Interviews with staff at Point Reyes National Seashore tell how this National Park Service unit uses USGS science to educate visitors, and manage the park.
Recreational Water Quality Active
People love to play in water. The USGS works to ensure that water in our nation’s streams, lakes, and oceans are suitable for the moments when you just need to jump in.
BACKGROUND
All people depend on water...plain and simple. But a person's dependence on water goes way beyond the basic need to drink it to stay alive. People also rely on water for the joy it brings. Water gives adventurers, wanderers, and lovers of nature a place to play, visit, and appreciate. It can be used to build a sense of community. Likewise, beaches, lakes, and rivers provide recreational opportunities to swim, surf, water ski, scuba dive, sail, boat, or fish. Given the human dependence for water, it’s easy to understand why there is a constant need to study water quality in the Nation’s waterways. The USGS monitors many of the country’s most beloved waters. Much of this effort focuses on assessing the current conditions of popular lakes, beaches, and streams.
MONITORING LAKES, BEACHES, AND STREAMS
Our activities and the ways we use our Nation's lakes, beaches, and streams affect the quality of our drinking water, our recreational opportunities, and the health and diversity of aquatic plants and animals. Our activities also affect whether our rivers and streams will continue to be beautiful places to visit and vistas to contemplate.
The water quality of a nearby lake, a watershed, or along the coast can be enhanced only by collecting good information about conditions and by responding locally to that information. People living and working in an area are often in the best position to identify priority water issues and to understand the political, social, and economic context in which those issues are addressed. The USGS monitors over 7,500 streams for streamflow - great for knowing rafting conditions - and water quality - great for deciding if fish might be biting. The USGS also conducts 1,000s of studies around the country to assess conditions that may affect environmental or human health. This USGS research helps those who manage our Nation's most important recreational resources have the best information to make decisions that keeps our Nation's most important resource - YOU - safe during your next trip.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
- Florence Likely to Cause Short- and Long-Term Beach Erosion
- National Assessment of Storm-Induced Coastal Change Hazards
- Beach Health, Water Quality, USGS Microbiology Research
- Understanding Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- National Parks
- Environmental Protection Agency
Water and recreation go hand-in-hand. Whether you are interested in fishing, swimming, boating, or lounging on a beach, USGS research is there to answer your questions about the natural world around you.
Enhance Great Lakes Beach Recreational Water Quality Decision Making
Beach health in Wisconsin
Recreation Ecology
How are Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds Moving Through the Food Web in Lake Mead National Recreation Area?
Nowcast - Water-Quality Conditions At Beaches And A Recreational River
Whether you are fishing, rafting, or swimming the USGS offers tools and resources to help you plan for your next trip to the water. Let the USGS help you be water aware!”
WaterWatch (surface water)
WaterWatch displays maps, graphs, and tables describing real-time, recent, and past streamflow conditions for the United States, including flood and droughts. Real-time information generally is updated on an hourly basis.
Nowcast Beach Status
Nowcast predicts water quality conditions at select beach swimming areas in the Great Lakes. Nowcast estimates conditions by merging environment and climate data with variables measured at a beach by 8 AM each morning and entering them into a computer program which provides a probability from 1 to 100 as to whether or not the beach has exceeded the bathing-water standard of 235 units of E. coli.
Nowcast - Water-Quality Conditions At Beaches And A Recreational River
The Ohio Nowcast is a system that provides near-real-time beach advisories to the public through use of quick measurements and predictive models.
The USGS produces many types of multimedia products. Use the links below to browse our offerings of photographs, videos, and other files about recreational water research.
Interviews with staff at Point Reyes National Seashore tell how this National Park Service unit uses USGS science to educate visitors, and manage the park.
On the remote western coast of Australia lies a UNESCO World Heritage Site above and below the sea. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Western Australia convened here at Ningaloo Reef and Jurabi Coastal Reserve to embark on the most extensive study EVER done into how coral reefs shape our coasts.
