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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

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At least 1,747 records · Page 97Linked to original sources
USGS2014

Science for the stewardship of the groundwater resources of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Groundwater is the sole source of drinking water and a major source of freshwater for domestic, industrial, and agricultural uses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Groundwater discharged from aquifers also supports freshwater pond and stream ecosystems and coastal wetlands. Six hydraulically distinct groundwater-flow systems (lenses) have been delineated on Cape Cod. Of the approximately 450 million gallons per day of water that enters these lenses as recharge from precipitation, about 69 percent discharges directly to the coast, about 24 percent discharges to streams, and almost 7 percent is withdrawn by public-supply wells. In most areas, groundwater in the sand and gravel aquifers is shallow and susceptible to contamination from anthropogenic sources and saltwater intrusion. Continued land development and population growth on Cape Cod have created concerns that potable water will become less available and that the quantity and quality of water flowing to natural discharge areas such as ponds, streams, and coastal waters will continue to decline. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been investigating groundwater and surface-water resources on Cape Cod for more than 50 years. Recent studies highlighted in this fact sheet have focused on the sources of water to public-supply wells, ponds, streams, and coastal areas; the transport and discharge of nitrogen derived from domestic and municipal disposal of wastewater; and the effects of climate change on groundwater and surface-water resources. Other USGS activities include long-term monitoring of groundwater and pond levels and field research on groundwater contamination at the USGS Cape Cod Toxic Substances Hydrology Research Site ( http://ma.water.usgs.gov/MMRCape/ ) near the Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC), formerly the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

Massachusetts↗
USGS2015

Invasive Species Science Branch: research and management tools for controlling invasive species

Invasive, nonnative species of plants, animals, and disease organisms adversely affect the ecosystems they enter. Like “biological wildfires,” they can quickly spread and affect nearly all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Invasive species have become one of the greatest environmental challenges of the 21st century in economic, environmental, and human health costs, with an estimated effect in the United States of more than $120 billion per year. Managers of the Department of the Interior and other public and private lands often rank invasive species as their top resource management problem. The Invasive Species Science Branch of the Fort Collins Science Center provides research and technical assistance relating to management concerns for invasive species, including understanding how these species are introduced, identifying areas vulnerable to invasion, forecasting invasions, and developing control methods. To disseminate this information, branch scientists are developing platforms to share invasive species information with DOI cooperators, other agency partners, and the public. From these and other data, branch scientists are constructing models to understand and predict invasive species distributions for more effective management. The branch also has extensive herpetological and population biology expertise that is applied to harmful reptile invaders such as the Brown Treesnake on Guam and Burmese Python in Florida.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2015

Groundwater quality in the Northern Coast Ranges Basins, California

The Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit is 633 square miles and consists of 35 groundwater basins and subbasins (California Department of Water Resources, 2003; Mathany and Belitz, 2015). These basins and subbasins were grouped into two study areas based primarily on locality. The groundwater basins and subbasins located inland, not adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, were aggregated into the Interior Basins (NOCO-IN) study area. The groundwater basins and subbasins adjacent to the Pacific Ocean were aggregated into the Coastal Basins (NOCO-CO) study area (Mathany and others, 2011). The primary aquifer system in the NOCO-IN study area occurs in alluvial basins made up of sand, silt, gravel, clay, and thin volcanic ash layers or lenses. Groundwater movement in the NOCO-IN study area follows the topography and direction of surface-water features. In the NOCO-CO study area, groundwater is present in alluvial fan, floodplain, and terrace deposits. Groundwater movement in the NOCO-CO study area is from east to west towards the Pacific Ocean. The primary aquifer system in the study unit generally is defined as those parts of the aquifer system corresponding to the perforated intervals of sites listed in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database of public drinking-water supply sources. Well depths in the NOCO-IN study area ranged from 36 to 400 feet below land surface (ft bls), and depths to top-of-perforations ranged from 15 to 148 ft bls. In the NOCO-CO study area, well depths ranged from 15 to 400 ft bls, and depths to top-of-perforations ranged from 10 to 356 ft bls. Water quality in the primary aquifer system may differ from that in the shallower and deeper parts of the aquifer system. Average annual rainfall in the NOCO study unit ranges from 22 to 79 inches. In the NOCO-IN study area, the climate is classified as Mediterranean, with warm to hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. In the NOCO-CO study area, the climate is influenced by the Pacific Ocean and is characterized by cool to mild summers and cold, wet winters. The study unit is drained by several rivers and their principal tributaries: the Eel, Russian, Mad, Navarro, Smith, Klamath, Noyo, and Big Rivers. Land use in the study unit is about 60 percent (%) natural (mostly grassland and forest), 29% agricultural, and 11% urban. The primary uses of agricultural lands are pasture, row crops, hay, vineyards, and timberlands. The largest urban areas are the cities of Crescent City, Arcata, Eureka, Fort Bragg, Willits, Ukiah, and Lakeport. Recharge to the groundwater system is primarily from mixture of ambient sources, including direct percolation of precipitation and irrigation waters, infiltration of runoff from surrounding hills/areas, seepage from rivers and creeks, and subsurface inflow (from non-alluvial geologic units that bound the alluvial basins). The primary sources of discharge are evaporation, discharge to streams, and water pumped for municipal supply and irrigation.

