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Last weekend, severe flash flooding occurred in the Grand Canyon Phantom Ranch area. The flooding occurred in a relative...
09/04/2026

Last weekend, severe flash flooding occurred in the Grand Canyon Phantom Ranch area.

The flooding occurred in a relatively remote area, in which the USGS maintains four streamgages and a series of precipitation gages.

💧 Two USGS streamgages were destroyed in the flood, and one additional streamgage has readings affected by debris build-up. However, two USGS streamgages in the watershed are still actively transmitting data to provide flood warnings to hikers in the Phantom Ranch area.
💧Redundant sensors on the gage on Phantom Creek below Haunted Canyon (ID 09402900) allowed this gage to maintain operation through the flooding. In this case, the radar system stayed intact, while the bubbler system was damaged by the flood waters.
💧 Piled up debris under one radar sensor on the Bright Angel Creek below Cottonwood Campground (ID 09402700) shows higher gage height values in the provisional data than reality. USGS post-processing will account for this when the data are in a published state.
💧Precipitation gages on the North Rim remain operational, providing ongoing weather information.

USGS is coordinating with the National Park Service to determine access. The primary focus of the USGS response is on continuing to supply precipitation and gage height data to support flood monitoring.

Once it is safe to access the area, USGS will focus their immediate response on:

💧Assess damage to existing equipment and redeploy new gages, such as Rapid Deployment Gages (RDGs) as appropriate.
💧 Recover any remaining equipment from the area.
💧 Collecting field measurements of high water marks and flow conditions.
💧 Deploying terrestrial LiDAR to document high water marks and using satellite imagery and Unmanned Aircraft Systems to assess damage.

Further, USGS crews will be looking for evidence of post-fire debris in flood waters from the 2025 Dragon Bravo fire upstream of this area

📷 1-2: Photos looking upstream and downstream of flood-impacted areas in the canyon.
📷 3: Satellite imagery of the Phantom Ranch area before the flooding from LANDSAT 8. August 25, 2026.
📷 4: Satellite imagery of the Phantom Ranch area after the flooding from Sentinel 1. August 30, 2026.
📷 5: Provisional hydrographs showing gage height (ft) over time for four streamgages in the area.

📷 Credit: USGS

🌊 Diving deep for science! 🤿 Ever wonder how scientists track water flow, monitor groundwater, and keep tabs on aquatic ...
09/04/2026

🌊 Diving deep for science! 🤿

Ever wonder how scientists track water flow, monitor groundwater, and keep tabs on aquatic health from the bottom of our lakes and rivers? Meet the divers from the USGS New York Water Science Center (NYWSC).

This team combines advanced scuba skills with high-tech research. Whether they are braving zero-visibility conditions or freezing temperatures, they head underwater to safely deploy and maintain crucial data-gathering instruments. Data from these instruments helps protect drinking water, track climate impacts, and monitor environmental hazards.

To ensure they are always prepared for the unexpected, the team hosts rigorous training events like the Annual NYWSC Dive Safety Day. This training allows team members to master communications, practice emergency protocols, and sharpen the specialized underwater skills required to conduct critical fieldwork safely.

💬 We’re here to bring light to the depths of water research – what other topics would you like to learn about? Let us know in the comments!

📷 1-5: Divers from the USGS New York Water Science Center service deploy and maintain crucial data-gathering instruments across the state to ensure data collected is as accurate as possible for cooperators and public. Credit: USGS

Fishing for fun doesn't mean food isn't an important factor 🐟 Most people traditionally view inland recreational fishing...
09/03/2026

Fishing for fun doesn't mean food isn't an important factor 🐟

Most people traditionally view inland recreational fishing as a leisure activity with limited contributions to food and nutrition. USGS research, however, suggests that consumptive fishing plays a meaningful, though often overlooked, role in supporting nutrition and food security across the U.S. and globally.

An estimated 220-700 million people participate in consumptive inland recreational fishing worldwide, harvesting nearly 40 billion fish annually.

