Procedures for visually estimating bird damage to grapes
No abstract available at this time
Special Technical Publication↗
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Nest occupancy and hatching success of Xantus's murrelets (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) breeding on Santa Barbara Island, California during a twenty-year period
No abstract available at this time
Technical Publication↗
Ecotoxicology of Amphibians and Reptiles
For many years, ecological research on amphibians and reptiles has lagged behind that of other vertebrates such as fishes, birds, and mammals, despite the known importance of these animals in their environments. The lack of study has been particularly acute in the he area of ecotoxicology where the number of published scientific papers is a fraction of that found for the other vertebrate classes. Recently, scientists have become aware of severe crises among amphibian populations, including unexplained and sudden extinctions, worldwide declines, and hideous malformations. In many of these instances, contaminants have been listed as probable contributors. Data on the effects of contaminants on reptiles are so depauperate that even the most elementary interpretations are difficult. This state-of-the-science review and synthesis of amphibian and reptile ecotoxicology demonstrates the inter-relationships among distribution, ecology, physiology, and contaminant exposure, and interprets these topics as they pertain to comparative toxicity, population declines, malformations, and risk assessment . In this way, the book identifies and serves as a basis for the most pressing research needs in the coming years. The editors have invited 27 other internationally respected experts to examine the state of existing data in specific areas, interpret it in light of current problems, and identify research gaps and needs. Through its emphasis on recent research, extensive reviews and synthesis, Ecotoxicology of Amphibians and Reptiles will remain a definitive reference work well into the new century.
SETAC Technical Publications Series.↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Pine Valley drainage basin, Millard, Beaver, and Iron counties, Utah
The Pine Valley drainage basin is an area of about 730 square miles (1,890 square kilometres) in Millard, Beaver, and Iron Counties in southwestern Utah. Total annual precipitation in the basin averages about 410,000 acre-ft (acre-feet) or 506 hm 3 (cubic hectometres). Less than 500 acre-ft (0.6 hm 3 ) of runoff reaches the playa on the lowest part of the valley floor. There is no surface outflow from the basin. All streams are ephemeral except in short headwater reaches of a few streams where perennial or intermittent ground-water discharge sustains flow. Surface-water development and use in the basin are insignificant.
Utah↗
Characteristics of aquifers in the northern Uinta Basin area, Utah and Colorado
This report presents a part of the results of an investigation of the hydrology of the northern Uinta Basin area by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Division of Water Rights, Utah Department of Natural Resources. The purpose of the report is to summarize the hydraulic and geohydrologic characteristics of the aquifers in the area.
Colorado, Utah↗
Bedrock aquifers of eastern San Juan County, Utah
This study is one of a series of studies appraising the waterbearing properties of the Navajo Sandstone and associated formations in southern Utah. The stu<¥ area is al:x>dy area is about 4,600 square miles, extending from the Utah-Arizona State line northward to the San Juan-Grand County line and westward from the Utah-Colorado State line to the longitude of about 109°50'. Some of the water-yielding formations are grouped into aquifer systems. The C aquifer is comprised of the DeChelly Sandstone Member of the Cutler Formation. The P aquifer is comprised of the Cedar Mesa Member of the Cutler Formation and the undifferentiated Cutler Formation. The N aquifer is comprised of the sedimentary section that includes the Wingate Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, Navajo Sandstone, Carmel Formation, and Entrada sandstone. The M aquifer is comprised of the Bluff Sandstone Member and other sandstone units of the Morrison Formation. The D aquifer is comprised of the Burro Canyon Formation and Dakota Sandstone. Discharge from the ground-water reservoir to the San Juan River between gaging stations at Four Corners and Mexican Hat is about 66 cubic feet per second. The N aquifer is the main aquifer in the study area. Recharge by infiltration of precipitation is estimated to be 25,000 acre-feet per year. A major ground-water divide exists under the broad area east of Monticello. The thickness of the N aquifer, where the sedimentary section is fully preserved and saturated, generally is 750 to 1,250 feet. Hydraulic conductivity values obtained from aquifer tests range from 0.02 to 0.34 foot per day. The total volume of water in transient storage is about 11 million acre-feet. Well discharge somewhat exceeded 2,340 acre-feet during 1981. Discharge to the San Juan River from the N aquifer is estimated to be 6.9 cubic feet per second. Water quality ranges from a calcium bicarbonate to sodium chloride type water
