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USGS1968

Seismic seiches from the March 1964 Alaska earthquake

Seismic seiches caused by the Alaska earthquake of March 27, 1964, were recorded at more than 850 surface-water gaging stations in North America and at 4 in Australia. In the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, 763 of 6,435 gages registered seiches. Nearly all the seismic seiches were recorded at teleseismic distance. This is the first time such far-distant effects have been reported from surface-water bodies in North America. The densest occurrence of seiches was in States bordering the Gulf of Mexico. The seiches were recorded on bodies of water having a wide range in depth, width, and rate of flow. In a region containing many bodies of water, seiche distribution is more dependent on geologic and seismic factors than on hydro-dynamic ones. The concept that seiches are caused by the horizontal acceleration of water by seismic surface waves has been extended in this paper to show that the distribution of seiches is related to the amplitude distribution of short-period seismic surface waves. These waves have their greatest horizontal acceleration when their periods range from 5 to 15 seconds. Similarly, the water bodies on which seiches were recorded have low-order modes whose periods of oscillation also range from 5 to 15 seconds. Several factors seem to control the distribution of seiches. The most important is variations of thickness of low-rigidity sediments. This factor caused the abundance of seiches in the Gulf Coast area and along the edge of sedimentary overlaps. Major tectonic features such as thrust faults, basins, arches, and domes seem to control seismic waves and thus affect the distribution of seiches. Lateral refraction of seismic surface waves due to variations in local phase-velocity values was responsible for increase in seiche density in certain areas. For example, the Rocky Mountains provided a wave guide along which seiches were more numerous than in areas to either side. In North America, neither direction nor distance from the epicenter had any apparent effect on the distribution of seiches. Where seismic surface waves propagated into an area with thicker sediment, the horizontal acceleration increased about in proportion to the increasing thickness of the sediment. In the Mississippi Embayment however, where the waves emerged from high rigidity crust into the sediment, the horizontal acceleration increased near the edge of the embayment but decreased in the central part and formed a shadow zone. Because both seiches and seismic intensity depend on the horizontal acceleration from surface waves, the distribution of seiches may be used to map the seismic intensity that can be expected from future local earthquakes.

Professional Paper↗

USGS2008

Base of principal aquifer for the Elkhorn-Loup model area, North-Central Nebraska

In Nebraska, the water managers in the Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources are concerned with the effect of ground-water withdrawal on the availability of surface water and the long-term effects of ground-water withdrawal on ground- and surface-water resources. In north-central Nebraska, in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, ground water is used for irrigation, domestic supply, and public supply; surface water is used in this area for irrigation, recreation, and hydropower production. In recognition of these sometimes competing ground- and surface-water uses in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, the Lower Loup Natural Resources District, the Lower Niobrara Natural Resources District, the Lower Platte North Natural Resources District, the Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District, the Upper Elkhorn Natural Resources District, and the Upper Loup Natural Resources District agreed to cooperatively study water resources in the Elkhorn and Loup River Basins. The goals of the overall study were to construct and calibrate a regional ground-water flow model of the area and to use that flow model as a tool to assess current and future effects of ground-water irrigation on stream base flow and to help develop long-term water-resource management strategies for this area, hereafter referred to as the Elkhorn-Loup model area. The Elkhorn-Loup model area covers approximately 30,800 square miles, and extends from the Niobrara River in the north to the Platte River in the south. The western boundary of the Elkhorn-Loup model area coincides with the western boundary of the Middle Niobrara, Twin Platte, and Upper Loup Natural Resources Districts; the eastern boundary coincides with the approximate location of the western extent of glacial till in eastern Nebraska. The principal aquifer in most of the Elkhorn-Loup model area is the High Plains aquifer; the principal aquifer in the remaining part of the Elkhorn-Loup model area is an unnamed alluvial aquifer. The upper surface of the geologic units that directly underlie the aquifer is called the 'base of aquifer' in this report. The geologic unit that forms the base of aquifer in the Elkhorn-Loup model area varies by location. The Tertiary-age Brule Formation generally is the base of aquifer in the west; the Cretaceous-age Pierre Shale generally is the base of aquifer in the east. The purpose of this report is to update the altitude and configuration of the base of the principal aquifer in the Elkhorn-Loup model area and a 2-mile buffer area around the Elkhorn-Loup model area, using base-of-aquifer data from test holes, registered water wells, and oil and gas wells within the Elkhorn-Loup model area and a 20-mile buffer area around the Elkhorn-Loup model area that have become available since the publication of earlier maps of the base of aquifer for this area. The base-of-aquifer map is important for the Elkhorn-Loup ground-water flow model because it defines the model's lower boundary. The accuracy of the Elkhorn-Loup ground-water flow model and the accuracy of the model's predictions about the effects of ground-water irrigation on stream base flow are directly related to the accuracy of the model's lower boundary.

