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At least 1,207 records · Page 67Linked to original sources
USGS2022

Hydrology of the Yucaipa groundwater subbasin: Characterization and integrated numerical model, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California

Executive Summary Water management in the Santa Ana River watershed in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties in southern California is a complex task with various water purveyors navigating geographic, geologic, hydrologic, and political challenges to provide a reliable water supply to stakeholders. As the population has increased throughout southern California, so has the demand for water. The Yucaipa groundwater subbasin (hereafter referred to as “Yucaipa subbasin”), one of nine groundwater subbasins in what the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) refers to as the Upper Santa Ana Valley groundwater basin (California Department of Water Resources, 2016; the DWR naming convention is used within this report), is no exception; steady population growth since the 1940s and changes in water use has forced local water purveyors to regularly adapt their water infrastructure to meet demand. Groundwater has historically been the dominant source of water in the Yucaipa subbasin although recently, imported water via the California State Water Project has augmented the total water supply. Despite the influx of imported water, overall demand for groundwater continues to rise, and there is concern by local water managers that groundwater levels may adversely impact water supply and (or) decline to a point where it will be uneconomical to produce water, severely limiting the ability of local agencies to meet water-supply demand. To better understand the hydrogeology and water resources in the Yucaipa subbasin, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District initiated a cooperative study to understand the hydrogeologic system of the Yucaipa subbasin and in the encompassing Yucaipa Valley watershed (YVW). A three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model was constructed to quantify the structure and extent of hydrogeologic units. Historical and present-day groundwater conditions were characterized to evaluate the groundwater-flow system. Lastly, the Yucaipa Integrated Hydrological Model (YIHM) was developed to simulate the integrated surface-water and groundwater systems, including natural and anthropogenic (that is, human influenced) recharge and discharge throughout the study area from 1947 to 2014. The Yucaipa subbasin is an inland groundwater basin located about 12 miles (mi) southeast of the City of San Bernardino and about 75 mi east of Los Angeles, California. The subbasin encompasses about 39 square miles (mi 2 ), including the City of Yucaipa. The geographic extent of the Yucaipa subbasin was established by the California Department of Water Resources, who defined the boundaries of the subbasin based on hydrogeologic transitions between crystalline rock and basin-fill sediments, active fault strands, surface-water drainage divides, and a portion of an adjudicated groundwater management boundary. Two groundwater subbasins of the Upper Santa Ana Valley groundwater basin are adjacent to the Yucaipa subbasin, the San Bernardino groundwater subbasin to the west and the San Timoteo groundwater subbasin to the south. The Yucaipa subbasin is encompassed by the YVW, which is in turn comprised of three sub-watersheds that represent surface-water flow across and within the Yucaipa subbasin. Although the Yucaipa subbasin is the specific area of interest for this study, the entire YVW was considered for the purposes of characterizing the hydrogeology of the Yucaipa subbasin and for development of the YIHM. The purposes of this report are to (1) describe the hydrologic and hydrogeologic settings of the Yucaipa subbasin and aquifer system, (2) describe the construction and calibration of the fully coupled groundwater and surface-water flow model for the Yucaipa subbasin and the encompassing YVW, referred to as the YIHM, and (3) present numerical results, including water budgets and hydraulic heads, and the effect of pumping and climate stresses (precipitation and temperature) on water-budget components.

California↗
USGS2013

Analysis and inundation mapping of the April-May 2011 flood at selected locations in northern and eastern Arkansas and southern Missouri

Precipitation that fell from April 19 through May 3, 2011, resulted in widespread flooding across northern and eastern Arkansas and southern Missouri. The first storm produced a total of approximately 16 inches of precipitation over an 8-day period, and the following storms produced as much as 12 inches of precipitation over a 2-day period. Moderate to major flooding occurred quickly along many streams within Arkansas and Missouri (including the Black, Cache, Illinois, St. Francis, and White Rivers) at levels that had not been seen since the historic 1927 floods. The 2011 flood claimed an estimated 21 lives in Arkansas and Missouri, and damage caused by the flooding resulted in a Federal Disaster Declaration for 59 Arkansas counties that received Federal or State assistance. To further the goal of documenting and understanding floods, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Little Rock and Memphis Districts, and Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, conducted a study to summarize meteorological and hydrological conditions before the flood; computed flood-peak magnitudes for 39 streamgages; estimated annual exceedance probabilities for 37 of those streamgages; determined the joint probabilities for 11 streamgages paired to the Mississippi River at Helena, Arkansas, which refers to the probability that locations on two paired streams simultaneously experience floods of a magnitude greater than or equal to a given annual exceedance probability; collected high-water marks; constructed flood-peak inundation maps showing maximum flood extent and water depths; and summarized flood damages and effects. For the period of record used in this report, peak-of-record stage occurred at 24 of the 39 streamgages, and peak-of-record streamflow occurred at 13 of the 30 streamgages where streamflow was determined. Annual exceedance probabilities were estimated to be less than 0.5 percent at three streamgages. The joint probability values for streamgages paired with the Mississippi River at Helena, Ark., streamgage indicate a low probability of concurrent flooding with the paired streamgages. The inundation maps show the flood-peak extent and water depth of flooding for two stream reaches on the White River and two on the Black River; the vicinities of the communities of Holly Grove and Cotton Plant, Ark.; a reach of the White River that includes the crossing of Interstate 40 north of De Valls Bluff, Ark.; and the Tailwaters of Beaver Dam near Eureka Springs, Ark., Table Rock Dam near Branson, Mo., and Bull Shoals Dam near Flippin, Ark. The data and inundation maps can be used for flood response, recovery, and planning efforts by Federal, State, and local agencies.

