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At least 1,747 records · Page 97Linked to original sources
USGS1994

Sources and migration pathways of natural gas in near-surface ground water beneath the Animas River valley, Colorado and New Mexico

In July 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey began a study of the occurrence of natural gas in near-surface ground water in the Animas River valley in the San Juan Basin between Durango, Colorado, and Aztec, New Mexico. The general purpose of the study was to identify the sources and migration pathways of natural gas in nearsurface ground water in the study area. The purpose of this report is to present interpretive conclusions for the study, primarily based on data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey from August 1990 to May 1991. Seventy of the 205 (34 percent) groundwater samples collected during August-November 1990 had methane concentrations that exceeded the reporting limit of 0.005 milligram per liter. The maximum concentration was 39 milligrams per liter, and the mean concentration was 1.3 milligrams per liter. Samples from wells completed in bedrock have greater mean concentrations of methane than samples from wells completed in alluvium. Correlations indicate weak or nonexistent associations between dissolved-methane concentrations and concentrations of dissolved solids, major ions, bromide, silica, iron, manganese, and carbon dioxide. Dissolved methane was associated with hydrogen sulfide. Soil-gas-methane concentrations were measurable at few of 192 ground-water sites, even at sites at which ground water contained large concentrations of dissolved methane, which indicates that soil-gas surveys are not useful to delineate areas of gas-affected ground water. The reporting limit of 0.005 milligram per liter of gas was equaled or exceeded by 40 percent of soil-gas measurements adjacent to 352 gas-well casings. Concentrations of at least 100 milligrams per liter of gas were measured at 25 (7 percent) of the sites. Potential sources of gases in water, soil, gas-well surface casings, and cathodic-protection wells were determined on the basis of their isotopic and molecular compositions and available information about gas-well construction or leaks. Biogenic and thermogenic sources of gas exist in the near-surface environment of the study area. Biogenic gas is present locally in the near-surface Animas and Nacimiento formations, and biogenic gas has been detected in water wells completed in those rocks. Most gas probably is thermogenic gas from deep reservoirs, including the Dakota Sandstone, Mesaverde Group, Lewis Shale, Pictured Cliffs Sandstone, and coals in the Fruitland Formation. Less important sources include sandstones in the upper Fruitland Formation and the Kirtland Shale. Although migration of gas by diffusion or through natural fractures is possible, manmade conduits probably account for most of the upward migration of gas to the near-surface environment of the study area. Primary migration pathways largely consist of 1) leaking, conventional gas wells and 2) uncemented annuli of conventional gas wells along coals in the Fruitland Formation. Secondary migration pathways are gas-well annuli, cathodic-protection wells, seismic-test holes, and bedrock water wells.

