Streams and Lakes

In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Antonio Water System, began a study to refine previously derived estimates of groundwater outflows from Medina and Diversion Lakes in south-central Texas near San Antonio.

The purpose of this flood inundation mapping effort will be to meet the needs of real-time emergency managers by bridging the gap between the NWS's river forecasts and FEMA's available hydraulic modeling and mapping.

The USGS provides technical advice or assistance to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey related flooding, the USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiated a cooperative study to evaluate the magnitude of the flood, determine the probability of occurrence, and map the extent of the flood in Texas.

The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center is implementing a more complete and integrated monitoring network for the Edwards aquifer to improve the understanding of aquifer water quality and establish a baseline for measuring future water-quality changes.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), as environmental contaminants, are a source of increasing concern because of their possible disruption of endocrine systems in humans and other organisms. The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center is collecting and analyzing samples from inflows and outflows of five Dallas water treatment plants and five sites in the Trinity River for...

The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center Nutrients Study for Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) provides discrete-depth data for nutrients, major ions, and other water-quality parameters in multiple source-water reservoirs used by DWU. The program is designed to assess nutrient and major ion occurrence, distribution, and concentration in waters by using established field and laboratory methods.

Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) scientists are testing different methods of detecting and quantifying cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Texas reservoirs. The results of these tests could be used to develop a cost-effective monitoring plan to evaluate the presence and concentration of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Texas reservoirs.

The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center is evaluating the variability of nutrient and sediment concentrations and loads entering Texas bays and estuaries across a range of hydrologic conditions in Galveston Bay (inflow from the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers), Matagordo Bay (inflow from the Colorado River), San Antonio Bay (inflow from the Guadalupe River), and Nueces Bay (inflow from Nueces...

Risk of future flooding events in the Bandera County area highlights a critical need for a flood warning system. As part of the flood warning system, a tool set is needed to enhance the communication of flood risk and provide emergency managers additional information necessary to better mitigate the impacts of flooding. The USGS Texas Water Science Center is helping build this tool set through...

Surface-water/groundwater interactions include the exchange of water, and the chemicals that may be present in the water, which can lead to issues with water supply and water quality. Groundwater can be a major contributor to streams, lakes, and wetlands while surface water can contribute recharge to groundwater. The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) uses geophysics and other...

The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) collects data and has science projects at more than 200 reservoirs. Visit the links below for more information on our data and science.