Publications
This list of Water Resources Mission Area publications includes both official USGS publications and journal articles authored by our scientists. A searchable database of all USGS publications can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 19030
Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams
The presentation will provide an overview of a collaborative study between USGS, NC Department of Transportation and URS Corporation to characterize stormwater runoff from bridges in North Carolina and the effects of bridge runoff on receiving streams. This investigation measured bridge deck runoff from 15 bridges for 12-15 storms, stream water-quality data for baseflow and storm...
Authors
Chad Wagner, Sharon Fitzgerald, Matthew Lauffer
In-situ arsenic removal during groundwater recharge through unsaturated alluvium In-situ arsenic removal during groundwater recharge through unsaturated alluvium
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and sustainability of in-situ removal of arsenic from water infiltrated through unsaturated alluvium. BACKGROUND Arsenic is naturally present in aquifers throughout the southwestern United States and elsewhere. In January 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)...
Authors
David O’Leary, John A. Izbicki, T.J. Kim, Clark Ajawani, Donald Suarez, Thomas Barnes, Thomas Kulp, Matthew K. Burgess, Iwen Tseng
Streamflow characteristics and trends at selected streamgages in southwest and south-central Kansas Streamflow characteristics and trends at selected streamgages in southwest and south-central Kansas
Historical data for nine selected streamgages in southwest and south-central Kansas were used in an assessment of streamflow characteristics and trends. This information is required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism to assist with the effective management of Etheostoma cragini (Arkansas darter) habitats and populations in the...
Authors
Kyle E. Juracek
Flood-inundation maps for the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, 2014 Flood-inundation maps for the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.6-mile reach of the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/osw/flood_inundation/...
Authors
Elizabeth A. Nystrom
Transport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington Transport and deposition of asbestos-rich sediment in the Sumas River, Whatcom County, Washington
Heavy sediment loads in the Sumas River of Whatcom County, Washington, increase seasonal turbidity and cause locally acute sedimentation. Most sediment in the Sumas River is derived from a deep-seated landslide of serpentinite that is located on Sumas Mountain and drained by Swift Creek, a tributary to the Sumas River. This mafic sediment contains high amounts of naturally occurring...
Authors
Christopher A. Curran, Scott W. Anderson, Jack E. Barbash, Christopher S. Magirl, Stephen E. Cox, Katherine K. Norton, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Andrew R. Spanjer, James R. Foreman
Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills
The distributional pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations from landfill plumes can provide clues to the source of arsenic contamination. Under simple idealized conditions, arsenic concentrations along flow paths in aquifers proximal to a landfill will decrease under anthropogenic sources but potentially increase under in situ sources. This paper presents several conceptual...
Authors
Philip T. Harte
PESTools – A Python toolkit for processing PEST-related information PESTools – A Python toolkit for processing PEST-related information
PESTools is an open-source Python package for processing and visualizing information associated with the parameter estimation software PEST and PEST++. While PEST output can be reformatted for post- processing in spreadsheets or other menu-driven software packages, that approach can be error-prone and time-consuming. Managing information from highly parameterized models with thousands of
Authors
Evan Christianson, Andrew T. Leaf
Origins and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter in groundwater Origins and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter in groundwater
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in groundwater influences water quality and fuels microbial metabolism, but its origins, bioavailability and chemical composition are poorly understood. The origins and concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bioavailable DOM were monitored during a long-term (2-year) study of groundwater in a fractured-rock aquifer in the Carolina slate belt...
Authors
Yuan Shen, Francis H. Chapelle, Eric W. Strom, Ronald Benner
Spatial patterns of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur using ion-exchange resin collectors in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA Spatial patterns of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur using ion-exchange resin collectors in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA
Lakes and streams in Class 1 wilderness areas in the western United States (U.S.) are at risk from atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S), and protection of these resources is mandated under the Federal Clean Air Act and amendments. Assessment of critical loads, which are the maximum exposure to pollution an area can receive without adverse effects on sensitive ecosystems...
Authors
David W. Clow, Heidi Roop, Leora Nanus, Mark Fenn, Graham A. Sexstone
Optimization techniques using MODFLOW-GWM Optimization techniques using MODFLOW-GWM
An important application of optimization codes such as MODFLOW-GWM is to maximize water supply from unconfined aquifers subject to constraints involving surface-water depletion and drawdown. In optimizing pumping for a fish hatchery in a bedrock aquifer system overlain by glacial deposits in eastern Wisconsin, various features of the GWM-2000 code were used to overcome difficulties...
Authors
Anna Grava, Daniel T. Feinstein, Paul M. Barlow, Tullia Bonomi, Fabiola Buarne, Charles Dunning, Randall J. Hunt
Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: Phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site Limnology of the Green Lakes Valley: Phytoplankton ecology and dissolved organic matter biogeochemistry at a long-term ecological research site
Background: Surface waters are the lowest points in the landscape, and therefore serve as excellent integrators and indicators of changes taking place in the surrounding terrestrial and atmospheric environment. Aims: Here we synthesise the findings of limnological studies conducted during the past 15 years in streams and lakes in the Green Lakes Valley, which is part of the Niwot Ridge...
Authors
Matthew P. Miller, Diane M. McKnight
Hindcast of water availability in regional aquifer systems using MODFLOW Farm Process Hindcast of water availability in regional aquifer systems using MODFLOW Farm Process
Coupled groundwater and surface-water components of the hydrologic cycle can be simulated by the Farm Process for MODFLOW (MF-FMP) in both irrigated and non-irrigated areas and aquifer-storage and recovery systems. MF-FMP is being applied to three productive agricultural regions of different scale in the State of California, USA, to assess the availability of water and the impacts of...
Authors
Wolfgang Schmid, Randall T. Hanson, Claudia C. Faunt, Steven P. Phillips