But the boundaries between fishing for fun and fishing to meet dietary needs are fuzzy, leaving key knowledge gaps:

🎣 Food system impact - Recreationally harvested fish play a substantial role in broader food systems.

📊 Unrecorded harvest - Standard monitoring and reporting often miss catches made by food-insecure recreational fishers.

🍽️ Hidden food security - For many communities, inland fisheries serve as an informal, unrecorded food source.

🌍 Climate variability - Changing temperatures, precipitation, seasonality, extreme events, and other stressors can impact fish populations.

Protecting local waters isn’t just about preserving a pastime. It’s an investment in public health, community resilience, and economic vitality.

Explore interactive data visualizations at the USGS Vizlab’s Earth in Flux Gallery to see the scale of global freshwater harvests and learn more about climate vulnerability of recreational fish consumption: https://water.usgs.gov/vizlab/earth-in-flux/ #/rec-fish-as-food

📷 1: USGS fisheries biologist holds a yellow perch (Perca flavescens) onboard the Research Vessel Muskie, Lake Erie, April 29, 2022. Credit: USGS
📷 2: Screenshot from the data visualization showing the monetary value and distribution of trout as food. Icon credit: Althea Archer, USGS
📷 3: Screenshot from the data visualization showing the monetary value and distribution of salmon as food. Icon credit: Tessa Rehill, licensed under Creative Commons 1.0

Deep underground, oil and gas extraction unlocks a hidden fluid resource, but what exactly is it? 🛢️💧 This liquid is cal...
09/02/2026

Deep underground, oil and gas extraction unlocks a hidden fluid resource, but what exactly is it? 🛢️💧

This liquid is called produced water. More complex than regular groundwater, it is a changing mix of water that has been trapped deep underground and the fluids used to facilitate petroleum extraction.

The USGS Oil and Gas Waters (OGW) project is dedicated to studying it. Funded by the Energy Resources Program, this project evaluates the volume, chemistry, and environmental impacts of wastewater co-produced during domestic petroleum extraction. 🧪

Here is what the OGW project is uncovering:

📊 Critical data: The project supplies essential insights to Congress and industry stakeholders regarding underground resource impacts.

🗺️ National mapping: Scientists track chemical fingerprints to maintain a massive public database mapping produced water quality across the country.

♻️ Critical minerals: Research helps determine the potential for recovering valuable, high-demand minerals, like lithium, directly from this wastewater.

Why does it matter?

Understanding this deep subsurface water is vital for protecting our shallow drinking water aquifers, managing industrial waste safely, and unlocking new domestic mineral resources. 🌍🔬

Learn more about the project - https://ow.ly/ihKy50ZGmJI

📷 1: Screenshot of the U.S. Geological Survey National Produced Waters Geochemical Database Viewer (ver. 3.0) which provides access to an updated compilation of geochemical and related information for water from oil and gas wells in the United States.

📷 2: A USGS scientist collects a sample of produced brine from an oil well in western New York. Credit: Laura DeMott, USGS

📷 3: The brine sampling team and their processing “lab” setup at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation office in Allegany, New York. Credit: Laura DeMott, USGS

Natural disaster preparedness starts with science! As National Preparedness Month begins, the historic inland impacts of...
09/01/2026

Natural disaster preparedness starts with science!

As National Preparedness Month begins, the historic inland impacts of Hurricane Helene serve as a valuable reminder of the need to be prepared.

When Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm on September 26, 2024, it brought historic rainfall and catastrophic flooding across the Southeast U.S., reminding us that extreme storm events can impact communities hundreds of miles from the coast.

Key Lessons:

⛈️ Inland risk: Hurricanes are not just coastal threats. Heavy rains can cause severe inland flooding far from the coast.

ℹ️ Informed preparation: Hydrologic data allows agencies to analyze and map high-risk areas before a storm hits.

🌊 Flood tracking: Real-time hazard visualization tools help emergency managers and communities track rapid changes and respond more quickly.

