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

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At least 1,351 records · Page 75Linked to original sources
USGS1991

Water withdrawals in the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Basin and Alcorn County, Mississippi, 1985-87

Public-supply and industrial water withdrawals were inventoried for the Mississippi part of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Basin and for Alcorn County, Mississippi. The study area, located in the northeastern part of the State, is largely forested or agricultural land, with some industries near the larger towns. A water-resource capacity analysis was done to determine a risk rating for each inventoried facility, evaluating the likelihood of the facility exceeding the capacity of its current source of water at the existing level of use. Published reports and potentiometric maps were used in this analysis to determine the source capacity and the effects withdrawals have had on each water source. The public-supply and industrial water withdrawals in the basin are from ground water, with the exception of the city of Columbus. About 97 percent of the total withdrawal of 80 million gallons per day is from ground water. Water-supply systems in three areas were determined to have a high risk of exceeding the water-resource capacity: the Tupelo-Lee County area, the West Point (Clay County) area, and the Starkville (Oktibbeha County) area.

Mississippi↗
USGS1990

Geology and ground-water resources of the Cockfield Formation in western Tennessee

The Cockfield Formation of the Claiborne Group of Tertiary age underlies approximately 4,000 sq mi in western Tennessee. The formation consists primarily of lenticular beds of very fine to coarse sand, silt, clay, and lignite. The Cockfield Formation has been extensively eroded, and the original thickness is preserved only in a few areas where the formation ranges from 235 to 270 ft in thickness. Recharge to the Cockfield aquifer is from precipitation on sparse outcrops or by downward infiltration of water from the overlying fluvial deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age and alluvium of Quaternary age or, where present, the overlying Jackson Formation of Tertiary age. Data from two observation wells indicate that water levels have risen at average rates of about 0.5 and 0.7 ft/year during the period 1980-85. Water from the Cockfield aquifer is a calcium bicarbonate type that contains low concentrations of most major constituents, and generally is suitable for most uses. Dissolved-solids concentrations range from 44 to 218 mg/L. Data from two aquifer tests indicate transmissivities of 2,500 and 6 ,000 sq ft/day and storage coefficients of 0.0003 and 0.0007, respectively. The Cockfield aquifer presently provides small to moderate quantities of water for several public and industrial water supplies and small quantities to numerous domestic and farm wells. Withdrawals for public and industrial supplies in 1983 averaged about 3.3 million gal/day. (USGS)

Tennessee↗
USGS2013

Water resources of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana

In 2010, about 261 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, almost entirely from surface-water sources. Industrial use accounted for about 97 percent (253 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply, rural domestic, and livestock. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 indicated that total water withdrawals in the parish ranged from about 138 to 720 Mgal/d, with industrial use of surface water making up the bulk of water withdrawals. The large decline in surface-water withdrawals from 1980 to 1985 was largely attributable to a decrease in industrial use from 654 Mgal/d in 1980 to 127 Mgal/d in 1985. This fact sheet summarizes basic information on the water resources of St. Bernard Parish. Information on groundwater and surface-water availability, quality, development, use, and trends is based on previously published reports listed in the Selected References section.

Louisiana↗
USGS2014

Predictive Management of Asian Carps in the Upper Mississippi River System

Prolific non-native organisms pose serious threats to ecosystems and economies worldwide. Nonnative bighead carp ( Hypophthalmichthys nobilis ) and silver carp ( H. molitrix ), collectively referred to as Asian carps, continue to colonize aquatic ecosystems throughout the central United States. These species are r-selected, exhibiting iteroparous spawning, rapid growth, broad environmental tolerance, high density, and long-distance movement. Hydrological, thermal, and physicochemical conditions are favorable for establishment beyond the current range, rendering containment and control imperative. Ecological approaches to confine Asian carp populations and prevent colonization characterize contemporary management in the United States. Foraging and reproduction of Asian carps govern habitat selection and movement, providing valuable insight for predictive control. Current management approaches are progressive and often anticipatory but deficient in human dimensions. We define predictive management of Asian carps as synthesis of ecology and human dimensions at regional and local scales to develop strategies for containment and control. We illustrate predictive management in the Upper Mississippi River System and suggest resource managers integrate predictive models, containment paradigms, and human dimensions to design effective, socially acceptable management strategies. Through continued research, university-agency collaboration, and public engagement, predictive management of Asian carps is an auspicious paradigm for preventing and alleviating consequences of colonization in the United States.

Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture↗
USGS2016

Rare earths: Market disruption, innovation, and global supply chains

Rare earths, sometimes called the vitamins of modern materials, captured public attention when their prices increased more than ten-fold in 2010 and 2011. As prices fell between 2011 and 2016, rare earths receded from public view—but less visibly they became a major focus of innovative activity in companies, government laboratories and universities. Geoscientists worked to better understand the resource base and improve our knowledge about mineral deposits that will be mines in the future. Process engineers carried out research that is making primary production and recycling more efficient. Materials scientists and engineers searched for substitutes that will require fewer or no rare earths while providing properties comparable or superior to those of existing materials. As a result, even though global supply chains are not significantly different now than they were before the market disruption, the innovative activity motivated by the disruption likely will have far-reaching, if unpredictable, consequences for supply chains of rare earths in the future.

Environment and Resources↗
USGS2007

10th Anniversary of the 1997 Red River Flood

The 1997 flood on the Red River was one of the worst natural disasters in recent history for many people and communities in the Red River of the North Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the principal Federal agencies responsible for the collection and interpretation of water-resources data, works with other Federal, State, local, tribal, and academic entities to ensure that accurate and timely data are available for making decisions regarding public welfare and property during natural disasters and to increase public awareness of the hazards that occur with such disasters.

General Information Product↗
USGS2007

A history of flooding in the Red River Basin

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the principal Federal agencies responsible for the collection and interpretation of water-resources data, works with other Federal, State, local, tribal, and academic entities to ensure that accurate and timely data are available for making decisions regarding public welfare and property during natural disasters and to increase public awareness of the hazards that occur with such disasters. The Red River of the North Basin has a history of flooding and this poster is designed to increase public awareness of that history and of the factors that contribute to flooding.

Red River Basin↗
USGS2023

Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Modesto, Turlock, and Merced Subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley, California

Summary More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from privately owned domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a water-quality survey of domestic and small-system drinking-water supply wells in the Modesto, Turlock, and Merced subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley where more than 78,000 residents are estimated to use privately owned domestic wells. Results indicate that inorganic and organic constituents in groundwater were respectively present above regulatory (maximum contaminant level, MCL) benchmarks for public drinking-water quality in 37 percent and 9 percent of the aquifer area used for domestic drinking-water supplies (herein, “domestic groundwater resources”). The most prevalent inorganic constituents exceeding regulatory benchmarks were nitrate, uranium, and arsenic. The only organic constituents exceeding regulatory benchmarks were the fumigant constituents 1,2,3-trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP) and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), but the herbicides atrazine and simazine were detected at low concentrations below one-tenth of regulatory benchmarks in 30 percent of domestic groundwater resources. Total dissolved solids (TDS) and manganese exceeded aesthetic-based (secondary maximum contaminant level [SMCL]) benchmarks for drinking water in 3 percent and 13 percent of domestic groundwater resources, respectively. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in 23 percent of domestic groundwater resources, with 4 percent exceeding California state notification or response levels for specific compounds. Total coliform bacteria were detected in 20 percent of domestic groundwater resources. Elevated concentrations of nitrate, uranium, TDS, and pesticides (fumigant constituents and herbicides) are related to agricultural land use and were typically present at shallow depths up to 75 meters below land surface. Agriculturally derived constituents were detected in wells screened below the Corcoran Clay Member of the Tulare Formation (herein, “Corcoran Clay”) in the southeastern part of the study area, where the Corcoran Clay tends to be shallower and thinner than in areas to the northwest. Nitrate, uranium, and TDS were most prevalent in the northwest part of the study area proximal to the valley trough where soils are poorly drained and agricultural land uses are predominantly grain, alfalfa, and dairy farms. Pesticides tended to occur in groundwater below coarse-grained surficial deposits and within a northwest to southeast trending band along the eastern extent of the Corcoran Clay that typically demarcates the western extent of well-drained soils associated with perennial orchard crops. Elevated concentrations of arsenic tended to occur west of this band in reducing groundwater but also sometimes co-occurred with elevated nitrate in oxic groundwater, most likely because of geochemical conditions in agriculturally affected groundwater that can enhance the mobility of arsenic from aquifer sediments.

