Tracking drought impacts on groundwater levels in the Houston-Galveston Region of Texas - USGS, in cooperation with 5 agencies within the Houston-Galveston Region of Texas, measured water-levels in over 700 wells that are screened in the Gulf Coast Aquifer System, and evaluated short term and long term changes in the groundwater resources. This represents the 36th annual water-level synoptic in the region. This year’s measurements showed dramatic impacts from the drought of 2011 with about 90 percent of all wells measured showing declines. (Contact: Mike Turco, mjturco@usgs.gov )

New flood technology gets information out faster in Des Moines, Iowa – USGS, in cooperation with the City of Des Moines Department of Public Works, enhanced river monitoring equipment on streamgages to issue timely flood alerts (News story). New radio transmitters, placed on placed in key flooding areas on the Des Moines, Raccoon and North Rivers, and Four Mile and Walnut Creeks, provide information on river levels every 15 minutes, instead of every hour.

Flood Inundation Map Libraries for communities in Indiana - USGS, in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Indiana Department of Transportation, City of Fort Wayne, City of Indianapolis, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Water, is developing flood inundation map libraries at streamgages, collocated with National Weather Service flood forecast points across Indiana. Flood-inundation map libraries consist of maps that have been created in advance of a flood that are ready to be served through the Internet- each library consists of a set of flood extent and depth maps developed for predetermined stream stage intervals (for example, a map for each one foot of stage). A user can view real-time or forecast stage data from a USGS streamgage or National Weather Service (NWS) flood forecast point and quickly access the map corresponding to the stage data. As map libraries are completed, they will become available through an interactive Web viewer. This work is being undertaken as a collaborative project of the Indiana Silver Jackets Hazard Mitigation Task Force. The effort also is part of a larger Flood Inundation Mapping Program being undertaken by the USGS and partners.

Stream bank erosion in south-central Alaska -  USGS, in cooperation with the Alaskan Matanuska-Susitna Borough, tracked stream bank erosion along the Matanuska River, a braided, glacial river in south-central Alaska, showing impacts to property, roadways, and public facilities over the last 5 decades (USGS report). The study mapped river geomorphology and stream bank characteristics from the Matanuska Glacier to the mouth of the Matanuska River (about 65 miles), establishing erosion hazard information from 1949-2006. 

Flood inundation mapping science - A powerful new tool for flood response and mitigation are digital geospatial flood-inundation maps that show flood water extent and depth on the land surface. Because floods are the leading cause of natural-disaster losses, USGS is actively involved in the development of flood inundation mapping across the Nation pursuant to its major science strategy goal of reducing the vulnerability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards. Working with partners including the National Weather Service (NWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state agencies, local agencies, and universities, the USGS is providing flood inundation mapping science resources to help build more resilient communities. (Just released: Flood inundation maps for the St. John and Fish Rivers in Fort Kent, Maine)

Flood-frequency discharges in West Virginia – USGS, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways, determined flood-frequency discharges for 290 streamgage stations having a minimum of 9 years of record in West Virginia and surrounding states. Access to all surface-water monitoring gages (river, stream, lake, and rain) is available through the West Virginia Water Gaging Council--a statewide collaborative body to help achieve effective collection and dissemination of hydrological data applicable to the full range of water resources in West Virginia.

Paleoflood science in the Black Hills of South Dakota - USGS in cooperation with the South Dakota Department, Federal Emergency Management Agency, City of Rapid City, and West Dakota Water Development District, released a report documenting paleofloods in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. The report shows that multiple floods during the last 2,000 years were substantially larger than the devastating Black Hills flood of 1972 that resulted in at least 238 deaths in the Rapid City and Keystone areas. Geologic evidence and carbon-14 dating were used to determine the ages, magnitudes, and frequencies of large floods that occurred along reaches of Spring, Rapid, Boxelder, and Elk Creeks in the last 1,000 to 2,000 years.

Flooding in rural streams in Florida – USGS, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation, presents methods for estimating the magnitude of floods for ungaged streams in Florida (streams that are not substantially affected by regulation, channelization, or urban development). (Full report)

Flooding in urban and small rural streams in Georgia – USGS, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation, presents updated methods for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods in ungaged urban and small basins in Georgia that are not substantially affected by regulation or tidal fluctuations. (Full report)

Flooding in major rivers draining Iowa - USGS, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa Highway Research Board, released several reports documenting the heavy flooding in 2008 in the Upper Iowa River in northeast Iowa and Iowa and Cedar River basins in eastern Iowa. (Report 1; Report 2)

Flooding in the Black Hills, South Dakota - USGS, in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Transportation and the National Weather Service, released a report documenting thunderstorms and flooding in August 2007 with a context provided by a history of other large storm and flood events in the Black Hills area of South Dakota near Hermosa and Piedmont, SD. The report also documents the history of other large storm and flood events in the Black Hills area.