California Waters - Fall 2021 - Vol. I | Issue III
Public notice for the upgrade and expansion of the water monitoring network in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provided the public an opportunity to review and comment on an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the construction, upgrade, and maintenance of new and existing monitoring stations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta). Public notifications were posted to this website and distributed via social media, but USGS received no comments during the review period.
Development of a groundwater-simulation model in the Los Angeles Coastal Plain, Los Angeles County, California
Executive SummaryThe Los Angeles Coastal Plain (LACP) covers about 580 square miles and is the largest coastal plain of semiarid southern California. The LACP is heavily developed with mostly residential, commercial, and industrial land uses that rely heavily on groundwater for water supply. In 2010, the LACP was home to about 14 percent of California’s population, or about 5.4 million residents.
USGS Scientists Study Habitat Features in the San Francisco Estuary to Better Inform Conservation Efforts for Aquatic Species
The Pacific coast of the lower 48 US states (Washington, Oregon, and California) has over 400 estuaries of various types. The largest of these is the San Francisco Estuary (San Francisco Bay and Delta) in California.
Water Quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Biogeochemistry Group Expands its Monitoring of Water Quality in the Delta
USGS Scientists Compare Analytical Methods for the Analysis of Imidacloprid in Biological Matrices
In a recent research project, California Water Science Center scientists compared analytical techniques for the analysis of imidacloprid in biological matrices.
Detection and measurement of land-surface deformation, Pajaro Valley, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, California, 2015–18
Land-surface deformation (subsidence) caused by groundwater withdrawal is identified as an undesirable result in the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency’s Basin Management Plan and California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. In Pajaro Valley, groundwater provides nearly 90 percent of the total water supply. To aid the development of sustainable groundwater management criteria, the U.S.
Data from Nevada Tufa Mounds Could be Used to Better Understand Biosignatures on Earth and Beyond
California Water Science Center scientist, the late Dr. Michael R. Rosen, and others have authored an article characterizing biosignatures in porous rock formations (called "tufas") in Big Soda Lake, Nevada.
Increased Pumping in California’s Central Valley During Drought Worsens Groundwater Quality
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Intensive pumping of aquifers during drought can speed up deterioration of groundwater quality, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The results highlight clean drinking water supply vulnerabilities in California and other western states currently experiencing record drought conditions.
Continuous water-quality and suspended-sediment transport monitoring in the San Francisco Bay, California, water years 2018–19
Water-Quality in San Francisco BayThe 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 marine and terrestrial flora and fauna. Freshwater mixes with
Storage capacity and sedimentation characteristics of Loch Lomond Reservoir, California, 2019
In May of 2019, Loch Lomond Reservoir was surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the city of Santa Cruz to assess the current storage capacity and sedimentation rates in the reservoir. Survey methods combined sonar soundings to measure bathymetry and lidar scans with GPS data to measure near-shore topography and sediment bed samples to understand reservoir bed-materialsi
Precipitation-runoff processes in the Merced River Basin, Central California, with prospects for streamflow predictability, water years 1952–2013
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), has constructed a new spatially detailed Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) model for the Merced River Basin, California, which is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in California. Operated through an Object User Interface (OUI) with Ensemble Streamflow Prediction (ESP) and daily climate
Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the northern San Joaquin Valley, California
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and provides increased public access to groundwater-quality information.
American and Sacramento Rivers, California, erodibility measurements and model
Executive Summary A previous report by the authors described sediment sampling and drilling by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) beside the American and Sacramento Rivers near Sacramento, California, in support of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project focused on regional flood control. The drilling was performed to define lithology, extract samples for laboratory testing, and perform borehole er