Water-quality assessment of the largely urban blue river basin, Metropolitan Kansas City, USA, 1998 to 2007
D.H. Wilkison, D.J. Armstrong, S.A. Hampton
2009, Conference Paper, Proceedings of World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers
From 1998 through 2007, over 750 surface-water or bed-sediment samples in the Blue River Basin - a largely urban basin in metropolitan Kansas City - were analyzed for more than 100 anthropogenic compounds. Compounds analyzed included nutrients, fecal-indicator bacteria, suspended sediment, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Non-point source runoff, hydrologic...
Local-scale variability of seepage and hydraulic conductivity in a shallow gravel-bed river
D.O. Rosenberry, J. Pitlick
2009, Hydrological Processes (23) 3306-3318
Seepage rate and direction measured with a seepage metre modified for use in flowing water were greatly variable along a 300-m reach of a shallow, gravel-bed river and depended primarily on the local-scale bed topography. The median value of seepage measured at 24 locations was 24 cm/day, but seepage measured...
Modeling nitrate-nitrogen load reduction strategies for the des moines river, iowa using SWAT
K. E. Schilling, C.F. Wolter
2009, Environmental Management (44) 671-682
The Des Moines River that drains a watershed of 16,175 km2 in portions of Iowa and Minnesota is impaired for nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate) due to concentrations that exceed regulatory limits for public water supplies. The Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to model streamflow and nitrate loads and evaluate...
Hydrologic characterization of desert soils with varying degrees of pedogenesis: 2. Inverse modeling for eff ective properties
B.B. Mirus, K. S. Perkins, J. R. Nimmo, K. Singha
2009, Vadose Zone Journal (8) 496-509
To understand their relation to pedogenic development, soil hydraulic properties in the Mojave Desert were investi- gated for three deposit types: (i) recently deposited sediments in an active wash, (ii) a soil of early Holocene age, and (iii) a highly developed soil of late Pleistocene age. Eff ective parameter values...
Consistency between hydrological models and field observations: Linking processes at the hillslope scale to hydrological responses at the watershed scale
M.P. Clark, D.E. Rupp, R.A. Woods, Meerveld H. J. Tromp-van H. J., N.E. Peters, J.E. Freer
2009, Hydrological Processes (23) 311-319
The purpose of this paper is to identify simple connections between observations of hydrological processes at the hillslope scale and observations of the response of watersheds following rainfall, with a view to building a parsimonious model of catchment processes. The focus is on the well-studied Panola Mountain Research Watershed (PMRW),...
Hydrogeologic structure underlying a recharge pond delineated with shear-wave seismic reflection and cone penetrometer data
S.S. Haines, Adam Pidlisecky, R. Knight
2009, Near Surface Geophysics (7) 329-339
With the goal of improving the understanding of the subsurface structure beneath the Harkins Slough recharge pond in Pajaro Valley, California, USA, we have undertaken a multimodal approach to develop a robust velocity model to yield an accurate seismic reflection section. Our shear-wave reflection section helps us identify and map...
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for a bacterial thiaminase I gene and the thiaminase-producing bacterium Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus.
C.A. Richter, Maureen K. Wright-Osment, J.L. Zajicek, D. C. Honeyfield, D. E. Tillitt
2009, Journal of Aquatic Animal Health (21) 229-238
The thiaminase I enzyme produced by the gram-positive bacterium Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus isolated from the viscera of Lake Michigan alewives Alosa pseudoharengus is currently the only defined source of the thiaminase activity linked to thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency in early mortality syndrome (EMS) in the larvae of Great Lakes salmonines. Diets...
Biodegradation of 17β-estradiol, estrone and testosterone in stream sediments
Paul M. Bradley, Larry B. Barber, Francis H. Chapelle, James L. Gray, Dana W. Kolpin, Peter B. McMahon
2009, Environmental Science & Technology (43) 1902-1910
Biodegradation of 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and testosterone (T) was investigated in three wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) affected streams in the United States. Relative differences in the mineralization of [4-14C] substrates were assessed in oxic microcosms containing saturated sediment or water-only from locations upstream and downstream of the WWTP outfall...
