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USGS2001

Hydrologic considerations for estimation of storage-capacity requirements of impounding and side-channel reservoirs for water supply in Ohio

This report provides data and methods to aid in the hydrologic design or evaluation of impounding reservoirs and side-channel reservoirs used for water supply in Ohio. Data from 117 streamflow-gaging stations throughout Ohio were analyzed by means of nonsequential-mass-curve-analysis techniques to develop relations between storage requirements, water demand, duration, and frequency. Information also is provided on minimum runoff for selected durations and frequencies. Systematic record lengths for the streamflow-gaging stations ranged from about 10 to 75 years; however, in many cases, additional streamflow record was synthesized. For impounding reservoirs, families of curves are provided to facilitate the estimation of storage requirements as a function of demand and the ratio of the 7-day, 2-year low flow to the mean annual flow. Information is provided with which to evaluate separately the effects of evaporation on storage requirements. Comparisons of storage requirements for impounding reservoirs determined by nonsequential-mass-curve-analysis techniques with storage requirements determined by annual-mass-curve techniques that employ probability routing to account for carryover-storage requirements indicate that large differences in computed required storages can result from the two methods, particularly for conditions where demand cannot be met from within-year storage. For side-channel reservoirs, tables of demand-storage-frequency information are provided for a primary pump relation consisting of one variable-speed pump with a pumping capacity that ranges from 0.1 to 20 times demand. Tables of adjustment ratios are provided to facilitate determination of storage requirements for 19 other pump sets consisting of assorted combinations of fixed-speed pumps or variable-speed pumps with aggregate pumping capacities smaller than or equal to the primary pump relation. The effects of evaporation on side-channel reservoir storage requirements are incorporated into the storage-requirement estimates. The effects of an instream-flow requirement equal to the 80-percent-duration flow are also incorporated into the storage-requirement estimates.

Ohio↗
USGS1987

Geohydrology and susceptibility of major aquifers to surface contamination in Alabama; Area 8

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, is conducting a series of geohydrologic studies to delineate the major aquifers and their susceptibility to contamination in Alabama. This report delineates and describes the geohydrology and susceptibility of the major aquifers to contamination in Area 8--Autauga, Chilton, Elmore, Lowndes, and Montgomery Counties. The major aquifers in the study area are the Eutaw, Gordo, and Coker aquifers of Cretaceous age. One or more of these aquifers are sources of public water supply in each of the five counties. The recharge areas for these aquifers are in Autauga, Chilton, Elmore, and Montgomery and Prattville. Maximum groundwater use in the Prattville area is more than 8 mgd (million gallons per day). Estimated maximum groundwater withdrawal for all uses in the study area is about 65 mgd. The potentiometric map of the Gordo aquifer indicates that the Alabama River may serve as a recharging boundary to the Gordo aquifer along the flood plain of the river in the Montgomery-Prattville area. The river also is acting as a recharging boundary to the Eutaw and Coker aquifers, where the potentiometric surfaces in the aquifers have been lowered. All recharge areas for the major aquifers are susceptible to contamination from the surface. However, the areas that are highly susceptible to contamination extend from Jemison to Clanton in Chilton County where the Coker aquifer generally is < 100 ft below land surface, and the flood plains of the Alabama, Coosa, and Tallapoosa Rivers, which are underlain by alluvial deposits that are in hydraulic contact with the major aquifers. Within the highly susceptible areas, the areas especially susceptible to contamination are the flood plain of the Alabama River in the Montgomery area and the flood plain of the Tallapoosa River. Pumpage from the major aquifers in this area has significantly lowered the potentiometric surface in the aquifers resulting in a downward gradient between the major aquifers and the Alabama River and the alluvial deposits underlying the flood plain along the river. (Lantz-PTT)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2001

Occurrence of selected radionuclides in ground water used for drinking water in the United States: A reconnaissance survey, 1998

