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USGS2018

Estimates of water use and trends in the Colorado River Basin, Southwestern United States, 1985–2010

The Colorado River Basin (CRB) drains 246,000 square miles and includes parts of California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, and all of Arizona (Basin States). This report contains water-use estimates by category of use for drainage basins (Hydrologic Unit Code 8; HUC‑8) within the CRB from 1985 to 2010, at 5-year intervals. Estimates for public supply, domestic, commercial, industrial, irrigation, livestock, mining, aquaculture, hydroelectric and thermoelectric power, and wastewater returns are tabulated as (1) water withdrawals from groundwater or surface‑water sources of fresh or saline quality, (2) water delivered for domestic use, (3) wastewater returns and instream use (hydroelectric), and (4) consumptive use, or water that is consumed (USGS definition) and not available for immediate reuse. Water transported outside of the CRB (interbasin transfers) is not included as part of withdrawals and are not accounted for in any category of use within the CRB. Total withdrawals in the CRB (excluding interbasin transfers) averaged about 17 million acre-feet (maf) from 1985 to 2010, peaked at about 17.76 maf in 2000, and reached their lowest levels of 16.43 maf in 1990. Interbasin transfers to serve mostly public-supply and irrigation needs outside of the CRB are reported for 2000, 2005, and 2010 only, and averaged 5.40 maf. More surface water was used in the CRB than groundwater, averaging about 78 percent of total withdrawals, and its use increased less than 2 percent from 1985 to 2010, while groundwater withdrawals decreased about 12 percent. From 1985 to 2010, surface water averaged 98 percent of withdrawals in the upper CRB, and about 59 percent in the lower CRB. Nearly all withdrawals were freshwater, but some saline groundwater was used for mining and self-supplied industrial. Interbasin transfers have a large effect on flows in the Colorado River and are listed in this report separately with no explanation of how the water is used outside of the CRB. There are 34 interbasin transfers that conveyed an estimated 5.83, 5.20, and 5.18 maf out of the CRB in 2000, 2005, and 2010, respectively. The largest interbasin transfers are in the lower CRB and convey surface water (Colorado River water) to southern California; these accounted for 80 to 84 percent of total interbasin transfers in the CRB from 2000 to 2010. Intrabasin transfers are conveyances of surface water that cross drainage basin or State boundaries in the CRB, but the water does not leave the CRB. There are many intrabasin transfers in the CRB, but this report lists 11 that are mostly in the State of Colorado. The largest is the Central Arizona Project (CAP), through which more than 1.00 maf of water was provided to irrigate nearly 1 million acres in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima Counties, as well as provide municipal water for Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, during 2000, 2005, and 2010. In 2010, interbasin and intrabasin transfers accounted for 24 and 11 percent of the total water withdrawals in CRB, respectively, with the larger volumes being conveyed out of the lower CRB. Total population in the CRB increased from 4.56 to 9.44 million people from 1985 to 2010. Most of those people were in the lower CRB, with 86 percent of the total in 1985, and 90 percent of the total in 2010. Total public-supply withdrawals in the CRB provided most people with their potable water, and averaged about 1.63 maf from 1985 to 2010, ranging from about 1.07 maf in 1985 to about 2.10 maf in 2010, when it peaked. Most of public-supply withdrawals occurred in the lower CRB, ranging from 87 to 91 percent of total public-supply withdrawals in the CRB over the 25 years. Total domestic use, comprised of public-supply deliveries and self-supply domestic withdrawals, increased more than 90 percent from 1985 to 2010, from about 0.80 maf to about 1.54 maf. Domestic daily per-capita use rates in the CRB ranged from about 144 (1985) to about 121 (2000) gallons (gal) per ‑ capita between 1985 and 2010. When comparing domestic daily per-capita rates for the upper and lower CRB, people in the lower CRB, on average, used less water for domestic purposes at 128 gal per-capita daily (1985–2010), while those in the upper CRB for the same time period averaged 133 gal per-capita daily. The trend in daily per-capita use rates for the entire CRB fluctuated between the reporting years, but decreased overall, indicating that more people used less water in 2010 than in 1985, likely due to improved infrastructure, conservation, and improvements to water using appliances in homes and businesses. Irrigation accounted for most total withdrawals in the CRB, excluding instream use for hydroelectric power and interbasin transfers, averaging 85 percent from 1985 to 2010. Far more surface water than groundwater was used for irrigation in both the upper and lower CRB, but in the upper CRB, it accounted for an average of more than 98 percent of the total withdrawals (1985–2010), whereas in the lower CRB, surface-water withdrawals for irrigation averaged 61 percent of total withdrawals. On average, the upper CRB accounted for 56 percent of total irrigated acres, and the irrigation systems in the upper CRB trended towards more efficient sprinkler systems from 1985 to 2010. Long-term drought in the CRB substantially decreased the amount of streamflow available for irrigation. Increases in micro-irrigation acres, which can have efficiencies that exceed 90 percent and require 20–50 percent less water than sprinkler systems, likely contributed to reduced withdrawals in the lower CRB. For thermoelectric power, total withdrawals, including the use of reclaimed wastewater, were greater in the upper CRB from 1985 through 2005. In 2010, the lower CRB exceeded the upper by only 11,000 acre-feet. On average, thermoelectric consumptive use accounted for about 80 percent of the total withdrawals; however, consumptive-use data in the upper CRB was incomplete. Surface water was the primary source in the upper CRB and groundwater was the primary source in the lower CRB. In the CRB overall, water withdrawals for thermoelectric generation has decreased since 2000, except for groundwater withdrawals in the lower CRB. Power generation at thermoelectric plants was greater in the upper CRB from 1985 to 2000, and after 2005 the difference in power generation was small; however, the upper CRB continued to have more power generation. In both the upper and lower CRB, power generation increased from 1985 to 2005.

Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyomi↗
USGS2023

Groundwater quality in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers across West Virginia

Abandoned underground coal mine aquifers cover a large part of West Virginia and could supply substantial quantities of water for agricultural, industrial, residential, and public use. Several Federal, State, and academic institutions have studied the availability and quality of water stored in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers for a variety of applications, such as economic development, geothermal energy, aquaculture, and wastewater disposal. However, the spatial and stratigraphic controls on water quality produced from abandoned underground coal mine aquifers are still poorly constrained on a state-wide basis. In response to these knowledge gaps, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a study, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, to understand the applicability of using existing secondary source data for understanding water quality in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers across the State. Results from the calculation of net alkalinity indicated that Upper Pennsylvanian coal beds primarily produce net acidic waters and Lower Pennsylvanian coal beds primarily produce net alkaline waters. Multivariate statistical analysis of elemental data supports the conclusion that abandoned underground coal mine aquifers in the northern part of the State generally produce poor water quality and abandoned underground coal mine aquifers in southern West Virginia primarily produce good water quality. These results substantiate the potential benefits of leveraging abandoned underground coal mine aquifers as a multifaceted resource in West Virginia and can be used as a reconnaissance tool for water managers to characterize abandoned underground coal mine aquifers on a local scale.

West Virginia↗
USGS2024

Inset groundwater-flow models for the Cache and Grand Prairie Critical Groundwater Areas, northeastern Arkansas

The water resources in the Mississippi alluvial plain, located in parts of Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, supports a multibillion-dollar agricultural industry that relies heavily on pumping of groundwater for irrigation of crops and aquaculture. The primary source of groundwater for agricultural-related pumping is the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, which has declined in storage for decades; secondary groundwater sources include the middle Claiborne aquifer and Wilcox aquifer system. Two areas in northeastern Arkansas that lie within the Mississippi alluvial plain, part of the Cache and Grand Prairie regions, have been designated as Critical Groundwater Areas owing to decades of groundwater declines that resulted from past and current water use. The multidisciplinary Mississippi Alluvial Plain project, led by the U.S. Geological Survey, and funded by their Water Availability and Use Science Program, included objectives to develop numerical groundwater models in focus regions, including the part of the Cache and Grand Prairie regions of northeastern Arkansas. Two inset models were developed using the child model capabilities of MODFLOW 6, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Modular Hydrologic Model simulation software. Both models, called the Cache model and Grand Prairie model, simulated the groundwater system and surface-water/groundwater interactions for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer and underlying Tertiary-age aquifers and confining units to the Midway confining unit. Each model was spatially discretized into 500-meter x 500-meter orthogonal cells on a grid with 5-meter constant-thickness vertical layers that represented the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer and increasing thickness layers for the aquifers and confining units below the alluvial aquifer. The Cache and Grand Prairie models were calibrated with the PEST++ iterative ensemble smoother Version 5 and employed high dimensional parameterization schemes of 13,740 and 30,436 parameters, respectively. The Cache mean absolute residual for groundwater-level observations within each model domain for the priority well was 1.58 meters. Grand Prairie mean absolute residuals for the alluvial aquifer and middle Claiborne aquifer groundwater-level observations were 2.71 and 10.78 meters, respectively. The groundwater budgets for the Cache and Grand Prairie models were characterized by substantial outflows to irrigation wells, which constituted about 52 and 54 percent of all outflows, with the primary source of water to those wells being releases from unconfined aquifer storage.

