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Research about Minnesota

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Minnesota.

At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
USGS1982

Quality of runoff from small watersheds in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Minnesota: Hydrologic data for 1980

An intensive study of nonpoint-source runoff was conducted in the Twin Cities metropolitan area in Minnesota during 1980. The purpose of the study was to determine the relationships between land use, watershed characteristics, and the quantity, quality, and timing of runoff. Discharge and water-quality data were collected at 19 sites located in 6 rural and 4 urban watersheds. Basin characteristics and land use were determined for each watershed. Recording instruments provided continuous discharge records at 17 sites and continuous rainfall records at 12 sites. Automatic samplers were used at 12 sites. Water-quality samples were collected at 15- to 60-minute intervals during periods of increased runoff. Samples were collected periodically during low flow. Primary emphasis was placed on analysis of samples for suspended solids, nutrients, and oxygen-demanding constituents. Secondary emphasis was placed on analysis for chloride, metals, bacteria, pesticides, and PCB's. Wetfall and dryfall precipitation-quality data were collected at six sites. Discharge and water-quality data were used to calculate storm and daily loads of chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia plus organic nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate-nitrogen, total phosphorus, chloride, and lead. All data collected during the study are documented in tables that contain watershed characteristics and land use, daily and unit values for discharge and rainfall, rainfall characteristics, water-quality data for runoff and precipitation, results of laboratory settling tests, results of quality-assurance tests, dally loads, and storm loads.

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USGS1982

Annotated report and data inventory for the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area

This inventory of reports and data concerning the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers in the Twin Cities metropolitan area was compiled from November 1981 through January 1982 for a planned river-quality assessment to be conducted cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission. There are 260 annotated citations: 176 citations of reports; 8 citations of computer models that have been used to model either or both rivers; and 76 citations of data in reports , in field notes, lab sheets, or handwritten tabulations, and in computer data bases. Citations of all the reports and data located that might conceivably be useful in understanding and interpreting the biological and chemical quality of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers in the past, present, or future were included. The accuracy of the citations was not verified and secondary sources, such as other annotated bibliographies, were used in the compilation of this inventory.

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USGS1982

Baseline water-quality data for sand-plain aquifers in Hubbard, Morrison, Otter Tail, and Wadena counties, Minnesota

Tapping the surficial sand-plain aquifers in west-central Minnesota has raised the possibility for degradation of water quality. The sand-plain areas are generally overlain by sandy soils that permit rapid infiltration of precipitation and, possibly, of surface contaminants. One hundred twenty-five wells were sampled in Hubbard, Morrison, Otter Tail, and Wadena Counties during 1979-81 to establish regional baseline water quality. The wells were chosen to provide optimum areal coverage based on geology, direction of ground-water flow, and extent of aquifer development. Water from the sand-plain aquifers is of the calcium bicarbonate type. The water is hard to very hard with dissolved solids ranging from about 100 to 700 milligrams per liter. Locally, concentrations of dissolved solids, iron, manganese, and nitrate exceeded limits recommended by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

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USGS1982

Hydrogeologic and water-quality characteristics of the Ironton-Galesville aquifer, southeast Minnesota

Quality of water in the Ironton-Galesville aquifer is generally acceptable for all kinds of uses. Calcium magnesium bicarbonate type water is most common. The dissolved-solids concentration ranges from about 200 to 1,000 milligrams per liter. The lowest values are in the northern part of the aquifer, where the bedrock is at or close to land surface, and the lowest ones are in the southwestern part, where leakage into the aquifer from overlying Cretaceous deposits is highly mineralized water. The concentrations of the major ions, except for bicarbonate and chloride, also increase toward the southwest. Confining beds protect the aquifer from surface pollutants, but high sulfate and iron concentrations and hardness degrade water quality locally in some places. The aquifer was deposited from Paleozoic seas that occupied a shallow depression known as the Hollandale embayment. The surface of the Ironton-Galesville aquifer dips toward the interior of the embayment. The aquifer is as deep as 1,000 feet below land surface and as thick as 325 feet. The Ironton and Galesville Sandstones are both white and medium grained. The aquifer is used mainly in the northern and western parts of the study area, where it is the uppermost bedrock aquifer, This report is one of a series on the hydrogeology and water quality of the 14 principal aquifers in Minnesota prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requested these studies because of the need for information to develop its Underground Injection Control Program.

