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Surface-Water-Quality Assessment of the Upper Illinois River Basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin—Spatial Distribution of Geochemicals in the Fine Fraction of Streambed Sediment, 1987

Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4109
National Water-Quality Assessment Program
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/wri984109

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Abstract

Geochemical data for the upper Illinois River Basin are presented for concentrations of 39 elements in streambed sediment collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the fall of 1987. These data were collected as part of the pilot phase of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. A total of 372 sites were sampled, with 238 sites located on first- and second-order streams, and 134 sites located on main stems. Spatial distribution maps and exceedance probability plots are presented for aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, cadmium, calcium, carbon (total, inorganic, and organic), cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, phosphorus, potassium, scandium, selenium, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, thorium, titanium, uranium, vanadium, yttrium, and zinc. For spatial distribution maps, concentrations of the elements are grouped into four ranges bounded by the minimum concentration, the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles, and the maximum concentrations. These ranges were selected to highlight streambed sediment with very low or very high element concentrations relative to the rest of the streambed sediment in the upper Illinois River Basin. Exceedance probability plots for each element display the differences, if any, in distributions between high- and low-order streams and may be helpful in determining differences between background and elevated concentrations.

Suggested Citation

Fitzpatrick, F.A., Arnold, T.L., and Colman, J.A., 1998, Surface-water-quality assessment of the upper Illinois River Basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin — Spatial distribution of geochemicals in the fine fraction of streambed sediment, 1987, 1987: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 98–4109; 89 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/wri984109.

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Data Presentation
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Surface-water-quality assessment of the upper Illinois River Basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin — Spatial distribution of geochemicals in the fine fraction of streambed sediment, 1987
Series title Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number 98-4109
DOI 10.3133/wri984109
Year Published 1998
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Illinois Water Science Center
Description vi, 89 p.
Country United States
State Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin
Other Geospatial Upper Illinois River basin
Additional publication details