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Research about Illinois

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Illinois.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
USGS1984

Estimates of long-term suspended-sediment loads in Bay Creek at Nebo, Pike County, Illinois, 1940-80

Five years of daily suspended-sediment discharges (1968, 1969, 1975, 1976, and 1980) for Bay Creek at Nebo, Illinois, computed from once- or twice-weekly samples (more often during storm events), were used to develop transport equations that can be used to estimate long-term suspended-sediment discharges from long-term water-discharge records. Discharge was divided into three groups based on changes in slope on a graph of logarithms of water discharge versus suspended-sediment discharge. Two subgroups were formed within each of the three groups by determining whether the flow was steady or increasing, or was decreasing. Seasonality was accounted for by introducing day of the year in sine and cosine functions. The suspended-sediment load estimated from the equations for the 5 years was 77.3 percent of that computed from daily sediment- and water-discharge records for those years. The mean annual suspended-sediment load for 41 years of estimated loads was 359 ,500 tons, which represents a yield of about 3.5 tons per acre from the Bay Creek drainage basin.

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USGS1984

Quality of water in the alluvial aquifer, American Bottoms, East St. Louis, Illinois

Ground-water levels in the American Bottoms regions around East St. Louis, Illinois, have risen several feet since the early 1970's. Artificial dewatering of the aquifer by increased pumping is being investigated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to alleviate economic and health concerns resulting from elevated ground-water levels. A ground-water quality evaluation is necessary for selecting a feasible dewatering scheme. Analyses of water samples from 63 wells show that except for iron, manganese, and dissolved solids, constituent concentrations do not exceed Illinois water-quality standards. The waters are primarily of the calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate type with some calcium-sulfate type water. Iron concentrations ranged from less than 3 to 82,000 micrograms per liter, manganese from 5 to 5,300 micrograms per liter, and dissolved solids from 140 to 3,000 milligrams per liter. These constituent concentrations exceed Illinois ' public water supply, effluent, and general water-quality standards in most samples and analysis indicates the concentrations are representative of the ambient water quality. Concentrations of nitrite + nitrate nitrogen fluoride, zinc, lead, and sulfate also exceeded Illinois water-quality standards in a few samples. Concentrations of organic pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polychlorinated naphthalenes were below analytical detection limits.

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USGS1983

Outbreak of avian cholera on the wintering grounds of the Mississippi Valley Canada goose flock

Avian cholera is reported for the first time in Canada geese, Branta canadensis , of the Mississippi Valley population. The disease was detected in weekly surveillance transects and was responsible to the loss of about 850 geese during the winter of 1978–1979 at localized areas in southern Illinois. Necropsies performed on 480 geese that died at Union County Conservation Area and on 133 birds at Horseshoe Lake Conservation Area during January and February 1979 revealed that the majority of losses (649%) were caused by avian cholera. Lead poisoning was responsible for the death of 14% of the geese analyzed and the remaining 22%, most of which were decomposed, were undiagnosed. Lethal lead levels and Pasteurella multocida occurred concomitantly in a few instances.

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USGS1982

Ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic contamination in pulverized coal

Although no significant major-element contamination is introduced by grinding coal in a steel pulverizer, abraded steel particles can conceivably affect the magnetic properties of pulverized coal. Magnetic and scanning-electron-microscope analyses of pulverized coal and coal fragments from the Herrin No. 6 seam in Illinois showed ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic contamination from the grinder. Significant changes in the magnetic properties of the coal were noted, indicating a total steel contamination of approximately 0.02 wt%. When coal samples were vibrated in the magnetic field of the vibrating-sample magnetometer, the superparamagnetic steel particles moved through the pulverized coal, and participated in the formation of multidomain clusters that in turn substantially affected the magnetization of the coal.

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USGS1982

Time of concentration and storage coefficient values for Illinois streams

Values of time of concentration and storage coefficient, two unit hydrograph parameters, are presented for 194 and 120 basins in Illinois. Tabulated values consist of those computed by previous investigators as well as those computed for 98 basins as part of this investigation. These additional values were computed by calibration of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Flood Hydrograph Package (HEC-1). The significance of differences in method used by each investigator to compute these unit hydrography parameters was evaluated by statistical comparison of four sets of time of concentration values and three sets of storage coefficient values. Because no difference due to method was identified, it is concluded that all of the values tabulated in this report can be used in any application for which time of concentration and storage coefficient are required.

