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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS1989

New fault picture points toward San Francisco Bay area earthquakes

Recent earthquakes and a new way of looking at faults suggest that damaging earthquakes are closing in on the San Francisco area. Earthquakes Awareness Week 1989 in northern California started off with a bang on Monday, 3 April, when a magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 15 kilometers northeast of San Jose. The relatively small shock-its primary damage was the shattering of an air-control tower window-got the immediate attention of three U.S Geological Survey seismologists in Menlo Park near San Francisco. David Oppenheimer, William Bakun, and Allan Lindh had forecast a nearby earthquake in a just completed report, and this, they thought, might be it.

California↗
USGS1990

Water-resources activities of the U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been active in West Virginia since the early 1900's. During recent years, the District completed several investigations as well as initiated others. An intense effort has been made to publish interpretive reports and data on a near-current basis. As a result of this effort, a significant number of water resources reports were completed and/or published during the 1989 fiscal year. This report contains a complete list of USGS reports addressing West Virginia hydrology as of December 1989. The mission of the Water Resources Division is to provide the hydrologic information and understanding needed for the optimum utilization and management of the Nation 's water resources for the overall benefit of the people in the United States. This is accomplished, in large part , through cooperation with other Federal and non-Federal agencies, by: (1) Collecting, on a systematic basis, data needed for the continuing determination and evaluation of the quantity, quality, and use of the Nation 's water resources; (2) Conducting analytical and interpretive water resource appraisals describing the occurrence, availability, and the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of surface and groundwater; (3) conducting supportive basic and problem-oriented research in hydraulics, hydrology, and related fields of science to improve the scientific basis for investigations and measurement techniques and to understand hydrologic systems sufficiently well to quantitatively predict their response to stress, either natural or manmade; (4) disseminating the water data and the results of these investigations and research through reports, maps, computerized information services, and other forms of public releases; (5) Coordinating the activities of Federal agencies in the acquisition of water data for streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, and groundwaters; and (6) Providing scientific and technical assistance in hydrologic fields to other Federal, State and local agencies, to licensees of the Federal Power Commission, and to international agencies on behalf of the Department of State. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Response of seabirds to fluctuations in forage fish density

Following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS), one concern was that prevailing ecological conditions in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) would not favor recovery of damaged seabird populations. To address this issue, we examined relationships between oceanography, forage fish and seabirds near three seabird colonies in lower Cook Inlet (LCI) in 1995-1999 (some colony work continued until 2001). Upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich GOA waters at the entrance to the shallow LCI estuary supports a high density of juvenile pollock, sand lance, and capelin; which in turn are exploited by high densities of breeding seabirds (murres, kittiwakes, puffins, etc.) on the east side of LCI. Waters on the west side of LCI are oceanographically distinct (warmer, less saline, outflowing), and much less productive for forage fish and seabirds. Patterns of seabird foraging behavior, productivity and population change reflected patterns of forage fish abundance and distribution, which in turn depended on local oceanography. Most seabird parameters varied with forage fish density in a non-linear (e.g., sigmoidal, exponential) fashion, and in some areas and years, productivity was limited by food availability. Current and projected ecological conditions favor recovery of seabirds from the EVOS at some colonies. In 14 chapters, this report summarizes data and compiles it into 247 tables, figures and appendices. Chapter 14 provides a thorough synthesis of overall project findings. Final analyses and interpretations of data will be published later in peer-reviewed journals (in addition to 61 articles already completed).

Report↗
USGS2018

The complete mitochondrial genome of Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana Williamson) via NGS sequencing

Here, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly (HED), Somatochlora hineana Williamson. Data were generated via next generation sequencing (NGS) and assembled using a mitochondrial baiting and iterative mapping approach. The full length circular genome is 15,705 bp with 26.6% GC content. It contains the typical metazoan set of 37 genes: 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) and 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and an A + T-rich control region. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the complete HED mitogenome.

