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Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Wisconsin.

At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
USGS1979

Hydrology and water quality in the Nederlo Creek Basin, Wisconsin, before construction of two water-retention structures

The Nederlo Creek basin, in the "Driftless Area" of southwest Wisconsin, is geographically and hydrologically similar to other small basins in the area. Topography is rugged, with approximately 400 feet of relief between the boundary ridge tops and the valley floor. The water-retention structures (a dry floodwater- retention structure and a 43-acre reservoir) are to provide recreation and flood protection for the basin. Streamflow, springflow, precipitation, and groundwater levels were monitored at several sites to describe the hydrologic system. Streamflow is fairly constant at base flow, but rapid changes in discharge occur during periods of snowmelt or heavy rain; recession to base-flow discharge following these events is rapid. Surface runoff is a significant contributor to Streamflow only 10 percent of the time. The mean annual hydrologic budget for water years 1968-72 shows that of the 32.5 inches of precipitation on the basin, 6.4 inches left as runoff and 25.9 inches as evapotranspiration; ground-water storage increased an average of 0.2 inches per year. The water is a hard calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. Concentrations of major constituents in ground water and streams at base flow are similar, but concentrations in the stream generally decrease during periods when surface runoff contributes to Streamflow. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations in the stream are generally lowest during the summer; nighttime lows are generally between 7 and 8 milligrams per liter and daily maximums between 11 and 12.5 milligrams per liter. Diurnal water-temperature fluctuations of several degrees are common in streams during summer; daily maximum water temperatures as high as 26°C have been measured in some areas, but temperatures this high seldom persist for more than 2 hours. Estimates of mean annual total phosphorus and total nitrogen loads during 1967-74 fall within the ranges of 0.02 to 0.07 and 0.4 to 0.8 tons per square mile, respectively; 70 to 80 percent of the total phosphorus and 35 to 55 percent of the total nitrogen are transported during periods when surface runoff contributes to Streamflow. Mean annual suspended-sediment loads during 1968-74 range from 13 to 60 tons per square mile, with 74 to 86 percent of the total transported during periods when surface water contributes to streamflow. These sediment loads are at the low end of the range previously reported for streams in the "Driftless Area".

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USGS1978

Suspended-sediment transport in the Big Eau Pleine River Basin, central Wisconsin

Suspended-sediment yields in the Big Eau Pleine River basin are low to moderate in comparison with other drainage basins in Wisconsin. Average annual yield in the Big Eau Pleine River near Stratford is 32.tons per square mile, with an annual yield ranging from 1.0 to 64 tons per square mile. Fenwood Creek at Bradley and Freeman Creek at Halder, two smaller tributary basins, have average annual yields of 3.3 and 7.9 tons per square mile, respectively. Suspended-sediment concentrations in the basin ranged from 0 to 960 milligrams per liter, with a median concentration at the Stratford site of 13 milligrams per liter. Ninety percent of the material transported by the streams of the Big Eau Pleine basin is finer than sand and is made up of about equal percentages of silt and clay. A l3-year average of about 9,400 tons per year of suspended sediment is transported to the Big Eau Pleine Reservoir by streamflow and overland flow, whereas about 2,500 tons per year leaves the reservoir in its outflow. Considering only sediment inflow and outflow by streamflow and overland flow, and assuming the 2,500 tons per year is approximately the long-term average, the reservoir trap efficiency would be greater than 70 percent. The actual trap efficiency of the Big Eau Pleine Reservoir probably is somewhat higher than 70 percent because bedload transport of the streams and sediment inflow from shoreline erosion were not measured.

