Chad C. Opatz
Hydrologic Technician for the Washington Water Science Center
Professional Experience
2010 – present - Hydrologic Technician, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center
2007 – 2010 – Hydrogeologist, Geoengineers Inc., Tacoma, WA
Education and Certifications
M.S. 2007. Hydrology, University of Idaho
B.S. 2004. Geology, University of Idaho
Science and Products
Water Temperature Dynamics in the Quillayute River Basin, Washington, 2021 - 2023
The Quillayute River Basin in northwestern Washington consists of the Quillayute River and the river systems of its major tributaries, the Dickey, Sol Duc, and Bogachiel Rivers. With a drainage area of 629 square miles, the Quillayute River Basin provides important habitat for 23 distinct runs of anadromous steelhead and salmon, representing one of the largest and most productive watersheds on the
Floating Transient Electromagnetic Survey Data from the Columbia River near Hanford, WA
This data release contains motorboat-towed floating transient electromagnetic data collected from the Columbia River near Hanford WA. Data were collected using a ~16 foot (4.9 meters) outboard motorboat during two field campaigns: July 2021 and April 2022. In total, several hundred linear kilometers of data were collected from a reach of the Columbia that extends from approximately Vernita Bridge
Particulate mercury isotope results, fiber optic thermal survey data, and nearshore surface sediment results at the Bremerton Naval Complex, Washington, USA, 2020-21
This data release contains four data sets that support ongoing U.S. Geological Survey investigations, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, at the Bremerton Naval Complex (BNC), Sinclair Inlet, Washington. Child item #1 includes reported concentrations of mercury isotopes in 28 samples of new (2018-19) or archived (2008-09) particulate samples from the BNC, surface sediment from Sinclair Inlet, or su
Groundwater Time-Series Data at Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
This Data Release includes time series data collected at Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA. Groundwater elevations and water-quality parameters in ten monitoring wells were monitored every 15 minutes over a 3-week period from 10/15/2019 to 11/05/2019, a period that included neap and spring tides. This data set is a re-deployment of sensors that follow the same methods of the previous
Sediment chemistry and characteristics of samples collected in 2019 from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam, Okanogan County, Washington (ver. 3.0, March 2022)
This data release provides information on the chemistry and character of bed sediments accumulated in the 1.6-mile long impoundment behind Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River in Okanogan County, WA. Sediment samples were collected during four weeks in October – December 2019. The sampling locations were distributed among 10 transects that ranged from 0.1-0.2 miles apart along the length of the rese
Groundwater, Surface water and Tidal Time Series Data at OU1 Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA
This Data release includes time series data collected at Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA and bounding surface water bodies over a 3 week period from 07/12/2018 to 08/08/2018. Groundwater altitudes in nineteen monitoring wells and surface water altitude and water quality parameters in five surface water bodies were monitored. Time series data were collected covered a period that inc
Groundwater and Tidal Time-Series Data, Bremerton Naval Complex, Bremerton Washington
This data release includes time series data collected at the Bremerton Naval Complex, Bremerton WA. Groundwater levels and water quality parameters in two monitoring wells were recorded every 15 minutes during a 7-month deployment. Time series data were collected from June 29, 2018, to February 26, 2019. Field deployment details and quality assurance methods are included in the following paragraph
Groundwater and Tidal Time Series Data, Operable Unit 2, Area 8, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
This Data release includes time series data collected at Operable Unit 2, Area 8, at Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA. Groundwater elevations and water quality parameters in five monitoring wells, along with tide levels in Port Orchard Bay, were monitored every 15 minutes during a 3-week duration. Time series data were collected from October 24, 2017, to November 16, 2017, a period that included nea
Bathymetric Data in the Green River near Tukwila, Washington
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers scheduled repair on parts of an 850-ft long levee located along the Green River near S. 180th St. and Highway 181 downstream of Kent, WA. There is a Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Usual and Accustomed treaty area fishing site immediately downstream from the proposed bank work area and the Tribe is concerned that the levee rehabilitation project may cause changes to this
