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Research about Kansas

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Kansas.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
USGS1998

Concentrations, loads, and yields of selected water-quality constituents during low flow and storm runoff from three watersheds at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, May 1994 through September 1996

A study of the effects of storm runoff from urban areas on water quality at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was conducted from May 1994 through September 1996. The purpose of this report is to present information to assess the current (1994-96) conditions and possible methods for anticipating future water-quality effects from storm runoff and changes in land use. Three sampling sites were established to monitor streamflow and water quality from three watersheds draining the study area. Streamflow was monitored continuously, and water-quality samples were collected during low-flow (12 samples) and storm-runoff (21 samples) conditions to determine mean annual constituent loads. Constituent concentrations for the most part were smallest during low flow with the exception of major ions, dissolved solids, and some nutrients. Concentrations of suspended solids and total recoverable metals at all three sites were much larger in storm-runoff samples than in low-flow samples--typically an order of magnitude larger than low-flow concentrations. Mean low-flow nutrient concentrations were either larger than or smaller than storm-runoff concentrations depending on the watershed. Total chloroform and total tetrachloroethylene were the only two volatile organic compounds detected, and acid-base/neutral organic compounds were not detected in any of the samples collected. Eight pesticides were detected in low-flow samples, and 15 pesticides were detected in storm-runoff samples. The only mean concentrations of the selected constituents in this study that exceeded either the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant Level or the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level were dissolved solids and total recoverable iron and manganese. Mean annual loads for 10 selected constituents were estimated for each watershed. Overall, storm runoff contributed more than one-half of the total mean annual loads for 8 of the 10 selected constituents. In fact, more than 70 percent of the mean annual loads for suspended solids and total recoverable copper, lead, and zinc were contributed by storm runoff. More than one-half the mean annual load was contributed during lowflow for dissolved solids at all watersheds. Mean annual yields (mass per unit area) of selected constituents from each watershed indicated few differences between watersheds. The lack of variability of yields among the three watersheds indicates that differences in land uses are small enough that few distinctions can be made between watersheds. Overall, storm runoff contributed more than one-half of the mean annual yields for chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, most of the selected nutrient constituents, and total recoverable copper, lead, and zinc. Large yields of chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and total recoverable metals during storm runoff from one of the watersheds are probably related to the erosion of exposed soils at construction sites within the watershed. Low yields of suspended solids and total recoverable copper and zinc from another watershed are probably related to retention-storage effects from lakes upstream from the sampling site.

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USGS1997

Tonganoxichnus, a new insect trace from the Upper Carboniferous of eastern Kansas

Upper Carboniferous tidal rhythmites of the Tonganoxie Sandstone Member (Stranger Formation) at Buildex Quarry, eastern Kansas, USA, host a relatively diverse arthropod-dominated ichnofauna. Bilaterally symmetrical traces displaying unique anterior and posterior sets of morphological features are well represented within the assemblage. A new ichnogenus, Tonganoxichnus , is proposed for these traces. T. buildexensis , the type ichnospecies, has an anterior region characterized by the presence of a frontal pair of maxillary palp impressions, followed by a head impression and three pairs of conspicuous thoracic appendage imprints symmetrically opposite along a median axis. The posterior region commonly exhibits numerous delicate chevron-like markings, recording the abdominal appendages, and a thin, straight, terminal extension. T. buildexensis is interpreted as a resting trace. A second ichnospecies, T. ottawensis , is characterized by a fan-like arrangement of mostly bifid scratch marks at the anterior area that records the head- and thoracic-appendage backstrokes against the substrate. The posterior area shows chevron-like markings or small subcircular impressions that record the abdominal appendages of the animal, also ending in a thin, straight, terminal extension. Specimens display lateral repetition, and are commonly grouped into twos or threes with a fix point at the posteriormost tail-like structure. T. ottawensis is interpreted as a jumping structure, probably in connection with feeding purposes. The two ichnospecies occur in close association, and share sufficient morphologic features to support the same type of arthropod producer. T. buildexensis closely mimics the ventral anatomy of the tracemaker, whereas T. ottawensis records the jumping abilities of the animal providing significant ethologic and paleoecologic information. The presence of well-differentiated cephalic, thoracic, and abdominal features, particularly in T. buildexensis , resembles the diagnostic tagmosis and segmentation of insects. Detailed analysis of trace morphology and comparison with described Paleozoic insect fossils and extant related forms suggest a monuran as the most likely tracemaker.

