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At least 1,189 records · Page 66Linked to original sources
USGS2011

The effects of sediment and mercury mobilization in the South Yuba River and Humbug Creek confluence area, Nevada County, California: Concentrations, speciation, and environmental fate – Part 1: Field characterization

Millions of pounds of mercury (Hg) were deposited in the river and stream channels of the Sierra Nevada from placer and hard-rock mining operations in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The resulting contaminated sediments are relatively harmless when buried and isolated from the overlying aquatic environment. The entrained Hg in the sediment constitutes a potential risk to human and ecosystem health should it be reintroduced to the actively cycling portion of the aquatic system, where it can become methylated and subsequently bioaccumulated in the food web. Each year, sediment is mobilized within these fluvial systems during high stormflows, transporting hundreds of tons of Hg-laden sediment downstream. The State of California and resource-management agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service, are concerned about additional disturbances, such as from suction gold dredging activities, which have the potential to mobilize Hg associated with buried sediment layers elevated in Hg that are otherwise likely to remain buried under normal storm conditions. The BLM initiated a study looking at the feasibility of removing Hg-contaminated sediment at the confluence of the South Yuba River and Humbug Creek in the northern Sierra Nevada of California by using standard suction-dredge technology. Additionally, the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) supported a comprehensive characterization of the intended dredge site. Together, the BLM and SWRCB supported a comprehensive characterization of Hg contamination at the site and the potential effects of sediment disturbance at locations with historical hydraulic mining debris on downstream environments. The comprehensive study consisted of two primary components: field studies and laboratory experiments. The field component, described in this report, had several study elements: 1) a preliminary, smallscale, in-stream dredge test; 2) comprehensive characterization of grain size distribution, Hg speciation, and mineralogy of bed and suspended sediment; 3) a determination of the past and current sources of sediment in the study area; 4) an assessment of Hg bioaccumulation in the local invertebrate population; and 5) a comparison of potential Hg transport caused by natural storm disturbances with potential Hg mobilization caused by suction dredging as a method of Hg removal at the study site. The laboratory component of the study assessed the potential influence of the disturbance of Hg-contaminated sediment through experiments designed to simulate in-stream transport, deposition, and potential methylation of Hg, described in a companion report (see Marvin-DiPasquale and others, 2011). Results of the field studies indicate that the fine-grained fraction (silt-clay, less than 0.063 millimeters) contains the greatest concentration of Hg in contaminated sediment. Because the fine-grained fraction is the most susceptible to longrange fluvial transport, disturbance of Hg-contaminated sediment is likely to increase the concentration and load of Hg in downstream waters. The preliminary, small-scale dredge test showed an increase in the concentration of fine particles and Hg in the water column caused by the dredge activity, despite relatively low concentrations of fine particles and Hg (about 300 nanograms per gram) at the dredge site. Characterization of sediment from two test pits and other sites in the vicinity of the confluence of the South Yuba River and Humbug Creek revealed a highly variable distribution of fine- and coarse-grained sediment. The highest levels of Hg contamination (up to 11,100 ng/g) were associated with the fine-grained fraction of sediment from the bedrock contact zone of Pit 2, a horizon which also yielded grains of gold and gold-Hg amalgam. A closed-circuit tank experiment with a venturi dredge at the base of Pit 1, in a gravel bar within the South Yuba River, resulted in fine-grained suspended sediment remaining in suspension more than 40 hours following the disturbance simulation. Although the volumetric concentration of Hg declined over time as particles settled out, the concentration of Hg on the suspended particles increased over time as the suspended material became finer grained, because Hg is preferentially adsorbed on to clay-sized particles. Mineralogical and chemical analyses indicated that the buried fine-grained material with the greatest Hg contamination was derived from hydraulic mining debris, which consist primarily of Eocene gravels mined in the Malakoff Diggins, North Bloomfield, and Lake City areas within the South Yuba River watershed. Coarse material and more recently deposited sediment were derived primarily from upstream sources on the South Yuba River. The biota assessment indicated that invertebrate taxa collected from all sites on the South Yuba River in 2007, including lower Humbug Creek, had elevated concentrations of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) compared to a reference site on the Bear River, upstream of mining effects. Differences with the reference site were less pronounced in 2008 when a significant reduction in MeHg concentrations was observed in biota across all taxa from concentrations in 2007. It is possible that the inter-annual variation was related to the fact that suction dredging was active in the South Yuba River in 2007 but not in 2008 when a local moratorium was imposed by the BLM. There were significant variations among taxa for both THg and MeHg concentrations, with the water striders (Gerridae) having the highest concentrations of both THg and MeHg; variation among sites was not as strong as between years or among taxa. These results suggest that additional monitoring would be helpful to investigate the possible linkage between variations in MeHg bioaccumulation and levels of suction dredge activity in areas of historical gold mining. Results from the field studies indicate that disturbance of the finegrained Hg-contaminated sediment would likely lead to enhanced mobilization of Hg to downstream environments; therefore, the use of suction dredging to remove Hg at the South Yuba River and Humbug Creek confluence area would likely result in enhanced Hg transport downstream relative to natural conditions.

