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L. I. Briel

Publications and source records attributed to L. I. Briel.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Water quality in the Appalachian Valley and Ridge, the Blue Ridge, and the Piedmont Physiographic Provinces, eastern United States

Chemical quality of ground water, spring water, and surface water differs substantially among the three physiographic provinces. Maps showing regional variations for 18 water properties and constituents are included in this Regional Aquifer System Analysis study report. Systematic variations in water quality are due to differences in geologic and hydrologic factors that include the dominant lithology, the availability of soluble minerals, and the degree of exposure of water to rock. Most ground water in the study area is low in concentrations of dissolved minerals, is moderately hard, and is slightly acidic. Spring water is generally harder than ground water and is slightly alkaline; whereas, surface water is softer than the ground water and is also slightly alkaline.

Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, ↗

Data from selected U.S. Geological Survey National Stream Water-Quality Networks (WQN)

This CD-ROM set contains data from two USGS national stream water-quality networks, the Hydrologic Benchmark Network (HBN) and the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), operated during the past 30 years. These networks were established to provide national and regional descriptions of stream water-quality conditions and trends, based on uniform monitoring of selected watersheds throughout the United States, and to improve our understanding of the effects of the natural environment and human activities on water quality. The HBN, consisting of 63 relatively small, minimally disturbed watersheds, provides data for investigating naturally induced changes in streamflow and water quality and the effects of airborne substances on water quality. NASQAN, consisting of 618 larger, more culturally influenced watersheds, provides information for tracking water-quality conditions in major U.S. rivers and streams.

Data Series↗

Documentation of a multiple-technique computer program for plotting major-ion composition of natural waters

A computer program was written to produce 6 different types of water-quality diagrams--Piper, Stiff, pie, X-Y, boxplot, and Piper 3-D--from the same file of input data. The Piper 3-D diagram is a new method that projects values from the surface of a Piper plot into a triangular prism to show how variations in chemical composition can be related to variations in other water-quality variables. This program is an analytical tool to aid in the interpretation of data. This program is interactive, and the user can select from a menu the type of diagram to be produced and a large number of individual features. Alternatively, these choices can be specified in the data file, which provides a batch mode for running the program. The program does not display water-quality diagrams directly; plots are written to a file. Four different plot- file formats are available: device-independent metafiles, Adobe PostScript graphics files, and two Hewlett-Packard graphics language formats (7475 and 7586). An ASCII data-table file is also produced to document the computed values. This program is written in Fortran '77 and uses graphics subroutines from either the PRIOR AGTK or the DISSPLA graphics library. The program has been implemented on Prime series 50 and Data General Aviion computers within the USGS; portability to other computing systems depends on the availability of the graphics library.

Open-File Report↗

Dissolved-solids data for the James River salinity model, North Dakota and South Dakota

Operation of the Garrison Diversion Unit in North Dakota will divert water from the Missouri River into the James River basin and thereby augment flows in the James River sufficiently to permit expanded irrigation and to provide new water supplies for municipal and industrial use. Salinity of water in the James River currently is marginal for irrigation use f and expanded irrigation may increase river-water salinity beyond acceptable limits. Monthly mean dissolved solids are required by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation salinity model to predict the effects of different management practices on salinity in the James River. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of available dissolved-solids data and to discuss methodology to calculate monthly mean dissolved solids. Equations were developed by relating dissolved solids to specific conductance and also by relating specific conductance to streamflow for 15 gaging stations in the James River basin. Dissolved-solids data for supplemental surface-water and ground-water sources to the James River also are summarized.

North Dakota, South Dakota↗

Summaries of water-quality data collected during 1979-87 for selected James River and refuge locations in North Dakota and South Dakota

Water-quality data were collected during 1979-87 at selected locations In the central part of the James River basin, North and South Dakota, by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to document baseline conditions In three wildlife refuges. These data are needed to determine potential impacts on water quality of augmented flows in the James River from proposed operation of the Garrison Diversion Unit. This report contains statistical summaries of 190 water-quality characteristics and constituents determined from samples collected at 10 main-stem gaging stations and 94 sampling sites in the study area. Characteristics and constituents are compared to State water-quality standards and the number of measurements exceeding each standard is noted. Seasonal or bimonthly means were calculated for selected characteristics and constituents and the amount of data available for each gaging station and pool is included.

Open-File Report↗