Groundwater quality and age of secondary bedrock aquifers in the glaciated portion of eastern Nebraska, 2016–18
Christopher M. Hobza, Amanda T. Flynn
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5055
The Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (ENWRA) project was initiated in 2006 to assist water managers by developing a hydrogeologic framework and water budget for the glaciated portion of eastern Nebraska. Within the ENWRA area, the primary groundwater sources for municipal, domestic, and irrigation water needs are provided by withdrawals...
Groundwater assessment for petroleum hydrocarbon compounds associated with Fuels Area C, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, 2014–18
David A. Bender, Joel M. Galloway, Colton J. Medler
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5060
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey began a study in cooperation with the Defense Logistics Agency and the U.S. Air Force to estimate groundwater-flow direction, install groundwater monitoring wells, and collect soil and groundwater samples for petroleum hydrocarbon compounds to identify the presence of hydrocarbon contamination at Ellsworth Air Force...
Peak-flow variability, peak-flow informational needs, and consideration of regional regression analyses in managing the crest-stage gage network in Montana
Steven K. Sando
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5063
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), has operated a crest-stage gage (CSG) network in Montana to collect peak-flow data since 1955. The CSG network is vital to collecting peak-flow data on small drainage basins that typically are not addressed by continuous streamflow...
Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood, Broome County, New York
John G. Van Hoesen, Paul M. Heisig, Shannon R. Fisher
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5026
The hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system and adjacent areas in south-central Broome County, New York, was investigated in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The study area encompasses roughly 55.5 square miles and includes the towns of Conklin and Kirkwood. Multiple small, perhaps...
Simulation of water-table response to sea-level rise and change in recharge, Sandy Hook unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey
Glen B. Carleton, Emmanuel G. Charles, Alex R. Fiore, Richard B. Winston
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5080
The Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area (hereafter Sandy Hook) in New Jersey is a 10-kilometer-long spit visited by thousands of people each year who take advantage of the historical and natural resources and recreational opportunities. The historical and natural resources are threatened by global climate change, including sea-level...
Simulation of water-table and freshwater/saltwater interface response to climate-change-driven sea-level rise and changes in recharge at Fire Island National Seashore, New York
Paul E. Misut, Sarken Dressler
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2020-5117
The fresh groundwater system at Fire Island National Seashore in New York is one of the natural resources that is most vulnerable to climate change; the various federally listed threatened or endangered species that live on Fire Island, including the piping plover, roseate tern shorebird, and seabeach amaranth may be...
Optimization of the Idaho National Laboratory water-quality aquifer monitoring network, southeastern Idaho
Jason C. Fisher, Roy C. Bartholomay, Gordon W. Rattray, Neil V. Maimer
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5031
Long-term monitoring of water-quality data collected from wells at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has provided essential information for delineating the movement of radiochemical and chemical wastes in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer, southeastern Idaho. Since 1949, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of...
Occurrence and distribution of mercury in streams and reservoirs in the Triangle Area of North Carolina, July 2007–June 2009
Anna M. McKee, Sharon Fitzgerald, Mary J. Giorgino
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5027
During the time period 2001–2006, the U.S. Geological Survey reported mercury-concentration measurements that exceeded the North Carolina water-quality criterion (NCWQC) of 0.012 microgram per liter for total recoverable mercury in streams and reservoirs across the Triangle Area of North Carolina. Mercury data were sparse, however, generally consisting of only one...
Hydraulic modeling at selected dam-removal and culvert-retrofit sites in the northeastern United States
Scott A. Olson, Caelan E. Simeone
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5056
Aquatic connectivity projects, such as removing dams and modifying culverts, have substantial benefits. The restoration of natural flow conditions improves water quality, sediment transport, aquatic and riparian habitat, and fish passage. These projects can also decrease hazards faced by communities by lowering water-surface elevations of flood waters and by removing...
Estimating flow-duration statistics and low-flow frequencies for selected streams and the implementation of a StreamStats web-based tool in Puerto Rico
Tara Williams-Sether
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5054
Daily mean streamflow data from 28 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in Puerto Rico with 10 or more years of unregulated or minimally affected flow record through water year 2018 were used to develop regression equations for flow duration and annual n-day low-flow statistics. Ordinary least-squares and generalized least-squares regression...
Approaches for assessing long-term annual yields of highway and urban runoff in selected areas of California with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
Gregory E. Granato, Paul J. Friesz
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5043
The California Department of Transportation, commonly known as CalTrans, and other municipal separate storm sewer system permittees in California as well as other State departments of transportation nationwide need information about potential loads and yields (loads per unit area) of constituents of concern in stormwater runoff and discharges from stormwater...
Two-dimensional hydraulic analyses of Joachim Creek, De Soto, Missouri
Kyle D. Hix, Paul H. Rydlund Jr., David C. Heimann
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5058
A two-dimensional hydraulic model; water-surface profiles; and digital maps of water-surface elevation, velocities, and water depths were developed for a 6.7-mile reach of Joachim Creek within and near the city of De Soto, Missouri. Water-surface profiles were generated for the 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability (10-,...
Hydrogeologic framework and groundwater characterization in selected alluvial basins in the upper Rio Grande basin, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, United States, and Chihuahua, Mexico, 1980 to 2015
Natalie A. Houston, Jonathan V. Thomas, Linzy K. Foster, Diana E. Pedraza, Toby L. Welborn
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5035
Increasing demand for the limited water resources of the United States continues to put pressure on resource management agencies to balance the competing needs of ecosystem health with municipal, agricultural, and other uses. To meet these needs, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a multiyear study to evaluate water resources in...
Borehole analysis, single-well aquifer testing, and water quality for the Burnpit well, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
William G. Eldridge, Galen K. Hoogestraat, Steven E. Rice
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5059
Mount Rushmore National Memorial (hereafter referred to as “the memorial”), in western South Dakota, is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS) and includes 1,278 acres of land in the east-central part of the Black Hills. An ongoing challenge for NPS managers at the memorial is providing water from sustainable...
Identification of bacteria in groundwater used for domestic supply in the southeast San Joaquin Valley, California, 2014
Carmen A. Burton, Christine J. Lawrence
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5030
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in California. Water-borne diseases caused by microbial contamination are a growing concern. The MI test, a membrane filtration method for the chromogenic/fluorogenic detection of total coliforms and Escherichia coli, was used for samples collected January to April 2014 from 42 domestic wells...
Bathymetry of New York City’s East of Hudson reservoirs and controlled lakes, 2017 to 2019
Elizabeth A. Nystrom, Courtney J. Huston, Robert J. Welk
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5057
New York City maintains an extensive system of reservoirs and aqueducts to provide drinking water to its residents, including 16 reservoirs and controlled lakes in Westchester and Putnam Counties in southern New York, east of the Hudson River (also called “East of Hudson reservoirs and controlled lakes”). These reservoirs were...
Permeable groundwater pathways and tritium migration patterns from the HANDLEY underground nuclear test, Pahute Mesa, Nevada
Tracie R. Jackson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5032
The HANDLEY nuclear test was detonated at about 2,700 feet below the water table on March 26, 1970, in Pahute Mesa, south-central Nevada. Measured tritium concentrations in boreholes ER-20-12 and PM-3 indicate that a shallow tritium plume has migrated more than 1 mile (mi) downgradient from the HANDLEY test...
Streambank erosion and related geomorphic change in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California
Stephen B. DeLong, Alexandra J. Pickering, Timothy Kuhn
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5025
Landscape change in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California, was characterized using data derived from four lidar surveys: one airborne survey in 2006 and three terrestrial surveys in 2016, 2017, and 2018. These surveys were used to generate a better quantitative understanding of changes associated with fluvial processes along the...
Effects of climate and land-use change on thermal springs recharge—A system-based coupled surface-water and groundwater-flow model for Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Rheannon M. Hart, Scott J. Ikard, Phillip D. Hays, Brian R. Clark
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5045
A three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework of the Hot Springs anticlinorium beneath Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, was constructed to represent the complex hydrogeology of the park and surrounding areas to depths exceeding 9,000 feet below ground surface. The framework, composed of 6 rock formations and 1 vertical fault emplaced beneath the...
Assessment of streamflow and water quality in the Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado, 1992–2018
Natalie K. Day
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5016
The Upper Yampa River Basin drains approximately 2,100 square miles west of the Continental Divide in north-western Colorado. There is a growing need to understand potential changes in the quantity and quality of water resources as the basin is undergoing increasing land and water development to support growing municipal, industrial,...
Estimating Piacenzian sea surface temperature using an alkenone-calibrated transfer function
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson, Kevin M. Foley
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5051
Stationarity of environmental preferences is a primary assumption required for any paleoenvironmental reconstruction using fossil materials based upon calibration to modern organisms. Confidence in this assumption decreases the further back in time one goes, and the validity of the assumption that species temperature tolerances have not changed over time has...
Magnitude and frequency of floods in the alluvial plain of the lower Mississippi River, 2017
Brandon T. Anderson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5046
Annual exceedance probability flows at gaged locations and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability flows at ungaged locations were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, to improve flood-frequency estimates at rural streams in the alluvial plain of the lower...
Workflow for using unmanned aircraft systems and traditional geospatial data to delineate agricultural drainage tiles at edge-of-field sites
J. Jeremy Webber, Tanja N. Williamson
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5013
Managing nutrient and sediment runoff from fields that drain to the Great Lakes is key to mitigating harmful algal blooms. Implementation of best management practices on agricultural land is considered a critical step to improving water quality in these streams, however the effect of these best management practices is difficult...
Use of dissolved oxygen monitoring to evaluate phosphorus loading in Connecticut streams, 2015–18
Brittney Izbicki, Jonathan Morrison
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5024
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) has developed an interim phosphorus reduction strategy to establish water-quality-based phosphorus limits in nontidal freshwaters for industrial and municipal water pollution control facilities. A recommendation in the strategy included the addition of diurnal dissolved oxygen (DO) sampling to the sampling...
Sediment concentrations and loads upstream from and through John Redmond Reservoir, east-central Kansas, 2010–19
Ariele R. Kramer, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Matthew D. Mahoney, Bradley S. Lukasz
2021, Scientific Investigations Report 2021-5037
Streambank erosion and reservoir sedimentation are primary concerns of resource managers in Kansas and throughout many regions of the United States and negatively affect flood control, water supply, and recreation. The Cottonwood and upper Neosho Rivers drain into John Redmond Reservoir, and since reservoir completion in 1964, there has been...
