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Larry F. Land

Publications and source records attributed to Larry F. Land.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1999

Water quality in the Trinity River basin, Texas, 1992-95

Water quality in the Trinity River basin was studied during 1992-95 as part of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Studies included chemical sampling of streams, streambed sediments, biota, and ground water; measuring distributions of biological communities in streams; and measuring physical characteristics of streams that affect biological habitat. The sampling design, in general, relates water-quality conditions to causative human and natural environmental factors. The occurrence of pesticides, for example, is related to land use. Trends are mixed, with a substantial improvement in the diversity of fish species downstream from Dallas and large decreases in regulated contaminants such as DDT; but increases in unregulated contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls.

Texas↗
USGS1996

Pesticides in urban and agricultural streams, 1993-95

Nonpoint sources of pesticides are a national issue and are a major interest in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program because of their potential toxicity to humans and aquatic life. Using the water-quality data collected by the Trinity River Basin NAWQA study-unit team, an analysis of pesticides in urban and agricultural streams was made by aggregating and grouping data from several networks. The samples were collected during March 1993 through September 1995. About 70 samples were collected from urban streams and 70 from agricultural streams. The urban dataset consists of sampling sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area where more than 3.5 million people lived in 1990. Land use in the sampled urban watersheds is primarily residential, but there are commercial areas, such as shopping centers and office complexes along major highways and streets. The agricultural dataset consists of sampling sites in the watershed of Richland-Chambers Reservoir, an area in the west-central part of the Trinity River Basin where fertile soils are extensively cultivated. The land use is mostly cropland and pasture with some rangeland. In the cultivated areas, the major crops are corn, cotton, and sorghum. In the rangeland areas, cattle are the dominant livestock. In the pasture areas, hay is grown along with grass for cattle feed. None of the crops are irrigated. The material in this fact sheet is condensed from a report by Land and Brown (1996) where the study is presented in greater detail.

Texas↗
USGS1996

Water-quality trends using sediment cores from White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program has three objectives, one of which is "to define trends (or lack of trends) in water quality" (Leahy and others, 1990). Water-quality trends are of interest for at least three reasons: First, trends can improve our understanding of the influence of human activities on water-quality conditions; second, trends can indicate the effectiveness of environmental regulations; and third, trends can provide a warning of additional degradation of water quality in the future. A common approach for determining water-quality trends in streams is to apply statistical tests to historical data; however, historical water-quality data have several limitations. These include lack of data, inconsistent sampling and analytical methods, numerous measurements below detection levels, and questionable accuracy. If historical data are lacking or are inappropriate for statistical trend testing, water-quality records can be partly reconstructed using sediment cores from receiving water bodies such as reservoirs. The purpose of this fact sheet is to summarize the principal findings documented in a report on water-quality trends in White Rock Creek Basin using dated sediment cores from White Rock Lake (Van Metre and Callender, in press). The study used dated sediment cores to reconstruct water-quality conditions. More specifically, the changes in water quality associated with the watershed’s change from agricultural to urban land use and with the implementation of environmental regulations were identified.

Texas↗
USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Nutrients in streams draining an agricultural and an urban area, 1993-95

Water samples collected from streams draining an agricultural area in the west-central part of the Trinity River Basin upstream from the Richland-Chambers Reservoir and from streams draining an urban area in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area during March 1993 - September 1995 were analyzed for nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds). A comparison of the data for agricultural and urban streams shows the maximum concentration of total nitrogen is from an urban stream and the maximum concentration of total phosphorus is from an agricultural stream. One-half of the samples have total nitrogen concentrations equal to or less than 1.1 and 1.0 milligrams per liter in the agricultural and urban streams, respectively; and one-half of the samples have total phosphorous concentrations equal to or less than 0.04 and 0.05 milligram per liter in the agricultural and urban streams, respectively. The highest concentrations of total nitrogen in both types of streams are in the spring. The minimum concentrations of total nitrogen are during the summer in the agricultural streams and during the winter in the urban streams. Concentrations of total phosphorus in agricultural streams show negligible seasonal variability. The highest concentrations of total phosphorus are in spring and possibly late summer in the urban streams. In the midrange of streamflow in the urban streams and throughout the range of streamflow in the agricultural streams, concentrations of total nitrogen increase. Concentrations of total phosphorus increase with streamflow in the middle and upper ranges of streamflow in both agricultural and urban streams.

