SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “One Health”

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

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 937 records · Page 52Linked to original sources

USGS2015

Evaluation of mercury in rainbow trout collected from Duck Valley Indian Reservation reservoirs, southwestern Idaho and northern Nevada, 2007, 2009, and 2013

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, analyzed mercury (Hg) concentration in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) collected from three reservoirs on the reservation (Mountain View, Lake Billy Shaw, and Sheep Creek) during sampling events in 2007, 2009, and 2013, to determine the risk of Hg exposure to Tribal members and the general public. Mercury concentration in predatory fish tends to increase with fish length, and this tendency was true for rainbow trout in the reservoirs on the reservation (r 2 = 0.44–0.70). Mean (average) and median Hg concentrations in fish tissue were determined for each reservoir for each sample year. All Hg concentrations were less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water-quality criterion of 0.30 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg wet weight [ww]) and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s reasonable potential to exceed threshold of 0.24 mg/kg. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare toxicologists determined that the Hg concentrations in rainbow trout in this study would not warrant a fish-consumption advisory for this species. Throughout this report, statistical findings with a p -value of less than 0.05 are referred to as “significant.” Mean Hg concentrations in fish-tissue samples collected from Mountain View Reservoir were higher in 2007 (0.12 mg/kg ww) than in 2009 and 2013 (0.07 and 0.06 mg/kg ww, respectively), indicating a significant mean decrease. Mean Hg concentrations in fish-tissue samples collected from Lake Billy Shaw showed no significant differences among sample years (2007, 0.12 mg/kg ww; 2009, 0.07 mg/kg ww; 2013, 0.09 mg/kg ww). Mean Hg concentrations in fish-tissue samples collected from Sheep Creek Reservoir significantly increased in 2013 (0.10 mg/kg ww) from concentrations in 2007 and 2009 (0.06 and 0.05 mg/kg ww, respectively). These temporal and spatial variations are not unexpected, as each body of water may differ in the factors and conditions affecting the rate of methylation and demethylation. Coupled with the dynamic put-and-take fishery, the outcomes reflect the system complexities among reservoirs despite their fairly close proximity to one another. The influence of these other factors is evident when the analysis of atmospheric Hg deposition at Mercury Deposition Network site NV02 in northern Nevada showed no significant linear trend in wet Hg deposition rates for 2003–2013 (average 3.02 micrograms per square meter).

Idaho, Nevada↗

USGS1999

Health status and relative exposure of mule deer and white-tailed deer to soil contaminants at the rocky mountain arsenal

We evaluated the health of 18 radio-collared deer [13 mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) and 5 white-tailed deer ( O. virginianus )] from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, near Denver, Colorado, USA, a Superfund site contaminated with a variety of materials, including organochlorine pesticides, metals, and nerve gas production by-products. Radio-collared deer were tracked for 1 to 3 years (1989–1992) to identify relative exposure to contaminants based on telemetry locations plotted on grid maps depicting known soil contaminant concentrations. At the end of the study, all animals were in fair or good body condition at the time of necropsy. Mean ages of mule deer and white-tailed deer were 7.4 (range 4–12) and 10.6 years (range 5–17), respectively. At necropsy, tissues were collected from the deer for serology, histopathology, and analysis for eight chlorinated hydrocarbons and two metals. Detectable residues of mercury were found in the kidneys of 10 deer (range 0.055–0.096 μg/g), dieldrin was found in fat ( n = 9) (range 0.02–0.72 μg/g), liver ( n = 4) (range 0.017–0.12 μg/g), and brain ( n = 1, 0.018 μg/g), and DDE was found in the muscle of one animal (0.02 μg/g). Relative exposure estimates derived from telemetry and soil contamination data were correlated with tissue levels of dieldrin ( p < 0.001) and mercury ( p = 0.05). Two mule deer had severe testicular atrophy, and one of these animals also had antler deformities. The prevalence of antibodies against epizootic hemorrhagic disease serotype 2 was 85%.

