Storage and mobilization of natural and septic nitrate in thick unsaturated zones, California
John A. Izbicki, Alan L. Flint, David R. O’Leary, Tracy Nishikawa, Peter Martin, Russell D. Johnson, Dennis A. Clark
2015, Journal of Hydrology (524) 147-165
Mobilization of natural and septic nitrate from the unsaturated zone as a result of managed aquifer recharge has degraded water quality from public-supply wells near Yucca Valley in the western Mojave Desert, California. The effect of nitrate storage and potential for denitrification in the unsaturated zone to mitigate increasing nitrate...
The impact of Hurricane Sandy on the shoreface and inner shelf of Fire Island, New York: large bedform migration but limited erosion
John A. Goff, Roger D. Flood, James A. Austin Jr., William C. Schwab, Beth A. Christensen, Cassandra M. Browne, Jane F. Denny, Wayne E. Baldwin
2015, Continental Shelf Research (98) 13-25
We investigate the impact of superstorm Sandy on the lower shoreface and inner shelf offshore the barrier island system of Fire Island, NY using before-and-after surveys involving swath bathymetry, backscatter and CHIRP acoustic reflection data. As sea level rises over the long term, the shoreface and inner shelf are eroded...
Porewater dynamics of silver, lead and copper in coastal sediments and implications for benthic metal fluxes
Linda H. Kalnejais, W. R. Martin, Michael H. Bothner
2015, Science of the Total Environment (517) 178-194
To determine the conditions that lead to a diffusive release of dissolved metals from coastal sediments, porewater profiles of Ag, Cu, and Pb have been collected over seven years at two contrasting coastal sites in Massachusetts, USA. The Hingham Bay (HB) site is a contaminated location in Boston Harbor, while...
Assessment of aquifer properties, evapotranspiration, and the effects of ditching in the Stoney Brook watershed, Fond du Lac Reservation, Minnesota, 2006-9
Perry M. Jones, Abigail A. Tomasek
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5007
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, assessed hydraulic properties of geologic material, recharge, and evapotranspiration, and the effects of ditching on the groundwater resources in the Stoney Brook watershed in the Fond du Lac Reservation. Geologic, groundwater, and surface-water data...
Wide-area ratios of evapotranspiration to precipitation in monsoon-dependent semiarid vegetation communities
Edward P. Glenn, Russell L. Scott, Uyen Nguyen, Pamela L. Nagler
2015, Journal of Arid Environments (117) 84-95
Evapotranspiration (ET) and the ratio of ET to precipitation (PPT) are important factors in the water budget of semiarid rangelands and are in part determined by the dominant plant communities. Our goal was to see if landscape changes such as tree or shrub encroachment and replacement of native grasses by...
Recovery of a mining-damaged stream ecosystem
Christopher A. Mebane, Robert J. Eakins, Brian G. Fraser, William J. Adams
2015, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene (3) 1-34
This paper presents a 30+ year record of changes in benthic macroinvertebrate communities and fish populations associated with improving water quality in mining-influenced streams. Panther Creek, a tributary to the Salmon River in central Idaho, USA suffered intensive damage from mining and milling operations at the Blackbird Mine that released...
Use of satellite images to determine surface-water cover during the flood event of September 13, 2013, in Lyons and western Longmont, Colorado
Christopher J. Cole, Beverly A. Friesen, Earl M. Wilson, Stanley R. Wilds, Suzanne M. Noble
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1042
The flooding that occurred in north-central Colorado in 2013 was some of the most destructive in the state’s history. Following a summer of drought and wildfires, a wet weather system stalled over the Front Range area from Fort Collins in the north to Colorado Springs in the south, including the...
Geospatial assessment of ecological functions and flood-related risks on floodplains along major rivers in the Puget Sound Basin, Washington
Christopher P. Konrad
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5033
Ecological functions and flood-related risks were assessed for floodplains along the 17 major rivers flowing into Puget Sound Basin, Washington. The assessment addresses five ecological functions, five components of flood-related risks at two spatial resolutions—fine and coarse. The fine-resolution assessment compiled spatial attributes of floodplains from existing, publicly available sources and...
