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Staff Profiles

Jon Wilson

Hydrologist

Nevada Water Science Center

jwilson@usgs.gov

Phone

702-823-1235

0000-0003-4391-5318

500 Date Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
United States

Expertise

Streamflow

Groundwater and Surface-water Interaction

Research Drilling

Jon Wilson is the acting director of the USGS Research Drilling Program, which drills in support of research across the bureau and for partner agencies. He is also a hydrologist in the Southern Nevada Hydrologic Studies Unit.

Jon has served as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey since 1994, contributing to multiple surface-water and groundwater projects in the desert Southwest.

Throughout his tenure, Jon has worked closely with federal, state, and local agencies to collect hydrologic and geologic data, analyzing the effects of land use and water resource management on hydrologic systems.

Jon splits his time as acting director of the USGS Research Drilling Program and as a hydrologist in the Southern Nevada Hydrologic Studies Unit. With the Research Drilling Program, he coordinates and supervises borehole drilling for wells and subsurface monitoring, as well as the collection of geologic data to evaluate groundwater, mineral, and oil resources. In Southern Nevada, his projects include studying the regional carbonate-rock aquifer, work that involved a cooperative study with the Bureau of Land Management to install six monitoring wells in Clark County and update the regional potentiometric map of the aquifer.

Professional Experience

1994 - Present: Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey

Education and Certifications

Ph.D in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Nevada Las Vegas - Las Vegas, 2020
M.S. in Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas - Las Vegas, 2004
B.S. in Geology, University of Nevada Las Vegas - Las Vegas, 1997

Science and Products

Science
Data
Maps
Multimedia
Publications

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Meadow Valley Wash near Caliente, Nevada

March 19, 2026

Science in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River is one of the longest rivers in the Western United States. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows southwestward until it reaches Mexico where it becomes a small stream or dry riverbed. The Colorado River forms the border between southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. In Nevada, Hoover Dam and Davis Dam control the flow of the river and create two...

Nevada Water Science Center

Science in the Colorado River Basin

March 19, 2026

Science in the Colorado River Basin

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March 19, 2026

Measurements of Stream Discharge and Analysis of Surface Water/Groundwater Interactions in Las Vegas Wash, Las Vegas, NV

The Black Mountain Industrial (BMI) complex, in Henderson, Nevada, has been the site of industrial chemical production since 1942. Perchlorate contaminants, from activities at BMI, have moved through the groundwater system and have been discovered in the Las Vegas Wash, prompting water resource investigations and groundwater treatment by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). The...

Nevada Water Science Center

Measurements of Stream Discharge and Analysis of Surface Water/Groundwater Interactions in Las Vegas Wash, Las Vegas, NV

March 19, 2026

Measurements of Stream Discharge and Analysis of Surface Water/Groundwater Interactions in Las Vegas Wash, Las Vegas, NV

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Drilling a well in the carbonate-rock aquifer, Clark County, Nevada

March 19, 2026

Monitoring Hydrogeologic Conditions in the Regional Carbonate Aquifer, Clark County, Nevada

The USGS Nevada Water Science Center is evaluating and enhancing our current understanding of the hydrologic condition of the regional groundwater flow system in Clark County, Nevada. In order to achieve this objective, monitoring wells were installed in consolidated bedrock in six select regions throughout Clark County. Water-level, elevation, and borehole geophysical data were synthesized and...

Nevada Water Science Center

Monitoring Hydrogeologic Conditions in the Regional Carbonate Aquifer, Clark County, Nevada

March 19, 2026

Monitoring Hydrogeologic Conditions in the Regional Carbonate Aquifer, Clark County, Nevada

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March 11, 2026

Amargosa Integrated Monitoring Network

The National Park Service, Nye County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USGS Nevada Water Science Center (NVWSC) have established a water-level and spring discharge monitoring network in the southern Amargosa Desert to identify long-term trends and monitor potential impacts of activities on groundwater resources. The Amargosa Integrated Monitoring Network (AIMN) continues the long-term...

Nevada Water Science Center

Amargosa Integrated Monitoring Network

March 11, 2026

Amargosa Integrated Monitoring Network

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February 17, 2026

Radiometric analysis (cesium-137 and lead-210) at selected depth intervals from borehole core of impounded sediments in Pahranagat Wash behind Arrow Canyon Dam, northern Clark County, Nevada Radiometric analysis (cesium-137 and lead-210) at selected depth intervals from borehole core of impounded sediments in Pahranagat Wash behind Arrow Canyon Dam, northern Clark County, Nevada

This data release from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) presents the results of radiometric analyses conducted on sediment samples collected in 2016 and 2019 from Pahranagat Wash, behind Arrow Canyon Dam in northern Clark County, Nevada. In 2016, core samples were collected from two well sites: USGS 364453114483401 (ACWEST) and USGS 364448114481001 (ACEAST). Additionally, a shallow...