California↗
USGS2015

The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Delaware

Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Delaware, elevation data are critical for agriculture and precision farming, river and stream resource management, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, coastal zone management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, and other business uses. Today, high-density light detection and ranging (lidar) data are the primary sources for deriving elevation models and other datasets. Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies work in partnership to (1) replace data that are older and of lower quality and (2) provide coverage where publicly accessible data do not exist. A joint goal of State and Federal partners is to acquire consistent, statewide publicly available coverage to support existing and emerging applications enabled by lidar data. The National Enhanced Elevation Assessment evaluated multiple elevation data acquisition options to determine the optimal data quality and data replacement cycle relative to cost to meet the identified requirements of the user community. The evaluation demonstrated that lidar acquisition at quality level 2 for the conterminous United States and quality level 5 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data for Alaska with a 6- to 10-year acquisition cycle provided the highest benefit/cost ratios. The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative selected an 8-year acquisition cycle for the respective quality levels. 3DEP, managed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Office of Management and Budget Circular A–16 lead agency for terrestrial elevation data, responds to the growing need for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of the Nation’s natural and constructed features.

Delaware↗
USGS2015

Source, use and disposition of freshwater in Puerto Rico, 2010

Introduction Water diverted from streams and pumped from wells constitutes the main source of water for the 78 municipios of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A better understanding of water-use patterns is needed, particularly regarding the amount of water used, where and how this water is used and disposed, and how human activities affect water resources. Agricultural practices, indoor and outdoor household uses, industrial uses, and commercial and mining withdrawals affect reservoirs, streams, and aquifers. Accurate and accessible water information for Puerto Rico is critical to ensure that water managers have the ability to protect and conserve this essential natural resource. From 2000 to 2010, the population of Puerto Rico decreased 2.6 percent, from 3.8 to 3.7 million residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011), and this decrease in population reduced the demand for freshwater. Factors that contributed to a reduction in domestic per capita water use in Puerto Rico include water-rate cost increases, the implementation of low-flow fixture, and domestic conservation programs. Almost 99 percent of the residents in Puerto Rico were served by public-supply water systems in 2010. Public-supply water is provided by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) and by non-PRASA systems. Non-PRASA systems include community-operated water systems (water systems that serve rural or suburban housing areas).

Puerto Rico↗
USGS2016

Climate Change Science Activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in New England

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has actively pursued research in the effects of climate change on the hydrology of New England. Ongoing focus areas of climate change science activities of the USGS in New England include the following: • Hydrologic climate-response data (initiating or expanding long-term hydrologic climate-response data collection networks to detect and monitor climate-related changes in hydrology) • Relations between historical climatic and hydrologic variation (investigating historic relations between long-term climatic variation and hydrologic variation and connecting these relations to future conditions as forecasted by the Interagency Panel on Climate Change (Nakićenović and others, 2000) • Hydrologic change on natural and human (incorporating climate change scenarios into assessments of how flows in streams or water levels in aquifers may change) • Relations between climatic and hydrologic variation (characterizing impacts of climate change on floods and droughts, the long-term availability of water supplies for societal and natural uses in response to climate changes) • Developing tools to forecast ecosystem change and water resources management (developing regionally consistent tools for forecasting ecosystem change and resource management) This fact sheet presents recent climate change investigations of the USGS in New England using selected recent publications. These publications highlight the broad spectrum of expertise and commitment to understanding the relations of climate change and water resources in New England.

