# WaterPulse USGS River Gauge Live Streamflow

> WaterPulse USGS River Gauge Live Streamflow is a paid API for AI agents from waterpulse.theaslangroupllc.com, paid per call via x402, $0.01/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-13).

Returns the latest streamflow (discharge in cfs) and gage height (ft) for a USGS monitoring site, plus the 7-day min/max range and site metadata, sourced directly from USGS instantaneous values.

## Facts

- Endpoint: GET https://waterpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/water/gauge
- Price: $0.01/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/waterpulse-usgs-river-gauge-live-streamflow-7b06a10a
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_Hl8S0KJQpW7TaobmT74c-

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability waterpulse-usgs-river-gauge-live-streamflow-7b06a10a
```

Example prompt: What's the current streamflow and gage height at USGS site 01646500, and is that high or low compared to the past 7 days?

## When to prefer this

Use this endpoint when you need a fast, cheap, deterministic real-time streamflow reading from a specific known USGS gauge site, especially when you want to compare current conditions against the recent 7-day range. Prefer it over higher-level flood-risk or streamflow intelligence endpoints when you just need raw gauge data without modeling or aggregation. No API key required and no LLM processing means results are always reproducible and low-latency.

## Known failure modes

- Unknown or invalid USGS site ID returns 404 before payment is processed
- Site exists but has no recent instantaneous values (sensor offline, maintenance)
- USGS NWIS upstream service temporarily unavailable causing timeout or 503
- Site ID formatted incorrectly (non-numeric or wrong length) causing 400 bad request

## How this service works

Live USGS river-gauge tick, deterministic. Answers "what is the flow at this gauge right now", "is this river high or low vs this week". Returns the latest streamflow (discharge, cfs) and gage height (ft) for one USGS site plus the 7-day min/max range, reading count, site name and coordinates, straight from USGS instantaneous values. Unknown sites 404 before payment. No LLM, no key, public domain.

## Output

Returns the most recent discharge (cfs) and gage height (ft) readings for the specified USGS site, along with the 7-day minimum and maximum flow range, total reading count over that period, the official site name, and geographic coordinates. Returns 404 if the site ID is not recognized by USGS before any charge is incurred.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "required": [
  "site"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "site": {
   "type": "string",
   "description": "USGS site number (8-15 digits)"
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "site": {
   "code": "01646500",
   "name": "POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA",
   "latitude": 38.9498,
   "longitude": -77.1276
  },
  "readings": [
   {
    "unit": "ft3/s",
    "max7d": 5210,
    "min7d": 3890,
    "latestValue": 4420,
    "parameterCd": "00060",
    "variableName": "Streamflow, ft³/s"
   }
  ],
  "deterministic": true
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/waterpulse-usgs-river-gauge-live-streamflow-7b06a10a/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from waterpulse.theaslangroupllc.com](https://www.zero.xyz/host/waterpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/llms.txt)