Brenda K Densmore
Brenda Densmore is the Hydrologic Investigations Supervisor for the U.S. Geological Survey Central Plains Water Science Center based out of the Lincoln, Nebraska office.
Brenda Densmore (Woodward) has worked for the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center as a supervisory hydrologists (studies chief) since Oct 2020, a hydrologist prior to that since 2003, and started as a student trainee in 2001. She has an undergraduate degree in fisheries and wildlife and a graduate degree in Natural Resources with emphasis in Aquatic Ecology, both from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prior to taking on a supervisory role within the USGS, Brenda led or participated in a wide range of projects focused on surface water quality and ecology (including City of Omaha Combined Sewer Overflow, USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program, EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment program, and EPA’s National Rivers and Streams Assessment) and bathymetric surveying (including projects using bathymetric LiDAR and singlebeam and multibeam echosounders). These projects included many studies here in Nebraska, surveying support for many other states including hurricane response teams, and projects in Canada and Cambodia. With many years of surveying experience, Brenda was a co-trainer 2012-2023 for the USGS class “Application and Practice of Survey-Grade Global Navigation Satellite Systems” and co-authored the Techniques and Methods manual on GNSS surveying.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 20
Virtual training prepared for the former Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water—Streamgaging, fluvial sediment sampling, bathymetry, and streamflow and sediment modeling
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a virtual training series for the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW), now known as the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA), to provide critical hydrological training as an alternative to an in-person training. The USGS was scheduled to provide in-person surface-water training for NWARA during 2020; however, travel was...
Authors
Joel T. Groten, Joshua Valder, Brenda K. Densmore, Logan W. Neal, Justin Krahulik, Thomas J. Mack
Continuous turbidity data used to compute constituent concentrations in the South Loup River, Nebraska, 2017–18
The South Loup River in central Nebraska has been impaired by bacteria since at least 2004, which has resulted in the river not meeting its intended use as a recreational waterway. As part of a strategy for reducing the bacterial load in the river, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Lower Loup Natural Resources District, made continuous estimates of Escherichia coli (E...
Authors
David L. Rus, Brenda K. Densmore
Modeling Escherichia coli in the Missouri River near Omaha, Nebraska, 2012–16
The city of Omaha, Nebraska, has a combined sewer system in some areas of the city. In Omaha, Nebr., a moderate amount of rainfall will lead to the combination of stormwater and untreated sewage or wastewater being discharged directly into the Missouri River and Papillion Creek and is called a combined sewer overflow (CSO) event. In 2009, the city of Omaha began the implementation of...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Brent M. Hall, Matthew T. Moser
Network global navigation satellite system survey to harmonize water-surface elevation data for the Rainy River Basin
Continuously recording water-level streamgages in Rainy Lake and Namakan Reservoir are used to regulate water levels according to rule curves established in 2000 by the International Joint Commission; however, water levels at streamgages were referenced to a variety of vertical datums, confounding efforts to model the flow of water through the system, regulate water levels during periods...
Authors
Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, R. Jason Silliker, Brenda K. Densmore, Justin Krahulik
Sediment loads and transport at constructed chutes along the Missouri River - Upper Hamburg Chute near Nebraska City, Nebraska, and Kansas Chute near Peru, Nebraska
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, monitored suspended sediment within constructed Missouri River chutes during March through October 2012. Chutes were constructed at selected river bends by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help mitigate aquatic habitat lost through the creation and maintenance of the navigation channel on the Missouri...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, David L. Rus, Matthew T. Moser, Brent M. Hall, Michael J. Andersen
Hydrographic surveys at seven chutes and three backwaters on the Missouri River in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, 2011-13
The U.S. Geological Survey cooperated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Omaha District, to complete hydrographic surveys of seven chutes and three backwaters on the Missouri River yearly during 2011–13. These chutes and backwaters were constructed by the USACE to increase the amount of available shallow water habitat (SWH) to support threatened and endangered species, as...
Authors
Justin Krahulik, Brenda K. Densmore, Kayla J. Anderson, Cory L. Kavan
Repeated multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of 15 selected bridge crossings along the Missouri River from Niobrara to Rulo, Nebraska, during the flood of 2011
In 2011, unprecedented flooding in the Missouri River prompted transportation agencies to increase the frequency of monitoring riverbed elevations near bridges that cross the Missouri River. Hydrographic surveys were completed in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Roads, using a multibeam echosounder at 15 highway bridges spanning the Missouri River from Niobrara to Rulo...
