Noteworthy

Local Science Feature:

•  Indiana: Investigations & Monitoring of Mercury

National & Regional Science:

•  Quality of Water from Domestic Wells

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Water Quality Data

National Water Information System (NWIS)

• NWIS provides current and historical water-quality data.

Today's Water Conditions

• Water-Quality Watch provides continuous real-time water-quality measurements.
  

Water-Quality Web Services

• Web services automate the sharing of USGS and USEPA water-quality monitoring data.

For More Data

• Additional water-quality data resources are available.

USGS in Your Area

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

USGS Water-Quality Programs

Many USGS programs focus on or include water-quality issues as part of their applied research and (or) data collection and analysis. National USGS programs that include water quality as part of their work are listed below.

Drinking Water Research

The USGS provides scientific data and information on the occurrence, fate, and transport of emerging and traditionally studied contaminants in water resources. The USGS also provides assessments of drinking water sources and assesses the vulnerability of water supplies to contamination.

National Water-Quality Assessment Program

The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program describes the status and trends in the quality of a large representative part of the Nation's ground- and surface-water resources, and develops an understanding of the natural and human factors affecting the quality of these resources. The Program provides sound, nationally consistent water-quality information upon which water-resources decision making at all governmental levels can be based, and integrates water-quality information at local, regional, and national scales to address a wide range of major water-quality issues.

• Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants (TANC) to Supply Wells

Toxic Substances Hydrology Program

The Toxic Substances Hydrology Program provides objective research and scientific information on environmental contamination to improve characterization and management of contaminated sites, to protect environmental health, and to reduce potential future contamination problems. The Program produces new analytical methods, scientific simulation models, and an understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes that control contaminant source loading, transport, and transformation in the environment.

National Atmospheric Deposition Program

The National Atmospheric Deposition Program carries out Bureau responsibilities under the Energy Security Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-294) as modified by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (P.L. 101-549). The Program is related to wet-deposition monitoring, sensitive surface-water monitoring, and research on processes by which atmospheric deposition affects hydrologic systems and cultural materials. The Program provides policy and technical guidance to USGS officials on matters pertaining to atmospheric deposition, serves as liaison with other Government agencies and cooperators involved in acid precipitation related programs, and furnishes Congress, policy makers, and managers with scientific information in support of natural resources and environmental pollution policy formulation.

National Park Service (NPS) - USGS Water Quality Partnership

The NPS/USGS Water-Quality Partnership provides technical assistance, water-quality monitoring, and water-resource assessment within National Parks to preserve the natural resources of the National Park System.

National Stream Quality Accounting Network

The National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) provides data on concentrations and the transport of constituents (loads) of sediment, nutrients, metals, major ions, and pesticides within the Mississippi River Basin, and from the Mississippi River, and 12 additional large rivers around the Nation, to the coastal zone.

Hydrologic Benchmark Network

The Hydrologic Benchmark Network (HBN) provides long-term measurements of streamflow and water quality in areas that are minimally affected by human activities. These data are used to study long-term trends in surface-water flow and water chemistry, and serve as a benchmark with which to compare changes in flow and chemistry in developed watersheds.

National Research Program

The National Research Program conducts basic and problem oriented hydrologic research in support of the USGS mission.

The Cooperative Water Program

The national Cooperative Water Program provides reliable, impartial, and timely information needed to understand the Nation's water resources. Through shared efforts and funding with State, Tribal, and local partners, the program helps decision makers wisely manage the Nation's water resources.

Global Change Hydrology Program

The Global Change Hydrology Program was begun in 1990 to develop data, understanding, and predictive capabilities related to water and associated aspects of carbon and the greenhouse gases as they interact with global systems. The Program is part of the USGS Global Change Research Program.

International Water Projects

USGS International Programs include activities to assist other countries in understanding and managing their water and other environmental resources by exchanging scientists to study problems of mutual interest, improving the scientific basis for managing ecosystems and natural resources, coordinating multilateral projects to ameliorate regional conflicts through the sharing of data and scientific expertise, and encouraging capacity building in underdeveloped nations. These activities are conducted at the request of U.S. Government agencies, the National Science Foundation, international organizations, and other Nations.

Ground-Water Resources Program

The Ground-Water Resources Program provides objective scientific information and develops the interdisciplinary understanding necessary to assess and quantify the availability of the Nation's ground-water resources.