California Water Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey announced Friday the completion of a new mobile tool that provides real-time information on water levels, weather and flood forecasts all in one place on a computer, smartphone or other mobile device. 

In an article for the journal Science of the Total Environment, USGS scientists and others discuss the impact of invasive quagga mussels on the ecosystem of Lake Mead located on the border of Arizona and Nevada. 

The health of the San Francisco Bay‐Delta depends on a sediment supply that has been recently declining due to sediment trapping in upstream reservoirs. Reduced sediment supply increases water clarity in the Bay-Delta, which in turn influences ecological processes and aquatic life.

The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) is currently completing major upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant. In anticipation of these upgrades, USGS scientists are gathering data to establish baselines for current nutrient levels and dynamics in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). 

The USGS Nevada and California Water Science Centers participate in annual Lake Tahoe Summit

Over the last few decades the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has experienced declines in phytoplankton productivity and a shift in species composition resulting in observed increases in harmful algal blooms (HABs).

California Water Science Center Research Chemist Dr. Charles Alpers will commence a study on assessing the effects of wildfire and fire retardants on nutrient transport in California watersheds.

U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding across the country as spring weather is in full swing. Warming temperatures, increased precipitation and snowmelt have caused moderate to major flooding in the upper Midwest, East Coast, Central Plains and the Southeast portions of the country.

Changes in population, agricultural practices, and climate are increasing demands on available water resources, particularly groundwater, in the southwest.

In California, groundwater is a major source for drinking and other uses. Identifying where groundwater quality is getting better or worse is essential for managing groundwater resources.

Spinal deformities in California native fish species, the Sacramento Splittail, were first seen in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in 2011. It is now known that this is due to exposure to the chemical element selenium.