Publications

Excessive total dissolved gas pressure can cause gas-bubble trauma in fish downstream from dams on the Columbia River. In cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey collected data on total dissolved gas pressure, barometric pressure, water temperature, and probe depth at eight stations on the lower Columbia River from the John Day forebay (river mile...

The calibration of a model of flow, temperature, and water quality in the Tualatin River, Oregon, originally calibrated for the summers of 1991 through 1993, was extended to the summers of 1991 through 1997. The model is now calibrated for a total period of 42 months during the May through October periods of 7 hydrologically distinct years. Based on a modified version of the U.S. Army...

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses the herbicides Krovar (active ingredients diuron and bromacil), Oust (active ingredient sulfometuron-methyl) and Roundup (active ingredient glyphosate) to control roadside vegetation. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the use of these herbicides could contribute to the load of herbicides carried by Oregon streams. In...

The upper Deschutes Basin is among the fastest growing regions in Oregon. The rapid population growth has been accompanied by increased demand for water. Surface streams, however, have been administratively closed to additional appropriation for many years, and surface water is not generally available to support new development. Consequently, ground water is being relied upon to satisfy...

A shallow aquifer with different redox zones overlain by intensive agricultural activity was monitored for the occurrence of 1,2-dichloropropane (DCP) to assess the fate and origin of this pollutant. DCP was detected more frequently in groundwater samples collected in aerobic and nitrate-reducing zones than those collected from iron-reducing zones. Simulated DCP concentrations for...

Significant Findings For eight monitoring sites, in water year 2001, an average of 99.3% of the total-dissolved-gas data were received in real time and passed quality-assurance checks. After 2 to 3 weeks of deployment in the river, most comparisons of field total-dissolved-gas sensors with a secondary standard (another calibrated total-dissolved-gas sensor) were within 1%. The only...

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), to evaluate the effects of the highway deicing material, calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), on the water quality of Bear Creek, in the Cascade Range of Oregon. ODOT began using CMA (an alternative deicer that has fewer adverse environmental...

This report presents ground-water data collected and compiled as part of a study of the ground-water resources of the Willamette River Basin, Oregon. The report includes tabulated information and a location map for 1,234 field-located water wells and 6 springs, hydrographs showing water-level fluctuations during various time periods for 265 of the wells, borehole geophysical data for 16...

In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County, Oregon (USA) began a cooperative study to better understand water-temperature variations in the Tualatin River and to assess mitigative water-management solutions. Continuous water-temperature data were collected at locations along the main stem of the river and along the major tributaries...

As part of an ongoing cooperative study between the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County, Oregon, and the U.S. Geological Survey, phosphorus and Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations were measured in the Fanno and Bronson Creek subbasins of the Tualatin River Basin during September 1996. Data were collected at 19 main-stem and 22 tributary sites in the Fanno Creek subbasin...

This report presents a framework for regional water-quality monitoring in the middle and upper Deschutes River Basin, Oregon, that would be coordinated among organizations doing related monitoring. The emphasis is on maximizing the value of existing programs and resources by minimizing overlapping sampling efforts, filling key data gaps, increasing communication about results, and...

A ground-water flow model was used in conjunction with particle tracking to estimate zones of transport for six municipal well sites in Clark County, Washington. A zone of transport for a well is a three-dimensional volume within a ground-water system that contains all of the ground water that will discharge from that well within a specified time period. All of the zones of transport for...