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Research about Michigan

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Michigan.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources
USGS1996

Hydrogeologic framework of Mississippian rocks in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan

Sedimentary rocks of Mississippian age form the lower part of a regional aquifer system in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Strata of the Michigan Formation, the Marshall Sandstone, and the Coldwater Shale were subdivided into an aquifer and two confining units on the basis of hydraulic properties. The Michigan confining unit consists of shale, limestone, dolomite, gypsum, anhydrite, and discontinuous beds of sandstone and siltstone. The area! extent of this unit is approximately 17,000 square miles, and thickness typically ranges from 300 to 400 feet. The Michigan confining unit overlies the Marshall aquifer. This aquifer consists of one or more stratigraphically continuous, permeable sandstones, which are hydraulically connected at the scale of the regional aquifer system. The area! extent of this regional aquifer is approximately 22,000 square miles, and the composite thickness of permeable sandstones that form the Marshall aquifer typically ranges from 75 to 175 feet. The Marshall aquifer is freshwater bearing in areas where it is in direct hydraulic connection to Pleistocene glacial deposits. Saline water is present in this aquifer in a zone of transition from freshwater to brine. The width of this transition zone typically ranges from 10 to 30 miles, but width is as narrow as 2 to 4 miles in the northern part of the aquifer system. The Marshall aquifer contains brine in the central part of the basin (areal extent approximately 10,000 square miles), where it is more than 800 feet below land surface. The Coldwater confining unit, which underlies the Marshall aquifer, ranges from 500 to 1,300 feet in thickness. This confining unit forms the basal part of the regional aquifer system, and it consists mostly of shale.

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USGS1996

Geohydrology and contamination at the Michigan Department of Transportation maintenance garage area, Kalamazoo County, Michigan

A leaking underground storage tank was removed from the Michigan Department of Transportation maintenance garage area in Kalamazoo County., Mich., in 1985. The tank had been leaking unleaded gasoline. Although a remediation system was operational at the site for several years after the tank was removed, ground-water samples collected from monitoring wells in the area consistently showed high concentrations of benzene, toluene. ethylbenzene, and xylenes--indicators of the presence of gasoline. The U.S. Geological Survey did a study in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Transportation, to define the geology, hydrology, and occurrence of gasoline contamination in the maintenance garage area. The aquifer affected by gasoline contamination is an unconfined glaci'a.l sand and gravel aquifer. The average depth to water in the study area is about 74.7 feet. Water-level fluctuations are small; maximum fluctuation was slightly more than 1 foot during August 1993-August 1994. Hydraulic conductivities based on aquifer-test data collected for the study and estimated by use of the Cooper-Jacob method of solution ranged from 130 to 144 feet per day. Ground water is moving in an east-southeasterly direction at a rate of about I foot per day. Leakage from perforated pipes leading from the underground storage tanks to the pump station was identified as a second source of gasoline contamination to saturated and unsaturated zones. The existence of this previously unknown second source is part of the reason that previous remediation efforts were ineffective. Residual contaminants in the unsaturated zone are expected to continue to move to the water table with recharge, except in a small area covered by asphalt at the land surface. The gasoline plume from the perforated pipe source has merged with that from the leaking underground storage tank, and the combined plume in the saturated zone is estimated to cover an area of 30,000 square feet. The combined plume is in the upper 20 feet of the saturated zone. The relative distribution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes indicate that factors such as sorption, solubility, and susceptibility to microbial degradation are affecting the movement of the combined plume. Given these factors, the plume is expected to move at a rate of less than 1 foot per day.

