Washington
Caged mussels used as biomonitors can provide insights about ambient contaminant assemblages and spatial patterns, sources of contaminants, and contaminant exposure risks for consumers of wild and farmed mussels. This study explored the potential role of ambient sediment in the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated...
Takesue, Renee K.; Campbell‐Swarzenski, Pamela L.; Conn, Kathleen E.
Estimates of long-term mean daily streamflow and annual nutrient and suspended-sediment loads considered for use in regional SPARROW models of the Conterminous United States, 2012 base year
Streamflow, nutrient, and sediment concentration data needed to estimate long-term mean daily streamflow and annual constituent loads were compiled from Federal, State, Tribal, and regional agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations. The streamflow and loads are used to develop Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed...
Saad, David A.; Schwarz, Gregory E.; Argue, Denise M.; Anning, David W. ; Ator, Scott A. ; Hoos, Anne B.; Preston, Stephen D.; Robertson, Dale M.; Wise, Daniel
Water-quality and geochemical variability in the Little Arkansas River and Equus Beds aquifer, south-central Kansas, 2001–16
This fact sheet describes water quality and geochemistry of the Little Arkansas River and Equus Beds aquifer during 2001 through 2016 as part of the City of Wichita’s Equus Beds aquifer storage and recovery project in south-central Kansas. The Equus Beds aquifer storage and recovery project was developed to help meet future water demand by pumping...
Stone, Mandy L.; Klager, Brian J.; Ziegler, Andrew C.