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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
USGS2008

Quality-Assurance Plan for Water-Quality Activities in the USGS Ohio Water Science Center

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Resources Discipline of the U.S. Geological Survey, a quality-assurance plan has been written for use by the Ohio Water Science Center in conducting water-quality activities. This quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the Ohio Water Science Center for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of water-quality data. The policies and procedures documented in this quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities are meant to complement the Ohio Water Science Center quality-assurance plans for water-quality monitors, the microbiology laboratory, and surface-water and ground-water activities.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1998

Chapter A9. Safety in Field Activities

The National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (National Field Manual) describes protocols (requirements and recommendations) and provides guidelines for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) personnel who collect data used to assess the quality of the Nation's surface-water and ground-water resources. This chapter of the manual addresses topics related to personal safety to be used in the collection of water-quality data, including: policies and general regulations on field safety; transportation of people and equipment; implementation of surface-water and ground-water activities; procedures for handling chemicals; and information on potentially hazardous environmental conditions, animals, and plants. Each chapter of the National Field Manual is published separately and revised periodically. Newly published and revised chapters will be announced on the USGS Home Page on the World Wide Web under 'New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey.' The URL for this page is http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/ index.html.

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations↗
USGS2006

Survival estimates of migrant juvenile Salmonids through Bonneville Dam using radio telemetry, 2004

During 2004, the USGS evaluated the survival of radio-tagged yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and steelhead trout through the ice and trash sluiceway and the minimum gap runner (MGR) turbine unit at Bonneville Dam’s powerhouse 1. Survival was estimated using paired release-recapture models with paired releases made directly into these passage routes and in the tailrace of Bonneville Dam. For the evaluations of survival through the MGR two separate control release locations were used; one location was directly downstream of the front roll below the turbine unit and the other release location was further downstream of the powerhouse 2 juvenile bypass outfall. During spring and summer releases of radio-tagged fish into the MGR and the ice and trash sluiceway, powerhouse 1 was not continuously operated due to a policy that prioritized the passage of water through powerhouse 2. Because of this policy, powerhouse 1 was only operated sporadically for short time intervals before and after the releases of radiotagged fish associated with this study.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2007

Surface-Water Quality-Assurance Plan for the USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center

This surface-water quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the Wisconsin Water Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Discipline, for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, management, and publication of surface-water data. The roles and responsibilities of Water Science Center personnel in following these policies and procedures including those related to safety and training are presented.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Quality-Assurance Plan for Water-Quality Activities of the U.S. Geological Survey Montana Water Science Center

In accordance with guidelines set forth by the Office of Water Quality in the Water Resources Discipline of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a quality-assurance plan has been created for use by the USGS Montana Water Science Center in conducting water-quality activities. This quality-assurance plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the USGS Montana Water Science Center for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of water-quality data. The policies and procedures presented in this quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities complement the quality-assurance plans for surface-water and ground-water activities and suspended-sediment analysis.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2023

Assessment of factors that influence human water demand for Providence, Rhode Island

To determine the most relevant climatic and economic factors driving water demand for Providence, Rhode Island, and to further the understanding of human interactions with water availability, linear regression models were developed to estimate single-family and multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial water demand for the service area of Providence Water for 2014–21. Monthly water use delivery data were provided by Providence Water. An array of climatic and economic data, the drought index, and binary variables to represent seasonal water use and the onset of the coronavirus (COVID–19) were investigated as possible explanatory variables for the water demand models. The water demand model with the best fit with the least amount of error was the single-family residential water demand followed in descending order of accuracy by the commercial, multifamily residential, and industrial water demand. Seasonal variables were significant in all models, and the COVID–19 binary variable was significant in the commercial and industrial models. One or two economic variables were significant in all models and one climatic variable was significant in all models except the commercial model. Overall residential, commercial, and industrial water demand in the Providence, Rhode Island, service area has decreased during the study period most likely because of widescale drought conditions and policies designed to improve water efficiencies. The linear regression models developed for single-family and multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial water use explained 94, 85, 91, and 77 percent, respectively, of the variability in monthly water use. Multifamily residential water demand displayed a less distinct seasonal trend than that observed for single-family residential customers, likely because multifamily homes tend to use less water outdoors. The commercial water-demand model included no climatic variables, one economic variable, the COVID–19 pandemic variable, and the high and low water use seasonal variables—the latter two variables indicating the importance of seasonal fluctuations in water use. The COVID–19 pandemic and a concomitant State executive order had the immediate effect of severely reducing commercial water use. The industrial water-demand model did not perform as well as the other models because industrial water delivery data display a greater range of values, both seasonally and for the overall study period.

