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Research about Upper Mississippi River Basin

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Upper Mississippi River Basin.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1998

Water-quality assessment of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin: Polychlorinated biphenyls in common carp and walleye fillets, 1975-95

Spatial and temporal distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) and walleye ( Stizostedion vitreum ) fillets from rivers in the Upper Mississippi River Basin upstream of the outlet of Lake Pepin are summarized. PCB concentrations in common carp and walleye fillets collected from rivers in the UMIS during 1975-95 by the Minnesota Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program (MFCMP) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) were analyzed. PCBs in fish tissue are of concern because PCBs are potentially toxic, teratogenic, and are linked to poor fetal development and endocrine disruption in fish and other animals including humans, that consume fish. This summary was part of an analysis of historical data for the Upper Mississippi River (UMIS) study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The UMIS study unit is a 47,000 square-mile basin that includes the drainage of the Mississippi River upstream of the outlet of Lake Pepin and encompasses the Twin Cities metropolitan area. PCB concentrations for individual samples at all sites ranged from 0.07 to 33.0 milligrams per kilograms (mg/kg) for common carp and from 0.07 to 9.8 mg/kg for walleye during 1975-95. During 1975-79 and 1980-87, 10 and 4 percent of walleye samples and 45 and 36 percent of common carp samples, respectively, exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guideline of 2 mg/kg PCB in fish tissue. PCB concentrations in individual common carp and walleye samples were below 2 mg/kg after 1987. Median PCB concentrations at individual sites and within stream segments were generally greatest in common carp and walleye from Mississippi River segments in the TCMA during 1975-79 and 1980-87. There was a significant difference among lipid-normalized PCB (LNPCB) concentrations in common carp, considering all stream segments combined, during all three time periods (1975-79, 1980-87, and 1988-95). LNPCB concentrations in common carp and walleye at those stream segments upstream or outside the TCMA were generally lower than those in UMR segments within the TCMA. The spatial distribution of PCB and LNPCB concentrations in common carp and walleye correspond with historical point- and non point-source PCB inputs in the densely populated TCMA, and concentrations in fish were greater in areas that historically had elevated PCB concentrations in bed sediment. Median PCB concentrations in common carp and walleye at individual sites were greatest during 1975-79 and 1980-87, and least during 1988-95 at most sites. Most of the river segments exhibited over 80 percent decline in median PCB concentrations in common carp and walleye between the 1975-79 and 1988-95 time periods. The results from these temporal analyses were similar to those of other studies in the United States and in Minnesota and Wisconsin that reported a significant downward trend in PCB concentrations in fish. Although, PCB concentrations have decreased during 1975-95, low concentrations of PCBs still remain in the aquatic environment despite the fact that PCBs were banned nearly 20 years ago.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1997

Variability of nutrients in streams in part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin

Physical conditions differ among the Mississippi River and its major tributaries in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Analysis of the environmental framework of the basin and analysis of historical water-quality information by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program shows that nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) in streams in the Upper Mississippi River Basin are influenced primarily by land use. In the Mississippi River, nutrient concentrations were greater downstream of the Minnesota River and major wastewater discharge points in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA). Stream loads of nutrients (the amount of the constituent carried past a point on a stream during a given period of time) also increased downstream of the Minnesota River and major wastewater discharge points in the TCMA.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1997

Water-quality assessment of part of the upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin — Nitrogen and phosphorus in streams, streambed sediment, and ground water, 1971-94

