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USGS2002

Evapotranspiration from selected fallowed agricultural fields on the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California, during May to October 2000

An investigation of evapotranspiration, vegetation quantity and composition, and depth to the water table below the land surface was made at three sites in two fallowed agricultural lots on the 15,800-hectare Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northern California during the 2000 growing season. All three sites had been farmed during 1999, but were not irrigated since the 1999 growing season. Vegetation at the lot C1B and lot 6 stubble sites included weedy species and small grain plants. The lot 6 cover crop site supported a crop of cereal rye that had been planted during the previous winter. Percentage of coverage by live vegetation ranged from 0 to 43.2 percent at the lot C1B site, from approximately 0 to 63.2 percent at the lot 6 stubble site, and it was estimated to range from 0 to greater than 90 percent at the lot 6 cover crop site. Evapotranspiration was measured using the Bowen ratio energy balance technique and it was estimated using a model that was based on the Priestley-Taylor equation and a model that was based on reference evapotranspiration with grass as the reference crop. Total evapotranspiration during May to October varied little among the three evapotranspiration measurement sites, although the timing of evapotranspiration losses did vary among the sites. Total evapotranspiration from the lot C1B site was 426 millimeters, total evapotranspiration from the lot 6 stubble site was 444 millimeters, and total evapotranspiration from the lot 6 cover crop site was 435 millimeters. The months of May to July accounted for approximately 78 percent of the total evapotranspiration from the lot C1B site, approximately 63 percent of the evapotranspiration from the lot 6 stubble site, and approximately 86 percent of the total evapotranspiration from the lot 6 cover crop site. Estimated growing season precipitation accounted for 16 percent of the growing-season evapotranspiration at the lot C1B site and for 17 percent of the growing-season evapotranspiration at the lot 6 stubble and cover crop sites. The ratio of evapotranspiration rate to the reference evapotranspiration rate was strongly correlated with percentage of site coverage by vegetation at the lot C1B and lot 6 stubble sites (correlation coefficient = 0.95, sample size = 6), where percentage of site coverage was determined from quantitative vegetation surveys. It is concluded that evapotranspiration was mediated by the vegetation at all three sites, and that the differences in seasonal timing of evapotranspiration losses were caused by differences in timing of vegetation growth and development and senescence among the sites. Depth to the water table below the land surface at lot C1B ranged from 0.67 meters in early July to greater than 1.39 meters in late August. Depth to the water table at lot 6 ranged from 0.77 meter in late May to greater than 1.40 meters in late August.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2012

Geophysical investigation of sentinel lakes in Lake, Seminole, Orange, and Volusia Counties, Florida

This study was initiated in cooperation with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) to investigate groundwater and surface-water interaction in designated sentinel lakes in central Florida. Sentinel lakes are a SJRWMD established set of priority water bodies (lakes) for which minimum flows and levels (MFLs) are determined. Understanding both the structure and lithology beneath these lakes can ultimately lead to a better understanding of the MFLs and why water levels fluctuate in certain lakes more so than in other lakes. These sentinel lakes have become important water bodies to use as water-fluctuation indicators in the SJRWMD Minimum Flows and Levels program and will be used to define long-term hydrologic and ecologic performance measures. Geologic control on lake hydrology remains poorly understood in this study area. Therefore, the U.S. Geological Survey investigated 16 of the 21 water bodies on the SJRWMD priority list. Geologic information was obtained by the tandem use of high-resolution seismic profiling (HRSP) and direct-current (DC) resistivity profiling to isolate both the geologic framework (structure) and composition (lithology). Previous HRSP surveys from various lakes in the study area have been successful in identifying karst features, such as subsidence sinkholes. However, by using this method only, it is difficult to image highly irregular or chaotic surfaces, such as collapse sinkholes. Resistivity profiling was used to complement HRSP by detecting porosity change within fractured or collapsed structures and increase the ability to fully characterize the subsurface. Lake Saunders (Lake County) is an example of a lake composed of a series of north-south-trending sinkholes that have joined to form one lake body. HRSP shows surface depressions and deformation in the substrate. Resistivity data likewise show areas in the southern part of the lake where resistivity shifts abruptly from approximately 400 ohm meters (ohm-m) along the edges to approximately 12 ohm-m in the center. These well-defined areas may indicate a "ravel" zone of increased porosity or clay content. Within Lake Helen (Volusia County), a parallel set of seismic reflectors within a host of chaotic reflectors may represent fill within a large sinkhole. The feature extends to more than 50 meters (m) deep and contains very steep pinnacles within the center. Seismic data in Lake Helen are supported by high resistivity values from adjacent continuous resistivity profiles that show possible center collapse within the lake and infilling of sandy material. When used together, HRSP and DC resistivity techniques provide a composite image of structure and lithology to detect potential conduits for fluid flow.

