Surface water-quality assessment of the lower Kansas River basin, Kansas and Nebraska; project description
Open-File Report
87-105
By: J. K. Stamer, P. R. Jordan, R. A. Engberg, and J. T. Dugan
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Abstract
In 1986 the U.S. Geological Survey began a National Water-Quality Assessment Program to: (1) provide nationally consistent descriptions of the current status of water quality for a large, diverse, and geographically distributed part of the Nation 's surface water resources; (2) where possible, define trends in water quality; and (3) identify and describe the relation between water quality and natural and land use factors. This report describes the pilot study of the lower Kansas River basin, which is one of four surface water pilot studies that will be used to test, and modify as necessary, assessment concepts and approaches in preparation for future full implementation of the national program. Water quality issues in the lower Kansas River basin are dominated by possible nonpoint sources of contamination from agricultural land, with issues including: (1) large sediment discharge in the streams and sediment deposition in the reservoirs caused by intensive cultivation of row crops and subsequent erosion; (2) occurrence of pesticides in streams and reservoirs that could impair the suitability of water for aquatic life and has the potential for impairing the water 's suitability for public supply; (3) bacterial contamination caused by runoff from pastureland and feedlot operations and municipal wastewater discharges; and (4) nutrient enrichment of reservoirs. Data from fixed stations will be used to determine frequency distributions of constituent concentrations and mass balances of constituents between stations. Subbasin or river reach studies will provide a better understanding of the origin, movement, and fate of potential contaminants. (Lantz-PTT)
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Surface water-quality assessment of the lower Kansas River basin, Kansas and Nebraska; project description |
| Series title | Open-File Report |
| Series number | 87-105 |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr87105 |
| Edition | - |
| Year Published | 1987 |
| Language | ENGLISH |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey, |
| Description | iv, 36 p. :maps ;28 cm. |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |