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At least 1,549 records · Page 86Linked to original sources
USGS2012

Linking urbanization to the Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) for stream ecosystems in the Northeastern United States using a Bayesian network approach

Urban development alters important physical, chemical, and biological processes that define urban stream ecosystems. An approach was developed for quantifying the effects of these processes on aquatic biota, and then linking those effects to endpoints that can be used for environmental management. These complex, interacting systems are challenging to model from a scientific standpoint. A desirable model clearly shows the system, simulates the interactions, and ultimately predicts results of management actions. Traditional regression techniques that calculate empirical relations between pairs of environmental factors do not capture the interconnected web of multiple stressors, but urban development effects are not yet understood at the detailed scales required to make mechanistic modeling approaches feasible. Therefore, in contrast to a fully deterministic or fully statistical modeling approach, a Bayesian network model provides a hybrid approach that can be used to represent known general associations between variables while acknowledging uncertainty in predicted outcomes. It does so by quantifying an expert-elicited network of probabilistic relations between variables. Advantages of this modeling approach include (1) flexibility in accommodating many model specifications and information types; (2) efficiency in storing and manipulating complex information, and to parameterize; and (3) transparency in describing the relations using nodes and arrows and in describing uncertainties with discrete probability distributions for each variable. In realization of the aforementioned advantages, a Bayesian network model was constructed to characterize the effect of urban development on aquatic macroinvertebrate stream communities through three simultaneous, interacting ecological pathways affecting stream hydrology, habitat, and water quality across watersheds in the Northeastern United States. This model incorporates both empirical data and expert knowledge to calculate the probabilities of attaining desired aquatic ecosystem conditions under different urban stress levels, environmental conditions, and management options. Ecosystem conditions are characterized in terms of standardized Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) management endpoints. This approach to evaluating urban development-induced perturbations in watersheds integrates statistical and mechanistic perspectives, different information sources, and several ecological processes into a comprehensive description of the system that can be used to support decision making. The completed model can be used to infer which management actions would lead to the highest likelihood of desired BCG tier achievement. For example, if best management practices (BMP) were implemented in a highly urbanized watershed to reduce flashiness to medium levels and specific conductance to low levels, the stream would have a 70-percent chance of achieving BCG Tier 3 or better, relative to a 24-percent achievement likelihood for unmanaged high urban land cover. Results are reported probabilistically to account for modeling uncertainty that is inherent in sources such as natural variability and model simplification error.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2002