Colorado↗

USGS2018

Chiroptera

With over 1300 species identified, bats represent almost one quarter of the world’s mammals (Fenton and Simmons 2014), bats provide important environmental services such as insect pest suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination and inhabit a wide variety of ecological niches on all continents except Antarctica. Over 150 species are listed as endangered or vulnerable to extinction, primarily due to habitat degradation. Despite their ubiquity and ecological importance, relatively little has been published on diseases of bats, while much has been written on bats’ role as reservoirs in disease transmission. The decimation of certain bat populations in North America following the introduction of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans , the cause of white-nose syndrome has served to highlight both the importance and vulnerability of bats and has resulted in increased focus on disease threats to free-ranging bat populations. In addition to the threat of infectious disease, the close proximity of bats to humans, including the use of human structures for hibernation and their service as a food source in many parts of the world, result in their susceptibility to anthropomorphic threats such as trauma, toxicosis, and habitat loss. Ultimately, the interdependence of bats and humans means that an understanding of their health is critical for understanding and preserving human, domestic animal, and ecosystem health.

Book chapter↗

USGS1996

Occurrence of selected trace elements and organic compounds and their relation to land use in the Willamette River basin, Oregon, 1992-94

Between 1992 and 1994, the U.S.Geological Survey conducted a study of trace elements and organic compounds in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, as part of the Willamette River Basin Water Quality Study. Low-level analyses were performed for trace elements, volatile organic compounds, organochlorine compounds, and pesticides. Overall, 94 water samples were collected from 40 sites, during predominantly high-flow conditions, representing urban, agricultural, mixed, and forested land uses. Although most observed concentrations were relatively low, some exceedances of water-quality criteria for acute and chronic toxicity and for the protection of human health were observed. Concentrations of chromium, copper, lead, and zinc in unfiltered water were well correlated with concentrations of suspended sediment. The highest trace-element concentrations generally were found at urban sites that receive a large portion of their runoff from industrial areas, particularly at high suspended- sediment concentrations. In contrast, concentrations of trace elements in some urban streams draining primarily residential areas appeared to approach a maximum as sediment concentrations increased. Whether this difference was due to a difference in the nature of the suspended sediments or to different concentrations in the aqueous phases from the two site types was not addressed. Eight organochlorine compounds were detected at 14 sites. Lindane, dieldrin, and DDT or its metabolites were each detected in about 30 percent of the samples, predominantly in samples collected from agricultural and urban areas. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds were detected in samples from two urban sites. For samples in which DDT and its metabolites were examined for partitioning, the largest proportion of the mass of DDT and its metabolites was associated with suspended sediment. In contrast, dieldrin and lindane were almost completely (greater than 99 percent) associated with the dissolved phase. Sixty-one of the 94 pesticides analyzed in filtered water were documented to have been used in the basin in 1987; 43 of these were detected at least once during 1992–94. An additional five were detected that were not documented in the 1987 estimates. Although a comparison between the frequency of detected pesticides and 1987 estimates of pesticide usage in the basin showed generally little correlation, some patterns of detections did appear to reflect land use in the basin. Of the 25 most frequently detected pesticides, 3 were found primarily at urban sites, 6 were found primarily at agricultural sites, and 7 were found at all types of sites except forested. The four most commonly detected pesticides in the basin, observed at all except forested site 2 types, were atrazine, metolachlor, simazine, and diuron. A greater variety of compounds was detected at sites in the northern portion of the basin than in the southern portion of the basin probably because the northern portion has more diverse agricultural practices and a larger urban component. Possible reasons for the lack of agreement between pesticide detections and pesticide usage estimates include (1) uncertainty in the usage estimates due to spatial and temporal variability or due to changes in agricultural practices since the 1987 estimates were compiled, (2) chemical or biological transformations in the compounds after application, (3) variable hydrologic conditions among sites at the time of sampling, or (4) the ability of laboratory analytical procedures to detect low concentrations of some analytes. Results from repeated samplings at two sites during sequential storms in the fall of 1994 indicated that concentrations and loads of several constituents, including suspended sediment, suspended organic carbon, DDT, metolachlor, and atrazine were highest during peak flows of the first or second significant storms of the fall. Samplings during subsequent storms indicated that instantaneous concentrations and loads were generally reduced; however, data were not sufficient to compare overall transport during sequential storms.