Wastewater effluent, combined sewer overflows, and other sources of organic compounds to Lake Champlain
P. Phillips, A. Chalmers
2009, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (45) 45-57
Abstract: Some sources of organic wastewater compounds (OWCs) to streams, lakes, and estuaries, including wastewater‐treatment‐plant effluent, have been well documented, but other sources, particularly wet‐weather discharges from combined‐sewer‐overflow (CSO) and urban runoff, may also be major sources of OWCs. Samples of wastewater‐treatment‐plant (WWTP) effluent, CSO effluent, urban...
Lagrangian sampling for emerging contaminants through an urban stream corridor in Colorado
J.B. Brown, W.A. Battaglin, R.E. Zuellig
2009, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (45) 68-82
Recent national concerns regarding the environmental occurrence of emerging contaminants (ECs) have catalyzed a series of recent studies. Many ECs are released into the environment through discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and other sources. In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Longmont initiated an investigation of...
Biochemical indicators for the bioavailability of organic carbon in ground water
F. H. Chapelle, P. M. Bradley, D.J. Goode, C. Tiedeman, P.J. Lacombe, K. Kaiser, R. Benner
2009, Ground Water (47) 108-121
The bioavailability of total organic carbon (TOC) was examined in ground water from two hydrologically distinct aquifers using biochemical indicators widely employed in chemical oceanography. Concentrations of total hydrolyzable neutral sugars (THNS), total hydrolyzable amino acids (THAA), and carbon‐normalized percentages of TOC present as THNS and THAA (referred to as...
Sulfur geochemistry of hydrothermal waters in Yellowstone National Park: IV Acid-sulfate waters
D. Kirk Nordstrom, R. Blaine McCleskey, J.W. Ball
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 191-207
Many waters sampled in Yellowstone National Park, both high-temperature (30-94 ??C) and low-temperature (0-30 ??C), are acid-sulfate type with pH values of 1-5. Sulfuric acid is the dominant component, especially as pH values decrease below 3, and it forms from the oxidation of elemental S whose origin is H2S in...
Monitoring the removal of phosphate from ground water discharging through a pond-bottom permeable reactive barrier
T.D. McCobb, D.R. LeBlanc, A.J. Massey
2009, Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation (29) 43-55
Installation of a permeable reactive barrier to intercept a phosphate (PO4) plume where it discharges to a pond provided an opportunity to develop and test methods for monitoring the barrier’s performance in the shallow pond‐bottom sediments. The barrier is composed of zero‐valent‐iron mixed with the native sediments to a 0.6‐m...
Hydrologic connectivity between landscapes and streams: Transferring reach‐ and plot‐scale understanding to the catchment scale
Kelsey G. Jencso, Brian L. McGlynn, Michael N. Gooseff, Steven M. Wondzell, Kenneth E. Bencala, Lucy A. Marshall
2009, Water Resources Research (45)
The relationship between catchment structure and runoff characteristics is poorly understood. In steep headwater catchments with shallow soils the accumulation of hillslope area (upslope accumulated area (UAA)) is a hypothesized first‐order control on the distribution of soil water and groundwater. Hillslope‐riparian water table connectivity represents the linkage between the dominant...
Mercury cycling in stream ecosystems. 1. Water column chemistry and transport
M. E. Brigham, D.A. Wentz, G. R. Aiken, D. P. Krabbenhoft
2009, Environmental Science & Technology (43) 2720-2725
We studied total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in eight streams, located in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida, that span large ranges in climate, landscape characteristics, atmospheric Hg deposition, and water chemistry. While atmospheric deposition was the source of Hg at each site, basin characteristics appeared to mediate...
Hydrologic characterization of desert soils with varying degrees of pedogenesis: 1. field experiments evaluating plant-relevant soil water behavior
John R. Nimmo, Kim S. Perkins, Kevin M. Schmidt, David M. Miller, Jonathan D. Stock, Kamini Singha
2009, Vadose Zone Journal (8) 480-495
To assess the eff ect of pedogenesis on the soil moisture dynamics infl uencing the character and quality of ecological habitat, we conducted infi ltration and redistribution experiments on three alluvial deposits in the Mojave National Preserve: (i) recently deposited active wash sediments, (ii) a soil of early Holocene age,...
