Publications
This list of Water Resources Mission Area publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists. A searchable database of all USGS publications can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 18419
Simulation of groundwater-level changes from projected groundwater withdrawals in the Truxton basin, northwestern Arizona
A three-dimensional, numerical groundwater flow model of the Hualapai Plateau and Truxton basin was developed to assist water-resource managers in understanding the potential effects of projected groundwater withdrawals on groundwater levels and storage in the basin. The Truxton Basin Hydrologic Model (TBHM) is a transient model that simulates the hydrologic system for the years 1976 through 2139,
Authors
Jacob E. Knight
Geology and hydrology of the Truxton basin and Hualapai Plateau, northwestern Arizona
The geology of northwestern Arizona is prominently displayed on the canyon and cliff walls that compose the high-desert landscape of the Hualapai Plateau and that border the Truxton basin. The Truxton basin is a small topographic basin filled with Quaternary and Tertiary deposits and volcanic rock (about 1,600 feet thick near Truxton, Arizona) that overlie Proterozoic crystalline metamorphic rocks
Authors
Jon P. Mason, Donald J. Bills, Jamie P. Macy
Hillslope groundwater discharges provide localized ecosystem buffers from regional PFAS contamination in a gaining coastal stream
Emerging groundwater contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact surface-water quality and groundwater-dependent ecosystems of gaining streams. Although complex near-surface hydrogeology of stream corridors challenges sampling efforts, recent advances in heat tracing of discharge zones enable efficient and informed data collection. For this study we used a combinatio
Authors
Martin A. Briggs, Andrea K. Tokranov, Robert B. Hull, Denis R. LeBlanc, A. Haynes, John W. Lane
Landscape drivers of dynamic change in water quality of US rivers
Water security is a top concern for social well-being and dramatic changes in the availability of freshwater have occurred as a result of human uses and landscape management. Elevated nutrient loading and perturbations to major ion composition have resulted from human activities and have degraded freshwater resources. This study addresses the emerging nature of stream water quality in the 21st ce
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Lori A. Sprague, Gretchen P. Oelsner, Henry M. Johnson, Jennifer C. Murphy, Karen R. Ryberg, Aldo V. Vecchia, Robert E. Zuellig, James A. Falcone, Melissa L. Riskin
Effects of huisache removal on rangeland evapotranspiration in Victoria County, south-central Texas, 2015–18
The U.S. Geological Survey and Desert Research Institute, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, Victoria County Groundwater Conservation District, Victoria Soil and Water Conservation District, and the San Antonio River Authority, evaluated the hydrologic effects of Vachellia farnesiana var. farnesiana (huisache) removal on r
Authors
Richard N. Slattery, Darwin J. Ockerman, Matthew Bromley, Justin Huntington, John R. Banta
Identifying areas of degrading and improving groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California, USA, 1974-2014
Areas of improving and degrading groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California were assessed using spatial weighting of a new metric for scoring wells based on constituent concentrations and the direction and magnitude of a trend slope (Sen). Individual well scores were aggregated across 2135 equal-area grid cells covering the entire groundwater resource used for public supply in the s
Authors
Bryant Jurgens, Miranda S. Fram, Jeffrey Rutledge, George L. Bennett V
Trends in streamflow and precipitation for selected sites in the Elkhorn River Basin and in streamflow in the Salt Creek and Platte River Basins, Nebraska, 1961–2011
To better understand the streamflow trends at the streamgages in the Elkhorn River Basin in Nebraska, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District further investigated streamflow trends at the eight streamgages on the Elkhorn River, Salt Creek, and the Lower Platte River that indicated a positive trend in streamflow characteristics and analyzed
Authors
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Kellan R. Strauch
Quantifying background nitrate removal mechanisms in an agricultural watershed with contrasting subcatchment baseflow concentrations
Numerous studies have documented the linkages between agricultural nitrogen loads and surface water degradation. In contrast, potential water quality improvements due to agricultural best management practices are difficult to detect because of the confounding effect of background nitrate removal rates, as well as the groundwater-driven delay between land surface action and stream response. To char
Authors
Wesley O. Zell, Teresa B Culver, Ward E. Sanford, Jonathan L Goodall
Sequential biodegradation of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at oxic-anoxic groundwater interfaces in model laboratory columns
Halogenated organic solvents such as chlorobenzenes (CBs) are frequent groundwater contaminants due to legacy spills. When contaminated anaerobic groundwater discharges into surface water through wetlands and other transition zones, aeration can occur from various physical and biological processes at shallow depths, resulting in oxic-anoxic interfaces (OAIs). This study investigated the potential
Authors
Steven J. Chow, Michelle Lorah, Amar R. Wadhawan, Neal D. Durant, Edward J. Bouwer
Li and Ca enrichment in the Bristol Dry Lake brine compared to brines from Cadiz and Danby Dry Lakes, Barstow-Bristol Trough, California, USA
Relatively few discharging playas in western United States extensional basins have high concentrations of lithium (Li) and calcium (Ca) in the basin-center brines. However, the source of both these ions is not well understood, and it is not clear why basins in close proximity within the same extensional trough have notably different concentrations of Li and Ca. In the Barstow-Bristol Trough, Calif
Authors
Michael R. Rosen, Lisa L. Stillings, Tyler Kane, Kate M. Campbell, Matthew Vitale, Ray Spanjers
A critical review on the potential impacts of neonicotinoid insecticide use: Current knowledge of environmental fate, toxicity, and implications for human health
Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used in both urban and agricultural settings around the world. Historically, neonicotinoid insecticides have been viewed as ideal replacements for more toxic compounds, like organophosphates, due in part to their perceived limited potential to affect the environment and human health. This critical review investigates the environmental fate and toxicity of neon
Authors
Hans-Joachim Lehmler, Dana W. Kolpin, Michelle L. Hladik, John D. Vargo, Keith E. Schilling, Gregory H. LeFevre, Tonya L. Peeples, Matthew C. Poch, Lauren E. LaDuca, David M. Cwiertny, R. William Field
Emerging and historical contaminants detected in desert rodents collected near a low‐level radioactive waste site
In an effort to determine contaminant presence, concentrations, and movement from a low‐level radioactive waste (LLRW) burial disposal site to ecosystems in the surrounding area, a study was developed to assess concentrations of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and tritium. To complete this assessment small mammals, vegetation, soil, and insect samples
Authors
Ryan S. Cleary, Adcharee Karnjanapiboonwong, William A. Thompson, Steven J. Lasee, Seenivasan Sabbiah, Ronald Kauble, Brian J. Andraski, Todd A. Anderson