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: 357
Anthropogenic influence on groundwater geochemistry in Horn Creek Watershed near the Orphan Mine in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Breccia pipe deposits of the Grand Canyon region contain ore grade copper and uranium. Horn Creek is located near the Orphan Mine mineralized breccia pipe deposit and groundwater emerging from the bedrock in the headwaters of Horn Creek has the highest uranium concentrations in the region. Uranium decreases an order of magnitude between the groundwater at the top of the watershed and the groundwat
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, Collin Davidson, Fred D. Tillman
Potential effects of projected pumping scenarios on future water-table elevations near Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, simulated different groundwater pumping scenarios from 2016 to 2050 to determine the potential future changes in groundwater levels in areas around the Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility and an ethylene dibromide (EDB) plume. Projections of water supply and demand created by the Albuquerque Bernalillo Cou
Authors
Allison K. Flickinger
Utilizing anthropogenic compounds and geochemical tracers to identify preferential structurally controlled groundwater pathways influencing springs in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Study region: This study focuses on the Colorado River watershed in the area along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Study focus: This study utilizes anthropogenic chemical tracers to investigate the fate of treated wastewater effluent discharged within Grand Canyon National Park. Anthropogenic chemical tracers were used to discern preferential structurally controlled pathways in a complex region
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, Nicholas V. Paretti, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Larry B. Barber
Water quality at Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the potential effects of hydrocarbon extraction
Study regionChaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP) is in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A. Its only water supply is in Gallup Sandstone aquifer, stratigraphically surrounded by layers long targeted for oil and natural gas extraction.Study focusTo assess groundwater flow direction, age, mixing between aquifers, and whether hydrocarbons extraction may affect water quality
Authors
Benjamin S. Linhoff, Kimberly R. Beisner, Andrew Hunt, Zachary M. Shephard
Measuring basin-scale aquifer storage change and mapping specific yield in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, with repeat microgravity data
Study RegionThe groundwater basin underlying the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.Study FocusThe study focuses on changes in groundwater storage and how those changes relate to groundwater-level changes. Groundwater storage change was measured using repeat microgravity at 35 stations from 2016 to 2021. Usually, storage is monitored by converting groundwater-level changes to storage changes usi
Authors
Jeffrey Kennedy, Meghan T. Bell
Preliminary analysis of a horizontal multifrequency hydroacoustic device designed for surrogate measurements of suspended sediment concentration: The Horizontal Acoustic Sediment Current Profiler
Single frequency active hydroacoustic measurements have been correlated with suspended sediment concentration. In river systems that include widely varying suspended sediment particle sizes, a multi-frequency hydroacoustic approach has increased predictive capabilities. However, the multi-frequency approach requires installation and operation of multiple sensors in a river channel and relies on te
Authors
Jeb E. Brown, Tristan Joel Austring, Rodney J. Richards, Tyson Hatch, Joel William Homan
Acoustic measurements on a shallow, sand-bed river: A case study from the Rio Grande
The Middle Rio Grande (MRG) is a dynamic and complex fluvial system where flow and sediment transported from the Upper Rio Grande and MRG tributaries influence the form of the river. How sediment is transported through the MRG is an important planning question as it addresses a wide range of concerns including flood control and river rehabilitation, thus continuous sediment measurements are needed
Authors
Jonathan AuBuchon, David Abraham, Ari Posner, Jeb E. Brown, Tony Jackson, Ronald E. Griffiths
Development of an integrated hydrologic flow model of the Rio San Jose Basin and surrounding areas, New Mexico
The Rio San Jose Integrated Hydrologic Model (RSJIHM) was developed to provide a tool for analyzing the hydrologic system response to historical water use and potential changes in water supplies and demands in the Rio San Jose Basin. The study area encompasses about 6,300 square miles in west-central New Mexico and includes the communities of Grants, Bluewater, and San Rafael and three Native Amer
Authors
Andre B. Ritchie, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Amy E. Galanter, Allison K. Flickinger, Andrew J. Robertson, Donald S. Sweetkind
Interim guidance for calibration checks on a submersible acoustic backscatter sediment sensor
Over the past two decades, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other agencies have pioneered the use of active acoustic sensors to monitor suspended-sediment concentrations and particle sizes in rivers and streams at the subdaily time scale. The LISST-ABS submersible acoustic backscatter sediment sensor (or “ABS sensor”) was developed by Sequoia Scientific, Inc., as an alternative to turbidity s
Authors
Jason S. Alexander, Jonathan P. O'Connell, Jeb E. Brown
Groundwater prospecting using a multi-technique framework in the lower Casas Grandes Basin, Chihuahua, México
Groundwater is a strategic resource for economic development, social justice, environmental sustainability, and water governance. The lower Casas Grandes River Basin, located in the state of Chihuahua, México, is in a semi-arid region with increasing groundwater demand and regional challenges such as drought and depletion of aquifers. Even though there is official information about the availabilit
Authors
Alfredo Granados Olivas, Ezequiel Rascon-Mendoza, Francisco J. Gómez-Domínguez, Carlo I. Romero-Gameros, Andrew J. Robertson, Luis C. Bravo-Peña, Ali Mirchi, Ana C. Garcia-Vazquez, Alexander Fernald, John W. Hawley, Luis Alfonso Gandara-Ruiz, Luis C. Alatorre-Cejudo, Maryam Samimi, Felipe A. Vazquez-Galvez, Adan Pinales-Munguia, Oscar F. Ibañez-Hernandez, Josiah M. Heyman, Alex Mayer, William L. Hargrove
Assessing Escherichia coli and microbial source tracking markers in the Rio Grande in the South Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2020–21
The Rio Grande, in southern Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Category 5 impaired reach for Escherichia coli (E. coli). The reach is 5 miles in length, extending from Tijeras Arroyo south to the Isleta Pueblo boundary. An evaluation of E. coli and microbial source tracking markers (human-, canine-, and waterfowl-specific sources) was conducted by the U.S. Geological Surv
Authors
Rebecca E. Travis, Kate Wilkins, Christopher M. Kephart
Advances in transboundary aquifer assessment
This Special Issue is intended to highlight both recent work to advance the physical understanding of transboundary aquifers and factors relevant in successful collaboration on transboundary groundwater resource use. The collected papers address: (1) the identification and prioritization of the needs and strategies for sustainable groundwater development and use, along with the complexities introd
Authors
Anne-Marie Matherne, Sharon B. Megdal