WASH

OREG

CALIF

PACIFIC OCEAN

4,000 2,000

200

Present

YEARS AGO

Mount Baker

Glacier Peak

Mount Rainier

Mount St. Helens

Mount Adams

Mount Hood

Mount Jefferson

Three Sisters

Newberry Volcano

Crater Lake

Mount McLoughlin

Medicine Lake Volcano

Mount Shasta

Lassen Peak

extent of contaminant migration from these 

sites to the offshore. The USEPA and the 

WDNR are using the USGS data to remediate seafloor contaminated by hazardous 

waste. 

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov

Volcanic Hazards

Seven volcanoes in the Cascade Range 

have erupted during the past few hundred 

years (fig. 2), two of them during this century. Future eruptions pose serious hazards 

to communities, aviation, and interstate 

commerce in Washington, Oregon, and 

northern California. In recent studies, the 

USGS has demonstrated that losses of lives 

and property from future eruptions can be 

reduced substantially through effective 

land-use planning and timely warnings of 

impending volcanic activity. Therefore, the 

USGS, in cooperation with various Federal, 

State, and county agencies, is studying the 

far-reaching effects of past eruptions, monitoring for signs of renewed volcanic unrest, 

developing new monitoring and predictive 

tools, and exchanging information with concerned officials, agencies, and citizens to 

identify and mitigate hazards from future 

eruptions in the Northwestern United 

States.

 In 1995, the USGS released updated volcano-hazard assessments for each of the five 

Cascade volcanoes in Washington. A 

detailed geologic map of Mount Adams also 

was released in 1995, and similar mapping 

projects are now underway at Mount Baker, 

Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens. 

Mount Rainier is one of two U.S. volcanoes 

designated for special study during the 

United Nations’ International Decade for 

Natural Disaster Reduction. As part of this 

effort, the USGS recently released a quantitative assessment of debris-flow hazards at 

Mount Rainier. Other work in progress 

includes a video on volcano hazards at 

Mount Rainier, exhibits, teacher workshops, 

and Fact Sheets on the geology and hazard 

potential at Mount Rainier. 

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov

Long-Term Water Supply Linked 

to Climate Change

Since 1977, annual streamflow in western Washington has decreased on average 

about 14,000 cubic feet per second—nearly 

the equivalent of shutting off the Skagit 

River. Annual precipitation also has 

decreased during the same period. The 

USGS has linked these decreases, which are 

affecting the long-term water supply of the 

area, to shifts in the climate of the Pacific 

Northwest.

Because the historical record of Pacific 

Northwest precipitation and streamflow 

data, as well as Northern Hemisphere atmospheric and temperature data, has indicated 

three distinguishable climate periods, the 

USGS divided the annual records into three 

periods for analysis—the pre-1947 record, 

the base record from 1947 to 1976, and the 

post-1976 record. The analysis involved 

examining the means and ratios of means of 

precipitation totals from 50 sites in western 

Washington and streamflow averages from 

112 sites in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

The analysis revealed that mean precipitation and streamflow during the pre-1947 

and the post-1976 periods were less than 

during the base period, although average 

rainfall in March and April was actually 

greater in the post-1976 period than in the 

wetter base period. 

In the short run, the USGS analysis suggests that the water supply, though under 

greater demand, is not being renewed as fast 

as it was two to four decades ago because of 

the Pacific Northwest’s currently drier and 

warmer climate. In the long term, the analysis indicates that managing the Pacific 

Northwest’s water resources will require 

better understanding of the role of climate. 

How Do Streams and Ground 

Water Affect Each Other?

Because water is in limited supply in 

many basins, withdrawals from streams are 

allocated by permit from the Washington 

State Department of Ecology. With streamflow fully allocated in some basins, groundwater development has increased.

There are connections between a basin’s 

ground water and its streams. Called 

hydraulic continuity, this interaction 

between ground and surface waters has only 

recently figured in the water-rights permitting process. As a result, permitted withdrawals in some basins may exceed the total 

volume of water available for development.

To assist the State in resolving the situation to the benefit of all water users, the 

USGS began an education program to 

explain what happens between ground water 

and surface water. The USGS, in cooperation with the Washington State Department 

of Ecology, developed an effective training 

tool—a computer modeling program that 

simulates the effects of well pumping on 

streamflow in a basin typical of the Puget 

Sound Lowland.

“The USGS model demonstrates graphically how ground water and surface water 

affect each other,” said Linton L. Wildrick, 

hydrogeologist with the Washington State 

Department of Ecology, “which helps us 

explain these concepts to the public and the 

Legislature.”

The USGS also is using the model in presentations to local water-resource managers.

