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USGS2016

Mercury in U.S. coal—Priorities for new U.S. Geological Survey studies

In 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced emissions standards, known as Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), for a range of toxic constituents from coal-fired utility power stations and other combustion sources. This report presents the findings of an expert panel convened in September 2014 to assess the role of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in new coal investigations that would be useful to stakeholders under MATS. Panel input is provided as summaries of responses to a questionnaire distributed to participants. The panel suggests that the USGS continue its work on trace elements in coal and include more information about delivered coals and boiler feed coals, in comparison to previous USGS compilations that emphasized sampling representative of coals in the ground. To be useful under multipollutant regulatory standards, investigation of a range of constituents in addition to mercury would be necessary. These include other toxic metals proposed for regulation, such as arsenic, nickel, cadmium, and chromium, as well as the halogens chlorine and fluorine, which upon emission form harmful acid gases. Halogen determinations are also important because they influence mercury speciation in flue gas, which allows the effectiveness of mercury controls to be assessed and predicted. The panel suggests that the Illinois Basin and the Powder River Basin should have the highest priority for new coal quality investigations in the near term by the USGS, on the basis of current economic conditions and overall economic importance, respectively. As a starting point for new investigations, brief summaries of the distribution of mercury in each coal basin, and their potential for further investigation, are presented.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2014

Chemical and biological quality of water in Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio, 2011-12, with emphasis on cyanobacteria

Grand Lake St. Marys (GLSM) is a shallow lake in northwest Ohio, which is about 9 miles long and 3 miles wide with depths averaging less than 8 feet. Cyanobacteria blooms are common in GLSM, and high concentrations of microcystins—toxins produced by cyanobacteria—have been documented therein. During 2011–12, the U.S. Geological Survey collected 11 sets of water samples at 6 locations in the lake. The water samples were analyzed for concentrations of nutrients, chlorophyll, and microcystin and to determine plankton community structure and abundance. Analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to identify the relations between microcystin concentrations and Planktothrix and Microcystis genotypes (toxic versus non-toxic). The qPCR analysis targets deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) genes and quantifies the potential for toxin production, whereas the qRT-PCR analysis targets ribonucleic acid (RNA) transcripts and quantifies the expression of the toxin gene. Water samples were collected six times at one site for analyses of major ions and trace elements. In addition, field measurements were made to determine transparency, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance of the water. GLSM is shallow with a long fetch, which contributes to the warm and turbid water conditions. Secchi-disk measurements generally ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 meters, and summer water temperatures in GLSM frequently exceed 25 degrees Celsius (°C), with peak temperatures greater than 30 °C. Dissolved oxygen readings below 0.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L) occurred at the lake bottom, which can lead to the internal recycling of phosphorus in the lake. Phytoplankton analyses indicated that GLSM is dominated by cyanobacteria with Planktothrix , the dominant genera during 2011–12. Nitrate ranged from 0.19 to 3.23 mg/L, although concentrations in most samples were less than 1 mg/L. Total nitrogen concentrations ranged from 1.86 to 5.42 mg/L. Orthophosphate (as P) concentrations ranged from less than 0.004 to 0.067 mg/L, although concentrations of most samples were less than 0.004 mg/L. Total phosphorus (as P) concentrations ranged from 0.12 to 0.43 mg/L. Microcystin concentrations ranged from 7.3 to 83 micrograms per liter. Microcystin concentrations were correlated to cyanobacteria biovolumes, and to concentrations of one ion (sodium) and three trace elements (molybdenum, antimony, and lithium). Concentrations of toxin genes ( mcyE ) determined by qPCR were consistently low for Microcystis and consistently high for Planktothrix throughout both sampling years. Concentrations of cyanobacteria found by qPCR were correlated to microcystin concentrations, cyanobacteria biovolumes, selected nutrient concentrations, and other parameters. Results from qRT-PCR assays showed that toxin gene expression was predominantly from the genus Planktothrix , and concentrations of the RNA transcript varied throughout the two sampling years. A number of conditions that may play a role in the dominance of Planktothrix and the production of microcystin were identified including water temperature; low-light transmission; low concentrations of silica and manganese; and relatively high concentrations of sodium, sulfate, and the trace elements of strontium, vanadium, and boron.

Ohio↗

USGS2015

Water-quality trends for selected sites in the Boulder River and Tenmile Creek watersheds, Montana, based on data collected during water years 1997-2013

