Science activity

The USGS works in partnership with more than 1,400 Federal, regional, State, Tribal, and local agencies or organizations to maintain and manage a multipurpose network of streamgages that monitor streamflow and (or) water level. Approximately 8,200 of the more than 10,000 USGS streamgages in the network continuously monitor streamflow year-round and are collectively referred to as the National 'Streamflow' Network (NSN). Approximately 40% of the NSN is made up of Federal Priority Streamgages (FPS), which are considered critical for long-term tracking and modeling/forecasting to ensure that Federal water priorities and responsibilities can be met. Such priorities and responsibilities include forecasting hydrologic events (floods and droughts);managing interstate agreements, compacts, court decrees, and other legal obligations;and tracking streamflow in major river basins and across borders.