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USGS1996

Simulation of ground-water flow in the Saginaw Aquifer, Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties, Michigan

A numerical model was developed to simulate ground-water flow in the Tri-County region, which consists of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties, Michigan. This region includes a nine-township area surrounding Lansing, Michigan. The model simulates the regional response of the Saginaw aquifer to major groundwater withdrawals associated with public-supply wells. The Saginaw aquifer, which is in the Grand River and Saginaw Formations of Pennsylvanian age, is the primary source of ground water for Tri-County residents. The Saginaw aquifer is overlain by glacial deposits, which also are important ground-water sources in some locations. Flow in the Saginaw aquifer and the glacial deposits is simulated by discretizing the flow system into model cells arranged in two layers. Each cell, which corresponds to a land area of 0.0625 square mile, represents the locally averaged properties of the system. The spatial variation of hydraulic properties controlling ground-water flow was estimated by geostatistical analysis of 4,947 well logs. Parameter estimation, a form of nonlinear regression, was used to calibrate the flow model. Results of steady-state ground-water-flow simulations show close agreement between water flowing into and out of the model area for 1992 pumping conditions; standard error of the difference between simulated and measured heads is 14.7 feet. Simulation results for three alternative pumping scenarios for the year 2020 show that the glacial aquifer could be dewatered in places if hypothetical increases in pumping are not distributed throughout the Tri-County region. Contributing areas to public-supply wells in the nine-township area were delineated by a particle-tracking analysis. These areas cover about 121 square miles. Contributing areas for particles having travel times of 40 years or less cover about 42 square miles. Results of tritium sampling support results of model simulations to delineate contributing areas.

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USGS1995

Contaminants in fishes from great lakes-influenced sections and above dams of three Michigan Rivers: III. Implications for health of bald eagles

Recently, there have been discussions of the relative merits of passage of fishes around hydroelectric dams on three rivers (Au Sable, Manistee, and Muskegon) in Michigan. A hazard assessment was conducted to determine the potential for adverse effects on bald eagles that could consume such fishes from above and below dams on the three primary rivers. The hazard assessments were verified by comparing the reproductive productivities of eagles nesting in areas where they ate primarily fish from either above or below dams on the three primary rivers, as well as on two additional rivers in Michigan, the Menominee and Thunder Bay. Concentrations of organochlorine insecticides (OCI), polychlorinated biphenyls (total PCBs), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ), and total mercury (Hg) were measured in composite samples of fishes from above and below hydroelectric dams on the Manistee and Muskegon Rivers, which flow into Lake Michigan, and the Au Sable River, which flows into Lake Huron. Mean concentrations of OCI, total PCBs, and TCDD-EQ were all greater in fishes from below the dams than in those from above. The hazard assessment indicated that current concentrations of Hg and OCI other than DDT (DDT + DDE + DDD) in fish from neither above nor below dams would present a significant hazard to bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). Both total PCBs and TCDD-EQ in fishes from below the dams currently present a significant hazard to bald eagles, since their mean hazard quotients (HQ) were all greater than one.

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USGS1995

Abnormal chemical element concentrations in lichens of Isle Royale National Park

Lichens have been used for many years to monitor changes in deposited airborne chemical elements in many areas, but few studies have focused on areas suspected of experiencing slightly elevated pollution. Detection of subtle patterns of slightly elevated pollutants calls for developing several lines of evidence as opposed to single line studies used in heavily polluted areas. This study of two lichen species, Hypogymnia physodes and Evernia mesomorpha , in Isle Royale National Park, Michigan compares the concentrations and ranks of elements with the concentrations and ranks of the elements in the earth's crust, changes in element concentrations over a nine year period, and the geography of element concentrations in the park. S, Zn, Pb, Cd and Se were elevated in both species and higher in rank compared to the concentrations and ranks in the earth's crust. Toxic elements increased 123% in Hypogymnia and 62% in Evernia over 9 years, compared to increases of 45% and 59% for non-toxic elements in each species, respectively. Geographically, the lichens at certain localities with higher exposures experienced higher than average element concentrations. Finally, tissue concentrations of Mn, S and Se at some localities were above levels known to be either toxic or similar to those found in polluted areas. These four lines of evidence suggest that Isle Royale National Park is experiencing the onset of chronic air pollution stress from a number of sources.

