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James H. Eychaner

Publications and source records attributed to James H. Eychaner.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2001

Reconnaissance of Stream Geomorphology, Low Streamflow, and Stream Temperature in the Mountaintop Coal-Mining Region, Southern West Virginia, 1999-2000

The effects of mountaintop removal coal mining and the valley fills created by this mining method in southern West Virginia were investigated by comparing data collected at valley-fill, mined, and unmined sites. Bed material downstream of valley-fill sites had a greater number of particles less than 2 millimeters and a smaller median particle size than the mined and unmined sites. At the 84th percentile of sampled data, however, bed material at each site type had about the same size particles. Bankfull cross-sectional areas at a riffle section were approximately equal at valley-fill and unmined sites, but not enough time has passed and insufficient streamflows since the land was disturbed may have prevented the stream channel at valley-fill sites from reaching equilibrium. The 90-percent flow durations at valley-fill sites generally were 6-7 times greater than at unmined sites. Some valley-fill sites, however, exhibited streamflows similar to unmined sites, and some unmined sites exhibited streamflows similar to valley-fill sites. Daily streamflows from valley-fill sites generally are greater than daily streamflows from unmined sites during periods of low streamflow. Valley-fill sites have a greater percentage of base-flow and a lower percentage of flow from storm runoff than unmined sites. Water temperatures from a valley-fill site exhibited lower daily fluctuations and seasonal variations than water temperatures from an unmined site.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2000

Water quality in the Kanawha-New River basin: West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, 1996-98

This report summarizes major findings about water quality in the Kanawha-New River basin that emerged from an assessment conducted between 1996 and 1998 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Water quality is discussed in terms of local and regional issues and compared to conditions found in all 36 NAWQA study areas assessed to date. Findings also are explained in the context of selected national benchmarks, such as those for drinking-water quality and the protection of aquatic organisms.

North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia↗
USGS1999

Progress of environmental studies in coal mining areas of western Pennsylvania and central West Virginia

Two studies related to the regional environmental effects of coal mining in the Appalachian Plateau were conducted in 1998 as part of the National Water‐Quality Assessment program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The study area of about 20,000 square miles included parts of the Allegheny and Monongahela River basins in the north and the Kanawha River basin in the south. Water in domestic wells downgradient from fully reclaimed surface coal mines was compared to water in similar wells at unmined sites. As expected, pH was lower and the concentration of sulfate was greater at mined sites in both areas, although the pH difference was greater in the southern area. Median concentrations of iron and manganese exceeded federal drinking‐water standards at mined sites in both areas and at unmined sites in the southern area. Median concentrations of radon near reclaimed mines were about half those at unmined sites. Surface water was sampled during summer base flow at about 180 sites that drain between 5 and 80 square miles; the sites also were sampled during 1979‐81. Median pH in 1998 was 7.9 in the north and 7.4 in the south, about 0.5 unit higher than in 1980 in both areas. Median concentrations of sulfate increased from 38 mg/L to 56 mg/L in the north and from 46 mg/L to 77 mg/L in the south, in apparent contradiction to the generally lower sulfur content of geologic units in the southern area. Among 52 basins where mining occurred both before and after 1980, the sulfate concentration more than doubled in 13 (25 percent), including greater than five‐fold increases in 5 (10 percent). For 16 mined basins where no mining has occurred since 1980, the median decrease in sulfate concentration was 18 percent, from which the half‐time for oxidation of mining‐related pyrite is estimated to be about 65 years.

Pennsylvania, West Virginia↗
USGS1996

Colloidal-facilitated transport of inorganic contaminants in ground water: part 1, sampling considerations

Investigations at Pinal Creek, Arizona, evaluated routine sampling procedures for determination of aqueous inorganic geochemistry and assessment of contaminant transport by colloidal mobility. Sampling variables included pump type and flow rate, collection under air or nitrogen, and filter pore diameter. During well purging and sample collection, suspended particle size and number as well as dissolved oxygen, temperature, specific conductance, pH, and redox potential were monitored. Laboratory analyses of both unfiltered samples and the filtrates were performed by inductively coupled argon plasma, atomic absorption with graphite furnace, and ion chromatography. Scanning electron microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray was also used for analysis of filter particulates. Suspended particle counts consistently required approximately twice as long as the other field-monitored indicators to stabilize. High-flow-rate pumps entrained normally nonmobile particles. Difference in elemental concentrations using different filter-pore sizes were generally not large with only two wells having differences greater than 10 percent in most wells. Similar differences (>10%) were observed for some wells when samples were collected under nitrogen rather than in air. Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ ratios for air-collected samples were smaller than for samples collected under a nitrogen atmosphere, reflecting sampling-induced oxidation.