Oregon↗

USGS1998

Ground-water quality in the Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota and North Dakota, 1991-95

Surveys of water quality in surficial, buried glacial, and Cretaceous aquifers in the Red River of the North Basin during 1991-95 showed that some major-ion, nutrient, pesticide, and radioactive-element concentrations differed by physiographic area and differed among these aquifer types. Waters in surficial aquifers in the Drift Prairie (west) and Lake Plain (central) physiographic areas were similar to each other but significantly higher than those in the Moraine (east) area in dissolved solids, sodium, potassium, sulfate, fluoride, silica, and uranium concentrations. Radium, iron, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations were also significantly different among these areas. Pesticides were detected in 12 percent of waters in surficial aquifers in the Drift Prairie area, 20 percent of those in the Lake Plain area, and 52 percent of those in the Moraine area. Triazines and bentazon accounted for 98 percent of summed pesticide concentrations in waters in surficial aquifers. Waters in buried glacial aquifers in the central one-third of the basin had significantly higher concentrations of dissolved solids, sodium, potassium, chloride, fluoride, and iron than did waters in surficial aquifers. No pesticides were detected in five samples from buried glacial aquifers or six samples from Cretaceous aquifers. Waters in all sampled aquifers had a calcium-magnesium ratio of about 1.75 ± 0.75 across the basin regardless of anionic composition. Agricultural land use and soil texture can explain pesticide distributions; soil texture best explains nutrient distributions in waters in surficial aquifers. Confining beds protect waters in buried glacial aquifers from land use effects, resulting in no or low concentrations of nutrients and pesticides. Upward movement of bedrock waters high in dissolved solids concentration can increase concentrations in waters in buried glacial and, to a lesser degree, waters in surficial aquifers in the Lake Plain and Drift Prairie areas. Waters in surficial aquifers exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant level in drinking water for nitrate in the Drift Prairie (27 percent) and Moraine (8 percent) areas. Their limited areal extent and susceptibility to contamination restrict the usefulness of surficial aquifers as a drinking water source. Waters in buried glacial aquifers exceeded USEPA health advisories for dissolved solids, sodium, and manganese. Sixty-six percent of waters in surficial aquifers also exceeded the Health Advisory for manganese.

Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota↗

USGS2012

Toxicity of waters from the St. Lawrence River at Massena Area-of-Concern to the plankton species Selenastrum capricornutum and Ceriodaphnia dubia

In 1972, the US and Canada committed to restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Ecosystem under the first Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. During subsequent amendments, part of the St. Lawrence River at Massena NY, and segments of three tributaries, were designated as one Area of Concern (AOC) due to various beneficial use impairments (BUIs). Plankton beneficial use was designated impaired within this AOC because phytoplankton and zooplankton population data were unavailable or needed “further assessment”. Contaminated sediments from industrial waste disposal have been largely remediated, thus, the plankton BUI may currently be obsolete. The St. Lawrence River at Massena AOC remedial action plan established two criteria which may be used to assess the plankton BUI; the second states that, “in the absence of community structure data, plankton bioassays confirm no toxicity impact in ambient waters”. This study was implemented during 2011 to determine whether this criterion was achieved. Acute toxicity and chronic toxicity of local waters were quantified seasonally using standardized bioassays with green alga Selenastrum capricornutum and water flea Ceriodaphnia dubia to test the hypothesis that waters from sites within the AOC were no more toxic than were waters from adjacent reference sites. The results of univariate and multivariate analyses confirm that ambient waters from most AOC sites (and seasons) were not toxic to both species. Assuming both test species represent natural plankton assemblages, the quality of surface waters throughout most of this AOC should not seriously impair the health of resident plankton communities.

New York↗

USGS2013

Dynamics of land-use change and conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States: environmental and economic implications with linkages to rural community well-being