Colorado, New Mexico↗
USGS1972

Water resources inventory of Connecticut Part 6: Upper Housatonic River basin

The upper Housatonic River basin report area has an abundant supply of water of generally good quality, which is derived from precipitation on the area and streams entering the area. Annual precipitation has averaged about 46 inches over a 30-year period. Of this, approximately 22 inches of water is returned to the atmosphere each year by evaporation and transpiration; the remainder flows overland to streams or percolates downward to the water table and ultimately flows out of the report area in the Housatonic River or in smaller streams tributary to the Hudson River. During the autumn and winter precipitation normally is sufficient to cause a substantial increase in the amount of water stored in surface reservoirs and in aquifers, whereas in the summer, losses through evaporation and transpiration result in sharply reduced streamflow and lowered ground-water levels. Mean monthly storage of water in November is 2.8 inches more than it is in June. The amount of water that flows into, through, and out of the report area represents the total amount potentially available for use ignoring reuse. For the 30-year period 1931 through 1960, the annual runoff from precipitation has averaged 24 inches (294 billion gallons). During the same period, inflows from Massachusetts and New York have averaged 220 and 64 billion gallons per year, respectively. A total average annual runoff of 578 billion gallons is therefore available. Although runoff indicates the total amount of water potentially available, it is rarely feasible to use all of it. On the other hand, with increased development, some water may be reused several times. The water availability may be tapped as it flows through the area or is temporarily stored in streams, lakes, and aquifers. The amounts that can be developed differ from place to place and time to time, depending on the amount of precipitation, on the size of drainage area, on the thickness, transmissivity, and areal extent of aquifers, and on the variations in chemical and physical quality of water. Differences in precipitation cause differences in the amount of streamflow whereas differences in the proportion of stratified drift affect its timing. Water can be obtained from wells almost anywhere in the area, but the amount obtainable at any particular point depends on the type and water-bearing properties of the aquifers tapped. Stratified-drift aquifers are the only ones generally capable of yielding more than 100 gpm (gallons per minute) to individual wells. Drilled, screened wells tapping this unit yield from 17 to 1,400 gpm, with a median yield of 200 gpm. Till and bedrock are widespread but generally provide only small supplies of water. Till is tapped in a few places by dug wells, which can yield small supplies of only a few hundred gallons per day throughout all or most of the year. Bedrock is the chief aquifer for privately owned domestic and rural supplies; it is tapped by drilled wells, about 90 percent of which will supply at least 2 gpm. Only 1 of 10 bedrock wells, however, will supply more than 30 gpm. The amount of ground water potentially available in the report area depends upon the thickness and hydraulic properties of aquifers, the amount of salvageable natural discharge of ground water, and the quantity of water available by induced infiltration from streams and lakes. From data on transmissivity, thickness, recharge, well performance, and streamflow, preliminary estimates of ground-water availability can be made for most stratified-drift aquifers in the report area. Long-term yields estimated for eight areas of stratified drift especially favorable for development of large ground-water supplies ranged from 0.6 to 5 mgd (million gallons per day). Detailed site studies are needed to verity these estimates and to determine optimum yields, drawdowns, and spacing of individual wells before major ground-water development is undertaken in these or other areas. The chemical quality of water in the report area is generally good; carbonate-bedrock units exert considerable local influence on water quality. Samples of naturally occurring surface water collected at 24 sites during low flow averaged 90 mg/l (milligrams per liter) dissolved solids and 60 mg/l hardness. Water from wells is generally more highly mineralized than naturally occurring water from streams. About 37 percent of the wells sampled yielded water with more than 200 mg/l dissolved solids and 50 percent yielded water with more than 120 mg/l hardness. These concentrations reflect the high degree of mineralization of ground water in carbonate bedrock and unconsolidated deposits derived from this bedrock. The larger streams, which transport varying amounts of industrial and domestic effluents, averaged about 150 mg/l dissolved solids and 90 mg/l hardness. Iron and manganese concentrations in both ground water and surface water at some places exceed recommended limits for domestic and industrial use. Most wells in the report area yield water with little or no iron or manganese. In certain localities however, the probability is high of encountering water with excessive concentrations of these constituents. Schists, especially the unit in the northwestern corner of the basin, are the likely sources of water with excessive iron and manganese. Iron concentrations in naturally occurring stream water exceed 0.3 mg/l under low-flow conditions at 29 percent of the sites sampled. These excessive concentrations result from discharge of iron-bearing water from aquifers or from swamps where iron is released from decaying vegetation. Water temperature in the larger streams ranges from 0°C (degrees Celsius) to about 28°C. Ground water between 30 feet and 200 feet below the land surface has a relatively constant temperature, usually between 8°C and 11°C. The quantity of suspended sediment transported by streams under natural conditions is negligible. Even in streams affected by man, turbidity is rarely a problem. The total amount of water used in the report area for all purposes during 1967 was about 6,360 million gallons, or 140 gpd per person. Public supplies furnished the domestic needs of nearly half the population of the area. All of the 14 public supplies sampled provided water that meets the drinking water standards of the U.S. Public Health Service.

Connecticut↗
USGS2011

Landsat imagery: a unique resource

Landsat satellites provide high-quality, multi-spectral imagery of the surface of the Earth. These moderate-resolution, remotely sensed images are not just pictures, but contain many layers of data collected at different points along the visible and invisible light spectrum. These data can be manipulated to reveal what the Earth’s surface looks like, including what types of vegetation are present or how a natural disaster has impacted an area (Fig. 1).

Report↗
USGS2004

Rainfall, runoff, and water-quality data for the urban storm-water program in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metropolitan area, water year 2002

Urbanization has dramatically increased precipitation runoff to the system of drainage channels and natural stream channels in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metropolitan area. Rainfall and runoff data are important for planning and designing future storm-water conveyance channels in newly developing areas. Storm-water quality also is monitored in accordance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority, the City of Albuquerque, and the U.S. Geological Survey began a cooperative program to collect hydrologic data to help assess the quality and quantity of surface-water resources in the Albuquerque area. This report presents water-quality, streamflow, and rainfall data collected from October 1, 2001, to September 30, 2002 (water year 2002). Also provided is a station analysis for each of the 20 streamflow-gaging sites and 41 rainfall-gaging sites, which includes a description of monitoring equipment, problems associated with data collection during the year, and other information used to compute streamflow discharges or rainfall records. A hydrographic comparison shows the effects that the largest drainage channel in the metropolitan area, the North Floodway Channel, has on total flow in the Rio Grande.

