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At least 1,405 records · Page 78Linked to original sources
USGS1988

Changes in the morphometry of Las Vegas Wash and the impact on water quality

Las Vegas Wash, a natural wash east of Las Vegas, Nevada, carries stormwater, groundwater drainage, and sewage effluent from two sewage treatment plants to Lake Mean. Over 80 percent of the normal discharge of approximately 3.4 m 3 /s (120 ft 3 /s) consists of effluent from the City of Las Vegas and Clark County sewage treatment plants. Beginning in the 1950s, a large wetland area developed along the wash that supported waterfowl populations and contributed to some water quality transformations. Heavy rains and subsequent flooding in the area in 1983 and 1984 resulted in erosion and channelization that greatly reduced the wetland area within Las Vegas Wash. The reduction in wetland area shortened water travel time in the wash and affected water quality. The primary impacts on the water entering Lake Mead have been an increase in temperature, a decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration, and an increase in ammonia levels. Other physical-chemical parameters and changes in nutrient transformations are also discussed.

Nevada↗
USGS1988

Reproduction in black-crowned night-herons fed selenium

Agricultural and industrial practices can produce wastewater that contains high concentrations of selenium, a naturally-occurring trace element. Selenium entering aquatic systems through wastewater inflow can accumulate in aquatic food chains to levels that may be toxic to fish and wildlife species. Mallard reproduction is known to be adversely affected by 10 ppm selenium in the diet (containing 7–10 percent moisture, in the form of selenomethionine); however, hatching success of eggs laid by black-crowned night-herons fed a 10 ppm selenium diet, as selenomethionine, in this study was not different from eggs laid by herons fed an unsupplemented diet (0.1 ppm selenium). Organ weights, hemoglobin concentrations, hematocrits, eggshell thickness, and shell thickness did not differ between controls and herons receiving 10 ppm selenium. Developmental malformations commonly associated with selenium exposure in other birds were not observed in heron embryos or hatchlings in the 10 ppm group. However, three-day-old hatchlings from herons fed 10 ppm selenium had shorter radius-ulna and femur lengths and higher liver malondialdehyde concentrations than controls. Selenium residues in heron eggs were lower than those reported in mallards fed the same amount of selenium. Results of this study suggest that herons are less sensitive to the toxic effects of selenium than mallards. Other hypotheses are also considered to explain the different responses of the two species.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1988

Selenium levels in biota from irrigation drainwater impoundments in the San Joaquin Valley, California

Waterfowl, fish, invertebrates, and plants were collected from impoundments used for evaporating subsurface irrigation drainwater in Kings and Kern counties, California. Specimens were analyzed for trace elements with emphasis on selenium. Dry weight concentrations of total selenium ranged from 2.5 to 17 μg/g in wigeongrass, Ruppia maritima ; 7.6 to 30 μg/g in water boatmen, Corixidae ; 12 to 40 μ/g in mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis ; 86 to 100 μg/g in eared grebe, Podiceps niqricollis , livers; 14 to 120 μg/g in ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis , livers; and 6.8 to 48 μg/g in northern shoveler, Anas clypeata , livers. Concentrations of dissolved selenium ranged from less than 1 to 37 μg/L during a 12-month period for inflows to the drainwater evaporation ponds.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1989

Contaminant residues in fish from Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge

Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, Madison Parish, Louisiana, consists of bottomland hardwood swamps interspersed with small lakes and bayous supporting a diverse assemblage of waterfowl, fish, and assorted species of game and nongame wildlife. Fish collected in the refuge in 1984–85 from areas receiving direct inflow from agricultural runoff contained from 5 to 10 μg/g total DDT (primarily DDE) and toxaphene (measured on a whole-body, wet-weight basis). These concentrations in fish, which were still high enough to pose a threat to fish-eating birds and wildlife, demonstrated that residues from past use of DDT and toxaphene in the area were still available for transport and uptake. In future water projects, the incorporation of structures to prevent contaminated runoff from entering the refuge should reduce waterborne contamination to the refuge.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1996

Development of a 10-year limnological study of Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA

This paper summarizes the development of a limnological study of Crater Lake conducted between 1983 and 1992. The program was mandated by Congress in the fall of 1982 after a panel of limnologists found the lake data base (1896–1981) to be inadequate to determine if the phytoplankton community had changed and if the lake was decreasing in clarity as suggested from independent studies between 1978 and 1981. Congress authorized and directed the Secretary of the Interior to promptly instigate studies and investigations as to the status and trends of changes of water quality and to immediately implement such actions as necessary to assure the retention of the lake's natural pristine water quality. Program goals were to develop a detailed data base and an understanding of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and processes of the lake. Ecological relationships among trophic levels and environmental conditions were stressed to evaluate the hypothesis that the lake had changed in water quality and clarity.

