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USGS2009

Occurrence and Trends of Selected Chemical Constituents in Bottom Sediment, Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, Northeast Oklahoma, 1940-2008

After over 100 years of continuous activity, lead and zinc mining in the Tri-State Mining District (hereafter referred to as the TSMD) in parts of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma ended in the 1970s. The mining activity resulted in substantial historical and ongoing input of cadmium, lead, and zinc to the environment including Grand Lake O' the Cherokees (hereafter referred to as Grand Lake), a large reservoir in northeast Oklahoma. To help determine the extent and magnitude of contamination in Grand Lake, a one-year study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bottom-sediment coring at five sites was used to investigate the occurrence of cadmium, lead, zinc, and other selected constituents in the bottom sediment of Grand Lake. Cadmium concentrations in the bottom sediment of Grand Lake ranged from 2.3 to 3.6 mg/kg (milligrams per kilogram) with a median of 3.5 mg/kg (5 samples). Compared to an estimated local background concentration of 0.6 mg/kg, the historical mining activity increased cadmium concentrations by about 280 to 500 percent. Lead concentrations ranged from 35 to 102 mg/kg with a median of 59 mg/kg (50 samples). Compared to an estimated local background concentration of 20 mg/kg, the historical mining activity increased lead concentrations by about 75 to 410 percent. The range in zinc concentrations was 380 to 986 mg/kg with a median of 765 mg/kg (50 samples). Compared to an estimated local background concentration of 100 mg/kg, the historical mining activity increased zinc concentrations by about 280 to 890 percent. With the exception of the most upstream coring site, the lead and zinc depositional profiles generally were similar in terms of the range in concentrations measured and the temporal pattern observed. Depositional profiles for lead and zinc indicated mid-core peaks followed by concentrations that decreased since about the 1980s. The depositional profiles reflect the complex interaction of several factors including historical mining and related activities, mine drainage, remediation, landscape stabilization, precipitation and associated runoff, and the erosion and transport of contaminated and clean sediments within the basin. Compared to sediment-quality guidelines, the Grand Lake samples had cadmium concentrations that were substantially less than the general probable-effects concentration (PEC) (4.98 mg/kg) and a TSMD-specific PEC (11.1 mg/kg). The PECs represent the concentration above which toxic biological effects are likely to occur. Likewise, all sediment samples had lead concentrations that were substantially less than the general PEC (128 mg/kg) and a TSMD-specific PEC (150 mg/kg). Zinc concentrations typically exceeded the general PEC (459 mg/kg), but were substantially less than a TSMD-specific PEC (2,083 mg/kg). Throughout the history of Grand Lake, lead and zinc concentrations in the deposited sediment did not approach or exceed the TSMD-specific PECs. As of 2008, legacy effects of mining still included the delivery of contaminated sediment to Grand Lake by the Spring and Neosho Rivers. The Neosho River, with its larger flows and less-contaminated sediment, likely dilutes the load of contaminated sediment delivered to Grand Lake by the Spring River. The information contained in this report provides a baseline of Grand Lake conditions with which to compare future conditions that may represent a response to changes in mining-related activity in the Grand Lake Basin.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS1966

Reservoirs in the United States

This report summarizes the storage capacities and related data of reservoirs and controlled natural lakes for the contermimous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Data are given for all storage facilities having a usable capacity of 5,000 acre-feet or more and completed or under construction as of Jan 1, 1963. A descriptive list of reservoirs m the United States completed as of Jan 1, 1947, was first published (Geol Survey Circular 23) in March 1948. In 1956 Water-Supply Paper 1360-A, "Reservoirs m the United States," by N.O. Thomas and G.E. Harbeck, Jr, updated this listing and included lists of reservoirs completed or under construction as of Jan 1, 1954. Some of the data shown for reservoirs constructed before 1954 may have been corrected here on the basis of the latest available reservoir survey. This report lists 1562 reservoirs and lakes, their usable storage totals 359,360,000 acre-feet, and the corresponding surface area IS 14,831,000 acres.