California↗
USGS2024

Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the eastern Sacramento Valley and adjacent foothills, California

Summary More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from privately owned domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a water-quality survey of domestic and small-system drinking-water supply wells in the eastern Sacramento Valley and adjacent foothills where more than 25,000 residents are estimated to use privately owned domestic wells. Study results show that inorganic and organic constituents in groundwater were present above regulatory (maximum contaminant level, MCL) benchmarks for public drinking-water quality in 8 and 3 percent, respectively, of the aquifer area used for domestic drinking-water supply (herein, “domestic groundwater resources”; fig. 1). The only inorganic constituent detected above regulatory benchmarks was arsenic. The only organic constituent exceeding regulatory benchmarks was the fumigant 1,2,3-trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP). Three additional organic constituents—the disinfection by-product chloroform, the gasoline oxygenate methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE), and the solvent tetrachloroethene (PCE)—were detected at low concentrations below one-tenth of regulatory benchmarks in 34, 10, and 10 percent of domestic groundwater resources, respectively. Total dissolved solids (TDS), iron, and manganese exceeded non-regulatory aesthetic guidelines for drinking water in 5, 10, and 26 percent of domestic groundwater resources, respectively. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were detected in 29 percent of domestic groundwater resources,with 5 percent exceeding the recently enacted (April 2024) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency MCLs. Total coliform and enterococci bacteria were detected in 13 and 8 percent of domestic groundwater resources, respectively. Redox sensitive constituents in this study included arsenic, manganese, nitrate, and iron. In the lower elevation portions of the eastern Sacramento Valley study area, reducing conditions in groundwater aquifers promote elevated arsenic, iron, and manganese, and conversely lower concentrations of nitrate. The presence of the volatile organic compound (VOC) 1,2,3-TCP was related to its past history in select agricultural land uses (on orchards or vineyards) in the Sacramento Valley; however, unlike in the San Joaquin Valley where orchards and vineyards are more common, its detection frequency was low (only detected in one well in this study). Chloroform was frequently detected in this study at low levels. Chloroform is a disinfection byproduct commonly found in domestic wells treated by shock chlorination. The solvent PCE is among the most frequently detected VOCs in groundwater, which is primarily related to its long history of use and its persistence in groundwater in oxic conditions. The gasoline oxygenate MTBE was a contaminant introduced to groundwater through atmospheric exchange when it was used as a fuel additive to decrease smog inducing emissions from vehicles. Its occurrence in groundwater at low levels is expected and makes it a potentially useful tracer of relatively recent recharge water being withdrawn from wells. The PFASs are anthropogenic chemicals with hundreds of uses, and they have been incorporated into many different products, processes, and applications worldwide. Like MTBE, the occurrence of PFASs in groundwater may be in part due to atmospheric exchange, but there are several other pathways that contribute PFASs to the environment.

California↗
USGS1957

Irrigation in northeastern Mississippi

The phenomenal increase in the use of water for agriculture, industry, and public water supply in the past few years has been an important factor in bringing about the current accelerated inventory and appraisal of the water resources of Mississippi. As a result of severe droughts during the past several years, and of the favorable results of experiments, the water resources of northeastern Mississippi today are rapidly being developed for irrigation. Records have shown that even during years of normal rainfall the distribution of the rain usually is such that supplementary irrigation can be profitably practiced on almost any crop. Although in northeaster Mississippi the annual precipitation generally is enough to support crops and pasture, short periods of drought are common. Supplemental irrigation protects against the periods of drought during the growing season and increases the yield and quality of crops.