The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Water Works Association, and the American Water Works Service Company, completed a targeted national reconnaissance survey of selected radionuclides in public ground-water supplies. Radionuclides analyzed included radium-224 (Ra-224), radium-226 (Ra-226), radium-228 (Ra-228), polonium-210 (Po-210) and lead-210 (Pb-210).This U.S. Geological Survey reconnaissance survey focused intentionally on areas with known or suspected elevated concentrations of radium in ground water to determine if Ra-224 was also present in the areas where other isotopes of radium had previously been detected and to determine the co-occurrence characteristics of the three radium isotopes (Ra-224, Ra-226, and Ra-228) in those areas. Ninety-nine raw-water samples (before water treatment) were collected once over a 6-month period in 1998 and 1999 from wells (94 of which are used for public drinking water) in 27 States and 8 physiographic provinces. Twenty-one of the 99 samples exceeded the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water maximum contaminant level of 5 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) for combined radium (Ra-226 + Ra-228). Concentrations of Ra-224 were reported to exceed 1 pCi/L in 30 percent of the samples collected, with a maximum concentration of 73.6 pCi/L measured in water from a nontransient, noncommunity, public-supply well in Maryland. Radium-224 concentrations generally were higher than those of the other isotopes of radium. About 5 percent of the samples contained concentrations of Ra-224 greater than 10 pCi/L, whereas only 2 percent exceeded 10 pCi/L for either Ra-226 or Ra-228. Concentrations of Ra-226 greater than 1 pCi/L were reported in 33 percent of the samples, with a maximum concentration of 16.9 pCi/L measured in water from a public-supply well in Iowa. Concentrations of Ra-228 greater than 1 pCi/L were reported in 22 samples, with a maximum concentration of 72.3 pCi/L measured in water from a non-transient, noncommunity, public-supply well in Maryland.Radium-224, which is a decay product of Ra-228 in the Th-232 decay series, was significantly correlated with Ra-228 (Spearman?s rank correlation coefficient ?r? equals 0.82) and to a lesser degree with Ra-226 (r equals 0.69), which is an isotope in the U-238 decay series. The rank correlation coefficient between Ra-226 and Ra-228 was 0.63. The high correlation between Ra-224 and Ra-228 concentrations and the corresponding isotopic ratios of the two (about 1:1 in 90 percent of the samples) indicates that the two radionuclides occur in approximately equal concentrations in most ground water sampled. Thus, Ra-228 can be considered as a reasonable proxy indicator for the occurrence of Ra-224 in ground water.The maximum concentration of Po-210 was 4.85 pCi/L and exceeded 1 pCi/L in only two samples. The maximum concentration of Pb-210 was 4.14 pCi/L, and about 10 percent of the samples exceeded 1 pCi/L. Areas with known, or suspected, elevated concentrations of polonium and lead were not targeted in this survey.Three major implications are drawn for future radionuclide monitoring on the basis of this information: (1) grossalpha particle analyses of ground water should be done within about 48-72 hours after collection to determine the presence of the short-lived, alpha-particle emitting isotopes, such as Ra-224, which was detected in elevated concentrations in many of the samples collected for this survey; (2) the isotope ratios of Ra-224 to Ra-228 in ground water are variable on a national scale, but the two radioisotopes generally occur in ratios near 1:1, therefore, the more commonly measured Ra-228 can be used as an indicator of Ra-224 occurrence for some general purposes other than compliance; and (3) the isotopic ratios of Ra-226 to Ra-228 were less than 3:2 in many samples. These ratios corroborate results of previous studies that have shown the presence of Ra-228.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2001

Documentation and verification of VST2D; a model for simulating transient, Variably Saturated, coupled water-heat-solute Transport in heterogeneous, anisotropic 2-Dimensional, ground-water systems with variable fluid density

This report describes a model for simulating transient, Variably Saturated, coupled water-heatsolute Transport in heterogeneous, anisotropic, 2-Dimensional, ground-water systems with variable fluid density (VST2D). VST2D was developed to help understand the effects of natural and anthropogenic factors on quantity and quality of variably saturated ground-water systems. The model solves simultaneously for one or more dependent variables (pressure, temperature, and concentration) at nodes in a horizontal or vertical mesh using a quasi-linearized general minimum residual method. This approach enhances computational speed beyond the speed of a sequential approach. Heterogeneous and anisotropic conditions are implemented locally using individual element property descriptions. This implementation allows local principal directions to differ among elements and from the global solution domain coordinates. Boundary conditions can include time-varying pressure head (or moisture content), heat, and/or concentration; fluxes distributed along domain boundaries and/or at internal node points; and/or convective moisture, heat, and solute fluxes along the domain boundaries; and/or unit hydraulic gradient along domain boundaries. Other model features include temperature and concentration dependent density (liquid and vapor) and viscosity, sorption and/or decay of a solute, and capability to determine moisture content beyond residual to zero. These features are described in the documentation together with development of the governing equations, application of the finite-element formulation (using the Galerkin approach), solution procedure, mass and energy balance considerations, input requirements, and output options. The VST2D model was verified, and results included solutions for problems of water transport under isohaline and isothermal conditions, heat transport under isobaric and isohaline conditions, solute transport under isobaric and isothermal conditions, and coupled water-heat-solute transport. The first three problems considered in model verification were compared to either analytical or numerical solutions, whereas the coupled problem was compared to measured laboratory results for which no known analytic solutions or numerical models are available. The test results indicate the model is accurate and applicable for a wide range of conditions, including when water (liquid and vapor), heat (sensible and latent), and solute are coupled in ground-water systems. The cumulative residual errors for the coupled problem tested was less than 10–8 cubic centimeter per cubic centimeter, 10-5 moles per kilogram, and 102 calories per cubic meter for liquid water content, solute concentration and heat content, respectively. This model should be useful to hydrologists, engineers, and researchers interested in studying coupled processes associated with variably saturated transport in ground-water systems.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1994

User's guide to revised method-of-characteristics solute-transport model (MOC--version 31)

