USGS Water Resources

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The water cycle isn't just a static diagram in a textbook; it's a dynamic “engine” powering our nation's landscapes. So...
08/28/2026

The water cycle isn't just a static diagram in a textbook; it's a dynamic “engine” powering our nation's landscapes.

So how do we track a cycle that spans from up in the atmosphere to deep down in underground aquifers?

With continuous monitoring and boots-on-the-ground fieldwork, such as:

🏔️ Precipitation and storage: Long before water reaches your tap, it falls as winter snow. USGS crews trek into high-elevation basins to measure snowpack density to forecast how much meltwater will feed rivers in spring.

🌊 Streamflow and surface runoff: As water travels across the landscape, USGS streamgages help us track its journey. Hydrologic technicians deploy sensors and maintain gaging stations to track real-time river height, volume, and velocity.

🧪 Water quality: Scientists use advanced instrumentation in streams to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and more, monitoring for changes in conditions.

💧 Groundwater and aquifers: We deploy specialized cameras inside groundwater monitoring wells to track water levels and inspect well conditions to identify changes in the that might affect groundwater level measurements.

USGS scientists connect the dots across every stage of the water cycle, providing emergency managers and communities the data they need to understand and track water availability across the U.S.

Explore USGS water science – https://water.usgs.gov

📷 1: A Loch Vale project manager swaps out a weekly precipitation collector in Rocky Mountain National Park. Credit: USGS

📷 2: USGS staff in a snowpack-sampling pit in Old Battle, Wyoming. Credit: USGS

📷 3: USGS hydrologic technicians service the flooded Wolf River at New London, Wisconsin streamgage, read sensors, and compare data to reference measurements to verify accurate gage height data. Credit: USGS

📷 4: A USGS hydrologic technician collects water quality samples from the Farm River in Connecticut. Credit: USGS

📷 5: View from a video camera inside a groundwater well. Credit: Michelle Sneed, USGS

📷 6: Modern technology, like drones, provides a safer way to collect data in less accessible areas. Credit: Carole Johnson, USGS

08/28/2026

A year at Zion National Park, one frame at a time. 🏞️

This time-lapse captures the North Fork Virgin River with Zion’s iconic Watchman formation in the background, showing how the river and surrounding landscape change over the seasons.

USGS Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) cameras at this and other water monitoring sites across the country help the USGS remotely track current conditions, identify technical issues, verify remote measurements, and provide a visual record of conditions.

Want to see the latest view of the river? Check out the camera 👉 https://apps.usgs.gov/hivis/camera/UT_North_Fork_Virgin_River_near_Springdale

Over the river and through the woods, to water quality data we go! Understanding the nation’s water availability require...
08/27/2026

Over the river and through the woods, to water quality data we go!

Understanding the nation’s water availability requires not only monitoring supply and demand, but also water quality – how healthy is our water for drinking, recreation, irrigation, and wildlife?

USGS provides water quality data through several means, including water quality sample measurements that are collected by hand in the nation’s rivers and streams.

Sampling data include indicators of water quality such as nitrate, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, turbidity, and much more!

The USGS Water Data for the Nation (WDFN) delivers water quality data through:

📍 The National Water Dashboard, where users can select different water quality parameters to map

🔍 Explore Water Data and the State Pages, where users can sort and filter monitoring locations by their data availability

💻 Water Data APIs and R/Python packages, where users can programmatically download water quality data

Explore water quality samples data for yourself at the WDFN homepage - https://waterdata.usgs.gov

📷 1-3: Hexmaps of the lower 48 United States, showing median values of (1) nitrate, (2) phosphorus, and (3) dissolved oxygen across monitoring locations within each 60km hex shape from 2021 to 2026 downloaded from USGS Water Data APIs sample data. Credit: Elmera Azadpour, USGS

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and irrigation lines all in...
08/26/2026

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and irrigation lines all in a row. 🫜💧

Throughout the world, irrigation water use is essential to the food chain, both for watering crops directly consumed by people and growing crops that become food for livestock.

In addition, irrigation can alleviate crop stress from droughts and decrease soil erosion.

As of 2020, irrigation is one of the top three water uses nationally. Some interesting facts about 2020 water use:

💧 About 224,000 million gallons of freshwater were used every day for irrigation (48%), public supply (16%), and thermoelectric power (36%).

💧 Water used to irrigate crops comes from surface water and groundwater. About two-thirds of all water used for irrigation was from groundwater.

💧Unsurprisingly, summer is when the most water is used for irrigation. August rates were over 60 times higher than December’s in 2020!

USGS scientists provide estimates of irrigation water use to help water managers make informed decisions.

Learn more about irrigation water use - https://ow.ly/fWat50ZCJo5

📷 1-3: Maps by sub-watershed across the lower 48 United States, showing monthly average modeled (1) total irrigation withdrawals, (2) surface water irrigation withdrawals, and (3) groundwater irrigation withdrawals for 2020. Credit: Elmera Azadpour, USGS.