New Mexico↗
USGS1980

Competition and performance in OCS oil and gas lease sales and lease development, 1954-1969

The oil and gas resources of the Outer Continental Shelf represent one of America's largest publicly-owned assets. Through 1978, OCS oil and gas leases had yielded \$40.5 billion in gross production value and produced over \$28.3 billion in direct revenue to the federal government. Policies and procedures for managing the oil and gas resources of the OCS were established by Congress in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953. The Department of Interior was given the central responsibility for carrying out this management role in the 1953 Act; this responsibility has been re-established in the 1978 Amendments to the OCS Lands Act. As stated in the 1978 legislation, the goals of OCS management are to: ...preserve, protect and develop oil and natural gas resources in a manner which is consistent with the need (A) to make such resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible... (C) to insure the public a fair and equitable return on the resources of the Outer Continental Shelf, and (D) to preserve and maintain free enterprise competition. As part of its continuing effort to monitor the effectiveness of federal policies relating to OCS oil and gas resources, the Conservation Division of U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior, has sponsored the research which is the basis for the present report. The objectives of the research have been to determine the extent to which the historical policies of OCS management have resulted in achievement of the goals set forth by Congress in the section quoted above.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Alaska Science Center: Providing Timely, Relevant, and Impartial Study of the Landscape, Natural Resources, and Natural Hazards for Alaska and Our Nation

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, has studied the natural features of Alaska since its earliest geologic expeditions in the 1800s. The USGS Alaska Science Center (ASC), with headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, studies the complex natural science phenomena of Alaska to provide scientific products and results to a wide variety of partners. The complexity of Alaska's unique landscapes and ecosystems requires USGS expertise from many science disciplines to conduct thorough, integrated research.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1954

The investigation of chemical quality of water in tidal rivers

This report has been prepared for the guidance of personnel of the Water Resources Division who are engaged in water-quality investigations of tidal rivers. The study of tidal rivers is beset with many complexities not present in the investigation of non-tidal rivers. The periodic rise and fall of the tide may result in a corresponding periodic change in salinity at a sampling location on the tidal river. When the fresh water discharge is low, saline water may intrude up-river, and any factor changing the relative elevations of the ocean and the mean river level has an effect on the extent of salt-water intrusion. Variations in water composition between samples taken at several locations up or down river, at different depths, or at several locations across the stream are likely to be more pronounced than for similar sets of samples from a non-tidal stream. The nature of these variations and factors responsible for them are discussed, and the need for consideration of them in planning a sampling routine is stressed. The nature and mechanism of ocean-water intrusion in tidal rivers is discussed and sampling procedures for its detection are described. lllustrative examples - mostly from the work of the United States Geological Survey or State agencies - show various methods for correlating and presenting data from quality-of-water surveys of tidal rivers. Each tidal river presents an individual problem which can best be understood from a study of the factors involved. To that end the report is supplemented by an annotated bibliography of selected publications in the field.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2022

Wyoming and Landsat

Wyoming has the smallest population of any State—fewer than 600,000 people—but an abun­dance of wildlife. The largest number of pronghorn ( Antilocapra americana ), often called antelope, and the biggest public bison ( Bison bison ) herd in the United States live in Wyoming, which also hosts elk ( Cervus elaphus ), moose ( Alces americanus ), bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis ), black bears ( Ursus americanus ), and grizzly bears ( U. arctos ). The terrain of the Nation’s 10th largest State varies from the Black Hills to the Rocky Mountains, and from Great Plains grassland to Wyoming Basin desert sagebrush. Natural resources attract millions of visitors annually, especially to the country’s first national park, Yellowstone, and the ski slopes in Grand Teton National Park and elsewhere. Natural resources account for much of the employment in the Cowboy State, from tourism and ranching to coal, natural gas, and oil mining. To help monitor these natural resources, researchers and land managers have relied on USGS Landsat imagery and data. The scale of images from the first Landsat satellites helped geologists detect previously unknown uranium deposits in Wyoming, which is the leading State for uranium production. Today, land managers and researchers take advantage of Landsat and its 50-year archive to explore landscape change over time—and continue to make new discoveries.