The U.S. Geological Survey computer model to simulate two-dimensional solute transport and dispersion in ground water (Konikow and Bredehoeft, 1978; Goode and Konikow, 1989) has been modified to improve management of input and output data and to provide progressive run-time information. All opening and closing of files are now done automatically by the program. Names of input data files are entered either interactively or using a batch-mode script file. Names of output files, created automatically by the program, are based on the name of the input file. In the interactive mode, messages are written to the screen during execution to allow the user to monitor the status and progress of the simulation and to anticipate total running time. Information reported and updated during a simulation include the current pumping period and time step, number of particle moves, and percentage completion of the current time step. The batch mode enables a user to run a series of simulations consecutively, without additional control. A report of the model's activity in the batch mode is written to a separate output file, allowing later review. The user has several options for creating separate output files for different types of data. The formats are compatible with many commercially available applications, which facilitates graphical postprocessing of model results. Geohydrology and Evaluation of Stream-Aquifer Relations in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, Southeastern Alabama, Northwestern Florida, and Southwestern Georgia By Lynn J. Torak, Gary S. Davis, George A. Strain, and Jennifer G. Herndon Abstract The lower Apalachieola-Chattahoochec-Flint River Basin is underlain by Coastal Plain sediments of pre-Cretaceous to Quaternary age consisting of alternating units of sand, clay, sandstone, dolomite, and limestone that gradually thicken and dip gently to the southeast. The stream-aquifer system consism of carbonate (limestone and dolomite) and elastic sediments, which define the Upper Floridan aquifer and Intermediate system, in hydraulic connection with the principal rivers of the basin and other surface-water features, natural and man made. Separate digital models of the Upper Flori-dan aquifer and Intermediate system were constructed by using the U.S. Geological Survey's MODular Finite-Element model of two dimensional ground-water flow, based on concep- tualizations of the stream-aquifer system, and calibrated to drought conditions of October 1986. Sensitivity analyses performed on the models indicated that aquifer hydraulic conductivity, lateral and vertical boundary flows, and pumpage have a strong influence on groundwater levels. Simulated pumpage increases in the Upper Floridan aquifer, primarily in the Dougherty Plain physiographic district of Georgia,. caused significant reductions in aquifer discharge to streams that eventually flow to Lake Seminole and the Apalachicola River and Bay. Simulated pumpage increases greater than 3 times the October 1986 rates caused drying ofsome stream reaches and parts of the Upper Floridan aquifer in Georgia. Water budgets prepared from simulation results indicate that ground- water discharge to streams and recharge by horizontal and vertical flow are the principal mechanisms for moving water through the flow system. The potential for changes in ground-water quality is high in areas where chemical constituents can be mobilized by these mechanisms. Less than 2 percent of ground-water discharge to streams comes from the Intermediate system; thus, it plays a minor role in the hydrodynamics of the stream- aquifer system.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1987

Cenozoic stratigraphy and geologic history of the Tucson Basin, Pima County, Arizona

This report was prepared as part of a geohydrologic study of the Tucson basin conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the city of Tucson. Geologic data from more than 500 water supply and test wells were analyzed to define characteristics of the basin sediments that may affect the potential for land subsidence induced by groundwater withdrawal. The Tucson basin is a structural depression within the Basin and Range physiographic province. The basin is 1,000 sq mi in units area and trends north to northwest. Three Cenozoic stratigraphic unit--the Pantano Formation of Oligocene age, the Tinaja beds (informal usage) of Miocene and Pliocene age, and the Fort Lowell Formation of Pleistocene age--fill the basin. The Tinaja beds include lower, middle, and upper unconformable units. A thin veneer of stream alluvium of late Quaternary age overlies the Fort Lowell Formation. The Pantano Formation and the lower Tinaja beds accumulated during a time of widespread continental sedimentation, volcanism, plutonism, uplift, and complex faulting and tilting of rock units that began during the Oligocene and continued until the middle Miocene. Overlying sediments of the middle and upper Tinaja beds were deposited in response to two subsequent episodes of post-12-million-year block faulting, the latter of which was accompanied by renewed uplift. The Fort Lowell Formation accumulated during the Quaternary development of modern through-flowing the maturation of the drainage. The composite Cenozoic stratigraphic section of the Tucson basin is at least 20,000 ft thick. The steeply tilted to flat-lying section is composed of indurated to unconsolidated clastic sediments, evaporites, and volcanic rocks that are lithologically and structurally complex. The lithology and structures of the section was greatly affected by the uplift and exhumation of adjacent metamorphic core-complex rocks. Similar Cenozoic geologic relations have been identified in other parts of southern Arizona. (Author 's abstract)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1995

Ground-water levels and directions of flow in Geauga County, Ohio, September 1994, and changes in ground-water levels, 1986-94