The USGS continues to support the response to Hurricane Lala, which affected the Hawaiian Islands the weekend of August ...
08/25/2026

The USGS continues to support the response to Hurricane Lala, which affected the Hawaiian Islands the weekend of August 15.

Landslides are large masses of wet or dry rock and soil that fall, slide, or flow under the force of gravity. Large rainfall events, like Hurricane Lala, put extra strain on the steep slopes near volcanoes and in surrounding stream channels, potentially increase landslide risk.

On Friday, August 21, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), part of the USGS Volcano Science Center, organized a helicopter LiDAR mission over flood-damaged areas in the Kaʻū district on the Island of Hawaiʻi. HVO normally uses LiDAR for assessing eruption-related landscape changes in Hawaii.

🗺️ Helicopter-based LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging, provides high-resolution topographic data beneath the helicopter's flight path, and an integrated camera additionally captures imagery of the same terrain.

🚁 The helicopter surveyed the towns of Nāʻālehu and Waiʻōhinu, stream channels upslope and downslope of the communities, and the routes of Kaʻalaiki ("Cane Haul") Road and Highway 11 leading to the town of Pāhala.

📈 The data collected will help emergency-response partners at the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency to assess flood damage and coordinate cleanup efforts. The topographic data will also be used by the USGS Landslide Hazards Program to improve models of slope failures during future rainfall events in the area.

Read more about landslides - https://ow.ly/W3uR50ZFpIw

📷 1: Photograph taken from the helicopter flight showing a braided area scarred by Hurricane Lala flooding.

📷2 & 3: USGS HVO geologist and helicopter pilot mount the LiDAR instrument underneath the helicopter prior to the overflight.

📷 4: Photograph taken from the helicopter flight showing an area of river scoured by heavy rains during Hurricane Lala.

📷 5: Photograph taken from the helicopter flight showing the eastern side of the town of Pāhala, which is adjacent to Kauhuhuʻula Gulch.

Credit: USGS

When it rains, it pours … and replenishes our waterways, soil, and groundwater. 🌧️❄️ Water supply, which is the water na...
08/25/2026

When it rains, it pours … and replenishes our waterways, soil, and groundwater. 🌧️❄️

Water supply, which is the water naturally available through atmospheric inputs, drives the water cycle and our understanding of water availability.

Interrelated components of natural water supply include precipitation (snow or rain), runoff, soil moisture, and snowpack.

Here are some interesting facts about water supply:

🌧️ In the United States, a quarter of our water leaves through streamflow to Canada, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, or the Gulf of America.

💧 As water moves through the water cycle it can spend different amounts of time in the various pools. Water that falls as snow could remain on the landscape for months until it melts in the spring. Water that makes its way into groundwater may remain for decades or longer.

⏳ During periods of low precipitation, less water in streams and rivers can lead to more groundwater use resulting in groundwater declines that may take years to recover.

💻 USGS creates models to estimate water quantity across the U.S. and data from these models are available through the National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion!

Visit the Data Companion - https://water.usgs.gov/nwaa-data/

📷 Maps by sub-watershed across the lower 48 United States, showing monthly average modeled (1) precipitation, (2) snow water equivalent, and (3) soil moisture fraction from 2009 to 2020. Credit: USGS

What comes around, goes around – especially when we’re talking about the water cycle! 💧 We’re kicking off World Water We...
08/24/2026

What comes around, goes around – especially when we’re talking about the water cycle! 💧

We’re kicking off World Water Week by reminding you of the vast resources we have for learning more about earth’s water.

💧 Ready-to-print water cycle diagrams available in 75 languages

🔍 Zoomable Water Cycle Diagram in English and Spanish

🎮 Interactive website about the pools and fluxes that comprise the water cycle

🌈 Kid‑friendly water cycle diagram designed to introduce the water cycle to the next generation

🎨 Posters illustrating where water is stored and how it moves in six different environments, from urban to forests to deserts

Join us this week as we explore the water cycle each day:

📆 Tuesday: Water Supply
📆 Wednesday: Water Use
📆 Thursday: Water Quality
📆 Friday: How USGS monitors the water cycle across the country

Visit the USGS Water Science School to find these resources and more - https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/water-cycle

📷 1: Storm over Lake Michigan. Credit: Andrea L. Miehls, USGS.

📷 2: The majority of earth’s water is found in oceans, followed by freshwater then other saline water, such as inland saline lakes.

📷 3: Within freshwater, most water is frozen in glaciers and ice caps, followed by groundwater and then surface and other freshwater.

📷 4: Within surface and other freshwater, most water is in permafrost or ground ice, followed by lakes. The rest is found in soil moisture, the atmosphere, swamps and marshes, rivers, and living things.

We are boots-on-the-ground in the Midwest today after storms brought heavy rain this week. 🚧 Interstate 70 is closed due...
08/21/2026

We are boots-on-the-ground in the Midwest today after storms brought heavy rain this week.

🚧 Interstate 70 is closed due to Buckeye Lake spilling over into South Fork Licking River, Ohio.

📏 As of today, 15 USGS gages have hit records for gage height across Indiana and Ohio.