What you can do:

⚠️ Know your risk: Review local flood maps to learn if your area is vulnerable to rising waters.

🚨 Stay informed: Sign up for emergency alerts and follow guidance from official emergency management resources.

🛡️ Be prepared: Have a plan, and prepare an emergency kit with fresh water, non-perishable food, and vital documents.

USGS is on the front lines of preparedness science, providing the science information and tools needed to prepare for natural hazards like floods.

Explore the impacts of Hurricane Helene - https://ow.ly/Mkpq50ZFKOo

📷 1: USGS Hydrologic Technician looks on at the aftermath of severe flooding on Pigeon River in Newport, Tennessee in September 2024. Credit: Logan Combs, USGS.

📷 2-5: Screenshots tracking precipitation and streamflow at USGS streamgages along Helene's path (Sep 24–29, 2024). Spikes appear at streamgages flowing at or above the 75th percentile, with height scaled to streamflow percentile and color marking flood severity. Credit: Elmera Azadpour, USGS

Making headway in understanding headwaters 💧 Earth’s rivers, modest and mighty alike, all have humble beginnings in smal...
08/31/2026

Making headway in understanding headwaters 💧

Earth’s rivers, modest and mighty alike, all have humble beginnings in small rain-, snowmelt-, and groundwater-fed headwaters.

Headwater streams deliver nutrients and sediment to larger waterways downstream, provide critical habitat for numerous species, and make up more than 70% of total stream length globally.

Yet headwater streams are among the least known components of river networks, as streamgages are often more common on large, perennial rivers.

Scientists are advancing our understanding of headwater streams in several ways:

💧Expanding observational networks with community science programs and low-cost camera and sensor systems.

💧Developing sophisticated models that are better at simulating runoff, snow dynamics, and subsurface water storage.

💧Using remote sensing observational networks for monitoring stream surface water indirectly, particularly where it is difficult to access.

Understanding more about headwaters can help scientists better predict historic floods, droughts, and other structural failures in the downstream rivers into which headwaters flow.

USGS scientists recently led the publication of an article outlining the ways in which federal agencies, academic researchers, and regional watershed managers could effectively advance new hybrid headwater modeling frameworks. Read the article - https://eos.org/opinions/a-hybrid-approach-for-revealing-headwater-hydrology

📷 1: Kanarra Creek, a perennial third-order stream, runs through a sandstone canyon in Iron County, Utah, just northwest of Zion National Park and drains a 20.5-square-kilometer catchment. Credit: Jay Christensen, US EPA

📷 2: The headwaters of the Michigan River in the Cache la Poudre River watershed of Colorado are, like many other headwaters, sparsely monitored. Credit: John Hammond, USGS

📷 3: This perennial second-order tributary of Big Fiery Gizzard Creek in Marion County, Tennessee, drains an area of 2.5 square kilometers and flows through sandstone and shale of the Cumberland Plateau. Credit: Jay Christensen, US EPA

The water cycle isn't just a static diagram in a textbook; it's a dynamic “engine” powering our nation's landscapes. So...
08/28/2026

The water cycle isn't just a static diagram in a textbook; it's a dynamic “engine” powering our nation's landscapes.

So how do we track a cycle that spans from up in the atmosphere to deep down in underground aquifers?

With continuous monitoring and boots-on-the-ground fieldwork, such as:

🏔️ Precipitation and storage: Long before water reaches your tap, it falls as winter snow. USGS crews trek into high-elevation basins to measure snowpack density to forecast how much meltwater will feed rivers in spring.

🌊 Streamflow and surface runoff: As water travels across the landscape, USGS streamgages help us track its journey. Hydrologic technicians deploy sensors and maintain gaging stations to track real-time river height, volume, and velocity.

🧪 Water quality: Scientists use advanced instrumentation in streams to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and more, monitoring for changes in conditions.

💧 Groundwater and aquifers: We deploy specialized cameras inside groundwater monitoring wells to track water levels and inspect well conditions to identify changes in the that might affect groundwater level measurements.