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Geauga County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners, to determine directions of ground-water flow and to assess differences from 1986 to 1994 in groundwater levels in the glacial deposits and Pottsville Formation, Cuyahoga Group, and the Berea Sandstone. Water levels were measured in 219 wells in Geauga County, Ohio, in September 1994. Water levels measured in January and February 1986 in 88 of the 219 wells were used for comparison. Water-level maps constructed from measurements made in September 1994 show that ground-water levels in the Pottsville Formation and the glacial deposits generally correspond to the land-surface configuration and that ground water flows from the uplands to adjacent streams and buried valleys. Ground-water flow in the Cuyahoga Group is generally downward from the Pottsville Formation to the Berea Sandstone. Directions of ground-water flow in the Berea Sandstone are toward outcrop areas at the north and east edges of Geauga County and toward subcrops beneath buried glacial valley deposits in Chardon, Chester, Munson, and Russell Townships and along the west edge of the county. A comparison of water level measurements in 1986 and 1994 indicates that water levels declined in 70 percent of the measured wells and increased in 30 percent. The change in water levels from 1986 to 1994 ranged from an increase of 13.58 feet to a decrease of 29.25 feet. Thirty percent of all water-level changes were less than 1 foot in magnitude. In nearly 80 percent of the wells, water-level changes were within the range of plus or minus 5 feet. Among the wells for which two or more historical measurements were available, the 1994 water levels in 54 percent were outside the range of water-levels observed in previous studies (only 24 percent were greater than 1 foot outside of the previously-observed range). Water-level declines of greater than 10 feet were primarily in the Cuyahoga Group and Berea Sandstone. Some factors considered in the analysis of the differences in water levels in 1986 and 1994 were changes in water use, population, and the amount of available recharge. Water level differences could not be correlated to population changes between the 1980 and 1990 censuses. A decrease in the available recharge from 1986 to 1994 may be part of the cause for the decrease in water levels observed in two-thirds of the wells in and adjacent to Geauga County. Effects of withdrawal rates due to population increase on water levels, if present, are overshadowed by the effects of annual variations in precipitation.

Ohio↗
USGS1998

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow in the Paluxy aquifer in the vicinity of Landfills 1 and 3, U.S. Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas

Ground-water contamination of the surficial terrace alluvial aquifer has occurred at U.S. Air Force Plant 4, a government-owned, contractor-operated facility, northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. A poorly constructed monitoring well, P–22M, open to the underlying middle zone of the Paluxy aquifer was installed at landfill 3, October 1987, allowing leakage of contaminated ground water to reach the Paluxy aquifer. This well was plugged and abandoned in November 1995. Additionally, volatile organic compounds have been detected in fractures in the Goodland-Walnut confining unit, the hydrogeologic unit separating the terrace alluvial aquifer from the underlying Paluxy aquifer, beneath the western part of landfill 1. Volatile organic compounds in concentrations near the analytical detection limit were detected in the upper Paluxy prior to the drilling of well P–22M. The ground-water-flow simulation model described in this report was developed to examine the best logistically feasible location to install recovery wells to capture the low concentration (less than 100 micrograms per liter) trichloroethylene plume beneath landfills 1 and 3 (west Paluxy plume). Once the recovery wells were installed (1996), the simulation model was recalibrated with new data. This report documents the capture area of the installed recovery wells. Four geologic units are pertinent to this site-specific model. From oldest to youngest, these are the Glen Rose Formation, Paluxy Formation, Walnut Formation, and Goodland Limestone. The Glen Rose Formation is relatively impermeable in the study area and forms the confining unit underlying the Paluxy Formation. The Paluxy Formation forms the Paluxy aquifer, which is a public drinking water supply for the City of White Settlement. The Walnut Formation and Goodland Limestone form the Goodland-Walnut confining unit overlying the Paluxy aquifer. Near landfill 3, gamma-ray logs indicate three distinct zones of the Paluxy Formation; upper, middle, and lower. The formation is about 170-feet thick near landfill 3, and each zone is about 57-feet thick. Two steady-state simulations using the computer program MODFLOW were analyzed using the particle-tracking computer program, MODPATH. One simulation is the calibration simulation using Paluxy aquifer water-level data for May 1993. The second simulation includes the installed recovery wells. A variably spaced grid was designed for the model. The smallest grid cells, 25 by 25 feet, are in the vicinity of landfills 1 and 3. The largest cells, 4,864.5 by 1,441.5 feet, are at the northwestern corner of the model grid near the Parker-Tarrant County line. The modeling was accomplished with three layers representing the upper, middle, and lower zones of the Paluxy aquifer. Particles, which represent contaminant molecules moving in solution with the ground water, were tracked from well P–22M and an area below landfill 1, at the top of the upper zone of the Paluxy aquifer, for 9 years (forward tracking). The forward tracking estimates where contaminants might move by advection from 1987 to 1996. Analysis of backward tracking from the new recovery wells indicates that the simulated contributing area to the recovery wells intercepts the contaminant plume, minimizing off-site migration of the west Paluxy plume. To determine the effectiveness of the recovery wells, monitoring wells southeast of Building 14 have been installed (1996–97) for sampling.