In the Boulder River and Tenmile Creek watersheds in southwestern Montana, there was intensive mining during a 40-year period after the discovery of gold in the early 1860s. Potential effects from the historic mining activities include acid-mine drainage and elevated concentrations of potentially toxic trace elements from mining remnants such as waste rock and tailing piles. In support of remediation efforts, water-quality monitoring by the U.S. Geological Survey began in 1997 in the Boulder River and Tenmile Creek watersheds and has continued to present (2014). The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, investigated temporal trends in water quality at 13 sites, including 2 adit (or mine entrance) sites and 11 stream sites. The primary purpose of this report is to present results of trend analysis of specific conductance, selected trace-elements (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, and arsenic), and suspended sediment for the 13 sites. Trend results for most stream sites in the Boulder River watershed for water years 2000–13 (water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30 and is designated by the year in which it ends) indicate decreasing trends in flow-adjusted specific conductance, in flow-adjusted concentrations (FACs) for most filtered and unfiltered-recoverable trace elements, and in suspended sediment. Overall, magnitudes of the decreasing trends in FACs of metallic contaminants are largest for Bullion Mine tributary at mouth (site 3), Jack Creek at mouth (site 4), and Cataract Creek at Basin (site 8). For sites 3, 4, and 8, magnitudes of decreasing trends generally ranged from about -5 to -10 percent per year. Notably, the watersheds upstream from sites 3, 4, and 8 have been targeted by substantial remediation activities. Consideration of trend patterns among all stream sites in the Boulder River watershed provides strong evidence that remediation activities are the primary cause of decreasing trends in metallic contaminants. Trend results for sites in the Tenmile Creek watershed generally are more variable and difficult to interpret than for sites in the Boulder River watershed. Trend results for Tenmile Creek above City Diversion (site 11) and Minnehaha Creek near Rimini (site 12) for water years 2000–13 indicate decreasing trends in FACs of cadmium, copper, and zinc. The magnitudes of the decreasing trends in FACs of copper generally are moderate and statistically significant for sites 11 and 12. The magnitudes of the decreasing trends in FACs of cadmium and zinc for site 11 are minor to small and not statistically significant; however, the magnitudes for site 12 are moderate and statistically significant. In general, patterns in FACs for Tenmile Creek near Rimini (site 13) are not well represented by fitted trends within the short data collection period, which might indicate that the trend-analysis structure of the study is not appropriate for describing trends in FACs for site 13. The large decreasing trend in FACs of suspended sediment is the strongest indication of change in water quality during the short period of record for site 13; however, this trend is not statistically significant.

Montana↗

USGS1950

Investigations in the Wood Mine, Colorado

No abstract available.

Colorado↗

USGS1999

Water-quality conditions, hydrologic budget, and sources and fate of selected trace elements and nutrients in Boulder Reservoir, Boulder, Colorado, 1997-98

No abstract available.

Colorado↗

USGS2021

Postcaldera intrusive magmatism at the Platoro caldera complex, Southern Rocky Mountain volcanic field, Colorado, USA

The Oligocene Platoro caldera complex of the San Juan volcanic locus in Colorado (USA) features numerous exposed plutons both within the caldera and outside its margins, enabling investigation of the timing and evolution of postcaldera magmatism. Intrusion whole-rock geochemistry and phenocryst and/or mineral trace element compositions coupled with new zircon U-Pb geo-chronology and zircon in situ Lu-Hf isotopes document distinct pulses of magma from beneath the caldera complex. Fourteen intrusions, the Chiquito Peak Tuff, and the dacite of Fisher Gulch were dated, showing intrusive magmatism began after the 28.8 Ma eruption of the Chiquito Peak Tuff and continued to 24 Ma. Additionally, magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization is associated with the intrusive magmatism within and around the margins of the Platoro caldera complex. After caldera collapse, three plutons were emplaced within the subsided block between ca. 28.8 and 28.6 Ma. These have broadly similar modal miner-alogy and whole-rock geochemistry. Despite close temporal relations between the tuff and the intrusions, mineral textures and compositions indicate that the larger two intracaldera intrusions are discrete later pulses of magma. Intrusions outside the caldera are younger, ca. 28–26.3 Ma, and smaller in exposed area. They contain abundant glomerocrysts and show evidence of open-system processes such as magma mixing and crystal entrainment. The protracted magmatic history at the Platoro caldera complex documents the diversity of the multiple discrete magma pulses needed to generate large composite volcanic fields.

Colorado↗

USGS2002

Sediment deposition and occurrence of selected nutrients and other chemical constituents in bottom sediment, Tuttle Creek Lake, Northeast Kansas, 1962–99

