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Research about Massachusetts

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Massachusetts.

At least 595 records · Page 33Linked to original sources
USGS1982

Estimating peak discharges of small rural streams in Massachusetts

Floodflows on natural-flow streams in Massachusetts with drainage areas between 0.25 square miles and 260 square miles may be estimated from drainage area, main-channel slope, mean basin elevation, and the area of swamps, lakes, and ponds. Multiple-regression techniques were used to define the relationship between a suite of basin and climatic characteristics and flood peaks in three flood-frequency regions at a total of 95 sites. Station flood-frequency data were computed following guidelines in Bulletin I7A of the U.S. Water Resources Council. The frequency analyses are based upon weighted skew values, and adjustments for high and low outliers, and historic peak data. Regression equations for estimation of peak discharges for 0.5, 0.2, 0.1, 0.04, 0.02, and 0.01 exceedance probabilities are provided for ungaged sites. An improved sample of flood peaks and gaging stations and the definition of three flood-frequency regions reduced the standard error of estimate by about 5 percent over those for the 1977 relations. Included in this analysis were the synthetic flood-frequency data at eight sites computed using historic climatic data and 10 parameters optimized by calibration of the U.S. Geological Survey's rainfall-runoff model with storm data observed over II years. The equations are applicable to streams unaffected by regulation where the usable manmade storage is less than 4.5 million cubic feet per square mile, or by diversions or urbanization. The equations are restricted to sites where the basin indices are within a specified range outside of eastern Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes or Nantucket Counties. In these areas, the available data do not adequately define the influence of high infiltration and storage capacities of drainage basins on floodflows.

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USGS1982

Sewage plume in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Secondarily treated domestic sewage has been disposed of on surface sand beds at the sewage treatment facility at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, since 1936. Infiltration of the sewage through the sand beds into the underlying unconfined sand and gravel aquifer has resulted in a plume of sewage-contaminated ground water that is 2,500 to 3,500 feet wide, 75 feet wide, and more than 11,000 feet long. The plume extends south and southwest of the sand beds in the same direction as the regional flow of around water, and is overlain by 20 to 50 feet of ground water derived from precipitation that recharges the aquifer. The bottom of the plume generally coincides with the contact between the permeable sand and gravel and underlying finer grained sediments. The distributions in the aquifer of specific conductance, temperature, boron, chloride, sodium, phosphorus, nitrogen (total of all species), ammonia, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and detergents are used to delineate the plume. In ground water outside the plume, the detergent concentration is less than 0.1 milligrams per liter as MBAS (methylene blue active substances), the ammonia-nitrogen concentration is less than 0.1 milligrams per liter, the boron concentration is less than 50 micrograms per liter, and specific conductance is less than 80 micromhos per centimeter. In the center of the plume, detergent concentrations as high as 2.6 milligrams per liter as MBAS, ammonia-nitrogen concentrations as high as 20 milligrams per liter, boron concentrations as high as 400 micrograms per liter, and specific conductance as high as 405 micromhos per centimeter were measured. Chloride, sodium, and boron are transported by the southward-flowing ground water without significant retardation, and seem to be diluted only by hydrodynamic dispersion. The movement of phosphorus is greatly restricted by sorption. Phosphorus concentrations do not exceed 0.05 milligrams per liter farther than 2,500 feet from the sand beds. Detergent concentrations in the plume are highest between 3,000 and 10,000 feet from the sand beds and reflect the introduction of nonbiodegradable detergents in 1946 and the conversion to biodegradable detergents in 1964. The center of the plume as far as 5,000 feet from the sand beds contains nitrogen as ammonia, but no nitrate and no dissolved oxygen. Ammonia is gradually oxidized to nitrate between 5,000 and 8,000 feet from the sand beds, and at distances greater than 8,000 feet oxidation of ammonia is essentially complete. Ammonia also is oxidized to nitrate along the top and sides of the plume within 5,000 feet of the beds where the contaminated ground water mixes with uncontaminated ground water that contains up to 11 milligrams per liter dissolved oxygen.

