Water Resources
Current Real-Time Stream Flow Conditions
Learn MoreData and Tools
The USGS Water Resources Mission Area provides water information that is fundamental to national and local economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective management of the Nation’s water resources. Below, find data and tools relevant to a wide range of water resources and conditions including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and water use and availability.
USGS Water Data for the Nation
Access to water data collected at approximately 1.9 million sites
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Geolog Locator
The USGS GeoLog Locator is a web-based tool for storage and retrieval of borehole-geophysical logs and related data files.
Geo Data Portal
The Geo Data Portal (GDP) provides access to numerous datasets, including gridded data for climate and land use. Datasets can be subsetted or summarized before download using several algorithms, and these algorithms can also be applied to other datasets hosted elsewhere.
Hurricane Maria's Water Footprint
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, bringing with it a mix of high winds and extreme rainfall. Watch this map animate Hurricane Maria's path, the cumulative precipitation the storm dropped on the island, and the impact of rainfall on river gage height.
Hurricane Irma's Water Footprint
Hurricane Irma, the most intense hurricane observed in the Atlantic in the last decade, approached the west coast of Florida on September 10th, 2017. This map animates the hurricane's path, cumulative precipitation, and its impact on river gage height.
Hurricane Harvey's Water Footprint
Hurricane Harvey approached the U.S. Gulf coast on August 25, 2017. This map shows the hurricane's impact on precipitation and streamflow.
Hurricane Matthew's Water Footprint
Hurricane Matthew approached the southeastern U.S. coast on October 7, 2016. This is a data visualization that shows the hurricane's impact on precipitation and streamflow.
Hurricane Florence's Water Footprint
Watch Florence move through the Carolinas in this data visualization and see USGS streamgage measurements spike as the storm’s extreme rainfall leads to intense flooding.
Shifts in Fish Habitat Under Climate Change
Lakes in Wisconsin are getting warmer, and fish communities are changing as a result. This interactive visualization explores water temperature, fish populations, and potential changes based on several future water temperature scenarios.
Microplastics in our Nation's Waterways
Microplastics, plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter, are a contaminant of emerging concern in aquatic environments. This interactive visualization explores classifications and potential sources of microplastics in the Great Lakes.
Drought in the Colorado River Basin - Insights Using Open Data
Since 2000, the Colorado River Basin has been experiencing a historic, extended drought that has impacted regional water supply and other resources, such as hydropower, recreation, and ecologic services. This visualization is part of a multi-agency effort to showcase the usefulness of open data by exploring the current 16-year drought and its effects on the Colorado River Basin.
California Drought, Visualized with Open Data
The State of California is experiencing one of the most severe droughts on record, which has implications for citizens of California and beyond. This website graphically visualizes these data to help understand the effect of drought on rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs.
Changes in imperviousness for U.S. urban areas, 1974-2012
This product consists of two sets of imperviousness calculations for 3,535 urban areas and urban clusters in the conterminous United States. Imperviousness is given as the percent of the area covered by impervious surfaces, such as roads, buildings, or parking lots.