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USGS Water Resources

Observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science. We welcome your comments and hope that our conversations here will be polite.

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06/19/2026

100+ years of water data. One iconic location 📍📈

Located at the gateway to the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River at Lees Ferry is where recreation meets resource management and vital aquatic science.

In 1921, the USGS established a streamgage at this location to monitor the river’s flow and level as it enters the Grand Canyon. Used to measure how much water passes from the Upper Basin to the Lower Basin through Glen Canyon Dam, this streamgage is one of the most important in the United States.

The USGS Arizona Water Science Center (AZWSC) tracks key water data here to identify and inform long-term trends. Curious about the science behind this iconic site and the AZWSC’s role in monitoring it?

Get the story in our brand-new fact sheet loaded with maps, field photos, and QR codes for easy exploring! 🗺️📸🔍

🔗 https://ow.ly/g0YS50Zae4h

📷 1: The Colorado River at Lees Ferry. The Lees Ferry streamgage is visible at the base of the cliffs on the left sides of the photo.
📷 2: AZWSC staff, Sarah Shepherd and Kat Cooney, collect a discrete water-quality sample for NWQN.
📷 3: Hydrologic technician, Janice Talley, services the continuous water-quality buoy.
📷 4: Hydrologic technician, Kat Cooney, processes a NWQN sample in the USGS mobile lab.
📷 5: Hydrologic technician, Decker Mcelroy, collects discharge data using an ADCP.

Credit: USGS

06/17/2026

Dirt detectives 🔎

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), manmade contaminants associated with public health concerns, have been found in shallow soils throughout northern New England, according to a new USGS study.

Looking to define where and how much PFAS may be present, researchers used advanced modeling techniques to predict background PFAS concentrations across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Key findings:

🔑 Widespread Contamination: Approximately 73% of soils in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are predicted to exceed New Hampshire’s soil remediation standards for PFAS.

🔑 Groundwater Risk Factor: Where there was less PFAS in the soil, there was a higher chance there could be PFAS in the groundwater. This is because soils with high pH tend to not "hold on" to the PFAS, allowing it to filter down to the aquifer.

As the first regional model to predict PFAS background levels in soils, this tool enables decision-makers to establish a baseline of PFAS presence not originating from a known source. This information can be used to evaluate future sampling results and identify areas where groundwater monitoring may be needed.

Learn more about the study: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/new-england-water-science-center/news/usgs-predicts-pfas-shallow-soils-throughout-northern

📷 1 & 2: USGS staff take a soil sample from a collection site in New Hampshire. The shallow soils were collected as part of a statewide monitoring effort to identify the prevalence of "background" PFAS in the environment

06/16/2026

Thinking of trading your screen time for stream time? Don’t forget to "pack" your data! 🚣🌊

The USGS operates a network of more than 13,000 streamgages nationwide. Whether you’re looking for the perfect rapids or a peaceful float, our real-time data tells you if conditions are just right or if it's safer to stay on shore.

Before you go, know the flow.
Check your local stream conditions at waterdata.usgs.gov 📈

📷 1: A group of people whitewater rafting on the Gauley River in West Virgina. Photo by Matt Kearns, USGS

📷 2: USGS staff fly fishing on the Green River during the Powell150 Expedition which marked the 150th anniversary of the first John Wesley Powell expedition down the Green and Colorado viers. Photo by John Parks, USGS

📷 3: A USGS geologist birding on the Green River during the Powell150 Expedition. Photo by Anya Metcalfe, USGS

06/12/2026

Happy Great Outdoors Month! We don't just get outside; we get to work. 🏞️

At USGS, fieldwork is where science happens. Our "desks" are often riverbanks and boat decks, where we monitor the pulse of the nation’s waterways. From tracking nutrient levels to maintaining the streamgages that tell you if the river is safe for a float, we study the outdoors to protect our most precious resources. 🚣‍♂️💧

We don’t just enjoy the water - we measure it, map it, and monitor it to keep your communities safe and your favorite fishing spots thriving.

Where is your fieldwork (or play-work) taking you this month? Let us know in the comments!

📷 1: A USGS hydrologic technician holds the level rod during an annual set of levels at the historic Cataloochee Creek near Cataloochee, North Carolina. Photo by Jessica Moore, USGS

📷 2: USGS hydrologic technicians log data at Gunpowder Falls at Glencoe, Maryland.

