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Central Midwest Water Science Center

Welcome to the Central Midwest Water Science Center’s (CMWSC) Website. We offer information on streamflow, water quality, water-use, and groundwater data for Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. We conduct unbiased, scientific hydrologic investigations & research projects to effectively manage CMWSC and our Nation's water resources through joint efforts with our partners.

 

News

Harvesting Knowledge: A Recap of the USGS-NPS-Tribal Collaboration at Effigy Mounds National Monument

Harvesting Knowledge: A Recap of the USGS-NPS-Tribal Collaboration at Effigy Mounds National Monument

Friday's Findings: Environmental Contaminants and Agricultural Production

Friday's Findings: Environmental Contaminants and Agricultural Production

StreamStats regression equation updates for Illinois

StreamStats regression equation updates for Illinois

Publications

Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2017–22 Selected water-quality data from the Cedar River and Cedar Rapids well fields, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2017–22

The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the source of drinking water in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Production wells are completed in the alluvial aquifer approximately 40 to 80 feet below land surface. The City of Cedar Rapids and the U.S. Geological Survey have studied the groundwater-flow system and water quality of the aquifer in the vicinity of Cedar Rapids since 1992. Results of these studies...
Authors
Shannon M. Meppelink, Stephen J. Kalkhoff

Field evaluation of the Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent (ABCD): Hydrodynamic, navigation, and fish response effects Field evaluation of the Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent (ABCD): Hydrodynamic, navigation, and fish response effects

The escape and subsequent spread of invasive carp (notably, bighead carp [Hypophthalmichthys nobilis] and silver carp [H. molitrix]) from aquaculture ponds and sewage lagoons into the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers poses a significant risk to further spread of these fish into the Great Lakes. Prior research demonstrated that commercial tows can transport juvenile invasive carp through...
Authors
S. Jarrell Smith, Jessica Z. LeRoy, Charles Wainwright, Michael Glubzinski

Controlling invasive carp ichthyoplankton dispersion using a streamwise-oriented bubble screen: A proof-of-concept validation in a laboratory flume Controlling invasive carp ichthyoplankton dispersion using a streamwise-oriented bubble screen: A proof-of-concept validation in a laboratory flume

Recent evidence of invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) reproducing in tributaries to the Laurentian Great Lakes has highlighted the need for control efforts targeting multiple life stages. Initial attempts to control dispersal of downstream-drifting invasive carp ichthyoplankton (i.e., eggs and larvae) using an oblique bubble screen (OBS) revealed that nearly neutrally buoyant...
Authors
Vindhyawasini Prasad, Henry F. Doyle, Cory Suski, P. Ryan Jackson, Amy E. George, Jesse Robert Fischer, Benjamin H. Stahlschmidt, Anne Marie Herndon, Rafael O. Tinoco

Science

From Stream to Spider: How PFAS Move Through Aquatic and Terrestrial Food Webs

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent synthetic chemicals that accumulate in the environment and living organisms. A USGS study examined how different PFAS compounds move through a stream ecosystem and are transferred from aquatic to terrestrial food webs. The findings documented that not all PFAS behave the same once they enter the environment, leading to differences in...
From Stream to Spider: How PFAS Move Through Aquatic and Terrestrial Food Webs

From Stream to Spider: How PFAS Move Through Aquatic and Terrestrial Food Webs

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent synthetic chemicals that accumulate in the environment and living organisms. A USGS study examined how different PFAS compounds move through a stream ecosystem and are transferred from aquatic to terrestrial food webs. The findings documented that not all PFAS behave the same once they enter the environment, leading to differences in...
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Bioenergy and Pesticides: Lessons from the AltEn Bioenergy Plant

Ethanol production from seed corn, while reducing waste and promoting renewable energy, can have environmental and health implications. A USGS study on a former bioenergy plant that received pesticide-coated seeds used for ethanol production, revealed that the process led to contaminated wastewater and solid residue, resulting in elevated pesticide levels in nearby surface waters even after the...
Bioenergy and Pesticides: Lessons from the AltEn Bioenergy Plant

Bioenergy and Pesticides: Lessons from the AltEn Bioenergy Plant

Ethanol production from seed corn, while reducing waste and promoting renewable energy, can have environmental and health implications. A USGS study on a former bioenergy plant that received pesticide-coated seeds used for ethanol production, revealed that the process led to contaminated wastewater and solid residue, resulting in elevated pesticide levels in nearby surface waters even after the...
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Assessment of Groundwater and Quality - Cedar River Project

Assessment of Groundwater and Quality: Cedar River Alluvium, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Period of Project: Since 1992 Project Managers: Shannon Meppelink & Emilia Bristow Study Area: Linn County Cooperating Agency: City of Cedar Rapids (Water Division)
Assessment of Groundwater and Quality - Cedar River Project

Assessment of Groundwater and Quality - Cedar River Project

Assessment of Groundwater and Quality: Cedar River Alluvium, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Period of Project: Since 1992 Project Managers: Shannon Meppelink & Emilia Bristow Study Area: Linn County Cooperating Agency: City of Cedar Rapids (Water Division)
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