Kentucky Water Resources Program

Hydrologic Data

Studies

Sediment Lab

Publications

Science Center Information

Links

Real-Time Data for Kentucky

NOTICE: Recently discontinued and threatened USGS streamgages in Kentucky. Click here for more information.

• Streamflow
• Precipitation
• Ground Water
• Water-Quality
• Lake and Reservoir Elevations
• USGS Water Alert - StreaMail

Historical Data

• Streamflow
• Ground Water
• Water Quality
• Peak Flow
• Annual Data Report
• Instantaneous Data Archive(period-of-record unit-value data)

Current Water Conditions

• WaterWatch
• Flood/High Flow Conditions
• Drought Conditions
• Duration Hydrographs
• Ground-Water Watch

National Water Conditions

• Realtime Data
• Site Information
• Surface Water
• Ground Water
• Water Quality
• Water Use

Hydrology Tools

• Ratings Depot
• An online tool to obtain drainage areas and flow statistics for KY streams
• USGS Kentucky Stream-flow gage locations map. For those unable to view the graphical map, the same information is available via the USGS-KY NWISWeb site inventory page.

Recent Products

• Annual Water-Data Report for the United States - Water Year 2010
• Estimation of Suspended-Sediment Concentration from Total Suspended Soilds and Turbidity Data for Kentucky
• Trends in Surface-Water Quality at Selected Ambient-Monitoring Network Stations in Kentucky, 1979–2004
• Concentrations, and Estimated Loads and Yields of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus at Selected Stations in Kentucky, 1979–2004
• Methods for Estimating Selected Low-Flow Frequency Statistics for Unregulated Streams in Kentucky
• 100-Year Flood-It's All About Chance
• The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER): A Water-Budget Modeling Approach for Managing Water-Supply Resources in Kentucky - Phase I: Data Processing, Model Development, and Application to Non-Karst Areas
• Inventory and Statistical Analysis of Sediment Data for Streams in Kentucky, 1950-2008
• A Compilation of Provisional Karst Geospatial Data for the Interior Low
• Recent Improvements to the U.S. Geological Survey Streamgaging Program

Social Media Links

USGS Products and Information

• Message from Our Director
• Maps, Imagery, and Publications
• Education and Outreach
• Employment Opportunities
• Contact Us

National Projects

Hurricane Irene Storm Tide Mapper [Developed by the Wisconsin Internet Mapping Group (WiM)]

Estimation of Nutrient and Sediment Loading in the Mississippi River and Great Lakes Basins with Regional SPARROW Models

Featured Project

Ohio River Alluival Aquifer - Groundwater Network

Water-level data for the alluvial aquifer at Louisville, Kentucky, have been collected by the USGS in cooperation with various local and State agencies since September 1943. Data are presently being collected in cooperation with the Louisville Water Company. Special attention is given to the northeast portion of the alluvial aquifer where the Louisville Water Company is beginning to use riverbank infiltration wells [refer to the photograph below] to draw water from the Ohio River through the aquifer at their B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant near Prospect, Kentucky.

To monitor the groundwater levels, twenty-eight existing wells were incorporated into an observation well network. This network is measured quarterly. Twelve of the observation wells are equipped with continuously recording pressure transducers that measure water levels and water temperature. Hydrographs from the continuous recorder wells depict the trends in the groundwater levels.

A Louisville Water Company riverbank infiltration well.

Louisville Water Company observation well WC4.

Collaborative Projects

Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources

The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) was developed in cooperation with the Kentucky Division of Water to provide a consistent and defensible method of estimating streamflow, water availability, and other hydrologic information in ungaged basins. WATER automatically incorporates and processes large amounts of basic and custom geospatial data to quantitatively describe topography, soil-water storage, climate, streamflow, and other parameters. WATER is also designed so that it can be expanded for other science and regulatory applications including, but not limited to, sediment and nutrient loads, evaluation of surface mining effects (Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessments), as well as flows that are necessary for ecological viability.

The concept of the Kentucky WATER application was born from the need to quantify water availability in areas of the Kentucky Commonwealth with limited long-term monitoring data. Kentucky's wealth of geospatial data was critical to the Kentucky WATER application and enabled USGS scientists to take well-known streamflow generation and modeling concepts (Beven and Kirby, 1979), develop innovative dataprocessing methods, and apply the concept across all regions of Kentucky with much greater accuracy and precision than had been previously possible.

WATER Users Group Community Wiki (public download site)

View the project page link above to learn more about how the USGS can help you manage your water resources by providing custom input data, user-friendly interfaces, and tailored output to meet your specific management needs through "WATER".

Kentucky Agriculture Science and Monitoring Committee

The Kentucky Agriculture Science and Monitoring Committee (KASMC) is a partnership of national, state, and local agencies dedicated to coordinating agricultural science and monitoring efforts in Kentucky in order to promote sustainable farming and a healthy environment.

Past Featured Projects

Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells near Fort Knox

Maxey Flats Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site

Groundwater Resources Program Karst Hydrology Initiative

Program Cooperators

• US Army Corp of Engineers - Louisville, Huntington, Nashville
• US Environmental Protection Agency - Region IV
• National Park Service
• US Armory Installation at Fort Knox
• Kentucky Division of Water
• Kentucky Division of Waste Management
• Kentuckyy Department for Public Health
• Kentucky River Authority
• Louisville-Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District
• Louisville Water Company
• Bullitt County
• Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government
• Northern Sanitation District No. 1
• Eastern Kentucky University
• Bowling Green Municipal Utilities
• Scott County Fiscal Court, Emergency Management Services
• Henderson Water Utility
• Kentucky Utilities - FERC
• City of Bardstown
• City of Bowling Green
• City of Clay
• City of Frankfort
• City of Fulton
• City of Georgetown
• City of Lewisburg
• City of Mt Sterling
• City of Owingsville
• URS Corporation
• City of Lebanon Junction