California Waters - Winter 2023 - Vol. III | Issue I
Dr. Anke Mueller-Solger is the new Center Director of the USGS California Water Science Center
The U.S. Geological Survey has named Dr. Anke Mueller-Solger as the new Center Director of the USGS California Water Science Center (CAWSC).
Emergency Drought Barrier’s Impacts on cyanoHABs and Water Quality
Drought is making the Delta Saltier. Less freshwater coming from watershed runoff and reservoir releases means that more salty water flows into the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Delta) from the Pacific Ocean. Changes in Delta salinity have far-reaching impacts, affecting the water supply for agriculture, drinking, wildlife, and Delta ecosystems.
USGS Science Informs Effort to Protect Threatened Fish Species
The Clear Lake Hitch, also known as the chi, is a fish species very important to the Pomo tribe in the area surrounding Clear Lake in Northern California.
California Water Science Center Scientists to Present at 2023 IEP Annual Workshop
USGS crews continue to measure record-high streamflow in California
U.S. Geological Survey field crews measured high streamflows this week throughout California, thirteen of which were record high-flow measurements.
Assessing the presence of current-use pesticides in mid-elevation Sierra Nevada streams using passive samplers, California, 2018–19
Passive sampler devices were deployed in six northern California streams five times between November 2018 and December 2019 to measure the presence or absence of current-use pesticides in surface water. In the targeted areas, there are reported pesticide uses for agriculture, commercial forestry, and rights of way maintenance along with unreported pesticide use at private residences and cannabis g
Hydrodynamics and habitat interact to structure fish communities within terminal channels of a tidal freshwater delta
Terminal channels were historically a common feature of tidal delta ecosystems but have become increasingly rare as landscapes have been modified. Tidal hydrodynamics are a defining feature in tidal terminal channel ecosystems from which native aquatic communities have evolved. However, few studies have explored the relationship between fish community structure and hydrodynamics in these tidal ter
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Redding–Red Bluff shallow aquifer study unit, 2019—California GAMA priority basin project
Groundwater quality in the north Sacramento Valley (NSV) was studied in the Redding–Red Bluff shallow aquifer study unit (referred to as the NSV shallow aquifer or NSV-SA) as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is in Shasta and Tehama Counties and included two physiographic study areas: (1) the Redd
Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Modesto, Turlock, and Merced Subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley, California
Summary More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from privately owned domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a water-quality survey of domestic and small-system drinking-water supply wells in the Modesto, Turlock, and Merced subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley where more than 78,000 residents are estimated to use privately owned domestic wells. Results indicat
Continuous water-quality and suspended-sediment transport monitoring in San Francisco Bay, California, water years 2020–21
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has continuously monitored real-time water quality and suspended-sediment transport in San Francisco Bay (the Bay) since 1989 as part of a multi-agency effort (see “Acknowledgments” section) to address estuary management, water supply, and ecological concerns. The San Francisco Bay area is home to millions of people and biologically diverse marine and terrestrial