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS2009

Stratigraphic framework and estuarine depositional environments of the Miocene Bear Lake Formation, Bristol Bay Basin, Alaska: Onshore equivalents to potential reservoir strata in a frontier gas-rich basin

The Miocene Bear Lake Formation is exposed along the coast and mountains of the central Alaska Peninsula and extends offshore as part of the Bristol Bay Basin. The Bear Lake Formation is up to 2360 m (7743 ft) thick in an offshore well and is considered to have the highest reservoir potential in this gasrich frontier basin. Our new macrofossil and palynological data, collected in the context of measured stratigraphic sections, allow us to construct the first chronostratigraphic framework for this formation. Biostratigraphic age assignments for the numerous, commonly isolated, onshore exposures of the Bear Lake Formation show that deposition initiated sometime before the middle Miocene (15 Ma) and extended to possibly the earliest Pliocene. The bulk of the Bear Lake Formation, however, was deposited during the middle and late Miocene based on our new findings. We interpret the Bear Lake Formation as the product of a regional transgressive estuarine depositional system based on lithofacies analysis. The lower part of the formation is characterized by trough cross-stratified sandstone interbedded with coal and pedogenic mudstone deposited in fluvial and swamp environments of the uppermost parts of the estuarine system. The lower-middle part of the formation is dominated by nonbioturbated, wavy- and flaser-bedded sandstone and siltstone that were deposited in supratidal flat environments. The uppermiddle part of the Bear Lake Formation is characterized by inclined heterolithic strata and coquinoid mussel beds that represent tidal channel environments in the middle and lower tracts of the estuarine system. The uppermost part of the formation consists of tabular, bioturbated sandstone with diverse marine invertebrate macrofossil faunas. We interpret this part of the section as representing the subtidal tract of the lower estuarine system and possibly the adjacent shallow inner shelf. A comparison of our depositional framework for the Bear Lake Formation with core and well-log data from onshore and offshore wells indicates that similar Miocene depositional systems existed throughout much of the Bristol Bay Basin. The documented changes in depositional environments within the Bear Lake Formation are also important for understanding upsection changes in the geometries of potential reservoirs. Copyright ??2009. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulle↗

USGS2017

Stable C, O and clumped isotope systematics and 14C geochronology of carbonates from the Quaternary Chewaucan closed-basin lake system, Great Basin, USA: Implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions using carbonates

Isotopic compositions of lacustrine carbonates are commonly used for dating and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Here we use carbonate δ13C and δ18O, clumped (Δ47), and 14C compositions to better understand the carbonate isotope system in closed-basin lakes and trace the paleohydrologic and temperature evolution in the Chewaucan closed-basin lake system, northern Great Basin, USA, over the Last Glacial/Holocene transition. We focus on shorezone tufas to establish that they form in isotopic equilibrium with lake water and DIC, they can be dated reliably using 14C, and their clumped isotope composition can be used to reconstruct past lake temperature. Calculations of the DIC budget and reservoir age for the lake indicate residence time is short, and dominated by exchange with atmospheric CO2 at all past lake levels. Modern lake DIC and shorezone tufas yield δ13C and 14C values consistent with isotopic equilibrium with recent fossil fuel and bomb-influenced atmospheric CO2, supporting these calculations. δ13C values of fossil tufas are also consistent with isotopic equilibrium with pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 at all shoreline elevations. This indicates that the 14C reservoir effect for this material is negligible. Clumped isotope (Δ47) results indicate shorezone tufas record mean annual lake temperature. Modern (average 13 ± 2 °C) and 18 ka BP-age tufas (average 6 ± 2 °C) have significantly different temperatures consistent with mean annual temperature lowering of 7 ± 3 °C (1 SE) under full glacial conditions. For shorezone tufas and other lake carbonates, including spring mounds, mollusk shells, and ostracod tests, overall δ13C and δ18O values co-vary according to the relative contribution of spring and lacustrine end member DIC and water compositions in the drainage system, but specific isotope values depend strongly upon sample context and are not well correlated with past lake depth. This contrasts with the interpretation that carbonate isotopes in closed-basin lake systems reflect changes in DIC and water budgets connected to higher or lower lake volumes. Instead, a small overlapping range of isotope compositions characterize multiple lake levels, so that none can be identified uniquely by isotope composition alone. Relative to other lake carbonates, δ13C and δ18O values for ostracods in Ana River Canyon deposits are very strongly influenced by Ana River water, suggesting low lake level and volume characterized Summer Lake for most of the past 100,000 years. Coupled with sedimentologic observations, the Ana River deposits thus suggest dry conditions like today are close to the mean climate state in the northern Great Basin. By contrast, basin-integrating highstands such as that dating to ∼14 ka BP, during the last glacial termination, are hydrologically unique and short-lived. Overall, our results indicate carbonate isotope records must account for the specific geochemical and hydrologic characteristics of lake system in order to provide robust paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

Great Basin↗

USGS2016

Geologic map of the Morena Reservoir 7.5-minute quadrangle, San Diego County, California