Florida↗

USGS2003

Hydrogeology and geochemistry of aquifers underlying the San Lorenzo and San Leandro areas of the East Bay Plain, Alameda County, California

The East Bay Plain, on the densely populated eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, contains an upper aquifer system to depths of 250 feet below land surface and an underlying lower aquifer system to depths of more than 650 feet. Injection and recovery of imported water has been proposed for deep aquifers at two sites within the lower aquifer system. Successful operation requires that the injected water be isolated from surface sources of poor-quality water during storage and recovery. Hydraulic, geochemical, and isotopic data were used to evaluate the isolation of deeper aquifers. Ground-water responses to tidal changes in the Bay suggest that thick clay layers present within these deposits effectively isolate the deeper aquifers in the northern part of the study area from overlying surficial deposits. These data also suggest that the areal extent of the shallow and deep aquifers beneath the Bay may be limited in the northern part of the study area. Despite its apparent hydraulic isolation, the lower aquifer system may be connected to the overlying upper aquifer system through the corroded and failed casings of abandoned wells. Water-level measurements in observation wells and downward flow measured in selected wells during nonpumped conditions suggest that water may flow through wells from the upper aquifer system into the lower aquifer system during nonpumped conditions. The chemistry of water from wells in the East Bay Plain ranges from fresh to saline; salinity is greater than seawater in shallow estuarine deposits near the Bay. Water from wells completed in the lower aquifer system has higher pH, higher sodium, chloride, and manganese concentrations, and lower calcium concentrations and alkalinity than does water from wells completed in the overlying upper aquifer system. Ground-water recharge temperatures derived from noble-gas data indicate that highly focused recharge processes from infiltration of winter streamflow and more diffuse recharge processes from infiltration of precipitation occur within the study area. However, recharge of imported water from leaking water-supply pipes, believed by previous investigators to be a large source of ground-water recharge, was not supported on the basis of oxygen-18 and deuterium data collected as part of this study. Based on tritium/helium-3 ages, most water in the upper aquifer system is relatively young and was recharged after 1952; however, water in the lower aquifer system is older and does not contain detectable tritium. Carbon-14 ages interpreted for water from wells in the lower aquifer system and underlying partly consolidated rocks range from 500 to more than 20,000 years before present. The greatest ages were in water from wells completed in the partly consolidated deposits that underlie the northern part of the study area. Ground water from wells in the lower aquifer system near the proposed Bayside injection/recovery site was recharged about 9,400 years before present and appears to be isolated from surface sources of recharge and ground-water contamination.

California↗

USGS2005

Use of an urban intensity index to assess urban effects on streams in three contrasting environmental settings

To assess the effects of urbanization on assemblages (fish, invertebrate, and algal), physical habitat, and water chemistry, we investigated the relations among varying intensities of basin urbanization and stream ecology in three metropolitan areas: the humid northeastern United States around Boston, Massachusetts; the humid southeastern United States around Birmingham, Alabama; and the semiarid western United States around Salt Lake City, Utah. A consistent process was used to develop a multimetric urban intensity index (UII) based on locally important variables (land-use/land-cover, infrastructure, and socioeconomic variables) in each study area and a common urban intensity index (CUII) based on a subset of five variables common to all study areas. The UII was used to characterize 30 basins along an urban gradient in each metropolitan area. Study basins were located within a single ecoregion in each of the metropolitan areas. The UII, ecoregions, and site characteristics provided a method for limiting the variability of natural landscape characteristics while assessing the magnitude of urban effects. Conditions in Salt Lake City (semiarid climate and water diversions) and Birmingham (topography) required nesting sites within the same basin. The UII and CUII facilitated comparisons of aquatic assemblages response to urbanization across different environmental settings. ?? 2005 by the American Fisheries Society.

