Unified Interior Regions
Sprague River Basin, Oregon
Region 9: Columbia-Pacific Northwest
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Moses Lake Sediment
Located in central Washington, Potholes Reservoir is a key feature of the Columbia Basin Project and serves as a vital source of irrigation water. Potholes Reservoir has traditionally been fed water through the East Low Canal, but due to operational changes over the years, the Bureau of Reclamation is looking for reliable alternatives to ensure an adequate portion of water supply to Potholes...
Lower Bonaparte Springs
The Issue: The Confederated Colville Tribes are concerned with maintaining and enhancing endangered summer steelhead fish stocks in the Okanogan River and its tributaries. One Okanogan River subbasin of particular interest is Bonaparte Creek where almost 50 percent of the summer steelhead captured in 2008 were of natural rather than hatchery stock. The Colville Tribes are working to ensure...
FEMA Technical Support
9722-DRE00 - FEMA Technical Support, Pre-Declaration, January 2009 Floods - Completed FY2009
A wide plume of warm moist air streaming in from west of Hawaii caused widespread rainfall throughout western Washington in early January 2009. National Weather Service flood stages were exceeded in many different basins, most of which drain from the west side of the Cascade Range. Flows at four...
WSDOT Stormwater Monitoring
The Washington State Department of Transportation, or WSDOT, monitors the water quality of runoff from state highways and other transportation facilities under their National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The NPDES permit requires WSDOT to make sure that the stormwater meets Clean Water Act and other regulations designed to restore and protect our country's water...
Navigable Rivers in Washington
Determining whether a stream or river in Washington is "navigable" is important because it helps establish state ownership of the "bed and shore" of navigable waterways as stated in the Washington State constitution. State-owned lands are managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Because the constitution does not explicitly define what criteria should be used to...
Potholes Reservoir
Managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), water is diverted from the Columbia River into Potholes Reservoir and the canal system for delivery to irrigators.
Through the USGS/USBR collaborative Watershed and River Systems Management Program (WARSMP), the USBR will be developing a river-management model to improve the efficiency of water distribution. An important input needed for...
Mid-Columbia Habitat Project
To meet their dam licensing agreements, operators of privately owned dams are required to offset the unavoidable loss of endangered salmon passing the dam by restoring and enhancing streams and providing hatcheries. Finding suitable side channels is made difficult by subtle features and overgrowth.
To help the Mid-Columbia Tributary Committee identify sites for restoration and...
Green River Geomorphic Responses
In the Pacific Northwest, water, sediment, and vegetation primarily determine the form of large river channels and shape their ecosystems. Dams on rivers affect all of these elements, with consequences for habitats and aquatic species. Understanding how water, sediment, and vegetation interact in habitats is key to managing rivers. In the case of the middle Green River in King County,...
Eastbank Aquifer near Rocky Reach Dam
Ground water from the Eastbank Aquifer system in north-central Washington is a regional water supply for about 50,000 people, as well as for a fish hatchery operated by the Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD). The fish hatchery compensates for salmon and steelhead lost in the operation of two hydroelectric projects on the Columbia River owned by the PUD. The fish hatchery needs...
DOH Nitrates
Ground water is a significant source of drinking water in Washington State, and keeping it free of contamination is important for public health. Public supply wells are frequently tested for nitrate concentrations, but private wells are tested only when they are drilled. This limits information about the potential exposure to elevated nitrate concentrations in private wells.
To help the...
Headwaters Province - Idaho and Montana: Earth Science Studies in Support of Public Policy Development and Land Stewardship
The Headwaters Province project provided geoscience data and interpretations to the Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA) that were basic to sound policy and land-stewardship practices.
San Juan County
Aquifers of the San Juan Islands, which are the principal source of fresh water, are commonly intruded by seawater at near-shoreline locations (less than one mile from the shore). Because the demand for ground water has escalated in recent years due to population growth and is expected to continue, the progression of seawater intrusion and areas most susceptible to future seawater intrusion...
L1 East Transect – 2016
Permanent Site: L1 East Transect; Depth: 11.4 Meters (37.4 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 2.3 Kilometers (1.4 Miles) west; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 5 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.13957527,-123.59359993; Site Description: This transect is medium depth. Substrate is mainly fine sediment/sand/mud covered in a layer of brown diatoms (0:39 seconds). Scattered boulders
D2 East Transect – 2016
Permanent Site: D2 East Transect; Depth: 11.9 Meters (38.9 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 0.3 Kilometers (0.2 Miles); Pre/Post Dam Removal: 5 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.15233001,-123.56829403; Site Description: This site is right off the mouth of the river and is actively being buried in sandy substrate. The sediment for the first 19 meters of the 30 meter
Buffalo sculpin camouflaged
Buffalo sculpin camouflaged - Scuba divers from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Fisheries Research Center, Washington Sea Grant, EPA and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe collected data and images from a long-term study of the Elwha River dam removals and the resulting effects on the nearshore ecosystem.
Location: Strait of Juan de
...
