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At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
USGS1991

U.S. Geological Survey research in radioactive waste disposal - Fiscal years 1986-1990

The report summarizes progress on geologic and hydrologic research related to the disposal of radioactive wastes. The research efforts are categorized according to whether they are related most directly to: (1) high-level wastes, (2) transuranic wastes, (3) low-level and mixed low-level and hazardous wastes, or (4) uranium mill tailings. Included is research applicable to the identification and geohydrologic characterization of waste-disposal sites, to investigations of specific sites where wastes have been stored, to development of techniques and methods for characterizing disposal sites, and to studies of geologic and hydrologic processes related to the transport and/or retention of waste radionuclides.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1996

Floods in Central Texas, December 1991

Record-breaking peak discharges were recorded at eight U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging stations in central Texas during December 1991 (fig. 1), and substantial peak discharges also occurred at numerous other stations. Large peak discharges during December are unusual in central Texas. The rainfall causing the flooding began on December 18, with 6-day totals exceeding 10 inches (in.) in the area of heaviest rainfall. This report documents peak discharges and runoff volumes during December 1991. Recurrence intervals were determined for the peak discharges and runoff volumes for 1-, 3-, and 7-day periods. A recurrence interval references the approximate number of years during which a given peak discharge or runoff volumes is expected to be equaled or exceeded only once. A flood of a given recurrence interval is defined on the basis of peak discharge – for example, a 100-year flood is defined as the peak discharge that has a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Texas↗
USGS2002

Variability of pesticide detections and concentrations in field replicate water samples collected for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, 1992-97

Field replicate water samples (“field replicates”) collected for the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program during 1992 to 1997 were used to assess the variability of pesticide detections and concentrations in environmental water samples collected from the surface-and ground-water-quality networks of the NAWQA Program. Field replicates are two or more identically collected, processed, and analyzed environmental water samples that are used to assess the overall variability of field and laboratory procedures. Variability is the degree of random error in independent measurements of the same quantity and is the opposite of precision—the degree of mutual agreement. Information on variability can be used to estimate the reproducibility of individual measurements, the concentration needed to be assured of exceeding a water-quality standard, and the likelihood that two measurements of water quality are different. Variability of pesticide detections was assessed by calculating the mean percentage detection of a pesticide and the percentage of inconsistent replicate sets. Variability of pesticide concentrations was assessed by pooling estimates of the standard deviation and relative standard deviation in replicate sets. Variability of pesticide detections and concentrations was a function of concentration, and estimates of variability were developed for discrete ranges of concentration. Reliability of estimates of variability was assessed by calculating 90-percent upper confidence bounds for the percentage of inconsistent replicate sets and for the pooled estimates. The variability of detection for most pesticides is high at concentrations less than the minimum reporting level, but the variability of detection decreases dramatically at higher concentrations. In view of the highly diverse sources of water submitted as field replicates for the NAWQA Program and the generally low concentrations (concentrations in 79 percent of replicate sets were less than 0.1 microgram per liter) of pesticides in most replicates, inconsistent detections in replicate sets likely were caused by variability in the analytical method and by water-matrix interferences (or other loss processes) that result in false-negative errors. Consequently, estimates of the frequency of detection of pesticides in environmental water samples collected for the NAWQA Program probably are biased low because of false-negative errors at concentrations near the minimum reporting level. Correlation analysis indicates that for most pesticides and concentrations, pooled estimates of relative standard deviation rather than pooled estimates of standard deviation should be used to estimate variability because pooled estimates of relative standard deviation are less affected by heteroscedasticity. The 2 Variability of Pesticide Detections and Concentrations in Field Replicate Water Samples, 1992–97 median pooled relative standard deviation was calculated for all pesticides to summarize the typical variability for pesticide data collected for the NAWQA Program. The median pooled relative standard deviation was 15 percent at concentrations less than 0.01 micrograms per liter (µg/L), 13 percent at concentrations near 0.01 µg/L, 12 percent at concentrations near 0.1 µg/L, 7.9 percent at concentrations near 1 µg/L, and 2.7 percent at concentrations greater than 5 µg/L. Pooled estimates of standard deviation or relative standard deviation presented in this report are larger than estimates based on averages, medians, smooths, or regression of the individual measurements of standard deviation or relative standard deviation from field replicates. Pooled estimates, however, are the preferred method for characterizing variability because they provide unbiased estimates of the variability of the population. Assessments of variability based on standard deviation (rather than variance) underestimate the true variability of the population. Because pooled estimates of variability are larger than estimates based on other approaches, users of estimates of variability must be cognizant of the approach used to obtain the estimate and must use caution in the comparison of estimates based on different approaches.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1982