Mitochondrial DNA Part B↗
USGS2007

Report on the final completion of the Unified Lunar Control Network 2005 and Lunar Topographic Model

In order to highlight this project to the extraterrestrial mapping community, we repeat here our earlier abstract [1], with a corrected Figure 2. A report describing the Unified Lunar Control Network 2005 and the files associated with that network is now available as an on-line USGS Open-File Report [2] at the location http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1367/. A “Readme” file describes the available files, including the report text, the original photogrammetric solution input and output files, derived files such as information on all the control point positions, the expected vertical precision (EVP) of the points and the solution residuals, and a directory containing global DEMs derived from the point positions. While a paper providing further details about the solution is in preparation, we provide some useful additional information about the solution and possible uses for it here.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1952

Topical index and bibliography of U.S. Geological Survey Trace Elements and related reports

Part 1, the topical index, lists the titles of reports prepared from 1941 to December 1952, in conjunction with the Geological Survey's program of uranium and other elements of related interest. It includes not only completed Trace Elements reports and those now in preparation, but also Survey publications, publications by Survey personnel in scientific journals, and open-fie releases. The titles are grouped topically under the headings listed in the table of contents. Entries in each category are listed alphabetically, by author, and numbered consecutively. Many of the reports have been cross-indexed, where appropriate. The classification of the Trace Elements reports, insofar as it is known, has been indicated after the title of the report. The classification of some of the earlier Trace Elements reports is uncertain. The Geological Survey does not have additional copies of most of the reports listed, but copies of some of the completed reports can be loaned on request to organizations officially cooperating with the Atomic Energy Commission. Many Trace Elements reports have been made available to the public, either by open-file release, reproduction by Technical Information Service, Oak Ridge (referred to as TIS), by publication as a Geological Survey circular or bulletin or by a publication in a scientific journal. This information is given, following the title of the report. If the abstract of a Trace Element report has been published in Nuclear Science Abstracts, it is noted by the initials NSA following the title of the report. Part 2 is a reference guide to information on the Trace Elements program that is available to the public. This information is categorized according to the type of publication or release.

Trace Elements Investigations↗
USGS1970

Environmental conditions and resources of southwestern Mississippi

The impending phase-out of Saturn V testing by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at the Mississippi Test Facility (MTF) necessitates consideration of possible alternative uses for the Facility and surrounding region. To make a rapid and up-to-date study of pertinent environmental factors in that region, remote sensing techniques and data were used by discipline specialists in the U. S. Geological Survey, scientists in other Bureaus of the Department of the Interior and other agencies, and the Project Coordinator. Full cooperation was received from officials, planners, and business executives in Mississippi, as well as timely assistance from NASA Headquarters, the Manned Spacecraft Center/Houston, and the MTF staff. Results from a multi-sensor equipped RB-57F high altitude overflight on February 17, 1970, and a simultaneous helicopter overflight were compared with existing photographs, maps, reports, and locally collected field data to complete this report rapidly as a Geographic Applications Project of the EROS Program, U. S. Department of the Interior. Pertinent background materials, including a comprehensive, annotated bibliography of existing studies of the area, are attached. This report considers 19 potential uses of the MTF equipment, staff, and property in relation to 16 environmental factors.