Geohydrology of Southeastern Pennsylvania

Rapid population growth in southeastern Pennsylvania has increased the demand for ground water. In an effort to address the increased ground-water needs, a ground-water investigation in a 5,200-square-mile area of southeastern Pennsylvania was initiated. Information on the geohydrologic system of the area and the water-bearing capabilities of 51 geohydrologic units in six physiographic provinces or sections (Coastal Plain, Piedmont Upland, Piedmont Lowland, Gettysburg-Newark Lowland, South Mountain, and Reading Prong) has been summarized. Also included are statistical summaries by geohydrologic unit for well construction and discharge data (according to water use), as well as inorganic and radiochemical ground-water-quality data. Characteristics of the ground-water-flow system in the study area, as well as aquifer hydrologic properties, are related to geology, but can be modified by human development. Ground-water flow in the Coastal Plain Physiographic Province, is through intergranular or primary openings under either unconfined or confined aquifer conditions. Historically, ground-water flowed toward the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, but the original flow paths and water quality have been altered significantly by urbanization. In igneous and metamorphic rocks (Piedmont Upland, South Mountain, and Reading Prong), ground-water flows through a network of interconnected secondary openings (fractures, joints, cleavage planes). Ground water in the carbonate rocks (Piedmont Lowland) also flows through a network of secondary openings, but these openings have been enlarged by solution. In the Triassic sedimentary rocks (Gettysburg-Newark Lowland), thin tabular aquifers are separated by much thicker, strata-bound aquitards. The fractured Triassic bedrock forms a very complex, anisotropic, and heterogeneous aquifer with horizontal permeability much greater than vertical permeability. In general, ground-water flow in southeastern Pennsylvania takes place within local flow systems that discharge within days or weeks to adjacent stream valleys or surface-water bodies. Intermediate (South Mountain) and regional (Gettysburg-Newark Lowland) scale systems, however, in which residence times have been measured in months or years discharge to major streams or rivers that are located in different physiographic provinces or sections or tens of miles distant. Well depths, casing lengths, reported yields, and specific capacities can vary significantly by geohydrologic unit, use of well, and topographic setting. Wells drilled in the Weverton and Loudon Formations, undivided, and the Montalto Quartzite Member (South Mountain) have median well and casing lengths of 374 and 130 feet, respectively, significantly greater than in almost every other geohydrologic unit in the study area. Wells drilled in the Peach Bottom Slate and Cardiff Conglomerate, undivided (Piedmont Upland) are typically shallow, with a median well depth of 90 feet. Wells in the Marburg Schist (Piedmont Upland) have the lowest median casing length—5.5 feet. Wells in the Stonehenge Formation (Piedmont Lowland), the most productive unit in the study area, have a median reported yield of 200 gallons per minute and a median specific capacity of 27 gallons per minute per foot. The Cocalico Formation (Piedmont Lowland) is the least productive unit with a median reported well yield of 2.5 gallons per minute and a median specific capacity of 0.01 gallons per minute per foot. In general, high-demand wells are significantly deeper, use significantly more casing, and have significantly greater yields than domestic wells drilled in the same unit. Commonly, wells drilled in valleys will have greater reported yields and specific capacities than wells drilled in the same unit on slopes or hilltops. Except where adversely affected by human activities, the quality of ground water in southeastern Pennsylvania is suitable for most purposes. Yet several water-quality criteria are exceeded in many wells throughout the area. Water from 51 percent of 2,075 wells sampled had a pH higher or lower than the range specified in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL). Of water samples analyzed, about 1 percent of 1,623 wells contained concentrations of chloride and 27 percent of 1,624 wells sampled contained concentrations of iron that exceeded the USEPA SMCL. Twenty-seven percent of 1,397 wells sampled contained water with manganese concentrations greater than the USEPA SMCL. Sulfate concentrations in the water of 3 percent of 1,699 wells sampled and total dissolved solids in the water from 10 percent of 1,590 wells sampled exceeded the USEPA SMCL. Concentrations of cadmium, chromium, cyanide, mercury, nickel, radium-226, selenium, and zinc in the water exceeded the USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) in less than 5 percent of the 183 to 620 wells sampled. Nine percent of 625 wells sampled contained water with lead concentrations that exceeded the USEPA MCL. Radon concentrations in the water of 92 percent of the 285 wells sampled exceeded the proposed USEPA MCL. Radium-228 in the water of 10 percent of the 240 wells sampled and nitrate in the water of 13 percent of 1,413 wells sampled exceeded the USEPA MCL. Gross-alpha activity in the water was measured only in the Chickies and Harpers Formations of the Piedmont Upland, with 23 percent of the 168 wells sampled exceeding the USEPA MCL.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1988

Effect of erosion-control structures on sediment and nutrient transport, Edgewood Creek drainage, Lake Tahoe basin, Nevada, 1981-83

Three sites in the Edgewood Creek basin with a combined drainage area of about 1.2 sq mi were selected to assess the effect of erosion-control structures along Nevada State Highway 207, on sediment and nutrient transport. The flow at site one is thought to have been largely unaffected by urban development, and was completely unaffected by erosion control structures. The flow at site two was from a basin affected by urban development and erosion control structures. Site three was downstream from the confluence of streams measured at sites one and two. Most data on streamflow and water quality were collected between June 1981 and May 1983 to assess the hydrologic characteristics of the three sites. As a result of the erosion control structures, mean annual concentrations of total sediment were reduced from about 24,000 to about 410 mg/l at site two and from about 1,900 to about 190 ml/l at site three. Sediment loads were reduced from about 240 to about 10 tons/year at site two and from about 550 to about 110 tons/year at site three. At site one, in contrast, mean concentrations and loads remained low throughout the study period. At site two, sediment particle size changed from predominately coarse prior to construction, to predominately fine thereafter; at site three, it changed from about half coarse sediments to predominately fine. Mean concentration and loads of total iron also were significantly reduced after construction at sites two and three, whereas mean concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus species did not change appreciably. (Author 's abstract)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1993

