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At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources
USGS2015

Mercury and methylmercury in reservoirs in Indiana

Mercury (Hg) is an element that occurs naturally, but evidence suggests that human activities have resulted in increased amounts being released to the atmosphere and land surface. When Hg is converted to methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic ecosystems, MeHg accumulates and increases in the food web so that some fish contain levels which pose a health risk to humans and wildlife that consume these fish. Reservoirs unlike natural lakes, are a part of river systems that are managed for flood control. Data compiled and interpreted for six flood-control reservoirs in Indiana showed a relation between Hg transport, MeHg formation in water, and MeHg in fish that was influenced by physical, chemical, and biological differences among the reservoirs. Existing information precludes a uniform comparison of Hg and MeHg in all reservoirs in the State, but factors and conditions were identified that can indicate where and when Hg and MeHg levels in reservoirs could be highest. As part of a statewide monitoring network for Hg and MeHg in Indiana streams, 66 water samples were collected from four reservoir tailwater sites (downstream near the dams) on a quarterly schedule for 5 years. The reservoirs were Brookville Lake, Cagles Mill Lake, J. Edward Roush Lake, and Mississinewa Lake. Particulate-bound Hg concentrations were significantly lower in tailwater samples than in samples from free-flowing streams in the statewide network. (Free-flowing streams were not affected by dams and were not upstream from these reservoirs.) These data indicated the reduced flow velocity of water upstream from dams was allowing particulate-bound Hg to settle out of the water in the reservoir pools. The concentration ratios of MeHg to Hg were significantly higher in the tailwater samples than in samples from free-flowing streams, and the MeHg to Hg ratios were significantly higher in summer than in other seasons. To evaluate the conditions related to MeHg formation, pools of three reservoirs (Brookville Lake, Monroe Lake, and Patoka Lake) were investigated during summer hydrologic conditions. Water temperature and dissolved oxygen were measured from the water surface to the lake bottom at 10 to 17 transects across each reservoir to identify three thermal strata, defined by water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and depth. Depth-specific water samples were collected from these thermal strata throughout each reservoir, from the headwaters to the dam and from the tailwater. Mercury concentrations higher than 0.04 nanogram per liter (ng/L) were detected in all 53 samples, and MeHg concentrations higher than 0.04 ng/L were detected in 53 percent of the samples. The investigation found a zone of water below 8 or 9 meters, with temperatures less than 18 degrees Celsius and dissolved oxygen less than 3.5 milligrams per liter, extending through nearly half the reservoir area in Monroe Lake and Patoka Lake. This zone had abundant dissolved MeHg and concentration ratios of dissolved MeHg to Hg that ranged from 25 to 82 percent. This zone also had water with pH less than 7 and decreased dissolved sulfate, conditions indicating sulfate reduction by microorganisms that promoted a high potential for the conversion of Hg to MeHg. Reservoir outflow came from this zone at Monroe Lake and contributed to a tailwater concentration ratio for dissolved MeHg to Hg of 56 percent. Reservoir outflow at Patoka Lake was not from this zone, and dissolved MeHg was not detected in the tailwater. In contrast, samples from the summer pool at Brookville Lake had no MeHg detections even though Hg was detected, probably because the water pH higher than 7 inhibited sulfate reduction and did not promote the conversion of Hg to MeHg. Mercury and MeHg concentrations and the concentration ratios of MeHg to Hg in water varied among the six reservoirs in Indiana, and the differences were related to a combination of factors that could apply to other reservoirs. In areas with moderate to high rates of atmospheric Hg wet and dry deposition, Hg runoff and transport to streams and reservoirs was potentially highest for reservoirs with heavily forested watersheds in steep terrains of near-surface bedrock. Methylmercury concentrations and concentration ratios of MeHg to Hg were highest for reservoirs with the longest summer pools and highest inflow-to-outflow retention times, where water-chemistry conditions favoring sulfate reduction promoted conversion of Hg to MeHg. Methylmercury (reported as Hg) in fish-tissue samples collected for the State fish consumption advisory program was used to describe MeHg food-web accumulation and magnification in the reservoirs. The highest percentages of fish-tissue samples with Hg concentrations that exceeded the criterion of 0.30 milligram per kilogram for protection of human health were from Monroe Lake (38 percent) and Patoka Lake (33 percent). A review of the number and size of fish species caught from these two reservoirs resulted in two implications for fish consumption by humans. First, the highest numbers of fish harvested for potential human consumption were species more likely to have MeHg concentrations lower than the human-health criterion (crappie, bluegill, and catfish). Second, although largemouth bass were likely to have MeHg concentrations higher than the human-health criterion, they were caught and released more often than they were harvested. However, the average size largemouth bass (in both reservoirs) and above-average size walleye (in Monroe Lake) that were harvested for potential human consumption were likely to have MeHg concentrations higher than the human-health criterion.

