USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Fact Sheet”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
USGS2021

Water resources of Grant Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Grant Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 5.43 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Grant Parish, including about 2.39 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 3.03 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for public-supply use accounted for 71 percent (3.84 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Withdrawals for agricultural use, composed of general irrigation and livestock uses, accounted for 24 percent (1.28 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included industrial and rural domestic. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 1960.

Louisiana↗
USGS2013

Water resources of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana

This fact sheet summarizes basic information on the water resources of Claiborne Parish. Information on groundwater and surface-water availability, quality, development, use, and trends is based on previously published reports listed in the Cited References section. In 2010, about 2.60 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, including about 2.42 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.18 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Public-supply use accounted for about 84 percent of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included industrial, rural domestic, livestock, and general irrigation. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 indicated that total water withdrawals in the parish have ranged from about 2.6 to 3.9 Mgal/d.

Louisiana↗
USGS2014

Using science to strengthen our Nation's resilience to tomorrow's challenges: understanding and preparing for coastal impacts

Hurricane Sandy caused unprecedented damage across some of the most densely populated coastal areas of the northeastern United States. The costly, landscape-altering destruction left in the wake of this storm is a stark reminder of our Nation’s need to become more resilient as we inevitably face future coastal hazards. As our Nation recovers from this devastating natural disaster, it is clear that accurate scientific information is essential as we seek to identify and develop strategies to address trends in coastal landscape change and reduce our future vulnerability to major storm events. To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received $43.2 million in supplemental appropriations from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to conduct the scientific research needed to guide response, recovery, and rebuilding activities and to develop effective strategies for protecting coastal communities and resources in the future. This fact sheet describes how the USGS is combining interdisciplinary science with state-of-the-art technologies to achieve a comprehensive understanding of coastal change caused by Hurricane Sandy. By assessing coastal change impacts through research and by developing tools that enhance our science capabilities, support coastal stakeholders, and facilitate effective decision making, we continue to build a greater understanding of the processes at work across our Nation’s complex coastal environment—from wetlands, estuaries, barrier islands, and nearshore marine areas to infrastructure and human communities. This improved understanding will increase our resilience as we prepare for future short-term, extreme events as well as long-term coastal change.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2020

Water resources of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 282.66 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Evangeline Parish, including about 122.05 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 160.61 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for agricultural use, composed of aquaculture, general irrigation, livestock, and rice irrigation, accounted for 45 percent (126.86 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Withdrawals for power-generation use accounted for about 52 percent (146.33 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply, industry, and rural domestic. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 1980.

Louisiana↗
USGS2019

Water resources of Franklin Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 41.79 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Franklin Parish: 37.73 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 4.06 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for agricultural use—composed of general irrigation, rice irrigation, aquaculture, and livestock—accounted for about 89 percent (37.16 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Public-supply use accounted for about 3 percent (1.07 Mgal/d); industry accounted for about 7 percent (2.92 Mgal/d); and rural domestic use accounted for about 2 percent (0.64 Mgal/d). Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 2005 at more than 50 Mgal/d.

Louisiana↗
USGS2013

Ecological health in the Nation's streams

Aquatic biological communities, which are collections of organisms, are a direct measure of stream health because they indicate the ability of a stream to support life. This fact sheet highlights selected findings of a national assessment of stream health by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The assessment was unique in that it integrated the condition of three biological communities—algae, macroinvertebrates, and fish—as well as measures of streamflow modification, pesticides, nutrients, and other factors. At least one biological community was altered at 83 percent of assessed streams, and the occurrence of altered communities was highest in urban streams. Streamflows were modified at 86 percent of assessed streams, and increasing severity of streamflow modification was associated with increased occurrence of altered biological communities. Agricultural and urban land use in watersheds may contribute pesticides and nutrients to stream waters, and increasing concentrations of these chemicals were associated with increased occurrence of altered biological communities.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2011

