Bend-scale geomorphic classification and assessment of the Lower Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, to the Mississippi River for application to pallid sturgeon management
Robert B. Jacobson, Michael E. Colvin, Edward A. Bulliner, Darcy Pickard, Caroline M. Elliott
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5069
Management actions intended to increase growth and survival of pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) age-0 larvae on the Lower Missouri River require a comprehensive understanding of the geomorphic habitat template of the river. The study described here had two objectives relating to where channel-reconfiguration projects should be located to optimize effectiveness....
Water-quality observations of the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer, Texas, with an emphasis on processes influencing nutrient and pesticide geochemistry and factors affecting aquifer vulnerability, 2010–16
Stephen P. Opsahl, MaryLynn Musgrove, Barbara Mahler, Rebecca B. Lambert
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5060
As questions regarding the influence of increasing urbanization on water quality in the Edwards aquifer are raised, a better understanding of the sources, fate, and transport of compounds of concern in the aquifer—in particular, nutrients and pesticides—is needed to improve water management decision-making capabilities. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation...
Potential impacts of projected climate change on vegetation-management strategies in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Richard J. Camp, S. Paul Berkowitz, Kevin W. Brink, James D. Jacobi, Rhonda Loh, Jonathan Price, Lucas B. Fortini
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5012
Climate change is expected to alter the seasonal and annual patterns of rainfall and temperature in the Hawaiian Islands. Land managers and other responsible agencies will need to know how plant-species habitats will change over the next century in order to manage these resources effectively. This issue is a major...
Conceptual framework and trend analysis of water-level responses to hydrologic stresses, Pahute Mesa–Oasis Valley groundwater basin, Nevada, 1966-2016
Tracie R. Jackson, Joseph M. Fenelon
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5064
This report identifies water-level trends in wells and provides a conceptual framework that explains the hydrologic stresses and factors causing the trends in the Pahute Mesa–Oasis Valley (PMOV) groundwater basin, southern Nevada. Water levels in 79 wells were analyzed for trends between 1966 and 2016. The magnitude and duration of...
Construction and calibration of a groundwater-flow model to assess groundwater availability in the uppermost principal aquifer systems of the Williston Basin, United States and Canada
Kyle W. Davis, Andrew J. Long
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5158
The U.S. Geological Survey developed a groundwater-flow model for the uppermost principal aquifer systems in the Williston Basin in parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada as part of a detailed assessment of the groundwater availability in...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Monterey-Salinas Shallow Aquifer Study Unit, 2012–13: California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Carmen A. Burton, Michael Wright
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5057
Groundwater quality in the approximately 7,820-square-kilometer (km2) Monterey-Salinas Shallow Aquifer (MS-SA) study unit was investigated from October 2012 to May 2013 as part of the second phase of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is in the central coast region...
Comparability among four invertebrate sampling methods and two multimetric indexes, Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2010–2012
James F. Bruce, James Roberts, Robert E. Zuellig
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5061
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Colorado Springs City Engineering and Colorado Springs Utilities, analyzed previously collected invertebrate data to determine the comparability among four sampling methods and two versions (2010 and 2017) of the Colorado Benthic Macroinvertebrate Multimetric Index (MMI). For this study, annual macroinvertebrate samples were...
Effects of surface-water and groundwater inflows and outflows on the hydrology of the Tsala Apopka Lake Basin in Citrus County, Florida
Nicasio Sepulveda, Mark Fulkerson, Ron Basso, Patrick J. Ryan
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5055
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, initiated a study to quantify the inflows and outflows in the Floral City, Inverness, and Hernando pools of the Tsala Apopka Lake Basin in Citrus County, Florida. This study assesses hydrologic changes in pool stages, groundwater levels,...
Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits
Ryan D. Taylor, Eric D. Anderson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5070-P
Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits represent the largest repository of gold on Earth, largely due to the deposits of the Witwatersrand Basin, which account for nearly 40 percent of the total gold produced throughout Earth’s history. This deposit type has had a controversial history in regards to genetic models. However, most researchers...
Surface-water quality in the Lycoming Creek watershed, north-central Pennsylvania, August 1–3, 2011
Dennis W. Risser, Matthew D. Conlon
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5154
This report presents the methodology and results for a study of surface-water quality of the Lycoming Creek watershed in north-central Pennsylvania during August 1–3, 2011. The study was done in cooperation with the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Samples of stream water were collected...
Preliminary synthesis and assessment of environmental flows in the middle Verde River watershed, Arizona
Nicholas V. Paretti, Anne M. D. Brasher, Susanna L. Pearlstein, Dena M. Skow, Bruce Gungle, Bradley D. Garner
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5100
A 3-year study was undertaken to evaluate the suitability of the available modeling tools for characterizing environmental flows in the middle Verde River watershed of central Arizona, describe riparian vegetation throughout the watershed, and estimate sediment mobilization in the river. Existing data on fish and macroinvertebrates were analyzed in relation...
Hydraulic, water-quality, and temperature performance of three types of permeable pavement under high sediment loading conditions
William R. Selbig, Nicolas Buer
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5037
Three permeable pavement surfaces - asphalt (PA), concrete (PC), and interlocking pavers (PIP) - were evaluated side-by-side to measure changes to the infiltrative capacity and water quality of stormwater runoff originating from a conventional asphalt parking lot in Madison, Wisconsin. During the 24-month monitoring period (2014-16), all three permeable pavements...