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USGS1997

The paradox of nonmarine ichnofaunas in tidal rhythmites; integrating sedimentologic and ichnologic data from the Late Cretaceous of eastern Kansas, USA

The occurrence of trace fossil assemblages dominated by arthropod trackways and surface grazing trails within Carboniferous tidal rhythmites has puzzled sedimentologists and ichnologists, who interpreted them either as marine or nonmarine. The Virgilian (Stephanian) Tonganoxie Sandstone Member (Stranger Formation) at Buildex Quarry (eastern Kansas) consists, for the most part, of planar-laminated coarse-grained siltstones deposited on an upper tidal flat, close to or at the fluvial-estuarine transition of a macrotidal estuarine paleovalley. Recurrent thickness fluctuations demonstrate the strong influence of tidal processes and provide evidence that these deposits are tidal rhythmites, with thicker strata representing spring tides and thinner ones recording neap tides. The Buildex sequence hosts a moderately diverse ichnofauna composed of arthropod trackways (Dendroidichnites irregulare, Diplichnites gouldi, Diplopodichnus bifurcus, Kouphichnium isp., Mirandaichnium famatinense, Stiallia pilosa, Stiaria intermedia), grazing traces (Gordia indianaensis, Helminthoidichnites tenuis, Helminthopsis hieroglyphica), subsurface feeding traces (Treptichnus bifurcus, T. pollardi, irregular networks), apterygote insect resting and feeding traces (Tonganoxichnus buildexensis, T. ottawensis), fish traces (Undichna britannica, U. simplicitas), and tetrapod trackways. In contrast to trace fossil assemblages from brackish-water estuarine settings, the Buildex ichnofauna is characterized by moderate to relatively high ichnodiversity, ichnotaxa commonly present in terrestrial/freshwater environments, dominance of surface trails and absence of burrows, dominance of temporary structures produced by a mobile deposit-feeder fauna, a mixture of traces belonging to the Scoyenia and Mermia ichnofacies, moderate density of individual ichnotaxa, and absence of monospecific suites. This ichnofauna is thought to record the activity of a typical freshwater/terrestrial benthos. The presence of this mixed freshwater/terrestrial ichnofauna in tidal rhythmites is regarded as indicative of tidal flats that were developed in the most proximal zone of the inner estuary under freshwater conditions, more precisely in a zone between the maximum limit of landward tidal currents and the salinity limit further towards the sea. Although lithofacies distribution in estuarine valleys is mainly salinity-independent, the distribution of benthos is not. Accordingly, ichnologic studies have the potential to provide a high-resolution delineation of fluvio-estuarine transitions.

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USGS1997

Analysis of bottom sediment to estimate nonpoint-source phosphorus loads for 1981-96 in Hillsdale Lake, northeast Kansas

Bottom sediment in Hillsdale Lake, northeast Kansas, was analyzed as a means of estimating the annual load of total phosphorus deposited in the lake from nonpoint sources. Topographic, bathymetric, and sediment-core data were used to estimate the total mass of phosphorus in the lake-bottom sediment. Available streamflow and water-quality data were used to compute the mean annual mass of phosphorus (dissolved plus suspended) exiting the lake as well as the mean annual load of phosphorus added to the lake from point sources. A simple mass balance then was used to compute the mean annual load of phosphorus from nonpoint sources. Mean annual sediment deposition from 1981 through 1996 was estimated to be 265 million pounds (120 million kilograms). The total mass of phosphorus in the lake-bottom sediment was estimated to be 924,000 kilograms, with a mean annual load of 62,000 kilograms. The mean annual mass of phosphorus exiting in the lake out-flow was estimated to be about 8,000 kilograms. The mean annual loads of phosphorus added to the lake from point and nonpoint sources were estimated to be 5,000 and 65,000 kilograms, respectively. Thus, the contribution to the total mean annual phosphorus load in Hillsdale Lake from point sources is about 7 percent and from nonpoint sources, about 93 percent.

