The U.S. Geological Survey has a locally managed, distributed water database—surface water, groundwater, and water quality data are compiled from these local, distributed databases into a national information system. This groundwater database contains records from about 850,000 wells that have been compiled during the course of groundwater hydrology studies over the past 100 years. Information from these wells is served via the internet through the National Water Information System Web Interface (NWISWeb). NWISWeb provides all USGS groundwater data approved for public release.

These Groundwater Watch webpages group related wells and data from active well networks and provide basic statistics about the water-level data collected by USGS Water Science Centers for cooperative programs, federal programs, and from data supplied to USGS by customers through cooperative agreements. Information is available for national networks (including Active Groundwater Level Network, Below Normal Groundwater Levels, Climate Response Network, Real-Time Groundwater Level Network, Long-Term Groundwater Data Network, and Active Spring Monitoring Sites) and for principal aquifers and state and local networks. Google Earth and shapefile downloads are available for the national networks.