Technical Review of Water-Resources Investigations of the Tule Desert, Lincoln County, Southern Nevada
David L. Berger, Keith J. Halford, Wayne R. Belcher, Michael S. Lico
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1354
The Nevada State Engineer in Ruling No. 5181 required Lincoln County and Vidler Water Company, Inc., to provide results from additional water-resources studies of Tule Desert in southern Nevada to support water-rights application 64692. As outlined by the ruling, the additional studies were to include the determination of the amount...
Analysis of the Magnitude and Frequency of Peak Discharge and Maximum Observed Peak Discharge in New Mexico and Surrounding Areas
Scott D. Waltemeyer
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5119
Estimates of the magnitude and frequency of peak discharges are necessary for the reliable design of bridges, culverts, and open-channel hydraulic analysis, and for flood-hazard mapping in New Mexico and surrounding areas. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, updated estimates of peak-discharge magnitude...
Deciphering landslide behavior using large-scale flume experiments
Mark E. Reid, Richard M. Iverson, Neal R. Iverson, Richard G. LaHusen, Dianne L. Brien, Matthew Logan
2008, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the First World Landslide Forum
Landslides can be triggered by a variety of hydrologic events and they can exhibit a wide range of movement dynamics. Effective prediction requires understanding these diverse behaviors. Precise evaluation in the field is difficult; as an alternative we performed a series of landslide initiation experiments in the large-scale, USGS debris-flow...
Simulated effects of ground-water withdrawals and artificial recharge on discharge to streams, springs, and riparian vegetation in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed of the Upper San Pedro Basin, southeastern Arizona
Stanley A. Leake, Donald R. Pool, James M. Leenhouts
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5207
In the context of ground-water resources, “capture” or “streamflow depletion” refers to withdrawal-induced changes in inflow to or outflow from an aquifer. These concepts are helpful in understanding the effects of long-term development of ground-water resources. For the Upper San Pedro Basin in Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico, a recently...
Water-quality, bed-sediment, and biological data (October 2006 through September 2007) and statistical summaries of long-term data for streams in the Clark Fork Basin, Montana
Kent A. Dodge, Michelle I. Hornberger, Jessica Dyke
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1318
Water, bed sediment, and biota were sampled in streams from Butte to below Milltown Reservoir as part of a long-term monitoring program in the upper Clark Fork basin; additional water-quality samples were collected in the Clark Fork basin from sites near Milltown Reservoir downstream to near the confluence of the...
Incorporation of Fine-Grained Sediment Erodibility Measurements into Sediment Transport Modeling, Capitol Lake, Washington
Andrew W. Stevens, Guy Gelfenbaum, Edwin Elias, Craig Jones
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1340
Capitol Lake was created in 1951 with the construction of a concrete dam and control gate that prevented salt-water intrusion into the newly formed lake and regulated flow of the Deschutes River into southern Puget Sound. Physical processes associated with the former tidally dominated estuary were altered, and the dam...
Rivers and streams: Physical setting and adapted biota
Margaret A. Wilzbach, K.W. Cummins
2008, Book chapter, Encyclopedia of Ecology
Streams and rivers are enormously important, with their ecological, and economic value, greatly outweighing their significance on the landscape. Lotic ecology began in Europe with a focus on the distribution, abundance, and taxonomic composition of aquatic organisms and in North American with a focus on fishery biology. Since 1980, stream/river...
Release of Hexavalent Chromium by Ash and Soils in Wildfire-Impacted Areas
Ruth E. Wolf, Suzette A. Morman, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Philip L. Hageman, Monique Adams
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1345
The highly oxidizing environment of a wildfire has the potential to convert any chromium present in the soil or in residential or industrial debris to its more toxic form, hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen. In addition, the highly basic conditions resulting from the combustion of wood and wood products could...
Geohydrology of the Unconsolidated Valley-Fill Aquifer in the Meads Creek Valley, Schuyler and Steuben Counties, New York
Todd S. Miller, Edward F. Bugliosi, James E. Reddy
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5122
The Meads Creek valley encompasses 70 square miles of predominantly forested uplands in the upper Susquehanna River drainage basin. The valley, which was listed as a Priority Waterbody by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2004, is prone to periodic flooding, mostly in its downstream end, where...
Analysis of Geomorphic and Hydrologic Characteristics of Mount Jefferson Debris Flow, Oregon, November 6, 2006
Steven Sobieszczyk, Mark A. Uhrich, David R. Piatt, Heather M. Bragg
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5204
On November 6, 2006, a rocky debris flow surged off the western slopes of Mount Jefferson into the drainage basins of Milk and Pamelia Creeks in Oregon. This debris flow was not a singular event, but rather a series of surges of both debris and flooding throughout the day. The...
Western Mountain Initiative: predicting ecosystem responses to climate change
Jill S. Baron, David L. Peterson, J.T. Wilson
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3093
Mountain ecosystems of the western United States provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, timber, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their responses to climatic changes are complex and not well understood. The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI), a collaboration between USGS and U.S. Forest Service scientists, catalyzes assessment and synthesis...
Occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in the Tinkers Creek watershed and two other tributaries to the Cuyahoga River, northeast Ohio
J.S. Tertuliani, D.A. Alvarez, E. T. Furlong, M. T. Meyer, S.D. Zaugg, G. F. Koltun
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5173
The U.S. Geological Survey - in cooperation with the Ohio Water Development Authority; National Park Service; Cities of Aurora, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Solon, and Twinsburg; and Portage and Summit Counties - and in collaboration with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, did a study to determine the occurrence and distribution of...