Utah↗
Seepage study of the Rocky Point Canal and the Grey Mountain-Pleasant Valley Canal systems, Duchesne County, Utah
This report describes the study of the Rocky Point Canal system in the vicinity of Duchesne and the Grey Mountain-Pleasant Valley Canal system between Duchesne and Myton, in the Uinta Basin, Duchesne County, Utah. The Rocky Point Canal diverts from the left bank of the Duchesne River about 4 mi north of Duchesne. This canal splits into the upper Rocky Point Canal and the lower Rocky Point Canal about 5.2 mi below its head. The Grey Mountain Canal diverts from the right bank of the Duchesne River about 6 mi east of Duchesne. At a point about 7.6 mi below the head, the Pleasant Valley Canal diverts from the right bank of the Grey Mountain Canal.
Utah↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Dugway Valley-Government Creek area, West-Central Utah
The Dugway Valley-Government Creek area covers about 890 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) in west-central Utah. Total annual precipitation on the area averages about 380,000 acre-feet (470 cubic hectometers). Most streams are ephemeral except for a few in their upper reaches--all are ephemeral below the altitude of about 6,000 feet (1,830 meters). Surface-water development and use in the area are insignificant.
Utah↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Tule Valley drainage basin, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah
The Tule Valley drainage basin is an area of about 940 square miles in Juab and Millard Counties in west-central Utah. Precipitation in the basin averages about 8 inches annually. There is no surface outflow and all streams are ephemeral. Annual runoff averages about 0.09 inch. Because there is no sustained runoff, and flow is local and infrequent, reservoirs do not provide dependable water supplies. Ground-water recharge from precipitation in the basin is estimated to average 7,600 acre-feet annually. Discharge, principally by evapotranspiration, averages about 40,000 acre-feet annually. Subsurface inflow from adjacent areas is estimated to average about 32,000 acre-feet annually.
Utah↗
Hydrology of the Beaver Valley area, Beaver County, Utah, with emphasis on ground water
Beaver Valley includes 534 square miles in southwestern Utah, in the Basin and Range physiographic province. The project area consists of a valley plain underlain by unconsolidated to partly consolidated material. The valley plain is bounded by mountains that are composed of partly consolidated to consolidated rocks of Pennsylvanian through Tertiary age except for local thin unconsolidated surficial deposits of Quaternary age. The water needs of the valley are supplied mainly by four streams rising in the Tushar Mountains along the eastern side of the valley and by wells in the unconsolidated to partly consolidated materials of the valley plain. The objectives of this study were (1) to measure and analyze the discharge/recharges rates and (2) to measure and analyze the total amount of water in storage in the ground-water reservoirs.
Utah↗
Hydrology of the Beryl-Enterprise area, Escalante Desert, Utah, with emphasis on ground water; With a section on surface water
An investigation of the water resources of the Beryl-Enterprise area, Escalante Desert, Utah (pl. 1), was made during 1976-78 as part of a cooperative program with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Rights. Wells were the most important source of water for all purposes in the Beryl-Enterprise area during 1978, but it has not always been so. For nearly a century after the first settlers arrived in about 1860, streams supplied most of the irrigation water and springs supplied much of the water for domestic and stock use. A few shallow wells were dug by the early settlers for domestic and stock water, but the widespread use of ground water did not start until the 1920's when shallow wells were first dug to supply irrigation water. Ground-water withdrawals from wells, principally for irrigation, have increased nearly every year since the 1920's. The quantity withdrawn from wells surpassed that diverted from surface sources during the mid-1940's and was about eight times that amount during the 1970's. As a result, water levels have declined measurably throughout the area resulting in administrative water-rights problems. The primary purpose of this report is to describe the water resources with emphasis on ground water. The surface-water resources are evaluated only as they pertain to the understanding of the ground-water resources. A secondary purpose is to discuss the extent and effects of the development of ground water in order to provide the hydrologic information needed for the orderly and optimum development of the resource and for the effective administration and adjudication of water rights in the area. The hydrologic data on which this report is based are given in a companion report by Mower (1981).
