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At least 1,117 records · Page 62Linked to original sources
USGS2016

Total cylindrospermopsins, microcystins/nodularins, and saxitoxins data for the 2007 United States Environmental Protection Agency National Lake Assessment

Phytoplankton communities in freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs may be dominated by cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) under certain environmental conditions. Cyanobacteria may cause a range of water-quality impairments, including the potential for toxin production. Cyanobacteria toxins (cyanotoxins) may adversely impact human and ecological health. Microcystins are considered to be one of the most commonly found classes of cyanotoxins in freshwater ecosystems, and as such were selected as a recreational indicator of water quality for the 2007 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Lakes Assessment. However, much less is known about the occurrence of other classes of cyanotoxins in fresh surface water such as anatoxins, cylindrospermopsins, nodularins, and saxitoxins. The 2007 National Lakes Assessment followed a probabilistic study design and was directed by the EPA, in partnership with States, Tribes, and other federal agencies of the United States, to provide an assessment of water quality in the Nation’s lakes, ponds, and reservoirs based on trophic status, and ecological and recreational indicators. Integrated photic zone samples were collected by the EPA, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), States, and Tribes in target water bodies, generally at their deepest point, and analyzed for microcystins by the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS assisted with this survey by providing technical expertise and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis of microcystins for all survey samples as an indicator for recreational water quality. A small subset of samples ( n =27) was analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) by the USGS. Additionally, through partnership with the EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL), USGS analyzed all frozen samples by ELISA for two other classes of cyanotoxins, cylindrospermopsins and saxitoxins. Total cylindrospermopsins, microcystins, and saxitoxins were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a total of 1,331 samples from 1,161 lakes. Samples from this study had detection frequencies of 4.0, 32 (unweighted), and 7.6 percent, mean concentrations (detections only) of 0.56, 3.0, and 0.061 micrograms/L (μg/L), and maximum concentrations of 4.4, 230, and 0.38 μg/L for cylindrospermopsins, microcystins, and saxitoxins by ELISA, respectively in visit 1 and visit 2 samples. Microcystin ELISA results were categorized based on World Health Organization recreational surface-water guidelines for the relative probability of adverse health impacts because of microcystin exposure. The dataset described in this report is the first ever national reconnaissance of cyanotoxins in the United States. At least one microcystin congener was detected by LC/MS/MS in 52 percent of the 27 samples analyzed at a concentration greater than the LC/MS/MS minimum reporting level (MRL) of 0.010 μg/L and included detections for microcystin-LA, microcystin-LR, microcystin-LY, microcystin-RR, and microcystin-YR. Anatoxin-a, cylindrospermopsin, and nodularin-R were detected in 15 percent, 7 percent, and 4 percent of samples, respectively, at concentrations above 0.010 μg/L. Deoxycylindrospermopsin, domoic acid, lyngbyatoxin-a, microcystin-LF, microcystin-LW, and okadaic acid were not detected in the LC/MS/MS subset.

Data Series↗
USGS2016

Synchrony of Piping Plover breeding populations in the U.S. Northern Great Plains

Local populations that fluctuate synchronously are at a greater risk of extinction than those that do not. The closer the geographic proximity of populations, the more prone they are to synchronizing. Shorebird species select habitat broadly, and many breed across regions with diverse nesting habitat types. Under these conditions, nearby populations may experience conditions sufficiently different to prevent population synchrony, despite dispersal. In the U.S. Northern Great Plains, the Piping Plover ( Charadrius melodus ), federally listed as Threatened, is a migratory shorebird species that nests on the shorelines of rivers, reservoirs, and alkaline lakes. We assessed the degree to which local plover breeding population abundances were correlated (population synchrony), changed over time (population stability), and were influenced by environmental factors such as available habitat, precipitation, and within-season reservoir level rise. We found that the abundances of breeding populations nesting in riverine and reservoir habitats were the most synchronous, while populations nesting in alkaline lake habitats exhibited the greatest stability. Changes in local breeding population abundances were not explained by a single factor across habitat types. However, the abundances of local populations nesting in alkaline lake and river shoreline habitats were positively correlated with changes in nesting habitat availability. Our results suggest that dispersal among populations nesting in either river or reservoir and alkaline lake shoreline habitat may have an overall stabilizing effect on the persistence of the Great Plains Piping Plover metapopulation.