Wyoming↗
USGS2003

FORSPAN Model Users Guide

The USGS FORSPAN model is designed for the assessment of continuous accumulations of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (collectively called petroleum). Continuous (also called ?unconventional?) accumulations have large spatial dimensions and lack well defined down-dip petroleum/water contacts. Oil and natural gas therefore are not localized by buoyancy in water in these accumulations. Continuous accumulations include ?tight gas reservoirs,? coalbed gas, oil and gas in shale, oil and gas in chalk, and shallow biogenic gas. The FORSPAN model treats a continuous accumulation as a collection of petroleumcontaining cells for assessment purposes. Each cell is capable of producing oil or gas, but the cells may vary significantly from one another in their production (and thus economic) characteristics. The potential additions to reserves from continuous petroleum resources are calculated by statistically combining probability distributions of the estimated number of untested cells having the potential for additions to reserves with the estimated volume of oil and natural gas that each of the untested cells may potentially produce (total recovery). One such statistical method for combination of number of cells with total recovery, used by the USGS, is called ACCESS.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1981

Topographic map of Golden Gate Estates, Collier County, Florida

Construction of canals related to land development in the Golden Gate Estates area of Collier County, Fla., has altered the natural drainage pattern of the watershed. The area of approximately 300 square miles was topographically mapped with a contour interval of 0.5 foot to assist in determining the effects of canal construction on the surface-water and ground-water resources in the watershed. The topographic map was prepared at a scale of 1:48,000 using aerial photography and ground-control points. (USGS)

Florida↗
USGS1996

Predevelopment freshwater heads in the glaciofluvial, Saginaw, and Marshall aquifers in the Michigan Basin

Maps showing predevelopment freshwater heads were developed for the major aquifers in the Michigan Basin. The Michigan Basin is an isolated, regional ground-water-flow system consisting of a glaciofluvial aquifer and three bedrock aquifers separated by confining units. The bedrock aquifers investigated are the Saginaw, Parma-Bayport, and Marshall aquifers. Fractured sandstones within the bedrock aquifers comprise the principal water-bearing zones. Withdrawals from supply wells in the glaciofluvial aquifer, and more so from the Saginaw and Marshall aquifers, have lowered the potentiometric surface in several areas. The Marshall aquifer is a highly developed natural resource. Locally, extensive withdrawals of brine and natural gas from the Marshall aquifer have lowered the potentiometric surface to below pre-1890's predevelopment levels. The maps of freshwater heads were prepared from hydraulic-head measurements made from the late 1800's through 1976. Lake and river stages also were used to prepare a water-table map.

Michigan↗
USGS2021

Geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Cherokee Platform area of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri

In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a geology-based assessment to estimate the volumes of undiscovered, technically recoverable petroleum resources in the Cherokee Platform Province area of southeastern Kansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and southwestern Missouri. The U.S. Geological Survey identified four stratigraphic intervals that contain petroleum source rocks: (1) thin shales in the Middle to Upper Ordovician Simpson Group, (2) shales within the Upper Devonian to Lower Mississippian Woodford Shale and stratigraphically equivalent Chattanooga Shale, (3) coals and coal-associated shales and mudstones in the Middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Cherokee and Marmaton Groups, and (4) thin marine shales within the Marmaton Group and the Upper Pennsylvanian (Missourian) Kansas City and Lansing Groups. Based on the nature of the petroleum accumulations, the characterization of the compositions and thermal maturity of the organic matter in the rocks, and the compositions of the produced petroleum, the U.S. Geological Survey identified three total petroleum systems (TPS) containing four assessment units (AU): the Paleozoic Composite TPS with the Paleozoic Conventional Assessment Unit (AU), the Woodford/Chattanooga TPS with the Woodford Shale Oil AU and the Woodford Biogenic Gas AU, and the Desmoinesian Coal TPS with the Desmoinesian Coalbed Gas AU. Assessment unit summaries follow 1. Three source rock intervals have contributed geochemically distinct oils to reservoirs within the Paleozoic Conventional AU. These intervals are the Simpson Group; the Woodford and Chattanooga Shales; and the Marmaton, Kansas City, and Lansing Groups. The major petroleum source rocks are the Woodford and Chattanooga Shales. The Paleozoic Conventional AU includes reservoirs that range in age from the Upper Cambrian Arbuckle Group to the lower Permian Chase Group. Most oil production in the province has been from Pennsylvanian sandstone reservoirs. Estimated undiscovered petroleum resources for this AU are a mean of 3 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 140 billion cubic feet of gas (BCFG), and 4 million barrels of natural gas liquids (MMBNGL). 2. The Woodford Shale Oil AU contains undiscovered continuous petroleum resources within the Woodford Shale and Chattanooga Shale. The geologic model for the AU assumes that petroleum resources remain trapped within the shale following petroleum migration. For most of the AU, organic matter within the Woodford Shale and Chattanooga Shale is thermally mature with respect to petroleum generation as shown by vitrinite reflectance values between 0.6 and 1 percent. Petroleum has been produced from the Woodford Shale and Chattanooga Shale. Estimated undiscovered petroleum resources for this AU are means of 460 MMBO, 640 BCFG, and 7 MMBNGL. 3. The Woodford Shale Biogenic Gas AU contains undiscovered continuous petroleum resources in the east-central portion of the Cherokee Platform Province near the Ozark uplift where the Woodford Shale and Chattanooga Shale are at depths of 1,250 ft or shallower. At those depths, methanogenesis and(or) biodegradation of thermogenic natural gases can be found where the shale may be more fractured and more susceptible to groundwater penetrations. The mean assessed volume of undiscovered gas for this assessment unit is 416 BCFG and 1 MMBNGL. 4. The Desmoinesian Coalbed Gas AU contains undiscovered continuous petroleum resources within the Middle Pennsylvanian coals and coal-associated shales and mudstones. The boundaries for the Desmoinesian Coalbed Gas AU are, in part, defined by the extent, depth, and thickness of the coals. Within the Desmoinesian Coalbed Gas AU, a sweet spot area was delineated based on a 10 foot or greater net coal thickness. Gas analytical data show that natural gas produced from the coals has a mixed biogenic and thermogenic origin and that there is significant migration of natural gas into the coals from adjacent conventional sandstone reservoirs. The estimated mean volume of undiscovered gas is 10.0 trillion cubic ft of gas (TCFG), and 23 MMBNGL. For the three continuous (unconventional) assessment units and one conventional assessment unit in the Cherokee Platform Province, total mean volumes of undiscovered petroleum resources are estimated to be 463 MMBO, 11.2 TCFG and 35 MMBNGL.

Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗
USGS1974

An approach to estimating flood frequency for urban areas in Oklahoma

Flood-frequency studies for urban areas in several parts of the United States and flood-frequency relations for natural streams of Oklahoma were used to develop a set of flood-frequency equations for urban areas of Oklahoma. Equations are presented for estimating the 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year flood-peak discharges for basins of 0.5 to 100 mil (1.3 to 260 km 2 ).

Oklahoma↗
USGS1978

Users guide for distributed routing rainfall-runoff model

A computer program of a watershed model for routing urban flood discharges through a branched system of pipes or natural channels using rainfall as input has been developed and documented. The model combines soil-moisture-accounting and rainfall-excess components developed by Dawdy and others (1972) with the kinematic-wave routing method presented by Leclerc and Schaake (1973). (Woodard-USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1985

Hydrology and its effects on distribution of vegetation in Congaree Swamp National Monument, South Carolina

Congaree Swamp National Monument preserves a large stand of old-growth southern bottomland hardwood forest on the flood plain of the Congaree River. The distribution of vegetation types in the Monument is controlled by duration of saturated soil conditions during the growing season, which is related to duration of inundation by the flooding river. During dry periods upland streams fed by seepage from shallow and deep aquifers supply water to the flood plain, and the potentiometric gradient in the flood plain slopes toward the river. During floods river water flows into the flood plain through breaches in the natural levee, inundating as much as 90 percent of the Monument an average of once per year. During floods the potentiometric gradient briefly slopes away from the river. The frequency of large floods has decreased slightly since completion of Lake Murray Dam in 1929.