Mississippi↗
USGS1999

Michael Tuomey's 1848 geological survey of South Carolina

One hundred and fifty years ago, Michael Tuomey completed his 'Report on the Geology of South Carolina,' the result of four years of arduous labor. The report is the first detailed and comprehensive geological description of the entire state, and it includes a geological map that shows the distribution of Coastal Plain and Piedmont-Blue Ridge units. In the sesquicentennial of Tuomey's survey, it is fitting that we recognize his important early contribution to the geology of South Carolina and the southeast. Tuomey's report is a 293-page volume with a 48-page appendix and an index. Although he gave a complete depiction of Coastal Plain geology and delineated Cretaceous, Lower Eocene, Eocene, Miocene, Post-Pliocene, and alluvial units on his map, the emphasis herein is on his mapping of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge. The metamorphic units he delineated are clay slate, mica slate, talcose slate, hornblende slate, gneiss, and lime rock. Gneiss is the most extensive unit on the map. His map shows many elements of the geologic framework we recognize today. The distribution of his clay slate unit corresponds closely with the Carolina slate and Bel Air belts as we know them now. The gneiss between the two clay slate areas matches the Kiokee belt. Areas of mica slate approximate the northern part of the Kings Mountain belt and the Chauga belt. He also recognized that his talcose slate unit was associated with gold deposits. Granitic and basaltic intrusive rocks are also delineated on the map. It shows the Newberry, Columbia, and Liberty Hill granites we recognize today. Basaltic intrusives outlined include the Bush River of western Newberry County, Dutchmans Creek, Big Wateree Creek, and Ogden gabbros. He described the regional extent of diabase dikes as occuring from Virginia to Alabama, noted their preferred direction and diagrammed their near-vertical orientation. He also referred to the distinctive soil and topography that develops on the large gabbros. Michael Tuomey's report is truly a benchmark publication, for sixty years passed before the next statewide survey was done. Upon completing the report, he left South Carolina to become director of the Alabama Geological Survey.

Southeastern Geology↗
USGS2014

Water quality at a biosolids-application area near Deer Trail, Colorado, 1993-1999

The Metro Wastewater Reclamation District (Metro District) in Denver, Colo., applied biosolids resulting from municipal sewage treatment to farmland in eastern Colorado beginning in December 1993. In mid-1993, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Metro District began monitoring water quality at the biosolids-application area about 10 miles east of Deer Trail, Colo., to evaluate baseline water quality and the combined effects of natural processes, land uses, and biosolids applications on water quality of the biosolids application area. Water quality was characterized by baseline and post-biosolids-application sampling for selected inorganic and bacteriological constituents during 1993 through 1998, with some additional specialized sampling in 1999. The study included limited sampling of surface water and the unsaturated zone, but primarily focused on groundwater. See report for complete abstract.

Colorado↗
USGS1991

U.S. Geological Survey National Computer Technology Meeting; Proceedings, Phoenix, Arizona, November 14-18, 1988

The U.S. Geological Survey National Computer Technology Meetings (NCTM) are sponsored by the Water Resources Division and provide a forum for the presentation of technical papers and the sharing of ideas or experiences related to computer technology. This report serves as a proceedings of the meeting held in November, 1988 at the Crescent Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. The meeting was attended by more than 200 technical and managerial people representing all Divisions of the U.S. Geological Survey. Scientists in every Division of the U.S. Geological Survey rely heavily upon state-of-the-art computer technology (both hardware and sofnuare). Today the goals of each Division are pursued in an environment where high speed computers, distributed communications, distributed data bases, high technology input/output devices, and very sophisticated simulation tools are used regularly. Therefore, information transfer and the sharing of advances in technology are very important issues that must be addressed regularly. This report contains complete papers and abstracts of papers that were presented at the 1988 NCTM. The report is divided into topical sections that reflect common areas of interest and application. In each section, papers are presented first followed by abstracts. For these proceedings, the publication of a complete paper or only an abstract was at the discretion of the author, although complete papers were encouraged. Some papers presented at the 1988 NCTM are not published in these proceedings.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1905