Arkansas;Missouri↗
USGS2019

Capacity and area of Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, northeastern Oklahoma, 2009

In February 2017, the Grand River Dam Authority filed to relicense the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The predominant feature of the Pensacola Hydroelectric Project is Pensacola Dam, which impounds Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (locally called Grand Lake) in northeastern Oklahoma. Identification of information gaps and assessment of project effects on stakeholders are central aspects of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing process. Due to the natural changes to the reservoir over time, new capacity and area tables are needed periodically. The most recent complete capacity and area table was produced in 1940. Capacity and area tables identify the relations between the elevation of the water surface and the volume of water that can be impounded at each water surface elevation. This report (1) presents an updated capacity and area table for Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees for 2009, (2) describes the methods used to calculate the updated capacity and area values presented in the table, and (3) compares the updated capacity table to historical capacity tables produced from a survey in 1940 and from a hydrographic survey of the lake by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board in 2009. The new capacity values computed for Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees indicate that capacity at conservation pool elevation has decreased about 157,000 acre-feet or 10 percent since 1940 and capacity at top of dam elevation has decreased about 200,000 acre-feet or 8 percent since 1940. This difference in the capacities could be attributed to the advancements of technologies; the techniques used for surveying lakes have changed from the 1940 survey to the 2009 survey. Another possible reason for loss in capacity could be as time progresses, lakes like Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees slowly impound sediment carried by the rivers that feed into the lakes, thus diminishing the amount of water that the lake holds. The most recent survey used measured water depths and Global Position System collected electronically, but the methods used to collect data in 1940 are unknown. Due to the advancement of technology, the 2009 survey is likely more precise than the 1940 survey.

Oklahoma↗
USGS2023

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Redding–Red Bluff shallow aquifer study unit, 2019—California GAMA priority basin project

Groundwater quality in the north Sacramento Valley (NSV) was studied in the Redding–Red Bluff shallow aquifer study unit (referred to as the NSV shallow aquifer or NSV-SA) as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is in Shasta and Tehama Counties and included two physiographic study areas: (1) the Redding area to the north and (2) the Red Bluff area to the south. The study was focused on groundwater resources used for domestic drinking-water supply, which are mostly drawn from shallower parts of aquifer systems than those of groundwater resources used for public drinking-water supply in the same area. This assessment characterized the quality of ambient groundwater in the aquifer before filtration or treatment, rather than the quality of drinking water delivered to the tap. The water-quality evaluation in this study has three components: (1) a status assessment, which characterized the quality of the groundwater resources used for domestic supply for 2018–19, in reference to state and national benchmarks; (2) an understanding assessment, which evaluated the natural and human factors potentially affecting water quality in those resources; and (3) a comparison between the groundwater resources used for domestic supply and those used for public supply in the region. The status assessment was based on data collected from 50 sites sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey for the GAMA-PBP in 2018–19. To provide context for the measured concentrations of groundwater constituents compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water regulatory and non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality, relative concentrations (RCs) of groundwater constituents were calculated as the concentration in a sample divided by the respective benchmark. Health-based benchmarks include regulatory and non-regulatory human-health benchmarks such as a maximum contaminant level, notification level, or health-based screening level. Aesthetic-based benchmarks are regulatory or non-regulatory non-health-based benchmarks that can affect the color or taste of water. A grid-based method was used to estimate the proportions of the groundwater resources used for domestic drinking wells that have water-quality constituents below (low), approaching (moderate, greater than half the benchmark), or above (high) benchmark concentrations. This method provides statistically unbiased results at the study-area scale and permits comparisons to other GAMA-PBP study areas.

