New & Noteworthy

Fact Sheet: Water Quality Studied in Areas of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development, Including Areas Where Hydraulic Fracturing Techniques are Used

  Video: Shale Gas, Hydraulic Fracturing, and Induced Earthquakes

  USGS Groundwater Data Go to Times Square

  TWRI-B3 Chapter 2: Introduction to Ground-Water Hydaulics [12MB PDF], now with internal document links added

  Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia 2011 Earthquake

  Groundwater Technical Procedures of the USGS

USGS Groundwater Watch

USGS maintains a network of active wells to provide basic statistics about groundwater levels.

USGS in Your State

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Other USGS Water Science Areas

 Water Resources

 Water Quality

 Water Use

 Surface Water

USGS Groundwater Programs

Groundwater Resources Program

The Groundwater Resources Program (GWRP) is one of eight Water Resources Investigations Programs funded by Congress to identify, measure, and assess the Nation’s water resources. The GWRP is the principal USGS Program for assessing issues related to groundwater resources at the regional scale.

National Research Program

The National Research Program (NRP) conducts basic and problem-oriented hydrologic research in support of the USGS mission. The NRP is designed to encourage pursuit of a diverse agenda of research topics aimed at providing new knowledge and insights into varied and complex hydrologic processes that are not well understood.

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.

Water-Use Information Program

The National Water-Use Information Program compiles and disseminates the Nation's water-use data. The USGS works in cooperation with local, State, and Federal environmental agencies to collect water-use information. USGS compiles these data to produce water-use information aggregated at the county, state, and national levels.

National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) 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 groundwater and surface-water resources, and develops an understanding of the natural and human factors affecting the quality of these resources.

Additional USGS Water Resources Programs

Learn about other USGS national water-resources programs.

For information on local and state USGS groundwater programs, visit the web site for your state's USGS Water Science Center: