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The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) mission is to provide reliable scientific information about the Nation's natural resources. An integral part of that mission is to provide consistent, long-term water-resources data. To do so, the Central Midwest WSC operates a widespread surface and ground-water data collection network as well as research on a wide range of scientific issues.
Link to Science CenterNews
USGS Mobile Water Quality Sensor on Mississippi River Boat
U.S. Geological Survey expands its network of water-quality sensors to include the American Queen Steamboat as she travels the entire length of the Mississippi River collecting nutrient levels and water-quality data along the way. (Image Courtesy: Iowa Public Radio, Iowa City, Iowa, limited use USGS only)
Media Advisory: USGS Assesses Iowa Flood Levels for Emergency Preparedness
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they inspect high-water marks? Please contact Marisa Lubeck or Paul Rydlund.
Groundwater Quality in the Midwest: The Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer System
A regional assessment of untreated groundwater in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, which includes parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana, is now available from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Publications
Transport of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Cedar River Basin, Iowa and Minnesota, 2000–15
Nitrate concentrations in the Cedar River in Iowa and Minnesota have increased from an average of less than 1.0 milligram per liter in the early 1900s to more than 5.0 milligrams per liter in the 2000s and have resulted in periodic water-quality impairment of the river. Spatial differences and temporal changes in nitrogen and phosphorus transport...
Kalkhoff, Stephen J.
Historical files from Federal Government mineral exploration-assistance programs, 1950 to 1974
The Defense Minerals Administration (DMA), Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), and Office of Minerals Exploration (OME) mineral exploration programs were active over the period 1950–1974. Under these programs, the Federal Government contributed financial assistance in the exploration for certain strategic and critical minerals. The...
Frank, David G.
St. Louis area earthquake hazards mapping project; seismic and liquefaction hazard maps
We present probabilistic and deterministic seismic and liquefaction hazard maps for the densely populated St. Louis metropolitan area that account for the expected effects of surficial geology on earthquake ground shaking. Hazard calculations were based on a map grid of 0.005°, or about every 500 m, and are thus higher in resolution than any...
Cramer, Chris H.; Bauer, Robert A.; Chung, Jae-won; Rogers, David; Pierce, Larry; Voigt, Vicki; Mitchell, Brad; Gaunt, David; Williams, Robert; Hoffman, David; Hempen, Gregory L.; Steckel, Phyllis; Boyd, Oliver S.; Watkins, Connor M.; Tucker, Kathleen; McCallister, Natasha
Basin Characterization Model - Simulating Effects of Iowa Soil Management on Water Availability
As a result of climate change, heavy rainfall, as well as extended dry periods, are becoming more common in the Midwestern United States. These trends are only expected to continue. So, increasing the capacity of soil to store water has become more critical. Storing water increases availability in dry conditions. And the absorption of additional water in wet conditions reduces potential...
United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources
USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World (click here for information about World Oil and Gas Assessments). This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part...
Iowa Alluvial Aquifer
This study is part of ongoing research in Iowa to investigate the availability (quantity and quality) of water in alluvial aquifers that are used for agricultural, domestic, municipal, and industrial supplies. Previous research included modeling and delineation of ground water flow in the Mississippi River, Des Moines River, iowa, and Cedar River alluvial aquifers. The water quality of these...
September 2016 Northern Plains Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the September 2016 Northern Plains Floods when more than 12 inches of rain fell in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin during a 24-hour period on September 22 and 23, 2016.
June 2014 floods in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the June 2014 Floods in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.
May-June 2013 Midwest Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the May-June 2013 Midwest Floods.
April-May 2013 Midwest Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the April-May 2013 Midwest Floods caused by heavy rainfall and late snow-melt in six states.
Summer 2011 Missouri River Basin flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the 2011 Missouri River Basin Flood resulting from higher-than-average snowmelt runoff combined with heavy spring rains.
Forest City Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Forest City Basin Province (5056):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
Iowa Shelf Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Iowa Shelf Province (5052):
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
Natural Drought and Flood Histories from Lacustrine Archives
Previous work performed as part of the USGS Holocene Synthesis project illuminated complex centennial-scale patterns of drought and wetter-than-average conditions across the North American continent interior during the past two millennia, where paleorecord data coverage is sparse. In order to explain the patterns of naturally-occurring drought, floods, and storms for the past, identified by...