Numerical simulation of ground-water flow in the central part of the western San Joaquin Valley, California

The occurrence of selenium in agricultural drain water in the central part of the western San Joaquin Valley, California, has focused concern on strategies for managing shallow, saline ground water. To assess alternatives to agricultural drains, a three-dimensional, finite-difference numerical model of the regional groundwater flow system was developed. This report documents the mathematical approach used to model the flow system, the data base on which the model is based, and the methods used to calibrate the model. The 550-square-mile study area includes parts of the Panoche Creek alluvial fan and parts of the Little Panoche Creek and Cantua Creek alluvial fans. The model simulates transient flow in the semiconfined and confined zones above and below the Corcoran Clay Member of the Tulare Formation of Pleistocene age. The model incorporates areally distributed ground-water recharge, areally and vertically distributed pumping, regional-collector drains in the Wesdands Water District (operative from 1980 to 1985), on-farm drains in parts of the Panoche, Broadview, and Firebaugh Water Districts, and bare-soil evaporation (which occurs if the water table is within 7 feet of land surface). The model also incorporates texture-based estimates of hydraulic conductivity, where texture is defined as the fraction of coarse-grained deposits present in a given subsurface interval. The numerical model was developed using hydrologic data from 1972 to 1988. Most of the parameters incorporated into the model were evaluated independently of the model, including system geometry, the distribution of texture, the altitudes of the water table and potentiometric surface of the confined zone in 1972 (initial condition), the hydraulic conductivity of coarse-grained deposits derived from the Coast Ranges, the hydraulic conductivity of coarse-grained deposits derived from the Sierra Nevada, specific storage, recharge, pumping, and parameters needed to incorporate drains and bare-soil evaporation. Four parameters were calibration variables: the hydraulic conductivity of fine-grained deposits in the semiconfined zone, the hydraulic conductivity of the Corcoran Clay Member, specific yield, and the transmissivity of the confined zone. The model was calibrated in two phases. In the first phase, a steady-state model of the ground-water flow system in 1984 was used to constrain the relation between the hydraulic conductivity of fine-grained deposits in the semiconfined zone and the hydraulic conductivity of the Corcoran Clay Member, thus reducing the number of independent variables from four to three. In the second phase of calibration, the change in altitude of the water table from 1972 to 1984, the change in altitude of the potentiometric surface of the confined zone from 1972 to 1984, and the number of model cells subject to bare-soil evaporation from 1972 to 1988 were used to evaluate the remaining three variables. The calibrated model reproduces the average change in water-table altitude (1972-84) to within 0.4 foot (average measured change 11.5 feet) and the average change in confined zone head (1972- 84) to within 19 feet (average measured change 120 feet). The simulated time-series record of the total number of model cells subject to bare-soil evaporation (each cell is 1 mile square) is within the range of the measured data. The measured values are at a minimum in October and a maximum in July. The October values ranged from 103 in 1972 to 132 in 1984 (the drains were closed in 1985) to 151 in 1988. The July values ranged from 144 in 1973 to 198 in 1984, to 204 in 1988. The simulated values ranged from 103 in 1972 to 161 in 1984, to 208 in 1988.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1975

Plan of study of the hydrology of the Madison Limestone and associated rocks in Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming

A major part of the United States ' coal reserves is in the Fort Union coal region of the Northern Great Plains. Large-scale development of these reserves would place a heavy demand on the area 's limited water resources. Surface water is poorly distributed in time and space. Its use for coal development in parts of the area would require storage reservoirs and distribution systems, whereas in the rest of the area surface water is fully appropriated and its use would deprive present users of their supply. Preliminary studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and State agencies in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota indicate that the Madison Limestone and associated rocks might provide a significant percentage of the total water requirements for coal development. This report briefly summarized the present knowledge of the geohydrology of the Madison and associated rocks, identifies the need for additional data, and outlines a 5-year plan for a comprehensive study of the hydrology of these rocks. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1988

Geophysical logs and hydrologic data for eight wells in the Coyote Spring Valley area, Clark and Lincoln counties, Nevada