Rhode Island↗
USGS2020

Forecasting water demand across a rapidly urbanizing region

Urban growth and climate change together complicate planning efforts meant to adapt to increasingly scarce water supplies. Several studies have independently examined the impacts of urban planning and climate change on water demand, but little attention has been given to their combined impact. Here we forecast urban water demand using a Geographically Weighted Regression model informed by socio-economic, environmental and landscape pattern metrics. The purpose of our study is to evaluate how future scenarios of population densities and climate warming will jointly affect water demand across two rapidly growing U.S. states (North Carolina and South Carolina). Our forecasts indicate that regional water demand by 2065 will increase by 37%–383% relative to the baseline in 2010, across all scenarios of change. Our results show future water demand will increase under rising temperatures, but could be ameliorated by policies that promote higher density development and urban infill. These water-efficient land use policies show a 5% regional reduction in water demand and up to 25% reduction locally for counties with the highest expected population growth by 2065. For rural counties experiencing depopulation, the land use policies we considered are insufficient to significantly reduce water demand. For expanding communities seeking to increase their adaptive capacity to changing socio-environmental conditions, our framework can assist in developing sustainable solutions.

North Carolina, South Carolina↗
USGS2008

Water-quality monitoring and process understanding in support of environmental policy and management

The quantity and quality of freshwater at any point on the landscape reflect the combined effects of many processes operating along hydrological pathways within a drainage basin/watershed/catchment. Primary drivers for the availability of water are landscape changes and patterns, and the processes affecting the timing, magnitude, and intensity of precipitation, including global climate change. The degradation of air, land, and water in one part of a drainage basin can have negative effects on users downstream; the time and space scales of the effects are determined by the residence time along the various hydrological pathways. Hydrology affects transport, deposition, and recycling of inorganic materials and sediment. These components affect biota and associated ecosystem processes, which rely on sustainable flows throughout a drainage basin. Human activities on all spatial scales affect both water quantity and quality, and some human activities can have a disproportionate effect on an entire drainage basin. Aquatic systems have been continuously modified by agriculture, through land-use change, irrigation and navigation, disposal of urban, mining, and industrial wastes, and engineering modifications to the environment. Interdisciplinary integrated basin studies within the last several decades have provided a more comprehensive understanding of the linkages among air, land, and water resources. This understanding, coupled with environmental monitoring, has evolved a more multidisciplinary integrated approach to resource management, particularly within drainage basins.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2024

Predicted potential for aquatic exposure effects of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in Pennsylvania’s statewide network of streams

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are contaminants that can lead to adverse health effects in aquatic organisms, including reproductive toxicity and developmental abnormalities. To assess the ecological health risk of PFAS in Pennsylvania stream surface water, we conducted a comprehensive analysis that included both measured and predicted estimates. The potential combined exposure effects of 14 individual PFAS to aquatic biota were estimated using the sum of exposure-activity ratios ( Σ EARs) in 280 streams. Additionally, machine learning techniques were utilized to predict potential PFAS exposure effects in unmonitored stream reaches, considering factors such as land use, climate, and geology. Leveraging a tailored convolutional neural network (CNN), a validation accuracy of 78% was achieved, directly outperforming traditional methods that were also used, such as logistic regression and gradient boosting (accuracies of ~65%). Feature importance analysis highlighted key variables that contributed to the CNN’s predictive power. The most influential features highlighted the complex interplay of anthropogenic and environmental factors contributing to PFAS contamination in surface waters. Industrial and urban land cover, rainfall intensity, underlying geology, agricultural factors, and their interactions emerged as key determinants. These findings may help to inform biotic sampling strategies, water quality monitoring efforts, and policy decisions aimed to mitigate the ecological impacts of PFAS in surface waters.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2008

Current (2004-07) conditions and changes in ground-water levels from predevelopment to 2007, Southern High Plains aquifer, southeast New Mexico: Lea County underground water basin

The Southern High Plains aquifer is the principal aquifer and primary source of water in southeastern New Mexico. The Lea County portion of the aquifer covers approximately the northern two thirds of the 4,393-square-mile county. Successful water-supply planning for New Mexico's Southern High Plains requires knowledge of the current aquifer conditions and a context from which to estimate future trends given current aquifer-management policy. Maps representing water-level declines, current (2007) water levels, aquifer saturated thickness, and depth to water accompanied by hydrographs from representative wells for the Southern High Plains aquifer in the Lea County Underground Water Basin were prepared in cooperation with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer. Results of this mapping effort show the water level has declined as much as 97 feet in the Lea County Underground Water Basin from predevelopment (1914-54) to 2007 with rates as high as 0.88 feet per year.