California↗
USGS2006

Channel morphology and bed-sediment characteristics before and after riparian vegetation clearing in the Cottonwood Ranch, Platte River, Nebraska, water years 2001-2004

Riparian areas along a reach of Platte River passing through Nebraska Public Power District's Cottonwood Ranch Property were modified during 2002 to 2004 to enhance in-channel habitats for endangered and threatened avian species. A component of this alteration involved the removal of riparian vegetation from riverbanks and islands to provide roosting habitat for the endangered whooping crane and to provide nesting and foraging habitat for the endangered least tern and threatened piping plover. It was hypothesized that the removal of riparian vegetation could have the effect of stimulating channel widening in this reach by increasing the potential of these surfaces to erode under natural fluvial action. It also was hypothesized that as a direct or indirect consequence of the alterations, a local increase in sediment supply also might occur, potentially resulting in geomorphic change downstream and possibly initiating negative third-party effects. The cumulative effects of the management activities on the channel morphology and sediment transport in this reach were monitored during water years 2001-2004 by measuring transect elevation profiles and bed-sediment-size gradations upstream, within, and downstream from the managed area before and after the development activities. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if the geomorphic variables measured before and after the development activities were significantly different. Although statistically significant differences were detected in some of the variables, increases in mean bed elevation did not occur in a greater percentage of the monitoring sections measured downstream compared to upstream from the management activities. This result suggests that the management activities did not have a substantial effect on the downstream river channel morphology and sediment transport. However, it is important to place these short-term and site-specific results in the context that river flows following the management activities were at historical low rates, and therefore the potential to affect and the opportunity to detect possible geomorphic change within and downstream from the managed reach were limited.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

Application guide for AFINCH (Analysis of Flows in Networks of Channels) described by NHDPlus

AFINCH (Analysis of Flows in Networks of CHannels) is a computer application that can be used to generate a time series of monthly flows at stream segments (flowlines) and water yields for catchments defined in the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) value-added attribute system. AFINCH provides a basis for integrating monthly flow data from streamgages, water-use data, monthly climatic data, and land-cover characteristics to estimate natural monthly water yields from catchments by user-defined regression equations. Images of monthly water yields for active streamgages are generated in AFINCH and provide a basis for detecting anomalies in water yields, which may be associated with undocumented flow diversions or augmentations. Water yields are multiplied by the drainage areas of the corresponding catchments to estimate monthly flows. Flows from catchments are accumulated downstream through the streamflow network described by the stream segments. For stream segments where streamgages are active, ratios of measured to accumulated flows are computed. These ratios are applied to upstream water yields to proportionally adjust estimated flows to match measured flows. Flow is conserved through the NHDPlus network. A time series of monthly flows can be generated for stream segments that average about 1-mile long, or monthly water yields from catchments that average about 1 square mile. Estimated monthly flows can be displayed within AFINCH, examined for nonstationarity, and tested for monotonic trends. Monthly flows also can be used to estimate flow-duration characteristics at stream segments. AFINCH generates output files of monthly flows and water yields that are compatible with ArcMap, a geographical information system analysis and display environment. Chloropleth maps of monthly water yield and flow can be generated and analyzed within ArcMap by joining NHDPlus data structures with AFINCH output. Matlab code for the AFINCH application is presented.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2017

Groundwater discharge to the Mississippi River and groundwater balances for the Interstate 94 Corridor surficial aquifer, Clearwater to Elk River, Minnesota, 2012–14

The Interstate 94 Corridor has been identified as 1 of 16 Minnesota groundwater areas of concern because of its limited available groundwater resources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, completed six seasonal and annual groundwater balances for parts of the Interstate 94 Corridor surficial aquifer to better understand its long-term (next several decades) sustainability. A high-precision Mississippi River groundwater discharge measurement of 5.23 cubic feet per second per mile was completed at low-flow conditions to better inform these groundwater balances. The recharge calculation methods RISE program and Soil-Water-Balance model were used to inform the groundwater balances. For the RISE-derived recharge estimates, the range was from 3.30 to 11.91 inches per year; for the SWB-derived recharge estimates, the range was from 5.23 to 17.06 inches per year. Calculated groundwater discharges ranged from 1.45 to 5.06 cubic feet per second per mile, a ratio of 27.7 to 96.4 percent of the measured groundwater discharge. Ratios of groundwater pumping to total recharge ranged from 8.6 to 97.2 percent, with the longer-term groundwater balances ranging from 12.9 to 19 percent. Overall, this study focused on the surficial aquifer system and its interactions with the Mississippi River. During the study period (October 1, 2012, through November 30, 2014), six synoptic measurements, along with continuous groundwater hydrographs, rainfall records, and a compilation of the pertinent irrigation data, establishes the framework for future groundwater modeling efforts.

Minnesota↗
USGS2022

Groundwater-level altitudes and groundwater-flow direction and nature and extent of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds at Petro-Chemical Systems, Inc. (Turtle Bayou), Superfund site, Liberty County, Texas, 2020

The Petro-Chemical Systems, Inc. (Turtle Bayou), Superfund site is 15 miles southeast of Liberty, Texas, in Liberty County. Improper disposal of waste oils led to contamination of soil and groundwater at the site. In cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey collected water-quality samples from 11 monitoring wells at the site, in particular the area near well MW-109A (the MW-109 area), in August and September 2020 and compared the water-quality results to the results from previous water-quality sampling events at the site in June 2016 and August 2018 with a focus on benzene concentrations. Contours of groundwater-level altitudes in the MW-109 area indicate that groundwater-flow direction is south-southeasterly in the eastern part and south-southwesterly in the western part. Of the 51 volatile organic compounds analyzed, 13 were detected in groundwater samples from 1 or more wells. In all but 1 well, MW-109A, concentrations of these compounds were less than 100 micrograms per liter. Benzene is still the principal contaminant of concern, as it persists at concentrations exceeding 53,000 micrograms per liter, although naphthalene also appears to be a contaminant of concern, as it was detected at the greatest concentration of any semivolatile organic compound analyte (1,100 micrograms per liter in the sample from well MW-109A).