Texas↗
USGS2000

Biodegradation of chlorinated ethenes at a karst site in middle Tennessee

This report presents results of field and laboratory investigations examining the biodegradation of chlorinated ethenes in a karst aquifer contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). The study site, located in Middle Tennessee, was selected because of the presence of TCE degradation byproducts in the karst aquifer and available site hydrologic and chlorinated-ethene information. Additional chemical, biological, and hydrologic data were gathered to evaluate whether the occurrence of TCE degradation byproducts in the karst aquifer was the result of biodegradation within the aquifer or simply transport into the aquifer. Geochemical analysis established that sulfate-reducing conditions, essential for reductive dechlorination of chlorinated solvents, existed in parts of the contaminated karst aquifer. Other areas of the aquifer fluctuated between anaerobic and aerobic conditions and contained compounds associated with cometabolism, such as ethane, methane, ammonia, and dissolved oxygen. A large, diverse bacteria population inhabits the contaminated aquifer. Bacteria known to biodegrade TCE and other chlorinated solvents, such as sulfate-reducers, methanotrophs, and ammonia-oxidizers, were identified from karst-aquifer water using the RNA-hybridization technique. Results from microcosms using raw karst-aquifer water found that aerobic cometabolism and anaerobic reductive-dechlorination degradation processes were possible when appropriate conditions were established in the microcosms. These chemical and biological results provide circumstantial evidence that several biodegradation processes are active in the aquifer. Additional site hydrologic information was developed to determine if appropriate conditions persist long enough in the karst aquifer for these biodegradation processes to be significant. Continuous monitoring devices placed in four wells during the spring of 1998 indicated that pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potentials changed very little in areas isolated from active ground-water flow paths. These stable areas in the karst aquifer had geochemical conditions and bacteria conducive to reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes. Other areas of the karst aquifer were associated with active ground-water flow paths and fluctuated between anaerobic and aerobic conditions in response to rain events. Associated with this dynamic environment were bacteria and geochemical conditions conducive to cometabolism. In summary, multiple lines of evidence developed from chemical, biological, and hydrologic data demonstrate that a variety of biodegradation processes are active in this karst aquifer.

Tennessee↗
USGS1992

Techniques for estimating peak-flow frequency relations for North Dakota streams

This report presents techniques for estimating peak-flow frequency relations for North Dakota streams. In addition, a generalized skew coefficient analysis was completed for North Dakota to test the validity of using the generalized skew coefficient map in Bulletin 17B of the Hydrology Subcommittee of the Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data, 1982, "Guidelines for Determining Flood Flow Frequency." The analysis indicates that the generalized skew coefficient map in Bulletin 17B provides accurate estimates of generalized skew coefficient values for natural-flow streams in North Dakota. Peak-flow records through 1988 for 192 continuous- and partial-record streamflow gaging stations that had 10 or more years of record were used in a generalized least-squares regression analysis that relates peak flows for selected recurrence intervals to selected basin characteristics. Peak-flow equations were developed for recurrence intervals of 2, 10, 15, 25, 50, 100, and 500 years for three hydrologic regions in North Dakota. The peak-flow equations are applicable to natural-flow streams that have drainage areas of less than or equal to 1,000 square miles. The standard error of estimate for the three hydrologic regions ranges from 60 to 70 percent for the 100-year peak-flow equations. Methods are presented for transferring peak-flow data from gaging stations to ungaged sites on the same stream and for determining peak flows for ungaged sites on ungaged streams. Peak-flow relations, weighted estimates of peak flow, and selected basin characteristics are tabulated for the 192 gaging stations used in the generalized skew coefficient and regression analyses. Peak-flow relations also are provided for 63 additional gaging stations that were not used in the generalized skew coefficient and regression analyses. These 63 gaging stations generally represent streams that are significantly controlled by regulation and those that have drainage areas greater than 1,000 square miles.

North Dakota↗
USGS2002

Spatial and temporal variations in streamflow, dissolved solids, nutrients, and suspended sediment in the Rio Grande Valley study unit, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, 1993–95

Streamflow and water quality vary spatially and temporally in the Rio Grande from Del Norte, Colorado, to El Paso, Texas. The variations in streamflow and in concentrations of selected waterquality constituents—dissolved solids, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment—are described in this report. A multivariate linear regression model, ESTIMATOR2000, was used to estimate loads for selected constituents. Streamflow decreases in the downstream direction throughout most of the basin because outflows (due to agricultural use, leakage to ground water, and evapotranspiration) are greater than inflows. Streamflow increases between Rio Grande above the mouth of Trinchera Creek, near Lasauses, Colorado, to Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge, near San Ildefonso, New Mexico, because ground-water and tributary inflow are greater than outflow. Concentrations of dissolved solids, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment generally increase in the downstream direction. Concentrations of dissolved solids, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, and total phosphorus decrease between Rio Grande above the mouth of Trinchera Creek, near Lasauses, Colorado, and Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge, near San Ildefonso, New Mexico, because of dilution by tributary inflow. Concentrations of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment decrease between Rio Grande Floodway at San Marcial, New Mexico, and Rio Grande below Leasburg Dam, near Leasburg, New Mexico, because of reservoir effects (nutrient uptake and settling of sediment). Several instances of decreasing streamflow and increasing loads indicate the presence of inflows with large constituent concentrations (relative to those of the Rio Grande immediately upstream from that inflow); this occurs (1) between Rio Grande near Del Norte, Colorado, and Rio Grande above the mouth of Trinchera Creek, near Lasauses, Colorado, for dissolved solids, (2) between Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge, near San Ildefonso, New Mexico, and Rio Grande Floodway at San Marcial, NewMexico, for all constituents, and (3) between Rio Grande below Leasburg Dam, near Leasburg, New Mexico, and Rio Grande at El Paso, Texas, for all constituents. Streamflow increases along every reach of the Rio Grande between the streamflow-gaging station Rio Grande above the mouth of Trinchera Creek, near Lasauses, Colorado, and the station Rio Grande at Otowi Bridge, near San Ildefonso, NewMexico. These increases in streamflow result in increases in the loads of dissolved solids, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment regardless of changes in concentrations.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1994