Texas↗
USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas - Nutrients in two coastal prairie streams draining agricultural areas, 1994-95

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began nationwide implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Long-term goals of NAWQA are to describe the status of 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 (Leahy and others, 1990). The Trinity River Basin in east-central Texas (fig. 1) was among the first 20 hydrologic areas, called study units, to be assessed by this program. The first intensive data-collection phase for the Trinity River Basin NAWQA began in March 1993 and ended in September 1995. Streams in the Trinity River Basin were assessed by sampling water, bed sediment, and tissue of biota and characterizing the aquatic communities and their habitat. Aquifers were assessed by sampling water from wells. The coastal prairie is a small part of the Trinity River Basin, but it is environmentally important because of its proximity to Galveston Bay and the extensive use of agricultural chemicals on many irrigated farms. Galveston Bay (fig. 1) was selected by Congress as an estuary of national significance and was included on a priority list for the National Estuary Program. The Trinity River is especially important because its watershed dominates the total Galveston Bay drainage area and because its flow contributes substantial amounts of freshwater and water-quality constituents to the bay. Historically, measurements of the quantity and quality of water entering Galveston Bay from the Trinity River Basin have been made using data from a station about 113 kilometers (70 miles) upstream from Trinity Bay, an inlet bay to Galveston Bay. With a focused objective of providing additional water-quality information in the intervening coastal prairie area and an overall objective of improving the understanding of the relations between farming practices and stream quality in the Trinity River Basin, a special study was conducted. This report provides a description of the occurrence and concentrations of nutrients in two streams in this intervening area. An earlier report by Brown (1996) describes the occurrence and concentrations of pesticides in these two streams. An overall analysis of nutrient data collected during 1974?91 in the Trinity River Basin is given by Van Metre and Reutter (1995).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas — Pesticides in streams draining an urban and an agricultural area, 1993-95

Water and bed-sediment samples from streams draining an urban and an agricultural area in the Trinity River Basin, Texas, were analyzed. The samples were collected during March 1993?September 1995 by the Trinity River Basin study-unit team of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. A comparison of pesticide data for water samples from seven streams in the Dallas-Fort Worth urban area with five streams in an agricultural area in the west-central part of the Trinity River Basin showed detections of 24 herbicides in urban-area streams and 19 herbicides in agricultural-area streams and 10 insecticides in each area. Atrazine, a herbicide, was detected in all samples from both areas. Diazinon, an insecticide, was detected in all samples collected in urban-area streams and in about 60 percent of the samples collected in agricultural-area streams. Concentrations of alachlor, atrazine, fluometuron, metolachlor, and pendimethalin (herbicides) were always greater in agricultural-area streams, and prometon and simazine concentrations were always greater in urban-area streams. Atrazine was the only herbicide with concentrations greater than a health advisory limit of 3 micrograms per liter. Concentrations were greater in about 20 percent of the samples; all were in the agricultural area and occurred during spring and during higher streamflow. Diazinon was the only insecticide with concentrations greater than the health advisory of 0.6 microgram per liter. Concentrations were greater in about 15 percent of the samples from the urban area. All exceedances were during spring through early fall and during all ranges of streamflow. In the agricultural area, atrazine and metolachlor concentrations peaked during spring and early summer and increased with increasing streamflow; in the urban area, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon peaked in April and remained relatively high during the summer and increased with increasing streamflow. A comparison of pesticide data for bed-sediment samples from five urban streams and five agricultural streams showed detections of 11 organochlorine insecticides in the urban area and 1 in the agricultural area. All compounds were either DDT-related or one of the components of chlordane except for mirex and dieldrin.