Observing a catastrophic thermokarst lake drainage in northern Alaska
Benjamin M. Jones, Christopher D. Arp
2015, Permafrost and Periglacial Processes (26) 119-128
The formation and drainage of thermokarst lakes have reshaped ice-rich permafrost lowlands in the Arctic throughout the Holocene. North of Teshekpuk Lake, on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska, thermokarst lakes presently occupy 22.5% of the landscape, and drained thermokarst lake basins occupy 61.8%. Analysis of remotely sensed imagery...
Hydrologic characteristics of low-impact stormwater control measures at two sites in northeastern Ohio, 2008-13
Robert A. Darner, William D. Shuster, Denise H. Dumouchelle
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5030
This report updates and examines hydrologic data gathered to characterize the performance of two stormwater-control measure (SCM) sites in the Chagrin River watershed, Ohio. At the Sterncrest Drive site, roadside bioswales and rain gardens were used to alleviate drainage problems in this residential neighborhood area. At the Washington Street site,...
Seismic-sequence stratigraphy and geologic structure of the Floridan aquifer system near "Boulder Zone" deep wells in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Kevin J. Cunningham
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5013
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, acquired, processed, and interpreted seismic-reflection data near the North and South District “Boulder Zone” Well Fields to determine if geologic factors may contribute to the upward migration of injected effluent into that upper part of the Floridan...
Geophysical log analysis of selected test and residential wells at the Shenandoah Road National Superfund Site, East Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York
Richard J. Reynolds, J. Alton Anderson, John H. Williams
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5228
The U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed geophysical logs from 20 test wells and 23 residential wells at the Shenandoah Road National Superfund Site in East Fishkill, New York, from 2006 through 2010 as part of an Interagency Agreement to provide hydrogeologic technical support to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,...
Contaminant removal by wastewater treatment plants in the Stillaguamish River Basin, Washington
Jack E. Barbash, Patrick W. Moran, Richard J. Wagner, Michael Wolanek
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3023
Human activities in most areas of the developed world typically release nutrients, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and other contaminants into the environment, many of which reach freshwater ecosystems. In urbanized areas, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are critical facilities for collecting and reducing the amounts of wastewater contaminants (WWCs) that...
Assessment of the use of sorbent amendments for reduction of mercury methylation in wetland sediments at Acadia National Park, Maine
Thomas G. Huntington, Ariel Lewis, Aria Amirbahman, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Charles W. Culbertson
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5234
Mercury is a contaminant of ecological concern because of its ubiquity and toxicity to fish and wildlife, and is considered a severe and ongoing threat to biota at Acadia National Park in Maine. The formation and biomagnification of methylmercury is the primary concern of resource managers at Acadia, and information...
Surface and subsurface microgravity data in the vicinity of Sanford Underground Research Facility, Lead, South Dakota
Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Karl R. Koth, Rob Carruth
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1043
Absolute gravity data were collected at 32 stations in the vicinity of the Sanford Underground Research Facility from 2007 through 2014 for the purpose of monitoring groundwater storage change during dewatering of the former Homestake gold mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the largest and deepest underground mine...
Estimated freshwater withdrawals in Washington, 2010
Ron C. Lane, Wendy B. Welch
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5037
Every 5 years since 1950, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled data on the amount of water used in homes, businesses, industries, and farms throughout the State. This water-use data, combined with other related USGS information, has facilitated a unique understanding of the effects of human activity on the...
Back-island and open-ocean shorelines, and sand areas of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia, April 12, 1989, to September 5, 2013
Kristy K. Guy
2015, Data Series 928
Assessing the physical change to shorelines and wetlands is critical in determining the resiliency of wetland systems that protect adjacent habitat and communities. The wetland and back-barrier shorelines of Assateague Island, located in Maryland and Virginia, changed as a result of wave action and storm surge that occurred during Hurricane...