Effects of urban flood-detention reservoirs on peak discharges and flood frequencies, and simulation of flood-detention reservoir outflow hydrographs in two watersheds in Albany, Georgia

This report describes the effects of flood-detention reservoirs on downstream peak discharges of two urban tributaries to Kinchafoonee Creek (tributaries 1 and 2) in Albany, Georgia and presents simulated flood-detention reservoir outflow hydrographs. Rainfall-runoff data were collected for six years at two stations in these two urban watersheds. Tributary number 1 basin has a drainage area of 0.12 square miles, contains 23.8 percent impervious area, and contains two detention reservoirs. Tributary number 2 basin has a drainage area of 0.09 square miles, contains 12.9 percent impervious area, and has one detention reservoir. The Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model (DR3M) was calibrated using rainfall-runoff data collected during 1987- 92 at each station. DR3M was then used to simulate long-term (1906-33, 1941-73) peak discharges for these stations for conditions ranging from the existing condition with all detention reservoirs in place to the condition of no detention reservoirs. Flood-frequency relations based on the long-term peak discharges were developed for each simulation by fitting the logarithms of the annual peak discharge data to a Pearson type III distribution curve. The effect of detention reservoirs on peak discharge data to a Pearson type III distribution curve. The effect of detention reservoirs on peak discharges was determined by comparison of simulated flood-frequency peak discharges for conditions with and without the detention reservoirs. The comparisons indicated that the removal of flood-detention reservoirs from the tributary number 1 basin would increase the 10-, 50-, and 100-year peak discharges by 164 to 204 percent. Removal of the reservoir from tributary number 2 basin would increase these discharges by about 145 percent.

Georgia↗
USGS2002

Ground-water discharge determined from measurements of evapotranspiration, other available hydrologic components, and shallow water-level changes, Oasis Valley, Nye County, Nevada

Oasis Valley is an area of natural ground-water discharge within the Death Valley regional ground-water flow system of southern Nevada and adjacent California. Ground water discharging at Oasis Valley is replenished from inflow derived from an extensive recharge area that includes the northwestern part of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Because nuclear testing has introduced radionuclides into the subsurface of the NTS, the U.S. Department of Energy currently is investigating the potential transport of these radionuclides by ground water flow. To better evaluate any potential risk associated with these test-generated contaminants, a number of studies were undertaken to accurately quantify discharge from areas downgradient in the regional ground-water flow system from the NTS. This report refines the estimate of ground-water discharge from Oasis Valley. Ground-water discharge from Oasis Valley was estimated by quantifying evapotranspiration (ET), estimating subsurface outflow, and compiling ground-water withdrawal data. ET was quantified by identifying areas of ongoing ground-water ET, delineating areas of ET defined on the basis of similarities in vegetation and soil-moisture conditions, and computing ET rates for each of the delineated areas. A classification technique using spectral-reflectance characteristics determined from satellite imagery acquired in 1992 identified eight unique areas of ground-water ET. These areas encompass about 3,426 acres of sparsely to densely vegetated grassland, shrubland, wetland, and open water. Annual ET rates in Oasis Valley were computed with energy-budget methods using micrometeorological data collected at five sites. ET rates range from 0.6 foot per year in a sparse, dry saltgrass environment to 3.1 feet per year in dense meadow vegetation. Mean annual ET from Oasis Valley is estimated to be about 7,800 acre-feet. Mean annual ground-water discharge by ET from Oasis Valley, determined by removing the annual local precipitation component of 0.5 foot, is estimated to be about 6,000 acre-feet. Annual subsurface outflow from Oasis Valley into the Amargosa Desert is estimated to be between 30 and 130 acre-feet. Estimates of total annual ground-water withdrawal from Oasis Valley by municipal and non-municipal users in 1996 and 1999 are 440 acre-feet and 210 acre-feet, respectively. Based on these values, natural annual ground-water discharge from Oasis Valley is about 6,100 acre-feet. Total annual discharge was 6,500 acre-ft in 1996 and 6,300 acre-ft in 1999. This quantity of natural ground-water discharge from Oasis Valley exceeds the previous estimate made in 1962 by a factor of about 2.5. Water levels were measured in Oasis Valley to gain additional insight into the ET process. In shallow wells, water levels showed annual fluctuations as large as 7 feet and daily fluctuations as large as 0.2 foot. These fluctuations may be attributed to water loss associated with evapotranspiration. In shallow wells affected by ET, annual minimum depths to water generally occurred in winter or early spring shortly after daily ET reached minimum rates. Annual maximum depths to water generally occurred in late summer or fall shortly after daily ET reached maximum rates. The magnitude of daily water-level fluctuations generally increased as ET increased and decreased as depth to water increased.