Nitrogen and phosphorus in streams, streambed sediment, and ground water were summarized using data from Federal, state, and local agencies as part of an analysis of historical water-quality data for the Upper Mississippi River Basin study unit of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The Upper Mississippi River Basin study unit encompasses the drainage of the Mississippi River from the source to the outlet of Lake Pepin. This report focuses on a 19,500-square-mile study area in the eastern part of the study unit. The study area included the part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin from Royalton, Minnesota, to the outlet of Lake Pepin, located near Red Wing, Minnesota; the Minnesota River Basin from Jordan, Minnesota, to the confluence with the Mississippi River; and the entire drainage basins of the St. Croix, Cannon, and Vermillion Rivers. The Twin Cities metropolitan area, with a population of approximately 2.3 million people, is located in the south-central part of the study area. Fertilizers and livestock manure were the greatest sources of nitrogen and phosphorus applied to the land surface of the study unit. Approximately 60 percent of the fertilizer was applied to the Minnesota River Basin, which drains agricultural areas in the southern and western parts of the study unit. Concentrations of total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in streams, generally were greatest in the tributaries to the Mississippi River draining agricultural areas in the western and southern part of the study area. Concentrations of these constituents generally were least in tributaries draining forested land. The greatest total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations generally occurred during the spring and summer in streams draining agricultural areas and in the winter in streams draining forested areas. Total phosphorus concentrations generally were greatest in the spring and summer for all streams. Total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus concentrations in the Mississippi River increased substantially downstream from the Minnesota River and downstream from wastewater discharges in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Total ammonia and dissolved orthophosphate concentrations generally were greatest at sites on the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers downstream from wastewater discharges from the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations in streams generally were less than the Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 mg/L (as nitrogen) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Total phosphorus concentrations in streams generally were greater than the 0.1 mg/L concentration recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at sites located in agricultural areas and on the Mississippi River downstream from its confluence with the Minnesota River. Phosphorus and nitrogen yields were greatest in watersheds primarily draining agricultural land. The majority of the nitrogen and phosphorus loading to the Mississippi River was from the Minnesota River. In the Minnesota River, the nitrogen load primarily was total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen. Despite increases in fertilizer usage during 1982-91, most stream sites outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area had no temporal trends in total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, or dissolved orthophosphate concentrations for water years 1984-93. Most sites had a decrease in total ammonia nitrogen concentrations, possibly a result of improvements in wastewater treatment. In the Twin Cities metropolitan area, decreases in total ammonia concentrations in the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers coincided with increases in total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations, probably a result of wastewater treatment plants initiating nitrification processes. Nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations in ground water reflect land uses and hydrogeologic settings of major aquifers in the study area. Unconfined sand and gravel, buried sand and gravel, and the Prairie du Chien-Jordan were the aquifers most frequently sampled for nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen because they are the principal sources of ground water in the study area. The greatest nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations reported by Federal and state agencies, some exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant level of 10 mg/L by a factor of four, were in water from shallow wells in agricultural and mixed forested and agricultural areas. Water sampled from buried sand and gravel aquifers, which are more shielded from substances leaching from the land surface by layers of clay or till, generally had lower nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations than water from unconfined sand and gravel aquifers. Nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations in water samples from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer were greatest in the Wisconsin part of the study area and in the vicinity of the Cannon River, where the aquifer is commonly unconfined, exposed at land surface, and overlain by agricultural or by mixed forested and agricultural land covers. Dissolved phosphorus concentrations in ground water in the study area generally were near detection limits of 0.01 mg/L or lower, indicating that surface-water eutrophication from phosphorus may be more likely to occur from overland runoff of phosphorus compounds and from direct discharges of treated wastewater than from ground-water base flow. The greatest concentrations of dissolved phosphorus in ground water generally were detected in water samples from wells in urban portions of the study area.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1996

Few volatile organic compounds detected in rivers and ground water in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin

VOC’s are carbon-containing chemicals that readily evaporate at normal air temperature and pressure. They are contained in many commercial products such as gasoline, paints, adhesives, solvents, wood preservatives, dry-cleaning agents, pesticides, cosmetics, correction fluid, and refrigerants. Approximately 15 million pounds of VOC’s were released to the atmosphere in the focused study area (fig. 1) in 1992 by facilities registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Millions of additional pounds of VOC’s are emitted to the atmosphere and to land and water by smaller unregistered users of these compounds in the focused study area.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1996