The NWIS mapper provides access to over 1.5 million sites contained in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), including sites where current and historical surface-water, groundwater, springs, and atmospheric data has been collected. Users can search by site type, data type, site number, or place.
Crustal Architecture Beneath the Southern Midcontinent (USA) -- Data Grids and 3D Geophysical Models
Regional grid files and 3D voxel models were used to study crustal architecture beneath the Southern Midcontinent (USA) by McCafferty and others (2019). The study covered a rectangular, multi-state area of 924 by 924 kilometers centered on Missouri, and a corresponding volume extending from the topographic surface to a depth of 50 kilometers below sea level. The grid files consist of
GIS Data for Forest City Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
GIS Data for Iowa Shelf Oil and Gas Assessments
Beginning with Water Year 2006 and ending with Water Year 2013, annual water data reports were made available as individual electronic Site Data Sheets for the entire Nation for retrieval, download, and localized printing on demand. As of 2014, NWISWeb now provides an on-demand, print-ready Water-Year Summary as an annual water-data product.
Interactively explore assessment summary information for continuous (unconventional) assessments conducted at the USGS from 2000-2018. The assessment results data used to generate this visualization can be downloaded here in Excel Format. These data represent all assessment results for Continuous Assessments only from 2000-2018.
Nitrapyrin is a nitrification inhibitor that is co-applied with N-fertilizer in agroecosystems. Over the course of one year (March 2016 to June 2017), 192 water samples from seven streams across Iowa and Illinois were analyzed for nitrapyrin, its degradate 6-chloropicolinic acid (6-CPA), and three widely used herbicides acetochlor, atrazine, and metolachlor. Additional environme
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected by CGG Canada Services Ltd. in collaboration with the US Geological Survey (USGS) for the City of Cedar Rapids in a 53-square-kilometer area of the Cedar River Basin to the west of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The survey was flown between May 4 and May 5, 2017 along 347 line kilometers. Electromagnetic data were acquired us
The National Water Information System (NWIS) web application provides access to real-time and historical surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites across all 50 states.
Four dichloroacetamide herbicide safeners (AD-67, benoxacor, dichlormid, and furilazole) and two co-applied herbicides (acetochlor and metolachlor) were measured in water samples from 7 streams across Iowa and Illinois. Iowa water samples were collected from March 2016 to June 2017, and Illinois water samples were collected from September 2016 to June 2017. The compounds studied a
In 2013, the first of several Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA) was done in the Midwest United States. The Midwest Stream Quality Assessment (MSQA) was a collaborative study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA), the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) National
USGS data portray selected structures data, including the location and characteristics of manmade facilities. Characteristics consist of a structure's physical form (footprint), function, name, location, and detailed information about the structure. The types of structures collected are largely determined by the needs of the disaster planning and response and homeland security organizations.
This map shows the provinces assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources.
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
Transport of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Cedar River Basin, Iowa and Minnesota, 2000–15
Nitrate concentrations in the Cedar River in Iowa and Minnesota have increased from an average of less than 1.0 milligram per liter in the early 1900s to more than 5.0 milligrams per liter in the 2000s and have resulted in periodic water-quality impairment of the river. Spatial differences and temporal changes in nitrogen and phosphorus transport...
Kalkhoff, Stephen J. St. Louis area earthquake hazards mapping project; seismic and liquefaction hazard maps
We present probabilistic and deterministic seismic and liquefaction hazard maps for the densely populated St. Louis metropolitan area that account for the expected effects of surficial geology on earthquake ground shaking. Hazard calculations were based on a map grid of 0.005°, or about every 500 m, and are thus higher in resolution than any...
Cramer, Chris H.; Bauer, Robert A.; Chung, Jae-won; Rogers, David; Pierce, Larry; Voigt, Vicki; Mitchell, Brad; Gaunt, David; Williams, Robert; Hoffman, David; Hempen, Gregory L.; Steckel, Phyllis; Boyd, Oliver S.; Watkins, Connor M.; Tucker, Kathleen; McCallister, Natasha Historical files from Federal Government mineral exploration-assistance programs, 1950 to 1974
The Defense Minerals Administration (DMA), Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), and Office of Minerals Exploration (OME) mineral exploration programs were active over the period 1950–1974. Under these programs, the Federal Government contributed financial assistance in the exploration for certain strategic and critical minerals. The...
Frank, David G. A random-walk algorithm for modeling lithospheric density and the role of body forces in the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift
This paper develops a Monte Carlo algorithm for extracting three-dimensional lithospheric density models from geophysical data. Empirical scaling relationships between velocity and density create a 3D starting density model, which is then iteratively refined until it reproduces observed gravity and topography. This approach permits deviations from...
Levandowski, William Brower; Boyd, Oliver S.; Briggs, Richard W.; Gold, Ryan D.
Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2006-10
The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer approximately 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have been conducting a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water...
Littin, Gregory R.
Using observed postconstruction peak discharges to evaluate a hydrologic and hydraulic design model, Boneyard Creek, Champaign and Urbana, Illinois
Boneyard Creek—which drains an urbanized watershed in the cities of Champaign and Urbana, Illinois, including part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus—has historically been prone to flooding. Using the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM), a hydrologic and hydraulic model of Boneyard Creek was developed for...
Over, Thomas M.; Soong, David T.; Holmes, Robert R. Assessing the role of conspecific attraction in habitat restoration for Henslow's sparrows in Iowa
The presence of conspecific individuals may provide important cues about habitat quality for territorial songbirds. We tested the ability of a conspecific song playback system to attract Henslow’s sparrows to previously unoccupied restored habitat. We successfully attracted Heslow’s sparrows to 3 of 7 treatment plots using conspecific...
Vogel, Jennifer A.; Koford, Rolf R.; Otis, David L. Nest success of northern bobwhite on managed and unmanaged landscapes in southeast Iowa
Range-wide declines in northern bobwhite populations (Colinus virginianus) have been attributed to concomitant loss of breeding habitat. Bobwhite management efforts to restore this habitat resource can be informed by empirical studies of associations between breeding success and multi-scale habitat attributes. We compared bobwhite nest success in...
Potter, Lisa M.; Otis, David L.; Bogenschutz, Todd R. Calibrating recruitment estimates for mourning doves from harvest age ratios
We examined results from the first national-scale effort to estimate mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) age ratios and developed a simple, efficient, and generalizable methodology for calibrating estimates. Our method predicted age classes of unknown-age wings based on backward projection of molt distributions from fall harvest collections to...
Miller, David A.; Otis, David L.
Selected Water-Quality Data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids Well Fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1999-2005
The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. Municipal wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer at approximately 40 to 80 feet deep. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have been conducting a cooperative study of the groundwater-flow system and water quality near...
Littin, Gregory R.; Schnoebelen, Douglas J. Effects of commercial harvest on shovelnose sturgeon populations in the Upper Mississippi River
Shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus have become an increasingly important commercial species in the upper Mississippi River (UMR) because of the collapse of foreign sturgeon (family Acipenseridae) populations and bans on imported caviar. In response to concerns about the sustainability of the commercial shovelnose sturgeon fishery in...
Koch, Jeff D.; Quist, Michael C.; Pierce, Clay L.; Hansen, Kirk A.; Steuck, Michael J. Individual variation in baseline and stress-induced corticosterone and prolactin levels predicts parental effort by nesting mourning doves
Endocrine systems have an important mechanistic role in structuring life-history trade-offs. During breeding, individual variation in prolactin (PRL) and corticosterone (CORT) levels affects behavioral and physiological processes that drive trade-offs between reproduction and self-maintenance. We examined patterns in baseline (BL) and stress...
Miller, David A.; Vleck, Carol M.; Otis, David L.
Variable Warming Upper Midwest Lakes and Implications for Sport Fish
Climate change is predicted to alter sport fish communities in Midwestern lakes, but managers currently have limited information on individual lakes that can be used to set local expectations or intervene with mitigation strategies. Northeast and North Central CASC supported researchers, with strong participation from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership, have combined
...