Nevada↗
USGS2003

Streambed adjustment and channel widening in eastern Nebraska

In eastern Nebraska, stream straightening and dredging efforts since the 1890s have disturbed the natural equilibrium of stream channels and have led to streambed adjustment by degradation and subsequent channel widening. This report describes a study to evaluate the effect these disturbances have had on stream channels in eastern Nebraska. Two sets of survey data were collected approximately 2 years apart during 1996-99 at 151 primary sites. Additionally, historical streambed-elevation data (dating back to the 1890s) were compiled from several sources for the primary sites and 45 supplemental sites, and relevant disturbances were identified for each of eight basin groupings. Streambed-elevation data sets were used to estimate the amount of change to the streambed at the sites over the time period of the data. Recent channel widening was documented for 73 of the primary sites by comparing the two survey sets. The majority of observed streambed-gradation responses appear to be related to the various straightening efforts and to the effects of grade-control structures in the study area. Channel responses were complicated by the presence of multiple disturbances. However, in many cases, the streambed-elevation data sets provide a reliable representation of the past streambed gradation, with some sites showing 6 to 7 meters of degradation since they were straightened. Many sites that had been straightened showed considerable degradation following the disturbance. This indicates that eastern Nebraska stream channels can regain equilibrium mainly through the slope adjustment process of head-ward-progressing degradation. Bank failures were documented at sites in all eight of the basin groupings analyzed, and widening rates were computed at 64 of 73 sites. Observed bank widening in the Big Blue River Basin, a relatively unstraightened basin, indicates that other disturbances besides stream-channel straightening may be causing channel responses in the basin and possibly in the entire study area.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1986

Simulation of flood hydrographs for Georgia streams

Flood hydrographs are needed for the design of many highway drainage structures and embankments. A method for simulating these flood hydrographs at ungaged sites in Georgia is presented in this report. The O'Donnell method was used to compute unit hydrographs and lagtimes for 355 floods at 80 gaging stations. An average unit hydrograph and an average lagtime were computed for each station. These average unit hydrographs were transformed to unit hydrographs having durations of one-fourth, one-third, one-half, and three-fourths lagtime, then reduced to dimensionless terms by dividing the time by lagtime and the discharge by peak discharge. Hydrographs were simulated for these 355 floods and their widths were compared with the widths of the observed hydrographs at 50 and 75 percent of peak flow. The dimensionless hydrograph based on one-half lagtime duration provided the best fit of the observed data. Multiple-regression analysis was then used to define relations between lagtime and certain physical basin characteristics, of which drainage area and slope were found to be significant for the rural-stream equations, and drainage area, slope, and impervious area were found to be significant for the Atlanta urban-stream equation. A hydrograph can be simulated from the dimensionless hydrograph, the peak discharge of a specific recurrence interval, and the lagtime obtained from regression equations for any site with less than a 500 square mile drainage area in Georgia. For simulating hydrographs at sites with basins larger than 500 square miles, the U.S. Geological Survey computer model CONROUT can be used. This model routes streamflow from an upstream channel location to a user-defined location downstream. The product of CONROUT is a simulated discharge hydrograph for the downstream site, which has a peak discharge of a specific recurrence interval. The diffusion-analogy routing method with single linearization was used in this study.

Georgia↗
USGS1999

Iron in the aquifer system of Suffolk County, New York, 1990-98

High concentrations of dissolved iron in ground water contribute to the biofouling of public-supply wells, and the treatment and remediation of biofouling are costly. Water companies on Long Island, N.Y., spend several million dollars annually to recondition, redevelop, and replace supply wells and distribution lines; treat dissolved iron with sequestering agents or by filtration; and respond to iron-related complaints by customers. This report summarizes the results of studies done by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Suffolk County Water Authority, to characterize the geochemistry and microbiology of iron in the aquifer system of Suffolk County. This information should be helpful for the siting and operation of supply wells. Concentrations of dissolved iron in Long Island's ground water, and the frequency of iron biofouling of wells, are highest in ground-water-discharge zones, particularly near the south shore. Ground water along a deep north-south flowpath of the Magothy aquifer in southwestern Suffolk County becomes anaerobic (oxygen deficient) and Fe(III) reducing at a distance of 8 to 10 kilometers south of the ground-water divide, and this change coincides with the downgradient increase in dissolved iron concentrations. The distribution of organic carbon, and the distribution and local variations in reactivity of Fe(III), in Magothy aquifer sediments have resulted in localized differences in redox microenvironments. For example, Fe(III)-reducing zones are associated with anaerobic conditions, where relatively large amounts of Fe(III) oxyhydroxide grain coatings are present, whereas sulfate-reducing zones are associated with lignite-rich lenses of silt and clay and appear to have developed in response to the depletion of available Fe(III) oxyhydroxides. The sulfate-reducing zones are characterized by relatively low concentrations of dissolved iron (resulting from iron-disulfide precipitation) and may be large enough to warrant water-supply development. Specific-capacity and water-quality data from wells screened in the Magothy aquifer indicate that water from biofouled wells contains higher median concentrations of total and dissolved iron and manganese, total phosphate, and dissolved sulfate, and lower median concentrations of dissolved oxygen and alkalinity, and lower pH, than does water from unaffected wells. Corresponding data from wells screened in the upper glacial aquifer indicate that water from biofouled wells contains higher median concentrations of total and dissolved manganese and dissolved sulfate, and lower pH, than does water from unaffected wells. Filamentous bacteria were detected in 31 (or 72 percent) of the 43 biofilm samples obtained from biofouled wells during reconditioning. The predominant filamentous organism was Gallionella ferruginea, a major biofouling agent in the upper glacial and Magothy aquifers throughout Suffolk County. Mineral-saturation indices indicate that most of the well-encrusting material is deposited when the wells are shut down. Furthermore, the use of treated water (which has a high pH and sometimes high concentrations of dissolved iron) for pump prelubrication when wells are shut down could greatly increase the rate of iron oxidation.

