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At least 1,261 records · Page 70Linked to original sources
USGS1980

Hydrologic setting of wetlands in the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, North Dakota

Because of growing interest in the role of lakes and wetlands in the hydrology of the prairie environment, a group of wetlands in the Cottonwood Lake area, Stutsman County, are being instrumented for long-term hydrologic studies. The study site is on a regional topographic high near the eastern edge of the Missouri Coteau and is underlain by more than 400 feet of glacial drift, largely clayey, silty till. Long-term climatic data indicate the study area is in a water deficient area mean annual evaporation exceeds mean annual precipitation by about 18 inches. Different methods are being used for comparison of measurements and estimates of each hydrologic component interacting with the lakes and wetlands. For example, for 3 months during 1979, estimates of precipitation for the study site using data collected at National Weather Service stations differed from that measured by a recording gage at the study site by several tenths of an inch for 14-day totals and differed by more than 0.5 inch for individual storms. Numerical-simulation analysis of regional ground-water flow systems show the study site is situated in a regional recharge area, but local groundwater flow systems can discharge to lakes and wetlands within the recharge area. Instrumentation at the study site shows a complex interrelationship of wetlands and ground water. Based on data for 1979 only, some wetlands appear to recharge ground water, some wetlands are flow-through types where ground water enters one side and surface water seeps into the ground on the other side, and some wetlands are discharge points for ground water. Further, these interrelationships vary throughout the year.

North Dakota↗
USGS2010

Development of a conceptual model of groundwater flow, Chesterfield County, South Carolina

Chesterfield County is located in the north central part of South Carolina (SC) and is adjacent to the North Carolina border. The County lies along the Fall Line, the geologic boundary between the Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) and Piedmont physiographic provinces. Between 2000 and 2007, the population increased from 42,768 to 43,191 people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Associated with this population growth is an increased demand for domestic, public, industrial, and agricultural water supplies. The ACP sediments underlying Chesterfield County contain abundant supplies of highquality groundwater (Newcome, 2004). The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is investigating the ACP groundwater resources of Chesterfield County. The initial task of the study is to establish a hydrologic data-collection network for the ACP part of the County. A groundwater-flow model and derived water budgets for the ACP aquifer that underlies most of the County will be constructed and calibrated later in the study. Both anthropogenic and natural groundwater contaminants that have been identified in the study area will be quantified and described as part of a companion study.

South Carolina↗
USGS1984

Maps showing ground-water levels, springs, and depth to water, Basin and Range Province, Oregon

This report on ground-water levels, springs and depth to ground water in the Basin and Range province of Oregon (see index map) was prepared as part of a program of the U.S. Geological Survey to identify prospective regions for further study relative to isolation of high level nuclear waste (Bedinger, Sargent, and Reed, 1984), utilizing program guidelines defined in Sargent and Bedinger (1984). Also included in this report are selected references on pertinent geologic and hydrologic studies of the region. Other map reports in this series contain detailed data on ground-water quality, surface distribution of selected rock types, tectonic conditions, areal geophysics, Pleistocene lakes and marshes, and mineral and energy resources.

Oregon↗
USGS1997

Water resources data, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, water year 1996

Water resources data for the 1996 water year for Massachusetts and Rhode Island consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; contents of lakes and reservoirs; and ground-water levels. This report contains discharge records for 88 gaging stations, month end contents of 4 lakes and reservoirs, water quality at 16 gaging stations, and water levels for 143 observation wells. Data also are included for 35 low-flow partial-record stations. Miscellaneous hydrologic data were collected at various sites that were not a part of the systematic data-collection program and are published as miscellaneous discharge measurements. A few pertinent stations in bordering States are also included in this report. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Massachusetts, Rhode Island↗
USGS1984

Maps showing ground-water levels, springs, and depth to water, Basin and Range Province, Nevada

This report on ground-water levels, springs and depth to ground water in the Basin and Range province of Nevada (see index map) was prepared as part of a program of the U.S. Geological Survey to identify prospective regions for further study relative to isolation of high-level nuclear waste (Bedinger, Sargent, and Reed, 1984), utilizing program guidelines defined in Sargent and Bedinger (1984). Also included in this report are selected references on pertinent geologic and hydrologic studies of the region. Other map reports in this series contain detailed data on ground-water quality, surface distribution of selected rock types, tectonic conditions, areal geophysics, Pleistocene lakes and marshes, and mineral and energy resources.

