Climate, streamflow, and lake-level trends in the Great Lakes Basin of the United States and Canada, water years 1960–2015
Parker A. Norton, Daniel G. Driscoll, Janet M. Carter
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5003
Water levels in the Great Lakes fluctuate substantially because of complex interactions among inputs (precipitation and streamflow), outputs (evaporation and outflow), and other factors. This report by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was completed to describe trends in climate, streamflow, lake levels, and...
Effect of size-biased sampling on resource predictions from the three-part method for quantitative mineral resource assessment—A case study of the gold mines in the Timmins-Kirkland Lake area of the Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada:
Karl J. Ellefsen
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5149
The three-part method for quantitative mineral resource assessment is used by the U.S. Geological Survey to predict, within a specified assessment area, the number of undiscovered mineral deposits and the quantity of mineral resources in those undiscovered deposits. The effects of size-biased sampling on such predictions are evaluated in a...
Flood-inundation maps for the Yellow River from River Drive to Centerville Highway, Gwinnett County, Georgia
Jonathan W. Musser
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5009
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 16.4-mile reach of the Yellow River in Gwinnett County, Georgia, from 0.5 mile upstream from River Drive to Centerville Highway (Georgia State Route 124) were developed to depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at two...
Contemporary environmental assessment using a viability analysis in a large river system to inform restoration and adaptive management decisions
Robin L. DeBruyne, Edward F. Roseman, Jason E. Ross, Kurt R. Newman, Russell M. Strach
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5002
As large-scale restoration plans for degraded aquatic habitats evolve, it is essential that multiorganizational collaborations have a common vision to achieve consensus on restoration goals. Development of restoration targets and postrestoration monitoring strategies can be focused using a viability analysis framework that supports an adaptive management process. Viability analysis is...
Flood-inundation maps of the Meramec River from Eureka to Arnold, Missouri, 2018
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Kellan R. Strauch
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5004
Libraries of digital flood-inundation maps that spanned a combined 37.2-mile reach of the Meramec River that extended upstream from Eureka, Missouri, to downstream near the confluence of the Meramec and Mississippi Rivers were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Metropolitan...
Water-balance modeling of selected lakes for evaluating viability as long-term fisheries in Kidder, Logan, and Stutsman Counties, North Dakota
Robert F. Lundgren, Benjamin C. York, Nathan A. Stroh, Aldo V. Vecchia
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2019-5007
Water levels in lakes and wetlands in the central North Dakota Missouri Coteau region that were either dry or only sporadically held water since before the 1930s have been rising since the early 1990s in response to an extended wet period. The lakes have remained full since the mid-1990s, which...
Water quality and hydrology of the Yellow Dog and Salmon Trout Watersheds, Marquette County, Michigan 2013–16
Christopher J. Hoard, Thomas L. Weaver
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5152
In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, began monitoring the water quality of springs and seeps within the Yellow Dog and Salmon Trout watersheds in Marquette County, Michigan. The objectives of this study were to (1) monitor streamflow and analyze the hydrology of...
Flood-inundation maps for Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York
Robert H. Flynn, Laura Hayes
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5169
In 2016, digital flood-inundation maps along the shoreline of Lake Champlain in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties in Vermont and northern Clinton County in New York were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the International Joint Commission (IJC). This report discusses the creation of...
Spatial distribution of nutrients, chloride, and suspended sediment concentrations and loads determined by using different sampling methods in a cross section of the Trenton Channel of the Detroit River, Michigan, November 2014–November 2015
Alexander R. Totten, Joseph W. Duris
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5141
The Detroit River separates the United States and Canada as it flows from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie. The Trenton Channel is a 13-kilometer-long branch of the Detroit River that flows to the west of Grosse Ile before rejoining the Detroit River near its mouth, just before the Detroit...
Spatial and temporal variability of harmful algal blooms in Milford Lake, Kansas, May through November 2016
Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Lindsey R. King
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5166
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), completed a study to quantify the spatial and temporal variability of cyanobacterial blooms in Milford Lake, Kansas, over a range of environmental conditions at various time scales (hours to months). A better understanding of the...
Assessment of Columbia and Willamette River flood stage on the Columbia Corridor Levee System at Portland, Oregon, in a future climate
Susan A. Wherry, Tamara M. Wood, Hans R. Moritz, Keith B. Duffy
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5161
To support Levee Ready Columbia’s (LRC’s) effort to re-certify levees along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and remain accredited, two 2-dimensional hydraulic models, Adaptive Hydraulics and Delft3D-Flexible Mesh, were used to simulate the effects of plausible extreme high water during the 2030 to 2059 period. The Columbia River was simulated...
Escherichia coli and microbial source tracking marker concentrations in and near a constructed wetland in Maumee Bay State Park, Oregon, Ohio, 2015–16
Christopher M. Kephart, Amie M.G. Brady, Ryan W. Jackwood
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5127
Elevated Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations at the Maumee Bay State Park (MBSP) Lake Erie beach have resulted in frequent recreational water-quality advisories. After the construction of a wetland along Berger Ditch in Maumee Bay State Park, Oregon, Ohio, samples were collected and analyzed for concentrations of E. coli and...
Catchment-level estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus agricultural use from commercial fertilizer sales for the conterminous United States, 2012
Jana S. Stewart, Gregory E. Schwarz, John W. Brakebill, Stephen D. Preston
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5145
Nutrient inputs from commercial agricultural fertilizer, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, are important factors contributing to the degradation of surface-water quality and the alteration of aquatic ecosystems. Despite this importance, information about the application of fertilizer to agricultural land is not available in a consistent manner across the United States at...