New Mexico↗
USGS1993

Application of a geographic information system in analyzing the occurrence of atrazine in groundwater of the mid-continental United States

The US Geological Survey, US Department of Agriculture, and US Environmental Protection Agency are conducting research and regional assessments in support of policy alternatives intended to protect water resources from agricultural chemical contamination. The mid-continent was selected because of the intense row crop agriculture and associated herbicide application in this region. An application of a geographic information system is demonstrated for analyzing and comparing the distribution of estimated atrazine use to the detection rate of atrazine in groundwater. Understanding the relations between atrazine use and detection in groundwater is important in policy deliberations to protect water resources. Relational analyses between measures of chemical use and detection rate by natural resource units may provide insight into critical factors controlling the processes that result in groundwater contamination from agricultural chemicals.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2013

Quality-assurance plan for groundwater activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center

This report documents the standard procedures, policies, and field methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Washington Water Science Center staff for activities related to the collection, processing, analysis, storage, and publication of groundwater data. This groundwater quality-assurance plan changes through time to accommodate new methods and requirements developed by the Washington Water Science Center and the USGS Office of Groundwater. The plan is based largely on requirements and guidelines provided by the USGS Office of Groundwater, or the USGS Water Mission Area. Regular updates to this plan represent an integral part of the quality-assurance process. Because numerous policy memoranda have been issued by the Office of Groundwater since the previous groundwater quality assurance plan was written, this report is a substantial revision of the previous report, supplants it, and contains significant additional policies not covered in the previous report. This updated plan includes information related to the organization and responsibilities of USGS Washington Water Science Center staff, training, safety, project proposal development, project review procedures, data collection activities, data processing activities, report review procedures, and archiving of field data and interpretative information pertaining to groundwater flow models, borehole aquifer tests, and aquifer tests. Important updates from the previous groundwater quality assurance plan include: (1) procedures for documenting and archiving of groundwater flow models; (2) revisions to procedures and policies for the creation of sites in the Groundwater Site Inventory database; (3) adoption of new water-level forms to be used within the USGS Washington Water Science Center; (4) procedures for future creation of borehole geophysics, surface geophysics, and aquifer-test archives; and (5) use of the USGS Multi Optional Network Key Entry System software for entry of routine water-level data collected as part of long-term water-level monitoring networks.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1994

Idaho's surface-water-quality monitoring program: results from five sites sampled during water years 1990-93

In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Environmental Quality, implemented a statewide water-quality monitoring program in response to Idaho's antidegradation policy as required by the Clean Water Act. The program objective is to provide water-quality managers with a coordinated statewide network to detect trends in surface-water quality. The monitoring program includes the collection and analysis of samples from 56 sites on the Bear, Clearwater, Kootenai, Pend Oreille, Salmon, Snake, and Spokane Rivers and their tributaries (fig. 1). Samples are collected every year at 5 sites (annual sites) in drainage basins where long-term water-quality management is practiced, every other year at 19 sites (biennial sites) in basins where land and water uses change slowly, and every third year at 32 sites (triennial sites) where future development may affect water quality. Each year, 25 of the 56 sites are sampled. This report discusses results of sampling at five annual sites. During water years 1990-93 (October 1, 1989, through September 30, 1993), samples were collected six times per year at the five annual sites (fig. 1). Onsite analyses were made for discharge, specific conductance, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, bacteria (fecal coliform and fecal streptococci), and alkalinity. Laboratory analyses were made for major ions, nutrients, trace elements, and suspended sediment. Suspended sediment, nitrate, fecal coliform, trace elements, and specific conductance were used to characterize surface-water quality. Because concentrations of all trace elements except zinc were near detection limits, only zinc is discussed.

Idaho↗
USGS1998

Changes to Idaho's statewide surface-water quality monitoring program since 1995

In 1990, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality (formerly Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Environmental Quality), implemented a statewide water- quality monitoring program in response to Idaho’s antidegradation policy as required by the Clean Water Act (CWA). The objective was to provide water-quality managers with a coordinated state- wide program to detect trends in surface-water quality. The program design included chemical analyses of water samples collected at 56 sites on the Bear, Clearwater, Kootenai, Pend Oreille, Salmon, Snake, and Spokane Rivers and their tributaries (fig. 1). Samples were collected every year (1990 through 1995) at 5 sites (annual sites), every other year at 19 sites (biennial sites), and every third year at 32 sites (triennial sites). Each year, 25 of the 56 sites were sampled. During water years 1990–95 (October 1, 1989, to September 30, 1995), samples were collected bimonthly. Onsite analyses consisted of discharge, specific conductance, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, bacteria (fecal coliform and fecal streptococci), and alkalinity. Laboratory analyses consisted of major ions, nutrients, trace elements, turbidity, and suspended sediment. Analytical results from the five annual sites sampled during water years 1990–93 are presented in a report by O’Dell and Berenbrock (1994).

Idaho↗