Utah↗
Seepage study of the Sevier River and the Central Utah, McIntyre, and Leamington Canals, Juab and Millard Counties, Utah
A study of the gains or losses of the Sevier River and the Central Utah, McIntyre, and Leamington Canals in the Leamington area, in Juab and Millard Counties, Utah, was made to determine changes in those reaches. Three to seven sets of seepage measurements made during 1980 were used in the analysis. Adjustments for fluctuations in flow were made from information obtained from water-stage recorders operated at selected locations during the time of each seepage run. The study showed an overall net gain of about 9 cubic feet per second (0.25 cubic meter per second) in the Sevier River and about 1.3 cubic feet per second (0.04 cubic meter per second) in the Leamington Canal. It also showed a net loss of about 1 cubic feet per second (0.20 cubic meter per second) in the Central Utah Canal and about 0.8 cubic foot per second (0.02 cubic meter per second) in the McIntyre Canal. The gains in the Sevier River and Leamington Canal probably come chiefly as return seepage of water lost from the Central Utah and McIntyre Canals.
Utah↗
Reconnaissance of the quality of surface water in the San Rafael River basin, Utah
The water-quality reconnaissance of the San Rafael River basin, Utah, encompassed an area of about 2,300 square miles (5,960 square kilometers). Data were obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey one or more times at 116 sites from June 1977 to September 1978. At 19 other sites visited during the same period, the streams were dry. Precipitation and stream discharge were significantly less than normal during 1977 and ranged from less than to more than normal during 1978. Exposed rocks in the San Rafael River basin range in age from Permian to Holocene. The Carmel Formation of Jurassic age and various members of the Mancos Shale of Cretaceous age are major contributors of dissolved solids to streams in the basin. There are eight major reservoirs having a total usable capacity of 115, 000 acre-feet (142 cubic hectometers); seven are mainly for irrigation supply; one, having a usable capacity of 30,530 acre-feet (38 cubic hectometers), is for power plant water supply. From about April to November, major diversions from Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks nearly deplete the flow downstream; during such periods, downstream flow in these streams and in the San Rafael River is mainly irrigation-return flow and some ground-water seepage. The water at the points of major diversion on Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks is of excellent quality for irrigation; salinity hazard is low to medium, and sodium hazard is low. Dissolved-solids concentrations are less than 500 milligrams per liter. The water at the mouths of Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks has markedly larger dissolved-solids concentrations than does the water upstream from major diversions. The changes in the chemical quality occur in stream reaches that cross a belt of land 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 kilometers) wide where the Mancos Shale is widely exposed. This also is the area where nearly all the intensive irrigation in the San Rafael River basin is practiced. There are no perennial tributaries to the San Rafael River downstream from Ferron Creek. Except during infrequent short periods of runoff from cloudbursts or snowmelt, the flow in the San Rafael River is composed of the flow that reaches the mouths of Huntington, Cottonwood, and Ferron Creeks. The quality of water in the mainstem of the San Rafael River is largely determined by the major consumptive use of water for irrigation in upstream areas and by the poor quality of irrigation-return flow. During the data-collection periods for this study, dissolved-solids concentrations in the San Rafael River were more than 2,000 milligrams per liter except during snowmelt runoff in June 1978 and during a major flood in August 1977. The concentrations of trace elements, with the exception of strontium, were relatively small; strontium concentrations exceeded 1,500 micrograms per liter at seven sites. Most of the suspended-sediment discharge of the San Rafael River probably occurs during a few days each year and results mainly from cloudburst runoff.