A combination of bathymetric surveying and bottom-sediment coring was used to investigate sediment deposition and the occurrence of selected nutrients (total ammonia plus organic nitrogen and total phosphorus), 44 metals and trace elements, 15 organochlorine compounds, and 1 radionuclide in bottom sediment of Tuttle Creek Lake, northeast Kansas. The total estimated volume and mass of bottom sediment deposited from 1962 through 1999 in the original conservation-pool area of the lake was 6,170 million cubic feet (142,000 acre-feet) and 292,400 million pounds (133,000 million kilograms), respectively. The volume of sediment occupies about 33 percent of the original conservation-pool, water-storage capacity of the lake. Mean annual net sediment deposition since 1962 was estimated to be 7,900 million pounds (3,600 million kilograms). Mean annual net sediment yield from the Tuttle Creek Lake Basin was estimated to be 821,000 pounds per square mile (1,440 kilograms per hectare). The estimated mean annual net loads of total ammonia plus organic nitrogen and total phosphorus deposited in the bottom sediment of Tuttle Creek Lake were 6,350,000 pounds per year (2,880,000 kilograms per year) and 3,330,000 pounds per year (1,510,000 kilograms per year), respectively. The estimated mean annual net yields of total ammonia plus organic nitrogen and total phosphorus from the Tuttle Creek Lake Basin were 657 pounds per square mile per year (1.15 kilograms per hectare per year) and 348 pounds per square mile per year (0.61 kilograms per hectare per year), respectively. No statistically significant trend for total phosphorus deposition in the bottom sediment of Tuttle Creek Lake was indicated (trend analysis for total ammonia plus organic nitrogen was not performed). On the basis of available sediment-quality guidelines, the concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, silver, and zinc in the bottom sediment of Tuttle Creek Lake frequently or typically exceeded the threshold-effects levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sediment concentrations of metals and trace elements were relatively uniform over time. Organochlorine compounds either were not detected or were detected at concentrations generally less than the threshold-effects levels. Following an initial positive trend, a statistically significant negative depositional trend was indicated for DDE (degradation product of DDT), which was consistent with the history of DDT use. Other organochlorine compounds detected included aldrin, DDD, and dieldrin. Notable changes in human activity within the basin included a substantial increase in the production of grain corn and soybeans from the 1960s to the 1990s. This increase in production was accompanied by a pronounced increase in the number of irrigated acres. Also, during the same time period, there was an overall increase in hog production. These changes in human activity have not had a discernible effect on the deposition of chemical constituents in the bottom sediment of Tuttle Creek Lake.

Kansas↗

USGS1981

Chemical quality of ground water in San Joaquin and part of Contra Costa Counties, California

Chemical water-quality conditions were investigated in San Joaquin and part of Contra Costa Counties by canvassing available wells and sampling water from 324 representative wells. Chemical water types varied, with 73 percent of the wells sampled containing either calcium-magnesium bicarbonate, or calcium-sodium bicarbonate type water. Substantial areas contain ground water exceeding water-quality standards for boron, manganese, and nitrate. Trace elements, with the exception of boron and manganese, were present in negligible amounts. (USGS)

Contra Costa County, San Joaquin County↗

USGS2004

Sedimentation and occurrence and trends of selected chemical constituents in bottom sediment of 10 small reservoirs, Eastern Kansas

Many municipalities in Kansas rely on small reservoirs as a source of drinking water and for recreational activities. Because of their significance to the community, management of the reservoirs and the associated basins is important to protect the reservoirs from degradation. Effective reservoir management requires information about water quality, sedimentation, and sediment quality. A combination of bathymetric surveying and bottom-sediment coring during 2002 and 2003 was used to investigate sediment deposition and the occurrence of selected nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus), organic and total carbon, 26 trace elements, 15 organochlorine compounds, and 1 radionuclide in the bottom sediment of 10 small reservoirs in eastern Kansas. Original reservoir water-storage capacities ranged from 23 to 5,845 acre-feet. The mostly agricultural reservoir basins range in area from 0.6 to 14 square miles. The mean annual net volume of deposited sediment, estimated separately for several of the reservoirs, ranged from about 43,600 to about 531,000 cubic feet. The estimated mean annual net mass of deposited sediment ranged from about 1,360,000 to about 23,300,000 pounds. The estimated mean annual net sediment yields from the reservoir basins ranged from about 964,000 to about 2,710,000 pounds per square mile. Compared to sediment yield estimates provided by a statewide study published in 1965, the estimates determined in this study differed substantially and were typically smaller. A statistically significant positive correlation was determined for the relation between sediment yield and mean annual precipitation. Nutrient concentrations in the bottom sediment varied substantially among the 10 reservoirs. Median total nitrogen concentrations ranged from 1,400 to 3,700 milligrams per kilogram. Median total phosphorus concentrations ranged from 550 to 1,300 milligrams per kilogram. A statistically significant positive trend (that is, nutrient concentration increased toward the top of the sediment core) was indicated in one reservoir for total nitrogen and in two reservoirs for total phosphorus. Also, a possible positive trend for total nitrogen was indicated in two other reservoirs. These trends in nutrient concentrations may be related to a statewide increase in fertilizer use. Alternatively, the trends may be indicative of diagenesis (that is, postdepositional changes in the sediment caused by various processes including decomposition). Nutrient loads and yields also varied substantially among the five reservoirs for which loads and yields were estimated. Estimated mean annual net loads of total nitrogen deposited in the bottom sediment ranged from 4,080 to 49,100 pounds. Estimated mean annual net loads of total phosphorus deposited in the bottom sediment ranged from 1,120 to 20,800 pounds. Estimated mean annual net yields of total nitrogen from the basins ranged from 2,210 to 6,800 pounds per square mile. Estimated mean annual net yields of total phosphorus from the basins ranged from 598 to 2,420 pounds per square mile. Compared to nonenforceable sediment-quality guidelines adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, bottom-sediment concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, and nickel in samples from all 10 reservoirs typically exceeded the threshold-effects levels (TELs) but were less than the probable-effects levels (PELs). TELs represent the concentrations above which toxic biological effects occasionally occur in aquatic organisms, whereas PELs represent the concentrations above which toxic biological effects usually or frequently occur. Concentrations of cadmium, lead, and zinc exceeded the TELs but were less than the PELs in sediment samples from about one-half of the reservoirs and were less than the TELs in samples from the remaining reservoirs. Mercury concentrations were less than the TEL (information only available for four reservoirs). Silver was not detected in the bottom sediment fro