Condor↗
USGS1999

Simulation of the effects of operating lakes Mendota, Monona, and Waubesa, south-central Wisconsin, as multipurpose reservoirs to maintain dry-weather flow

A digital reservoir routing model was used to simulate the operation of Lakes Mendota, Monona, and Waubesa, south-central Wisconsin for various levels of minimum release. Twenty-five years of record (1970?94) were used in model simulation. The amount of water available to maintain streamflow and lake levels during dry periods has declined because of extensive pumping of ground water for municipal use and diversion of the effluent around the lakes. The goal of the simulation was to determine whether using the lakes as multipurpose reservoirs to maintain flow during periods of low flow would appreciably lower the lake levels. The model results indicated that it would be possible to maintain a minimum flow of 36 cubic feet per second in all but the driest years simulated (1970, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1989, and 1991) without lowering the lake levels more than they have been lowered from 1970 to 1994 under current operating conditions. Maintaining minimum flow would require detailed computations to guide the operation of the dams during the year.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2024

Water-quality constituent concentrations and loads computed using real-time water-quality data for the Republican River, Clay Center, Kansas, August 2018 through July 2023

Milford Lake, the largest reservoir by surface area in Kansas, has had confirmed harmful algal blooms every summer since reporting began in 2011, except 2018–19. Milford Lake has been listed as impaired and designated hypereutrophic under section 303(d) of the 1972 Clean Water Act. In 2014, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment established a total maximum daily load for eutrophication and dissolved oxygen impairments. In 2018, the Natural Resources Conservation Service funded the Regional Conservation Partnership Program for the Milford Lake Watershed to focus on best management practices in the Lower Republican River Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kansas Water Office, completed this study to assess and quantify water-quality constituent concentrations and loads for total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and suspended sediment (SS) using previously published models for the Republican River near Clay Center, Kansas (U.S. Geological Survey station 06856600), about 15 miles upstream from Milford Lake, during August 1, 2018, through July 31, 2023. TN, TP, and SS concentrations and loads were monitored because of their relation to water supply and water-quality issues in Milford Lake, including nutrient and sediment transport, taste-and-odor events, potentially toxic cyano-harmful algal bloom events, and subsequent downstream transport of contaminants. Data from this report can be used to evaluate changing conditions, provide science-based information for decision making, and help meet regulatory requirements. The study mean annual loads for TN and TP were greater than the reported mean annual total maximum daily load and exceeded the watershed reduction goals as well as Kansas nonpoint source reduction goals defined by the Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy for the Lower Republican watershed. TN and TP annual loads during 2019–20 were greater than the defined mean annual total maximum daily load. During 2022, TN and TP annual loads were less than the Kansas nonpoint source reduction goal and during 2023 were less than the watershed reduction goal. SS loads were less than the mean annual sedimentation rate computed from the total maximum daily load for the entirety of the study period, and the study mean annual load was 72 percent less than the designed annual reservoir sedimentation rate for Milford Lake. Data collected during the study period represented a wide range of streamflow and water-quality conditions at the Clay Center site, ranging from low-flow with less frequent runoff during 2023 to high-flow with frequent runoff during 2018. Nutrient reduction goals were only met in the final 2 years of the study period when annual mean flow conditions were lower than normal, indicating that goals may be unattainable during average or high-flow conditions. In all years except 2019, the annual mean SS load was less than the 20-year sediment load reduction target. Although annual SS loads at the Clay Center site generally decreased over time, corresponding reductions in annual streamflow indicated that these reductions may primarily be related to less frequent runoff from the upstream basin. Continued water-quality monitoring and tracking of best management practices are necessary to understand the success of Regional Conservation Partnership Program efforts to reduce nutrient transport in the Milford Lake Watershed.