California↗
USGS2005

Environmental setting, water budget, and stream assessment for the Broad Run watershed, Chester County, Pennsylvania

The Broad Run watershed lies almost entirely in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pa., and drains 7.08 square miles to the West Branch Brandywine Creek. Because of the potential effect of encroaching development and other stresses on the Broad Run watershed, West Bradford Township, the Chester County Water Resources Authority, and the Chester County Health Department entered into a cooperative study with the U.S. Geological Survey to complete an annual water budget and stream assessment of overall conditions. The annual water budget quantified the basic parameters of the hydrologic cycle for the climatic conditions present from April 1, 2003, to March 31, 2004. These water-budget data identified immediate needs and (or) deficits that were present within the hydrologic cycle during that period, if present; however, an annual water budget encompassing a single year does not identify long-term trends. The stream assessment was conducted in two parts and assessed the overall condition of the watershed, an overall assessment of the fluvial-geomorphic conditions within the watershed and an overall assessment of the stream-quality conditions. The data collected will document present (2004) conditions and identify potential vulnerabilities to future disturbances. For the annual period from April 1, 2003, to March 31, 2004, determination of an annual water budget indicated that of the 67.8 inches of precipitation that fell on the Broad Run watershed, 38.8 inches drained by way of streamflow to the West Branch Brandywine Creek. Of this 38.8 inches of streamflow, local-minimum hydrograph separation techniques determined that 7.30 inches originated from direct runoff and 31.5 inches originated from base flow. The remaining precipitation went into ground-water storage (1.71 inches) and was lost to evapotranspiration (27.3 inches). Ground-water recharge for this period-35.2 inches-was based on these values and an estimated ground-water evapotranspiration rate of 2 inches. Assessment of fluvial-geomorphic conditions included large-scale mapping of stream classes within the Broad Run watershed and in-depth study of three representative stream reaches also within the Broad Run watershed. Based on the total distance of all stream reaches classified within the Broad Run watershed, 61 percent were classified as C-class, 14 percent as E-class, 13 percent as B-class, 5 percent as F-class, 4 percent as undifferentiated B- and F-class, 2 percent as G-class, and less than 1 percent as A-class. The map of stream classes indicates that the Broad Run watershed currently has no large-scale areas of stream impairment and that, generally, the stream is not entrenched and the main branch of the Broad Run has an available, functioning flood plain. Smaller tributary streams, however, showed signs of localized entrenchment due to site-specific influences such as natural stream-channel evolution, localized channelization, localized contraction due to road and driveway crossings, and (or) increased localized runoff. For example, one small reach along a tributary channel was observed to become entrenched due to runoff originating from a new housing development. Entrenched stream reaches are merely located by large-scale mapping and require individual assessment to determine potential causes of entrenchment and (or) future restorative actions. Three in-depth geomorphic study sites showed that the Broad Run can currently be considered graded or in a state of dynamic equilibrium. The sites did, however, identify certain vulnerabilities to future changes within the watershed. These vulnerabilities included disruption of the present sediment supply, including both increases and (or) reductions in the current sediment loads within the Broad Run; increases in both magnitude and duration of storm-water runoff; encroachment of development onto present flood-plain areas, and (or) alterations to riparian zones. Assessment of stream-quality conditions includ

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2013

Predictive models for Escherichia coli concentrations at inland lake beaches and relationship of model variables to pathogen detection

Predictive models, based on environmental and water quality variables, have been used to improve the timeliness and accuracy of recreational water quality assessments, but their effectiveness has not been studied in inland waters. Sampling at eight inland recreational lakes in Ohio was done in order to investigate using predictive models for Escherichia coli and to understand the links between E. coli concentrations, predictive variables, and pathogens. Based upon results from 21 beach sites, models were developed for 13 sites, and the most predictive variables were rainfall, wind direction and speed, turbidity, and water temperature. Models were not developed at sites where the E. coli standard was seldom exceeded. Models were validated at nine sites during an independent year. At three sites, the model resulted in increased correct responses, sensitivities, and specificities compared to use of the previous day's E. coli concentration (the current method). Drought conditions during the validation year precluded being able to adequately assess model performance at most of the other sites. Cryptosporidium , adenovirus, eaeA ( E. coli ), ipaH ( Shigella ), and spvC ( Salmonella ) were found in at least 20% of samples collected for pathogens at five sites. The presence or absence of the three bacterial genes was related to some of the model variables but was not consistently related to E. coli concentrations. Predictive models were not effective at all inland lake sites; however, their use at two lakes with high swimmer densities will provide better estimates of public health risk than current methods and will be a valuable resource for beach managers and the public.