New York↗
USGS2002

Summary of Flow Loss between Selected Cross Sections on the Rio Grande in and near Albuquerque, New Mexico

The upper middle Rio Grande Basin, as defined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, extends from the headwaters of the Rio Grande in southwestern Colorado to Fort Quitman, Texas. Most of the basin has a semiarid climate typical of the southwestern United States. This climate drives a highly variable streamflow regime that contributes to the complexity of water management in the basin. Currently, rapid population growth in the basin has resulted in increasing demands on the hydrologic system. Water management decisions have become increasingly complex because of the broad range of interests and issues. For these reasons, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, conducted paired flow measurements at two cross sections to determine cross-sectional loss in the Albuquerque reach of the Rio Grande. This report statistically summarizes flow losses in the Albuquerque reach of the Rio Grande during the winter nonirrigation season from December 1996 to February 2000. The two previous flow-loss investigations are statistically summarized. Daily mean flow losses are calculated for the winter nonirrigation season using daily mean flows at three selected Rio Grande streamflow-gaging stations.For the winter nonirrigation season cross-sectional measurements (1996-2000), an average of 210 cubic feet per second was returned to the river between the measurement sites, of which 165 cubic feet per second was intercepted by riverside drains along the 21.9-mile reach from the Rio Grande near Bernalillo to the Rio Grande at Rio Bravo Bridge streamflow-gaging stations. Total cross-sectional losses in this reach averaged about 90 cubic feet per second. Regression equations were determined for estimating downstream total outflow from upstream total inflow for all three paired measurement studies. Regression equations relating the three daily mean flow recording stations also were determined. In each succeeding study, additional outside variables were controlled, which provided more accurate flow-loss measurements. Regression-equation losses between measurement cross sections ranged from 1.9 to 7.9 percent during the nonirrigation season and from about 5.9 to 6.4 percent during the irrigation season. Mean and median loss by reach length for all three daily mean flow stations and all three cross-sectional measurement reaches showed consistent flow loss per mile by season with allowance for nonideal river conditions for the initial measurement studies. Unsteady measurement conditions were reflected in the regression equation mean-square errors and ultimately in the change in daily mean discharge at the Rio Grande at Albuquerque gaging station during the measurement periods.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1993

Hydrogeology of glacial deposits in a preglacial bedrock valley, Waukesha County, Wisconsin

This report describes the areal extent, thickness, and hydraulic properties of glacial deposits in a preglacial bedrock valley south of the city of Waukesha in southeastern Wisconsin. In the 40- square-mile study area, the preglacial bedrock valley underlies an area across which the Fox River flows. A previous regional study of the area indicated that extensive glacial sand and gravel deposits may exist in the preglacial bedrock valley. New test-hole, well-construction, and seismic data collected from 1986 through 1991 showed that the preglacial bedrock valley immediately south of the city of Waukesha is narrower and shallower than previously thought. However, these data indicate that thicknesses of saturated glacial deposits in excess of 250 feet exist in a 1- to 2-mile-wide part of the valley in the southern part of the study area. Test-hole logs indicate that clean sand and gravel deposits are present in a shallow part of the preglacial bedrock valley. Fifty to sixty feet of silty and clayey sand and gravel deposits appear to underlie varying thicknesses of relatively impermeable clay till in the center of the study area. Ground water flows from upland areas on the eastern and western sides of the Fox River and discharges to the Fox River and wetlands adjacent to the river. Results of a 6.5-hour aquifer test indicate that the silty sand and gravel deposits have an average transmissivity of about 140 feet squared per day and an average storage coefficient of about 1.2x10"3 at one location. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of these deposits averages about 4 feet per day. Analysis of drawdown indicates that these deposits are part of a leaky confined-aquifer system and that some water is derived from storage in an overlying clay layer. The transmissivity value determined from this aquifer test and a lack of clean sand and gravel encountered in other test holes indicate that glacial deposits at these sites may not yield enough water for a large municipal water supply. Sand and gravel deposits, capable of development as a municipal supply, may be present in the southern part of the study area. However, additional test holes are needed to determine whether adequate sand and gravel deposits underlie this area.

Wisconsin↗