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USGS1978

Low-flow characteristics of small streams in proposed Public Law 566 basins

Low-flow characteristics of Wisconsin streams in basins considered for work under Public Law 566 are presented in this report. The low-flow characteristics presented are the annual minimum 1-day mean flow below which the flow will fall on the average of once in 2 years (Q7,2) and the annual minimum 7-day mean flow below which the flow will fall on the average of once in 10 years (Q7,10). The low-flow characteristics are presented for 278 project sites in 32 basins considered for work under Public Law 566. They were determined by correlating base-flow measurements at the project site to the concurrent daily mean flow at continuous-record gaging stations in the area. The Q7,2 and Q7,10 discharges determined by a frequency analysis at the continuous-record gaging stations were used to estimate the Q7,2 an Q7,10 at the project sites. The accuracy of the estimated low-flow characteristics is evaluated according to the type and amount of data available used. The statewide average of the accuracy determined by the standard error of estimate for the 10-year low flow (SE7,10)> based on three base-flow measurements, is 45 percent but differs within the State.

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USGS1978

Water-level declines in the Madison area, Dane County, Wisconsin

The water supply for the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and for surrounding municipalities is obtained from the ground-water reservoir that underlies the area. This ground-water reservoir is composed of an upper aquifer and an underlying sandstone aquifer. High-capacity water-supply wells pump from the sandstone aquifer. Pumping from the sandstone aquifer has resulted in hydrologic changes. The water level has dropped in both the upper aquifer and underlying sandstone aquifer, and the flow of water in streams has been reduced. The effects of anticipated pumping were examined with the use of a digital model. The maximum water-level decline from the beginning of pumping in 1882 until 1975 was about 75 feet in the sandstone aquifer and 10 to 20 feet in the upper aquifer. Additional declines between 1975 and 2000 were computed to be 10 to 30 feet in the sandstone aquifer and 5 to 10 feet in the upper aquifer. The average annual streamflow of the Yahara River at the McFarland gaging station was reduced 32 percent from the beginning of pumping to 1975. An additional 7 percent reduction in streamflow was computed for the period 1975 to 2000.

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USGS1978

Low-flow characteristics of streams in the lower Wisconsin River basin

Low-flow characteristics of streams in the lower Wisconsin River basin are presented. Included are estimates of low-flow frequency and flow duration at 11 gaging stations; low-flow frequency characteristics at 26 low-flow partial-record stations and 70 miscellaneous sites; and a list of low-flow discharge measurements at 155 miscellaneous sites where insufficient data were available to estimate low-flow characteristics. Relations are provided to estimate low-flow characteristics at ungaged sites and at sites where one base-flow discharge measurement is available. The relationships were determined from multiple regression analyses that related the low-flow characteristics at gaging stations and low-flow partial-record stations to basin characteristics. The standard error of estimate is provided for each method of estimating the annual minimum 7-day mean flow below which the flow will fall on the average of once in 2 years and once in 10 years. Standard error provides the user with the expected degree of accuracy for each method. Low-flow characteristics estimated for the lower Wisconsin River basin have a high degree of reliability when compared with other basins in Wisconsin, Reliable estimates appear to be related to the relatively uniform geologic features in the basin.

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USGS1978

Reaeration capacity of the Rock River between Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin and Rockton, Illinois

The reaeration capacity of the Rock River from Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin, to Rockton, Illinois, was determined using the energy-dissipation model. The model was calibrated using data from radioactive-tracer measurements in the study reach. Reaeration coefficients (K2) were computed for the annual minimum 7-day mean discharge that occurs on the average of once in 10 years (Q7,10). A time-of-travel model was developed using river discharge, slope, and velocity data from three dye studies. The model was used to estimate traveltime for the Q7,10 for use in the energy-dissipation model. During one radiotracer study, 17 mile per hour winds apparently increased the reaeration coefficient about 40 times. (Woodard-USGS)

