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J.D. Stoner

Publications and source records attributed to J.D. Stoner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2007

Nitrate in aquifers beneath agricultural systems

Research from several regions of the world provides spatially anecdotal evidence to hypothesize which hydrologic and agricultural factors contribute to groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination. Analysis of nationally consistent measurements from the U.S. Geological Survey's NAWQA program confirms these hypotheses for a substantial range of agricultural systems. Shallow unconfined aquifers are most susceptible to nitrate contamination associated with agricultural systems. Alluvial and other unconsolidated aquifers are the most vulnerable and also shallow carbonate aquifers that provide a substantial but smaller contamination risk. Where any of these aquifers are overlain by permeable soils the risk of contamination is larger. Irrigated systems can compound this vulnerability by increasing leaching facilitated by additional recharge and additional nutrient applications. The system of corn, soybean, and hogs produced significantly larger concentrations of groundwater nitrate than all other agricultural systems because this system imports the largest amount of N-fertilizer per unit production area. Mean nitrate under dairy, poultry, horticulture, and cattle and grains systems were similar. If trends in the relation between increased fertilizer use and groundwater nitrate in the United States are repeated in other regions of the world, Asia may experience increasing problems because of recent increases in fertilizer use. Groundwater monitoring in Western and Eastern Europe as well as Russia over the next decade may provide data to determine if the trend in increased nitrate contamination can be reversed. If the concentrated livestock trend in the United States is global, it may be accompanied by increasing nitrogen contamination in groundwater. Concentrated livestock provide both point sources in the confinement area and intense non-point sources as fields close to facilities are used for manure disposal. Regions where irrigated cropland is expanding, such as in Asia, may experience the greatest impact of this practice on groundwater nitrate. ?? USDA 2007.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2003

Comparison of two methods for delineating land use near monitoring wells used for assessing quality of shallow ground water

Two methods were compared for delineating land use near shallow monitoring wells. These wells were used to assess the effects of agricultural cropland on the quality of recently recharged ground water in two sand and gravel aquifers located near land surface. The two methods for delineating land use near wells were (1) the sector method, which used potentiometric-surface maps to estimate average flow direction and a ground-water-flow model to estimate maximum length of contributing area to the monitoring well within an upgradient sector; and (2) the circle method, which used a 500- meter radius circle around the well based on a national empirical analysis. Land uses were compiled for 29 wells in each of two surficial aquifers in the Red River of the North Basin within the area defined by each method. Land use near each well was interpreted from orthorectified photographs and site inspection for both delineation methods. Land use near individual wells characterized by each method varied greatly, which can affect the results of statistical correlations between land use and water quality. Land use determined by the circle method related more closely to the land use for each entire study area. Land use determined by the sector method (within 200 meters from the wells) compared more favorably to ground-water quality based on nitrate concentrations. The maximum length of contributing areas to wells estimated in this study may be of value for other studies of unconsolidated sand and gravel aquifers with similar hydrogeological characteristics of permeability, water-table slopes, recharge, and depth to water. The additional effort required for estimating the model delineation of land use and land cover for the sector method must be weighed against the improved confidence in statistical correlation between land use and the quality of shallow ground water. Improved scientific confidence and understanding of relations between land use and quality of ground water may encourage more effective implementation of land and water management for protecting water quality

Minnesota, North Dakota↗
USGS2002

Nitrate in aquifers beneath agricultural systems

Research from several regions of the world provides spatially anecdotal evidence to hypothesize which hydrologic and agricultural factors contribute to groundwater vulnerability to nitrate contamination. Analysis of nationally consistent measurements from the U.S. Geological Survey's NAWOA program confirms these hypotheses for a substantial range of agricultural systems. Shallow unconfined aquifers are most susceptible to nitrate contamination associated with agricultural systems. Alluvial and other unconsolidated aquifers are the most vulnerable and shallow carbonate aquifers provide a substantial but smaller contamination risk. Where any of these aquifers are overlain by permeable soils the risk of contamination is larger. Irrigated systems can compound this vulnerability by increasing leaching facilitated by additional recharge and additional nutrient applications. The agricultural system of corn, soybeans, and hogs produced significantly larger concentrations of groundwater nitrate than all other agricultural systems, although mean nitrate concentrations in counties with dairy, poultry, cattle and grains, and horticulture systems were similar. If trends in the relation between increased fertilizer use and groundwater nitrate in the United States are repeated in other regions of the world, Asia may experience increasing problems because of recent increases in fertilizer use. Groundwater monitoring in Western and Eastern Europe as well as Russia over the next decade may provide data to determine if the trend in increased nitrate contamination can be reversed. If the concentrated livestock trend in the United States is global, it may be accompanied by increasing nitrogen contamination in groundwater. Concentrated livestock provide both point sources in the confinement area and intense non-point sources as fields close to facilities are used for manure disposal. Regions where irrigated cropland is expanding, such as in Asia, may experience the greatest impact of this practice.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2000

