Variability in stream chemistry in relation to urban development and biological condition in seven metropolitan areas of the United States, 1999-2004
Karen M. Beaulieu, Amanda H. Bell, James F. Coles
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5170
Beginning in 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program investigated the effects of urban development on stream ecosystems in nine metropolitan study areas across the United States. In seven of these study areas, stream-chemistry samples were collected every other month for 1 year at 6 to 10...
Measurements of seepage losses and gains, East Maui Irrigation diversion system, Maui, Hawaiʻi
Chui Ling Cheng
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1115
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a field study from March to October 2011 to identify ditch characteristics and quantify seepage losses and gains in the East Maui Irrigation (EMI) diversion system, east Maui, Hawaiʻi. The EMI diversion system begins at Makapipi Stream in the east and ends at Māliko Gulch...
A modeling framework for integrated harvest and habitat management of North American waterfowl: Case-study of northern pintail metapopulation dynamics
Brady J. Mattsson, Michael C. Runge, J.H. Devries, G.S. Boomer, J.M. Eadie, D.A. Haukos, J. P. Fleskes, D. N. Koons, Wayne E. Thogmartin, R. G. Clark
2012, Ecological Modelling (225) 146-158
We developed and evaluated the performance of a metapopulation model enabling managers to examine, for the first time, the consequences of alternative management strategies involving habitat conditions and hunting on both harvest opportunity and carrying capacity (i.e., equilibrium population size in the absence of harvest) for migratory waterfowl at a...
Results of paleoflood investigations for Spring, Rapid, Boxedler, and Elk Creeks, Black Hills, western South Dakota
Daniel G. Driscoll, James E. O'Connor, Tessa M. Harden
2012, Book
Flood-frequency analyses for the Black Hills area are especially important because of severe flooding of June 9–10, 1972, that was caused by a large mesoscale convective system and resulted in at least 238 deaths. This paper summarizes results of paleoflood investigations for six study reaches in the central Black Hills....
Development and application of a groundwater/surface-water flow model using MODFLOW-NWT for the Upper Fox River Basin, southeastern Wisconsin
D. T. Feinstein, M.N. Fienen, J.L. Kennedy, C.A. Buchwald, M.M. Greenwood
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5108
The Fox River is a 199-mile-long tributary to the Illinois River within the Mississippi River Basin in the states of Wisconsin and Illinois. For the purposes of this study the Upper Fox River Basin is defined as the topographic basin that extends from the upstream boundary of the Fox River...
Comparison of TOPMODEL streamflow simulations using NEXRAD-based and measured rainfall data, McTier Creek watershed, South Carolina
Toby D. Feaster, Nancy E. Westcott, Robert J.M. Hudson, Paul Conrads, Paul M. Bradley
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5120
Rainfall is an important forcing function in most watershed models. As part of a previous investigation to assess interactions among hydrologic, geochemical, and ecological processes that affect fish-tissue mercury concentrations in the Edisto River Basin, the topography-based hydrological model (TOPMODEL) was applied in the McTier Creek watershed in Aiken County,...
Groundwater quality and simulation of sources of water to wells in the Marsh Creek valley at the U.S. Geological Survey Northern Appalachian Research Laboratory, Tioga County, Pennsylvania
Dennis W. Risser, Kevin J. Breen
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5042
This report provides a November 2010 snapshot of groundwater quality and an analysis of the sources of water to wells at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Northern Appalachian Research Laboratory (NARL) near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. The laboratory, which conducts fisheries research, currently (2011) withdraws 1,000 gallons per minute of high-quality groundwater...
Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California: 2011
Jessica Dyke, Janet K. Thompson, Daniel J. Cain, Amy E. Kleckner, Francis Parcheso, Samuel N. Luoma, Michelle I. Hornberger
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1165
Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in South San Francisco Bay, Calif....
Geologic and mineralogic controls on acid and metal-rich rock drainage in an alpine watershed, Handcart Gulch, Colorado
Dana J. Bove, Jonathan S. Caine, Heather Lowers
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5067
The surface and subsurface geology, hydrothermal alteration, and mineralogy of the Handcart Gulch area was studied using map and drill core data as part of a multidisciplinary approach to understand the hydrology and affects of geology on acid-rock drainage in a mineralized alpine watershed. Handcart Gulch was the locus of...
Estimation of natural historical flows for the Manitowish River near Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Paul F. Juckem, Paul C. Reneau, Dale M. Robertson
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5135
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is charged with oversight of dam operations throughout Wisconsin and is considering modifications to the operating orders for the Rest Lake Dam in Vilas County, Wisconsin. State law requires that the operation orders be tied to natural low flows at the dam. Because the...
Foraminiferal repopulation of the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact crater
C. Wylie Poag
2012, Micropaleontology (58)
The Chickahominy Formation is the initial postimpact deposit in the 85km-diameter Chesapeake Bay impact crater, which is centered under the town of Cape Charles, Virginia, USA. The formation comprises dominantly microfossil-rich, silty, marine clay, which accumulated during the final ~1.6myr of late Eocene time. At cored sites, the Chickahominy Formation...
Benthic community structure and composition in sediment from the northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline, Texas to Florida
Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Douglas G. Strom
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1153
From April 20 through July 15, 2010, approximately 4.93 million barrels of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico from the British Petroleum Macondo-1 well, representing the largest spill in U.S. waters. Baseline benthic community conditions were assessed from shoreline sediment samples collected from 56 stations within the swash...
Shifting species interactions in terrestrial dryland ecosystems under altered water availability and climate change
Kevin E. McCluney, Jayne Belnap, Scott L. Collins, Angelica L. Gonzalez, Elizabeth M. Hagen, J. Nathaniel Holland, Burt P. Kotler, Fernando T. Maestre, Stanley D. Smith, Blair O. Wolf
2012, Biological Reviews (87) 563-582
Species interactions play key roles in linking the responses of populations, communities, and ecosystems to environmental change. For instance, species interactions are an important determinant of the complexity of changes in trophic biomass with variation in resources. Water resources are a major driver of terrestrial ecology and climate change is...
