In support of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Water Chemistry Monitoring Project, the USGS Michigan Water Science Center has been collecting long-term water quality data for Michigan's rivers and streams.
Water samples are collected 4 to 12 times a year for selected nutrients, trace metals, sediment, and other water-quality constituents. Intensive sampling (12 samples per year) is being conducted on major Great Lakes Tributaries including the Au Sable River, Saginaw River, Clinton River, Kalamazoo River, Muskegon River, and Grand River. Following a rotational schedule, other streams are sampled intensively every 5 years in addition to being sampled quarterly during their off years. Results of this program are being used by MDEQ to help determine the water-quality status of Michigan's rivers and streams, and to estimate chemical loads to the Great Lakes. This project has been collecting data since 1998, and Statewide trends in water-quality for the major rivers and streams have been evaluated using this data. Information on the MDEQ Water Chemistry Monitoring Project is available here.
Reports are available for the following studies:
PCB concentrations in Pere Marquette River and Muskegon River watersheds, 2002
Antibiotic, pharmaceutical, and wastewater-compound data for Michigan, 1998-2005
Analysis of Water-Quality Trends for Selected Streams in the Water Chemistry Monitoring Program, Michigan, 1998-2005
Trends in Surface-Water Quality at Selected Ambient-Monitoring Network Stations in Kentucky, 1979-2004
Screening for the Pesticides Atrazine, Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Metolachlor, and Simazine in Selected Michigan Streams, March-November 2005
Atrazine concentrations in stream water and streambed sediment pore water in the St. Joseph and Galien River basins, Michigan and Indiana, May 2001-September 2003
- Overview
In support of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Water Chemistry Monitoring Project, the USGS Michigan Water Science Center has been collecting long-term water quality data for Michigan's rivers and streams.
Water samples are collected 4 to 12 times a year for selected nutrients, trace metals, sediment, and other water-quality constituents. Intensive sampling (12 samples per year) is being conducted on major Great Lakes Tributaries including the Au Sable River, Saginaw River, Clinton River, Kalamazoo River, Muskegon River, and Grand River. Following a rotational schedule, other streams are sampled intensively every 5 years in addition to being sampled quarterly during their off years. Results of this program are being used by MDEQ to help determine the water-quality status of Michigan's rivers and streams, and to estimate chemical loads to the Great Lakes. This project has been collecting data since 1998, and Statewide trends in water-quality for the major rivers and streams have been evaluated using this data. Information on the MDEQ Water Chemistry Monitoring Project is available here.
- Publications
Reports are available for the following studies:
PCB concentrations in Pere Marquette River and Muskegon River watersheds, 2002
Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) are a class of209 individual compounds (known as congeners) for which there are no known natural sources. PCBs are carcinogenic and bioaccumulative compounds. For over 40 years, PCBs were manufactured in the United States. The flame resistant property of PCBs made them ideal chemicals for use as flame-retardants, and as coolants and lubricants in transformAntibiotic, pharmaceutical, and wastewater-compound data for Michigan, 1998-2005
Beginning in the late 1990's, the U.S. Geological Survey began to develop analytical methods to detect, at concentrations less than 1 microgram per liter (ug/L), emerging water contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, personal-care chemicals, and a variety of other chemicals associated with various human and animal sources. During 1998-2005, the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed the following MichiganAnalysis of Water-Quality Trends for Selected Streams in the Water Chemistry Monitoring Program, Michigan, 1998-2005
In 1998, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Geological Survey began a long-term monitoring program to evaluate the water quality of most watersheds in Michigan. Major goals of this Water-Chemistry Monitoring Program were to identify streams exceeding or not meeting State or Federal water-quality standards and to assess if constituent concentrations reflecting water qualiTrends in Surface-Water Quality at Selected Ambient-Monitoring Network Stations in Kentucky, 1979-2004
Increasingly complex water-management decisions require water-quality monitoring programs that provide data for multiple purposes, including trend analyses, to detect improvement or deterioration in water quality with time. Understanding surface-water-quality trends assists resource managers in identifying emerging water-quality concerns, planning remediation efforts, and evaluating the effectivenScreening for the Pesticides Atrazine, Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Metolachlor, and Simazine in Selected Michigan Streams, March-November 2005
From March through November 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), did a statewide screening to aid in understanding the occurrence and distribution of selected pesticides in Michigan streams. Stream-water samples were collected from 23 sites throughout Michigan. In all, 320 water samples were analyzed by use of rapid immunoasAtrazine concentrations in stream water and streambed sediment pore water in the St. Joseph and Galien River basins, Michigan and Indiana, May 2001-September 2003
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sampled multiple stream sites across the St. Joseph and Galien River Basins to detect and quantify the herbicide atrazine using a field enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) triazine test. In May 2001, July 2001, April 2002, August 2002, August 2003 and September 2003, composite samples were collected across streams at USGS streamflow-gaging stations. Concentr