Get the facts and figures about the USGS Streamgaging Network, one of the largest streamgaging enterprises in the world!
All numbers below are for the 2017 Water Year.
Streamflow and Water-Level Gages
(operated year-round or seasonally)
10,330 gages
- 8,580 monitored streamflow and water level
- 1,750 monitored water level
80,000 measurements made by hydrographers
Key Networks
National Streamflow Network (NSN)
(monitored streamflow year-round and met a variety of local, State, and Federal needs)
8,230 gages
- 5,030 had more than 30 years of record
- 330 had more than 100 years of record
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS) Network
(met Federal priority information needs)
3,640 gages
- 3,200 monitored streamflow year-round
(included in the National Streamflow Network) - 440 monitored water level or operated seasonally
- 1,120 eligible locations lacked funding
Funding
$188 million
- $55 million from Federal appropriation
- $133 million from 1,410 partners
Water Data Delivery
640 million requests made for streamflow info
- 98 percent fulfilled through web services
Below are other science projects associated with the USGS streamgaging network.
USGS Streamgaging Network
Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs)
Streamgaging Basics
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS)
Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrologic (SWaTH) Network in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia
Below are multimedia items associated with the USGS streamgaging network.
Below are data or web applications associated with the USGS streamgaging network.
National Water Dashboard (NWD)
The National Water Dashboard (NWD) is a mobile, interactive tool that provides real-time information on water levels, weather, and flood forecasts - all in one place on a computer, smartphone, or other mobile device. The NWD presents real-time stream, lake and reservoir, precipitation, and groundwater data from more than 13,500 USGS observation stations across the country.
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.
NWIS Current Water Data for the Nation (Real-Time Data)
The USGS provides real-time or near-real-time conditions water data at sites across the Nation. Current data typically are recorded at 15- to 60-minute intervals, stored onsite, and then transmitted to USGS offices every 1 to 4 hours, depending on the data relay technique used. Recording and transmission times may be more frequent during critical events.
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.
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS) Mapper
This mapper identifies USGS Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS). FPS are monitoring stations that track the amount of water in streams and rivers across the Nation to meet long-term federal information needs. They are strategically positioned to serve as a backbone for the larger National Streamflow Network that is operated in cooperation with over 1,200 federal, state, tribal, and local agencies.
USGS Water Services
This site serves USGS water data (streamflow, groundwater, water quality, site information, and statistics) via automated means using web services and extensible markup language (XML), as well as other popular media types. Services are invoked with the REST protocol. These services designed for high fault tolerance and very high availability.
Endangered, Discontinued, and Rescued Streamgages Mapper
This mapper identifies USGS streamgages that are in danger of being discontinued or converted to a reduced level of service due to lack of funding, gages that already have been discontinued, and gages that have been ‘rescued’ by a new funding source.
- Overview
Get the facts and figures about the USGS Streamgaging Network, one of the largest streamgaging enterprises in the world!
USGS streamgage 05014500 Swiftcurrent Creek at Many Glacier, Glacier National Park, MT (Credit: Don Bischoff, USGS) All numbers below are for the 2017 Water Year.
Streamflow and Water-Level Gages
(operated year-round or seasonally)
10,330 gages
- 8,580 monitored streamflow and water level
- 1,750 monitored water level
80,000 measurements made by hydrographers
Key Networks
Gage house for the streamgage on the Souris River above Minot, North Dakota. (Credit: Brent R. Hanson, USGS) National Streamflow Network (NSN)
(monitored streamflow year-round and met a variety of local, State, and Federal needs)8,230 gages
- 5,030 had more than 30 years of record
- 330 had more than 100 years of record
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS) Network
(met Federal priority information needs)3,640 gages
- 3,200 monitored streamflow year-round
(included in the National Streamflow Network) - 440 monitored water level or operated seasonally
- 1,120 eligible locations lacked funding
USGS streamgage 12355342 Hallowat Creek abv Kletomus Ck, nr Olney, MT (Credit: Seth Davidson, USGS) Funding
$188 million
- $55 million from Federal appropriation
- $133 million from 1,410 partners
Water Data Delivery
640 million requests made for streamflow info
- 98 percent fulfilled through web services
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with the USGS streamgaging network.
USGS Streamgaging Network
The USGS Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program supports the collection and (or) delivery of both streamflow and water-level information at approximately 8,500 sites and water-level information alone for more than 1,700 additional sites. The data are served online—most in near realtime—to meet many diverse needs.Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs)
Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs) are fully-functional streamgages designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit stream stage data in emergency situations.Streamgaging Basics
A streamgage is a structure installed beside a stream or river that contains equipment that measures and records the water level (called gage height or stage) of the stream. Streamflow (also called discharge) is computed from measured water levels using a site-specific relation (called a stage-discharge rating curve) developed from onsite water level and streamflow measurements made by USGS...Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS)
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS) are monitoring stations that track the amount of water in streams and rivers across the Nation and that meet one or more strategic, long-term Federal information needs. FPS are strategically positioned across the Nation to serve, in part, as a “backbone” of 4,758 eligible sites for the larger USGS streamgaging network of 11,531 sites (2021) that is operated by...Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrologic (SWaTH) Network in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia
Many U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Centers have responsibilities for coastal regions within their mission areas. The integrated Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrologic (SWaTH) Network has been developed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to support model development and verification for coastal regions, detection of hydrologic trends, and early warning of hydrologic hazards in the northeast from... - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with the USGS streamgaging network.
- Web Tools
Below are data or web applications associated with the USGS streamgaging network.
National Water Dashboard (NWD)
The National Water Dashboard (NWD) is a mobile, interactive tool that provides real-time information on water levels, weather, and flood forecasts - all in one place on a computer, smartphone, or other mobile device. The NWD presents real-time stream, lake and reservoir, precipitation, and groundwater data from more than 13,500 USGS observation stations across the country.
ByWater Resources, Alaska Science Center, Arizona Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center (CFWSC), Central Midwest Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Dakota Water Science Center, Idaho Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Nebraska Water Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, New England Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Islands Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF)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, 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 LaboratoryNWIS Current Water Data for the Nation (Real-Time Data)
The USGS provides real-time or near-real-time conditions water data at sites across the Nation. Current data typically are recorded at 15- to 60-minute intervals, stored onsite, and then transmitted to USGS offices every 1 to 4 hours, depending on the data relay technique used. Recording and transmission times may be more frequent during critical events.
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.
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS) Mapper
This mapper identifies USGS Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS). FPS are monitoring stations that track the amount of water in streams and rivers across the Nation to meet long-term federal information needs. They are strategically positioned to serve as a backbone for the larger National Streamflow Network that is operated in cooperation with over 1,200 federal, state, tribal, and local agencies.
USGS Water Services
This site serves USGS water data (streamflow, groundwater, water quality, site information, and statistics) via automated means using web services and extensible markup language (XML), as well as other popular media types. Services are invoked with the REST protocol. These services designed for high fault tolerance and very high availability.
Endangered, Discontinued, and Rescued Streamgages Mapper
This mapper identifies USGS streamgages that are in danger of being discontinued or converted to a reduced level of service due to lack of funding, gages that already have been discontinued, and gages that have been ‘rescued’ by a new funding source.