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At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources
USGS2007

Effects of ground-water withdrawal on Kaunakakai Stream environmental restoration plan, Molokai, Hawaii

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with the County of Maui Department of Public Works and Environmental Management, has proposed to construct 2.75 acres of shallow ponds and mudflats near the mouth of Kaunakakai Stream, Moloka`i, Hawai`i to restore habitat for the endangered native Hawaiian Stilt. Kaunakakai Stream is ephemeral upstream from the habitat-restoration site. Where the pond and wetland bottoms are below the water table, the ponds and wetland will be sustained by ground-water discharge during dry-weather conditions. Because ground water is the main source of water for the proposed ponds and wetland, a reduction of ground-water levels and discharge near the mouth of Kaunakakai Stream will have an effect on the availability of habitat. In response to concerns about the possible effects of ground-water withdrawal on the habitat restoration project near the mouth of Kaunakakai Stream, the U.S. Geological Survey undertook the present investigation to estimate, using an existing numerical ground-water-flow model, the changes in ground-water level and coastal discharge caused by redistributed and additional ground-water withdrawals. Steady-state water-level and coastal-discharge changes, relative to recent base-case conditions, were estimated for each of six withdrawal scenarios. Redistributed and additional ground-water withdrawals in the six scenarios were simulated from selected sites in the area between Kualapu`u and `Ualapu`e. For the scenarios tested, model results indicate that withdrawals from existing and proposed wells cause a water-level decline of about 0.1 ft in the vicinity of the Kaunakakai habitat-restoration site. In addition, model results indicate a reduction of ground-water discharge, ranging from 98,000 to 170,000 gal/d, to the model element containing the habitat-restoration site, although the existing spatial discretization in the model is too coarse to reliably estimate the reduction of ground-water discharge to the stream. Reduction in discharge to the habitat-restoration site is likely less than the total indicated by the model element because the site covers a small fraction (about 5 percent) of the area of a model element. Ground-water-level declines near the habitat-restoration site will reduce (1) the available wetted habitat area by an amount that is dependent on the bottom slope of the ponds near their edges, (2) the maximum water depth of the ponds by about 0.1 ft, and (3) the average water depth by an amount that is dependent on the bottom shape of the ponds. The salinity of ground-water discharging into the wetland area likely will increase by an unknown amount in response to increased withdrawals upgradient from the site. A numerical model capable of simulating density-dependent flow and transport is needed to evaluate the effects of withdrawal on salinity in the area.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2009

Planning for an uncertain future - Monitoring, integration, and adaptation

The 6.7 billion human inhabitants of the earth have the ability to drastically alter ecosystems and the populations of species that have taken eons to evolve. By better understanding how our actions affect the environment, we stand a better chance of designing successful strategies to manage ecosystems sustainably. Toward this end, the Third Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds (ICRW) was convened in Estes Park, CO, on September 8-11, 2008. The Conference provided a forum to present adaptive management as a practical tool for learning how to manage complex ecosystems more sustainably. Further complexity introduced by spatially variable and continuously changing environmental drivers favors this management approach because of its emphasis on adaptation in response to changing conditions or ineffective actions. For climate change in particular, an adaptive approach can more effectively accommodate the uncertainty in future climate scenarios. Scenarios compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are built on distinct economic, energy, and societal models. The scenarios predict potential changes in greenhouse gases, temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric aerosols, which would have direct or indirect impacts on the timing, volume, and quality of runoff, vegetation, snowpack, stream temperature, groundwater, thawing permafrost, and icecaps. Through presentations and field trips, researchers and stakeholders described how their findings and issues fit into the adaptive management 'learning by doing' paradigm of Assess > Design > Implement > Monitor > Evaluate > Adjust > Assess.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2010

Biological water-quality assessment of selected streams in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Planning Area of Wisconsin, 2007