Magnitude and frequency of floods from selected drainage basins in South Dakota

The 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, and 100-year floods are determined for gaged sites on 120 selected, small drainage basins in South Dakota. These estimates are from the frequency curves defined from the streamflow records. Short-term records for 66 sites were extended on the basis of long-term climatic records and a rainfall-runoff model. These frequency curves may provide the best estimates of floods at these gaged sites. Analyses of flood-frequency information from these gaged sites have been the basis for techniques (published previously) used in estimating flood magnitude and frequency at ungaged sites in South Dakota. This report supplements flood-frequency information published earlier. It presents: Annual peak discharges colected during a 25-year period at 124 crest-stage partial-record stations; maximum observed and unit discharges determined for 124 crest-stage and 120 continuous-record gaging stations; updated flood-frequency curves for 120 crest-stage gages; a documentation of analytical procedures used; and a summary of the small-streams flood-peak data collection program in the State from 1955 to 1981. Maximum flood peaks determined at 244 partial- and continuous-record gaging stations and at 52 miscellaneous sites are compared with regional flood relationships.

South Dakota↗
USGS1996

A three-dimensional method-of-characteristics solute-transport model (MOC3D)

This report presents a model, MOC3D, that simulates three-dimensional solute transport in flowing ground water. The model computes changes in concentration of a single dissolved chemical constituent over time that are caused by advective transport, hydrodynamic dispersion (including both mechanical dispersion and diffusion), mixing (or dilution) from fluid sources, and mathematically simple chemical reactions (including linear sorption, which is represented by a retardation factor, and decay). The transport model is integrated with MODFLOW, a three-dimensional ground-water flow model that uses implicit finite-difference methods to solve the transient flow equation. MOC3D uses the method of characteristics to solve the transport equation on the basis of the hydraulic gradients computed with MODFLOW for a given time step. This implementation of the method of characteristics uses particle tracking to represent advective transport and explicit finite-difference methods to calculate the effects of other processes. However, the explicit procedure has several stability criteria that may limit the size of time increments for solving the transport equation; these are automatically determined by the program. For improved efficiency, the user can apply MOC3D to a subgrid of the primary MODFLOW grid that is used to solve the flow equation. However, the transport subgrid must have uniform grid spacing along rows and columns. The report includes a description of the theoretical basis of the model, a detailed description of input requirements and output options, and the results of model testing and evaluation. The model was evaluated for several problems for which exact analytical solutions are available and by benchmarking against other numerical codes for selected complex problems for which no exact solutions are available. These test results indicate that the model is very accurate for a wide range of conditions and yields minimal numerical dispersion for advection-dominated problems. Mass-balance errors are generally less than 10 percent, and tend to decrease and stabilize with time.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2002

