Kara M Garvin
Kara is a Hydrologist with the Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center in the Integrated Hydrology + Data Science Branch.
As a Hydrologist with the USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, my primary research focus has been on surface-water statistics and geospatial analysis. I've developed the StreamStats web application for New Jersey and now currently working on Texas, which allows users to calculate basin characteristics, peak-flow and low-flow estimates for a selected drainage basin. This process included developing regional regression equations used to estimate flow statistics at ungaged sites. I worked on creation of flood inundation maps for stream reaches with known flooding issues in New Jersey, Texas, and other areas across the country using HEC-RAS surface water models and GIS analysis tools to map the extent of inundation and depth of flooding for stream reaches.
Professional Experience
2019-Active, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas
2001-2019, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
1998-2001, Systems Analyst, Everglades Regulation, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, Florida Area
1997-1998, Hydrologic Technician, Bridge Scour Project, U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, WIlliamsport, Pennsylvania
Education and Certifications
B.S. in Geology, Virginia Tech, 1996
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 20
Watershed hydrology assessment for the Nueces River basin--Appendix A, statistical hydrology.
No abstract available.
Authors
David Wallace, Kara M. Watson
Watershed hydrology assessment for the Lower Colorado River Basin. Appendix A: Statistical hydrology
Statistical analysis of the observational record from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages and period of historical flow observations prior to the gage installation provides an informative means of estimating flood flow frequency. The U.S. Geological Survey contributed to the InFRM team’s efforts by performing the statistical analysis of the gaged record and authored this Appendix...
Authors
David Wallace, Kara M. Watson
Watershed hydrology assessment for the Lower Colorado River Basin. Appendix D: RiverWare analyses
RiverWare is a river system modeling tool developed by CADSWES (Center of Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems) that allows the user to simulate complex reservoir operations and perform period-of-record analyses for different scenarios. For the InFRM hydrology studies, RiverWare is used to generate a homogeneous regulated POR by simulating the basin as if the...
Authors
David Wallace, Kara M. Watson
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana from the August and September 2017 flood resulting from Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on August 25, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane with wind gusts exceeding 150 miles per hour. As Harvey moved inland, the forward motion of the storm slowed down and produced tremendous rainfall amounts over southeastern Texas, with 8-day rainfall amounts exceeding 60 inches in some locations, which is about 15 inches more than average...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, Glenn R. Harwell, David S. Wallace, Toby L. Welborn, Victoria G. Stengel, Jeremy S. McDowell
Characteristics of peak streamflows and extent of inundation in areas of West Virginia and southwestern Virginia affected by flooding, June 2016
Heavy rainfall occurred across central and southern WestVirginia in June 2016 as a result of repeated rounds of torrentialthunderstorms. The storms caused major flooding and flashflooding in central and southern West Virginia with Kanawha,Fayette, Nicholas, and Greenbrier Counties among the hardesthit. Over the duration of the storms, from 8 to 9.37 inches ofrain was reported in areas in...
Authors
Samuel H. Austin, Kara M. Watson, R. Russell Lotspeich, Stephen J. Cauller, Jeremy T. White, Shaun Wicklein
New Jersey StreamStats: A web application for streamflow statistics and basin characteristics
StreamStats is an interactive, map-based web application from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that allows users to easily obtain streamflow statistics and watershed characteristics for both gaged and ungaged sites on streams throughout New Jersey. Users can determine flood magnitude and frequency, monthly flow-duration, monthly low-flow frequency statistics, and watershed...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, Jon A. Janowicz
Flood of July 2016 in northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation
Heavy rain fell across northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation on July 11, 2016, as a result of several rounds of thunderstorms. The storms caused major flooding in the Bad River Basin and nearby tributaries along the south shore of Lake Superior. Rainfall totals were 8–10 inches or more and most of the rain fell in an 8-hour period. A streamgage on the Bad River near Odanah...
Authors
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Eric D. Dantoin, Naomi Tillison, Kara M. Watson, Robert J. Waschbusch, James D. Blount
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation at selected areas in North Carolina following Hurricane Matthew, October 2016
The passage of Hurricane Matthew through central and eastern North Carolina during October 7–9, 2016, brought heavy rainfall, which resulted in major flooding. More than 15 inches of rain was recorded in some areas. More than 600 roads were closed, including Interstates 95 and 40, and nearly 99,000 structures were affected by floodwaters. Immediately following the flooding, the U.S...
