USGS interactive map tracks U.S. water flows

A new U.S. Geological Survey interactive map lets viewers trace the nation’s waterways – both where they go and where they come from. Click on little Beaver Creek in the Mission Mountains, and see its contribution spread throughout the Flathead Basin to the Columbia River. Reverse the process at St. Louis, Mo., and see how Missouri River barge traffic depends on all of eastern Montana for source water. “Connectivity is underappreciated,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research ecologist Jock Conyngham. “A lot of people tend to focus on the big trunk channels. This is a good way to remind people of the significance of small tributary channels.” The map can zoom in to the level of almost any named stream or creek, and out to encompass the entire nation. A click on the mouths of major rivers like the Columbia, Mississippi or Colorado divide the country into huge drainages. Downstream displays aren’t as dramatic, unless you consider the point of view of a fish. The Streamer map lets users locate points of interest by name, GIS coordinates, USGS streamflow gauging station number or simply scanning the map for regions. It can print images of upstream or downstream traces, along with reports of the river miles, populations affected and other details about a selected waterbody. It gives historic and current streamflow figures derived from those gauging stations...more

  The Streamer map is here.