Explore USGS Water Data
The Explore USGS Water Data feature designed for searching and filtering data by locations and data collection categories in WDFN.
Locating and filtering data by specific data types is available with the Explore USGS Water Data feature, which provides users with a dynamic tool to filter and locate monitoring locations and water data that meet their needs. Newly released download features on My Favorites work together with Explore USGS Water Data to help you access all the water data you need.
Explore USGS Water Data is now available in WDFN. This is an example of filtered results available at Explore USGS Water Data from the area surrounding Lake Tahoe. Results have been filtered to continuous and discrete sample data collected at Surface Water and Groundwater locations for the past 5 years. In addition, data have been filtered to Temperature and pH. Locations that match the filters are available in the scrolling list to the right of the map.
Explore USGS Water Data is a map tool with multiple filters available to help you refine a list of locations and find water data that meet your needs. Use the search bar at the top of the map to find an area or type in a USGS monitoring location ID (e.g., USGS-01648010) to view what water data are available in WDFN at that location.
Filter options are available to refine your search to identify monitoring locations that match your needs for data collection category, time range of data collection, location type, and optional filters for specifying specific parameters or key words.
While the USGS National Water Dashboard displays the latest water conditions in context of ongoing weather events or hazards, Explore USGS Water Data provides the ability to explore both recent and historical water data that are available in WDFN. Learn more about how this page, as well as other new features, fit into the modernized WDFN ecosystem .
Key Features
Explore USGS Water Data provides a way for users to filter down to locations that have the data collection category and data types they need. Highlighted features include:
- View locations and location types (Surface Water, Groundwater, Spring, Atmospheric, and Other) using the map. Users can zoom in and out to focus on different areas of interest and select location types with the filter options. When a user selects a location on the map within a certain location type, all other locations in that group will be identified in blue on the map.
- Filter data by a specific geographic location or area of interest through a zip code, state, town, or geographic feature search. You can also search by USGS monitoring location ID. Change the base map to see imagery, topography, or add HUC basin delineations to the map.
- Select categories of data collection of interest. Continuous data, daily data, field measurements, and discrete sample data are available now. Learn more about the categories of data collection available in WDFN.
- Select the time range for data collection to refine locations to those that have data available within the last 120 days, 1, 5, 10, 20 years, or all possible years of data collection.
- Further filter locations based on the data types for which they have available data. Select up to five keywords, which represent groups of USGS parameter codes, or enter any number of specific USGS parameter codes (
pcodes). Some examples of keywords include: temperature, pH, acidity, and turbidity. - View the list of locations that match filter settings next to the map.
- Select individual locations within the list or on the map to view matching results and a link to visit the Monitoring Location Page.
- Add locations to My Favorites to export the selected locations or download data
Exploratory Options
Explore USGS Water Data combined with the National Water Dashboard provides users with flexible options to locate and use available water data. The following table describes and compares use cases of Explore USGS Water Data and the National Water Dashboard. Read more about newly released features on the National Water Dashboard in our blog post .
Table 1: Comparing Exploratory Maps
| I want to... | Explore USGS Water Data | National Water Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| ...explore water data from a certain time span | Users select specific time ranges to explore current and historical water data available in WDFN. | Users see the latest water conditions and can add the context of current weather and hazard information. |
| ...select an area of interest | Users focus on an area of interest by entering search criteria including zip code, state, town, geographic feature, or monitoring location ID. | Users focus on an area of interest by entering similar search criteria as Explore USGS Water Data or by using the "Customize" option to select an area of interest. |
| ...choose the type of monitoring locations to map | Users select between five location types (surface water, ground water, spring, atmospheric, or other) to focus results. | Users select layers to display latest values of data types collected at USGS monitoring locations. |
| ...see locations collecting specific data types | Users enter up to five keywords (example: temperature, pH, turbidity) or parameter codes to view locations collecting one or more of those data types. | Users view at-a-glance colors indicating how the latest values of a single data type compare to historic conditions or to recent water conditions (e.g., if water levels are rising or falling). |
What’s next?
As we’ve built out additional functionality on Explore USGS Water Data, it now serves as the replacement for NWISMapper. NWISMapper is expected to be decommissioned in November 2026 as part of NWISWeb Decommission Campaign 3. Learn more about decommission plans and how the pages you use will be affected in our blog post .
Our team uses user-centered design processes to determine what to prioritize next. Let us know if you have any comments about Explore USGS Water Data by emailing wdfn@usgs.gov .
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