Streamflow monitoring
Announcing the National Water Dashboard!
Our new interactive, mobile-friendly tool provides real-time water, weather, and flood information all in one place
The USGS works in partnership with more than 1,885 Federal, regional, State, Tribal, and local agencies or organizations to maintain and manage a multipurpose network of streamgages that monitor streamflow and (or) water level.
USGS Streamgaging
The USGS operates a multipurpose streamgaging network that includes more than 10,000 streamgages and meets many diverse needs.
Next Generation Water Observing System
The NGWOS will provide quantitative info on streamflow, evapotranspiration, snowpack, soil moisture, water quality, groundwater / surface water connections, and water use.
The USGS works in partnership with more than 1,885 Federal, regional, State, Tribal, and local agencies or organizations to maintain and manage a multipurpose network of streamgages that monitor streamflow and (or) water level. Approximately 8,500 of the more than 11,300 USGS streamgages in the network continuously monitor streamflow year-round and are collectively referred to as the National ‘Streamflow’ Network (NSN). Approximately 40% of the NSN are part of the Federal Priority Streamgages network (FPS), which was designed at Congress request to support national needs and serve as a backbone network that is not vulnerable to changing local priorities and resources and that is ‘hardened’ against extreme events. USGS streamgage data are made available online and are used by governmental organizations, private industries, and the general public. The data form the scientific basis for decision making related to protection of life and property from water-related hazards, such as floods; cost-effective management of freshwater that is safe and available for drinking, irrigation, energy, industry, recreation, and ecosystem health; and national, State, Tribal, and local economic well-being. In addition to maintaining and managing a national network of streamgages, the GWSIP ensures the integrity and quality of the data and information produced by its streamflow monitoring program by investing in quality assurance, and research and development.
Stakeholder Quotes
“The independent, science-based streamflow information that we obtain from USGS gages is paramount to assuring compliance under our various interstate compacts with our neighboring states.”
Julie Cunningham, Oklahoma Water Resources Board
“I wanted to thank your team for their stellar work yesterday moving/installing new instruments at both dams [Barker and Addicks reservoirs]. It allows us to continue to use our assets and monitoring systems of the dams in the way we intended, allowing us to do more intensive monitoring elsewhere. The professionalism and skill your team displayed should make all taxpayers proud. Truly above and beyond.”
Coraggio Maglio, P.E., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District
Related Content
USGS Streamgaging Network
Next Generation Water Observing System: Delaware River Basin
Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs)
StreamStats: Streamflow Statistics and Spatial Analysis Tools for Water-Resources Applications
USGS Flood Information
Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS)
Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network
Related Content
- Science
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.Next Generation Water Observing System: Delaware River Basin
The USGS Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) provides high-fidelity, real-time data on water quantity and quality necessary to support modern water prediction and decision support systems for water emergencies and daily water operations. The Delaware River Basin was the first NGWOS basin, providing an opportunity to implement the program in a nationally important, complex interstate...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.StreamStats: Streamflow Statistics and Spatial Analysis Tools for Water-Resources Applications
StreamStats provides access to spatial analytical tools that are useful for water-resources planning and management, and for engineering and design purposes. The map-based user interface can be used to delineate drainage areas, get basin characteristics and estimates of flow statistics, and more. Available information varies from state to state.USGS Flood Information
The USGS collects flood data and conducts targeted flood science to help Federal, State, and local agencies, decision makers, and the public before, during, and after a flood. Our efforts provide situational awareness, drive predictive models, inform infrastructure design and operation, undergird floodplain mapping, assist flood constituent/load quantification, and facilitate flood impact...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 4,756 eligible sites for the larger USGS streamgaging network of 11,885 sites (2023) that is operated by...Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network
During large coastal storms, the storm surge and waves are the main cause of destruction and landscape change, transporting saline water, sediment, and debris inland. The USGS, in collaboration with stakeholders, has constructed a national Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network for the Atlantic, Eastern Pacific, and Central Pacific. SWaTH monitors and documents the height, extent, and... - Data
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