Nutrients in groundwaters of the conterminous United States, 1992-1995

Results of a national water quality assessment indicate that nitrate is detected in 71% of groundwater samples, more than 13 times as often as ammonia, nitrite, organic nitrogen, and orthophosphate, based on a common detection threshold of 0.2 mg/L. Shallow groundwater (typically 5 m deep or less) beneath agricultural land has the highest median nitrate concentration (3.4 mg/L), followed by shallow groundwater beneath urban land (1.6 mg/L) and deeper groundwater in major aquifers (0.48 mg/L). Nitrate exceeds the maximum contaminant level, 10 mg/L as nitrogen, in more than 15% of groundwater samples from 4 of 33 major aquifers commonly used as a source of drinking water. Nitrate concentration in groundwater is variable and depends on interactions among several factors, including nitrogen loading, soil type, aquifer permeability, recharge rate, and climate. For a given nitrogen loading, factors that generally increase nitrate concentration in groundwater include well-drained soils, fractured bedrock, and irrigation. Factors that mitigate nitrate contamination of groundwater include poorly drained soils, greater depth to groundwater, artificial drainage systems, intervening layers of unfractured bedrock, a low rate of groundwater recharge, and anaerobic conditions in aquifers.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS1999

Estimation of nitrate contamination of an agro-ecosystem outwash aquifer using a nitrogen mass-balance budget

A mass-balance budget of N cycling was developed for an intensive agricultural area in west-central Minnesota to better understand NO3/- contamination of ground water in the Otter Tail outwash aquifer. Fertilizer, biological fixation, atmospheric deposition, and animal feed were the N sources, and crop harvests, animal product exports, volatilization from fertilizer and manure, and denitrification were the N sinks in the model. Excess N, calculated as the difference between the sources and sinks, was assumed to leach to ground water as NO3/-. The budget was developed using ground water data collected throughout the 212-km2 study area. Denitrification was estimated by adjusting its value so the predicted and measured concentrations of NO3/- in ground water agreed. Although biological fixation was the largest single N source, most was removed when crops were harvested, indicating that inorganic fertilizer was the primary source of N reaching the water table. It was estimated that denitrification removed almost half of the excess NO3/- that leached below the root zone. Even after accounting for denitrification losses, however, it was concluded that the ground water system was receiving approximately three times as much N as would be expected under background conditions.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗
USGS1997

Ground-water age dating and other tools used to assess land-use effects on water quality

A relatively new method for age dating recent ground water along with other investigative tools improve our understanding of land-use effects on the water quality in a surficial aquifer and adjacent streams in the Red River of the North Basin: Ground water commonly takes more than 20 years to reach depths in the surficial aquifer where it is withdrawn for use. Water withdrawn from most drinking-water wells was recharged through land areas greater than 1 mile upgradient. Because of these long travel times and distances, land-management practices on the land and aquifer-protection strategies may take as much as 50 years to produce measurable improvement in water quality. The amount of fertilizer and some herbicides used to enhance crop growth in this study area can be related to the distribution and trends of nitrate and herbicides found in the surficial aquifer.

Red River of the North Basin↗
USGS1996

Sampling design for assessing water quality of the Red River of the North basin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 1993-1995

This map report describes the sampling design for a comprehensive regional assessment of water quality in the Red River of the North Basin, a study unit under the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The sampling design was developed to address questions about the presence, distribution, and loads of nutrients and pesticides associated with large agricultural regions in the basin and across the Nation. The design also begins to address major local and regional concerns about suspended sediment in surface water and naturally occurring salinity in ground water. Recognizing that the Red River of the North Basin study unit realistically could not be analyzed as a single homogeneous area, a hierarchical sampling stratification for assessing water quality was developed. Landscape features consisting of physiography, soils, land cover and land use, and cropping patterns provided the environmental framework for stratification of streams and surficial aquifers. The environmental framework characterizes the climate and hydrology and relates closely to an ecoregions framework. The environmental and ecoregions frameworks were considered in locating ecological sampling sites. For the subsurface framework, buried sand and gravel aquifers in study unit were subdivided into two general subregions of differing potential saline recharge from underlying bedrock aquifers. Actual sampling sites for streams, aquatic biology, and ground water were described within the proposed sampling stratification. Practical considerations of previously established sampling sites, background information from previous hydrologic investigations, and site suitability for sampling protocols also were considered for final site selection.

Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota↗
USGS1995

National Water-Quality Assessment Program: Data collection in the Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 1992-95

A water-quality assessment began in 1991 for the Red River of the North (Red River) Basin as part of a national study. Data collection for the reconnainssance and intensive phases of the study briefly is described for each of the major components (streams, aquatic biology, and ground water) used to assess regional water quality. The data will be analyzed to address national and local water-quality concerns.