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USGS1981

Geochemical evidence for modern sediment accumulation on the continental shelf off southern New England

An area of fine-grained sediment approximately 170 km x 74 km in size, located in water depths between 60 m and 150 m, south of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., is a site of modern sediment deposition. The 14 C ages systematically increase with sediment depth from about 1,300 years B.P. at the surface to 8,000-10,000 years B.P. at the depth of maximum core penetration. The old age for the surface sediments probably results from a combination of deposition of old carbon and faunal mixing. In the finest sediments, the sedimentation rates were approximately 130 cm/1,000 yrs when deposition began and have decreased to about 25 cm/1,000 yrs. The decreasing sedimentation rate reflects a diminishing source of fine sediments, which presumably came from the Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals area. Inventories of excess 210 Pb in undisturbed cores average 70 dpm/cm 2 (disintegrations per minute per square centimeter), more than two times higher than the flux of 210 Pb from the atmosphere and from 226 Ra decay in the overlying water. This additional influx of 210 Pb either must be with new fine-grained sediment material or from solutions that are stripped of their 210 Pb by particulates in the bottom nepheloid layer. Stable Pb concentrations in surface sediments are about 28 ppm, as much as two times higher than concentrations at depth. The high accumulation rates, 210 Pb inventories, and trace-metal profiles imply that this area is a modern sink for fine-grained sediments and for pollutants associated with particulate matter in the water column. To our knowledge, this is the only site of present-day natural deposition on the Continental Shelf off the eastern United States, exclusive of the Gulf of Maine. Because the net currents on the outer half of this Continental Shelf flow from northeast to southwest, this fine-grained deposit may receive its sediments and possible contaminants from the Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank regions.

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USGS1981

Digital models of ground-water flow in the Cape Cod aquifer system, Massachusetts

The Cape Cod aquifer system was simulated with three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water-flow models. Five areas were modeled to provide tools that can be used to evaluate the hydrologic impacts of regional water development and waste disposal. The model boundaries were selected to represent the natural hydrologic boundaries of the aquifer. The boundary between fresh and saline ground water is treated as an interface along which there is no dispersion. The saline-water zone is treated as static (nonflowing). Comparisons of calculated and observed values of head, position of the boundary between fresh and saline water, and ground-water discharge at locations where data are available indicate that the simulated ground-water reservoirs generally agree with field conditions. Model analyses indicate that the total steady-state freshwater-flow rate through the five modeled areas is approximately 412 cubic feet per second.

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USGS1981

Hydrologic data of the lower Merrimack River basin, Massachusetts, from Concord River, Lowell, to Plum Island, Newburyport

The lower Merrimack River basin study area drains approximately 180 square miles along the New Hampshire border in northeastern Massachusetts. This area includes parts of the Merrimack River basin within Massachusetts east of the Beaver Brook and Concord River basins, except for the Shawsheen River basin. Even though the Blackwater River basin within Massachusetts isn't part of the lower Merrimack River basin, it has been included in this report. Principal tributaries to the Merrimack River, which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport, Massachusetts, are: Bare Meadow, Bartlett, Cobbler Creek, Fish, Richardson, and Trull Brooks, Artichoke, East Meadow, Indian, Little, Powwow, and Spicket Rivers, and Johnson Creek.

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USGS1981

High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles from the Duxbury, Massachusetts, area

In August 1980, The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a seismic study (fig. 1) of the harbor and nearshore waters of Duxbury, Massachusetts, aboard the 38' research vessel R/V NEECHO. In all, 18.5 kilometers of high-resolution seismic profiles and sidescan-sonar data were obtained. The systems used included an 80-J minisparker and an EPC-32001 recorder and an EDO Western sidescan system. The navigation was by Northstar LORAN-C and by buoy-to-buoy dead reckoning within Duxbury Harbor. The original records may be viewed at the U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Microfilm copies of the seismic profiles can be purchased only from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA/EDIS/NGSDC, 325 Broadway, Code D621, Boulder, Colorado 80303.

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USGS1981

Hydrologic data of the Shawsheen River basin, Massachusetts

The Shawsheen River basin drains a 77-square-mile area northwest of metropolitan Boston in eastern Massachusetts and discharges into the Merrimack River. Principal tributaries to the Shawsheen River are: Content, Elm, Heath, Hussey, Kiln, Rogers, Spring, Strong Water, Vine, and Webb Brooks.

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USGS1981

Hydrologic data of the Lake Cochituate drainage basin, Framingham-Natick, Massachusetts

Lake Cochituate is about 16 miles due west of Boston, Massachusetts, in the southeastern part of Middlesex County. The drainage basin is 17.7 mi 2 at the outlet of Lake Cochituate in Framingham. Principal tributaries to the lake are Beaverdam, Course, Pegan, and Snake Brooks. Beaverdam and Course Brooks flow into Fisk Pond, which empties into Lake Cochituate, whereas Pegan and Snake Brooks flow directly into Lake Cochituate. Surface drainage from the outlet of Lake Cochituate flows along Cochituate Brook into the Sudbury River at Framingham. The Cochituate Basin is in the center of the Sudbury River basin, which flows northeastward into the Concord River, a tributary of the Merrimack River.

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USGS1980

Seismicity map of the state of Massachusetts

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 in the United States (Algermissen, 1969) which have been recompiled and updated through 1977. These data have been reexamined which resulted in some revisions of epicenters and intensities as well as assignment of intensities to earthquakes that previously had none assigned. 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 each 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 ones that occurred before seismic instruments were in universal usage.