Texas↗
USGS2017

Simulation of groundwater and surface-water flow in the upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon

This report describes a hydrologic model for the upper Deschutes Basin in central Oregon developed using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) integrated Groundwater and Surface-Water Flow model (GSFLOW). The upper Deschutes Basin, which drains much of the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, is underlain by large areas of permeable volcanic rock. That permeability, in combination with the large annual precipitation at high elevations, results in a substantial regional aquifer system and a stream system that is heavily groundwater dominated. The upper Deschutes Basin is also an area of expanding population and increasing water demand for public supply and agriculture. Surface water was largely developed for agricultural use by the mid-20th century, and is closed to additional appropriations. Consequently, water users look to groundwater to satisfy the growing demand. The well‑documented connection between groundwater and the stream system, and the institutional and legal restrictions on streamflow depletion by wells, resulted in the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) instituting a process whereby additional groundwater pumping can be permitted only if the effects to streams are mitigated, for example, by reducing permitted surface-water diversions. Implementing such a program requires understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of effects to streams from groundwater pumping. A groundwater model developed in the early 2000s by the USGS and OWRD has been used to provide insights into the distribution of streamflow depletion by wells, but lacks spatial resolution in sensitive headwaters and spring areas. The integrated model developed for this project, based largely on the earlier model, has a much finer grid spacing allowing resolution of sensitive headwater streams and important spring areas, and simulates a more complete set of surface processes as well as runoff and groundwater flow. In addition, the integrated model includes improved representation of subsurface geology and explicitly simulates the effects of hydrologically important fault zones not included in the previous model. The upper Deschutes Basin GSFLOW model was calibrated using an iterative trial and error approach using measured water-level elevations (water levels) from 800 wells, 144 of which have time series of 10 or more measurements. Streamflow was calibrated using data from 21 gage locations. At 14 locations where measured flows are heavily influenced by reservoir operations and irrigation diversions, so called “ naturalized ” flows, with the effects of reservoirs and diversion removed, developed by the Bureau of Reclamation, were used for calibration. Surface energy and moisture processes such as solar radiation, snow accumulation and melting, and evapotranspiration were calibrated using national datasets as well as data from long-term measurement sites in the basin. The calibrated Deschutes GSFLOW model requires daily precipitation, minimum and maximum air temperature data, and monthly data describing groundwater pumping and artificial recharge from leaking irrigation canals (which are a significant source of groundwater recharge). The calibrated model simulates the geographic distribution of hydraulic head over the 5,000 ft range measured in the basin, with a median absolute residual of about 53 ft. Temporal variations in head resulting from climate cycles, pumping, and canal leakage are well simulated over the model area. Simulated daily streamflow matches gaged flows or calculated naturalized flows for streams including the Crooked and Metolius Rivers, and lower parts of the mainstem Deschutes River. Seasonal patterns of runoff are less well fit in some upper basin streams. Annual water balances of streamflow are good over most of the model domain. Model fit and overall capabilities are appropriate for the objectives of the project. The integrated model results confirm findings from other studies and models indicating that most streamflow in the upper Deschutes Basin comes directly from groundwater discharge. The integrated model provides additional insights about the components of streamflow including direct groundwater discharge to streams, interflow, groundwater discharge to the land surface (Dunnian flow), and direct runoff (Hortonian flow). The new model provides improved capability for exploring the timing and distribution of streamflow capture by wells, and the hydrologic response to changes in other external stresses such as canal operation, irrigation, and drought. Because the model uses basic meteorological data as the primary input; and simulates surface energy and moisture balances, groundwater recharge and flow, and all components of streamflow; it is well suited for exploring the hydrologic response to climate change, although no such simulations are included in this report. The model was developed as a tool for future application; however, example simulations are provided in this report. In the example simulations, the model is used to explore the influence of well location and geologic structure on stream capture by pumping wells. Wells were simulated at three locations within a 12-mi area close to known groundwater discharge areas and crossed by a regional fault zone. Simulations indicate that the magnitude and timing of stream capture from pumping is largely controlled by the geographic location of the wells, but that faults can have a large influence on the propagation of pumping stresses.

