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Wisconsin Water Science Center
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Since 1906, the Wisconsin Water Science Center has been collecting high-quality hydrologic data and conducting unbiased, scientifically sound research on Wisconsin's water resources. We strive to meet the changing needs of those who use our information—from the distribution, availability, and quality of our water resources to topic-oriented research that addresses current hydrological issues.
Current Wisconsin Water Conditions
Explore real-time Wisconsin streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data with our new interactive map application.
View current water conditionsFeature: Detecting sewage contamination with optical sensors
Can optical sensors be used to identify real-time sewage contamination in surface water and storm sewers?
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Explore some of our most popular science topics, data, and tools
USGS Mercury Research Laboratory
Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment
Web Informatics and Mapping (WiM)
Explore our scienceNews
Water-Quality Monitoring Program Aids Restoration of Great Lakes
A new water-quality monitoring program, established by the U.S. Geological Survey, can provide scientists and managers with the best available data to help evaluate the health of Great Lakes ecosystems and improve water quality for recreation and commercial fishing.
Wells Affect Water Flows in the Central Sands Region
Both irrigation wells and municipal wells affect flows in the Little Plover River near Plover, Wisconsin, stretches of which ran dry in past years, according to a new scientific report.
Human, Cattle Viruses Detected in Some Great Lakes Tributaries
Human and bovine, or cattle, viruses were detected in a small percentage of some Great Lakes Basin streams, with human viruses more prevalent in urban streams and bovine viruses more common in streams in agricultural areas, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey-led study.
Publications
Water-quality response to changes in phosphorus loading of the Winnebago Pool Lakes, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of internal loading in a chain of shallow lakes
The Winnebago Pool is a chain of four shallow lakes (Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne, Lake Butte des Morts, and Lake Winnebago) that are fed primarily by the Fox and Wolf Rivers, two large agriculturally dominated rivers in Wisconsin, United States. Because the lakes have received extensive phosphorus inputs from their watershed, they have become...
Robertson, Dale M.; Siebers, Benjamin J.; Diebel, Matthew W.; Somor, Andrew J.
Evaluation of the effects of changes in the timing of water-level drawdowns on the export of phosphorus from Little St. Germain Lake, Wisconsin
Little St. Germain Lake is a 978-acre, multibasin lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. In the interest of improving its water quality, the Little St. Germain Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District initiated a cooperative study with the U.S. Geological Survey to describe the current phosphorus input into and export from Little St. Germain Lake and...
Dantoin, Eric D.; Robertson, Dale M.
SWB Version 2.0—A soil-water-balance code for estimating net infiltration and other water-budget components
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) code was developed as a tool to estimate distribution and timing of net infiltration out of the root zone by means of an approach that uses readily available data and minimizes user effort required to begin a SWB application. SWB calculates other components of the water balance, including soil...
Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Engott, John A.; Kelson, Victor A.; Hunt, Randall J.