Arkansas↗
USGS2025

An inset groundwater-flow model to evaluate the effects of layering configuration on model calibration and assess managed aquifer recharge near Shellmound, Mississippi

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a high-resolution inset groundwater-flow model in the Mississippi Delta as part of an interdisciplinary collaboration coordinated by the Mississippi Alluvial Plain project to provide a tool that stakeholders can use to support water-resource management decisions. Groundwater withdrawals from the Mississippi River Valley alluvial (MRVA) aquifer have been vital to support agricultural production in the region, but substantial groundwater-level declines near Shellmound, Mississippi, have caused concerns for long-term sustainability of the aquifer. To better understand the subsurface and try to mitigate the long-term groundwater-level declines, stakeholders have undertaken actions including a Groundwater Transfer and Injection Pilot (GTIP) project using a riverbank filtration-based managed aquifer recharge approach. The pilot project consisted of extracting groundwater near the Tallahatchie River and reinjecting it into the aquifer 3 kilometers west where water levels have substantially declined. A high-resolution airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey was also completed to collect electrical resistivity data to support the GTIP project and the development of the groundwater model. The inset groundwater-flow model was developed to (1) integrate the AEM data into the optimal layering configuration of the MRVA aquifer that the available observation data can support through calibration, and (2) assess the potential effect of the GTIP project on the groundwater levels. The AEM data were processed into three different layering configurations leading to the development of model A (18 layers), model B (16 layers), and model C (8 layers), all at a 100- x 100-meter cell spatial resolution using the U.S. Geological Survey modular finite-difference flow model 6 code with Newton-Raphson formulation. The model development process integrated recent advances in modeling, such as the incorporation of AEM data, the use of outputs from the soil-water-balance (SWB) model, and the Aquaculture and Irrigation Water-Use Model, and was facilitated by robust automation using the open-source python packages Modflow-setup and SFRmaker. Using Parameter Estimation ++ Iterative Ensemble Smoother, the three numerical groundwater-flow models (models A, B, and C) were calibrated against a set of observations, which included aquifer groundwater levels, streamflows, stream stage, and aquifer transmissivity. Results indicate that the detailed representation of MRVA aquifer layers in model A produced the best calibrated model by history matching, and the integration of data representing surficial connectivity played a key role in improving groundwater recharge and enhancing the ability of the model to match groundwater levels in the cone of depression. A forecast model simulated the managed aquifer recharge approach, and the results indicated that, given average irrigation and recharge conditions (2010–15), the GTIP project has the potential to induce groundwater-level increases of as much as 3 meters around the injection site, but a sustained increase would require repetition in subsequent years of water transfer at 2022 rates or above.

Mississippi↗
USGS2004

Guidelines for preparation of state water-use estimates for 2000

This report describes the water-use categories and data elements required for the 2000 national water-use compilation conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of its National Water Use Information Program. It identifies sources of water-use information, guidelines for estimating water use, and required documentation for preparation of the national compilation by State for the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The data are published in USGS Circular 1268, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000. USGS has published circulars on estimated use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950. As part of this USGS program to document water use on a national scale for the year 2000, all States prepare estimates of water withdrawals for public supply, industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric power generation water uses at the county level. All States prepare estimates of domestifc use and population served by public supply at least at the State level. All States provide estimates of irrigated acres by irrigation system type (sprinkler, surface, or microirrigation) at the county level. County-level estimates of withdrawals for mining, livestock, and aquaculture uses are compiled by selected States that comprised the largest percentage of national use in 1995 for these categories, and are optional for other States. Ground-water withdrawals for public-supply, industrial, and irrigation use are aggregated by principal aquifer or aquifer system, as identified by the USGS Office of Ground Water. Some categories and data elements that were mandatory in previous compilations are optional for the 2000 compilation, in response to budget considerations at the State level. Optional categories are commercial, hydroelectric, and wastewater treatment. Estimation of deliveries from public supply to domestic, commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric uses, consumptive use for any category, and irrigation conveyance loss are optional data elements. Aggregation of data by the eight-digit hydrologic cataloging unit is optional. Water-use data compiled by the States are stored in the USGS Aggregated Water-Use Data System (AWUDS). This database is designed to store both mandatory and optional data elements. AWUDS contains several routines that can be used for quality assurance and quality control of the data, and also produces tables of water-use data compiled for 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000. These water-use data are used by USGS, other agencies, organizations, academic institutions, and the public for research, water-management decisions, trend analysis, and forecasting.