Kansas↗
USGS2017

Bathymetry and capacity of Shawnee Reservoir, Oklahoma, 2016

Shawnee Reservoir (locally known as Shawnee Twin Lakes) is a man-made reservoir on South Deer Creek with a drainage area of 32.7 square miles in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. The reservoir consists of two lakes connected by an equilibrium channel. The southern lake (Shawnee City Lake Number 1) was impounded in 1935, and the northern lake (Shawnee City Lake Number 2) was impounded in 1960. Shawnee Reservoir serves as a municipal water supply, and water is transferred about 9 miles by gravity to a water treatment plant in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Secondary uses of the reservoir are for recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and flood control. Shawnee Reservoir has a normal-pool elevation of 1,069.0 feet (ft) above North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). The auxiliary spillway, which defines the flood-pool elevation, is at an elevation of 1,075.0 ft. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Shawnee, has operated a real-time stage (water-surface elevation) gage (USGS station 07241600) at Shawnee Reservoir since 2006. For the period of record ending in 2016, this gage recorded a maximum stage of 1,078.1 ft on May 24, 2015, and a minimum stage of 1,059.1 ft on April 10–11, 2007. This gage did not report reservoir storage prior to this report (2016) because a sufficiently detailed and thoroughly documented bathymetric (reservoir-bottom elevation) survey and corresponding stage-storage relation had not been published. A 2011 bathymetric survey with contours delineated at 5-foot intervals was published in Oklahoma Water Resources Board (2016), but that publication did not include a stage-storage relation table. The USGS, in cooperation with the City of Shawnee, performed a bathymetric survey of Shawnee Reservoir in 2016 and released the bathymetric-survey data in 2017. The purposes of the bathymetric survey were to (1) develop a detailed bathymetric map of the reservoir and (2) determine the relations between stage and reservoir storage capacity and between stage and reservoir surface area. The bathymetric map may serve as a baseline to which temporal changes in storage capacity, due to sedimentation and other factors, can be compared. The stage-storage relation may be used in the reporting of real-time Shawnee Reservoir storage capacity at USGS station 07241600 to support water-resource management decisions by the City of Shawnee.

Oklahoma↗
USGS2001

Sediment deposition and trends and transport of phosphorus and other chemical constituents, Cheney Reservoir watershed, south-central Kansas

Sediment deposition, water-quality trends, and mass transport of phosphorus, nitrogen, selected trace elements, and selected pesticides within the Cheney Reservoir watershed in south-central Kansas were investigated using bathymetric survey data and reservoir bottom-sediment cores. Sediment loads in the reservoir were investigated by comparing 1964 topographic data to 1998 bathymetric survey data. Approximately 7,100 acre-feet of sediment deposition occurred in Cheney Reservoir from 1965 through 1998. As of 1998, sediment had filled 27 percent of the reservoir's inactive conservation storage pool, which is less than the design estimate of 34 percent. Mean annual sediment deposition was 209 acre-feet per year, or 0.22 acre-feet per year per square mile, and the mean annual sediment load was 453 million pounds per year. During the 3-year period from 1997 through 1999, 23 sediment cores were collected from the reservoir, and subsamples were analyzed for nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen species), selected trace elements, and selected organic pesticides. Mean concentrations of total phosphorus in reservoir bottom sediment ranged from 94 milligrams per kilogram at the upstream end of the reservoir to 710 milligrams per kilogram farther downstream near the reservoir dam. The mean concentration for all sites was 480 milligrams per kilogram. Total phosphorus concentrations were greatest when more silt- and clay-sized particles were present. The implications are that if anoxic conditions (inadequate oxygen) occur near the dam, phosphorus could be released from the sediment and affect the drinking-water supply. Analysis of selected cores also indicates that total phosphorus concentrations in the reservoir sediment increased over time and were probably the result of nonpoint-source activities in the watershed, such as increased fertilizer use and livestock production. Mean annual phosphorus loading to Cheney Reservoir was estimated to be 226,000 pounds per year on the basis of calculations from deposited sediment in the reservoir. Mean total phosphorus concentration in the surface-water inflow to Cheney Reservoir was 0.76 milligram per liter, mean annual phosphorus yield of the watershed was estimated to be 0.38 pound per year per acre, and both are based on sediment deposition in the reservoir. A comparison of the Cheney Reservoir watershed to the Webster Reservoir, Tuttle Creek Lake, and Hillsdale Lake watersheds showed that phosphorus yields were smallest in the Webster Reservoir watershed where precipitation was less than in the other watersheds. Mean concentrations of total ammonia plus organic nitrogen in bottom sediment from Cheney Reservoir ranged from 1,200 to 2,400 milligrams per kilogram as nitrogen. A regression analysis between total ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen and sediment particle size showed a strong relation between the two variables and suggests, as with phosphorus, that total ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen adsorbs to the silt- and clay-sized particles that are transported to the deeper parts of the reservoir. An analysis of trends with depth of total ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen did not indicate a strong relation between the two variables despite the increase in fertilizer use in the watershed during the past 40 years. Selected cores were analyzed for trace elements. Concentrations of arsenic, chromium, copper, and nickel at many sites exceeded levels where adverse effects on aquatic organisms sometimes occur. Larger concentrations of these elements also occurred in sediment closer to the reservoir dam where there is a larger percentage of silt and clay in the bottom sediment than farther upstream. However, the lack of industrial or commercial land use in the watershed suggests that these concentrations may be the result of natural conditions. Organochlorine insecticides were detected in the reservoir-bottom sediment in Cheney Reservoir. DDT and its degradation products DDD and DD