Stage, water velocity and water quality data collected in the Lower Nisqually River, McAllister Creek and tidal channels of the Nisqually River Delta, Thurston County, Washington, February 11, 2016 to September 18, 2017 (ver. 1.1, December, 2019)
This data release includes time series data of stage, water velocity and water quality parameters at multiple locations in the tidally-influenced reaches of the Nisqually River and McAllister Creek, and tidal channels of the Nisqually River Delta. In total, time series data were collected at multiple sites from February 11, 2016 to March 19, 2018 during separate but generally overlapping periods o
A conceptual site model of contaminant transport pathways from the Bremerton Naval Complex to Sinclair Inlet, Washington, 2011–21
Historical activities on the Bremerton Naval Complex (BNC) in Puget Sound, Washington, have resulted in Sinclair Inlet sediments with elevated concentrations of contaminants, including organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and trace elements including mercury. Six U.S. Geological Survey–U.S. Navy datasets have been collected since the last major assessment, in 2013, of soil and gr
Authors
Kathleen E. Conn, Sarah E. Janssen, Chad C. Opatz, Valerie A.L. Bright
Element concentrations and grain size of sediment from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam (Enloe Reservoir) near Oroville, Washington, 2019
In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a reconnaissance survey of concentrations of 41 trace elements present in bed sediment in the reservoir on the Similkameen River upstream from Enloe Dam, near Oroville, Washington. The Similkameen River drains a watershed containing highly mineralized geologic deposits with current (2019) and historical mining activity. Results of this survey indicated
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Christopher A. Curran, Andrew R. Spanjer, Chad C. Opatz, Renee K. Takesue, J. Lynn Bell
Analysis of groundwater response to tidal fluctuations, Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
Chlorinated volatile organic compounds have affected groundwater beneath a former 9-acre landfill at Operable Unit 1 (OU 1) of Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) Keyport, in Keyport, Washington. The landfill was the primary disposal area for domestic and industrial waste generated by NBK Keyport from the 1930s through 1973. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, in conjunction with the Environmental
Authors
Chad C. Opatz, Richard S. Dinicola
Analysis of groundwater response to tidal fluctuations, Site 10 Naval Magazine Indian Island, Port Hadlock, Washington
Site 10 at Naval Magazine Indian Island is an approximately 3.7-acre inactive landfill. The site was used as the primary landfill for the island from about 1945 until the mid-1970s, receiving paints, batteries, trash, and materials. In a memorandum to Washington State Department of Ecology, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest (NAVFAC NW) stipulated that a new tidal study would be conduc
Authors
Chad C. Opatz, Richard S. Dinicola
Water temperature in the Lower Quinault River, Olympic Peninsula, Washington, June 2016 - August 2017
The availability of cold-water refugia during summertime river-water temperature maximums is important for cold-water fish species including Endangered Species Act listed salmonids since water temperature influences metabolism, growth, and phenology. The U.S. Geological Survey monitored water temperature at 10 sites approximately evenly-spaced along the lower Quinault River on the Olympic Peninsul
Authors
Kristin L. Jaeger, Christopher A. Curran, Elyse J. Wulfkuhle, Chad C. Opatz
Analysis of groundwater response to tidal fluctuations, Operable Unit 2, Area 8, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
Operable Unit 2, Area 8, at Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport is the site of a former chrome-plating facility that released metals (primarily chromium and cadmium), chlorinated volatile organic compounds, and petroleum compounds into the local environment. To ensure long-term protectiveness, as stipulated in the Fourth Five-Year Review for the site, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest collabor
Authors
Chad C. Opatz, Richard S. Dinicola
Water temperature profiles for reaches of the Raging River during summer baseflow, King County, western Washington, July 2015
Re-introducing wood into rivers where it was historically removed is one approach to improving habitat conditions in rivers of the Pacific Northwest. The Raging River drainage basin, which flows into the Snoqualmie River at Fall City, western Washington, was largely logged during the 20th century and wood was removed from its channel. To improve habitat conditions for several species of anadromous
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Chad C. Opatz
Thermal profiles for reaches of Snee-Oosh and Fornsby Creeks, Swinomish Indian Reservation, northwestern Washington, July 2013
Longitudinal profiles of streambed temperatures were measured in approximately 225-m-long reaches of the Snee-Oosh and Fornsby Creeks in the Swinomish Indian Reservation, northwestern Washington, during July 2013, to provide information about areas of groundwater discharge to streams. During summer, groundwater discharge is a source of cold water to streams and typically cools the surface water in