Techniques and Methods↗
USGS2007

Guidelines for preparation of State water-use estimates for 2005

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated the use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950. This report describes the water-use categories and data elements required for the 2005 national water-use compilation conducted as part of the USGS National Water Use Information Program. The report identifies sources of water-use information, provides standard methods and techniques for estimating water use at the county level, and outlines steps for preparing documentation for the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As part of this USGS program to document water use on a national scale for the year 2005, estimates of water withdrawals for the categories of public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric power at the county level are prepared for each State using the guidelines in this report. Estimates of water withdrawals for aquaculture, livestock, and mining are prepared for each State using a county-based national model, although study chiefs in each State have the option of producing independent county estimates of water withdrawals for these categories. Estimates of deliveries of water from public supplies for domestic use by county also will be prepared for each State for 2005. As a result, domestic water use can be determined for each State by combining self-supplied domestic withdrawals and publicly supplied domestic deliveries. Fresh ground-water and surfacewater estimates will be prepared for all categories of use; and saline ground-water and surface-water estimates by county will be prepared for the categories of public supply, industrial, and thermoelectric power. Power production for thermoelectric power will be compiled for 2005. If data are available, reclaimed wastewater use will be compiled for the industrial and irrigation categories. Optional water-use categories are commercial, hydroelectric power, and wastewater treatment. Optional data elements are public-supply deliveries to commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric-power users; consumptive use; irrigation conveyance loss; and number of facilities. Aggregation of water-use data by eight-digit hydrologic cataloging unit and by principal aquifer also is optional. Water-use data compiled by the States will be stored in the USGS Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS). This database is a comprehensive aggregated database designed to store both mandatory and optional data elements. AWUDS contains several routines that can be used for quality assurance and quality control of the data, and produces tables of wateruse data compiled for 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000.

Techniques and Methods↗
USGS2008

Chapter A7. Section 7.5. Cyanobacteria in lakes and reservoirs: Toxin And taste-and-odor sampling guidelines

Cyanobacteria (also referred to as blue-green algae) cause a multitude of water-quality concerns, including the potential to produce toxins and taste-and-odor compounds. Toxins and taste-and-odor compounds may cause significant economic and public health concerns, and are of particular interest in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers that are used for drinking-water supply, recreation, or aquaculture. The purpose of NFM 7.5 is to provide guidelines for collecting, processing, and handling samples to be analyzed for cyanobacterial community composition (enumeration and identification) and total, particulate, and dissolved cyanobacterial toxins and taste-and-odor compounds in lakes and reservoirs (sections 7.5.5 through 7.5.9). Sections 7.5.1 through 7.5.4, however, are designed to provide some background information about cyanobacteria, including typical study designs and objectives related to the spatial and temporal occurrence of cyanobacteria (modified from Graham and others, 2008), in order to provide a useful context for sampling activities. The information presented here pertains to the occurrence of planktonic (free-floating) cyanobacteria in lakes and reservoirs. Each chapter of the National Field Manual is published separately and revised periodically. Newly published and revised chapters will be announced on the USGS Home Page on the World Wide Web under 'New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey.'

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations↗
USGS1989

The hydrothermal system in central Twin Falls County, Idaho

Thermal water in Twin Fall County has been used for space heating, large-scale greenhouse operations, and aquaculture since the mid-1970's. More recently, increased utilization of the thermal water has caused aquifer pressures to decline. Near the city of Twin Falls, water levels in some formerly flowing thermal wells have declined to below land surface. The thermal water is principally in the silicic volcanic rocks of the Idavada Volcanics. Electrical resistivity soundings indicate that thickness of the rocks ranges from about 700 to 3,000 ft and averages about 2,000 ft. Temperatures of water sampled range from 26 C to nearly 50 C in wells completed in the upper part of the reservoir near Twin Falls. Water from deeper parts of the reservoir may be warmer than 50 C. Most of the thermal water is a sodium bicarbonate type. The maximum fluoride concentration was 22 mg/L. Chloride concentrations between about 50 and 150 mg/L are the result of mixing of deep water with shallower, cooler water that has been affected by percolation of irrigation water. Carbon-14 concentrations in selected thermal water samples indicate ages of 1,000 to 15,000 years. The water becomes progressively older northward along proposed groundwater flowpaths. On the basis of transit times in the system of 10,000 to 15,000 years and the reservoir volume, recharge is estimated to be about 5 to 7 cu ft/sec. Net heat flux in the area is about 2.2 heat flow units.

