Data Access Tools

Long-term groundwater-level data are fundamental to the resolution of problems dealing with groundwater availability and sustainability. Significant periods of time typically are required to collect water-level data needed to assess the effects of climate variability, to monitor the effects of regional aquifer development, or to obtain data sufficient for analysis of water-level trends.

Streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs are important natural resources for irrigation, public supply, wetlands and wildlife.  Excess precipitation that flows into these sources is called runoff, and it's an important drought indicator.  The California Water Science Center tracks both monthly and annual runoff. 

Careful observation and analysis of the movement and condition of surface water is essential for understanding this resource, especially during times of drought. The California Water Science Center uses a network of more than 500 streamgages to collect real-time data on surface water at locations across the state.

The EDNA Watershed Atlas contains watershed characteristics for major named rivers of the contiguous U.S. including maps, images, legends, and statistics derived from the EDNA Watershed Characteristics model.

In order to understand the integrated hydrologic systems in the San Antonio Creek Valley, many different types of data are being gathered from both the surface water and groundwater system. Learn about these data types and explore them with the interactive map.

The USGS models shown on this site are in the public domain, and are freely available. They are based on MODFLOW and other public-domain USGS software. Links to publications and web resources associated with each model are shown in the table next to the model map. The associated model files for some of these models are currently available via download.

Coal Assessment Data Sets

Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010) Viewer Notes

The viewer uses extensive JavaScript and frames which means some browsers may not be able to support full interactive capabilities.

Additionally, the viewer may be difficult for some users to interpret. These users may contact EROS Customer Services, or the maintainer of these pages for assistance.

Colorado Plateau Data Sets from the Central Energy Resources Science Center Coal Assessment

Coal Assessment Data Download

The Lower Colorado Monitoring Network is a series of groundwater-level and water-quality wells, as well as streamgages and micro-gravity sites. This interactive map displays the sites and provides links to the most current data.

In California, land subsidence—mostly from groundwater pumping—was first documented by the USGS in the early 20th century. Completion of State and Federal water projects that bring water from California's wet north to its dry south allowed some groundwater aquifers to recover, and subsidence decreased in these areas. Subsidence continues today, sometimes at high rates of more than 1 foot/year.