Hydrologic Research
Hydrologic Research
The NVWSC scientists are developing state-of-the-art methods for water quantity and quality assessments, predictive hydrologic models that are key to evaluating future responses of the water cycle to climate change, water resource assessments instrumental to policy makers for clearly weighing the competing energy alternatives and evaluating the environmental cost for energy development, and water-quality monitoring to detect emerging and other drinking-water contaminants that pose a risk to public health.
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U.S. Geological Survey-U.S. Department of Energy Cooperative Studies
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides hydrologic, scientific, and technical expertise to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to address environmental and scientific issues at the Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) and surrounding area. The NNSS, in Nye County, Nevada, was the site of historical nuclear testing. An overview of selected USGS program efforts in cooperation with DOE are...
Hydrology of the Walker River Basin
Walker Lake is one of the few natural terminal lakes in Nevada. The ecological and recreational value of Walker Lake and other terminal lakes in the Great Basin is at risk due to consumptive water use.
Science in the Walker River Basin
The Walker River begins in the Sierra Nevada as the East Walker River and the West Walker River. In Mason Valley, just south of Yerington, Nevada, the rivers converge to create the the Walker River. The Walker River terminates in Walker Lake.
Evaluation of the Migration of Palliative Chemicals Used for Dust Abatement, Clark County, Nevada
The USGS Nevada Water Science Center is collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management and PolyAnalyltik Laboratory in Ontario, Canada to evaluate the potential migration of butyl acrylate vinyl acetate (dust palliative) in soil and storm runoff from areas of application in southern Nevada. There is concern regarding the exposure of the desert tortoise and other wildlife to palliative chemicals...
Evaporation from Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, Lower Colorado River Basin, Nevada and Arizona
The Bureau of Reclamation currently utilizes a model (24-Month Study) that projects future Colorado River reservoir volumes and potential dam operations based on current and forecasted hydrologic conditions and operational policies and guidelines. Each month, a water budget is developed, and Colorado River reservoir volumes and releases are projected for the next 24-month period. Reservoir...
Lake Tahoe Tributary Monitoring
The Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) is an essential part of integrated science in the Lake Tahoe Basin and has provided long-term, consistent, reliable, and accessible tributary monitoring data for decades.
Science in the Carson River Basin
The Carson River is an important water resource for residents, agriculture, and wildlife. The USGS provides science support on water quality and quantity, as well as on the impacts of climate change on water resources in the basin.
Science in the Truckee River Basin
The Truckee River flows for 120 miles from the outlet of Lake Tahoe in California, into Nevada, through the city of Reno, until it terminates at Pyramid Lake and is the only source of surface-water outflow from Lake Tahoe. The majority of the streamflow in the Truckee River comes from the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Contributions to the river in Nevada are small due to the Sierra Nevada’s “rain shadow...
Evaluation of water-level decline and aquifer properties in the Virginia City Highlands and Highland Ranches Volcanic Rock aquifer system, Storey County, Nevada
The Virginia City Highlands and Highland Ranches (VC Highlands) are a rural residential housing area established along the ridge of the Virginia Range in Storey County, Nevada. Approximately 1,400 residents exclusively rely on domestic wells for water supply and domestic well depths range from 75 to 1,175 ft below land surface. NVWSC monitors water levels annually in two domestic wells in the VC...
Science in the Humboldt River Basin
The Humboldt River is in north-central Nevada. The river is about 330 miles long and provides water for mostly agricultural purposes. One of the largest industries in Nevada is gold mining and the majority of those mines are in the Humboldt River Basin on the Carlin Trend. Gold mines in Nevada produce 72 percent of all the gold in the U.S. and are the 5th largest in the world. In 2022, Nevada...
Science in the Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River is one of the longest rivers in the Western United States. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows southwestward until it reaches Mexico where it becomes a small stream or dry riverbed. The Colorado River forms the border between southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. In Nevada, Hoover Dam and Davis Dam control the flow of the river and create two...
Arsenic in Nevada Groundwater
From 2007 to 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collaborated with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology on evaluating the forms of arsenic in Nevada groundwater resources. A total of 190 groundwater samples were collected from wells and springs throughout Nevada. Concentrations of arsenic ranged from <1.6 to 2,408 micrograms per liter (µg/L); in most cases, arsenate was the dominant species...