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USGS1982

Preliminary evaluation of the ground-water-flow system in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area, Minnesota

A preliminary quasi-three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water-flow model of the seven-county Twin Cities Metropolitan area was constructed and used to evaluate parameter sensitivity and adequacy of available data. Fourteen geologic units that underlie the study area were grouped into nine hydr,bgeologic units and were incorporated into a five-layer model. The layers in the simulation model include the Mount SimonHinckley, Ironton-Galesville, Prairie du Chien-Jordan, and St. Peter aquifers, and the drift. Sensitivity analyses were made for 19 parameter and boundary-condition specifications. Model results are -most sensitive to recharge and withdrawal rates and to hydrogeologic variations related to drift-filled bedrock valleys. Analyses of available data and results of steady-state simulations indicate that critical data needs for improving the simulation model include spatial and temporal variations in ground-water withdrawals and potentiometric levels, and hydraulic properties of drift filling or partly filling bedrock valleys. Areal distribution of calcium, sodium, sulfate, and chloride concentrations were analyzed to provide information on the hydrologic and geochemical relationships between aquifers. Ground water is generally of the calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. Concentration of dissolved solids in water from the Jordan Sandstone and Mount Simon-Hinckley aquifer generally decreases from southwest to northeast across the study area. This decrease probably reflects differences in the quality of recharge water and geochemical processes within the aquifers, such as ion exchange.

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USGS1981

Seismicity map of the State of Minnesota

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 1979. 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. Only earthquakes located within the boundary of the State are listed in table 1 even though earthquakes in bordering states or countries may be felt or cause damage in this state. 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 epicenters are listed but are incomplete in many instances, especially for ones that occurred before seismic instruments were in universal usage.

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USGS1981

Hydrologic data for the Pelican River sand-plain aquifer, western Minnesota

Hydrogeologic data for the Pelican River sands aquifer have been compiled in this report for use by the public and by State and local officials in making water development and management decisions. This report will supplement an interpretive report on the hydrogeology of the Pelican River sands aquifer that is scheduled for publication in 1981. The data which were collected in 1965, 1972, and 1978-79, include results of chemical analyses of water from selected wells, water-level measurements in wells, logs of test holes and observation wells, and results of aquifer tests.

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USGS1981

Preliminary evaluation of ground-water contamination by coal-tar derivatives, St. Louis Park area, Minnesota

Operation of a coal-tar distillation and wood preserving plant for 1918-72 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, resulted in ground-water contamination. This report presents the results of the first year (1979) of an ongoing study. By 1932, water in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer, the region 's major source of ground water, was contaminated 3,500 feet from the plant. The hydraulic characteristics of the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer , its long contamination history, and fluctuating pumpage combine to creat a complex distribution of coal-tar derivatives observed in the aquifer. The Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer underlies the area at depths of 250 to 500 feet and is overlain by two bedrock aquifers (Platteville and St. Peter), two confining beds (Glenwood and basal part of St. Peter), and 70 to 100 feet of glacial drift. Multiaquifer wells in the area have permitted contaminated water from near-surface aquifers to flow downward into the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer. Flow rates of 20 to 150 gallons per minute from the shallower aquifers into the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer were observed in five wells. In the drift, a hydrocarbon fluid phase is moving vertically downward relative to the aqueous phase. Dissolved constituents in the drift and Platteville aquifer, the uppermost bedrock unit over most of the area, have moved at least 4,000 feet. Low-molecular-weight compounds are moving preferentially through the drift and Platteville aquifer system. (USGS)

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USGS1981

Hydrogeologic setting of the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands, northern Minnesota

Seven test holes drilled in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Peatlands indicate that the thickness of surficial materials along a north-south traverse parallel to Minnesota Highway 72 ranges from 163 feet near Blackduck, Minnesota to 57 feet about 3 miles south of Upper Red Lake. Lenses of sand and gravel occur immediately above bedrock on the Itasca moraine and are interbedded with lake clay and till under the peatlands. Vertical head gradients measured in a piezometer nest near Blackduck on the moraine are downward, indicative of recharge to the regional ground-water-flow system. Vertical head gradients are upward in a piezometer nest on a sand beach ridge in the peatlands 12 miles north of Upper Red Lake. Numerical sectional models indicate that this discharge probably comes from local flow systems recharged from ground-water mounds located under large raised bogs.

