Water Resources

Fallow field on the left and dryland wheat on the right, northwestern corner of the Fort Peck Reservation (near Larslan, MT)

This is an animation showing the changing conditions of USGS streamgages from January 1, 2019 to June 1, 2019. The conditions shown range from the driest condition seen at a gage (red open circles) to the wettest (blue closed circles). There is also a purple ring added to indicate gages that are flooding. During the animation, three locations in TN broke record water

This DataVisualization shows the severity of flooding in the Midwest . As of June 1, 2019, 17 USGS streamgage sites in red had the highest streamflow for the entire period of record available. Both the Mississippi and the Arkansas rivers are seeing record breaking flows. USGS employees  continue to work extensively deploying equipment and making measurements of streamflow

USGS gage number 09328990 Colorado River above Dirty Devil River near Hite, UT

Photographer: Chris Wilkowske

Photograph of USGS employee conducting a measurement in a stream using a mechanical current meter.

USGS employee on a cable way above a river using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler.

USGS hydrographers collect tens of thousands of streamflow measurements every year. In-water work by personnel is one of the most dangerous aspects of USGS hydrologic studies, especially during high-flow conditions. In May 2019, USGS continued testing of a light-weight, self-contained ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system that can be mounted on a small drone. We are

The USGS, in cooperative research and development with GuidelineGEO, tested an 80 GHz self contained ground penetrating radar unit on a DJI Matrice 600 hexcopter (left). This platform was tested for flight performance and for measurement of river channel cross-sectional area as well as river water depth and river width. (Right)

2019 Aquatic Airshow participants at the Androscoggin River in Auburn Maine, May 1, 2019, photograph by Mario Martin-Alciati USGS.  Bottom row L-R: Andy Massey, John Fulton, Sandy Brosnahan, John Young, Russ Lotspeich; Top row L-R: Frank Engel, Tom Orcutt, Per Westholm, Curtis Yaeger, Qassim Abdullah, Mark Harvey, Eric White, Sean Andrews, John Lane, Jeff Kinsey, Jack

USGS hydrographers collect tens of thousands of streamflow measurements every year. In-water work by personnel is one of the most dangerous aspects of USGS hydrologic studies, especially during high-flow conditions. In May 2019, USGS continued testing of a light-weight, self-contained ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system that can be mounted on a small drone. We are

The sensor mounted on the drone is called the Qcam and is a Doppler radar sensor providing velocity from a hovering position above the river. USGS hydrologic technician (left) aboard a USGS John Boat mounted with Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler observes the Qcam conducting a measurement. (Right) The 3DR solo quadcopter mounted with Qcam is prepared to take off.