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2007

Application of a Two-Dimensional Reservoir Water-Quality Model of Beaver Lake, Arkansas, for the Evaluation of Simulated Changes in Input Water Quality, 2001-2003

Beaver Lake is considered a primary watershed of concern in the State of Arkansas. As such, information is needed to assess water quality, especially nutrient enrichment, nutrient-algal relations, turbidity, and sediment issues within the system. A previously calibrated two-dimensional, laterally averaged model of hydrodynamics and water quality was used for the evaluation of changes in input nutrient and sediment concentrations on the water quality of the reservoir for the period of April 2001 to April 2003. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were increased and decreased and tested independently and simultaneously to examine the nutrient concentrations and algal response in the reservoir. Suspended-solids concentrations were increased and decreased to identify how solids are distributed in the reservoir, which can contribute to decreased water clarity. The Beaver Lake model also was evaluated using a conservative tracer. A conservative tracer was applied at various locations in the reservoir model to observe the fate and transport and how the reservoir might react to the introduction of a conservative substance, or a worst-case spill scenario. In particular, tracer concentrations were evaluated at the locations of the four public water-supply intakes in Beaver Lake. Nutrient concentrations in Beaver Lake increased proportionally with increases in loads from the three main tributaries. An increase of 10 times the calibrated daily input nitrogen and phosphorus in the three main tributaries resulted in daily mean total nitrogen concentrations in the epilimnion that were nearly 4 times greater than the calibration concentrations at site L2 and more than 2 times greater than the calibrated concentrations at site L5. Increases in daily input nitrogen in the three main tributaries independently did not correspond in substantial increases in concentrations of nitrogen in Beaver Lake. The greatest proportional increase in phosphorus occurred in the epilimnion at sites L3 and L4 and the least increase occurred at sites L2 and L5 when calibrated daily input phosphorus concentrations were increased. When orthophosphorus was increased in all three tributaries simultaneously by a factor of 10, daily mean orthophosphorus concentrations in the epilimnion of the reservoir were almost 11 times greater than the calibrated concentrations at sites L2 and L5, and 15 times greater in the epilimnion of the reservoir at sites L3 and L4. Phosphorus concentrations in Beaver Lake increased less when nitrogen and phosphorus were increased simultaneously than when phosphorus was increased independently. The greatest simulated increase in algal biomass (represented as chlorophyll a) occurred when nitrogen and phosphorus were increased simultaneously in the three main tributaries. On average, the chlorophyll a values only increased less than 1 microgram per liter when concentrations of nitrogen or phosphorous were increased independently by a factor of 10 at all three tributaries. In comparison, when nitrogen and phosphorus were increased simultaneously by a factor of 10 for all three tributaries, the chlorophyll a concentration increased by about 10 micrograms per liter on average, with a maximum increase of about 57 micrograms per liter in the epilimnion at site L3 in Beaver Lake. Changes in algal biomass with changes in input nitrogen and phosphorus were variable through time in the Beaver Lake model from April 2001 to April 2003. When calibrated daily input nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were increased simultaneously for the three main tributaries, the increase in chlorophyll a concentration was the greatest in late spring and summer of 2002. Changes in calibrated daily input inorganic suspended solids concentrations were examined because of the effect they may have on water clarity in Beaver Lake. The increase in total suspended solids was greatest in the hypolimnion at the upstream end of Beaver Lake, and negligible changes

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2004

Flood-related, organic-carbon anomalies as possible temporal markers in reservoir bottom sediments

