Open Data

USGS Water Monitoring MCP Server

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Access real-time and historical stream gauge data from USGS including water levels, flow rates, flood stages, and groundwater levels across 1.5 million monitoring sites.

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Managed
3 tools
Agent guide included

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AI Skill
SKILL.md

Domain knowledge for USGS Water Monitoring — workflow patterns, data models, and gotchas for your AI agent.

USGS Water Monitoring

USGS water monitoring provides real-time and historical stream gauge data — water levels, flow rates, flood stages, groundwater levels across 1.5M+ monitoring sites. Data includes instantaneous values, daily values, and site metadata. Parameter codes: 00060=discharge, 00065=gauge height, 72019=groundwater level.

Data Model

  • Instantaneous values — real-time readings updated every 15 minutes from active gauges. Includes discharge (cfs), gauge height (ft), water temperature, dissolved oxygen.
  • Daily values — approved daily statistics (mean, min, max) for streamflow, gauge height, and other parameters over calendar date ranges. Unlike instantaneous values (15-min intervals), daily values are quality-assured and suitable for historical analysis.
  • Sites — monitoring stations identified by USGS site number (8-15 digits). Metadata includes lat/lon, county, state, HUC watershed, drainage area, datum.
  • Parameter codes — standardized codes for measured quantities: 00060 (discharge/streamflow in cfs), 00065 (gauge height in ft), 00010 (water temperature), 72019 (groundwater level).
  • Statistics — daily, monthly, annual statistics including mean, min, max, percentiles.

Gotchas

  • Legacy WaterServices API: Uses the established NWIS WaterServices REST API, not the newer OGC API.
  • Format parameter: Must specify format=json to get JSON responses; default is WaterML.
  • State codes: Use two-letter state abbreviations (e.g. WA, CA, NY).
  • Site status: Use siteStatus=active to filter for currently operating gauges only.
  • Rate limits: No authentication required but excessive requests may be throttled.

Tools in this Server (3)

Usgs Get Daily Values

Get approved daily statistical values from a USGS water monitoring site. Unlike instantaneous values (usgs_get_values), daily values are quality-assur...

Usgs Get Sites

Get USGS water monitoring site information. Pass site_id to retrieve metadata for a single monitoring station (location, drainage area, datum, HUC wat...

Usgs Get Values

Get real-time or recent instantaneous water measurement values from a USGS site. Requires site_id — find IDs using usgs_get_sites. Returns time-series...

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the USGS Water Monitoring MCP server?

Access real-time and historical stream gauge data from USGS including water levels, flow rates, flood stages, and groundwater levels across 1.5 million monitoring sites. It provides 3 tools that AI agents can use through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

How do I connect USGS Water Monitoring to my AI agent?

Add the MCPBundles server URL to your MCP client configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, etc.). The URL format is: https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/usgs-water. Authentication is handled automatically.

How many tools does USGS Water Monitoring provide?

USGS Water Monitoring provides 3 tools that can be called by AI agents, along with a SKILL.md that gives your AI agent domain knowledge about when and how to use them.

What authentication does USGS Water Monitoring require?

USGS Water Monitoring uses open data APIs — no authentication required.

Setup Instructions

Connect USGS Water Monitoring to any MCP client in minutes

MCP URL
https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/usgs-water
Claude.aiCursorVS CodeVS Code InsidersGooseLM StudioCherry StudioChatGPT

One-click install:

Install on Claude.aiInstall for organization (admins)

The link prefills the Add custom connector dialog — you still review the values and click Add, then Connect to complete OAuth.

Or add manually

  1. Open claude.ai → Settings → Connectors.
  2. Click the + button and choose Add custom connector.
  3. Set Name to USGS Water Monitoring and paste the MCP URL into Remote MCP server URL.
  4. Click Add. USGS Water Monitoring will appear under Not connected — select it and click Connect to complete OAuth.
Name: USGS Water Monitoring
Remote MCP server URL: https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/usgs-water
Authentication: OAuth

Custom connectors at claude.ai require a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise).

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USGS Water Monitoring MCP Server & Skill — 3 Tools