California State Waters Map Series: Offshore of Refugio Beach, California
Samuel Y. Johnson, Peter Dartnell, Guy R. Cochrane, Nadine E. Golden, Eleyne L. Phillips, Andrew C. Ritchie, Lisa M. Krigsman, Bryan E. Dieter, James E. Conrad, H. Gary Greene, Gordon G. Seitz, Charles A. Endris, Ray W. Sliter, Florence L. Wong, Mercedes D. Erdey, Carlos I. Gutierrez, Mary M. Yoklavich, Amy E. East, Patrick E. Hart
Samuel Y. Johnson, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2015, Scientific Investigations Map 3319
In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration, interpretation, and visualization of...
Effect of land-applied biosolids on surface-water nutrient yields and groundwater quality in Orange County, North Carolina
Chad R. Wagner, Sharon A. Fitzgerald, Kristen Bukowski McSwain, Stephen L. Harden, Laura N. Gurley, Shane W. Rogers
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5240
Land application of municipal wastewater biosolids is the most common method of biosolids management used in North Carolina and the United States. Biosolids have characteristics that may be beneficial to soil and plants. Land application can take advantage of these beneficial qualities, whereas disposal in landfills or incineration poses no...
Nutrient, suspended sediment, and trace element loads in the Blackstone River Basin in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 2007 to 2009
Marc J. Zimmerman, Marcus C. Waldron, Leslie A. DeSimone
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5026
Nutrients, suspended sediment, and trace element loads in the Blackstone River and selected tributaries were estimated from composite water-quality samples in order to better understand the distribution and sources of these constituents in the river basin. The flow-proportional composite water-quality samples were collected during sequential 2-week periods at six stations...
Laboratory and field tests of the Sutron RLR-0003-1 water level sensor
Janice M. Fulford, R. Scott Bryars
2015, Open-File Report 2014-1217
Three Sutron RLR-0003-1 water level sensors were tested in laboratory conditions to evaluate the accuracy of the sensor over the manufacturer’s specified operating temperature and distance-to-water ranges. The sensor was also tested for compliance to SDI-12 communication protocol and in field conditions at a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgaging site....
Sample descriptions and geophysical logs for cored well BP-3-USGS, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Alamosa County, Colorado
V. J. S. Grauch, Gary L. Skipp, Jonathan V. Thomas, Joshua K. Davis, Mary Ellen Benson
2015, Data Series 918
The BP-3-USGS well was drilled at the southwestern corner of Great Sand Dunes National Park in the San Luis Valley, south-central Colorado, 68 feet (ft, 20.7 meters [m]) southwest of the National Park Service’s boundary-piezometer (BP) well 3. BP-3-USGS is located at latitude 37°43ʹ18.06ʺN. and longitude 105°43ʹ39.30ʺW., at an elevation...
Presence of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in rainwater suggests aerial dispersal is possible
Jonathan E. Kolby, Sara D. Ramirez, Lee Berger, Dale W. Griffin, Merlijn Jocque, Lee F. Skerratt
2015, Aerobiologia (31) 411-419
Abstract Global spread of the pathogenic amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) may involve dispersal mechanisms not previously explored. Weather systems accompanied by strong wind and rainfall have been known to assist the dispersal of microbes pathogenic to plants and animals, and we considered a similar phenomenon might occur with...
Dry season mean monthly flow and harmonic mean flow regression equations for selected ungaged basins in Arkansas
Brian K. Breaker
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5031
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Southwestern Energy, the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, developed regression equations for estimation of dry season mean monthly flows and harmonic mean flows that are representative of natural streamflow conditions at...
An assessment of two methods for identifying undocumented levees using remotely sensed data
Christiana R. Czuba, Byron K. Williams, Jack Westman, Keith LeClaire
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5009
Many undocumented and commonly unmaintained levees exist in the landscape complicating flood forecasting, risk management, and emergency response. This report describes a pilot study completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess two methods to identify undocumented levees by using remotely...
