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
The Quality of Our Groundwater—Progress on a National Survey
A U.S. Geological Survey study of groundwater quality across the nation now includes water-quality information for 15 of the most heavily used aquifers in the nation.
Water quality of rivers has changed dramatically in human-dominated landscapes of the United States
Human activities have markedly changed the water quality of rivers in the past few decades according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey—concentrations of some water- quality constituents have increased while others have decreased.
Colorado River Flow Dwindles as Warming-Driven Loss of Reflective Snow Energizes Evaporation
New USGS research indicates that streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) is decreasing by about 5% per degree Fahrenheit as a consequence of atmospheric warming, causing a 20% reduction over the past century.
Publications
Effects of box culverts on stream habitat, channel morphology, and fish and macroinvertebrate communities at selected sites in South Carolina, 2016–18
Much attention has been placed on the role that under-roadway culverts may have in inhibiting upstream fish movement because of altered hydrology and unsuitable conditions for accessing or swimming through the culvert. Other culvert effects related to habitat alterations or disturbance to macroinvertebrate communities have received relatively...
Riley, Jeffrey W.; Beaulieu, Karen M.; Walsh, Stephen J.; Journey, Celeste A.
Hydrogeology and shallow groundwater quality in the tidal Anacostia River watershed, Washington, D.C.
Groundwater hydrology and geochemistry within the tidal Anacostia River watershed of Washington, D.C. are related to natural and human influences. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the District Department of Energy & Environment, began investigating the hydrogeology and groundwater quality of the watershed in 2002. Lithologic...
Ator, Scott W.; Denver, Judith M.; Dieter, Cheryl A.
Geophysical surveys, hydrogeologic characterization, and groundwater flow model for the Truxton basin and Hualapai Plateau, northwestern Arizona
This is the third and final report in a series that describe the groundwater resources of the Hualapai Indian Reservation. These reports document the findings of a comprehensive groundwater study conducted on the reservation and adjacent areas from 2015 through 2018 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation. The...
Mason, Jon P.