USGS Science⌕ Search

USGS · wsp520F

Temperature of water available for industrial use in the United States: Chapter F in Contributions to the hydrology of the United States, 1923-1924

Abstract

The importance of water supply as a limiting factor in industrial development is becoming more evident each year. The limitation in a particular instance may be the quantity of water available, the quality determined by the mineral matter in solution or in suspension or by organic pollution, or the temperature of the water. Generally it is a combination of two or more of these factors. Many publications of the Geological Survey give data in regard to the quantity of surface water and ground water obtainable at different points. Other publications of this Survey and of other organizations give data on the quality of waters available for industrial use. The temperature of these waters is discussed in the present report. Data in regard to ground water have been obtained from Geological Survey water-supply papers, from the publications indicated in footnotes, and from an unpublished compilation of temperature records prepared by C. E. Van Orstrand, of the Geological Survey, in connection with studies of deep earth temperature. Data on temperature of surface water have been obtained mainly from officials of waterworks, as noted in the accompanying table. Data on air temperature have been obtained from reports of the United States Weather Bureau. The maps showing temperature of ground water and surface water (Pls. VIII and IX) are taken directly from Weather Bureau charts of temperature distribution.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

W. D. Collins. 1925. Temperature of water available for industrial use in the United States: Chapter F in Contributions to the hydrology of the United States, 1923-1924. https://doi.org/10.3133/wsp520f

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

Basic ground-water hydrology

Ground water is one of the Nation's most valuable natural resources. It is the source of about 40 percent of the water used for all purposes exclusive of hydropower generation and electric powerplant cooling. Surprisingly, for a resource that is so widely used and so important to the health and to the economy of the country, the occurrence of ground water is not only poorly understood but is also, in fact, the subject of many widespread misconceptions. Common misconceptions include the belief that ground water occurs in underground rivers resembling surface streams whose presence can be detected by certain individuals. These misconceptions and others have hampered the development and conservation of ground water and have adversely affected the protection of its quality. In order for the Nation to receive maximum benefit from its ground-water resource, it is essential that everyone, from the rural homeowner to managers of industrial and municipal water supplies to heads of Federal and State water-regulatory agencies, become more knowledgeable about the occurrence, development, and protection of ground water. This report has been prepared to help meet the needs of these groups, as well as the needs of hydrologists, well drillers, and others engaged in the study and development of ground-water supplies. It consists of 45 sections on the basic elements of ground-water hydrology, arranged in order from the most basic aspects of the subject through a discussion of the methods used to determine the yield of aquifers to a discussion of common problems encountered in the operation of ground-water supplies. Each section consists of a brief text and one or more drawings or maps that illustrate the main points covered in the text. Because the text is, in effect, an expanded discussion of the illustrations, most of the illustrations are not captioned. However, where more than one drawing is included in a section, each drawing is assigned a number, given in parentheses, and these numbers are inserted at places in the text where the reader should refer to the drawing. In accordance with U.S. Geological Survey policy to encourage the use of metric units, these units are used in most sections. In the sections dealing with the analysis of aquifer (pumping) test data, equations are given in both consistent units and in the inconsistent inch-pound units still in relatively common use among ground-water hydrologists and well drillers. As an aid to those who are not familiar with metric units and with the conversion of ground-water hydraulic units from inch-pound units to metric units, conversion tables are given on the inside back cover. Definitions of ground-water terms are given where the terms are first introduced. Because some of these terms will be new to many readers, abbreviated definitions are also given on the inside front cover for convenient reference by those who wish to review the definitions from time to time as they read the text. Finally, for those who need to review some of the simple mathematical operations that are used in ground-water hydrology, a section on numbers, equations, and conversions is included at the end of the text.

Water Supply Paper↗

Use of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur to identify sources of nitrogen in surface waters in the lower Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania

With the exception of sewage and septic effluents, most nitrogen sources and soils contain larger proportions of organic and reduced forms of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur than inorganic, oxidized forms. In contrast, most surface water and ground water contains larger proportions of dissolved inorganic carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur forms than organic forms. Data indicate that carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur are extensively processed in soils and streams.

Water Supply Paper↗

Validation of a numerical modeling method for simulating rainfall-runoff relations for headwater basins in western King and Snohomish Counties, Washington

The validity of a previously determined numerical modeling method was assessed. Numerical models for 11 drainage basins were constructed with the Hydrologic Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) with parameter values that were generalized for the physiographic region. Large and recurrent simulation errors were initially identified, but three systematic modifications of the models corrected those errors for 10 out of the 11 basins. The validity of the numerical modeling method for simulating rainfall-runoff relations in the study area, as modified during this investigation, was not rejected, but observed streamflow data were needed to apply the method.

Water Supply Paper↗