Arizona↗
USGS1984

Floods of October 1977 in southern Arizona and March 1978 in central Arizona

Major floods occurred in October 1977 and March 1978 in Arizona. As much as 14 inches of rain fell during October 6-9, 1977, over the mountains of southern Arizona and northern Mexico resulting in the highest discharge since at least 1892 on the Santa Cruz River upstream from Tucson. The flood inundated areas as much as 4 miles wide, covered at least 16,000 acres of farmland, and caused $15.2 million in damage. Residential losses occurred at Nogales, Amado, Green Valley, and Sahuarita. Severe erosional damage occurred along the Santa Cruz River, Agua Fria Canyon, Potrero Creek, and many small drainages in the Sonoita Creek basin. The peak discharge in Agua Fria Canyon was the highest since before 1900. Less severe flooding occurred along the San Pedro River and the Gila River downstream from the San Pedro. Widespread rainfall of 3 to 6 inches and 9 to 14 inches in some areas in the central mountains during February 27 to March 3, 1978, caused the highest discharge since 1920 on the Salt River in Phoenix and resulted in three deaths. Flooding along the Salt and Gila Rivers and several lesser streams caused statewide damage totaling $65.9 million, of which about $37 million occurred in Maricopa County. Nine counties were declared disaster areas. During the flood of March 1978, moderate peak discharges and unusually high volumes of runoff occurred on tributaries to the Salt and Verde Rivers upstream from a system of reservoirs. Flood magnitudes were greater at the main-stem gaging stations than on the tributaries. The peak discharge into Theodore Roosevelt Lake, which was 21 percent full at the start of the flood, was about 155,000 cubic feet per second, the largest known from 1890 to 1978. The reservoirs stored large quantities of water and greatly reduced the magnitude of the flood. The peak discharge of the Salt River was 125,000 cubic feet per second below Granite Reef Dam and 122,000 cubic feet per second at Phoenix. Discharges in excess of 100,000 cubic feet per second occurred for 8 hours. Without the storage provided by the reservoirs, the peak discharge on the Salt River would have been 260,000 cubic feet per second, and the discharge would have exceeded 100,000 cubic feet per second for 66 hours. The Verde River was the principal flood source, but flows at the upstream gaging stations did not indicate the magnitude of the impending flood at Horseshoe Reservoir because large inflow from tributaries immediately upstream from the reservoir caused the river to rise at downstream stations before it rose at upstream stations. About 17 percent of the water entering the reach from Granite Reef Dam to Gillespie Dam went to recharge, temporary ground-water storage, or evapotranspiration losses. All water was stored at Painted Rock Reservoir and released at a low rate that prevented water from reaching the Gila River near Mohawk gaging station.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1983

Geohydrology and effects of water use in the Black Mesa area, Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona

The N aquifer is the main source of water in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations in northeastern Arizona. The N aquifer consists of the Navajo Sandstone and parts of the underlying Kayenta Formation and Wingate Sandstone of Jurassic and Triassic age. Maximum saturated thickness of the aquifer is about 1,050 feet in the northwestern part of the area, and the aquifer thins to extinction to the southeast. Water is under confined conditions in the central 3,300 square miles of the area. To the east, north, and west of Black Mesa, the aquifer is exposed at the surface, and water is unconfined. The aquifer was in equilibrium before about 1965. Recharge of about 13,000 acre-feet per year was balanced primarily by discharge near Moenkopi Wash and Laguna Creek and by evapotranspiration. At least 180 million acre-feet of water was in storage. The estimated average hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer is 0.65 foot per day. The confined storage coefficient is estimated to be about 0.0004 where the aquifer is thickest, and the estimated unconfined storage coefficient ranges from 0.10 to 0.15. Ground-water withdrawals that averaged 5,300 acre-feet per year from 1976 to 1979 have caused water levels to decline in wells in the confined part of the aquifer. Withdrawals include an average of 3,700 acre-feet per year to supply a coal-slurry pipeline from a coal mine on Black Mesa. Six observation wells equipped with water-level recorders have been used to monitor aquifer response. The water level in one well 32 miles south of the mine declined 17 feet from 1972 through 1979 and 3.5 feet during 1979. A mathematical model of the N aquifer was developed and calibrated for equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. The model was used in part to improve estimates of aquifer characteristics and the water budget, and it successfully reproduced the observed response of the aquifer through 1979. The model results indicate that about 95 percent of the 44,000 acre-feet of water pumped from 1965 to 1979 was withdrawn from storage, but the reduction amounted to less than 0.03 percent of total storage. Water-level declines through 1979 were estimated to be more than 100 feet in an area of 200 square miles. Four projections of future water-level changes were made using the model. The most probable projection indicates that water-level declines would exceed 100 feet in an area of 440 square miles by 2001. Most of the decline would be recovered within a few years if withdrawals at the mine ceased. By 1990, however, municipal-supply pumpage is expected to exceed pumpage at the mine, and this pumpage would continue to have significant impacts on water levels in the Black Mesa area.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1981

Geohydrology and effects of water use in the Black Mesa area, Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations, Arizona

The main source of water in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area is the N aquifer, which consists of the Navajo Sandstone and underlying Kayenta Formation and Wingate Sandstone. Water is under confined conditions in the central 3,300 square miles. Transmissivity is less than 1,000 feet squared per day. Storage coefficient is less than 0.0004 in the confined part of the aquifer and at least 0.1 in the unconfined part. Recharge is about 13,000 acre-feet per year, and storage at equilibrium, which was before 1965, was at least 180 million acre-feet. Ground-water withdrawals were less than 400 acre-feet per year before 1970 and increased to 5,300 acre-feet per year 1976-1979. By 1980, municipal-supply pumpage is expected to exceed that for a coal-slurry pipeline. Water levels have declined throughout the confined part of the aquifer. Decline of more than 100 feet was calculated for an area of 200 square miles through 1979 and was projected for 440 square miles through 2001. In the unconfined part, project declines averaged less than 1 foot. If pumping for coal slurry stopped, most of the decline would recover within 10 years. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Estimating runoff volumes and flood hydrographs in the Colorado River Basin, southern Utah

Hydrographs of 364 floods from 18 continuous-record gaging sites in the Colorado River basin in southern Utah were used to define a single relation of flood volume to peak discharge; the standard error of estimate of that relation . is 82 percent. Using the same data, a mean dimensionless hydrograph was pre-pared. Synthetic hydrographs may be derived for basins of 5 to 300 square miles (13 to 780 square kilometers) and flood peaks of 1 to 7,000 cubic feet per second (0.03 to 200 cubic meters per second) using that mean dimensionless hydrograph. Design flood peaks may be estimated from other reports. A method is presented to estimate the reduction in culvert or bridge size resulting from use of storage above the structure. Reduction of structure capacity of 25 percent may be achieved by storing 4 percent of the total flood volume.

Utah↗
USGS1975

Developing a state water plan: Ground-water conditions in Utah, spring of 1975

This report is the twelfth in a series of annual reports that describe ground-water conditions in Utah. Reports in this series, prepared cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Utah Division of Water Resources, provide data to enable interested parties such as legislators, administrators, and planners to keep abreast of changing ground-water conditions. This report, like the others (see references, p. 16), contains information on well construction, ground-water withdrawals, water-level changes, and related changes in precipitation and streamflow. Supplementary data such as graphs showing chemical quality of water and maps showing water-table configuration are included in reports of this series only for those years or areas for which applicable data are available and are important to a discussion of changing ground-water conditions. The report includes individual discussions of the most important areas of ground-water withdrawal in the State for the calendar year 1974. Water-level fluctuations, however, are described for the period spring 1974 to spring 1975. Many of the data used in the report were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Division of Water Rights, Utah Department of Natural Resources.

Utah↗