Introduction Mapping in the Morena Reservoir 7.5-minute quadrangle began in 1980, when the Hauser Wilderness Area, which straddles the Morena Reservoir and Barrett Lake quadrangles, was mapped for the U.S. Forest Service. Mapping was completed in 1993–1994. The Morena Reservoir quadrangle contains part of a regional-scale Late Jurassic(?) to Early Cretaceous tectonic suture that coincides with the western limit of Jurassic metagranites in this part of the Peninsular Ranges batholith (PRB). This suture, and a nearly coincident map unit consisting of metamorphosed Cretaceous and Jurassic back-arc basinal volcanic and sedimentary rocks (unit KJvs ), mark the boundary between western, predominantly metavolcanic rocks, and eastern, mainly metasedimentary, rocks. The suture is intruded and truncated by the western margin of middle to Late Cretaceous Granite Mountain and La Posta plutons of the eastern zone of the batholith.

California↗

USGS1956

Reservoirs in the United States

Reservoir storage facilities in the United States play an important part in the national economy. Storage facilities have enabled the country to utilize to a much fuller extent one of the most valuable natural resources: water. During recent years the construction of reservoirs has continued at a high rate. This report shows the status of these facilities on January 1, 1954, and describes briefly some of the reasons for growth of reservoir facilities in the United States. Descriptive data are given for reservoirs having a capacity of 5, 000 acre-feet or more and for natural lakes having a usable capacity of 5,000 acre-feet or more. Included are reservoirs and lakes completed as of January 1, 1954, and reservoirs under construction on that date. The total number of such reservoirs and lakes is 1, 300. A descriptive list of reservoirs in the United States was first published by the United States Geological Survey in March 1948. That report, Geological Survey Circular 23, entitled Reservoirs in the United States, included reservoirs completed as of January 1, 1947. Since January 1, 1947, reservoirs representing a total usable capacity of 115,000,000 acre-feet, or an increase of 71 percent, have been constructed or are under construction. Data about these new reservoirs are presented herein, and the data shown for reservoirs constructed before 1947 have been corrected on the basis of the latest available survey to determine reservoir capacity. The total usable capacity of reservoirs and lakes included in this compilation amounts to 278, 120, 000 acre-feet, and the corresponding surface area totals 11, 046, 000 acres.

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS2007

Modeling Hydrodynamics, Water Temperature, and Suspended Sediment in Detroit Lake, Oregon

Detroit Lake is a large reservoir on the North Santiam River in west-central Oregon. Water temperature and suspended sediment are issues of concern in the river downstream of the reservoir. A CE-QUAL-W2 model was constructed to simulate hydrodynamics, water temperature, total dissolved solids, and suspended sediment in Detroit Lake. The model was calibrated for calendar years 2002 and 2003, and for a period of storm runoff from December 1, 2005, to February 1, 2006. Input data included lake bathymetry, meteorology, reservoir outflows, and tributary inflows, water temperatures, total dissolved solids, and suspended sediment concentrations. Two suspended sediment size groups were modeled: one for suspended sand and silt with particle diameters larger than 2 micrometers, and another for suspended clay with particle diameters less than or equal to 2 micrometers. The model was calibrated using lake stage data, lake profile data, and data from a continuous water-quality monitor on the North Santiam River near Niagara, about 6 kilometers downstream of Detroit Dam. The calibrated model was used to estimate sediment deposition in the reservoir, examine the sources of suspended sediment exiting the reservoir, and examine the effect of the reservoir on downstream water temperatures.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2006

Analysis of ambient conditions and simulation of hydrodynamics and water-quality characteristics in Beaver Lake, Arkansas, 2001 through 2003