Statistical methods in water resources

Preface This book began as class notes for a course we teach on applied statistical methods to hydrologists of the Water Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). It reflects our attempts to teach statistical methods which are appropriate for analysis of water resources data. As interest in this course has grown outside of the USGS, incentive grew to develop the material into a textbook. The topics covered are those we feel are of greatest usefulness to the practicing water resources scientist. Yet all topics can be directly applied to many other types of environmental data. This book is not a stand-alone text on statistics, or a text on statistical hydrology. For example, in addition to this material we use a textbook on introductory statistics in the USGS training course. As a consequence, discussions of topics such as probability theory required in a general statistics textbook will not be found here. Derivations of most equations are not presented. Important tables included in all general statistics texts, such as quantiles of the normal distribution, are not found here. Neither are details of how statistical distributions should be fitted to flood data -- these are adequately covered in numerous books on statistical hydrology. We have instead chosen to emphasize topics not always found in introductory statistics textbooks, and often not adequately covered in statistical textbooks for scientists and engineers. Tables included here, for example, are those found more often in books on nonparametric statistics than in books likely to have been used in college courses for engineers. This book points the environmental and water resources scientist to robust and nonparametric statistics, and to exploratory data analysis. We believe that the characteristics of environmental (and perhaps most other 'real') data drive analysis methods towards use of robust and nonparametric methods. Exercises are included at the end of chapters. In our course, students compute each type of analysis (t-test, regression, etc.) the first time by hand. We choose the smaller, simpler examples for hand computation. In this way the mechanics of the process are fully understood, and computer software is seen as less mysterious. We wish to acknowledge and thank several other scientists at the U. S. Geological Survey for contributing ideas to this book. In particular, we thank those who have served as the other instructors at the USGS training course. Ed Gilroy has critiqued and improved much of the material found in this book. Tim Cohn has contributed in several areas, particularly to the sections on bias correction in regression, and methods for data below the reporting limit. Richard Alexander has added to the trend analysis chapter, and Charles Crawford has contributed ideas for regression and ANOVA. Their work has undoubtedly made its way into this book without adequate recognition. Professor Ken Potter (University of Wisconsin) and Dr. Gary Tasker (USGS) reviewed the manuscript, spending long hours with no reward except the knowledge that they have improved the work of others. For that we are very grateful. We also thank Madeline Sabin, who carefully typed original drafts of the class notes on which the book is based. As always, the responsibility for all errors and slanted thinking are ours alone.

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations↗
USGS1999

Selected aquatic biological investigations in the Great Salt Lake basins, 1875-1998, National Water-Quality Assessment Program

This report summarizes previous investigations of aquatic biological communities, habitat, and contaminants in streams and selected large lakes within the Great Salt Lake Basins study unit as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA). The Great Salt Lake Basins study unit is one of 59 such units designed to characterize water quality through the examination of chemical, physical, and biological factors in surface and ground waters across the country. The data will be used to aid in the planning, collection, and analysis of biological information for the NAWQA study unit and to aid other researchers concerned with water quality of the study unit. A total of 234 investigations conducted during 1875-1998 are summarized in this report. The studies are grouped into three major subjects: (1) aquatic communities and habitat, (2) contamination of streambed sediments and biological tissues, and (3) lakes. The location and a general description of each study is listed. The majority of the studies focus on fish and macroinvertebrate communities. Studies of algal communities, aquatic habitat, riparian wetlands, and contamination of streambed sediment or biological tissues are less common. Areas close to the major population centers of Salt Lake City, Provo, and Logan, Utah, are generally well studied, but more rural areas and much of the Bear River Basin are lacking in detailed information, except for fish populations.

Idaho, Utah, Wyoming↗
USGS1980

Streamflow characteristics of the Yellowstone River Basin, Montana, through 1976

Statistical summaries of streamflow data for selected stream-gaging and crest-stage gage sites are presented in this report to aid in appraising the hydrology of the Yellowstone River basin, Montana. Streamflow records presented for 45 gaging stations and 45 crest-stage gages for the period of record. Streamflow record collection in the Yellowstone River basin began in 1889. For each gaging station selected for this report, a brief description is given for station location, drainage area , period of record, revisions of previously published records, type and history of gages, regulation and diversions, and extremes of discharge. These data are followed by tables of monthly and annual flow statistics, high-flow and low-flow frequency data, flood-frequency data, flow-duration information, and for natural-flow sites selected basin characteristics. For each crest-stage gage, the brief description consists of location, drainage area, period of record, and type and history of gage. This information is followed by tables of flood-frequency data and selected basin characteristics.

