Geology topics

Carolyn O. Szabo

Publications and source records attributed to Carolyn O. Szabo.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2011

Flash floods of August 10, 2009, in the Villages of Gowanda and Silver Creek, New York

Late during the night of August 9, 2009, two storm systems intersected over western New York and produced torrential rain that caused severe flash flooding during the early morning hours of August 10 in parts of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Erie Counties. Nearly 6 inches of rain fell in 1.5 hours as recorded by a National Weather Service weather observer in Perrysburg, which lies between Gowanda and Silver Creek-the communities that suffered the most damage. This storm intensity had an annual exceedance probability of less than 0.2 percent (recurrence interval greater than 500 years). Although flooding along Cattaraugus Creek occurred elsewhere, Cattaraugus Creek was responsible for very little flooding in Gowanda. Rather the small tributaries, Thatcher Brook and Grannis Brook, caused the flooding in Gowanda, as did Silver Creek and Walnut Creek in the Village of Silver Creek. Damages from the flooding were widespread. Numerous road culverts were washed out, and more than one-quarter of the roads in Cattaraugus County were damaged. Many people were evacuated or rescued in Gowanda and Silver Creek, and two deaths occurred during the flood in Gowanda. The water supplies of both communities were compromised by damages to village reservoirs and water-transmission infrastructures. Water and mud damage to residential and commercial properties was extensive. The tri-county area was declared a Federal disaster area and more than $45 million in Federal disaster assistance was distributed to more than 1,500 individuals and an estimated 1,100 public projects. The combined total estimate of damages from the flash floods was greater than $90 million. Over 240 high-water marks were surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey; a subset of these marks was used to create flood-water-surface profiles for four streams and to delineate the areal extent of flooding in Gowanda and Silver Creek. Flood elevations exceeded previously defined 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability (500-year recurrence interval) elevations by 2 to 4 feet in Gowanda and as much as 6 to 8 feet in Silver Creek. Most of the high-water marks were used in indirect hydraulic computations to estimate peak flows for four streams. The peak flows in Grannis Brook and Thatcher Brook were computed, using the slope-area method, to be 1,400 and 7,600 cubic feet per second, respectively, and peak flow in Silver Creek was computed, using the width-contraction method, to be 19,500 cubic feet per second. The annual exceedance probabilities for flows in these and other basins with small drainage areas that fell almost entirely within the area of heaviest precipitation were less than 0.2 percent (or recurrence intervals greater than 500 years). The peak flow in Cattaraugus Creek at Gowanda was computed, using the slope-area method, to be 33,200 cubic feet per second with an annual exceedance probability of 2.2 percent (recurrence interval of 45 years).

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2009

Flood of June 26-29, 2006, Mohawk, Delaware, and Susquehanna River Basins, New York

A stalled frontal system caused tropical moisture to be funneled northward into New York, causing severe flooding in the Mohawk, Delaware, and Susquehanna River basins during June 26-29, 2006. Rainfall totals for this multi-day event ranged from 2 to 3 inches to greater than 13 inches in southern New York. The storm and flooding claimed four lives in New York, destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and businesses, and closed hundreds of roads and highways. Thousands of people evacuated their homes as floodwaters reached new record elevations at many locations within the three basins. Twelve New York counties were declared Federal disaster areas, more than 15,500 residents applied for disaster assistance, and millions of dollars in damages resulted from the flooding. Disaster-recovery assistance for individuals and businesses adversely affected by the floods of June 2006 reached more than $227 million. The National Weather Service rainfall station at Slide Mountain recorded storm totals of more than 8 inches of rainfall, and the stations at Walton and Fishs Eddy, NY, recorded storm totals of greater than 13 inches of rainfall. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream-gaging stations at Mohawk River at Little Falls, West Branch Delaware River at Hale Eddy, and Susquehanna River at Vestal, NY, among others, recorded peak discharges of 35,000 ft3/s, 43,400 ft3/s, and 119,000 ft3/s respectively, with greater than 100-year recurrence intervals. The peak water-surface elevation 21.47 ft and the peak discharge 189,000 ft3/s recorded on June 28, 2006, at the Delaware River at Port Jervis stream-gaging station were the highest recorded since the flood of August 1955. At the Susquehanna River at Conklin, NY, stream-gaging station, which has been in operation since 1912, the peak water-surface elevation 25.02 ft and peak discharge 76,800 ft3/s recorded on June 28, 2006, exceeded the previous period-of-record maximums that were set during the flood of March 1936. Documented peak water-surface elevations during the June 2006 flood at many study sites in the Mohawk, Delaware, and Susquehanna River basins exceeded the 100-year flood-profile elevations determined in the flood-insurance studies prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2009

Water-Quality Characterization of Surface Water in the Onondaga Lake Basin, Onondaga County, New York, 2005-08