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USGS1982

A technique for estimating time of concentration and storage coefficient values for Illinois streams

Values of the unit hydrograph parameters time of concentration ( TC ) and storage coefficient ( R ) can be estimated for streams in Illinois by a two-step technique developed from data for 98 gaged basins in the State. The sum of TC and R is related to stream length ( L ) and main channel slope ( S ) by the relation ( TC + R ) e = 35.2 L 0.39 S -0.78 . The variable R /( TC + R ) is not significantly correlated with drainage area, slope, or length, but does exhibit a regional trend. Regional values of R /( TC + R ) are used with the computed values of ( TC + R ) e to solve for estimated values of time of concentration ( TC e ) and storage coefficient ( R e ). The use of the variable R /( TC + R ) is thought to account for variations in unit hydrograph parameters caused by physiographic variables such as basin topography, flood-plain development, and basin storage characteristics.

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USGS1982

Hydrologic effects of storing liquified sewage sludge on strip-mined land, Fulton County, Illinois

The water table near four sewage storage basins in a strip-mined area of western Illinois, has risen about 10 feet since the basins were constructed in 1971. Two dimensional modeling of ground-water flow in the mine spoil indicates that the rise is caused by leakage from one storage basin. The hydrologic-parameter values producing the best fit between computed and observed head values are 0.000007 feet per second for the hydraulic conductivity of the mine spoil, 0.0000000004 feet per second for recharge from the leaking basin. The model indicates the volume of water leaking from the basin is 91,600 cubic yards per year. The principal components of the sewage sludge after the solids have been removed are alkalinity, nitrogen, phosphorous, and chloride. Components in higher concentrations near the basins were sodium, alkalinity, and chloride. Because the sodium and chloride concentrations in the sludge were too low to cause the higher concentrations in the ground water, the strip-mine spoil used in constructing the basins was considered to be the major source of these constituents. This spoil has been moved from its original location and unweathered surfaces exposed, which allowed dissolution of carbonate and chloride and release of sodium through cation exchange.

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USGS1981

State-discharge relations at dams on the Illinois and Des Plaines rivers in Illinois

Stage-discharge relations were developed for the Brandon Road Dam on the Des Plaines River and the Dresden Island, Marseilles, Starved Rock, Peoria, and La Grange Dams on the Illinois River. A t Brandon Road Dam, streamflow is regulated by the operation of tainter gates and headgates. Tainter gates are operated to regulate streamflow at the Dresden Island, Marseilles, and Starved Rock Dams. Peoria Dam and La Grange Dam comprise timber-Chanoine wickets, which are lowered to a horizontal position on the streambed when not used for streamflow regulation. Both dams have concrete abutments housing butterfly valves that are also used for regulation. Discharge coefficients, in equations that express discharge as a function of tailwater depth, headwater depth, and vertical height of gate opening, were determined for conditions of free-orifice, submerged-orifice, and free-weir flow under a tainter gate. A free-orifice flow coefficient was determined for the headgates at Brandon Road Dam. Stage-discharge relations for flow over sections of lowered wickets and flow between raised wickets had been developed from hydraulic model studies by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1937 and 1938. These relations were verified by discharge measurements at V.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations on the Illinois River near the Peoria and La Grange Dams. Discharge coefficients in equations of free-orifice and submerged-orifice flow through a butterfly valve were computed from additional measurements at the stream-gaging stations. A total of 50 measurements of discharge that ranged from 1,730 to 86,400 cubic feet per second were used to develop stage-discharge relations at the six dams. The computed relations compared favorably with published hydraulic design criteria. The stage-discharge relations derived from tainter gate control are applicable to all conditions except extremely high streamflow conditions when submerged weir flow exists. The stage-discharge relations for wicket control are applicable to flow over no more than 20 lowered wickets. The stage-discharge relations for butterfly valve and head ate control are applicable to all streamflow conditions.

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USGS1980

Preliminary report on the hydrogeology of a low-level radioactive waste disposal site near Sheffield, Illinois

The Sheffield low-level radioactive-waste disposal site is located on 20 acres of rolling terrain about 3 miles southwest of Sheffield, Illinois. Twenty-one trenches were constructed and filled with radioactive waste from August 1967 through April 1978. Forty-three test wells were installed by the U.S. Geological Survey on and adjacent to the site. Continuous cores were collected from 36 wells to help in defining the subsurface geology. The wells have been used for water sample collection and to monitor water-level changes. A tunnel. 6.5 feet in diameter by 290 feet in length, was constructed beneath four burial trenches to provide access for collection of hydrologic and geologic data. Pennsylvanian shale and mudstone deposits are overlain by Pleistocene glacial deposits consisting of the Teneriffe Silt, Glasford Formation, Roxana Silt, Peoria Loess, Parkland Sand, Cahokia Alluvium, and Henry Formation. Three till units of the Glasford Formation, the Hulick Till Member, the Radnor Till Member, and Till A have been identified on the site. Stratigraphic position indicates that the Hulick Till Member and Till A are probably variations of the same till. A continuous pebbly sand deposit, classified as part of the Toulon Member, extends across the middle of the site and continues off site on the northeast and southwest corners. Because of its relatively high hydraulic conductivity, this deposit will be a controlling factor in shallow groundwater movement and in any radionuclide migration. Ground water at the site is derived through infiltration of precipitation and as underflow from adjacent highlands. Precipitation averages 35 inches per year, 1 or 2 inches of which probably recharge the ground water. Runoff is estimated to be 12 to 15 inches per year and evapotranspiration about 20 inches. The fluctuation of water levels has been about 2.5 feet in hilltop wells, 3.6 feet in sidehill wells, and 5.9 feet in valley wells. Hydraulic conductivity of the materials comprising the hydrogeologic system vary widely from about 2.8 to 2.8 x 10 -6 feet/day. Tritium in ground water near the southeast corner of the site has moved about 25 feet per year since June 1975.