Causes of variations in water quality and aquatic ecology in rivers of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin

Physical and aquatic biological conditions differ among the Mississippi River and its major tributaries (the St. Croix and Minnesota Rivers) in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The quality of surface water and the ecological condition of rivers affect the ways in which we use them. The St. Croix River is used for recreation; the Mississippi River is used for recreation and is a corridor for commerce; and the Minnesota River primarily drains agricultural lands. Analysis of the environmental framework of the basins and water-quality and ecological information by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program shows that the conditions of the rivers are a product of a combination of factors including climate, hydrology, geology, soils, land use, land cover, water management, and water use.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin — Review of selected literature

The U.S. Geological Survey began full-scale implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991. The purposes of NAWQA are to describe the status and trends in the quality of the Nation's water resources and aquatic ecosystems, and to determine factors affecting water quality at local, regional, and national scales. The Upper Mississippi River (UMIS) NAWQA study unit, which includes all of the surface drainage to the Mississippi River Basin upstream from Lake Pepin, encompasses 47,000 mi 2 . The study characterizes the geographic and seasonal distribution of water quality and aquatic biota in relation to anthropogenic activities and natural features. The initial phase of the UMIS study, during 1994-99, is focused on an area in Minnesota and Wisconsin that includes the seven-county Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) metropolitan area. This report summarizes selected sources of information that are being used to aid in understanding water-quality issues and processes that form the basis of the sampling design for the study. This literature review includes sources of information about surface- and ground-water hydrology, water quality, and aquatic biology and ecology.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1995

Water-quality assessment of part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin– Volatile organic compounds in surface and ground water, 1978-94

The U.S. Geological Survey compiled and summarized analyses of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in surface and ground water from water-quality data bases maintained by-Federal, State, and local agencies as part of a retrospective analysis of water-quality data for the Upper Mississippi River Basin study unit of the National WaterQuality Assessment Program. The retrospective analysis focused on a study area that encompasses 19,500 mi 2 of the eastern portion of the study unit. Major river basins in the study area include the part of the Upper Mississippi River drainage from Lake Pepin upstream to sampling stations on the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers where long-term water-quality data are available and the entire drainage basin of the St. Croix River. The Twin Cities metropolitan area, with a population of 2.4 million people, is located in the south-central part of the study area. Water-quality data collected in the study area from 1978 through 1994 by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, and the city of Minneapolis were included in the retrospective analysis. In this report, assessment of the presence and distribution of VOC's in surface and ground water in the study area is restricted to two groups of VOC's: target VOC's, and trihalomethane compounds (THM's). Target VOC's, the most commonly detected non-trihalomethane VOC's in surface and ground water in the study area, include 1,1- dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, meta+para-xylene, and ortho-xylene. Trihalomethane compounds described in this report include chloroform, bromodichloromethane, chlorodibromomethane, bromoform, and fluorodichloromethane. Examination of water-quality data from widely distributed sampling networks of river sites and wells in the study area led to the following conclusions: 1) trace amounts of chlorinated VOC's were detected sporadically in waters of the Mississippi, Minnesota, St. Croix, and Vermillion Rivers; 2) benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and meta+paraxylene were detected sporadically in waters sampled from the chain of lakes used as the municipal supply for St. Paul, Minnesota; 3) the target VOC's were detected in less than five percent of ground-water samples at relatively low concentrations, generally near detection limits which ranged from 1 to 5 micrograms per liter; 4) VOC's were generally detected at similar frequencies, but at higher concentrations, in water samples from wells completed in sand and gravel aquifers than in water samples from wells completed in bedrock aquifers; 5) VOC's were most commonly detected in ground water in the vicinity of identifiable emission sites of VOC's, such as landfills, dumps, or major industries; 6) trichloroethene, a commonly used degreasing agent in dry cleaning, metal cleaning and cleaning septic lines, was the most frequently detected target VOC in ground water sampled from wells completed in both sand and gravel and bedrock aquifers; 7) wells producing water with detectable concentrations of the target VOC's tended to be shallower than wells producing water with no detectable concentrations of those compounds, but the differences in well depths were not statistically significant at a 95 percent confidence level; and 8) chlorination of water substantially increased the frequency of detection of trihalomethane compounds. The low frequencies of detection of the target VOC's and THM's in surface and ground water sampled from widely distributed sampling networks in the study area indicate that, although there are thousands of sites which can potentially emit these compounds to water, soil, and the atmosphere, these compounds have not had a widespread measurable effect on the quality of surface and ground water in the study area.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1994

