Publications
The following is a list of our publications available from the USGS Publications Warehouse. If you cannot find what you are looking for, please contact our Public Information Officer, Tim Merrick, at trmerrick@usgs.gov or 208-387-1305.
Filter Total Items: 431
Estimating the magnitude of bankfull flows for streams in Idaho
Methods for estimating magnitudes of peak
flows with recurrence intervals of 1.5 and 2.33
years were developed for ungaged sites on streams
throughout Idaho. These peak flows represent the
magnitudes at and near bankfull stage and are
needed for quantification of water rights required
to maintain or restore fish and wildlife habitats and
riparian vegetation. Data from a previous report
detailing m
Authors
Jon Hortness, Charles Berenbrock
Instream flow characterization of upper Salmon River Basin streams, Central Idaho, 2003
Anadromous fish populations in the Columbia River Basin have plummeted in the last 100 years. This severe decline led to Federal listing of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) stocks as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 1990s. Historically, the upper Salmon River Basin (upstream from the confluence with the Pahsim
Authors
Terry R. Maret, Jon Hortness, Douglas S. Ott
Quantification of metal loads and assessment of metal sources in upper Beaver Creek watershed, Shoshone County, Idaho, May and June 2002
Abandoned mine lands contribute to significant
water-quality degradation in the Beaver Creek watershed
in northern Idaho. Streams in this watershed drain
the northern flank of the Coeur d’Alene mining district,
one of the world’s largest producers of silver and one
of the country’s major historical producers of lead and
zinc for more than 100 years. Effective cleanup of
these streams will depend o
Authors
Douglas S. Ott, David W. Clark
Low streamflow conditions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho during water year 2001
Below-normal precipitation levels and abovenormal
temperatures across most of the Columbia
River Basin in the Pacific Northwest (Washington,
Oregon, and Idaho) resulted in streamflows that,
at times, approached long-term minimums. The
period from October 1, 2000, through September
30, 2001 (water year 2001), was the second driest
on record (1895–2001) for the three-State area. In
addition, average
Authors
Jon Hortness
Occurrence and transport of cadmium, lead, and zinc in the Spokane River basin, Idaho and Washington, water years 1999-2001
A water-quality investigation of the Clark
Fork-Pend Oreille and Spokane River Basins began
in 1997 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey
National Water-Quality Assessment Program. As
part of the investigation, selected streams in the
Spokane River Basin were sampled for trace metals
during water years 1999–2001. These data,
combined with data collected as part of a U.S.
Environmental Protection A
Authors
Gregory M. Clark
Two-station comparison of peak flows to improve flood-frequency estimates for seven streamflow-gaging stations in the Salmon and Clearwater River Basins, Central Idaho
Improved flood-frequency estimates for short-term (10 or fewer years of record) streamflow-gaging stations were needed to support instream flow studies by the U.S. Forest Service, which are focused on quantifying water rights necessary to maintain or restore productive fish habitat. Because peak-flow data for short-term gaging stations can be biased by having been collected during an unusually wet
Authors
Charles Berenbrock
Estimating the magnitude of the 100-year peak flow in the Big Lost River at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho
Accurate estimates of peak flows in the Big
Lost River at the Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) are needed to
assist planners and managers with evaluating possible
effects of flooding on facilities at the INEEL.
A large difference of 4,350 cubic feet per second
(ft3/s) between two previous estimates of the magnitude
of the 100-year peak flow in the Big Lost
River near
Authors
Jon Hortness, Joseph P. Rousseau
Summary of surface-water-quality data collected for the Northern Rockies Intermontane Basins National Water-Quality Assessment Program in the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille and Spokane River basins, Montana, Idaho, and Washington, water years 1999-2001
Water-quality samples were collected at 10 sites in the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille and Spokane River Basins in water years 1999 – 2001 as part of the Northern Rockies Intermontane Basins (NROK) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Sampling sites were located in varied environments ranging from small streams and rivers in forested, mountainous headwater areas to large rivers draining div
Authors
Michael A. Beckwith
Water quality in the Northern Rockies Intermontane basins, Idaho, Montana, and Washington, 1999-2001
This report contains the major findings of a 1999–2001 assessment of water quality in the Northern Rockies Intermontane Basins. It is one of a series of reports by the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program that present major findings in 51 major river basins and aquifer systems across the Nation.
In these reports, water quality is discussed in terms of local, State, and regional issu
Authors
Gregory M. Clark, Rodney R. Caldwell, Terry R. Maret, Craig L. Bowers, DeAnn M. Dutton, Michael A. Becksmith
Ecological indicators of water quality in the Spokane River, Idaho and Washington, 1998 and 1999
A water-quality investigation of the Spokane River was completed during summer low-flow conditions in 1998 and 1999 as part of the USGS NAWQA Program, in cooperation with the WDOE. (Abbreviations used in this report are defined on the last page.)
Samples for analyses of water chemistry; bed sediment; aquatic communities (fish, macroinvertebrates, and algae); contaminants in tissue (fish and macro
Authors
Dorene E. MacCoy, Terry R. Maret
Probability of detecting elevated concentrations of nitrate in ground water in a six-county area of south-central Idaho
A probability map constructed for this study
identified several areas in a six-county region of
south-central Idaho with high probabilities of
detecting elevated concentrations (greater than
2 milligrams per liter) of nitrate. An increasing
proportion of Idaho’s ground water being used
for drinking water and large increases in the inputs
of nitrogen to ground water in Cassia, Gooding,
Jerome, Linc
Authors
Kenneth D. Skinner, Mary M. Donato
Aquatic assemblages and their relation to temperature variables of least-disturbed streams in the Salmon River basin, central Idaho, 2001
In the late 1990s, Idaho’s established stream
temperature criteria for the protection of coldwater
biota and salmonid spawning were considered
inadequate because the criteria did not agree with
observed biological conditions in many instances
and did not allow for variability in environmental
condition or species diversity across a broad area
such as the entire State of Idaho.
In 2001, benthic inv
Authors
Douglas S. Ott, Terry R. Maret