Changes in the water quality of stream ecosystems in an urban area may manifest in conspicuous ways, such as in murky or smelly streamwater, or in less conspicuous ways, such as fewer native or pollution-sensitive organisms. In 2004, and again in 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey sampled stream organisms—algae, invertebrates, and fish—in 14 Milwaukee area streams to assess water quality as part of the ongoing Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Corridor Study. In addition, passive-sampling devices (SPMDs, “semipermeable membrane devices”) were deployed at a subset of sites in order to evaluate the potential exposure of stream organisms to certain toxic chemicals. Results of the 2007 sampling effort are the focus of this report. Results of sampling from 2007 are compared with results from 2004. The water quality of sampled streams was assessed by evaluating biological-assemblage data, metrics computed from assemblage data, and an aggregate bioassessment ranking method that combined data for algae, invertebrates, and fish. These data contain information about the abundance (number) of different species in each group of stream organisms and the balance between species that can or cannot tolerate polluted or disturbed conditions. In 2007, the highest numbers of algal, invertebrate, and fish species were found at the Milwaukee River at Milwaukee, the largest sampled site. Algal results indicated water quality concerns at 10 of the 14 sampled sites due to the occurrence of nuisance algae or low percentages of pollution-sensitive algae. When compared to 2004, total algal biovolume was higher in 2007 at 12 of 14 sites, due mostly to more nuisance green algae from unknown causes. Results of several metrics, including the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI-10), suggest that invertebrate assemblages in the Little Menomonee River, Underwood Creek, and Honey Creek were poorer quality in 2007 compared to 2004. Six sites received “very poor” quality ratings for fish in 2007, mostly because inadequate numbers of fish were collected at five sites to allow computation of an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI); this resulted in three additional sites receiving “very poor” ratings compared to 2004. Some signs of potential improvement in the fish assemblage were evident at Lincoln Creek, possibly reflecting delayed effects of the restoration of stream habitat, completed in 2002; however, algae and invertebrates did not show signs of improvement. Aggregate bioassessment rankings across all groups of organisms for 2004 and 2007 indicated that water quality at the two Milwaukee River main stem sites (at Milwaukee and near Cedarburg), Jewel Creek, and the Menomonee River at Menomonee Falls was the least-degraded among all sampled sites. Rankings for Oak Creek and Little Menomonee suggested water quality was worse in 2007 compared to 2004 and placed these two sites together with Kinnickinnic River and Underwood Creek, two concrete-line sites, indicating the most-degraded water quality among all sampled sites. The aggregate ranking for Lincoln Creek in 2007 would have placed it in the most-degraded category but for the positive influence of the fish ranking when compared to poor algal and invertebrate rankings. Potential toxicity due to certain manmade chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), was found at all six sites where SPMDs were deployed. As was found in 2004, the highest potential toxicity in 2007 was observed at Lincoln Creek where chemical screening in 2007 also showed the highest total PAHs of all six sites; however, potential toxicity at Little Menomonee River, Honey Creek, and Kinnickinnic River was relatively high compared to Milwaukee River near Cedarburg. Although toxicity and chemical results in 2007 did not agree with aggregate rankings for Lincoln Creek because of fish, nor for Honey Creek, the results did agree with aggregate rankings at four of the six sites. In addition to toxicological and chemical influences, the more urbanized sites have high percentages of impervious surface area, resulting in frequent high stream flows that can adversely affect algal, invertebrate, and fish assemblages. Assessments of the ecological status of different groups of organisms and of potential chemical and physical stressors to organisms are important tools in evaluating streamwater quality.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2016

Decision analysis to support development of the Glen Canyon Dam long-term experimental and management plan

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and Argonne National Laboratory, completed a decision analysis to use in the evaluation of alternatives in the Environmental Impact Statement concerning the long-term management of water releases from Glen Canyon Dam and associated management activities. Two primary decision analysis methods, multicriteria decision analysis and the expected value of information, were used to evaluate the alternative strategies against the resource goals and to evaluate the influence of uncertainty. A total of 18 performance metrics associated with 8 out of 12 resource goals (fundamental objectives) were developed by the Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service in partnership with subject-matter teams composed of Federal, State, tribal, and private experts. A total of 19 long-term strategies associated with 7 alternatives were developed by the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Argonne National Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey, and Cooperating Agencies. The 19 long-term strategies were evaluated against the 18 performance metrics using a series of coupled simulation models, taking into account the effects of several important sources of uncertainty. A total of 27 Federal, State, tribal, and nongovernmental agencies were invited by the Assistant Secretary of Interior to participate in a swing-weighting exercise to understand the range of perspectives about how to place relative value on the resource goals and performance metrics; 14 of the 27 chose to participate. The results of the swing-weighting exercise were combined with the evaluation of the alternatives to complete a multicriteria decision analysis. The effects of uncertainty on the ranking of long-term strategies were evaluated through calculation of the value of information. The alternatives and their long-term strategies differed across performance metrics, producing unavoidable tradeoffs; thus, there was no long-term strategy that was dominated by another across all performance metrics. When the performance of each alternative was weighted across performance metrics, three alternatives (B, D, and G) were top-ranked depending on the set of weights proposed: Alternative B was favored by those stakeholders that placed a high value on hydropower; Alternative G was favored by those stakeholders that placed a high value on the restoration of natural processes, like beachbuilding and natural vegetation; and Alternative D was favored by the remaining stakeholders. Surprisingly, these rankings were not sensitive to the critical uncertainties that were evaluated; that is, the choice of a preferred long-term strategy was sensitive to the value-based judgment about how to place relative weight on the resource goals but was not sensitive to the uncertainties in the system dynamics that were evaluated in this analysis. The one area of uncertainty that did slightly affect the ranking of alternatives was the long-term pattern of hydrological input; because of this sensitivity, some attention to the possible effects of climate change is warranted. The results of the decision analysis are meant to serve as only one of many sources of information that can be used to evaluate the alternatives proposed in the Environmental Impact Statement. These results only focus on those resource goals for which quantitative performance metrics could be formulated and evaluated; there are other important aspects of the resource goals that also need to be considered. Not all the stakeholders who were invited to participate in the decision analysis chose to do so; thus, the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and U.S. Department of Interior may want to consider other input.