Texas↗
USGS1995

Water-quality assessment of the Trinity River Basin, Texas—Data collection, 1992–95

Assessment activities in the Trinity River Basin study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program began in October 1991 with 2 years dedicated to planning, analyzing existing information, and designing data-collection networks. In October 1993, a 3-year intensive data-collection program was initiated. Guidelines were provided by the NAWQA Program National Synthesis team, and suggestions for networks and surveys were made by the study unit’s liaison committee. This fact sheet describes the data-collection activities.

Texas↗
USGS1992

Summary of hydrologic data for the San Gabriel River basin and Edwards Aquifer, Georgetown area, Texas, water year 1990

The Edwards aquifer is the principal source of freshwater for municipal, domestic, and industrial users in the Georgetown area. Other sources of freshwater are Lake Georgetown and the streams draining the San Gabriel River basin. Lake Georgetown, located on the North Fork San Gabriel River west of Georgetown, is a freshwater supply for some municipalities in the area. Water in the San Gabriel River basin also suppliesa variety of needs east of Georgetown. Because of the importance of the Edwards aquifer and the surface waters as a source of freshwater in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Georgetown, established a local streamflow and ground-water monitoring network in principal streams and teh Edwards aquifer, and conducted surveys of the network in water years 1987, 1988, and 1990. The study area was centered on Georgetown and emcompassed an area of about 150 mi 2 (fig. 1).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1991

National Water-Quality Assessment program: The Trinity River Basin

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. In meeting these goals, 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. A major design feature of the NAWQA program will enable water-quality information at different areal scales to be integrated. A major component of the program is study-unit investigations, which comprise the principal building blocks of the program on which national-level assessment activities will be based. The 60 study-unit investigations that make up the program are hydrologic systems that include parts of most major river basins and aquifer systems. These study units cover areas of 1,200 to more than 65,000 square miles and incorporate about 60 to 70 percent of the Nation's water use and population served by public water supply. In 1991, the Trinity River basin study was among the first 20 NAWQA study units selected for study under the full-scale implementation plan.

Texas↗
USGS1989

Summary of hydrologic data for the San Gabriel River basin and Edwards Aquifer, Georgetown area, Texas, water year 1988

The Edwards aquifer is the principle source of freshwater for municipal, domestic, and industrial users in the Georgetown area. Other sources of freshwater are the streams draining the San Gabriel River basin and Lake Georgetown. Lake Georgetown, located on the North Fork San Gabriel River west of Georgetown, is a freshwater supply for some municipalities in the area, water in the San Gabriel River basin also supplies a variety of needs east of Georgetown. Because of the importance of the Edwards aquifer and the surface waters in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Georgetown, conducted a monitoring program of the Edwards Aquifer and principal streams during water year 1988. The study area centered on Georgetown and encompassed an area of about 150 square miles (fig. 1). The freshwater resources in the Georgetown area have been the subject of three recent reports. Baker and others (1986) described the Edwards aquifer and the relation between recharge and discharge. Krietier and others (1987) provided fracture analysis, geologic mapping, ground-water chemistry, and the relation between rainfall and recharge in the study area. Land and Dorsey (1988) conducted an investigation to reassess the inclusion of the Georgetown Limestone as one of the geologic units comprising the Edwards aquifer. In addition, the Geological Survey publishes streamflow and water-quality data in the Water Resources Data for Texas report on an annual basis. The primary purpose of this report is to present a summary of the hydrologic data collected from the streams draining the San Gabriel River basin and from the Edwards aquifer during the 1988 water year (October 1987–September 1988). A secondary purpose is to add perspective to the 1988 data by including data from the previous 2 years (1986 and 1987) when available. The scope of the report is limited to the Georgetown area (fig. 1) and to data collected by the Geological Survey.