American Fisheries Society Symposium↗

USGS2022

Effects of imported recharge on fluoride trends in groundwater used for public supply in California

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element in groundwater that supports bone and dental health at low concentrations but can cause health problems at elevated concentrations in drinking water. This study investigates spatial and temporal trends for fluoride concentrations in untreated groundwater from over 20,000 public supply wells in California. The presence of a significant temporal trend in fluoride concentrations in a well was assessed using the Mann-Kendall test and a spatial-weighting approach was used to identify the areal extent of the groundwater resources with significant trends. Less than 2% of the groundwater resources used for public supply in the state have concentrations above the California maximum contaminant level of 2 mg/L. Approximately 14% of the groundwater resource used for public supply show a significant recent trend (2000–2019), with decreasing trends occurring in 10% of the resource. Potential drivers for trends were evaluated in two of the areas in southern California with the greatest prevalence of trends but distinct climate and hydrogeological characteristics. Aquifers in the Mojave and Whitewater River watersheds, located in the desert region, and the Los Angeles Basin, located on the coast, have been replenished with imported and treated water over the last half century to maintain sustainable groundwater levels. The recharge of imported water with different chemistries has altered the geochemical conditions in the aquifers, driving changes in fluoride concentrations.

California↗

USGS1986

Ground-water conditions in the Kaiparowits Plateau area, Utah and Arizona, with emphasis on the Navajo Sandstone

This report presents results of investigation of ground-water conditions in the Kaiparowits Plateau area of south-central Utah and north-central Arizona (fig. 1). The area is under investigation for development of its large quantities of energy resources, primarily coal. Production and transportation of those energy resources would require attendant development of water resources. The purpose of this study was to determine the availability and quality of ground water in major aquifers in the area - namely aquifers in the Entrada, Navajo, and Wingate Sandstones; emphasis was on the Navajo Sandstone. The study was made by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. Field work was done intermittently during July through October 1979, and October 1980 through October 1981.

Arizona, Utah↗

USGS2011

Organic compounds assessed in Chattahoochee River water used for public supply near Atlanta, Georgia, 2004-05

An investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program characterized the occurrence of 266 organic compounds in source water and finished water from the Chattahoochee River, which is the main water-supply source for the Atlanta metropolitan area. Source water is stream water collected at a surface-water intake prior to water treatment, and finished water is water that has passed through treatment processes prior to distribution. Samples were collected approximately monthly during 2004-05 and included 15 paired source-water and finished-water samples. Samples were collected during winter-spring high flow and summer-fall low flow, but storm events were not targeted during this Source Water-Quality Assessment (SWQA) study. Samples were analyzed for pesticides and degradates, gasoline hydrocarbons, solvents, disinfection by-products, personal care and domestic-use products, and other organic compounds. Community water systems are required to monitor regulated organic compounds under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1998); however, most compounds included in this study are not regulated by Federal drinking-water standards (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2007a). The Chattahoochee River study is part of an ongoing NAWQA investigation of community water systems across the United States. Additional details about the national study are given in Carter and others (2007).

Georgia↗

USGS2010

Trends in base flow, total flow, and base-flow index of selected streams in and near Oklahoma through 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, investigated trends in base flow, total flow, and base-flow index of selected streams in Oklahoma and evaluated possible causes for trends. Thirty-seven streamflow-gaging stations that had unregulated or moderately regulated streamflow were selected for trend analysis. Statistical evaluation of trends in annual and seasonal (winter-spring and summer-autumn) base flow, total flow, and base-flow index at 37 selected streamflow-gaging stations in Oklahoma was performed by using a Kendall's tau trend test. This trend analysis also was performed for annual and seasonal precipitation for nine climate divisions in the study area, annual peak flows, the number of days where flow was zero or less than 1 cubic foot per second (both annually and seasonally), and annual winter groundwater levels for 35 shallow wells near the analyzed stations. Precipitation-adjusted trends using LOESS regressions and Kendall's tau were computed for annual and seasonal base-flow and total-flow volumes in order to identify the presence of underlying trends in streamflow that are not associated with annual or seasonal variations in precipitation. In general, upward trends in precipitation were detected for climate divisions in north-central Oklahoma and south-central and southeastern Kansas. More climate divisions had statistically significant upward trends in total precipitation for annual water years than in winter-spring or summer-autumn water years. Significant trends in annual or seasonal base-flow volume were detected for 22 stations, 19 of which had trends that were upward in direction. Significant trends in annual or seasonal total-flow volume were detected for 14 stations, 9 of which had trends that were upward in direction. Most stations that had significant upward trends in annual or seasonal total-flow volume also had significant upward trends in base-flow volume for the same period. Precipitation adjustment changed the results (significant only or significance and direction) of significant annual or seasonal trends in unadjusted base-flow volume for 12 stations and in unadjusted total-flow volume for 13 stations. Significant trends in annual or seasonal base-flow index were detected for 25 stations, 23 of which had trends that were upward in direction. Eighteen stations that had significant upward trends in annual or seasonal base-flow index also had significant upward trends in base-flow volume and no significant downward trends in total-flow volume during the same period, which indicated that upward trends in base-flow index were likely driven by increases in base flow at these stations. Trend results were highly variable throughout the State. However, some recurring patterns in locations of stations with similar trend results were detected. In general, significant downward trends in base-flow and total-flow volumes were detected for the three stations in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Significant upward trends in annual or seasonal base-flow volume before and after precipitation adjustment were detected for 12 stations in southwestern and central Oklahoma. In eastern Oklahoma, significant upward trends in annual or seasonal base-flow volume were only detected for 4 stations, and significant upward trends in annual or seasonal total-flow volume were only detected for 1 station. After precipitation adjustment no stations in this region had significant upward trends in either parameter, one station had significant downward trends in annual base-flow volume, and one station had significant downward trends in winter-spring total-flow volume. Increases in annual and seasonal precipitation, especially during a substantial wet period (1980-2000), may be one of the factors resulting in upward trends in base-flow volume and total-flow volume at many of the stations analyzed in this report. Eleven stations with significant upward trends in precipitation-adjust