Geophysical logs, drilling operations, pump-test data, and water quality determinations are presented for eight wells in the Coyote Spring Valley area of southeastern Nevada. The wells are in an area where thick units of Paleozoic carbonate rock are overlain by Tertiary semiconsolidated basin-fill deposits and Quaternary alluvial deposits. Data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey were augmented with data from previous investigations; however, complete sets of logs and other data are not available for all eight wells. Geophysical data presented included natural-gamma, neutron, gamma-gamma density, caliper, temperature, acoustic, single-point resistance, long- and short-natural resistivity, and spontaneous-potential logs. Drilling penetration rates, lithologic columns, and well construction are also summarized and presented. Measurements of drawdown and recovery during and after constant-discharge pumping periods are also included. Also presented are results of chemical and physical analyses for major-ion chemistry, trace constituents, stable and radioactive isotopes, temperature, pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

Selected hydrologic data, Parowan Valley and Cedar City Valley drainage basins, Iron County, Utah

This report presents selected basic data from a study of the ground- water resources of the Parowan Valley and Cedar City Valley drainage basins, Iron County, Utah. The study was made during 1973-75 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. This report is intended to make the data conveniently available and to supplement an interpretive report, which will be published separately.

Utah↗
USGS2009

Data on mercury in water, bed sediment, and fish from streams across the United States, 1998-2005

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) and Toxic Substances Hydrology Programs conducted the National Mercury Pilot Study in 1998 to examine relations of mercury (Hg) in water, bed sediment and fish in streams across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Water and bed-sediment samples were analyzed for total Hg (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and other constituents; fish were analyzed for THg. Similar sampling was conducted at additional streams across the country in 2002 and 2004-05. This report summarizes sample collection and processing protocols, analytical methods, environmental data, and quality-assurance data for stream water, bed sediment, and fish for these national studies. To extend the geographic coverage of the data, this report also includes four regional USGS Hg studies conducted during 1998-2001 and 2004. The environmental data for these national and regional Hg studies are provided in an electronic format.

Data Series↗
USGS2004

Drought conditions in Maine, 1999-2002: A historical perspective

Hydrologic drought can be defined as reduced streamflow, declining ground-water levels, and (or) reductions in lake or reservoir levels. Monthly precipitation totals, annual 7-day low-flow surface-water recurrence intervals, and month-end ground-water levels from drought years 1999-2002 show that 1999-2002 was the driest period of hydrologic drought in more than 50 years of record in Maine. Record lows were set in all three data sets at select locations in central Maine in April 1999, and in September 2001 and 2002. Although streamflows recovered to normal levels during 2000, ground-water levels in central Maine indicate that the drought carried over through 2000 into 2001 and 2002 in some locations. In 2001, annual 7-day low flows with greater than 100-year recurrence intervals were recorded in central Maine and low flows with up to 75-year recurrence intervals were recorded in coastal areas. In 2002, annual 7-day low flows with greater than 100-year recurrence intervals were recorded at 4 of 14 stations analyzed statewide, placing it as the driest single year of hydrologic drought on record. Month-end ground-water levels at one location in central Maine indicate that the recent hydrologic drought years were the most severe in more than 50 years in that region. The period from 1947 to 1950 may have been the only comparable period of drought to the 1999-2002 period, in Maine. The 1960s drought, although extreme in the far northern and far southern regions of the State, was most exceptional for its duration from 1963 to 1969.

Maine↗
USGS1978

Hydrologic data for urban storm runoff from three localities in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado

Urban storm-runoff data, collected from 1975 to 1977, on three catchment areas in the Denver, Colo., metropolitan area are presented. The catchment are predominantly a single-family residential catchment area in Littleton, a multifamily residential and commercial catchment area in Lakewood, and a high-density residential and commercial catchment area in Denver. Precipitation, rainfall-runoff, snowmelt-runoff, water-quality (common constituents, nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand, coliform bacteria, and solids, trace elements, and pesticides), and catchment-area data are necessary to use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's Storm Water Management Model II. The urban storm-runoff data may be used by planning, water-management, and environmental-protection agencies to assess the impact of urban storm runoff on the hydrologic system. (Woodard-USGS)