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USGS1978

Hydrology of the Nevin Wetland near Madison, Wisconsin

The 120-acre Nevin wetland at the south edge of Madison, Wis., is a discharge area of the local ground-water system. A hydrologic unit composed of drift and the upper part of an underlying sandstone sequence provides ground-water inflow. Ground water enters as springflow and as leakage upward through the organic wetland soils. The average annual water budget for the wetland was based on the 3 years 1974 through 1976. Although 1976 and 1975 were years of more than average precipitation, and 1976 was a year of less than average precipitation, the 3-year average precipitation was only slightly less than the long-term average. Inflow was composed of direct precipitation (7 percent), surfacewater inflow from the adjacent uplands (h percent), and ground-water inflow (89 percent). Ground-water inflow included springflow, upward leakage, and flow from artesian wells used in the Nevin State Fish Hatchery and discharged as effluent. Outflow was composed of streamflow (92 percent) and evapotranspiration (8 percent). The amount of water stored in the organic soils varied by only 1 inch during the study. Some ground water flowed beneath the wetland but did not discharge within the study area. Nutrients were contained in ground-water inflow, surface-water inflow, and precipitation. Ninety-five percent of the nitrogen that entered the wetland (1974 through 1976) entered in ground-water inflow, which included the hatchery discharge. Two percent was from precipitation, and 3 percent entered in surface-water inflow. Sixty-six percent of the phosphorus input was from ground water, 31 percent from surface water, and 3 percent from precipitation. Some nutrients were retained because only 79 percent as much nitrogen and 93 percent as much phosphorus left the wetland in streamflow as entered it. Sediment was also retained. Only 20 percent as much sediment (1974 through 1976) left the wetland in streamflow as entered it. Sediment was deposited where surface-water inflow from upland areas flowed onto the wetland surface and along stream channels. Inflows and outflows are quantified, and nutrient and sediment sources are identified, with the result that the effect of proposed land-use changes in the basin can be evaluated. Land-use practices that affect the wetland include drainage, urbanization, and water-supply development. Additional ground-water supplies can be obtained in the basin, but springflow and upward leakage of ground water through the organic soils will decrease.

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USGS1978

Ten-year low mean monthly discharge determinations for ungaged streams near waste-stabilization ponds in Wisconsin

Communities that use fill-and-draw waste-water treatment lagoons or waste-stabilization ponds are required to discharge during the spring and fall of the year at a rate that does not exceed the assimilative capacity of the receiving stream. The 10-year low mean monthly discharge (MMQ10) for October, November, April, and May for the receiving stream has been used to establish the discharge rate for the treatment systems at the appropriate time of the year. To determine the MMQ10 for the receiving stream the monthly mean discharge first was estimated by using a technique developed by Riggs (1969). Once the monthly mean discharge was determined the MMQ10 of the ungaged stream was estimated by using a graphical correlation between the monthly mean discharge and the MMQ10 of at least three gaging stations near the waste-stabilization pond.The MMQ10 for these gaging stations were determined by a log-Pearson Type III frequency analysis. The MMQ10 was determined for Maple Creek at Valmy, Aliens Creek near Oakdale, North Branch Manitowoc River at Sherwood, East Fork Poplar River near Curtiss, and Yellow River at Barronette.

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USGS1978

Comparison of the radioactive and modified techniques for measurement of stream reaeration coefficients

The radioactive and modified tracer techniques were used to measure the reaeration coefficients of two reaches each of Black Earth Creek and the Madison Effluent Channel near Madison, Wis. Comparison of the results showed that coefficients measured with the modified technique ranged from -8.96 to +3.61 and from +15.7 to +32.2 percent different from the coefficient measured with the radioactive tracer technique on the two reaches of Black Earth Creek. The larger coefficients measured with the modified technique on the second reach were attributed to increased wind conditions during the latter part of the modified-technique experiment. Interpretation of the results of the Madison Effluent Channel study was complicated by an unsteady flow condition during the modified-technique experiment. It was necessary to estimate the part of the reduction in the area under the dye concentration-versus-time curve that was the result of dye loss and the part that was the result of the increase in water discharge. Using these estimated values, the coefficients measured with the modified technique ranged from +25.3 to +57.9 and from -4.74 to +2.94 percent different from the coefficient measured with the radioactive technique on the two reaches of the Madison Effluent Channel. Reaeration coefficients were predicted for the 4 stream reaches with 19 predictive equations from the literature. The range of the predicted coefficients for each of the reaches varied from about a 6-fold range for the first reach of the Madison Effluent Channel to an almost 11-fold range for the second reach of Black Earth Creek. There are advantages and disadvantages to both the radioactive and modified tracer techniques. The main advantage of the radioactive technique is that the tracer gas is chemically inert; the main disadvantage is that a radioactive isotope of the gas must be used to obtain the necessary analytical sensitivity. The main advantage of the modified technique is that radioactive tracers are not necessary; the main disadvantage is that the hydrocarbon tracer gases may be subject to biological degradation and sorption losses. Results of this comparison study suggest that the modified technique is a promising alternative to the use of radioactive tracers.