National Water-Quality 

Assessment

The USGS’s National Water-Quality 

Figure 2. Cascade Range eruptions during the past 4,000 years. Assessment (NAWQA) Program collects 
and disseminates information about the quality of water resources in 60 selected basins of 

the Nation, including 3 in Washington. Its 

purpose is to assess current conditions and 

trends in water quality and to gain a better 

understanding of the major factors that affect 

water quality. An important goal of the 

NAWQA Program is to make relevant findings about water quality available to the public, as well as to decisionmakers.

A NAWQA Program study carried out in 

the Yakima River Basin from 1986 to 1991 

found high concentrations of the banned 

insecticide DDT in soil, streams, and some 

fish. There is some evidence that improved 

agricultural practices, such as drip and 

sprinkler irrigation, have reduced soil erosion, which is the main source of DDT in 

streams.

A current NAWQA Program study 

focuses on the Central Columbia Plateau, 

which is another area where water quality is 

heavily influenced by agricultural practices. 

Nitrate concentrations exceed USEPA 

drinking water standards in 20 percent of 

drinking water wells in the study area. High 

nitrate concentrations in ground water are 

directly related to using large quantities of 

nitrogen fertilizers and irrigation and may 

indicate that pesticides used along with fertilizers also are in the ground water.

In 1994, the NAWQA Program began a 

study of the high-precipitation, densely populated area of the Puget Sound Lowland, 

which contains water resources of major 

economic and ecological importance. This 

study is looking at urban and agricultural 

areas and focuses on water-quality issues 

such as occurrence and concentration of 

volatile organic compounds, pesticides in 

streams and ground water, and the health of 

in-stream habitats.

To ensure that results will be relevant, 

representatives of local, State, and Federal 

agencies, universities, and private groups 

meet with USGS scientists about twice a 

year to review study results and their implications and to advise on plans for the future. 

One member, Phillip Crawford of Washington State University Cooperative Extension, 

has commented that the focus on water 

quality provided by the NAWQA Program 

produces a “teachable moment” that allows 

people with historically diverse interests, 

including farmers, developers, and environmental and conservation groups, to build 

consensus.

http://wwwdwatcm.wr.usgs.gov/ccpt.nawqa.html

Topographic Mapping

Among the most popular and versatile 

products of the USGS are its 1:24,000-scale 

topographic maps (1 inch on the map represents 2,000 feet on the ground). These maps 

depict natural and cultural features of the 

landscape, such as lakes and streams, highways and railroads, boundaries, and geographic names. Washington is covered by 

1,456 maps at this scale. These maps have 

long been favorites with the general public 

for outdoor uses, as well as with scientists 

and engineers for technical applications.

Today, scientists and engineers depend 

on computerized base maps to provide geographic context for their research and analyses. The USGS is working to ensure the 

availability of accurate cartographic data to 

help address the Nation’s pressing resource 

and public safety issues, such as groundwater supply and quality, natural hazards, 

and land and resource management.

The USGS is addressing the growing 

public- and private-sector demand for digital data that describe transportation networks, hydrography, boundaries, Public 

Land Surveys, and land elevation. To 

streamline production of these data and 

reduce costs, the USGS, in cooperation with 

the WDNR and other Federal, State, and 

local government agencies, is working on a 

program called Data '96. This program, 

which uses private-sector contracting, 

acquires new data and combines them with 

data contributed by cooperating agencies to 

complete digital data coverage for the State 

of Washington by 1996. The data are used to 

manage Federal and State lands better and 

to provide local and tribal governments with 

low-cost data.

A major benefit of the program is that it 

gives private industry and the public access 

to the same digital data used by government 

agencies. Initially, the data are being distributed by the WDNR to cooperating agencies. 

In the future, the USGS expects to make the 

data available to Internet users. The State 

Geographic Information Council was 

recently awarded a Federal grant to develop 

a pilot digital catalog as a first step in making the data available on-line.

Geology of Mount St. Helens

The USGS, in cooperation with the 

WDNR, is working on a geologic map of 

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The map represents an important tool 

for understanding the geologic setting of 

Mount St. Helens and provides an essential 

framework for related detailed geologic 

mapping and analysis of the volcano and its 

hazards by scientists of the USGS Cascades 

Volcano Observatory.

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov

Earth Science Information

The USGS operates an Earth Science 

Information Center (ESIC) in Spokane. This 

office specializes in providing earth science 

information on the Pacific Northwest region 

to the public. The ESIC inventory includes 

USGS open-file reports and topographic 

maps, land-use and land-cover data, and 

maps and reports prepared by the Bureau of 

Land Management, the Defense Mapping 

Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory, for 

Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. 