Ohio↗
USGS1998

Ground-water quality in the Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota and North Dakota, 1991-95

Surveys of water quality in surficial, buried glacial, and Cretaceous aquifers in the Red River of the North Basin during 1991-95 showed that some major-ion, nutrient, pesticide, and radioactive-element concentrations differed by physiographic area and differed among these aquifer types. Waters in surficial aquifers in the Drift Prairie (west) and Lake Plain (central) physiographic areas were similar to each other but significantly higher than those in the Moraine (east) area in dissolved solids, sodium, potassium, sulfate, fluoride, silica, and uranium concentrations. Radium, iron, nitrate, and nitrite concentrations were also significantly different among these areas. Pesticides were detected in 12 percent of waters in surficial aquifers in the Drift Prairie area, 20 percent of those in the Lake Plain area, and 52 percent of those in the Moraine area. Triazines and bentazon accounted for 98 percent of summed pesticide concentrations in waters in surficial aquifers. Waters in buried glacial aquifers in the central one-third of the basin had significantly higher concentrations of dissolved solids, sodium, potassium, chloride, fluoride, and iron than did waters in surficial aquifers. No pesticides were detected in five samples from buried glacial aquifers or six samples from Cretaceous aquifers. Waters in all sampled aquifers had a calcium-magnesium ratio of about 1.75 ± 0.75 across the basin regardless of anionic composition. Agricultural land use and soil texture can explain pesticide distributions; soil texture best explains nutrient distributions in waters in surficial aquifers. Confining beds protect waters in buried glacial aquifers from land use effects, resulting in no or low concentrations of nutrients and pesticides. Upward movement of bedrock waters high in dissolved solids concentration can increase concentrations in waters in buried glacial and, to a lesser degree, waters in surficial aquifers in the Lake Plain and Drift Prairie areas. Waters in surficial aquifers exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant level in drinking water for nitrate in the Drift Prairie (27 percent) and Moraine (8 percent) areas. Their limited areal extent and susceptibility to contamination restrict the usefulness of surficial aquifers as a drinking water source. Waters in buried glacial aquifers exceeded USEPA health advisories for dissolved solids, sodium, and manganese. Sixty-six percent of waters in surficial aquifers also exceeded the Health Advisory for manganese.

Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota↗
USGS2011

Effects of dams in river networks on fish assemblages in non-impoundment sections of rivers in Michigan and Wisconsin, USA

Regional assessment of cumulative impacts of dams on riverine fish assemblages provides resource managers essential information for dam operation, potential dam removal, river health assessment and overall ecosystem management. Such an assessment is challenging because characteristics of fish assemblages are not only affected by dams, but also influenced by natural variation and human-induced modification (in addition to dams) in thermal and flow regimes, physicochemical habitats and biological assemblages. This study evaluated the impacts of dams on river fish assemblages in the non-impoundment sections of rivers in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin using multiple fish assemblage indicators and multiple approaches to distinguish the influences of dams from those of other natural and human-induced factors. We found that environmental factors that influence fish assemblages in addition to dams should be incorporated when evaluating regional effects of dams on fish assemblages. Without considering such co-influential factors, the evaluation is inadequate and potentially misleading. The role of dams alone in determining fish assemblages at a regional spatial scale is relatively small (explained less than 20% of variance) compared with the other environmental factors, such as river size, flow and thermal regimes and land uses jointly. However, our results do demonstrate that downstream and upstream dams can substantially modify fish assemblages in the non-impoundment sections of rivers. After excluding river size and land-use influences, our results clearly demonstrate that dams have significant impacts on fish biotic-integrity and habitat-and-social-preference indicators. The influences of the upstream dams, downstream dams, distance to dams, and dam density differ among the fish indicators, which have different implications for maintaining river biotic integrity, protecting biodiversity and managing fisheries.