On the remote western coast of Australia lies a UNESCO World Heritage Site above and below the sea. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Western Australia convened here at Ningaloo Reef and Jurabi Coastal Reserve to embark on the most extensive study EVER done into how coral reefs shape our coasts.
In this episode we explore how scientists for the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program investigate the ecological health of rivers and streams across the United States. Focusing on a recent sampling effort along the Minam River in northeast Oregon, this video highlights USGS sampling methods for fish, macroinvertebrates (bugs), algae, and habitat.
In this episode we explore how scientists for the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program investigate the ecological health of rivers and streams across the United States. Focusing on a recent sampling effort along the Minam River in northeast Oregon, this video highlights USGS sampling methods for fish, macroinvertebrates (bugs), algae, and habitat.
Here are examples of USGS publications that shed light on conditions of our nation's lakes, streams, and coasts.
The relative contribution of waves, tides, and nontidal residuals to extreme total water levels on U.S. West Coast sandy beaches
Predicting recreational water quality advisories: A comparison of statistical methods
Wildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Vulnerability of U.S. National Parks to Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Change
Wilderness restoration: What role does it play in managing recreational impacts
Whether you are fishing, rafting, or swimming the USGS offers tools and resources to help you plan for your next trip to the water. Let the USGS help you be water aware!”
WaterAlert
The U.S. Geological Survey WaterAlert service provides notifications to your email or phone for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose.
WaterQualityWatch
WaterQualityWatch provides access to real-time water-quality data collected at more than 2,000 stream sites throughout the United States, including streamflow, water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and nitrate.
See what is newsworthy concerning water-quality in the Nation's lakes and rivers.
Below are frequently asked questions associated with USGS water-quality research.
Why are some lakes full of algae and thick plants?
Plants naturally grow in and around lakes, but sometimes lakes and ponds can get an overgrowth of plants, algae, or bacteria. In many cases, humans are responsible. Chemicals that are used on lawns and in agriculture (like nitrogen and potassium) wash into our water systems. Once there, plants and algae have a feast on this “food”. Sometimes overgrowths of cyanobacteria (called “blooms”) can make...
- Overview
People love to play in water. The USGS works to ensure that water in our nation’s streams, lakes, and oceans are suitable for the moments when you just need to jump in.
BACKGROUND
All people depend on water...plain and simple. But a person's dependence on water goes way beyond the basic need to drink it to stay alive. People also rely on water for the joy it brings. Water gives adventurers, wanderers, and lovers of nature a place to play, visit, and appreciate. It can be used to build a sense of community. Likewise, beaches, lakes, and rivers provide recreational opportunities to swim, surf, water ski, scuba dive, sail, boat, or fish. Given the human dependence for water, it’s easy to understand why there is a constant need to study water quality in the Nation’s waterways. The USGS monitors many of the country’s most beloved waters. Much of this effort focuses on assessing the current conditions of popular lakes, beaches, and streams.
MONITORING LAKES, BEACHES, AND STREAMS
Our activities and the ways we use our Nation's lakes, beaches, and streams affect the quality of our drinking water, our recreational opportunities, and the health and diversity of aquatic plants and animals. Our activities also affect whether our rivers and streams will continue to be beautiful places to visit and vistas to contemplate.
The water quality of a nearby lake, a watershed, or along the coast can be enhanced only by collecting good information about conditions and by responding locally to that information. People living and working in an area are often in the best position to identify priority water issues and to understand the political, social, and economic context in which those issues are addressed. The USGS monitors over 7,500 streams for streamflow - great for knowing rafting conditions - and water quality - great for deciding if fish might be biting. The USGS also conducts 1,000s of studies around the country to assess conditions that may affect environmental or human health. This USGS research helps those who manage our Nation's most important recreational resources have the best information to make decisions that keeps our Nation's most important resource - YOU - safe during your next trip.