Groundwater-quality data in the Borrego Valley, Central Desert, and Low-Use Basins of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts study unit, 2008-2010--Results from the California GAMA Program
Timothy M. Mathany, Michael T. Wright, Brandon S. Beuttel, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Data Series 659
Groundwater quality in the 12,103-square-mile Borrego Valley, Central Desert, and Low-Use Basins of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts (CLUB) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from December 2008 to March 2010, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and...
Hydrology and modeling of flow conditions at Bridge 339 and Mile 38-43, Copper River Highway, Alaska
Timothy P. Brabets
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5153
The Copper River basin, the sixth largest watershed in Alaska, drains an area of 24,200 square miles in south-central Alaska. This large, glacier-fed river flows across a wide alluvial fan before it enters the Gulf of Alaska. The Copper River Highway, which traverses the alluvial fan, has been affected by...
In situ determination of flocculated suspended material settling velocities and characteristics using a floc camera
David H. Schoellhamer, Dan Haught, Andrew Manning
2012, Conference Paper
Estimates of suspended sediment settling are necessary for numerical sediment models, water quality studies, and rehabilitation of coastal ecosystems. Settling of cohesive sediment, which is common in estuaries, is more difficult to quantify than noncohesive sediment because of flocculation. Flocs are composed of an aggregation of finer silts, clays, and...
Mercury bioaccumulation studies in the National Water-Quality Assessment Program--biological data from New York and South Carolina, 2005-2009
Karen M. Beaulieu, Daniel T. Button, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Karen Riva-Murray, Lia C. Chasar, Paul M. Bradley, Douglas A. Burns
2012, Data Series 705
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program conducted a multidisciplinary study from 2005–09 to investigate the bioaccumulation of mercury in streams from two contrasting environmental settings. Study areas were located in the central Adirondack Mountains region of New York and the Inner Coastal Plain of South Carolina. Fish, macroinvertebrates,...
Effects of brush management on the hydrologic budget and water quality in and adjacent to Honey Creek State Natural Area, Comal County, Texas, 2001--10
J. Ryan Banta, Richard N. Slattery
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3097
Woody vegetation, including ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei), has encroached on some areas in central Texas that were historically oak grassland savannah. Encroachment of woody vegetation is generally attributed to overgrazing and fire suppression. Removing the ashe juniper and allowing native grasses to reestablish in the area as a brush management...
Sediment loads in the Red River of the North and selected tributaries near Fargo, North Dakota, 2010--2011
Joel M. Galloway, Rochelle A. Nustad
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5111
Natural-resource agencies are concerned about possible geomorphic effects of a proposed diversion project to reduce the flood risk in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected data in the spring of 2010 and 2011, and from June to November...
Geospatial datasets for watershed delineation and characterization used in the Hawaii StreamStats web application
Alan Rea, Kenneth D. Skinner
2012, Data Series 680
The U.S. Geological Survey Hawaii StreamStats application uses an integrated suite of raster and vector geospatial datasets to delineate and characterize watersheds. The geospatial datasets used to delineate and characterize watersheds on the StreamStats website, and the methods used to develop the datasets are described in this report. The datasets...
USGS Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas
Christopher J. Churchill, Stanley Baldys
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3077
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas provides early detection and monitoring of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) by using a holistic suite of detection methods. The program is designed to assess zebra mussel occurrence, distribution, and densities in north Texas waters by using four approaches:...
Occurrence of triclosan, triclocarban, and its lesser chlorinated congeners in Minnesota freshwater sediments collected near wastewater treatment plants
Arjun K. Venkatesan, Benny F.G. Pycke, Larry B. Barber, Kathy Lee, Rolf U. Halden
2012, Journal of Hazardous Materials (229-230) 29-35
The antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS), triclocarban (TCC) and their associated transformation products are of increasing concern as environmental pollutants due to their potential adverse effects on humans and wildlife, including bioaccumulation and endocrine-disrupting activity. Analysis by tandem mass spectrometry of 24 paired freshwater bed sediment samples (top 10 cm) collected...
Multivariate statistical approach to estimate mixing proportions for unknown end members
Joshua F. Valder, Andrew J. Long, Arden D. Davis, Scott J. Kenner
2012, Journal of Hydrology (460-461) 65-76
A multivariate statistical method is presented, which includes principal components analysis (PCA) and an end-member mixing model to estimate unknown end-member hydrochemical compositions and the relative mixing proportions of those end members in mixed waters. PCA, together with the Hotelling T2 statistic and a conceptual model of groundwater flow and...
Practical estimates of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity of bedrock outcrops using a modified bottomless bucket method
Benjamin B. Mirus, Kim S. Perkins
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
The bottomless bucket (BB) approach (Nimmo et al., 2009a) is a cost-effective method for rapidly characterizing field-saturated hydraulic conductivity Kfs of soils and alluvial deposits. This practical approach is of particular value for quantifying infiltration rates in remote areas with limited accessibility. A similar approach for bedrock outcrops is also...
Factors associated with sources, transport, and fate of chloroform and three other trihalomethanes in untreated groundwater used for drinking water
Janet M. Carter, Michael J. Moran, John S. Zogorski, Curtis V. Price
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 8189-8197
Multiple lines of evidence for indicating factors associated with the sources, transport, and fate of chloroform and three other trihalomethanes (THMs) in untreated groundwater were revealed by evaluating low-level analytical results and logistic regression results for THMs. Samples of untreated groundwater from wells used for drinking water were collected from...