Authors
Jonathan W. Musser, Kara M. Watson, Anthony J. Gotvald
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in Louisiana from the August 2016 flood
Heavy rainfall occurred across Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi in August 2016 as a result of a slow-moving area of low pressure and a high amount of atmospheric moisture. The storm caused major flooding in the southern portions of Louisiana including areas surrounding Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Flooding occurred along the rivers such as the Amite, Comite, Tangipahoa, Tickfaw...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, John B. Storm, Brian Breaker, Claire E. Rose
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi from flood of March 2016
Heavy rainfall occurred across Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi in March 2016 as a result of a slow-moving southward dip in the jetstream, funneling tropical moisture into parts of the Gulf Coast States and the Mississippi River Valley. The storm caused major flooding in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Louisiana and in eastern Texas. Flooding also occurred in the...
Authors
Brian Breaker, Kara M. Watson, Paul A. Ensminger, John B. Storm, Claire E. Rose
Flood-inundation maps for the Peckman River in the Townships of Verona, Cedar Grove, and Little Falls, and the Borough of Woodland Park, New Jersey, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximate 7.5-mile reach of the Peckman River in New Jersey, which extends from Verona Lake Dam in the Township of Verona downstream through the Township of Cedar Grove and the Township of Little Falls to the confluence with the Passaic River in the Borough of Woodland Park, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the...
Authors
Michal J. Niemoczynski, Kara M. Watson
Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages for flooding in the central and southeastern United States during December 2015 and January 2016
Flooding occurred in the central and southeastern United States during December 2015 and January 2016. The flooding was the result of more than 20 inches of rain falling in a 19 day period from December 12 to December 31, 2015. U.S. Geological Survey streamgages recorded 23 peaks of record during the subsequent flooding, with a total of 172 streamgages recording peaks that ranked in the...
Authors
Michael J. Friedel, Kara M. Watson, Thomas E. Harris
Hydrologic simulations using projected climate data as input to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) for the Trinity River Basin Integrated Water Availability Assessment, Texas, 2023
The Trinity River Basin is a major source of water for a large part of Texas that includes the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas. An application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) was used to conduct hydrologic simulations for the Trinity River Basin surface water model. Climate variables including daily precipitation, daily maximum...
New Jersey StreamStats digital elevation, flow direction, and flow accumulation GIS data 2022
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), prepared hydro-conditioned geographic information systems (GIS) data layers for use in the updated New Jersey StreamStats 2022 application (U.S. Geological Survey, 2022). This update features improvements in base-elevation resolution from 10 meters to 10 feet and stream...
Basin characteristics rasters for New Jersey StreamStats 2022
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), calculated several basin characteristics as part of the updated New Jersey StreamStats 2022 application (U.S. Geological Survey, 2022). These datasets are raster representations of various environmental, geological, and land use attributes within the New Jersey...
Measures of the vulnerability of runoff to drought during 2015 in the western United States
Measures used to assess the vulnerability of streamflow in 326 river basins to the 2015 drought in the western United States.
Data Used to Characterize Peak Streamflows and Flood Inundation Resulting from Hurricane Harvey of Selected Areas in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana, August-September 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to document the August and September, 2017 Hurricane Harvey storm event in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Hurricane Harvey was the most significant rainfall event in United States history in scope and rainfall totals since rainfall records began during the 1880s...
Flood Inundation, Flood Depth, and High-Water Marks Associated with the Flood of July 2016 in Northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation
This data set contains shapefiles and metadata associated with flood inundation maps for three areas of the Bad River, associated with the flood of July 2016 in northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation. The shapefiles are grouped by subarea and include the Bad River (Bad_layers), Beartrap Creek (Beartrap_layers), and Denomie Creek (Denomie_layers). Shapefiles were created for the...
Flood Inundation, Flood Depth, and High-Water Marks for Selected Areas in West Virginia from the June 2016 Flood
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to document the June, 2016 storm event in West Virginia. Heavy rainfall occurred across central and southern West Virginia in June 2016 as a result of repeated rounds of torrential thunderstorms. The storm caused major flooding and flash flooding, with Kanawha, Fayette, Nicholas...
Flood-inundation maps for the Peckman River in the Townships of Verona, Cedar Grove, and Little Falls, and the Borough of Woodland Park, New Jersey, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximate 7.5-mile reach of the Peckman River in New Jersey, which extends from Verona Lake Dam in the Township of Verona downstream through the Township of Cedar Grove and the Township of Little Falls to the confluence with the Passaic River in the Borough of Woodland Park, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the...
Flood-inundation maps for the Saddle River in Ho-Ho-Kus Borough, the Village of Ridgewood, and Paramus Borough, New Jersey, 2013
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.4-mile reach of the Saddle River in New Jersey from Hollywood Avenue in Ho-Ho-Kus Borough downstream through the Village of Ridgewood and Paramus Borough to the confluence with Hohokus Brook in the Village of Ridgewood were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)...
Flood-inundation maps for the Saddle River from Upper Saddle River Borough to Saddle River Borough, New Jersey, 2013
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 4.1-mile reach of the Saddle River from 0.6 miles downstream from the New Jersey-New York State boundary in Upper Saddle River Borough to 0.2 miles downstream from the East Allendale Road bridge in Saddle River Borough, New Jersey, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental...