Scientific Investigations Map↗

USGS2006

Organochlorine compounds and current-use pesticides in snow and lake sediment in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, and Glacier National Park, Montana, 2002-03

Organochlorine compounds and current-use pesticides were measured in snow and lake-sediment samples from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Glacier National Park in Montana to determine their occurrence and distribution in high-elevation aquatic ecosystems. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, collected snow samples at eight sites in Rocky Mountain National Park and at eight sites in Glacier National Park during spring of 2002 and 2003 just prior to the start of snowmelt. Surface sediments were collected from 11 lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park and 10 lakes in Glacier National Park during summer months of 2002 and 2003. Samples were analyzed for organochlorine compounds by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection and current-use pesticides by gas chromatography with electron-impact mass spectrometry. A subset of samples was reanalyzed using a third instrumental technique (gas chromatography with electron-capture negative ion mass spectrometry) to verify detected concentrations in the initial analysis and to investigate the presence of additional compounds. For the snow samples, the pesticides most frequently detected were endosulfan, dacthal, and chlorothalonil, all of which are chlorinated pesticides that currently are registered for use in North America. Concentrations of these pesticides in snow were very low, ranging from 0.07 to 2.36 nanograms per liter. Of the historical-use pesticides, hexachlorobenzene, dieldrin, and trans -nonachlor were detected in snow but only in one sample each. Annual deposition rates of dacthal, endosulfan, and chlorothalonil were estimated at 0.7 to 3.0 micrograms per square meter. These estimates are likely biased low because they do not account for pesticide deposition during summer months. For the lake-sediment samples, DDE ( p,p’ -dichlorodiphenyldichoroethene) and DDD ( p,p’ -dichlorodiphenyldichoroethane) were the most frequently detected organochlorine compounds. DDE and DDD are degradation products of DDT ( p,p’ -dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), which is a well-documented, persistent organochlorine insecticide that has been banned from use in the United States since 1972. Detected concentrations were very low, ranging from 0.12 to 4.7 micrograms per kilogram, and probably pose little threat to aquatic organisms in park lakes. DDD and DDE concentrations in a sediment core from Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park indicate that atmospheric deposition of DDT and possibly other banned organochlorine compounds to high-elevation parks has been in decline since the 1970s. Commonly detected current-use pesticides in lake sediments included dacthal and endosulfan sulfate, which ranged in concentrations from 0.11 to 0.26 micrograms per kilogram for dacthal and 0.12 to 1.2 micrograms per kilogram for endosulfan sulfate. Both compounds were found in nearly all the snow samples, confirming that some current-use pesticides entering high-elevation aquatic ecosystems through atmospheric deposition are accumulating in lake sediments and potentially in aquatic biota.