Indiana↗
USGS1978

Summary appraisals of the nation's ground-water resources – Tennessee region

Ground water is an abundant and little-used resource in the Tennessee Region, a 41,000 square mile area dominated by the Tennessee River system and including parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. One-fifth to one-fourth of the precipitation that falls on the region enters the ground-water reservoirs. During the year approximately the same amount of water leaves the ground-water system, sustaining the dry-weather flow of streams. Recharge for the region is about 22,000 million gallons per day or 0.5 million gallons per day per square mile. The major types of aquifers in the region are unconsolidated material (including sand and regolith), carbonate rocks, and fractured noncarbonate rocks. One or more of these aquifer types occurs in each of the six physiographic subdivisions of the region. The productivity of these aquifers depends on their hydraulic properties and on the distribution of these properties. The unconsolidated sand aquifers are the most homogeneous in composition and most predictable in occurrence. These aquifers commonly yield 200 to 600 gallons per minute per well depending on the thickness of sand penetrated. The most difficult aquifers to predict in regard to depth and yield are the carbonate rocks. In these aquifers it is possible to drill dry holes within a few hundred feet of wells capable of producing several thousand gallons per minute. However, with an adequate reconnaissance study to determine the occurrence of ground water and a planned test drilling program, yields of up to 300 gallons per minute per well can be expected in the carbonate aquifers. Potential yields from the fractured noncarbonate aquifers are lower than in the carbonate rocks. The chemical and physical properties of ground water in the Tennessee Region are usually within the limits recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water, and the ground water in all but some very shallow aquifers tends to be free of pathogenic microorganisms. Saline water is not known to occur in significant quantities in the region. In 1970, 173 million gallons per day of ground water were used in the Tennessee Region. This was less than 8 percent of the total quantity of water used in the region and only 0.8 percent of the estimated ground-water recharge. Ground water is used chiefly as a source of water supply for rural areas and small towns. A lesser amount is used by industries and commercial establishments located beyond the limits of municipal water-supply systems. However, there is potential for significantly increased use in order to augment surface-water supplies and to utilize the total water resource more efficiently. Hydrologic studies and adequate test drilling would greatly increase the chances of locating large amounts of ground water, especially in the nine-tenths of the Tennessee Region that is underlain by either carbonate rocks or fractured noncarbonate rocks which have highly variable water-bearing properties. Collectively, such studies are useful in developing a concept of the hydrologic system which would permit the development of criteria for selecting well sites in other areas with a similar geological and hydrological setting. Hydrologic studies that include test drilling have been conducted in all parts of the region except the Cumberland Plateau. Some of the basic data necessary for hydrologic studies, such as geologic maps, well records, and streamflow records are available throughout the region. However, detailed information on groundwater levels, ground-water quality, and aquifer characteristics are not equally available throughout the region. This type of information cannot be obtained quickly when it is needed; it must be the product of a continuing program of studies designed to evaluate the Tennessee Region's ground-water resource. Because of the interdependence of ground water and surface water, water management efforts can be fully effective only if they involve the whole water resource. In the Tennessee Region, surface water is highly controlled, but there is at present no regionwide water-resources management plan that includes ground water.

Tennessee↗
USGS2014

Surficial geology and stratigraphy of Pleistocene Lake Manix, San Bernardino County, California

Pluvial Lake Manix and its surrounding drainage basin, in the central Mojave Desert of California, has been a focus of paleoclimate, surficial processes, and neotectonic studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since about 2004. The USGS initiated studies of Lake Manix deposits to improve understanding of the paleoclimatic record and the shifts in atmospheric circulation that controlled precipitation in the Mojave Desert. Until approximately 25,000 years ago, Lake Manix was the terminus of the Mojave River, which drains northeasterly from the San Bernardino Mountains; the river currently terminates in the Soda Lake and Silver Lake playas. Pleistocene Lake Manix occupied several subbasins at its maximum extent. This map focuses on the extensive exposures created by incision of the Mojave River and its tributaries into the interbedded lacustrine and alluvial deposits within the central (Cady) and northeastern (Afton) subbasins of Lake Manix, and extends from the head of Afton Canyon to Manix Wash. The map illuminates the geomorphic development and depositional history of the lake and alluvial fans within the active tectonic setting of the eastern California shear zone, especially interactions with the left-lateral Manix fault. Lake Manix left an extraordinarily detailed but complex record of numerous transgressive-regressive sequences separated by desiccation and deposition of fan, eolian, and fluvial deposits, and punctuated by tectonic movements and a catastrophic flood that reconfigured the lake basin. Through careful observation of the intercalated lacustrine and fan sequences and by determining the precise elevations of unit contacts, this record was decoded to understand the response of the lake and river system to the interplay of climatic, geomorphic, and tectonic forces. These deposits are exposed in steep badland topography. Mapping was carried out mostly at scales of 1:12,000, although the map is presented at 1:24,000 scale, and employs custom unit nomenclature, with multiple subdivided lacustrine and alluvial fan units. In addition, many important units are very thin and cannot be mapped separately, or are covered by thin eolian sand, so these are commonly portrayed as stacks of units or combined units. These details are more accurately portrayed in the measured sections that accompany the map. Altitudes of many contacts were obtained using differentially corrected Global Positioning System (GPS) or, in some cases, lidar (light detection and ranging) data.

California↗
USGS2018

Geologic map of the Fort Collins 30'×60' quadrangle, Larimer and Jackson Counties, Colorado, and Albany and Laramie Counties, Wyoming

The rocks and landforms of the Fort Collins 30 ′ × 60 ′ 1:100,000-scale U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle reveals a particularly complete record of geologic history in the northern Front Range of Colorado. The Proterozoic basement rocks exposed in the core of the range preserve evidence of Paleoproterozoic marine sedimentation, volcanism, and regional soft-sediment deformation, followed by regional folding and gradational metamorphism. Mesoproterozoic time was marked by intrusion of the Berthoud Plutonic Suite into crust that was structurally neutral or moderately extending in an east-northeast direction. Evidence of the late Paleozoic Anasazi uplift (Ancestral Rocky Mountains uplift) within the quadrangle is recorded by removal of Permian and older sediments and deposition of proximal Pennsylvanian and Permian strata unconformably onto the exhumed Proterozoic basement rocks. The Phanerozoic sediments indicate a steady progression of fluvial, eolian, and lacustrine environments throughout most of the Mesozoic Era which was a time of relatively slow sediment accumulation. Early Cretaceous time was marked by incursion of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, a shallow-water marine embayment that persisted throughout the latter part of the Mesozoic Era. Sedimentation rates increased significantly in the latter part of this period during down-warping related to distant crustal loading by thrusting along the western continental margin. With onset of the Laramide orogeny in latest Cretaceous time, mountain building resumed in this region. This deformation placed Proterozoic rock over Cretaceous and Paleocene strata along the western margin of the Front Range and Medicine Bow Mountains. Post-Laramide time was marked by a prolonged period of weathering, erosion, and planation of the basement-rock surface, extending perhaps into late Oligocene or early Miocene time. Erosion on the eastern slope of the Front Range in late Paleogene to early Neogene time produced a broad, rolling surface surrounding residual highlands and east-trending fluvial channels filled with coarse, boulder gravel. Significant global cooling during the Pliocene led to glaciation during the Quaternary. In the Rocky Mountain region, renewed uplift allowed erosion to accentuate the topographic relief across the high mountains of the map area and established the elevations necessary to trigger accumulation of persistent snow and ice. Mountain glaciers advanced and retreated during at least three glacial-interglacial cycles during the middle and late Pleistocene in this area. Erosion continues to this day on the High Plains east of the mountain front, and progressive incision of the drainage is recorded by at least five major gravel-clad terrace and pediment surfaces along the major fluvial channels that connect to the South Platte River system.

Colorado, Wyoming↗
USGS2020

Geologic map of the Homestake Reservoir 7.5′ quadrangle, Lake, Pitkin, and Eagle Counties, Colorado

The Homestake Reservoir 7.5' quadrangle lies at the northwestern end of the Upper Arkansas Valley, and headwaters of the Arkansas River, and the Roaring Fork, Fryingpan, and Eagle Rivers of the Colorado River system. The quadrangle lies within tectonic provinces of the 1.4 giga-annum (Ga) Picuris orogeny and includes the late Paleozoic Ancestral Rockies, Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Laramide orogeny, Oligocene-to-Miocene and Pliocene? volcanism, and Miocene to the present Rio Grande rift extensional tectonics. In the eastern half of the quadrangle, high-angle, east-dipping, Neogene normal faults displace Proterozoic rocks, and locally Miocene-to-Pliocene? volcanic rocks. Many quartz veins and hydrothermally altered zones are exposed along the eastern flank of the quadrangle, indicative of the multiple tectonic episodes the region has experienced. The main intent of the map is to unravel the structural complexity by partitioning the structures and volcanism within the appropriate geologic interval. This ultimately permits accurate identification of geomorphic features suitable for chronologies related to landscape evolution studies, seismic and other natural hazard identification, ground and surface water modeling, and paleoclimatic studies. Within the western half of the quadrangle, Mesoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks of 1.4 Ga St. Kevin Granite and 1.8–1.7 Ga Biotite gneiss and schist, respectively, are uplifted along the generally east-dipping, high-angle Sawatch fault system. In the northwest portion of the quadrangle, strands of the Homestake shear zone have been mapped, dated and assigned to the 1.4 Ga Picuris orogeny of northern New Mexico. 10 Be and 26 Al cosmogenic nuclide ages of the youngest glacial deposits indicate a last glacial maximum age of about 22–21 kilo-annum (ka) and complete deglaciation by about 14 kilo-annum, supported by chronologic studies in adjacent drainages. The Turquoise Lake impounding lateral and terminal moraine complex was deposited during late Pleistocene glacial maximum ~22–21 ka. No late Pleistocene tectonic activity is apparent within the quadrangle.

Colorado↗
USGS2006

Evaporation from Lake Mead, Arizona and Nevada, 1997-99

Lake Mead is one of a series of large Colorado River reservoirs operated and maintained by the Bureau of Reclamation. The Colorado River system of reservoirs and diversions is an important source of water for millions of people in seven Western States and Mexico. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, conducted a study from 1997 to 1999 to estimate evaporation from Lake Mead. For this study, micrometeorological and hydrologic data were collected continually from instrumented platforms deployed at four locations on the lake, open-water areas of Boulder Basin, Virgin Basin, and Overton Arm and a protected cove in Boulder Basin. Data collected at the platforms were used to estimate Lake Mead evaporation by solving an energy-budget equation. The average annual evaporation rate at open-water stations from January 1998 to December 1999 was 7.5 feet. Because the spatial variation of monthly and annual evaporation rates was minimal for the open-water stations, a single open-water station in Boulder Basin would provide data that are adequate to estimate evaporation from Lake Mead.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2007

Temperature Effects of Point Sources, Riparian Shading, and Dam Operations on the Willamette River, Oregon

Water temperature is an important factor influencing the migration, rearing, and spawning of several important fish species in rivers of the Pacific Northwest. To protect these fish populations and to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Clean Water Act, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality set a water temperature Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in 2006 for the Willamette River and the lower reaches of its largest tributaries in northwestern Oregon. As a result, the thermal discharges of the largest point sources of heat to the Willamette River now are limited at certain times of the year, riparian vegetation has been targeted for restoration, and upstream dams are recognized as important influences on downstream temperatures. Many of the prescribed point-source heat-load allocations are sufficiently restrictive that management agencies may need to expend considerable resources to meet those allocations. Trading heat allocations among point-source dischargers may be a more economical and efficient means of meeting the cumulative point-source temperature limits set by the TMDL. The cumulative nature of these limits, however, precludes simple one-to-one trades of heat from one point source to another; a more detailed spatial analysis is needed. In this investigation, the flow and temperature models that formed the basis of the Willamette temperature TMDL were used to determine a spatially indexed 'heating signature' for each of the modeled point sources, and those signatures then were combined into a user-friendly, spreadsheet-based screening tool. The Willamette River Point-Source Heat-Trading Tool allows the user to increase or decrease the heating signature of each source and thereby evaluate the effects of a wide range of potential point-source heat trades. The predictions of the Trading Tool were verified by running the Willamette flow and temperature models under four different trading scenarios, and the predictions typically were accurate to within about 0.005 degrees Celsius (?C). In addition to assessing the effects of point-source heat trades, the models were used to evaluate the temperature effects of several shade-restoration scenarios. Restoration of riparian shade along the entire Long Tom River, from its mouth to Fern Ridge Dam, was calculated to have a small but significant effect on daily maximum temperatures in the main-stem Willamette River, on the order of 0.03?C where the Long Tom River enters the Willamette River, and diminishing downstream. Model scenarios also were run to assess the effects of restoring selected 5-mile reaches of riparian vegetation along the main-stem Willamette River from river mile (RM) 176.80, just upstream of the point where the McKenzie River joins the Willamette River, to RM 116.87 near Albany, which is one location where cumulative point-source heating effects are at a maximum. Restoration of riparian vegetation along the main-stem Willamette River was shown by model runs to have a significant local effect on daily maximum river temperatures (0.046 to 0.194?C) at the site of restoration. The magnitude of the cooling depends on many factors including river width, flow, time of year, and the difference in vegetation characteristics between current and restored conditions. Downstream of the restored reach, the cooling effects are complex and have a nodal nature: at one-half day of travel time downstream, shade restoration has little effect on daily maximum temperature because water passes the restoration site at night; at 1 full day of travel time downstream, cooling effects increase to a second, diminished maximum. Such spatial complexities may complicate the trading of heat allocations between point and nonpoint sources. Upstream dams have an important effect on water temperature in the Willamette River system as a result of augmented flows as well as modified temperature releases over the course of the summer and autumn. The TMDL was formulated prior t

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2008

Extent and depth to top of basalt and interbed hydrogeologic units, Yakima River Basin aquifer system, Washington

The hydrogeologic framework was delineated for the ground-water flow system of the three basalt formations and two interbeds in the Yakima River Basin, Washington. The basalt units are nearly equivalent to the Saddle Mountains, Wanapum, and Grande Ronde. The two major interbed units between the basalt formations generally are referred to as the Mabton and Vantage. The basalt formations are a productive source of ground-water for the Yakima River Basin. The Grande Ronde unit comprises the largest area in the Yakima River Basin aquifer system. This unit encompasses an area of about 5,390 mi2 and ranges in altitude from 6,900 ft, where it is exposed at land surface, to a depth of 2,800 ft below land surface. The Wanapum unit encompasses an area of 3,450 mi2 and ranges in altitude from 5,680 ft, where exposed at land surface, to a depth of 2,050 ft below land surface. The Saddle Mountains unit, the least extensive, encompasses an area of 2,290 mi2 and ranges from 4,290 ft, where exposed at the surface, to a depth of 1,840 ft below land surface.

Washington↗
USGS2008

Temporal Differences in Flow Depth and Velocity Distributions and Hydraulic Microhabitats Near Bridges of the Lower Platte River, Nebraska, 1934-2006

As part of a collaborative study of the cumulative impacts on stream and riparian ecology of water and channel management practices in the lower Platte River, Nebraska, this report describes a study by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District that summarizes: (1) temporal differences in distribution of streamflow depth, velocity, and microhabitats among five discrete 11-water-year periods 1934-44, 1951-61, 1966-76, 1985-95, and 1996-2006, and (2) the effects of bridge proximity on distribution of streamflow depth, velocity, and microhabitat of the Platte River when cross sections were measured at a similar discharge. The scope of the study included the four presently (2008) active streamflow-gaging stations located near bridges over the lower Platte River at North Bend, near Leshara, near Ashland, and at Louisville, Nebraska, and the most downstream streamflow-gaging station within the central Platte River segment near Duncan, Nebraska. Generally, in cases where temporal differences in streamflow depth and velocity were evident, at least one of the water-year periods from 1934 through 1995 had deeper streamflow than the recent water-year period (1996-2006). Temporal differences in distributions of streamflow depth were not strongly associated with differences in either climatic conditions or the maximum peak flow that occurred prior to the latest discharge measurement during each period. The relative cross-sectional area of most hydraulic niches did not differ among the water-year periods. Part of this apparent uniformity likely was an artifact of the broad microhabitat classification used for this study. In cases where temporal differences in relative cross-sectional area of hydraulic niches were evidenced, the differences occurred during high- and low-flow conditions, not during median flow conditions. The temporal differences in relative cross-sectional area were found more frequently for hydraulic niches defined by moderate and fast velocities than for hydraulic niches defined by slow velocities. Generally, any significant increase or decrease in the relative cross-sectional areas of hydraulic niches during the water-year periods from 1934 through 1995 had disappeared during the most recent water-year period, 1996-2006. Deep-Swift niche was the predominant hydraulic niche for all near-bridge sites on the lower Platte River for high- and median-flow conditions. The Deep-Swift niche also was the predominant niche for the near-bridge sites near Ashland and at Louisville for low-flow conditions; for the near-bridge sites at North Bend and near Leshara, streamflow cross-sectional areas during low-flow conditions were shared among the Shallow-Moderate, Intermediate-Moderate, Intermediate-Swift, and Deep-Swift hydraulic niches. For the near-bridge site near Duncan, the site farthest downstream in the central Platte River system, the Deep-Swift hydraulic niche was predominant only during high-flow conditions; during median- and low-flow conditions the relative cross-sectional area was shared among the Shallow-Slow, Shallow-Moderate, Intermediate-Moderate, and Intermediate-Swift hydraulic niches. Significant temporal differences in the relative cross-sectional area of the Deep-Swift hydraulic niche were found for sites near the two farthest downstream bridges near Ashland and at Louisville, but only for low-flow conditions. The Deep-Swift microhabitat was of special interest because it is the preferred hydraulic habitat during the adult life of the endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Temporal differences in relative cross-sectional areas of the Glide low-flow geomorphic microhabitat that contained the Deep-Swift hydraulic niche also indicated that relative cross-sectional areas of the Glide during the 1951-61 and 1996-2006 water-year periods were lower than during the 1966-76 period. The temporal differences indicated that any significant temporal chang

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

Assessment of Lower Missouri River physical aquatic habitat and its use by adult sturgeon ( Genus Scaphirhynchus ), 2005-07

This report presents an exploratory analysis of habitat availability and use by adult Scaphirhynchus sturgeon on the Lower Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota, to the junction with the Mississippi River. The analysis is based on two main data sources collected from 2005 to 2007: (1) a compilation of 153 reach-scale habitat maps (mean reach length, 2.4 kilometers) derived from boat-collected hydroacoustic data and (2) a sturgeon location dataset from which 378 sturgeon telemetry locations are associated with the maps (within 7 days of the mapping and within 10 percent of the discharge). The report focuses on: (1) longitudinal patterns of geomorphic and hydraulic characteristics revealed by the collection of reach maps; (2) assessment of environmental characteristics at sturgeon locations in the context of the mapped reaches; and (3) consideration of spatial distribution of habitat conditions that sturgeon appear to select. Longitudinal patterns of geomorphology, hydraulics, and associated habitats relate strongly to the engineered state of the river. Reaches within each of the following river sections tended to share similar geomorphic, hydrologic, and hydraulic characteristics: the Minimally Engineered section (Gavins Point Dam to Sioux City, Iowa), the Upstream Channelized section (Sioux City, Iowa, to the junction with the Kansas River), and the Downstream Channelized section (Kansas River to the junction with the Mississippi River). Adult sturgeon occupy nearly the full range of available values for each continuous variable assessed: depth, depth slope, depth-averaged velocity, velocity gradient, and Froude number (a dimensionless number relating velocity to depth). However, in the context of habitat available in a reach, sturgeon tend to select some areas over others. Reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), in particular, were often found in parts of the reach with one or more of the following characteristics: high velocity gradient, high depth slope, low Froude number, and low (though not necessarily the lowest) depth-averaged velocity. Depths used by sturgeon varied considerably. We explored spatial patterns representing the variable ranges that reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon most strongly and consistently selected by mapping areas within reaches meeting the following criteria: greater than the 80th percentile of depth slope, greater than the 80th percentile of velocity gradient, and less than the 20th percentile of Froude number. Our data exploration indicates that areas meeting these criteria have some predictive value regarding sturgeon habitat selection. Of all sturgeon locations that fall on maps from the same year (sample size = 2,013), about 63 percent fall within about 35 percent of the area where at least one variable meets the above criteria and 18 percent of locations fall within 4 percent of the area where all three variables meet the above criteria. The spatial patterns of these mapped areas show distinct differences among the sections of the Lower Missouri River. For example, the areas of predicted selection exhibit a relatively complex mosaic with multiple interconnected pathways in reaches of the Minimally Engineered section. In contrast, areas of predicted selection are concentrated along the channel margins in reaches of the Upstream Channelized section. Because the patterns described in this report represent habitat use in the context of the available habitat in a highly altered river system, selection may not necessarily indicate preferred habitats or habitats sufficient for reproduction and survival of sturgeon species.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2016

Estimated use of water in the Delaware River Basin in Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, 2010

The Delaware River Basin (DRB) was selected as a Focus Area Study in 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of the USGS National Water Census. The National Water Census is a USGS research program that focuses on national water availability and use and then develops new water accounting tools and assesses water availability at both the regional and national scales. One of the water management needs that the DRB study addressed, and that was identified by stakeholder groups from the DRB, was to improve the integration of state water use and water-supply data and to provide the compiled water use information to basin users. This water use information was also used in the hydrologic modeling and ecological components of the study. Instream and offstream water use was calculated for 2010 for the DRB based on information received from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Water withdrawal, interbasin transfers, return flow, and hydroelectric power generation release data were compiled for 11 categories by hydrologic subregion, basin, subbasin, and subwatershed. Data availability varied by state. Site-specific data were used whenever possible to calculate public supply, irrigation (golf courses, nurseries, sod farms, and crops), aquaculture, self-supplied industrial, commercial, mining, thermoelectric, and hydroelectric power withdrawals. Where site-specific data were not available, primarily for crop irrigation, livestock, and domestic use, various techniques were used to estimate water withdrawals. Total water withdrawals in the Delaware River Basin were calculated to be about 7,130 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) in 2010. Calculations of withdrawals by source indicate that freshwater withdrawals were about 4,130 Mgal/d (58 percent of the total) and the remaining 3,000 Mgal/d (42 percent) were from saline water. Total surface-water withdrawals were calculated to be 6,590 Mgal/d, or 92 percent of the total; about 54 percent (3,590 Mgal/d) of surface water withdrawn was freshwater. Total groundwater withdrawals were calculated to be 545 Mgal/d (8 percent of the total), all of which was freshwater. During 2010, calculated withdrawals by category, in decreasing order, were: thermoelectric power, 4,910 Mgal/d; public supply, 1,490 Mgal/d; self-supplied industrial, 350 Mgal/d; irrigation, 175 Mgal/d; self-supplied domestic, 117 Mgal/d; mining, 41.3 Mgal/d; aquaculture, 19.3 Mgal/d; livestock, 6.72 Mgal/d, and commercial, 5.89 Mgal/d. The amount of instream use for hydroelectric power generation purposes in 2010 was reported to be 273 Mgal/d for the Wallenpaupack Plant and 127 Mgal/d for the Mongaup River system. Total return flows in the DRB were 2,960 Mgal/d in 2010. Although municipal wastewater-treatment plants accounted for 539 (97 percent) of the return-flow sites, they accounted for about 70 percent of the total return flows in the DRB. There was limited information on return flows from thermoelectric power.

Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania↗
USGS2017

Egg deposition by lithophilic-spawning fishes in the Detroit and Saint Clair Rivers, 2005–14

A long-term, multiseason, fish egg sampling program conducted annually on the Detroit (2005–14) and Saint Clair (2010–14) Rivers was summarized to identify where productive fish spawning habitat currently exists. Egg mats were placed on the river bottom during the spring and fall at historic spawning areas and candidate fish spawning habitat restoration sites throughout both rivers. Widespread evidence was found of lithophilic spawning by numerous native fish species, including walleye ( Sander vitreus ), lake whitefish ( Coregonus clupeaformis ), lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ), suckers (Catostomidae spp.), and trout-perch ( Percopsis omiscomaycus ). Walleye, lake whitefish, and suckers spp. spawned in nearly every region of each river in all years on both reef and nonreef substrates. Lake sturgeon eggs were collected almost exclusively over constructed reefs. Catch-per-unit effort of walleye, lake whitefish, and sucker eggs was much greater in the Detroit River than in the Saint Clair River, while Saint Clair River sites supported the greatest collections of lake sturgeon eggs. Collections during this study of lake sturgeon eggs on man-made spawning reefs suggest that artificial reefs may be an effective tool for restoring fish populations in the Detroit and Saint Clair Rivers; however, the quick response of lake sturgeon to spawn on newly constructed reefs and the fact that walleye, lake whitefish, and sucker eggs were often collected over substrate with little interstitial space to protect eggs from siltation and predators suggests that lack of suitable spawning habitat may continue to limit reproduction of lithophilic-spawning fish species in the Saint Clair-Detroit River System.

Michigan↗
USGS2023

Interaction of a legacy groundwater contaminant plume with the Little Wind River from 2015 through 2017, Riverton Processing site, Wyoming

The Riverton Processing site was a uranium mill 4 kilometers southwest of Riverton, Wyoming, that prepared uranium ore for nuclear reactors and weapons from 1958 to 1963. The U.S. Department of Energy completed surface remediation of the uranium tailings in 1989; however, groundwater below and downgradient from the tailings site and nearby Little Wind River was not remediated. Beginning in 2010, a series of floods along the Little Wind River began to mobilize contaminants in the unsaturated zone, resulting in substantial increases of uranium and other contaminants of concern in monitoring wells completed inside the contaminant plume. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy started a series of university and Government agency retrospective and field investigations to understand the processes controlling contaminant increases in the groundwater plume. The goals of the field investigations described in this report were to (1) identify and quantify the contaminant flux and potential associated biological effects from groundwater associated with the legacy plume as it enters a perennial stream reach, and (2) assess chemical exposure and potential effects to biological receptors from the interaction of the contaminant plume and the river. Field investigations along the Little Wind River were completed by the U.S. Geological Survey during 2015–17 in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management to characterize: (1) seepage areas and seepage rates; (2) pore-water and bed sediment chemistry and hyporheic exchange and reactive loss; and (3) exposure pathways and biological receptors. All data collected during the study are contained in two U.S. Geological Survey data releases, available at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BR8QX4 and https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J9VJBR . A variety of tools and methods were used during the field characterizations. Streambed temperature mapping, electrical resistivity tomography, electromagnetic induction, fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing, tube seepage meters, vertical thermal sensor arrays, and an environmental tracer (radon) were used to identify areas of groundwater seepage and associated seepage rates along specific sections of the study reach of the river. Drive points, minipiezometers, diffusive equilibrium in thin-film/diffusive gradients in thin-film probes, bed-sediment samples, and equal discharge increment sampling methods were used to characterize pore-water chemistry, estimate hyporheic exchange and reactive loss of selected chemical constituents, and quantify contaminant loadings entering the study reach. Sampling and analysis of surface sediments, filamentous algae, periphytic algae, and macroinvertebrates were used to characterize biological exposure pathways, metal uptake, and receptors. Areas of focused groundwater discharge identified by the fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing surveys corresponded closely with areas of elevated electrical conductivity identified by the electromagnetic induction survey results in the top 5 meters of sediment. During three monitoring periods in 2016, the mean vertical seepage rate measured with tube seepage meters was 0.45 meter per day, ranging from −0.02 to 1.55 meters per day. Five of the 11 locations where vertical thermal profile data were collected along the study reach during August 2017 indicated mean upwelling values ranging from 0.11 to 0.23 meter per day. Radon data collected from the Little Wind River during June, July, and August 2016 indicated a consistent inflow of groundwater to the central part of the study reach, in the area congruous with the center of the previously mapped groundwater plume discharge zone. During August 2017, the greatest attenuation of uranium from reactive loss in pore-water samples was observed at three locations along the study reach, at depths between 6 and 15 centimeters, and similar trends in molybdenum attenuation were also observed. Bed-sediment concentration profiles collected during 2017 also indicated attenuation of uranium and molybdenum from groundwater during hyporheic mixing of surface water with the legacy plume during groundwater upwelling into the river. Streamflow measurements combined with equal discharge increment water sampling along the study reach indicated an increase in dissolved uranium concentrations in the downstream direction during 2016 and 2017. Net uranium load entering the Little Wind River study reach was about 290 and 435 grams per day during 2016 and 2017, respectively. Biological samples indicated that low levels of uranium and molybdenum exposure were confined to the benthos in the Little Wind River within and immediately downstream from the perimeter of the groundwater plume. Concentrations of molybdenum and uranium in filamentous algae were consistently low at all sites in the study reach with no indication of increased exposure of dissolved bioavailable molybdenum or uranium at sites next to or downstream from the groundwater plume. Comparison of the August 2017 results from electromagnetic induction, tube seepage meters, vertical thermal profiling, and pore-water chemistry surveys were in general agreement in identifying areas with upwelling groundwater conditions along the study reach. However, the electroconductivity values measured with electromagnetic induction in the top 100 centimeters of sediment did not agree with sodium concentrations measured in pore-water samples collected at similar streambed depths. Differences and similarities between multiple methods can result in additional insights into hydrologic and biogeochemical processes that may be occurring along a reach of a river system interacting with shallow groundwater inputs. It may be advantageous to apply a variety of geophysical, geochemical, hydrologic, and biological tools at other Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action ( https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/10/f19/UMTRCA.pdf ) sites during the investigation of legacy contaminant plume interactions with surface-water systems.

Wyoming↗
USGS2025

Evaluating hydrologic data products for scientific and management applications related to potential future streamflow conditions in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers

The hydrology of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers is a fundamental driver of ecosystem patterns and processes across a large portion of the United States. Quantitative hydrologic data for the main stems of these rivers underlie numerous scientific investigations, statistical models, and decision-making processes for local, State, and Federal agencies involved in the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program. Although historical hydrologic data exist, data representing potential future conditions of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers lack the resolution necessary to anticipate biotic and abiotic responses to altered hydrology and to determine resilient management actions. A source of future hydrologic scenarios is the readily available LOCA–VIC–mizuRoute hydrologic data products (named for the chain of models the data are produced from—localized constructed analogs, Variable Infiltration Capacity macroscale hydrological model, and the mizuRoute hydrologic routing model—that we shorten further to LVM in this report) that include simulated discharges for historic and future timeframes. The objective of this study is to assess the reliability of the hydrologic data products for their use in Upper Mississippi River Restoration program applications. Key study questions are (1) do the hydrologic data products reproduce characteristics of hydrology necessary to support ecological modeling and restoration decision-making applications within the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program? and (2) are there geographic differences in the reliability of the hydrologic data products? Seven characteristics of river hydrology were selected related to flow magnitude, seasonality, and regime for evaluation. The seven characteristics were calculated using observed and historical simulated hydrologic data at 19 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages throughout the basins of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers; two streamgages are located on the main stem of the Mississippi River and two streamgages are located on the main stem of the Illinois River. Statistical comparisons between observed and historical simulated characteristics indicated that the hydrologic data products did not reliably represent historical hydrologic conditions in the basin or main stem. The hydrologic data products we evaluated could not reliably capture the overall hydrologic regime or flow magnitudes; the latter is evidenced by substantial underestimates of discharge at most streamgages. Seasonal hydrologic characteristics were captured more reliably than flow magnitude, but overall correspondence was low for most streamgages. A weak latitudinal pattern in seasonal characteristics indicated the hydrologic data products poorly represent streamflow timing in snow-affected regions of the basin. Discrepancies in magnitude, seasonality, and regime indicate the potential for multiple sources of error. Because poor correspondence was present across all 19 streamgages, it was not possible to identify specific drivers of poor performance (that is, drainage area or geography). The modeling chain should be evaluated for biases associated with meteorologic forcing data, as well as hydrologic model formulation and calibration. We conclude that the hydrologic data products we evaluated appear unsuitable for applications tied to habitat and ecosystem restoration and management in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Plans to develop a future hydrology dataset for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program would benefit from ongoing work to improve global climate model output downscaling methods, to improve hydrologic models, to make use of innovations in machine-learning approaches for projecting hydrology, and other efforts. The framework developed herein to evaluate hydrometeorological outputs generated using global climate models for a specific water resources application is a transferrable approach that could be applied to other data products and river systems.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Sout↗
USGS2006

Comprehensive water quality of the Boulder Creek Watershed, Colorado, during high-flow and low-flow conditions, 2000

