Groundwater quality and hydrology with emphasis on selenium mobilization and transport in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, 2012–16
Judith C. Thomas, Peter B. McMahon, L. R. Arnold
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5029
Dissolved selenium is a contaminant of concern in the lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado. Selenium is naturally present in the Cretaceous Mancos Shale and is leached to groundwater and surface water by irrigation. The groundwater on the east side of the Uncompahgre River in Delta and Montrose Counties is one...
The presence of antibiotic resistance genes in coastal soil and sediment samples from the eastern seaboard of the USA
Dale W. Griffin, William Benzel, Shawn C. Fisher, Michael J. Focazio, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Keith A. Loftin, Timothy J. Reilly, Daniel K. Jones
2019, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (19)
Infections from antibiotic resistant microorganisms are considered to be one of the greatest global public health challenges that result in huge annual economic losses. While genes that impart resistance to antibiotics (AbR) existed long before the discovery and use of antibiotics, anthropogenic uses of antibiotics in agriculture, domesticated animals, and...
Capacity and area of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, northeastern Oklahoma, 2009
Shelby L. Hunter, L.G. Labriola
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5040
In February 2017, the Grand River Dam Authority filed to relicense the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The predominant feature of the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project is Pensacola Dam, which impounds Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (locally called Grand Lake) in northeastern Oklahoma. Identification of information gaps...
Assessing potential effects of highway and urban runoff on receiving streams in total maximum daily load watersheds in Oregon using the stochastic empirical loading and dilution model
Adam J. Stonewall, Gregory E. Granato, Kira M. Glover-Cutter
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5053
The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration to simulate stormwater quality. To assess the effects of runoff, SELDM uses a stochastic mass-balance approach to estimate combinations of pre-storm streamflow, stormflow, highway runoff, event mean concentrations (EMCs) and stormwater constituent loads...
Sand Creek characterization study for Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis (Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout), Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado
Ben N. Mcgee, Andrew S. Todd, Kevin K. Terry
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5061
The Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis (Rio Grande cutthroat trout, RGCT) has undergone extensive declines in distribution and population. The RGCT is the southernmost distributed subspecies of cutthroat trout. Native to the Rio Grande Basin in Colorado and New Mexico, the subspecies is also found in the headwaters of the Pecos River...
Hydrocarbons in upland groundwater, Marcellus Shale Region, Northeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New York, USA
Peter B. McMahon, Bruce D. Lindsey, Matthew D. Conlon, Andrew G. Hunt, Kenneth Belitz, Bryant C. Jurgens, Brian A. Varela
2019, Environmental Science & Technology ( 53) 8027-8035
Water samples from 50 domestic wells located <1 km (proximal) and >1 km (distal) from shale-gas wells in upland areas of the Marcellus Shale region were analyzed for chemical, isotopic, and groundwater-age tracers. Uplands were targeted because natural mixing with brine and hydrocarbons from deep formations is less common in...
Morphology and genesis of giant seafloor depressions on the southeasterncontinental shelf of the Korean Peninsula
Deniz Cukur, Gee-Soo Kong, Jong-Hwa Chun, Moo-Hee Kang, In-Kwon Um, Taekhyun Kwon, Samuel E. Jordan, Kyong-O Kim
2019, Marine Geology (415)
We identify and describe five giant seafloor depressions from the southeastern continental shelf of the Korean Peninsula using multibeam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiler, and multi-channel seismic reflection data, supplemented by piston cores. Multibeam bathymetry data from the shelf show four crescent-shaped depressions (SD1 to SD4) and one near-circular depression (SD5) within...
Evaluating tradeoffs in the response of Sora (Porzana carolina) and waterfowl to the timing of early autumn wetland inundation
Ariel M. Fournier, Doreen C. Mengel, Edward Gbur, Andy Raedeke, David G. Krementz
2019, Waterbirds (42) 168-178
Wetland loss has increased the importance of multi-species management in remaining wetlands, which provide habitat for a multitude of wetland-dependent species. Many public wetlands across the mid-latitude United States are managed as moist soil impoundments with emphasis on migratory waterfowl. However, how the timing of these water management decisions affects...