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Chad C. Opatz
Science and Products
Water Temperature Dynamics in the Quillayute River Basin, Washington, 2021 - 2023
The Quillayute River Basin in northwestern Washington consists of the Quillayute River and the river systems of its major tributaries, the Dickey, Sol Duc, and Bogachiel Rivers. With a drainage area of 629 square miles, the Quillayute River Basin provides important habitat for 23 distinct runs of anadromous steelhead and salmon, representing one of the largest and most productive watersheds on the
Floating Transient Electromagnetic Survey Data from the Columbia River near Hanford, WA
This data release contains motorboat-towed floating transient electromagnetic data collected from the Columbia River near Hanford WA. Data were collected using a ~16 foot (4.9 meters) outboard motorboat during two field campaigns: July 2021 and April 2022. In total, several hundred linear kilometers of data were collected from a reach of the Columbia that extends from approximately Vernita Bridge
Particulate mercury isotope results, fiber optic thermal survey data, and nearshore surface sediment results at the Bremerton Naval Complex, Washington, USA, 2020-21
This data release contains four data sets that support ongoing U.S. Geological Survey investigations, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, at the Bremerton Naval Complex (BNC), Sinclair Inlet, Washington. Child item #1 includes reported concentrations of mercury isotopes in 28 samples of new (2018-19) or archived (2008-09) particulate samples from the BNC, surface sediment from Sinclair Inlet, or su
Groundwater Time-Series Data at Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
This Data Release includes time series data collected at Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA. Groundwater elevations and water-quality parameters in ten monitoring wells were monitored every 15 minutes over a 3-week period from 10/15/2019 to 11/05/2019, a period that included neap and spring tides. This data set is a re-deployment of sensors that follow the same methods of the previous
Sediment chemistry and characteristics of samples collected in 2019 from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam, Okanogan County, Washington (ver. 3.0, March 2022)
This data release provides information on the chemistry and character of bed sediments accumulated in the 1.6-mile long impoundment behind Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River in Okanogan County, WA. Sediment samples were collected during four weeks in October – December 2019. The sampling locations were distributed among 10 transects that ranged from 0.1-0.2 miles apart along the length of the rese
Groundwater, Surface water and Tidal Time Series Data at OU1 Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA
This Data release includes time series data collected at Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA and bounding surface water bodies over a 3 week period from 07/12/2018 to 08/08/2018. Groundwater altitudes in nineteen monitoring wells and surface water altitude and water quality parameters in five surface water bodies were monitored. Time series data were collected covered a period that inc
Groundwater and Tidal Time-Series Data, Bremerton Naval Complex, Bremerton Washington
This data release includes time series data collected at the Bremerton Naval Complex, Bremerton WA. Groundwater levels and water quality parameters in two monitoring wells were recorded every 15 minutes during a 7-month deployment. Time series data were collected from June 29, 2018, to February 26, 2019. Field deployment details and quality assurance methods are included in the following paragraph
Groundwater and Tidal Time Series Data, Operable Unit 2, Area 8, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
This Data release includes time series data collected at Operable Unit 2, Area 8, at Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, WA. Groundwater elevations and water quality parameters in five monitoring wells, along with tide levels in Port Orchard Bay, were monitored every 15 minutes during a 3-week duration. Time series data were collected from October 24, 2017, to November 16, 2017, a period that included nea
Bathymetric Data in the Green River near Tukwila, Washington
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers scheduled repair on parts of an 850-ft long levee located along the Green River near S. 180th St. and Highway 181 downstream of Kent, WA. There is a Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Usual and Accustomed treaty area fishing site immediately downstream from the proposed bank work area and the Tribe is concerned that the levee rehabilitation project may cause changes to this
Stage, water velocity and water quality data collected in the Lower Nisqually River, McAllister Creek and tidal channels of the Nisqually River Delta, Thurston County, Washington, February 11, 2016 to September 18, 2017 (ver. 1.1, December, 2019)
