USGS scientists deploy SPMD and POCIS samplers to collect waterborne contaminants in Manoa Stream on Oahu, Hawaii.

Noteworthy

Press Releases

• USGS Assessment of Brackish Water Could Help Nation Stretch Limited Freshwater Supplies
• First-of-its-kind Interactive Map Brings Together 40 Years of Water-Quality Data
• 20 Years Researching Harmful Algal Blooms Supports Sustainable Water Supply in Wichita
• The Quality of the Nation's Groundwater: Progress on a National Survey (1/19/2017)

Featured Science:

• Spatial variability of harmful algal blooms in Milford Lake, Kansas, July and August 2015
• Why Monitor Water Quality? [1.7MB PDF]

Past featured science...

Water Quality Data

Today's Water Conditions

Get continuous real-time water-quality measurements from Water-Quality Watch maps.

Water Quality Portal (WQP)

Get current and historical USGS and EPA water-quality data at the WQP.

BioData

Get stream ecosystem aquatic bioassessment data from BioData.

For More Data

View a complete list of USGS water-quality data resources.

USGS in Your Area

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Other Water-Quality Information Topics and Sources

General Education: Environmental Issues

• Water hardness map and chart from 1975.
• Alkalinity map showing alkalinity of U.S. surface waters and description (USEPA, from 1988).
• Water - Introduction and links (USGS)
• Window to My Environment (EPA)
• Clean Water and Robocow (Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada)

Water Resources Links

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• Internal -- Water Resources Programs & Offices
• Sediment page from the USGS Office of Surface Water (OSW)
• Microbiology Program
• Animal Feeding Operations (1999)
• TMDLs - The USGS Role in TMDL Assessments
• National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data
• National Water Quality Assesment Program (NAWQA) [an error occurred while processing this directive]|| Internal
• National Irrigation Water Quality Program (2005)
• National Research Program (NRP)
• Office of Groundwater (OGW)
  • Branch of Geophysics (OGW BG)
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  • DoD Earth Science Program (DODESP)
  • Water Use Information

Interdisciplinary Links

• Interdiscipline Links
• USEPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program
• Sample of Information on Emerging and Selected Contaminants (For more information, see the selected water-quality topics page)
  • Arsenic
  • Emerging --USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
  • Emerging --Department of Defense
  • Endocrine disruptors, and other toxic substances
  • Mercury
  • Microorganisms
  • Nutrients: Nitrates in ground water/ Flux and Sources of Nutrients in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin
  • Pesticides and a Fact Sheet
  • Radon
  • Trace elements
  • CDC National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
  • VOCs
    • "Volatile Organic Compounds in Ground Water from Rural Wells" available on NAWQA VOC page.
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    • Internal Announcement -- VOC quality control: information is provided for five NAWQA projects that focused on QC for VOC sampling.

Chemical databases

• The ChemBank (Initiative for Chemical Genetics) contains data on 2,500 biologically active small molecules, including many drugs and pesticides, chemical structures, and SMILES formulae for creating structures.
• ChemFinder provides free chemical searching and includes chemical structures (2D structures, 3D models), physical properties, as well as hyperlinks to other websites.
• Cole-Parmer's Chemical Compatability Database. Click on the chemical or solution of interest, click on the material of interest, then submit query, and you get a "chemical effect" rating.