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS1993

Ground-water hydrology of the lower Wolftever Creek basin, with emphasis on the Carson Spring area, Hamilton County, Tennessee

An investigation of the ground-water-flow system that supplies Carson Spring and the surrounding lower Wolftever Creek basin northeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was conducted from September 1986 through December 1989. About two-thirds of the lower basin is underlain by the Chepultepec Dolomite of Ordovician age. Test drilling within a few miles of the spring showed that numerous solution cavities have developed in this formation; many are partly or completely plugged with cherty gravels and mud. In the recharge area to the spring, the formation can provide yields of 100 to perhaps 600 gallons of water per minute to bedrock wells. A well that penetrated a well-integrated cavity system underlying Carson Spring was tested at 2,000 gallons per minute. From May 1987 through December 1989, mean daily withdrawals from four wells at Carson Spring ranged from 4.78 to 5.83 cubic feet per second; mean daily spring discharge, which includes withdrawals, ranged from 5.53 to 5.79 cubic feet per second. For a 16-month drought period during 1987 and 1988, withdrawals from these wells exceeded natural spring discharge, and demonstrates that for a period of many consecutive months, the aquifer supplying the spring is capable of yielding more water than the spring would have discharged under natural conditions. Although the lower basin encompasses 17 square miles, the Carson Spring recharge area probably is not greater than 9 square miles. Most water not captured by cavities supplying the spring is discharged to Wolftever Creek. In the lower basin, the rate of ground-water discharge to the creek is about twice the average rate of discharge (0.25 cubic foot per second per square mile of drainage area) to area streams. Principal constituents in ground water in the lower basin are calcium and bicarbonate, or calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. Specific conductance commonly ranges from 100 to 700 microsiemens per centimeter, and pH usually ranges from about 7 to 8. Overall, the ground water is of good quality and suitable for most uses. Several potential sources of degradation are present and arise from industrial, municipal, and domestic activities.

