The USGS Today

After reading this article you may want more information on the USGS. Try the USGS WWW site which was nominated in 1994 for a "Best of the Web" award.

The USGS is the Federal Government's principal civilian mapmaking agency, the primary source of its data on the quality and quantity of the Nation's water resources, and the Nation's primary provider of earth-science information on natural hazards, the environment, and mineral and energy resources. To accomplish its mission, the USGS:

Conducts an expanding National program to describe the status and trends in the quantity and quality of surface- and ground-water resources. The USGS monitors more than 45,000 stations that measure the amount and quality of surface- and ground-water. Of these, about 7,300 are continuous recording streamflow stations; 3000 of these gages are an integral part of the NOAA National Weather Service's flood forecasts system.
Evaluates hazards associated with earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, droughts, toxic materials, landslides, subsidence, and other ground failures; develops methods for hazards forecasting; and provides information to help Federal, State, and local agencies in mitigating the effects of these natural disasters.
Operates digital seismograph stations as part of the U.S. National Seismic Network, supports the operation of 12 regional seismographic networks, and manages the National Strong Motion Network of 650 stations in 35 States. The information developed from these networks helps provide risk estimates for earthquake- prone regions of the Nation.
Operates three volcano observatories and maintains mobile monitoring equipment for responding to volcanic eruption threats around the world.
Assesses energy and mineral resources, provides unbiased information about their quantity and quality, determines origin and manner of occurrence, and develops techniques for discovery.
Develops technology to increase efficiency and expand collection of data for paper and digital maps to meet the needs of the public and the private sector.
Publishes approximately 3,000 new or updated reports and maps every year and maintains a stock of 88,500 different maps. Some 54,000 maps are required to cover the lower 48 States at a working scale of 1:24,000. The USGS distributed about 6.7 million maps in 1994 alone.
Conducts and sponsors basic and applied research in geology, hydrology, mapping, and related sciences.
Establishes and maintains national earth-science data bases for use by Federal, State, and local land management and regulatory agencies; disseminates earth-science data and information; and produces and updates geographic, cartographic, and remotely sensed information in graphic and digital forms.
Cooperates with more than 1,100 Federal, State, and local agencies. These partners provide nearly $300 million annually in direct financial support. The funds in the mapping and water co-op programs are matched by non-Federal cooperators. In 1995, to fund additional high-priority work they want done, cooperators will provide an estimated $23 million over and above the dollar-for- dollar matching requirement.
Serves as the lead Federal coordinator for national geographic, geologic, and water resources data, and provides other scientific and technical assistance.

Three Recent Success Stories

Herbicides in the Midwest

Rumors circulated during the mid-1980's that ground water beneath the fertile farmland of the Midwest might be contaminated by herbicides. Had this been true, extensive monitoring and a ban on many widely used agricultural chemicals would have been necessary. A recently completed USGS assessment of water from shallow wells under corn and soybean fields across 12 Midwestern States indicted that the amounts of sampled herbicides in drinking water did not exceed the EPA maximum contaminant levels. Published results of the study have calmed unwarranted fears and will result in substantial savings in monitoring costs for State agencies.

Similar studies on rivers demonstrated that, in many Midwestern States, herbicides are a seasonal problem only. As a result, the expensive treatment of water supplies and costly monitoring for these contaminants can be greatly reduced for 8 months of the year. Conversely, the studies show that herbicide concentrations in reservoirs remain relatively high throughout the year. States such as Kansas and Nebraska have used this information to target their efforts to control herbicide use in specific high-risk watersheds.

Such comprehensive studies require long-term regional or national investment. States, localities, and academia generally do not have the resources to undertake such studies. Equally important, studies done by regulatory agencies or by consultants working for the regulated community would be met with skepticism. Impartial assessments are necessary for reasoned approaches to water resources development, regulation, and protection.

Volcanic Disasters Averted

The eruption at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines could have killed tens of thousands of people were it not for quick work by the USGS, Philippine scientists, civil defense authorities, and the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. More than 65,000 people were evacuated before the volcanic eruption, including 14,500 American military personnel and their dependents from nearby U.S. Clark Air Force Base. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of aircraft and other military property also were saved. The USGS has monitored active volcanoes since the early part of this century. Through its research, it has developed and improved instruments and methods to predict eruptions. These techniques enabled the USGS to predict the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and avert the destruction of life and property that could have followed.

Explosive volcanic eruptions like that of Mount Pinatubo also have occurred in the Cascade Range of Washington, Oregon, and California, and in a chain that stretches more than 1,000 miles along the full length of the Aleutian Islands to Anchorage, Alaska. Such explosive eruptions emit high-altitude volcanic ash clouds that are a direct hazard to aircraft. For example, several eruptions of Redoubt Volcano, southwest of Anchorage, during 1989-90, resulted in more than $100 million damage to aircraft and additional losses due to cancellations and delays in scheduled air traffic. To help reduce the hazard of volcanic ash to the air transport industry, USGS scientists now use advanced geophysical techniques to monitor the Alaskan volcanoes. USGS, NOAA's National Weather Service, and the Federal Aviation Administration work together to protect flights by providing information to the aviation industry in a real-time framework. Consequently, during the three eruptions of Alaska's Mt. Spurr volcano in 1992, air travelers experienced no life-threatening or damaging encounters with ash.

National Fire Danger Assessment Program

The USGS receives Earth-observation images from sensors onboard orbiting satellites to determine vegetation conditions, or relative "greenness," of the conterminous United States. These data are used in the national fire danger assessment program. The USGS sends this information electronically to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Computing Center in Kansas City, which distributes it nationally over computer networks to Federal and State fire management agencies. Both Federal and State agencies use the information to determine local fire danger conditions and, where appropriate, issue safety advisories. Comparisons with historical data are made to evaluate current conditions and to forecast fire danger conditions. This additional information allows managers to allocate regional fire fighting resources where the need is greatest.