Publications
This list of New Mexico Water Science Center publications spans from 1961 to the present. It includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists.
Filter Total Items: 361
Water resources related to breccia pipe uranium mining in the Grand Canyon region
IntroductionIn the arid Grand Canyon region, water resources are limited to primarily the Colorado River and associated tributaries and to groundwater in the form of seeps and springs. Groundwater resources in the region supply water for human use and support diverse and rich ecosystems in the locations immediately surrounding the seeps and springs. Throughout the region, uranium...
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, Benjamin J. Siebers, Fred D. Tillman, Katherine Walton-Day
Geochemical processes related to mined, milled, or natural metal deposits in a rapidly changing global environment
The demand for metals and raw materials, such as nickel and copper, has been projected to expand in the coming decades, driven by the global energy transition, the need for green technologies, and expanding infrastructure. Consequently, the increasing extraction and production of mining waste can have adverse impacts on surrounding environments and human health. The aim of this thematic...
Authors
Annika Parviainen, Kimberly R. Beisner, Johanna Blake, Edel Mary O'Sullivan, Clare Miller, Carolina Rosca
Automating physics-based models to estimate thermoelectric-power water use
Thermoelectric (TE) power plants withdraw more water than any other sector of water use in the United States and consume water at rates that can be significant especially in water-stressed regions. Historical TE water-use data have been inconsistent, incomplete, or discrepant, resulting in an increased research focus on improving the accuracy and availability of TE water-use data using...
Authors
Melissa A. Harris, Timothy H. Diehl, Lillian Gorman Sanisaca, Amy E. Galanter, Melissa Lombard, Kenneth D. Skinner, Catherine A. Chamberlin, Brendan A. McCarthy, Richard G. Niswonger, Jana S. Stewart, Kristen J. Valseth
Predictions of groundwater PFAS occurrence at drinking water supply depths in the United States
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known colloquially as “forever chemicals”, have been associated with adverse human health effects and have contaminated drinking water supplies across the United States owing to their long-term and widespread use. People in the United States may unknowingly be drinking water that contains PFAS because of a lack of systematic analysis...
Authors
Andrea K. Tokranov, Katherine Marie Ransom, Laura M. Bexfield, Bruce Lindsey, Elise Watson, Danielle Dupuy, Paul E. Stackelberg, Miranda Fram, Stefan Voss, James A. Kingsbury, Bryant Jurgens, Kelly Smalling, Paul M. Bradley
Three-dimensional geologic framework model of the Rio San Jose groundwater basin and adjacent areas, New Mexico
As part of a U.S. Geological Survey study in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico, and the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico, a digital three-dimensional geologic framework model was constructed for the Rio San Jose and its surface-water drainage basin in west-central New Mexico. This three-dimensional model defines the altitude, thickness, and extent...
Authors
Donald S. Sweetkind, Amy E. Galanter
Redistribution of debris-flow sediment following severe wildfire and floods in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
Severe fire on steep slopes increases stormwater runoff and the occurrence of runoff-initiated debris flows. Predicting locations of debris flows and their downstream effects on trunk streams requires watershed-scale high-resolution topographic data. Intense precipitation in July and September 2013 following the June 2011 Las Conchas Fire in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, led to...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Anne C. Tillery, Samuel J. Alfieri, Elizabeth Rachaelann Skaggs, Patrick B. Shafroth, Craig Allen
Low-flow statistics for selected streams in New York, excluding Long Island
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, updated low-streamflow statistics for New York, excluding Long Island and including hydrologically connected watersheds in bordering States, for the first time since 1972. Historical daily streamflow data for active and inactive gages were considered for this study with periods of...
Authors
Timothy J. Stagnitta, Alexander P. Graziano, Joshua C. Woda, Robin L. Glas, Christopher L. Gazoorian
Evidence of long-range transport of selenium downstream of coal mining operations in the Elk River Valley, Canada
Expanding coal-mining operations in the Elk River Valley (British Columbia, Canada) have increased total selenium (Se) concentrations in the transboundary Lake Koocanusa (Canada and United States), but the spatial extent of Se transport from the Elk River Mines is unknown. We evaluated multiple lines of evidence of long-range transport of Se at five sites downstream of the mines relative...
Authors
Madison Jo Foster, Meryl Biesiot Storb, Johanna Blake, Travis Schmidt, Rochelle A. Nustad, Ashley Morgan Bussell
Modeling forest snow using relative canopy structure metrics
Snow and watershed models typically do not account for forest structure and shading; therefore, they display substantial uncertainty when attempting to account for forest change or when comparing hydrological response between forests with varying characteristics. This study collected snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements in a snow-dominated forest in Colorado, the United States, with...
Authors
C. David Moeser, Graham A. Sexstone, Jake Kurzweil
Assessing influence from wastewater treatment facilities on Glorieta Creek and the Pecos River within Pecos National Historical Park, New Mexico, February–October 2022
The Pecos National Historical Park protects 2.9 miles of the Pecos River and part of Glorieta Creek within the park boundaries. Updated water-quality data can assist resource managers in determining if effluent from two nearby wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is affecting the quality of the water in the Pecos River and Glorieta Creek within the park. Water samples were collected four...
Authors
Kate Wilkins, Kimberly R. Beisner, R.E. Travis
Temporal variability and sources of PFAS in the Rio Grande, New Mexico through an arid urban area using multiple tracers and high-frequency sampling
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment but sources are not well defined for temporal and spatial aspects within an urban environment, and especially for an arid urban environment subject to seasonal short term high-intensity precipitation events. A focused diel sampling was conducted in the summer of 2021 to assess the temporal and spatial...
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, R.E. Travis, David A. Alvarez, Larry B. Barber, Jacob Fleck, Jeramy Roland Jasmann
Assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water resources of New Mexico, 2020–21
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been detected in public and private drinking-water wells, springs, and surface waters in New Mexico; however, the presence and distribution of PFAS in water resources across the State are not well characterized. From August 2020 to October 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department, collected...
Authors
R.E. Travis, Kimberly R. Beisner, Kate Wilkins, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Steffanie H. Keefe, Larry B. Barber