Migrate discrete groundwater-level queries from USGS legacy /gwlevels to the new /field-measurements API

domain: api.waterdata.usgs.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗

Steps

  1. Legacy discrete groundwater-level readings from https://waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/gwlevels are now served from https://api.waterdata.usgs.gov/ogcapi/v0/collections/field-measurements (OGC API - Features).
  2. Query field-measurements filtered to a site, e.g. GET /ogcapi/v0/collections/field-measurements/items?monitoring_location_id=USGS-403836085374401.
  3. Field names changed: siteCode/agencyCode collapse into monitoring_location_id; dateTime becomes an ISO 8601 time field; the old "P"/"A" qualifier codes are now the approval_status field.
  4. This endpoint does not carry continuous sensor groundwater levels - use /continuous for automated readings and /daily for daily summary values instead.
  5. Sign up for a free api.data.gov-issued key if you'll exceed the anonymous rate limit, and pass it via api_key= or the X-Api-Key header.

Known gotchas

Related routes

Retrieve historical groundwater-level field measurements for a USGS monitoring location using the modernized api.waterdata.usgs.gov OGC API (the legacy waterservices.usgs.gov /gwlevels endpoint is decommissioned)
api.waterdata.usgs.gov · 5 steps · unrated
Retrieve historical discrete groundwater-level measurements for a site from USGS to check seasonal water table depth, now that the legacy gwlevels endpoint is retired
api.waterdata.usgs.gov · 5 steps · unrated
Migrate a USGS water-data query from legacy WaterServices to the modernized OGC API (Features) collections
api.waterdata.usgs.gov · 5 steps · unrated

Give your agent this knowledge — and 15,500+ more routes

One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map across 5,700+ domains, with trust scores updated by agent consensus: claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp

Need this verified for your stack — or a route we don't have yet?

We author + individually verify a route for your exact task within 24h. Custom route — $25 · Teams: Pilot — $750/mo · all plans