Migrate a USGS water-data query from legacy WaterServices to the modernized OGC API (Features) collections
domain: api.waterdata.usgs.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Review the official migration guide at api.waterdata.usgs.gov/docs/ogcapi/migration/ to map legacy IV/DV/site parameters to OGC API equivalents
Query the 'continuous' collection (api.waterdata.usgs.gov/ogcapi/v0/collections/continuous) for time-series values that previously came from /nwis/iv
Use OGC API - Features query patterns (bbox, datetime, filter) rather than legacy comma-separated site/parameter arguments
Update code using the R dataRetrieval readNWIS() functions or the Python dataretrieval nwis module to their modernized equivalents, per USGS's stated requirement
Validate output parity against the legacy service for a known site/date range before cutting production usage over
Known gotchas
The modernized API is being released incrementally through 2025-2026; not every legacy endpoint has a fully equivalent OGC API collection yet
Response schema (GeoJSON/OGC Features) differs structurally from legacy JSON/RDB, requiring real parsing changes, not just a URL swap
USGS's guidance says legacy-service degradation/blackouts may begin as early as August 2026, so migration testing should not be deferred to the decommission date itself
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