Streamflow Gains and Losses for Hellbranch Run, Franklin County, Ohio, August 2007
Denise H. Dumouchelle
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5191
On August 7, 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey did a streamflow gain-loss study on Hellbranch Run in western Franklin County, Ohio. From Feder Road to Lambert Road, 26 stream and pipe-discharge measurements were made on the mainstem, tributaries and other sources of inflow. Mainstem streamflows ranged from no measureable flow...
Regression method for estimating long-term mean annual ground-water recharge rates from base flow in Pennsylvania
Dennis W. Risser, Ronald E. Thompson, Marla H. Stuckey
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5185
A method was developed for making estimates of long-term, mean annual ground-water recharge from streamflow data at 80 streamflow-gaging stations in Pennsylvania. The method relates mean annual base-flow yield derived from the streamflow data (as a proxy for recharge) to the climatic, geologic, hydrologic, and physiographic characteristics of the basins...
Hydrologic Analysis and Two-Dimensional Simulation of Flow at State Highway 17 crossing the Gasconade River near Waynesville, Missouri
Richard J. Huizinga
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5194
In cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, the U.S. Geological Survey determined hydrologic and hydraulic parameters for the Gasconade River at the site of a proposed bridge replacement and highway realignment of State Highway 17 near Waynesville, Missouri. Information from a discontinued streamflow-gaging station on the Gasconade River near...
Water- and air-quality monitoring of Sweetwater Reservoir watershed, San Diego County, California — Phase one results continued, 2001-2003
Gregory O. Mendez, William T. Foreman, Andrew Morita, Michael S. Majewski
2008, Data Series 347
In 1998, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Sweetwater Authority, began a study to monitor water, air, and sediment at the Sweetwater and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California. The study includes regular sampling of water and air at Sweetwater Reservoir for chemical constituents, including volatile organic...
Inventory of Data Sources Used for Watershed Condition Assessments of Fire Island National Seashore, Gateway National Recreation Area, and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, New York and New Jersey
Mark J. Benotti
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1298
The natural resources and watershed conditions of National Park units in the New York-New Jersey area - Gateway National Recreation Area (GATE), Sagamore Hill National Historic Site (SAHI), and Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) - are threatened by different degrees of urbanization and direct or indirect human use. Such threats...
Variation in biotic assemblages and stream-habitat data with sampling strategy and method in tidal segments of Highland and Marchand Bayous, Galveston County, Texas, 2007
Jeffrey A. Mabe, J. Bruce Moring
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5151
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council and the Galveston Bay Estuary Program under the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, did a study in 2007 to assess the variation in biotic assemblages (benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities) and stream-habitat data with sampling strategy...
See Your State From Space!
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, General Information Product 82
Each of the 50 States in the United States is beautiful in its own way. That beauty can be seen from a unique perspective using satellite images taken from high above the Earth. These State images were created from multiple satellite images stitched together into one seamless image for each...
EarthNow!
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, General Information Product 81
EarthNow! displays live or recent acquisitions from the Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 satellites as they pass over North America. When these satellites pass within range of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, data imagery is downloaded and displayed in near-real time. When the...
Arctic climate change and its impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic
Charles H. Greene, Andrew J. Pershing, Thomas M. Cronin, Nicole Ceci
2008, Ecology (89) S24-S38
Arctic climate change from the Paleocene epoch to the present is reconstructed with the objective of assessing its recent and future impacts on the ecology of the North Atlantic. A recurring theme in Earth's paleoclimate record is the importance of the Arctic atmosphere, ocean, and cryosphere in regulating global climate...
Use of Superposition Models to Simulate Possible Depletion of Colorado River Water by Ground-Water Withdrawal
Stanley A. Leake, William Greer, Dennis Watt, Paul Weghorst
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5189
According to the 'Law of the River', wells that draw water from the Colorado River by underground pumping need an entitlement for the diversion of water from the Colorado River. Consumptive use can occur through direct diversions of surface water, as well as through withdrawal of water from the river...
Morphological Analyses and Simulated Flood Elevations in a Watershed with Dredged and Leveed Stream Channels, Wheeling Creek, Eastern Ohio
James M. Sherwood, Carrie A. Huitger, Andrew D. Ebner, G. F. Koltun
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5133
The USGS, in cooperation with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, conducted a study in the Wheeling Creek Basin to (1) evaluate and contrast land-cover characteristics from 2001 with characteristics from 1979 and 1992; (2) compare current streambed elevation, slope, and geometry with conditions present in the late 1980s; (3) look...
Streamflow and Endangered Species Habitat in the Lower Isleta Reach of the Middle Rio Grande
Ken D. Bovee, Terry J. Waddle, J. Mark Spears
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1323
San Acacia Dam is located in a reach of the Rio Grande that has been designated as critical habitat for two endangered species, the Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) and the southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus). Under present operations, the Rio Grande upstream from the dam is used...
Continuous Temperature and Water-Level Data Collected for a Heat Tracer Study on a Selected Reach of Tri-State Canal, Western Nebraska, 2007
Christopher M. Hobza
2008, Data Series 381
The water supply in parts of the North Platte River Basin in the Nebraska Panhandle has been designated as fully appropriated or over appropriated by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. Recent legislation (LB 962) requires the North Platte Natural Resources District and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to...
