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: 18470
Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA
Streams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, while abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005-12, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near-neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a prolonged re
Authors
Charles A. Cravotta, Daniel J. Goode, Michael D. Bartles, Dennis W. Risser, Daniel G. Galeone
Lake Mead--clear and vital
“Lake Mead – Clear and Vital” is a 13 minute documentary relating the crucial role of science in maintaining high water quality in Lake Mead. The program was produced coincident with release of the Lakes Mead and Mohave Circular a USGS publication covering past and on-going research in the lakes and tributaries of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Authors
Stephen M. Wessells, Michael Rosen
Estimating irrigation water use in the humid eastern United States
Accurate accounting of irrigation water use is an important part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Use Information Program and the WaterSMART initiative to help maintain sustainable water resources in the Nation. Irrigation water use in the humid eastern United States is not well characterized because of inadequate reporting and wide variability associated with climate, soils, crops, an
Authors
Sara B. Levin, Phillip J. Zarriello
Evaluation of the potential for hysteresis in index-velocity ratings for the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Lemont, Illinois
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is responsible for monitoring flows in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) near Lemont, Illinois, as a part of the Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District. Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting is mandated by a U.S. Supreme Court decree in order to monitor, and limit, the State of Illinois’ annual diver
Authors
P. Ryan Jackson, Sumit Sinha, Som Dutta, Kevin K. Johnson, James J. Duncker, Marcelo H. Garcia
Total dissolved gas and water temperature in the lower Columbia River, Oregon and Washington, water year 2012: Quality-assurance data and comparison to water-quality standards
Significant Findings
Air is entrained in water as it is flows through the spillways of dams, which causes an increase in the concentration of total dissolved gas in the water downstream from the dams. The elevated concentrations of total dissolved gas can adversely affect fish and other freshwater aquatic life. An analysis of total-dissolved-gas and water-temperature data collected at eight monito
Authors
Dwight Q. Tanner, Heather M. Bragg, Matthew W. Johnston
Integrated synoptic surveys using an autonomous underwater vehicle and manned boats
Traditional surface-water surveys are being combined with autonomous technology to produce integrated surveys of bathymetry, water quality, and velocity in inland lakes and reservoirs. This new technology provides valuable, high-resolution, integrated data that allow a systems-based approach to understanding common environmental problems. This fact sheet presents several example applications of in
Authors
P. Ryan Jackson
Return period adjustment for runoff coefficients based on analysis in undeveloped Texas watersheds
The rational method for peak discharge (Qp) estimation was introduced in the 1880s. The runoff coefficient (C) is a key parameter for the rational method that has an implicit meaning of rate proportionality, and the C has been declared a function of the annual return period by various researchers. Rate-based runoff coefficients as a function of the return period, C(T), were determined for 36 undev
Authors
Nirajan Dhakal, Xing Fang, William H. Asquith, Theodore G. Cleveland, David B. Thompson
Optimizing stream water mercury sampling for calculation of fish bioaccumulation factors
Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for game fishes are widely employed for monitoring, assessment, and regulatory purposes. Mercury BAFs are calculated as the fish Hg concentration (Hgfish) divided by the water Hg concentration (Hgwater) and, consequently, are sensitive to sampling and analysis artifacts for fish and water. We evaluated the influence of water sample timing, filtration, an
Authors
Karen Riva-Murray, Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Mark E. Brigham, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Christopher Knightes, Daniel T. Button
Estimating instream constituent loads using replicate synoptic sampling, Peru Creek, Colorado
The synoptic mass balance approach is often used to evaluate constituent mass loading in streams affected by mine drainage. Spatial profiles of constituent mass load are used to identify sources of contamination and prioritize sites for remedial action. This paper presents a field scale study in which replicate synoptic sampling campaigns are used to quantify the aggregate uncertainty in constitue
Authors
Robert L. Runkel, Katherine Walton-Day, Briant A. Kimball, Philip L. Verplanck, David A. Nimick
Factors influencing storm-generated suspended-sediment concentrations and loads in four basins of contrasting land use, humid-tropical Puerto Rico
The significant characteristics controlling the variability in storm-generated suspended-sediment loads and concentrations were analyzed for four basins of differing land use (forest, pasture, cropland, and urbanizing) in humid-tropical Puerto Rico. Statistical analysis involved stepwise regression on factor scores. The explanatory variables were attributes of flow, hydrograph peaks, and rainfall,
Authors
Allen C. Gellis
Groundwater depletion in the United States (1900−2008)
A natural consequence of groundwater withdrawals is the removal of water from subsurface storage, but the overall rates and magnitude of groundwater depletion in the United States are not well characterized. This study evaluates long-term cumulative depletion volumes in 40 separate aquifers or areas and one land use category in the United States, bringing together information from the literature a
Authors
Leonard F. Konikow
Methods for estimating annual exceedance-probability discharges for streams in Iowa, based on data through water year 2010
A statewide study was performed to develop regional regression equations for estimating selected annual exceedance-probability statistics for ungaged stream sites in Iowa. The study area comprises streamgages located within Iowa and 50 miles beyond the State’s borders. Annual exceedance-probability estimates were computed for 518 streamgages by using the expected moments algorithm to fit a Pearson
Authors
David A. Eash, Kimberlee K. Barnes, Andrea G. Veilleux