South Carolina↗
USGS1990

Flow characteristics of streams that drain the Fort Apache and San Carlos Indian reservations, east-central Arizona, 1930-86

Streamflow characteristics of the Salt River and Gila River basins in the Fort Apache and San Carlos Indian Reservations, were studied in response to pending adjudication of water resources in those basins. Statistical summaries were compiled for 28 streamflow-gaging stations in and near the reservation. Mean annual streamflow for 1930-86 was computed for stations with complete records for the period; for those stations with records that did not completely cover the 1930-86 period, record extension techniques were used. Mean annual streamflow for ungaged sites on streams with gaging stations was estimated by interpolation between data points using drainage-area ratios. Two regional-regression equations were derived to estimate mean annual streamflow at sites on ungaged natural streams. The standard error of the regression for estimation of mean annual flow for sites in the Salt River basin is -37 to +59%. The standard error of the regression for estimation of mean annual flow for sites in the Gila River basins is -18 to +21%. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2016

Ecoregions of California

Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance (Bryce and others, 1999). These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across Federal agencies, State agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources in the same geographical areas (Omernik and others, 2000). The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions are hierarchical and can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Wiken, 1986; Omernik, 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 50 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997, map revised 2006). At level III, the continental United States contains 105 ecoregions and the conterminous United States has 85 ecoregions (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). Level IV, depicted here for California, is a further refinement of level III ecoregions. Explanations of the methods used to define these ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995), Omernik and others (2000), and Omernik and Griffith (2014). California has great ecological and biological diversity. The State contains offshore islands and coastal lowlands, large alluvial valleys, forested mountain ranges, deserts, and various aquatic habitats. There are 13 level III ecoregions and 177 level IV ecoregions in California and most continue into ecologically similar parts of adjacent States of the United States or Mexico (Bryce and others, 2003; Thorson and others, 2003; Griffith and others, 2014). The California ecoregion map was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000. It revises and subdivides an earlier national ecoregion map that was originally compiled at a smaller scale (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). This poster is the result of a collaborative project primarily between U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region IX, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Department of the Interior–Geological Survey (USGS), and other State of California agencies and universities. The project is associated with interagency efforts to develop a common framework of ecological regions (McMahon and others, 2001). Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the USDA–Forest Service (Bailey and others, 1994; Miles and Goudy, 1997; Cleland and others, 2007), the USEPA (Omernik 1987, 1995), and the NRCS (U.S. Department of Agriculture–Soil Conservation Service, 1981; U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2006). As each of these frameworks is further refined, their differences are becoming less discernible. Regional collaborative projects such as this one in California, where some agreement has been reached among multiple resource-management agencies, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation.

California↗
USGS2021

Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood, Broome County, New York

The hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system and adjacent areas in south-central Broome County, New York, was investigated in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The study area encompasses roughly 55.5 square miles and includes the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood. Multiple small, perhaps discontinuous, valley-fill aquifers of unknown extent and hydraulic interconnection underlie the Susquehanna River valley from easternmost Binghamton south to Riverside, New York, near the Pennsylvania border. The hydrogeologic framework of these aquifers is described in this report on the basis of existing descriptions of surficial materials, especially those related to deglaciation, and subsurface data extracted from well and boring logs. A compilation of surficial geology, the descriptions of the spatial distribution of confined and unconfined aquifers, hydrogeologic sections, and well locations is provided as an oversized map plate and in a U.S. Geological Survey data release. Residential households are one of the principal consumers of groundwater in the study area. Approximately half of these households are served by public water-supply systems that obtain water from wells, chiefly from highly productive but small and likely discontinuous surficial deposits of sand and gravel, while others obtain water from sand-and-gravel aquifers beneath till and (or) fine-grained lacustrine deposits, and a few from bedrock. Residents outside the public-supply service areas rely on private wells. In till-mantled upland areas, nearly all private wells tap bedrock. Water-resource potential is likely greatest north of Kirkwood Center, New York, where the valley is narrowest, and local aquifers are in thick stratified glacial deposits. Well yields are highest in this part of the valley, and the local aquifer system is likely replenished through induced infiltration from the Susquehanna River and numerous small tributaries. The area between Langdon and Kirkwood is filled with a mixture of stratified and unstratified glacial sediments and contains one high-yield well. This area likely has moderate water-resource potential, but limited well data make this difficult to verify. Well yields from suitable stratified glacial sediments generally decrease southward toward Riverside, New York. Characterizing potential groundwater resources is also helpful for prioritizing source-water-protection efforts. Water resources throughout New York are at risk of contamination from commercial and industrial surface activities. As in many valley areas throughout the Susquehanna River watershed in south-central New York, valley wells with depths greater than roughly 100 to 150 feet are susceptible to contamination by naturally occurring saltwater and methane. New York currently has a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, but the study area is underlain by rocks suitable for unconventional methods of gas production that would likely be initiated if the moratorium were to be lifted.

New York↗