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2016

Surface-water quality and suspended-sediment quantity and quality within the Big River Basin, southeastern Missouri, 2011-13

Missouri was the leading producer of lead in the United States—as well as the world—for more than a century. One of the lead sources is known as the Old Lead Belt, located in southeast Missouri. The primary ore mineral in the region is galena, which can be found both in surface deposits and underground as deep as 200 feet. More than 8.5 million tons of lead were produced from the Old Lead Belt before operations ceased in 1972. Although active lead mining has ended, the effects of mining activities still remain in the form of large mine waste piles on the landscape typically near tributaries and the main stem of the Big River, which drains the Old Lead Belt. Six large mine waste piles encompassing more than 2,800 acres, exist within the Big River Basin. These six mine waste piles have been an available source of trace element-rich suspended sediments transported by natural erosional processes downstream into the Big River. A study was performed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7, to calculate and characterize suspended-sediment quantity and quality within the Big River basin after reclamation of the mine waste piles ended in 2012. Streamflow and suspended sediments were quantified and sampled at two locations along a 68-mile reach of the Big River between Bonne Terre and Byrnes Mill, Missouri. The results will help regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, determine impaired reaches and ecosystems for remedial and restoration efforts. Continuous stream stage, water temperature, and turbidity, and discrete suspended-sediment concentration data were collected at the two sites between October 2011 and September 2013. Suspended-sediment samples were collected during various hydrologic conditions to develop a regression model between discrete suspended-sediment concentration and continuous turbidity. Suspended sediments collected during stormflow events were analyzed for concentrations of trace elements such as barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc within two sediment size fractions. Event loads and annual loads of suspended sediment and select trace elements in suspended sediments also were calculated. Suspended-sediment loads computed by the regression model increased downstream from about 201,000 tons at the upstream site to about 355,000 tons at the downstream site during the study period. Stormflow-event-based (hereinafter referred to as “event-based”) suspended-sediment loads ranged from 180 to 32,000 tons at the upstream sampling site and 390 to 53,000 tons at the downstream site along the Big River. Although only seven stormflow events at the upstream site and six at the downstream site were sampled, the event-based suspended-sediment loads accounted for nearly 30 percent of the total suspended-sediment loads computed at both sites, indicating most of the suspended sediment transported through the Big River occurs during higher streamflows. Sediment quality guidelines, known as the threshold effect concentration and the probable effect concentration, used to assess toxicity of trace-element concentrations in sediments were compared to the cadmium, lead, and zinc concentrations in suspended sediment samples collected during stormflow events. All concentrations of cadmium, lead, and zinc in event-based suspended sediment samples exceeded the threshold and probable effect concentrations. Lead and zinc concentrations in the sediment size fraction less than 0.063 millimeters also exceeded the toxic effect threshold, above which sediment is considered to be heavily polluted causing adverse effects on sediment-dwelling organisms. Concentrations of cadmium and zinc in event-based suspended sediment samples were notably higher in samples from the upstream site than samples from the downstream site, indicating the sources of sediments enriched in these trace elements decrease in the downstream area of the watershed. The reduction in concentration of cadmium and zinc could be from dissolution of the constituents during transport or possibly a decrease in downstream source material. The lead concentration exceedance of the probable effects concentration as well as the threshold effects concentration indicates that lead-rich suspended sediments in the fraction less than 0.063 millimeters are readily available within the Big River Basin for transport. These sediments remain in the system from historical mining, and as the reclamation of mine waste piles in the upstream area of the watershed reduce additional sediment loadings, these fine sediments may be continually released as the river scours the streambed and erodes stream banks causing the lead-rich suspended sediment to remain in a state of equilibrium. Barium concentrations in suspended-sediments were nearly twice as high in stormflow event samples collected at the downstream site as compared to samples from the upstream site. The source of barium in the Big River could be from Mineral Fork and Mill Creek, which flow through the historical barite (barium sulfate, also known as tiff) mining district in Washington County, and discharge into the Big River between the two study sites. Total trace-element loads and yields in suspended sediments were computed from the sampled events for each year in the study. The total barium loads in suspended sediments were higher for sampled events collected at the downstream site than the upstream site during both study years. Cadmium and zinc loads in suspended sediments were lower at the downstream site than the upstream site, although the decrease in total load was not substantial during the study period. Lead loads in suspended sediments were lower at the downstream site during the first study year, with a slightly higher load downstream in the second year though the increase from upstream to downstream was small. Event-based yields were higher at the upstream site, indicating that readily available sediment sources are closer to the upstream site where more mining affected areas are located. The estimates determined during large precipitation events indicate that large sources of suspended sediments with large concentrations of trace elements are still available for transport within the Big River.