The Fairhaven gold placers, Seward Peninsula, Alaska

This manuscript is based on a geologic and topographic reconnaissance survey, made during the summer of 1903, of an important placer-gold district in the northeastern part of Seward Peninsula. The report is accompanied by a reconnaissance map by Mr. D. C. Witherspoon, topographer, under whose directions the field operations were carried out. Surveys were begun in Seward Peninsula in 1899, soon after the discovery of the rich placers of Nome, and, in view of the great economic importance of the field, have been extended as rapidly as the appropriations permitted. It was early recognized that here, as elsewhere in Alaska, it would be better to obtain general topographic and geologic results, to be immediately available to the mining public, than to attempt exhaustive surveys and studies of small areas. This has been the guiding policy in formulating and executing the plans. As a result, there have been issued a number of publications (including reconnaissance maps) which, though only of a preliminary character, have been, because of their timeliness, of much value to the mining public. With the appearance of the following report this first epoch in the surveys will have closed, for there will be available complete reconnaissance reports and maps of the entire Seward Peninsula. These general reports and maps should be followed by more detailed surveys; these have been begun, and it is purposed to carry them forward as rapidly as circumstances will permit. In taking up areas for detailed investigations the attempt will be made to study first those of greatest economic interest.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

Complete and draft genome sequences of six members of the aquificales

The Aquificales are widespread in marine and terrestrial hydrothermal environments. Here, we report the complete and draft genome sequences of six new members of the Aquificales : two marine species, Persephonella marina strain EX-H1 and Hydrogenivirga strain 128-5-R1 (from the East Pacific Rise, 9°50.3′N, 104°17.5′W, and the Eastern Lau Spreading Center, 176°11.5′W, 20°45.8′S, respectively), and four terrestrial isolates, Sulfurihydrogenibium azorense strain Az-Fu1, Sulfurihydrogenibium yellowstonense strain SS-5, and Sulfurihydrogenibium strain Y03AOP1 (from Furnas, Azores, Portugal, and Calcite Springs and Obsidian Pool in Yellowstone National Park, United States, respectively), and the only thermoacidophilic isolate, Hydrogenobaculum strain Y04AAS1 (from a stream adjacent to Obsidian Pool). Significant differences among the different species exist that include nitrogen metabolism, hydrogen utilization, chemotaxis, and signal transduction, providing insights into their ecological niche adaptations.

Journal of Bacteriology↗
USGS2024

Suspended sediment and trace element transport in the Big River downstream from the Old Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri, 2018–21