Executive Summary The Boulder Creek Watershed, Colorado, is 1160 square kilometers in area and ranges in elevation from 1480 to 4120 meters above sea level. Streamflow originates primarily as snowmelt near the Continental Divide, and thus discharge varies seasonally and annually (Chapter 1). Most of the water in Boulder Creek is diverted for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use. Some diverted water is returned to the creek as wastewater effluent and by ditch returns, and additional water enters as groundwater and by transbasin diversions. These diversions and returns lead to complex temporal and spatial variations in discharge. The variations in discharge, along with natural factors such as geology and climate, and anthropogenic factors such as wastewater treatment, agriculture, mining, and urbanization, can affect water chemistry. As with many watersheds in the American West, dependable water quality and sufficient water supply are issues facing local water managers and users. Detailed water-quality and sediment sampling allows the identification of sources and sinks of chemical constituents and an understanding of the processes at work in a river system. This study, the most comprehensive water-quality analysis performed for Boulder Creek to date, was a cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the city of Boulder. Geographic information systems and modeling programs were used to delineate watershed boundaries, land cover, and geology (Chapter 2). During high-flow (June 2000) and low-flow (October 2000) conditions, researchers evaluated 226 water-quality variables, including basic water-quality indicators (Chapter 3), major ions and trace elements (Chapter 4), wastewater-derived organic compounds (Chapter 5), and pesticides (Chapter 6). Discharge (Chapter 1) and bed-sediment particle size and mineralogy (Chapter 7) were also evaluated. This cooperative study was facilitated by the Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network (BASIN), which provides public access to environmental information about the Boulder Creek Watershed on a website, www.basin.org. In addition to the USGS and city of Boulder data, researchers at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado provided water chemistry data for the headwaters of North Boulder Creek, upstream of the reach of the USGS/city of Boulder sampling sites (Chapter 8). Snowmelt produces high flows in Boulder Creek in late spring to early summer (Chapter 1). Because precipitation falling in the headwaters is very dilute (specific conductance about 5 microsiemens per centimeter), most chemical constituents are present in lower concentrations during high flows (Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). However, concentrations of some constituents, such as total suspended solids (Chapter 3) and organic carbon (Chapter 5), increase during the spring snowmelt flush. The upper basin, which consists of alpine, subalpine, montane, and foothills regions west of the mouth of Boulder Canyon, is underlain by Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks (Chapter 1). Major dissolved inorganic constituents in headwater sites were found to be enriched by factors of 10 to 20 relative to precipitation; this is consistent with minor weathering of the local crystalline bedrock (Chapter 4). Some anthropogenic input is observed in the headwaters; precipitation introduces nitrogen derived from fossil fuel combustion and agricultural activities (Chapter 8). The lower basin, which consists of the plains region east of the mouth of Boulder Canyon, is underlain by Mesozoic sedimentary rock and Quaternary alluvium, and has substantially more anthropogenic sources. Concentrations of most dissolved inorganic constituents increased in the lower basin. Differentiation between natural and anthropogenic sources of some dissolved constituents is difficult because both sources contribute to the water composition in this region. The increase of most major constituents (bicarbonate, calcium, chloride, magnesium, sodium, and sulfate) is consistent with weathering of the underlying sedimentary bedrock (Chapter 4). It is likely that anthropogenic loading of constituents in this reach occurs during storm events. Fecal coliform concentrations were variable and in some cases exceeded state standards, primarily during low-flow conditions (Chapter 3). Effluent from Boulder’s 75th Street Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) has a substantial impact on the water chemistry of lower Boulder Creek. The WWTP increases the concentrations of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus (Chapter 3), major ions and trace metals (Chapter 4), and organic carbon (Chapter 5) in Boulder Creek. The effluent contained a spike in gadolinium, a rare earth element that is ingested for magnetic resonance imaging as a contrasting agent and then excreted to the urban wastewater system. The effluent also contained trace organic compounds such as surfactants, pharmaceuticals, hormones (Chapter 5), and pesticides (Chapter 6), which also were detected at downstream Boulder Creek sites. Water chemistry of Boulder Creek downstream of the WWTP is largely controlled by the degree of dilution of the wastewater effluent, which varies depending on the baseflow of Boulder Creek, the volume of wastewater effluent, and depletion by agricultural diversions. Coal Creek, a tributary of Boulder Creek, contains wastewater effluent from four additional WWTPs, and increases the load of many constituents in Boulder Creek. In addition to the impact from wastewater effluent, lower Boulder Creek is affected by agricultural land use. Eleven of 84 analyzed pesticides were detected in Boulder Creek or its inflows, primarily in the eastern section of the watershed (Chapter 6). This collaborative study provides an in-depth evaluation of the hydrology, water chemistry, and sediment mineralogy of North Boulder Creek, Middle Boulder Creek, Boulder Creek, and major inflows. The detailed sampling and analysis in this report provide a baseline for future reference, as well as information on the effect of land use and geology on water chemistry.

Colorado↗
USGS1975

Erosion and sediment transport in the Owens River near Bishop, California

Closure of Pleasant Valley Dam in 1954 has almost eliminated the supply of gravel to the 16-mile (25.7-kilometre) study reach of the Owens River. Because of armoring of the channel, scour has been limited to approximately 1 foot (0.3 metre) in the upper 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometres). This report presents information useful in determining long-term erosion effects below Pleasant Valley Dam, in assessing the feasibility of a proposed bypass channel versus retention of the main channel in its present state, and in determining man's influence on river morphology. Bedload transport is dependent on the hydraulics of a section and the availability of material. Ninety-eight percent by weight of the sampled bedload transported between sites 1 and 6 in the study reach was finer than 8 millimetres, although only 6 to 12 percent of the material in the bed available for transport was finer than 8 millimetres. Bank material, a prime source of new material for transport, is predominantly finer than 16 millimetres. Bank erosion is accelerated by wide ranges in flow release. The bank-erosion rates interpreted from aerial photographs indicate average annual erosion rates of 750 tons (680 tonnes) from 1947 to 1967, 1,970 tons (1,790 tonnes) from 1967 to 1968, and 2,020 tons (1,830 tonnes) from 1968 to 1971. These rates are compatible with the water discharge-sediment discharge relation developed from field data collected during 1972-73. Hydraulic geometry of the six sites indicates a shift in the river system regime since 1954. These changes have progressed downstream from the dam to a point between sites 4 and 5. Farther downstream channel changes will occur until the channel stabilizes.

California↗
USGS1981

Water-quality assessment of the Merced River, California, in the 1977 water year

Water-quality conditions in the Merced River in California were sampled four times during the 1977 water year at 12 stations on the river and its major impoundments. Samples taken at the record or near-record low flows of the 1976-77 drought, showed that calcium and bicarbonate were the predominant ions in the water. Inflow of irrigation return water to the river caused a threefold to sevenfold increase in specific conductance between river kilometer 42 and the farthest downstream station at kilometer 8. During the four sampling periods, the increase in total nitrogen concentrations was twofold to sixfold in that reach. Upstream of kilometer 42, the river was free of apparent water-quality degradation, with the exception of occasional increases in nitrogen and phosphorus. Measurements of primary productivity and phytoplankton in Lake McClure and at three river stations gave indications of trophic conditions in the river system. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1983

Drainage basins in Duval County, Florida

The drainage basins and subbasins in Duval County, Florida, are delineated on this atlas map. The county 's 840 square-mile area is drained by three major river systems; the St. Johns, 668 square miles; Nassau, 113 square miles; and St. Marys, 59 square miles. The remainder of the county is drained by a network of small streams that flow into either the Intracoastal Waterway or directly into the Atlantic Ocean. The sub-basins range in size from less than one square mile to more than 50 square miles. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