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: 18468
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: fluvial sediment load
The Elwha River restoration project, in Washington State, includes the largest dam-removal project in United States history to date. Starting September 2011, two nearly century-old dams that collectively contained 21 ± 3 million m3 of sediment were removed over the course of three years with a top-down deconstruction strategy designed to meter the release of a portion of the dam-trapped sediment.
Authors
Christopher S. Magirl, Robert C. Hilldale, Christopher A. Curran, Jeffrey J. Duda, Timothy D. Straub, Marian M. Domanski, James R. Foreman
Water resources of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability, past and current use, use trends, and water quality from
Authors
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
Water-quality characteristics and trends for selected wells possibly influenced by wastewater disposal at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 1981-2012
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, analyzed water-quality data collected from 64 aquifer wells and 35 perched groundwater wells at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) from 1981 through 2012. The wells selected for the study were wells that possibly were affected by wastewater disposal at the INL. The data analyzed included tritium, strontium-90, major ca
Authors
Linda C. Davis, Roy C. Bartholomay, Jason C. Fisher, Neil V. Maimer
Sediment transport and capacity change in three reservoirs, Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1900-2012
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted numerous sediment transport studies in the Susquehanna River and in particular in three reservoirs in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin to determine sediment transport rates over the past century and to document changes in storage capacity. The Susquehanna River is the largest tributary to Chesapeake Bay and transports about one-half of the total fre
Authors
Michael J. Langland
Estuarine water quality in parks of the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network: vital signs estuarine nutrient-enrichment monitoring, 2006-11
This report summarizes results of water-quality monitoring within estuaries of the National Park Service Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) from 2006 through 2011. Data collection formed part of the NCBN Vital Signs Monitoring Program implemented to detect threats of estuarine nutrient enrichment. Data included here were collected from six parks at predetermined intervals: Cape Cod Natio
Authors
James M. Caldwell, Matthew E. Nixon, Hilary A. Neckles, Penelope S. Pooler
Estuarine bed-sediment-quality data collected in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy, 2013
This report describes a reconnaissance study of estuarine bed-sediment quality conducted June–October 2013 in New Jersey and New York after Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 to assess the extent of contamination and the potential long-term human and ecological impacts of the storm. The study, funded through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (PL 113-2), was conducted by the U.S. Geologic
Authors
Jeffrey M. Fischer, Patrick J. Phillips, Timothy J. Reilly, Michael J. Focazio, Keith A. Loftin, William Benzel, Daniel Jones, Kelly L. Smalling, Shawn C. Fisher, Irene J. Fisher, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Kristin M. Romanok, Darkus E. Jenkins, Luke Bowers, Adam Boehlke, William T. Foreman, Anna C. Deetz, Lisa G. Carper, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta, Justin E. Birdwell
Evaluation of aquifer interconnection from aquifer characteristics computed by using specific capacity data within the vicinity of the Tremont Barrel Fill site, Clark County, Ohio
The Tremont Barrel Fill site is immediately north of the Tremont City Landfill near Tremont City, Clark County, Ohio. The site was an unlined pit used as a repository for disposing industrial liquid wastes and sludge from 1976 through 1979. Previous investigations led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to conclude that the site poses a contamination risk to nearby residents relying o
Authors
Amy M. Gahala
Water-level conditions in the confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain, 2008
Groundwater-level altitudes in 10 confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain were measured and evaluated to provide an overview of regional groundwater conditions during fall 2008. Water levels were measured in more than 900 wells in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware and potentiometric surface maps prepared for the confined Cohansey aquifer of Cape May County, the Rio
Authors
Vincent T. DePaul, Robert Rosman
Long-term groundwater depletion in the United States
The volume of groundwater stored in the subsurface in the United States decreased by almost 1000 km3 during 1900–2008. The aquifer systems with the three largest volumes of storage depletion include the High Plains aquifer, the Mississippi Embayment section of the Gulf Coastal Plain aquifer system, and the Central Valley of California. Depletion rates accelerated during 1945–1960, averaging 13.6 k
Authors
Leonard F. Konikow
Effects of water-resource development on Yellowstone River streamflow, 1928-2002
Major floods in 1996 and 1997 intensified public concern about the effects of human activities on the Yellowstone River in Montana. In 1999, the Yellowstone River Conservation District Council, whose members are primarily representatives from the conservation districts bordering the main stem of the Yellowstone River, was formed to promote wise use and conservation of the Yellowstone River’s natur
Authors
Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Katherine J. Chase
Geomorphic, flood, and groundwater-flow characteristics of Bayfield Peninsula streams, Wisconsin, and implications for brook-trout habitat
In 2002–03, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study of the geomorphic, flood, and groundwater-flow characteristics of five Bayfield Peninsula streams, Wisconsin (Cranberry River, Bark River, Raspberry River, Sioux River, and Whittlesey Creek) to determine the physical limitations for brook-trout habitat. The goals of the study were threefold: (1) to describe geomorphic characteristics and pro
Authors
Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Marie C. Peppler, David A. Saad, Dennis M. Pratt, Bernard N. Lenz
Climate change: evaluating your local and regional water resources
The BCM is a fine-scale hydrologic model that uses detailed maps of soils, geology, topography, and transient monthly or daily maps of potential evapotranspiration, air temperature, and precipitation to generate maps of recharge, runoff, snow pack, actual evapotranspiration, and climatic water deficit. With these comprehensive environmental inputs and experienced scientific analysis, the BCM provi
Authors
Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, James H. Thorne