Results of a study of sediment cores from four reservoirs in the upper Mississippi River Basin, USA, indicated that anomalous organic carbon concentrations associated with flood deposits may provide detectable temporal markers in reservoir bottom sediments. Temporal markers are needed for reservoir sediment studies to date sediment layers deposited between the 1963–64 cesium-137 peak and the present. For two of four reservoirs studied, anomalously low organic carbon concentrations were measured for a sample interval in the upper part of a sediment core. The anomalous interval was interpreted to have been deposited during the July 1993 flood that affected a large area of the upper Mississippi River Basin. Potentially, the July 1993 flood deposit may be used as a temporal marker in reservoir bottom sediments in parts of the basin affected by the flood. Several uncertainties remain regarding the viability of organic carbon as a temporal marker including the combination of flood, basin, and reservoir characteristics required to produce a recognizable organic carbon marker in the bottom sediment and the optimal sampling strategy needed to detect the marker in a sediment core. It is proposed that flood duration and basin size may be important factors as to whether or not an anomalous and detectable organic carbon layer is deposited in a reservoir.

Iowa, Kansas↗
USGS1981

Hydrologic effects of proposed changes in management practices, Winnebago Pool, Wisconsin

Various changes in the management practices for the Winnebago pool have been proposed. The objectives of the proposed changes are protecting wetlands adjacent to the lakes in the pool and assuring adequate flow in the Fox River downstream from Lake Winnebago. Three proposed operation plans for the Winnebago pool were studied to determine the effects on lake stage and discharge. A digital reservoir model simulated daily lake stage and discharge from the Winnebago pool. Inflow for this simulation was computed from daily discharge, recorded at Rapide Croche Dam, and daily stage, recorded at Oshkosh. This computed inflow is net inflow, combining the effects of streamflow, precipitation, evaporation, and net ground-water inflow. The model was adapted to simulate operation of the Winnebago pool according to each of the proposed plans. Because the important features of each operation plan were expressed in terms of stages to be attained at certain dates, simulated discharge was adjusted daily to keep simulated lake stage close to that specified in the plan. The simulated lake stage for each of the proposed plans exceeded the allowable maximum in some years. However, the simulated stage exceeded the allowable maximum less frequently and for shorter periods than did the observed stage. For the 61 years simulated (water years 1918-78), the simulated 7-day, 10- year low flow ((57,10) at Rapide Croche Dam was 1,000 ft^/s compared with 900 ft^/s for the observed record. The 7-day, 2-year low flow (Qy 2) was 1,500 ft^/s (simulated) versus 1,600 ft3/s (observed). The model predicted that executing the proposed operation plan would result in monthly Q7 JQ for August and September of 1,100 ft-Vs. This is no change for August and a 12-percent increase for September. In addition, the study illustrated that the discharge from the Winnebago pool could be managed to guarantee that the discharge in the Fox River downstream would not fall below a specified discharge up to 1,500 ft^/s. In most years this would have no effect on the stage of the pool. In a few years there would be a conflict between releasing water from the pool to maintain the desired discharge and maintaining water levels above the required minimum stage. The frequency of this possible conflict varies with the level of discharge desired in the Fox River from 1 year in 60 for a discharge of 1,100 ft^/s to about 1 year in 15 for a discharge of 1,500 ft^/s.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2016

Seasonal patterns in carbon dioxide in 15 mid-continent (USA) reservoirs

Evidence suggests that lakes are important sites for atmospheric CO 2 exchange and so play a substantial role in the global carbon budget. Previous research has 2 weaknesses: (1) most data have been collected only during the open-water or summer seasons, and (2) data are concentrated principally on natural lakes in northern latitudes. Here, we report on the full annual cycle of atmospheric CO 2 exchanges of 15 oligotrophic to eutrophic reservoirs in the Glacial Till Plains of the United States. With one exception, these reservoirs showed an overall loss of CO 2 during the year, with most values within the lower range reported for temperate lakes. There was a strong cross-system seasonal pattern: an average of 70% of total annual CO 2 efflux occurred by the end of spring mixis; some 20% of annual flux was reabsorbed during summer stratification; and the remaining 50% of efflux was lost during autumnal mixing. Net annual flux was negatively correlated with depth and positively correlated with both water residence time and DOC, with the smallest annual CO 2 efflux measured in shallow fertile impoundments. Strong correlations yield relationships allowing regional up-scaling of CO 2 evasion. Understanding lacustrine CO 2 uptake and evasion requires seasonal analyses across the full range of lake trophic states and morphometric attributes.

