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California Water Science Center

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INFORMATION CENTER

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA WSC

USGS IN YOUR STATE


USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

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 Massachusettes South Carolina North Carolina Rhode Island Virginia Connecticut New Jersey Maryland-Delaware-D.C.

Water Resources of California

Welcome to the USGS web site for the water resources of California. This is your direct link to all kinds of water-resource information. Here you'll find information on California's rivers and streams. You'll also find information about ground water, water quality, and many other topics. The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of stream-gaging stations in the state, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems.

The largest earthquake preparedness activity in U.S. history (Shake-Out) will take place on November 13th at 10 A.M.


The USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project created the earthquake scenario used in the ShakeOut drill that describes what will happen during and after a magnitude 7.8 on the southernmost 300 km of the San Andreas fault. The Great Southern California ShakeOut is organized by a collaboration of nonprofit, business, government and education partners including the USGS.

Day in the Delta


Project Wet's Brian Brown speaking to teachers. Twenty-four teachers from throughout Northern California spent a "day in the Delta" with USGS scientists. The teachers heard about issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and about how USGS science is addressing those issues. They also learned new ways to bring science to their classrooms. The teach-in was a presentation of Project Wet (Water Education for Teachers), part of the Water Education Foundation.
Video

USGS scientists study groundwater in California's Sierra Nevada


Photo Taken in the CA Sierra Nevada Mountains View a video of a recent visit by USGS scientists to Yosemite National Park to test groundwater quality. The USGS is studying groundwater throughout the Sierra Nevada this summer and fall as part of the state of California's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program. USGS scientists will discuss the Sierra study at a meeting September 9 in Quincy, CA.
Press Release | Video

USGS, California and UC Davis begin large-scale Delta "carbon farm"


TwitchellIslandImagine a new kind of farming in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta-"carbon-capture" farming, which traps atmospheric carbon dioxide and rebuilds lost soils. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the University of California, Davis plan to make it happen. DWR has awarded USGS and UC Davis a three-year, $12.3 million research grant to take the concept of carbon-capture farming to full-scale in a scientifically and environmentally sound way.
Press release | Video | Briefing paper(pdf, 6.2M)

Our scientists span a broad range of research

Down-hole Sampler There are over 130 scientists working in the California Water Science Center and their expertise and interests span a very broad range of disciplinary approaches to modern water management issues. The majority of senior Center scientists have been officially recognized as "Research and Development Scientists" by the USGS for their ongoing scientific contributions, demonstrated excellence in scientific pursuits, leadership, and the impact their work has had on both the development of scientific knowledge and its application to real world management problems.

There are many opportunities to collaborate with researchers at the Center. Many of the projects are conducted by multidisciplinary teams whose members include scientists from other USGS offices, universities, and our partner agencies. Several of the most senior researchers have hosted post-doctoral fellows and hold joint appointments at nearby universities.

Picture above of a device invented by USGS CAWSC scientists for collecting depth-dependent samples from production wells under pumping conditions.

Recent publications:


  • (June 02, 2008) Ground-Water Quality Data in the Central Sierra Study Unit, 2006�Results from the California GAMA Program: U.S. Geological Survey Data SeriesReport 335, 74 p.
  • (May 07, 2008) USGS research helps the county of Los Angeles address new arsenic standards: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008–3043 online
  • (May 07, 2008) Multi-disciplinary approach to trace contamination of streams and beaches: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008–3040 online
  • (May 07, 2008) Research to more effectively manage critical ground–water basins: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008–3037 online
  • (May 07, 2008) Science to help understand and manage important ground–water resources: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008–3039 online
  • (May 07, 2008) Providing data and modeling to help manage water supplies: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008–3038 online
  • (Apr 24, 2008) Majewski, M.S., Foreman, W.T., Coupe, R.H., Goolsby, D.A., and Wiebe, F.W., 2008, Pesticides in air and rainwater in the midcontinental United States, 1995–Methods and data: U.S. Geological Survey Open–File Report 20071369, 24 p.
  • (Apr 16, 2008) Landon, M.K., and Belitz, Kenneth, 2008, Ground–water quality data in the Central Eastside San Joaquin Basin 2006: Results from the California GAMA Program: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 325, 88 p.
  • (Apr 04, 2008) Shellenbarger, G.G., Schoellhamer, D.H., Morgan, T.L., Takekawa, J.Y., Athearn, N.D., and Henderson, K.D. , 2008, Dissolved oxygen in Guadalupe Slough and Pond A3W, South San Francisco Bay, California, August and September 2007: U.S. Geological Survey Open–File Report 2008–1097, 28 p.
  • (Feb 21, 2008) Zamora, Celia, 2008, Estimating Water Fluxes Across the Sediment–Water Interface in the Lower Merced River, California: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5216, 47 p.
  • (Jan 30, 2008) Dawson, B.J., Bennett, G.L., V, and Belitz, Kenneth, 2008, Ground–Water Quality Data in the Southern Sacramento Valley, California, 2005–Results from the California GAMA Program: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 285, 93 p.
  • (Jan 16, 2008) Lionberger, M.A., Schoellhamer, D.H., Shellenbarger, G.G., Orlando, J.L., and Ganju, N.K., 2008, Box Model of a Series of Salt Ponds, as Applied to the Alviso Salt Pond Complex, South San Francisco Bay, California: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5173, 28 p.
  • (Jan 16, 2008) Curtis, J.A., 2008, Summary of Optical–Backscatter and Suspended-Sediment Data, Tomales Bay Watershed, California, Water Years 2004, 2005, and 2006: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007–5224, 16 p.

Photo of otters in the San Joaquin River by Dale Kolke, California Department of Water Resourcres

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Page Last Modified: Monday, 20-Oct-2008 12:32:17 EDT