Utah↗
Hydrologic reconnaissance of the southern Great Salt Lake Desert and summary of the hydrology of west-central Utah
This report is the last of 19 hydrologic reconnaissances of the basins in western Utah. The purposes of this series of studies are (1) to analyze available hydrologic data and describe the hydrologic system, (2) to evaluate existing and potential water-resources development, and (3) to identify additional studies that might be needed. Part 1 of this report gives an estimate of recharge and discharge, an estimate of the potential for water-resources development, and a statement on the quality of water in the southern Great Salt Lake Desert part of west-central Utah. Part 2 deals with the same aspects of west-central Utah as a whole. Part 2 also summarizes the evidence of interbasin ground-water flow in west-central Utah and presents a theory for the origin of the water discharged from Fish Springs.
Utah↗
Reconnaissance of water quality in the Duchesne River basin and some adjacent drainage areas, Utah
A water-quality reconnaissance in the Duchesne River basin and some adjacent drainage areas, Utah, covered an area of about 4,400 square miles (11,400 square kilometres)--about 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometres) in the Duchesne River basin and the remainder in the drainage areas of Pariette Draw and Pelican Lake. Data were obtained by the U.S. Geological Survey one or more times at 108 sites during the period March 1973 to September 1974 and by the Geological Surveyor other Federal agencies at 49 other sites during earlier years.
Utah↗
Aquifer tests of the Navajo Sandstone near Caineville, Wayne County, Utah
Ground water in the Navajo Sandstone near Caineville, Wayne County, Utah, was studied during 1975-77 as part of an investigation of water in bedrock in the lower Dirty Devil River basin area. The purpose of the study near Caineville was to determine the water-bearing properties of the Navajo by utilizing data obtained mainly during test drilling and aquifer testing by the Intermountain Power Project.
Utah↗
Hydrologic evaluation of Ashley Valley, northern Uinta basin area, Utah
The water resources of the northern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado, were studied during 1971-74. Ashley Valley was evaluated in slightly greater detail than the general area, in order to assess the general relation of ground- and surface-water supplies. In Ashley Valley , the principal source of both irrigation supply and ground-water recharge is the flow from Ashley Creek canyon . Ground-water recharge to the valley fill, however, is mainly from canal and field losses along the west side of the valley. The permeability of the fill in most places is high, and water-level records indicate rapid changes in storage in response to the annual applications of irrigation water. Prior to the distribution of water from Steinaker Reservoir, the short runoff season led to a brief, intense irrigation period that was followed by a long period of post-irrigation drainage. After the reservoir began operation, smaller applications of water were made during a longer season, and ground-water levels rose in parts of the valley , mainly the lower areas. Despite local water-level rises, no perennially gaining reaches of the canals were observed. The amount of ground water available from storage in Ashley Valley is estimated to be 50,000-75,000 acre-feet (62-92 cubic hectometres), or enough water to supply irrigation in the valley for a maximum of 2 years. The ground-water storage varies annually about 10 percent and has not changed significantly. Ground water is discharged from Ashley Valley both by seepage back to Ashley Creek and by evapotranspiration . Evapotranspiration of surface and ground water has increased by an estimate 20 percent above the 48,000 acre-feet (59 cubic hectometers) determined for pre-reservoir conditions. As a result, the water that flows from Ashley Valley has been degraded in chemical quality. The water from Ashley Creek canyon is fresh . Mixing of snowmelt and base flow in Steinaker Reservoir yields a water of more uniform quality; but despite some concentration by evaporation from the reservoir, the outflow from the reservoir is fresh. Ground water in most of the valley is fresh , but the water increases in dissolved-solids concentration toward the south and east as a result of both evapotranspiration and solution of minerals from the valley fill and soils .
Utah↗