Missouri↗

USGS2022

Aquatic-life criteria compared to concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in streams near Fort Polk Military Reservation, Louisiana, December 2015–August 2016

The primary focus of this study was to document cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc concentrations in selected streams near the U.S. Army Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) and Fort Polk Military Reservation and to compare those values to Federal and State aquatic-life criteria guidelines. The acute aquatic-life criteria used for this study are as follows: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aquatic-life criterion maximum concentration (CMC) based on hardness, the EPA CMC for copper based on the biotic ligand model (BLM), and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) acute aquatic-life criteria based on hardness. The chronic aquatic-life criteria used for this study are as follows: the EPA aquatic-life criterion continuous concentration (CCC) based on hardness, the EPA CCC for copper based on the BLM, and the LDEQ chronic aquatic-life criteria based on hardness. Cadmium was detected in one stream-water sample collected near the Peason Ridge training area, hereinafter referred to as Peason Ridge, and one stream-water sample collected near North and South Fort Polk, hereinafter referred to as the Main Post. A cadmium concentration of an estimated (E) 0.48 microgram per liter (μg/L) in a stream-water sample collected during high stage near Peason Ridge exceeded the EPA CMC of 0.10 μg/L. A second cadmium concentration of E0.33 μg/L in a stream-water sample collected during low stage exceeded the EPA CMC of 0.22 μg/L, and a 4-day average cadmium concentration of E0.16 μg/L exceeded the EPA CCC of 0.14 μg/L. Copper was detected in 34 stream-water samples collected near Peason Ridge and 22 stream-water samples collected near the Main Post. The EPA acute criteria for copper were exceeded 17 times in stream-water samples collected near Peason Ridge and 19 times in stream-water samples collected near the Main Post. The EPA chronic criteria for copper were exceeded five times in stream-water samples collected near Peason Ridge and seven times in stream-water samples collected near the Main Post. Lead was detected in 31 stream-water samples collected near Peason Ridge and 16 stream-water samples collected near the Main Post. A concentration of 6.0 μg/L in a stream-water sample collected during high stage at site 2 near Peason Ridge exceeded the EPA CMC of 5.5 μg/L, and a concentration of 4.1 μg/L in a stream-water sample collected during high stage at site 4 near the Main Post exceeded the EPA CMC of 2.9 μg/L. The EPA chronic criteria for lead were exceeded nine times in stream-water samples collected near Peason Ridge and three times in stream-water samples collected near the Main Post. The LDEQ chronic criteria were exceeded two times in stream-water samples near Peason Ridge and none near the Main Post. Zinc was detected in 35 stream-water samples collected near Peason Ridge and 17 stream-water samples collected near the Main Post. A concentration of 100 μg/L in a stream-water sample collected at site 3 near Peason Ridge exceeded the EPA CMC of 8.9 μg/L and the LDEQ acute aquatic-life criteria of 36 μg/L. One 4-day average zinc concentration, E28 μg/L for stream-water samples collected from site 3 near Peason Ridge, exceeded the EPA CCC of 8.2 μg/L; however, no concentrations of zinc exceeded the LDEQ chronic aquatic-life criteria near Peason Ridge or the Main Post. The presence of copper, lead, and zinc at concentrations above the calculated acute or chronic aquatic-life criteria for some stream-water samples collected in relatively pristine streams near Peason Ridge and the Main Post indicates that these waters are susceptible to elevated trace element concentrations likely because of low ionic strength and hardness.

Louisiana↗

USGS2000

Water-quality trend analysis and sampling design for the Souris River, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and Manitoba