Wisconsin and Michigan↗
USGS2007

Processes influencing the transport and fate of contaminated sediments in the coastal ocean– Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay

Most of the major urban centers of the United States including Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle—are on a coast (fig. 1.1). All of these cities discharge treated sewage effluent into adjacent waters. In 2000, 74 percent of the U.S. population lived within 200 kilometers (km) of the coast. Between 1980 and 2002, the population density in coastal communities increased approximately 4.5 times faster than in noncoastal areas of the U.S. (Perkins, 2004). More people generate larger volumes of wastes, increase the demands on wastewater treatment, expand the area of impervious land surfaces, and use more vehicles that contribute contaminants to street runoff. According to the National Coastal Condition Report II (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005a), on the basis of coastal habitat, water and sediment quality, benthic index, and fish tissue, the overall national coastal condition is only poor to fair and the overall coastal condition in the highly populated Northeast is poor. Scientific information helps managers to prioritize and regulate coastal-ocean uses that include recreation, commercial fishing, transportation, waste disposal, and critical habitat for marine organisms. These uses are often in conflict with each other and with environmental concerns. Developing a strategy for managing competing uses while maintaining sustainability of coastal resources requires scientific understanding of how the coastal ocean system behaves and how it responds to anthropogenic influences. This report provides a summary of a multidisciplinary research program designed to improve our understanding of the transport and fate of contaminants in Massachusetts coastal waters. Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor have been a focus of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research because they provide a diverse geographic setting for developing a scientific understanding of the geology, geochemistry, and oceanography of coastal systems in general. Scientific data from this region can also be used to inform decisions about important economic, environmental, and political issues. From the economic viewpoint, the annual value of tourism and shipping in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays is about $1.5 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively. Commercial and recreational fishing generates about $240 million per year in the same region (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005b). The environmental issue is the 300-year history of waste discharge from the Boston metropolitan area into the harbor. This history is punctuated by cycles of environmental degradation, public outcry, and improvements in the sewage treatment system. With each improvement, however, the continuous growth of population in greater Boston (fig. 1.2) and the resulting increase in the volume of waste exceeded the capacity of the treatment system, thereby setting the stage for a new contamination crisis. By the 1980s, the levels of contaminants in sediments of Boston Harbor were among the highest in the nation (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1987). Fish were diseased, shellfish beds were closed, and swimming beaches were unsafe after heavy rains; in general, water quality and aesthetics were below acceptable standards. Legal and political issues have always been part of Boston Harbor’s history. The environmental conditions in the 1980s were highlighted in a 1983 legal suit brought by the city of Quincy against the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC, the state agency responsible for sewage treatment) and heads of three state agencies for discharging untreated or poorly treated sewage into the harbor (Dolin, 2004). The suit never went to trial, but through the actions of a Massachusetts Superior Court, the issue of Boston Harbor contamination remained on the political and public agenda. The judge called the harbor “unsafe, unsanitary, indecent, in violation of the law (Clean Water Act), and a danger to the health and welfare of the people” (Forman, 1984). To force the state legislature to implement a plan to improve harbor conditions, the judge threatened to place the MDC in receivership and curtail new sewage hookups for industry. Under intense lobbying by business, the legislature created the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) in December 1984. The independent MWRA was established to manage Boston’s waste treatment system and was given the authority to float bonds to pay for major improvements in the treatment system. In 1985, a Federal court began hearings on a suit brought by the Conservation Law Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and towns of Quincy and Winthrop against the MDC and MWRA (as heir to responsibilities of the MDC) for years of violation of the Clean Water Act. The judge ruled against the defendants and required all the parties to submit a construction plan and schedule for a new sewage treatment system. From these submissions, he developed a schedule for treatment system upgrades that would give the “citizens of this commonwealth a public assurance that Boston Harbor will be cleaned up within a defined period of time” (Dolin, 2004). The MWRA’s Boston Harbor cleanup program (Levy and Connor, 1992) has transformed the Boston sewage system. Key improvements were to (1) reduce contaminants at the industrial source; (2) remediate leaks in the sewage-collection system; (3) eliminate sewage sludge discharge to the harbor; (4) upgrade sewage treatment from primary to secondary; (5) construct a new ocean outfall 15.2 km offshore in Massachusetts Bay for discharge of treated effluent (fig. 1.3); and (6) implement improvements in the combined-sewer-overflow system. As part of the harbor cleanup program, the MWRA developed a comprehensive monitoring program (summarized in MWRA, 2004) to assess changes in the harbor and bays that specifically related to the new sewage system. Additional information about conditions and processes in the coastal system on a regional scale and over a long time period was and continues to be important in predicting and interpreting local change. Implementation of the MWRA’s program and the mission of the USGS to understand the geology of the nation’s offshore waters provided an opportunity to conduct a cooperative multidisciplinary research program. This USGS program addresses basic scientific questions as well as concerns raised by management regarding the design, implementation, and assessment of the new sewage treatment system. Already active in Boston Harbor during the late 1970s, the USGS expanded research into Massachusetts Bay with a multidisciplinary program in 1989.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2014

