Rob Runkel
Rob is a Research Hydrologist with the USGS Colorado Water Science Center in Lakewood, CO.
Rob began his career with the USGS while he was a graduate student in Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado. Rob's expertise and experience includes the development and application of models to simulate constituent transport, the characterization of small watersheds affected by acid mine drainage, and the use of tracers to quantify constituent transport in surface waters.
Professional Experience
1992-Present Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
1989-1992 Research Engineer, University of Colorado, Center for Advanced Decision Support in Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES), Boulder, Colorado
1987-1989 Hydrologist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Education and Certifications
Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude, 1985, Computer Science and Environmental Studies, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Master of Environmental Management, 1987, Water Resources, Duke University: Monte Carlo Analysis of the Surface Water Component for Land Disposal Restriction Determinations
Doctor of Philosophy, 1993, Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado: Development and Application of an Equilibrium-based Simulation Model for Reactive Solute Transport in Small Streams
Affiliations and Memberships*
Associate Editor, Water Resources Research, 2006–2014
Member, American Geophysical Union
Member, Society for Freshwater Science
Member, European Geosciences Union
Science and Products
Quantification of mass loading to Strawberry Creek near the Gilt Edge mine, Lawrence County, South Dakota, June 2003
Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 23. Quantification of mass loading from mined and unmined areas along the Red River, New Mexico
Hyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range
Mass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001
Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002
Quantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998
Geochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002
Load estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers
Reach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream
Quantification of metal loading to Silver Creek through the Silver Maple Claims area, Park City, Utah, May 2002
Conservative and reactive solute transport in constructed wetlands
Modeling hyporheic zone processes
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 76
Quantification of mass loading to Strawberry Creek near the Gilt Edge mine, Lawrence County, South Dakota, June 2003
Although remedial actions have taken place at the Gilt Edge mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota, questions remain about a possible hydrologic connection along shear zones between some of the pit lakes at the mine site and Strawberry Creek. Spatially detailed chemical sampling of stream and inflow sites occurred during low-flow conditions in June 2003 as part of a mass-loading study by the U.S.AuthorsBriant A. Kimball, Robert L. Runkel, Katherine Walton-Day, Joyce E. WilliamsonQuesta baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 23. Quantification of mass loading from mined and unmined areas along the Red River, New Mexico
Along the course of the Red River, between the town of Red River, New Mexico, and the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station near Questa, New Mexico, there are several catchments that contain hydrothermally altered bedrock. Some of these alteration zones have been mined and others have not, presenting an opportunity to evaluate differences that may exist in the mass loading of metals froAuthorsBriant A. Kimball, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Robert L. Runkel, Kirk R. Vincent, Phillip L. VerplanckHyporheic exchange and fulvic acid redox reactions in an alpine stream/wetland ecosystem, Colorado front range
The influence of hyporheic zone interactions on the redox state of fulvic acids and other redox active species was investigated in an alpine stream and adjacent wetland, which is a more reducing environment. A tracer injection experiment using bromide (Br-) was conducted in the stream system. Simulations with a transport model showed that rates of exchange between the stream and hyporheic zone werAuthorsMatthew P. Miller, Diane M. McKnight, R.M. Cory, Mark W. Williams, Robert L. RunkelMass loading of selected major and trace elements in Lake Fork Creek near Leadville, Colorado, September-October 2001
A mass-loading study of Lake Fork Creek of the Arkansas River between Sugarloaf Dam and the mouth was completed in September-October 2001 to help ascertain the following: (1) variation of pH and aqueous constituent concentrations (calcium, sulfate, alkalinity, aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc) and their relation to toxicity standards along the study reach; (2) location anAuthorsKatherine Walton-Day, Jennifer L. Flynn, Briant A. Kimball, Robert L. RunkelQuesta baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002
Reactive-transport processes in the Red River, downstream from the town of Red River in north-central New Mexico, were simulated using the OTEQ reactive-transport model. The simulations were calibrated using physical and chemical data from synoptic studies conducted during low-flow conditions in August 2001 and during March/April 2002. Discharge over the 20-km reach from the town of Red River to tAuthorsJames W. Ball, Robert L. Runkel, D. Kirk NordstromQuantification and simulation of metal loading to the Upper Animas River, Eureka to Silverton, San Juan County, Colorado, September 1997 and August 1998
Drainage from abandoned and inactive mines and from naturally mineralized areas in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado contributes metals to the upper Animas River near Silverton, Colorado. Tracer-injection studies and associated synoptic sampling were performed along two reaches of the upper Animas River to develop detailed profiles of stream discharge and to locate and quantify sources oAuthorsSuzanne S. Paschke, Briant A. Kimball, Robert L. RunkelGeochemistry of Red Mountain Creek, Colorado, under low-flow conditions, August 2002
Red Mountain Creek, an acid mine drainage stream in southwestern Colorado, was the subject of a synoptic study conducted in August 2002. During the synoptic study, a solution containing lithium chloride was injected continuously to allow for the calculation of streamflow using the tracer-dilution method. Synoptic water-quality samples were collected from 48 stream sites and 29 inflow locations aloAuthorsRobert L. Runkel, Briant A. Kimball, Katherine Walton-Day, Philip L. VerplanckLoad estimator (LOADEST): a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers
LOAD ESTimator (LOADEST) is a FORTRAN program for estimating constituent loads in streams and rivers. Given a time series of streamflow, additional data variables, and constituent concentration, LOADEST assists the user in developing a regression model for the estimation of constituent load (calibration). Explanatory variables within the regression model include various functions of streamflow, deAuthorsRobert L. Runkel, Charles G. Crawford, Timothy A. CohnReach-scale cation exchange controls on major ion chemistry of an Antarctic glacial meltwater stream
McMurdo dry valleys of Antarctica represent the largest of the ice-free areas on the Antarctic continent, containing glaciers, meltwater streams, and closed basin lakes. Previous geochemical studies of dry valley streams and lakes have addressed chemical weathering reactions of hyporheic substrate and geochemical evolution of dry valley surface waters. We examine cation transport and exchange reacAuthorsMichael N. Gooseff, Diane M. McKnight, Robert L. RunkelQuantification of metal loading to Silver Creek through the Silver Maple Claims area, Park City, Utah, May 2002
The Silver Maple Claims area along Silver Creek, near Park City, Utah, is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. To quantify possible sources of elevated zinc concentrations in Silver Creek that exceed water-quality standards, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a mass-loading study in May 2002 along a 1,400-meter reach of Silver Creek that included the Silver Maple Claims area. AdditionaAuthorsBriant A. Kimball, Kevin K. Johnson, Robert L. Runkel, Judy I. SteigerConservative and reactive solute transport in constructed wetlands
The transport of bromide, a conservative tracer, and rhodamine WT (RWT), a photodegrading tracer, was evaluated in three wastewater‐dependent wetlands near Phoenix, Arizona, using a solute transport model with transient storage. Coupled sodium bromide and RWT tracer tests were performed to establish conservative transport and reactive parameters in constructed wetlands with water losses ranging frAuthorsSteffanie H. Keefe, Larry B. Barber, Robert L. Runkel, Joseph N. Ryan, Diane M. McKnight, Roland D. WassModeling hyporheic zone processes
Stream biogeochemistry is influenced by the physical and chemical processes that occur in the surrounding watershed. These processes include the mass loading of solutes from terrestrial and atmospheric sources, the physical transport of solutes within the watershed, and the transformation of solutes due to biogeochemical reactions. Research over the last two decades has identified the hyporheic zoAuthorsRobert L. Runkel, Diane M. McKnight, Harihar Rajaram - Software
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government