The Souris River Basin is a 24,600-square-mile basin located in southeast Saskatchewan, north-central North Dakota, and southwest Manitoba. The Souris River Bilateral Water Quality Monitoring Group, formed in 1989 by the governments of Canada and the United States, is responsible for documenting trends in water quality in the Souris River and making recommendations for monitoring future water-quality conditions. This report presents results of a study conducted for the Bilateral Water Quality Monitoring Group by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health, to analyze historic trends in water quality in the Souris River and to determine efficient sampling designs for monitoring future trends. U.S. Geological Survey and Environment Canada water-quality data collected during 1977-96 from four sites near the boundary crossings between Canada and the United States were included in the trend analysis. A parametric time-series model was developed for detecting trends in historic constituent concentration data. The model can be applied to constituents that have at least 90 percent of observations above detection limits of the analyses, which, for the Souris River, includes most major ions and nutrients and many trace elements. The model can detect complex nonmonotonic trends in concentration in the presence of complex interannual and seasonal variability in daily discharge. A key feature of the model is its ability to handle highly irregular sampling intervals. For example, the intervals between concentration measurements may be be as short as 10 days to as long as several months, and the number of samples in any given year can range from zero to 36. Results from the trend analysis for the Souris River indicated numerous trends in constituent concentration. The most significant trends at the two sites located near the upstream boundary crossing between Saskatchewan and North Dakota consisted of increases in concentrations of most major ions, dissolved boron, and dissolved arsenic during 1987-91 and decreases in concentrations of the same constituents during 1992-96. Significant trends at the two sites located near the downstream boundary crossing between North Dakota and Manitoba included increases in dissolved sodium, dissolved chloride, and total phosphorus during 1977-86, decreases in dissolved oxygen and dissolved boron and increases in total phosphorus and dissolved iron during 1987-91, and a decrease in total phosphorus during 1992-96. The time-series model also was used to determine the sensitivity of various sampling designs for monitoring future water-quality trends in the Souris River. It was determined that at least two samples per year are required in each of three seasons--March through June, July through October, and November through February--to obtain reasonable sensitivity for detecting trends in each season. In addition, substantial improvements occurred in sensitivity for detecting trends by adding a third sample for major ions and trace elements in March through June, adding a third sample for nutrients in July through October, and adding a third sample for nutrients, trace elements, and dissolved oxygen in November through February.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2000

Concentrations of selected trace elements in fish tissue and streambed sediment in the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille and Spokane River basins, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 1998

Fish tissue and bed sediment samples were collected from 16 stream sites in the Northern Rockies Intermontane Basins study area in 1998 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Bed sediment samples were analyzed for 45 trace elements, and fish livers and sportfish fillets were analyzed for 22 elements to characterize the occurrence and distribution of these elements in relation to stream characteristics and land use activities. Nine trace elements of environmental concern—arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc—were detected in bed sediment, but not all of these elements were detected in fish tissue. Trace-element concentrations were highest in bed sediment samples collected at sites downstream from significant natural mineral deposits and (or) mining activities. Arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc in bed sediment at some sites were elevated relative to national median concentrations, and some concentrations were at levels that can adversely affect aquatic biota. Although trace-element concentrations in bed sediment exceeded various guidelines, no concentrations in sportfish fillets exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency screening values for the protection of human health. Correlations between most trace-element concentrations in bed sediment and fish tissue (liver and fillet) were not significant (r<±0.50, p>0.05). Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc in bed sediment were significantly correlated (r=0.53 to 0.88, p<0.05) with natural mineral deposits and mining activities, but concentrations in fish tissue generally were not correlated with these measures. Regression analysis between mine density and the sum of trace-element concentrations in bed sediment identified two statistically significant relations (r 2 =0.95 and 0.99, p<0.001) that corresponded to trace-element enrichment categories. These strong relations warrant further study using mine density as an explanatory variable to predict trace-element concentrations in bed sediment.

Idaho, Montana, Washington↗

USGS1998

Watershed trend analysis and water-quality assessment using bottom-sediment cores from Cheney Reservoir, south-central Kansas

An examination of Cheney Reservoir bottom sediment was conducted in August 1997 to describe long-term trends and document the occurrence of selected constituents at concentrations that may be detrimental to aquatic organisms. Average concentrations of total phosphorus in bottom-sediment cores ranged from 94 to 674 milligrams per kilogram and were statistically related to silt- and (or) clay-size particles. Results from selected sampling sites in Cheney Reservoir indicate an increasing trend in total phosphorus concentrations. This trend is probably of nonpoint-source origin and may be related to an increase in fertilizer sales in the area, which more than doubled between 1965 and 1996, and to livestock production. Few organochlorine compounds were detected in bottom-sediment samples from Cheney Reservoir. DDT, its degradation products DDD and DDE, and dieldrin had detectable concentrations in the seven samples that were analyzed. DDT and DDD were each detected in one sample at concentrations of 1.0 and 0.65 microgram per kilogram, respectively. By far, the most frequently detected organochlorine insecticide was DDE, which was detected in all seven samples, ranging in concentration from 0.31 to 1.3 micrograms per kilogram. A decreasing trend in DDE concentrations was evident in sediment-core data from one sampling site. Dieldrin was detected in one sample from each of two sampling sites at concentrations of 0.21 and 0.22 micrograms per kilogram. Polychlorinated biphenyls were not detected in any bottom-sediment sample analyzed. Selected organophosphate, chlorophenoxy-acid, triazine, and acetanilide pesticides were analyzed in 18 bottom-sediment samples. Of the 23 pesticides analyzed, only the acetanilide herbicide metolachlor was detected (in 22 percent of the samples). Seven bottom-sediment samples were analyzed for major metals and trace elements. The median and maximum concentrations of arsenic and chromium, the maximum concentration of copper, and all concentrations of nickel in the seven samples were in the range where adverse effects to aquatic organisms occasionally occur. No time trends in trace elements were discernable in the August 1997 data.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2015

Rates of As and trace-element mobilization caused by Fe reduction in mixed BTEX–ethanol experimental plumes

