usgs.streamflow

stable Standard

Latest instantaneous streamflow (discharge) for a USGS gauge site.

GET /v1/usgs/streamflow

What you get#

One Usgs record in Onekey's unified shape, in data. If the record does not exist you get a 404 not_found and are not charged.

What it costs#

Standard · 1 credit for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).
Free if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).

Parameters#

Name	Type	Required	Default	What it is	Constraints
`site`	string	yes	(required)	USGS site number (8-15 digits)	max 15 chars; must match `\d{8,15}`; trimmed
`parameter`	string	no	`00060`	Parameter code (00060 discharge, 00065 gage height)	max 5 chars; must match `\d{5}`; trimmed

Request#

curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/usgs/streamflow?site=01646500" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Try it

Add your key to run this call right here. No key? Get one free. The key stays in this tab.

Recorded response#

A real Usgs response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are null.

json

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "entity": {
      "name": "POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA",
      "id": "01646500",
      "category": "Streamflow, ft&#179;/s",
      "date": "2026-09-28T19:50:00Z"
    },
    "ext": {
      "unit": "ft3/s",
      "value": 3630
    },
    "place": {
      "lat": 38.94977778,
      "lon": -77.12763889
    }
  },
  "metadata": {
    "platform": "usgs",
    "endpoint": "streamflow",
    "cached": false,
    "stale": false,
    "age_s": 0,
    "fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
    "credits_charged": 1,
    "request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
  },
  "error": null
}

Field mapping#

How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's unified schema. Fields the source lacks come back as null.

Source path	Onekey field	Transform
`sourceInfo.siteName`	`entity.name`	-
`sourceInfo.siteCode.0.value`	`entity.id`	-
`variable.variableName`	`entity.category`	-
`variable.unit.unitCode`	`ext.unit`	-
`values.0.value.0.value`	`ext.value`	`toNumber`
`values.0.value.0.dateTime`	`entity.date`	`toIsoDate`
`sourceInfo.geoLocation.geogLocation.latitude`	`place.lat`	`toNumber`
`sourceInfo.geoLocation.geogLocation.longitude`	`place.lon`	`toNumber`

Caching and freshness#

Fresh for about 30 seconds. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
Between 30 seconds and 5 minutes the cached copy is still served instantly and marked stale: true while Onekey refreshes it in the background.
If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 1 hour more (marked stale).
A "not found" is remembered for 1 minute and is free.
The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.

What can go wrong#

Status	Code	What to do
401	`unauthorized`	Check the `x-api-key` header.
402	`insufficient_credits`	Add credits; your balance must cover the price.
404	`not_found`	That record does not exist. Free; do not retry.
422	`invalid_params`	Fix the parameters using the table above. Free.
429	`rate_limited`	Wait `Retry-After` seconds, then retry.
502	`upstream_error`	The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff.

See Errors for the full list and retry guidance.

Status: stable (verified against the live source).