Nevada Water Science Center

December 2, 2025

Geospatial data for impounded sediments in Pahranagat Wash above Arrow Canyon Dam, in northern Moapa Valley, Nevada Geospatial data for impounded sediments in Pahranagat Wash above Arrow Canyon Dam, in northern Moapa Valley, Nevada

This U.S. Geological Survey data release consists of vector and raster geospatial datasets used to determine the volume of sediment in Pahranagat Wash, impounded above Arrow Canyon Dam, in northern Moapa Valley, Nevada. The data release includes: 1) a raster dataset of a 1-meter resolution digital elevation model (DEM) of the study area created using a lidar (light detection and ranging)...

Nevada Water Science Center, Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment

May 21, 2021

Trace of the lower Las Vegas Wash study area, 2017 Trace of the lower Las Vegas Wash study area, 2017

This vector line dataset represents the lower Las Vegas Wash study area. Surface-water trace was digitized onscreen from Landsat8 and ESRI World Imagery. The trace is used in an accompanying surface-water study to evaluate discharge gains and losses at selected locations in the Lower Las Vegas Wash.

Nevada Water Science Center

May 21, 2019

Drilling, Construction, Water Chemistry, Water Levels, and Regional Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Carbonate-Rock Aquifer in Clark County, Nevada Drilling, Construction, Water Chemistry, Water Levels, and Regional Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Carbonate-Rock Aquifer in Clark County, Nevada

This USGS data release contains the regional potentiometric contours representing the regional potentiometric surface for Clark County, Nevada, 2009-2015. Contours represent the groundwater-level altitude with a 250-foot contour interval and were created from groundwater elevations from 58 wells and surface elevations from 5 springs.

Nevada Water Science Center

October 23, 2018

Waterborne resistivity surveys for streams in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, 2017 Waterborne resistivity surveys for streams in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, 2017

This data release has three components for each of the eight stream lengths: 1) a geospatial dataset of the processed data; 2) tabular data of the processed waterborne resistivity profiling data and associated water-quality data; 3) tabular data of the raw waterborne resistivity data and associated water-quality data. In fresh water aquifers, the geoelectric resistivity of earth...

Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

December 6, 2017

Concentrations of tetrachloroethylene in tree-core and passive soil-gas samples and interpolated tetrachloroethylene soil data at the Vienna Wells site, Maries County, Missouri, 2011-2016 Concentrations of tetrachloroethylene in tree-core and passive soil-gas samples and interpolated tetrachloroethylene soil data at the Vienna Wells site, Maries County, Missouri, 2011-2016

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release contains tree-core, soil-gas, and soil data collected at the Vienna Wells Superfund site in Vienna, Missouri by the U.S. Geological Survey between 2011 and 2016. Concentrations of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) are reported for each sample in each medium. Tree-core sampling was conducted over two days (July 29, 2014 and May 21, 2015). Trees...

Central Midwest Water Science Center

August 30, 2017

Tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and 1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane concentrations in tree-core, groundwater, and soil samples at the Vienna Wells Site: Maries County, Missouri, 2011-2016 Tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and 1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane concentrations in tree-core, groundwater, and soil samples at the Vienna Wells Site: Maries County, Missouri, 2011-2016

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release contains tree-core, groundwater, and soil data collected at the Vienna Wells Superfund site in Vienna, Missouri by the U.S. Geological Survey between 2011 and 2016. Concentrations of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and 1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (CFC-113) are reported for each location or sample in each medium...

Central Midwest Water Science Center

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May 23, 2019

Drilling, construction, water chemistry, water levels, and regional potentiometric surface of the upper carbonate-rock aquifer in Clark County, Nevada, 2009–2015 Drilling, construction, water chemistry, water levels, and regional potentiometric surface of the upper carbonate-rock aquifer in Clark County, Nevada, 2009–2015

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) initiated a cooperative study through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (Bureau of Land Management, 1998) to install six wells in the carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers of Clark County, Nevada, in areas of sparse groundwater data. This map uses water levels from these new wells, water levels from...

Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

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December 16, 2025

Sediment accumulation rates and volume in Pahranagat Wash above Arrow Canyon Dam in northern Moapa Valley, Nevada Sediment accumulation rates and volume in Pahranagat Wash above Arrow Canyon Dam in northern Moapa Valley, Nevada

An evaluation of sediment deposition rates and volume of impounded sediments in Pahranagat Wash behind Arrow Canyon dam in southeastern Nevada was done between 2016 and 2022. Data were collected and interpreted to address concerns by the Moapa Band of Paiutes and local historical preservation groups regarding the burial of culturally important sites by the impounded sediment deposited...