Tennessee↗

USGS2002

Streamflow gain/loss in the Republican River Basin, Nebraska, October 1998

This arc and point data set contains streamflow-measurement sites and reaches indicating streamflow gain or loss under base-flow conditions along the Republican River and tributaries in Nebraska during October 25 to 28, 1998 (Boohar, 2000). The streamflow measurements were made to obtain data on ground-water/surface-water interaction. Flow was observed visually to be zero, was measured, or was estimated at 374 sites. The measurements were made on the main stem of the Republican River and all flowing tributaries that enter the Republican River between Swanson and Harlan County Reservoirs in the Nebraska part of the Republican River Basin. Tributaries were followed upstream until the first road crossing where zero flow was encountered. Measurements also included estimates of average wastewater discharge during the period when the flow measurements were made, based upon data obtained from towns having measureable wastewater discharge. For selected streams, points of zero flow upstream of the first zero flow site also were checked. Streamflow gain or loss for each stream reach was calculated by subtracting the streamflow values measured at the upstream end of the reach and values for contributing tributaries from the downstream value. The data obtained reflected base-flow conditions suitable for estimating streamflow gains and losses for stream reaches between sites. However, due to fluctuations in streamflow on the main stem of the Republican River above Swanson Reservoir during the measurement period, flow measurements on the main stem could not be used for calculating reach gains and losses. Flows measured on tributaries to the Republican River above Swanson Reservoir were of suitable quality to use for streamflow gain/loss calculations. Flows on Sappa Creek did not reflect base-flow conditions and thus were not suitable for investigating ground-water/surface-water interaction. This digital data set was created by manually plotting locations of streamflow measurements. These points were used to designate stream-reach segments to calculate gain/loss per river mile Reach segments were created by manually splitting the lines from a 1:250,000 hydrography data set (Soenksen and others, 1999) at every location where the streams were measured. Each stream-reach segment between streamflow-measurement sites was assigned a unique reach number. All other lines in the hydrography data set without reach numbers were omitted. This data set was created to archive the calculated streamflow gains and losses of streams in the Republican River Basin, Nebraska, in October 1998, and make the data available for use with geographic information systems (GIS). If measurement sites are used separately from reaches, the maximum scale of 1:100,000 should not be exceeded. When used in conjunction with the reach segments, the maximum scale should not exceed 1:250,000.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2007

Effects of Canals and Roads on Hydrologic Conditions and Health of Atlantic White Cedar at Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve, North Carolina, 2003-2006

The effects of canals and roads on hydrologic conditions and on the health of Atlantic white cedar at the Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge Coastal Reserve in North Carolina were evaluated by using data collected from the 1980s to 2006. Water levels were monitored along two transects established perpendicular to roads and canals in areas of healthy and unhealthy Atlantic white cedar as part of a study conducted from February 2003 through March 2006. Because of the low hydraulic gradient at the Reserve, the rate and direction of water movement are sensitive to disturbance. Canals increased drainage and contributed to lower water levels in some parts of the Reserve, whereas roads, depending on orientation, impeded drainage. Canals also appeared to facilitate movement of brackish water from the Alligator River into the interior of the Reserve during storms and wind tides. Data indicate that an influx of brackish water occurred in mid-September 2005 several days after the passage of Hurricane Ophelia. Although precipitation amounts and wind speeds associated with Hurricane Ophelia were not large, substantial changes in specific conductance occurred at the canal site on the unhealthy Atlantic white cedar transect. No corresponding increase in specific conductance was observed at the canal site on the healthy Atlantic white cedar transect. The specific conductance of water samples from canals and piezometers was highly correlated with concentrations of chloride and sodium. Ion ratios of some of the water samples, particularly samples with high specific conductance, were similar to those of seawater. Thermal and chemical stratification of water in the canals occurred during summer and winter months, and turnover and mixing occurred in the spring and fall. Upwelling of ground water as a result of excavation for roads did not appear to have a significant effect on the water quality of samples from the canals or piezometers. The specific conductance of water samples from piezometers installed in the root zone of healthy stands of Atlantic white cedar generally was lower than in water samples from unhealthy stands. This pattern also was observed in samples from piezometers installed on the transects and in other areas of the Reserve. Roads appear to have isolated some areas of the Reserve from the high-conductivity water in nearby canals. The paths by which brackish water entered the Reserve cannot be determined from the data obtained during this investigation. It appears that water can enter the Reserve from various directions, depending on wind patterns and water levels in the Alligator River.

North Carolina↗

USGS2007

Preliminary delineation of contaminated water-bearing fractures intersected by open-hole bedrock wells