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USGS1995

Concentrations of dissolved and particulate Polychlorinated Biphenyls in water from the Saginaw River, Michigan

The Saginaw River receives water from a major drainage basin in the east-central portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan. Historically the river has been contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from several sources. The present study was conducted to determine the concentrations of PCBs in both the dissolved and particulate phases of water in the lower Saginaw River, as well as the relative contribution of PCBs from the lower portion of the river relative to more upstream locations. Water samples were collected in 1990–1991, during a range of discharge conditions. Suspended particulates were collected from water onto glass-fiber filters by use of a “Penta-plate” filtration apparatus. Filtered water was subsequently passed through XAD-2 macroreticular resin to collect the “dissolved” PCBs. Concentrations of PCBs in both phases were determined by congener specific gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Total concentrations of PCBs ranged from 11 to 31 ng/L. The concentrations of PCBs in the dissolved phase ranged from 1.9 to 16 ng/L. The ratio of total PCBs bound to suspended particulates, relative to dissolved PCBs, was 2:1 and remained fairly constant for discharges less than approximately 400 M 3 /sec. The loading of total PCBs to Saginaw Bay was estimated to be 225 kg/yr, of which approximately 60% was found to be contributed by the lower 8 km of the Saginaw River.

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USGS1995

Analysis of factors affecting the accuracy, reproducibility, and interpretation of microbial community carbon source utilization patterns

We determined factors that affect responses of bacterial isolates and model bacterial communities to the 95 carbon substrates in Biolog microliter plates. For isolates and communities of three to six bacterial strains, substrate oxidation rates were typically nonlinear and were delayed by dilution of the inoculum. When inoculum density was controlled, patterns of positive and negative responses exhibited by microbial communities to each of the carbon sources were reproducible. Rates and extents of substrate oxidation by the communities were also reproducible but were not simply the sum of those exhibited by community members when tested separately. Replicates of the same model community clustered when analyzed by principal- components analysis (PCA), and model communities with different compositions were clearly separated un the first PCA axis, which accounted for >60% of the dataset variation. PCA discrimination among different model communities depended on the extent to which specific substrates were oxidized. However, the substrates interpreted by PCA to be most significant in distinguishing the communities changed with reading time, reflecting the nonlinearity of substrate oxidation rates. Although whole-community substrate utilization profiles were reproducible signatures for a given community, the extent of oxidation of specific substrates and the numbers or activities of microorganisms using those substrates in a given community were not correlated. Replicate soil samples varied significantly in the rate and extent of oxidation of seven tested substrates, suggesting microscale heterogeneity in composition of the soil microbial community.

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USGS1995

Ground-water withdrawals in Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties, Michigan

The Tri-County region includes Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties in the south-central Lower Peninsula of Michigan (fig. 1). People in the Lansing Metropolitan area, which is located near the center of this region, generally enjoy high-quality drinking water. In fact, taste testers ranked Lansing's water as second in the Nation at the 1988 American Water Resources Association Water-Use Symposium in Tucson, Arizona. However, a drought in 1988 and subsequent water rationing within the Tri-County region prompted local communities to assess the adequacy of water resources for future needs. As part of that effort, this fact sheet provides a brief overview of the development of ground-water resources within the region.

