New & Noteworthy

Press Release: Study Explores Groundwater and Geothermal Energy in Drought-Stricken Eastern Oregon and Neighboring States

Technical Announcement: USGS Issues Revised Framework for Hydrogeology of Floridan Aquifer

Press Release: High Plains Aquifer Groundwater Levels Continue to Decline

Regional Groundwater Availability Study Geospatial Data

Press Release: USGS Assesses Current Groundwater-Quality Conditions in the Williston Basin Oil Production Area

Past listings...

USGS Groundwater Watch

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

Other Water Topics

 Water Resources

 Groundwater

 Surface Water

 Water Quality

 Water Use

USGS in Your State

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

What is the 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.

The goals of the GWRP are:

• Identify, describe, and make available fundamental information regarding groundwater availability in the Nation’s major aquifer systems, and evaluate this information over time.
• Characterize natural and human factors controlling recharge, storage, and discharge in the Nation’s major aquifer systems, and improve understanding of these processes.
• Develop and test new tools and field methods for the analysis of groundwater flow systems and the interactions these systems have with surface water.

Projects funded by the GWRP fill the information gap between national and local scale efforts by conducting regionally-integrated groundwater assessments.

Evolving to Meet the Nation's Changing Needs

GWRP has transitioned from its exclusive focus on assessment of aquifer systems to support broader issues that lead to greater understanding and awareness of the Nation’s groundwater resources. The evolution of the GWRP was primarily a reaction to the increased scope and complexity of changing groundwater issues, as competing demands for groundwater resources have grown.

In order to accomplish Program goals, the GWRP works with other Federal and non-federal agencies and organizations. As an example, the GWRP seeks to enhance the work being conducted by the National Cooperative Water Program through collaborations with localized studies to provide a more complete picture of the Nation’s groundwater resources. The Program also is actively building upon the information acquired by the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) Program, which ended in 1995, as part of the National Ground-Water Availability Assessment.

Future priorities for the Program include regional and national overviews, scientific assessments of critical ground-water issues, field methods and model development, and improved access to groundwater data.

For more information:

For more information about the GWRP:

USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3097: Ground-Water Resources Program

• View the GWRP photo gallery.
• Browse the GWRP web site.
• View a fact sheet about the Groundwater Resources Program (Fact Sheet 2005-3097).
• Contact the GWRP online.