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USGS1980

Some chemical characteristics of mine drainage in Illinois

Surface mining for coal in Illinois has affected runoff from the mined areas and altered water quality in the streams. Average annual sulfate loads in streams are 3,000 to 4,000 tons per square mile of mined land in the Big Muddy and Saline River basins in southern Illinois. Relative high concentrations of dissolved aluminum, arsenic, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc are commonly associated with concentrations of sulfate greater than about 2,000 milligrams per liter.

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USGS1979

Measurement of fluid velocity using temperature profiles: Experimental verification

Temperature profiling has been used to predict the rate and direction of groundwater movement. A controlled field experiment was conducted to ascertain the validity of the rate calculations made using this method. The vertical velocity, or leakage, of groundwater between two aquifers was calculated utilizing both hydrologic and temperature measurements in a well drilled into the Paw Paw buried bedrock valley in northern Illinois. The experiment showed that accurate estimates of leakage can be made in stable boreholes where there are no geologic complications. Estimates utilizing temperature and hydrologic methods produced similar results for one of two aquicludes. However, the methods produced dissimilar results for the second aquiclude. It is speculated that the presence of a thin organic silt caused most of the problem; other complicating factors were lithologic variation and a very low hydraulic gradient. Nevertheless, the method appears to have great promise in many geologic environments.

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USGS1979

Seismicity map of the State of Illinois

The earthquake data shown on this map and listed in table 1 are a list of earthquakes that were originally used in preparing the Seismic Risk Studies in the United States (Algermissen, 1969) which have been recompiled and updated through 1977. The data have been reexamined and intensities assigned where none had been assigned before, on the basis of available data. Other intensity values were updated from new and additional data sources that were not available at the time of original compilation. Some epicenters were relocated on the basis of new information. The data shown in table 1 are estimates of the most accurate epicenter, magnitude, and intensity of teach earthquake, on the basis of historical and current information. Some of the aftershocks from large earthquakes are listed but are incomplete in many instances, especially for the ones that occurred before seismic instruments were in universal usage.

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USGS1979

River mileages and drainage areas for Illinois streams—Volume 1, Illinois except Illinois River basin

River mileages are presented for points of interest on Illinois streams draining 10 square miles or more. Points of interest include bridges, dams, gaging stations, county lines, hydrologic unit boundaries, and major tributaries. Drainage areas are presented for selected sites, including total drainage area for any stream draining at least 100 square miles. The report is contained in two volumes. This volume (Volume I) includes Illinois except Illinois River basin.

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USGS1979

River mileages and drainage areas for Illinois streams—Volume 2, Illinois River basin

River mileages are presented for points of interest on Illinois streams draining 10 square miles or more. Points of interest include bridges, dams, gaging stations, county lines, hydrologic unit boundaries, and major tributaries. Drainage areas are presented for selected sites, including total drainage area for any stream draining at least 100 square miles. The report is contained in two volumes. This volume (Volume II) includes Illinois River basin.

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USGS1979

Chemical analyses of surface water in Illinois, 1975-77--Volume I, Des Plaines River basin and Lake Michigan

Samples of surface water were collected and analyzed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The results from water years 1975 to 1977 are presented in three volumes. The history of sampling and analytical methods used during that period are summarized. Stream discharge data from records of the U.S. Geological Survey are included for all sites where samples were collected at gaging stations or near enough that reliable discharge estimates could be made. Volume I includes the Des Plaines River basin and Lake Michigan.

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USGS1979

Chemical analyses of surface water in Illinois, 1975-77--Volume II, Illinois River basin and Mississippi River tributaries north of Illinois River basin

Samples of surface water were collected and analyzed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The results from water years 1975 to 1977 are presented in three volumes. The history of sampling and analytical methods used during that period are summarized. Stream discharge data from records of the U.S. Geological Survey are included for all sites where samples were collected at gaging stations or near enough that reliable discharge estimates could be made. Volume II includes the Illinois River basin and Mississippi River tributaries north of Illinois River basin.

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