Rural America has changed dramatically over the last century, from having over half the population living in rural settings to only 20 percent residing in a rural area today, and outmigration of younger populations from rural communities remains a constant issue for local governing officials. A declining tax base and concurrent rising costs for maintenance and repair of aging infrastructure add further challenges to policy decisions. Reduced enrollment has caused school closures or mergers. Farm consolidation and technical advances reduced the demand for local labor. On the positive side, however, record-high commodity prices have amplified farm income to new heights. The increased revenues can lead to farmers spending additional money within the local region, while at the same time increased transportation of products has impacted local infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Such dynamics present challenges for municipal leaders charged with promoting economic development and balanced spending, while at the same time maintaining the way of life and rural character that are so important to area residents. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States covers much of the Northern Great Plains, including parts of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and a small part of Montana, and extends across a broad swath of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The region is defined largely by its rural character but has experienced extensive land conversion over the last century, with agricultural areas replacing native prairie habitat. Additional pressures arise from oil and gas development, global markets for agricultural production, and increased demands for biofuel feedstocks. Record-high commodity prices increase pressure on the native prairie as farmers look for new cropland acres. The volatility of commodity prices has raised fears over the intensity of land conversion to row-crop agriculture, the economic health and resiliency of rural communities, and ultimately, population dynamics and outmigration of younger generations. Land-use pressures are increased by the exponential growth of oil and gas production in the region, where some 8,200 wells are now in production within the Williston Basin of North Dakota, accompanied by increased population pressures on housing and municipal services. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)--a cropland retirement program with close to 4.8 million acres enrolled in the PPR--faces uncertainty in upcoming legislative actions, with a large majority of property enrollments scheduled to expire by 2017. The CRP historically has provided improved habitat conditions, reductions of soil damage through erosion and loss of nutrients, and sequestration of millions of tons of atmospheric carbon. In turn, wildlife-related recreation levels have increased in many parts of the PPR, with money spent in local communities. Contemporary resource-management and rural-development planning increasingly emphasize the need for diversification and integration of resource-extractive industries with nonmarket-based recreational and amenity values that tie into quality of life. Ultimately, each community is unique in its environmental, social, economic, and fiscal endowments. One rural-development policy may work better in one community than another. In addition, rural-development issues such as migration, job growth, and taxes are diverse in themselves. The goal of this report is to qualitatively and quantitatively discuss the economic impacts of land-use decisions in rural areas, particularly in the PPR.

Professional Paper↗

USGS2010

Plant population and habitat characteristics of the endemic Sonoran Desert cactus Peniocereus striatus in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

Peniocereus striatus (Brandegee) Buxb. (Cactaceae) is an endemic Sonoran Desert cactus that reaches its northern range limit in southwestern Arizona. One U.S. population occupies a small area of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the U.S./Mexico international boundary, which has been monitored since 1939. An extensive survey conducted in 2002, covering 177 ha, resulted in the discovery of 88 new plants, in addition to the relocation of 57 plants found in previous surveys. Despite potential increases in population size and spatial distribution, mean plant height and number of basal stems has not significantly changed in recent years. Bud scars revealed that a majority of the population was sexually mature. Peniocereus striatus occurrence increased with decreasing slope, spanned every slope aspect, and was highest on rocky soils, but was noticeably low on west and northwest slopes and areas where severe land degradation had previously occurred. Over half of P. striatus plants were nursed by shrubs and subshrubs, while 40% occurred under leguminous trees. A severe frost in January 2002 top-killed 19% of the population, with the greatest damage in drainage bottoms. However, long-term (1944–2002) climate records show that there has been an overall increase in the number of frost free days in the region, which, coupled with land use change, has implications for the future health of this population.

Arizona↗

USGS2018

Risk factors associated with mortality of age-0 Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania

Evidence of disease and mortalities of young of the year (age‐0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu has occurred during the late spring and summer in many parts of the Susquehanna River watershed since 2005. To better understand contributing factors, fish collected from multiple areas throughout the watershed as well as out‐of‐basin reference populations (Allegheny and Delaware River basins; experimental ponds, Kearneysville, West Virginia) were examined grossly and histologically for abnormalities. Tissue contaminant concentrations were determined from whole‐body homogenates, and water contaminant concentrations were estimated using time‐integrated passive samplers at selected sites. Observed or isolated pathogens included bacteria, predominantly motile Aeromonas spp. and Flavobacterium columnare ; largemouth bass virus, and parasites, including trematode metacercariae, cestodes, and the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus . Although these pathogens were found in age‐0 Smallmouth Bass from multiple sites, no one pathogen was consistently associated with mortality. Chemicals detected in tissue included polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, organochlorine, and current‐use pesticides. Pyraclostrobin, PCB congeners 170 and 187, cis ‐chlordane and trans ‐nonachlor were detected in all Susquehanna watershed samples but rarely in samples from the reference site. The findings support the idea that there is no single cause for disease of age‐0 Smallmouth Bass; rather the cumulative effects of co‐infections and potential immunomodulation by environmental stressors during a sensitive developmental life stage may lead to mortality. Identifying the most important risk factors will be necessary for more in‐depth analyses of individual stressors and better management of the habitat and fish populations.