Colorado, Montana↗

USGS2008

Methods for and estimates of 2003 and projected water use in the Seacoast Region, Southeastern New Hampshire

New methods were developed to estimate water use in 2003 and future water demand in 2017 and 2025 in the Seacoast region in southeastern New Hampshire, which has experienced a 37-percent population increase during 1980 to 2000. Water-use activities for which estimates were developed include water withdrawal, delivery, demand, consumptive use, release, return flow, and transfer by registered and aggregated unregistered (less than 20,000 gallons per day (gal/d)) users at the census-block and town scales. Estimates of water use rely on understanding what influences water demand and its associated consumptive use, because changes in demand and consumptive use affect withdrawal and return flow. Domestic water demand was estimated using a per capita water demand model that related metered deliveries to domestic users with census block and block-group data. The model was used to predict annual, summer, and winter per capita water-demand coefficients for each census block. Significant predictors of domestic water demand include population per housing unit, median value of owner-occupied single family homes, median year of housing construction (with 1900 as the base value), population density, housing unit density, and proportion of housing units that are in urban areas. Mean annual domestic per capita water-demand coefficient in the Seacoast region was 75 gal/d; the coefficient increased to 91 gal/d during the summer and decreased to 65 gal/d during the winter. Domestic consumptive use was estimated as the difference between annual and winter domestic water demand. Estimates of commercial and industrial water demand were based on coefficients derived from reported use and metered deliveries. Projections of water demand in 2017 and 2025 were determined by using the housing and employee projections for those years developed through a Transportation Demand Model and applying current domestic and non-domestic coefficients. Water demand in 2003 was estimated as 25.8 million gallons per day (Mgal/d), 35 percent of which was during the summer months of June, July, and August. Domestic water demand was 18.6 Mgal/d (72 percent), commercial water demand was 3.7 Mgal/d (14 percent), industrial water demand was 2.9 Mgal/d (11 percent), irrigation water demand was 0.3 Mgal/d (1 percent), and mining and aquaculture water demand was 0.2 Mgal/d (1 percent). Domestic consumptive use for the Seacoast region was 16 percent of domestic water demand, which translates to a loss of 3 Mgal/d over the entire Seacoast region. In 2003, water withdrawal was 771.2 Mgal/d, of which 742.2 Mgal/d was instream use for hydroelectric power generation and thermoelectric power cooling. The remaining 29.0 Mgal/d was withdrawn by community water systems (22.6 Mgal/d; 72 percent), domestic users (6.4 Mgal/d; 21 percent), commercial users (1.0 Mgal/d; 3 percent), industrial users (1.0 Mgal/d; 3 percent), irrigation (0.2 Mgal/d; 1 percent) and other users (less than 0.1 Mgal/d). Return flow for 2003 was 772.2 Mgal/d, of which 742.0 Mgal/d was returned following use for hydroelectric power generation and thermoelectric plant cooling. The remaining 30.2 Mgal/d was returned by community wastewater systems (20.2 Mgal/d; 68 percent), domestic users (7.8 Mgal/d; 26 percent), commercial users (1.2 Mgal/d; 3 percent), industrial users (0.8 Mgal/d; 3 percent), and other users (0.1 Mgal/d). Domestic water demand is projected to increase by 54 percent to 28.7 Mgal/d from 2003 to 2025 based on projection of future population growth. Non-domestic (commercial, industrial, irrigation, and mining) water demand is projected to increase by 66 percent to 11.8 Mgal/d from 2003 to 2025.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2009

Hydrologic Conditions in Florida during Water Year 2007

Record-high and record-low hydrologic conditions occurred during water year 2007 (October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2007) based on analyses of precipitation, surface-water flows, lake elevations, and ground-water levels. For example, the streamgage at Suwannee River at White Springs in northwest Florida recorded an annual streamflow of 103 cubic feet per second during 2007, or about 6 percent of the period-of-record average since monitoring began in 1906. Lake Okeechobee in south Florida reached record-low elevations (8.82 feet on July 2) since monitoring began in 1912. Several wells throughout the State registered period-of-record lowest daily maximum water levels.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2010

Hydrologic conditions in Florida during Water Year 2008

Record-high and record-low hydrologic conditions occurred during water year 2008 (October 1, 2007-September 30, 2008). Record-low levels were caused by a continuation of the 2007 water year drought conditions into the 2008 water year and persisting until summer rainfall. The gage at the Santa Fe River near Fort White site recorded record-low monthly mean discharges in October and November 2007. The previous records for this site were set in 1956 and 2002, respectively. Record-high conditions in northeast and northwest Florida were caused by the rainfall and runoff associated with Tropical Storm Fay. For example, St. Mary's River near Macclenny recorded a new record-high monthly mean discharge in August 2008. The previous record for this site was set in 1945. Lake Okeechobee in south Florida reached new minimum monthly mean lake levels since monitoring began in 1912 from October to March during the 2008 water year. Some wells throughout northwest and south Florida registered period-of-record lowest daily maximum water levels.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2012

Hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and parts of the Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee River basins in Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida and Alabama during drought conditions, July 2011

As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior sustainable water strategy, WaterSMART, the U.S. Geological Survey documented hydrologic and water-quality conditions in the lower Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and western and central Aucilla-Suwannee-Ochlockonee River basins in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia during low-flow conditions in July 2011. Moderate-drought conditions prevailed in this area during early 2011 and worsened to exceptional by June, with cumulative rainfall departures from the 1981-2010 climate normals registering deficits ranging from 17 to 27 inches. As a result, groundwater levels and stream discharges measured below median daily levels throughout most of 2011. Water-quality field properties including temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and pH were measured at selected surface-water sites. Record-low groundwater levels measured in 12 of 43 surficial aquifer wells and 128 of 312 Upper Floridan aquifer wells during July 2011 underscored the severity of drought conditions in the study area. Most wells recorded groundwater levels below the median daily statistic, and 7 surficial aquifer wells were dry. Groundwater-level measurements taken in July 2011 were used to determine the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer. Groundwater generally flows to the south and toward streams except in reaches where streams discharge to the aquifer. The degree of connection between the Upper Floridan aquifer and streams decreases east of the Flint River where thick overburden hydraulically separates the aquifer from stream interaction. Hydraulic separation of the Upper Floridan aquifer from streams located east of the Flint River is shown by stream-stage altitudes that differ from groundwater levels measured in close proximity to streams. Most streams located in the study area during 2011 exhibited below normal flows (streamflows less than the 25th percentile), substantiating the severity of drought conditions that year. Streamflow and springflow measured at 202 sites along 2,122 stream miles during July 20-24, 2011, identified about 286 miles of losing streams, about 1,230 miles of gaining streams, and about 606 miles of streams with no flow. Water-quality field properties measured at 123 stream and 5 spring sites during July 2011 yielded water temperatures ranging from 20.6 to 31.6 degrees Celsius, dissolved oxygen ranging from 0.47 to 9.98 milligrams per liter, specific conductance ranging from 13 to 834 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius, and pH ranging from 3.6 to 8.03.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia↗

USGS2018

The Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator—A decision-support tool to estimate water availability at ungaged stream locations in Connecticut