Sources of uncertainty in flood inundation maps
J. D. Bales, C. R. Wagner
2009, Journal of Flood Risk Management (2) 139-147
Flood inundation maps typically have been used to depict inundated areas for floods having specific exceedance levels. The uncertainty associated with the inundation boundaries is seldom quantified, in part, because all of the sources of uncertainty are not recognized and because data available to quantify uncertainty seldom are available. Sources...
Exposure of insects and insectivorous birds to metals and other elements from abandoned mine tailings in three Summit County drainages, Colorado
Christine M. Custer, Chi Yang, James G. Crock, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Kathleen S. Smith, Philip L. Hageman
2009, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (153) 161-177
Concentrations of 31 metals, metalloids, and other elements were measured in insects and insectivorous bird tissues from three drainages with different geochemistry and mining histories in Summit Co., Colorado, in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In insect samples, all 25 elements that were analyzed in all years increased in both Snake...
Naturally acidic surface and ground waters draining porphyry-related mineralized areas of the Southern Rocky Mountains, Colorado and New Mexico
P. L. Verplanck, D. Kirk Nordstrom, D. J. Bove, G.S. Plumlee, R.L. Runkel
2009, Applied Geochemistry (24) 255-267
Acidic, metal-rich waters produced by the oxidative weathering and resulting leaching of major and trace elements from pyritic rocks can adversely affect water quality in receiving streams and riparian ecosystems. Five study areas in the southern Rocky Mountains with naturally acidic waters associated with porphyry mineralization were studied to document...
Hydraulic anisotropy characterization of pneumatic-fractured sediments using azimuthal self potential gradient
D.N. Wishart, L.D. Slater, D.L. Schnell, G.C. Herman
2009, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology (103) 134-144
The pneumatic fracturing technique is used to enhance the permeability and porosity of tight unconsolidated soils (e.g. clays), thereby improving the effectiveness of remediation treatments. Azimuthal self potential gradient (ASPG) surveys were performed on a compacted, unconsolidated clay block in order to evaluate their potential to delineate contaminant migration pathways...
Essentials of iron, chromium, and calcium isotope analysis of natural materials by thermal ionization mass spectrometry
M.S. Fantle, T.D. Bullen
2009, Chemical Geology (258) 50-64
The use of isotopes to understand the behavior of metals in geological, hydrological, and biological systems has rapidly expanded in recent years. One of the mass spectrometric techniques used to analyze metal isotopes is thermal ionization mass spectrometry, or TIMS. While TIMS has been a useful analytical technique for the...
Impacts of weathered tire debris on the development of Rana sylvatica larvae
K.M. Camponelli, R.E. Casey, J.W. Snodgrass, S.M. Lev, E. R. Landa
2009, Chemosphere (74) 717-722
Highway runoff has the potential to negatively impact receiving systems including stormwater retention ponds where highway particulate matter can accumulate following runoff events. Tire wear particles, which contain about 1% Zn by mass, make up approximately one-third of the vehicle derived particulates in highway runoff and therefore may serve as...
Occurrence of transformation products in the environment
Dana W. Kolpin, William A. Battaglin, Kathleen E. Conn, Edward T. Furlong, Susan T. Glassmeyer, Stephen J. Kalkhoff, Michael T. Meyer, Douglas J. Schnoebelen
Alistair B.A. Boxall, editor(s)
2009, Book chapter, Transformation products of synthetic chemicals in the environment
Historically, most environmental occurrence research has focused on the parent compounds of organic contaminants. Research, however, has documented that the environmental transport of chemicals, such as pesticides and emerging contaminants, are substantially underestimated if transformation products are not considered. Although most examples described herein were drawn from research conducted by...
Estimating selected streamflow statistics representative of 1930–2002 in West Virginia
Jeffrey B. Wiley
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5105
Regional equations and procedures were developed for estimating 1-, 3-, 7-, 14-, and 30-day 2-year; 1-, 3-, 7-, 14-, and 30-day 5-year; and 1-, 3-, 7-, 14-, and 30-day 10-year hydrologically based low-flow frequency values for unregulated streams in West Virginia. Regional equations and procedures also were developed for estimating...
Basin characteristics for selected streamflow-gaging stations in and near West Virginia
Katherine S. Paybins
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1087
Basin characteristics have long been used to develop equations describing streamflow. In the past, flow equations used in West Virginia were based on a few hand-calculated basin characteristics. More recently, the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to generate basin characteristics from existing datasets has refined the process for...