Pennsylvania↗

USGS2013

Mapping monkeypox transmission risk through time and space in the Congo Basin

Monkeypox is a major public health concern in the Congo Basin area, with changing patterns of human case occurrences reported in recent years. Whether this trend results from better surveillance and detection methods, reduced proportions of vaccinated vs. non-vaccinated human populations, or changing environmental conditions remains unclear. Our objective is to examine potential correlations between environment and transmission of monkeypox events in the Congo Basin. We created ecological niche models based on human cases reported in the Congo Basin by the World Health Organization at the end of the smallpox eradication campaign, in relation to remotely-sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index datasets from the same time period. These models predicted independent spatial subsets of monkeypox occurrences with high confidence; models were then projected onto parallel environmental datasets for the 2000s to create present-day monkeypox suitability maps. Recent trends in human monkeypox infection are associated with broad environmental changes across the Congo Basin. Our results demonstrate that ecological niche models provide useful tools for identification of areas suitable for transmission, even for poorly-known diseases like monkeypox.

PLoS ONE↗

USGS2006

Myxobolus cerebralis in native cutthroat trout of the Yellowstone Lake ecosystem

The exotic parasite Myxobolus cerebralis was first detected in native adult Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvierii from Yellowstone Lake in 1998, seriously threatening the ecological integrity of this pristine, naturally functioning ecosystem. We immediately began to assess the prevalence and spatial extent of M. cerebralis infection in Yellowstone cutthroat trout within Yellowstone Lake and to determine the infection risk of age-0 Yellowstone cutthroat trout, the relative abundance and actinospore production of lubificid worms, and the basic environmental characteristics of tributaries. During 1999-2001, juvenile and adult Yellowstone cutthroat trout were infected throughout Yellowstone Lake; the highest prevalence (15.3-16.4%) occurred in the northern and central regions. Exposure studies in 13 streams indicated that Pelican and Clear creeks and the Yellowstone River were positive for M. cerebralis; the highest prevalence (100%) and severity was found in Pelican Creek during mid-July. Sexually mature individuals of the oligochaete Tubifex tubifex were most abundant in early summer, were genetically homogenous, and were members of a lineage known to produce moderate to high levels of M. cerebralis triactinomyxons. Only 20 of the 3,037 sampled tubificids produced actinospores after 7 d in culture, and none of the actinospores were M. cerebralis. However, one non-actinospore-producing T. tubifex from Pelican Creek tested positive for M. cerebralis by polymerase chain reaction. Stream temperatures at Pelican Creek, a fourth-order, low-gradient stream, were over 20??C during the first exposure period, suggesting that T. tubifex were capable of producing triactinomyxons at elevated temperatures in the wild. Although the infection of otherwise healthy adult Yellowstone cutthroat trout within Yellowstone Lake suggests some resistance, our sentinel cage exposures indicated that this subspecies may be more susceptible to whirling disease than previous laboratory challenges have indicated, and M. cerebralis may be contributing to a significant recent decline in this population. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2006.

Wyoming↗

USGS2011

Estimated hydrologic budgets of kettle-hole ponds in coastal aquifers of southeastern Massachusetts

Kettle-hole ponds in southeastern Massachusetts are in good hydraulic connection to an extensive coastal aquifer system that includes the Plymouth-Carver aquifer system on the mainland and aquifers underlying Cape Cod. The ponds receive water from, and contribute water to, the underlying glacial aquifer; ponds also receive water from precipitation and lose water to evaporation from the pond surface. Some ponds are connected to surface-water drainage systems and receive water from or contribute water to streams or adjacent wetlands. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection currently (2011) is developing Total Maximum Daily Loads of phosphorus for the freshwater ponds in the region to maintain the health of pond ecosystems; the amounts and sources of water fluxes into and out of the ponds are important factors in determining the amount of phosphorus that can be assimilated into a pond. To assist in this effort, the U.S. Geological Survey used groundwater-flow models of the coastal aquifer system to estimate hydrologic budgets-including inflows and outflows from the aquifer system and adjacent streams and wetlands, and recharge from precipitation-for 425 ponds in southeastern Massachusetts. Water fluxes through the ponds are a function of several factors, including the size, shape, and bathymetry of the pond, orientation of the pond relative to the regional hydraulic gradient, and hydrologic setting relative to the proximity of groundwater divides and discharge boundaries. Total steady-state fluxes through the ponds range from more than 3,300,000 to less than 2,000 cubic feet per day. For ponds without surface-water inlets or outlets, groundwater inflow accounts for 98 to 3 percent of total inflow; conversely, recharge onto the pond surface accounts for the remainder of inflow (between 2 and 97 percent). All natural flows from these ponds are through recharge from the pond into the aquifer. In one pond, about 94 percent of the total outflow is removed for water supply. For ponds that are connected to surface-water drainages, most inflow and outflow are through streams. Ponds that receive water from streams receive most (58 to 89 percent) of their water from those streams. Ponds that are drained by streams lose between 5 and 100 percent of their water to those streams.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2012