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USGS1980

Cape Cod Aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Ground water was the major source of drinking water on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1978. Withdrawals from over 100 municipal wells averaged 17.5 million gallons per day in 1978. Private wells on Cape Cod are estimated to number 15,000. Ground water occurs primarily under unconfined or water-table conditions. Artesian conditions exist where fine silt and clay beds have been deposited along Cape Cod's north shore from Bourne to Brewster, locally along the south shore, and in parts of Chatham and Orleans. Natural recharge to the aquifer is entirely from precipitation. Discharge is by pumping; evapotranspiration; direct evaporation from the water table; and seepage to rivers, marshes, and the ocean. Ground-water quality is generally suitable for domestic uses, although some public and private water wells have been contaminated. Contaminants can enter the ground water by infiltration from land surface, ponds, streams, and swamps. Infiltration from sewage lagoons, sand filter beds, septic tanks, cesspools, recharge pits, wells, or intrusion of saline water may also contaminate the aquifer. Alternative sources of drinking water, including desalination, transport from the mainland, and rainwater cisterns, are many times more expensive.

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USGS1979

Coal resources of southeastern Massachusetts assessed in 1942

Large easily mined coal deposits of usable quality would be of great value to Massachusetts, particularly in war time. Every effort has been made in this study to evaluate the probable occurrence, quantity, and quality of the coal deposits in southeastern Massachusetts but unfortunately it is impossible from surface observations alone to ascertain adequately the coal resources of this area. Only by means of widespread and systematic underground exploration, accomplished best by core drilling, can the coal resources be determined. All the available data concerning the coal resources is analyzed in this report in order to indicate the feasibility of such an exploration program and where it is most likely to be successful.

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USGS1979

Magnetometer traverse on Plum Island near Newburyport, Massachusetts

Several large faults of regional tectonic significance circle around Boston and disappear offshore at Plum Island south of Newburyport, Massachusetts (Castle and others, 1976; Barosh and others, 1977). The traces of these faults are, in places, well defined by aeromagnetic anomalies (Harwood and Zietz, 1977), The purpose of this traverse was to get a close look at the magnetic signatures of these faults on the ground before attempting to trace them offshore using ship-towed magnetometer.

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USGS1979

Chemical quality of ground water on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Cod is a 440 square mile hook-shaped peninsula which extends 40 miles into the Atlantic. Freshwater in Pleistocene sand and gravel deposits is the source of supply for nearly 100 municipal and thousands of private domestic wells. Most ground water on Cape Cod is of good chemical quality for drinking and other uses. It is characteristically low in dissolved solids and is soft. In 90 percent of the samples analyzed, dissolved solids were less than 100 mg/l (milligrams per liter) and pH was less than 7.0. Highway deicing salt, sea-water flooding due to storms , and saltwater intrusion due to ground-water withdrawal are sources of sodium chloride contamination. Chloride concentrations have increased from 20 to 140 mg/l, owing to saltwater intrusion at Provincetown 's wells in Truro. In Yarmouth, contaminated ground water near a salt-storage area contained as much as 1,800 mg/l chloride. Heavy metals, insecticides, and herbicides were not found at concentrations above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's recommended limits for public drinking-water supplies, but iron and manganese in some samples exceeded those limits. Ninety percent of 84 samples analyzed for nitrate reported as nitrogen contained less than 1.3 mg/l and 80 percent contained 0.5 mg/l or less of nitrate as nitrogen. Water containing nitrogen in excess of 0.5 mg/l has probably been affected by municipal or domestic sewage or fertilizer, and water with less than this amount may have been affected by them. (Woodard-USGS)

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USGS1979

Ground-water availability in parts of the Chicopee and Mill River basins, near Wilbraham, Massachusetts

Ground water in the Wilbraham area occurs in glacial drift and in underlying bedrock. Stratified sand and gravel deposits form the principal unconsolidated aquifers. These aquifers are generally less than 50 feet thick in most of the study area; however, an area in north-central Wilbraham, near the Chicopee River, is underlain by stratified drift deposits more than 200 feet thick that may be capable of yielding more than 300 gal/min (gallons per minute) to individual wells. Bedrock aquifers are generally of two types: Triassic and Jurassic sedimentary rock lies west of a north-south trending fault, and Paleozoic metamorphic, and igneous rock lies east of the fault. The median yield of wells in sedimentary bedrock is 15 gal/min; yields range from 2 to 110 gal/min. The median yield of wells in crystalline rock is 5 gal/min; yields range from less than 1 to 60 gal/min. (Woodard-USGS)

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