Missouri↗
USGS1996

Eutrophication trends inferred from hypolimnetic dissolved-oxygen dynamics within selected White River reservoirs, northern Arkansas-southern Missouri, 1974-94

The White River Basin in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri contains four major reservoirs. Beaver, Table Rock, and Bull Shoals Lakes form a chain of reservoirs on the main stem of the White River. Norfork Lake is on the North Fork River, a tributary of the White River. Vertical water- column profiles of temperature and dissolved- oxygen concentrations have been collected monthly, in general, at sites near the dam of each reservoir since 1974. Hypolimnetic dissolved- oxygen dynamics of these reservoirs from 1974 through 1994 were examined based on the near-dam data and used to infer temporal changes in eutrophication. Regression models indicated that a positive relation existed between discharge through the dam during the stratification season and the areal hypolimnetic deficit. Temporal changes in the relative areal hypolimnetic oxygen deficit, a model that adjusts the areal hypolimnetic oxygen deficit to standard temperature and depth, showed a decreasing trend in Beaver Lake from 1974 through 1994, indicating that the level of eutrophication decreased. Little or no change in the relative areal hypolimnetic oxygen deficit occurred in Table Rock, Bull Shoals, or Norfork Lakes over the period of record. Temporal analysis of the residuals from the oxygen deficit-discharge model indicated that the oxygen deficit-discharge function changed over time in Beaver and Table Rock Lakes. There was little or no temporal trend in residuals of areal hypolimnetic oxygen deficit over the period of record for Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes. Multiple regression using a time variable and discharge through the dam during the stratification season was examined for the four reservoirs. The slope coefficient of the time variable for both Beaver and Table Rock Lakes was negative, indicating that the temporal function driving the discharge related areal hypolimnetic oxygen deficit decreased over the period of record. This temporal function may be an expression of biological productivity or eutrophication. Based on these results, the level of eutrophication may have decreased in Beaver and Table Rock Lakes and remained stable in Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes from 1974 through 1994. It is possible that the aging and evolutionary processes in Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, and Norfork Lakes are dominant in controlling biological productivity and eutrophication in each reservoir immediately above the dam. Beaver Lake is the youngest of the four reservoirs, constructed in 1963, and for the period of record, may have been in the initial stage of high productivity followed by a declining stage of productivity that generally occurs within a reservoir soon after impoundment. Table Rock Lake was constructed in 1959 and, for the period of record, may have been in the stage of declining productivity following the peak of productivity resulting from impoundment. The impoundment of Beaver Lake upstream also may have influenced the inferred decline of productivity within Table Rock Lake. Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes are older than Beaver and Table Rock Lakes, constructed in 1951 and 1944, respectively. The reason that changes in eutrophication were not detected in Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes could be that these reservoirs, for the period of record, were characterized by the stage of low and stable productivity that generally occurs within a reservoir many years after impoundment.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2017

Science programs in Kansas

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a non-regulatory Earth science agency within the Department of the Interior that provides impartial scientific information to describe and understand the health of our ecosystems and environment; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. The USGS cooperates with Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies in Kansas to deliver long-term data in real-time and interpretive reports describing what those data mean to the public and resource management agencies. USGS science programs in Kansas provide real-time groundwater monitoring at more than 19 locations; streamflow monitoring at more than 216 locations; water-quality and trends in the Little Arkansas and Kansas Rivers; inflows and outflows of sediment to/from reservoirs and in streams; harmful algal bloom research in the Kansas River, Milford Lake, and Cheney Reservoir; water-quantity and water-quality effects of artificial groundwater recharge for the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project near Wichita, Kansas; compilation of Kansas municipal and irrigation water-use data statewide; the occurrence, effects, and movement of environmental pesticides, antibiotics, algal toxins, and taste-and-odor compounds; and funding to the Kansas Water Resources Research Institute to further research and education through Kansas universities.

