Publications

River-flow data have been collected on the Mississippi River at St. Louis near the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Arch) since 1861. Water at this location is excess river flow from 13 States and part of Canada (drainage area of about 697,000 square miles). Many disaster conditions, including floods and droughts, have affected this area; however, the flood of 1993 will be remembered not onl

A consistent, basin-wide set of data for streams in the Trinity River Basin is a necessary baseline to compare current conditions with historical data and to provide a reference for future studies. In addition, the basin-wide surveys begin the process of addressing the cause-effect relations for water quality in the basin. Effects of land use, geology, vegetation, soils, and reservoirs on water qu

Abundant water resources have been an important part of the economic development of the Chicago area for more than a century. The city of Chicago, Ill., and other lakefront towns have used Lake Michigan as a water supply. Where water from Lake Michigan was not available or a need for supplemental water supplies was present, deep wells (generally greater than 700 feet) provided a clean, reliable, a

Pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) are used extensively in the White River Basin. Application of herbicides to corn and soybeans accounts for most of the use. The pesticides most frequently detected near the mouth of the White River during 1991-95 were the herbicides alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, and metolachlor. The highest concentrations of herbicides in the river were typically found dur

Mercury has been well known as an environmental pollutant for several decades. As early as the 1950's it was established that emissions of mercury to the environment could have serious effects on human health. These early studies demonstrated that fish and other wildlife from various ecosystems commonly attain mercury levels of toxicological concern when directly affected by mercury-containing emi

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of its National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program has been collecting and analyzing water samples from streams in the South Platte River Basin in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming to characterize the water-quality conditions within the basin. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) have been a focus of this sampling effort because of their pote

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting an assessment of water quality in the Trinity River Basin as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. During the planning phase of this study, existing information on nutrients and suspended sediment was compiled and analyzed. A total of about 5,700 water-quality samples were analyzed from local, State, and Federal agencies. Of these, about 4,

A study of the Mississippi River alluvium near Muscatine, Iowa, was conducted to evaluate ground-water flow and water quality using data collected from June 1992 through June 1994. The study area included approximately 80 square miles in parts of Muscatine and Louisa Counties in Iowa and Rock Island and Mercer Counties in Illinois. A steady-state, ground-water flow model was constructed using Febr

Dye-tracer analyses were done in the Willamette River and nine tributaries of the Willamette River, from April 1992 to July 1993 during low to medium stream discharge conditions, to determine velocity and dispersion. These dye-tracer analyses provided information on time of arrival, peak concentration, and the occurrence and longevity of a constituent dissolved in streamflow at various discharges.

Fifty-four major streams discharging directly to the Gulf of Mexico and having drainage areas exceeding 200 square miles were identified in the United States. Forty-four U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations along the Gulf of Mexico with at least 40 years of daily streamflow data also were identified. These stations include most of the major streams and comprise 95 percent of the drain

Annual mean streamflow and annual minimum and maximum daily mean streamflows were compared with associated annual index precipitation for sites on the main channels and tributaries of four major rivers that discharge directly into the Gulf of Mexico. Long- and short-term precipitation trends were identified for selected streamflow stations with at least 40 years of record. Long-term temporal trend

Borax Lake is located in southeastern Oregon, within the Alvord Valley Known Geothermal Resource Area. Borax Lake is a large hot spring; there are more than 50 smaller hot springs within about one-half mile to the north of the lake. Several geothermal exploration wells have been drilled near Borax Lake, and there is concern that development of the geothermal resources could affect the lake and nea