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 [Photo: Ground water flowing out of well.]

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USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

 [Map: There is a USGS Water Science Center office in each State.] Washington Oregon California Idaho Nevada Montana Wyoming Utah Colorado Arizona New Mexico North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Minnesota Iowa Missouri Arkansas Louisiana Wisconsin Illinois Mississippi Michigan Indiana Ohio Kentucky Tennessee Alabama Pennsylvania West Virginia Georgia Florida Caribbean Alaska Hawaii New York Vermont New Hampshire Maine Massachusetts South Carolina North Carolina Rhode Island Virginia Connecticut New Jersey Maryland-Delaware-D.C.

Regional Ground-Water Studies

The depletion of ground water at a variety of scales and the compounding effects of recent droughts have emphasized the need for an updated status on the availability of the Nation's ground-water resources. Assessing the current state of the ground-water flow systems in the highest stressed systems would be invaluable tools for assessing ground-water availability now and in the future.

The Ground-Water Resources Program (GWRP) is taking advantage of the quantitative work previously conducted by the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) Program to provide updated quantitative assessments of ground-water availability in areas of critical importance. These assessments will

  • document the effects of human activities on water levels, ground-water storage, and discharge to streams and other surface-water bodies,
  • explore climate variability impacts on the regional water budget, and
  • evaluate the adequacy of data networks to assess impacts at a regional scale.

There is growing recognition by water managers and municipalities that ground-water resources could be managed on an aquifer-wide scale. They are now looking for ways to better manage known ground-water resources while also identifying supplemental sources of water. Upon completion, these multidisciplinary studies of regional ground-water availability across the US will provide resource managers and policy makers with essential information needed for management of a limited resource in areas experiencing chronic water-supply issues and concerns.

Learn more about the regional ground-water studies support by GWRP:

Map of Study Locations

 [Map: Locations of GWRP ground-water availability studies.]

Figure 1: Map of U.S. Geological Survey Ground-Water Resources Program regional scale ground-water study areas. Explanation indicates the fiscal years during which the studies are planned to occur.


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Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 20-Aug-2008 13:17:37 EDT

Link to Central Valley Aquifer Study Link to Central Valley Aquifer Study Link to Southeast Coast Plain Aquifer Study Link to Denver Basin Aquifer Study Link to Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer Study Link to Lake Michigan Pilot Study Link to Basin and Range Aquifer Study Link to Southwest Alluvial Basins Aquifer Study Link to Columbia Platura Regional Aquifer Study