Estimates of long-term mean-annual nutrient loads considered for use in SPARROW models of the Midcontinental region of Canada and the United States, 2002 base year
David A. Saad, Glenn A. Benoy, Dale M. Robertson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5051
Streamflow and nutrient concentration data needed to compute nitrogen and phosphorus loads were compiled from Federal, State, Provincial, and local agency databases and also from selected university databases. The nitrogen and phosphorus loads are necessary inputs to Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) models. SPARROW models are a way...
Flood-inundation maps for the Wabash River at Lafayette, Indiana
Moon H. Kim
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5017
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximately 4.8-mile reach of the Wabash River at Lafayette, Indiana (Ind.) were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science web...
Methods for peak-flow frequency analysis and reporting for streamgages in or near Montana based on data through water year 2015
Steven K. Sando, Peter M. McCarthy
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5046
This report documents the methods for peak-flow frequency (hereinafter “frequency”) analysis and reporting for streamgages in and near Montana following implementation of the Bulletin 17C guidelines. The methods are used to provide estimates of peak-flow quantiles for 50-, 42.9-, 20-, 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, 0.5-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities...
Hydrologic and water-quality characteristics of Caño Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, and Puerto Mosquito, Isla de Vieques, Puerto Rico, July 2015–July 2016
Julieta M. Gómez-Fragoso, Jose A. Santiago-Saez
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5018
Coastal lagoons are common features of the Puerto Rico shoreline that provide habitat for commercial and recreational species and serve important roles in the nutrient cycle of the ecosystems. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, conducted a limnological study at Caño Boquerón in...
Hydrogeologic setting, conceptual groundwater flow system, and hydrologic conditions 1995–2010 in Florida and parts of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina
Jason C. Bellino, Eve L. Kuniansky, Andrew M. O'Reilly, Joann F. Dixon
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5030
The hydrogeologic setting and groundwater flow system in Florida and parts of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina is dominated by the highly transmissive Floridan aquifer system. This principal aquifer is a vital source of freshwater for public and domestic supply, as well as for industrial and agricultural uses throughout the...
Discharge, sediment, and water chemistry in Clear Creek, western Nevada, water years 2013–16
Jena M. Huntington, Daniel J. Riddle, Angela P. Paul
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5050
Clear Creek is a small stream that drains the eastern Carson Range near Lake Tahoe, flows roughly parallel to the Highway 50 corridor, and discharges to the Carson River near Carson City, Nevada. Historical and ongoing development in the drainage basin is thought to be affecting Clear Creek and...
Estimation of unregulated monthly, annual, and peak streamflows in Forest City Stream and lake levels in East Grand Lake, United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick
Pamela J. Lombard
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5044
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, compiled historical data on regulated streamflows and lake levels and estimated unregulated streamflows and lake levels on Forest City Stream at Forest City, Maine, and East Grand Lake on the United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick to...
A metabolism-based whole lake eutrophication model to estimate the magnitude and time scales of the effects of restoration in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon
Susan A. Wherry, Tamara M. Wood
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5042
A whole lake eutrophication (WLE) model approach for phosphorus and cyanobacterial biomass in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon, is presented here. The model is a successor to a previous model developed to inform a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for phosphorus in the lake, but is based on net...
Public-supply water use and self-supplied industrial water use in Tennessee, 2010
John A. Robinson
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5009
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Resources, prepared this report and displayed and analyzed water use by self-supplied industrial and public-supply water systems in Tennessee for 2010. Public-supply water systems in Tennessee provide water for domestic, industrial, and...
Characterization of water quality in Bushy Park Reservoir, South Carolina, 2013–15
Paul A. Conrads, Celeste A. Journey, Matthew D. Petkewich, Timothy H. Lanier, Jimmy M. Clark
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5010
The Bushy Park Reservoir is the principal water supply for 400,000 people in the greater Charleston, South Carolina, area, which includes homes as well as businesses and industries in the Bushy Park Industrial Complex. Charleston Water System and the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a cooperative study during 2013–15 to assess...
Assessment of dissolved-selenium concentrations and loads in the lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, as part of the Selenium Management Program, from 2011 to 2016
Mark F. Henneberg
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5001
The Gunnison Basin Selenium Management Program implemented a water-quality monitoring network in 2011 in the lower Gunnison River Basin in Colorado. Selenium is a trace element that bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains and can cause reproductive failure, deformities, and other harmful effects. This report presents the percentile values of selenium...
Titanium mineral resources in heavy-mineral sands in the Atlantic coastal plain of the southeastern United States
Bradley S. Van Gosen, Karl J. Ellefsen
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5045
This study examined titanium distribution in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States; the titanium is found in heavy-mineral sands that include the minerals ilmenite (Fe2+TiO3), rutile (TiO2), or leucoxene (an alteration product of ilmenite). Deposits of heavy-mineral sands in ancient and modern coastal plains are a significant...
Evaluating the potential for near-shore bathymetry on the Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, using Landsat 8 and WorldView-3 imagery
Sandra K. Poppenga, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Dean B. Gesch, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Dean J. Tyler
2018, Scientific Investigations Report 2018-5024
Satellite-derived near-shore bathymetry (SDB) is becoming an increasingly important method for assessing vulnerability to climate change and natural hazards in low-lying atolls of the northern tropical Pacific Ocean. Satellite imagery has become a cost-effective means for mapping near-shore bathymetry because ships cannot collect soundings safely while operating close to the...