Oregon↗
USGS2025

Grammar to graph—An approach for semantic transformation of annotations to triples

Data annotation is the process of labeling data to show the outcome that a related data model should predict. In this study, annotation data were transformed into semantic graph triples, mainly for use with the Resource Description Framework (RDF), a type of entity-relationship-attribute data model for graph databases. The transformation of annotation data to semantic graph triples provides complex linguistic meaning with data handling advantages such as reduced data storage needs, improved logical specification of relations between objects, and reusable classes and properties that support logic and inference. A grammar-based framework in graph form supports user questions and queries. The words defining approximately 334 topographic feature types compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey were tokenized as units of analysis and grouped by part of speech. Their dependency relations were identified for this study using natural language processing libraries. Dependency concepts are used as structured semantic relations among part-of-speech classes. Tokens, units equivalent to words, form instances of classes and were quantified within a tabular output format using PostgreSQL data storage software. Table data were logically aligned as triples following a mapping file and stored with an ontology file using Ontop virtual triplestore software. A grammar ontology schema for the data was synchronized to match queries whose results validated the graph’s structure. The text analysis produced 8 part-of-speech classes of content words for object representations and 4 classes of function words for operational applications. Dependency relations formed 27 ontology properties for topographic subgraph structures. Token occurrences shaped overall ontology salience and formed a lexicon of syntactic terms for subgraph objects and properties. The schema ontology of class and property population shapes formed the lexicon of English terms. SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL) was used with the lexicon to conform data to RDF guidelines. This study confirms the hypothesis that although linguistic logic varies from description logic, its approximation applies to ontology design. Property and query use case patterns extracted from the analysis support queries concerning complex topographic relations and patterns normally embedded within text definitions. The method used in this study could be applied to text forms in other domains, such as survey notes.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

Floods of Selected Streams in Arkansas, Spring 2008

Floods can cause loss of life and extensive destruction to property. Monitoring floods and understanding the reasons for their occurrence are the responsibility of many Federal agencies. The National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Geological Survey are among the most visible of these agencies. Together, these three agencies collect and analyze floodflow information to better understand the variety of mechanisms that cause floods, and how the characteristics and frequencies of floods vary with time and location. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has monitored and assessed the quantity of streamflow in our Nation's streams since the agency's inception in 1879. Because of ongoing collection and assessment of streamflow data, the USGS can provide information about a range of surface-water issues including the suitability of water for public supply and irrigation and the effects of agriculture and urbanization on streamflow. As part of its streamflow-data collection activities, the USGS measured streamflow in multiple streams during extreme flood events in Arkansas in the spring of 2008. The analysis of streamflow information collected during flood events such as these provides a scientific basis for decision making related to resource management and restoration. Additionally, this information can be used by water-resource managers to better define flood-hazard areas and to design bridges, culverts, dams, levees, and other structures. Water levels (stage) and streamflow (discharge) currently are being monitored in near real-time at approximately 150 locations in Arkansas. The streamflow-gaging stations measure and record hydrologic data at 15-minute or hourly intervals; the data then are transmitted through satellites to the USGS database and displayed on the internet every 1 to 4 hours. Streamflow-gaging stations in Arkansas are part of a network of over 7,500 active streamflow-gaging stations operated by the USGS throughout the United States in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local government agencies. In Arkansas, the major supporters of the streamflow-gaging network are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, and Arkansas Geological Survey. Many other Federal, State, and local government entities provide additional support for streamflow-gaging stations. It is the combined support of the USGS and all funding partners that make it possible to maintain an adequate streamflow-gaging network in Arkansas. Data collected over the years at streamflow-gaging stations can be used to characterize the relative magnitude of flood events and their statistical frequency of occurrence. These analyses provide water-resource managers with accurate and reliable hydrologic information based on present and historical flow conditions. Continued collection of streamflow data, with consideration of changes in land use, agricultural practices, and climate change, will help scientists to more accurately characterize the magnitude of extreme floods in the future.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2024

Two-dimensional hydraulic model for the Chain of Lakes on the Fox River near McHenry, Illinois

Forecasts of flows entering and leaving the Chain of Lakes on the Fox River in northeastern Illinois are critical information to water-resource managers operating the Stratton Dam at McHenry, Illinois. These managers determine the optimal operation of the Stratton Dam at McHenry, Ill., to manage Chain of Lakes pool levels and to help mitigate flooding in the Chain of Lakes system. In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources–Office of Water Resources (IDNR–OWR) began a cooperative study to develop a system to enable engineers and planners to simulate and communicate water-surface elevations and flows and to proactively prepare for runoff events forecasted for the Chain of Lakes. The hydraulic model described in this report may be helpful to the IDNR–OWR for optimizing the operation of the Stratton Dam and includes the implementation of three newly installed torque-tube crest gates that became operational in 2020. The hydraulic model for the Chain of Lakes was developed using the Hydrologic Engineering Center–River Analysis System program (version 6.5). The hydraulic model was used to simulate water-surface elevations and flows through the 18.5-mile Chain of Lakes system to 1.7 miles downstream from the Stratton Dam. Five USGS streamgages within the study area were used as reference points for model calibration and initial water-surface elevations for beginning a simulation. The hydraulic model was calibrated to three runoff events that incorporated the design specifications and observed gate operations of the Stratton Dam; furthermore, the hydraulic model simulated a validation event and a substantial flooding event during July 2017. The July 2017 event predated the torque-tube crest gate installation but nevertheless tested the performance of the model for such a substantial event. The model simulation results were a good fit to observed records at USGS streamgages with simulated peak water-surface elevations within −0.36–0.15 foot of observed events. The hydraulic model was then implemented into a forecast workflow that streamlines implementation of model inputs and documents the model outputs tailored to IDNR–OWS Stratton Dam operations and interpretations of simulated water-surface elevations and flows.