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USGS1978

Low-flow characteristics of streams in the Rock-Fox River basin, Wisconsin

Low-flow characteristics of streams in the Rock-Fox River basin, Wis., include estimates of low-flow frequency ad flow duration at 13 gaging stations; low-flow frequency characteristics at 32 low-flow partial-record stations and 78 miscellaneous sites; and a list of base-flow discharge measurements at 244 miscellaneous sites. Equations are provided to estimate low-flow characteristics at ungaged sites and at sites where one base-flow discharge measurement is availabe. The equations were determined from multiple-regression analyses that related low-flow characteristics at gaging stations and low-flow partial-record stations to basin characteristics. The standard error of estimate is provided for each method of estimating the annual minimum 7-day mean flow below which the flow will fall on the aveage of once in 2 years and once in 10 years. Standard error provides the user with the expected degree of accuracy for each method.

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USGS1978

Water-table map of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

A map (scale 1:100,000) of the water table in Milwaukee County in southeastern Wisconsin was prepared using water levels from more than 135 wells. The work was done as a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. The map shows the altitude of the water table in increments of 20 feet. The altitude ranges from less than 540 feet in a cone of depression in the city of Milwaukee to more than 800 feet in an area along the western border of the county. (Woodard-USGS)

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USGS1978

Water-table map of Racine County, Wisconsin

A map (scale 1:100,000) of the water table in Racine County in southeastern Wisconsin was prepared using water levels from more than 250 wells. The work was done as a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. The map shows the altitude of the water table in increments of 20 feet, with supplemental 10-foot contours. The altitude ranges from less than 520 feet at a point in a cone of depression in the eastern part of the county to more than 820 feet at two points, one along the border in the southwestern corner of the county and another in the northwestern corner. (Woodard-USGS)

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USGS1978

Water-table map of Walworth County, Wisconsin

A map of the water table in Walworth County in southeastern Wisconsin was prepared using water levels from nearly 600 wells. The work was done as a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Geological and Natural History Survey, and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. The map (scale 1:100 ,000) shows the altitude of the water table in increments of 20 feet, with supplemental 10-foot contours. The altitude ranges from less than 780 feet along parts of the eastern border of the county to more than 1,000 feet in a small area near the central part of the county. (Woodard-USGS)

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USGS1978

Geology and ground water in Door County, Wisconsin, with emphasis on contamination potential in the Silurian dolomite

