DATA CENTER
INFORMATION CENTER
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA WSC
USGS IN YOUR STATE
USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.
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Water Resources of California
Welcome to the USGS web site for the water resources of California. This
is your direct link to all kinds of water-resource information. Here you'll
find information on California's rivers and streams. You'll also find
information about ground water, water quality, and many other topics.
The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of stream-gaging
stations in the state, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning
systems.
California Delta peat soils can be "re-grown"
Subsidence in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California – the
steady loss of the region's fertile peat soils -- can be reversed by the
creation of shallow, permanently flooded wetlands, the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS) has found.
In a pilot project on a deeply subsided island in the western Delta,
USGS scientists recorded elevation gains of more than 10 inches from 1997
to 2005 as cattails, tules and other plants grew, died, decomposed and
became new soil. The wetland plants also were successful at sequestering
carbon– that is, taking carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, out of
the atmosphere. News
release
Live views of the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe
Click here for a
live view of the Truckee River near Tahoe City, Calif. Pan the riverscape
or zoom in on a particular point of interest, thanks to the new webcam installed
and operated by the U.S. Geological Survey’s California Water Science Center.
Rafters, anglers, scientists or anyone else interested in the river can
operate the webcam from their web browser. The camera will operate 24 hours
a day, year-round. The webcam, located at a USGS stream-gaging station (see
real-time station 10337500),
gives a panoramic view of the river just downstream of the Lake Tahoe Dam
and Highway 89. The dam operates the lake's upper 6.1 feet and regulates
the amount of water released into the river. The gaging station continually
monitors outflow from the lake, plus precipitation, air temperature, water
temperature and specific conductance. The URL for the webcam site is: http://ca.water.usgs.gov/webcams/truckee/.
Our scientists span a broad range of research
 There
are over 130 scientists working in the California Water Science Center and their expertise
and interests span a very broad range of disciplinary approaches to modern
water management issues. The majority of senior Center scientists have
been officially recognized as "Research and Development Scientists"
by the USGS for their ongoing scientific contributions, demonstrated excellence
in scientific pursuits, leadership, and the impact their work has had
on both the development of scientific knowledge and its application to
real world management problems.
There are many opportunities to collaborate with researchers at the Center.
Many of the projects are conducted by multidisciplinary teams whose members
include scientists from other USGS offices, universities, and our partner
agencies. Several of the most senior researchers have hosted post-doctoral
fellows and hold joint appointments at nearby universities.
Picture above of a device invented by USGS CAWSC scientists for collecting
depth-dependent samples from production wells under pumping conditions.
Recent publications:
- Ground-Water Quality Data in the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins Data Series 258 (7/2/2007)
- PONDCALC-A Tool to Estimate Discharge from the Alviso Salt Ponds SIR
2007-5005 (7/2/2007)
- Water-Level and Land-Subsidence Studies in the Mojave River and Morongo Ground-Water Basins SIR 2007-5097 (6/26/2007)
- Boiling water at Hot Creek - The dangerous and dynamic thermal springs
in California's Long Valley Caldera FS
2007-3045 (6/26/2007)
- Availability of Ground-Water Data for California, Water Year 2006
FS 2007-3038 (6/12/2007)
- Increasing the Resilience to Natural Hazards in Southern California
FS 2007-3037 (6/12/2007)
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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S.
Geological Survey