Mercury bioaccumulation in estuarine wetland fishes: Evaluating habitats and risk to coastal wildlife

Estuaries are globally important areas for methylmercury bioaccumulation because of high methylmercury production rates and use by fish and wildlife. We measured total mercury (THg) concentrations in ten fish species from 32 wetland and open bay sites in San Francisco Bay Estuary (2005–2008). Fish THg concentrations (μg/g dry weight ± standard error) differed by up to 7.4× among estuary habitats. Concentrations were lowest in open bay (0.17 ± 0.02) and tidal wetlands (0.42 ± 0.02), and highest in managed seasonal saline wetlands (1.27 ± 0.05) and decommissioned high salinity salt ponds (1.14 ± 0.07). Mercury also differed among fishes, with Mississippi silversides (0.87 ± 0.03) having the highest and longjaw mudsuckers (0.37 ± 0.01) the lowest concentrations. Overall, 26% and 12% of fish exceeded toxicity benchmarks for fish (0.20 μg/g wet weight) and piscivorous bird (0.30 μg/g wet weight) health, respectively. Our results suggest that despite managed wetlands' limited abundance within estuaries, they may be disproportionately important habitats of Hg risk to coastal wildlife.

California↗
USGS2004

Economic and health risk trade-offs of swim closures at a Lake Michigan beach

This paper presents a framework for analyzing the economic, health, and recreation implications of swim closures related to high fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) levels. The framework utilizes benefit transfer policy analysis to provide a practical procedure for estimating the effectiveness of recreational water quality policies. Evaluation criteria include the rates of intended and unintended management outcomes, whether the chosen protocols generate closures with positive net economic benefits to swimmers, and the number of predicted illnesses the policy is able to prevent. We demonstrate the framework through a case study of a Lake Michigan freshwater beach using existing water quality and visitor data from 1998 to 2001. We find that a typical closure causes a net economic loss among would-be swimmers totaling $1274-37 030/ day, depending on the value assumptions used. Unnecessary closures, caused by high indicator variability and a 24-h time delay between when samples are taken and the management decision can be made, occurred on 14 (12%) out of 118 monitored summer days. Days with high FIB levels when the swim area is open are also common but do relatively little economic harm in comparison. Also, even if the closure policy could be implemented daily and perfectly without error, only about 42% of predicted illnesses would be avoided. These conclusions were sensitive to the relative values and risk preferences that swimmers have for recreation access and avoiding health effects, suggesting a need for further study of the impacts of recreational water quality policies on individuals.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS2016

Editor’s note

Heavy metal contamination at shooting ranges is well documented (e.g., Heier et al. 2009; Islam et al. 2016). Primarily lead, but also copper, zinc, and antimony often occur at high concentrations in shooting range soils; cadmium, nickel, silver, and arsenic may also be present (Cao et al. 2003; Islam et al. 2016). These metals represent a potential threat to human health and wildlife. Although much of the lead and other metals remains in the soil (Clausen et al. 2011), some metals can also contaminate groundwater and surface water and thereby threaten aquatic life (Heier et al. 2009). Results of a study published in the current issue of the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (Stauffer et al. 2017) indicate that mercury contamination may also be an issue at shooting ranges, which has not been previously reported.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS2009

Selected achievements, science directions, and new opportunities for the WEBB small watershed research program

Over nearly two decades, the Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) small watershed research program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has documented how water and solute fluxes, nutrient, carbon, and mercury dynamics, and weathering and sediment transport respond to natural and humancaused drivers, including climate, climate change, and atmospheric deposition. Together with a continued and increasing focus on the effects of climate change, more investigations are needed that examine ecological effects (e.g., evapotranspiration, nutrient uptake) and responses (e.g., species abundances, biodiversity) that are coupled with the physical and chemical processes historically observed in the WEBB program. Greater use of remote sensing, geographic modeling, and habitat/watershed modeling tools is needed, as is closer integration with the USGS-led National Phenology Network. Better understanding of process and system response times is needed. The analysis and observation of land-use and climate change effects over time should be improved by pooling data obtained by the WEBB program during the last two decades with data obtained earlier and (or) concurrently from other research and monitoring studies conducted at or near the five WEBB watershed sites. These data can be supplemented with historical and paleo-environmental information, such as could be obtained from tree rings and lake cores. Because of the relatively pristine nature and small size of its watersheds, the WEBB program could provide process understanding and basic data to better characterize and quantify ecosystem services and to develop and apply indicators of ecosystem health. In collaboration with other Federal and State watershed research programs, the WEBB program has an opportunity to contribute to tracking the short-term dynamics and long-term evolution of ecosystem services and health indicators at a multiplicity of scales across the landscape.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2024