Spatial conservation planning under uncertainty: Adapting to climate change risks using modern portfolio theory
Mitchell J. Eaton, Simeon Yurek, Zulqarnain Haider, Julien Martin, Fred Johnson, Bradley Udell, Hadi Charkhgard, Changhyun Kwon
2019, Ecological Applications (29)
Climate change and urban growth impact habitats, species, and ecosystem services. To buffer against global change, an established adaptation strategy is designing protected areas to increase representation and complementarity of biodiversity features. Uncertainty regarding the scale and magnitude of landscape change complicates reserve planning and exposes decision makers to risk...
Flood-inundation maps for the Iowa River at the Meskwaki Settlement in Iowa, 2019
Charles V. Cigrand
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5050
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 9.3-mile reach of the Iowa River along the Meskwaki Settlement, Iowa, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping...
Water resources of East Carroll Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3014
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, 39.63...
Hydraulic, geochemical, and thermal monitoring of an aquifer system in the vicinity of Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, California, 2015–17
James F. Howle, William C. Evans, Devin L. Galloway, Paul A. Hsieh, Shaul Hurwitz, Gregory A. Smith, Joseph Nawikas
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1063
Since 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, Mono County, Ormat Technologies, Inc., and the Mammoth Community Water District to design and implement a groundwater-monitoring program for the proposed Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Power Project in Long Valley Caldera, California, to...
Synopsis of research programs that can provide baseline and monitoring information for offshore energy activities in the Pacific region: Seabird and marine mammal surveys in the Pacific region
Josh Adams, Kevin D. Lafferty, Emily C. Kelsey, Cora A. Johnston
2019, Report
We assembled and tabulated information about marine bird and mammal research and monitoring programs that could provide data needed to support environmental risk assessments. This included identifying ongoing or completed research programs that contain information on species and habitats sensitive to offshore energy activities and that could provide baseline and...
Groundwater movement and interaction with surface water near the confluence of the Platte and Elkhorn rivers, Nebraska, 2016–18
Christopher M. Hobza, Mason J. Johnson, Paul W. Woodward, Kellan R. Strauch, Aaron R. Schepers
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5048
The State of Nebraska requires a sustainable balance between long-term water supplies and uses of groundwater and surface water and requires Natural Resources Districts to include the effect of groundwater use on surface-water systems as part of their respective integrated management plans. Recent droughts in Nebraska (2000–6; 2012–13) have amplified...
Water resources of Jackson Parish, Louisiana
Vincent E. White
2019, Fact Sheet 2019-3020
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 4.38...
Groundwater-level change for the periods 2002–8, 2008–12, and 2008–16 in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area, central New Mexico
Andre B. Ritchie, Amy E. Galanter, Lucas T.S. Curry
2019, Scientific Investigations Map 3435
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA), has developed a series of maps and associated reports, beginning in 2002, that document groundwater levels in the production zone of the Santa Fe Group aquifer system beneath a large area of the City of...
Annual variations in microcystin occurrence in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, based on high-throughput DNA sequencing, qPCR, and environmental parameters
Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Tamara M. Wood
2019, Lake and Reservoir Management (36) 31-44
Cyanobacteria-dominated blooms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, create poor water quality and produce microcystins that may be detrimental to local wildlife and human health. Genetic tools, including high-throughput DNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), have been shown to improve the identification and quantification of key...
Predicting attenuation of salinized surface- and groundwater-resources from legacy energy development in the Prairie Pothole Region
Todd M. Preston, Chauncey W. Anderson, Joanna N. Thamke, Blake R. Hossack, Katherine Skalak, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2019, Science of the Total Environment (690) 522-533
Oil and gas (energy) development in the Williston Basin, which partly underlies the Prairie Pothole Region in central North America, has helped meet U.S. energy demand for decades. Historical handling and disposal practices of saline wastewater co-produced during energy development resulted in salinization of surface and groundwater at numerous legacy...
