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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: 19033

Occurrence of herbicides and pharmaceutical and personal care products in surface water and groundwater around Liberty Bay, Puget Sound, Washington Occurrence of herbicides and pharmaceutical and personal care products in surface water and groundwater around Liberty Bay, Puget Sound, Washington

Organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pose a risk to water quality and the health of ecosystems. This study was designed to determine if a coastal community lacking point sources, such as waste water treatment plant effluent, could release PPCPs, herbicides, and plasticizers at detectable levels to their surface water and groundwater. Research...
Authors
Jennifer A. Dougherty, Peter W. Swarzenski, Richard S. Dinicola, Martin Reinhard

Pharmaceutical formulation facilities as sources of opioids and other pharmaceuticals to wastewater treatment plant effluents Pharmaceutical formulation facilities as sources of opioids and other pharmaceuticals to wastewater treatment plant effluents

Facilities involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are an under-investigated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Between 2004 and 2009, 35 to 38 effluent samples were collected from each of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals including opioids and muscle relaxants. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive...
Authors
Patrick J. Phillips, Steven G. Smith, Dana W. Kolpin, Brooke W. Stinson, Steven D. Zaugg, Herbert T. Buxton, Edward T. Furlong, Kathleen Esposito

Effects of climate change on saltwater intrusion at Hilton Head Island, SC. U.S.A. Effects of climate change on saltwater intrusion at Hilton Head Island, SC. U.S.A.

Sea‐level rise and changes in precipitation patterns may contribute to the occurrence and affect the rate of saltwater contamination in the Hilton Head Island, South Carolina area. To address the effects of climate change on saltwater intrusion, a threedimensional, finite‐element, variable‐density, solute‐transport model was developed to simulate different rates of sea‐level rise and...
Authors
Dorothy F. Payne

Appendix A: Selected case studies of ecosystem contamination by selenium Appendix A: Selected case studies of ecosystem contamination by selenium

No abstract available.
Authors
Terry F. Young, Keith Finley, William J. Adams, John M. Besser, William A. Hopkins, Dianne Jolley, Eugenia McNaughton, Theresa S. Presser, D. Patrick Shaw, J. M. Unrine

Discriminating silt-and-clay from suspended-sand in rivers using side-looking acoustic profilers Discriminating silt-and-clay from suspended-sand in rivers using side-looking acoustic profilers

The ability to accurately monitor suspended-sediment flux in rivers is needed to support many types of studies, because the sediment that typically travels in suspension affects geomorphology and aquatic habitat in a variety of ways (e.g. bank and floodplain deposition, bar morphology, light penetration and primary productivity, tidal wetland deposition in the context of sea-level rise...
Authors
Scott Wright, David J. Topping, Cory A. Williams

A hybrid finite-difference and analytic element groundwater model A hybrid finite-difference and analytic element groundwater model

Regional finite-difference models tend to have large cell sizes, often on the order of 1–2 km on a side. Although the regional flow patterns in deeper formations may be adequately represented by such a model, the intricate surface water and groundwater interactions in the shallower layers are not. Several stream reaches and nearby wells may occur in a single cell, precluding any...
Authors
Henk M. Haitjema, Daniel T. Feinstein, Randall J. Hunt, Maksym Gusyev

Estimating salinity intrusion effects due to climate change along the Grand Strand of the South Carolina coast Estimating salinity intrusion effects due to climate change along the Grand Strand of the South Carolina coast

The ability of water-resource managers to adapt to future climatic change is especially challenging in coastal regions of the world. The East Coast of the United States falls into this category given the high number of people living along the Atlantic seaboard and the added strain on resources as populations continue to increase, particularly in the Southeast. Increased temperatures...
Authors
Paul Conrads, Edwin A. Roehl, Charles T. Sexton, Daniel L. Tufford, Gregory J. Carbone, Kristin Dow, John B. Cook

Sediment management strategies associated with dam removal in the State of Washington Sediment management strategies associated with dam removal in the State of Washington

Different removal strategies are described for dams in three diverse drainage basins (Wind River, White Salmon River, and Elwha River basins) in the State of Washington (USA). The comparisons between the strategies offer the opportunity to track the effects of sediment resulting from dam decommissioning in the Pacific Northwest and to determine possible effects on socio-economically...
Authors
C. S. Magirl, P.J. Connolly, B. Coffin, J.J. Duda, A.E. Draut

Potential mitigation approach to minimize salinity intrusion in the Lower Savannah River Estuary due to reduced controlled releases from Lake Thurmond Potential mitigation approach to minimize salinity intrusion in the Lower Savannah River Estuary due to reduced controlled releases from Lake Thurmond

The Savannah River originates at the confluence of the Seneca and Tugaloo Rivers, near Hartwell, Ga. and forms the State boundary between South Carolina and Georgia. The J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake, located 187 miles upstream from the coast, is responsible for most of the flow regulation that affects the Savannah River from Augusta to the coast. The Savannah Harbor experiences semi...
Authors
Paul Conrads, James M. Greenfield

Suspended-sediment concentration regimes in Tennessee biological reference streams Suspended-sediment concentration regimes in Tennessee biological reference streams

Suspended-sediment-concentration (SSC) regimes of five biological reference streams in Tennessee were characterized from 15-minute SSC records spanning 1 to 4 water years (October 1 through September 30) between 2004 and 2008. These streams represent least disturbed conditions for their respective ecoregions and have exceptional biodiversity in terms of fish or aquatic invertebrates. SSC...
Authors
Timothy H. Diehl, William J. Wolfe

Evaluation of Water Year 2011 Glen Canyon Dam Flow Release Scenarios on Downstream Sand Storage along the Colorado River in Arizona Evaluation of Water Year 2011 Glen Canyon Dam Flow Release Scenarios on Downstream Sand Storage along the Colorado River in Arizona

This report describes numerical modeling simulations of sand transport and sand budgets for reaches of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. Two hypothetical Water Year 2011 annual release volumes were each evaluated with six hypothetical operational scenarios. The six operational scenarios include the current operation, scenarios with modifications to the monthly distribution of...
Authors
Scott Wright, Paul E. Grams

A preliminary evaluation of Trinity river sediment and nutrient loads into Galveston Bay, Texas, during two periods of high flow A preliminary evaluation of Trinity river sediment and nutrient loads into Galveston Bay, Texas, during two periods of high flow

Suspend-sediment and water-quality data were measured during two periods of high flow, one during April 20-23, 2009 and a second during September 22-November 3, 2009. On the basis of streamflow and continuous and discrete water-quality measurements, the two periods of high flow had different flood and nutrient loading characteristics. Some differences in the nature of these two periods...
Authors
Michael T. Lee
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