Colorado↗
USGS2018

High‐elevation evapotranspiration estimates during drought: Using streamflow and NASA Airborne Snow Observatory SWE observations to vlose the upper Tuolumne River Basin eater balance

Hydrologic variables such as evapotranspiration (ET) and soil water storage are difficult to observe across spatial scales in complex terrain. Streamflow and lidar‐derived snow observations provide information about distributed hydrologic processes such as snowmelt, infiltration, and storage. We use a distributed streamflow data set across eight basins in the upper Tuolumne River region of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and the NASA Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) lidar‐derived snow data set over 3 years (2013–2015) during a prolonged drought in California, to estimate basin‐scale water balance components. We compare snowmelt and cumulative precipitation over periods from the ASO flight to the end of the water year against cumulative streamflow observations. The basin water balance residual term (snow melt plus precipitation minus streamflow) is calculated for each basin and year. Using soil moisture observations and hydrologic model simulations, we show that the residual term represents short‐term changes in basin water storage over the snowmelt season, but that over the period from peak snow water equivalent (SWE) to the end of summer, it represents cumulative basin‐mean ET. Warm‐season ET estimated from this approach is 168 (85–252 at 95% confidence), 162 (0–326) and 191 (48–334) mm averaged across the basins in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. These values are lower than previous full‐year and point ET estimates in the Sierra Nevada, potentially reflecting reduced ET during drought, the effects of spatial variability, and the part‐year time period. Using streamflow and ASO snow observations, we quantify spatially‐distributed hydrologic processes otherwise difficult to observe.

California↗
USGS2002

Environmental setting and water-quality issues of the Mobile River Basin, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee

The Mobile River Basin is one of over 50 river basins and aquifer systems being investigated as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. This basin is the sixth largest river basin in the United States, and fourth largest in terms of streamflow, encompassing parts of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Almost two-thirds of the 44,000-square-mile basin is located in Alabama. Extensive water resources of the Mobile River Basin are influenced by an array of natural and cultural factors. These factors impart unique and variable qualities to the streams, rivers, and aquifers providing abundant habitat to sustain the diverse aquatic life in the basin. Data from Federal, State, and local agencies provide a description of the environmental setting of the Mobile River Basin. Environmental data include natural factors such as physiography, geology, soils, climate, hydrology, ecoregions, and aquatic ecology, and human factors such as reservoirs, land use and population change, water use, and water-quality issues. Characterization of the environmental setting is useful for understanding the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of surface and ground water in the Mobile River Basin and the possible implications of that environmental setting for water quality. The Mobile River Basin encompasses parts of five physiographic provinces. Fifty-six percent of the basin lies within the East Gulf section of the Coastal Plain Physiographic Province. The remaining northeastern part of the basin lies, from west to east, within the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus Physiographic Province, the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province, the Piedmont Physiographic Province, and the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. Based on the 1991 land-use data, about 70 percent of the basin is forested, while agriculture, including livestock (poultry, cattle, and swine), row crops (cotton, corn, soybeans, sorghum, and wheat), and pasture land accounts for about 26 percent of the study unit. Agricultural land use is concentrated along the Black Prairie Belt district of the Coastal Plain. Urban areas account for only 3 percent of the total land use; however, the areal extent of the metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) may indicate more urban influences. The MSAs include urban areas outside of the city boundaries and can include adjacent counties. Seven MSAs are delineated in the Mobile River Basin, including Montgomery, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Gadsden, Anniston, and Atlanta. The total population for the Mobile River Basin was about 3,673,100 in 1990. State water-quality agencies have identified numerous causes and sources of water-body impairment in the Mobile River Basin. In 1996, organic enrichment, dissolved oxygen depletion, elevated nutrient concentrations, and siltation were the most frequently cited causes of impairment, affecting the greatest number of river miles. Bacteria, acidic pH, and elevated metal concentrations also were identified as causes of impairment. The sources for impairment varied among river basins, were largely a function of land use, and were attributed primarily to municipal and industrial sources, mining, and agricultural activities.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1988

Hydrology of the chain of lakes tributary to Devils Lake and water-level simulations of Devils Lake, northeastern North Dakota