Contaminated water‐bearing fractures intersected by open‐hole bedrock wells were preliminarily delineated through a combination of geophysical logging, vertical‐flow measurements, and downhole water sampling as part of remedial site investigations in southeastern New York. The wells investigated range from 100 to 450 feet in depth, have only shallow surface casing, and intersect multiple water‐bearing zones. The distribution of water‐bearing zones that intersect the wells was determined from single‐point resistance, caliper, fluid‐resistivity, temperature, and acoustic‐televiewer logs. Measurable flow in the wells was downward from upper producing zones to lower receiving zones that are poorly connected in the aquifer and that differ in hydraulic head as a result of nearby pumping. A down hole sampler was used to collect discrete and composite water samples for analysis of volatile organic compounds from producing zones that are self‐purging as a result of flow in the wells. The results obtained at two of the study sites are presented—the Spring Valley wellfield and the Mahopac business district. At the Spring Valley wellfield, a supply well completed in Mesozoic sandstone and conglomerate intersects water‐bearing zones at depths of 204 to 245 feet that produced contaminated water that was received by a zone at 278 feet. In the same well, a deeper zone at 345 feet produced uncontaminated water that was received by a zone at 403 feet. Correlation of information from the well, geophysical logs and drill cores from nearby monitoring wells, and bedrock outcrops indicates that most of the water‐bearing zones are bedding‐plane separations that probably provide pathways for contaminant transport in the bedrock aquifer for significant distances. In the Mahopac business district, a deep test well completed in Precambrian gneiss intersected shallow waterbearing zones at 50 to 79 feet that produced contaminated water that was received by deep zones at 260 and 328 feet. The water‐bearing zones consist of single or closely spaced multiple fractures with dips of 5 to 50 degrees. By analogy with the results from this test well, deep open‐hole wells in the area may serve as “short circuits” in the ground water flow system and allow direct transport of contaminants to deeper zones in the fractured‐bedrock aquifer. The methods presented can be used to investigate ground water flow and contamination in fractured‐bedrock aquifers in advance of more focused monitoring programs. The methods can be applied in existing open‐hole wells before test drilling and monitoring well installation to provide for efficient program design. The methods also can be used during the installation of monitoring wells to help determine completion depths and open intervals and to ensure that the wells are not serving as conduits for the flow of contaminated water.

New York↗

USGS1987

Ground-water quality assessment of the central Oklahoma Aquifer, Oklahoma; project description

In April 1986, the U.S. Geological Survey began a pilot program to assess the quality of the Nation's surface-water and ground-water resources. The program, known as the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program, is designed to acquire and interpret information about a variety of water-quality issues. The Central Oklahoma aquifer project is one of three ground-water pilot projects that have been started. The NAWQA program also incudes four surface-water pilot projects. The Central Oklahoma aquifer project, as part of the pilot NAWQA program, will develop and test methods for performing assessments of ground-water quality. The objectives of the Central Oklahoma aquifer assessment are: (1) To investigate regional ground-water quality throughout the aquifer in the manner consistent with the other pilot ground-water projects, emphasizing the occurrence and distribution of potentially toxic substances in ground water, including trace elements, organic compounds, and radioactive constituents; (2) to describe relations between ground-water quality, land use, hydrogeology, and other pertinent factors; and (3) to provide a general description of the location, nature, and possible causes of selected prevalent water-quality problems within the study unit; and (4) to describe the potential for water-quality degradation of ground-water zones within the study unit. The Central Oklahoma aquifer, which includes in descending order the Garber Sandstone and Wellington Formation, the Chase Group, the Council Grove Group, the Admire Group, and overlying alluvium and terrace deposits, underlies about 3,000 square miles of central Oklahoma and is used extensively for municipal, industrial, commercial, and domestic water supplies. The aquifer was selected for study by the NAWQA program because it is a major source for water supplies in central Oklahoma and because it has several known or suspected water-quality problems. Known problems include concentrations of arsenic, chromium, selenium, and gross-alpha activity that exceed drinking-water standards. Suspected problems include possible contamination of the aquifer by oil-field brines and drilling fluids, pesticides, industrial chemicals, septic-tank effluent, fertilizers, and leakage from sewage systems and underground tanks used for storage of hydrocarbons. There are four major components of the Central Oklahoma aquifer project. The first component is the collection and analysis of existing information, including chemical, hydrologic, and land-use data. The second component is the geohydrologic and geochemical investigations of the aquifer flow system. The third component is the sampling for a wide variety of inorganic, organic, and radioactive constituents as part a regional survey that will produce a consistent set of data among all ground-water pilot projects. These data can be used to: (1) Define regional ground-water quality within the Central Oklahoma aquifer, and (2) compare water quality in the Central Oklahoma aquifer to the water quality in the other ground-water study units of the NAWQA program. The fourth component is topical studies that will address, in more detail, some of the major water-quality issues pertaining to the aquifer.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1986

Water-resources activities in Ohio, 1986 (water fact sheet)