RELATED USGS RESEARCH
- Florence Likely to Cause Short- and Long-Term Beach Erosion
- National Assessment of Storm-Induced Coastal Change Hazards
- Beach Health, Water Quality, USGS Microbiology Research
- Understanding Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- National Parks
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Science
Water and recreation go hand-in-hand. Whether you are interested in fishing, swimming, boating, or lounging on a beach, USGS research is there to answer your questions about the natural world around you.
Enhance Great Lakes Beach Recreational Water Quality Decision Making
Important questions about beach closures and management remain unanswered in the Great Lakes where over 500 beaches are routinely used along the nearly 11,000 miles of coastline. The economies of coastal areas are dependent on public confidence in the quality of water at the shoreline, and beach managers need reliable science-based information to make beach closure and beach management decisions...Beach health in Wisconsin
Beach water-quality (beach health) data are collected for both coastal and inland Wisconsin beaches. These data are collected and analyzed by multiple agencies throughout Wisconsin including local health departments, universities, state agencies, and federal agencies including the USGS.Recreation Ecology
Wilderness areas in the United States are preserved for their untrammeled naturalness and opportunities for unconfined recreation. In park and wilderness management, integrating social and resource indicators is essential to meet park mandates that require the protection of both experiential and resource conditions. Recreation ecology examines the effects of recreation on protected area ecosystems...How are Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds Moving Through the Food Web in Lake Mead National Recreation Area?
Water quality in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAKE), particularly Las Vegas Bay, is affected by water coming from the Las Vegas Wash, an urban perennial stream whose water is comprised of treated wastewater and urban runoff coming from the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Common carp collected from Las Vegas Wash and Las Vegas Bay and largemouth bass collected from Las Vegas Bay have...Nowcast - Water-Quality Conditions At Beaches And A Recreational River
Local agencies monitor water to measure the concentration of Escherichia coli (E. coli)—an indicator bacterium found in sewage and other animal wastes—to determine whether the water is safe for contact recreation such as swimming or canoeing. Conventional analytical methods can take 18 to 24 hours to yield results. To improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water-quality assessments... - Data
Whether you are fishing, rafting, or swimming the USGS offers tools and resources to help you plan for your next trip to the water. Let the USGS help you be water aware!”
WaterWatch (surface water)
WaterWatch displays maps, graphs, and tables describing real-time, recent, and past streamflow conditions for the United States, including flood and droughts. Real-time information generally is updated on an hourly basis.
Nowcast Beach Status
Nowcast predicts water quality conditions at select beach swimming areas in the Great Lakes. Nowcast estimates conditions by merging environment and climate data with variables measured at a beach by 8 AM each morning and entering them into a computer program which provides a probability from 1 to 100 as to whether or not the beach has exceeded the bathing-water standard of 235 units of E. coli.
Nowcast - Water-Quality Conditions At Beaches And A Recreational River
The Ohio Nowcast is a system that provides near-real-time beach advisories to the public through use of quick measurements and predictive models.
- Multimedia
The USGS produces many types of multimedia products. Use the links below to browse our offerings of photographs, videos, and other files about recreational water research.
USGS Science in Point Reyes National Seashore (California)USGS Science in Point Reyes National Seashore (California)USGS Science in Point Reyes National Seashore (California)Interviews with staff at Point Reyes National Seashore tell how this National Park Service unit uses USGS science to educate visitors, and manage the park.
ByCore Science Systems, Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Earthquake Hazards, National Land Imaging Program, Landslide Hazards, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Wildlife Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Communications and PublishingInterviews with staff at Point Reyes National Seashore tell how this National Park Service unit uses USGS science to educate visitors, and manage the park.