Beaver Lake is a large, deep-storage reservoir located in the upper White River Basin in northwestern Arkansas. The purpose of this report is to describe the ambient hydrologic and water-quality conditions in Beaver Lake and its inflows and describe a two-dimensional model developed to simulate the hydrodynamics and water quality of Beaver Lake from 2001 through 2003. Water-quality samples were collected at the three main inflows to Beaver Lake; the White River near Fayetteville, Richland Creek at Goshen, and War Eagle Creek near Hindsville. Nutrient concentrations varied among the tributaries because of land use and contributions of nutrients from point sources. The median concentrations of total ammonia plus organic nitrogen were greater for the White River than Richland and War Eagle Creeks. The greatest concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate and total nitrogen, however, were observed at War Eagle Creek. Phosphorus concentrations were relatively low, with orthophosphorus and dissolved phosphorus concentrations mostly below the laboratory reporting limit at the three sites. War Eagle Creek had significantly greater median orthophosphorus and total phosphorus concentrations than the White River and Richland Creek. Dissolved organic-carbon concentrations were significantly greater at the White River than at War Eagle and Richland Creeks. The White River also had significantly greater turbidity than War Eagle Creek and Richland Creek. The temperature distribution in Beaver Lake exhibits the typical seasonal cycle of lakes and reservoirs located within similar latitudes. Beaver Lake is a monomictic system, in which thermal stratification occurs annually during the summer and fall and complete mixing occurs in the winter. Isothermal conditions exist throughout the winter and early spring. Nitrogen concentrations varied temporally, longitudinally, and vertically in Beaver Lake for 2001 through 2003. Nitrite plus nitrate concentrations generally decreased from the upstream portion of Beaver Lake to the downstream portion and generally were greater in the hypolimnion. Total ammonia plus organic nitrogen concentrations also decreased from the upstream end of Beaver Lake to the downstream end and were substantially greater in the hypolimnion of Beaver Lake. Phosphorus concentrations mostly were near or below laboratory detection limits in the epilimnion and metalimnion in Beaver Lake and were substantially greater in the hypolimnion in the upstream and middle parts of the reservoir. Measured total and dissolved organic carbon in Beaver Lake was relatively uniform spatially, longitudinally, and vertically in the reservoir from January 2001 through December 2003. Chlorophyll a concentrations measured at sites in the upstream portion of the lake were significantly greater than at the other sites in the downstream portion of Beaver Lake. During the study period, water clarity in Beaver Lake was significantly greater at the downstream end of the reservoir than at the upstream end. The greatest Secchi depths at the downstream end of the reservoir generally were observed in 2001 compared to 2002 and 2003, but did not have a seasonal pattern as observed at sites in the middle and upstream portion of the reservoir. Similar to Secchi depth results, turbidity results indicated greater water clarity in the downstream portion of Beaver Lake compared to the upstream portion. Turbidity also was greater in the hypolimnion than in the epilimnion in the reservoir during the stratification season. A two-dimensional, laterally averaged, hydrodynamic, and water-quality model using CE-QUAL-W2 Version 3.1 was developed for Beaver Lake and calibrated based on vertical profiles of temperature and dissolved oxygen, and water-quality constituent concentrations collected at various depths at four sites in the reservoir from April 2001 to April 2003. Simulated temperatures and dissolved-oxygen concentrations compared reasonably well with measured t

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2022

Selenium in the Kootenai River Basin, Montana and Idaho, United States, and British Columbia, Canada

Selenium entering the 90-mile long transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (also called Lake Koocanusa) in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northwestern Montana, United States, has been measured at concentrations above State and Federal water-quality and aquatic life standards. The reservoir is within the international Kootenai (or “Kootenay” in Canada) drainage basin, which contains critical habitat for native fish species and is impounded by Libby Dam 16 miles upstream from Libby, Montana. Since 1984, selenium concentrations have ranged from below detection to greater than 8 micrograms per liter in the Elk River, measured 2.2 miles above its discharge into Koocanusa Reservoir at a British Columbia environmental monitoring station (site 0200016). Selenium is a required micro-nutrient, but elevated concentrations in water bioaccumulate in egg-laying fish and birds, causing various sublethal effects and death. One possible source of selenium in the Kootenai River Basin is the excavation of bedrock in the Elk River Valley to access coal seams for metallurgical steelmaking and coal production. Five open-pit coal mines are operating in this region of southeastern British Columbia that produce about 21 million tons of metallurgical coal annually. Site-specific selenium standards were established for the reservoir in 2020 following collaborative work by the U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, the Lake Koocanusa Monitoring and Research Working Group, and the Selenium Technical Subcommittee. The standards of 0.8 microgram per liter for dissolved selenium in the water column and 15.1 milligrams per kilogram dry weight for fish egg (ovary) tissue (in addition to the muscle and wholebody standards) were adopted into Montana State law in 2020 and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2021.

