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Periphyton samples from the Big Cypress National Preserve were analyzed for concentrations of copper, lead, zinc, mercury, and methylmercury. Concentrations of organic carbon, inorganic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in periphyton samples also were determined. The samples were extracted with sodium acetate solution at a pH of 5.5 to determine exchangeable...

Benthic macroinvertebrates with elevated concentrations of metals were collected from the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) River, Idaho, pasteurized, and fed to cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki in the laboratory from start of feeding until 90 d posthatch. Invertebrates were collected from two sites known to contain elevated concentrations of metals: near Pinehurst...

Porphyry copper deposits in Arizona are genetically associated with Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary igneous complexes that consist of older intermediate volcanic rocks and younger intermediate to felsic intrusions. The igneous complexes and their associated porphyry copper deposits were emplaced into an Early Proterozoic basement characterized by different rocks, geologic...

The Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring has suggested studies on ambient (in-stream) and compliance (wastewater) data to determine if monitoring can be reduced locally or nationally. The similarity in temporal trends between retrospective ambient and compliance water-quality data collected from Pool 2 of the Mississippi River, USA, was determined for...

Elevated levels of trace elements and hydrophobic organic compounds were detected in streambed sediments and aquatic biota [Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) or bottom-feeding fish] of the Sacramento River Basin, California, during October and November 1995. Trace elements detected included cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, and zinc. Elevated levels of cadmium, copper,...

The Contaminant Hazard Review (CHR) series--sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center--synthesizes ecotoxicological data for selected environmental contaminants, with emphasis on hazards to native species of flora and fauna. From 1985 through 1998, 34 reviews were published in various report series of the U.S. Department of the...

One hundred four neonatal (fawns) and 40 adult female (does) pronghorn antelope (pronghorns) (Antilocapra americana) were captured on the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (HMNAR) in Lake County, southeastern Oregon, between 13 May 1996 and 26 May 1997. Blood and fecal samples were taken for an investigation of low fawn...

Selective review and synthesis of the technical literature on copper and copper salts in the environment and their effects primarily on fishes, birds, mammals, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and other natural resources. The subtopics include copper sources and uses; chemical and biochemical properties; concentrations of copper in field collections of...

An examination of Cheney Reservoir bottom sediment was conducted in August 1997 to describe long-term trends and document the occurrence of selected constituents at concentrations that may be detrimental to aquatic organisms. Average concentrations of total phosphorus in bottom-sediment cores ranged from 94 to 674 milligrams per kilogram and were...

The quality of urban stormwater is characterized with respect to 188 properties and constituents. Event-mean concentrations and loads for three land uses (residential, industrial, commercial), and annual loads for 12 selected properties and constituents for 26 gaged basins in the DallasFort Worth study area are presented. During February 1992–June 1993,...

This report describes the results of a synoptic water-quality and algal investigation during July 1995 at 36 stream sites in a 1,350 square-mile area of the North Umpqua River Basin, Oregon. The study area includes a headwaters hydroelectric project area, a Wild and Scenic reach in the main stem immediately...

In September 1996, a water-quality study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service, in headwater streams of Steamboat Creek, a tributary to the North Umpqua River Basin in southwestern Oregon. Field measurements were made in and surface-water and bottom-sediment samples were collected from...

Geochemical data for the upper Illinois River Basin are presented for concentrations of 39 elements in streambed sediment collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the fall of 1987. These data were collected as part of the pilot phase of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. A total of 372 sites...

A study of the effects of storm runoff from urban areas on water quality at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was conducted from May 1994 through September 1996. The purpose of this report is to present information to assess the current (1994-96) conditions and possible methods for anticipating future water-quality effects from...

The Payette National Forest (PNF), in west-central Idaho, is geologically diverse and contains a wide variety of mineral resources. Mineral deposit types are grouped into locatable, leasable, and salable categories. The PNF has substantial past production and identified resources of locatable commodities, including gold, silver, copper, zinc, tungsten, antimony, mercury,...

The Salmon National Forest administers 1,776,994 net acres of mountainous terrain located in east-central Idaho. Most of the Forest is in Lemhi County; only a small portion falls within Idaho and Valley Counties. Approximately 426,114 acres of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness extends into the western part of...

It has long been recognized that the largest mineral deposits contain most of the known mineral endowment (Singer and DeYoung, 1980). Sometimes called giant or world-class deposits, these largest deposits account for a very large share of historic and current mineral production and resources in industrial society (Singer, 1995). For...

Continuous-record water-level gages were established at three sites on Mountain Island Lake and one site downstream from Mountain Island Dam. The water level of Mountain Island Lake is controlled by Duke Power Company releases at Cowans Ford Dam (upstream) and Mountain Island Dam (downstream). Water levels on Mountain Island Lake...

Loads and yields of sediment and water-quality constituents were estimated for selected Kentucky streams. Streamflow, sediment, and water-quality information were collected at a network of 44 stream stations in Kentucky. Mean daily discharge was synthesized using the drainage-area ratio, regression analysis, or a combination of the two techniques. Streamflow was...

At the request of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed the Lake Valley Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), which includes the historic Lake Valley townsite and silver-manganese mining district, for undiscovered mineral resources. The Lake Valley ACEC is along the southeastern margin of the Black...

Although wildlife risk assessments are generally based on the accumulation of environmental contaminants through food chains, wildlife may also ingest contaminants incidentally with sediment. Forty-two mute swans (Cygnus olor) were collected from unpolluted portions of central Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA, in spring 1995, and their intestinal digesta were analyzed for...

This report describes geochemical and geological studies which were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Servicos Geologicos de Portugal (SPG) in the Portuguese pyrite belt (PPB) in southern Portugal. The studies included rare earth element (REE) distributions and geological and geochemical controls on the distribution of gold....

Large-scale mining activities have generated a plume of acidic ground water more than 15 km long in the regional aquifer of the Pinal Creek Basin. A one-dimensional reactive-transport model was developed using PHREEQC to aid in the analysis of transport and chemical processes in the plume and to determine the uses...

Slag is a by-product of steel manufacturing and a ubiquitous fill material in northwestern Indiana. Ground water associated with slag deposits generally is characterized by high pH and elevated concentrations of many inorganic water-quality constituents. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, conducted a...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under section 402 (p) of the Water Quality Act of 1987, has required municipalities with populations of more than 100,000 to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for urban stormwater discharge. This regulation is intended to minimize pollutant loadings from urbanized areas and...