How to Use the USGS Water Services MCP in Windsurf

Q: How do I search for sites using USGS Water Services and Windsurf?

You call getsites first, specifying parameters like a state or county code. The resulting site IDs are then passed directly to other tools like getinstantaneousvalues. This lets you scope down your search immediately.

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Connect USGS Water Services MCP to Windsurf

Create your Vinkius account to connect USGS Water Services to Windsurf and route execution through our secure gateway. The platform manages server hosting, runtime updates, and security layers. Configuration requires no manual server provisioning.

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Setup USGS Water Services with Windsurf

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Perplexity

Chain complex queries across the MCP Server.

Windsurf’s Cascade reads context and plans a whole sequence of steps. It can, for example, use `get_sites` first to identify relevant locations, then feed those site IDs into `get_instantaneous_values` to fetch near real-time streamflow data. It handles the whole chain without you needing to prompt each step. You just set the goal: 'Get water levels for all sites in this county.' And it runs through the necessary calls.

Compare historical and current groundwater readings.

`get_groundwater_levels` retrieves manually recorded, historical groundwater data. You can run this alongside `get_daily_values` to pull summarized mean, median, max, and min streamflow figures for the same site. This lets you compare past trends against daily averages in one go. Cascade handles grouping the results from both tools so they make sense together.

Build custom reports using statistical data.

Need annual statistics? Use `get_statistics` to pull daily, monthly, or yearly metrics based on approved data sets. You can combine this with metadata from `get_sites` to filter the results down to a specific region. This is perfect for generating reports that need consistent timeframes. Windsurf figures out how to pass those filters through both tools.

Setup guide

Set up USGS Water Services MCP in Windsurf

Prerequisites

Windsurf IDE installed (macOS, Windows, or Linux)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Open MCP configuration

Click the Cascade assistant icon in the sidebar, then click the hammer icon (🔨) at the top of the panel. Select "Configure" to open ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.
2

Add the USGS Water Services MCP

Paste the JSON snippet shown on the right into the mcpServers object. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your endpoint token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Refresh MCPs

Go back to the hammer icon (🔨) in Cascade and click "Refresh". Windsurf will detect the new server. No full restart is needed — the connection is hot-reloaded.
4

Verify in Cascade

Start a new Cascade conversation and ask something like "Show my USGS Water Services payment history." If connected, Cascade will call the USGS Water Services tools directly. You will see a green dot next to the server name in the MCP panel.

mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "usgs-water-services-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by USGS Water Services. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about USGS Water Services MCP in Windsurf

You call `get_sites` first, specifying parameters like a state or county code. The resulting site IDs are then passed directly to other tools like `get_instantaneous_values`. This lets you scope down your search immediately.

You can pull streamflow, groundwater levels, and site metadata. For instance, `get_daily_values` handles summarized flow metrics while `get_groundwater_levels` pulls specific manual readings.

Yes. Because of the autonomous nature, you can set up goals like 'Check all water levels in this bBox area.' Cascade will autonomously call `get_instantaneous_values` and summarize the findings for you.

Absolutely. You can combine multiple filters—like state code AND county code—when calling tools like `get_sites`. This ensures your data pull is highly focused and efficient.

The server handles site metadata, daily values (summarized streamflow), and groundwater levels. All access requires an endpoint token managed by Vinkius to ensure zero-trust connections.

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