Reconnaissance of potential alternate water supply sources for the City of Gary, West Virginia
Mark D. Kozar, Samuel H. Austin
2025, Open-File Report 2025-1037
Seven potential sources of water, consisting of free-flowing discharge from abandoned coal mines at six locations and one abandoned flooded underground coal mine air shaft, were sampled for chemical analysis to assess the quality of the groundwater emanating from the seven mine sources. The six free-flowing mine discharge sources were...
A systematic literature review of forecasting and predictive models of harmful algal blooms in flowing waters
Jennifer C. Murphy, Rebecca Michelle Gorney, Lisa Lucas, Jacob Aaron Zwart, Jennifer L. Graham
2025, Preprint
Occurrences of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in rivers challenge the belief that rivers are not susceptible to HABs because of their short residence times and fluctuating hydrology. Here we present a systematic literature review of predictive and forecasting models for HABs in flowing waters, including rivers, flowing in-stream reservoirs (e.g.,...
User’s guide for the National Hydrography Dataset Plus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR)
Richard B. Moore, Lucinda D. McKay, Alan H. Rea, Timothy R. Bondelid, Curtis V. Price, Thomas G. Dewald, Laura Hayes
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5031
The National Hydrography Dataset Plus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR) is a scalable hydrologic geospatial fabric or framework, built from (1) the High Resolution (1:24,000-scale or better) National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), (2) nationally complete Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD), and (3) 1/3-arc-second 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) digital elevation model (DEM) data (at...
Mapping potential sensitivity to hydrogeomorphic change in the UMRS riverscape
Angus Vaughan, Faith Fitzpatrick, Jayme M. Strange, Molly Van Appledorn
2025, Completion Report 2021HG7
In 2020 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program, began a new project to characterize potential hydrogeomorphic change associated with hydrogeomorphic units (HGUs) and their catenae (units linked by their association with sediment sources and flow origins). The goal of the project...
Effects of beaver dams and ponds on water quality in urban streams of the Tualatin River Basin, northwestern Oregon
Cassandra D. Smith, Erin K. Leahy, Krista L. Jones, Stewart A. Rounds
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5039-D
Significant Findings American beavers (Castor canadensis) are native to the Pacific Northwest, and their populations have increased in many locations after being nearly removed by historical trapping. Beaver dams have well-documented effects on water quality in forested streams, but their effects on water quality in urban streams have not been well...
Beavers in the Tualatin River Basin, northwestern Oregon
Krista L. Jones, Cassandra D. Smith, editor(s)
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5039
Growing interest in beaver-assisted restoration in the Tualatin River Basin of northwestern Oregon motivated a series of studies by the U.S. Geological Survey to assess the capacity of the stream network to support beaver dams and to evaluate the effects of beaver dams and ponds on urban streams. This multichapter...
Rebuilding a volcano one lava flow at a time—Visualizing the lava dome-building eruption in the crater of Mount St. Helens, 1982–1986
Joseph A. Bard, Christina M. Friedle, Lorie Bartee, Brett C. Dierker, Joseph M. Ganick, Nichola M. Gregory, Kenton R. Hill, Jude G. Klug, Aerial Kruger, Dawson T. Mooney, Reun T. Morrison, Isa I. Rojas, Phil Rollo, Shawn A. Stanton, Bre Stewart, Blair E. Stuhlmuller, Adam D. Zyla
2025, General Information Product 262
Between 1980 and 1986, the U.S. Geological Survey made a series of 1:2,000-scale topographic contour maps from aerial photographic surveys to monitor the eruption. These maps were made for operational purposes and were not intended for publication. Since then, advances in technology made it possible to digitize the original, highly...
Computing discharge using the entropy-based probability concept
John W, Fulton, Frank L. Engel, Jack R. Eggleston, Chao-Lin Chiu
2025, Techniques and Methods 3-A26
This report describes the techniques and methods for computing the mean-channel velocity and discharge using the entropy-based probability concept (probability concept). The method is an alternative to or augments standard streamgaging methods adopted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although sensor technology for measuring the mean velocity and discharge has...
Flood-Inundation Maps of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers including the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Southeast Missouri, 2023
David C. Heimann, Jason L. High, Allison A. Atkinson, Paul H. Rydlund Jr.
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5092
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 131.8-mile reach of the Current River and a 44.6-mile reach of the Jacks Fork River, in southeast Missouri, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission and the South Central Ozark Council of Governments. The maps...
