Images

Map showing principal aquifers (PAs) and wells that were sampled as part of a Nationwide assessment of the quality of groundwater used for public supply.  

The USGS well at Franklin, Virginia (USGS 364059076544901 55B 16) constantly monitors water levels in the Potomac Aquifer and provides scientists with a record of water levels going as far back as 1960.

USGS scientist Jim Duda sets up a GPS tripod in preparation for a geodetic survey on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

sUAS coastal Imagery collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Aerial Imaging and Mapping group (AIM) at Assateague Island National Seashore October 10-14th 2022.

Photograph of the USGS precipitation gage located at Little Run Elementary in Fairfax County. Data for this station can be found on USGS Water Data For the Nation.

Forest harvested for timber (brown) in southwest Cumberland County, Virginia from 2014-2018.

Forests in this area of Louisa County, Virginia were recently cleared for timber (brown) and for the development of solar fields (yellow).

This map shows the locations of the four existing extensometers (red) in the USGS' Virginia Extensometer Network with the location of a fifth future extensometer (green). The basemap is of the Virginia Coastal Plain and shows the severity of groundwater depletion, with darker blue indicating greater groundwater depletion. 

The USGS Nansemond pipe extensometer (59D 39) with a total depth of 1,960 feet. Data for this site can be found on USGS Water Data for the Nation.

A USGS scientist measures stream discharge at The Glade, an urban stream in Reston, Virginia.

A USGS scientist samples for benthic macroinvertebrates at Snakeden Branch, Reston, VA

USGS scientists conduct benthic macroinvertebrate sampling at The Glade in Reston, Virginia

A USGS researcher shows off a dragonfly larva found during benthic macroinvertibrate sampling in Reston, Virginia.

The study area within the Potomac River basin of eastern North America. Open circles show sample site locations on streams within the C&O Canal National Historical Park. Shaded areas show physiographic regions within Maryland from west to east as the Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge, and Piedmont, and the stippled areas show regions of karst geology.

The water quality monitoring site at Little Difficult Run in Fairfax County, Virginia. The banks of this urban stream are eroding, contributing to elevated loads of suspended sediment to downstream water bodies. Little Difficult Run is a part of the Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Network. 

The water quality monitoring site at Little Difficult Run in Fairfax County, Virginia. A staff gage, which is used to measure water depth, is installed on the far bank, and a submerged water quality monitoring sonde is affixed to the streambed. Little Difficult Run is a part of the Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Network. 

Cedar Creek, tributary of the James River, Virginia flows through the Natural Bridge rock formation in Gilmore Mills, Rockbridge County Virginia. 

Snakeden Branch is an urban stream in Reston, Virginia that has undergone stream restoration, and is currently being monitored to assess hydrologic and ecosystem health.

Two Rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides) caught during a USGS fish survey in Reston, Virginia.

These three USGS scientists are conducting a fish survey at Snakeden Branch in Reston, Virginia.

A blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) caught in a fish survey in The Glade, Reston, Virginia.