Caruon vs Usgs Water
A side-by-side look at the Caruon and Usgs Water MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Caruon for environment & nature work as a local process; choose Usgs Water for environment & nature as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Caruon when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Environment & Nature domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
get_intensity, get_intensity_by_date, get_generation_mix.
Choose Usgs Water when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Environment & Nature domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
current_conditions, daily_values, find_sites.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Environment & Nature | Environment & Nature |
| Quality signal | 55/100 · Good | 52/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 5 | 3 |
| Full listing | View Caruon | View Usgs Water |
Tools & capabilities
Caruon tools 5
get_intensityCheck current UK electricity carbon intensity. Returns gCO2/kWh (forecast and actual) plus intensity level (very low to very high). Use to schedule energy-intensive tasks during low-carbon periods.get_intensity_by_dateGet UK electricity carbon intensity for every 30-minute period on a specific date (e.g., "2024-01-15"). Returns gCO2/kWh forecast and actual. Use to identify lowest-carbon hours.get_generation_mixCheck current UK electricity grid composition by source percentage (gas, coal, wind, solar, nuclear, hydro, biomass, imports). Use to understand real-time grid energy mix.get_regional_intensityCarbon intensity (forecast gCO2/kWh + index band) and generation mix for a specific Great Britain region. Pass "postcode" (UK outcode — first half of a postcode, e.g. "RG10") or "regionid" (1–17, e.g. 13 = London). Omit both for all regions at the current half-hour. Regional figures are forecast-on…get_intensity_factorsCarbon intensity factors (gCO2/kWh) per fuel type used in the headline figures — e.g. Coal 937, Gas (Combined Cycle) 394, Nuclear 0, Wind 0, Solar 0.
Usgs Water tools 3
current_conditionsLatest instantaneous (real-time) readings for one or more USGS gauge sites. Returns the most recent value per site × parameter — e.g. current streamflow and gage height for a river. Common parameter codes: 00060 = discharge/streamflow (ft³/s), 00065 = gage height (ft), 00010 = water temperature (°C…daily_valuesDaily-values time series for a single USGS site + parameter over a date range. Returns one statistic per day (default mean). Useful for trends, hydrographs, and historical comparison. Common statCd: 00003 = mean, 00001 = max, 00002 = min. Common parameter codes: 00060 = discharge (ft³/s), 00065 = g…find_sitesDiscover active USGS gauge sites in a US state that are currently reporting a given parameter (real-time). Returns sites with their latest reading; useful for finding which gauges are live in a region. Can match many sites, so results are capped. Keyless.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Caruon
{
"mcpServers": {
"caruon": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-carbon"
]
}
}
}
Usgs Water
{
"mcpServers": {
"usgs-water": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-usgs-water"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Caruon is categorized under Environment & Nature and uses a local stdio subprocess. Usgs Water belongs to Environment & Nature and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Caruon for environment & nature work and Usgs Water for environment & nature.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Caruon is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Usgs Water has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add caruon and usgs-water as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Caruon has a quality signal of 55/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Usgs Water has 52/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.