California’s exposure to volcanic hazards
Margaret Mangan, Jessica Ball, Nathan Wood, Jamie L. Jones, Jeff Peters, Nina Abdollahian, Laura Dinitz, Sharon Blankenheim, Johanna Fenton, Cynthia Pridmore
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5159
The potential for damaging earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and wildfires is widely recognized in California. The same cannot be said for volcanic eruptions, despite the fact that they occur in the state about as frequently as the largest earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault. At least ten eruptions have taken...
Upgrades to a Fortran program for estimating stream transit losses of reusable water, El Paso and Pueblo Counties, Colorado
Susan J. Colarullo, Lisa D. Miller
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5163
In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Pikes Peak Regional Water Authority and the Colorado Water Conservation Board, began a study to modernize a Fortran transit-loss accounting program developed by the U.S. Geological Survey to estimate net reusable flows in Fountain and Monument Creeks in El Paso and...
Estimation of base flow on ungaged, periodically measured streams in small watersheds in western Pennsylvania
Elizabeth A. Hittle, Dennis W. Risser
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5150
A 2.5-year data collection program was undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), to quantify and estimate base flow in small watersheds in western Pennsylvania where only periodic streamflow measurements had been obtained. Twelve streamgages with watershed areas of less than...
Stochastic model for simulating Souris River Basin regulated streamflow upstream from Minot, North Dakota
Kelsey A. Kolars, Aldo V. Vecchia, Joel M. Galloway
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5155
The Souris River Basin is a 24,000 square-mile basin in the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada, and the State of North Dakota in the United States. Above-average snowpack during the winter of 2010–11, along with record-setting rains in May and June of 2011, led to record flooding that...
Hydraulic and water-quality indicators of aquifer zones contributing groundwater flow to wells in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system near southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2013–16
R.E. Travis, Nathan C. Myers
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5138
An ethylene dibromide (EDB) plume extends approximately 5,880 feet northeast from the Bulk Fuels Facility on Kirtland Air Force Base. The leading edge of the EDB plume is about 3,700 feet upgradient from several water-supply wells. The water-supply wells are screened in the upper Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Within...
Carbon dioxide mineralization feasibility in the United States
Madalyn S. Blondes, Matthew D. Merrill, Steven T. Anderson, Christina A. DeVera
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5079
Geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage is one of many methods for stabilizing the increasing concentration of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere. The injection of CO2 in deep subsurface sedimentary reservoirs is the most commonly discussed method; however, the potential for CO2 leakage can create long-term stability concerns. This report discusses...
Potential for increased inundation in flood-prone regions of southeast Florida in response to climate and sea-level changes in Broward County, Florida, 2060–69
Jeremy D. Decker, Joseph D. Hughes, Eric D. Swain
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5125
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Broward County Environmental Planning and Resilience Division, has developed county-scale and local-scale groundwater/surface-water models to study the potential for increased inundation and flooding in eastern Broward County that are due to changes in future climate and sea-level rise. These models were constructed by...
Using acoustic Doppler velocity meters to estimate suspended sediment along the lower Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers
Joel T. Groten, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, J. William Lund, Christopher A. Ellison, Samuel B. Costa, Erin N. Coenen, Erich W. Kessler
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5165
Lake Pepin is the largest naturally formed lake on the Mississippi River and has complex management needs to satisfy economic, environmental, and cultural demands. Lake Pepin is filling in with sediment at a rapid rate compared to conditions before settlement by European immigrants and intense agricultural cultivation. Accordingly, the Minnesota...
Response of vegetation in open and partially wooded fens to prescribed burning at Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Jane E. Austin, Wesley E. Newton
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5168
The health and function of northern peatlands, particularly for fens, are strongly affected by fire and hydrology. Fens are important to several avian species of conservation interest, notably the yellow rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis). Fire suppression and altered hydrology often result in woody encroachment, altering the plant community and structure. Woody...
Hydrogeology of Lower Amargosa Valley and groundwater discharge to the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California, and adjacent areas in Nye and Clark Counties, Nevada
Wayne R. Belcher, Donald S. Sweetkind, Candice B. Hopkins, Megan E. Poff
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5151
In 2009, Congress designated certain reaches of the Amargosa River in Inyo County, California between the town of Shoshone and Dumont Dunes as a Wild and Scenic River. As part of the management of the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River, the Bureau of Land...
Assessment of bird exposure to lead at Tyndall and Beale Air Force Bases, 2016–17
Timothy A. Bargar
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5164
Soil contamination by lead (Pb) from past small munitions training on Beale Air Force Base, California, and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, may result in adverse effects for passerine birds that utilize the locations. A study was conducted during 2016-17 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S....
Characterization and occurrence of confined and unconfined aquifers in Quaternary sediments in the glaciated conterminous United States
Richard M. Yager, Leon J. Kauffman, David R. Soller, Adel E. Haj, Paul M. Heisig, Cheryl A. Buchwald, Stephen, M. Westenbroek, James E. Reddy
2019, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5091
The glacial aquifer system, which is a collection of aquifers within Quaternary sediments in the glaciated conterminous United States, is a principal aquifer that supplies groundwater that serves about 42 million people and accounts for about 5 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. This aquifer system (the area of maximum...
