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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: 18420

Water-table elevation maps for 2008 and 2016 and water-table elevation changes in the aquifer system underlying eastern Albuquerque, New Mexico

The addition of surface water from the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project to the Albuquerque water supply and the reduction in per capita water use has led to decreased groundwater withdrawals. This decrease in withdrawals has resulted in rising groundwater levels since 2008 in portions of the aquifer underlying Albuquerque. The wells used to assess the Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facili
Authors
Allison K. Flickinger, Aurelia C. Mitchell

Fluoride occurrence in United States groundwater

Data from 38,105 wells were used to characterize fluoride (F) occurrence in untreated United States (U.S.) groundwater. For domestic wells (n = 11,032), water from which is generally not purposely fluoridated or monitored for quality, 10.9% of the samples have F concentrations >0.7 mg/L (U.S. Public Health Service recommended optimal F concentration in drinking water for preventing tooth decay) (8
Authors
Peter B. McMahon, Craig J. Brown, Tyler D. Johnson, Kenneth Belitz, Bruce D. Lindsey

Assessment of NMR logging for estimating hydraulic conductivity in glacial aquifers

Glacial aquifers are an important source of groundwater in the United States and require accurate characterization to make informed management decisions. One parameter that is crucial for understanding the movement of groundwater is hydraulic conductivity, K. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging measures the NMR response associated with the water in geological materials. By utilizing an extern
Authors
Alexander K. Kendrick, Rosemary Knight, Carole D. Johnson, Gaisheng Liu, Steven Knobbe, Randall J. Hunt, James J. Butler

History and evolution of seepage meters for quantifying flow between groundwater and surface water: Part 1 – Freshwater settings

More than 75 years after its introduction, the seepage meter remains the only device for directly quantifying exchange across the sediment-water interface between groundwater and surface water. This device, first presented in the literature in the 1940s, has been in a state of near-constant improvement and design change, necessitating a review of the history and evolution of the device and a desc
Authors
Donald O. Rosenberry, Carlos Duque, David R. Lee

Microplastics in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, USA: Occurrence and biological uptake

Microplastics are an environmental contaminant of growing concern, but there is a lack of information about microplastic distribution, persistence, availability, and biological uptake in freshwater systems. This is especially true for large river systems like the Colorado River that spans multiple states through mostly rural and agricultural land use. This study characterized the quantity and morp
Authors
Austin K. Baldwin, Andrew R. Spanjer, Michael R. Rosen, Theresa Thom

First record of pughead deformity in the threatened Clear Lake Hitch

No abstract available.
Authors
Jessica Catherine Kathan, Matthew J. Young, Frederick V. Feyrer

A Lagrangian particle-tracking approach to modelling larval drift in rivers

The migration of larval fish from spawning to rearing habitat in rivers is not well understood. This paper describes a methodology to predict larval drift using a Lagrangian particle-tracking (LPT) model with passive and active behavioural components loosely coupled to a quasi-three-dimensional hydraulic model. In the absence of measured larval drift, a heuristic approach is presented for the larv
Authors
Richard R. McDonald, Jonathan M. Nelson

Using small unmanned aircraft systems for measuring post-flood high-water marks and streambed elevations

Floods affected approximately two billion people around the world from 1998–2017, causing over 142,000 fatalities and over 656 billion U.S. dollars in economic losses. Flood data, such as the extent of inundation and peak flood stage, are needed to define the environmental, economic, and social impacts of significant flood events. Ground-based global positioning system (GPS) surveys of post-flood
Authors
Brandon T. Forbes, Geoffrey DeBenedetto, Jesse E. Dickinson, Claire Bunch, Faith A. Fitzpatrick

Forecasting water demand across a rapidly urbanizing region

Urban growth and climate change together complicate planning efforts meant to adapt to increasingly scarce water supplies. Several studies have independently examined the impacts of urban planning and climate change on water demand, but little attention has been given to their combined impact. Here we forecast urban water demand using a Geographically Weighted Regression model informed by socio-ec
Authors
Georgina M. Sanchez, Adam J. Terando, Jordan W. Smith, Ana María García, Chad R. Wagner, Ross K. Meentemeyer

Predicting the floods that follow the flames

No abstract available.
Authors
Jonathan J Gourley, Humberto Vergara, Ami Arthur, Robert A III Clark, Dennis M. Staley, John Fulton, Laura A. Hempel, David C. Goodrich, Katherine Rowden, Peter R. Robichaud

Continuous water-quality and suspended-sediment transport monitoring in the San Francisco Bay, California, water years 2016–17

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) monitors water quality and suspended-sediment transport in the San Francisco Bay (Bay) as part of a multi-agency effort to address estuary management, water supply, and ecological concerns. The San Francisco Bay area is home to millions of people, and the Bay teems with plants and both resident and migratory wildlife, and fish. Freshwater mixes with salt water in
Authors
Darin C. Einhell, Maureen A. Downing-Kunz, Daniel N. Livsey

Stormwater control impacts on runoff volume and peak flow: A meta-analysis of watershed modelling studies

Decades of research has concluded that the percent of impervious surface cover in a watershed is strongly linked to negative impacts on urban stream health. Recently, there has been a push by municipalities to offset these effects by installing structural stormwater control measures (SCMs), which are landscape features designed to retain and reduce runoff to mitigate the effects of urbanisation on
Authors
Colin D. Bell, Jordyn M. Wolfand, Chelsea L. Panos, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Ryan L. Gilliom, Terri S. Hogue, Kristina G. Hopkins, Anne J. Jefferson