Kansas↗
USGS2019

Reservoir diel water quality patterns relative to riparian shade

Investigations into the effects of riparian shade on water quality have focused on streams, with less emphasis on natural lakes, and almost no attention given to reservoirs. In view of this gap, our objective was to assess diel water quality patterns in the nearshore zone of a reservoir and test whether diel patterns differed relative to the presence or absence of riparian shade. Light intensity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and oxidation-reduction potential were higher in unshaded sites (P < 0.05), whereas phosphate levels were higher in shaded sites. Levels of nitrate, turbidity, and specific conductance were similar in shaded and unshaded sites. Most variables exhibited distinct diel cycles. Light intensity in shaded and unshaded sites peaked simultaneously near mid-day, most other variables peaked several hours later in the afternoon and evening, but 1-2 h earlier in shaded sites. Unlike in streams, in most large lacustrine ecosystems the nearshore shaded band is small relative to the unshaded open water, and consequently not expected to have an extensive influence on whole-lake water quality. Nevertheless, because of the diversity of microhabitats available in nearshore areas, including those created by the effects of shade on water quality, the nearshore zone plays a disproportionate role in maintaining integrity of a lake or reservoir ecosystem. Existing guidelines inform shade management in lakes and reservoirs only indirectly and in generalities; additional research is needed to develop best management practices that address shade more comprehensively.

Mississippi↗
USGS2025

Applying U.S. Geological Survey science to understand effects to water supply in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Introduction The Colorado River Basin is a vital source of water to more than 40 million people in the Western United States and Mexico, including in major cities like Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, and San Diego, and supports irrigation for about 16,000 square kilometers of agricultural land. Since 2000, the southwestern United States has been unusually dry due to low precipitation and warm air temperatures, contributing to extreme water level declines of the two large reservoirs on the Colorado River, Lake Mead and Lake Powell. In 2021, these reservoirs reached their lowest levels on record, resulting in unprecedented restrictions on water usage in the basin. As much as 90 percent of the annual runoff in the Colorado River Basin originates in areas upstream from Lake Powell (hereafter, these areas will be referred to collectively as the “Upper Basin”). Consequently, understanding the processes that can affect water supply in the Upper Basin could be crucial for supporting human, agricultural, and ecological needs across a large spatial scale. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) does a wide variety of science in cooperation with resource managers, municipalities, tribes, and local, State, and Federal agencies to help improve understanding of processes, such as streamflow and water quality, potentially affecting water supply in the Upper Basin. This fact sheet describes three key potential factors affecting water supply in the Upper Basin—snow processes and water storage, wildfire and basin hydrology, and salinity concentrations and water quality—and highlights associated USGS research activities in the basin.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming↗
USGS2008

Timing and patterns of basin infilling as documented in Lake Powell during a drought

Between 1999 and 2005, drought in the western United States led to a >44 m fall in the level of Lake Powell (Arizona-Utah), the nation's second-largest reservoir. River discharges to the reservoir were halved, yet the rivers still incised the tops of deltas left exposed along the rim of the reservoir by the lake-level fall. Erosion of the deltas enriched the rivers in sediment such that upon entering the reservoir they discharged plunging subaqueous gravity flows, one of which was imaged acoustically. Repeat bathymetric surveys of the reservoir show that the gravity flows overtopped rockfalls and formed small subaqueous fans, locally raising sediment accumulation rates 10–100-fold. The timing of deep-basin deposition differed regionally across the reservoir with respect to lake-level change. Total mass of sediment transferred from the lake perimeter to its bottom equates to ~22 yr of river input.

Arizona, Utah↗
USGS2003

Seasonal and spatial distribution of bacterial biomass and the percentage of viable cells in a reservoir of Alabama

Spatial community dynamics of bacterioplankton were evaluated along the length of the former stream channel of Elledge Lake, a small reservoir in western Alabama. The reservoir was strongly stratified from April to October with up to a 10??C temperature difference across the 1 m deep metalimnion. Bacterial biomass was highest during late summer, with a general pattern of increasing abundance from the inflowing river (???10 ??g C l-1) to the dam (???20-30 ??g C l-1). Bacterial numbers also increased following a >10-fold increase in turbidity associated with a major precipitation event, although only ???10% of these cells were viable. The percentage of viable cells generally increased through the stratified period with 50-70% viable cells in late summer. Overall, an average of 38% of bacterial cells were viable, with a range from <20 to 70%. Although these values were similar to those found by others, additional patterns were identified that have not been previously observed: a marked decline in viable cells was found following turbid storm inflows and increases in the percentage of viable cells occurred during spring warming and following autumnal mixing events. Although a modest increase in abundance occurred along the gradient from inflow down-reservoir to the dam, bacterial abundance did not increase near the dam in a pattern coincident with the commonly observed increased algal biomass in the lacustrine portion of reservoir ecosystems. The increases observed in bacterial viability moving from the inflowing rivers towards the dam and later in stratified periods stress the importance of differences in environmental conditions in time and space in regulating bacterial biomass and development, as well as of shifts that would be anticipated accompanying altered hydrological regimes under climatic change.

