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Tap water study detects PFAS 'forever chemicals' across the US

USGS estimates at least 45% of tap water could have one or more PFAS

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Water conditions change rapidly.

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What is streamflow drought?

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The new Water Cycle Diagram is now available!

Featuring improved scientific accuracy, design aesthetics, and usability in educational settings

Check out the new diagram

Looking for current water conditions?

The National Water Dashboard is an interactive, mobile-friendly tool that provides real-time water, weather, and flood information all in one place

Explore the NWD

We're One USGS Water

Together with Science Centers and Regions across the Nation

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Water Resources Mission Area

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

Current streamflow conditions map

Surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.9 million sites across all 50 states.

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Message from the Associate Director for Water

Photo of Don Cline

Learn more about the WMA from Dr. Don Cline, the Associate Director for Water Resources.

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Popular Water Data and Tools

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News

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Make Your Benchmark: Join the Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program

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USGS scientists with the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative lead field tour to share science outcomes with partners and stakeholders.

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The USGS Invests $1.5M in Local Partnerships to Improve Urban Waterways

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Publications

A general approach for evaluating of the coverage, resolution, and representation of streamflow monitoring networks

Streamflow monitoring networks provide information for a wide range of public interests in river and streams. A general approach to evaluate monitoring for different interests is developed to support network planning and design. The approach defines three theoretically distinct information metrics (coverage, resolution, and representation) based on the spatial distribution of a variable of interes
Authors
Christopher Konrad, Scott W. Anderson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Washington Water Science Center

Characterizing changes in the 1-percent annual exceedance probability streamflows for climate-change scenarios in the Housatonic River watershed of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York

Current methods for determining the 1-percent annual exceedance probability (AEP) for a streamflow assume stationarity (the assumption that the statistical distribution of data from past observations does not contain trends and will continue unchanged in the future). This assumption allows the 1-percent AEP to be determined based on historical streamflow records. However, the assumption of station
Authors
Scott A. Olson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Assessing the effects of chloride deicer applications on groundwater near the Siskiyou Pass, southwestern Oregon, July 2018–February 2021

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), evaluated the effects of cold-weather chloride deicers (road deicing chemicals) on groundwater quality, with a focus on chloride, near the Siskiyou Pass in southwestern Oregon. The study covered the period during July 2018 through February 2021. Between the years 2016 and 2020 ODOT applied up to 16,000
Authors
Stephen B. Gingerich, Daniel R. Wise, Adam J. Stonewall
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Oregon Water Science Center
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Science

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Mountains and pine trees covered with a thick layer of snow.

Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin

Regional Water Availability Assessments are scientific assessments of water availability in different hydrologic regions across the Nation. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, the USGS will conduct a focused assessment of how snowpack and snowmelt influence hydrology and water quality, and an integrated and comprehensive assessment of multiple water quantity, quality and use factors.
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin

Regional Water Availability Assessments are scientific assessments of water availability in different hydrologic regions across the Nation. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, the USGS will conduct a focused assessment of how snowpack and snowmelt influence hydrology and water quality, and an integrated and comprehensive assessment of multiple water quantity, quality and use factors.
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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Diseases of Fish and Wildlife

The coronavirus pandemic, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer, and white-nose syndrome in bats have spawned great interest in diseases of native fish and wildlife. Many aspects of widely known diseases of wild (as opposed to domestic) animal populations are poorly understood, including their ecology, incidence, distribution, and methods for reducing effects of disease on culturally...
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Core Science Systems Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Cooperative Research Units
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Diseases of Fish and Wildlife

The coronavirus pandemic, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer, and white-nose syndrome in bats have spawned great interest in diseases of native fish and wildlife. Many aspects of widely known diseases of wild (as opposed to domestic) animal populations are poorly understood, including their ecology, incidence, distribution, and methods for reducing effects of disease on culturally...
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tops of bottles with blue water inside and white caps on top

Withdrawals for Bottled Water

USGS is compiling data on locations and volumes of water withdrawals for bottled water production and learning how, when, and where bottled water withdrawals result in changes to groundwater levels, spring flows, and water quality.
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Water Availability and Use Science Program
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Withdrawals for Bottled Water

USGS is compiling data on locations and volumes of water withdrawals for bottled water production and learning how, when, and where bottled water withdrawals result in changes to groundwater levels, spring flows, and water quality.
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