Publications

To protect and manage rivers and streams (hereafter, collectively referred to as streams) in the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is establishing regionally based nutrient criteria that reflect the natural variability in water quality. As a basic approach to establish these criteria, the USEPA has divided the country into nutrient ecoregions (delineated on...

Proposed changes to watershed management practices near C-3 Pool at Seney National Wildlife Refuge will affect surface-water flow patterns, ground-water levels, and possibly local plant communities. Data were collected between fall 1998 and spring 2000 to document existing conditions and to assess potential changes in hydrology that might occur as a consequence of modifications to water...

Water, sediment, and fish were sampled in the summer and fall of 1998 at 106 sites from 20 U.S. watershed basins to examine relations of mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in aquatic ecosystems. Bioaccumulation of Hg in fish from these basins was evaluated in relation to species, Hg and MeHg in surficial sediment and water, and watershed characteristics. Bioaccumulation was strongly...

During spring 2001 there was much flooding in the Mississippi River Basin in Minnesota. Greater than normal precipitation starting with late fall rains in 2000, greater than normal snowfalls, a delayed snowmelt, and record rains in April, all contributed to the flooding. Parts of the southern one-half of Minnesota had streamflows of magnitudes not seen in more than 30 years...

Higgins Lake, a popular recreation area in the north-central Lower Peninsula of Michigan, drains an area of 58 square miles and is composed of two deep basins separated by a narrow channel between Flag Point and Point Detroit.The North and South Basins have a maximum depth of about 141 and 100 feet respectively. Ground-water inflow is the major source of the lake’s water supply, with...

Streambed sediments and fish tissues were collected in part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin to assess the presence and distribution of organochlorine compounds (OCs) including PCBs. A total of 13 OCs were detected among 14 of 27 streambed sediment sampling locations. In fish tissues analyzed, 9 OCs were detected among 17 of 24 sites sampled. Eight OCs were detected in both fish and...

Nutrient and suspended-sediment data were collected on major tributaries to the St. Croix River during 1997-99 as part of three studies. The first study, done in 1997 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey?s National Water-Quality Assessment Program Upper Mississippi Study Unit, was a widespread synoptic survey of nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations, loads, and yields during...

Intense recreational use of Geneva Lake and extensive residential and other development in its watershed (fig. 1) has created concern over a possible decline in water quality of the lake. Because of this concern, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Wiscon- sin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and the Geneva Lake Environmental Agency was begun to...

Soil erosion from construction sites has long been identified as a significant source of sediment and other suspended solids in runoff in many parts of the United States (Hagman and others, 1980; Yorke and Herb, 1976: Becker and others, 1974). In some states, such as Wisconsin, sediment has been identified as the number one pollutant (by volume) of surface waters (Wisconsin Depart- ment...

No abstract available.

Data that describe the physical characteristics of stream subbasins upstream from selected sites on streams in the Des Moines River, Upper Des Moines River, and East Fork Des Moines River Basins, located in southwestern Minnesota, and northwestern Iowa, are presented in this report. The physical characteristics are the drainage area of the subbasin, the percentage area of the subbasin...

Public concern for wildlife and human health problems due to mercury (Hg) toxicity has increased substantially since the mid-1980's. These concerns are manifested primarily by the issuance of fish consumption advisories in the majority of U.S. states, Canada, and several European countries because of high levels of mercury in game fish. Although the precise causes for this contamination...