Journal of Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1996

Temperature, water chemistry, and optical properties of Crater Lake

Water temperature, water chemistry, and optical properties of Crater Lake were studied from 1983 to 1991. In winter and spring, wind energy and convection mixed the water column to a depth of 200 to 250 m. The lake was thermally stratified in summer and early fall; however, the epilimnion was only 5 to 20 m thick, and most of the 589 m deep water column was a cold hypolimnion. The lake was slightly basic, with moderate alkalinity and conductivity. The water column was oxygenated, although slight decreases in dissolved oxygen concentration were noticed near the lake bottom in late summer and early fall. Phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations were low. Orthophosphorus-P concentrations increased slightly with increased lake depth, whereas nitrate-N was below detection limits in the upper 200 m of the water column and then increased with increased lake depth. Secchi disk clarity typically varied from the high-20-m to low-30-m range. The depth of 1 % surface incident light (425–655 nm) in July and August typically ranged between 80 and 100 m. The results also indicated that water temperature, water chemistry, and optical properties of the lake between 1983 and 1991 were consistent with those observed between 1896 and 1982.

Journal of Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1996

Chemical solute mass balance of Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake covers the floor of the caldera at the top of Mount Mazama. Surrounded by steep walls, the water surface of the lake occupies 78 percent of the catchment basin. No major rivers empty into the lake, and there is no surface outlet Based on a chemical solute mass balance model, mass inputs of major solute chemical components (Na, Ca, K, Mg, SO 4 , Cl, Si, and HCO 3 ) from atmospheric deposition and caldera springs do not equal the mass output in seepage from the lake. One or more previously unquantified sources must be present in the lake or watershed system to account for the calculated deficits of mass inputs which range from 50 to 90 percent of mass outputs. A hydrothermal source, with a flow rate of approximately 6 percent of me seepage rate and chemical composition similar to saline fluids found in isolated pockets on the bottom of Crater Lake and to hydrothermal springs in die Cascade Mountain Range, could account for the calculated input mass deficits for major solute chemical components. Atmospheric bulk deposition (wet plus dry) may account for up to 90 percent of nitrogen and 30 percent of phosphorus inputs to Crater Lake. A net removal of nutrients from the lake water column occurs through internal processes, most likely burial of cellular debris in sediments.

Journal of Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1996

Taxonomic structure and productivity of phytoplankton assemblages in Crater Lake, Oregon

Interactions among physical, chemical, and biological components and processes in Crater Lake result in a complex and dynamic ecosystem. In winter and spring, wind energy mixes the lake to a depth of about 200 m. During this period, episodic sinking of cold water below the depth of 200 m produces an upwelling of nutrient-rich water from the deep lake, a process that has a strong influence on the concentrations of nutrients available to phytoplankton in the euphotic zone. Patterns of upwelling are variable from year to year, and physical data indicate that water from the deep lake is completely mixed with surface water every 1–4 years. Phytoplankton cell biovolume and total chlorophyll are distributed uniformly to the depth of 200 m in winter and spring, at which time maximum rates of primary production occur in the upper 60 m of the water column. The onset of thermal stratification in July is associated with development of a chlorophyll maximum at depths between 100 and 140 m and a downward shift of the primary production maximum to depths between 60 and 100 m. Thermal stratification also is accompanied by a stratified distribution of phytoplankton populations that is characterized by assemblages with low species diversity and high dominance in the epilimnion and assemblages with higher diversity and lower dominance in the metalimnion and upper hypolimnion. Therefore, the thermal properties of the upper 200 m of Crater Lake, and associated changes in light and nutrients with increasing depth, are closely related to structural and functional attributes of phytoplankton assemblages in the water column.

