Water Resources Science of the U.S. Geological Survey

in New York

General Information Product 185

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
“New York is a beautiful State. We are incredibly fortunate that we can have access to the history 

of the Hudson River, bathe along Long Island’s beautiful beaches, hike the pristine watersheds of the 

Adirondack and Catskill Mountains, sail the Great Lakes, tour the Finger Lakes region, be inspired by 

the majesty of Niagara Falls, and take in the culture and energy of New York City. New York is where 

we live and work. As New Yorkers and stewards of the environment, it is our duty to help protect the 

natural resources and people of our State. The New York Water Science Center of the U.S. Geological 

Survey is made up of more than 100 New Yorkers who work day-in and day-out to describe and help us 

understand the water resources of our State. We provide water-resource managers with the information 

they need to make informed decisions. We partner with about a hundred Federal and State agencies as 

well as local municipalities, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and Tribal Nations.

“The data we provide are timely and unbiased. We help protect the lives and property of our 

families, friends, and neighbors by providing the National Weather Service with the data they need 

to make accurate predictions about flooding. When others are moving themselves and their families 

to higher ground during such storms as Tropical Storm Irene and Hurricane Sandy, we can be found 

heading toward high water to ensure that accurate streamflow and storm-tide data continue to be 

collected and delivered to the public. It is this dedication that makes me proud to be a part of the 

U.S. Geological Survey family. I hope that this general information product offers you a taste of all the 

great work being done by the staff of the New York Water Science Center.”

Robert F. Breault

New York Water Science Center Director

U.S. Geological Survey
Water Resources Science of the U.S. Geological Survey

in New York
USGS hydrographer collects streamflow information

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses accurate, defensible, and nationally 

consistent methods to collect streamflow data that allow for decision making 

across local, State, and international borders. Streamflow data are permanently 

archived and can be accessed from the National Water Information System (NWIS), 

the portal for all USGS surface-water and groundwater data for the Nation.
Water Resources Science 

in New York

The USGS studies the effects of weather, climate, and man-made influences 

on groundwater levels, streamflow, and reservoir, lake, and ocean levels, as well 

as on the ecological health of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, watersheds, estuaries, 

and wildlife. From these studies, the USGS produces high-quality, timely, and 

unbiased scientific research and data that are widely accessible and relevant to 

all levels of government, Tribal Nations, academic institutions, nongovernmental 

organizations, the private sector, and the general public.
WaterAlert

The USGS WaterAlert system 

sends text or email messages 

when surface-water levels 

approach flood stage, 

groundwater levels fall below a 

critical level, or any other userdefined threshold is exceeded at 

monitoring stations.

Flooding caused by storms, hurricanes, snowmelt, and ice jams in New York 

can cause loss of life and costly damage to property and natural resources. The 

frequency of extreme events, such as floods and droughts, changes over time, and 

the collection of real-time and long-term data provides critical insights.

The USGS collects surface-water and groundwater data to protect the lives 

and property of New Yorkers. The data are used to determine water availability, 

to understand the potential effects of water use on ecosystems, and to help design 

roads, bridges, and water-treatment facilities that are resilient to flooding and to 

changes in climate and weather.

Surface-Water and

Groundwater Information

Flood Inundation Mapper

The USGS produces flood-inundation maps that show 

where it may flood in a community as a local stream 

or river rises to specific water levels.
USGS streamgage used to collect streamflow data

The USGS collects streamflow data from a network of more than 300 surfacewater-monitoring stations (such as streamgages) and makes these data available 

to the public in NWIS.
USGS hydrographer collects groundwater information

The USGS collects groundwater data from a network of more than 650 groundwatermonitoring stations and makes these data available to the public in NWIS.
Surface-Water and

Groundwater Information

(Continued)

During times of drought, quick and decisive management of water resources 

can ensure that human and ecological needs are met. Real-time and long-term 

data from streamgages and groundwater wells are used, in part, to determine the 

severity of drought conditions and help State and local water-resource managers 

determine appropriate actions for reducing the effect of droughts.

Hydrologic Conditions Mapper

The streamflow and groundwater data that the 

USGS collects each month are used to map 

monthly hydrologic conditions. The Hydrologic 

Conditions Mapper shows how wet or dry the 

drainage areas are for select streamgages and 

groundwater wells in New York.
Aquifer Interactive Maps

Since the 1980s, the USGS has mapped more 

than 30 aquifers. These aquifer maps are 

accessible from the Upstate New York Aquifer 

Viewer interactive mapping application.

Groundwater and surface water are among the Nation’s most important 

natural resources. Although the Northeast can be considered “water-rich” 

compared with other parts of the Nation, competition between human use and 

ecological needs for water is mounting. To ensure adequate water availability 

in the future, the USGS collects and disseminates scientific information to help 

quantify water-resource availability, including availability for human use. These 

efforts help water-resource managers understand how to meet future water 

demands while balancing human and ecological needs. Major topics of study 

include surface-water modeling, groundwater-flow modeling, hydrogeologic 

characterization, water-use science, flood science, and climate change.

