U.S. Geological Survey

• Latest releases on USGS Recovery Act projects

The USGS received approximately $140 million as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help upgrade and improve some of the USGS laboratories and research capabilities and the energy efficiency, health, and safety of the bureau's facilities. This money will also go toward modernizing streamgages, adding monitoring equipment to the Advanced National Seismic System, expanding our volcano monitoring efforts, collecting imagery as part of The National Map, and upgrading research facilities.

The $140 million announced today will go to USGS programs including:

• Volcano Monitoring
  $15.2 million to modernize equipment in the National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) at all USGS volcano observatories. The U.S. and its territories include some of the most volcanically-active regions in the world, with 169 active volcanoes. As many as 54 of these potentially dangerous volcanoes need improved monitoring.
• Water Program Deferred Maintenance - streamgages, cableways, and wells
  $14.6 million for remediation to remove streamgages, cableways, and ground-water wells that are no longer in use, making these sites safer for public enjoyment and support local economies.
• Deferred Maintenance of Facilities
  $29.4 million for projects that address health and safety issues; functional needs such as improved laboratory space; make facilities more energy efficient, and incorporate sustainable design criteria in project implementation.
• Earthquake Monitoring
  $29.4 million to modernize the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) by doubling the number of ANSS-quality stations and upgrading seismic networks nationwide, to bring the total from approximately 800 to 1600. These improved networks will deliver faster, more reliable and more accurate information – helping to save lives by providing better situational awareness in the wake of the damaging earthquakes that can strike this nation at any time.
• Construction
  $17.8 million for research facilities at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge Research Center in Patuxent, MD; the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) in Columbia, MO; and the Upper Midwest Environmental Services Center (UMESC) in LaCrosse, WI. Work at these centers will improve the ability of scientists to conduct innovative research on contaminants and wildlife, endangered species, wind power and wildlife, adaptive management, wildlife disease and much more. The rehabilitation of these facilities will support jobs for the local community, improve functionality, and reduce long-term operating costs.
• Upgrades to streamgages used in flood monitoring
  $14.6 million to upgrade to high-data radio (HDR) technology and upgrade streamgages with new technologies for streamflow measurement. All 7,500 streamgages will be upgraded by 2012.
• Imagery and Elevation Maps
  $14.6 million to improve mapping data, which will then be made available for multiple uses including flood mapping, emergency operations, and natural resource management.
• Data Preservation
  $488,000 to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) to digitize, and make available to the public via the Internet, the historical banding recovery and bird banding records. Bird banding data have a wide variety of uses including applications for disease research.

USGS Recovery Act Releases

• Secretary Salazar Announces Recovery Act Funds to Upgrade Earthquake Networks
  April 16, 2009
• Secretary Salazar Announces Department of Interior Economic Stimulus Projects: USGS Investments Underscore Commitment to "Best Science"
  April 10, 2009

More information, including maps, on USGS Recovery Act projects is coming soon. Be sure to check back often.

For more information regarding USGS ARRA activities, please contact recovery@usgs.gov.

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DOI Recovery Investments by Bureau

Select a bureau below to learn more about how each is contributing to America's economic recovery.