water.usgs.realtime
Get real-time streamflow (ft^3/s), gage height (ft), water temperature, and conductance for a USGS monitoring site. Updated every 15 minutes. Covers rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs across the US. Use water.sites to find site numbers (USGS)
This record as markdown: /tools/io-github-whiteknightonhorse-apibase/water.usgs.realtime.md
What water.usgs.realtime does on Apibase
AI agents call water.usgs.realtime to retrieve information from Apibase without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
period | string | — | ISO 8601 duration for data window (e.g. "PT2H" for 2 hours, "P7D" for 7 days). Default: PT2H. |
site_no | string | Yes | USGS site number (e.g. "09380000"). Use water.sites to find site numbers first. |
parameter_cd | string | — | Parameter code(s), comma-separated. Common: 00060=streamflow, 00065=gage height, 00010=temperature. Default: all available. |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
Why water.usgs.realtime is rated Low
Retrieves real-time hydrological data from USGS monitoring sites with no side effects.
From the tool's definition Get real-time streamflow, gage height, water temperature, conductance
Risk signalsBulk/mass operation — affects multiple targets
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs water.usgs.realtime safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and Apibase, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For water.usgs.realtime, this is the rule to start with:
water.usgs.realtime is read-only, so it stays allowed. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect Apibase, apply this rule, and every water.usgs.realtime call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about water.usgs.realtime
Get real-time streamflow (ft^3/s), gage height (ft), water temperature, and conductance for a USGS monitoring site. Updated every 15 minutes. Covers rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs across the US. Use water.sites to find site numbers (USGS). It is categorised as a Read tool in the Apibase MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
water.usgs.realtime accepts 3 parameters: period, site_no, parameter_cd. Required: site_no. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Apibase MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for water.usgs.realtime: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Apibase. Nothing to install.
water.usgs.realtime is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the water.usgs.realtime rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for water.usgs.realtime. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
water.usgs.realtime is provided by the Apibase MCP server (apibase-mcp-client). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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