Groundwater-Flow Models for

Long Island

In the 1970s, USGS hydrologists pioneered the 

use of groundwater modeling to understand 

groundwater flow on Long Island. Today [2018], 

this model uses updated geology and freshwater 

and saltwater boundaries to estimate the effects 

of aquifer withdrawals and recharge on the 

available groundwater.

Water Availability

 and Use
USGS hydrologists measure geophysical properties of the 

Long Island aquifer system

Exploratory wells are being drilled on Long Island. The wells help define the 

aquifer system, track saltwater encroachment into the aquifer, and inform a new 

model of groundwater flow for the island.
ATLANTIC OCEAN

LOWER

NEW YORK

BAY

UPPER

NEW YORK

BAY

SMITHTOWN

BAY

JAMAICA

BAY

EAST

RIVER

NORTHPORT

BAY

HUNTINGTON

BAY OYSTER

BAY

HARBOR

MANHASSET 

BAY

LITTLE

NECK

BAY

COLD

SPRING

HARBOR

HEMPSTEAD 

HARBOR

FLUSHING

BAY

HUDSON RIVER

EAST

BAY

LONG

ISLAND

SOUND

NICOLL

BAY

GREAT SOUTH BAY

SOUTH

OYSTER

BAY

Geospatial Applications

The USGS provides modern geospatial tools, many in the form of 

the mapping applications highlighted in this publication, for analysis and 

decision making. Mapping applications deliver USGS water data to the 

public, such as the extent of flooding, the depth to the water table, the 

quality of waterways, and storm tide levels during storms.
LONG ISLAND SOUND

ATLANTIC OCEAN

BLOCK ISLAND 

SOUND

GARDINERS

BAY

GREAT

PECONIC

BAY

NAPEAGUE

BAY LITTLE

PECONIC

BAY

NOYACK

BAY

MORICHES

BAY

SHINNECOCK

BAY

NORTHWEST

HARBOR

THREEMILE 

HARBOR

ORIENT

HARBOR

SOUTHOLD

BAY

HOG

NECK

BAY

CUTCHOGUE

HARBOR

MECOX

BAY

FLANDERS

BAY

TIANA

BAY

BELLPORT 

BAY PATCHOGUE 

BAY

SHELTER ISLAND SOUND

Long Island Depth to Water 

Table Viewer

Monitoring wells on Long Island are used 

to measure the depth of the water table. 

These measurements are 

incorporated into the Long 

Island Depth to Water 

Viewer and are updated 

every 5 years.
USGS hydrologist collects a water-quality sample

The USGS collects water-quality data from water samples and a network of 

continuous water-quality-monitoring stations and makes these data available to 

the public in NWIS.
Water

Quality

Weather, climate, and man-made influences affect the quality of water in New 

York. To assess water quality for human and ecological needs, the USGS collects 

data from a variety of natural resources, including streams, lakes, and reservoirs; 

estuaries and embayments; groundwater; wastewater; agricultural, forested, and 

wildland soils; forest canopy and undergrowth; fish, macroinvertebrates, and other 

wildlife; and the atmosphere. Water-quality data, in turn, are used to determine the 

health of ecosystems (including wetlands, urban landscapes, coastal environments, 

and watersheds) and the connection of the health of ecosystems to human 

water use. Major topics of study include surface-water and groundwater-quality 

monitoring and water-quality modeling.

The USGS retrieves and 

makes available on a daily 

basis water-quality data 

that are used by beach 

managers to determine 

whether a local beach is 

open, under advisory, or 

closed. The data are used 

to update the interactive 

Nowcast Beach Status 

mapping application.

Beach Safety Notification

Quality of Groundwater in Aquifers

Since the early 2000s, more than 700 existing private 

and public-supply wells have been sampled to record 

the quality of ambient groundwater in bedrock and 

glacial-drift aquifers in upstate New York.
Ecosystems Health

Ecosystem health refers to the status of an ecosystem relative to a natural or 

undisturbed state. A range of different stressors and disturbances such as floods, 

droughts, air or water pollutants, and invasive species can affect the health of 

an ecosystem. The USGS collects short-term and long-term physical, chemical, 

geological, and biological data that can help natural resource managers evaluate 

ecosystem health. Trend analysis and interpretive studies have proven helpful in 

addressing changes in ecosystem health over time. For example, since the Clean 

Air Act went into effect, implementation of the law has resulted in decreases in 

the emission of pollutants that were the cause of acid rain; the USGS has been 

monitoring the status of ecosystems in the Adirondacks and the Catskills as they 

recover from the effects of acid rain. Other studies have focused on the effects 

of large floods on fish and aquatic insect communities, the effects of water 

pollutants on aquatic biota, and the effects of climate change on streamflow. 

Major topics of study include aquatic community health, biogeochemical and 

hydrologic assessment, climate change, and ecological assessment of human and 

natural influences. 