Lead Belt, an area of major lead mining from the 1860s until 1972 where more than 8.5 million tons of lead were mined. After active mining ceased, the effects of mining activities persisted in the Big River system because of large mine waste pile erosion, and floodplain sediment and streambank contamination along several tributaries and the main stem of the Big River. Lead-contaminated streambed and floodplain sediments extend more than 90 miles from the Old Lead Belt to the confluence of the Big River with the Meramec River. The waste piles and mine-waste contaminated streambed and floodplain sediments have been sources of high concentrations of several trace elements, primarily cadmium, lead, and zinc. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 has made several efforts to prevent further erosion of contaminated sediments into the Big River including the capping of major mine waste piles, reclaiming sediment deposits along the floodplains, and monitoring soil conditions of croplands and residential properties. A cooperative effort began in 2011 between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 to characterize suspended sediment quantity and quality in the Big River downstream from the Old Lead Belt as reclamation activities in the drainage basin progressed. The study was completed in two phases, and each phase included continuous stage, turbidity, and water temperature monitoring at the Big River below Bonne Terre, Missouri, streamgage and sampling station. Periodic suspended sediment samples also were collected manually (discrete samples) during base flow and selected stormflow events. Continuous streamflow, turbidity, and discrete suspended sediment data were used to develop regression models to compute daily suspended sediment concentrations and loads. During both phases, the discrete stormflow event samples were also evaluated to determine particle size distribution and concentrations of select trace elements. Phase one was completed from October 2011 through September 2013, and phase two, which is the primary focus of this report, was completed from October 2018 through September 2021. Phase two also included time-integrated suspended sediment samples collected using passive samplers. Discrete samples (collected during stormflow events) and passive samples were analyzed for concentrations of barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc in two sediment size fractions (when possible) to estimate trace element loads. Suspended sediment concentrations and loads and select trace element concentration results computed during phase one were compared to those computed during phase two to identify trends in the Big River Basin during the full study period. The concentrations of cadmium, lead, and zinc in nearly all discrete stormflow event suspended sediment samples and passive suspended sediment samples exceeded the threshold effect concentrations and the probable effect concentrations, which are two sediment quality guidelines. Most samples also exceeded the toxic effect threshold, the level at which sediment is considered to be heavily contaminated and problematic for sediment-dwelling organisms. Bulk cadmium concentrations (median of 7.90 milligrams per kilogram [mg/kg]) exceeded the toxic effect threshold (3.0 mg/kg) in 17 discrete stormflow event samples, and bulk lead concentrations (median of 1,070 mg/kg) exceeded the toxic effect threshold (170 mg/kg) in all 18 discrete stormflow event samples. Bulk zinc concentrations (median of 500 mg/kg) exceeded the toxic effect threshold (540 mg/kg) in eight discrete stormflow event samples. Bulk concentrations of these trace elements in passive suspended sediment samples were slightly greater, with concentrations of cadmium (median of 14.0 mg/kg) and lead (median of 1,860 mg/kg) exceeding the toxic effect threshold in all 18 samples. Bulk concentrations of zinc (median of 733 mg/kg) exceeded the toxic effect threshold in 15 passive samples. Compared to phase one (water years 2012–13), phase two (water years 2019–21) concentrations of lead and cadmium in the fine fraction of discrete suspended sediment samples collected at Big River below Bonne Terre were statistically similar; concentrations of barium and zinc were statistically smaller in samples collected during phase two (water years 2018–21). Sediment quality data from passive samples and daily mean suspended sediment loads from the regression model were used to calculate annual oads of barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc at the Bonne Terre streamgage. Water year 2019 had the largest loads of barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc (58.6, 1.43, 194, and 76.5 tons, respectively). The total loads of barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc for phase two (water years 2019–21) were 149, 4.00, 520, and 213 tons, respectively. Less than 5 percent of the total lead load calculated for the study period was transported when daily mean streamflow was less than 455 cubic feet per second, which is the approximate flow at which the passive samplers were inundated and began sampling. This highlights that most of the lead load is transported during stormflow events and the effectiveness of using passive samplers for ongoing monitoring of the Big River. Annual suspended sediment loads at the Bonne Terre streamgage computed using the regression model were 113,000 tons in water year 2019, 83,400 tons in water year 2020, and 96,500 tons in water year 2021. The event-based suspended sediment loads for the eight sampled stormflow events ranged from 45.3 to 32,500 tons. Although only a portion of all stormflow events during phase two were sampled, the loads accounted for during these eight stormflow events represented approximately 30.9 percent of the total suspended sediment load calculated for the study period, confirming that a large part of suspended sediments continue to be transported in the Big River during stormflow events. Event-based loads of barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc were greatest during the stormflow events sampled in January 2020 (event 4) and March 2021 (event 8). Event-based loads calculated for event 4 for barium, cadmium, lead, and zinc were 17.1, 0.206, 27.2, and 14.5 tons, respectively. During event 8, an estimated 15.6 tons of barium, 0.239 tons of cadmium, 34.0 tons of lead, and 13.6 tons of zinc were transported in suspended sediments. The continued high concentrations of lead in suspended sediments in the Big River, despite reclamation activities, is likely because of the continual transport from streambed and stream banks of lead-enriched sediment, which remain in the system from historical mining activities.

Missouri↗
USGS1994

A guide to the design of surface-water-quality studies

Data interpretation is difficult under the simplest of conditions and requires hydrologic studies that are carefully designed. Good research presupposes carefully collected data, as well as data that were obtained at times when the information content was highest. To accomplish the careful design of hydrologic studies and to obtain quality data, the U.S. Geological Survey works through small organizational units. The principles of a well-designed study are: 1) Use the scientific method, 2) define the problem and the approach, 3) state the objectives of the data collection, 4) determine what and how to sample, 5) decide where to sample, 6) begin report preparation early in the study, 7) do the work with little or no rework, and 8) complete the report on schedule.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

A preliminary assessment of geologic framework and sediment thickness studies relevant to prospective US submission on extended continental shelf