Vegetation community recovery on restored bottomland hardwood forests in northeast Indiana, USA

Vegetation communities in restored bottomland hardwood forests in northeast Indiana were studied 6–21 years after restoration to assess progress toward restoration objectives. The study focused on four sites that were restored to compensate for resource injuries after contaminant releases. The restored sites were compared with four reference-site conditions, including crops (prerestoration condition), old field communities representing a no-management alternative, locally sampled second-growth mature forests, and forest community types described by the US National Vegetation Classification (USNVC), which represent ideal or defining conditions of recognized vegetation communities. Fixed-area plots provided data on field-sampled environmental variables, vegetation, soil, and hydrological conditions for crops, old fields, restored areas, and mature forests. The USNVC database provided quantitative data for three historically and geographically relevant reference forest community types for comparison with the sampled communities. Results of nonmetric multidimensional scaling based on species cover revealed clear gradients relating to site age and canopy development. Along those gradients, restored areas demonstrated increasing similarity to mature forest reference communities in terms of floristic composition. Specifically, the floristic quality of restored areas was significantly greater than that of crops and old fields. Furthermore, soil health measurements of physical, chemical, and hydrological conditions indicated significant improvements in restored site soils compared with prerestoration conditions represented by cropland soils. Descriptions and data from the USNVC provided ecological context for restoration target conditions and facilitated the assessment of restoration recovery along a trajectory from starting conditions to those target conditions. Descriptions by USNVC also helped identify deviations from the intended restoration objectives (e.g., invasive species recruitment) and potential adaptive management actions to return sites to their intended trajectories. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1–22. Published 2024. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Indiana↗
USGS2009

Groundwater-Quality Assessment, Pike County, Pennsylvania, 2007

Pike County, a 545 square-mile area in northeastern Pennsylvania, has experienced the largest relative population growth of any county in the state from 1990 to 2000 and its population is projected to grow substantially through 2025. This growing population may result in added dependence and stresses on water resources, including the potential to reduce the quantity and degrade the quality of groundwater and associated stream base flow with changing land use. Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the county and is derived primarily from fractured-rock aquifers (shales, siltstones, and sandstones) and some unconsolidated glacial deposits that are recharged locally from precipitation. The principal land uses in the county as of 2005 were public, residential, agricultural, hunt club/private recreational, roads, and commercial. The public lands cover a third of the county and include national park, state park, and other state lands, much of which are forested. Individual on-site wells and wastewater disposal are common in many residential areas. In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pike County Conservation District, began a study to provide current information on groundwater quality throughout the county that will be helpful for water-resource planning. The countywide reconnaissance assessment of groundwater quality documents current conditions with existing land uses and may serve as a baseline of groundwater quality for future comparison. Twenty wells were sampled in 2007 throughout Pike County to represent groundwater quality in the principal land uses (commercial, high-density and moderate-density residential with on-site wastewater disposal, residential in a sewered area, pre-development, and undeveloped) and geologic units (five fractured-rock aquifers and one glacial unconsolidated aquifer). Analyses selected for the groundwater samples were intended to identify naturally occurring constituents from the aquifer or constituents introduced by human activities that pose a health risk or otherwise were of concern in groundwater in the county. The analyses included major ions, nutrients, selected trace metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), selected organic wastewater compounds, gross alpha-particle and gross beta-particle activity, uranium, and radon-222. Analyses of the 20 samples were primarily for dissolved constituents, but six samples were analyzed for both dissolved and total metals. Results of the 2007 sampling indicated few water-quality problems, although concentrations of some constituents indicated influence of human activities on groundwater. No constituent analyzed exceeded any primary drinking-water standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Radon-222 levels were greater than, or equal to, the proposed MCL of 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) in water from 15 (75 percent) of the 20 wells. Radon-222 levels did not exceed the alternative MCL of 4,000 pCi/L in any groundwater sample. Radon-222 is naturally occurring, and the greatest concentrations (up to 2,650 pCi/L) were in water samples from wells in members of the Catskill Formation, a fractured-rock aquifer. The dissolved arsenic concentration of 3.9 micrograms per liter (ug/L) in one sample was greater than the health-advisory (HA) level of 2 ug/L but less than the MCL of 10 ug/L. Recommended or secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCLs) were exceeded for pH, dissolved iron, and dissolved manganese. In six samples analyzed for dissolved and total concentrations of selected metals, total concentrations commonly were much greater than dissolved concentrations of iron, and to a lesser degree, for arsenic, lead, copper, and manganese. Concentrations of iron above the SMCL of 300 ug/L may be more widespread in the county for particulate iron than for dissolved iron. The total arsenic concentration in one of the six samples was greater than the HA level of

