Ground Water Levels Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the service support WaterML 1.2 when there is no version 1.2 of WaterML?

WaterML is used to describe time-series water data. The groundwater levels service provides discrete (manual) measurements, which can be considered irregular instead of regular time series measurements. To accommodate the difference, a slight change was made to the WaterML 1.1 schema. This USGS revision is referenced by placing the schema in the USGS namespace only.

Where can I find automated groundwater measurements? These are available in the instantaneous values web service. Search on common groundwater parameters such as 72019 (depth of water below land surface). Currently these are limited to data served since October 1, 2007. Older groundwater data may be available through an inquiry with the local USGS water science center by writing gs-w-xx_nwisweb_data_inquiries@usgs.gov where xx is the state postal code (such as “ny”) of interest.