USGS scientists connect the dots across every stage of the water cycle, providing emergency managers and communities the data they need to understand and track water availability across the U.S.

Explore USGS water science – https://water.usgs.gov

📷 1: A Loch Vale project manager swaps out a weekly precipitation collector in Rocky Mountain National Park. Credit: USGS

📷 2: USGS staff in a snowpack-sampling pit in Old Battle, Wyoming. Credit: USGS

📷 3: USGS hydrologic technicians service the flooded Wolf River at New London, Wisconsin streamgage, read sensors, and compare data to reference measurements to verify accurate gage height data. Credit: USGS

📷 4: A USGS hydrologic technician collects water quality samples from the Farm River in Connecticut. Credit: USGS

📷 5: View from a video camera inside a groundwater well. Credit: Michelle Sneed, USGS

📷 6: Modern technology, like drones, provides a safer way to collect data in less accessible areas. Credit: Carole Johnson, USGS

08/28/2026

A year at Zion National Park, one frame at a time. 🏞️

This time-lapse captures the North Fork Virgin River with Zion’s iconic Watchman formation in the background, showing how the river and surrounding landscape change over the seasons.

USGS Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) cameras at this and other water monitoring sites across the country help the USGS remotely track current conditions, identify technical issues, verify remote measurements, and provide a visual record of conditions.

Want to see the latest view of the river? Check out the camera 👉 https://apps.usgs.gov/hivis/camera/UT_North_Fork_Virgin_River_near_Springdale

📽️: Timelapse showing one year after sunset at Zion National Park along the North Fork Virgin River.

Over the river and through the woods, to water quality data we go! Understanding the nation’s water availability require...
08/27/2026

Over the river and through the woods, to water quality data we go!

Understanding the nation’s water availability requires not only monitoring supply and demand, but also water quality – how healthy is our water for drinking, recreation, irrigation, and wildlife?

USGS provides water quality data through several means, including water quality sample measurements that are collected by hand in the nation’s rivers and streams.

Sampling data include indicators of water quality such as nitrate, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, turbidity, and much more!

The USGS Water Data for the Nation (WDFN) delivers water quality data through:

📍 The National Water Dashboard, where users can select different water quality parameters to map

🔍 Explore Water Data and the State Pages, where users can sort and filter monitoring locations by their data availability

💻 Water Data APIs and R/Python packages, where users can programmatically download water quality data

Explore water quality samples data for yourself at the WDFN homepage - https://waterdata.usgs.gov

📷 1-3: Hexmaps of the lower 48 United States, showing median values of (1) nitrate, (2) phosphorus, and (3) dissolved oxygen across monitoring locations within each 60km hex shape from 2021 to 2026 downloaded from USGS Water Data APIs sample data. Credit: Elmera Azadpour, USGS

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and irrigation lines all in...
08/26/2026

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and irrigation lines all in a row. 🫜💧

Throughout the world, irrigation water use is essential to the food chain, both for watering crops directly consumed by people and growing crops that become food for livestock.

In addition, irrigation can alleviate crop stress from droughts and decrease soil erosion.

As of 2020, irrigation is one of the top three water uses nationally. Some interesting facts about 2020 water use:

💧 About 224,000 million gallons of freshwater were used every day for irrigation (48%), public supply (16%), and thermoelectric power (36%).

💧 Water used to irrigate crops comes from surface water and groundwater. About two-thirds of all water used for irrigation was from groundwater.

💧Unsurprisingly, summer is when the most water is used for irrigation. August rates were over 60 times higher than December’s in 2020!

USGS scientists provide estimates of irrigation water use to help water managers make informed decisions.

Learn more about irrigation water use - https://ow.ly/fWat50ZCJo5

📷 1-3: Maps by sub-watershed across the lower 48 United States, showing monthly average modeled (1) total irrigation withdrawals, (2) surface water irrigation withdrawals, and (3) groundwater irrigation withdrawals for 2020. Credit: Elmera Azadpour, USGS.

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