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USGS1995

Ground-water levels in Huron County, Michigan, March 1993 through December 1994

In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a study of the hydrogeology of Huron County, Michigan. In 1993, Huron County and the USGS entered into an agreement to continue collecting water levels at selected wells throughout Huron County. As part of the agreement, the USGS provided training and instrumentation for County personnel to measure, on a quarterly basis, the depth to water below the land surface in selected wells. The program included the operation of continuous water-level recorders installed on four wells, in Bingham, Fairhaven, Grant and Lake townships (figure 1). County personnel make quarterly water-level measurements on 22 other wells (figure 1). Once each year, County personnel are accompanied by USGS personnel who provide a quality assurance/quality control check of all measurements being made. Two of the wells with recorders are completed in the Marshall aquifer (H5r and H25Ar), one is completed in the glacio-fluvial aquifer (H2r), and one is completed in the Saginaw aquifer (H9r). Hydrographs are presented for each of the four wells with water level recorders (figures 3, 4, 6, and 8). Hydrographs of quarterly water-level measurements and range of water levels during the period October, 1988 to January, 1990 (the original project period) are shown in figures 5, 7, 9, and 10 and quarterly water levels are presented in tables 1 through 4. Figure 2 shows the monthly-mean water-level elevation of Lake Huron, as measured at Harbor Beach and Essexville, and monthly-mean precipitation as recorded at Bad Axe, for the period October, 1988 through December, 1994. In general, Lake Huron water-level elevation were at or near record lows in late 1989, and near record highs in late 1993. Precipitation throughout the period was generally within the normal range.

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USGS1995

Water resources data, Michigan, water year 1994

Water resources data for the 1994 water year for Michigan consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and ground water levels. This report contains discharge records for 145 streamflow-gaging stations; stage only records for 2 river-gaging stations and 11 lake-gaging stations; stage and contents for 4 lakes and reservoirs; water-quality records for 15 streamflow-gaging stations; water-level records for 44 ground-water wells. Also included are 32 crest-stage partial-record stations and 2 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program. Miscellaneous data were collected at 50 measuring sites. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, local, and Federal agencies in Michigan.

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USGS1995

Contributing areas of water-supply wells in Elkton and Pigeon, Huron County, Michigan

The villages of Elkton and Pigeon in Huron County, Michigan, depend on wells completed in the Marshall aquifer to provide a reliable source of potable water. In order to protect the quality of water pumped from these wells, these municipalities need to ensure that potentially harmful contaminants do not enter the Marshall aquifer within the contributing areas of these wells. The Well Head Protection Plan for the State of Michigan requires the delineation of a contributing area based on a 10year time-of-travel for public-supply wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends a 40-year time-of-travel as the basis for contributing areas of wells in confined aquifers. The Marshall aquifer, composed of permeable sandstone, is the principal bedrock aquifer in the Elkton-Pigeon area and in the Michigan Basin. In the Elkton-Pigeon area, the top of the Marshall aquifer is roughly 90 to 150 feet below land surface and the aquifer is about 80 feet thick. Transmissivity ranges from 40 to 1,300 feet squared per day, effective porosity is estimated to be about 10 percent, and the hydraulic gradient ranges from 0.0013 to 0.0025. The recharge area of the aquifer is several miles southeast of Elkton and Pigeon, where the aquifer is a subcrop beneath the permeable unconsolidated sediments of the Port Huron End Moraine. Water from wells at Elkton and Pigeon has tritium concentrations of less than 0.8 tritium unit, a concentration indicating that (1) the water in the Marshall aquifer at Elkton and Pigeon is more than 40 years old and (2) the aquifer is highly confined. On the basis of a semianalytical model, contributing areas for a the ,10-year time-of-travel for water-supply wells in Elkton and Pigeon are almost entirely within village boundaries. The contributing areas for a 40-year time-of-travel encompass areas within approximately 1 mile of each village and are several miles from the recharge area of the aquifer. Control of land-use activities within the contributing areas at Elkton and Pigeon will not ensure that water pumped from these supply wells will remain potable. The Marshall aquifer overlies the Coldwater Shale, which contains brine and brackish water that could migrate toward the pumped wells.

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USGS1995

Genetic contribution of hatchery fish to walleye stocks in Saginaw Bay, Michigan

Stocks of walleye ( Stizostedion vitreum ) were severely depressed in Saginaw Bay in the 1970s. In 1979, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began intensive stocking of walleye fingerlings to bolster fish populations. Subsequent to stocking, the walleye fishery has recovered. The study objective was to determine if recovery was due to the stocking program or natural reproduction. Inherent genetic differences between hatchery fish and endemic walleyes were used to determine the effect and contribution of hatchery fish to Saginaw Bay.

