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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

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At least 685 records · Page 38Linked to original sources
USGS2000

Effects of hypothetical management scenarios on simulated water temperatures in the Tualatin River, Oregon

In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County, Oregon (USA) began a cooperative study to better understand water-temperature variations in the Tualatin River and to assess mitigative water-management solutions. Continuous water-temperature data were collected at locations along the main stem of the river and along the major tributaries during the lowflow periods of 1994 and 1995. The 1994 data were used to develop and calibrate flow and water-temperature models characterizing conditions in the main stem. The models were used to simulate 10 hypotheti3 cal water-management scenarios, which would enable water managers to understand the effects of various human activities on water temperatures. Modeling results from the study are presented in Risley (1997); the data collected are presented in Risley and Doyle (1997). This report presents the water-temperature model simulation results of 16 additional hypothetical water-management scenarios using the 1994 and 1995 data. The additional modeling was funded by the USGS and the USA under a cooperative agreement. For a comprehensive description of the water-temperature models and their underlying assumptions, refer to Risley (1997).

Oregon↗
USGS1982

Water-quality assessment of White River between Lake Sequoyah and Beaver Reservoir, Washington County, Arkansas

The Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology and U.S. Geological Survey conducted a water quality assessment be made of the White River and, that a steady-state digital model be calibrated and used as a tool for simulating changes in nutrient loading. The city of Fayetteville 's wastewater-treatment plant is the only point-source discharger of waste effluent to the river. Data collected during synoptic surveys downstream from the wastewater-treatment plan indicate that temperature, dissolved oxygen, dissolved solids, un-ionized ammonia, total phosphorus, and floating solids and depositable materials did not meet Arkansas stream standards. Nutrient loadings below the treatment plant result in dissolved oxygen concentrations as low as 0.0 milligrams per liter. Biological surveys found low macroinvertebrate organism diversity and numerous dead fish. Computed dissolved oxygen deficits indicate that benthic demands are the most significant oxygen sinks in the river downstream from the wastewater-treatment plant. Benthic oxygen demands range from 2.8 to 11.0 grams per meter squared per day. Model projections indicate that for 7-day, 10-year low-flow conditions and water temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, daily average dissolved oxygen concentrations of 6.0 milligrams per liter can be maintained downstream from the wastewater-treatment plant if effluent concentrations of ultimate carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen are 7.5 (5.0 5-day demand) and 2 milligrams per liter respectively. Model sensitivity analysis indicate that dissolved oxygen concentrations were most sensitive to changes in stream temperature. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2020

Upper Mississippi River system weighted wind fetch analysis (1989, 2000, 2010/2011)

Wind fetch is defined as the unobstructed distance that wind can travel over water in a constant direction. Fetches are limited by landforms surrounding the body of water. Fetch is an important characteristic of open water because longer fetches can result in larger wind-generated waves. The larger waves, in turn, can increase shoreline erosion and sediment resuspension (Rohweder and others 2012). Increases in sediment resuspension lead to increases in water turbidity, which in turn decreases light penetration and, therefore, create conditions less conducive to aquatic plant growth (Giblin and others 2010). A wind fetch model was developed by David Finlayson, U. S. Geological Survey, Pacific Science Center, while he was a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington (Finlayson 2005). This method calculates effective fetch using the recommended procedure of the Shore Protection Manual (USACE 1984). Scientists at the United States Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) further refined this model (Rohweder and others 2012) and structured it to operate using the most recent version of the ArcMap Geographic Information System platform (Esri, 2019). At the time the analysis was performed, the version of ArcMap used was 10.7.1. The model refined in 2012 was used for the analyses described in this report. Using this model, UMESC performed an analysis to model weighted wind fetch for the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) corresponding to three separate time periods of land cover spatial data acquisition (1989, 2000, and 2010/2011). The purpose of the analysis was to examine how fetch varies over time and space within the UMRS for potential management applications. For more detailed information on the wind fetch model, examine the USGS Open-File Report by Rohweder and others (2012).