Illinois↗
USGS2005

Ground-water quality in the carbonate-rock aquifer of the Great Basin, Nevada and Utah, 2003

The carbonate-rock aquifer of the Great Basin is named for the thick sequence of Paleozoic limestone and dolomite with lesser amounts of shale, sandstone, and quartzite. It lies primarily in the eastern half of the Great Basin and includes areas of eastern Nevada and western Utah as well as the Death Valley area of California and small parts of Arizona and Idaho. The carbonate-rock aquifer is contained within the Basin and Range Principal Aquifer, one of 16 principal aquifers selected for study by the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water- Quality Assessment Program. Water samples from 30 ground-water sites (20 in Nevada and 10 in Utah) were collected in the summer of 2003 and analyzed for major anions and cations, nutrients, trace elements, dissolved organic carbon, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, radon, and microbiology. Water samples from selected sites also were analyzed for the isotopes oxygen-18, deuterium, and tritium to determine recharge sources and the occurrence of water recharged since the early 1950s. Primary drinking-water standards were exceeded for several inorganic constituents in 30 water samples from the carbonate-rock aquifer. The maximum contaminant level was exceeded for concentrations of dissolved antimony (6 μg/L) in one sample, arsenic (10 μg/L) in eleven samples, and thallium (2 μg/L) in one sample. Secondary drinking-water regulations were exceeded for several inorganic constituents in water samples: chloride (250 mg/L) in five samples, fluoride (2 mg/L) in two samples, iron (0.3 mg/L) in four samples, manganese (0.05 mg/L) in one sample, sulfate (250 mg/L) in three samples, and total dissolved solids (500 mg/L) in seven samples. Six different pesticides or metabolites were detected at very low concentrations in the 30 water samples. The lack of VOC detections in water sampled from most of the sites is evidence thatVOCs are not common in the carbonate-rock aquifer. Arsenic values for water range from 0.7 to 45.7 μg/L, with a median value of 9.6 μg/L. Factors affecting arsenic concentration in the carbonate-rock aquifer in addition to geothermal heating are its natural occurrence in the aquifer material and time of travel along the flow path. Most of the chemical analyses, especially for VOCs and nutrients, indicate little, if any, effect of overlying land-use patterns on ground-water quality. The water quality in recharge areas for the aquifer where human activities are more intense may be affected by urban and/or agricultural land uses as evidenced by pesticide detections. The proximity of the carbonate-rock aquifer at these sites to the land surface and the potential for local recharge to occur through the fractured rock likely results in the occurrence of these and other land-surface related contaminants in the ground water. Water from sites sampled near outcrops of carbonate-rock aquifer likely has a much shorter residence time resulting in a potential for detection of anthropogenic or land-surface related compounds. Sites located in discharge areas of the flow systems or wells that are completed at a great depth below the land surface generally show no effects of land-use activities on water quality. Flow times within the carbonate-rock aquifer, away from recharge areas, are on the order of thousands of years, so any contaminants introduced at the land surface that will not degrade along the flow path have not reached the sampled sites in these areas.

Nevada, Utah↗
USGS2010

Surface-water quantity and quality, aquatic biology, stream geomorphology, and groundwater-flow simulation for National Guard Training Center at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, 2002-05

Base-line and long-term monitoring of water resources of the National Guard Training Center at Fort Indiantown Gap in south-central Pennsylvania began in 2002. Results of continuous monitoring of streamflow and turbidity and monthly and stormflow water-quality samples from two continuous-record long-term stream sites, periodic collection of water-quality samples from five miscellaneous stream sites, and annual collection of biological data from 2002 to 2005 at 27 sites are discussed. In addition, results from a stream-geomorphic analysis and classification and a regional groundwater-flow model are included. Streamflow at the facility was above normal for the 2003 through 2005 water years and extremely high-flow events occurred in 2003 and in 2004. Water-quality samples were analyzed for nutrients, sediments, metals, major ions, pesticides, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, and explosives. Results indicated no exceedances for any constituent (except iron) above the primary and secondary drinking-water standards or health-advisory levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Iron concentrations were naturally elevated in the groundwater within the watershed because of bedrock lithology. The majority of the constituents were at or below the method detection limit. Sediment loads were dominated by precipitation due to the remnants of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. More than 60 percent of the sediment load measured during the entire study was transported past the streamgage in just 2 days during that event. Habitat and aquatic-invertebrate data were collected in the summers of 2002-05, and fish data were collected in 2004. Although 2002 was a drought year, 2003-05 were above-normal flow years. Results indicated a wide diversity in invertebrates, good numbers of taxa (distinct organisms), and on the basis of a combination of metrics, the majority of the 27 sites indicated no or slight impairment. Fish-metric data from 25 sites indicated results similar to the invertebrate data. Stream classification based on evolution of the stream channels indicates about 94 percent of the channels were considered to be in equilibrium (type B or C channels), neither aggrading nor eroding. A regional, uncalibrated groundwater-flow model indicated the surface-water and groundwater-flow divides coincided. Because of folding of rock layers, groundwater was under confined conditions and nearly all the water leaves the facility via the streams.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2016