Arizona↗
USGS2020

Ecological status of aquatic communities in selected streams in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District planning area of Wisconsin, 2004–13

A total of 14 wadable streams in urban or urbanizing watersheds near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were sampled in 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2013 to assess the ecological status of aquatic communities (biota), including benthic algae and invertebrates, and fish. To assess temporal variation, additional community sampling was also done at a subset of three sites in 2011 and 2012. Relative abundances of each type of organism were used to calculate biological metrics, such as richness and diversity, percentages of intolerant and tolerant organisms, and indexes of biotic integrity for invertebrates and fish. Selected environmental (physical and chemical) data in the streams were collected to evaluate potential relations to the biota and the ecological health of the stream. Physical and chemical data included land use/land cover, stream discharge from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages (except at 2 creeks that were not gaged), stream habitat, microhabitat at invertebrate collection locations, water quality (except at 2 creeks that were not gaged), field measurements of several water-quality constituents, measures of benthic algal biomass, and toxicity and chemical tests on extracts from passive samplers deployed at a subset of 6 sites. Relative abundances of organisms and biological metrics were compared among sampling years and with environmental metrics to evaluate the ecological status of these streams and determine primary stressors on the aquatic communities, with the aim of helping resource managers understand and work toward improving the ecological health of these and other urban and urbanizing rivers in the study area. Biological metrics for most sites indicated some level of diminished ecological status when compared across all sampled sites and when compared with rating scales for selected metrics. The least degraded sites among all those sampled—indicated by aggregate bioassessments for algae, invertebrates, and fish metrics and in order starting with the best overall condition—were the Milwaukee River near Cedarburg, Menomonee River at Menomonee Falls, Jewel Creek, and Milwaukee River at Milwaukee. The most degraded sites were Menomonee River at Wauwatosa, Root River at Greenfield, Lincoln Creek, and the Kinnickinnic River. Differences in aggregate bioassessments indicate that aquatic communities at the Menomonee River at Wauwatosa site and the Root River at Greenfield site were worse in 2013 than in 2004; however, Oak Creek and Honey Creek sites were better. In 2013, several sites had less than 30-percent pollution-sensitive diatoms indicating degraded algal assemblages. Invertebrate metrics for most of the 14 sites in 2013 were lower than in 2004 and indicate that invertebrate assemblages at most sampled sites were more degraded in 2013. Tolerant fish taxa made up more than 40 percent of assemblages at most sites and nearly 100 percent of assemblages at four sites. At times, in some smaller streams, too few fish were captured to compute an Index of Biotic Integrity with confidence, and invertebrates provided a better means for assessing the ecological status and water quality. With these few exceptions, the use of all three groups of biota provided the most robust assessments at the 14 sites in 2004–13. Physical and chemical stressors were correlated to adverse effects on aquatic biota at the sampled streams. Passive samplers were deployed at a subset of six sites in 2013. Microtox results indicated there was little or no toxicity at the Milwaukee River near Cedarburg site and at the Oak Creek site, slight toxicity at the Lincoln Creek and Honey Creek sites, and moderate toxicity at the Milwaukee River at Milwaukee site and the Little Menomonee River site; however, based on cytochrome-P450 reporter gene system toxicity tests, potential toxicity from hydrophobic organic contaminants was measured at all six sites. For all 14 sites, physical and chemical stressors related to urbanization correlated with biological metrics for algae, invertebrates, and fish. Most stressors for aquatic biota reflected an urban signature. Stressors related to ecological condition in our study were chemical and physical, such as developed land, impervious surface in the watershed, urban land in a buffer area around the stream (a 100-foot [30-meter]-wide area on each side of the stream, and maximum instantaneous discharge normalized by drainage area (a measure of flood and scour effects). Chemical stressors included low waterborne concentrations of dissolved oxygen and high concentrations of chloride, zinc and other metals, nutrients (nitrite and phosphorus), and fecal coliform bacteria. Although algae, invertebrates, and fish did not always demonstrate a significant response to the same stressors, higher abundances of high total phosphorus-indicator diatoms, lower ratings for invertebrate biotic integrity indexes and percentages of mayflies-stoneflies-caddisflies, and lower values for fish biotic integrity indexes underscored possible adverse effects of even low levels of developed land. Developed land is typically associated with more rapid runoff, which washes chemicals from impervious surfaces into area waterways and degrades stream habitat for aquatic communities. However, with respect to at least chloride from road salt, diatoms tolerant to dissolved salts were significantly lower with as little as 1-percent mixed forest in the watershed. Lower percentages of urban land in the stream buffer correlated with healthier aquatic assemblages of algae, invertebrates, and fish. The assessment of algal, invertebrate, and fish assemblages coupled with physical and chemical data were highly useful in evaluating the ecological status of aquatic communities at the 14 sites and for determining environmental stressors that may be contributing to reduced stream condition. Some of the stressors could potentially be removed or lessened with stream rehabilitation or changes in watershed management.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1951

