Simulation of Ground-Water Flow and Effects of Ground-Water Irrigation on Base Flow in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, Nebraska
Steven M. Peterson, Jennifer S. Stanton, Amanda T. Saunders, Jesse R. Bradley
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5143
Irrigated agriculture is vital to the livelihood of communities in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins in Nebraska, and ground water is used to irrigate most of the cropland. Concerns about the sustainability of ground-water and surface-water resources have prompted State and regional agencies to evaluate the cumulative effects of...
Selected Water- and Sediment-Quality, Aquatic Biology, and Mine-Waste Data from the Ely Copper Mine Superfund Site, Vershire, VT, 1998-2007
Denise M. Argue, Richard G. Kiah, Nadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal II, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Edward Hathaway, James F. Coles
2008, Data Series 378
The data contained in this report are a compilation of selected water- and sediment-quality, aquatic biology, and mine-waste data collected at the Ely Copper Mine Superfund site in Vershire, VT, from August 1998 through May 2007. The Ely Copper Mine Superfund site is in eastern, central Vermont (fig. 1) within...
Base of principal aquifer for the Elkhorn-Loup model area, North-Central Nebraska
V. L. McGuire, Steven M. Peterson
2008, Scientific Investigations Map 3042
In Nebraska, the water managers in the Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources are concerned with the effect of ground-water withdrawal on the availability of surface water and the long-term effects of ground-water withdrawal on ground- and surface-water resources. In north-central Nebraska, in the Elkhorn and...
Devonian carbonate platform of eastern Nevada: Facies, surfaces, cycles, sequences, reefs, and cataclysmic Alamo Impact Breccia
John E. Warme, Jared R. Morrow, Charles Sandberg
2008, Book chapter, Field Guide to Plutons, Volcanoes, Faults, Reefs, Dinosaurs, and Possible Glaciation in Selected Areas of Arizona, California, and Nevada
Devonian limestone and dolostone formations are superbly exposed in numerous mountain ranges of southeastern Nevada. The Devonian is as thick as 1500 m there and reveals continuous exposures of a classic, long-lived, shallow-water carbonate platform. This field guide provides excursions to Devonian outcrops easily reached from the settlement of Alamo,...
U.S.-Mexico Border Geographic Information System
Jean W. Parcher
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3069
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the development of extensive geodatabases have become invaluable tools for addressing a variety of contemporary societal issues and for making predictions about the future. The United States-Mexico Geographic Information System (USMX-GIS) is based on fundamental datasets that are produced and/or approved by the national geography...
StreamStats: A water resources web application
Kernell G. Ries III, John D. Guthrie, Alan H. Rea, Peter A. Steeves, David W. Stewart
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3067
Streamflow statistics, such as the 1-percent flood, the mean flow, and the 7-day 10-year low flow, are used by engineers, land managers, biologists, and many others to help guide decisions in their everyday work. For example, estimates of the 1-percent flood (the flow that is exceeded, on average, once in...
Gravity Data from Dry Lake and Delamar Valleys, east-central Nevada
Edward A. Mankinen, Bruce A. Chuchel, Barry C. Moring
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1299
Cenozoic basins in eastern Nevada and western Utah constitute major ground-water recharge areas in the eastern part of the Great Basin, and our continuing studies are intended to characterize the geologic framework of the region. Prior to these investigations, regional gravity coverage was variable over the region, adequate in some...
Debris flows and floods in southeastern Arizona from extreme precipitation in July 2006 — Magnitude, frequency, and sediment delivery
Robert H. Webb, Christopher S. Magirl, Peter G. Griffiths, Diane E. Boyer
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1274
From July 31 to August 1, 2006, an unusual set of atmospheric conditions aligned to produce record floods and an unprecedented number of slope failures and debris flows in southeastern Arizona. During the week leading up to the event, an upper-level low-pressure system centered over New Mexico generated widespread and...
Pesticides in Ground Water of Central and Western Maryland
Scott W. Ator, Betzaida Reyes
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3068
Selected pesticides and degradates (products of pesticide degradation) are detectable in ground water in many parts of central and western Maryland, although concentrations are generally less than 0.1 micrograms per liter. Ground-water samples collected recently (1994-2003) from 72 wells in areas of Maryland underlain by consolidated carbonate, crystalline, or siliciclastic...
Mormon cricket control in Utah's west desert - Evaluation of impacts of the pesticide Diflubenzuron on nontarget arthropod communities
Tim B. Graham, Anne M.D. Brasher, Rebecca N. Close
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1305
Grasshopper and Mormon cricket (Orthoptera) populations periodically build to extremely high numbers and can cause significant economic damage in rangelands and agricultural fields of the Great Plains and Intermountain West. A variety of insecticides have been applied to control population outbreaks, with recent efforts directed at minimizing impacts to nontarget...
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Breeding Site and Territory Summary - 2007
Scott L. Durst, Mark K. Sogge, Shay D. Stump, Hira A. Walker, Barbara E. Kus, Susan J. Sferra
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1303
The Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus; hereafter references to willow flycatcher and flycatcher refer to E.t. extimus, except where specifically noted) is an endangered bird that breeds only in dense riparian habitats in parts of six Southwestern states (Arizona, New Mexico, southern California, extreme southern Nevada, southern Utah, and...