Authors
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch
Geomorphic change on the Missouri River during the flood of 2011
The 2011 flood on the Missouri River was one of the largest floods since the river became regulated by a series of high dams in the mid-20th century (greater than 150,000 cubic feet per second during the peak). The flood persisted through most of the summer, eroding river banks, adding sand to sandbars, and moving the thalweg of the channel in many places. The U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Edward R. Schenk, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Woodward, Gregg J. Wiche, Joel M. Galloway, Rochelle A. Nustad, Cliff R. Hupp
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin
During the 2011 Mississippi River Basin flood, the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated aspects of critical river infrastructure at the request of and in support of local, State, and Federal Agencies. Geotechnical and hydrographic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at numerous locations were able to provide needed information about 2011 flood effects to those managing the critical...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Bethany L. Burton, Benjamin J. Dietsch, James C. Cannia, Richard J. Huizinga
Hydrographic survey of Chaktomuk, the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap, and Bassac Rivers near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2012
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State, Mekong River Commission, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, and the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, completed a hydrographic survey of Chaktomuk, which is the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap (also spelled Tônlé Sab), and Bassac Rivers near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The hydrographic survey used a...
Authors
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Densmore, Richard C. Wilson
Hydrographic surveys of four narrows within the Namakan reservoir system, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey performed multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of four narrows in the Namakan reservoir system in August 2011, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission and Environment Canada. The data-collection effort was completed to provide updated and detailed hydrographic data to Environment Canada for inclusion in a Hydrologic Engineering Centers...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
Hydrographic surveys of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers at selected bridges and through Bismarck, North Dakota, during the 2011 flood
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and the North Dakota State Water Commission, completed hydrographic surveys at six Missouri River bridges and one Yellowstone River bridge during the 2011 flood of the Missouri River system. Bridges surveyed are located near the cities of Cartwright, Buford, Williston, Washburn, and...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch, Benjamin J. Dietsch
Velocity and Bathymetric Data near Outlet Structures for the City of Omaha Water Resource Recovery Facilities on the Missouri River, 2020
These data sets were derived from surveys at the Missouri River and Papillion Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility outfalls on the Missouri River. Each site had three transects, one at the outfall, one 45.7 meters upstream of the outfall and one 45.7 meters downstream of the outfall. Velocity and depth data were collected using an acoustic Doppler current profiler at each transect...
Survey Data Collection for the Bureau of Reclamation at Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona, November 2020
This dataset describes survey data collected for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the agency in charge of regulating Colorado River water control operations impounding the Lake Powell reservoir. Additional intent of the collected data was to assure consistencies among gaging elevations at Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona as well as verification and alignment of a recently...
Modeling Escherichia coli in the Missouri River near Omaha, Nebraska, 2012-16: Model Inputs and Outputs
This data release contains the inputs and outputs from the development of Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration models for the four Missouri River sites near Omaha, Nebraska. Model development, models, and results are published in the associated U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report Densmore and others, 2020. Load Estimator models (LOADEST) (Runkel and others, 2004) were developed from...
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 20
Virtual training prepared for the former Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water—Streamgaging, fluvial sediment sampling, bathymetry, and streamflow and sediment modeling
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a virtual training series for the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW), now known as the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA), to provide critical hydrological training as an alternative to an in-person training. The USGS was scheduled to provide in-person surface-water training for NWARA during 2020; however, travel was...
Authors
Joel T. Groten, Joshua Valder, Brenda K. Densmore, Logan W. Neal, Justin Krahulik, Thomas J. Mack
Continuous turbidity data used to compute constituent concentrations in the South Loup River, Nebraska, 2017–18
The South Loup River in central Nebraska has been impaired by bacteria since at least 2004, which has resulted in the river not meeting its intended use as a recreational waterway. As part of a strategy for reducing the bacterial load in the river, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Lower Loup Natural Resources District, made continuous estimates of Escherichia coli (E...
Authors
David L. Rus, Brenda K. Densmore
Modeling Escherichia coli in the Missouri River near Omaha, Nebraska, 2012–16
The city of Omaha, Nebraska, has a combined sewer system in some areas of the city. In Omaha, Nebr., a moderate amount of rainfall will lead to the combination of stormwater and untreated sewage or wastewater being discharged directly into the Missouri River and Papillion Creek and is called a combined sewer overflow (CSO) event. In 2009, the city of Omaha began the implementation of...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Brent M. Hall, Matthew T. Moser
Network global navigation satellite system survey to harmonize water-surface elevation data for the Rainy River Basin
Continuously recording water-level streamgages in Rainy Lake and Namakan Reservoir are used to regulate water levels according to rule curves established in 2000 by the International Joint Commission; however, water levels at streamgages were referenced to a variety of vertical datums, confounding efforts to model the flow of water through the system, regulate water levels during periods...
