SEARCH · Geology Reports
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.
The feasibility of using water from the Floridian aquifer during periods of drought to maintain water levels in the aquatic communities at the Royal Palm Visitor Center in Everglades National Park was tested.
Widespread flooding occurred in central California and northwestern Nevada during January 31 - February 1, 1963, as a result of intense precipitation of about 72 hours duration. The flood-producing storm was of the warm type, with precipitation falling as rain at altitudes as high as 8,000 feet. The heavy precipitation, totaling as much as 20 inches or more in the Sierra Nevada, fell on frozen ground or on the sparse snowpack that existed in the higher altitudes. The response of runoff to rainfall was dramatic, as streams throughout the area rose rapidly. Hardest hit were the basins of the American, Yuba, and Truckee Rivers, where flood peaks either reached record-breaking heights or rivalled the discharges attained in the memorable floods of November 1950 and December 1955. Because of the relatively short duration of the storm, the volume of flood flow in 1963 was not outstanding. Ten deaths were attributed to the storm or flood. Preliminary estimates indicate damage in excess of $16 million in foothill and valley areas, but no attempt has yet been made to assess the heavy damage to highways and drainage structures in the mountain areas. The U. S. Army, Corps of Engineirs estimates that its operation of flood-control facilities prevented additional damage of $236 million. Other reservoirs, operated primarily for water conservation or power production, were also instrumental in preventing damage.
Digital recording of water-quality parameters is a link in the automated data collection and processing system of the U.S. Geological Survey. The monitoring and digital recording systems adopted by the Geological Survey, while punching all measurements on a standard paper tape, provide a choice of compatible components to construct a system to meet specific physical problems and data needs. As many as 10 parameters can be recorded by an Instrument, with the only limiting criterion being that measurements are expressed as electrical signals.
Floods are natural hazards that have complicated man's land-use planning for as long as we have had a history. Although flood hzards are a continuing danger, the year-to-year threat cannot be accurately predicted. Also, on any one stream, the time since the last destructive flood might be so long that most people now living near the stream have not experienced such a flood. Because of the unpredictability and common infrequency of disastrous flooding, or out of ignorance about the danger, or perhaps because of an urge to gamble, man tends to focus his attention on only the advantages of the flood-prone areas, rather than the risk due to the occasional major flood. The purposes of this report are to: (1) briefly describe flood hazards in this region, including some that may be unique to the Puget Sound basin, (2) indicate the parts of the area for which flood-hazard data are available, and (3) list the main sources of hydrologic information that is useful for flood-hazard analysis in conjuction with long-range planning. This map-type report is one of a series being prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey to present basic environmental information and interpretations to assist land-use planning in the Puget Sound region.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The best features of analog and digital computers were combined to make a management model of a stream-aquifer system. The analog model provides a means for synthesizing, verifying, and summarizing aquifer properties; the digital model permits rapid calculation of the effects of water management practices. Given specific management alternatives, a digital program can be written that will optimize operation plans of stream-aquifer systems. The techniques are demonstrated by application to a study of the Arkansas River valley in southeastern Colorado.
A map showing the potentiometric surface of the Lloyd aquifer was drawn from water-level measurements made in January 1975. Altitude of the potentiometric surface ranged from more than 20 feet below mean sea level in Queens County to more than 40 feet above mean sea level in Suffolk County.
At the request of the Navajo Service, Office ot Indian Affairs, a groundwater iinvestigation of four proposed stock wells in the Puertocito Area, Socorro county and the Canoncito Area., Bernalillo and Valencia counties,New Mexico, was made in November, 1951 (see fig. 1). Although these areas are not on the Navajo Indian Reservation, they were included in the program of study of ground-water resources or the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations now being conducted by the Ground Water Branch of the United States Geological Survey. The work was financed by and was in cooperation with the Navajo Service, Office of Indian Affairs.
The purpose of this study was to determine the hydrologic characteristics of Pine Creek, Price County, Wisconsin, in order to evaluate a proposed reservoir on Pine Creek. The streamflow characteristics estimated are the mean flows, low flows, and flood peaks. The study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The purpose of this report is to present rainfall and runoff data for the Waller Creek and Wilbarger Creek study areas for the 1972 water year (October 1, 1971 to September 30, 1972).
The purpose of this report is to present rainfall and runoff data for the Waller Creek and Wilbarger Creek study areas for the 1973 water year (October 1, 1972 to September 30, 1973).
The purpose of this report is to present rainfall and runoff data for the Waller Creek and Wilbarger Creek study areas for the 1974 water year (October 1, 1973 to September 30, 1974).