Journal of Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1996

Zooplankton assemblages in Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

The zooplankton community in Crater Lake was comprised of 11 rotifer species and 2 species of cladocerans. Most zooplankton taxa were distributed in winter and spring from the lake surface to a depth of about 200 m, the maximum depth of mixing of lake waters by wind energy. The distribution of zooplankton species was partitioned in the water column to a depth of 200 m during summer and fall, which corresponded to the period when the lake was thermally stratified. At that time of year, zooplankton density in die upper 20 m of the water column was very low, whereas highest densities were found in the depth interval between 80 and 120 m. Closely related or competing species were found in different portions of the water column. Daphnia pulicaria the largest cladoceran species, was cyclic in abundance, and its density corresponded to patterns of lake productivity and fish predation. When D. pulicaria was abundant, abundances of rotifers and Bosmina longirostris declined and changes in the vertical distribution of Bosmina were observed. Relationships between variations in Secchi disk clarity and zooplankton abundances in the upper 40 m of the water column were not obvious.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS1996

Ecology of kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Crater Lake, Oregon

Originally barren of fish, Crater Lake was stocked with approximately 1.8 million salmonids from 1888 to 1941. Rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and kokanee salmon ( O. nerka ) now inhabit the lake. This study was conducted from 1986 to 1991 to document and compare kokanee salmon and rainbow trout ecology in the lake to better evaluate the ecological implications of the presence of these non-native fish. Kokanee salmon exhibited cyclic patterns in population age structure, condition, abundance, and biomass from 1986 to 1991. One dominant year class of relatively low abundance and high condition was present from 1986 to 1987. Multiple year classes with increasing abundance and decreasing condition were present from 1989 through 1991. Rainbow trout maintained a diverse population structure throughout the study with a trend toward a relative increase of older age classes and larger fish. Vertical and horizontal migrations of kokanee salmon occurred within and between the nearshore and offshore zones of the lake. Rainbow trout were located along the edge of the lake. Kokanee salmon fed primarily offshore on zooplankton and small-bodied insects. Kokanee salmon cropped the Daphnia population and altered the zooplankton community structure during the study period. Rainbow trout fed nearshore on large-bodied vertebrates and invertebrates. Introduced fish in Crater Lake exhibited the potential to impact limnetic and benthic community structure and nutrient flux within and between these communities.

Oregon↗
USGS2009

The application of an analytic element model to investigate groundwater-lake interactions at Pretty Lake, Wisconsin

Pretty Lake is a 64 acre, sandy-bottomed groundwater flow-through lake that has a history of hydrologic disturbance. Residents and regulators require a better understanding of lake-groundwater interaction to develop measures to protect the lake's hydrologic system and water quality. A groundwater flow model was constructed as a tool to synthesize field data collected at the site, delineate recharge areas that supply groundwater to the lake, and predict die effect of dredging an adjacent drainage ditch. The one layer, two-dimensional steady-state areal model used analytic element (AE) methods because they are quick to apply and include sophisticated simulation of groundwater-surface water interaction. The model calibrated well to groundwater heads (mean absolute difference = 0.05 m), lake stage (within 0.05 m) and ditch fluxes (mean absolute difference = 0.0023 m 3 ·s −1 ). Model results showed that a single 1000 m wide recharge area supplies all the groundwater inflow to the lake. In addition, the model predicted that dredging an adjacent ditch by 3.0 m would lower the lake level by 0.31 m. The analytic element model was verified using a widely accepted finite-difference (FD) code; differences were less than ±0.015 m near die lake area and reached a maximum of 0.08 m at far corners of the FD grid. These differences are likely a result of die nodal interpolation inherent to FD techniques and error associated with applying a discrete boundary to die AE infinite aquifer. Although developed recently, AE methods have great potential to aid characterizations of groundwater-lake systems.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1998

Successful water quality monitoring: The right combination of intent, measurement, interpretation, and a cooperating ecosystem