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USGS1997

Concentrations and transport of atrazine in the Delaware River-Perry Lake system, northeast Kansas, July 1992 through September 1995

About 283,000 pounds of atrazine are applied annually in the 1,100-square-mile Delaware River basin. Of this amount, an annual average of 3,500 pounds runs off into Perry Lake, a public-water supply source and main reservoir in the basin. About 90 percent of the atrazine that runs off to streams occurs between May and July. However, annual average concentrations did not exceed the maximum contaminant level in water from any of 10 stream sites or the outflow of Perry Lake for either the 1993 or 1994 crop years.

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USGS1996

Taxonomic reassessment of the ichnogenus Beaconichnus and additional examples from the Carboniferous of Kansas, U.S.A.

The ichnogenus Beaconichnus (Gevers 1973), an arthropod trace fossil, includes very different forms that comprise five ichnospecies, namely B. darwi‐nunt (Gevers 1971), B. gouldi (Gevers 1971), B. ahtarcticum (Gevers 1971), B. giganteum Gevers and Twomey 1982, and B. wrrighti Gevers and Twomey 1982. The original diagnosis of Beaconichnus is rather vague and potentially may accommodate virtually every arthropod trackway described from the fossil record. In view of these problems, the validity of Beaconichnus is reassessed and each of its ichnospecies is reviewed. We conclude that B. darwinum is a junior synonym of Diplopodichnus biformis Brady 1947; B. antarcticum should be regarded as Palmich‐niunt antarcticum; and B. wrighti is a nomen nudum. Additionally, we agree with previous proposals in considering B. gouldi as the senior synonym of B. giganteum , and including it in Diplichnites Dawson 1873. Therefore, we suggest that the ichnogenus Beaconichnus is best disregarded. Additionally, we describe specimens collected from the Late Carboniferous Tonganoxie Sandstone Member (Stranger Formation) of eastern Kansas, ascribed herein to Diplopodichnus biformis and Diplichnites gouldi , which include examples of intergradations between both ichnotaxa, and provide synonymy lists for both ichnospecies.

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USGS1996

Concentrations and transport of atrazine in the Delaware River-Perry Lake system, northeast Kansas, July 1993 through September 1995

A study of the distribution and transport of atrazine in surface water in the 1,117 square-mile Delaware River Basin in northeast Kansas was conducted from July 1992 through September 1995. The purpose of this report is to present information to assess the present (1992-95) con ditions and possible future changes in the distri bution and magnitude of atrazine concentrations, loads, and yields spatially, temporally, and in rela tion to hydrologic conditions and land-use characteristics. A network of 11 stream-monitoring and sam-ple-collection sites was established within the basin. Stream-water samples were collected during a wide range of hydrologic conditions throughout the study. Nearly 5,000 samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for triazine herbicide concentrations. Daily mean triazine herbicide concentrations were calculated for all sampling sites and subsequently used to estimate daily mean atrazine concentrations with a linear-regression relation between ELISA-derived triazine concentrations and atrazine concentrations determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for 141 dual-analyzed surface-water samples. During May, June, and July, time-weighted, daily mean atrazine concentrations in streams in the Delaware River Basin commonly exceeded the value of the 3.0-μg/L (micrograms per liter) annual mean Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking-water supplies. Time-weighted, daily mean concentrations equal to or greater than 20 μg/L were not uncommon. However, most time-weighted, daily mean concentrations were less than 1.0 μg/L from August through April. The largest time-weighted, monthly mean atrazine concentrations occurred during May, June, and July. Most monthly mean concentrations between August and April were less than 0.50 μg/L. Large differences were documented in monthly mean concentrations within the basin. Sites receiving runoff from the northern and northeastern parts of the Delaware River Basin had the largest monthly and annual mean atrazine concentrations. Time-weighted, annual mean atrazine concen trations did not exceed the MCL in water from any sampling site for either the 1993 or 1994 crop years (April—March); however, concentrations were larger during 1994 than during 1993. Time- weighted, annual mean concentrations in water from among the 11 sampling sites during the 1993 crop year ranged from 0.27 to 1.5 μg/L and from 0.36 to 2.8 μg/L during the 1994 crop year. Fur thermore, concentrations in samples from the out- flow of Perry Lake were larger during the first 6 months of the 1995 crop year than during the previous year. Flow-weighted, annual mean atrazine concentrations were larger than time-weighted, annual mean concentrations in water from all sampling sites upstream of Perry Lake, and samples from several sites had concentrations that were substantially larger than the MCL. This difference explained why time-weighted, annual mean concentrations in the outflow of Perry Lake were larger than corresponding time-weighted concentrations in water from sampling sites upstream of Perry Lake. Flow-weighted, annual mean concentrations in water from among the 11 sampling sites during the 1993 crop year ranged from 1.0 to 4.4 and from 1.0 to 8.9 μg/L during the 1994 crop year. Statistically significant linear-regression equa tions were identified relating the percentage of subbasin in cropland to time- and flow-weighted, average annual mean atrazine concentrations. The relations indicate that time-weighted, average annual mean atrazine concentrations may not exceed the MCL in water from subbasins with at least about 70-percent cropland. However, flow- weighted, average annual mean atrazine concen trations may exceed the MCL when the percent- age of cropland is greater than about 40 percent. Approximately 90 percent of the annual atrazine load is transported from May through July. Atrazine loads and yields were larger during the 1993 crop year than during the 1994 crop year because of much greater runoff in 1993. Yields at sampling sites upstream of Perry Lake ranged from 2.4 to 17 lb/mi2 (pounds per square mile) during the 1993 crop year and from 0.29 to 4.4 lb/mi2 during the 1994 crop year. Loads and yields were largest at sampling sites receiving runoff from the northern and northeastern parts of the Delaware River Basin. A statistically significant linear-regression equation was identified relating percentage of subbasin in cropland to atrazine yields. About 283,000 lb (pounds) of atrazine are applied each year in the Delaware River Basin. Annual atrazine loads (5,200 and 2,000 lb), yields (4.7 and 1.8 lb/mi2), and transport ratios (1.8 and 0.7 percent) were estimated for the entire Delaware River Basin for the 1993 and 1994 crop years, respectively. Differences between the 1993 and 1994 crop years are the result of differences in rainfall amounds and subsequent runoff volumes.