High water levels of the chain of lakes tributary to Devils Lake, North Dakota have, in recent years, caused flooding of cropland and county roads, thus disrupting agricultural interests. High water levels of Devils Lake pose a flood threat to the city of Devils Lake, Camp Grafton National Guard Camp, and road, sewer, and lagoon systems of several communities. The chain of lakes acts as an evaporation and storage basin. During the spring and summer of 1985, about 25,980 acre-feet of runoff flowed into the chain of lakes from upstream tributaries. About 10,180 acre-feet (about 39 percent) of that runoff flowed out of the chain of lakes. By September 30, 1985, about 440 acre-feet (less than 2 percent of the runoff that flowed into the chain of lakes) remained in storage in the chain of lakes upstream of Devils Lake. The other 15,360 acre-feet (about 59 percent of the runoff that flowed into the chain of lakes) was removed from the chain of lakes, mainly by evaporation. High-runoff conditions for Devils Lake were simulated on the basis of records of hydrologic and climatologic data for the years 1985-2032, and a low-runoff condition for Devils Lake was simulated for the years 1985-1990. The January 1985 water level of 1,426.12 feet above sea level was used for the initial lake level. A combination of storage conditions in the upstream chain of lakes and different hydrologic and climatologic variables were used for the high-runoff-condition simulations. For existing storage conditions in the chain of lakes, Devils Lake would have a maximum water level ranging from 1,432.0 to 1,442.6 feet above sea level. For midlevel storage conditions, maximum water levels of Devils Lake would range from 1,432.4 to 1,441.4 feet above sea level. For highlevel storage conditions, maximum water levels of Devils Lake would range from 1,431.3 to 1,439.9 feet above sea level. The low-runoff condition simulation indicates that Devils Lake would have a minimum water level of 1,420.7 feet above sea level.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

Watershed Boundary Dataset for Mississippi

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Mississippi Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, and the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System developed a 1:24,000-scale Watershed Boundary Dataset for Mississippi including watershed and subwatershed boundaries, codes, names, and areas. The Watershed Boundary Dataset for Mississippi provides a standard geographical framework for water-resources and selected land-resources planning. The original 8-digit subbasins (Hydrologic Unit Codes) were further subdivided into 10-digit watersheds (62.5 to 391 square miles (mi2)) and 12-digit subwatersheds (15.6 to 62.5 mi2) - the exceptions being the Delta part of Mississippi and the Mississippi River inside levees, which were subdivided into 10-digit watersheds only. Also, large water bodies in the Mississippi Sound along the coast were not delineated as small as a typical 12-digit subwatershed. All of the data - including watershed and subwatershed boundaries, subdivision codes and names, and drainage-area data - are stored in a Geographic Information System database, which are available at: http://ms.water.usgs.gov/. This map shows information on drainage and hydrography in the form of U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic unit boundaries for water-resource 2-digit regions, 4-digit subregions, 6-digit basins (formerly called accounting units), 8-digit subbasins (formerly called cataloging units), 10-digit watershed, and 12-digit subwatersheds in Mississippi. A description of the project study area, methods used in the development of watershed and subwatershed boundaries for Mississippi, and results are presented in Wilson and others (2008). The data presented in this map and by Wilson and others (2008) supersede the data presented for Mississippi by Seaber and others (1987) and U.S. Geological Survey (1977).

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS1985

Index of current water-resources activities in Ohio, 1985

This report summarizes the U. S. Geological Survey 's Water Resources Division 's program in Ohio in 1985. The work of the Ohio District is carried out through the District office in Columbus and a field office in New Philadelphia. Collection of basic data needed for continuing determination and evaluation of the quantity, quality, and use of Ohio 's water resources is the responsibility of the District 's Hydrologic Surveillance Section. The Hydrologic Investigations Section conducts analytical and interpretive water-resource appraisals describing the occurrence, availability, and the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of surface and groundwater. In addition to introductory material describing the structure of the Ohio District, information is presented on current projects, sites at which basic surface- and groundwater data are collected , and reports of Ohio 's water resources published by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating agencies. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2022

