Publications
Scientific reports, journal articles, or general interest publications by USGS scientists in the Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center are listed below. Publications span from 1898 to the present.
Filter Total Items: 1517
Quality of sediment discharging from the Barton Springs system, Austin, Texas, 2000-2002
Four spring outlets of the Barton Springs system provide the only known habitat for the Barton Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum), a federally listed endangered species. After heavy rainfall, sediment is flushed through the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards aquifer and springflow often becomes turbid (cloudy). Sediment in urban areas often has high concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants,
Authors
Barbara Mahler
Estimating the susceptibility of surface water in Texas to nonpoint-source contamination by use of logistic regression modeling
In the State of Texas, surface water (streams, canals, and reservoirs) and ground water are used as sources of public water supply. Surface-water sources of public water supply are susceptible to contamination from point and nonpoint sources. To help protect sources of drinking water and to aid water managers in designing protective yet cost-effective and risk-mitigated monitoring strategies, the
Authors
William A. Battaglin, Randy L. Ulery, Thomas Winterstein, Toby Welborn
Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow and land-surface subsidence in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston area, Texas
In November 1997, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Houston Utilities Planning Section and the City of Houston Department of Public Works & Engineering, began an investigation of the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers in the greater Houston area in Texas to better understand the hydrology, flow, and associated land-surface subsidence. The principal part of the investigation w
Authors
Mark C. Kasmarek, Eric W. Strom
Hydrology and water quality near Bromide Pavilion in Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Murray County, Oklahoma, 2000
The Bromide Pavilion in Chickasaw National Recreation Area drew many thousands of people annually to drink the mineral-rich waters piped from nearby Bromide and Medicine Springs. Periodic detection of fecal coliform bacteria in water piped to the pavilion from the springs, low yields of the springs, or flooding by adjacent Rock Creek prompted National Park Service officials to discontinue piping o
Authors
William J. Andrews, Steven P. Burrough
Hydrologic conditions and quality of rainfall and storm runoff in agricultural and rangeland areas in San Patricio County, Texas, 2000-2001
During 2000–2001, rainfall and runoff were monitored in one mixed agricultural watershed and two rangeland watersheds in San Patricio County, located in the Coastal Bend area of South Texas. During this period, five rainfall samples were collected and analyzed for selected nutrients. Ten runoff samples from nine runoff events were collected at the three watershed monitoring stations. Runoff sample
Authors
Darwin J. Ockerman
Water-quality trends in suburban Houston, Texas, 1954-97, as indicated by sediment cores from Lake Houston
Water-quality trends were assessed in Lake Houston using age-dated sediment cores. Sediments deposited in the lake contain a partial chemical signature of human activities in the watershed. Over time, a water-quality history is recorded in the bottom sediments. Although the sediments in Lake Houston are clean compared to sediment-quality guidelines, increasing concentrations of mercury, zinc, and
Authors
P. C. Van Metre, D. A. Sneck-Fahrer
Llano Grande Lake bottom sediments; a chronicle of water-quality changes in the Arroyo Colorado, South Texas, 1989-2001
The Arroyo Colorado, an ancient channel of the Rio Grande, extends 90 miles from Mission, Tex., to the Laguna Madre. The Arroyo Colorado flows through areas of intense agricultural cultivation and through important habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife, including several wildlife sanctuaries and refuges. The above-tidal segment of the Arroyo Colorado is included in the State of Texas 2000
Authors
Barbara June Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre
Occurrence of selected volatile organic compounds and soluble pesticides in Texas public water-supply source waters, 1999-2001
During 1999–2001, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, collected samples of untreated water from 48 public water-supply reservoirs and 174 public water-supply wells. The samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and soluble pesticides; in addition, well samples were analyzed for nitrite plus nitrate and tritium. This
Authors
Barbara June Mahler, Michael G. Canova, Marcus O. Gary
Simulation of flow and water quality of the Arroyo Colorado, Texas, 1989-99
A model parameter set for use with the Hydrological Simulation Program—FORTRAN watershed model was developed to simulate flow and water quality for selected properties and constituents for the Arroyo Colorado from the city of Mission to the Laguna Madre, Texas. The model simulates flow, selected water-quality properties, and constituent concentrations. The model can be used to estimate a total max
Authors
Timothy H. Raines, Roger M. Miranda
Pesticides and their breakdown products in Lake Waxahachie, Texas, and in finished drinking water from the lake
Since 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program has collected pesticide data from streams and aquifers throughout the Nation (Gilliom and others, 1995). However, little published information on pesticides in public drinking water is available. The NAWQA Program usually collects data on the sources of drinking water but not on the finished drinking wa
Authors
Patricia B. Ging
Hydrologic, water-quality, and sediment-quality data for the Christmas Bay system, Brazoria County, Texas, February 1999-March 2000
The Christmas Bay system is a group of three small secondary bays (Christmas, Bastrop, and Drum Bays) at the southwestern end of the Galveston Bay estuarine system in Brazoria County, Texas. During February 1999-March 2000, hydrologic, water-quality, and sediment-quality data were collected from each of the three bays to establish baseline conditions. Gage-height fluctuations closely matched open-
Authors
Jeffery W. East
Occurrence of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) on Suspended Sediment in the Donna Canal, Hidalgo County, Texas, 1999-2001
Some fish in the Donna Canal contain PCBs at levels that might pose a risk to human health if the fish are eaten. Early attempts to locate the source of PCBs in the canal were unsuccessful. An innovative method of sampling and analyzing suspended sediment helped scientists detect PCBs in suspended sediment and narrowed the probable PCB source area(s) from the entire 11-kilometer canal to a 600-met
Authors
B.J. Mahler, P. C. Van Metre, R.M. Miranda