An investigation of the water resources of the Colorado part of the San Luis Valley was begun in 1966 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board. (See index map, fig. 1). The purpose of the investigation is to provide information for planning and implementing improved water-development and management practices. The major water problems in the San Luis Valley include (1) waterlogging, (2) waste of water by nonbeneficial evapotranspiration, (3) deterioration of ground-water chemical quality, and (4) failure of Colorado to deliver water to New Mexico and Texas in accordance with the Rio Grande Compact. This report describes the hydrologic environment, extent of water-resource development, and some of the problems related to that development. Information presented is based on data collected from 1966 to 1968 and on previous studies. Subsequent reports are planned as the investigation progresses. The San Luis Valley extends about 100 miles from Poncha Pass near the northeast corner of Saguache County, Colo., to a point about 16 miles south of the Colorado-New Mexico State line. The total area is 3,125 square miles, of which about 3,000 are in Colorado. The valley is nearly flat except for the San Luis Hills and a few other small areas. The Colorado part of the San Luis Valley, which is described in this report, has an average altitude of about 7,700 feet. Bounding the valley on the west are the San Juan Mountains and on the east the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Most of the valley floor is bordered by alluvial fans deposited by streams originating in the mountains, the most extensive being the Rio Grande fan (see block diagram, fig. 2 in pocket). Most of the streamflow is derived from snowmelt from 4,700 square miles of watershed in the surrounding mountains. The northern half of the San Luis Valley is internally drained and is referred to as the closed basin. The lowest part of this area is known locally as the "sump." The remainder of the valley is drained by the Rio Grande and its tributaries. The climate of the San Luis Valley is arid, and a successful agricultural economy would not be possible without irrigation. It is characterized by cold winters, moderate summers, and much sunshine. The average annual precipitation on the valley floor ranges from 7 to 10 inches. More than half the precipitation occurs from July to September. Moisture deficiency in the valley is shown by the graph comparing pan evaporation and precipitation {fig. 3}. For the years 1961-67 average pan evaporation for the period April through September was 52.25 inches, but average precipitation for the period was only 5.02 inches. Average annual precipitation was 7.8 inches. Owing to the short growing season (90-120 days), crops a.re restricted mainly to barley, oats, potatoes, and other vegetables.
Chemical analyses of water samples from 296 wells in the Red River alluvial aquifer indicate that the ground water in the valley is generally hard (more than 120 milligrams per liter) and has a high iron concentration (greater than 6,000 micrograms per liter). The predominant ions found in the water were calcium and bicarbonate. However, in places in the vicinity of Natchitoches, saline water, probably from underlying formations, has infiltrated the aquifer and sodium and chloride are the principal constituents.
This report, for the calendar year 1971, was prepared at the request of the New York State Department of Transportation under provisions of an agreement between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Geological Survey fore a cooperative statewide program investigate the water resources of the State. The report was complied in the New York, Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Robert J. Dingman, District Chief. The information was obtained from newspaper clippings, publications of the National Weather Service, and the Environmental Data Service, and the Environmental Data Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("Climatological Data" and "Storm Data"), and records of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Intense rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Agnes in late June 1972 resulted in the greatest flood disaster in the history of New York State. Flooding began in Westchester County on June 19 and was followed by widespread flooding in the Southern Tier and the Fingers Lakes region on June 23. The purpose of this report is to make available preliminary peak stage and discharge data for New York streams. Detailed analyses of precipitation, stage and discharge hydrographs, flood frequency, and flood profiles will be presented in subsequent reports. Inundation maps for 39 quadrangles were prepared.
Repeated site surveys and aerial photographs at 26 stream crossings along the trans-Alaska pipeline system (TAPS) route during the period 1969-74 provide chronologie records of channel changes that predate pipeline-related construction at the sites. The 1974 surveys and photographs show some of the channel changes wrought by construction of the haul road from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay and by construction of camps and working pads all along the pipeline route. No pipeline crossings were constructed before 1975. These records of channel changes together with flood and icing measurements are part of the United States Department of the lnterior's continuing surveillance program to document the hydrologic aspects of the trans-Alaska pipeline and its environmental impacts.
Graphs and tables obtained from continuous records of surface-water temperature from five stations for the period july 1963 through December 1965 and of surface, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, tide-stage, wind data and bottom temperature from a single station are presented herein. Effects of powerplant cooling water on water temperature were obvious at a station near the plant's discharge point. Surface-water density at the Patuxent River Bridge varied from 1.0033 to 1.0127 with least change during the period May to September. Salinity ranged from 3 to 16.5 parts per thousand. Average salinity in the spring of 1965 was double that of spring 1964. Turbidity was high during the winter, and peak values were obtained during prolonged periods of high wind velocities. Dissolved oxygen values ranged from 386 to 15.0 parts per million, and percentage saturation of oxygen from 49 to 144 percent. The extreme tidal range was 5.7 feet; mean water levels were highest in summer and lowest in winter and spring.