Idaho↗
USGS1998

Hydrology and quality of ground water in northern Thurston County, Washington

Northern Thurston County is underlain by as much as 1,800 feet of unconsolidated deposits of Pleistocene Age that are of glacial and nonglacial origin. Iterpretation of approximately 1,140 drillers' logs led to the delineation of seven major geohydrologic units, four of which are significant aquifers. Precipitation ranges from about 35 to 65 inches per year across the study area. Estimates of recharge indicate that the ground-water system of the Ground Water Management Area (GWMA), a subset of the study area, receives an average of about 28 inches per year. Ground water generally moves toward marine water bodies and to major surface drainage channels. At least 33,000 acre-feet per year of ground water discharges as springs from the GWMA. Approximately 21,000 acre-feet of water was withdrawn from the ground-water system of the GWMA through wells in 1988. Total ground-water use in the GWMA in 1988 was approximately 37,000 acre-feet. About 16,000 acre-feet of water that discharges naturally through springs was used together with water withdrawn by wells for domestic supply, agricultural, commercial, industrial, institutional, and aquaculture and livestock uses. Generally, the chemical quality of the ground water was good and 94 percent of the water samples were classified as soft or moderately hard. Of the few water-quality problems encountered, the most widespread anthropogenic problem appeared to be seawater intrusion. However, a comparison with data from 1978 indicated that the degree and extent of intrusion had not changed significantly since that time. Agricultural activities may be responsible for the presence of nitrate in ground waters at some individual wells, but septic tanks in areas of high housing density are likely responsible for elevated nitrate concentrations near the Cities of Lacey and Tumwater. The close correlation of nitrate concentrations with detergent concentrations supports the theory that the nitrate originates in septic systems, the only likely source of the detergents. Most water-quality problems in the study area, however, are due to natural causes. Iron concentrations are as large as 21,000 micrograms per liter, manganese concentrations are as large as 3,400 micrograms per liter, and connate seawater is present in ground water in the southern part of the study area.

Washington↗
USGS1995

Water-quality assessment of the upper Snake River Basin, Idaho and western Wyoming — Summary of aquatic biological data for surface water through 1992

The 35,800-square-mile upper Snake River Basin in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming was one of 20 areas selected for water-quality study under the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. As part of the initial phase of the study, data were compiled to describe the current (1992) and historical aquatic biological conditions of surface water in the basin. This description of natural and human environmental factors that affect aquatic life provides the framework for evaluating the status and trends of aquatic biological conditions in streams of the basins. Water resource development and stream alterations, irrigated agriculture, grazing, aquaculture, and species introductions have affected stream biota in the upper Snake River Basin. Cumulative effects of these activities have greatly altered cold-water habitat and aquatic life in the middle Snake River reach (Milner Dam to King Hill). Most of the aquatic Species of Special Concern in the basin , consisting of eight native mollusks and three native fish species, are in this reach of the Snake River. Selected long-term studies, including comprehensive monitoring on Rock Creek, have shown reduced pollutant loadings as a result of implementing practice on cropland; however, aquatic life remains affected by agricultural land use. Community level biological data are lacking for most of the streams in the basin, especially for large river. Aquatic life used to assess water quality of the basin includes primarily macroinvertebrate and fish communities. At least 26 different macroinvertebrate and fish community metrics have been utilized to assess water quality of the basin. Eight species of macroinvertebrates and fish are recognized as Species of Special Concern. The native fish faunas of the basin are composed primarily of cold-water species representing 5 families and 26 species. An additional 13 fish species have been introduced to the basin. Concentrations of synthetic organic compounds and trace-element contaminants in whole fish collected in the basin during 1970-90 generally did not exceed National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering concentration guidelines or the 1980-81 geometric mean concentrations from samples collected as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program. Currently, there are no State fish consumption advisories on any streams in the basin, The organochlorine compounds DDT and PCB's were the most frequently detected fish tissue contaminant. Selected long-term data on DDT, its metabolites, and PCB's indicate decreasing concentrations of these compounds. Arsenic, mercury, and selenium were slightly elevated compared with nationwide baseline concentrations and may indicate bioaccumularion in the food chain. Concentrations of most other trace elements in fish tissue were below levels of concerns for the protection of humans and wildlife.

Idaho, Wyoming↗
USGS1997

Assessment of nutrients, suspended sediment, and pesticides in surface water of the upper Snake River basin, Idaho and western Wyoming, water years 1991-95