Mississippi↗
USGS2005

Water resources and the urban environment, lower Charles River watershed, Massachusetts, 1630-2005

The Charles River, one of the Nation’s most historically significant rivers, flows through the center of the Boston metropolitan region in eastern Massachusetts. The lower Charles River, downstream of the original head of tide in Watertown, was originally a productive estuary and important source of fish and shellfish for the Native Americans of the region. This portion of the river has an exceptionally long and colorful human history. In 1615, the explorer Captain John Smith gave the river its modern name, in honor of young Prince Charles of England. In 1617–18, the Native American community of the watershed was decimated by an epidemic, after having continuously occupied the area for the previous 4,000 years. In 1630, the first large group of English settlers, led by John Winthrop, set foot on the Shawmut Peninsula at the mouth of the river, and established the town of Boston. In the 1630s, the first printing press, public park, public school, and college in the English colonies were all established on the banks of the Charles River. Almost immediately, the settlers of Boston and adjacent towns also began to modify the landscape and water resources of the watershed. Perhaps the most important type of landscape alteration in the watershed was the filling of the extensive salt marshes and tidal flats of the estuary downstream of Watertown. This landmaking activity along the lower Charles River began in the mid-1600s, and did not conclude until the 1950s. In the early 20th century, the estuary mouth was dammed, creating a freshwater basin in the lower 9.5 miles of the river. A system of parks and parkways was built along the banks of the impounded river. In addition to the mainstem river, virtually all of the remaining water resources in the watershed have also been altered. Most of the river’s tributaries, for example, were culverted, or placed into tunnels, and many of the ponds and freshwater wetlands in the watershed were filled to facilitate urban development. One additional legacy of the river’s long human history is pollution from industry and sewage. By 1875, a total of 43 mills were operating along the lower Charles River between Watertown Dam and Boston Harbor. Thousands of gallons of untreated sewage and industrial wastewater entered the river daily through gravity drains, posing a major threat to public health. Concerted efforts to address the sewage problem began in the late 1870s. By the 1960s, the water quality of the river was significantly improved, yet still not suitable for swimming, fishing, or even boating under most conditions. In 1965, the Charles River Watershed Association was organized and the call to restore the environmental quality of the river and its parklands was heard anew. Passage of the Federal Clean Water Act in 1972 and the subsequent court-ordered reconstruction of the region’s sewage-treatment infrastructure in the 1980s and 1990s (the “Boston Harbor Cleanup”) provided additional impetus to address the river’s remaining pollution problems. In 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched the Clean Charles 2005 Initiative, which brought together government agencies, private-sector institutions, and environmental organizations to focus on restoring the river to fishable and swimmable conditions by Earth Day 2005. This initiative has achieved substantial improvements in water quality; sewage discharges to the river, for example, have been largely eliminated. Nevertheless, it is now widely acknowledged that full attainment of water-quality standards will likely depend upon improved public understanding of the watershed, continued efforts to eliminate illicit sewage discharges to the river, and better management of the urban runoff that enters the river both directly and from its many tributary streams.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2002

Antimicrobial residues in animal waste and water resources proximal to large-scale swine and poultry feeding operations

Expansion and intensification of large-scale animal feeding operations (AFOs) in the United States has resulted in concern about environmental contamination and its potential public health impacts. The objective of this investigation was to obtain background data on a broad profile of antimicrobial residues in animal wastes and surface water and groundwater proximal to large-scale swine and poultry operations. The samples were measured for antimicrobial compounds using both radioimmunoassay and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) techniques. Multiple classes of antimicrobial compounds (commonly at concentrations of >100 μg/l) were detected in swine waste storage lagoons. In addition, multiple classes of antimicrobial compounds were detected in surface and groundwater samples collected proximal to the swine and poultry farms. This information indicates that animal waste used as fertilizer for crops may serve as a source of antimicrobial residues for the environment. Further research is required to determine if the levels of antimicrobials detected in this study are of consequence to human and/or environmental ecosystems. A comparison of the radioimmunoassay and LC/ESI-MS analytical methods documented that radioimmunoassay techniques were only appropriate for measuring residues in animal waste samples likely to contain high levels of antimicrobials. More sensitive LC/ESI-MS techniques are required in environmental samples, where low levels of antimicrobial residues are more likely.