The office also conducts data-base searches 

and places orders for digital cartographic 

data, aerial photography, and historical 

maps.

Other State ESIC affiliates for USGS 

products are the Washington State Library, 

Information Services Division, in Olympia 

and the University of Washington, Library 

Map Collection and Cartographic Information Services, in Seattle.

Water-Data Collection

The USGS, in cooperation with local, 

State, and other Federal agencies, collects 

and disseminates such water data as streamflow, reservoir and lake stage, ground-water 

level, water chemistry and water-quality, 

and climate. Much of the data collected by 

the USGS in Washington and the Nation is 

stored in the National Water Information 

System and are published annually.

The record-breaking Pacific Northwest 

floods of November 1995 illustrate the relevance of current data collection and dissemination programs. The floods, which were 

set off by rapid snowmelt during a series of 

rainstorms, caused the Governor to declare a 

state of emergency in 14 Washington counties. Although road closures made many of 

the USGS’s 250 stream-gaging stations in 

the State inaccessible, satellite telemetry 

and automated data-relay systems continued 

to supply river-height data from stranded 

stations within minutes to emergency management and information agencies. County 

emergency agencies, the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers, and the National Weather Ser-
For More

Information

vice depended on the USGS data to develop 

flood forecasts, to manage reservoir levels, 

and to warn residents of flooding in lowlying areas.

The USGS data bases cover about the last 

100 years in Washington. These historical 

data include flow for more than 1,100 discontinued streamflow-gaging sites, intermittent records of flow for more than 5,000 

streamflow-gaging sites, and water-quality 

data for surface and ground waters at more 

than 10,000 sites. These historical data constitute a long-term record of the quantity and 

quality of the State's surface- and groundwater resources and help provide for the 

orderly, informed development and management of Washington's water resources.

Water Data on the World Wide 

Web

The USGS is working to make water data 

more accessible to those who want it and 

has begun to place data products on the 

World Wide Web. Through commercial 

computer services, millions of Americans 

can now monitor river height and flow for 

more than 70 streamflow-gaging sites in 

Washington. Historical streamflow records 

also are online and more information is 

being added as the information becomes 

available. The data products—and tracking 

the next big flood—can be accessed through 

the USGS Washington District Home Page 

at:

http://wwwdwatcm.wr.usgs.gov

Washington Fisheries Studies 

The USGS Biological Resources Division (BRD, formerly the National Biological 

Service) conducts research on issues critical 

to the use and management of natural 

resources. The BRD's Northwest Biological 

Science Center (NBSC) in Seattle undertakes projects throughout the Pacific Northwest. Research includes studies on salmon 

populations, which are vitally important to 

local economies but which are in severe 

decline in the Pacific Northwest; detection 

and diagnosis of common and exotic fish 

diseases in the NBSC's unique disease containment laboratory; research to understand 

interdependencies among fish, wildlife, and 

their habitats; and pioneering the use of 

techniques, such as molecular biology, to 

gauge ecosystem health prior to severe problems. 

The NBSC's Columbia River Research 

Laboratory in Cook addresses salmon and 

other fishery issues throughout the Columbia River Basin. Current research includes 

the study of basic habitat requirements, 

movements, and survival of salmon, trout, 

and white sturgeon in the Columbia and the 

Snake Rivers; the effects of dam operations 

on the migration passage and survival of 

fish; and susceptibility of young fish to predation, which results from conversion of the 

free-flowing river to a series of reservoirs 

that contain introduced predators.

The NBSC's Marrowstone Island Field 

Station in Nordland carries out research on 

marine species and the saltwater life stages 

of salmon and steelhead. Projects at the 

facility include characterizing the effects of 

stress and disease on salmon and trout as 

they transform from a freshwater to a saltwater metabolism, the effects of a spill of 

crude oil from a tanker ship on disease-free 

herring spawned and grown at Marrowstone, 

and work toward first-time spawning of 

Pacific Halibut in captivity, which may be a 

key to future conservation efforts for this 

species. 

The Washington Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit is housed at the University of Washington, where Federal scientists teach, advise, and conduct graduatelevel programs. Research at the Unit focuses 

on the indirect impacts of contaminants on 

wildlife, detection of pollution-mediated 

effects on various taxa and communities 

(aquatic and terrestrial), the management of 

anadromous fish; and population modeling 

of wildlife. 

USGS State representative

1201 Pacific Ave., Suite 600

Tacoma, WA 98402

(206) 593-6510

Fax: (206) 593-6514

Email: dc_wa@usgs.gov

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

 others meet their needs to manage,

develop, and protect America’s water,

 energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-047-96

Figure 3. Measuring the flow in a Washington 

stream to calibrate a streamflow-gaging station.