Greencalculus MCP vs Usgs Water
A side-by-side look at the Greencalculus MCP 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 Greencalculus MCP 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 Greencalculus MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Environment & Nature domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
GREENCALCULUS_API_KEY, GC_API_KEY, GREENCALCULUS_MCP_URL, GREENCALCULUS_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS. - You want tools like
lookup_factor, lookup_factors, search_factors.
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 | 57/100 · Good | 52/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | GREENCALCULUS_API_KEYGC_API_KEYGREENCALCULUS_MCP_URLGREENCALCULUS_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 12 | 3 |
| Full listing | View Greencalculus MCP | View Usgs Water |
Tools & capabilities
Greencalculus MCP tools 12
lookup_factorFetch one emission factor by key, with its source and versionlookup_factorsFetch many factors by key in one call — a portfolio is one request, not one per factorsearch_factorsSearch the corpus by free textresolve_factorMap a messy real-world description to the best-matching factorexplain_absenceSay *why* a factor does not exist, rather than returning nothingcalculate_activityActivity → emissions, with unit conversion and GHG Protocol scopecalculate_electricityLocation-based and market-based electricitycalculate_embodiedEmbodied carbon (EN 15978), explicit about missing lifecycle stagescalculate_pcafPCAF financed emissions, with the audit trailcalculate_freightFreight by mode, distance and loadcalculate_spendSpend-based EEIOcalculate_business_travelBusiness travel across modes
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.
Greencalculus MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"greencalculus-greencalculus-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"greencalculus-mcp"
],
"env": {
"GREENCALCULUS_API_KEY": "YOUR_GREENCALCULUS_API_KEY_HERE",
"GC_API_KEY": "YOUR_GC_API_KEY_HERE",
"GREENCALCULUS_MCP_URL": "YOUR_GREENCALCULUS_MCP_URL_HERE",
"GREENCALCULUS_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS": "YOUR_GREENCALCULUS_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Usgs Water
{
"mcpServers": {
"usgs-water": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-usgs-water"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Greencalculus MCP is categorized under Environment & Nature and uses a local stdio subprocess. Usgs Water belongs to Environment & Nature and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Greencalculus MCP 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.
Greencalculus MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: api key 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 greencalculus-greencalculus-mcp and usgs-water as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Greencalculus MCP has a quality signal of 57/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Usgs Water has 52/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.