A spatially explicit suspended-sediment load model for western Oregon

We calibrated the watershed model SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes) to give estimates of suspended-sediment loads for western Oregon and parts of northwestern California. Estimates of suspended-sediment loads were derived from a nonlinear least squares regression that related explanatory variables representing landscape and transport conditions to measured suspended-sediment loads at 68 measurement stations. The model gives estimates of model coefficients and their uncertainty within a spatial framework defined by the National Hydrography Dataset Plus hydrologic network. The resulting model explained 64 percent of the variability in suspended-sediment yield and had a root mean squared error value of 0.737. The predictor variables selected for the final model were (1) generalized lithologic province, (2) mean annual precipitation, and (3) burned area (by recent wildfire). Other landscape characteristics also were considered, but they were not significant predictors of sediment transport, were strongly correlated with another predictor variable, or were not as significant as the predictors selected for the final model. The northern Oregon coastal drainages had the highest predicted suspended sediment yields (median yield 475 kilograms per hectare per year) and the Klamath River Basin had the lowest (median yield 53 kilograms per hectare per year). Quaternary deposits were, on average, the largest contributor to incremental suspended-sediment yield even though this lithologic province only makes up 17 percent of the modeling domain. Coast Range sedimentary rocks and Coast Range volcanic rocks had high suspended-sediment yields whereas, in addition to the Klamath terrane, the Western Cascade and High Cascade lithologic provinces had low suspended-sediment yields. Precipitation and the area affected by recent wildfire both positively correlated with suspended-sediment load. Suspended-sediment transport rates predicted by this SPARROW model are less than historical (1956–73) and long‑term (thousands of years) geological rates. This difference likely results, in part, from biases in the data underlying the SPARROW model, probably resulting in predicted suspended-sediment estimates that underestimate actual transport rates. However, the differences also likely owe to natural and human-caused variation in suspended-sediment yields as they respond to changes in climate, vegetation, fire frequency, and land use. In particular, decreases in mean annual suspended-sediment yields within the Umpqua River Basin since 1956–73 may owe to less intense forest harvest, passage of the Oregon Forest Practices Act of 1971, and increased emphasis in habitat protection in recent decades. Such sensitivity may have implications for the spatial and temporal distributions of aquatic and riparian habitats. Knowledge of the regionally important patterns and factors in suspended-sediment sources and transport could support broad-scale, water-quality management objectives and priorities. Because of biases and limitations of this model, however, these results are most applicable for general comparisons and for broad areas such as large watersheds. For example, despite having similar area, precipitation, and land-use, the Umpqua River Basin generates 68 percent more suspended sediment than the Rogue River Basin, chiefly because of the large area of Coast Range sedimentary province in the Umpqua River Basin. By contrast, the Rogue River Basin contains a much larger area of Klamath terrane rocks, which produce significantly less suspended load, although recent fire disturbance (in 2002) has apparently elevated suspended sediment yields in the tributary Illinois River watershed. Fine-scaled analysis, however, will require more intensive, locally focused measurements.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2024

Isolation and identification of microcystin-degrading bacteria in Lake Erie source waters and drinking-water plant sand filters

The increasing prevalence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms and the toxins they produce is a global water-quality issue. In the Western Basin of Lake Erie, high microcystin concentrations have led to water-quality advisories, process adjustments for treating drinking water, and increased water-quality monitoring. Biodegradation is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to reduce concentrations of microcystins in drinking water; however, few studies have been done to determine biodegradation potential of bacteria indigenous to the Lake Erie watershed. As part of a cooperative program between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this study aimed to identify naturally occurring microcystin-degrading bacteria in source waters and in the sand filters of drinking-water treatment plants in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Biodegradation of microcystin-LR was found to occur in microcosms developed with three different Lake Erie-area sources—Lake Erie water, water from storage reservoirs supplied by inland streams, and water or solid medium from sand/anthracite filters at drinking-water plants. In microplates with microcystin-LR as the sole carbon source, 10 isolates exhibited cellular respiration and were, therefore, identified as promising microcystin biodegraders; 4 of those isolates subsequently were found to have potential to form biofilms. The 10 promising isolates along with 14 additional isolates from the microcosms were identified by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing: 15 isolates were γ-proteobacteria, 6 isolates were β-proteobacteria, 1 isolate was an α-proteobacterium, 1 isolate was a flavobacterium in the phylum Bacteroidetes , and 1 isolate was in the phylum Actinobacteria . Isolates were screened for possession of the mlrA gene (found to encode for the protein responsible for cleaving the cyclic structure of microcystin), and results indicate that, for Lake Erie source waters and elsewhere, more work would be required to identify microcystin-biodegradation pathways and products and to confirm biodegradation rates in pure culture isolates.