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USGS1981

Hydrogeology of the Buffalo aquifer, Clay and Wilkin Counties, West-Central Minnesota

The Buffalo aquifer is the principal source of ground-water supplies in the Moorhead, Minnesota area. The aquifer is an elongate deposit of sand and gravel, which locally contains water under confined conditions. Although the Buffalo aquifer contains about 270 billion gallons of water in storage, only 120 billion gallons could be withdrawn. Largest well yields occur along the deep trough in the center of the aquifer. Induced streambed infiltration may be possible in certain areas where the stream overlies the aquifer and where the intervening lake sediments are thin or absent. A numerical model constructed for aquifer evaluation has shown that a considerable amount of ground water is discharged through the confining bed to the stream or leaves the area as underflow to the west. Water from the Buffalo aquifer generally is very hard and of the calcium bicarbonate type. The average discharge of the Buffalo River for the base period 1946-78 ranges from 0.229 cubic foot per second per square mile near Hawley to 0.108 cubic foot per second per square mile at Sabin. Surface water in the Buffalo River drainage system is dominantly a calcium bicarbonate type similar to ground water of the area, especially at low flow in the upper reaches of the tributaries.

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USGS1981

Water quality of Alimagnet, Farquar, and Long Lakes in Apple Valley, Minnesota

Alimagnet, Farquar, and Long Lakes, in Apple Valley, Minnesota, were sampled from 1973-79 to determine their physical and chemical characteristics. A storm-sewer inlet to Alimagnet Lake was also sampled during two storms in 1978. The 1976-77 drought caused a more noticeable effect on the quality of the lakes than any other factor. Chloride concentrations were 10 to 15 milligrams per liter before the drought, but increased 2 to 4 times during the drought. Dissolved solids reacted similarly. Dissolved oxygen and pH were governed mainly by biological activity. In February 1977, dissolved-oxygen concentration was less than 0.5 milligrams per liter in the three lakes. Ratios between mean total nitrogen and mean total phosphorus ranged from 22:1 to 26:1. Trophic-state indices indicate that the lakes are eutrophic. Blue-green algae dominated the phytoplankton populations. Storms sampled at a storm-sewer inlet to Alimagnet Lake showed higher concentrations of chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc than of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Total phosphorus for the September 1978 storm had a concentration of 1.7 milligrams per liter, which means that approximately 29 pounds entered the lake during the 5.5-hour sampling period.

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USGS1981

Limnological and geochemical survey of Williams Lake, Hubbard County, Minnesota

A limnological and geochemical survey of Williams Lake, Minnesota, was made in 1979 to provide an initial interpretive description of the lake and the contiguous ground-water system. This survey was made as part of a continuing research program related to the investigation of the interaction of lakes and their contiguous ground-water systems at Williams Lake, Minnesota, as well as other sites within the continental United States. During 1979, Williams Lake was dimictic, and the lake had high optical transparency; light penetrated to the lakebed throughout most of the lake. Aquatic macrophytes were present along the western shore and in the southern bay of the lake. Although the lake had clinograde-oxygen distributions during part of this survey, anaerobic conditions were not observed. The lake is moderately fertile with respect to its total phosphorus content. Nutrient data indicate phosphorus limits phytoplankton biomass levels in Williams Lake. Blue-green algae were the dominant group of the phytoplankton community and copepods were the dominant group of the zooplankton community when the lake was thermally stratified during the open-water season. Diatoms and rotifers were dominant when the lake was isothermal in the autumn. Calcium and bicarbonate represent more than 90 percent of the dissolved constituents in Williams Lake and the contiguous ground-water system. Major mineralogical constituents of the lake sediments are quartz, dolomite, and calcite. Marl is present only in the littoral zone of the lake. Organic sediments in the lake consist of loose organic floe and gyttja.