New England↗
USGS2017

Scanning and georeferencing historical USGS quadrangles

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program is scanning published USGS 1:250,000-scale and larger topographic maps printed between 1884, the inception of the topographic mapping program, and 2006. The goal of this project, which began publishing the Historical Topographic Map Collection in 2011, is to provide access to a digital repository of USGS topographic maps that is available to the public at no cost. For more than 125 years, USGS topographic maps have accurately portrayed the complex geography of the Nation. The USGS is the Nation’s largest producer of traditional topographic maps, and, prior to 2006, USGS topographic maps were created using traditional cartographic methods and printed using a lithographic process. The next generation of topographic maps, US Topo, is being released by the USGS in digital form, and newer technologies make it possible to also deliver historical maps in the same electronic format that is more publicly accessible.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2018

Idaho water use, 2015

The ability to quantify water resources hinges on the understanding of water use by the population. The demand humans place on the water cycle varies across the United States, driven by both need and availability. The U.S. Geological Survey quantifies water use nationally, at the county scale, with estimates of water withdrawals and deliveries, by category of use (for example, irrigation, thermoelectric power, industrial, public supply, including domestic deliveries and self-supply domestic, livestock, mining, and aquaculture) and source (fresh and saline groundwater or surface water) every 5 years. Estimates of water use are an important component of the water budget to help manage water supplies and plan for the future. Understanding water use in Idaho is important not only at the local (county) and State scales, but also at the National level because Idaho ranked third in the Nation for total water use in 2015. This fact sheet describes calendar year 2015 freshwater withdrawals by source and by each Idaho county. An associated data release provides the data discussed herein. Freshwater withdrawals totaled 17,737 million gallons per day during 2015. Surface water accounted for 70 percent of total withdrawals for all categories of use, mostly for irrigation of crops and aquaculture production. Withdrawals for mining activities were mostly from surface water, whereas the remaining categories of use—public supply, domestic, industrial, livestock, irrigation of golf courses, and thermoelectric power—relied largely on groundwater withdrawals. Most withdrawals occurred in southern Idaho counties to support irrigated agriculture.

Idaho↗
USGS2018

Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program Long Term Resource Monitoring element—Spatial data query tool

The Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program Long Term Resource Monitoring (LTRM) element has been monitoring fish, water quality, and vegetation in six study pools in the Upper Mississippi River system for approximately 30 years. Geographic locations were recorded for all sampling points. All of this information has been made publicly available by way of data download and visualization tools ( https://www.umesc.usgs.gov/ltrm-home.html ), but it has not been available to decision makers, scientists, resource managers, and the public by way of an internet-based mapping and query application. Presenting the information in this way is vital to providing decision makers with the information and understanding needed to maintain the Upper Mississippi River system as a viable multiple-use river ecosystem, the primary mission of the UMRR LTRM. Spatial data query tools have been developed that allow the query, display, mapping, and data extraction of the UMRR LTRM element component data by means of an easy-to-use graphical user interface. A separate spatial data query tool application was developed for each study pool within the Upper Mississippi River system and is accessible as individual links at the bottom of the website located at https://www.umesc.usgs.gov/ltrmp/spatial_data_query_tool.html . In addition to the UMRR LTRM element component data, the spatial data query tool also contains land cover and bathymetric (water depth) data collected by the UMRR LTRM element.

