Reports
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 82,000 reports authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
Filter Total Items: 85087
Water use across the conterminous United States, water years 2010–20 Water use across the conterminous United States, water years 2010–20
Withdrawals of water for human use are fundamental to the evaluation of the Nation’s water availability. This chapter provides an analysis of public supply, crop irrigation, and thermoelectric power water use for the conterminous United States (CONUS) during water years 2010–20. These three categories account for about 90 percent of water withdrawals in the Nation. The values presented...
Authors
Laura Medalie, Amy E. Galanter, Anthony J. Martinez, Althea A. Archer, Carol L. Luukkonen, Melissa A. Harris, Jonathan V. Haynes
Status of water-quality conditions in the United States, 2010–20 Status of water-quality conditions in the United States, 2010–20
Degradation of water quality can make water harmful or unusable for humans and ecosystems. Although many studies have assessed the effect of individual constituents or narrow suites of constituents on freshwater systems, no consistent, comprehensive assessment exists over the wide range of water-quality effects on water availability. Using published studies, data, and models completed at...
Authors
Melinda L. Erickson, Olivia L. Miller, Matthew J. Cashman, James R. Degnan, James E. Reddy, Anthony J. Martinez, Elmera Azadpour
Water supply in the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, water years 2010–20 Water supply in the conterminous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, water years 2010–20
We present an assessment of water supply across the conterminous United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico covering water years 2010–20. Our analysis drew on two national hydrologic models, the National Hydrologic Model Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System and the Weather Research and Forecasting model hydrologic modeling system. Both models produced estimates of streamflow
Authors
Galen Gorski, Edward G. Stets, Martha A. Scholl, James R. Degnan, John R. Mullaney, Amy E. Galanter, Anthony J. Martinez, Julie Padilla, Jacob H. LaFontaine, Hayley R. Corson-Dosch, Allen Shapiro
The National integrated water availability assessment, water years 2010–20 The National integrated water availability assessment, water years 2010–20
Water availability is fundamentally important to human well-being, economic vitality, and ecosystem health. Because of its central importance, the U.S. Congress tasked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other Federal agencies with conducting regular, comprehensive assessments of water availability in the United States through the requirements under the SECURE Water Act. In response to...
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Althea A. Archer, James R. Degnan, Melinda L. Erickson, Galen Gorski, Laura Medalie, Martha A. Scholl
U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20 U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Water Availability Assessment—2010–20
This professional paper is a multichapter report that assesses water availability in the United States for water years 2010–20. This work was conducted as part of the fulfillment of the mandates of Subtitle F of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11), also known as the SECURE Water Act. As such, this work examines the spatial and temporal distribution of water...
An interagency perspective on improving consistency and transparency of land use and land cover mapping An interagency perspective on improving consistency and transparency of land use and land cover mapping
Authors
Terry Sohl, Karen Schleeweis, Nate Herold, Megan Lang, Inga P. La Puma, James Wickham, Rick Mueller, Matthew Rigge, Jon Dewitz, Jesslyn F. Brown, Jeffrey Ingebritsen, James Ellenwood, Ellen Wengert, Jordan Rowe, Patrick Flanagan, Emily Kachergis, Iris J. Garthwaite, Zhuoting Wu
Groundwater-level elevations in the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers and Upper Black Squirrel Creek alluvial aquifer, El Paso County, Colorado, 2021–24 Groundwater-level elevations in the Denver Basin bedrock aquifers and Upper Black Squirrel Creek alluvial aquifer, El Paso County, Colorado, 2021–24
El Paso County is the second-most populous county in Colorado and is projected to grow another 15 percent by 2030. Within El Paso County is the Upper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Groundwater Basin (Black Squirrel Basin), an area where surface water is scarce and water users rely primarily on groundwater from five different aquifers (the Upper Black Squirrel Creek alluvial aquifer and...
Authors
Zachary D. Kisfalusi, Erin K. Hennessy, Jackson B. Sharp
U.S. Geological Survey National Groundwater Climate Response Network U.S. Geological Survey National Groundwater Climate Response Network
Authors
Rodney R. Caldwell, Jason M. Fine
Integrated Hydro-terrestrial Modeling 2.0: Progress and path forward on building a national capability Integrated Hydro-terrestrial Modeling 2.0: Progress and path forward on building a national capability
Growing societal pressures on U.S. water resources and the challenges inherent in understanding how future water risks may evolve are driving major investments to improve our knowledge of the integrated water cycle. This improved understanding as captured in innovations in our data, knowledge, and modeling capabilities, needs to be accelerated through better integration and coordination...
Authors
Katherine Skalak, Nathalie Voisin, Patrick Read, Ying Fan Reinfelder
Parentage and sibship relationships among captive snakes at the Phoenix Zoo—2024 data summary Parentage and sibship relationships among captive snakes at the Phoenix Zoo—2024 data summary
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Anna Mitelberg, Amy G. Vandergast
Bison population dynamics, harvest, and conflict potential under feedground management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Bison population dynamics, harvest, and conflict potential under feedground management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
Bison bison (bison) were once abundant across North America but declined due to overharvesting in the late 1800s. The reintroduced population in and around Jackson, Wyoming has averaged 485 individuals between 2018–2023 and is the subject of a planning process to inform management strategies that will guide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” for the...
Authors
Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. McEachran, Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K Cole