This data release includes time series data of stage, water velocity and water quality parameters at multiple locations in the tidally-influenced reaches of the Nisqually River and McAllister Creek, and tidal channels of the Nisqually River Delta. In total, time series data were collected at multiple sites from February 11, 2016 to March 19, 2018 during separate but generally overlapping periods o
A conceptual site model of contaminant transport pathways from the Bremerton Naval Complex to Sinclair Inlet, Washington, 2011–21
Historical activities on the Bremerton Naval Complex (BNC) in Puget Sound, Washington, have resulted in Sinclair Inlet sediments with elevated concentrations of contaminants, including organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and trace elements including mercury. Six U.S. Geological Survey–U.S. Navy datasets have been collected since the last major assessment, in 2013, of soil and gr
Authors
Kathleen E. Conn, Sarah E. Janssen, Chad C. Opatz, Valerie A.L. Bright
Element concentrations and grain size of sediment from the Similkameen River above Enloe Dam (Enloe Reservoir) near Oroville, Washington, 2019
In 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a reconnaissance survey of concentrations of 41 trace elements present in bed sediment in the reservoir on the Similkameen River upstream from Enloe Dam, near Oroville, Washington. The Similkameen River drains a watershed containing highly mineralized geologic deposits with current (2019) and historical mining activity. Results of this survey indicated
Authors
Stephen E. Cox, Christopher A. Curran, Andrew R. Spanjer, Chad C. Opatz, Renee K. Takesue, J. Lynn Bell
Analysis of groundwater response to tidal fluctuations, Operable Unit 1, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
Chlorinated volatile organic compounds have affected groundwater beneath a former 9-acre landfill at Operable Unit 1 (OU 1) of Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) Keyport, in Keyport, Washington. The landfill was the primary disposal area for domestic and industrial waste generated by NBK Keyport from the 1930s through 1973. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, in conjunction with the Environmental
Authors
Chad C. Opatz, Richard S. Dinicola
Analysis of groundwater response to tidal fluctuations, Site 10 Naval Magazine Indian Island, Port Hadlock, Washington
Site 10 at Naval Magazine Indian Island is an approximately 3.7-acre inactive landfill. The site was used as the primary landfill for the island from about 1945 until the mid-1970s, receiving paints, batteries, trash, and materials. In a memorandum to Washington State Department of Ecology, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest (NAVFAC NW) stipulated that a new tidal study would be conduc
Authors
Chad C. Opatz, Richard S. Dinicola
Water temperature in the Lower Quinault River, Olympic Peninsula, Washington, June 2016 - August 2017
The availability of cold-water refugia during summertime river-water temperature maximums is important for cold-water fish species including Endangered Species Act listed salmonids since water temperature influences metabolism, growth, and phenology. The U.S. Geological Survey monitored water temperature at 10 sites approximately evenly-spaced along the lower Quinault River on the Olympic Peninsul
Authors
Kristin L. Jaeger, Christopher A. Curran, Elyse J. Wulfkuhle, Chad C. Opatz
Analysis of groundwater response to tidal fluctuations, Operable Unit 2, Area 8, Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport, Washington
Operable Unit 2, Area 8, at Naval Base Kitsap, Keyport is the site of a former chrome-plating facility that released metals (primarily chromium and cadmium), chlorinated volatile organic compounds, and petroleum compounds into the local environment. To ensure long-term protectiveness, as stipulated in the Fourth Five-Year Review for the site, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest collabor
Authors
Chad C. Opatz, Richard S. Dinicola
Water temperature profiles for reaches of the Raging River during summer baseflow, King County, western Washington, July 2015
Re-introducing wood into rivers where it was historically removed is one approach to improving habitat conditions in rivers of the Pacific Northwest. The Raging River drainage basin, which flows into the Snoqualmie River at Fall City, western Washington, was largely logged during the 20th century and wood was removed from its channel. To improve habitat conditions for several species of anadromous
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Chad C. Opatz
Thermal profiles for reaches of Snee-Oosh and Fornsby Creeks, Swinomish Indian Reservation, northwestern Washington, July 2013
Longitudinal profiles of streambed temperatures were measured in approximately 225-m-long reaches of the Snee-Oosh and Fornsby Creeks in the Swinomish Indian Reservation, northwestern Washington, during July 2013, to provide information about areas of groundwater discharge to streams. During summer, groundwater discharge is a source of cold water to streams and typically cools the surface water in
Authors
Andrew S. Gendaszek, Chad C. Opatz