Freshwater streams in Connecticut are subject to many competing demands, including public water supply; agricultural, commercial, and industrial water use; and ecosystem and habitat needs. In recent years, drought has further stressed Connecticut’s water resources. To sustainably allocate and manage water resources among these competing uses, Federal, State, and local water-resource managers require data and modeling tools to estimate the water availability at a variety of temporal and spatial scales for planning purposes. The Connecticut Streamflow and Sustainable Water Use Estimator (CT SSWUE), developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is a decision-support tool for estimating daily unaltered streamflow and sustainable water use at ungaged sites in Connecticut. The CT SSWUE estimates unaltered daily mean streamflow and water-use-adjusted streamflow for the period from October 1, 1960, to September 30, 2015, and the monthly sustainable net withdrawal at ungaged sites in Connecticut. Unaltered streamflow is the estimated daily mean streamflow in a drainage basin in the absence of any water withdrawals or wastewater discharges and with minimal human development. Sustainable net withdrawal is the maximum net withdrawal (withdrawal minus wastewater discharges) that can be drawn from a basin without critically depleting the water available through natural streamflow patterns. Sustainable net withdrawal is defined for this study as the difference between the unaltered daily mean streamflow and a user-defined target minimum streamflow. Weighted least squares and Tobit regression techniques were used to develop equations for estimating streamflow at ungaged sites at 19 streamflow quantiles with exceedance probabilities ranging from 0.005 to 99.995 percent. Regressions were based on streamflow quantiles and basin characteristics from 36 reference streamgages in and around Connecticut. Four basin characteristics—drainage area, mean of the soil permeability, mean of the average annual precipitation, and ratio of the length of streams that overlay sand and gravel deposits to the total length of streams in the basin—are used as explanatory variables in the equations. At an ungaged site, interpolation between the streamflow quantiles estimated from the regression equations produces a continuous flow-duration curve. A time series of daily mean streamflow at an ungaged site is then estimated by assuming that for each day, the streamflow quantile occurs on the same date at both a reference streamgage and the ungaged site. In a remove-one cross validation, estimated unaltered daily mean streamflow agreed well with observed values at reference streamgages, with a few exceptions. Nash Sutcliffe efficiency ranged from −0.43 to 0.97 with a median value of 0.88. The normalized root-mean-square error ranged from 16.6 to 120.4 percent with a median value of 34.5 percent. An empirical method for estimating 95-percent prediction intervals for unaltered daily and monthly mean streamflow was developed and tested by using the cross-validation data. Prediction intervals for unaltered daily mean streamflow at the cross-validation reference streamgages performed well in most cases. Gaged streamflow values from the cross-validation data fell within the prediction intervals a median 96.6 percent of the time for daily mean time series and 93.9 percent of the time for monthly mean time series. The CT SSWUE computes water-use-adjusted streamflow using spatially referenced water-use information provided by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Available water-use information included permitted and registered water withdrawals and permitted wastewater discharges during 1998 to 2015 for the Thames River Basin and central coastal drainage basins. Water-use information was incorporated into the U.S. Geological Survey StreamStats web application for Connecticut and can be used for computing water-use-adjusted streamflow and sustainable net withdrawal at selected points of interest. Altered daily streamflow is computed by applying average daily withdrawals and wastewater discharges to the water balance equation. Average daily surface water withdrawals and wastewater discharges are applied directly to the daily water balance equation. Time-lagged alterations on streamflow from groundwater withdrawals or wastewater discharges are estimated by using a response-coefficient method developed from results of previously published, calibrated groundwater models.

Connecticut↗

USGS2023

Characterization of peak streamflows and flooding in select areas of Pennsylvania from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 1–2, 2021

Pennsylvania experienced heavy rainfall on September 1 and 2, 2021, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept over parts of the State. Much of eastern and south-central Pennsylvania received 5 to 10 inches of rain, and most of the rainfall fell within little more than 6 hours. Southeastern Pennsylvania experienced widespread, substantial flooding, and the city of Philadelphia and surrounding areas were particularly affected by the flooding. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages registered peak streamflows of record at 19 locations, and 52 locations experienced top 5 peak streamflows for the period of record and an annual exceedance probability estimate of at least 10 percent. During this September 2021 flood event, USGS personnel made over 60 streamflow measurements at streamgages in Pennsylvania using direct and indirect methods. Many of those streamflow measurements were made to verify or improve the accuracy, extent, or development of new stage-streamflow relations at streamgages operated by the USGS. After the floodwaters receded, USGS personnel identified and documented a total of 338 high-water marks in Pennsylvania, noting such things as their general description, location, height above land surface, and quality. Many of these high-water marks were used to create five flood-documentation maps for selected communities in southeastern Pennsylvania that experienced substantial flooding because of the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Digital datasets of the inundated areas, mapped boundaries, and water depth are available (Stuckey and Conlon, 2023).

Pennsylvania↗

USGS2024

Accuracy assessment of three-dimensional point cloud data collected with a scanning total station on Shinnecock Nation Tribal lands in Suffolk County, New York