List of current and planned projects of the trace elements program, U.S. Geological Survey

This summary lists the Geological Survey's current and future investigations of uranium and other elements of related interest. The titles of the investigations are grouped under the headings listed in the table of contents. Entries in each category are listed alphabetically, according to author or project leader, and numbered consecutively.

Trace Elements Investigations↗
USGS2002

Preliminary hydrogeologic assessment and study plan for a regional ground-water resource investigation of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces of North Carolina

Prolonged drought, allocation of surface-water flow, and increased demands on ground-water supplies resulting from population growth are focuses for the need to evaluate ground-water resources in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces of North Carolina. Urbanization and certain aspects of agricultural production also have caused increased concerns about protecting the quality of ground water in this region. More than 75 percent of the State's population resides in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces in an area that covers 30,544 square miles and 65 counties. Between 1940 and 2000, the population in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Provinces increased from 2.66 to 6.11 million; most of this increase occurred in the Piedmont. Of the total population, an estimated 1.97 million people, or 32.3 percent (based on the 1990 census), relied on ground water for a variety of uses, including commercial, industrial, and most importantly, potable supplies. Ground water in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont traditionally has not been considered as a source for large supplies, primarily because of readily available and seemingly limitless surface-water supplies, and the perception that ground water in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces occurs in a complex, generally heterogeneous geologic environment. Some reluctance to use ground water for large supplies derives from the reputation of aquifers in these provinces for producing low yields to wells, and the few high-yield wells that are drilled seem to be scattered in areas distant from where they are needed. Because the aquifers in these provinces are shallow, they also are susceptible to contamination by activities on the land surface. In response to these issues, the North Carolina Legislature supported the creation of a Resource Evaluation Program to ensure the long-term availability, sustainability, and quality of ground water in the State. As part of the Resource Evaluation Program, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, Groundwater Section, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, initiated a multiyear study of ground water in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces. The study began in 1999. Most of the study area is underlain by a complex, two-part, regolith-fractured crystalline rock aquifer system. Thickness of the regolith throughout the study area is highly variable and ranges from 0 to more than 150 feet. The regolith consists of an unconsolidated or semiconsolidated mixture of clay and fragmental material ranging in grain size from silt to boulders. Because porosities range from 35 to 55 percent, the regolith provides the bulk of the water storage within the Blue Ridge and Piedmont ground-water system. At the base of the regolith is the transition zone where saprolite grades into unweathered bedrock. The transition zone has been identified as a potential conduit for rapid ground-water flow. If this is the case, the transition zone also may serve as a conduit for rapid movement of contaminants to nearby wells or to streams with channels that cut into 1 U.S. Geological Survey, Raleigh, North Carolina. 2 North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality, Groundwater Section. or through the transition zone. How rapidly a contaminant moves through the system largely may be a function of the characteristics of the transition zone. The transition zone is one of several topics identified during the literature review and data synthesis, for which there is a deficiency in data and understanding of the processes involved in the movement of ground water to surface water. Because the Blue Ridge and Piedmont study area is so large, and the hydrogeology diverse, it is not feasible to study all of the area in detail. A more feasible approach is to select areas that are most representative of the land use, geology, and hydrology to obtain an understanding of the hydrologic processes in the selected areas, and transfer the knowledge from these local "type areas" to similar regional hydrogeologic areas. For the purpose of this study, the term "type area" applies to a 10- to 100-square mile area within a hydrogeologic terrane where information is sufficient to develop and test a concept of ground-water flow by using analytical or numerical methods that can be validated by field measurements. Ideally, these type areas are selected to be representative of the flow system that is present wherever a particular hydrogeologic terrane is present. This report consists of two basic parts. The first part describes the results of a comprehensive review and synthesis of information and literature that provides the basic background for the study. This includes current (2002) knowledge regarding general geology and the hydrogeologic framework of the fractured-rock aquifer system that underlies the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces. In spite of the quantity of information identified during the literature review and the amount of past work that has been documented, there are still research needs to be met. The second part of the report describes State ground-water issues and problems, available data, and data deficiencies. It also describes the design and implementation of efforts to characterize ground-water quality and to quantify factors that influence the movement and availability of ground water in the hydrogeologic terranes characterized by (1) massive or foliated crystalline rocks overlain by thick regolith and (2) massive or foliated crystalline rocks overlain by thin regolith. As of September 2001, seven sites had been identified as potential study sites to be used to characterize the hydrogeology and water quality of ype areas considered representative of the larger terranes. Detailed geologic mapping, core drilling, well installation, and surface and borehole geophysical surveys are in progress at four of the sites.