ByCore Science Systems, Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Earthquake Hazards, National Land Imaging Program, Landslide Hazards, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Wildlife Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Communications and PublishingBreaking Down Reefs, Building Up BeachesOn the remote western coast of Australia lies a UNESCO World Heritage Site above and below the sea. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Western Australia convened here at Ningaloo Reef and Jurabi Coastal Reserve to embark on the most extensive study EVER done into how coral reefs shape our coasts.
On the remote western coast of Australia lies a UNESCO World Heritage Site above and below the sea. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Western Australia convened here at Ningaloo Reef and Jurabi Coastal Reserve to embark on the most extensive study EVER done into how coral reefs shape our coasts.
A Study in Stream EcologyIn this episode we explore how scientists for the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program investigate the ecological health of rivers and streams across the United States. Focusing on a recent sampling effort along the Minam River in northeast Oregon, this video highlights USGS sampling methods for fish, macroinvertebrates (bugs), algae, and habitat.
In this episode we explore how scientists for the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program investigate the ecological health of rivers and streams across the United States. Focusing on a recent sampling effort along the Minam River in northeast Oregon, this video highlights USGS sampling methods for fish, macroinvertebrates (bugs), algae, and habitat.
Lake of the Sky: USGS Tahoe Basin Science - Publications
Here are examples of USGS publications that shed light on conditions of our nation's lakes, streams, and coasts.
The relative contribution of waves, tides, and nontidal residuals to extreme total water levels on U.S. West Coast sandy beaches
To better understand how individual processes combine to cause flooding and erosion events, we investigate the relative contribution of tides, waves, and nontidal residuals to extreme total water levels (TWLs) at the shoreline of U.S. West Coast sandy beaches. Extreme TWLs, defined as the observed annual maximum event and the simulated 100 year return level event, peak in Washington, and are on avAuthorsKatherine A. Serafin, Peter Ruggiero, Hilary F. StockdonPredicting recreational water quality advisories: A comparison of statistical methods
Epidemiological studies indicate that fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in beach water are associated with illnesses among people having contact with the water. In order to mitigate public health impacts, many beaches are posted with an advisory when the concentration of FIB exceeds a beach action value. The most commonly used method of measuring FIB concentration takes 18–24 h before returning a resAuthorsWesley R. Brooks, Steven R. Corsi, Michael N. Fienen, Rebecca B. CarvinWildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Jeorse Park Beach, on southern Lake Michigan, experiences frequent closures due to high Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels since regular monitoring was implemented in 2005. During the summer of 2010, contaminant source tracking techniques, such as the conventional microbial and physical surveys and hydrodynamic models, were used to determine the reasons for poor water quality at Jeorse Park. FecalAuthorsMuruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Dawn A. Shively, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-KellyVulnerability of U.S. National Parks to Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Change
No abstract available.AuthorsE. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress Williams, Rebecca BeaversWilderness restoration: What role does it play in managing recreational impacts
No abstract available.AuthorsJ. L. Marion - Web Tools
Whether you are fishing, rafting, or swimming the USGS offers tools and resources to help you plan for your next trip to the water. Let the USGS help you be water aware!”
WaterAlert
The U.S. Geological Survey WaterAlert service provides notifications to your email or phone for changes in water conditions based on thresholds you choose.
ByWater Resources Mission Area, Idaho Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF), National Water Quality Laboratory, Water Science SchoolWaterQualityWatch
WaterQualityWatch provides access to real-time water-quality data collected at more than 2,000 stream sites throughout the United States, including streamflow, water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and nitrate.
- News
See what is newsworthy concerning water-quality in the Nation's lakes and rivers.
- FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions associated with USGS water-quality research.
Why are some lakes full of algae and thick plants?
Plants naturally grow in and around lakes, but sometimes lakes and ponds can get an overgrowth of plants, algae, or bacteria. In many cases, humans are responsible. Chemicals that are used on lawns and in agriculture (like nitrogen and potassium) wash into our water systems. Once there, plants and algae have a feast on this “food”. Sometimes overgrowths of cyanobacteria (called “blooms”) can make...