Publications

Greater-than-normal precipitation during the summer of 1993 affected the hydrologic response and surface-water quality in the Devils Lake Basin. Large areas in the basin were flooded as a result of the precipitation, and water from these areas drained slowly through the chain of lakes into Devils Lake. This report summarizes the results of surface-water quantity and quality monitoring...

Two separate studies to simulate the effects of discharging treated wastewater to the Red River of the North at Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, have been completed. In the first study, the Red River at Fargo Water-Quality Model was calibrated and verified for icefree conditions. In the second study, the Red River at Fargo Ice-Cover Water-Quality Model was verified for ice...

The effects of land-use activities on the water quality of five streams on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation were evaluated. The five basinsevaluated were East Fork Shell Creek, Deepwater Creek, Bear Den Creek, Moccasin Creek, and Squaw Creek. East Fork Shell Creek and DeepwaterCreek Basins are located east of Lake Sakakawea and Bear Den Creek, Moccasin Creek, and Squaw Creek Basins...

Existing hydrologic data and information for the Cannonball River Basin were compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation. This report presents a summary of surface-water quality and streamflow data, ground-water quality data, ground-water level data, water-use data, and other information compiled from the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of...

Carp (Cyprinus carpio) from four sites and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) from one site in the Red River of the North in 1994 were analyzed for total mercury content. In carp, mercury concentrations differed among liver, muscle, and whole bodies (0.11, 0.31, and 0.18 µg/g wet weight, respectively), between large and small size groups, but not location. Mercury distribution in...

This National Water Summary on Wetland Resources documents wetland resources in the United States. It presents an overview of the status of knowledge of wetlands at the present time-what they are, where they are found, why they are important, and the controversies surrounding them, with an emphasis on their hydrology. Wetland resources in each State, the District of Columbia (combined...

A network analysis technique using generalized least-squares regression was used to evaluate the current (1993) peak-flow gaging network that provides regional peak-flow information for North Dakota. The analysis was conducted to evaluate the current (1993) network and to determine if reactivating discontinued gaging stations and adding new gaging stations on small drainage areas would...

On the basis of three sediment-based chronologies, Fritz et al. ( 1994) concluded that during the ’Little Ice Age’ (about AD 1500 to 1850), the Devils Lake Basin generally had less effective moisture (precipitation minus evaporation) and warmer temperatures than at present. In this comment, we argue that historic data indicate that runoff and effective moisture were greater than at...

The Devils Lake Basin is a 3,810-square-mile (mi2) closed basin (fig. 1) in the Red River of the North Basin. The basin is contributing only when the level of Devils Lake is greater than 1,459 feet (ft) above sea level (asl). About 3,320 mi2 of the total 3,810 mi2 is tributary to Devils Lake; the remainder is tributary to Stump Lake.

Pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, both North Dakota and Minnesota identified part of the Red River of the North (Red River) as water-quality limited. The states are required to determine the total maximum daily load (TMDL) that can be discharged to a water-quality limited reach from various pollution sources without contravening water-quality standards (U.S...

No abstract available.

The Garrison Diversion Unit project was authorized as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin program to divert water from Lake Sakakawea to irrigation areas in North Dakota. A special Garrison Commission was created to evaluate an environmental concern that return flow from the irrigation areas might contain metals in toxic concentrations. This report summarizes the results of...