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.

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

https://mcp.mcpbundles.com/bundle/usgs-water

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol lets AI tools call external capabilities securely through a single URL. This bundle groups tools behind an MCP endpoint that many clients can use.

Use this bundle in 3 steps

  1. Copy the MCP URL above
  2. Open your AI tool and add a new MCP/connector
  3. Paste the URL and follow any auth prompts

Claude Desktop Users

Skip the manual setup! Use the .mcpb file format for one-click installation. Check the Claude Desktop tab for setup instructions.

Pick your tool tab for exact steps

Select ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code, or another tab for copy-paste config.

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USGS Water Monitoring MCP Server & Skill — 3 Tools