Water quality monitoring is invaluable to ensure compliance with regulations, detect trends or patterns, and advance ecological understanding. However, monitoring typically measures only a few characteristics in a small fraction of a large and complex system, and thus the information contained in monitoring data depends upon which features of the ecosystem are actually captured by the measurements. Difficulties arise when these data contain something other than intended, but this can be minimized if the purpose of the sampling is clear, and the sampling design, measurements, and data interpretations are all compatible with this purpose. The monitoring program and data interpretation must also be properly matched to the structure and functioning of the system. Obtaining this match is sometimes an iterative process that demands a close link between research and monitoring. This paper focuses on water quality monitoring that is intended to track trends in aquatic resources and advance ecological understanding. It includes examples from three monitoring programs and a simulation exercise that illustrate problems that arise when the information content of monitoring data differs from expectation. The examples show (1) how inconsistencies among, or lack of information about, the basic elements of a monitoring program (intent, design, measurement, interpretation, and the monitored system) can produce a systematic difference (bias) between monitoring measurements and sampling intent or interpretation, and (2) that bias is not just a statistical consideration, but an insidious problem that can undermine the scientific integrity of a monitoring program. Some general suggestions are provided and hopefully these examples will help those engaged in water quality monitoring to enhance and protect the value of their monitoring investment.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS2009

Dynamics in phosphorus retention in wetlands upstream of Delavan Lake, Wisconsin

A phosphorus budget was constructed for Delavan Lake Inlet, a perennial riverine wetland with submersed and floating aquatic vegetation in southeastern Wisconsin, to better understand the phosphorus dynamics in natural wetlands and the role of wetlands in lake-rehabilitation efforts. During the growing season, the inlet served as a net source of phosphorus , primarily due to the release of phosphorus from the sediments. More phosphorus was released from the sediments of the inlet (600 kg) than was input from the upstream watershed (460 kg). This release was caused by high pH associated with high photosynthetic activity. During the remainder of the year, the inlet served as a net sink for phosphorus , retaining 6% of die phosphorus input from the watershed. Over the entire year, this wetland was a net source of over 500 kg of phosphorus to downstream Delavan Lake. A constructed riverine wetland upstream of Delavan Lake Inlet demonstrated a similar periodic release of phosphorus . However, in this case, the summer release of phosphorus was less than that trapped during the remainder of the year. The constructed wetland served as a net sink for approximately 20% of the input phosphorus on an annual time scale. The role of existing and constructed wetlands as phosphorus traps is complex. Wetlands can act as a source or a sink for phosphorus depending on the ambient conditions in die wetland . Howa wetland fits into a rehabilitation plan depends upon its net retention efficiency and the importance of the periodic releases of phosphorus to downstream waters.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2009

Estimating phosphorus concentrations following alum treatment using apparent settling velocity

he apparent settling velocity (Vs) is a term used in empirical, steady-state, mass-balance lake models to represent the net phosphorus flux from the water column. The Vollenweider (1969) mixed-reactor lake model was rearranged and used to calculate Vs values for total phosphorus (TP) for three lakes treated with alum to reduce the internal flux of P to the water column (Delavan Lake, Wisconsin; Lake Morey, Vermont; and West Twin Lake, Ohio). An analysis of Vs values was conducted using data from these three lakes for both the pre- and post-alum treated conditions. Analysis of Vs values for both the pre- and post-alum conditions in Lake Morey and West Twin Lake resulted in a post-treatment mean Vs value of 7 ± 2.0 m·yr −1 . The effect of the alum treatment, although short-lived in Delavan Lake, resulted in a mean post-treatment Vs value of 3.4 ± 0.3 m·yr −1 . The consistency in the post-treatment Vs values in Lake Morey and West Twin Lake is used to demonstrate a predictive analysis method for water column TP concentrations in lakes following a successful treatment of the anoxic sediment area with alum. Additional pre- and post-alum in-lake and watershed loading data are needed to advance this concept into a management model.

Ohio, Vermont, Wisconsin↗
USGS1999

Temporal variations of water quality and the taxonomic structures of phytoplankton and zooplankton assemblages in mountain lakes, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington USA

A synoptic inventory of physical and chemical properties and plankton assemblages of 27 mountain lakes was conducted at Mount Rainier National Park in 1988. From 1990–1993, die opportunity was presented to resurvey six of these lakes to determine inter-annual change within die set of characteristics surveyed in 1988. If changes were evident, a second objective was to provide guidance to park management about the value of a long-term lake monitoring program. Secchi-disk clarity, water temperature, and pH of the lakes in 1988 were within the range of values obtained between 1990 and 1993. Conductivities and concentration of nutrients in some lakes were not consistent in 1990–1993 with the values recorded in 1988. Although the dominant phytoplankton taxa in die lakes varied among years, die taxa in individual lakes were in consistent among years, with die exception of two lakes. Rotifer assemblages were consistent among years, but most of die lakes exhibited dramatic changes in some years, as did crustacean zooplankton assemblages. Suggestions were made about die need for a long-term monitoring program to evaluate die status and trends of park lakes.

