USGS Water API Documentation
Developer documentation for the services hosted at api.water.usgs.gov.
The services at api.water.usgs.gov are organized under five base paths.
Each section below documents one service path. The NLDI has been migrated
from Java to Python; the API contract is unchanged — see
Getting Started with the NLDI
for migration details.
| Service path | Documentation | What it provides |
|---|---|---|
/nldi/linked-data/ |
NLDI Core API | Network navigation, feature discovery, and basin delineation on the NHDPlusV2 hydrologic network |
/nldi/pygeoapi/ |
NLDI Processes (pygeoapi) | Geoprocessing services — raindrop trace, split catchment, and cross sections — exposed via OGC API – Processes |
/fabric/pygeoapi/ |
Hydrologic Fabric (pygeoapi) | NHDPlusV2 and NHDPlusHR vector features (flowlines, catchments, hydrologic units, gages) via OGC API – Features and Tiles |
/gdp/pygeoapi/ |
Geo Data Portal (pygeoapi) | Gridded climate and meteorological datasets via OGC API – EDR, STAC, and Processes |
/nwaa-data/ |
National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion (NWDC) | National-scale modeled water availability data — models, variables, and time series. Documented off-site at water.usgs.gov; the API self-describes at /nwaa-data/docs
|