An economic value of remote-sensing information—Application to agricultural production and maintaining groundwater quality

Does remote-sensing information provide economic benefits to society, and can a value be assigned to those benefits? Can resource management and policy decisions be better informed by coupling past and present Earth observations with groundwater nitrate measurements? Using an integrated assessment approach, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) applied an established conceptual framework to answer these questions, as well as to estimate the value of information (VOI) for remote-sensing imagery. The approach uses moderate-resolution land-imagery (MRLI) data from the Landsat and Advanced Wide Field Sensor satellites that has been classified by the National Agricultural Statistics Service into the Cropland Data Layer (CDL). Within the constraint of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's public health threshold for potable groundwater resources, the USGS modeled the relation between a population of the CDL's land uses and dynamic nitrate (NO3-) contamination of aquifers in a case study region in northeastern Iowa. Employing various multiscaled, multitemporal geospatial datasets with MRLI to maximize the value of agricultural production, the approach develops and uses multiple environmental science models to address dynamic nitrogen loading and transport at specified distances from specific sites (wells) and at landscape scales (for example, across 35 counties and two aquifers). In addition to the ecosystem service of potable groundwater, this effort focuses on the use of MRLI for the management of the major land uses in the study region-the production of corn and soybeans, which can impact groundwater quality. Derived methods and results include (1) economic and dynamic nitrate-pollution models, (2) probabilities of the survival of groundwater, and (3) a VOI for remote sensing. For the northeastern Iowa study region, the marginal benefit of the MRLI VOI (in 2010 dollars) is $858 million ±$197 million annualized, which corresponds to a net present value of $38.1 billion ±$8.8 billion for that flow of benefits in perpetuity. Given that these economic estimates are derived from one case study in a part of only one State, the estimates provide a lower estimate related to the potential value of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

Professional Paper↗

USGS2023

A numerical investigation of the mechanisms controlling salt intrusion in the Delaware Bay Estuary

Salinity intrusion in coastal systems is mainly controlled by freshwater inflows. However, extreme events like drought, low-pressure storms, and longer-term sea level rise can exacerbate the landward salt migration and threaten economic infrastructure and ecological health. Along the eastern seaboard of the United States, approximately 13 million people rely on the water resources of the Delaware River basin. Salinity intrusion is actively managed through river discharge targets to suppress the propagation of the salt front (∼0.52 daily averaged psu line). The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms controlling the location of the salt front in the Delaware Bay estuary using a calibrated three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, the Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Wave and Sediment Transport modeling system. This study explored how river discharge, tidal motions, interactions with bathymetric and topographic features, and meteorological events affected the location of the salt front. The model was forced with tides, subtidal water levels, bulk atmospheric conditions, and waves. Compared with the observationally derived location of the salt front line, the model captured the major dynamics throughout the year and performed particularly well during times of low discharge, when salinity intruded up estuary at a constant rate of 0.4 km /day . The daily average salt front moved almost 16 km (10 mi) within a neap-spring tidal cycle, and low-pressure storm systems were found to move the daily averaged salt front by 13–16 km in one event.

Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania↗

USGS2009

Ecological assessment of wadeable streams on O`ahu, Hawai'i, 2006-2007: A pilot study

In 2006–07, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Islands Water Science Center (PIWSC), in cooperation with the Hawai‘i Department of Health (HDOH), conducted a pilot study as a participant in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA) program. Forty randomly selected sites on perennial streams on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, were surveyed for habitat characteristics, water chemistry, and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. Of the original sampling frame of approximately 505.2 miles of perennial stream, roughly 96.7±30.7 miles were found to be nonperennial or estuarine and another 200.5±64.7 miles were judged to be inaccessible. The scope of this report presents an assessment of the remaining 208±57.6 miles of accessible, wadeable, perennial stream length on O‘ahu. Benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages were used to determine the ecological condition at each site. Components of the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages were assessed using the multimetric Preliminary–Hawaiian Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (P–HBIBI) developed by Wolff (2005). Based on the P–HBIBI scores, an estimated 5.8±5.8 percent of the island’s total stream length is in most disturbed condition, 56±13.5 percent is in intermediately disturbed condition, and 38.2±13.2 percent is in least disturbed condition. Windward O‘ahu had the highest percentage of stream length in least disturbed biological condition at 56.7±20.8 percent. Using the relative abundance of insects, one of the core metrics that make up the P–HBIBI, 43.4±14.2 percent of the islandwide stream length was classified in the most disturbed condition—52±31.2 percent of the Honolulu region stream length and 51.4±23.3 percent of the windward O‘ahu stream length. An analysis of total nitrogen (N) estimated approximately 41.1±13.7 percent of the stream length on O‘ahu was in most disturbed condition. Regionally, the Honolulu region had the largest proportion, 61.3±28.6 percent, of most disturbed stream length in terms of total N. An analysis of total phosphorus (P) classified approximately 43.2±14 percent of the stream length on O‘ahu as most disturbed. Regionally, windward O‘ahu had the largest proportion, 78.4±19.5 percent, of stream length classified as most disturbed. An analysis of embeddedness classified 30.3±14.7 percent of O‘ahu’s stream length as most. Regionally, windward O‘ahu had the largest proportion, 43.3±17.1 percent, of stream length classified as most disturbed as compared to the reference condition. An analysis of riparian disturbance, an index of the in-channel, riparian, and near-stream human activities, classified 43±13 percent of stream length on O‘ahu as most disturbed. The Honolulu region had the largest proportion of stream length, 86.3±13.7 percent, classified as most disturbed. The information in this report is the first attempt in Hawai‘i to assess the islandwide ecological condition of wadeable, perennial streams on O‘ahu using the USEPA WSA probabilistic design. This study has demonstrated that such an assessment is practical and that it can provide information that may help the USEPA and HDOH in determining the status of aquatic ecosystems on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. This study provides a baseline assessment of the current islandwide ecological condition and identifies potential environmental stressors. It can be used, with future WSA studies in Hawai‘i, to measure the changes in those conditions and the effectiveness of management efforts to protect, restore, and maintain Hawai‘i’s aquatic environment.

Hawaii↗

USGS2018

Hydrology-driven chemical loads transported by the Green River to the Lower Duwamish Waterway near Seattle, Washington, 2013–17

The sediments in the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site in Seattle, Washington, are contaminated with chemicals including metals such as arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs), and dioxins/furans from decades of intense anthropogenic activities. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Ecology, collected new data from 2013 to 2017 to estimate sediment and chemical loads transported by the Green/Duwamish River to the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site (the final 8-kilometer reach of the river) in support of sediment remediation within the site. Chemical loads were calculated as the product of river suspended-sediment loads and suspended sediment-bound chemical concentrations measured at river kilometer 16.7. Using four different approaches, annual suspended sediment-bound chemical load estimates transported by the river to the Lower Duwamish Waterway were in the range of 1,120–1,470 kilograms arsenic, 2,810–8,200 grams (g) toxic equivalent cPAHs, 205–407 milligrams toxic equivalent dioxins/furans, and 340–1,180 g PCBs. Storm events contributed a disproportionately large amount of the load of anthropogenic organic compounds such as cPAHs (54 percent), dioxins/furans (44 percent), and PCBs (52 percent) as compared to overall time (17 percent). Chemical concentrations and load estimates often were underestimated using results from unfiltered water analysis only, especially in samples with high suspended-sediment concentrations and for hydrophobic organic chemicals such as cPAHs that prefer to sorb to particulates and are at low concentrations near or below the analytical limits of water methods. For metals and PCBs, the dissolved concentration was relatively low and consistent between sampling events, whereas the suspended sediment-bound chemical concentrations contributed most of the chemical concentration in the water column during periods of high river suspended-sediment concentrations. However, the dissolved fraction, on average, contributed more than one-third of the estimated total chemical load in the river system for arsenic and PCBs, even given the hydrophobic nature of the chemicals. These results suggest that the sum of the chemical concentrations measured on two separate fractions—the particulate fraction and the dissolved fraction—more fully represents the total chemical concentration as compared to analysis of an unfiltered water sample, especially in samples with high suspended-sediment concentrations. Most of the suspended-sediment load (97 percent) and sediment-bound chemical load (92–94 percent) occurred during the wet winter half of the year from October 15 to April 14. However, the highest sediment-bound chemical concentrations often occurred during short intense storms or “first flush” autumn runoff events during the dry summer half of the year from April 15 to October 14. Because of the highly variable and dynamic river system characteristics (including precipitation, discharge, sediment concentration, and tidal fluctuations), it is critical to characterize the occurrence, frequency, concentrations, and loads during extreme conditions (for example, when the river is affected by storm-derived runoff) rather than time-averaged conditions. These short extreme events have a high potential for acute effects on ecological and human health, and may have a great influence on the effectiveness of the sediment remediation activities that are underway in the Lower Duwamish Waterway.