Washington↗
USGS2013

Lakes without Landsat? Implications of scale and an alternative approach to regional remote lake monitoring using MODIS 250 m imagery

We evaluated use of MODIS 250 m imagery for remote lake monitoring in Maine. Despite limited spectral resolution (visible red and near infrared bands), the twice daily image capture has a potential advantage over conventionally used, often cloudy Landsat imagery (16 day interval) when short time windows are of interest. We analyzed 364 eligible (≥100 ha) Maine lakes during late summer (Aug–early Sep) 2000–2011. The red band was strongly correlated with natural log-transformed Secchi depth (SD), and the addition of ancillary lake and watershed variables explained some variability in ln(SD) (R 2 = 0.68–0.85; 9 models). Weak spectral resolution and variable lake conditions limited accurate lake monitoring to relatively productive periods in late summer, as indicated by inconsistent, sometimes weak regressions during June and July when lakes were clearer and less stable (R 2 = 0.19–0.74; 8 models). Additionally, SD estimates derived from 2 sets of concurrent MODIS and Landsat imagery generally did not agree unless Landsat imagery (30 m) was resampled to 250 m, likely owing to various factors related to scale. Average MODIS estimates exceeded those of Landsat by 0.35 and 0.49 m on the 2 dates. Overall, MODIS 250 m imagery are potentially useful for remote lake monitoring during productive periods when Landsat data are unavailable; however, analyses must occur when algal communities are stable and well-developed, are biased toward large lakes, may overestimate SD, and accuracy may be unreliable without non-spectral lake predictors.

Maine↗
USGS2013

Comparing rapid and culture indicator bacteria methods at inland lake beaches

A rapid method, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), for quantifying indicator bacteria in recreational waters is desirable for public health protection. We report that replacing current Escherichia coli standards with new US Environmental Protection Agency beach action values (BAVs) for enterococci by culture or qPCR may result in more advisories being posted at inland recreational lakes. In this study, concentrations of E. coli and enterococci by culture methods were compared to concentrations of Enterococcus spp. by qPCR at 3 inland lake beaches in Ohio. The E. coli and enterococci culture results were significantly related at all beaches; however, the relations between culture results and Enterococcus spp. qPCR results were not always significant and differed among beaches. All the qPCR results exceeded the new BAV for Enterococcus spp. by qPCR, whereas only 23.7% of culture results for E. coli and 79% of culture results for enterococci exceeded the current standard for E. coli or BAV for enterococci.

Lake and Reservoir Management↗
USGS2013

Between- and within-lake responses of macrophyte richness metrics to shoreline developmen

A quatic habitat in littoral environments can be affected by residential development of shoreline areas. We evaluated the relationship between macrophyte richness metrics and shoreline development to quantify indicator response at 2 spatial scales for Minnesota lakes. First, the response of total, submersed, and sensitive species to shoreline development was evaluated within lakes to quantify macrophyte response as a function of distance to the nearest dock. Within-lake analyses using generalized linear mixed models focused on 3 lakes of comparable size with a minimal influence of watershed land use. Survey points farther from docks had higher total species richness and presence of species sensitive to disturbance. Second, between-lake effects of shoreline development on total, submersed, emergent-floating, and sensitive species were evaluated for 1444 lakes. Generalized linear models were developed for all lakes and stratified subsets to control for lake depth and watershed land use. Between-lake analyses indicated a clear response of macrophyte richness metrics to increasing shoreline development, such that fewer emergent-floating and sensitive species were correlated with increasing density of docks. These trends were particularly evident for deeper lakes with lower watershed development. Our results provide further evidence that shoreline development is associated with degraded aquatic habitat, particularly by illustrating the response of macrophyte richness metrics across multiple lake types and different spatial scales.

Minnesota↗