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USGS1981

Designation of principal water-supply aquifers in Minnesota

Fourteen aquifers, ranging from Quaternary to Precambrian in age, have been identified as the principal sources of water to wells in Minnesota. Half the municipal population anc nearly all the rural population depend on water from these aquifers. Buried and surficial sand and gravel aquifers of Quaternary age occur in nearly all areas of the State and are composed of outwash, beach-ridge, valley-train, and ice-contact deposits. Cretaceous aquifers, absent in the northeast, are nearly continuous in the western half, and are thin or discontinuous in the central and southeast areas. Sandstone and carbonate rocks of Paleozoic and late Precambrian age in southeastern and northwestern Minnesota comprise the Cedar Valley-Maquoketa-Dubuque-Galena, Red River-Winnipeg, St. Peter, Prairie du Chien-Jordan, Franconia-Ironton-Galesville, and Mount Simon-Hinckley-Fond du Lac aquifers. Aquifers of early Precambrian age occur in all but southeastern Minnesota and include the North Shore Volcanic Group, Sioux Quartzite, Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks, Biwabik Iron-formatIon, and undifferentiated Precambrian rocks. The State's ground water generally contains less than 1,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids, except in the extreme southwest, northeast, and western areas. Mineralized water is present at depth throughout the State. Freshwater extends to depths of about 1,000 feet in the center of the Hollandale embayment and in the Twin Cities basin. Six principal water-quality types are present in the .aquifers. Calcium magnesium bicarbonate type water, the most common, is generally present throughout the upper part of the ground-water system.

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USGS1981

Effect of snowmelt on the quality of Filson Creek and Omaday Lake, northeastern Minnesota

Concentrations of major constituents were determined in the surface water, ground water, and precipitation in Filson Creek watershed to evaluate the effects of acid precipitation on surface-water quality during snowmelt. Concentrations of sulfate increased in Filson Creek and Omaday Lake during snowmelt from less than 2 to 12 milligrams per liter in 1977 and from less than 2 to 4 milligrams per liter in 1979. Hydrogen-ion activity increased from 10 -6.5 to 10 -5.0 during snowmelt in 1977 and from 10 -6.5 to 10 -6.0 in 1979. The magnitude of the increases of sulfate and hydrogen-ion concentrations depend on the (1) timing of the snowmelt, (2) concurrent precipitation, and (3) antecedent soil-moisture conditions. Alkalinity and concentrations of total calcium, magnesium, and sodium in the creek during snowmelt reflect the simple dilution of streamflow with more dilute precipitation. The mixing process is defined by hyperbolic curves of concentration versus discharge and can be modeled by use of a mass-balance equation. Concentrations of silica and total potassium in the creek during snowmelt are less than that at base flow because of dilution and uptake by diatoms and plants, respectively. A quality-assurance study was made to determine the accuracy and precision of the turbidimetric, complexometric (methylthymol blue), and ion-chromatographic methods used to determine concentrations of sulfate in water. Results suggest that the ion-chromatographic method is more accurate and more precise in the detection of sulfate at concentrations of 5 milligrams per liter or less. To obtain accuracy with either the turbidimetric or the complexometric methylthymol blue method, color blanks and turbidity should be determined if concentrations of sulfate are expected to be low, such as in precipitation, or where water is colored by organic material. Interference by color and turbidity is not a factor in the ion-chromatographic method.

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USGS1981

Quality of surface water before implementation of a flood-control project in Chaska, Minnesota

Samples were collected for 1 year from East Creek, Chaska Creek, and Courthouse Lake in Chaska, Minnesota, to determine the water quality before implementation of a flood-control project proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The creeks had similar water-quality characteristics. Data indicate that ground water may be the primary source of dissolved solids, sulfate, chloride, and chromium in the creeks. The pesticides alachlor, atrazine, simazine, and 2,4-D were found in water samples from both creeks but were well below the lethal concentrations for fish. Courthouse Lake, a 57-foot-deep stream-trout lake, had a mean summer trophic-state index of 35. Phytoplankton populations varied seasonally, and blue-green algae were predominant only in late summer. The algal-pollution index was highest in late summer, but did not provide evidence of high organic pollution. The apparently successful recovery of Courthouse Lake from past inundations by Minnesota River floodwaters having total phosphorus concentrations as high as 0.66 milligram per liter suggests that the lake, in time, will also recover from the added runoff expected as a result of implementing the flood-control project. The runoff could temporarily raise the total phosphorus concentration in the lake from 0.03 to 0.12 milligram per liter and raise the spring trophic-state index from 49 to 69.

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