💧 13 gages hit major flood stages, with another 40 hitting moderate flood stage.

USGS supports emergency management teams as they respond to natural disasters:

🦺 Data from 3 river gages on the South Fork Licking River are informing road closures and evacuations.

🤝 USGS is coordinating with the National Weather Service and the City of Newark, Ohio for flooding response;

🌊 Quarries along the White River in Carmel, IN, and Whitewater River near Connersville, IN, were breached. Emergency response includes sandbagging efforts to redirect water from out the quarries.

📷 USGS HIVIS cameras record flooding and help with remote monitoring of conditions.

📍 USGS Real-Time Flood Impact (RTFI) maps help monitor where flooding is occurring near human infrastructure, such as buildings, trails, and roads.

Learn more about USGS flooding coordination and find links to HIVIS and RTFI - https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/usgs-flood-information

📷 1: Field crews (safely) navigating a closed area of I-70 to check on streamgages in Ohio.
📷 2: HIVIS camera image from Clover Groff Ditch below Alton, OH (03230427) showing flood conditions and portable Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler as it measures discharge on the flooded river.
📷 3: Screenshot from the RTFI map showing several impacted areas near Indianapolis, IN.

📷 Credit: USGS

Hurricane Lala has left lasting impacts across the Hawaiian IslandsBeginning August 15, the storm brought extremely heav...
08/21/2026

Hurricane Lala has left lasting impacts across the Hawaiian Islands

Beginning August 15, the storm brought extremely heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and ongoing damage to communities and infrastructure across the state.

🌧️ USGS Quarry Rain Gage, near Wailuku Valley, Hawai’I Island, recorded nearly 28 inches in about 36 hours.

USGS streamgages throughout the Islands captured just how significant the flooding was. Based on preliminary data:

💧23 gages reached or exceeded flood stage, including 3 at major flood stage

💧3 gages on Oahu showed record water heights, and another 8 gages on Oahu, Holualoa, Maui, and Molokai recorded water levels among the 5 highest ever measured at those locations!

📏 The gage at Ku Tree Reservoir, Wahiawa, Oahu (ID 16208400), the water level reached 36.3 feet on August 16, more than 6 feet higher than the previous record set in 2014.

USGS field crews remain active around the Islands to repair damaged streamgages, collect water quality samples, monitor groundwater wells, and take measurements of the flood extent.

After major storms, USGS crews look for high-water marks and other signs left behind by floodwaters. These observations help our scientists better understand the size and extent of the flood, particularly in places where measurements could not be made safely during the storm.

You can help document Hurricane Lala!

💬 Share your stories of how this storm impacted you in the comments

📸 Share your photos or videos from this storm to help us understand the impacts. Please include where the photo/video was taken and, if possible, the approximate date and time. You can email us at the address on our link tree: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/usgswater-instagram-links

📷 1: Surveying for high water marks after Hurricane Lala near Ninole, Big Island of Hawai’i, August 18, 2026
📷 2: Determining damage to streamgage 16770500 in Pā’auhau, Big Island of Hawai’i, August 17, 2026
📷 3: Preparing for high water mark measurements in Pā’auhau, Big Island of Hawai’i, August 17, 2026
📷 4: Surveying damage and flood extent near Ninole, August 18, 2026
📷 5: Measuring storm water depth near damaged bridge in Pā’auhau, August 17, 2026

Credit: USGS

Science doesn’t clean up a river, but it gives us a roadmap to do it. 🗺️🔬 Located in one of the nation's most heavily in...
08/21/2026

Science doesn’t clean up a river, but it gives us a roadmap to do it. 🗺️🔬

Located in one of the nation's most heavily industrialized regions in Northwest Indiana, the Grand Calumet River was designated an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Area of Concern in 1987 due to legacy pollutants trapped in bottom sediments.

Working with partners, like the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the EPA, the USGS is providing data-driven science to guide restoration and cleanup efforts.

Research highlights:

🧪 Water quality tracking: Monitor water health like biological oxygen demand, nutrients, and dissolved oxygen to remove environmental pollution restrictions.

🧬 Algal DNA tracking: Scientists use metabarcoding to identify microbial and algal communities that could lead to harmful algal blooms

🗺️ Investigating pollution pathways: Using isotopes to identify sources of nutrients in the water, which can help managers decide what kind of remediation work will be most effective.

Learn more - https://ow.ly/zEXz50ZwKkF

📷 1: Water sample collection in the Marquette Lagoon within Indiana Dunes National Park as part of an algal metabarcoding study to help address eutrophication or undesirable algae within the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern. Credit: Ashley Spoljaric, USGS

📷 2: Collecting a water quality sample for nutrients and isotopes in support of a study on eutrophication in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern. Credit: USGS

📷 3: Aquatic vegetation and algae attached to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene foam (pool noodle) floats that hold water quality sondes. Credit: USGS

📷 4: Algal mats floating on the surface of the water. This site, in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern, has been dredged and capped to try to remediate pollution from historic industrial activity. Credit: USGS

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