Monitoring and Evaluation of Environmental Flow Prescriptions for Five Demonstration Sites of the Sustainable Rivers Project
Christopher P. Konrad
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1065
The Nature Conservancy has been working with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) through the Sustainable Rivers Project (SRP) to modify operations of dams to achieve ecological objectives in addition to meeting the authorized purposes of the dams. Modifications to dam operations are specified in terms of environmental flow prescriptions...
Revised Subsurface Stratigraphic Framework of the Fort Union and Wasatch Formations, Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana
Romeo M. Flores, Brianne D. Spear, Peter A. Purchase, Craig M. Gallagher
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1061
Described in this report is an updated subsurface stratigraphic framework of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation and Eocene Wasatch Formation in the Powder River Basin (PRB) in Wyoming and Montana. This framework is graphically presented in 17 intersecting west-east and north-south cross sections across the basin. Also included are: (1)...
Review of Oceanographic and Geochemical Data Collected in Massachusetts Bay during a Large Discharge of Total Suspended Solids from Boston's Sewage-Treatment System and Ocean Outfall in August 2002
Michael H. Bothner, Bradford Butman, Michael A. Casso
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1050
During the period August 14-23, 2002, the discharge of total suspended solids (TSS) from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority sewage-treatment plant ranged from 32 to 132 milligrams per liter, causing the monthly average discharge to exceed the limit specified in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit. Time-series monitoring data...
Turbidity on the shallow reef off Kaulana and Hakioawa watersheds, north coast of Kaho'olawe, Hawai'i: Measurements of turbidity and ancillary data on winds, waves, precipitation, and stream flow discharge, November 2005 to June 2008
M. Katherine Presto, Curt D. Storlazzi, Michael E. Field, Lyman L. Abbott
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1037
The island of Kaho`olawe has particular cultural and religious significance for native Hawaiians. Once known as Kanaloa, the island was a center for native Hawaiian navigation. In the mid-20th century, the island was used as a bombing range by the U.S. Navy, and that practice, along with the foraging by...
Publications of the Volcano Hazards Program 2008
Manuel Nathenson
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1052
The Volcano Hazards Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is part of the Geologic Hazards Assessments subactivity as funded by Congressional appropriation. Investigations are carried out in the Geology and Hydrology Disciplines of the USGS and with cooperators at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, University of...
Simulation of Streamflow, Evapotranspiration, and Groundwater Recharge in the Lower San Antonio River Watershed, South-Central Texas, 2000-2007
Joy S. Lizarraga, Darwin J. Ockerman
2010, Open-File Report 2010-5027
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Antonio River Authority, the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District, and the Goliad County Groundwater Conservation District, configured, calibrated, and tested a watershed model for a study area consisting of about 2,150 square miles of the lower San Antonio River watershed...
Final report: Baseline selenium monitoring of agricultural drains operated by the Imperial Irrigation District in the Salton Sea Basin
Michael K. Saiki, Barbara A. Martin, Thomas W. May
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1064
This report summarizes comprehensive findings from a 4-year-long field investigation to document baseline environmental conditions in 29 agricultural drains and ponds operated by the Imperial Irrigation District along the southern border of the Salton Sea. Routine water-quality collections and fish community assessments were conducted on as many as 16 sampling...
eMODIS: A User-Friendly Data Source
Calli B. Jenkerson, Thomas Maiersperger, Gail Schmidt
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1055
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center is generating a suite of products called 'eMODIS' based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data acquired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observing System (EOS). With a more frequent repeat cycle than Landsat and...
Analyses of gas, steam and water samples collected in and around Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, 1975–2002
Cathy J. Janik, D. Bergfeld
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1036
This report contains physical and chemical data from gas, steam, and water samples collected between July 1975 and September 2002 from locations in and around Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Data are compiled as tables in Excel spreadsheets and are organized by locale. Most data are keyed to 1 of...
Science in the Public Sphere: Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Planning from a Transdisciplinary Perspective
Alicia A. Torregrosa, Michael L. Casazza, Margaret R. Caldwell, Teresa A. Mathiasmeier, Peter M. Morgan, Cory T. Overton
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1049
Integration of scientific data and adaptive management techniques is critical to the success of species conservation, however, there are uncertainties about effective methods of knowledge exchange between scientists and decisionmakers. The conservation planning and implementation process for Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; ) in the Mono Basin, Calif. region, was used...
Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona— 2008–2009
Jamie P. Macy
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1038
The N aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of low...
2008 High-flow experiment at Glen Canyon Dam: Morphologic response of eddy-deposited sandbars and associated aquatic backwater habitats along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park
Paul E. Grams, John C. Schmidt, Matthew E. Andersen
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1032
The March 2008 high-flow experiment (HFE) at Glen Canyon Dam resulted in sandbar deposition and sandbar reshaping such that the area and volume of associated backwater aquatic habitat in Grand Canyon National Park was greater following the HFE. Analysis of backwater habitat area and volume for 116 locations at 86...
Extended abstracts from the Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound (CHIPS) 2006 Workshop
Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Tracy L. Fuentes, Jeffrey J. Duda, Eric E. Grossman, Renee K. Takesue, editor(s)
2010, Open-File Report 2009-1218
Puget Sound is the second largest estuary in the United States. Its unique geology, climate, and nutrient-rich waters produce and sustain biologically productive coastal habitats. These same natural characteristics also contribute to a high quality of life that has led to a significant growth in human population and associated development....