British Columbia, Idaho, Montana↗

USGS2015

Bathymetry and capacity of Chambers Lake, Chester County, Pennsylvania

Introduction Chambers Lake is a manmade reservoir on Birch Run, a tributary to West Branch Brandywine Creek in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The lake was created in 1994 after the completion of Multi-Purpose Dam PA-436F (Hibernia Dam), which was built under the Watershed Protection & Flood Control Prevention Act (U.S. Soil Conservation Service, 1991). Hibernia dam is 1,700 feet upstream from the confluence of Birch Run with West Branch Brandywine Creek. The primary objectives for Hibernia Dam were to provide (1) flood control, (2) a supplemental source of water supply for the greater City of Coatesville public water system, and (3) recreational opportunities. The drainage basin of Chambers Lake encompasses approximately 4.5 square miles, and the lake covers a surface area of about 95 acres at normal pool, which is at an elevation of 579.2 feet above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) [580.0 feet above the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29)]. The crest of the auxiliary spillway of the dam is 586.6 feet above NAVD 88. The elevation of the auxiliary spillway is important to this investigation because this elevation defines the flood storage capacity of Chambers Lake. Water levels exceeding this elevation are routed through the auxiliary spillway and flow through adjoining woodland to Birch Run. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Chester County Water Resources Authority (CCWRA) and the County of Chester, surveyed the bathymetry and selected above-water features of Chambers Lake in September 2014. The purpose of the survey was to develop an accurate representation of the surface of the bottom of Chambers Lake and to determine the stage area and reservoir-storage capacity relation as of September 2014. CCWRA is responsible for operation of the dam and water-supply reservoir. Since construction, CCWRA has used a stage–storage capacity relation developed from the original survey conducted in the 1990s to estimate the volume of water available for water supply and the available flood storage. The bathymetric mapping effort was initiated due to interest in potential changes in current (2014) storage capacity when compared to the stage–storage capacity relation developed during design. The generated bathymetric surface may serve as a baseline to which temporal changes in storage capacity, owing to sedimentation and other factors, can be compared. In addition, these data will improve the overall accuracy of the stage–storage capacity table that CCWRA uses for reservoir and flood management operations. This report describes the methods used to create a bathymetric map of Chambers Lake for the computation of reservoir storage capacity as of September 2014. The product is a bathymetric map and a table showing the storage capacity of the reservoir at 2-foot increments from minimum usable elevation up to full capacity at the crest of the auxiliary spillway.

Pennsylvania↗

USGS1990

Summary of selected characteristics of large reservoirs in the United States and Puerto Rico, 1988

This report presents selected characteristics of 2,728 reservoirs and controlled natural lakes located within the 50 States of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Data are presented for reservoirs that have normal capacities of at least 5,000 acre-ft or maximum capacities of at least 25,000 acre-ft and that were completed as of January 1, 1988. Reservoir data include: location, maximum capacity, normal capacity, surface area, drainage area, year completed, and use. The normal capacities of the 2,728 reservoirs and controlled natural lakes total more than 467 million acre-ft, and the combined surface areas for 2,362 of those reservoirs total almost 16 million acres. More than 9% (259) of the reservoirs are located in California. The total normal capacity of reservoirs in California is more than 40 million acre-ft (about 8.6% of the total normal capacity for the United States and Puerto Rico), and the total surface area is almost 700,000 acres (about 4.4% of the listed total surface area for the United States and Puerto Rico). (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1981