Upper Mississippi River↗
USGS2019

Drought forecasting for streams and groundwaters in northeastern United States

Background When rainfall is lower than normal over an extended period, streamflows decline, groundwater levels fall, and hydrological drought can occur. Droughts can reduce the water available for societal needs, such as public and private drinking-water supplies, farming, and industry, and for ecological health, such as maintenance of water quality and natural ecosystems. Recent droughts in the northeastern United States have highlighted the need for new scientific tools to forecast the probability of future droughts so water managers and the public can be better prepared for these events when they happen. Two recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies provide tools that can forecast the probabilities of summer droughts for streams and the probabilities of groundwater-level declines below specified targets or thresholds. These tools provide promising methods for identifying and anticipating probable streamflow and groundwater droughts specific to the northeastern United States. USGS Water Science Centers in the northeastern United States have acted together to use these methods for numerous streamflow gages and groundwater-level monitoring wells, and to make the results of the analyses available on the world wide web. This fact sheet describes the drought forecasting techniques used in a study to predict droughts for streamflow and groundwater in the northeastern United States.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New H↗
USGS2020

The 3D Elevation Program and energy for the Nation

High-resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) data are used in energy infrastructure siting, design, permitting, construction, and monitoring to promote public safety through the reduction of risks. For example, lidar data are used to identify safe locations for energy infrastructure by analyzing terrain parameters and identifying and evaluating geologic hazards (for example, landslide and fault locations) and their potential public safety effects on the location or design of infrastructure. Increasingly, engineering companies and regulatory agencies are using lidar and other remote sensing techniques as an efficient method to collect accurate, comprehensive data while reducing risks to field personnel. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is collecting lidar data nationwide (interferometric synthetic aperture radar [IfSAR] data in Alaska) to support a wide range of applications, including projects related to energy infrastructure construction and safety. Renewable energy resources, resource mining, and oil and gas resources were identified by the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment as business uses requiring three-dimensional (3D) elevation data. Elevation data are critical in assessing potential sites for energy infrastructure, such as pipelines, refineries and other facilities, to mitigate risks from natural hazards. For example, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), an independent agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil, uses enhanced elevation data to conduct National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance assessments. The acquisition of high-resolution lidar data by the USGS 3DEP initiative helps the FERC and NEPA permit applicants by providing accurate and consistent data for hazards analysis. The use of these data accelerates the application and review process and avoids the much higher costs of acquiring elevation data along proposed energy facility locations and pipeline corridors.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2020

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Science Center is to collect a wide range of data on earthquakes, faults, and crustal deformation; conduct research to increase our understanding of earthquake source processes, occurrence, and effects; and synthesize this knowledge into probabilistic seismic hazard assessments, aftershock forecasts, and ground-shaking scenarios for anticipated major earthquakes. We disseminate these data products, hazard assessments, and research discoveries to scientists, engineers, emergency managers, and the public. With university and State partners, we operate the California Integrated Seismic Network and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, as well as geodetic networks throughout the western United States. We also lead the National Strong Motion Project and the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning (EEW) system; house renowned rock mechanics laboratories and deep borehole geophysics facilities; and conduct extensive geophysical, geologic, and paleoseismic investigations along active faults. We are funded primarily by the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, with additional support from the USGS Volcano Hazards and Energy Resources Programs, other Federal and State agencies, private foundations, and public and private utilities and corporations.

California↗
USGS2020

Citizen science collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska

Citizen science is science undertaken by the public, usually in collaboration with professional scientific institutions. It encourages citizens to tackle real-world scientific problems and augments traditional science by expanding the coverage of data collection and by reducing costs of fieldwork in remote locations. Information collected by volunteers enables us all to gain a deeper understanding of how the natural world works and how it is changing. The U.S. Geological Survey is a leading Federal agency in fostering citizen-science collaborations, and the examples in this publication show the value of those collaborations.

Alaska↗
USGS2020

Contaminants in fish and shellfish in the Stillaguamish River and Port Susan marine areas, Washington

The greater Port Susan area of Central Puget Sound, Washington, is home to some of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s fishing, hunting, and gathering areas since time immemorial. It is also a popular sport and commercial fishing area for the public. Large shellfish beds lie in the Port Susan and Stillaguamish estuary and several Pacific salmon species return to the Stillaguamish River and Tulalip fishery every year. Clams and salmon are a local and consumable resource for Tribal members and the public. This review largely confirms existing recommendations from the Washington State Department of Health regarding clam and salmon human consumption advisories.