Biodegradation of organic matter, including petroleum-based fuels and biofuels, can create undesired secondary water-quality effects. Trace elements, especially arsenic (As), have strong adsorption affinities for Fe(III) (oxyhydr)-oxides and can be released to groundwater during Fe-reducing biodegradation. We investigated the mobilization of naturally occurring As, cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) from wetland sediments caused by the introduction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) and ethanol mixtures under iron- and nitrate-reducing conditions, using in situ push–pull tests. When BTEX alone was added, results showed simultaneous onset and similar rates of Fe reduction and As mobilization. In the presence of ethanol, the maximum rates of As release and Fe reduction were higher, the time to onset of reaction was decreased, and the rates occurred in multiple stages that reflected additional processes. The concentration of As increased from <1 μg/L to a maximum of 99 μg/L, exceeding the 10 μg/L limit for drinking water. Mobilization of Co, Cr, and Ni was observed in association with ethanol biodegradation but not with BTEX. These results demonstrate the potential for trace-element contamination of drinking water during biodegradation and highlight the importance of monitoring trace elements at natural and enhanced attenuation sites.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2007

Assessment of elemental concentrations in streams of the New Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri, 2002-05

Concerns about possible effects of lead-mining activities on the water quality of federally protected streams located in southeastern Missouri prompted a suite of multidisciplinary studies to be conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. As part of this investigation, a series of biological studies were initiated in 2001 for streams in the current mining region and the prospecting area. In this report, results are examined for trace elements and other selected chemical measurements in sediment, surface water, and sediment interstitial (pore) water sampled between 2002 and 2005 in association with these biological studies. Compared to reference sites, fine sediments collected downstream from mining areas were enriched in metals by factors as large as 75 for cadmium, 62 for cobalt, 171 for nickel, 95 for lead, and 150 for zinc. Greatest metal concentrations in sediments collected in 2002 were from sites downstream from mines on Strother Creek, Courtois Creek, and the West Fork Black River. Sediments from sites on Bee Fork, Logan Creek, and Sweetwater Creek also were noticeably enriched in lead. Sediments in Clearwater Lake, at least 75 kilometers downstream from mining activity, had metal concentrations that were 1.5 to 2.1 times greater than sediments in an area of the lake with no upstream mining activity. Longitudinal sampling along three streams in 2004 indicated that sediment metal concentrations decreased considerably a few kilometers downstream from mining activities; however, in Strother Creek some metals were still enriched by a factor of five or more as far as 13 kilometers downstream from the Buick tailings impoundment. Compared with 2002 samples, metals concentrations were dramatically lower in sediments collected in 2004 at an upper West Fork Black River site, presumably because beneficiation operations at the West Fork mill ceased in 2000. Concentrations of metals and sulfate in sediment interstitial (pore) waters generally tracked closely with metal concentrations in sediments. Metals, including cobalt, nickel, lead, and zinc, were elevated substantially in laboratory-produced pore waters of fine sediments collected near mining operations in 2002 and 2004. Passive diffusion samplers (peepers) buried 4 to 6 centimeters deep in riffle-run stream sediments during 2003 and 2005 had much lower pore-water metal concentrations than the laboratory-produced pore waters of fine sediments collected in 2002 and 2004, but each sampling method produced similar patterns among sites. The combined mean concentration of lead in peeper samples from selected sites located downstream from mining activities for six streams was about 10-fold greater than the mean of the reference sites. In most instances, metals concentrations in surface water and peeper water were not greatly different, indicating considerable exchange between the surface water and pore water at the depths and locations where peepers were situated. Passive sampling probes used to assess metal lability in pore waters of selected samples during 2004 sediment toxicity tests indicated that most of the filterable lead in the laboratory-prepared pore water was relatively non-labile, presumably because lead was complexed by organic matter, or was present as colloidal species. In contrast, large percentages of cobalt and nickel in pore water appeared to be labile. Passive integrative samplers deployed in surface water for up to 3 weeks at three sites in July 2005 confirmed the presence of elevated concentrations of labile metals downstream from mining operations on Strother Creek and, to a lesser extent, Bee Fork. These samplers also indicated a considerable increase in metal loadings occurred for a few days at the Strother Creek site, which coincided with moderate increases in stream discharges in the area.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2015

Pre-eruptive conditions of the Hideaway Park topaz rhyolite: Insights into metal source and evolution of magma parental to the Henderson porphyry molybdenum deposit, Colorado