USGS crews respond to flooding on the Big Sioux River
USGS technician Chris Broz helps take water measurements on the Big Sioux River during record flooding in March, 2019.
Spring 2019 Flooding - Big Sioux River, Akron, IA
After record flooding on the Big Sioux River, USGS crews mobilized to take important water measurements.
Spring 2019 Flooding - Big Sioux River, Hawarden, IA
After record flooding on the Big Sioux River, USGS crews mobilized to take important water measurements.
Spring 2019 Flooding - Big Sioux River
After record flooding on the Big Sioux River, USGS crews mobilized to take important water measurements.
National Oil and Gas Assessment Provinces
This is a graphic from the USGS National Oil and Gas Assessment Explorer application, which allows user to drill into 70 oil and gas assessment provinces throughout the United States.
Assessing bridge scour countermeasures
USGS hydrologist Taylor Dudunake assesses the rip-rap countermeasure along the pier of the Iowa State Route 76 bridge over the Upper Iowa River near Dorchester, Iowa. The assessment was part of a nationwide study of bridge scour countermeasures the USGS conducted on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration.
Pilot and Crew Discussing Flight Plan for collecting AEM Data
Helicopter pilot and crew discussing flight plan and data collection before lifting off.
Helicopter Lifting Off to Start a Data Collection Run for EM Data
Helicopter lifting off to start a data collection run.
Greg Delzer Talking with the Local Press Regarding the AEM Flight Plan
USGS Scientist, Greg Delzer, talking with the local press regarding the AEM flight plan and details on what USGS and others will be collecting and analyzing.
RESOLVE bird used to collect airborne electromagnetic data
USGS team of scientists were on site before the survey to help answer questions and go over last minute flight and data collection details. (Photo includes individuals from USGS: Iowa/Illinois Water Science Center, Dakota Water Science Center, Denver Crustal Geophysics Group, Office of Communication, and Branch of Geophysics)
Cedar Rapids Geophysical Survey
A helicopter towing a large, cylindrical sensor will make low-level flights over parts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as part of a groundwater survey in May 2017.
The flights will collect and record underground geologic measurements to help the U.S. Geological Survey better determine groundwater resources in the Cedar River Aquifer. The helicopter, operated by
...U.S. Geological Survey expands its network of water-quality sensors to include the American Queen Steamboat as she travels the entire length of the Mississippi River collecting nutrient levels and water-quality data along the way. (Image Courtesy: Iowa Public Radio, Iowa City, Iowa, limited use USGS only)
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they inspect high-water marks? Please contact Marisa Lubeck or Paul Rydlund.
A regional assessment of untreated groundwater in the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, which includes parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana, is now available from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Oxygen levels, dissolved minerals among factors responsible for high concentrations of radium in untreated water from aquifer that underlies six states
A carbonatite here, a glacial moraine there, a zig-zagging fault or two, even a behemoth of a batholith. The geology of the 50 States is an enormous patchwork of varied forms, beautiful in their variance but challenging to present as a single map.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists will inject a harmless, bright red fluorescent dye into the auxiliary lock at Locks and Dam 14 on the Mississippi River near Pleasant Valley, Iowa, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, weather permitting. If needed, a backup date is scheduled for June 27, 2017.
Starting on May 2 and lasting for about two days, a helicopter towing a large, cylindrical sensor will make low-level flights over parts of Cedar Rapids as part of a groundwater survey.
Look, in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s...underground mineral research?
Landsat 8 shows significant flooding on Iowa's Cedar River
Bifenthrin combats pests, but may harm aquatic ecosystems
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding? Please contact Jason McVay at 319-430-6962.
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding? Please contact Jason McVay at 319-430-6962.
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Locations
Iowa Water Science Center
Phone: 319-337-4191
Fax: (319) 358-3606
Western Iowa Field Office - Council Bluffs
Phone: 712-323-0824
Fax: 712-322-7775
Central Iowa Field Office - Fort Dodge
Phone: 515-576-4571
Fax: 515-576-1692