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2003

U.S. Geological Survey Activities Related to American Indians and Alaska Natives Fiscal Year 2003

Introduction Information is a resource for Native American governments, communities, organizations, and people. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides technical expertise, reports, and other impartial information sources that benefit Native Americans interested in subsistence issues, water, resources and land use, and the health of many parts of the environment. Native decisions based in USGS data and analyses support the goals of Native self-sufficiency, economic development, and conservation. The USGS works in cooperation with American Indian and Alaska Native governments, conducting research on: water energy and mineral resources; animals and plants of environmental, economic, or subsistence importance; and natural hazards. Digital data on cartography, energy and mineral resources, streamflow, biota, and other topics are available to American Indian and Alaska Native individuals and institutions. The USGS also recognizes the need to learn from and share knowledge with Native peoples. This report describes most of the activities that the USGS conducted with American Indian and Alaska Native governments, educational institutions, and individuals during Federal fiscal year (FY) 2003. Some of these USGS activities were conducted cooperatively with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) or other Federal entities. Others were collaborations with Tribes, Tribal organizations, and professional societies.

Report↗
USGS2018

Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality

Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and longterm economic, social, and environmental benefits that make a difference to the lives of the almost 400 million people projected to live in the United States by 2050. In 1991, Congress established the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) to address where, when, why, and how the Nation’s water quality has changed, or is likely to change in the future, in response to human activities and natural factors. Since then, NAWQA has been a leading source of scientific data and knowledge used by national, regional, state, and local agencies to develop science-based policies and management strategies to improve and protect water resources used for drinking water, recreation, irrigation, energy development, and ecosystem needs. Plans for the third decade of NAWQA (2013–23) address priority water-quality issues and science needs identified by NAWQA stakeholders, such as the Advisory Committee on Water Information and the National Research Council, and are designed to meet increasing challenges related to population growth, increasing needs for clean water, and changing land-use and weather patterns. This report is one of a series of publications, The Quality of Our Nation’s Waters , which describes major findings of the NAWQA Project on water-quality issues of regional and national concern and provides science-based information for assessing and managing the quality of our groundwater resources. Other reports in this series focus on occurrence and distribution of nutrients, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds in streams and groundwater, the effects of contaminants and stream-flow alteration on the condition of aquatic communities in streams, and on the quality of groundwater from private domestic and public supply wells. Each reports builds toward a more comprehensive understanding of the quality of regional and national water resources. All NAWQA reports are available online ( https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/bib/ ). We hope this publication will provide you with insights and information to meet your water-resource needs and will foster increased citizen awareness and involvement in the protection and restoration of our Nation’s waters. The information in this report is intended primarily for those interested or involved in resource management and protection, conservation, regulation, and policymaking at the regional and national levels.

Circular↗
USGS1993

U.S. Geological Survey; North Carolina's water resources; a partnership with State, Federal and local agencies

For more than 80 years, the Federal-State Cooperative Program in North Carolina has been an effective partnership that provides timely water information for all levels of government. The cooperative program has raised awareness of State and local water problems and issues and has enhanced transfer and exchange of scientific information. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts statewide water-resources investigations in North Carolina that include hydrologic data collection, applied research studies, and other interpretive studies. These programs are funded through cooperative agreements with the North Carolina Departments of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources; Human Resources; and Transportation, as well as more than a dozen city and county governmental agencies. The USGS also conducts special studies and data-collection programs for Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that contribute to North Carolina's water information data base. Highlights of selected programs are presented to show the scope of USGS activities in North Carolina and their usefulness in addressing water-resource problems. The reviewed programs include the statewide data-collection program, estuarine studies, the National Water-Quality Assessment program, military installation restoration program, and groundwater flow model-development program in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont provinces.

North Carolina↗
USGS2026

Effects of a low-lipid diet on the gut microbiome and head kidney transcriptome of juvenile Chinook Salmon