Authors

Jon W. Wilson, Boris Poff, Christopher C. Fuller

Nevada Water Science Center

May 25, 2021

Discharge data collection and analysis and implications for surface-water/groundwater interactions in the lower Las Vegas Wash, Clark County, Nevada, 2016–18 Discharge data collection and analysis and implications for surface-water/groundwater interactions in the lower Las Vegas Wash, Clark County, Nevada, 2016–18

The lower Las Vegas Wash represents the terminal surface drainage for the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. In 1997, high concentrations of perchlorate were found in seeps contributing to discharge in this area and traced to an industrial byproduct from manufacturing operations in the mid-1900s at the nearby Basic Magnesium, Incorporated, plant. The discovery prompted a water...

Authors

Jon W. Wilson

Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

February 1, 2018

Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements

Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the...

Authors

Marlee A. Tucker, Katrin Bohning-Gaese, William F. Fagan, John Fryxell, Bram Van Moorter, Susan C Alberts, Abdullahi H. Ali, Andrew M. Allen, Nina Attias, Tal Avgar, Hattie Bartlam-Brooks, Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar, Jerrold L. Belant, Alessandra Bertassoni, Dean Beyer, Laura Bidner, Floris M. van Beest, Stephen Blake, Niels Blaum, Chloe Bracis, Danielle Brown, P. J. Nico de Bruyn, Francesca Cagnacci, J.M. Calabrese, Constanca Camilo-Alves, Simon Chamaille-Jammes, Andre Chiaradia, Sarah C. Davidson, Todd Dennis, Stephen DeStefano, Duane R. Diefenbach, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Julian Fennessy, Claudia Fichtel, Wolfgang Fiedler, Christina Fischer, Ilya Fischhoff, Christen H. Fleming, Adam T. Ford, Susanne A. Fritz, Benedikt Gehr, Jacob R. Goheen, Eliezer Gurarie, Mark Hebblewhite, Marco Heurich, A. J. Mark Hewison, Christian Hof, Edward Hurme, Lynne A. Isbell, Rene Janssen, Florian Jeltsch, Petra Kaczensky, Adam Kane, Peter M. Kappeler, Matthew J. Kauffman, Roland Kays, Duncan Kimuyu, Flavia Koch, Bart Kranstauber, Scott LaPoint, Peter Leimgruber, John D. C. Linnell, Pascual Lopez-Lopez, A. Catherine Markham, Jenny Mattisson, Emilia Patricia Medici, Ugo Mellone, E. Merrill, Guilherme de Miranda Mourao, Ronaldo G. Morato, Nicolas Morellet, Thomas A. Morrison, Samuel L. Diaz-Munoz, Atle Mysterud, Dejid Nandintsetseg, Ran Nathan, Aidin Niamir, John Odden, Robert B. O’Hara, Luiz G. R. Oliveira-Santos, Kirk A. Olson, Bruce D. Patterson, Rogerio Cunha de Paula, Luca Pedrotti, Bjorn Reineking, Martin Rimmler, T. L. Rogers, Christer Moe Rolandsen, Christopher S. Rosenberry, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Kamran Safi, Sonia Said, Nir Sapir, Hall Sawyer, Niels Martin Schmidt, Nuria Selva, Agnieszka Sergiel, Enkhtuvshin Shiilegdamba, Joao Paulo Silva, N. Singh, Erling J. Solberg, Orr Spiegel, Olav Strand, S.R. Sundaresan, Wiebke Ullmann, Ulrich Voigt, J. Wall, David W. Wattles, Martin Wikelski, Christopher C. Wilmers, John W. Wilson, George Wittemyer, Filip Zieba, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Thomas Mueller

Cooperative Research Units

November 3, 2015

Hydrogeology and sources of water to select springs in Black Canyon, south of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona Hydrogeology and sources of water to select springs in Black Canyon, south of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona

Springs in Black Canyon of the Colorado River, directly south of Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada and Arizona, are important hydrologic features that support a unique riparian ecosystem including habitat for endangered species. Rapid population growth in areas near and surrounding Black Canyon has caused concern among resource managers that such growth could...

Authors

Michael J. Moran, Jon W. Wilson, L. Sue Beard

Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

November 17, 2006

Synoptic Discharge, Water-Property, and pH Measurements for Muddy River Springs Area and Muddy River, Nevada, February 7, 2001 Synoptic Discharge, Water-Property, and pH Measurements for Muddy River Springs Area and Muddy River, Nevada, February 7, 2001

On February 7, 2001, synoptic discharge measurements at selected sites along the Muddy River in Nevada, indicated three trends in discharge resulting from contributions of spring discharge, influences of diversionary flow, and contributions from shallow ground water. Effects from diversionary and tributary flow were local in nature and resulted in a net gain of 2.6 cubic feet per second...

Authors

David A. Beck, Jon W. Wilson

Water Resources Mission Area, Nevada Water Science Center

April 9, 2006