Geology Reports⌕ Search

SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Hydrology”

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

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

At least 1,423 records · Page 79Linked to original sources

Hydrologic description of Lake Hancock, Polk County, Florida

Available data were evaluated to document hydrologic conditions in the Lake Hancock basin. Bathymetric data indicate that Lake Hancock is very shallow, having a maximum depth of about 3 feet. The lake bottom is covered by a layer of organic material that may be more than 5 feet thick near the center of the lake. Lake Hancock 's stage fluctuates within 0.5 foot of average stage about 40 percent of the time. Lake outflow is through an operable control. There are many days with no outflow in some years. A water-budget analysis of the lake indicates that substantial lake stage declines in 1968 and 1975 followed successive years of deficient precipitation and were primarily the result of a net loss of water from the lake to the ground-water system. During a period in 1971-72 when lake stage remained relatively stable, the ground-water system contributed a significant volume of water to the lake. Water-quality data indicate that Lake Hancock is in a eutrophic state. The eutrophication process appears to have been accelerated through the addition of nutrients from inflow of wastewater effluent from secondary treatment plants.

Florida↗

Hydrology of area 3, Eastern Coal Province, Pennsylvania

Hydrologic data are presented for area 3 of the Eastern Coal Province, 4,077 square miles of the lower Allegheny River basin in western Pennsylvania. Seventy-three streams were sampled three times during the 1979 and 1980 water years for specific conductance, pH, acidity, alkalinity, dissolved and total iron, dissolved and total manganese, dissolved sulfate, and dissolved solids. Benthic invertebrate populations were determined and botom material samples were analyzed for metals. Sixteen streams had pH, acidity, alkalinity, total iron, total manganese, and dissolved sulfate indicative of acid-mine drainage. These streams were most common in the Redbank and Blacklick Creek basins and in the Conemaugh and lower Kiskiminetas River basins. Benthic invertebrates were not found in 11 of 64 streams sampled. An additional 13 streams had low benthic invertebrate diversity indices. Low diversity indices were most common in the southern part of area 3. Low flow, mean flow, peak flow, and flow duration data are presented for gaging stations in area 3. Techniques for estimating these data for ungaged sites are presented and referenced. The functions of, and access to, the National Water Data Exchange, National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System, and Office of Water Data Coordination are explained. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Sample mine-site permit application (hydrologic assessment)

Hydrologic data are presented that may be useful in the permitapplication procedure required under current Office of Surface Mining regulations. The material is presented in a format which may serve as a guide for subsequent permit applications. Data on the quality and quantity of surface water and ground water for the mine plan, adjacent, and general areas are presented. The data are presented in three general categories: measured and estimated current conditions, estimated annual variations, and predicted effects of mining and reclamation. Current surface-water, ground-water, and biological conditions are the easiest to define. Seasonal variations in surface-water flow can be estimated with some confidence, but seasonal variations in surface-water quality, biological quality, and ground-water levels and quality are difficult to estimate with the insufficient field data available. The effects of mining and reclamation cannot be predicted through the use of the scant data collected and current predictive tools.

Open-File Report↗

Hydrology of area 25, Eastern Region, Interior Coal Province, Illinois

The eastern region of the Interior Coal Province has been divided into 11 hydrologic study areas. Area 25, located in west-central Illinois, includes the Spoon River and small tributaries to the Illinois River. Pennsylvanian age rocks underlie most of the study area. Illinois, with the largest reserves of bituminous coal, is second only to Montana in total coal reserves. Loess soils cover most of the study area. Agriculture is the dominant land use. Surface water provides 97% of all the water used. Precipitation averages 34 to 35 inches. Water-quality data has been collected at over 31 sites. Analysis for specific conductance, pH, alkalinity, iron, manganese, sulfate and many trace elements and other water-quality constituents have been completed. These data are available from computer storage through the National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE). (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Hydrology and the effects of industrial pumping in the Nikiski area, Alaska