Science of the Total Environment↗
USGS2010

Assessment and management of ecological integrity: Chapter 12

Assessing and understanding the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems has long been a focus of ecologists, water resources managers, and fisheries scientists. While traditional fisheries management focused on single-species approaches to enhance fish stocks, there is a growing emphasis on management approaches at community and ecosystem levels. Of course, as fisheries managers shift their attention from narrow (e.g., populations) to broad organizational scales (e.g., communities or ecosystems), ecological processes and management objectives become more complex. At the community level, fisheries managers may strive for a fish assemblage that is complex, persistent, and resilient to disturbance. Aquatic ecosystem level objectives may focus on management for habitat quality and ecological processes, such as nutrient dynamics, productivity, or trophic interactions, but a long-term goal of ecosystem management may be to maintain ecological integrity. However, human users and social, economic, and political demands of fisheries management often result in a reduction of ecological integrity in managed systems, and this conflict presents a principal challenge for the modern fisheries manager. The concepts of biotic integrity and ecological integrity are being applied in fisheries science, natural resource management, and environmental legislation, but explicit definitions of these terms are elusive. Biotic integrity of an ecosystem may be defined as the capability of supporting and maintaining an integrated, adaptive community of organisms having a species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to that of a natural habitat of the region (Karr and Dudley 1981). Following that, ecological integrity is the summation of chemical, physical, and biological integrity. Thus, the concept of ecological integrity extends beyond fish and represents a holistic approach for ecosystem management that is especially applicable to aquatic systems. The more general term, ecological condition, refers to the state of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the environment and the processes and interactions that connect them. While the concept of ecological integrity may appear unambiguous, its assessment and practice are much less clear. Ecological integrity made its debut in the USA with the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 (Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended through Public Law 107–303, November 27, 2002), which states only one objective, “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” This legislation compelled resource managers to focus on chemical pollution from point effluent sources, such as industrial and municipal outflows, as well as give attention to diffuse, chronic, and watershed effects on ecological integrity. Further, the CWA allowed pursuit of restoration programs in degraded water bodies and catalyzed the science and practice of restoration ecology. The term ecosystem health is often raised in discussions of ecological integrity. Perhaps it is natural to anthropomorphize our concern for personal health to ecosystems, so it becomes a useful metaphor for understanding the concept of ecological integrity. However, whether or not an ecosystem should be considered an entity, such as a superorganism, is a debate without end that began with early ecologists and continues today (Clements 1916; Suter 1993; Simon 1999a). Regardless, the ecosystem is indeed a natural unit with a level of organization and properties beyond the collection of those species that occupy it and presents the most appropriate spatial and organizational scale in which to assess and study ecological integrity. Streams and rivers serve as integrators of chemical, physical, and biological conditions across the landscape, and while the theory and practice associated with ecological integrity of aquatic systems is easily applied to flowing waters and is emphasized in this chapter, they are broadly applicable among all aquatic systems.

Book chapter↗
USGS2025

Biodiversity on public lands: How community science can help

Species inventories are crucial for conservation but are difficult to assemble and maintain. Bioblitzes, which encourage the public to document biodiversity in a particular area and timeframe, may offer useful information but their integration with other datasets poses challenges. We investigated the potential contribution of bioblitzes to natural resource management using observations from the United States National Park Service (NPS) 2016 Centennial Bioblitz. Through automated cross-referencing over 19,000 iNaturalist “research-grade” observations from 107 national parks with existing park inventory lists, we matched 86% of species documented in the Bioblitz to NPS species lists, based on current taxonomy, and matched another 6% of species using alternative scientific names using our matching process in R. Of the remaining 13.5% that did not match the NPS species lists, we manually found that 84% of the unmatched species were found within the lists or were outside the boundaries of the park, identifying 141 native species that were unrecorded in NPS species lists. Many introduced species were recorded; they were more likely to be documented in parks closer to cities. Parks near cities also drew more participants. Our study shows how public participation, through iNaturalist and bioblitzes, can facilitate biodiversity monitoring across large spatial scales.

Conservation Science and Practice↗
USGS1995

Criteria for evaluating state instream-flow programs: Deciding what works

Most states have adopted some form of instream-flow–protection program. These programs are of three types: instream-flow water rights; reservations of water for instream purposes; and conditions on consumptive water rights. No matter which type of protection program is adapted, the same question remains: How can we tell if it works? Several authors have attempted to answer this question. The works of these analysts are reviewed and criteria are suggested to evaluate the success of an instream-flow–protection program. The criteria are public confidence, certainty, proper administration, expense, and outcome in-stream.

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management↗