📷 3: USGS staff prepare to drop a current meter overboard from the research boat, Muddy Waters, offshore of Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

📷 4: A USGS Physical Scientist packs equipment used to gather shellfish samples collected at Martinez Harbor, Contra Costa County, California. Photo by California Department of Water Resources

📷 5: USGS hydrologic technicians conduct a gage inspection by boat. Photo by Madelyn Messner

06/11/2026

USGS investigates per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater near New Hampshire Superfund Site.

PFAS can be found in a wide range of sources, including man-made items such as stain-resistant textiles, nonstick cookware, industrial chemicals, and food packaging – and exposure to high levels of PFAS may adversely affect human health.

USGS researchers discovered that understanding groundwater flow paths can help water managers predict where PFAS may end up in drinking water supplies. Using the Coakley Landfill Superfund Site, USGS found:

💧 Bedrock fracture density and orientation were major factors for how groundwater moved through aquifers in the area around the landfill.

💧Groundwater flows northeast and west, indicating that water supply wells and streams or lakes to the south and east of the landfill are less likely to be affected by any leaching contaminant from the site, including PFAS.

💧 Several groundwater flow paths from the landfill connect to streams up to 3 miles away, potentially explaining the presence of PFAS in some wells far from the landfill site.

Because this model considered local and regional geologic complexity, it can help decision-makers develop targeted rather than blanket approaches.

Read more about this study: https://ow.ly/O1tR50Z7IQt

📷 1: USGS scientists sampling groundwater near the top of the water table in a corn field in Concord, New Hampshire. Photo by Joseph Ayotte, USGS.

📷 2: A view of Coakley Landfill in Northampton, NH. Pipes used to vent landfill gases can be seen in the distance. Photo by Philip Harte, USGS.

📷 3: A fracture in granite within New Hampshire's Rye Complex, one of two lithotectonic belts in the state's coastal region.

📷 4: Scientists work in the Leetown, WV Eastern Ecological PFAS Lab. Photo by David Fisher, USGS.

06/10/2026

Pesticides used on farms, roadsides, and other landscapes can wash into rivers and streams, where they may harm aquatic plants, insects, fish, and even human health. A new USGS study analyzed 10,000+ samples from 81 sites (2013–22) to track long‑term trends in 80 pesticides and compare concentrations to human health and aquatic‑life benchmarks.

Pesticide changes weren’t detected often, but when they were, levels increased twice as often as they decreased. Nineteen pesticides exceeded aquatic‑life benchmarks for plants and invertebrates across the U.S.

Understanding where and when benchmark exceedances happen, and how concentrations are changing, helps identify what’s driving them and guides targeted management to protect ecosystems and communities.

Read the study: https://ow.ly/AM7y50Z7I6M

📷 1: Map from publication showing acute and chronic aquatic life benchmark exceedances at USGS National Water Quality Network riverine sites (2013–2022). Inner circle size shows how many pesticides exceeded acute benchmarks; red outline thickness shows how many exceeded chronic benchmarks. Inner circle color indicates how many acute exceedances occurred (yellow for low, red for more than 150).

📷 2: Tractor applying pesticides to an agricultural field. Photo by Eric Hawbaker

📷 3: USGS scientists sampling the Greybull River for pesticides. Photo by Cindy Fulton, Wyoming Department of Agriculture

06/09/2026

What happens when high-intensity storms hit a wildfire burn scar?

Following the 2022 McKinney Fire in Northern California, a high-intensity storm moved across the burn area. Significant ash and debris runoff into the Klamath River led to a significant drop in dissolved oxygen, affecting aquatic life along a 60-mile stretch of the river.

A collaborative water monitoring study between USGS and local tribes and universities provided unique insight into this event, highlighting that continuous water-quality monitoring is a vital tool for tracking sudden changes in fire-prone regions.

As the West sees more frequent wildfires, understanding rain-on-wildfire events is key to providing insights that inform efforts to build ecosystem resilience and protect river health.