Mercury in Sediment, Water, and Biota of Sinclair Inlet, Puget Sound, Washington, 1989-2007
Anthony J. Paulson, Morgan E. Keys, Kelly L. Scholting
2010, Open-File Report 2009-1285
Historical records of mercury contamination in dated sediment cores from Sinclair Inlet are coincidental with activities at the U.S. Navy Puget Sound Naval Shipyard; peak total mercury concentrations occurred around World War II. After World War II, better metallurgical management practices and environmental regulations reduced mercury contamination, but total mercury...
Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Endangered Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Relation to Environmental Variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2008 Annual Data Summary
Summer M. Burdick, Scott P. VanderKooi
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1051
Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper...
Short-Term Effects of the 2008 High-Flow Experiment on Macroinvertebrates in Colorado River Below Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona
Emma J. Rosi-Marshall, Theodore A. Kennedy, Dustin W. Kincaid, Wyatt F. Cross, Holly A.W. Kelly, Kathrine A. Behn, Tyler White, Robert O. Hall Jr., Colden V. Baxter
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1031
Glen Canyon Dam has dramatically altered the physical environment (especially discharge regime, water temperatures, and sediment inputs) of the Colorado River. High-flow experiments (HFE) that mimic one aspect of the natural hydrograph (floods) were implemented in 1996, 2004, and 2008. The primary goal of these experiments was to increase the...
Effects of High-Flow Experiments from Glen Canyon Dam on Abundance, Growth, and Survival Rates of Early Life Stages of Rainbow Trout in the Lees Ferry Reach of the Colorado River
Josh Korman, Matthew Kaplinski, Theodore S. Melis
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1034
High-flow experiments (HFEs) from Glen Canyon Dam are primarily intended to conserve fine sediment and improve habitat conditions for native fish in the Colorado River as it flows through Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. These experimental flows also have the potential to affect the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in...
Hydrologic Evaluation of the Jungo Area, Southern Desert Valley, Nevada
Thomas J. Lopes
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1009
RecologyTM, the primary San Francisco waste-disposal entity, is proposing to develop a Class 1 landfill near Jungo, Nevada. The proposal calls for the landfill to receive by rail about 20,000 tons of waste per week for up to 50 years. On September 22, 2009, the Interior Appropriation (S.A. 2494) was...
Characterization of Geologic Structures and Host Rock Properties Relevant to the Hydrogeology of the Standard Mine in Elk Basin, Gunnison County, Colorado
Jonathan S. Caine, Andrew H. Manning, Byron R. Berger, Yannick Kremer, Mario A. Guzman, Dennis D. Eberl, Kathryn Schuller
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1008
The Standard Mine Superfund Site is a source of mine drainage and associated heavy metal contamination of surface and groundwaters. The site contains Tertiary polymetallic quartz veins and fault zones that host precious and base metal sulfide mineralization common in Colorado. To assist the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its...
Geophysical characterization of subsurface properties relevant to the hydrology of the Standard Mine in Elk Basin, Colorado
Burke J. Minsley, Lyndsay B. Ball, Bethany L. Burton, Jonathan S. Caine, Erika Curry-Elrod, Andrew H. Manning
2010, Open-File Report 2009-1284
Geophysical data were collected at the Standard Mine in Elk Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado, to help improve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's understanding of the hydrogeologic controls in the basin and how they affect surface and groundwater interactions with nearby mine workings. These data are discussed in the context...
Multitemporal L- and C-Band synthetic aperture radar to highlight differences in water status among boreal forest and wetland systems in the Yukon Flats, Interior Alaska
Andrew W. Balser, Bruce K. Wylie
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1027
Tracking landscape-scale water status in high-latitude boreal systems is indispensable to understanding the fate of stored and sequestered carbon in a climate change scenario. Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery provides critical information for water and moisture status in Alaskan boreal environments at the landscape scale. When combined with results...
The MW 7.0 Haiti Earthquake of January 12, 2010: USGS/EERI Advance Reconnaissance Team Report
Marc O. Eberhard, Steven Baldridge, Justin Marshall, Walter Mooney, Glenn J. Rix
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1048
Executive Summary A field reconnaissance in Haiti by a five-member team with expertise in seismology and earthquake engineering has revealed a number of factors that led to catastrophic losses of life and property during the January 12, 2010, Mw 7.0 earthquake. The field study was conducted from January 26 to...
Relations Between Rainfall and Postfire Debris-Flow and Flood Magnitudes for Emergency-Response Planning, San Gabriel Mountains, Southern California
Susan H. Cannon, Eric M. Boldt, Jason W. Kean, Jayme Laber, Dennis M. Staley
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1039
Following wildfires, emergency-response and public-safety agencies are faced often with making evacuation decisions and deploying resources both well in advance of each coming winter storm and during storms themselves. Information critical to this process is provided for recently burned areas in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California. The National...
Reported Historic Asbestos Mines, Historic Asbestos Prospects, and Other Natural Occurrences of Asbestos in Oregon and Washington
Bradley S. Van Gosen
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1041
This map and its accompanying dataset provide information for 51 natural occurrences of asbestos in Washington and Oregon, using descriptions found in the geologic literature. Data on location, mineralogy, geology, and relevant literature for each asbestos site are provided. Using the map and digital data in this report, the user...
Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, water year 2009: Quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards
Dwight Q. Tanner, Heather M. Bragg, Matthew W. Johnston
2010, Open-File Report 2009-1288
Significant Findings When water is released through the spillways of dams, air is entrained in the water, increasing the downstream concentration of dissolved gases. Excess dissolved-gas concentrations can have adverse effects on freshwater aquatic life. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected...