First record of the non-indigenous parasitic copepod Neoergasilus japonicus (Harada, 1950) in the Lake Ontario Watershed: Oneida Lake, New York
Chris C. Marshall, Patrick Hudson, J. Randy Jackson, Joe K. Connolly, Jim M Watkins, Lars G. Rudstam
2019, Journal of Great Lakes Research (45) 1348-1353
Four specimens of the Asiatic parasitic copepod Neoergasilus japonicus (Harada, 1930) were collected from Oneida Lake, New York in September 2018; one specimen was from a white sucker Catostomus commersonii, another from a green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, and two from a bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. The four adult female specimens were found attached to the base...
The major coral reefs of Maui Nui, Hawai‘i—distribution, physical characteristics, oceanographic controls, and environmental threats
Michael E. Field, Curt D. Storlazzi, Ann E. Gibbs, Nicole L. D'Antonio, Susan A. Cochran
2019, Open-File Report 2019-1019
Coral reefs are widely recognized as critical to Hawaiʻi’s economy, food resources, and protection from damaging storm waves. Yet overfishing, land-based pollution, and climate change are threatening the health and sustainability of those reefs, and accordingly, both the Federal and State governments have called for protection and effective management. In...
Seasonal precipitation influences streamflow vulnerability to the 2015 drought in the western United States
Christopher Konrad
2019, Journal of Hydrometeorology (20) 1261-1274
Streamflow was exceptionally low in the spring and summer of 2015 across much of the western United States because of a regional drought that exploited the sensitivity of both snow- and rain-dominant rivers. Streamflow during 2015 was examined at 324 gauges in the region to assess its response to the...
Enhanced landslide mobility by basal liquefaction: the 2014 SR530 (Oso), Washington landslide
Brian D. Collins, Mark E. Reid
2019, Geological Society of America Bulletin (132) 451-476
Landslide mobility can vastly amplify the consequences of slope failure. As a compelling example, the March 22, 2014 landslide near Oso, Washington (USA) was particularly devastating, traveling across a 1-km+ wide river valley, killing 43 people, destroying dozens of homes, and temporarily closing a well-traveled highway. To resolve causes...
Aquifer storage change and storage properties, 2010–2017, in the Big Chino Subbasin, Yavapai County, Arizona
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Libby M. Wildermuth, Amy L. Read
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5060
The Big Chino Subbasin is a groundwater basin that includes the Verde River headwaters in Yavapai County in north-central Arizona. Groundwater in the southern part of the subbasin is found primarily in the Big Chino and Williamson Valleys. The former is a potential municipal water source for growing communities in...
Improved detection of rare, endangered and invasive trout using a new large-volume sampling method for eDNA capture
Adam J. Sepulveda, Jenna Schabacker, Seth Smith, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Gordon Luikart, Stephen J. Amish
2019, Environmental DNA (1) 227-237
Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection probability increases with volume of water sampled. Common approaches for collecting eDNA samples often require many samples since these approaches usually use fine filters, which restrict the volume of water that can be sampled. An alternative to collecting many, small volume water samples using fine filters...
Seasonal and spatial variation in the location and reactivity of a nitrate-contaminated groundwater discharge zone in a lakebed
Richard L. Smith, Deborah A. Repert, Deborah Stoliker, Douglas B. Kent, Bongkeun Song, Denis R. LeBlanc, Timothy D. McCobb, J.K. Bohlke, Sung Pil Hyun, Hee Sun Moon
2019, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (124) 2186-2207
Groundwater discharge delivering anthropogenic N from surrounding watersheds can impact lake nutrient budgets. However, upgradient groundwater processes and changing dynamics in N biogeochemistry at the groundwater-lake interface are complex and difficult to resolve. In this study, hydrograph variations in a groundwater flow-through lake altered discharge patterns of...