Ground-water consumption for industrial use at Nikiski increased from about 1 million gallons per day in 1968 to 4.2 million gallons per day in 1979. Water managers and local citizens are concerned that industrial pumping may reduce the esthetic and recreational value of local lakes. Some lake levels have declined as much as 8 feet since pumping began; the greatest declines occurred in lakes nearest the center of pumping. Ground water occurs in three aquifers. The upper aquifer is unconfined and is hydraulically connected to most lakes and streams in the area. The upper two aquifers are hydraulically connected through a leaky confining layer, and water levels in the two aquifers fluctuate synchronously with changes in precipitation and changes in pumping from either aquifer. The hydraulic connection of the lower confined aquifer, the deepest of the three aquifers, to the other two aquifers is poor. Drawdowns caused by pumping have stabilized in all three aquifers. This indicates that the pumping is in equilibrium with the hydrologic boundaries. In the lower two aquifers, the potentiometric surfaces near some production wells are below sea level; however, no salt water has intruded the aquifers as far as the pumped wells. If intrusion occurs or if additional water supplies are needed, another potential site for ground-water development is the middle Beaver Creek basin, 7-10 miles east of the industrial area.

Alaska↗

Index to active hydrologic data collection sites in Florida, 1980-81

This index contains a list of active data-collection sites in Florida operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with local, State, and Federal agencies during the period from October 1, 1980 through September 30, 1981. It is an update of "Index to Active Hydrologic Data Collection Sites in Florida, 1978-79" by J. D. Simmons, 1980, which was released as U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-220. The index shows the location of the site, the cooperator or cooperators supporting the data collection activities, the type and frequency of data collection, and the U.S. Geological Survey office responsible for collecting and processing the data.

Florida↗

Hydrologic data for the Potomac Formation in New Castle County, Delaware

Hydrologic data for the Potomac Formation in New Castle County, Delaware, consist of records of historical ground-water pumpage, water levels, water quality, and surface-water discharge. This report includes records of 405 wells and hydro-graphs of water levels in 86 wells. Pumpage from 20 well fields is reported. Also included are stream-discharge hydrographs for 6 stations for water years 1979 and 1980 and historical low-flow measurements for 22 stations. In the analysis of 23 aquifer tests, transmissivity and storage coefficient values for the Potomac Formation range from 454 to 8,480 feet squared per day and 3.8X10-3 to 5.6X10-5, respectively. Vertical hydraulic conductivities of the confining bed range from 0.0083 to 3.2 feet per day.

Delaware↗

Selected hydrologic and climatologic data from the Prairie Dog Creek basin, southeastern Montana, water year 1980

Hydrologic and climatologic data are being collected in a 25-square-mile (65-square-kilometer) basin in southeastern Montana to provide a base for development, calibration, and verification of a precipitation-runoff model. The study area and data-collection stations within the area are shown on a map. A summary of data collected at each station during the second year , beginning in October 1979, is provided in tables. The data include precipitation, snow depth and water content, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, soil temperature and moisture, stream discharge, chemical analyses of water, and suspended sediment. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Potential hydrologic impacts of ground-water withdrawal from the Cape Cod National Seashore, Truro, Massachusetts

The hydrologic impacts of continuous ground-water withdrawals at 0.75, 1.0, and 1.24 Mgal/d (million gallons per day) from a test-well site in the Cape Cod National Seashore, Truro, Massachusetts, were evaluated with a three-dimensional finite-difference steady-state-flow digital model. The digital model was prepared during an earlier study and is only briefly described. Continuous withdrawal of more than 1.0 Mgal/d from a well screened from 10 to 40 feet below sea level at the test site will result in upward movement of the freshwater-saltwater interface, and most likely saltwater will eventually contaminate the well. Pumping from a shallower well will decrease the potential for the movement of saltwater into the well, but the water table may be drawn down to the well screen. It is unlikely that movement of the freshwater-saltwater interface in response to pumping from the test site at the simulated rates will result in saltwater contamination of the shallow domestic supply wells in Truro. For the simulated pumping schemes, the water-table decline below average (1963-76) levels did not exceed 0.6 foot except near the pumping wells. Continuous withdrawal at the average year-round rate and the average summer rate will decrease freshwater discharge to the wetland and ocean along the northeastern boundary of the aquifer. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Hydrologic analysis of the upper San Pedro basin from the Mexico-United States international boundary to Fairbank, Arizona