Texas↗
USGS1988

Simulation of flow in the Edwards Aquifer, San Antonio region, Texas, and refinement of storage and flow concepts

The Edwards aquifer is a complexly faulted, carbonate aquifer lying within the Balcones fault zone of south-central Texas. The aquifer consists of thin- to massive-bedded limestone and dolomite, most of which is in the form of mudstones and wackestones. Well-developed secondary porosity has formed in association with former erosional surfaces within the carbonate rocks, within dolomitized-burrowed tidal and evaporitic deposits, and along inclined fractures to produce an aquifer with transmissivities greater than 100 ft2/s. The aquifer is recharged mainly by streamflow losses in the outcrop area of the Edwards aquifer and is discharged by major springs located at considerable distances, as much as 150 mi, from the areas of recharge and by wells. Ground-water flow within the Edwards aquifer of the San Antonio region was simulated to investigate concepts relating to the storage and flow characteristics. The concepts of major interest were the effects of barrier faults on flow direction, water levels, springflow, and storage within the aquifer. A general-purpose, finite-difference model, modified to provide the capability of representing barrier faults, was used to simulate ground-water flow and storage in the aquifer. The approach in model development was to conduct a series of simulations beginning with a simple representation of the aquifer framework and then proceeding to subsequent representations of increasing complexity. The simulations investigated the effects of complex geologic structures and of significant changes in transmissivity, anisotropy, and storage coefficient. Initial values of transmissivity, anisotropy, and storage coefficient were estimated based on concepts developed in previous studies. Results of the simulations confirmed the original estimates of transmissivity values (greater than 100 square feet/s) in the confined zone of the aquifer between San Antonio and Comal Springs. A storage coefficient of 0.05 in the unconfined zone of the aquifer produced the best simulation of water levels and springflow. A major interpretation resulting from the simulations is that two essentially independent areas of regional flow were identified in the west and central part of the study area. Flows from the two areas converge at Comal Springs. The directions of computed flux vectors reflected the presence of major barrier faults, which locally deflect patterns of ground-water movement. The most noticeable deflection is the convergence of flow through a geologic structural opening, the Knippa gap, in eastern Uvalde County. A second significant interpretation is that ground-water flow in northeastern Bexar, Comal, and Hays Counties is diverted by barrier faults toward San Marcos Springs, a regional discharge point. Simulations showed that several barrier faults in the northwestern part of the San Antonio area had a significant effect on storage, water levels, and springflow within the Edwards aquifer.

Texas↗
USGS1984

Proposed 10-year plan for continuation of hydrologic studies of the Edwards Aquifer, San Antonio area, Texas

The importance of the Edwards aquifer as a freshwater resource and its susceptibility to being contaminated, being over utilized, or both resulted in the development of a proposed 10-year plan to monitor and study its hydrology. The plan proposes adjustments to the current monitoring activities of computing and measuring recharge, discharge, withdrawals, water levels, and water quality. To conduct the needed special studies , the plan recognizes the need for the construction and drilling of many new wells at specific locations and to selected depths. Many of the wells will be in clusters so that data can be obtained on a stratigraphic basis. Some of the topics identified for special study include: (1) The potential of saline water entering the freshwater zone from the downdip boundary; (2) the possibility of water leaking into the aquifer from an overlying aquifer; (3) the effects of urbanization on ground-water quality in local areas; (4) the movement and dissipation of a recharge water plume; (5) the influx of water from the Glen Rose Formation; (6) the effects of the fault barriers, regional dense bed, and irregular geologic framework on ground-water flow patterns; (7) natural recharge-discharge relationships; (8) the aquifer stage-storage relationship; (9) natural water-quality evolution; and (10) a refinement of the hydrogeologic framework in a local area.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1982

Techniques for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods in the Dallas - Fort Worth metropolitan area, Texas

Equations for predicting the magnitude and frequency of floods in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area were developed from recorded data from streams with drainage areas ranging in size from 1.25 to 66.4 square miles. The U. S. Geological Survey urban rainfall-runoff model was used to generate long-term flood-discharge record for gaged streams in the area. Simulated and recorded annual-peak data were subjected independently to log Pearson III frequency analyses. The results were weighted to determine appropriate discharges for selected 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year recurrence intervals. These T-year values were then used as the dependent variables in a multiple regression analysis. The independent variable determined to be statistically significant and retained in the resulting equations were drainage area and an urbanization index that expresses the degree of urban development. Analysis of the results shows that a land-use change from rural to fully urbanized is accompanied by a 180% increase in discharge of a flood with a 5-year recurrence interval and about 100% increase in discharge of a flood with a 100-year recurrence interval.