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin↗
USGS2022

Risk assessment for bull trout introduction into Sullivan Lake and Harvey Creek, northeastern Washington

The Kalispel Tribe of Indians (KT), U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are engaged in conservation of bull trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ) in the Lake Pend Oreille (LPO) Core Area. The LPO is a complex habitat core area which falls within three states (Montana, Idaho, and Washington) and a tribal entity. As part of the conservation process, KT worked in cooperation with the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) to complete a risk assessment for introduction of bull trout into Sullivan Lake/Harvey Creek, northeastern, Washington. The risk assessment was designed to evaluate potential risks to resident fish species, to bull trout introduced into Sullivan Lake, and to bull trout donor source populations. This risk assessment describes the potential risks associated with pathogens (introduction of pathogens and increased pathogen burden), genetics (such as risk to donor sources, straying and breeding with native bull trout, and introduction of bull-brook hybrids), and ecological interactions (such as predation and competition). Potential donor source populations were identified and evaluated using a qualitative approach based on expert opinion and a decision framework. Literature reviews were completed for fish species composition and abundance in Sullivan Lake basin to assess potential ecological interactions and risks to these populations and to the introduced bull trout. The USGS assessed pathogen risks through two major questions: (1) whether introduced bull trout might bring pathogens into the Sullivan Lake basin that were not previously present and (2) whether the health of introduced bull trout could be adversely affected by pathogens already present in the basin. Assessment of genetic risks included demographic risks to donor source populations, potential for hybridization with native bull trout, and the risk of introducing bull-brook hybrids. Literature reviews were used in conjunction with discussions among regional biologists to identify potential donor source populations and their population attributes. A decision framework was developed by USGS in collaboration with KT biologists that identified desirable population attributes (life history behavior, abundance, population viability, feasibility of collection, and environmental match) associated with donor source populations and established ranking criteria. The population attribute information was used with the (1) decision framework, (2) established ranking criteria, and (3) expert opinion of regional biologists, to assign scores for overall ranking of donor source populations. The LPO source population was the highest ranked and is considered a robust and stable population. The risk of introducing pathogens from LPO into Sullivan Lake via a bull trout introduction program seems low, and indirect pathogen burden risks to resident species can be mitigated using established pathogen surveillance methods. The likelihood that bull trout, introduced into Sullivan Lake, stray and spawn with native bull trout is low. Nearest-neighbor donor source populations, such as LPO, could minimize negative fitness impacts that might occur from straying and interbreeding of individuals that become entrained and help maintain natural patterns of genetic diversity in native populations. The ecological risk that a bull trout introduction presents to resident species seems to be low but with some uncertainty. Pygmy whitefish, a Washington State Sensitive species, is likely most vulnerable to extirpation with increased predation pressure with introduction of an additional piscivore into the ecosystem. The status of the pygmy whitefish in Sullivan Lake is unknown. The ecological risks most likely to reduce the viability of introduced bull trout are predation by burbot and an adequate forage base in Sullivan Lake. Prior fish surveys provided data on resident species abundance, provided an established baseline for effective monitoring, and identifying ecosystem changes post-bull trout introduction to inform future adaptive management decisions.

Washington↗
USGS2022

Groundwater and surface-water data collection for the Walla Walla River Basin, Washington, 2018–22