A definition of the hydrologic system of the upper San Pedro basin was obtained by developing a numerical ground-water model to evaluate a conceptual model of the system. Information on hydraulic properties of the basin fill, recharge from bordering mountain ranges, discharge by evapotranspiration, and exchange of water between aquifer and stream was available from previous measurements or estimates. The steady-state calibration procedure and subsequent transient simulations demonstrated that the original conceptualization can be reasonably simulated. An analysis of model sensitivity to increases and decreases in certain hydraulic properties indicated a low sensitivity to aquifer anisotropy and a low to moderate sensitivity to stream leakance and evapotranspiration rate. An analysis to investigate the effects of generalizing aquifer conductivity and recharge showed that flow components and water-level response to stress could be simulated adequately but that steady-state water-level conditions could not. During equilibrium conditions, recharge to and discharge from the basin was about 16,500 acre-feet per year. Modeling results indicated that by 1978 the storage depletion rate had reached 5,600 acre-feet per year resulting from a ground-water withdrawal rate of 10,500 acre-feet per year. (USGS)

Arizona↗

Water resources of Borrego Valley and vicinity, California: Phase 1— Definition of geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the basin

This report is phase 1 of a 3-phase study and includes information needed to build a digital hydrologic model of Borrego Valley. It includes sources and amounts of recharge water to the basin, areas of water withdrawal, total ground water in storage at steady-state conditions (1945), net ground-water depletion, grid network used to determine storage and depletion, total depth of alluvial fill, transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity and specific yield of aquifers, thickness of individual aquifers, and chemical quality of water. (USGS)

California↗

Plan for hydrologic study of an area to be surface mined for coal in northwestern Colorado

A data-collection network was established in 1980 in northwestern Colorado in a drainage basin which may be surface mined for coal. This report describes the work plan set up to study the premining hydrology of this area near Steamboat Springs, Routt County, Colorado. The bedrock, alluvial, and surface-water systems as well as the climatic inputs to these systems, are monitored for this study.

Open-File Report↗

A summary of selected publications, project activities, and data sources related to hydrology in the Warrior and Plateau coal fields of Alabama

The report is a reference source on hydrologic information related to coal-mining activities in the Warrior and Plateau coal fields of Alabama. It contains a bibliography of more than 200 references and selected annotations. Also included is information on maps, automated-data bases, water-monitoring programs, and data-source agencies and organizations.

Open-File Report↗

Hydrology of Area 61, Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Coal Provinces, Colorado and New Mexico

Area 61 is located on the Colorado-New Mexico boundary in Huerfano and Las Animas Counties, Colorado, and Colfax County, New Mexico, and includes the Raton Mesa coal region. The 5 ,900-square-mile area is an asymmetrical structural trough bounded by the Rocky Mountains on the west and the Great Plains on the east. The area is drained by the Huerfano, Apishapa, Purgatoire, and Canadian Rivers (and their tributaries), all tributary to the Arkansas River. The principal coal-bearing formations are the Vermejo Formation of Late Cretaceous age and the Raton Formation of Late Cretaceous and Paleocene age. Much of the coal in the area is of coking quality, important to the metallurgical industry. Topographic relief in the area is greater than 8,700 feet, and this influences the climate which in turn affects the runoff pattern of area streams. Summer thunderstorms often result in flash floods. Virtually all geologic units in the region yield water. Depth to ground water ranges from land surface to 400 feet. Surface and ground water in the area contain mostly bicarbonate and sulfate ions; locally in the ground water, chloride ions predominate. Potential hydrologic problems associated with surface coal mining in the area are water-quality degradation, water-table decline, and increased erosion and sedimentation.