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USGS1994

Contaminants in fishes from Great Lakes-influenced sections and above dams of three Michigan rivers. I: Concentrations of organo chlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin equivalents, and mercury

Fishes of the Great Lakes contain hazardous chemicals such as synthetic halogenated hydrocarbons and metals. These fish can move from the lakes into the Great Lakes tributaries of Michigan. In doing so, they transport concentrationsof contaminants which may represent a risk to wildlife. Concentrations of mercury (Hg), total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ), total DDT complex, aldrin, endrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, lindane, hexachlorobenzene, cis -chlordane, oxychlordane, endosulfan-I, methoxychlor, trans -chlordane, and trans -nonachlor were determined in composite samples of fishes from above and below Michigan hydroelectric dams, which separate the fishes which have access to the Great Lakes from fishes that do not. Mean concentrations of total PCBs, TCDD-EQ, DDT, and most of the other pesticides were greater in composite samples of six species of fishes from below than above the dams on the Au Sable, Manistee, and Muskegon Rivers. Concentrations of mercury, were the same or greater above the dams than below. However, this difference was statistically significant only on the Au Sable. Mercury concentrations ranged from less than 0.05 mg/kg to 0.73 mg Hg/kg, ww. Total concentrations of PCBs ranged from 0.02 to 1.7 mg/kg, ww. Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlordibenzo- p -dioxin equivalents varied among fishes and locations. The concentrations of TCDD-EQ ranged from 2.4 to 71 μg/kg, ww, with concentrations in carp being the greatest. Concentrations of TCDD-EQ were greater than the concentrations which would be expected to occur, due solely to the presence of polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF), and technical mixtures of PCBs.

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USGS1994

Contaminants in fishes from Great Lakes-influenced sections and above dams of three Michigan rivers. II: Implications for health of mink

Populations of mink ( Mustela vison ) have declined in many areas of the world. Such declines have been linked to exposures to synthetic, halogenated hydrocarbons. In the Great Lakes region, mink are fewer in areas along the shore of the Great Lakes and their tributaries where mink have access to fish from the Great Lakes. Recently, there has been discussion of the relative merits of passage of fishes around hydroelectric dams on rivers in Michigan. A hazard assessment was conducted to determine the potential for adverse effects on mink, which could consume such fishes from above or below dams on the rivers. Concentrations of organochlorine insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 2,3,7,8-tetrachloridibenzo- p -dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ), and total mercury were measured in composite samples of fishes from above or below hydroelectric dams on the Manistee and Muskegon Rivers, which flow into Lake Michigan, and the Au Sable River, which flows into Lake Huron. Concentrations of organochlorine insecticides, PCBs, and TCDD-EQ were all greater in fishes from below the dams than those from above. Concentrations of neither organochlorine insecticides nor mercury in fishes are currently a risk to mink above or below the dams. All of the species of fishes collected from downstream of the dams contained concentrations of PCBs and TCDD-EQ, which represent a hazard to mink. The hazard index for PCBs was less than one for the average of all species from the upstream reaches of the Manistee and Au Sable Rivers, but not the Muskegon. The hazard index (concentration in fish/NOAEC) was greater than 1 for all of the species collected from below the dams, in all three rivers. The greatest hazard index was observed for carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) downstream on the Muskegon River. Because the concentrations of PCBs used in the hazard assessment were corrected for relative toxic potencies, the hazard ratios based on PCBs should be similar to those based on TCDD-EQ. This was found to be true. Thus, either total PCBs or TCDD-EQ could be used as the critical toxicant in the hazard assessment. However, if uncorrected concentrations of PCBs, expressed as Aroclors ® , were used in the hazard assessment, the toxicity of the weathered mixture would have been underestimated by approximately five-fold, and, in that instance, TCDD-EQ would be the critical contaminant for the hazard assessment. The average maximum allowable percentage of fish from above the dams, which would result in no observable adverse effects of TCDD-EQ, was 70%. Based on the average TCDD-EQ concentrations in the fishes, an average of 8.6% of the diet could be made up of fishes from below dams on the rivers. The most restrictive daily allowable intakes were for carp on the Muskegon and steelhead trout ( Onchorhyncus mykiss ) on the Manistee Rivers. Only 2.7% of the diet could be made up of these two species from influenced portion of the Au Sable River, they would be exposed to 390 μg PCBs and 8.55 ng of TCDD-EQ per day, respectively (Giesy et al. 1994b). Thus, it would take 15.1 or 77 days for mink to receive their total annual dose of PCBs or TCDD-EQ, respectively. At least for chinook salmon, the critical contaminant for the purposes of hazard assessment would be total concentrations of PCBs. Consuming chinook salmon for as little as 2 weeks would deliver the annual allowable dose of PCBs to mink.