A combined point cloud of about 85.6 million points was collected during 27 scans of a section of the western shoreline along the Shinnecock Peninsula of Suffolk County, New York, to document baseline geospatial conditions during July and October 2022 using a scanning total station. The three-dimensional accuracy of the combined point cloud is assessed to identify potential systematic error sources associated with the surveying equipment and the novel methodology used to collect and field-register (data are oriented and aligned in real time) point cloud data. The accuracy of the combined point cloud was assessed in terms of relative and absolute reference frames. Relative accuracy provides a measure of error within the local coordinate system and is determined by combining the uncertainty associated with the position of the scan station (the point being occupied by the scanning total station during the scan), the uncertainty associated with the position of the network control points, and the uncertainty associated with the laser of the scanning total station. Assessment of the absolute accuracy includes these three potential error sources combined with the uncertainty associated with the geodetic coordinates to which the local control network is referenced. The combined overall relative horizontal and vertical accuracy of the point cloud is 0.0156 and 0.0241 meter, respectively, at the 95 percent confidence level. The combined overall absolute horizontal and vertical accuracy of the point cloud is 0.0598 and 0.0733 meter, respectively, at the 95 percent confidence level.

New York↗

USGS2026

Decadal trends in the quality of groundwater used for public drinking-water supply in California, 2004–23, California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program, Priority Basin Project

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of decadal changes in the quality of groundwater used for public drinking-water supply at 444 monitoring sites across California during 2004–23. We assessed decadal step trends in groundwater quality for 145 water-quality constituents and geochemical indicators statewide and across geographic and land-use based network groups. We evaluated the statistical significance of directional changes (predominant increase or decrease of constituent concentrations) and the magnitude of those changes across all network groups. Uranium showed the most widespread directional and high-magnitude increases of all constituents with regulatory benchmarks statewide, particularly in the agriculture-dominated Central Valley as well as urban-and desert-dominated regions of Southern California. Fluoride and perchlorate showed the most widespread directional and high-magnitude decreases of all constituents with regulatory benchmarks statewide, which were also most pronounced in Southern California. Although arsenic and nitrate did not often register significant directional changes across network groups, they showed widespread, high-magnitude changes in both directions (increase and decrease) at levels often exceeding 10 percent of respective regulatory benchmarks statewide. Triazine herbicides (atrazine and simazine) and the gasoline oxygenate methyl tert -butyl ether showed significant directional decreases statewide, but not at levels considered to be of high magnitude compared to respective regulatory benchmarks. We observed significant directional and high-magnitude increases of total dissolved solids statewide, which were most pronounced in agricultural areas. Analysis of explanatory geochemical indicators indicated that prevalent statewide increases of alkalinity and calcium were the predominant components of the observed statewide increases in total dissolved solids by mass. Widespread increases in groundwater alkalinity and calcium across agricultural and urban areas may be related, in part, to warm-season irrigation and other anthropogenic factors that have shifted soil weathering dynamics over the long term. Increasing alkalinity concentrations were related to increasing uranium concentrations, particularly in areas with aquifer materials derived from granitic rocks. Conversely, increasing calcium concentrations were related to decreasing fluoride concentrations, particularly in areas where fluoride occurred naturally at elevated concentrations. Decrease of perchlorate, triazine herbicides, and methyl tert -butyl ether are likely related to decreased anthropogenic source inputs over time and natural attenuation in aquifers.

California↗

USGS2004

Pesticides in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-01

In 2000-01, the U. S. Geological Survey sampled the Clackamas River and its major lower-basin tributaries during storm runoff conditions for 86 dissolved pesticides and selected breakdown products. Twenty-seven compounds, including 18 herbicides, 7 insecticides, and 2 pesticide breakdown products, were detected in 18 stream samples. The most commonly detected pesticides, in decreasing frequency, included atrazine, simazine, diazinon, metolachlor, and diuron, which variously occurred in 46-92% of samples collected from the tributaries. Of these, atrazine, simazine, and metolachlor, plus six other compounds, also were detected in the main-stem Clackamas River. Pesticides were detected more frequently and at higher concentrations in the four lowermost tributaries (Deep, Richardson, Rock, and Sieben Creeks). In these streams, 12 to 18 pesticides were detected per stream in samples collected during spring and fall. Pesticides always occurred with at least one other pesticide, and about half of the samples, including one sample from the Clackamas River in October 2000, contained six or more pesticides. Nine pesticides, including the insecticide diazinon and the herbicides 2,4-D, atrazine, dichlobenil, diuron, imazaquin, metolachlor, simazine, and trifluralin, were detected in five water samples of Clackamas River water. No pesticides were detected in three samples of treated Clackamas River water used for drinking-water supply. Concentrations of six compounds--carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dieldrin, malathion, and the breakdown product of DDT (p,p'-DDE)--exceeded established or recommended criteria for the protection of aquatic life in some of the tributaries, sometimes for multiple pesticides in one sample. Identifying the sources of pesticides detected in the Clackamas River Basin is difficult because of the diverse land use in the basin and the multiple-use nature of many of the pesticides detected. Of the 25 parent compounds detected, 22 have agricultural uses, 23 have urban uses, 16 are applied to golf courses, 11 are applied along roads and other right-of-ways, and 5 have or had forestry applications. Because only a small fraction of the thousands of pesticide products registered for use in Oregon were tested for in this study, future monitoring could benefit from knowledge of what pesticides are applied so that potential problems can be identified and managed.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2003

