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
The USGS is Ready to Respond During the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season
The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season starts June 1 and runs through November 30, and the U.S. Geological Survey is prepared to provide science that can help guide efforts to protect lives and property if a major storm makes landfall this season.
President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Makes Significant Investments in USGS Initiatives
Budget proposal promotes science to address climate change, support economic growth, and inform balanced decisions regarding resources
Potential toxicity of pesticides to aquatic life in U.S. rivers is widespread
A new USGS study of pesticides in U.S. rivers and streams reports that, on average, 17 pesticides were detected at least once at the 74 river and stream sites sampled 12 to 24 times per year during 2013–2017. Herbicides were detected much more frequently than insecticides and fungicides.
Publications
Assessment of streamflow and water quality in the Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado, 1992–2018
The Upper Yampa River Basin drains approximately 2,100 square miles west of the Continental Divide in north-western Colorado. There is a growing need to understand potential changes in the quantity and quality of water resources as the basin is undergoing increasing land and water development to support growing municipal, industrial, and...
Day, Natalie K.
Analysis of Escherichia coli, total recoverable iron, and dissolved selenium concentrations, loading, and identifying data gaps for selected 303(d) listed streams, Grand Valley, western Colorado, 1980–2018
Tributaries to the Colorado River in the Grand Valley in western Colorado (segment COLCLC13b) have been placed on the State of Colorado 303(d) list as impaired for Escherichia coli (E. coli), total recoverable iron, and dissolved selenium. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Water Quality Control Division is required to...
Miller, Lisa D.; Gidley, Rachel G.; Day, Natalie K.; Thomas, Judith C.
Beyond streamflow: Call for a national data repository of streamflow presence for streams and rivers in the United States
Observations of the presence or absence of surface water in streams are useful for characterizing streamflow permanence, which includes the frequency, duration, and spatial extent of surface flow in streams and rivers. Such data are particularly valuable for headwater streams, which comprise the vast majority of channel length in stream networks,...
Jaeger, Kristin; Hafen, Konrad; Dunham, Jason B.; Fritz, Ken M.; Kampf, Stephanie K.; Barnhart, Theodore B.; Kaiser, Kendra E.; Sando, Roy; Johnson, Sherri L; McShane, Ryan R.; Dunn, Sarah Beth