Washington↗
USGS2020

History of U.S. Geological Survey scientific peer review and approval, 1879–2019

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior, has valued and used a scientific peer review and approval process since its creation in 1879. Bureau approval, formerly called Director’s approval, has been described in several USGS documents since 1900, and peer review has been codified in policy since 1959. Peer review of USGS manuscripts is intended to ensure the accuracy of data, the scientific validity of interpretations, and the consideration of alternative interpretations. This rigorous quality assurance process is considered deliberative because of the iterative exchange of ideas and opinions among the involved parties. Peer review practices differed between USGS organizational units until implementation of USGS Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) in 2006, which formalized Bureau-wide science practices, including peer review and approval, for all Bureau scientific information products released to the public or other Federal agencies. FSP policies also address review and approval requirements pertaining to the release of USGS-funded data and software and endorse quality-control standards for USGS laboratories. Bureau approval signifies the scientific excellence of information products, validates and ensures that all necessary reviews have been conducted, and confirms that information products meet USGS science quality standards and have the full backing of the Bureau. The extent, scope, and history of the peer review and approval process within the USGS are documented herein, so future USGS scientists and the public understand how consistent approaches in developing, reviewing, and publishing USGS scientific information have been and continue to be essential in maintaining the reputation of the Bureau for reliable and impartial Earth science research and data collection.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2020

Alaska and Landsat

Alaska’s landscapes are changing at a more rapid rate than those of the lower 48. Its large size makes the collection of aerial surveys—a biannual occurrence for the conterminous United States—cost-prohibitive. That means the Landsat series of land imaging satellites offer the only publicly available, up-to-date imagery of land conditions for Alaska. Landsat satellites underpin public and private sector decisions in the State and across the Nation for effective adaptation to changing landscapes.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Tracking the source of metals to the San Juan River

Introduction The San Juan River is a major water source for communities in the Four Corners Region of the United States (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) and is a vital source of water for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA) periodically samples surface water on the Navajo Nation and has found that some elements exceed NNEPA surface water standards (the upper limits of an element for consumption or other use of water). Constituents of concern are substances that could be harmful if present in sufficient quantities, and it is important to keep track of the concentrations of these substances in the environment. In the San Juan River, constituents of concern include metals detected in river water, such as arsenic, lead, and aluminum. These metals can come from natural sources or can result from human activities (anthropogenic) and can affect the health of people, plants, and animals. The Animas River is one natural source of metals to the San Juan River because of the types of rock through which the Animas River flows and because of hard rock mining at the headwaters. Other potential sources of metals are oil and gas development, coal mining, coal-fired power plants, urban areas, illegal trash dumping, abandoned uranium mines and mills, overgrazed areas, natural geology, and leaching from subsurface agricultural return flows. Determining how much each of these sources contributes and the relative effect of each source on San Juan River water will help the Navajo Nation in their efforts to protect human health and the environment along the San Juan River. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with the NNEPA to identify sources of metals and trace elements entering the San Juan River from tributaries in the reach flowing through the Navajo Nation and to quantify the contribution from each natural and human-caused source. The USGS and NNEPA worked with local community members to locate tributaries where sampling equipment was installed. The 3-year source-tracking project, starting in spring 2021, will identify where metals at concentrations above safe surface water standards might be entering the river by evaluating the chemical signatures of water in the major tributaries of the San Juan River. Results will provide valuable information to the Navajo Nation, public drinking-water managers, irrigation districts, other stakeholders, scientists, and the public.

Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah↗
USGS2021

Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the northern San Joaquin Valley, California

Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and provides increased public access to groundwater-quality information. Private domestic and small-system drinking-water wells in the Northern San Joaquin Valley (NSJV) were the target for this assessment. These wells tend to pump water from shallower parts of alluvial aquifers compared to deeper, long-screened public-supply wells in the region.

California↗