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Maine
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 2,924 stream-sediment, 2,039 surface-water, and 1,938 ground-water samples from the southern half of Maine as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Two different sampling protocols were used in Maine. Using the SRL Eastern protocol (SRL-E), 1,218 stream-sediment, 1,218 surface-water, and 636 ground-water samples were collected from Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, Somerset Counties in October and November of 1977. This area includes included portions of the Bangor, Bath, Lewiston, Millinocket, Portland, and Sherbrooke 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. Another 1,706 stream-sediment, 821 surface-water, and 1302 ground-water samples were collected by subcontractors using SRL Western protocols (SRL-W) between May and August of 1980 within the Bangor, Bath, and Eastport 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. These samples were sent to SRL for determinations of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters) by Neutron Activation Analysis. SRL was able to analyze 1,230 sediments and 3,977 waters from Maine. The analytical and site location data for all Maine samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. Within the Bath quadrangle: 8 stream-sediment, 8 surface-water, and 5 ground-water samples were collected by the SRL-E protocol; and 115 stream-sediment, 60 surface-water, and 106 ground-water samples were collected by the SRL-W protocol. SRL was able to analyze 8 sediment and 179 water samples from the Bath quadrangle.

SRL sent the 1,218 SRL-E sediment samples from Maine to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 1,214 of these samples in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 8 sediment samples from within the Bath quadrangle.

SRL also sent 1,643 SRL-W water samples from Maine to the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) for Supplemental Analysis of 31 additional elements. Data for these additional analyses were reported in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes 92 water samples from within the Bath quadrangle.

SRL: Bath Quadrangle
SRL did not release a separate report for the Bath quadrangle.

ORGDP: Bangor and Bath Quadrangles
460 SRL-W water samples from the Bath and Bangor quadrangles were sent to ORGDP for Supplemental Analyses. The results were released on microfiche by ORGDP in the GJBX-174(82) Bath and Bangor Quadrangles report. The digital data file accompanying this report includes results for 67 water samples from within the Bath quadrangle. The site coding information for this data set was summarized in the GJBX-164(82) report.

Gold Analyses
Data for gold analyses of sediments by SRL neutron activation were released in the GJBX-135(82) summary report. The introduction of that report states:

"This report contains previously unreported neutron-activation analyses of gold in sediment samples determined at SRL. These data were not included in the standard SRL NURE data reports because the gold spectrum was not measured in the original analytical procedure and the report format was designed without the gold analyses being included. Gold analyses became available as the analytical procedure was refined, but the report format was not modified to incorporate these data."

Only those sediment samples that had detectable concentrations of gold by neutron activation analysis were given in the GJBX-135(82) report. Sediment samples with concentrations below detection limits were not reported and can only be ascertained by identifying which samples were actually analyzed by neutron activation at SRL.

Summary Tables
Because of the various laboratories and analytical methods used, some SRL samples may have been analyzed once, twice, or not at all. The following table summarizes the analysis of Bath quadrangle samples.

The following is a list of sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Bath quadrangle.

These Bath quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:

Sediment Samples

• SR1: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of sediments for U.
• SR2: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of sediments for Al, Ce, Dy, Eu, Fe, Hf, La, Lu, Mn, Na, Sc, Sm, Th, Ti, V, and Yb. (Note: Au values were reported later for this method.)
• SR3-AA: Savannah River (Supplemental Analysis by contract Laboratory) Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis of sediments for Ag, Ba, Be, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sn, Sr, Y, and Zn.
• SR3-CA: Savannah River (Supplemental Analysis by contract Laboratory) Colorimetric Analysis of sediments for Nb, P, and W.
• SR3-FE: Savannah River (Supplemental Analysis by contract Laboratory) Flame Emission Analysis of sediments for K and Li.

Water Samples

• SR4: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis - Neutron Counting of waters for U.
• SR5: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of waters for Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, Mn, Na, and V. (Note: Mg may also be reported by this method.)
• SR6: Savannah River Neutron Activation Analysis of waters for Al, Br, Cl, Dy, F, Mg, Mn, Na, and V.
• OR13: Supplemental Analyses by Oak Ridge Emission Spectrochemical Analysis of waters for Ag, Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Sc, Si, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr. (Note: Nb and Th may be included in this method.)
• OR17: Supplemental Analyses by Oak Ridge Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Analysis of waters for As and Se.

Discussion of the Reformatting Process for Bath Quadrangle

Sediment Records
The Bath quadrangle sediment data includes records from the SRL New England GJBX-107(82) Data report. Supplemental analysis records in the SRL New England GJBX-107(82) Data report were combined with the corresponding SRL analysis records found within the same report. Whenever records were combined, fields containing data in both records were compared and any differences noted in the REFORMAT field. The end result for each sediment sample is a single combined record which includes all of the data found in each of the digital data files. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Bath Quadrangle sediment data:

1. Missing STRFLOWC values for 60 samples were added from the corresponding water sample records.
2. An unidentified problem with the original data entry caused some contaminant codes to be omitted. Sample records with this problem have a value of 'UNKNOWN' in the CONTAMC field, and are identified in the REFORMAT field.
3. The original ORGDP file for the Bangor and Bath quadrangles did not include all of the information about the character of the sample location. This missing information includes observations taken at each site on the stream width, depth, and flow, water color, surrounding vegetation, local relief, weather, and possible contaminants. In addition, the longitude coordinate reported in the ORGDP file only had 3 decimal places instead of the 4 decimal places found in the corresponding records from SRL State files. When combining corresponding SRL and ORGDP records, all of the site descriptive data and the longitude values to 4 decimal places from the SRL data files were preserved in the final database.
4. An analysis of latitude-longitude site coordinates identified several stream-sediment samples that were missing coordinates, did not plot within expected state, county, or map boundaries, or had differing coordinates in corresponding records. To correct or confirm sample coordinates, the original field collection maps for Bath quadrangle area BHAD were obtained and re-digitized. The newly re-digitized coordinates were added to the database and the coordinates from the original file(s) were recorded in the COORDPRB comment field. When the newly re-digitized coordinates were not significantly different, that confirmation of the site location was also noted in the COORDPRB comment field.
5. After re-digitizing, one Bath quadrangle study stream-sediment sample that originally plotted in the Bangor quadrangle now plots in the Bath quadrangle.
6. Gold concentrations from the GJBX-135(82) report were added to the appropriate sediment records. A value of -0.01 (<0.01 ppm Au) was added to all other sediment samples determined to have been analyzed by SRL neutron activation. This value was chosen because 0.01 is the lowest reported gold concentration in the entire report.

Water Records
The Bath quadrangle water data consist of ground-water and surface-water records from the SRL New England GJBX-107(82) Data Report and the ORGDP Bath and Bangor Quadrangles GJBX-174(82) report. The SRL analyses and ORGDP supplemental analyses could NOT be combined because of overlapping determinations for 5 elements. Each water sample may therefore have up to 2 separate records - one for the SRL analysis and one for the ORGDP supplemental analysis. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Bath quadrangle water data:

1. The original NURE format for surface-water files did not include much information about the character of the sample location. This missing information includes observations taken at each site on the stream width, depth, and flow, water color, surrounding vegetation, local relief, weather, and possible contaminants. This information is given in records for stream-sediment samples that were collected at the same locations. The available site descriptive information for stream-water sites were compared with the corresponding stream-sediment site records. The missing site descriptive data were then added to stream-water records from the corresponding stream-sediment sample records. Sources of data and any problems found are described in the REFORMAT comment field.
2. The supplemental analysis records reported by ORGDP in the Bath and Bangor Quadrangles GJBX-174(82) report also did not include most site description data. The missing site descriptive data were added to the ORGDP supplemental analysis records from the corresponding SRL water and stream-sediment sample records in the SRL GJBX-107(82) New England Data report. Sources of data and any problems found are described in the REFORMAT comment field.
3. An unidentified problem with the original data entry caused some contaminant codes to be omitted. Sample records with this problem have a value of 'UNKNOWN' in the CONTAMC field, and are identified in the REFORMAT field.
4. An analysis of latitude-longitude site coordinates identified several stream-water and ground-water samples that were missing coordinates, did not plot within expected state, county, or map boundaries, or had differing coordinates in corresponding records. To correct or confirm sample coordinates, the original field collection maps for Bath quadrangle area BHAD were obtained and re-digitized. The newly re-digitized coordinates were added to the database and the coordinates from the original file(s) were recorded in the COORDPRB comment field. When the newly re-digitized coordinates were not significantly different, that confirmation of the site location was also noted in the COORDPRB comment field.
5. After re-digitizing, two Bath quadrangle study water samples that originally plotted in the Bangor quadrangle now plot in the Bath quadrangle.

Download The Data

The NURE HSSR data are now available online in two databases: The sediment database (also includes data for soils and some rocks) at http://tin.er.usgs.gov/nure/sediment/ and the water database at http://tin.er.usgs.gov/nure/water/. From these two web sites, NURE HSSR data can be selected, examined, summarized, and downloaded by political boundaries (State and County), by quadrangle (1:250,000-scale, 1:100,000-scale, and 1:63,360-scale for Alaska or 1:24,000-scale for the Lower 48 States), and by hydrologic unit (drainage region, subregion, river basin, or sub-basin). Selected data can be downloaded as a dBase file, a shapefile, an HTML table, or ASCII text (tab- or comma-delimited).

Bath Quadrangle Sediment Data - 123 records
Bath Quadrangle Water Data - 338 records

Notes for Data Users

In the eastern United States, SRL collected samples primarily by county. Often, not all counties within a quadrangle were completely sampled. Although the Bath quadrangle was completely sampled, the laboratory and analytical methods used may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverages.

Although SRL collected 123 stream-sediment samples in the Eastport quadrangle, only 8 from Franklin County were analyzed.

Other NURE Geochemical Data for the Bath Quadrangle

None found.

Bath Quadrangle NURE Bibliography

• Fay, W.M., and Cook, J.R., 1982, Gold analyses by neutron activation from SRL NURE samples: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-141-38, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-135(82), 45 p.
• Fay, W.M., Sargent, K.A., and Cook, J.R., 1982, Data report: New England: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Savannah River Laboratory, Aiken, S.C., SRL Internal Doc. DPST-81-146-27, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-107(82), 35 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1982, Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Bangor and Bath quadrangles, Maine: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-454, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-174(82), 25 p.
• Uranium Resource Evaluation Project, 1982, Supplement to hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data reports K/UR-445 through K/UR-457 [GJBX-165(82) through GJBX-177(82)]: Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tenn., K/UR-164, U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colo., GJBX-164(82), 25 p.

Links Within Open-File Report 97-492

Back to Maine NURE data
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning NURE HSSR Data
Home Page: USGS National Geochemical Database - NURE HSSR data

Page written by Andrew W. Holt and Steven M. Smith.
Contact: Steven M. Smith (smsmith@usgs.gov)
Version 1.30: September 11, 2001
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey URL: https://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/of/1997/ofr-97-0492/quad/q_bath.htm Questions or Assistance: USGS Web Contact Page Last Modified: Wed Dec 7 16:10 EDT 2016