Beaver along bank of pond in Tualatin River Basin, OR
Beaver along bank of pond in Tualatin River Basin, OR
Inside USGS, No. 5, Pleistocene Glaciations of Greater Yellowstone
Dr. Kenneth Pierce studied the geology and geomorphology of the greater Yellowstone area for nearly his entire career with the U.S. Geological Survey. From 1965 to present, Dr. Pierce has mapped glacial deposits, pioneered Quaternary dating techniques, conducted research on the Yellowstone Hot Spot, studied the geothermal areas, explored the geology of archaeological sites
Inside USGS, No. 6, Ken Pierce, Heavy Breathing of Yellowstone Caldera
Dr. Kenneth Pierce studied the geology and geomorphology of the greater Yellowstone area for nearly his entire career with the U.S. Geological Survey. From 1965 to present, Dr. Pierce has mapped glacial deposits, pioneered Quaternary dating techniques, conducted research on the Yellowstone Hot Spot, studied the geothermal areas, explored the geology of archaeological sites
Extensional structural features of the 2014 SR530 landslide near Oso
USGS hydrologist Mark Reid examines an extensional basin in the middle of the Oso landslide deposit. The headscarp (near-vertical cliff at the back of the landslide) is visible at the top of the image. The prominent tree is one of many that fell and became perched as the landslide spread out over the river valley.
Columbia River Research Laboratory
Image of the Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA
Juvenile steelhead smolts
Juvenile steelhead smolts become silvery and scales become loose as they transition into their seawater life history stages.
USGS - NOROCK Research team in the Northern Cascades.
USGS - NOROCK field team in the Northern Cascades studying Hoary marmots and American pika and snowpack dynamics.
Marine biologists are gathering in Alaska this week to kick off a three-week expedition studying sea otters, as part of a joint U.S.-Canadian project to investigate the ecological health of the Pacific coastline.
The "Pacific Nearshore Project" is a multinational, multiagency project investigating sea otters as health indicators of coastal waters and marine resources from California nort
Over sixty U.S. Geological Survey scientists will present research results used by decision makers in the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the world at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, April 12-16 in Seattle, Wash. USGS scientists use remote sensing, terrestrial lidar, and analysis of land-cover and land-use change to better understand the global impacts of climate change,
For the third consecutive year, residents of Idaho's Treasure Valley can become citizen scientists to monitor water quality in the Boise River watershed.
A new carbon model allows scientists to estimate sources and losses of organic carbon in surface waters in the United States. Study results indicate that streams act as both sources and sinks for organic carbon.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The U.S. Geological Survey has named Carol Schuler director of its Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center.
TACOMA, Wash. — Increasing amounts of sediment in rivers draining from Mt. Rainier could greatly increase the flooding potential in the Puget Lowland, according to a report published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey.
TACOMA, Wash. — Washington’s only “benchmark” glacier continues to lose mass as a result of changes in climate, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Tritium appears to be seeping deeper into the water of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer.
The groundwater system in the northern portion of Idaho’s Ada County is receiving some recharge. Results of a U.S. Geological Survey study reveal that the aquifer system contains both very old and relatively new water.
Washington and Oregon residents should not be alarmed to witness a low-flying aircraft over parts of southern Washington and northern Oregon in late-June through July.
The U.S. Geological Survey has added a fourth well to its Idaho Real-Time Groundwater Level Network. The well, USGS 21, is located on the U.S. Department of Energy’s 890-square mile Idaho National Laboratory site in southeastern Idaho.
Contacts
Locations
Idaho Water Science Center
Phone: Phone: (208) 387-1300
Fax: (208) 387-1372
Washington Water Science Center
Phone: (253) 552-1600
Fax: (253) 552-1581
Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC)
Phone: (206) 526-6282
Fax: (206) 526-6654
Oregon Water Science Center
info-or@usgs.gov
Phone: (503) 251-3200
Fax: (503) 251-3470
USGS Volcano Science Center
Phone: 360-993-8900
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Headquarters
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 541-750-1030
Fax: 541-750-1069
Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
vhpweb@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8900
Fax: 360-993-8980
Columbia River Research Laboratory
Phone: (509) 538-2299
Fax: (509) 538-2843
Oregon Cooperative Fish And Wildlife Research Unit
Idaho Water Science Center - Idaho National Laboratory Project Office
Phone: 208-526-2438
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Snake River Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 208-426-5200
Fax: 208-426-5210
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Olympic Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-565-3041
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Cascadia Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 206-616-1874
Fax: 206-685-0790
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Corvallis Research Group
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 541-750-1030
Klamath Falls Field Station
Phone: (541) 273-8689
Fax: (541) 273-8692
Marrowstone Marine Field Station
Phone: (360) 385-1007
Fax: (360) 385-7207
Idaho Water Science Center - Boise Field Office
Phone: (208) 387-1300
Fax: (208) 387-1372
Idaho Water Science Center - Post Falls Field Office
Phone: 208-773-4938
Idaho Water Science Center - Groundwater Training Facility
Phone: 208-387-1392
Northwest Washington Field Office
Phone: (360) 312-8155 x2001
Fax: (360) 312-8565
Medford Field Office
Phone: 541-776-4256
Fax: 541-776-4257
Klamath Falls Field Office
Phone: 541-273-8689
Mid-Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 735-3739
Fax: (509) 735-3723
Upper Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 353-2649
Idaho Water Science Center - Idaho Falls Field Office
Phone: 208-529-4287