Water resources inventory of Connecticut Part 7: upper Connecticut River basin

The 508 square miles of the upper Connecticut River basin in north-central Connecticut include the basins of four major tributaries: the Scantic, Park, and Hockanum Rivers, and the Farmington River downstream from Tariffville. Precipitation over this area averaged 44 inches per year during 1931-60. In this period, an additional 3,800 billion gallons of water per year entered the basin in the main stem of the Connecticut River at the Massachusetts state line, about 230 billion gallons per year in the Farmington River at Tariffville, and about 10 billion gallons per year in the Seantic River at the Massachusetts state line. Some water was also imported from outside the basin by water-supply systems. About half the precipitation, 22.2 inches, was lost from the basin by evapotranspiration; the remainder flowed out of the study area in the Connecticut River at Portland. Variations in streamflow at 41 long-term continuous-record gaging stations are summarized in standardized graphs and tables that can be used to estimate streamflow characteristics at other sites. For example, mean-flow and two low-flow characteristics: (1) the 7-day annual minimum flow for 2-year and (2) 10-year recurrence intervals, have been determined for many partial-record stations throughout the basin. Of the 30 principal lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, two have usable storage capacities of more than 1 billion gallons. The maximum safe draft rate (regulated flow) of the largest of these, Shenipsit Lake at Rockville, is 6.5 million gallons per day for the 2-year and 30-year recurrence intervals (median and lowest annual flow). Floods have occurred within each month of the year but in different years. The greatest known flood on the Connecticut River was in March 1936; it had a peak flow of 130,000 cubic feet per second at Hartford. Since then, major floods have been reduced by flood-control measures. The major aquifers underlying the basin are composed of unconsolidated materials (stratified drift and till) and bedrock. Stratified drift overlies till and bedrock in valleys and lowlands in the eastern and western parts and in most of the broad central valley. The stratified drift generally ranges in thickness from 10 feet in small valleys to more than 200 feet in the Connecticut River Valley. Bedrock underlies the entire basin and is composed of (1) interbedded sedimentary and igneous rocks and (2) crystalline rocks. Ground-water sources yield from several million gallons per day from large well fields to 1 gallon per minute from single wells. Yields of 100 gal/min or more are most commonly obtained from screened wells tapping stratified-drift aquifers; amounts can be calculated by use of a series of graphs in conjunction with estimates of aquifer transmissivity and thickness. Eighteen areas underlain by good aquifers are selected as the most favorable locations for large-scale development of ground water. Selection of these areas is based on estimates of aquifer characteristics and the amount of water potentially available from induced infiltration of streamflow at low-flow conditions. Small to moderate water supplies can generally be obtained from any of the aquifers. Wells in bedrock yield at least a few gallons per minute at most sites. The probability of obtaining an adequate yield for domestic supply is greater in sedimentary than in crystalline bedrock and is also greater in stratified-drift overburden than in till. Where unaffected by man's activities, the water is of the calcium magnesium bicarbonate type, is generally low to moderate in dissolved-solids concentration, and ranges from soft to hard. In general, streamflow is less mineralized than ground water, particularly when it consists largely of direct runoff. However, streams become more highly mineralized during low-flow conditions, when most flow consists of more highly mineralized water discharged from aquifers. The median dissolved-solids concentration in water from 25 stream sites was 113 mg/L (milligrams per liter) during high flow, and 148 mg/L during low flow within the study period. Iron and manganese occur naturally in objectionable concentrations in some streams draining swamps and in some waters draining from sedimentary bedrock which contains iron- and manganese-bearing minerals. Man's activities have affected the water quality of streams in much of the area, particularly in the Hockanum and Park River basins. The degradation in quality in these streams is shown by wide and erratic changes in dissolved-solids concentration, excessive amounts of trace elements, a low dissolved-oxygen content, and abnormally high temperatures. Ground water within this area is degraded principally by induced infiltration of surface water that contains chemical wastes, by leachate from wastes stored or disposed of on the ground, and by effluents discharged from septic tanks. The quantity and quality of water are satisfactory for a wide variety of uses, and, with suitable treatment, the water may be used for most purposes. The total amount of water used in 1968 was more than 100 billion gallons. About 80 percent of this was used for industrial purposes, and 90 percent of the industrial water was obtained from surface-water sources. About 85 percent of the population was supplied with water for domestic use by 15 major public and municipal systems and 25 private associations. Analyses of water from the 13 largest systems show generally good quality.

Connecticut↗

USGS2012

Competing risks and the development of adaptive management plans for water resources: Field reconnaissance investigation of risks to fishes and other aquatic biota exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (edcs) in lake mead, Nevada USA

The analysis and characterization of competing risks for water resources rely on a wide spectrum of tools to evaluate hazards and risks associated with their management. For example, waters of the lower Colorado River stored in reservoirs such as Lake Mead present a wide range of competing risks related to water quantity and water quality. These risks are often interdependent and complicated by competing uses of source waters for sustaining biological resources and for supporting a range of agricultural, municipal, recreational, and industrial uses. USGS is currently conducting a series of interdisciplinary case-studies on water quality of Lake Mead and its source waters. In this case-study we examine selected constituents potentially entering the Lake Mead system, particularly endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Worldwide, a number of environmental EDCs have been identified that affect reproduction, development, and adaptive behaviors in a wide range of organisms. Many EDCs are minimally affected by current treatment technologies and occur in treated sewage effluents. Several EDCs have been detected in Lake Mead, and several substances have been identified that are of concern because of potential impacts to the aquatic biota, including the sport fishery of Lake Mead and endangered razorback suckers (Xyrauchen texanus) that occur in the Colorado River system. For example, altered biomarkers relevant to reproduction and thyroid function in fishes have been observed and may be predictive of impaired metabolism and development. Few studies, however, have addressed whether such EDC-induced responses observed in the field have an ecologically significant effect on the reproductive success of fishes. To identify potential linkages between EDCs and species of management concern, the risk analysis and characterization in this reconnaissance study focused on effects (and attendant uncertainties) that might be expressed by exposed populations. In addition, risk reduction measures that may be of interest to resource managers are considered relative to emerging contaminants in treated effluents, interdependencies among biological resources at risk, and uses of reservoir waters derived from multiple inflows of widely varying qualities. ??2009 ASCE.