The Ohio District of the Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, provides information on Ohio 's water resources for the overall benefit of the State and the Nation. An integral part of the Survey 's mission is to conduct investigations of the Nation 's land, mineral, and water resources, and to publish and disseminate the information needed to understand, to plan the use of, and to manage these resources. The activities fall into eight broad categories: collection of hydrologic data; water resources investigations and assessments; basic and problem-oriented hydrologic and water related research; acquisition of information useful in predicting and delineating water related natural hazards; coordination of the activities of all Federal agencies in the acquisition of water data, and operation of water information centers; dissemination of data and the results of investigations; provision of scientific and technical assistance in hydrologic studies; and the administration of the State Water Resources Research Institute Program and the National Water Resources Research Grant Program. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1937

Ground water in Creek County, Oklahoma

Creek County has been designated as a problem area by the Land Use Planning Section of the Resettlement Administration. Some of the earliest oil fields to brought into production were situated in and near this county, and new fields have been opened from time to time during the ensuing years. The production of the newer fields, however, has not kept pace with the exhaustion of the older fields, and the county now presents an excellent picture of the problems involved in adjusting a population to lands that are nearly depleted of their mineral wealth. Values of land have been greatly depressed; tax collection is far in arrears; tenancy is widespread; and in addition more people will apparently be forced to depend on the income from agriculture than the land seems capable of supporting. The county as a whole is at best indifferently suitable for general farming. The Land Use planning Section proposes to study the present and seemingly immanent maladjustments of population to the resources of the land, and make recommendations for their correction. The writer was detailed to the Land Use Planning Section of Region VIII for the purposes of making studies of ground water problems in the region. In Creek County two investigations were made. In September, 1936, the writer spent about ten days investigating the availability of ground water for the irrigation of garden crops during drouths. If it proved feasible to do this generally throughout the county, the Land Use Planning Section might be able to encourage this practice. The second investigation made by the writer was in regard to the extent to which ground water supplies have been damaged by oil well brines. He was in county for four days late in January 1937, and again in March, 1937. During part of the second field trip he was accompanied by R.M. Dixon, sanitary engineer of the Water Utilization Unit of the Resettlement Administration. (available as photostat copy only)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1964

Ground water in folded Cretaceous sandstone of the Bhachau area, Kutch, India, with reference to the Kandla Port water supply

This report is based on an investigation of the availability of ground-water supplies in the Bhachau area for the nearby Kandla Port and township development undertaken by the Government of India. This seaport lies on an estuary of the Gulf of Kutch in western India and in the eastern part of the State of Kutch. The fieldwork on the investigation was carried on from November 1952 through April 1953 with continuing hydrologic observations through 1954-55. The fieldwork included: geologic mapping and delimitation of the principal aquifers of the region; preparation of water-table maps; a detailed inventory of existing wells and springs; observations of significant water table fluctuations; preparation of isobicarb, isochlor and isosulf maps to show the areal distribution of ground-water salinity. The Bhachau area includes about 116 square miles in eastern Kutch and lies in a belt of semiarid low-latitude steppes. The mean annual rainfall is about 15 inches, most of which falls from late June to late September during the southwest monsoon. The area includes a central sandy upland ranging from about 100 to 250 feet above sea level ; a northern lowland of between about 50 to 125 feet altitude that slopes north to the Great Rann of Kutch; a belt of low buttes and discontinuous ridges ranging from about 200 to 275 feet above sea level; and southern lowland which slopes in a southerly to southeasterly direction from an altitude of about 125 feet to 25 feet or less near the Gulf of Kutch. The principal streams are Kageshwar Vokra and Kara Vokra which drain north to the Great Rann and Kotwala Vokra and Dalwala Vokra which drain south toward the Gulf of Kutch. The rocks of the Bhachau area include nonmarine and marine sediments of Mesozoic, Tertiary, and Quaternary age and volcanic rocks of late Mesozoic to early Tertiary age. The oldest rocks in the area are medium- to coarse-grained white to buff current-bedded friable sandstone with occasional partings of white silty shale of the Upper Bhuj series that has been assigned to the Early Cretaceous. The soft friable sandstone of the Upper Bhuj series constitutes the most productive ground-water reservoir in the Bhachau area. At present (1955) there are nine irrigated tracts for which water is obtained from dug wells less than 90 feet deep in the Upper Bhuj. These wells are worked by bullocks and 'motes' (leather bags) at withdrawal rates ranging from about 6,000 to 24,000imperial gallons per day; however, many existing individual wells if equipped with mechanical pumps are capable of yielding 100,000 gallons per day. The Deccan trap of Late Cretaceous to Eocene age occurs in a sequence of basaltic lava flows in the Bhachau area, but trap dikes, sills and plugs that are common in other parts of Kutch have not been observed in the area. Laterite of probable Eocene age is extensive at the top of the Deccan trap, and in places where the lava flows are thin the parent rock has been almost completely lateritized. The Deccan lava flows or the laterite, where the trap is absent, rest disconformably on the Upper Bhuj. No wells have been observed in the Deccan trap of the Bhachau area, but it is possible that locally small supplies of good water may be obtained from these rocks. The Tertiary sediments, which are assigned to the Manchhar series of Pliocene age, generally rest on the laterite or the Deccan trap ; but where both are absent, the Manchhar rests directly on the Upper Bhuj. The Manchhar series includes massive reddish-brown gypseous clay shales, laminated gray siltstones, some limestone, mottled sandstone, and laterite trap gravel. Only meager supplies of brackish water are obtained from wells in these sediments. Along the channels of Kotwala, Dalwala, Kageshwar, and Kara Vokras are narrow bands of unconsolidated coarse sand with fine gravel of Quaternary age. No wells were observed in these deposits, but it is possible that locally they may contain small supplies of bracki