Washington↗

USGS2015

The quality of our Nation's waters: Water quality in the glacial aquifer system, northern United States, 1993-2009

The glacial aquifer system underlies much of the northern United States. About one-sixth (41 million people) of the United States population relies on the glacial aquifer system for drinking water. The primary importance of the glacial aquifer system is as a source of water for public supply to the population centers in the region, but the aquifer system also provides drinking water for domestic use to individual homes and small communities in rural areas. Withdrawals from this aquifer system for public supply are the largest in the Nation and play a key role in the economic development of parts of 26 States. Corn production has increased in the central part of the aquifer system over the last 10 years, and the increased production increases the need for water for agricultural use and the need for increased use of agrochemicals. Additionally, the steady increase in population (15 million people over the last 40 years) in urban and rural areas is resulting in an increased reliance on the glacial aquifer system for high-quality drinking water. The need to monitor, understand, and maintain the water quality of this valuable economic resource continues to grow. Major Findings Contaminants from geologic source—in particular arsenic and manganese—in groundwater used for drinking are a potential concern for human health Concentrations of nitrate and pesticides in groundwater were low in fine-grained sediment even in areas of intensive agriculture Chloride concentrations in groundwater are increasing in urban areas “Nuisance” constituents in groundwater from the glacial aquifer system could limit groundwater use

Circular↗

USGS2024

Water-quality indicators of surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in the Ohio River alluvial aquifer of West Virginia

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, studied surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in the Ohio River alluvial aquifer of West Virginia for the purpose of understanding the influence of surface water on groundwater chemistry. Public groundwater supplies obtained from these aquifers receive substantial recharge from surface-water sources and are highly susceptible to degradation from water-soluble contaminants. Water samples were collected from 4 sites in the Ohio River and 23 groundwater wells in the alluvial aquifer from June 2019 to January 2020. Surface-water influence was assessed through characterization of groundwater quality, determination of recharge sources, estimation of groundwater age, and estimation of the fraction of Ohio River water entering groundwater pumped by wells in the alluvial aquifers. Hydrogeochemical processes controlling solute concentrations in the Ohio River alluvial aquifer were evaluated with multivariate statistical analysis and identified to be primarily controlled by redox processes, input from sources of salinity, and carbonate dissolution. Meteoric recharge from the Ohio River and precipitation on the alluvium are the main sources of water entering the aquifer. The age of groundwater in the system was determined to be primarily from a modern source. Groundwater samples from every well included in this study had detections for at least one geochemical indicator of surface-water influence, and every well was determined to be susceptible and vulnerable to contamination from surface sources. Results from binary mixing models and inverse geochemical models showed that sulfate, silica, and bicarbonate concentrations predict the fraction of Ohio River water entering alluvial wells for preliminary determination of surface-water influence when compared to fractions predicted using a numerical groundwater-flow model. In the absence of extensive analytes and geochemical or groundwater modeling capabilities, preliminary assessment of the fraction of Ohio River water entering groundwater wells in the Ohio River alluvium can be estimated for most sites using a linear relation between the equivalent ratio of bicarbonate to sulfate and the fraction of water computed by the average of the three geochemical models presented in this report. This approximation of the fraction of Ohio River water, coupled with information on the hydrogeological framework and geochemical indicators of surface-water influence, may be sufficient for preliminary assessment of surface-water influence in the absence of more detailed site information or reaction-transport models.

West Virginia↗