Publications

Appraisals of the resources of selected management areas in eastern Oregon are being made by the U.S. Bureau of Land Mangement. To provide needed hydrologic information, the Bureau of Land Management requested the U.S. Geological Survey to inventory ground-water data for the Riley and Andrews Resource Areas. The inventory included field location of selected wells and springs; measurement of ground

During several periods of volcanic-ash eruption at Mount St. Helens, Wash., (March 30, May 25-26, May 30-June 2, and June 12-13, 1980) strong winds from the north occurred at high altitudes. As a result, the volcanic ash fell some 50 miles to the south in the Bull Run watershed, the principal water-supply source for the metropolitan area of Portland, Oreg. Water samples collected from three stream

In 1978, data were collected for identification and quantification of benthic invertebrates, periphyton, and bottom material and their trace-metals concentrations from three sites in Salmon Creek basin, Wash. Metal analyses included arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, zinc, selenium, and mercury. Physical data collected included water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, discharge, and size of

The Myrtle Creek-Glendale area covers about 400 mi2 (1,000 km2 in Douglas County in southwestern Oregon.  Although the geologic formations of the area have low permeabilities and generally yield small amounts of water to wells, ground water is the chief source of water for domestic usse in rural parts of the area not served by public supplies.  A well capable of yielding 5 to 10 gal/min (0.3 to 0.

The Pacific Northwest Region's ground-water reservoirs are capable of providing large additional fresh-water supplies; these reservoirs become more important as undeveloped surface-storage sites and unapportioned surface-water supplies dwindle. Withdrawals of fresh water from all surface and underground sources are increasing; they may rise from the rate of 30 billion gallons per day in 1970 to ab

The U.S. Geological Survey collected water-quality data in five Oregon stream basins during summer low-flow conditions in 1977 and 1978. During the two sampling periods, a total of 18 different sites were sampled. Several sites were sampled twice in 1977, and some sites were sampled in both 1977 and 1978. Included in the sampling were diel trace of dissolved oxygen, temperature, specific conductan

A method for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods is presented for unregulated streams in western Oregon. Equations relating flood magnitude to basin characteristics were developed for exceedance probabilities of 0.5 to 0.01 (2- to 100-year recurrence intervals). Separate equations are presented for four regions: Coast, Willamette, Rogue-Umpqua, and High Cascades. Also presented are va

The rock formations of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument area are aquifers that can be expected to yield less than 10 gallons of water per minute to wells. The most permeable of the geologic units is the alluvium that occurs at low elevations along the John Day River and most of the smaller streams. Wells in the alluvial deposits can be expected to yield adequate water supplies for recrea

Ground-water data for the Baker County-northern Malheur area, Oregon, are tabulated for the Bureau of Land Management. The data include well and spring records, a well-location map, drillers' logs of wells, observation-well hydrographs, and chemical analyses of ground-water samples. The reported yields of wells and springs in the area ranged from less than 1 to 2,500 gallons per minute. Dissolved

A synoptic approach has been devised to delineate the relationships that exist' between physiographic factors, land-use activities, and resultant erosional problems. The approach involves the development of an erosional-depositional province map and a numerical impact matrix for rating the potential for erosional problems. The province map is prepared by collating data on the natural terrain facto

For nearly half a century the Willamette River in Oregon experienced severe dissolved-oxygen problems related to large loads of organically rich waste waters from industries and municipalities. Since the mid-1950 's dissolved oxygen quality has gradually improved owing to low-flow augmentation, the achievement of basinwide secondary treatment, and the use of other waste-management practices. As a

To determine irrigation return flow impacts on Meyer Creek and Griffin Creek, 12 sites were sampled prior to and during the irrigation season. Thirty-three sets of samples, consisting of irrigation inflow and outflow samples on farms, were collected to determine if the use of irrigation water was improving or degrading the water quality. One hundred fifty visits were made to tributaries and Bear C