Journal of Plankton Research↗
USGS2009

Evapotranspiration from the Lower Walker River Basin, West-Central Nevada, Water Years 2005-07

Evapotranspiration is the ultimate path of outflow of nearly all water from the Lower Walker River basin. Walker Lake is the terminus of the topographically closed Walker River basin, and the lake level has been declining at an average rate of about 1.6 feet per year (ft/yr) since 1917. As a result of the declining lake level, dissolved-solids concentrations are increasingly threatening the fishery and ecosystem health of the lake. Uncertainties in the water budget components of the Lower Walker River basin led the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, to undertake an investigation to refine estimates of the water budget. Evapotranspiration from the Lower Walker River basin represents a major component of this water budget. The specific objectives of this report are to provide estimates of total and net evapotranspiration for water years 2005-07 for areas in the Lower Walker River basin in which annual evapotranspiration exceeds annual precipitation, and to summarize these results for areas of similar vegetation and soil characteristics, hydrographic subareas, and Walker Lake and Weber Reservoir. The three hydrographic subareas include the area along Walker River north of Walker Lake, the area of and adjacent to Walker Lake, and the area south of Walker Lake. Areas of annual evapotranspiration exceeding annual precipitation were identified and mapped in the field and were further delineated using remote-sensing analysis. These areas were classified into 10 evapotranspiration units. A network of 11 evapotranspiration stations was operated in natural and agricultural vegetation and on Walker Lake. Measured evapotranspiration rates ranged from 0.5 ft/yr at a sparsely vegetated desert shrub site to 5.0 ft/yr from Walker Lake. The greatest evapotranspiration rate on land was 4.1 ft/yr at an irrigated alfalfa field, and the greatest rate for natural vegetation was 3.9 ft/yr in a riparian community along Walker River. At an evapotranspiration station in a saltcedar grove, measurements indicated a possible decrease in evapotranspiration of about 50 percent due to defoliation of the saltcedar by the saltcedar leaf beetle. Total evapotranspiration from the evapotranspiration units identified in the Lower Walker River basin was about 231,000 acre-feet per year (acre-ft/yr). Of this amount, about 45,000 acre-ft/yr originated from direct precipitation, resulting in net evapotranspiration of about 186,000 acre-ft/yr. More than 80 percent of net evapotranspiration in the Lower Walker River basin was through evaporation from Walker Lake. Total evaporation from Walker Lake was about 161,000 acre-ft/yr and net evaporation was about 149,000 acre-ft/yr. Some previous estimates of evaporation from Walker Lake based on water-budget analysis actually represent total evaporation minus ground-water inflow to the lake. Historical evaporation rates determined on the basis of water budget analysis were less than the evaporation rate measured directly during this study. The difference could represent ground-water inflow to Walker Lake of 16,000 to 26,000 acre-ft/yr or could indicate that ground-water inflow to Walker Lake is decreasing over time as the lake perimeter recedes.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2026

Inland recreational fisheries harvest far exceeds reported inland harvest in the United States

Recreational fisheries are important global contributors to food security, socio-cultural practices, and local and regional economies. However, inland recreational fisheries are often overlooked by policymakers due to a limited understanding of the magnitude of participation, harvest, and economic impact. Here, we used the U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog and catch and effort model (CreelCatch) and several assumptions to provide an initial estimate of the magnitude of total inland recreational fisheries harvest in the conterminous USA. The CreelCatch model projected fishing harvest across lakes, ponds, and reservoirs based on fishing effort, water body area, and regional effects. We estimated that recreational lake fisheries in the conterminous USA likely harvest 236,000–671,000 tonnes of fish per year, 17–48 times greater than total inland fisheries harvest reported to the United Nations. Inland recreational fisheries may warrant greater consideration for their contribution to national scale socioeconomics and impacts on fish stocks and ecosystems.

conterminous United States↗