The Trump administration has ordered the closure of 25 scientific centers that monitor US waters for flooding and drought, and manage supply levels to ensure communities around the country don’t run out of water.
The United States Geological Service (USGS) water science centers’ employees and equipment track levels and quality in ground and surface water with thousands of gauges. The data it produces plays a critical role across the economy to protect human life, protect property, maintain water supplies and help clean up chemical or oil spills.
The targeted centers are part of a larger network, and the Trump administration based its decision to make cuts based on leases near expiration, not scientific reasoning, said Kyla Bennett, director of science policy with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility non-profit that’s tracking the issue.
The administration has not indicated a plan to fill the holes left by those that closed.
“It’s not being done with any thought about human life, it was just ‘this seems so woke so let’s get rid of it,’” Bennett said. “People think water is free and comes out of your tap whenever you want, but it’s not that simple.”
The Trump administration has made few details available, but the leases were ordered cancelled by the General Service Administration, said a water center employee who requested anonymity to speak freely without retribution. They learned about the closure from their landlord, and centers from Alaska to Massachusetts will begin shuttering within four months.
“We’re doing everything we can to make the argument that we need these facilities to complete our mission,” the employee said, but added that the groups are in a difficult position to push back.
Among the centers’ most important functions is their role in flood warnings. USGS monitors water levels in a river and shares that data with the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS determines if the precipitation levels in a coming storm combined with water levels in a river will result in flooding or top a dam. If there’s a risk, flood warnings are issued.
It’s also critical to state emergency response agencies and the Federal Emergency Management (Fema) responses to floods. Among the centers on the chopping block is that in Charlotte, North Carolina, which managed the fallout from widespread and deadly late 2024 Hurricane Helene flooding in Asheville.
The centers also measure water levels in aquifers to ensure utilities and industry aren’t overdrawing them, which could cause communities to not have water. The monitors and data also inform states’ droughts declarations, which triggers limits on withdrawals, and water conservation requirements.
That is especially important in the drought-plagued west. Among those targeted for closure is the Moab, Utah, center, which measures snowpack and other water resources in a state 77% under drought. Bennett noted even much of Massachusetts is under drought conditions and limits for lawn watering are in place.
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“Nobody knows what happens if we’re not doing [monitoring for drought conditions],” the employee said. Privatization is possible, they added, but the USGS has in place rigorous data quality standards that likely could not be copied by a company.
States also use the data to protect drinking water quality, and manage pollution discharge permits. During drought conditions, streams can dry up and discharges have to be reined in. If not small streams may entirely be made up of industrial discharge, Bennett said.
When oil or chemical spills happen, the USGS data is used to protect drinking water by tracking plumes with real time monitors in some locations. They have also provided comprehensive pictures of where PFAS “forever chemical” pollution plumes are contaminating the country’s aquifers.
The data is also used by state and local officials, emergency responders, water system operators, road and building designers, construction companies, city planners, conservation commissions and many others for economic purposes. However, local governments are not equipped to take over.
The facilities include boats, scientific equipment, machine shops and field vehicles, and it’s unclear what the fate of those, the employees and the water monitors they manage might be.
The USGS did not respond to a request for comment, but an earlier press statement said: “These efforts reflect our broader commitment to streamlining government operations while ensuring that scientific endeavors remain strong, effective, and impactful.”
