Water Quality
Water Quality
Our surface water, groundwater, and aquatic ecosystems are priceless resources, used by people across the Nation for drinking, irrigation, industry, and recreation.
Biogeochemistry Group
Biogeochemistry Group
The Biogeochemistry (BGC) Group uses an interdisciplinary approach to address surface water quality issues and food web dynamics throughout California, particularly in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay.
Gathering Flow and Water Quality Data in the San Francisco Estuary
Gathering Flow and Water Quality Data in the San Francisco Estuary
Optimal management of water resources requires the strategic collection of relevant and timely data describing flows and water quality.
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Assessing the role of winter flooding on baseline greenhouse gas fluxes from corn fields in the Sacramento – San Joaquin Bay Delta
Understanding the magnitude and variability of baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Sacramento – San Joaquin Bay Delta is critical for current and future land management. For example, strategies that maximize carbon sequestration in soils and plants while minimizing unintended consequences such as GHG emissions are likely to produce both economic and environmental benefits for the...
Pesticide Occurrence in California – Yolo Bypass Pesticide Analyses
The project is part of an overarching Interagency Ecological Program (IEP)/Department of Water Resources (DWR) study that is focused on understanding the processes by which the Yolo Bypass may provide a fall food web supply for the Cache Slough Complex and downstream regions of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Several studies conducted since 2011 have shown that phytoplankton blooms can be...
Methylmercury cycling and export from agricultural and natural wetlands in the Yolo Bypass
The purpose of the work conducted by the USGS California Water Science Center is to help guide Yolo Wildlife Area management practices by identifying the relationships between management effects on dissolved organic matter properties and the resulting role of dissolved organic matter in mercury methylation and biotic uptake measured by the cooperating USGS scientists. The information gathered will...
Assessing the Feasibility of Artificial Recharge and Storage and the Effectiveness and Sustainability of Insitu Arsenic Removal in the North Buttes Area, Antelope Valley, California
Groundwater pumpage for agricultural and municipal supply has resulted in water-level declines of more than 200 ft in some parts of the Antelope Valley groundwater basin and land subsidence of more than 6 ft in some areas. Future urban growth, increased agricultural demand, and limits on the supply of imported water will continue to increase the demand for groundwater.
Investigation of Linkages Between Management Practices Used in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Rice Production and Loads of Dissolved Organic Matter and Disinfection Byproduct Precursors
The primary objective of this study is to expand our current understanding of how to manage rice production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in a manner that minimizes loads of water quality contaminants to Delta waters.
Central Basin Groundwater Contamination Study
The Central and West Coast groundwater basins provide nearly a third of the water supply to 43 cities in southern Los Angeles County. Over 250,000 afy are pumped from the basins for municipal and industrial use. To properly manage the ground-water resource and to ensure its future availability, it is necessary to identify and manage threats to the drinking water aquifers from surface contamination...
Development of Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) for the Yuba River Basin, Northeastern California, with application for streamflow predictability and flood forecasting
Reservoirs in the Yuba River Basin are operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as part of the Feather-Yuba Forecast Coordinated Operations Program, and play an important role in flood management, water quality, and the health of fisheries as far downstream as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The basin has been developed for hydropower and irrigation diversions, so that measured...
Spatially Explicit Mapping of Hydrologic Residence Time Paired with Water Quality Measurements to Determine the Effects of the Emergency Drought Barrier
The purpose of this study is to assess the distribution of water residence times across the central Delta using rapid water isotope measurements (δ2H, δ18O) made with a boat-based flow-through instrument.
Enterococcus Surface Protein as an Indicator of Human Fecal Pollution in the Lower Russian River Basin
Preliminary evaluation of water-quality data collected in the Lower Russian River Basin, Sonoma County, California during an on-going program by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA), indicated that there is considerable variability in bacterial concentrations from reach to reach and from year to year. Furthermore, tributaries that maintained...
Simulation of Water Resources Management in the Pajaro Valley
Two key hydrologic issues in all coastal aquifer systems are the delineation and the management of the renewable water resources. The proper development and management of the renewable resources helps to minimize ground-water mining of the lower aquifer systems, and minimizes overdraft and seawater intrusion of the upper aquifer system while maximizing the sustainable yield of the renewable water...
California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater (COGG) Program
The USGS California Water Science Center is working in partnership with state and federal agencies to answer the following questions about oil and gas development and groundwater resources:
Water-Quality Inventory Pesticides in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
In 1998, all urban creeks in the San Francisco Bay Area were added to the Clean Water Act Section 303d list due to known or suspected diazinon impairment. Diazinon is an organophosphorus insecticide used on lawns, and fruit and vegetables. This pesticide has since been "phased out" and has not been available for purchase since late 2004. Diazinon use is declining and is being replaced by other...