Door County is in northeastern Wisconsin and is an area of 491 square miles. The county forms the main body of the peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. The land surface is an upland ridge controlled by the underlying bedrock. The west edge of the ridge forms an escarpment facing Green Bay. Silurian dolomite is the upper bedrock unit throughout most of the county and is the most important aquifer. This bedrock is exposed in much of the county, particularly north of Sturgeon Bay; elsewhere, it is covered by a generally thin mantle of soil or drift. The bedrock units are divided into two major aquifer systems in Door County; the Silurian dolomite aquifer system and the sandstone aquifer system, consisting of Ordovician and Cambrian bedrock units. These two major systems are separated by the Maquoketa Shale of Ordovician age, a nearly impermeable, generally nonproductive unit. The Silurian dolomite aquifer system is itself divided into the Niagaran aquifer and the underlying Alexandrian aquifer. Water occurs in the Silurian dolomite aquifer system in two types of openings-nearly vertical joints (fractures) and horizontal to slightly dipping bedding-plane joints. Vertical joints are more common in the upper part of the Niagaran aquifer. These yield small amounts of water to wells. Bedding-plane joints transmit most of the water in the lower part of the Niagaran aquifer and in the Alexandrian aquifer. The bedding-plane joints, because they are poorly interconnected, act as semiartesian conduits separated by impermeable rock. Eight water-bearing zones in generally continuous bedding-plane joints have been mapped. The dolomite is recharged from direct precipitation and snowmelt. It discharges water to pumping wells and by natural springs discharge to Lake Michigan and Green Bay and to interior lakes and streams. Wells in the Silurian dolomite aquifer system have adequate yields to meet most needs, except in the southwest corner of the county, where the dolomite is thin or absent. Transmissivity values range from a low of 4.0 feet squared per day in the Niagaran aquifer near Sturgeon Bay to more than 13 000 feet squared per day for the Alexandrian aquifer near Fish Creek. Water from Silurian dolomite is a very hard calcium magnesium bicarbonate type, with objectionable concentrations of iron and nitrate in water from some wells. Sanitary quality, as indicated by tests for total coliform bacteria, has been a chronic problem in certain areas. Concentrations of indicator organisms are greatest during or immediately after rapid ground-water recharge, with concentrations rapidly decreasing after periods of recharge. Wells close to septic systems and in areas underlain by fractured near-surface bedrock have the greatest incidence of contamination. The type and thickness of unconsolidated material has a direct effect on the entry of bacteria into the ground-water system. Bacterial attenuation increases with increasing soil depth and reduction in soil permeability. After bacterial contaminants reach the water table within fractured bedrock, little attenuation occurs, and the contaminants can travel long distances in a short time. Ground water of good sanitary quality but exceeding recommended limits of the U.S. Public Health Service for sulfate and chloride is probably available from the sandstone aquifer by drilling wells 700 to 1300 feet deep. To minimize the possibility of obtaining contaminated ground water, well construction should include properly locating the wells upgradient and as far as practical from contamination sources, setting and pressure grouting well casings to an adequate depth into firm bedrock, and casing the well into the zone of saturation.

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USGS1978

Ground-water resources and geology of Columbia County, Wisconsin

The increasing need for water of good Quality in Columbia County, caused by a steadily increasing population, can be met from the sand-and-gravel and sandstone aquifers. As much as 15 gallons per minute can be obtained from wells almost everywhere. Yields of more than 1,000 gallons per minute are available from drift where it contains a sufficient thickness of saturated sand and gravel (the sand-and-gravel aquifer). The sandstone aquifer underlies nearly all the county except for areas west of the Wisconsin River and northwest of Pardeeville. It is more than 700 feet thick in the south-central part. The sandstone aquifer includes all bedrock younger than Precambrian age and is capable of yielding more than 1,000 gallons per minute to wells in about three-fourths of the county. It is the principal source of municipal-water supply. The chemical quality of water from the two aquifers is similar. It is very hard (mean concentration of about 300 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate), and much of it contains excessive amounts of iron and manganese. Concentrations of dissolved solids and chloride are higher in areas underlain by bedrock of Ordovician age than elsewhere. About 5.0 million gallons per day of water was pumped in the county in 1974, 90 percent from the sandstone aQuifer. About 45 percent of the total water pumped was for industrial and commercial purposes~ 37 percent was for residential use, 16 percent for municipal use, and 2 percent for irrigation.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1978

Earthquake history of Wisconsin

Only one earthquake of intensity V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MM) or greater has occurred within Wisconsin during historic times. Some shocks originating in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Canada have been felt.

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