The semi-arid Walla Walla River Basin (WWRB) spans 1777 square miles in the states of Washington and Oregon and supports a diverse agricultural region as well as cities and rural communities that are partially reliant on groundwater. Historically, surface water and groundwater data have been collected in the WWRB by several entities including federal, state, local, and tribal governments; irrigation districts; universities; and non-profits. This report describes the surface and groundwater data collection by the U.S. Geological Survey from February 2018 to April 2022 to provide the Washington State Department of Ecology and other stakeholders basic knowledge of existing water resources in the WWRB, Washington. Additionally, the data were collected to build a long-term groundwater dataset, with the intent to provide data for better understanding to assist in informed decisions about groundwater use, management, and conservation throughout the basin, and for future inclusion in a conceptual model of the groundwater-flow system (conceptual model). Data were collected and compiled for 237 sites—191 wells and 46 surface-water discharge sites. A small annual network of deep basalt wells was established in February 2018 to commence the data collection. In March 2020 and April 2021, additional field inventories were performed by locating and measuring groundwater wells in the WWRB. A subset of the inventoried wells were selected for an annual or a quarterly water level network to be measured until July 2024. In August 2020, field reconnaissance identified 46 surface-water sites to be measured for discharge, estimating gaining and losing reaches in streams for groundwater influences.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2018

Suspended-sediment transport from the Green-Duwamish River to the Lower Duwamish Waterway, Seattle, Washington, 2013–17

The Green-Duwamish River transports watershed-derived sediment to the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site near Seattle, Washington. Understanding the amount of sediment transported by the river is essential to the bed sediment cleanup process. Turbidity, discharge, suspended-sediment concentration (SSC), and particle-size data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from February 2013 to January 2017 at the Duwamish River, Washington, within the tidal influence at river kilometer 16.7 (USGS streamgage 12113390; Duwamish River at Golf Course at Tukwila, WA). This report quantifies the timing and magnitude of suspended-sediment transported in the Duwamish River. Regression models were developed between SSC and turbidity and SSC and discharge to estimate 15- minute SSC. Suspended-sediment loads were calculated from the computed SSC and time-series discharge data for every 15-minute interval during the study period. The 2014–16 average annual suspended-sediment load computed was 117,246 tons (106,364 metric tons), of which 73.5 percent or (86,191 tons; 78,191 metric tons) was fine particle (less than 0.0625 millimeter in diameter) suspended sediment. The seasonality of this site is apparent when you divide the year into "wet" (October 16– April 15) and "dry" (April 16–October 15) seasons. Most (97 percent) of the annual suspended sediment was transported during the wet season, when brief periods of intense precipitation from storms, large releases from the Howard Hanson Dam, or a combination of both were much more frequent.

Washington↗
USGS1997

Crustal structure along the west flank of the Cascades, western Washington

Knowledge of the crustal structure of the Washington Cascades and adjacent Puget Lowland is important to both earthquake hazards studies and geologic studies of the evolution of this tectonically active region. We present a model for crustal velocity structure derived from analysis of seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection data collected in 1991 in western Washington. The 280-km-long north-south transect skirts the west flank of the Cascades as it crosses three tectonic provinces including the Northwest Cascades Thrust System (NWCS), the Puget Lowland, and the volcanic arc of the southern Cascades. Within the NWCS, upper crustal velocities range from 4.2 to 5.7 km s-1 and are consistent with the presence of a diverse suite of Mesozoic and Paleozoic metasediments and metavolcanics. In the upper 2-3 km of the Puget Lowland velocities drop to 1.7-3.5 km s-1 and reflect the occurrence of Oligocene to recent sediments within the basin. In the southern Washington Cascades, upper crustal velocities range from 4.0 to 5.5 km s-1 and are consistent with a large volume of Tertiary sediments and volcanics. A sharp change in velocity gradient at 5-10 km marks the division between the upper and middle crust. From approximately 10 to 35 km depth the velocity field is characterized by a velocity increase from ???6.0 to 7.2 km s-1. These high velocities do not support the presence of marine sedimentary rocks at depths of 10-20 km beneath the Cascades as previously proposed on the basis of magnetotelluric data. Crustal thickness ranges from 42 to 47 km along the profile. The lowermost crust consists of a 2 to 8-km-thick transitional layer with velocities of 7.3-7.4 km s-1. The upper mantle velocity appears to be an unusually low 7.6-7.8 km s-1. When compared to velocity models from other regions, this model most closely resembles those found in active continental arcs. Distinct seismicity patterns can be associated with individual tectonic provinces along the seismic transect. In the NWCS and Puget Lowland, most of the seismicity occurs below the base of the upper crust as defined by a seismic boundary at 5-10 km depth and continues to 20-30 km depth. The region of transition between the NWCS and the Puget Lowland appears as a gap in seismicity with notably less seismic activity north of the boundary between the two. Earthquakes within the Cascades are generally shallower (0-20 km) and are dominated by events associated with the Rainier Seismic Zone.