Flood-inundation maps for the Saddle River from Rochelle Park to Lodi, New Jersey, 2012
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.75-mile reach of the Saddle River from 0.2 mile upstream from the Interstate 80 bridge in Rochelle Park to 1.5 miles downstream from the U.S. Route 46 bridge in Lodi, New Jersey, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The inundation maps, which can be...
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 20
Watershed hydrology assessment for the Nueces River basin--Appendix A, statistical hydrology.
No abstract available.
Authors
David Wallace, Kara M. Watson
Watershed hydrology assessment for the Lower Colorado River Basin. Appendix A: Statistical hydrology
Statistical analysis of the observational record from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages and period of historical flow observations prior to the gage installation provides an informative means of estimating flood flow frequency. The U.S. Geological Survey contributed to the InFRM team’s efforts by performing the statistical analysis of the gaged record and authored this Appendix...
Authors
David Wallace, Kara M. Watson
Watershed hydrology assessment for the Lower Colorado River Basin. Appendix D: RiverWare analyses
RiverWare is a river system modeling tool developed by CADSWES (Center of Advanced Decision Support for Water and Environmental Systems) that allows the user to simulate complex reservoir operations and perform period-of-record analyses for different scenarios. For the InFRM hydrology studies, RiverWare is used to generate a homogeneous regulated POR by simulating the basin as if the...
Authors
David Wallace, Kara M. Watson
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana from the August and September 2017 flood resulting from Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on August 25, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane with wind gusts exceeding 150 miles per hour. As Harvey moved inland, the forward motion of the storm slowed down and produced tremendous rainfall amounts over southeastern Texas, with 8-day rainfall amounts exceeding 60 inches in some locations, which is about 15 inches more than average...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, Glenn R. Harwell, David S. Wallace, Toby L. Welborn, Victoria G. Stengel, Jeremy S. McDowell
Characteristics of peak streamflows and extent of inundation in areas of West Virginia and southwestern Virginia affected by flooding, June 2016
Heavy rainfall occurred across central and southern WestVirginia in June 2016 as a result of repeated rounds of torrentialthunderstorms. The storms caused major flooding and flashflooding in central and southern West Virginia with Kanawha,Fayette, Nicholas, and Greenbrier Counties among the hardesthit. Over the duration of the storms, from 8 to 9.37 inches ofrain was reported in areas in...
Authors
Samuel H. Austin, Kara M. Watson, R. Russell Lotspeich, Stephen J. Cauller, Jeremy T. White, Shaun Wicklein
New Jersey StreamStats: A web application for streamflow statistics and basin characteristics
StreamStats is an interactive, map-based web application from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that allows users to easily obtain streamflow statistics and watershed characteristics for both gaged and ungaged sites on streams throughout New Jersey. Users can determine flood magnitude and frequency, monthly flow-duration, monthly low-flow frequency statistics, and watershed...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, Jon A. Janowicz
Flood of July 2016 in northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation
Heavy rain fell across northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation on July 11, 2016, as a result of several rounds of thunderstorms. The storms caused major flooding in the Bad River Basin and nearby tributaries along the south shore of Lake Superior. Rainfall totals were 8–10 inches or more and most of the rain fell in an 8-hour period. A streamgage on the Bad River near Odanah...
Authors
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Eric D. Dantoin, Naomi Tillison, Kara M. Watson, Robert J. Waschbusch, James D. Blount
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation at selected areas in North Carolina following Hurricane Matthew, October 2016
The passage of Hurricane Matthew through central and eastern North Carolina during October 7–9, 2016, brought heavy rainfall, which resulted in major flooding. More than 15 inches of rain was recorded in some areas. More than 600 roads were closed, including Interstates 95 and 40, and nearly 99,000 structures were affected by floodwaters. Immediately following the flooding, the U.S...
Authors
Jonathan W. Musser, Kara M. Watson, Anthony J. Gotvald
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in Louisiana from the August 2016 flood
Heavy rainfall occurred across Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi in August 2016 as a result of a slow-moving area of low pressure and a high amount of atmospheric moisture. The storm caused major flooding in the southern portions of Louisiana including areas surrounding Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Flooding occurred along the rivers such as the Amite, Comite, Tangipahoa, Tickfaw...
Authors
Kara M. Watson, John B. Storm, Brian Breaker, Claire E. Rose
Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi from flood of March 2016
Heavy rainfall occurred across Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi in March 2016 as a result of a slow-moving southward dip in the jetstream, funneling tropical moisture into parts of the Gulf Coast States and the Mississippi River Valley. The storm caused major flooding in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Louisiana and in eastern Texas. Flooding also occurred in the...