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USGS1996

Hydrologic and chemical interaction of the Arkansas River and the Equus Beds aquifer between Hutchinson and Wichita, south-central Kansas

Large chloride concentrations in Arkansas River water have the potential to degrade water quality in the adjacent Equus beds aquifer between Hutchinson and Wichita, Kansas. The aquifer is an important source of water for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and domestic uses. A three-dimensional, finite-difference, ground-water flow-model program (MODFLOW) was used with data from past studies and data collected during 1988-91 to simulate aquifer and stream conditions during the late 1930's, during 1940-89, and during 1990-2019. Results of ground-water flow-model simulations indicated that declining water levels in the Equus beds aquifer since the 1940's have caused base flow in the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers to decrease. In 1940, the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers had simulated net base-flow gains within the model area of about 21 and about 67 ft 3 /s (cubic feet per second), respectively. By the end of 1989, the Arkansas River had a simulated net base-flow loss of about 52 ft 3 /s, and the Little Arkansas River had a net base-flow gain of about 27 ft 3 /s. Simulations for 1990-2019 showed that the water-level changes in a selected model cell located in the central part of the Wichita well field could range from -0.2 to -78 feet. Waterlevel changes in a selected model cell located near the Arkansas River could range from +1.3 to -1.2 feet. In model simulations where only pumpage varied, net base-flow loss from the Arkansas River to the aquifer ranged from about 59 ft 3 /s (no increase in pumpage since 1989) to 117 ft 3 /s (a 3-percent per year increase in pumpage since 1989) by 2019. Assuming a chloride concentration of 630 milligrams per liter, the median concentration in Arkansas River water collected during 1988-91, the quantity of chloride discharged from the Arkansas River to the aquifer was estimated to have increased from about 21 tons per day in 1940 to about 100 tons per day in 1989. By 2019, chloride discharge was indicated to range from about 110 tons per day (associated with no increase in pumpage since 1989) to 200 tons per day (associated with a 3-percent per year increase in pumpage since 1989). A particle-tracking program (MODPATH), which used the results from the flow model, was used to simulate the distribution in the aquifer of chloride from the river during the same time periods. Particle-tracking simulations show that, during 1940-89, the simulated distribution of particles representing chloride from the Arkansas River expanded from relatively narrow bands near the river to a wider distribution within the aquifer and the Wichita well field. Particle-tracking simulations indicate that chloride discharge from the Arkansas River may have reached the edge of the Wichita well field as early as 1963.