Nevada↗
USGS1984

Maps showing ground-water levels, springs, and depth to ground water, Basin and Range Province, Texas

This report on ground-water levels, springs, and depth to ground water in the Basin and Range province of Texas (see index map) was prepared as part of a program of the U.S. Geological Survey to identify prospective regions for further study relative to isolation of high-level nuclear waste (Bedinger, Sargent, and Reed, 1984), utilizing program guidelines defined in Sargent and Bedinger (1984). Also included in this report are selected references on pertinent geologic and hydrologic studies of the region. Other map reports in this series contain detailed data on ground-water quality, surface distribution of selected rock types, tectonic conditions, areal geophysics, Pleistocene lakes and marshes, and mineral and energy resources.

Texas↗
USGS1984

Maps showing ground-water levels, springs, and depth to ground water, Basin and Range province, Utah

This report on ground-water levels, springs, and depth to ground water in the Basin and Range province of Utah (see index map) was prepared as part of a program of the U.S. Geological Survey to identify prospective regions for further study relative to isolation of high-level nuclear waste (Bedinger, Sargent, and Reed, 1984), utilizing program guidelines defined in Sargent and Bedinger (1984) . Also included in this report are selected references on pertinent geologic and hydrologic studies of the region. Other map reports in this series contain detailed data on ground-water quality, surface distribution of selected rock types, tectonic conditions, areal geophysics, Pleistocene lakes and marshes, and mineral and energy resources.

Utah↗
USGS2020

Evaluation of hydrologic impact of an irrigation curtailment program in the Upper Klamath Lake Basin using Landsat satellite data

Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) is the source of the Klamath river that flows through southern Oregon and northern California. The UKL basin is home to two endangered species and provides water for 81,000+ ha (200,000+ acres) of irrigation on the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Klamath Project located downstream of the UKL basin. Irrigated agriculture also occurs along the tributaries to UKL. During 2013–2016, water right calls resulted in various levels of curtailment of irrigation diversions from the tributaries to UKL. However, information on the extent of curtailment, how much irrigation water was saved, and its impact on the UKL is unknown. In this study, we combined Landsat-based actual evapotranspiration (ETa) data obtained from the Operational Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEBop) model with gridded precipitation and USGS station discharge data to evaluate the hydrologic impact of the curtailment program. Analysis was performed for five base years (2004, 2006, 2008-2010) and four target years (2013-2016) over irrigated areas above UKL. Our results indicated that the impact of the curtailment program over the June to September time-period was highest during 2013 and declined in each of the following years. The total on-field water savings were approximately 60 hm3 in 2013 and 2014, 44 hm3 in 2015, and 32 hm3 in 2016. The instream water flow change or extra water available (EWA) were found at 92, 68, 45, and 26 hm3 respectively for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Most water savings came from pasture and wetlands. Alfalfa showed the most decline in water use among grain crops. The resulting EWA from the curtailment contributed to a maximum of 19% of the lake inflows and 50% of the lake volume. This study presents the use of Landsat-based ETa and other remote sensing datasets for evaluating water-related impacts of the irrigation curtailment program.

Upper Klamath Lake Basin↗
USGS1981

Hydrologic data for North Creek, Trinity River basin, Texas, 1979

This report contains rainfall and runoff data collected during the 1979 water year for the 21.6-square mile area above the stream-gaging station North Creek near Jacksboro, Texas. A continuous water-stage recording gage was installed at one representative floodwater-retarding structure (site 28-A) on Oct. 5, 1972. The data are collected to compute the contents, surface area, inflow, and outflow at this site. The stream-gaging station on North Creek near Jacksboro continuously records the water level which, with measurements of streamflow, is used to compute the runoff from the study area. Streamflow records at this gage began on Aug. 8, 1956. Detailed rainfall-runoff computations are included for one storm during the 1979 water year at the stream-gaging station. (USGS)

Texas↗
USGS1984

Maps showing ground-water levels, springs, and depth to ground water, Basin and Range Province, Southern California

This report on ground-water levels, springs and depth to ground water in the Basin and Range province of southern California (see index map) was prepared as part of a program of the U.S. Geological Survey to identify prospective regions for further study relative to isolation of high-level nuclear waste (Bedinger, Sargent, and Reed, 1984), utilizing program guidelines defined in Sargent and Bedinger (1984). Also included in this report are selected references on pertinent geologic and hydrologic studies of the region. Other map reports in this series contain detailed data on ground-water quality, surface distribution of selected rock types, tectonic conditions, areal geophysics, Pleistocene lakes and marshes, and mineral and energy resources.

California↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic evaluation of the Alton reclamation-study site, Alton coal field, Utah

This investigation was conducted from July 1974 to September 1977 to define general hydrologic conditions at a reclamation-study site in the Alton coal field near Kanab, Utah. The average annual streamflow through the area was less than 600 acre-feet (0.7 cubic hectometer), and the water carried little sediment except during floods which result from intense local storms. Most of the surface water seeps into the ground or is diverted for irrigation downstream from the study area. Ground-water data were insufficient to define the potentiometric surface in most of the area. The water level in each of the three observation wells in the study area is above the coal layer in the immediate area of the well. A larger network of wells is needed to define the potentiometric surface throughout the area and to show its relation to surface water and the location of the coal layers. The short period of this investigation coincided with a drought in southern Utah. Hydrologic data should be collected continuously to establish a hydrologic base before mining begins, and data collection should be continued through the periods of mining and reclamation.

Utah↗
USGS2020

DTSGUI: A python program to process and visualize fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing data

Fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing (FO‐DTS) has proven to be a transformative technology for the hydrologic sciences, with application to diverse problems including hyporheic exchange, groundwater/surface‐water interaction, fractured‐rock characterization, and cold regions hydrology. FO‐DTS produces large, complex, and information‐rich datasets. Despite the potential of FO‐DTS, adoption of the technology has been impeded by lack of tools for data processing, analysis, and visualization. New tools are needed to efficiently and fully capitalize on the information content of FO‐DTS datasets. To this end, we present DTSGUI, a public‐domain Python‐based software package for editing, parsing, processing, statistical analysis, georeferencing, and visualization of FO‐DTS data.

Groundwater↗
USGS2009

Comparison of Surface Flow Features from Lidar-Derived Digital Elevation Models with Historical Elevation and Hydrography Data for Minnehaha County, South Dakota

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has taken the lead in the creation of a valuable remote sensing product by incorporating digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) into the National Elevation Dataset (NED), the elevation layer of 'The National Map'. High-resolution lidar-derived DEMs provide the accuracy needed to systematically quantify and fully integrate surface flow including flow direction, flow accumulation, sinks, slope, and a dense drainage network. In 2008, 1-meter resolution lidar data were acquired in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. The acquisition was a collaborative effort between Minnehaha County, the city of Sioux Falls, and the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. With the newly acquired lidar data, USGS scientists generated high-resolution DEMs and surface flow features. This report compares lidar-derived surface flow features in Minnehaha County to 30- and 10-meter elevation data previously incorporated in the NED and ancillary hydrography datasets. Surface flow features generated from lidar-derived DEMs are consistently integrated with elevation and are important in understanding surface-water movement to better detect surface-water runoff, flood inundation, and erosion. Many topographic and hydrologic applications will benefit from the increased availability of accurate, high-quality, and high-resolution surface-water data. The remotely sensed data provide topographic information and data integration capabilities needed for meeting current and future human and environmental needs.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2025

Performance mapping and weighting for the evapotranspiration models of the OpenET ensemble

Evapotranspiration (ET) accounts for the majority of water available from precipitation in the terrestrial water cycle, and improvements to the accuracy, resolution, and coverage of ET data can enhance hydrologic models and assessments. The OpenET collaboration of six remotely sensed ET modeling teams has demonstrated that an ensemble approach to ET estimation generally provides improved accuracy relative to individual ensemble members. The performance of individual models has been shown to vary by land cover type and climate zone, but a thorough study of the variables that influence model performance differences has not yet been conducted. In this paper, we model the performance of OpenET models relative to flux tower data as a function of variables such as land cover type and precipitation. These performance models are used to map estimated OpenET model performance across the conterminous United States. We develop relative weights based on these modeled performance metrics and show that a performance-weighted ensemble improves accuracy relative to the current OpenET ensemble method to varying degrees. The monthly mean absolute error of the weighted ensemble is reduced relative to the current method by 8% in agricultural settings, by 23% in shrublands and mixed forests, and by 5% in grasslands and evergreen forests. We produce weight maps that can be used to generate performance-weighted ensemble values for OpenET data. The results can be used to inform model selection and provide insight about the controls on model performance that could lead to model refinement.

