OFR 97-492: Hartford Quadrangle NURE HSSR Study
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[See History of NURE HSSR Program for a summary of the entire program.]
Connecticut
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 635 stream-sediment, 656 surface-water, and 798 ground-water samples from Connecticut as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the entire state between July and October, 1977 for sediments, and between December 1977 and February 1978 for ground-waters. This area included portions of the Albany, Boston, Hartford, and Providence 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The 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 634 sediments and 1,453 waters from Connecticut. The analytical and site location data for all Connecticut samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. A total of 555 stream-sediment, 570 surface-water, and 718 ground-water samples were collected within the Connecticut portion of the Hartford quadrangle. SRL was able to analyze all sediment and 1,287 water samples from the Connecticut portion of the Hartford quadrangle.
SRL sent the 635 sediment samples from Connecticut to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 632 of these samples in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses records for 552 Connecticut sediment samples within the Hartford quadrangle.
New York
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 5,696 stream-sediment, 5,047 surface-water, and 4,829 ground-water samples from New York as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the eastern two-thirds of the state between July 1977 and August 1980. The sampled area included portions of the Albany, Binghamton, Elmira, Glens Falls, Hartford, Kingston, Lake Champlain, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Scranton, and Utica 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The 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 2,899 sediments and 9,863 waters from New York. The analytical and site location data for all New York samples were released in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York Data Report [GJBX-106(82)]. A total of 200 stream-sediment, 200 surface-water, and 250 ground-water samples were collected within the New York state portion of the Hartford quadrangle; of these samples, SRL was able to analyze all of the sediment and water samples.
SRL sent 2,809 sediment samples from New York state to an unnamed contract laboratory for "Supplemental Analyses." Supplemental analytical determinations for up to 23 elements were reported for 2,803 of these samples in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York Data Report [GJBX-106(82)]. The digital data file accompanying this report includes Supplemental Analyses for 199 New York state sediment samples from the Hartford quadrangle.
New Jersey
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 748 stream-sediment, 378 surface-water, and 1,038 ground-water samples within 21 counties from New Jersey as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. The sediment samples were collected during August - November 1977 and June 1978, and water samples were collected during July - October 1977 and January - February 1978. Sample coverage included portions of the New York, Newark, Salisbury, Scranton, and Wilmington 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. These samples were sent to SRL for analysis of uranium and additional elements (16 in sediments and 9 in waters). SRL was able to analyze 728 sediments and 1,414 waters from New Jersey. The analytical and site location data for all New Jersey samples were released in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York Data Report [GJBX-106(82)]. No samples were apparently collected in the small portion of New Jersey that falls within the Hartford quadrangle.
Massachusetts
Subcontractors for the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) collected at least 1,331 stream-sediment, 1,302 surface-water, and 657 ground-water samples from Massachusetts as part of the NURE Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) program. Samples were collected on a county-by-county basis from the entire state between August 1977 and April 1979 for sediments, and between January and March of 1978 for ground waters. This area included portions of the Albany, Boston, and Providence 1:250,000-scale quadrangles. The 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 1,315 sediments and 1,953 waters from Massachusetts. The analytical and site location data for all Massachusetts samples were released in the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)]. No samples were apparently collected in the small portion of Massachusetts that falls within the Hartford quadrangle.
SRL: Hartford Quadrangle
SRL released a separate quadrangle report for the Hartford NTMS quadrangle, which includes data for 748 stream-sediment, 763 surface-water, and 955 ground-water samples. With some differences, these sample data are the same as that for corresponding samples found in the Connecticut and New York State reports. SRL released the analytical data as the Hartford Quadrangle GJBX-94(79) Data Report. The site coding information for this data set is summarized within the text of this report. (Records for 61 samples in this report contained no analytical data.)
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 Hartford quadrangle samples.
Laboratory Analysis | Sediments | Waters |
---|---|---|
Only SRL | 4 | 1,737 |
Only Supplemental Lab | 0 | 0 |
Both SRL and Supplemental Labs | 751 | 0 |
Second SRL analysis on sample | 10 | 0 |
None | 0 | 1 |
Total Samples | 755 | 1,738 |
Total Data Records | 765 | 1,738 |
The following is a list of all sample types collected and reported for NURE studies in the Hartford quadrangle.
Sediment Sample Type | Number of Samples | Water Sample Type | Number of Samples |
---|---|---|---|
Wet Streams | 755 | Streams | 770 |
Wells | 933 | ||
Springs | 35 | ||
Total Sediments | 755 | Total Waters | 1,738 |
These Hartford quadrangle samples were analyzed by one or more of the following methods:
Sediment Samples
Water Samples
Sediment Records
The Hartford quadrangle sediment data consist of reformatted records from the Connecticut portion of the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)] and the New York portion of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York [GJBX-106(82)] Data Report. These records were compared with corresponding sample records from the Hartford Quadrangle GJBX-94(79) Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Hartford quadrangle sediment data:
Water Records
The Hartford quadrangle water data consist primarily of reformatted records from the Hartford Quadrangle GJBX-94(79) Data Report. These records were compared with corresponding sample records from the Connecticut portion of the New England Data Report [GJBX-107(82)] and the New York portion of the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York [GJBX-106(82)] Data Report. The following problems were found and addressed during the comparison and reformatting stages for the Hartford quadrangle water 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).
Hartford Quadrangle Sediment Data - 765 records
Hartford Quadrangle Water Data - 1,736 records
In the eastern United States, SRL collected samples primarily by county. Often, not all counties within a quadrangle were completely sampled. Sample coverage in the Hartford quadrangle is almost complete and includes samples from Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham Counties in Connecticut; and Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester Counties in New York. No stream-sediment or stream-water samples were collected in the portions of Orange and Ulster Counties, New York that fall within the Hartford quadrangle. Some of the urban areas also appear to be less densely sampled. The laboratory and analytical methods used also may vary by county such that adjacent counties often have very different analytical coverage.
One Litchfield County, Connecticut water sample collected within the Hartford quadrangle was not analyzed by any of the various laboratories.
The process of re-digitizing sample locations from the original field maps revealed some problems with the accuracy of site coordinates. Some of the original maps were topographic sheets with well-defined latitude and longitude markings: The latitude and longitude coordinate accuracy for the plotted sites on these maps is probably better than +/- 1 second. However some of the original maps were county maps of various derivations. Many of these had no coordinate boundaries, tic marks, or identified map projections. To digitize sites on maps like these, it was necessary to use additional topographic maps to identify the coordinates for several reference points; such as road intersections, bridges, or county and township boundaries. The new reference points were then used to register the map and to confirm the accuracy of digitizing. The coordinate accuracy for known reference points on these maps varied and in some cases was no better than +/- 10 seconds. Within the Hartford quadrangle, the field maps for Orange, Ulster, and Westchester Counties, New York had coordinate accuracy problems.
None found.
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Home Page: USGS National Geochemical Database - NURE HSSR data
Page written by Steven M. Smith.
Contact: Steven M. Smith (smsmith@usgs.gov)
Version 1.41: February 23, 2006
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