Laboratory Information:
Iowa Water Science Center
USGS-WRD
P.O. Box 1230
Iowa City, IA 52244
Phone: 319-337-4191
Fax: 319-358-3606
Email: GS-W-IA_info@usgs.gov
Website: http://ia.water.usgs.gov/
Agency/Department: Dept. of Interior
Region: Mid-Continent
Background/History of the Laboratory:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has 70 employees in
Iowa. One of the most utilized aspects of USGS
programs in Iowa is streamflow-data collection and reporting. The USGS operates a statewide network
of
about 120 gaging stations and surface-water stage recorders for Federal, State, and local agencies and
collects and compiles water-level data from a statewide network of about 150 observation wells.
At the Iowa Water Science Center, the USGS is also studying
the availability and quality of ground water in
cooperation with several Iowa municipalities; working as part of a multiagency cooperative team to assess
the
successes of prairie-restoration projects; participating in studies to determine the effect of changes
in land use
and management on streamflow and water quality in several small watersheds in Iowa; providing information
on trends in water levels and water quality; assessing the balance between food supply and demand in
Iowa's
most popular lake fishery, Spirit Lake; reducing deer/vehicle collisions; helping to to produce digital
orthophotoquads (DOQ's) and digital elevation models (DEM's) for the State of Iowa; and conducting
cooperative field studies of the historic, interactive exchange of eroding topsoil, carbon and nutrient
loss, and
carbon and nutrient replacement.
