Water Resources Mission Area
Water information is fundamental to national and local economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective management of the Nation’s water resources. The USGS works with partners to monitor, assess, conduct targeted research, and deliver information on a wide range of water resources and conditions including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, and water use and availability.
Message from the Associate Director
Message from the Associate Director
Learn more about the Mission Area from the Associate Director for Water Resources.
Water Data for the Nation
Water Data for the Nation
Water data collected at approximately 1.9 million sites across all 50 states.
News
Studies Reveal Presence and Distribution of PFAS in New Mexico's Water Resources
Studies Reveal Presence and Distribution of PFAS in New Mexico's Water Resources
Media Alert: USGS field crews to study avalanche prone regions using airborne techniques near Durango
Media Alert: USGS field crews to study avalanche prone regions using airborne techniques near Durango
World Water Day: How the USGS is using imagery as data for water science
World Water Day: How the USGS is using imagery as data for water science
Publications
Nutrient chemistry in the Elizabeth Lake subwatershed—Effects of onsite wastewater treatment systems on groundwater and lake water quality, Los Angeles County, California
Nutrient (nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P] chemistry) downgradient from onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) was evaluated with a groundwater study in the area surrounding Elizabeth Lake, the largest of three sag lakes within the Santa Clara River watershed of Los Angeles County, California.Elizabeth Lake is listed on the “303 (d) Impaired Waters List” for excess nutrients and is downgradient
Basin-scale responses of groundwater-resource quality to drought and recovery, San Joaquin Valley, California
Groundwater-resource quality is assumed to be less responsive to drought compared to that of surface water due to relatively long transit times of recharge to drinking-supply wells. Here, we evidence dynamic perturbations in aquifer pressure dynamics during drought and subsequent recovery periods cause dramatic shifts in groundwater quality on a basin scale. We used a novel application of time-ser
Opportunities and challenges for precipitation forcing data in post-wildfire hydrologic modeling applications
The frequency and extent of wildfires have increased in recent decades with immediate and cascading effects on water availability in many regions of the world. Precipitation is used as primary input to hydrologic models and is a critical driver of post-wildfire hydrologic hazards including debris flows, flash floods, water-quality effects, and reservoir sedimentation. These models are valuable too
Science
Phosphorus in the Susquehanna River may be tied to legacy sediment and changing pH
The Susquehanna River is the predominant source of freshwater and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay.
Eyes on Earth Episode 114 – The Color of Water with Landsat
We’re going to find out how researchers took an old data technique in freshwater science—physically sampling lake water—and reinvented it using satellite technology to study water quality in lakes across the U.S.
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Water Node
Get access to spatial datasets related to water through the NSDI node on ScienceBase.