Authors
Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, R. Jason Silliker, Brenda K. Densmore, Justin Krahulik
Sediment loads and transport at constructed chutes along the Missouri River - Upper Hamburg Chute near Nebraska City, Nebraska, and Kansas Chute near Peru, Nebraska
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, monitored suspended sediment within constructed Missouri River chutes during March through October 2012. Chutes were constructed at selected river bends by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help mitigate aquatic habitat lost through the creation and maintenance of the navigation channel on the Missouri...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, David L. Rus, Matthew T. Moser, Brent M. Hall, Michael J. Andersen
Hydrographic surveys at seven chutes and three backwaters on the Missouri River in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, 2011-13
The U.S. Geological Survey cooperated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Omaha District, to complete hydrographic surveys of seven chutes and three backwaters on the Missouri River yearly during 2011–13. These chutes and backwaters were constructed by the USACE to increase the amount of available shallow water habitat (SWH) to support threatened and endangered species, as...
Authors
Justin Krahulik, Brenda K. Densmore, Kayla J. Anderson, Cory L. Kavan
Repeated multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of 15 selected bridge crossings along the Missouri River from Niobrara to Rulo, Nebraska, during the flood of 2011
In 2011, unprecedented flooding in the Missouri River prompted transportation agencies to increase the frequency of monitoring riverbed elevations near bridges that cross the Missouri River. Hydrographic surveys were completed in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Roads, using a multibeam echosounder at 15 highway bridges spanning the Missouri River from Niobrara to Rulo...
Authors
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch
Geomorphic change on the Missouri River during the flood of 2011
The 2011 flood on the Missouri River was one of the largest floods since the river became regulated by a series of high dams in the mid-20th century (greater than 150,000 cubic feet per second during the peak). The flood persisted through most of the summer, eroding river banks, adding sand to sandbars, and moving the thalweg of the channel in many places. The U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Edward R. Schenk, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Woodward, Gregg J. Wiche, Joel M. Galloway, Rochelle A. Nustad, Cliff R. Hupp
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin
During the 2011 Mississippi River Basin flood, the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated aspects of critical river infrastructure at the request of and in support of local, State, and Federal Agencies. Geotechnical and hydrographic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at numerous locations were able to provide needed information about 2011 flood effects to those managing the critical...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Bethany L. Burton, Benjamin J. Dietsch, James C. Cannia, Richard J. Huizinga
Hydrographic survey of Chaktomuk, the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap, and Bassac Rivers near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2012
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State, Mekong River Commission, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, and the Cambodian Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, completed a hydrographic survey of Chaktomuk, which is the confluence of the Mekong, Tonlé Sap (also spelled Tônlé Sab), and Bassac Rivers near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The hydrographic survey used a...
Authors
Benjamin J. Dietsch, Brenda K. Densmore, Richard C. Wilson
Hydrographic surveys of four narrows within the Namakan reservoir system, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, 2011
The U.S. Geological Survey performed multibeam echosounder hydrographic surveys of four narrows in the Namakan reservoir system in August 2011, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission and Environment Canada. The data-collection effort was completed to provide updated and detailed hydrographic data to Environment Canada for inclusion in a Hydrologic Engineering Centers...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid
Hydrographic surveys of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers at selected bridges and through Bismarck, North Dakota, during the 2011 flood
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and the North Dakota State Water Commission, completed hydrographic surveys at six Missouri River bridges and one Yellowstone River bridge during the 2011 flood of the Missouri River system. Bridges surveyed are located near the cities of Cartwright, Buford, Williston, Washburn, and...
Authors
Brenda K. Densmore, Kellan R. Strauch, Benjamin J. Dietsch
Velocity and Bathymetric Data near Outlet Structures for the City of Omaha Water Resource Recovery Facilities on the Missouri River, 2020
These data sets were derived from surveys at the Missouri River and Papillion Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility outfalls on the Missouri River. Each site had three transects, one at the outfall, one 45.7 meters upstream of the outfall and one 45.7 meters downstream of the outfall. Velocity and depth data were collected using an acoustic Doppler current profiler at each transect...
Survey Data Collection for the Bureau of Reclamation at Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona, November 2020
This dataset describes survey data collected for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), the agency in charge of regulating Colorado River water control operations impounding the Lake Powell reservoir. Additional intent of the collected data was to assure consistencies among gaging elevations at Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona as well as verification and alignment of a recently...
Modeling Escherichia coli in the Missouri River near Omaha, Nebraska, 2012-16: Model Inputs and Outputs
This data release contains the inputs and outputs from the development of Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration models for the four Missouri River sites near Omaha, Nebraska. Model development, models, and results are published in the associated U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report Densmore and others, 2020. Load Estimator models (LOADEST) (Runkel and others, 2004) were developed from...