Under the provisions of Articles 76 and 77 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal States have sovereign rights over the continental shelf territory beyond 200-nautical mile (nm) from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured if certain conditions are met regarding the geologic and physiographic character of the legal continental shelf as defined in those articles. These claims to an extended continental shelf must be supported by relevant bathymetric, geophysical and geological data according to guidelines established by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS, 1999). In anticipation of the United States becoming party to UNCLOS, Congress in 2001 directed the Joint Hydrographic Center/Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire to conduct a study to evaluate data relevant to establishing the outer limit of the juridical continental shelf beyond 200 nm and to recommend what additional data might be needed to substantiate such an outer limit (Mayer and others, 2002). The resulting report produced an impressive and sophisticated GIS database of data sources. Because of the short time allowed to complete the report, all seismic reflection data were classified together; the authors therefore recommended that USGS perform additional analysis on seismic and related data holdings. The results of this additional analysis are the substance of this report, including the status of geologic framework, sediment isopach research, and resource potential in the eight regions1 identified by Mayer and others (2002) where analysis of seismic data might be crucial for establishing an outer limit . Seismic reflection and refraction data are essential in determining sediment thickness, one of the criteria used in establishing the outer limits of the juridical continental shelf. Accordingly, the initial task has been to inventory public-domain seismic data sources, primarily those regionally extensive data held within the Department of the Interior (DOI). The numerous seismic reflection and refraction surveys collected prior to 1970 by academic and governmental institutions are generally not included in this compilation, except where they provide unique data in a region. These data sources were omitted from this report because they were deemed to be of insufficient quality (poorly navigated or low resolution) to meet the CLCS standards for a submission, or they were redundant with higher-quality, more modern data. Hence, this report attempts to identify those data sets of highest utility for establishing the outer limits of the juridical continental shelf. If there was any ambiguity or uncertainty about the relevance of a data set to a continental shelf submission, either by its quality, location, or other parameter, it was included in this compilation. This report does not summarize other geophysical data (such as marine magnetics or gravity) that might be relevant to understanding crustal provenance and geological continuity. Detailed metadata tables and maps are included to facilitate the location and utilization of these sources when a comprehensive assessment (?desktop study?) is undertaken.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2023

Hydrogeology, karst, and groundwater availability of Monroe County, West Virginia

