Daily data in Water Data for the Nation

Where to find and download daily data in Water Data for the Nation

There have been a lot of changes to how you access USGS water data as we work to modernize data delivery in WDFN and decommission NWISWeb. As we centralize and re-organize data delivery in WDFN, we have recently set out to describe different types of water data according to data collection categories . We started with re-organizing and expanding the data collection categories that are delivered on the Monitoring Location Page and are now working to deliver additional data collection categories on other WDFN pages as well. This blog is part of a series to help orient you to where you can find different types of data in WDFN pages and services. In this post, we want to focus on how you can access daily data in WDFN.

Daily data in WDFN

Daily data provide one data value to represent water conditions for the day. Throughout much of the history of the USGS, the primary water data available were daily data. These data were originally collected manually at the monitoring location each day, then transitioned to being recorded at the location. With improved availability of computer storage and automated transmission of data, the daily data published today are generally a summary statistic or single metric of the continuous data collected each day. Daily data are automatically calculated from the continuous data of the same parameter code and are described by parameter name and parameter code (pcode) and a statistic code . These data have also been referred to as “daily values” or “DV”.

We’re still delivering the same data, but how you access and look at it is going to be a little different. In NWISWeb, daily data were delivered on specific /dv webpages, separate from other USGS water data. Now, daily data are delivered in a similar manner to and on the same pages as other data collection categories on WDFN pages. The service delivering the daily data has also changed, from the /dv service in USGS Water Service to a modernized /daily endpoint in USGS Water Data APIs. Read more about where to find daily data on graphs, in a table, via a download, or through our APIs below.

Where can I graph daily data?

The primary place to graph daily data is on the Monitoring Location Pages, or MLP, which serve as the hub for all USGS water data collected at a location. In the “Available data” section of an MLP, you will see all the available data types at the location, organized into the data collection categories. You can plot daily data by clicking the “Graph it” button next to a daily data type. The image below on the left shows the available data accordions available on the MLP, with an example from monitoring location USGS-354133082042203 .

All available statistic codes for your selected daily data type will be shown on the graph, and you can turn them on and off with the check boxes. The daily data graphs default to display a time span of 1 year. You can use the radio buttons above the graph to quickly switch to 10 years or the full period of record at your location, or change to a custom time span within the “Change time span” action button below the graph. If your selected daily data type is discharge, gage height, or groundwater level, the associated field measurements will be shown on the graph. The image below on the right shows the daily data graph for monitoring location USGS-354133082042203

There is another WDFN page where daily data are graphed with statistical data to put the recent values into historical context: MLP: Daily Data Graphs. On these pages, you can see specialty graphs for locations that publish daily mean data for discharge or depth to water level and have a long enough period of record to provide meaningful statistical significance.

The duration graph shows daily mean discharge data along with the day of year statistical percentile ranges for surface water monitoring locations, and daily mean depth to water level data along with month of year statistics for groundwater monitoring locations. This places the recent daily data in context of expected values based on historical data at the monitoring location. An example of the daily duration graph is shown below for monitoring location USGS-01646500 with daily mean discharge data from 2024-2025 (black line) and the day of year statistical percentile ranges.

For monitoring locations that publish daily mean discharge data, there is an additional specialty accumulation graph that shows the cumulative daily mean discharge in context of the expected “normal” range throughout the year. The graph shows the cumulative 25th and 75th percentile bins as a shaded area for the entire year with the accumulated daily mean discharge data up to the latest available daily mean data for the year.

The image to the right shows an example of the accumulation graph for the monitoring location USGS-01646500 with the cumulative daily mean discharge data from 2025 (black line) and the expected “normal” range of values (faint green band).

The graphs included on MLP: Daily Data Graphs were selected based on the most popular features of WaterWatch and GroundwaterWatch. Learn more about the delivery of statistics in WDFN and the decommission of WaterWatch and about how statistics are computed and delivered in WDFN .

Where can I see a table of daily data?

On the Monitoring Location Pages you can find a table view of daily data by first graphing a daily data type, then clicking the “View data records” action button. There you will find tables for the data types and time span that are currently graphed on the page. If you would like to see a longer time span in the table, you can change the graph time span. There will be separate tables for each statistic code that is shown on the graph that include the data values, date and time of collection, data approval status, and any masks or qualifiers applied to the data.

The screenshot to the right shows how you can view the table of data records. Click on the “View data records” action button on the MLP to see the daily data records that are currently shown on the graph. This example from the monitoring location USGS-354133082042203.

Where can I download daily data?

On the Monitoring Location Pages, you can download daily data by first graphing a daily data type. Click the “Download data” action button, select the “Daily data” data type, and click “Retrieve” to download the daily data that are currently shown on the graph. If you would like to download data for a longer time span, you can change the graph time span. If there are multiple statistical codes for daily data, you can select them individually to download. Daily data will download as a csv file. If you would like to download daily data for multiple locations, statistic codes, or data types from a browser, try out the new Download data form. In 2026, we will be working to support more complex downloads from WDFN pages.

The screenshot to the right shows how you can download a table of data records. Click on the “Download data” action button on the MLP and then select "Daily data". This example is from monitoring location USGS-354133082042203.

How can I access daily data via an API?

You can access daily data and their metadata from the /daily API on USGS water data APIs. The daily API replaces the legacy daily values service. Data from the API can be returned in several formats, including json, csv, and html.

You can learn more about the new APIs at api.waterdata.usgs.gov , the new hub for all modernized USGS water data APIs. There you will see links to a number of different endpoints, including for other USGS data like the National Imagery Management Service. You’ll also find a Documentation tab that provides a central place for long-form API documentation. Finally, you’ll find a signup form for API keys.

Decommission of NWISWeb

Now that daily data are available throughout WDFN on graphs, in tables, to download, and accessible with the new API services, we have decommissioned the legacy NWISWeb pages that delivered these data and these pages are no longer accessible. In Decommission Campaign 2 , the legacy NWISWeb URLs will be redirected to modernized WDFN webpages when possible, or to relevant resources to help you find the data you were looking for on new WDFN webpages.

Want to know if your webpage will be affected? Look at the URL in your browser window (for example, waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/dv). For daily data, decommission impacts https://waterdata.usgs.gov URLs that include /dv.

Learn more about the decommission of NWISWeb and stay up-to-date with our decommission timing and progress by following along with the Water Data Blog .

We’re here to help

We understand that change is hard, and some of these changes might feel sudden. We’re here to help. We have staff ready to help you make the transition to using WDFN webpages should you need it. Please reach out to us at gs-w_waterdata_support@usgs.gov with any questions. You can get regular updates about the modernization and decommission effort sent to your inbox by subscribing to the Water Data for the Nation newsletter .

The WDFN websites and services advance the way we deliver water data, and we are focused on continual improvement. Our team uses user-centered design processes to determine what to prioritize next. Let us know how the WDFN pages are working for you by emailing gs-w_waterdata_support@usgs.gov .