A water-quality investigation of the upper Snake River Basin began in 1991 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water- Quality Assessment Program. As part of the investigation, intensive monitoring was conducted during water years 1993 through 1995 to assess surface-water quality in the basin. Sampling and analysis focused on nutrients, suspended sediments, and pesticides because of nationwide interest in these constituents. Concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment in water samples from 19 sites in the upper Snake River Basin, including nine on the main stem, were assessed. In general, concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment were smaller in water from the 11 sites upstream from American Falls Reservoir than in water from the 8 sites downstream from the reservoir where effects from land-use activities are most pronounced. Median concentrations of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen at the 19 sites ranged from less than 0.05 to 1.60 milligrams per liter; total phosphorus as phosphorus, less than 0.01 to 0.11 milligrams per liter; and suspended sediment, 4 to 72 milligrams per liter. Concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment in the main stem of the Snake River, in general, increased downstream. The largest concentrations in the main stem were in the middle reach of the Snake River between Milner Dam and the outlet of the upper Snake River Basin at King Hill. Significant differences (p<0.05) in nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations were noted among groups of sites categorized by the quantity of agricultural land in their upstream drainage basins. Water samples collected from sites in drainage basins where agricultural land constituted less than 10 percent of the land use contained significantly smaller concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment than samples from sites in drainage basins where agricultural land constituted more than 10 percent of the land use. Significant differences in nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations were inconsistent among groups representing 10 to 19 percent, 20 to 29 percent, and greater than 29 percent agricultural land use. Seasonal concentrations of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment were significantly different among most of the agricultural land-use groups. Concentrations of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate were largest during the nonirrigation season, October through March. Concentrations of total phosphorus and suspended sediment, in general, were largest during high streamflow, April through June. Nutrient and suspended sediment inputs to the middle Snake reach were from a variety of sources. During water year 1995, springs were the primary source of water and total nitrogen to the river and accounted for 66 and 60 percent of the total input, respectively. Isotope and water-table information indicated that the springs derived most of their nitrogen from agricultural activities along the margins of the Snake River. Aquacultural effluent was a major source of ammonia (82 percent), organic nitrogen (30 percent), and total phosphorus (35 percent). Tributary streams were a major source of organic nitrogen (28 percent) and suspended sediment (58 percent). In proportion to its discharge (less than 1 percent), the Twin Falls sewage-treatment plant was a major source of total phosphorus (13 percent). A comparison of discharge and loading in water year 1995 with estimates of instream transport showed a good correlation (relative difference of less than 15 percent) for discharge, total organic nitrogen, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. Estimates of dissolved ammonia and suspended sediment loads correlated poorly with instream transport; relative differences were about 79 and 61 percent, respectively. The pesticides EPTC, atrazine, desethylatrazine, metolachlor, and alachlor were the most commonly detected in the upper Snake River Basin and accounted for about 75 percent of all pesticide detections. All pesticides detected were at concentrations less than 1 microgram per liter and below water-quality criteria established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In samples collected from two small agriculturally dominated tributary basins, the largest number and concentrations of pesticides were detected in May and June following early growing season applications. At one of the sites, the pesticide atrazine and its metabolite desethylatrazine were detected throughout the year. On the basis of 37 samples collected basinwide in May and June 1994, total annual subbasin applications and instantaneous instream fluxes of EPTC and atrazine showed logarithmic relations with coefficients of determination (R2 values) of 0.55 and 0.62, respectively. At the time of sampling, the median daily flux of EPTC was about 0.0001 percent of the annual quantity applied, whereas the median daily flux of atrazine was between 0.001 and 0.01 percent.

Idaho;Wyoming↗
USGS1997

Summary of information on aquatic biota and their habitats in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, through 1995

Available information on aquatic biota of the Willamette Basin was reviewed and summarized to describe current and historical conditions as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Biological parameters emphasized include the status, distribution, and trends of aquatic biota, particularly algae, macroinvertebrates, and fish; the condition of aquatic and riparian habitat in which these biota reside; and the response of these biota to natural and human-associated impacts, including the level, type, and effect of contaminants. Considerable data are available on aquatic biota in the Willamette Basin, although the information is highly uneven relative to taxa and spatial scope. Extensive information exists for high-profile taxa, such as salmonid fishes, but less information is available for macroinvertebrates, and relatively little data exist for algae. Additionally, some areas such as the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and the main stem Willamette River have been extensively studied, whereas data are limited for many other areas. The basin supports a diverse aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna. Available data indicate a relatively high diversity of taxa and a high richness of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT) taxa in the upper reaches of the basin. In the lower main stem reaches, macroinvertebrate assemblages are dominated by pollution tolerant organisms and those adapted to low dissolved oxygen levels. Most of the limited data on algae are from sampling in the main stem Willamette River. Diatoms and blue-green algae are the dominant algal forms. Approximately 61 fish species occur in the basin, although nearly half are introduced. Species richness and distribution are highly correlated with elevation, stream gradient, and water temperature. High elevation, cold water, mountain streams are characterized by a few species of salmonids, sculpins, suckers, and whitefish. Low elevation, main stem reaches of major rivers and streams are dominated by warm water species, such as bass, catfish, and several species in the pan fish group. The only species of fish listed as threatened or endangered is the Oregon chub (Oregonichthys crameri). The effect of an expanding human presence in the Willamette Basin has substantially altered aquatic and riparian habitats, and the biota that use or reside in these habitats. Construction of dams, channelization and bank stabilization of rivers, species introductions, supplementations of fisheries through aquaculture, timber harvesting, agricultural activities, and urbanization have contributed to changes in aquatic habitats and biota from historical conditions. Aquatic toxicological investigations in the basin have focused primarily on fish. These studies have addressed chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and trace elements in aquatic tissue, as well as fish health assessments, skeletal abnormalities, and aquatic toxicological responses. Several pesticides exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and State water-quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life. Elevated PCB, dioxin, and furan concentrations were associated with point sources, such as pulp and paper mills. Elevated concentrations of mercury in aquatic tissue were associated with several reservoirs. Fish health assessments and skeletal abnormality studies detected high levels of abnormalities in fish from the main stem Willamette River. Few investigations have examined aquatic toxicological responses, such as enzyme induction assays, growth assays, and biomarker studies.

Oregon↗
USGS1998

Water use in Alabama, 1995

During 1995, the amount of water withdrawn from ground- and surface- water sources in Alabama was estimated to be about 7,100 million gallons per day. Of this amount, about 6,650 million gallons per day were from surface-water sources and about 445 million gallons per day were from ground-water sources. Total withdrawals in Alabama in 1995 for nine withdrawal categories were as follows: thermoelectric power, 5,200 million gallons per day; public supply, 813 million gallons per day; self-supplied industry, 733 million gallons per day; irrigation, 139 million gallons per day; aquaculture, 93.9 million gallons per day; self-supplied domestic, 61.9 million gallons per day; livestock, 34.9 million gallons per day; mining, 20.0 million gallons per day; and self-supplied commercial, 4.88 million gallons per day. Total withdrawals in Alabama decreased about 12 percent from 1990 to 1995, despite an increase of about 5 percent in the State's total population during the same period. Total withdrawals have increased about 135 percent since 1955, however, because of greater than normal usage for generation of thermoelectric power in 1975, withdrawals peaked in that year.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1999

Great Salt Lake, Utah

This document is intended as a source of general information and facts about Great Salt Lake, Utah. This U.S. Geological Survey information sheet answers frequently asked questions about Great Salt Lake. Topics include: History, salinity, brine shrimp, brine flies, migratory birds, and recreation. Great Salt Lake, the shrunken remnant of prehistoric Lake Bonneville, has no outlet. Dissolved salts accumulate in the lake by evaporation. Salinity south of the causeway has ranged from 6 percent to 27 percent over a period of 22 years (2 to 7 times saltier than the ocean). The high salinity supports a mineral industry that extracts about 2 million tons of salt from the lake each year. The aquatic ecosystem consists of more than 30 species of organisms. Harvest of its best-known species, the brine shrimp, annually supplies millions of pounds of food for the aquaculture industry worldwide. The lake is used extensively by millions of migratory and nesting birds and is a place of solitude for people. All this occurs in a lake that is located at the bottom of a 35,000-square-mile drainage basin that has a human population of more than 1.5 million.

Utah↗
USGS1974

Geologic and hydrologic control of chloride contamination in aquifers at Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia

Water from a brackish-water zone (1,050-1,350 ft) has concentrations as high as 2,150 milligrams per liter chloride, and concentrations are suspected to be higher than 3,000 milligrams per liter chloride. This brackish water has been identified as the source of the water that contaminates the upper and lower fresh-water-bearing zones of the principal artesian aquifer. The confining unit separating the fresh and brackish water seems to contain breaks that act as vertical conduits for the movement of brackish water into the fresh-water zones of the aquifer. Faults are suspected to be responsible for the breaks in the confining unit. The rate of upward movement of brackish water seems to be a function of the rate of water-level decline in the aquifer. There are two main areas of brackish-water intrusion. One area is near Bay and Prince Streets, and the other area is near Reynolds and Q Streets. Successive maps showing chloride ion concentration trace the movement of the chloride front northward in the Bay Street area at the rate of about 350 feet per year toward the center of pumping. An average of about 400 gallons per minute of water containing 2,000 milligrams per liter chloride invaded the upper water-bearing zone between December 1962 and December 1966. A like amount may have entered the lower water-bearing zone. Maximum chloride concentration in the upper water-bearing zone is 1,540 milligrams per liter in the Bay Street area and 640 milligrams per liter in the Reynolds Street area. In a few areas, where individual wells have been drilled deep enough to penetrate the confining unit over the brackish-water zone, the well furnishes a conduit for brackish water to recharge the fresh-water aquifer. Plugging the lower part of these wells usually reduces the chloride concentration of the water. The chloride concentration of water in the principal artesian aquifer can probably be reduced by use of interceptor wells, relief wells, or well-field spacing. Interceptor wells would prevent laterally moving brackish water from contaminating a well field. A relief well would tap and withdraw poor quality water from only the brackish-water zone to lower the head in that zone and decrease the rate of leakage into the fresh-water aquifer. Wider spacing of wells would prevent the development of a deep cone of depression and the steeper hydraulic gradients that accompany it. The brackish water pumped by the interceptor or relief wells could be used for industry, aquaculture, recreation, or for other processes in which the chloride content is not critical.

