Publications

Many contaminants introduced into the environment by human activities are hydrophobic, meaning they are relatively insoluble in water and, thus, are associated primarily with sediments. These contaminants include the organochlorine pesticides DOT and chlordane, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from industrial facilities and urban areas, and heavy metals

Severe flooding in parts of south-central Texas resulted from a major storm during October 17–18, 1998. The flooding occurred in parts of the major streams and tributaries of the San Jacinto, San Benard, Colorado, Lavaca, Guadalupe, and San Antonio River Basins. Peak gage height, peak streamflow, and documentation of the significance of the peaks were compiled for the streamflow-gaging stations wh

Stream stage and discharge and the quality of water flowing from Rattlesnake Creek into the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Kansas are being monitored by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using an innovative, real-time monitoring approach. Continuously recorded data and data from periodic collection of water-quality samples are bein

A numerical ground-water flow model of a hypothetical basin typical of those in the Puget Sound Lowland of western Washington simulated effects of ground-water withdrawals on rates of natural discharge to streams and springs. The model was calibrated to natural conditions and simulated effects by varying distance from well to stream, presence of confining layers, pumping rate, depth of pumped aqui

The discharge, water temperature, and water quality of the Tualatin River in northwestern Oregon was simulated with CE-QUAL-W2, a two-dimensional, laterally averaged model developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The model was calibrated for May through October periods of 1991, 1992, and 1993. Nine hypothetical scenarios were tested with the model to provide insight for river managers and re

No abstract available.

Tissue samples of whole body white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) were collected at 15 sites and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) were collected at 5 sites during 1992 in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin to determine the occurrence and distribution of 28 selected organochlorine compounds as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Only 12 of th

Information on streamflow gains and losses in the lower Boise River Basin is needed by the Idaho Department of Water Resources to determine recharge to and discharge from the ground- water system. A method was developed to select canal and creek reaches such that a minimum of two reaches were measured in each of 12 different areas that share a set of common environmental characteristics. Af

Within the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, which was established in 1978, the ground-water flow system is composed of brackish water overlying saltwater. Ground-water levels measured in the Park range from about 1 to 2 feet above mean sea level, and fluctuate daily by about 0.5 to 1.5 feet in response to ocean tides. The brackish water is formed by mixing of seaward flowing fresh ground

A precipitation-runoff model, HSPF (Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran), of a 41.7 square mile part of the Ninemile Creek watershed near Camillus, in central New York, was developed and calibrated to predict the hydrological effects of future suburban development on streamflow, and the effects of stormwater detention on flooding of Ninemile Creek at Camillus. Development was represented in the

A streamflow and water-quality model was developed for reaches of Sand and Caddo Creeks in south-central Oklahoma to simulate the effects of wastewater discharge from a refinery and a municipal treatment plant.The purpose of the model was to simulate conditions during low streamflow when the conditions controlling dissolved-oxygen concentrations are most severe. Data collected to calibrate and ver

The Willamette Basin, Oregon, is one of more than 50 large river basins and aquifer systems (referred to as study units) across the United States where the status and trends of water quality and the factors controlling water quality are being studied by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The 12,000-square-mile Willamette Basin Study Unit consists of the Wi