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PUBLICATIONS—Open-File Report

Water-Quality Assessment of the Eastern Iowa Basins: Hydrologic and Biologic Data, October 1996 through September 1998

Open-File Report 00-67

By KIMBERLEE K.B. AKERS, DENISE L. MONTGOMERY, DANIEL E. CHRISTIANSEN, MARK E. SAVOCA, DOUGLAS J. SCHNOEBELEN, KENT D. BECHER, and ERIC M. SADORF

 

U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa City, IA

 

The full report is available in pdf.  Link to the pdf.


Hydrologic and biologic data collected from October 1996 through September 1998 in the Eastern Iowa Basins study unit of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program are presented in this report. Monthly data collected from 12 sites on rivers and streams included measurements of physical properties and determinations of the concentrations of nutrients, major ions, organic carbon, trace elements, suspended sediment, and dissolved pesticides. Fish-tissue samples were collected at two sites in September 1997 and analyzed for organochlorine pesticides. In addition, water-quality assessments were made at 25 sites as part of a synoptic study in August 1997 and May 1998. A ground-water study was conducted to evaluate the effects of agricultural and urban land use on the water quality of shallow alluvial aquifers in the study unit. Samples were collected and analyzed from wells in 31 agricultural and 30 urban land-use areas during June–August 1997. Samples were collected and analyzed from 32 domestic wells during June–July 1998 to provide a broad assessment of the water quality of shallow alluvial aquifers throughout the study unit. Samples were collected during August 1998 from 27 shallow monitoring wells completed in the Iowa River alluvial aquifer to evaluate the effects of changing land use on shallow ground-water quality. Ground-water samples were analyzed for physical properties, nutrients, major ions, organic carbon, trace elements, dissolved pesticides, volatile organic compounds, radon-222, and tritium.

Contents

Abstract.

Introduction

Purpose and Scope 

Description of the Eastern Iowa Basins 

Implementation of Water-Quality Studies

Surface-Water-Quality Data Collection

Sampling Sites

Surface-Water Sample Collection

Biologic Sample Collection

Analytical Procedures

Ground-Water-Quality Data

Site Selection

Well Installation

Ground-Water Sample Collection

Analytical Procedures

Water-Quality Analysis and Quality Control

Surface Water

Ground Water

Acknowledgments

Selected References

Hydrologic and Biologic Data

Suggested citation

Akers, K.K.B, Montgomery, D.L., Christiansen, D.E., Savoca, M.E., Schnoebelen, D.J., Becher, K.D., and Sadorf, E.M., 2000, Water-quality assessment of the Eastern Iowa Basins: Hydrologic and biologic data, October 1996 through September 1998: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 00-67, 359 p.


AVAILABILITY

The complete report is available in a PDF version (84MB) but may take a considerable amount of time to download. Individual sections (see following) are available to speed retrieval if the complete report is not needed 

Table of contents, report text, illustrations, references, and  tables 1-5 (3.5 MB)

  1. Surface-water sampling sites in Eastern Iowa Basins study unit
  2. Land-use study wells sampled in 1997
  3. Alluvial study-unit survey wells sampled in 1998
  4. Alluvial study-unit survey wells sampled in 1998
  5. Iowa River- alluvial aquifer wells sampled in 1998
  6. Summary of percentage recovery data for commonly detected pesticides spiked at sampling sites for Eastern Iowa Basins study unit, October 1996 through September 1998

Constituents and their minimum analytical reporting limits; tables 6-9 (511KB)

 

  1. Method detection limits or minimum reporting levels and analytical techniques for nutrients, major ions,suspended sediment, radiochemicals, stable isotopes, and carbon analyzed in water samples, October 1996 through September 1998
  2. Method detection limits or minimum reporting levels and analytical techniques for selected pesticides analyzed in water samples, October 1996 through September 1998 
  3. Minimum reporting levels and analytical techniques for organochlorine pesticides and total polychlorinated biphenyls analyzed in fish-tissue samples, October 1996 through September 1998

Physical properties and miscellaneous measurements on rivers and streams: tables 10-11 (4MB)

  1. Physical properties determined onsite at selected surface-water sampling sites, October 1996 through September 1998
  2. Miscellaneous onsite determinations at selected surface-water sampling sites, October 1996 through September 1998

Nutrients, carbon, and suspended sediment data from rivers and streams: table 12 (2.6MB)

  1. Nutrient, dissolved and suspended organic carbon, and sediment concentrations in samples from selected surface-water sampling sites, October 1996 through September 1998

Major ion data from rivers and streams; table 13 (2.3MB)

  1. Major ion concentrations in samples from selected surface-water sampling sites, October 1996 through September 1998

Pesticide data from rivers and streams; table 14-15 (13MB)

  1. Selected dissolved pesticide concentrations in samples from selected surface-water sampling sites, October 1996 through September 1998
  2. Selected dissolved pesticide surrogate concentrations in samples from selected surface-water sampling sites, October 1996 through September 1998

Chemical quality data from bed sediment and fish tissue; table 16 (93KB)

  1. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds in fish-tissue samples, 1997

Physical properties and miscellaneous measurements on samples from land-use monitoring wells; table 17 (379KB)

  1. Miscellaneous onsite determinations in samples from land-use wells, 1997

Nutrients and carbon data from land-use monitoring wells; table 18 (388KB)

  1. Nutrient and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in samples from land-use wells, 1997

Major ion data from land-use monitoring wells; table 19 (486KB)

  1. Major ion concentrations in samples from land-use wells, 1997

Radiochemical and stable isotope data from land-use monitoring wells: table 20 (310KB)

  1. Concentrations of radiochemicals and stable isotopes in samples from land-use wells, 1997

Pesticide data from land-use monitoring wells; tables 21-22 (3.9MB)

  1. Selected dissolved pesticide concentrations in samples from land-use wells, 1997
  2. Concentrations of selected dissolved pesticide surrogates in samples from land-use wells, 1997 

Volatile organic compound (VOC) data from land-use monitoring wells; table 23 (3.9MB)

  1. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds in samples from land-use wells, 1997

Aquifer material data from land-use monitoring wells; tables 24-25 (1.4MB)

  1. Carbon concentrations in soil samples from land-use well cuttings, 1997
  2. Aquifer-material grain-size distribution from land-use well borehole cuttings, 1996-97 

Physical measurements and water-quality data from domestic alluvial wells; table 26-32 (5MB)

  1. Miscellaneous onsite determinations in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998
  2. Nutrient and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998
  3. Major ion concentrations in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998
  4. Concentrations and precision estimates of radiochemicals and stable isotopes in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998
  5. Selected dissolved pesticide concentrations in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998
  6. Concentrations of selected dissolved pesticide surrogates in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998
  7. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds in samples from alluvial study-unit survey wells, 1998

Water-quality data from the Iowa River alluvial aquifer; tables 33-37 (1.5MB)

  1. Miscellaneous onsite determinations in samples from Iowa River alluvial aquifer wells, 1998
  2. Nutrient and dissolved organic carbon concentrations in samples from Iowa River alluvial aquifer wells, 1998
  3. Major ion concentrations in samples from Iowa River alluvial aquifer wells, 1998
  4. Selected dissolved pesticide concentrations in samples from Iowa River alluvial aquifer wells, 1998
  5. Concentrations of selected dissolved pesticide surrogates in samples from Iowa River alluvial aquifer wells, 1998

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