Modflow-setup: Robust automation of groundwater model construction

In an age of both big data and increasing strain on water resources, sound management decisions often rely on numerical models. Numerical models provide a physics-based framework for assimilating and making sense of information that by itself only provides a limited description of the hydrologic system. Often, numerical models are the best option for quantifying even intuitively obvious connections between human activities and water resource impacts. However, despite many recent advances in model data assimilation and uncertainty quantification, the process of constructing numerical models remains laborious, expensive, and opaque, often precluding their use in decision making. Modflow-setup aims to provide rapid and consistent construction of MODFLOW groundwater models through robust and repeatable automation. Common model construction tasks are distilled in an open-source, online code base that is tested and extensible through collaborative version control. Input to Modflow-setup consists of a single configuration file that summarizes the workflow for building a model, including source data, construction options, and output packages. Source data providing model structure and parameter information including shapefiles, rasters, NetCDF files, tables, and other (geolocated) sources to MODFLOW models are read in and mapped to the model discretization, using Flopy and other general open-source scientific Python libraries. In a few minutes, an external array-based MODFLOW model amenable to parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification is produced. This paper describes the core functionality of Modflow-setup, including a worked example of a MODFLOW 6 model for evaluating pumping impacts to a lake in central Wisconsin, United States.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2021

Using high resolution satellite and telemetry data to track flooded habitats, their use by waterfowl, and evaluate effects of drought on waterfowl and shorebird bioenergetics in California

Wetland managers in the Central Valley of California, a dynamic hydrological landscape, require information regarding the amount and location of existing wetland habitat to make decisions on how to best use water resources to support multiple wildlife objectives, particularly during drought. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Point Blue Conservation Science (Point Blue), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) partnered to learn how wetland and flooded agricultural habitats used by waterfowl and shorebirds change during the non-breeding season (July–April) particularly during drought. During extreme drought conditions, the ability to provide sufficient water for wildlife often depends on the timing of water deliveries to managed wetlands and winter-flooded crop fields and decisions on whether to fallow croplands. Waterfowl and shorebirds could be particularly affected by these decisions because they typically rest and feed in flooded habitats. Poor habitat conditions resulting from spatially or temporally suboptimal water deliveries (that is, mismatch between waterfowl habitat needs and timing and location of flooded habitats) could reduce waterfowl hunting opportunities and body condition. Point Blue scientists developed a system for near real-time tracking of habitats used by waterfowl, shorebirds, and some other wetland-dependent “waterbirds” ( www.pointblue.org/watertracker ) and to assess the impacts of drought on habitat availability and on waterfowl and shorebird bioenergetics. The WERC researchers linked these data with near real-time tracking (telemetry) data of duck locations throughout the Valley. The team used these two datasets to relate duck locations to open-water characteristics and to learn how waterfowl use habitats under spatially and temporally changing conditions during drought and non-drought periods. We found that recent extreme drought (2013–15) significantly changed the timing and magnitude of flooding and consequently reduced the availability of habitats used by waterfowl and shorebirds more than other recent historic droughts 2000–11. Drought reduced irrigations of moist soil seed plants and thus there was lower food energy available for waterfowl. Analyses using bioenergetics models indicated that, overall, extreme drought increased food energy deficits (total number of deficit days) for shorebirds and waterfowl. Our analysis indicated a strong direct relationship between duck locations and classified habitat derived from open-water data during the wintering period (October–March). This result helps confirm the application of dynamic water data to identify flooded areas that provide waterfowl habitat. Presence of open water at a 1-hectare resolution can be used effectively to identify flooded landscape areas available as habitat for ducks. Our discoveries from evaluating use of space by ducks also indicated that nighttime feeding locations of ducks were concentrated nearby primary roosts and that foraging distances could depend on hydrologic dynamics of location (Suisun Marsh versus California excluding Suisun Marsh) and time of season (early, middle, late). Other results indicated that some areas on the California landscape with extremely reliable water supplies could receive consistent use by ducks year after year (in essence, almost drought proof). The Water Tracker is set up to automatically track wetland habitat and food availability each year and is making these data available to water and wetland managers. Results from this research are a significant step toward understanding how waterfowl and shorebird habitats can be optimally managed on the landscape to support desired populations of these migratory birds during extreme drought.

California↗