Nevada↗

USGS1986

Ground-water conditions in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, 1969-83, and predicted effects of increased withdrawals from wells

This report was prepared in cooperation with several organizations in the Salt Lake Valley and with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to present results of a study to determine changes in the ground-water conditions in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, from 1969 to 1983, and to predict the aquifer response to projected withdrawals. The average annual recharge and discharge from the ground-water reservoir in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, during 1969-82 were estimated to be about 352,000 and 353,000 acre-feet per year. Withdrawals from wells increased from 107,000 acre-feet per year during 1964-68 to 117,000 acre-feet per year during 1969-82. The greatest increase in use was for public supply and institutions which increased from 35,000 acre-feet per year during 1964-68 to 46,700 acre-feet per year during 1969-82. From 1969 to 1983 water levels declined from 5 to 15 feet in the southeast part of the valley where pumpage from large public supply wells was greater during 1969-82 than during previous years. From February-March 1969 to February-March 1983 the quantity of ground water in storage in Salt Lake Valley increased by about 33,000 acre-feet. A digital-computer model was calibrated to simulate, in three-dimensions, the ground-water flow in the principal and shallow-unconfined aquifers in Salt Lake Valley. Simulations were made to project the response to continuing withdrawals through 2020. Alternative pumping rates used were (1) the 1982 rate of pumpage and (2) increasing the 1982 rate of pumpage by 65,000 acre-feet. The simulation at the increased rate of pumpage indicated that drawdowns would reach 40-60 feet in the area east of Sandy. About 75 percent of the increased withdrawal was salvaged from water that otherwise would have been discharged to the Jordan River and its tributaries.

Utah↗

USGS1987

Ground-water conditions in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, 1969-83, and predicted effects of increased withdrawals from wells

Utah↗

USGS2010

Transport and accumulation of radionuclides and stable elements in a Missouri River Reservoir

Several long sediment cores from the Cheyenne River Embayment of Lake Oahe, a 250-km-long Missouri River reservoir in South Dakota, have been analyzed for radionuclides and stable elements. The combination of fine-scale sampling and rapid sedimentation produces radionuclide distributions that can be used to estimate the detailed chronology of particle transport processes in the Oahe reservoir system. A self-consistent and quantitative treatment of the 137 Cs data suggests processes to which characteristic times may be associated. Times that characterize system-wide processes include (1) an integration time of several years reflecting retention of the sediment-bound tracer in regions within or external to the reservoir, (2) a relaxation time of approximately 15 years reflecting a decreasing rate of sediment accumulation ascribed to shoreline stabilization, (3) a time of a few months characterizing the breadth of riverine signatures in cores due to integration effects in the Cheyenne River system and deltaic deposits, and (4) times of a few years associated with propagation of riverine load signatures along the embayment. The distribution of total sedimentary arsenic confirms the validity of the variable sedimentation model. In 1977, a tailings retention facility was built at the Homestake Mine site, and the unrestricted input of As ceased. As a result of this remedial action, the concentration of sedimentary As decreased dramatically. In the upper section of the core, above the depth represented by the year 1976, the concentration of As decreases tenfold. In this same core the distribution of lithologically discriminating chemical elements, calcium and vanadium, relate to major flow events in the Cheyenne River basin. Because there is minimal diagenesis of chemical constituents in these rapidly accumulating sediments, stable element signatures, in addition to radiotracers, may be used to reconstruct hydrologic events in drainage basins that contribute sediment to lakes and reservoirs.