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USGS1996

Changes in high-flow frequency and channel geometry of the Neosho River downstream from John Redmond Dam, southeastern Kansas

The streamflow regimen of the Neosho River downstream from John Redmond Dam in southeastern Kansas has changed significantly since the dam's completion in 1964. The controlled releases from the dam have decreased the magnitudes of peak discharges and increased the magnitudes of low discharges. The trends in river stage for selected discharges also have changed at two of the streamflow-gaging stations--those closest to the dam. There is a significant downward trend in the stages associated with the median annual peak discharges, but no significant trend in the stages associated with the annual mean discharges, which indicates that the river channel is increasing in width but not depth or that the hflow velocity has increased at the streamflow-gaging stations. Because there were not significant trends present in precipitation, mean annual discharge, or annual peak discharge, the changes are attributed to John Redmond Dam.

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USGS1993

Geohydrologic systems in Kansas, geohydrology of the Great Plains aquifer system

Sedimentary rocks of Late Cambrian through Early Cretaceous age in Kansas are part of a regional flow system of hydraulically connected aquifers and confining units. Future demands for water require that these deeply buried rocks be studied to describe hydrologic properties and ground-water-flow conditions and to provide information that will serve as the basis for decisions concerning the protection and the management of the water resources contained therein, Toward this end, the U.S. Geological Survey, as a part of its Central Midwest Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (CMRASA), began a 5-year hydrologic investigation of this regional flow system in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas (Jorgensen and Signor, 1981). This chapter is one of nine contained in Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-722, which present a description of the physical framework (Chapters B-F) and the geohydrology (Chapters G-I} of principal aquifers and confining systems in Upper Cambrian through Lower Cretaceous rocks in Kansas; the stratigraphic relations of these geohydrologic systems are discussed in detail in Chapter A (Wolf and others, 1990). This chapter (G) describes the geohydrology of the Great Plains aquifer system; the physical framework of the Great Plains aquifer system is presented in Chapter B (Spinazola and others, 1992). The maps in this chapter are based on existing data from selected geophysical and lithologic logs, drill-stem tests, water-level measurements, water-quality analyses, and published maps of stratigraphically equivalent units. An index to the geohydrologic data compiled for the CMRASA in Kansas is presented in Spinazola and others (1987). For the most part, data used to construct the maps were collected over many years and do not reflect aquifer conditions for any specific time period.

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USGS1993

Geohydrologic systems in Kansas — Geohydrology of the lower aquifer unit in the western interior plains aquifer system

The purpose of the investigation is to provide a description of the principal geohydrologic systems in Upper Cambrian through Lower Cretaceous rocks in Kansas. This investigation was made as part of the Central Midwest Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (CMRASA). The CMRASA is one of several major investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey of regional aquifer systems in the United States. These regional investigations are designed to increase knowledge of the flow regime and hydrologic properties of major aquifer systems and to provide quantitative information for the assessment, development, and management of water supplies. The CMRASA study area includes all or parts of 10 Central Midwestern States (Jorgensen and Signor, 1981), as shown of the envelope cover. This Hydrologic Investigations Atlas, which consists of a series of chapters, presents a description of the physical framework and geohydrology of principal aquifers and confining systems in Kansas. Chapter H presents the geohydrology of the upper aquifer unit in the Western Interior Plains aquifer system. The physical framework of the aquifer system in relation to other systems is described by maps and sections showing areal extent and the thickness of rocks that compose the unit. The physical framework of the upper aquifer unit is described in detail in chapter D of the atlas (Hansen and others, in press). The hydrology of the system in relation to that of other systems is described in this chapter by maps showing the altitude of fluid levels and the direction of water movement within the unit. The chemical composition of water in the system is described by maps that show the distribution of dissolved-solids concentrations and the differences in water types on the basis of principal chemical constituents. Chapter A of this atlas series (Wolf and others, 1990) describes the relation of principal geohydrologic systems in Kansas and presents a more detailed discussion of the methods and data used to prepare and ensure consistency among the sets of maps.

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