Laboratory

The USGS has a laboratory in New York for the 

chemical analysis of soils and water samples 

collected by the USGS and its partners. This 

laboratory provides accurate measurements of soil 

water, nonagricultural soils, stream water, and lake 

water; these measurements can then be adapted and 

used in a variety of studies. The laboratory includes 

many state-of-the-art instruments, including an 

ion chromatograph, an inductively coupled plasma 

spectrophotometer, a dissolved carbon analyzer, 

three flow-injection analyzers, a carbon-nitrogen 

analyzer for soil, an autotitrator, and a turbidimeter.
USGS hydrologist collects a soil sample

The USGS and the Northeastern Soil Monitoring Cooperative are studying how 

human activities are changing our soils. 
USGS station used to continuously monitor tidal waters

The USGS collects tidal elevation and water-quality data from a network of 18 

monitoring stations along the coast of New York and makes these data available to 

the public in NWIS.
The coastal areas of New York are highly vulnerable to tidal and storm-surge 

flooding. Timely evacuation of people from flood-threatened areas in advance 

of approaching hurricanes and nor’easters (northeast coastal storms) requires 

adequate flood-warning time. To address this need, the USGS operates a network 

of monitoring stations in the coastal areas of Long Island and New York City that 

collect data on weather and tidal water elevation and make them available online in 

near real time.

The USGS studies the State’s diverse coastal waters and landscapes—areas 

rich in economic and environmental resources—from the Atlantic Ocean to the 

Great Lakes. Coastal areas are home to more than half the population of New 

York. Major topics of study include nearshore environmental health (for example, 

ecosystem health and water and sediment quality), beach and barrier island 

dynamics, shoreline erosion, tide and wave hydrodynamics, wetlands, climate and 

land-use change, and flood hazards.

Coastal

Science

Surge, Wave, and Tide 

Hydrodynamics Network

The USGS maintains the Surge, Wave, and Tide 

Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network along the 

northeastern and mid-Atlantic coast to improve 

our understanding of how overland storm tide and 

waves evolve and dissipate when they move across 

natural and man-made landscapes. Data from the 

SWaTH Network are either transmitted in near realtime or uploaded within days after a storm to the 

USGS Flood Event Viewer.
The USGS is recognized as an expert in geophysical technology transfer and 

leads geophysical training courses and workshops around the world. State-ofthe-art geophysical equipment such as borehole-wall imagers, sonic tools, flow 

meters, and electromagnetic sounders is available to characterize below-ground 

surficial and bedrock geology and to support groundwater-resource studies and 

training curricula.

Geophysical Applications

The USGS uses state-of-the-art geophysical 

equipment for training and demonstrations 

for partners, cooperators, and other groups. 

The USGS is part of a partnership to revitalize 

urban waterways for the good of underserved 

communities and the environment by supporting 

local projects, participating in community 

outreach events, and providing data to help 

decision makers improve local waterways. USGS 

scientists also bring science to classrooms in 

schools throughout the State.

Education and Outreach
USGS geologists collect geophysical information

The USGS collects borehole and surface geophysical data and makes these 

data available to the public in the GeoLog Locator.
Working With the Private Sector

In providing water-related data to the public, 

the USGS has a mandate to avoid competition with 

the private sector. Projects completed by or for the 

USGS must provide an enhancement of knowledge 

or hydrologic methodology. As such, USGS projects 

either provide services that are not readily available 

from the private sector or satisfy a cooperator’s 

operational need as part of a broader mandate 

to advance knowledge of a regional hydrologic 

system, advance field or analytical methodology 

or understanding of hydrologic processes, or 

provide hydrologic data or results useful to many 

groups. The USGS uses private-sector contractors 

to carry out specific tasks in projects where it is 

appropriate and efficient to do so. Projects with 

large components appropriate for the private sector 

are completed in partnership with cooperators and 

private-sector firms. The goal of the USGS is to 

provide technical leadership and not simply respond 

to the needs of cooperators as they perceive them.
For additional information, contact:

Director, New York Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey

425 Jordan Road

Troy, NY 12180–8349

dc_ny@usgs.gov

(518) 285–5602

or visit our website at

https://ny.water.usgs.gov

Find us on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/USGSNewYork/

Find us on Instagram at

https://www.instagram.com/usgsnewyork/

Publication support provided by the Pembroke and

 Rolla Publishing Service Centers 

Written by Anna N. Glover 

Edited by Jonas Casey-Williams, Rebekah Davis, and Alan Jones

Layout and design by Susan L. Gentner

Printing support by Cathy Y. Knutson

All photographs by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Cover photograph by Susan L. Gentner, used with permission.

Photograph of Robert F. Breault by Heather Bohm-Tallman Photography, used with permission.

U.S. Department of the Interior

RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

William H. Werkheiser, Deputy Director

 exercising the authority of the Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2018

ISSN 2332-3531 (print)

ISSN 2332-354X (online)

ISBN 978-1-4113-4202-6

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.
ISSN 2332-3531 (print)

ISSN 2332-354x (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/gip185

Water Resources Science of the U.S. Geological Survey in New York—General Information Product 185

Printed on recycled paper