Microbial ecology of deep-water mid-Atlantic canyons

The research described in this fact sheet will be conducted from 2012 to 2014 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics, and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) Program. This integrated, multidisciplinary effort will be investigating a variety of topics related to unique and fragile deep-sea ecosystems from the microscopic level to the ecosystem level. One goal is to improve understanding, at the microbiological scale, of the benthic communities (including corals) that reside in and around mid-Atlantic canyon habitats and their associated environments. Specific objectives include identifying and characterizing the microbial associates of deep-sea corals, characterizing the microbial biofilms on hard substrates to better determine their role in engineering the ecosystem, and adding a microbial dimension to benthic community structure and function assessments by characterizing micro-eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea in deep-sea sediments.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2019

Water resources of Richland Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Richland Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 41.73 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Richland Parish, including about 28.57 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 13.17 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for agricultural use, composed of general irrigation, rice irrigation, aquaculture, and livestock uses, accounted for about 88 percent (36.88 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply, which accounted for about 10 percent (4.38 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn and rural domestic which accounted for about 1 percent (0.48 Mgal/d). Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicate that water withdrawals peaked in 1980 at more than 60 Mgal/d.

Louisiana↗
USGS2019

Water resources of Jackson Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 4.38 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Jackson Parish: 4.36 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.02 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for public-supply use accounted for about 42 percent (1.85 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn, and industrial use accounted for about 54 percent (2.36 Mgal/d). Other categories of use included livestock and rural domestic. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicate that water withdrawals peaked in 1975 at about 15.26 Mgal/d. The significant decrease in water use from 1975 to 1980 was caused by a reduction of 10.38 Mgal/d in withdrawals for industrial use.

Louisiana↗
USGS2020

Water resources of Red River Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Red River Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 5.76 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Red River Parish: about 4.23 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 1.54 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for agricultural use, composed of general irrigation, rice irrigation, and livestock uses, accounted for about 72 percent (4.15 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply (about 18 percent of the total water withdrawn, or 1.03 Mgal/d), industry (about 7 percent, or 0.39 Mgal/d), and rural domestic (about 4 percent, or 0.20 Mgal/d). Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 1975 at more than 7.3 Mgal/d.

Louisiana↗
USGS2020

Water resources of Bienville Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 13.03 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Bienville Parish, including about 12.88 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.15 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for industrial use accounted for about 78 percent (10.18 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply, which accounted for about 18 percent of the total water withdrawn (2.33 Mgal/d); agriculture, composed of general irrigation and livestock, which accounted for about 1 percent (0.18 Mgal/d); and rural domestic (0.33 Mgal/d), which accounted for about 2 percent. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 1995 at more than 17 Mgal/d.

Louisiana↗
USGS2007

Hydrologic conditions in northwest Florida: 2006 water year

National data for streamflow, ground-water levels, and quality of water for the 2006 water year are accessible to the public on the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Site Information Management System (SIMS) website http://web10capp.er.usgs.gov/adr06_lookup/search.jsp. This fact sheet describes data and hydrologic conditions throughout northwest Florida during the 2006 water year (fig. 1), when record-low monthly streamflow conditions were reported at several streamgage locations. Prior to 1960, these data were published in various USGS Water-Supply Papers and included water-related data collected by the USGS during the water year (October 1 to September 30). In 1961, a series of annual reports, 'Water Resources Data-Florida,' was introduced that published surface-water data. In 1964, a similar report was introduced for the purposes of publishing water-quality data. In 1975, the reports were merged to a single volume and were expanded to publish data for surface water, water quality, and ground-water levels. Formal publication of the annual report series was discontinued at the end of the 2005 water year, upon activation of the SIMS website database.

Florida↗
USGS2010

Understanding beach health throughout the Great Lakes-Entering a new era of investigations

For over a decade, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been a leader in the science of beach health. The overall mission of this work is to provide science-based information and methods that will allow beach managers to more accurately make beach closure and advisory decisions, understand the sources and physical processes affecting beach contaminants, and understand how science-based information can be used to mitigate and restore beaches and protect the public. The work consists of four science elements-real-time assessments; pathogens and microbial source tracking; coastal processes; and data analysis, interpretation, and communication - which are described in this fact sheet. Some of the key questions for USGS beach research are the following: Are there better ways to inform the public whether they can use a beach without risking their health? How do new rapid analytical methods compare to traditional methods for determining concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria at beaches? Are pathogens present at beaches and, if so, how do they get to the beach, and what is their source? How do sand movement and wave action on the beach affect fecal-indicator-bacteria and pathogen concentrations in the lake water? What are the best indicators of pathogenic microorganisms? With so many potential sources of fecal contamination at a beach, what methods can be used to distinguish the contributions from humans? What characteristics of beaches contribute most to influencing bacterial indicator and pathogen concentrations in beach sands and groundwater?

