About the Washington State Water Science Center

The USGS Washington Water Science Center is one of 48 Water Science Centers in the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.

We operate local and statewide networks to collect high-quality data that define natural and human-induced hydrologic conditions.
We analyze hydrologic processes through investigations and research to increase understanding of important water-resource issues and to promote informed decision making.
We maintain real-time and historical data bases and publish peer-reviewed interpretive and data reports to disseminate unbiased hydrologic information.

To assure that our work is relevant and useful, we form partnerships with Federal, State, and local agencies, Native American governments, and other public organizations.

Funding for the USGS Washington Water Science Center comes from a variety of sources, including direct Federal appropriations, other Federal agencies, and a cooperative program that allows the USGS Washington Water Science Center to match funding with State and local agencies on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Information concerning USGS products and services can be obtained from:

USGS Washington Water Science Center Information Officer (253) 552-1635 (e-mail:gs-w-wa_pubinfo@usgs.gov)
USGS Washington Water Science Center Chief (e-mail: dc_wa@usgs.gov)
Water Resources of Washington State: http://wa.water.usgs.gov/

The home page provides direct access to current and historical USGS streamflow data, a bibliography of USGS Washington Water Science Center reports, and much more about USGS operations in the state of Washington.

Data Collection

Basic hydrologic data collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and archiving are major parts of the USGS Washington Water Science Center program. Streamflow data, for example, are used for flood and water-supply forecasts, planning and design, river regulation, streamflow statistics, and research investigations. Much of the data are available on a near-real-time basis by satellite telemetry. Types of data currently collected include:

Streamflow data for 260 gaging stations
Ground-water level data
Water-quality data for over 100 site
Stream-sediment transport data
Climate data

Data-Base Capabilities

USGS data are stored and maintained in long-term, quality-assured data bases. The data bases contain data for Washington and the rest of the nation and are accessible to the public. The data include:

Streamflow, reservoir, and lake data
Ground-water data
Continuous or discrete water-quality data
Water-use data
Geographic Information System (GIS) data

Investigations

The chief purpose of investigations is to help cooperating agencies solve water problems. For example, investigative results have been used to manage storm-water runoff, to develop ground-water management plans, and to identify areas of water-quality degradation. These investigations address many water issues:

Water-quantity and -quality assessments
Toxic substances in natural waters and biota
Rural and urban nonpoint pollution
Seawater intrusion
Surface water / ground water interactions
Sediment transport and chemistry
Effects of climate change
Wetland functions and hydrology
Aquifer and streamflow characterizations
Frequency and magnitude of droughts and floods

Analytical Techniques

The USGS Washington Water Science Center uses state-of-the-art as well as traditional methods that include quality assurance and quality control:

Watershed and ground-water modeling
Flood and low-flow frequency analysis
Sediment and chemical load determination
Aquifer testing
Aquatic testing
Aquatic community analysis
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Acoustic doppler velocity measurements
Ground-water age dating
Surface and borehole geophysics
Evapotranspiration analysis
Ground-water recharge modeling
Solute-transport modeling
Geochemical modeling
Ground-water flow modeling
Water, sediment, and tissue analysis

Samples are collected and analyzed for a wide range of constituents, including major inorganics, nutrients, trace elements, dissolved gases, pesticides, isotopes, organic solvents, petrochemicals, and biological indicators.