Texas↗
USGS1981

User's guide for a general purpose dam-break flood simulation model (K-634)

An existing computer program for simulating dam-break floods for forecast purposes has been modified with an emphasis on general purpose applications. The original model was formulated, developed and documented by the National Weather Service. This model is based on the complete flow equations and uses a nonlinear implicit finite-difference numerical method. The first phase of the simulation routes a flood wave through the reservoir and computes an outflow hydrograph which is the sum of the flow through the dam 's structures and the gradually developing breach. The second phase routes this outflow hydrograph through the stream which may be nonprismatic and have segments with subcritical or supercritical flow. The results are discharge and stage hydrographs at the dam as well as all of the computational nodes in the channel. From these hydrographs, peak discharge and stage profiles are tabulated. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1979

Impact of flow regulation and powerplant effluents on the flow and temperature regimes of the Chattahoochee River— Atlanta to Whitesburg, Georgia

A calibrated and verified transient flow-temperature model was used to evaluate the effects of flow regulation and powerplant loadings on the natural temperature regime of the Chattahoochee River in northeast Georgia. Estimates were made of both instantaneous and average natural temperatures in the river during an 8-day period in August 1976. Differences between the computed average natural temperature and an independent estimate of natural temperature based on observed equilibrium temperatures were less than 0.5°C. Downstream of the powerplants, the combined thermal effects of flow regulation and powerplant effluents resulted in mean daily river temperatures about equal to or less than computed mean natural temperatures. Thus the thermal impact of heated effluents was offset by the cooling effects of structural regulation. An independent analysis of historical river- and air-temperature data, although considerably less accurate than model computations, provided substantially the same result. The range and rates of change of computed natural diurnal temperature fluctuations were considerably less than those in the river at the time of this study in 1976. The models also were used to simulate summer river temperatures using estimated year 2000 flow conditions and meteorologic data collected during 1976. Except during periods of peak water-supply demand, differences between computed year 2000 river temperatures and observed 1976 temperatures were less than 2°C.

Georgia↗
USGS1978

Impact of flow regulation and power plant effluents on the flow and temperature regimes of the Chattahoochee River - Atlanta to Whitesburg, Georgia

A calibrated and verified transient flow temperature model was used to evaluate the effects of flow regulation and powerplant loadings on the natural temperature regime of the Chattahoochee River in northeast Georgia. Estimates were made of both instantaneous and average natural temperatures in the river during an eight-day period in August 1976. Differences between the computed average natural temperature and an independent estimate of natural temperature based on observed equilibrium temperatures were less than 0.5°C. The combined thermal effects of flow regulation and powerplant effluents resulted in mean daily river temperatures downstream of the powerplants about equal to or less than computed mean natural temperatures during the period of interest. An independent analysis of historical river and air-temperature data, although considerably less accurate than model computations, provided substantially the same result. The range and rates of change of computed natural diurnal temperature fluctuations were considerably less than those presently observed (1976) in the river. The models also were used to simulate summer river temperatures using estimated year 2000 flow conditions and meteorologic data collected during 1976. Except during periods of peak water-supply demand, differences between computed year 2000 river temperatures and observed present-day temperatures were less than 2°C.

Georgia↗
USGS1978

Unsteady solute-transport simulation in streamflow using a finite-difference model

This report documents a rather simple, general purpose, one-dimensional, one-parameter, mass-transport model for field use. The model assumes a well-mixed conservative solute that may be coming from an unsteady source and is moving in unsteady streamflow. The quantity of solute being transported is in the units of concentration. Results are reported as such. An implicit finite-difference technique is used to solve the mass transport equation. It consists of creating a tridiagonal matrix and using the Thomas algorithm to solve the matrix for the unknown concentrations at the new time step. The computer program pesented is designed to compute the concentration of a water-quality constituent at any point and at any preselected time in a one-dimensional stream. The model is driven by the inflowing concentration of solute at the upstream boundary and is influenced by the solute entering the stream from tributaries and lateral ground-water inflow and from a source or sink. (Woodard-USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