The Hideaway Park tuff is the only preserved extrusive volcanic unit related to the Red Mountain intrusive complex, which produced the world-class Henderson porphyry Mo deposit. Located within the Colorado Mineral Belt, USA, Henderson is the second largest Climax-type Mo deposit in the world, and is therefore an excellent location to investigate magmatic processes leading to Climax-type Mo mineralization. We combine an extensive dataset of major element, volatile, and trace element abundances in quartz-hosted melt inclusions and pumice matrix glass with major element geochemistry from phenocrysts to reconstruct the pre-eruptive conditions and the source and evolution of metals within the magma. Melt inclusions are slightly peraluminous topaz rhyolitic in composition and are volatile-charged (≤6 wt % H 2 O, ≤600 ppm CO 2 , &sim;0·3–1·0 wt % F, &sim;2300–3500 ppm Cl) and metal-rich (&sim;7–24 ppm Mo, &sim;4–14 ppm W, &sim;21–52 ppm Pb, &sim;28–2700 ppm Zn, <0·1–29 ppm Cu, &sim;0·3–1·8 ppm Bi, &sim;40–760 ppb Ag, &sim;690–1400 ppm Mn). Melt inclusion and pumice matrix glass chemistry reveal that the Hideaway Park magma evolved by large degrees of fractional crystallization (≤60–70%) during quartz crystallization and melt inclusion entrapment at pressures of ≤300 MPa (≤8 km depth), with little to no crystallization upon shallow ascent and eruption. Filter pressing, crystal settling, magma recharge and mixing of less evolved rhyolite melt, and volatile exsolution were important processes during magma evolution; the low estimated viscosities (&sim;10 5 –10 10  Pa s) of these H 2 O- and F-rich melts probably enhanced these processes. A noteworthy discrepancy between the metal contents in the pumice matrix glass and in the melt inclusions suggests that after quartz crystallization ceased upon shallow magma ascent and eruption, the Hideaway Park magma exsolved an aqueous fluid into which Mo, Bi, Ag, Zn, Mn, Cs, and Y strongly partitioned. Given that the Henderson deposit contains anomalous abundances of not only Mo, but also W, Pb, Zn, Cu, Bi, Ag, and Mn, we suggest that these metals were sourced from similar fluids exsolved from unerupted portions of the same magmatic system. Trace element ratios imply that Mo was sourced deep, from either the lower crust or metasomatized mantle. The origin of sulfur remains unresolved; however, given the extremely low S solubility of rhyolite melts in the shallow crust we favor the possibility that another source of S might supplement or account for that present in the ore deposit, probably the comagmatic, mantle-derived lamprophyres that occur in minor quantities with the voluminous topaz rhyolites in the area. To account for the 437 Mt of MoS 2 (&sim;1·0 × 10 6  t Mo) present in the Henderson ore deposit, a volume of &sim;45 km 3 of Hideaway Park rhyolite magma would have been necessary to supply the Mo (a cylindrical pluton measuring 3·1 km × 6·0 km) along with sparging of &sim;6·8 × 10 5  t of S from &sim;0·05 km 3 of lamprophyre magma. Based on a weighted mean 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age of 27·58 ± 0·24 Ma, similar melt geochemistry, and characteristically F-rich biotite phenocrysts, we conclude that the Hideaway Park tuff was cogenetic with the intrusions at Red Mountain that formed the Henderson deposit.

Colorado↗

USGS2014

40Ar/39Ar Geochronology, Isotope Geochemistry (Sr, Nd, Pb), and petrology of alkaline lavas near Yampa, Colorado: migration of alkaline volcanism and evolution of the northern Rio Grande rift

Volcanic rocks near Yampa, Colorado (USA), represent one of several small late Miocene to Quaternary alkaline volcanic fields along the northeast margin of the Colorado Plateau. Basanite, trachybasalt, and basalt collected from six sites within the Yampa volcanic field were investigated to assess correlations with late Cenozoic extension and Rio Grande rifting. In this paper we report major and trace element rock and mineral compositions and Ar, Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope data for these volcanic rocks. High-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology indicates westward migration of volcanism within the Yampa volcanic field between 6 and 4.5 Ma, and the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope values are consistent with a primary source in the Proterozoic subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Relict olivine phenocrysts have Mg- and Ni-rich cores, whereas unmelted clinopyroxene cores are Na and Si enriched with finely banded Ca-, Mg-, Al-, and Ti-enriched rims, thus tracing their crystallization history from a lithospheric mantle source region to one in contact with melt prior to eruption. A regional synthesis of Neogene and younger volcanism within the Rio Grande rift corridor, from northern New Mexico to southern Wyoming, supports a systematic overall southwest migration of alkaline volcanism. We interpret this Neogene to Quaternary migration of volcanism toward the northeast margin of the Colorado Plateau to record passage of melt through subvertical zones within the lithosphere weakened by late Cenozoic extension. If the locus of Quaternary alkaline magmatism defines the current location of the Rio Grande rift, it includes the Leucite Hills, Wyoming. We suggest that alkaline volcanism in the incipient northern Rio Grande rift, north of Leadville, Colorado, represents melting of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle in response to transient infiltration of asthenospheric mantle into deep, subvertical zones of dilational crustal weakness developed during late Cenozoic extension that have been migrating toward, and subparallel to, the northeast margin of the Colorado Plateau since the middle Miocene. Quaternary volcanism within this northern Rio Grande rift corridor is evidence that the rift is continuing to evolve.

Colorado↗