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Publications

All of our publications are accessible through the USGS Publication Warehouse. Publications by scientists of the Oregon Water Science Center are listed below.

Filter Total Items: 755

Use of a ground-water flow model with particle tracking to evaluate ground-water vulnerability, Clark County, Washington

A ground-water flow model was used in conjunction with a particle-tracking program to demonstrate a method of evaluating ground-water vulnerability. The study area encompassed the part of the Portland Basin located in Clark County, Washington. A new computer program was developed that interfaces the particle-tracking program with a geographic information system (GIS). The GIS was used to display a
Authors
Daniel T. Snyder, James M. Wilkinson, Leonard L. Orzol

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran concentration profiles in sediment and fish tissue of the Willamette Basin, Oregon

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) are highly hydrophobic compounds that have been implicated as carcinogens and, more recently, as estrogen disrupters. An occurrence and distribution study of these compounds in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Bed sediment was collected fro
Authors
B. A. Bonn

Comparison of streambed sediment and aquatic biota as media for characterizing trace elements and organochlorine compounds in the Willamette Basin, Oregon

During 1992-93, 27 organochlorine compounds (pesticides plus total PCB) and 17 trace elements were analyzed in bed sediment and aquatic biota from 20 stream sites in the Willamette Basin as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Data from each medium were compared to evaluate their relative effectiveness for assessing occurrence (broadly defined as document
Authors
D.A. Wentz, I.R. Waite, F. A. Rinella

Dioxins and furans in bed sediment and fish tissue of the Willamette Basin, Oregon, 1992-95

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) are related compounds that are of interest primarily because of their potential toxicity. They are considered carcinogens and have been implicated as hormone disrupters. An occurrence and distribution study of these compounds in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1992- 1995. Bed sediment samples were
Authors
B. A. Bonn

Relations of Tualatin River water temperatures to natural and human-caused factors

Aquatic research has long shown that the survival of cold-water fish, such as salmon and trout, decreases markedly as water temperatures increase above a critical threshold, particularly during sensitive life stages of the fish. In an effort to improve the overall health of aquatic ecosystems, the State of Oregon in 1996 adopted a maximum water-temperature standard of 17.8 degrees Celsius (68 degr
Authors
John C. Risley

Precipitation-runoff and streamflow-routing models for the Willamette River basin, Oregon

Precipitation-runoff and streamflow-routing models were constructed and assessed as part of a water-quality study of the Willamette River Basin. The study was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and was coordinated with the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) study of the Willamette River. Routing model
Authors
Antonius Laenen, John C. Risley

Assessment of the water resources of the Grand Ronde area, Oregon

Stream hydrographs show that throughout the Grand Ronde area most precipitation follows surface or shallow subsurface pathways to streams, resulting in rapid runoff and little natural water storage within the basin. Limited storage and low aquifer permeability restrict base flow to streams, and streamflows therefore decline rapidly once precipitation ceases. Shallow ground water and springs occur
Authors
Kathleen A. McCarthy, John C. Risley, Rodney R. Caldwell, William D. McFarland

Water-temperature, specific-conductance, and meteorological data for the Tualatin River basin, Oregon, 1994-95

Water-temperature, air-temperature, specific- conductance, wind-speed, and solar-radiation data are presented from a study conducted in the Tualatin River Basin in northwestern Oregon during 7-month periods from May 1 through November 30, 1994 and May 1 through November 30, 1995. The study was done to assist local and State agencies in understanding temporal and spatial patterns of water temperatu
Authors
John C. Risley, Micelis C. Doyle

Methods for predicting peak discharge of floods caused by failure of natural and constructed earthen dams

Floods from failures of natural and constructed dams constitute a widespread hazard to people and property. Expeditious means of assessing flood hazards are necessary, particularly in the case of natural dams, which may form suddenly and unexpectedly. We revise statistical relations (derived from data for past constructed and natural dam failures) between peak discharge (Qp) and water volume relea
Authors
Joseph S. Walder, Jim E. O'Connor

Summary of information on aquatic biota and their habitats in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, through 1995

Available information on aquatic biota of the Willamette Basin was reviewed and summarized to describe current and historical conditions as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Biological parameters emphasized include the status, distribution, and trends of aquatic biota, particularly algae, macroinvertebrates, and fish; the condition of aquatic and ripar
Authors
Bob Altman, C.M. Henson, I.R. Waite