Water-resources managers in Onondaga County, N.Y., have been faced with the challenge of improving the water-quality of Onondaga Lake. To assist in this endeavor, the U.S. Geological Survey undertook a 3-year basinwide study to assess the water quality of surface water in the Onondaga Lake Basin. The study quantified the relative contributions of nonpoint sources associated with the major land uses in the basin and also focused on known sources (streams with large sediment loads) and presumed sinks (Onondaga Reservoir and Otisco Lake) of sediment and nutrient loads, which previously had not been evaluated. Water samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients and suspended sediment at 26 surface-water sites and 4 springs in the 285-square-mile Onondaga Lake Basin from October 2005 through December 2008. More than 1,060 base-flow, stormflow, snowmelt, spring-water, and quality-assurance samples collected during the study were analyzed for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate-plus-nitrite, ammonia-plus-organic nitrogen, orthophosphate, phosphorus, and suspended sediment. The concentration of total suspended solids was measured in selected samples. Ninety-one additional samples were collected, including 80 samples from 4 county-operated sites, which were analyzed for suspended sediment or total suspended solids, and 8 precipitation and 3 snowpack samples, which were analyzed for nutrients. Specific conductance, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature were periodically measured in the field. The mean concentrations of selected constituents in base-flow, stormflow, and snowmelt samples were related to the land use or land cover that either dominated the basin or had a substantial effect on the water quality of the basin. Almost 40 percent of the Onondaga Lake Basin is forested, 30 percent is in agricultural uses, and almost 21 percent, including the city of Syracuse, is in developed uses. The data indicated expected relative differences among the land types for concentrations of nitrate, ammonia-plus-organic nitrogen, and orthophosphate. The data departed from the expected relations for concentrations of phosphorus and suspended sediment, and plausible explanations for these departures were posited. Snowmelt concentrations of dissolved constituents generally were greater and those of particulate constituents were less than concentrations of these constituents in storm runoff. Presumably, the snowpack acted as a short-term sink for dissolved constituents that had accumulated from atmospheric deposition, and streambed erosion and resuspension of previously deposited material, rather than land-surface erosion, were the primary sources of particulate constituents in snowmelt flows. Longitudinal assessments documented the changes in the median concentrations of constituents in base flows and event flows (combined stormflow and snowmelt) from upstream to downstream monitoring sites along the two major tributaries to Onondaga Lake - Onondaga Creek and Ninemile Creek. Median base-flow concentrations of ammonia and phosphorus and event concentrations of ammonia increased in the downstream direction in both streams. Whereas median event concentrations of other constituents in Onondaga Creek displayed no consistent trends, concentrations of ammonia-plus-organic nitrogen, orthophosphate, phosphorus, and suspended sediment in Ninemile Creek decreased from upstream to downstream sites. Springs discharging from the Onondaga and Bertie Limestone had measureable effects on water temperatures in the receiving streams and increased salinity and values of specific conductance in base flows. Loads of selected nutrients and suspended sediment transported in three tributaries of Otisco Lake were compared with loads from 1981-83. Loads of ammonia-plus-organic nitrogen and orthophosphate decreased from 1981-83 to 2005-08, but those of nitrate-plus-nitrite, phosphorus, and suspended sediment increased. The largest load increase was for suspende

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2006

Water resources data New York water year 2005, volume 3: Western New York

Water resources data for the 2005 water year for Western New York consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; ground-water levels and water quality; and quantity and chemical quality of precipitation. This volume contains records for water discharge at 71 gaging stations; stage only at 15 gaging stations; stage and contents at 6 gaging stations; water quality at 12 gaging stations, 29 wells, and 22 partial-record stations; water levels at 29 observation wells; daily precipitation totals at 1 site, and chemical quality of precipitation at 1 site. Also included are data for 38 crest-stage partial-record stations. Locations of these sites are shown on figure 1. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program and are published as measurements made at miscellaneous sites. Surface-water, ground-water, and water-quality data at all sites are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST), unless otherwise noted. These data together with the data in Volumes 1 and 2 represent that part of the National Water Information System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, local, and Federal agencies in New York.

New York↗

USGS2005

Water Resources Data New York Water Year 2004, Volume 3: Western New York

Water resources data for the 2004 water year for Western New York consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; ground-water levels and water quality; and quantity and chemical quality of precipitation. This volume contains records for water discharge at 71 gaging stations; stage only at 15 gaging stations; stage and contents at 6 gaging stations; water quality at 12 gaging stations, 29 wells, and 22 partial-record stations; water levels at 29 observation wells; daily precipitation totals at 1 site, and chemical quality of precipitation at 1 site. Also included are data for 38 crest-stage partial-record stations. Locations of these sites are shown on figure 1. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program and are published as measurements made at miscellaneous sites. Surface-water, ground-water, and water-quality data at all sites are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST), unless otherwise noted. These data together with the data in Volumes 1 and 2 represent that part of the National Water Information System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, local, and Federal agencies in New York.

Water Data Report↗

USGS2004

Water resources data New York water year 2003, volume 3: western New York

Water resources data for the 2003 water year for Western New York consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; water levels and water quality of ground-water wells; and quantity and chemical quality of precipitation. This volume contains records for water discharge at 72 gaging stations; stage only at 14 gaging stations; stage and contents at 6 gaging stations, water quality at 7 gaging stations; 62 wells, and 19 partial record stations; water levels at 27 observation wells; daily precipitation totals at 3 sites, and chemical quality of precipitation at 1 site. Also included are data for 39 crest-stage partial record stations. Locations of all these sites are shown on figue 1. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data together with the data in volumes 1 and 2 represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with State, local, and Federal agencies in New York.

Water Data Report↗

USGS2003

Water resources data, New York, water year 2002, Volume 3, western New York

Water resources data for the 2002 water year for New York consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; water levels and water quality of ground-water wells; and quantity and chemical quality of precipitation. This volume contains records for water discharge at 70 gaging stations; stage only at 15 gaging stations; stage and contents at 6 gaging stations; water quality at 12 gaging stations, 24 wells, and 22 partial record stations; water levels at 21 observation wells; daily precipation totals at 2 sites, and chemical quality of precipitation at 2 sites. Also included are data for 41 crest-stage partial record stations. Locations of these sites are shown on figure 1. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data together with the data in Volumes 1 and 2 represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U. S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, local, and Federal agencies in New York.

Water Data Report↗

USGS2002