Publications

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Oakland County Health Division (OCHD), collected 140 water samples from 38 wells in Oakland County during 1998 to better understand ground-water quality. OCHD had observed temporal variations in concentrations of various constituents, so two additional sets of samples were collected to evaluate potential short-term variability...

The distribution and deposition of sedimentary mercury in the Sudbury River were linked to an industrial complex (Nyanza site) that operated from 1917 through 1978. In two reservoirs just downstream from the Nyanza site, estimated rates of mercury accumulation increased markedly in the 1920s and 1930s, were greatest during 1976-1982, decreased within 5 years after industrial operations...

We evaluated the behavior and survival of unionid mussels after emersion in air temperatures across a range that is likely to be encountered during status surveys or relocations. Five laboratory tests were performed with pocketbook Lampsilis cardium Rafinesque (2 tests), pimpleback Quadrula pustulosa Lea (1 test), and spike Elliptio dilatata Rafinesque (2 tests) mussels, each conducted...

A mass balance approach was used to determine the most important nonpoint source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in storm water from an asphalt parking lot without obvious point sources (e.g., gasoline stations). The parking lot surface and atmosphere are important nonpoint sources of VOCs, with each being important for different VOCs. The atmosphere is an important source of...

Nitrogen (N) was added for 35 days in the form of 15NH4Cl to Kings Creek on Konza Prairie, Kansas. Standing stocks of N in key compartments (that is, nutrients, detritus, organisms) were quantified, and the amount of labeled N entering the compartments was analyzed. These data were used to calculate turnover and flux rates of N cycling through the food web, as well as nutrient...

Because of the potential for increased trophic transfer of contaminants by zebra mussels (Dreissena sp.) to higher trophic levels, we collected four species of waterfowl (n = 65 ducks) from four locations in Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Michigan, USA, between 1991 and 1993 for organochlorine contaminant and trace element analyses. Geometric mean concentrations of total...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series...

The cities of Kingsford and Iron Mountain are in the southwestern part of Dickinson County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Residents and businesses in these cites rely primarily on ground water from aquifers in glacial deposits. Glacial deposits generally consist of an upper terrace sand-and-gravel unit and a lower outwash sand-and-gravel unit, separated by lacustrine silt and clay...

The presence of hormonally active agents (HAAs) was determined in selected Minnesota streams using biological characteristics (measures of endocrine disruption) of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and runoff from agricultural and forested land. Four biological characteristics of common carp were used as indicators of HAAs in the streams...

The quality of shallow ground water in a 75-mi2 agricultural area of the Anoka Sand Plain aquifer in central Minnesota is described as part of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program - a national-scale assessment of the quality of water resources within large study units in various hydrologic settings. Data were collected during 1998 from 29 wells completed in the aquifer...

Previous studies of ground-water resources in Michigan by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicate that in several counties in the southeastern part of the State the concentrations of arsenic in ground water may exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum

Ground water is a major natural resource in the Great Lakes Region that helps link the Great Lakes and their watershed. This linkage needs to be more fully understood and quantified before society can address some of the important water-resources issues in the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes constitute the largest concentration of unfrozen fresh surface water in the western hemisphere—about...