Montana↗
USGS1985

Analysis of water-level fluctuations of the U.S. Highway 90 retention pond, Madison, Florida

A closed basin stormwater retention pond, located 1 mile west of Madison, Florida, has a maximum storage capacity of 134.1 acre-feet at the overtopping altitude of 100.2 feet. The maximum observed altitude (July 1982 to March 1984) was 99.52 feet (126.7 acre-feet) on March 28, 1984. This report provides a technique for simulating net monthly change-in-altitude in response to rainfall and evaporation. A regression equation was developed which relates net monthly change in altitude (dependent variable) to rainfall and evaporation (independent variables). Rainfall frequency curves were developed using a log-Pearson Type III distribution of the annual, January through April, June through August, and July monthly rainfall totals for the years 1908-72, 1974, 1976-82. The altitude of the retention pond increased almost 7 feet during the 4-month period January through April 1983. The rainfall total was 35.1 inches, and the recurrence interval exceeded the 100-year January-April rainfall.

Florida↗
USGS1979

Statistical summaries of Arizona streamflow data

The report includes statistical summaries of streamflow data for 143 gaging stations in Arizona. Statistical summaries are given for all active streamflow-gaging stations at which flow is unregulated, for discontinued stations that have at least 5 years of record, and for a few stations at which the flow is partly regulated. The summaries include (1) log-Pearson Type III flood-frequency data for selected streamflow-gaging stations, (2) annual peak discharges and gage heights and annual volumes, (3) duration tables of daily discharges, (4) lowest mean discharges, (5) highest mean discharges, (6) statistics on normal monthly mean discharges, and (7) statistics on normal annual mean discharges.

Arizona↗
USGS1988

Sedimentation in Lake Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1982-86

Lake Tuscaloosa, created in 1969 by the impoundment of North River, provides the primary water supply for Tuscaloosa, Alabama , and surrounding areas. This report describes the rate of sedimentation in the lake from its principal tributaries. The rate of sediment deposition in the lake is low. The maximum sediment deposition from 1982 to 1986 at 17 lake cross sections was about 3.5 feet (or 0.9 foot per year) at a cross section that received drainage from Brush Creek basin. Brush Creek is an unmined basin with steep overland and channel slopes. At 15 of the 17 cross sections, the maximum sediment deposition was less than 2 feet (or 0.5 foot per year). Scour and fill processes (redistribution of the sediment) appear to be taking place at many of the cross sections. (Author 's abstract)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1975

Magnitude and frequency of floods in small drainage basins in North Dakota

This report describes methods for estimating flood-peak discharges having 2- to 50-year recurrence intervals on North Dakota streams draining less than 100 square miles ( 259 square kilometres). For gaged sites, frequency estimates are provided directly. For ungaged sites, flood peaks are estimated from multiple-regression equations using drainage-area size and, in two regions, soil-infiltration index as estimating variables. Nomographs provide simple solutions for the equations for flood-peak discharges having recurrence intervals of 10, 25, and 50 years. The methods described are not applicable to streams draining urban areas or basins affected by man-made regulation. Information is also provided on the maximum flood magnitude experienced.

