USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.
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
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
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"
Imagine 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
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