Jon Hortness
Jon is the Great Lakes Science Coordinator for the USGS Midcontinent Region. In that role, he also serves as the USGS Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Program Coordinator.
Education:
B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota, 1995
M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota, 1997
Jon currently manages and coordinates all USGS activities funded under the GLRI. In that role, he also serves as the USGS Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Program Coordinator. Jon currently manages and coordinates all USGS activities funded under the GLRI. Jon works closely with USGS Science Center and Mission Area staff and other Federal Agencies to plan and implement GLRI projects and to identify areas where USGS can support restoration activities by providing relevant scientific information. He also helps to coordinate other USGS efforts in the Great Lakes basin with regional and national USGS programs, State Agencies, and Tribes. In addition, Jon represents USGS on several committees, workgroups, and teams that support the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) with Canada.
Jon began his career with the USGS, as a student in what is now the Dakota Water Science Center in Rapid City, SD. He worked for 8 years as a Hydraulic Engineer in the Idaho Water Science Center in Boise, ID. After a brief stint in private consulting, he rejoined the USGS as the Chief of the Northern Illinois Field Office of the Illinois Water Science Center in 2007. Since 2014, Jon has supported the Midcontinent Region with Great Lakes and GLRI efforts and he has been the Great Lakes Science Coordinator since 2017.
Science and Products
Agriculture Best Management Practices
Urban Best Management Practices
Invasive Carp Early Detection
Invasive Carp Risk Assessment and Life History
Invasive Carp Integrated Control and Containment
Areas of Concern (AOC)
Aquatic Native Species and Habitat Restoration
Toxic Substances
Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration
Foundations for Future Restoration Actions: Data, Information, and Tools to Support GLRI Activities
Foundations for Future Restoration Actions: Apostle Island Monitoring
Advancing Invasive Mussel Science Through Collaboration
SAM 2.1—A computer program for plotting and formatting surveying data for estimating peak discharges by the slope-area method
Estimating the magnitude of bankfull flows for streams in Idaho
Instream flow characterization of upper Salmon River Basin streams, Central Idaho, 2003
Low streamflow conditions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho during water year 2001
Estimating the magnitude of the 100-year peak flow in the Big Lost River at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho
Estimating monthly and annual streamflow statistics at ungaged sites in Idaho
Stream channel cross sections for a reach of the Boise River in Ada County, Idaho
Streamflow losses in the Black Hills of western South Dakota
Science and Products
- Science
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Agriculture Best Management Practices
One major objective of the GLRI is to reduce nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds by implementing conservation or other nutrient-reduction practices. These efforts focus on reducing phosphorus runoff from fields. USGS scientists are supporting these efforts by providing data and other information to help managers understand the impacts of practices on nutrient runoff.Urban Best Management Practices
Many cities and towns in the Great lakes basin are utilizing urban stormwater best-management practices (BMPs) to reduce the stormwater runoff to local combined sewer systems and ultimately, the Great Lakes. Urban stormwater BMPs can include permeable pavement, bioswales, infiltration basins, and planters. USGS scientists are supporting these efforts by providing data and other information to help...Invasive Carp Early Detection
Increased threat of Invasive carp entering the Great Lakes and spreading to other basins such as the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins, has led to increased prevention and control efforts since 2010. In collaboration with partners, USGS scientists are testing early detection methods and technologies to enhance the ability of agencies to manage Invasive carp to minimize their influence...Invasive Carp Risk Assessment and Life History
Increased threat of Invasive carp entering the Great Lakes and spreading to other basins such as the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins, has led to increased prevention and control efforts since 2010. USGS Invasive carp biology and life history research has led to the development of models, tools and strategies to better understand the risk of Invasive carp establishment and survival...Invasive Carp Integrated Control and Containment
Increased threat of Invasive carp entering the Great Lakes and spreading to other basins such as the Upper Mississippi River and Ohio River basins, has led to increased prevention and control efforts since 2010. Successful management of invasive species requires methods to contain future spread, reduce population levels, and minimize their effects. In collaboration with partners, USGS scientists...Areas of Concern (AOC)
Under GLRI Action Plan II, federal agencies and their partners will continue to remediate and restore Areas of Concern. Federal agencies will implement critical management actions in all of the remaining AOCs and will complete all management actions required to delist the following ten: Buffalo River, Clinton River, Grand Calumet River, Manistique River, Menominee River, Muskegon Lake, River...Aquatic Native Species and Habitat Restoration
During the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners worked to maintain, restore and enhance populations of native fish and wildlife species. The following actions were taken to conserve native species that were once broadly distributed across the lakes: Assisting with the delisting of the federally endangered Lake Erie water snake; Improving...Toxic Substances