North Dakota↗
USGS1987

Roughness coefficients for densely vegetated flood plains

Although much research has been done on Manning 's roughness coefficients for stream channels, very little has been done on the selection of roughness values for densely vegetated flood plains. In this report four method for determining roughness coefficients for flood plains are examined and evaluated. Field data were collected at 13 sites on wide, densely vegetated flood plains where verified n values were known. The ' vegetation density ' of representative sample areas was measured at each site for use in determining roughness coefficients. The vegetation density method, proved to be useful in determining n values for wide, densely wooded plains. By measuring the area occupied by tree trunks and vegetation in a representative sample area, the vegetation density can be determined. Using the vegetation density in an equation developed from Manning 's formula, the Manning 's n can be determined for the representative sample area. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1988

Streamflow characteristics of the Missouri River basin, Wyoming, through 1984

Streamflow characteristics as of 1984 for the Missouri River Basin, Wyoming, based on data from 204 streamflow-gaging stations are summarized. The streamflow characteristics reported include mean monthly and mean annual streamflow; duration of daily mean flow; and magnitude and probability of instantaneous peak flow, annual low flow, and annual high flow. Recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 20, or 50, and 100 yr are determined for the peak-flow, low-flow, and high-flow characteristics. Annual low-flow and high-flow characteristics are also listed for various numbers of consecutive days. A station description, tables of streamflow characteristics, and graphs of mean monthly streamflow and duration of daily mean streamflow are presented for each station. Streamflow characteristics for periods before and after dam construction or transbasin diversion are presented for six stations. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1995

Spatial data in geographic information system format on agricultural chemical use, land use, and cropping practices in the United States

The spatial data in geographic information system format described in this report consist of estimates for all counties in the conterminous United States of the annual use of 96 herbicides in 1989; annual sales of nitrogen fertilizer, in tons, for 1985-91; and agricultural expenses, land use, chemical use, livestock holdings, and cropping practices in 1987. The source information, originally in tabular form, is summarized as digital polygon attribute data in the 18 geographic information system spatial data layers (coverages) provided. The information in these coverages can be used in estimating regional agricultural-chemical use or agricultural practices and in producing visual displays and mapping relative rates of agricultural-chemical use or agricultural practices across broad regions of the United States.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1998

Organochlorine compounds and trace elements in fish tissue and bed sediments in the lower Snake River basin, Idaho and Oregon

Fish-tissue and bed-sediment samples were collected to determine the occurrence and distribution of organochlorine compounds and trace elements in the lower Snake River Basin. Whole-body composite samples of suckers and carp from seven sites were analyzed for organochlorine compounds; liver samples were analyzed for trace elements. Fillets from selected sportfish were analyzed for organochlorine compounds and trace elements. Bed-sediment samples from three sites were analyzed for organochlorine compounds and trace elements. Twelve different organochlorine compounds were detected in 14 fish-tissue samples. All fish-tissue samples contained DDT or its metabolites. Concentrations of total DDT ranged from 11 micrograms per kilogram wet weight in fillets of yellow perch from C.J. Strike Reservoir to 3,633 micrograms per kilogram wet weight in a whole-body sample of carp from Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River. Total DDT concentrations in whole-body samples of sucker and carp from the Snake River at C.J. Strike Reservoir, Snake River at Swan Falls, Snake River at Nyssa, and Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River exceeded criteria established for the protection of fish-eating wildlife. Total PCB concentrations in a whole-body sample of carp from Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River also exceeded fish-eating wildlife criteria. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds in whole-body samples, in general, were larger than concentrations in sportfish fillets. However, concentrations of dieldrin and total DDT in fillets of channel catfish from the Snake River at Nyssa and Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River, and concentrations of total DDT in fillets of smallmouth bass and white crappie from Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River exceeded a cancer risk screening value of 10 -6 established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds in bed sediment were smaller than concentrations in fish tissue. Concentrations of p,p'DDE, the only compound detected in all three bed-sediment samples, ranged from 1.1 micrograms per kilogram dry weight in C.J. Strike Reservoir to 11 micrograms per kilogram dry weight in Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River. Data from this study, compared with data collected in the upper Snake River Basin from 1992 to 1994, indicates that, in general, organochlorine concentrations in fish tissue and bed sediment increased from the headwaters of the Snake River in Wyoming downstream to Brownlee Reservoir. The largest trace-element concentrations in fish tissue were in liver samples from carp from Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River and suckers from the Boise River near Twin Springs. Concentrations of most trace elements were larger in livers than in the sport- fish fillets. However, mercury concentrations were generally larger in the sportfish fillets; they ranged from 0.08 microgram per gram wet weight in yellow perch from C.J. Strike Reservoir to 0.32 microgram per gram wet weight in channel catfish from Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River. None of the trace-element concentrations in fillets exceeded median international standards or U.S. Food and Drug Administration action levels. Large trace-element concentrations in the upper Snake River Basin were reported in liver samples from suckers from headwater streams, probably a result of historical mining and weathering of metal-rich rocks. Concentrations of most trace elements in the bed-sediment samples were largest in Brownlee Reservoir at Mountain Man Lodge. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc in bed sediment from the Mountain Man Lodge site exceeded either the threshold effect level or probable effect level established by the Canadian Government for the protection of benthic life. Arsenic, chromium, copper, and nickel concentrations in bed sediment from Brownlee Reservoir at Burnt River and chromium, copper, and nickel in bed sediment from C.J. Strike Reservoir also exceeded the threshold effect level.