South Dakota↗

USGS1996

Geomorphology of the lower Copper River, Alaska

The Copper River, located in southcentral Alaska, drains an area of more than 24,000 square miles. About 30 miles above its mouth, this large river enters Miles Lake, a proglacial lake formed by the retreat of Miles Glacier. Downstream from the outlet of Miles Lake, the Copper River flows past the face of Childs Glacier before it enters a large, broad, alluvial flood plain. The Copper River Highway traverses this flood plain and in 1996, 11 bridges were located along this section of the highway. These bridges cross parts or all of the Copper River and in recent years, some of these bridges have sustained serious damage due to the changing course of the Copper River. Although the annual mean discharge of the lower Copper River is 57,400 cubic feet per second, most of the flow occurs during the summer months from snowmelt, rainfall, and glacial melt. Approximately every six years, an outburst flood from Van Cleve Lake, a glacier-dammed lake formed by Miles Glacier, releases approximately 1 million acre-feet of water into the Copper River. At the peak outflow rate from Van Cleve Lake, the flow of the Copper River will increase an additional 140,000 and 190,000 cubic feet per second. Bedload sampling and continuous seismic reflection were used to show that Miles Lake traps virtually all the bedload being transported by the Copper River as it enters the lake from the north. The reservoir-like effect of Miles Lake results in the armoring of the channel of the Copper River downstream from Miles Lakes, past Childs Glacier, until it reaches the alluvial flood plain. At this point, bedload transport begins again. The lower Copper River transports 69 million tons per year of suspended sediment, approximately the same quantity as the Yukon River, which drains an area of more than 300,000 square miles. By correlating concurrent flows from a long-term streamflow- gaging station on the Copper River with a short-term streamflow-gaging station at the outlet of Miles Lake, long-term flow characteristics of the lower Copper River were synthesized. Historical discharge and cross-section data indicate that as late as 1970, most of the flow of the lower Copper River was through the first three bridges of the Copper River Highway as it begins to traverse the alluvial flood plain. In the mid 1980's, a percentage of the flow had shifted away from these three bridges and in 1995, only 51 percent of the flow of the Copper River passed through them. Eight different years of aerial photography of the lower Copper River were analyzed using Geographical Information System techniques. This analysis indicated that no major channel changes were caused by the 1964 earthquake. A flood in 1981 that had a recurrence interval of more than 100 years caused significant channel changes in the lower Copper River. A probability analysis of the lower Copper River indicated stable areas and the long-term locations of channels. By knowing the number of times a particular area has been occupied by water and the last year an area was occupied by water, areas of instability can be located. A Markov analysis of the lower Copper River indicated that the tendency of the flood plain is to remain in its current state. Large floods of the magnitude of the 1981 event are believed to be the cause of major changes in the lower Copper River.

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USGS1997

Geomorphology of the lower Copper River, Alaska

The Copper River, located in southcentral Alaska, drains an area of more than 24,000 square miles. About 30 miles above its mouth, this large river enters Miles Lake, a proglacial lake formed by the retreat of Miles Glacier. Downstream from the outlet of Miles Lake, the Copper River flows past the face of Childs Glacier before it enters a large, broad, alluvial flood plain. The Copper River Highway traverses this flood plain and in 1995, 11 bridges were located along this section of the highway. These bridges cross parts of the Copper River and in recent years, some of these bridges have sustained serious damage due to the changing course of the Copper River. Although the annual mean discharge of the lower Copper River is 57,400 cubic feet per second, most of the flow occurs during the summer months from snowmelt, rainfall, and glacial melt. Approximately every six years, an outburst flood from Van Cleve Lake, a glacier-dammed lake formed by Miles Glacier, releases approximately 1 million acre-feet of water into the Copper River. When the outflow rate from Van Cleve Lake reaches it peak, the flow of the Copper River will increase between 150,000 to 190,000 cubic feet per second. Data collected by bedload sampling and continuous seismic reflection indicated that Miles Lake traps virtually all the bedload being transported by the Copper River as it enters the lake from the north. The reservoir-like effect of Miles Lake results in the armoring of the channel of the Copper River downstream from Miles Lake, past Childs Glacier, until it reaches the alluvial flood plain. At this point, bedload transport begins again. The lower Copper River transports 69 million tons per year of suspended sediment, approximately the same quantity as the Yukon River, which drains an area of more than 300,000 square miles. By correlating concurrent flows from a long-term streamflow-gaging station on the Copper River with a short-term streamflow-gaging station at the outlet of Miles Lake, long-term flow characteristics of the lower Copper River were synthesized. Historical discharge and cross-section data indicate that as late as 1970, most of the flow of the lower Copper River was through the first three bridges of the Copper River Highway as it begins to traverse the alluvial flood plain. In the mid 1980's, a percentage of the flow had shifted away from these three bridges and in 1995, only 51 percent of the flow of the Copper River passed through them. Eight different years of aerial photography of the lower Copper River were analyzed using Geographical Information System techniques. This analysis indicated that no major channel changes were caused by the 1964 earthquake. However, a flood in 1981 that had a recurrence interval of more than 100 years caused significant channel changes in the lower Copper River. A probability analysis of the lower Copper River indicated stable areas and the long-term locations of channels. By knowing the number of times a particular area has been occupied by water and the last year an area was occupied by water, areas of instability can be located. A Markov analysis of the lower Copper River indicated that the tendency of the flood plain is to remain in its current state. Large floods of the magnitude of the 1981 event are believed to be the cause of major changes in the lower Copper River.

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