Dam removal cost databases and drivers
Jennifer A. Bountry, Timothy J. Randle, Alvin Jansen, Jeffrey J. Duda, Suman Jumani, Desiree D. Tullos, Kyle McKay, Susan Bailey
2024, Final Report ST-2023-21084 and ENV-2023-002
The United States (U.S.) has over 90,000 dams listed in the National Inventory of Dams that provide vital infrastructure to support water management for municipal and industrial uses including irrigation, hydropower, flood control, navigation, recreation, and habitat, among other uses (NID 2023). The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and U.S. Army...
Predicting large hydrothermal systems
Stanley Paul Mordensky, Erick R. Burns, Jacob DeAngelo, John Lipor
2023, Geothermal Resources Council Transactions (47) 1763-1796
We train five models using two machine learning (ML) regression algorithms (i.e., linear regression and XGBoost) to predict hydrothermal upflow in the Great Basin. Feature data are extracted from datasets supporting the INnovative Geothermal Exploration through Novel Investigations Of Undiscovered Systems project (INGENIOUS). The label data (the reported convective signals)...
Magnetotelluric investigation of northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Jared R. Peacock, Paul A. Bedrosian, Maher K. Al-Dhahry, Adel Shareef, Daniel W. Feucht, Cliff D. Taylor, Benjamin Bloss, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-L
Volcanism within the harrats (Arabic for “volcanic field”) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia includes at least one historical eruption occurring close to the holy city of Al Madīnah in 1256 C.E. As part of a volcanic- and seismic-hazard assessment of northern Harrat Rahat, magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected to...
Lava flow emplacement in Harrat Rahat with implications for eruptions in mafic volcanic fields
Hannah R. Dietterich, Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten
2023, Professional Paper 1862-E
Mafic volcanic fields are widespread, but few have erupted in historical times, providing limited observations of the magnitudes, dynamics, and timescales of lava flow emplacement in these settings. The Harrat Rahat volcanic field in western Saudi Arabia offers a good opportunity to study eruptions in such a setting, with a...
Eruptive history within the vicinity of Al Madīnah in northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Duane E. Champion, Hannah R. Dietterich, Khalid Hassan, Jamal Shawali
2023, Professional Paper 1862-C
The northernmost part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field contains early Pleistocene to Holocene mafic eruptive products within the vicinity of the city of Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A detailed geologic investigation into the eruptive history of a 570 square kilometer (km2) area covering Al Madīnah and the...
Evaluation of stream capture related to groundwater pumping, Lower Humboldt River Basin, Nevada
Cara A. Nadler, Susan C. Rybarski, Hai Pham
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5110
The Humboldt River Basin is the only river basin that is contained entirely within the State of Nevada. The effect of groundwater pumping on the Humboldt River is not well understood. Tools are needed to determine stream capture and manage groundwater pumping in the Humboldt River Basin. The objective of...
Changes in phosphorus and suspended solids loading in the Fox River, northeastern Wisconsin, 1989–2021
Dale M. Robertson, Matthew W. Diebel, Sarah L. Bartlett, Kevin J. Fermanich
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5112
The entire Lower Fox River and inner bay of Green Bay, in northeastern Wisconsin, have been listed as impaired by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) for low dissolved oxygen and degraded habitat, with total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations listed as the likely causes of...
Automated construction of Streamflow-Routing networks for MODFLOW—Application in the Mississippi Embayment region
Andrew T. Leaf
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5051
In humid regions with dense stream networks, surface water exerts a fundamental control on the water levels and flow directions of shallow groundwater. Understanding interactions between groundwater and surface water is critical for managing groundwater resources and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. Representing streams in groundwater models has historically been arduous and error...
Simulating groundwater flow in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain with a focus on the Mississippi Delta
Andrew T. Leaf, Leslie L. Duncan, Connor J. Haugh, Randall J. Hunt, James R. Rigby
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5100
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain has become one of the most important agricultural regions in the United States but relies heavily on groundwater for irrigation. On average, more than 12 billion gallons are withdrawn daily from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer. Declining groundwater levels, especially in the Delta region of...
Updated estimates of water budget components for the Mississippi Embayment Region using a soil-water-balance model, 2000–2020
Martha G. Nielsen, Stephen, M. Westenbroek
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5080
A Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model for the Mississippi embayment region in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana was constructed and calibrated to gain insight into potential recharge patterns for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, which has had substantial drawdown under intense pumping stress over the last several decades. An analysis of...
Influence of a guide net on the presence and behavior of fish near the selective water withdrawal structure in Lake Billy Chinook, Oregon, 2022
Collin D. Smith, Tyson W. Hatton
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1090
Imaging sonar was used to assess the influence of a fish guidance net, installed at the entrances to the selective water withdrawal (SWW) intake structure, in the forebay of Round Butte Dam, Oregon, on behavior, abundance, and timing of fish during the spring of 2022. The purposes of the SWW...
Hydrogeology, karst, and groundwater availability of Monroe County, West Virginia
Mark D. Kozar, Daniel H. Doctor, William K. Jones, Nathan Chien, Cheyenne E. Cox, Randall C. Orndorff, David J. Weary, Mitchell R. Weaver, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Mercer Parker
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5121
Monroe County is in southeastern West Virginia, encompassing an area of 474 square miles. The area consists of karst and siliciclastic aquifers of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian age and is in parts of two physiographic provinces: the Valley and Ridge Province to the east of Peters Mountain, and the...
Assessment of prerestoration water quality in the Herring River to support adaptive management at the Cape Cod National Seashore
Thomas G. Huntington
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5120
In 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, Cape Cod National Seashore of the National Park Service, and Friends of Herring River cooperated to assess nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations across the ocean-estuary boundary at a dike on the Herring River on Chequessett Neck Road in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, that has...