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USGS1994

Evaluation of effects caused by high copper concentrations in Torch Lake, Michigan, on reproduction of yellow perch

Elevated concentrations of copper are present in Torch Lake, Michigan, an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site. The sauger ( Stizostedion canadense ) population in Torch Lake has been extirpated and walleye ( Stizostedion vitreum ) populations are maintained by stocking. We used yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) to determine if chronic exposure to elevated copper concentrations has reduced the reproductive success of percids. Ripe yellow perch from Torch Lake and Gratiot Lake, a reference site, were captured between 6 May and 6 June 1990. Crosses were made within each lake and between lakes (both combinations); five pairs of each type were attempted. Portions of each egg mass were reared in Torch Lake water (34 ng/mL copper) and reference site water (Rice Lake) until 4 days posthatch (20-d to 28-d). Copper concentrations were found to be over two times as high as in reference samples both in Torch Lake water and in gonads of perch from Torch Lake. The percentages of eggs hatched in Torch Lake and reference lake water were not significantly different, although a trend of reduced hatch in Torch Lake water was apparent. Likewise, no significant differences were indicated in hatching success among crosses. However, duration of hatching was significantly longer for Torch Lake egg masses than for reference lake egg masses, indicating that copper may affect reproductive success through disruption of hatch coordination with food availability or reduction of larval fitness.

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USGS1994

Water resources data, Michigan, water year 1993

Water resources data for the 1993 water year for Michigan consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and ground water levels. This report contains discharge records for 148 streamflowgaging stations; stage only records for 2 river-gaging stations and 7 lake-gaging stations; stage and contents for 4 lakes and reservoirs; water-quality records for 19 streamflow-gaging stations; water-level records for 43 ground-water wells. Also included are 33 crest-stage partial-record stations and 2 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program. Miscellaneous data were collected at 44 measuring sites. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State, local, and Federal agencies in Michigan.

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USGS1994

Hydrogeology of Pleistocene glacial deposits and Jurassic "red beds" in the central lower peninsula of Michigan

Geologic-log data were used to construct thickness and surface-configuration maps of Jurassic deposits, and a map of general composition of Pleistocene glacial deposits, in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan. These geologic units form the upper part of a regional system of aquifers and confining units in the Michigan Basin. In the peninsula, most bedrock is covered by glacial deposits that are primarily intercalated glaciofluvial sediments and till; in some areas, lacustrine clay and silt are surficial deposits. Areas of primarily glaciofluvial sediments (aquifer material) or till and lacustrine deposits (confining-unit material) were delineated. Jurassic "red beds" underlie glacial deposits in the west-central part of the Michigan Basin. These confining deposits (primarily clay, shale, and gypsum) cover 4,000 square miles of salinewater-bearing Pennsylvanian rocks. Contour maps were generated to show general thickness and surface configuration of Jurassic "red beds." Contour maps of "red beds" and the map of general composition of glacial deposits were prepared to aid in assessing hydrogeologic and geochemical characteristics of the regional aquifer system.

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