Levels at streamflow gaging stations--A CD-ROM based training class

Streamgages record the elevation of the water surface above some reference surface, or datum. This datum is assumed to remain unchanged throughout the life of the gage. However, the elevation of gages and their supporting structures often change over time as a result of earthmovement, floods, ice, and debris. The surveying practice of leveling is used to establish datum for new gage structures and to check for vertical movement of those structures over time. Vertical changes in gage structures can affect stage-discharge relations and, thus, could result in incorrect discharge determinations. Datum checks are used to correct stage-discharge relations and allow the USGS to document gage datum throughout the life of a gage. This training presentation describes methods currently used by the U.S. Geological Survey to run levels at gaging stations. The presentation is narrated, but you control the pace of the presentation. If the computer you are using can view 'MPEG' videos you will be able to take advantage of videos found within the presentation. A test, found at the end of the presentation, can be taken to assess how well you understood the training material. The class is registered as class SW1307 with the National Training Center of the U.S. Geologcial Survey. The presentation was developed using Macromedia Director 8.5(1) and is contained in the file 'WRI-4002.exe', which should auto-launch after the CD-ROM is inserted in the PC. The program only runs on a windows-based personal computer (PC). A sound card and speakers are necessary to take advantage of the narration that accompanies the presentation. Text of narrations is provided, if you are unable to listen to the narrations. Instructions for installing and running the presentation are included in the file ' Intro.html'. The file 'Intro.html' is on the CD-ROM containing the presentation and is available from the presentation's help menu.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1996

Using a geographic information system and scanning technology to create high-resolution land-use data sets

A geographic information system (GIS) procedure was developed to compile low-altitude aerial photography, digitized data, and land-use data from U.S. Department of Agriculture Consolidated Farm Service Agency (CFSA) offices into a high-resolution (approximately 5 meters) land-use GIS data set. The aerial photography consisted of 35-mm slides which were scanned into tagged information file format (TIFF) images. These TIFF images were then imported into the GIS where they were registered into a geographically referenced coordinate system. Boundaries between land use were delineated from these GIS data sets using on-screen digitizing techniques. Crop types were determined using information obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture CFSA offices. Crop information not supplied by the CFSA was attributed by manual classification procedures. Automated methods to provide delineation of the field boundaries and land-use classification were investigated. It was determined that using these data sources, automated methods were less efficient and accurate than manual methods of delineating field boundaries and classifying land use.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1996

Geohydrology of the North Park area, Jackson County, Colorado

Increasing population in rural and suburban areas of Colorado is causing greater reliance on ground water as a source of domestic supply. In the primarily rural area of Jackson County, for example, the number of registered water wells increased from about 100 in 1972 to about 500 in 1995. Most of the new wells were drilled after 1988 and supply water to ranches and summer homes. In Jackson County, ground water is pumped from a series of shallow alluvial aquifers along principal stream valleys and from deeper, more extensive, bedrock aquifers. In much of the area, the alluvial aquifers are thin and can be dewatered by moderate water- level declines. Knowledge of the nature and extent of the alluvial and bedrock aquifers, the sources of recharge and discharge, and the effects of ground- water withdrawal on water levels in the aquifers is vital if management of the area's water resources is to ensure continued availability of a dependable water supply.

