USGS Water Services API
REST API for hydrological data
waterservices.usgs.gov
At a glance
- Region
- United States
- Coverage
- Modernized APIs releasing 2025
- Access
- Free
- Category
- Government
- Last updated
- 2025
What's inside
- API Access
- REST API
- JSON
- XML
- Time Series
What you can do with it
Typical work that data of this type supports.
- 01
Design flows
Estimate 1-in-50 and 1-in-100 year floods for bridges, culverts and spillways.
- 02
Low flows
Set environmental flows and check what is left in the river in a dry year.
- 03
Model calibration
Calibrate and test catchment models against observed flow.
Where AI adds value
Ideas for machine learning and AI agents built on this kind of data.
- 01
Flow forecasting
Train LSTM-style models on past records to forecast river levels and flow days ahead.
- 02
Ungauged basins
Combine with catchment data to estimate flow where there is no gauge.
- 03
Automatic QC
Flag gauge errors, shifts and gaps before they reach a report.
Related water data
- EPA Envirofacts Data APIUnited States | Free
- USGS Water Data OpenAPIUnited States | Free
- USGS Groundwater Data for the NationUnited States | Free
- USGS Water DataUnited States | Free
- Hydro Network Linked Data APIUnited States | Free
- USACE HEC Data Storage SystemUnited States | Free
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