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Browse more than 150,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS.  Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.

Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center Publications

Filter Total Items: 3226

Water quality of Rogers Lake, Dakota County, Minnesota

Construction of an interstate highway is planned near Rogers Lake in Dakota County, Minn. Samples of water and bed material were collected at six sites during March 1976 to April 1978 to determine selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics before construction. Samples were collected at least twice during each season of the year. Data derived from these samples will provide baselin
Authors
M.R. Have

Water quality of four lakes in Lakeville, Minnesota

Water-quality characteristics were determined for four selected lakes to provide background data for evaluating changes that may occur in the lakes because of urbanization. Precipitation of calcium carbonate is suggested by high pH values and a decrease in the calcium concentration when magnesium, sodium, and chloride concentrations increase. Pollution is indicated by chloride concentrations that
Authors
L. H. Tornes, M.R. Have

Preimpoundment water quality of the Wild Rice River, Norman County, Minnesota

Water samples have been collected at two sites on the Wild Rice River since September 1974 to establish baseline water-quality characteristics before construction of a reservoir for recreation and flood control near Twin Valley, Minn. A decline in water quality between the sites is shown by mean total phosphorus concentrations, which increase from 0.06 to 0.10 milligram per liter downstream, and m
Authors
L. H. Tornes

Distribution, species abundance, and nesting-site use of Atlantic coast colonies of herons and their allies

In 1975 and 1976, eight teams of investigators located 262 colonies of nesting herons and their allies along the Atlantic coast from Florida to Maine. Fourteen species were found in Florida, numbers decreasing to seven in Maine. Colonies censused in the extreme south and north of the study area were lower in number of species and number of adults than those in the intermediate area. More than 90%
Authors
Thomas W. Custer, Ronald G. Osborn, W.F. Stout

Sediment deposition in the White River Reservoir, northwestern Wisconsin

The history of deposition in the White River Reservoir was reconstructed from a study of sediment in the reservoir. Suspended-sediment concentrations, particle size, and streamflow characteristics were measured at gaging stations upstream and downstream from the reservoir from November 1975 through September 1977. Characteristics of the sediments were determined from borings and samples taken whil
Authors
W. G. Batten, S. M. Hindall

Ground water of coal deposits, Bay County, Michigan

A coal deposit in Bay County, Mich., typical of Pennsylvanian-coal deposits in the State, was studied to determine the degree to which hydrologic factors might affect future coal mining. The coal deposit, which averages about 0.5 meters in thickness, lies 50 meters below land surface. It is part of a multi-layered aquifer system that contains sandstone, shale, sand and gravel, and clay units in ad
Authors
J. R. Stark, Michael G. McDonald

Ground-water appraisal of sand plains in Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties, central Minnesota

Surficial-sand aquifers in 960 square miles of central Minnesota have been studied to determine the occurrence, availability, and suitability of the surficial aquifer as a source of water. The aquifer is being increasingly developed for irrigation. During the drought of 1976, nearly 24,000 acre-feet of ground water was withdrawn for irrigation, more than double that of the previous year. The numbe
Authors
Gerald F. Lindholm

Channel erosion and sediment transport in Pheasant Branch basin near Middleton, Wisconsin; a preliminary report

The purpose of this 5-year study is to (1) evaluate the sediment transport, streamflow characteristics, and stream-channel morphology, (2) relate the above to land-use practices; and (3) evaluate the effect that changes in land-use practices will have on Pheasant Branch basin near Middleton, Wis. This report presents findings of sediment transport, streamflow characteristics, and stream-channel mo
Authors
R. Stephen Grant, Gerald Goddard

Comparison of tracer methods and predictive equations for determination of stream-reaeration coefficients on three small streams in Wisconsin

Four modified nonradioactive-tracer methods and 20 predictive equations for determination of stream-reaeration coefficients in three small Wisconsin streams were compared with the radioactive-tracer method developed by Tsivoglou. Of the four modified-tracer techniques, the propane-area technique, which measures the total weight of propane gas passing stream-sampling stations, yielded the least mea
Authors
R. Stephen Grant, Steven Skavroneck

Effects of urbanization on the water quality of lakes in Eagan, Minnesota

Water-quality characteristics of 17 lakes and ponds in the city of Eagan were described from data collected from 1972 through 1978. The data showed that differences in water quality between lakes were related to differences in the percentage of urbanization. However, water-quality variations within each lake were affected more by climatic variations than by land-use changes during that period. Dis
Authors
M. A. Ayers, G. A. Payne, Mark A. Have

Ground-water appraisal in northwestern Big Stone County, west-central Minnesota

The development of ground water for irrigation in northwestern Big Stone County has not kept up with development in other irrigable areas of the State. This is due, in part, to the absence of extensive surficial aquifers and the difficulty in locating buried aquifers. Test augering south of Beardsley outlined a small surficial aquifer that consists of outwash deposits of sand and gravel. The aquif
Authors
W.G. Soukup

Hydrology and water quality of the copper-nickel study region, northeastern Minnesota

Data were collected on the hydrology of the Copper-Nickel study region to identify the location and nature of groundwater resources, determine the flow characteristics and general quality of the major streams, and determine the potential effects of mining copper and nickel on the hydrologic stream. Groundwater generally occurs in local flow systems within surficial deposits and in fractures in the
Authors
Donald I. Siegel, Donald W. Ericson