Assessment of channel morphology, hydraulics, and bedload transport along the Siletz River, western Oregon
Krista L. Jones, Mackenzie K. Keith, Tessa M. Harden, James S. White, Stan van de Wetering, Jason B. Dunham
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5063
Significant FindingsChinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) are native, anadromous fish species in the Siletz River Basin, western Oregon, that face many threats to their survival in freshwater and the ocean. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon seek to mitigate freshwater threats to Chinook salmon...
Sources of water and salts for the Zuni Salt Lake in west-central New Mexico
Andrew J. Robertson, Jeff D. Pepin, Erin L. Gray, Jake W. Collison, Jeb E. Brown, Andre Ritchie, Grady Ball
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5057
The Zuni Salt Lake is located in a maar in west-central New Mexico and contains hypersaline water that has long been used by Native Americans for religious purposes and the collection of salt. There have been several investigations suggesting different sources for the water and salt to the lake. Springs,...
Fluvial sediment dynamics in the Shoshone River and tributaries around Willwood Dam, Park County, Wyoming
Jason S. Alexander, Haylie M. Brown, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Jason Burckhardt, Laura Burckhardt, Christopher A. Ellison, Carmen McIntyre, Travis Moger, Lindsay Patterson, Chace Tavelli, David Waterstreet, Mahonri Williams
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5077
Sedimentation affects many of the aging reservoirs in the United States. Dams and water diversions from rivers have been central elements of infrastructure supporting agricultural irrigation in the arid and semiarid regions of the Western United States for more than a century. The Willwood Irrigation District diversion dam (hereafter referred...
Streamflow extents and hydraulic characteristics of Meadow Valley Wash at Stuart Ranch, near Rox, Nevada
Laura A. Dye, Christopher M. Morris, Hampton K. Childres
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5069
The former Stuart Ranch, now managed by the Bureau of Land Management, is transected by Meadow Valley Wash, where 4,600 feet of perennial stream and adjacent riparian vegetation provide critical habitat for several wildlife and aquatic species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The stream has been altered by prior...
Gravity and magnetic surveys of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland
Mark E. Gettings
2025, Open-File Report 2025-1030
Aeromagnetic and gravity surveys of the Skaergaard intrusion in East Greenland were carried out in July–August 1971 as part of a grant to the University of Oregon Center for Volcanology to refine the models of crystallization and differentiation of the intrusion, specifically to test whether the intrusion is underlain by...
Tracking status and trends in seven key indicators of river and stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Lindsey J. Boyle, Samuel H. Austin, Matthew J. Cashman, Zachary J. Clifton, John W. Clune, James E. Colgin, Kaitlyn E.M. Elliott, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Ellie P. Foss, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Elizabeth A. Hittle, Coral M. Howe, Emily H. Majcher, Kelly O. Maloney, Christopher A. Mason, Marina J. Metes, Douglas L. Moyer, Trevor P. Needham, Karli M. Rogers, Joshua J. Thompson, Guoxiang Yang, Tammy M. Zimmerman
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5072
Freshwater streams and rivers are recognized as vital habitats within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has been undergoing extensive restoration efforts for more than 30 years. Resource managers need to understand stream and river condition and how these conditions are changing over time to determine whether regional long-term restoration and...
Insights and strategic opportunities from the USGS 2024 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Interagency Workshop
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Kimberly R. Beisner, Paul M. Bradley, Patricia R. Bright, Juliane B. Brown, Christopher J. Churchill, Stephanie E. Gordon, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Dana W. Kolpin, Rebecca B. Lambert, Erin L. Pulster, Rip S. Shively, Kelly Smalling, Jeffery A. Steevens, Andrea K. Tokranov
2025, Open-File Report 2025-1044
Introduction In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published Circular 1490 titled, “Integrated Science for the Study of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment: A Strategic Science Vision for the U.S. Geological Survey” (Tokranov and others, 2021). Circular 1490 was created to be a resource for USGS scientists prioritizing...
Random forest regression models for estimating low-streamflow statistics at ungaged locations in New York, excluding Long Island
Timothy J. Stagnitta, Joshua Woda, Alexander P. Graziano
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5060
Models to estimate low-streamflow statistics at ungaged locations in New York, excluding Long Island and including hydrologically connected basins from bordering States, were developed for the first time by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. A total of 224 basin characteristics...