Idaho, Oregon↗
USGS1984

Water-resources appraisal of the upper Arkansas River basin from Leadville to Pueblo, Colorado

Water used for agriculture and stock and municipal supplies in the upper Arkansas River basin is derived mostly from the Arkansas River and its tributaries. The flow regime of the river has been altered by increased reservoir capacities and importation of 69,200 acre-feet per year from the Colorado River drainage through transmountain diversions. An estimated 10.2 million acre-feet of hydrologically recoverable water is present in the first 200 feet of basin-fill alluvium. Well yields of 300 gallons per minute have been reported for the Dakota-Purgatoire aquifer aquifer located east of Canon City. Water quality of ground- and surface-water resources are generally acceptable for agriculture and stock watering, but concentrations of iron, manganese, sulfate, pH, and hardness may exceed recommended drinking-water criteria during periods of river low flow. Concentrations of mercury, selenium, and select radiochemical constituents also were high in the Dakota-Purgatoire aquifer. Dissolved solids increased downstream and in local areas as a result of water use and in the Leadville area because of mine drainage. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2003

Techniques for estimating flood-peak discharges of rural, unregulated streams in Ohio

Regional equations for estimating 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, 100-, and 500-year flood-peak discharges at ungaged sites on rural, unregulated streams in Ohio were developed by means of ordinary and generalized least-squares (GLS) regression techniques. One-variable, simple equations and three-variable, full-model equations were developed on the basis of selected basin characteristics and flood-frequency estimates determined for 305 streamflow-gaging stations in Ohio and adjacent states. The average standard errors of prediction ranged from about 39 to 49 percent for the simple equations, and from about 34 to 41 percent for the full-model equations. Flood-frequency estimates determined by means of log-Pearson Type III analyses are reported along with weighted flood-frequency estimates, computed as a function of the log-Pearson Type III estimates and the regression estimates. Values of explanatory variables used in the regression models were determined from digital spatial data sets by means of a geographic information system (GIS), with the exception of drainage area, which was determined by digitizing the area within basin boundaries manually delineated on topographic maps. Use of GIS-based explanatory variables represents a major departure in methodology from that described in previous reports on estimating flood-frequency characteristics of Ohio streams. Examples are presented illustrating application of the regression equations to ungaged sites on ungaged and gaged streams. A method is provided to adjust regression estimates for ungaged sites by use of weighted and regression estimates for a gaged site on the same stream. A region-of-influence method, which employs a computer program to estimate flood-frequency characteristics for ungaged sites based on data from gaged sites with similar characteristics, was also tested and compared to the GLS full-model equations. For all recurrence intervals, the GLS full-model equations had superior prediction accuracy relative to the simple equations and therefore are recommended for use.

Ohio↗