The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides hydrologic, scientific, and technical expertise to support the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Environmental Protection and Nuclear Nonproliferation Programs at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS). The USGS provides hydrologic data used to develop and maintain groundwater supplies that support new and ongoing activities on the NNSS with particular interest to groundwater levels, aquifer characteristics, borehole lithology, ground-surface deformation, gravity and magnetic geophysics, and wildlife activities.

Principal USGS objectives for these programs are to:

• Support future NNSS water-resource development through continued monitoring of groundwater in select wells on and in the vicinity of the NNSS.
• Maintain a database of groundwater withdrawals from principal NNSS water-supply wells.
• Support the USGS Core Library and Data Center (CLDC), which is a repository for hydrologic, geologic, and geophysical data and materials collected in support of NNSA programs at the NNSS. This material includes more than two million linear feet of core and cuttings collected mostly from the NNSS.
• Create high-resolution digital photographs of rock samples (core, cuttings, sidewall, and grab samples) stored at the CLDC.
• Provide hydrologic field services including video logging of wells and boreholes, and calibration of measuring equipment, as requested.

Hydrologic Technician measuring depth to water with a calibrated electric tape in well UE-25 WT 12.