Monroe County is in southeastern West Virginia, encompassing an area of 474 square miles. The area consists of karst and siliciclastic aquifers of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian age and is in parts of two physiographic provinces: the Valley and Ridge Province to the east of Peters Mountain, and the Appalachian Plateau Province to the west of Peters Mountain. This study was developed in response to inquiries from the Monroe County Commission requesting assessment of the water resources of the county to better understand the quantity of the county’s groundwater resources, for both current [2023] and future demand, and to provide information to support protection and management of the county’s valuable groundwater resources. Various products were developed for this study that provide knowledge with respect to water availability and contamination susceptibility of the karst aquifers within the county. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geologists conducted extensive geologic mapping in support of the project, producing (1) a countywide bedrock geologic map, (2) a countywide hydrogeologic map, and (3) a light detection and ranging (lidar)-derived countywide digital elevation model and associated sinkhole map. A significant part of this work was to map in detail the Greenbrier Group at the formation level, which prior to this study had only partially been completed. The report also includes (4) a description of the lithologic units identified as part of the geologic mapping process. U.S. Geological Survey hydrologists completed several additional products for the hydrology part of the effort, including development of (1) a countywide potentiometric surface (water-table) map, (2) a countywide base-flow stream assessment, (3) countywide water-budget estimates, (4) well log surveys for 15 wells to better understand subsurface controls on groundwater flow within the study area, (5) two groundwater tracer tests to better refine the groundwater divide from the northern and southern parts of the karst aquifer in Monroe County; and finally, based on all available data collected for the study including the potentiometric surface map, geologic map, current [2023] and legacy fluorometric groundwater tracer tests, and base-flow stream assessments, (6) groundwater-basin delineations were reassessed for principal groundwater basins within the Greenbrier aquifer. In Monroe County, four principal hydrogeologic settings produce large yields of water for residential, agricultural, and other uses. The most relied upon water-bearing zone with respect to current [2023] public water supply is from springs along Peters Mountain. These springs are derived from intervals of fractured sandstone and resultant alluvial deposits. Groundwater flows downslope through these permeable alluvial deposits and discharges at the contact with less permeable strata, such as the Reedsville Shale. The second most relied upon water-bearing zone in Monroe County is within the karstic Greenbrier Group aquifer, in which the basal Hillsdale Limestone overlies the less permeable Maccrady Shale. This geologic contact between the Hillsdale Limestone and Maccrady Shale is not only targeted as a source of water for agricultural supply but also is targeted as a source of water for residential supply. The third most relied upon water-bearing zone is composed of shallow perched aquifers within the Greenbrier Group. The discontinuous nature of these perched aquifers makes mapping their extent impossible, but they are related to permeable geologic strata, such as karstified limestones with solutionally enhanced permeability that overlies less permeable shale or chert bedrock. During geologic mapping of the county, several of these perched aquifers were documented in the Pickaway, Union, and Alderson Limestones. A fourth zone consists of springs from Ordovician carbonates at the base of Peters Mountain, which are influenced by sinking streams as well as upwelling along faults. In terms of water quantity, the most sustainable springs are those having deeper-sourced flows. Public supplies are a principal source of water used for residential and commercial supply in the region, accounting for 0.49 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of fresh-water withdrawals (0.14 Mgal/d of groundwater and 0.35 Mgal/d of surface water) for residential and commercial use and serving 6,645 individuals (49.2 percent of the population). An estimated 6,861 people, (50.8 percent of the population) primarily rely on private wells or other unregulated sources, such as springs, and withdraw 0.55 Mgal/d of groundwater for their residential use. Public water supply in the region is primarily (71.4 percent) derived from springs and augmented by stream withdrawals (backup sources mainly during low-flow periods), with the remaining portion (28.6 percent) derived from groundwater withdrawals from wells. For rural residents, however, 100 percent of their withdrawals are derived from groundwater (wells or springs).

West Virginia↗
USGS1996

Simulation of wastewater effects on dissolved oxygen during low streamflow in the Red River of the North at Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota

Pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, both North Dakota and Minnesota identified part of the Red River of the North (Red River) as water-quality limited. The states are required to determine the total maximum daily load (TMDL) that can be discharged to a water-quality limited reach from various pollution sources without contravening water-quality standards (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). A work group consisting of local, State, and Federal agency representatives that was organized in June 1994 decided that a TMDL should be developed in phases for a subreach of the Red River at Fargo, N. Dak., and Moorhead, Minn. (fig. 1). In the first phase, which is the basis for this report, the focus is on attainment of the instream dissolved-oxygen (DO) standard during low streamflows, and only Fargo and Moorhead wastewater-treatment-plant discharges and Sheyenne River inflow are considered. The study reach begins about 0.1 mile (mi) downstream (north) of the 12th Avenue North bridge in Fargo and extends 30.8 mi downstream to a site 0.8 mi upstream of the confluence of the Buffalo and Red Rivers (fig. 1). Nitrification of total ammonia (ammonia) from Fargo and Moorhead wastewater consumes most of the DO in the study reach (Wesolowski, 1994). Because the new (1995) Fargo plant already is nitrifying its wastewater, the work group needed to determine the maximum ammonia concentration for wastewater from the nonnitrifying Moorhead plant. To accomplish this task, the Red River at Fargo Water-Quality (RRatFGO QW) model (Wesolowski, 1994, 1996b) was used to simulate the effects of various wastewater-management alternatives during low streamflow. This report presents the results of those simulations to determine the usefulness of the model for management decisions. The simulations and report were completed in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Health.

Minnesota↗