Washington↗
USGS2012

The occurrence of trace elements in bed sediment collected from areas of varying land use and potential effects on stream macroinvertebrates in the conterminous western United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, 1992-2000

As part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, this study examines the occurrence of nine trace elements in bed sediment of varying mineralogy and land use and assesses the possible effects of these trace elements on aquatic-macroinvertebrate community structure. Samples of bed sediment and macroinvertebrates were collected from 154 streams at sites representative of undeveloped, agricultural, urban, mined, or mixed land-use areas and 12 intermediate-scale ecoregions within the conterminous western United States, Alaska, and Hawaii from 1992 to 2000. The nine trace elements evaluated during this study—arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn)—were selected on the basis of potential ecologic significance and availability of sediment-quality guidelines. At most sites, the occurrence of these trace elements in bed sediment was at concentrations consistent with natural geochemical abundance, and the lowest concentrations were in bed-sediment samples collected from streams in undeveloped and agricultural areas. With the exception of Zn at sampling sites influenced by historic mining-related activities, median concentrations of all nine trace elements in bed sediment collected from sites representative of the five general land-use areas were below concentrations predicted to be harmful to aquatic macroinvertebrates. The highest concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn were in bed sediment collected from mined areas. Median concentrations of Cu and Ni in bed sediment were similarly enriched in areas of mining, urban, and mixed land use. Concentrations of Cr and Ni appear to originate largely from geologic sources, especially in the western coastal states (California, Oregon, and Washington), Alaska, and Hawaii. In these areas, naturally high concentrations of Cr and Ni can exceed concentrations that may adversely affect aquatic macroinvertebrates. Generally, Hg concentrations were below the sediment-quality guideline for this trace element but appeared elevated in urbanized areas and at sites contaminated by historic mining practices. Lastly, although there was no distinctive pattern in Se concentrations with land use, median bed-sediment concentrations were slightly elevated in urbanized areas. Macroinvertebrate community structure was influenced by topographic, geologic, climatic, and in-stream characteristics. To account for inherent distribution patterns resulting from these influences, samples of macroinvertebrates were stratified by ecoregion to assess the influence of trace elements on community structure. Cumulative toxic units (CTUs) were used to evaluate gradients in trace-element concentrations in mixture. Correlation analyses among the trace elements under different land-use conditions indicate that trace-element mixtures vary among bed sediment and can have a marked influence on CTU composition. Macroinvertebrate response to bed-sediment trace-element exposure was evident only at the most highly contaminated sites, notably at sites classified as contaminated by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) as a result of historic mining activities. Results of this study agree with the findings of other studies evaluating trace-element exposure to in-stream macroinvertebrate community structure in that generally lower richness metrics and taxa dominance occur in streams where high trace-element enrichment occurs; however, not all streams in all areas have the same characterizing taxa. In the mountain and xeric ecosystems, the mayfly, Baetis sp.; the Diptera, Simulium sp.; caddisflies in the family Hydropsychiidae; midges in the family Orthocladiinae; and the worms belonging to Turbellaria and Naididae all demonstrated resilience to trace-element exposure and, in some cases, possible changes in physical habitat within stream ecosystems. The taxa characteristics within the Ozark Highland ecoregion were different than other ecoregions as evidenced by generally more diverse mayfly populations. In addition, Baetis sp. was common and dominated many of the mayfly populations found in the Rocky Mountain streams within the Mountain Southern Rockies and Mountain Northern Rockies ecoregions; however, within the Ozark Highland ecoregion, Tricorythodes sp. appeared to be more common than Baetis sp.

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Id↗