Lake Erie↗
USGS2015

Water-budgets and recharge-area simulations for the Spring Creek and Nittany Creek Basins and parts of the Spruce Creek Basin, Centre and Huntingdon Counties, Pennsylvania, Water Years 2000–06

This report describes the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with ClearWater Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to develop a hydrologic model to simulate a water budget and identify areas of greater than average recharge for the Spring Creek Basin in central Pennsylvania. The model was developed to help policy makers, natural resource managers, and the public better understand and manage the water resources in the region. The Groundwater and Surface-water FLOW model (GSFLOW), which is an integration of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) and the Modular Groundwater Flow Model (MODFLOW-NWT), was used to simulate surface water and groundwater in the Spring Creek Basin for water years 2000–06. Because the groundwater and surface-water divides for the Spring Creek Basin do not coincide, the study area includes the Nittany Creek Basin and headwaters of the Spruce Creek Basin. The hydrologic model was developed by the use of a stepwise process: (1) develop and calibrate a PRMS model and steady-state MODFLOW-NWT model; (2) re-calibrate the steady-state MODFLOW-NWT model using potential recharge estimates simulated from the PRMS model, and (3) integrate the PRMS and MODFLOW-NWT models into GSFLOW. The individually calibrated PRMS and MODFLOW-NWT models were used as a starting point for the calibration of the fully coupled GSFLOW model. The GSFLOW model calibration was done by comparing observations and corresponding simulated values of streamflow from 11 streamgages and groundwater levels from 16 wells. The cumulative water budget and individual water budgets for water years 2000–06 were simulated by using GSFLOW. The largest source and sink terms are represented by precipitation and evapotranspiration, respectively. For the period simulated, a net surplus in the water budget was computed where inflows exceeded outflows by about 1.7 billion cubic feet (0.47 inches per year over the basin area); storage increased by about the same amount to balance the budget. The rate and distribution of recharge throughout the Spring Creek, Nittany Creek, and Spruce Creek Basins is variable as a result of the high degree of hydrogeologic heterogeneity and karst features. The greatest amount of recharge was simulated in the carbonate-bedrock valley, near the toe slopes of Nittany and Tussey Mountains, in the Scotia Barrens, and along the area coinciding with the Gatesburg Formation. Runoff extremes were observed for water years 2001 (dry year) and 2004 (wet year). Simulated average recharge rates (water reaching the saturated zone as defined in GSFLOW) for 2001 and 2004 were 5.4 in/yr and 22.0 in/yr, respectively. Areas where simulations show large variations in annual recharge between wet and dry years are the same areas where simulated recharge was large. Those areas where rates of groundwater recharge are much higher than average, and are capable of accepting substantially greater quantities of recharge during wet years, might be considered critical for maintaining the flow of springs, stream base flow, or the source of water to supply wells. The slopes of the Bald Eagle, Tussey, and Nittany Mountains are relatively insensitive to variations in recharge, primarily because of reduced infiltration rates and steep slopes.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2006

Characterization of near-surface geology and possible voids using resistivity and electromagnetic methods at the Gran Quivira Unit of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, central New Mexico, June 2005

At the Gran Quivira Unit of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in central New Mexico, a partially excavated pueblo known as Mound 7 has recently become architecturally unstable. Historical National Park Service records indicate both natural caves and artificial tunnels may be present in the area. Knowledge of the local near-surface geology and possible locations of voids would aid in preservation of the ruins. Time-domain and frequency-domain electromagnetic as well as direct-current resistivity methods were used to characterize the electrical structure of the near-surface geology and to identify discrete electrical features that may be associated with voids. Time-domain electromagnetic soundings indicate three major electrical layers; however, correlation of these layers to geologic units was difficult because of the variability of lithologic data from existing test holes. Although resistivity forward modeling was unable to conclusively determine the presence or absence of voids in most cases, the high-resistivity values (greater than 5,000 ohm-meters) in the direct-current resistivity data indicate that voids may exist in the upper 50 meters. Underneath Mound 7, there is a possibility of large voids below a depth of 20 meters, but there is no indication of substantial voids in the upper 20 meters. Gridded lines and profiled inversions of frequency-domain electromagnetic data showed excellent correlation to resistivity features in the upper 5 meters of the direct-current resistivity data. This technique showed potential as a reconnaissance tool for detecting voids in the very near surface.

New Mexico↗