Water Resources Research↗
USGS1984

Maps showing ground-water units and withdrawal, Basin and Range Province, Nevada

This report on ground-water units and withdrawal in the Basin and Range province of Nevada (see index map) was prepared as part of a program of the U.S. Geological Survey to identify prospective regions for further study relative to isolation of high-level nuclear waste (Bedinger f Sargent, and Reed, 1984), utilizing program guidelines defined in Sargent and Bedinger (1984). Also included in this report are selected references on pertinent geologic and hydrologic studies of the region. Other map reports in this series contain detailed data on ground-water quality, surface distribution of selected rock types, tectonic conditions, areal geophysics, Pleistocene lakes and marshes, and mineral and energy resources.

Nevada↗
USGS2013

Evaluating changes to reservoir rule curves using historical water-level data

Flood control reservoirs are typically managed through rule curves (i.e. target water levels) which control the storage and release timing of flood waters. Changes to rule curves are often contemplated and requested by various user groups and management agencies with no information available about the actual flood risk of such requests. Methods of estimating flood risk in reservoirs are not easily available to those unfamiliar with hydrological models that track water movement through a river basin. We developed a quantile regression model that uses readily available daily water-level data to estimate risk of spilling. Our model provided a relatively simple process for estimating the maximum applicable water level under a specific flood risk for any day of the year. This water level represents an upper-limit umbrella under which water levels can be operated in a variety of ways. Our model allows the visualization of water-level management under a user-specified flood risk and provides a framework for incorporating the effect of a changing environment on water-level management in reservoirs, but is not designed to replace existing hydrological models. The model can improve communication and collaboration among agencies responsible for managing natural resources dependent on reservoir water levels.

International Journal of River Basin Management↗
USGS2020

Statistical methods in water resources

This text began as a collection of class notes for a course on applied statistical methods for hydrologists taught at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Training Center. Course material was formalized and organized into a textbook, first published in 1992 by Elsevier as part of their Studies in Environmental Science series. In 2002, the work was made available online as a USGS report. The text has now been updated as a USGS Techniques and Methods Report. It is intended to be a text in applied statistics for hydrology, environmental science, environmental engineering, geology, or biology that addresses distinctive features of environmental data. For example, water resources data tend to have many variables with a lower bound of zero, tend to be more skewed than data from many other disciplines, commonly contain censored data (less than values), and assumptions that the data are normally distributed are not appropriate. Computer-intensive methods (bootstrapping and permutation tests) now improve upon and replace the dependence on t-intervals, t-tests, and analysis of variance. A new chapter on sampling design addresses questions such as “How many observations do I need?” The chapter also presents distribution-free methods to help plan sampling efforts. The trends chapter has been updated to include the WRTDS (Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season) method for analysis of water-quality data. This new version contains updated graphics and updated guidance on the use of statistical techniques. The text utilizes R, a programming language and open-source software environment, for all exercises and most graphics, and the R code used to generate figures and examples is provided for download.

Techniques and Methods↗
USGS1997

Long-term growth trends of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) rich.) at Caddo Lake, Texas

Caddo Lake, situated on the border of northeast Texas and northwest Louisiana, USA is a medium-sized lake dominated by stands of baldcypress (Taxodiwn distichum). A study of tree growth was initiated at Caddo Lake to address concerns about the health of the baldcypress ecosystem. The lake has been subjected to several dramatic water-level changes over the past 200 years, including water-level stabilization following dam construction in 1914. To assess the long-term growth trends of baldcypress trees and determine if a recent growth decline is occurring at Caddo Lake, increment cores were taken from 52 trees. The cores were crossdated and rings between the years 1900 and 1992 measured to the nearest 0.01 mm. Most cores were characterized by high variation in year-to-year growth. Although increasing growth rates were observed at most locations, trees from two backwater areas of the lake had recent growth rates lower than their long-term average. Growth amounts at these two sites were, however, within the historic range of variation. No recruitment was observed. From these data, we can conclude that the historic, extreme changes in hydrologic regime and the current stabilized water levels have not resulted in an overall decline in baldcypress growth at Caddo Lake.

Texas↗