The USGS, federal agencies, and their partners will continue to further evaluate emerging contaminants that have the greatest potential to adversely impact Great Lakes fish and wildlife – impacts which may also result in ecological, economic and recreational consequences. Federal agencies will assess the extent to which identified risks may impede environmental quality and resource management...Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration
During the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners worked to maintain, restore and enhance populations of native species. The following actions were taken to improve conditions for the endangered and threatened species: bog turtle, Canada lynx, copperbelly water snake, Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, Hines emerald dragonfly, Karner blue...Foundations for Future Restoration Actions: Data, Information, and Tools to Support GLRI Activities
The USGS Science in the Great Lakes (SiGL) Mapper is a map-based discovery tool that displays basin-wide multi-disciplinary monitoring and research activities conducted by both USGS and partners across all five Great Lakes. The mapper, a Data Management System, and other tools are easy to access and help scientists and managers strategically plan, implement, and analyze their Great Lakes...Foundations for Future Restoration Actions: Apostle Island Monitoring
Year-round realtime monitoring of nearshore weather, currents, and water quality in Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior. The monitoring station is on a historic lighthouse to allow year-round monitoring and the data will be linked into the GLOS network. A time-lapse camera provides images every 15 minutes to the public and researchers. Winds and seiche affect currents and stratification in the bay...Advancing Invasive Mussel Science Through Collaboration
The Invasive Mussel Collaborative was formed in 2014 to advance scientifically sound technology for invasive mussel control to produce measurable ecological and economic benefits in the Great Lakes. A broad membership base of states, provinces, tribal and other entities and a well-organized communication network facilitates the exchange of information between scientists, managers and stakeholders... - Publications
Filter Total Items: 20
SAM 2.1—A computer program for plotting and formatting surveying data for estimating peak discharges by the slope-area method
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measures discharge in streams using several methods. However, measurement of peak discharges is often impossible or impractical due to difficult access, inherent danger of making measurements during flood events, and timing often associated with flood events. Thus, many peak discharge values often are calculated after the fact by use of indirect methods. The mostAuthorsJ.E. HortnessEstimating the magnitude of bankfull flows for streams in Idaho
Methods for estimating magnitudes of peak flows with recurrence intervals of 1.5 and 2.33 years were developed for ungaged sites on streams throughout Idaho. These peak flows represent the magnitudes at and near bankfull stage and are needed for quantification of water rights required to maintain or restore fish and wildlife habitats and riparian vegetation. Data from a previous report detailing mAuthorsJon Hortness, Charles BerenbrockInstream flow characterization of upper Salmon River Basin streams, Central Idaho, 2003
Anadromous fish populations in the Columbia River Basin have plummeted in the last 100 years. This severe decline led to Federal listing of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) stocks as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 1990s. Historically, the upper Salmon River Basin (upstream from the confluence with the PahsimAuthorsTerry R. Maret, Jon Hortness, Douglas S. OttLow streamflow conditions in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho during water year 2001
Below-normal precipitation levels and abovenormal temperatures across most of the Columbia River Basin in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho) resulted in streamflows that, at times, approached long-term minimums. The period from October 1, 2000, through September 30, 2001 (water year 2001), was the second driest on record (1895–2001) for the three-State area. In addition, averageAuthorsJon HortnessEstimating the magnitude of the 100-year peak flow in the Big Lost River at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho
Accurate estimates of peak flows in the Big Lost River at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) are needed to assist planners and managers with evaluating possible effects of flooding on facilities at the INEEL. A large difference of 4,350 cubic feet per second (ft3/s) between two previous estimates of the magnitude of the 100-year peak flow in the Big Lost River nearAuthorsJon Hortness, Joseph P. RousseauEstimating monthly and annual streamflow statistics at ungaged sites in Idaho
Updated monthly and annual streamflow information for the many ungaged streams throughout Idaho is needed to assist planners and managers with issues regarding fish and wildlife, water rights, and other land and water uses. To provide this information, the U.S. Geological Survey used a multiple-regression analysis to develop equations for estimating daily mean discharge exceeded 80, 50, and 20 perAuthorsJon Hortness, Charles BerenbrockStream channel cross sections for a reach of the Boise River in Ada County, Idaho
The Federal Emergency Management Agency produces maps of areas that are likely to be inundated during major floods, usually the 100-year, or 1-percent probability, flood. The maps, called Flood Insurance Rate Maps, are used to determine flood insurance rates for homes, businesses, or other structures located in flood-prone areas. State and local governments also use these maps for help with, amongAuthorsJon Hortness, Douglas C. WernerStreamflow losses in the Black Hills of western South Dakota
Losses occur in numerous streams that cross outcrops of various sedimentary rocks that are exposed around the periphery of the Black Hills of South Dakota. These streamflow losses are recognized as an important source of local recharge to regional bedrock aquifers. Most streams lose all of their flow up to some threshold rate. Streamflow is maintained through a loss zone when the threshold is exceAuthorsJon Hortness, Daniel G. Driscoll