Red River of the North basin↗
USGS1991

National Water-Quality Assessment Program - Red River of the North

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began to implement a full-scale National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The long-term goals of the NAWQA program are to describe the status and trends in the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources, and to provide a sound scientific understanding of the primary natural and human factors affecting the quality of these resources. The program will produce a wealth of water-quality information that will be useful to policy makers and managers at the national, State, and local levels.

Red River of the North↗
USGS1989

Effects of controlled agricultural practices on water quality in the Minnesota sand-plain aquifer

Recent studies of Minnesota's sand plains indicate that ground-water chemistry is related to agricultural practices. Surficial sand-plain aquifers cover 8,000,000 acres of Minnesota and are a major source of water for domestic use, irrigation, and some municipal systems. The sand-plain aquifers consist of sand and gravel deposits that are from 20 to greater than 100 feet thick and are covered by a thin sandy loam that generally is less than 2 feet thick. Sand-plain aquifers are recharged by the downward percolation of precipitation through the soil root zone and the unsaturated zone in the sand to the water table. The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation and forms the top of the sand-plain aquifer. Sand-plain aquifers are susceptible to contamination by agricultural chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides), if downward-percolating recharge water contains these chemicals. The concentrations of nitrate, pesticides, and some other chemical constituents fluctuate seasonally and differ with depth below the water table (Anderson, 1989). Despite the availability of water-quality data for about 260 wells that were collected during previous studies in three U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project areas in Minnesota, it is not known how concentrations of agricultural chemicals in ground water relate to the rate and timing of fertilizer and pesticide application or to the tillage practices used. Field-scale research is needed to determine the effects of different farming practices on the concentrations of nitrate, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals in ground water in the unsaturated and saturated zones.

Minnesota↗
USGS1985

Reported withdrawals and estimated use of water in Oklahoma during 1982

Reported water withdrawals in Oklahoma during 1982 were 1,270.64 million gallons per day. The withdrawals were about equally distributed between ground water and surface water with 46 percent being ground water and 54 percent being surface water. In general, the western counties rely on ground water and the eastern counties rely on surface water as their major sources of supply. The major withdrawal category water suppliers is not subdivided into its component-use categories such as domestic, commercial, and industrial. Estimates were made of the various uses to which water supplied by public suppliers is put. Water use in Oklahoma during 1982 was estimated to be 1,270.14 million gallons per day. This was a difference of less than 0.1 percent between estimated use and reported withdrawals. Oklahoma's major water use is agriculture including irrigation, which was 42 percent of the total water used during 1982. Many counties in Oklahoma, particularly those counties in the west, use more water for agricultural uses than the total of all other water uses in the county. Most of the exporting counties used surface water as their major source of supply. Several counties were also identified as major importers of water. The importing counties contained 50 percent of the State's population and water importation related more to population than to internal water-supply sources.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1984

Estimate of self-supplied domestic water use in Oklahoma during 1980

Reported or measured water-use data for the domestic self-supplied user were not available for Oklahoma; therefore estimates of water use within this classification were derived. The total self-supplied population in Oklahoma during 1980 was estimated to be 343,615, which was 11.4 percent of the total 1980 State population. The rate of water use by this group was estimated to be 56 gallons per capita per day. The estimated annual domestic self-supplied water use by county ranged from 10 to 1,180 acre-feet, with a total statewide use of 21,610 acre-feet.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1983

Preliminary appraisal of the hydrology of the Stigler area, Haskell County, Oklahoma

Bed rock in the Stigler area of southeastern Oklahoma consists principally of shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the McAlester, Savanna, and Boggy Formations of Pennsylvanian age. These rocks have been folded to form the Stigler syncline on the north and the Antioch anticline on the south. An area of several square miles is underlain by terrace deposits, mostly sandy silt, as much as 25 feet thick. Alluvium along the streams is 5 to 10 feet thick and consists mainly of sandy silt. Neither the terrace deposits nor the alluvium are hydrologically significant. Water in the bedrock is under artesian conditions. Well depths range from 34 to 235 feet and average 95 feet. The water level in most wells is less than 30 feet below the land surface. Because the rocks have minimal permeability, well yields probably are less than 5 gallons per minute. Much of the area is provided with water by a rural water district. Based on specific-conductance measurements, dissolved-solids concentrations in ground water are estimated to range from 200 to 2,500 milligrams per liter. Nor relationship between variations in specific conductance and well depth, geographic distribution, or geologic formation is apparent. Streams in the area are ephemeral and extended periods of no flow can be expected. During much of the period of record, streamflow in Taloka Creek was maintained by water pumped from an active coal mine. Water upstream from the mine area had a mean dissolved-solids concentration of 72 milligrams per liter whereas water downstream from the mine area had a mean concentration of 1,323 milligrams per liter. At times, downstream concentrations of some toxic metals exceeded the standards for drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Samples of water collected from Taloka Creek since mining ceased did not have excessive concentrations of toxic metals. Maximum suspended-sediment discharge of Taloka Creek was about 1,660 tons per day. Silt-clay particles (diameters less than 0.062 millimeter) were the dominant grain size. Observed and measured effects of surface mining for coal on the hydrologic system include (1) creation of additional water storage in the surface mine pond, (2) disruption of drainage in an area of about 1 square mile, and (3) increased mineralization of water in Taloka Creek. Other possible effects include (4) changes in permeability and storage of water in mine spoil, (5) minor changes in streamflow and runoff characteristics, and (6) temporary increase in the sediment load of Taloka Creek.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1983

