Nutrients
Nutrients
Nutrients are chemicals that are essential to the growth, reproduction, and metabolic processes of living organisms. Aquatic ecosystems require nutrients to support the biological communities they contain. However, overabundant nutrients can contribute to various water-quality problems. Excessive amounts of nitrogen or phosphorus, or both, can promote the growth of aquatic vegetation and result in problems such as degraded water quality, altered aquatic habitats, and loss of recreational or aesthetic value.
Filter Total Items: 13
Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Edwards Aquifer Recharge in a Developing Landscape
San Antonio Texas consistently ranks as one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States. Urban development can affect groundwater quality as trees and open space are replaced by buildings and roads, increasing the amount of urban runoff draining directly into the Edwards aquifer. A network of sophisticated surface water and groundwater monitoring sites is being used to help managers...
Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Suspended Sediment and Nutrient Delivery to the Gulf of Mexico
Suspended sediment and nutrients from greater San Antonio can affect instream ecological health of the San Antonio River and ultimately impact Gulf of Mexico bays and estuaries. Real-time monitoring in urban and rural parts of the river basin may provide a glimpse into the importance of urban sediment and nutrient sources. Real-time sensors provide a tool to better understand and manage water...
National Water-Quality Assessment Project in Texas - Groundwater Activities
The USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project was established by Congress in 1992 to answer the following question: What is the status of the Nation’s water quality and is it getting better or worse? Since 1992, NAWQA has been a primary source of nationally consistent data and information on the quality of the Nation’s streams and groundwater. Data and information obtained from...
Salado Creek Bacteria Source Tracking
THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN 2019.
Water-Quality Monitoring of the Lake Houston Watershed
Real-time water-quality, streamflow and water height information for Lake Houston and the surrounding San Jacinto watershed are now available from a new web application from the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the City of Houston.
Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone Surface-water and Groundwater Interaction
The effects of urbanization across the recharge zone in Bexar County and potential impact on the water quality in the Edwards aquifer is a topic of specific concern for the City of San Antonio. The USGS Texas Water Science Center is simultaneously collecting water-quality data from surface-water runoff sites and paired shallow groundwater wells within the recharge zone of the Edwards aquifer to...
National Water-Quality Assessment Project in Texas - Surface Water Activities
The USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project was established by Congress in 1992 to answer the following question: What is the status of the Nation’s water quality and is it getting better or worse? Since 1992, NAWQA has been a primary source of nationally consistent data and information on the quality of the Nation’s streams and groundwater. Data and information obtained from...
Nutrient and Sediment Variability in the Lower San Jacinto River
The San Jacinto River is the second largest inflow into Galveston Bay. The USGS Texas Water Science Center collects water-quality samples in the lower reaches of the San Jacinto River over a range of hydrologic conditions to improve our understanding of the variability of nutrient and sediment concentrations in freshwater inflows from the San Jacinto River into Galveston Bay.
Urban Waters Federal Partnership - Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone Monitoring Network
The USGS Texas Water Science Center is implementing a more complete and integrated monitoring network for the Edwards aquifer to improve the understanding of aquifer water quality and establish a baseline for measuring future water-quality changes.
Dallas Lake Nutrients Study
The USGS Texas Water Science Center Nutrients Study for Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) provides discrete-depth data for nutrients, major ions, and other water-quality parameters in multiple source-water reservoirs used by DWU. The program is designed to assess nutrient and major ion occurrence, distribution, and concentration in waters by using established field and laboratory methods.
Cyanobacteria Methods
Texas Water Science Center (TXWSC) scientists are testing different methods of detecting and quantifying cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Texas reservoirs. The results of these tests could be used to develop a cost-effective monitoring plan to evaluate the presence and concentration of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Texas reservoirs.
Nutrient and Sediment Monitoring in Inflows to Texas Bays and Estuaries
The USGS Texas Water Science Center is evaluating the variability of nutrient and sediment concentrations and loads entering Texas bays and estuaries across a range of hydrologic conditions in Galveston Bay (inflow from the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers), Matagordo Bay (inflow from the Colorado River), San Antonio Bay (inflow from the Guadalupe River), and Nueces Bay (inflow from Nueces River).