Updates to the regional groundwater-flow model of the New Jersey Coastal Plain, 1980–2013
Alison D. Gordon, Glen B. Carleton
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5066
A 21-layer three-dimensional transient groundwater-flow model of the New Jersey Coastal Plain was developed and calibrated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to simulate groundwater-flow conditions during 1980–2013, incorporating average annual groundwater withdrawals and average annual groundwater recharge. This model...
Geologic framework and hydrostratigraphy of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers within northern Bexar and Comal Counties, Texas
Allan K. Clark, James A. Golab, Robert R. Morris, Diana E. Pedraza
2023, Scientific Investigations Map 3510
During 2020–22, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Edwards Aquifer Authority, revised a previous publication that described the geologic framework and hydrostratigraphy of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers within northern Bexar and Comal Counties, Texas. This report presents the refined maps and descriptions of geologic...
Assessment of post-wildfire geomorphic change in the North Fork Eagle Creek stream channel, New Mexico, 2017–21
Justin R. Nichols, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Alexander P. Graziano
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5116
The 2012 Little Bear Fire caused substantial vegetation loss in the Eagle Creek Basin of south-central New Mexico. This loss was expected to alter the localized hydrologic response to precipitation by creating conditions that amplify surface runoff, which might alter the geomorphology of North Fork Eagle Creek, a major tributary...
High potential but low achievement: Frequent disturbance constrains the light use efficiency of river ecosystems
Audrey Thellman, Philip Savoy, Emily S. Bernhardt
2023, Ecosphere (14)
We rarely consider light limitation in ecosystem productivity, yet light limitation is a major constraint on river autotrophy. Because the light that reaches benthic autotrophs must first pass through terrestrial vegetation and an overlying water column that can be loaded with sediments or colored organic material, there is strong selection...
The enigmatic Rattlesnake Knoll, Spring Valley, east-central Nevada—A geophysical perspective
Edward A. Mankinen, Peter D. Rowley, Edwin H. McKee
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1002
Rattlesnake Knoll is a small, 30-meter-high mound of igneous breccia in the center of Spring Valley, east-central Nevada. In the past, researchers have disagreed as to whether the unusual-looking outcrop is intrusive or volcanic. The breccia possesses a normal magnetic polarity, but this is not apparent in aeromagnetic survey data....
Geomorphic classification framework for assessing reproductive ecology of Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon), Fort Peck segment, Upper Missouri River, Montana and North Dakota
Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott, Edward Bulliner
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5109
The segment of the Upper Missouri River between Fort Peck Dam and the headwaters of Lake Sakakawea is home to a population of the endangered Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon). Lack of population growth (recruitment failure) has been attributed to inadequate dispersal distance of larvae between spawning locations and the headwaters...
Application of the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) model to assess fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) production in the American River, California
John M. Plumb, Russell W. Perry, Tyson W. Hatton, Collin D. Smith, John M. Hannon
2023, Open-File Report 2023-1060
Executive SummaryAnadromous fish returning to the lower American River are restricted to 36 kilometers of free-flowing river between Nimbus Dam and American River’s confluence with the Sacramento River, California. Salmon in the American River provide an important freshwater recreational fishery. However, annual salmon production in the American River in recent...
Cruise Report for NOAA Ship Nancy Foster Cruise NF-22-06
Randy Clark, Amanda Demopoulos
2023, DWH MDBC Cruise Report CR-23-03
Between 9 August and 1 September, 2022, the Mesophotic and Deep Benthic (MDBC) Habitat Assessment and Evaluation (HAE) and Mapping, Ground-truthing, and Predictive Habitat Modeling (MGM) projects implemented remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, multibeam surveys, and conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) operations at deep-sea sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico....
Groundwater-flow model of the Treasure Valley, southwestern Idaho, 1986–2015
Stephen A. Hundt, James R. Bartolino
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5096
Most of the population of the Treasure Valley and the surrounding area of southwestern Idaho and easternmost Oregon depends on groundwater for domestic supply, either from domestic or municipal-supply wells. Current and projected rapid population growth in the area has caused concern about the long-term sustainability of the groundwater resource....
Groundwater potentiometric-surface altitude in 2022 and groundwater-level changes between 1968, 1991, and 2022, in the alluvial aquifer in the Big Lost River Valley, south-central Idaho
Scott D. Ducar, Lauren M. Zinsser
2023, Scientific Investigations Map 3509
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Idaho Department of Water Resources measured groundwater levels during spring 2022 and autumn 2022 to create detailed potentiometric-surface maps for the alluvial aquifer in the Big Lost River Valley in south-central Idaho. Wells were assigned to shallow, intermediate, and deep water-bearing units based on...
Long-term water-quality constituent trends in the Little Arkansas River, south-central Kansas, 1995–2021
Mandy L. Stone, Brian J. Klager
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5102
The Equus Beds aquifer and Cheney Reservoir are primary sources for the city of Wichita’s current (2023) water supply. The Equus Beds aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project was developed by the city of Wichita in the early 1990s to meet future water demands using the Little Arkansas River as...
Geology, hydrology, and groundwater contamination in the vicinity of Central Chemical facility, Hagerstown, Maryland
Trevor P. Needham, Alex R. Fiore, Scott W. Ator, Jeff P. Raffensperger, Madison B. Smith, Nicole M. Bellmyer, Caitlyn M. Dugan, Carol J. Morel
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2022-5011
The soil and groundwater at the Central Chemical facility, Hagerstown, Maryland, are contaminated due to the blending and production of pesticides and fertilizers during much of the 20th century. Remedial investigations focus on two operable units (OU) consisting of the surface soils and waste disposal lagoon (OU-1) and the groundwater...