Preliminary appraisal of the hydrology of the Red Oak area, Latimer County, Oklahoma

Bed rock in the Red Oak area consists of shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the McAlester and Savanna Formations of Pennsylvanian age. Water in bedrock occurs in bedding planes, joints, and fractures and is confined. The potentiometric surface generally is less than 20 feet below the land surface. Wells yield enough water for domestic and stock use, but larger amounts of ground water are not available. Ground water commonly is a sodium or mixed cation carbonate/bicarbonate type with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 321 to 714 milligrams per liter. Although variable in quality, ground water generally is suitable for domestic use. No relationship between water chemistry and well depth or location is apparent. Brazil Creek, the principal stream in the area, has no flow 15 percent of the time, and flow is less than 1 cubic foot per second about 25 percent of the time. Water in Brazil Creek is a mixed cation carbonate/bicarbonate type. Dissolved-solids concentrations in Brazil Creek upstream from areas of old and recent mining ranged from 31 to 99 milligrams per liter with a mean of 58 milligrams per liter, whereas concentrations downstream from the mine areas ranged from 49 to 596 milligrams per liter with a mean of 132 milligrams per liter. Water in Brazil and Rock Creeks had concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury that exceeded maximum contaminant levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at least once during the 1979-81 water years. Maximum suspended-sediment discharge, in tons per day, was 2,500 for Brazil Creek and 3,318 for Rock Creek. Silt-clay particles (diameters less than 0.062 millimeter) were the dominant sediment size. A significant hydrologic effect of surface mining is creation of additional water storage in mine ponds; one such pond supplies water for the town of Red Oak. Other effects or potential effects of surface mining include changes in rock permeability and ground-water storage, changes in drainage patterns, and changes in the chemical quality and sediment loads of streams.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1981

Preliminary appraisal of the hydrology of the Blocker area, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

Bedrock in the Blocker area of southeastern Oklahoma consists principally of shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the Boggy and Savanna Formations of Pennsylvanian age. These rocks have been folded to form the Panther Mountain syncline on the south and the Kinta anticline on the north. Alluvium along streams is less than 15 feet thick and consists mainly of sandy silt. Water in bedrock is under artesian conditions. Well depths range from 11 to 213 feet and average 75 feet. In 86% of the wells measured, the water level was less than 30 feet below the land surface. Because the rocks have minimal permeability, well yields probably are less than 5 gallons per minute. Ground water is commonly a mixed cation bicarbonate type with dissolved solids ranging from about 300 to 2,000 milligrams per liter. No relationship between water chemistry and well depth or geographic distribution is apparent. Streams in the area are ephemeral and there are extended periods of no flow. Blue Creek was dry 30% of the time during 1976-80 and had flows of less than 0.1 cubic foot per second for at least 80 consecutive days. Stream water is generally a mixed cation sulfate type. The maximum dissolved-solids concentration determined in stream water was 3670 milligrams per liter. Maximum suspended sediment discharge, in tons per day, was about 235 for Blue Creek, 40 for Blue Creek tributary, and 630 for Mathuldy Creek. Silt-clay particles (diameters less than 0.062 millimeter) are the dominant sediment size. Surface mining for coal undoubtedly will have some effect on the environment. The most likely deleterious effects are increased sediment loads in streams and increased mineralization of stream waters. However, these effects should be of only limited extent and duration if appropriate mining and reclamation practices are followed. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1980

Reconnaissance of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Arkansas River between Muskogee and Webbers Falls lock and dam, Oklahoma

Analysis of samples collected from the Arkansas River between Muskogee and Webbers Falls Lock and Dam, Oklahoma, in November 1978 showed that concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in the dissolved and suspended phases were less than the detection limit of 0.1 micrograms per liter. The maximum polychlorinated biphenyl concentration measured in samples of the bottom material was 16 micrograms per kilogram and occurred 5.9 miles below the U.S. Highway 62 bridge in Muskogee.

Oklahoma↗