Objective Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. reared in production hatcheries are typically fed high-lipid, energy-dense diets to achieve large size and high body condition prior to release. In contrast, juveniles in natural environments tend to consume low-lipid, high-protein diets, and fish reared for research or conservation purposes are sometimes fed diets that are formulated to mimic natural diets and promote wild-like phenotypes. Understanding how these alternative diets affect fish health beyond growth and body condition could ultimately contribute to improving hatchery fish fitness. Methods In this work, we evaluated changes in the fecal microbiome and gene expression of juvenile Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha on a standard high-lipid hatchery diet versus a low-lipid diet formulated to mimic the nutrition profile of natural-origin fish. To evaluate the time scale at which diet alters the fecal microbiome, we collected longitudinal samples over a 12-week period and switched the diets of a subset of fish twice during the experiment. We used 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize fecal microbiome differences between fish on the two diets as well as hatchery-reared fish at a production hatchery, hatchery fish that had been captured after release into a stream, and natural-origin, stream-reared fish of similar ages. Additionally, we conducted RNA sequencing on head kidney samples from laboratory-reared fish to evaluate changes in gene expression in this important immune organ. Results We found that the low-lipid diet and the hatchery diet resulted in microbiomes that differed from the microbiome of natural-origin fish and from each other and that diet-driven changes to the microbiome could occur in under 14 d. The low-lipid diet did not result in a microbiome that resembled the microbiome of naturally produced fish. Instead, the low-lipid diet resulted in a microbiome community that was distinct from those of fish reared on the hatchery diet and fish sampled from the wild. The RNA sequencing results indicated differential enrichment of pathways related to immunity, metabolism, and hormone synthesis between fish that were fed the two experimental diets. Conclusions The results suggest that additional environmental factors influence the microbiome more strongly than diet formulation or that the low-lipid diet has a smaller effect on the microbiome than a natural, ­invertebrate-based diet. Given that the gut microbiome and systemic immune function contribute significantly to disease resistance, our findings highlight the importance of understanding how diets fed to fish in captivity may affect fish health beyond growth and body condition metrics.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health↗
USGS2023

Chemical characteristics of wildfire ash across the globe and their environmental and socio-economic implications

The mobilisation of potentially harmful chemical constituents in wildfire ash can be a major consequence of wildfires, posing widespread societal risks. Knowledge of wildfire ash chemical composition is crucial to anticipate and mitigate these risks. Here we present a comprehensive dataset on the chemical characteristics of a wide range of wildfire ashes (42 types and a total of 148 samples) from wildfires across the globe and examine their potential societal and environmental implications. An extensive review of studies analysing chemical composition in ash was also performed to complement and compare our ash dataset. Most ashes in our dataset had an alkaline reaction (mean pH 8.8, ranging between 6 – 11.2). Important constituents of wildfire ash were organic carbon (mean: 204 g kg-1), calcium, aluminium, and iron (mean: 47.9, 17.9 and 17.1 g kg-1). Mean nitrogen and phosphorus ranged between 1 - 25 g kg-1, and between 0.2 to 9.9 g kg-1, respectively. The largest concentrations of metals of concern for human and ecosystem health were observed for manganese (mean: 1488 mg kg-1; three ecosystems > 1000 mg kg-1), zinc (mean: 181 mg kg-1; two ecosystems > 500 mg kg-1) and lead (mean: 66.9 mg kg-1; two ecosystems > 200 mg kg-1). Burn severity and sampling timing were key factors influencing ash chemical characteristics like pH, carbon and nitrogen concentrations. The highest readily dissolvable fractions (as a % of ash dry weight) in water were observed for sodium (18%) and magnesium (11.4%). Although concentrations of elements of concern were very close to, or exceeded international contamination standards in some ashes, the actual effect of ash will depend on factors like ash loads and the dilution into environmental matrices such as water, soil and sediment. Our approach can serve as an initial methodological standardisation of wildfire ash sampling and chemical analysis protocols.

Environment International↗
USGS2024

Spatio-temporal ecological models via physics-informed neural networks for studying chronic wasting disease

To mitigate the negative effects of emerging wildlife diseases in biodiversity and public health it is critical to accurately forecast pathogen dissemination while incorporating relevant spatio-temporal covariates. Forecasting spatio-temporal processes can often be improved by incorporating scientific knowledge about the dynamics of the process using physical models. Ecological diffusion equations are often used to model epidemiological processes of wildlife diseases where environmental factors play a role in disease spread. Physics-informed neural networks (PINN) are deep learning algorithms that constrain neural network predictions based on physical laws and therefore are powerful forecasting models useful even in cases of limited and imperfect training data. In this paper, we develop a novel ecological modeling tool using PINNs, which fits a feedforward neural network and simultaneously performs parameter identification in a partial differential equation (PDE) with varying coefficients. We demonstrate the applicability of our model by comparing it with the commonly used Bayesian stochastic partial differential equation method and traditional machine learning approaches, showing that our proposed model exhibits superior prediction and forecasting performance when modeling chronic wasting disease in deer in Wisconsin. Furthermore, our model provides the opportunity to obtain scientific insights into spatiotemporal covariates affecting spread and growth of diseases. This work contributes to future machine learning and statistical methodology development by studying spatio-temporal processes enhanced by prior physical knowledge.

Spatial Statistics↗