North Carolina↗
USGS1976

Analysis of historical water-quality data and a network plan for the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District

Historical water quality data from about 100 sampling stations on streams, canals and lakes in central and southern Florida were analyzed for areal and temporal variations in water quality, statistical measures of the data, relationships between water quality variables, and long term changes or trends in water quality. Included in the analysis were data on the major inorganic chemical constituents, temperature, nitrogen and phosphorus species, trace metals, pesticides, organic carbon and biochemical oxygen demand. Based on the results of the analysis, a network was designed which would provide data to meet six specific objectives: (1) water quality accounting, (2) areal assessments (3) detection of gross long-term trends, (4) detection of toxic and deleterious substances, (5) establish a limnological data base on lakes and (6) furnish data on chemical inputs from the atmosphere.

Florida↗
USGS1979

Plan of study for the northern Great Plains regional aquifer-system analysis in parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming

The Northern Great Plains, an area of about 250,000 square miles in parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, is underlain by an accumulation of sediments eroded from the Black Hills and from mountains to the west. Principal aquifers are areally extensive beds of sandstone within these sedimentary rocks, some at great depths. Anticipated future water needs dictate that available ground-water supplies be evaluated for management of this natural resource. The U.S. Geological Survey has started (1978) a 4-year study of the Northern Great Plains aquifer system. The objective of this study is to define availability and quality of ground water and to predict the effects of using this resource. To achieve this objective, the ground-water system will be described in terms of spatial distribution, hydraulics, geology, and geochemistry. Once described, the ground-water system will be simulated by mathematical models that will be used to define responses of the system to various management alternatives and assumed development patterns.

Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming↗
USGS1981

Geology and hydrology for environmental planning in Marquette County, Michigan

Marquette County, in the glaciated area of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, includes 1,878 square miles. Precipitation averages 32 inches per year. Bedrock and glacial deposits contain materials that are good aquifers. Sedimentary bedrock units generally yield sufficient water for domestic supply and, in places, may yield more than 100 gallons per minute to large-diameter wells. In the glacial deposits, sand and gravel beds are the principal aquifers; yields to wells range from less than 10 to 200 gallons per minute. Igneous and metamorphic rocks yield little or no water to wells. Suitable sewage and refuse disposal sites are not readily available because of the abundance of wetlands, streams, and lakes susceptible to infiltrating leachate.

Michigan↗
USGS1983

Hydrogeology for land-use planning: the Peters Creek area, Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska

Wells currently provide all water supplies in the area. Most wells obtain enough water for individual household needs from unconsolidated, principally glacial and glacioalluvial deposits. In some places, however, wells must be drilled into the underlying bedrock to obtain adequate supplies. It may be possible to develop small community supplies--for individual trailer courts or subdivisions--in areas where yields of 20 gallons per minute or greater are reported for private, domestic wells. Peters Creek is a potential source of surface-water supply, but it would have to be treated to remove glacial silt during summer months. The chemical quality of both ground water and surface water in the area in generally acceptable for most uses. Foundation and excavation conditions, the potential for water pollution from onsite disposal of wastewater through septic tank systems, and the suitability of specific areas for certain types of development may be affected by the following factors: wetlands and areas of shallow ground water underlie about 30 percent of the study area; landslope exceeds 20 percent in about a third of the area; areas of fine-grained, low-permeability sediments are present locally; bedrock is within 25 feet of the land surface in about a third of the area. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