A review of abrupt permafrost thaw: Definitions, usage, and a proposed conceptual framework
Hailey Webb, Matthias Fuchs, Benjamin W. Abbott, Thomas A. Douglas, Clayton D. Elder, Jessica G. Ernakovich, Eugenie Euskirchen, Mathias Göckede, Guido Grosse, Gustaf Hugelius, Miriam C. Jones, Charles Koven, Heather Kropp, Emma Lathrop, Wenwen Li, Michael M. Loranty, Susan M Natali, David Olefeldt, Christina Schädel, Edward A.G. Schuur, Oliver Sonnentag, Jens Strauss, Anna-Maria Virkkala, Merritt R. Turetsky
2025, Current Climate Change Reports (11)
Purpose of ReviewWe review how ‘abrupt thaw’ has been used in published studies, compare these definitions to abrupt processes in other Earth science disciplines, and provide a definitive framework for how abrupt thaw should be used in the context of permafrost science.Recent FindingsWe address several aspects...
Development of regression equations to estimate flow durations, low-flow frequencies, and mean flows at ungaged stream sites in Connecticut using data through water year 2022
Elizabeth A. Ahearn, Gardner C. Bent
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5027
To aid Federal and State regulatory agencies in the effective management of water resources, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, updated flow statistics for 118 streamgages and developed 47 regression equations to estimate selected flow...
Selected special conditions affecting peak streamflow and extreme floods in Alaska through water year 2022
Janet H. Curran
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5056
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, inventoried selected special conditions for annual peak flows and identified extreme floods at streamgages in Alaska through water year 2022 to facilitate hydrologic analysis. Special conditions identified from U.S. Geological Survey gaging records and basin...
2022 McKinney rain-on-wildfire event, dissolved oxygen sags, and a fish kill on the Klamath River, California
Jennifer Curtis, Grant Johnson, Josh Cahill, Laurel Genzoli, Clifford Dahm, Liam N. Schenk, John Oberholzer
2025, Scientific Reports (15)
The longitudinal propagation of water-quality and ecological impairments in rivers during and after wildfires remain poorly understood. In Northern California, the 2022 McKinney Fire burned 243 km2 of the Klamath National Forest, with 83% of the burned area classified as moderate to high severity. During the active wildfire, a high-intensity monsoonal...
Completion summary for monitor wells NRF-17 and NRF-18 at the Naval Reactors Facility, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Brian V. Twining, Kerri C. Treinen, Jeffrey A. Zingre
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5049
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)—in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the Naval Reactors Laboratory Field Office that supports operations for the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)—drilled and constructed well NRF-17 (formerly borehole USGS 151) and well NRF-18 (formerly borehole USGS...
Assessing spatial variability of nutrients, phytoplankton, and related water-quality constituents in the California Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta at the landscape scale—Comparison of four (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022) spring high-resolution mapping surveys
Emily Richardson, Tamara Kraus, Katy O’Donnell, Jeniffer Soto-Perez, Crystal Sturgeon, Elizabeth Stumpner, Brian Bergamaschi
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5035
Executive SummaryThis report summarizes results from boat-based, high-resolution water-quality mapping surveys completed before, during, and after upgrades to the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility (EchoWater Facility), the regional wastewater facility for the City of Sacramento and surrounding areas, near Elk Grove, California. Surveys were completed in the tidal aquatic environments of...
Characterization of the hydrogeologic framework, groundwater-flow system, geochemistry, and aquifer hydraulic properties of the shallow groundwater system in the Wilcox and Lorraine process areas of the Wilcox Oil Company Superfund site near Bristow, Oklahoma, 2022
Andrew P. Teeple, Zulimar Lucena, Christopher L. Braun, Evin J. Fetkovich, Isaac A. Dale, Shana L. Mashburn
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5042
The Wilcox Oil Company Superfund site (hereinafter referred to as “the site”) was formerly an oil refinery northeast of Bristow in Creek County, Oklahoma. Historical refinery operations contaminated the soil, surface water, streambed sediments, alluvium, and groundwater with refined and stored products at the site. The Wilcox and Lorraine process...
Paleomagnetic correlation of surface and subsurface basalt flows in the central and southwestern part of the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
Mary Hodges, Allison R. Trcka, Duane E. Champion
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5020
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, used paleomagnetic data from 22 coreholes to construct 3 fence diagrams of subsurface basalt flows in the southern part of the Idaho National Laboratory. These diagrams provide comprehensive descriptions of the horizontal and vertical distribution of basalt flows...
