USGS collects data at the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway

Noteworthy

National & Regional Science:

• March 10-16: National Groundwater Awareness Week
• OFR 2012-5228: Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
• Fact Sheet: Tracking and Forecasting the Nation's Water Quality Priorities and Strategies for 2013–2023
• An Economic Value of Remote-Sensing Information: Application to Agricultural Production and Maintaining Groundwater Quality
• WaterNow: Get current water conditions by text or email

Local Science Features:

• New Hampshire: Concentrations of Chloride and Sodium in Groundwater in New Hampshire From 1960 Through 2011
• Arkansas: No Contamination from Fayetteville Shale Exploration Found in Sampled Wells

Past listings...

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.

National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations
Book 9
Handbooks for Water-Resources Investigations

Announcements

• Fact Sheet: USGS Water-Quality Sampling - Standard Protocols and Procedures [1.0 MB PDF]
• Download instructions for NFM [38MB ZIP], a compilation of the pdf files, current as of 2/2010. An archive of the last version is available at NFM 2/2008 [43MB ZIP].
• Comments and Errata
• How to cite the National Field Manual. (Citation information is for the online manual and its individually updated chapters. All versions that were published previously in a printed format have been superseded by the online manual. All previous versions are available as archive files from each chapter's Web page.)
• E-mail nfm-owq@usgs.gov to request information or make comments.

National Field Manual Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter

A1. Preparations for Water Sampling (1/2005)

A2. Selection of Equipment for Water Sampling (Version 2.0, 3/2003)

A3. Cleaning of Equipment for Water Sampling (Version 2.0, 4/2004)

A4. Collection of Water Samples (Version 2.0, 9/2006)

A5. Processing of Water Samples, Version 2.2 (9/2004) and Errata. Includes sections below:

5.3.2 "Instructions for Field Use of Spike Solutions for Organic-Analyte Samples" (103 KB PDF)

5.6.1.F, "Wastewater, Pharmaceutical, and Antibiotic Compounds" (984 KB PDF)

5.6.4.A, "Arsenic Speciation" Version 2.1 (10/2012)(332 KB PDF)

5.6.4.B, "Low-level Mercury" (542KB PDF)

A6. Field Measurements

6.0 General Information and Guidelines (Version 2.0, 10/2008)

6.1 Temperature (Version 2, 3/2006)

6.2 Dissolved Oxygen (6/2006)

6.3 Specific Electrical Conductance (8/2005)

6.4 pH (Version 2.0 (10/2008)

6.5 Reduction-Oxidation Potential-Electrode Method (9/2005)

6.6 Alkalinity and Acid Neutralizing Capacity (Version 4, 9/2012)

6.7 Turbidity (9/2005)

6.8 Use of Multiparameter Instruments for Routine Field Measurements (3/2012)

A7. Biological Indicators

7.0. Five-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (11/2003)

7.1. Fecal Indicator Bacteria (Version 2.0, 2/2007)

7.2. Fecal Indicator Viruses (11/2003)

7.3. Protozoan Pathogens (11/2003)

7.4. Algal Biomass Indicators (Version 1.0, 8/2007)

7.5 Cyanobacteria in lakes and reservoirs: toxin and taste-and-odor sampling guidelines (Version 1.0, 9/2008)

A8. Bottom-Material Samples (6/2005)

A9. Safety in Field Activities (10/97)

Citation Information for the National Field Manual

Chapter updates and revisions are ongoing and are summarized on the Comments and Errata page. Archived editions or versions of chapters or chapter sections are available from the chapter links above.

Citation for the complete manual:

U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated, National field manual for the collection of water-quality data: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chaps. A1-A9, available online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A.

Citation for each chapter:

A1

Wilde, F.D., 2005, Preparations for water sampling: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A1, January 2005, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A1/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)

A2

Lane, S.L., Flanagan, Sarah, and Wilde, F.D., 2003, Selection of equipment for water sampling (ver. 2.0): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A2, March 2003, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A2/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)

A3

Wilde, F.D., ed., 2004, Cleaning of Equipment for water sampling (ver. 2.0): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A3, April 2004, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A3/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)

A4

U.S. Geological Survey, 2006, Collection of water samples (ver. 2.0): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A4, September 2006, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A4/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)

A5

Wilde, F.D., Radtke, D.B., Gibs, Jacob, and Iwatsubo, R.T., eds., 2004 with updates through 2009, Processing of water samples (ver. 2.2): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A5, April 2004, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A5/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011. Separate updates for 5.3.2, "Instructions for field use of spike solutions for organic-analyte samples", 5.6.1.F, "Wastewater, pharmaceutical, and antibiotic compounds," 5.6.4.A, "Arsenic speciation," and 5.6.4.B, "Low-level Mercury" are provided on the Web page.)

A6

Wilde, F.D., ed., variously dated, Field measurements: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A6, with sec. 6.0–6.8, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A6/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011. Chapter sections are cited by author and date.)

Example of citation for a section:
Rounds, S.A., 2006, Alkalinity and acid neutralizing capacity (ver. 3.0): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A6., sec. 6.6, July 2006, accessed [date viewed], from http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A6/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)

A7

U.S. Geological Survey, variously dated, Biological indicators: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A7, with sec. 7.0–7.5 accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A7/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011. Chapter sections are cited by author and date.)

Example of citation for a section:
Myers, D.N., Stoeckel, D.M., Bushon, R.N., Francy, D.S., and Brady, A.M.G., 2007, Fecal indicator bacteria (ver. 2.0): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A7, sec. 7.1, February 2007, accessed [date viewed], from http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A7/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011. Chapter sections are cited by author and date.)

A8

Radtke, D.B., 2005, Bottom-material samples (ver. 1.1): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A8, June 2005, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A8/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)

A9

Lane, S.L., and Fay, R.G., 1997, Safety in field activities: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chap. A9, October 1997, accessed [date viewed], at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/twri9A9/. (Supply the date you viewed the chapter online; for example, May 31, 2011.)