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2008

An Overview of the GIS Weasel

This fact sheet provides a high-level description of the GIS Weasel, a software system designed to aid users in preparing spatial information as input to lumped and distributed parameter environmental simulation models (ESMs). The GIS Weasel provides geographic information system (GIS) tools to help create maps of geographic features relevant to the application of a user?s ESM and to generate parameters from those maps. The operation of the GIS Weasel does not require a user to be a GIS expert, only that a user has an understanding of the spatial information requirements of the model. The GIS Weasel software system provides a GIS-based graphical user interface (GUI), C programming language executables, and general utility scripts. The software will run on any computing platform where ArcInfo Workstation (version 8.1 or later) and the GRID extension are accessible. The user controls the GIS Weasel by interacting with menus, maps, and tables.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2015

Trace elements in coal ash

Coal ash is a residual waste product primarily produced by coal combustion for electric power generation. Coal ash includes fly ash, bottom ash, and flue-gas desulfurization products (at powerplants equipped with flue-gas desulfurization systems). Fly ash, the most common form of coal ash, is used in a range of products, especially construction materials. A new Environmental Protection Agency ruling upholds designation of coal ash as a non-hazardous waste under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, allowing for the continued beneficial use of coal ash and also designating procedures and requirements for its storage. In this fact sheet, the form, distribution, and behavior of trace elements of environmental interest in samples of coal fly ash were investigated in response to concerns about element mobility in the event of an ash spill. The study includes laboratory-based leaching experiments to examine the behavior of trace elements, such as arsenic (As) and chromium (Cr), in response to key environmental factors including redox conditions (degree of oxygenation), which are known to vary with depth within coal ash impoundments and in natural ecosystems. The experiments show that As dissolves from samples of coal fly ash into simulated freshwater under both oxic (highly oxygenated) and anoxic (poorly oxygenated) conditions, whereas dissolved Cr concentrations are very redox dependent. This U.S. Geological Survey research helps define the distribution of elements such as As in coal ash and shows that element mobility can vary considerably under different conditions expected in the environment.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2020

Water resources of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, 364 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Pointe Coupee Parish, including about 39.87 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 323.72 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for power generation accounted for 89 percent (323.98 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Withdrawals for agricultural use, composed of aquaculture, general irrigation, livestock, and rice irrigation, accounted for 8 percent (29.29 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply, industrial, and rural domestic. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 2014. The large increase in surface-water withdrawals from 1980 to 1985 is attributable to an increase of 262 Mgal/d for power-generation use.

Louisiana↗
USGS2019

Water resources of Madison Parish, Louisiana

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Madison Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, 50.66 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in Madison Parish: 44.37 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 6.30 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for agricultural use—composed of general irrigation, rice irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture—accounted for about 96 percent (48.86 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply and rural domestic. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicated that water withdrawals peaked in 2014. The relatively large increase in water use from 2005 to 2010 is largely attributable to a change in the methods used for estimation of general irrigation land usage. General irrigation withdrawals from groundwater increased from 11.13 Mgal/d in 2005 to 28.28 Mgal/d in 2010.

Louisiana↗
USGS2013

Land-use change, economics, and rural well-being in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States

This fact sheet highlights findings included in a comprehensive new report (see USGS Professional Paper 1800) which investigated land-use change, economic characteristics, and rural community well-being in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States. Once one of the largest grassland-wetlands ecosystems on earth, the North American prairie has experienced extensive conversion to cultivated agriculture, with farming becoming the dominant land use in the region over the last century. Both perennial habitat lands and agricultural croplands retain importance economically, socially, and culturally. Greatly increased oil and gas development in recent years brought rises in employment and income but also stressed infrastructure, cost of living, and crime rates. Research described in these reports focuses on land-use dynamics and illuminates how economic variables and rural development in the Prairie Pothole Region might be influenced as land uses change.

Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, ↗