Learn more - https://ow.ly/GUMo50Z7Jlc

📷 1: The Klamath River following the 2022 McKinney Fire, with burned areas visible along the distant ridgeline and a debris fan in the foreground near the confluence of Little Humbug Creek and the Klamath River. The photo documents sediment and debris deposited from burned landscapes into the river corridor following wildfire and storm runoff. Photo by Jennifer Curtis, USGS

📷 2: Active fire and fish kill. Photo by the Karuk Tribe

📷 3: A post-fire debris flow (PFDF) scar in the headwaters of Vesa Creek. Photo by California Department of Fish and Wildlife

06/08/2026

The flow of groundwater into oceans might be invisible to the naked eye but can have major impacts on coral reef health.

On World Oceans Day, we are highlighting the surprising role that groundwater plays in near-shore ocean ecosystems:

🪸 When groundwater flows into the ocean, these persistent, cooler plumes can potentially counteract the exposure of corals to elevated and rising sea-surface temperatures that cause coral bleaching, protecting them from thermal stress.

🐠 However, coastal groundwater can also introduce substances from land, including nutrients, toxins, pathogens, and other pollutants that can stress or kill corals.

🐚 The flux of groundwater into coral reef ecosystems is highly variable, being controlled by geology, climate, land use, and ocean dynamics. Groundwater movement to the ocean also responds to changes in sea level, precipitation, and coastal groundwater withdrawals.

As part of the USGS Coral Reef Project, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center is conducting geophysical and geochemical research to address questions about coastal groundwater-to-reef flow and the resulting coral reef health, with the goal of informing management decisions related to planning and implementing activities in priority watershed-coral reef systems.

Read more about USGS research in coral reefs: https://ow.ly/JnrS50Z6j2L

📷 1: Thermal infrared image of two USGS researchers standing on the coast and looking up over a coastal groundwater plume that is non-visible to the naked eye but is shown in this thermal image from temperature differences between the cooler (blue) groundwater and warmer (pink) ocean water over the coral reefs.

📷 2: USGS physical scientist installs a special buoy in the waters of the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu in the Manuʻa Islands Group. The special buoy, developed by USGS scientists, measures radon on the reef, which is a marker of submarine groundwater.

📷 3: A healthy coral reef in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve off Tumon, Guam, showing several different species of fish swimming over a high coral cover reef composed of hard and soft coral species.

06/05/2026

Something’s blooming in the Big Apple - and it’s not just the flowers. 🔬🏙️

While Central Park is an urban oasis, its lakes often face a recurring summer visitor, Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (cyanoHABs).

What Are CyanoHABs? 🦠

Also known as blue-green algae, cyanobacteria occur naturally but can multiply rapidly during warm summer and early fall months. The blooms, appearing like spilled green paint, pea soup, or thick surface scum, can lower oxygen levels in the water, harming aquatic ecosystems. They can also produce cyanotoxins that are dangerous for people, wildlife, and pets that use freshwater lakes and ponds. ⚠️ 🌿🐟 🐶

Scientists at the USGS New York Water Science Center track these blooms to better understand cyanoHAB dynamics across the park's lakes and to inform water resource management.

Learn more - https://ow.ly/CKCB50Z5Ebe

📸 1 and 2: USGS staff use an inflatable rowboat to conduct water quality sampling in 6 different lakes of Central Park in New York City during summer 2025. Photos by Rebecca Gorney, USGS

📸 3: A Lake in Central Park, New York, with a harmful algal bloom present. Photo by A. Doolittle, USGS

06/04/2026

May streamflow conditions across the U.S. 💧

In May, wet conditions persisted across much of the Midwest, Northeast, and parts of the central U.S., while dry conditions continued across portions of the Southwest and southern Plains. Notable weather patterns included:

🌧️ Frequent rainfall and storm systems maintained wet conditions across parts of the Midwest and Northeast.

🌊 Above-normal streamflows expanded across portions of the central and eastern U.S. as runoff and seasonal precipitation continued.

☀️ Dry conditions persisted across parts of the Southwest, southern Plains, and portions of the Southeast.

Explore more water data visualizations: https://water.usgs.gov/vizlab/

📸: Tile charts showing national streamflow conditions for May 2026 by flow percentiles at USGS streamgages relative to the historic record across the U.S. Flow percentiles are broken up into seven bins from 0-100% where increased percentiles indicate wetter conditions.

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