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS1989

The hydrogeologic framework and a reconnaissance of ground-water quality in the Piedmont Province of North Carolina, with a design for future study

The U.S. Geological Survey is investigating the relation of ground- water quality and land use in the regolith and fractured rock ground-water system of the North Carolina Piedmont. The initial phase of this study provides a description of the ground-water flow system and a review of available ground-water data and formulates hypotheses that guide the design of a water-quality monitoring network for study of selected areas. In the Piedmont, the solid igneous and metamorphic bedrock grades upward into unweathered fractured rock that is covered by a transition zone of highly-fractured, partially weathered rock, clay-rich saprolite, and the soil. The fractured bedrock, transition zone, saprolite, and soil make up a complex flow system. A review of available ground-water quality data shows a lack of information about organic compounds and trace metals and changes in ground- water quality with depth. Land use, soils, and geology significantly influence ground-water quality. The hypotheses that need to be tested in the next study phase are: (1) that ground-water contamination can be related to land use, and (2) that the transition zone between bedrock and regolith serves as a primary transmitter of contaminants. Monitoring of basins containing industrial, urban, residential, and agricultural land uses in future studies will help define the relation of ground-water quality to land use. Water quality at different depths in the flow system and in streams during base flow needs to be identified.

North Carolina↗

USGS2023

Evaluating Muskellunge catch-and-release mortality at elevated summer water temperature

Angling for Muskellunge Esox masquinongy has become widespread and increasingly popular. Management strategies for Muskellunge include high minimum harvest lengths (>1016mm), closed seasons, and catch-and-release regulations. Due to these strategies and angler behaviors, up to 97% of Muskellunge caught are released, and anglers assume these fish survive to be caught again in the future. Previous research on catch-and-release mortality for Muskellunge has suggested relatively low mortality rates (0%-5%). However, these studies were all conducted within the range of water temperatures that are thermally optimal for Muskellunge and generally at water temperatures <25°C. Muskellunge populations in some latitudes routinely experience temperatures >25°C during the summer months. Fisheries managers and anglers have expressed concerns regarding warm water angling mortality, representing a need to evaluate mortality rates at various water temperatures and multiple latitudes. Our objective was to quantify warm-water (>25°C) catch-and-release mortality rates in Muskellunge (>760mm) and identify factors influencing mortality using experimental ponds. Adult Muskellunge (n=102) were stocked into eight earthen or plastic lined flow-through ponds (0.06-0.71 ha) at densities of <16 fish/ha. Muskellunge (n=50) were angled utilizing specialized Muskellunge fishing gear at water temperatures of 19.6–32.6°C, with 32 fish being caught at temperatures >25°C. Fish were closely monitored for 2 weeks after being angled to assess mortality, and fish that remained uncaught during the experiment were used as controls (n=53). Mortality was greater for angled (30.0%) compared to control fish (11.3%). Differences in catch-and-release mortality were compared across a range of temperature regimes using firth's logistic regression. Five-day cumulative temperature and net time were positively related to the probability of mortality, but size and sex were unrelated to mortality. Elevated catch-and-release mortality rates at warm water temperatures warrant investigations into the population level effects at varying levels of exploitation.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