National Water-Quality Assessment Program - The Upper Mississippi River Basin

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior, began a National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The long-term goals of the NAWQA program are to describe the status and trends of the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation’s surfaceand ground-water resources, and to identify the natural and human factors that affect the quality of these resources. Factors such as geomorphology, climate, hydrology, land use, and land cover that affect water-quality, are being studied relative to specific water-quality issues that affect large hydrologic regions of the United States. In addressing these goals, the NAWQA program will produce water-quality information that will be useful to policy makers and managers at the National, State, and local levels. Because it would be impractical to assess the water quality in the entire Nation, major activities of the NAWQA program take place within a set of hydrologic systems called study units. Study units at 60 locations comprise diverse hydrologic systems of river basins, aquifer systems, or both, ranging in size from 1,000 mi2 (square miles) to more than 60,000 mi2 . These study units collectively encompass about 45 percent of the land area in the conterminous United States and represent 60 to 70 percent of the Nation’s water use and population served by public water supply.

Upper Mississippi River Basin↗
USGS1991

Selected water-quality characteristics in the upper Mississippi River basin, Royalton to Hastings, Minnesota

The upper Mississippi River basin from Royalton to Hastings, Minnesota, includes seven subbasins in east-central Minnesota that cover an area of 8,500 square miles. Results of a study, using data from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Metropolitan Waste Control Commission, and the U.S. Geological Survey, indicate that selected water-quality characteristics differ significantly among subbasins. Results of the study also indicate that the quality of water leaving the basin at Hastings is affected primarily by inflow from the Minnesota River and by effluent from the Metropolitan sewage-treatment plant. Subbasins in the western part of the study area are underlain by prairie soils and cultivation of row crops is a common land use. Streams draining these subbasins have a median dissolved-solids concentration of 389 mg/L (milligrams per Liter) and a median concentration of nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen of 0.59 mg/L. Subbasins in the northern and eastern parts of the study area are underlain by more acidic podzol soils. Land use in these subbasins is less devoted to cultivated crops; forested areas, pastures, and wetlands are common. Streams draining these subbasins have a median dissolved- solids concentration of 184 mg/L and a median concentration of nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen of 0.17 mg/L. The quality of water changes dramatically in the most downstream subbasin, which includes the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. On the basis of hourly data from automatic monitors, specific conductance increases from 345 / μ S/cm (microsiemens per centimeter) at 25° Celsius above the confluence with the Minnesota River to 467 / μ S/cm below it. Specific conductance increases to a median of 513 / μ S/cm where effluent from the Metropolitan sewage-treatment plant enters the Mississippi River. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the Mississippi River begin to decline below the confluence with the Minnesota River. Concentrations of dissolved oxygen reach a minimum median value in summer of 6.3 mg/L at a point about 9 miles downstream from the Metropolitan sewage-treatment plant. In winter, minimum median concentration is downstream at Lock and Dam 2, which is approximately 20 miles below the plant. Results of this study show that the quality of water in the Mississippi River as it leaves the accounting unit at Hastings is not representative of water quality in most of the accounting unit. Three water-quality regions have been identified, and sampling sites are needed in each region to assess the quality of streams throughout the study area adequately.

Minnesota↗