Georgia↗
USGS2010

Sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region reveals a novel clade of Ichthyophonus sp. from rainbow trout

The mesomycetozoean parasite Ichthyophonus hoferi is most commonly associated with marine fish hosts but also occurs in some components of the freshwater rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss aquaculture industry in Idaho, USA. It is not certain how the parasite was introduced into rainbow trout culture, but it might have been associated with the historical practice of feeding raw, ground common carp Cyprinus carpio that were caught by commercial fisherman. Here, we report a major genetic division between west coast freshwater and marine isolates of Ichthyophonus hoferi. Sequence differences were not detected in 2 regions of the highly conserved small subunit (18S) rDNA gene; however, nucleotide variation was seen in internal transcribed spacer loci (ITS1 and ITS2), both within and among the isolates. Intra-isolate variation ranged from 2.4 to 7.6 nucleotides over a region consisting of ~740 bp. Majority consensus sequences from marine/anadromous hosts differed in only 0 to 3 nucleotides (99.6 to 100% nucleotide identity), while those derived from freshwater rainbow trout had no nucleotide substitutions relative to each other. However, the consensus sequences between isolates from freshwater rainbow trout and those from marine/anadromous hosts differed in 13 to 16 nucleotides (97.8 to 98.2% nucleotide identity).

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms↗
USGS1998

Purification of Piscirickettsia salmonis and partial characterisation of antigens

Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of salmonid rickettsial septicemia, an economically significant disease affecting the salmon aquaculture industry. As with other rickettsial pathogens, antigenic analysis of P. salmonis has been limited by the inherent difficulties of purifying an intracellular organism away from host cell material. In this report, we describe the use of diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium (DMDS) density gradient centrifugation to purify P. salmonis grown in chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cells. Plaque assay titers and total protein assays confirmed that viable P. salmonis was consistently concentrated in a visible band within the DMDS density gradient at a density of 1.15 to 1.16 g ml -1 . Recovery of purified, viable organisms from DMDS density gradients varied from 0.6 to 3%. Preparations of uninfected CHSE-214 cells, CHSE-214 cells infected with P. salmonis , and gradient-purified P. salmonis were compared using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to assess the degree of purification and to identify P. salmonis -specific proteins. Although gradient-purified P. salmonis preparations were not completely free of host cell material, 8 bacterial proteins were identified. Polyclonal rabbit antiserum was used in an immunoblot of proteins from purified P. salmonis to identify 3 major and 5 minor antigens. The major antigens of 56, 30 and 20 kDa were potential candidates for experimental vaccines and development of novel diagnostic assays.

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms↗
USGS2019

Modelling sea lice control by lumpfish on Atlantic salmon farms: interactions with mate limitation, temperature, and treatment rules

Atlantic salmon farming is one of the largest aquaculture sectors in the world. A major impact on farm economics, fish welfare, and potentially nearby wild salmonid populations, is the sea louse ectoparasite Lepeophtheirus salmonis . Sea louse infestations are most often controlled through application of chemicals, but in most farming regions sea lice have evolved resistance to the small set of available chemicals. Therefore, alternative treatment methodologies are becoming more widely used. One increasingly common alternative treatment involves the co-culture of farmed salmon with cleaner fish, which prey on sea lice. However, despite their wide use, little is understood about the situations in which cleaner fish are most effective. For example, previous work suggests that a low parasite density results in sea lice finding it difficult to acquire mates, reducing fecundity and population growth. Other work suggests that environmental conditions such as temperature and external sea louse pressure have substantial impact on this mate limitation threshold and may even remove the effect entirely. We use an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to simulate cleaner fish on a salmon farm to explore interactions between sea louse mating behaviour, cleaner fish feeding rate, temperature, and external sea lice pressure. We found that sea louse mating has a substantial effect on sea louse infestations under a variety of environmental conditions. Our results suggest that cleaner fish can control sea louse infestations most effectively by maintaining the population below critical density thresholds.

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms↗