Authors
Brian Breaker, Kara M. Watson, Paul A. Ensminger, John B. Storm, Claire E. Rose
Flood-inundation maps for the Peckman River in the Townships of Verona, Cedar Grove, and Little Falls, and the Borough of Woodland Park, New Jersey, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximate 7.5-mile reach of the Peckman River in New Jersey, which extends from Verona Lake Dam in the Township of Verona downstream through the Township of Cedar Grove and the Township of Little Falls to the confluence with the Passaic River in the Borough of Woodland Park, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the...
Authors
Michal J. Niemoczynski, Kara M. Watson
Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data at selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages for flooding in the central and southeastern United States during December 2015 and January 2016
Flooding occurred in the central and southeastern United States during December 2015 and January 2016. The flooding was the result of more than 20 inches of rain falling in a 19 day period from December 12 to December 31, 2015. U.S. Geological Survey streamgages recorded 23 peaks of record during the subsequent flooding, with a total of 172 streamgages recording peaks that ranked in the...
Authors
Michael J. Friedel, Kara M. Watson, Thomas E. Harris
Hydrologic simulations using projected climate data as input to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) for the Trinity River Basin Integrated Water Availability Assessment, Texas, 2023
The Trinity River Basin is a major source of water for a large part of Texas that includes the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas. An application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) was used to conduct hydrologic simulations for the Trinity River Basin surface water model. Climate variables including daily precipitation, daily maximum...
New Jersey StreamStats digital elevation, flow direction, and flow accumulation GIS data 2022
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), prepared hydro-conditioned geographic information systems (GIS) data layers for use in the updated New Jersey StreamStats 2022 application (U.S. Geological Survey, 2022). This update features improvements in base-elevation resolution from 10 meters to 10 feet and stream...
Basin characteristics rasters for New Jersey StreamStats 2022
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), calculated several basin characteristics as part of the updated New Jersey StreamStats 2022 application (U.S. Geological Survey, 2022). These datasets are raster representations of various environmental, geological, and land use attributes within the New Jersey...
Measures of the vulnerability of runoff to drought during 2015 in the western United States
Measures used to assess the vulnerability of streamflow in 326 river basins to the 2015 drought in the western United States.
Data Used to Characterize Peak Streamflows and Flood Inundation Resulting from Hurricane Harvey of Selected Areas in Southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana, August-September 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to document the August and September, 2017 Hurricane Harvey storm event in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Hurricane Harvey was the most significant rainfall event in United States history in scope and rainfall totals since rainfall records began during the 1880s...
Flood Inundation, Flood Depth, and High-Water Marks Associated with the Flood of July 2016 in Northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation
This data set contains shapefiles and metadata associated with flood inundation maps for three areas of the Bad River, associated with the flood of July 2016 in northern Wisconsin and the Bad River Reservation. The shapefiles are grouped by subarea and include the Bad River (Bad_layers), Beartrap Creek (Beartrap_layers), and Denomie Creek (Denomie_layers). Shapefiles were created for the...
Flood Inundation, Flood Depth, and High-Water Marks for Selected Areas in West Virginia from the June 2016 Flood
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to document the June, 2016 storm event in West Virginia. Heavy rainfall occurred across central and southern West Virginia in June 2016 as a result of repeated rounds of torrential thunderstorms. The storm caused major flooding and flash flooding, with Kanawha, Fayette, Nicholas...
Flood-inundation maps for the Peckman River in the Townships of Verona, Cedar Grove, and Little Falls, and the Borough of Woodland Park, New Jersey, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximate 7.5-mile reach of the Peckman River in New Jersey, which extends from Verona Lake Dam in the Township of Verona downstream through the Township of Cedar Grove and the Township of Little Falls to the confluence with the Passaic River in the Borough of Woodland Park, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the...
Flood-inundation maps for the Saddle River in Ho-Ho-Kus Borough, the Village of Ridgewood, and Paramus Borough, New Jersey, 2013
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 5.4-mile reach of the Saddle River in New Jersey from Hollywood Avenue in Ho-Ho-Kus Borough downstream through the Village of Ridgewood and Paramus Borough to the confluence with Hohokus Brook in the Village of Ridgewood were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)...
Flood-inundation maps for the Saddle River from Upper Saddle River Borough to Saddle River Borough, New Jersey, 2013
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 4.1-mile reach of the Saddle River from 0.6 miles downstream from the New Jersey-New York State boundary in Upper Saddle River Borough to 0.2 miles downstream from the East Allendale Road bridge in Saddle River Borough, New Jersey, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental...
Flood-inundation maps for the Saddle River from Rochelle Park to Lodi, New Jersey, 2012
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.75-mile reach of the Saddle River from 0.2 mile upstream from the Interstate 80 bridge in Rochelle Park to 1.5 miles downstream from the U.S. Route 46 bridge in Lodi, New Jersey, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The inundation maps, which can be...