Colorado↗

USGS1998

Wet atmospheric deposition of pesticides in Minnesota, 1989-94

All of the rain samples during the growing season had detectable quantities of at least one pesticide, but most of the pesticides were only infrequently observed. The most frequently detected compounds were the herbicides alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, and metolachlor, and in 1994, its first year of registration, acetochlor. Peak concentrations of most herbicides in rainfall occurred shortly after their application periods in the spring. Peak concentrations of most of the insecticides occurred later in the summer. The majority of the wet depositional flux of pesticides occurred between early May and October. The annual wet depositional flux of pesticides is 5 orders of magnitude less than is the "annual flux" normally applied on an agricultural field, although some of the pesticides in rain are deposited in areas far removed from agricultural fields. The annual variability in pesticide deposition can be explained by year-to-year differences in climate and pesticide use patterns. The one sampling site (Lamberton) that was in an area dominated by row crop agriculture showed a significantly greater annual flux than the other four sampling sites that were in areas of either urbanization or less intensive agricultural. Regional deposition, away from a local source, can be inferred from these four sites because they have annual pesticide fluxes that are very similar for any given year. The observation of agricultural pesticides (not registered for home and garden use) in rain and storm runoff in the urban area indicates their transport from areas of agricultural use. Urban areas may be the best locations for assessing changes in regional use and deposition of agricultural pesticides. The pesticide fluxes in the streams out of the small three watersheds was compared to the pesticide flux into the watersheds in rain. The data indicate that flux into the watersheds from the rain is generally much greater than the flux from the watersheds in the streams. Therefore, a large fraction of the pesticides deposited in rain is retained within the watersheds. For the urban area, this is on the order of 98 percent for the four most commonly observed herbicides in rain and runoff.

Minnesota↗

USGS2020

Building loss in WUI disasters: Evaluating the core components of the wildland-urban interface definition

Accurate maps of the wildland–urban interface (WUI) are critical for the development of effective land management policies, conducting risk assessments, and the mitigation of wildfire risk. Most WUI maps identify areas at risk from wildfire by overlaying coarse-scale housing data with land cover or vegetation data. However, it is unclear how well the current WUI mapping methods capture the patterns of building loss. We quantified the building loss in WUI disasters, and then compared how well census-based and point-based WUI maps captured the building loss. We examined the building loss in both WUI and non-WUI land-use types, and in relation to the core components of the United States Federal Register WUI definition: housing density, vegetation cover, and proximity to large patches of wildland vegetation. We used building location data from 70 large fires in the conterminous United States, which cumulatively destroyed 54,000 buildings from 2000 through to 2018. We found that: (1) 86% and 97% of the building loss occurred in areas designated as WUI using the census-based and point-based methods, respectively; (2) 95% and 100% of all of the losses occurred within 100 m and 850 m of wildland vegetation, respectively; and (3) WUI components were the most predictive of building loss when measured at fine scales.

Fire↗

USGS2017

A land product characterization system for comparative analysis of satellite data and products

A Land Product Characterization System (LPCS) has been developed to provide land data and products to the community of individuals interested in validating space-based land products by comparing them with similar products available from other sensors or surface-based observations. The LPCS facilitates the application of global multi-satellite and in situ data for characterization and validation of higher-level, satellite-derived, land surface products (e.g., surface reflectance, normalized difference vegetation index, and land surface temperature). The LPCS includes data search, inventory, access, and analysis functions that will permit data to be easily identified, retrieved, co-registered, and compared statistically through a single interface. The system currently includes data and products available from Landsat 4 through 8, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra and Aqua, Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP)/Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and simulated data for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-16 Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). In addition to the future inclusion of in situ data, higher-level land products from the European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 and -3 series of satellites, and other high and medium resolution spatial sensors, will be included as available. When fully implemented, any of the sensor data or products included in the LPCS would be available for comparative analysis.

Remote Sensing↗