Oregon Water Science Center
Welcome to the USGS in Oregon. Our mission is to explore the natural world around us and provide reliable scientific information to help Federal, State, and local agencies, Tribes, and the public make well-informed decisions. Our research is widely used to manage Oregon's water resources for the benefit and safety of people and the environment.
Live Stream Conditions
Live Stream Conditions
See what is happening in streams near you. View real-time stream data for streams around Oregon.
New or Relevant Information
New or Relevant Information
See what the USGS is doing locally.
News
Recharge to the Columbia River Basalt groundwater system
Recharge to the Columbia River Basalt groundwater system
Introducing the Harney Basin groundwater model
Introducing the Harney Basin groundwater model
Three historic USGS streamgages recognized by new World Meteorological Organization designation
Three historic USGS streamgages recognized by new World Meteorological Organization designation
Publications
Comparing modern identification methods for wild bees: Metabarcoding and image-based morphological taxonomic assignment
With the decline of bee populations worldwide, studies determining current wild bee distributions and diversity are increasingly important. Wild bee identification is often completed by experienced taxonomists or by genetic analysis. The current study was designed to compare two methods of identification including: (1) morphological identification by experienced taxonomists using images of field-c
Timing and source of recharge to the Columbia River Basalt groundwater system in northeastern Oregon
Recharge to and flow within the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) groundwater flow system of northeastern Oregon were characterized using isotopic, gas, and age-tracer samples from wells completed in basalt, springs, and stream base flow. Most groundwater samples were late-Pleistocene to early-Holocene; median age of well samples was 11,100 years. The relation between mean groundwater age and com
Groundwater model of the Harney Basin, southeastern Oregon
Groundwater development, mainly for large-scale irrigation, has increased substantially in the Harney Basin of southeastern Oregon since 2010. Concurrently, some areas of the basin experienced groundwater-level declines of more than 100 feet, and some shallow wells have gone dry. The Oregon Water Resources Department has limited new groundwater development in the basin until an improved understand
Science
Tracking Toxics in the Lower Columbia River
USGS scientists partnered with the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP) to assess toxic contaminant levels at 10 sites within the Lower Columbia River. Our strategy is to compare current toxic contaminant levels to the results collected previously at these sites to identify temporal changes.
Post-wildfire water-quality
In response to the catastrophic fires of 2020 in Oregon, the ORWSC teamed up with the Water Mission Area’s Water Availability - Impacts of Extreme Events study to see the water quality effects in severely burned watersheds. In Oregon, four basins were selected to monitor the quality of the water in streams with continuous sensors and discrete water quality sampling.
Recharge to the Columbia River Basalt Groundwater System
Learn about the groundwater flow system within the Columbia River Basalt Group in the Umatilla River Basin.