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.
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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
President Proposes $971.2 Million FY 2021 Budget for USGS
Budget Focuses on Bringing Science, Facilities, and Infrastructure into the 21st Century
Daily sampling of pesticides in streams
When scientists collected samples every day from 14 streams and analyzed them for pesticides, they found more pesticides and higher concentrations than when only weekly samples were analyzed. A new study reports that samples collected daily detected twice as many different pesticides over the 10–12-...
Pharmaceuticals common in small streams in the U.S.
Human-use pharmaceuticals are frequently present in many small streams, even those not receiving wastewater treatment plant discharges, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. In some streams, pharmaceuticals were detected at concentrations that could potentially be of concern for fish health.
Publications
Water-quality comparison of the Gulf Coast aquifer system and Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in Texas from National Water-Quality Assessment Project Principal Aquifer Surveys, 2013 and 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assessed the quality of groundwater in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water in the United States. One major aquifer in Texas that was assessed by NAWQA in 2013 is the coastal lowlands aquifer system, which is often referred to in Texas as the “Gulf...
Ging, Patricia B.
Modeling a 2- and 4-foot drawdown in the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the upper Klamath River, south-central Oregon
Executive SummaryThe most upstream, pooled reach of the Klamath River in south-central Oregon, from Link River mouth to Keno Dam (Link-Keno), has a water-surface elevation that remains relatively constant throughout the year. Two model scenarios, using an existing two-dimensional hydrodynamic and water-quality model (CE-QUAL-W2), were constructed...
Sullivan, Annett B.; Rounds, Stewart A.
Assessment of soil and water resources in the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico
The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument (Monument) in southern New Mexico was established in 2014. Given anticipated future demands in the Monument for recreation, livestock grazing, and maintenance of rights-of-way (for example, pipelines and powerlines), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) needs a better understanding of the current...
Blake, Johanna M.; Mitchell, Aurelia C.; Shephard, Zachary; Ball, Grady; Chavarria, Shaleene; Douglas-Mankin, Kyle R.