Description of Existing Data for Integrated Landscape Monitoring in the Puget Sound Basin, Washington
Danielle P. Aiello, Alicia A. Torregrosa, Allyson L. Jason, Tracy L. Fuentes, Edward G. Josberger
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1308
This report summarizes existing geospatial data and monitoring programs for the Puget Sound Basin in northwestern Washington. This information was assembled as a preliminary data-development task for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Puget Sound Integrated Landscape Monitoring (PSILM) pilot project. The PSILM project seeks to support natural resource decision-making by...
Summary of annual mean and annual harmonic mean statistics of daily mean streamflow for 620 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in Texas through water year 2007
William H. Asquith, Franklin T. Heitmuller
2008, Data Series 372
Analysts and managers of surface-water resources have interest in annual mean and annual harmonic mean statistics of daily mean streamflow for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging stations in Texas. The mean streamflow represents streamflow volume, whereas the harmonic mean streamflow represents an appropriate statistic for assessing constituent concentrations that might...
CHIPS: Monitoring Colonias along the United States-Mexico border in Texas
Jean W. Parcher
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3079
Colonias, which are unincorporated border settlements in the United States, have emerged in rural areas without the governance and services normally provided by local government. The expansion of colonias in the United States-Mexico border region can be traced to the rapid growth associated with the Mexican Border Industrial Program during...
Procedures for Collecting and Processing Aquatic Invertebrates and Fish for Analysis of Mercury as Part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Barbara C. Scudder, Lia C. Chasar, L. Rod DeWeese, Mark E. Brigham, Dennis A. Wentz, William G. Brumbaugh
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1208
Mercury studies conducted as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program have included nationwide reconnaissance samplings of hundreds of stream sites, as well as detailed, process-oriented research at selected sites. These reconnaissance and detailed studies are intended to provide a better understanding of methylmercury bioaccumulation in...
Potentiometric Surface of the Ozark Aquifer in Northern Arkansas, 2007
Aaron L. Pugh
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5137
The Ozark aquifer in northern Arkansas is composed of dolomite, limestone, sandstone, and shale of Late Cambrian to Middle Devonian age, and ranges in thickness from approximately 1,100 feet to more than 4,000 feet. Hydrologically, the aquifer is complex, characterized by discrete and discontinuous flow components with large variations in...
The National Map: Tactical Planning and Performance Monitoring in Fiscal Year 2008 and 2009
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2008, Fact Sheet 2008-3077
Hydrologic and Water-Quality Responses in Shallow Ground Water Receiving Stormwater Runoff and Potential Transport of Contaminants to Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, 2005-07
Jena M. Green, Carl E. Thodal, Toby L. Welborn
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5162
Clarity of Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada has been decreasing due to inflows of sediment and nutrients associated with stormwater runoff. Detention basins are considered effective best management practices for mitigation of suspended sediment and nutrients associated with runoff, but effects of infiltrated stormwater on shallow ground water are not...
Seepage Investigation for Selected River Reaches in the Chehalis River Basin, Washington
D. Matthew Ely, Kenneth E. Frasl, Cameron A. Marshall, Fred Reed
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5180
A study was completed in September 2007 in the Chehalis River basin to determine gain or loss of streamflow by measuring discharge at selected intervals within various reaches along the Chehalis River and its tributaries. Discharge was measured at 68 new and existing streamflow sites, where gains and losses were...
Procedures for collecting and processing streambed sediment and pore water for analysis of mercury as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Michelle A. Lutz, Mark E. Brigham, Mark Marvin-DiPasquale
2008, Open-File Report 2008-1279
Mercury (Hg) contamination is an issue of national concern, affecting both wildlife and human health. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, in association with the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program and the USGS National Research Program, has initiated two levels of studies to investigate Hg contamination...
Internships, employment opportunities, and research grants
2008, General Information Product 80
As an unbiased, multidisciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us. Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and...
Total mercury, methylmercury, methylmercury production potential, and ancillary streambed-sediment and pore-water data for selected streams in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Florida, 2003-04
Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Michelle A. Lutz, David P. Krabbenhoft, George R. Aiken, William H. Orem, Britt D. Hall, John F. DeWild, Mark E. Brigham
2008, Data Series 375
Mercury contamination of aquatic ecosystems is an issue of national concern, affecting both wildlife and human health. Detailed information on mercury cycling and food-web bioaccumulation in stream settings and the factors that control these processes is currently limited. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA)...
Occurrence of endocrine active compounds and biological responses in the Mississippi River— Study design and data, June through August 2006
Kathy Lee, Christine S. Yaeger, Nathan D. Jahns, Heiko L. Schoenfuss
2008, Data Series 368
Concern that selected chemicals in the environment may act as endocrine active compounds in aquatic ecosystems is widespread; however, few studies have examined the occurrence of endocrine active compounds and identified biological markers of endocrine disruption such as intersex occurrence in fish longitudinally in a river system. This report presents...
Collection and analysis of samples for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in dust and other solids related to sealed and unsealed pavement from 10 cities across the United States, 2005-07
Peter C. Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, Jennifer T. Wilson, Teresa L. Burbank
2008, Data Series 361
Parking lots and driveways are dominant features of the modern urban landscape, and in the United States, sealcoat is widely used on these surfaces. One of the most widely used types of sealcoat contains refined coal tar; coal-tar-based sealcoat products have a mean polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration of about...
Estimation of potential bridge scour at bridges on state routes in South Dakota, 2003-07
Ryan F. Thompson, Ryan L. Fosness
2008, Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5161
Flowing water can erode (scour) soils and cause structural failure of a bridge by exposing or undermining bridge foundations (abutments and piers). A rapid scour-estimation technique, known as the level-1.5 method and developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, was used to evaluate potential scour at bridges in South Dakota in...