Open-File Report↗

Background hydrologic information in potential lignite mining areas in Mississippi, July 1982

A water-quality sampling program was initiated in 1980 to determine background hydrologic data in potential lignite mining areas of Mississippi. This report is the third in a planned five-part series to provide data to assess future impacts of mining on small streams. The data indicates that most streams in the study area have a dissolved-solids concentration less than 100 mg/. The major ion concentrations were generally less than 10 mg/. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and selenium in bottom material samples were below detectable limits. Cobalt, lead, zinc, copper, and chromium concentrations exceeded 10 micro-/g at all sites and maganese exceeded 1000 micro-/g at five sites. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

Hydrology of Area 62, Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Coal Provinces, New Mexico and Arizona

This report summarizes available hydrologic data for Area 62 and will aid leasing decisions, and the preparation and appraisal of environmental impact studies and mine-permit applications. Area 62 is located at the southern end of the Rocky Mountain Coal Province in parts of New Mexico and Arizona and includes approximately 9,500 square miles. Surface mining alters, at least temporarily, the environment; if the areas are unreclaimed, there can be long-term environmental consequences. The land-ownership pattern in Area 62 is complicated. The checkerboard pattern created by several types of ownership makes effective management of these lands difficult. The climate generally is semiarid with average annual precipitation ranging from 10 to 20 inches. Pinons, junipers, and grasslands cover most of the area, and much of it is used for grazing by livestock. Soils vary with landscape, differing from flood plains and hillslopes to mountain slopes. The major structural features of this area were largely developed during middle Tertiary time. The main structural features are the southern San Juan Basin and the Mogollon slope. Coal-bearing rocks are present in four Cretaceous rock units of the Mesaverde Group: the Gallup Sandstone, the Dileo Coal Member, and the Gibson Coal Member of the Crevasse Canyon Formation, and the Cleary Coal Member of the Menefee Formation. Area 62 is drained by Black Creek, the Puerco River, the Zuni River, Carrizo Wash-Largo Creek, and the Rio San Jose. Only at the headwaters of the Zuni River is the flow perennial. The streamflow-gaging station network consists of 25 stations operated for a variety of needs. Streamflow changes throughout the year with variation related directly to rainfall and snowmelt. Base flow in Area 62 is zero indicating no significant ground-water discharge. Mountainous areas contribute the highest mean annual runoff of 1.0 inch. Very few water-quality data are available for the surface-water stations. Of the nine surface-water stations that have water-quality data, only one has chemical analyses from more than 10 samples. Therefore, sufficient data to characterize the area in detail are not available. Suspended sediment data are available only for a few surface- water stations in the area. Erosion rates generally are less than 1 acre-foot per square mile per year. Greater erosion rates are found within the badland areas. Water levels are periodically measured at 21 selected wells in Area 62. These observation wells are located mostly along the Rio San Jose and northeast of Gallup, New Mexico. The recharge to ground-water aquifers generally coincide with areas of greater precipitation in the mountainous areas. Depth to water below land surface is generally less than 200 feet. Well yields of 100 gallons per minute are common in most of the area. Ground-water quality is variable both within each aquifer and between aquifers. Water quality generally is best near recharge areas. Historical and current data related to stream discharge, water quality, and suspended sediment are available from computer files in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE) and through the National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX).

Open-File Report↗

Water quality of the tidal Potomac River and Estuary; hydrologic data report supplement, 1979 through 1981 water years

This report is a companion report to the U.S. Geological Survey 1979, 1980, and 1981 Hydrologic Data Reports of the tidal Potomac River and Estuary. It contains values of biochemical oxygen demand and specific rate constants, incident light and light attenuation measurements; numbers of phytoplankton, fecal coliform and fecal streptococci, cross-sectional averages from field measurements of dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance , and temperature data; and cross-sectional averages of chlorophyll data. Sewage treatment plant loads are also included. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