Rodney J Richards
Rod is an Hydrologist with the USGS Colorado Water Science Center (COWSC), Western Colorado Office, in Grand Junction, CO.
Rod has worked in water resources for the USGS since 2008. He has spent his career working on topics related to issues impacting western Colorado and the upper Colorado River basin, including salinity transport, selenium transport, groundwater/surface-water interaction, bridge scour detection, and post wildfire water-quality monitoring.
Education and Certifications
Bachelor of Science, Biology, 2008, Colorado Mesa University
Science and Products
Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, western Colorado, 2017 Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, western Colorado, 2017
This data set contains cross-section geometry and sediment-size distribution data collected in the fall of 2017 from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, western Colorado. Six cross-sections were surveyed using Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) methods to document channel geometry below the reservoir in 2015. Those same cross...
Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2015 Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2015
This data set contains cross-section geometry and sediment-size distribution data collected in the fall of 2015 from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado. Six cross-sections were surveyed using Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) methods to document channel geometry below the reservoir. One cross-section was surveyed on...
Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2016 Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2016
This data set contains cross-section geometry and sediment-size distribution data collected in the fall of 2016 from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado. Six cross-sections were surveyed using Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) methods to document channel geometry below the reservoir in 2015. Those same cross-sections...
Suspended-sediment transport and storage: A demonstration of acoustic methods in the evaluation of reservoir management strategies for a small water-supply reservoir in western Colorado Suspended-sediment transport and storage: A demonstration of acoustic methods in the evaluation of reservoir management strategies for a small water-supply reservoir in western Colorado
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and local stakeholder groups are evaluating reservoir-management strategies within Paonia Reservoir. This small reservoir fills to capacity each spring and requires approximately half of the snowmelt-runoff volume from its sediment-laden source waters, Muddy Creek. The U.S. Geological Survey is currently conducting high-resolution (15-minute data...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Rodney J. Richards, Kent L. Collins
Characterization of streamflow, salinity, and selenium loading and land-use change in Montrose Arroyo, western Colorado, from 1992 to 2013 Characterization of streamflow, salinity, and selenium loading and land-use change in Montrose Arroyo, western Colorado, from 1992 to 2013
Salinity and dissolved selenium are known water-quality impairments in the lower Gunnison River watershed of western Colorado. Salinity is a concern because of its adverse effects on agricultural land and equipment, and on municipal and industrial users. The Montrose Arroyo watershed in Montrose, Colorado, contains agricultural and residential areas as well as undeveloped land and has...
Authors
Rodney J. Richards, Jennifer L. Moore
Characterization of salinity loads and selenium loads in the Smith Fork Creek region of the Lower Gunnison River Basin, western Colorado, 2008-2009 Characterization of salinity loads and selenium loads in the Smith Fork Creek region of the Lower Gunnison River Basin, western Colorado, 2008-2009
The lower Gunnison River Basin of the Colorado River Basin has elevated salinity and selenium levels. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of June 24, 1974 (Public Law 93–320, amended by Public Law 98–569), authorized investigation of the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit Salinity Control Project by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the...
Authors
Rodney J. Richards, Joshua I. Linard, Christopher M. Hobza
Application of sediment characteristics and transport conditions to resource management in selected main-stem reaches of the Upper Colorado River, Colorado and Utah, 1965-2007 Application of sediment characteristics and transport conditions to resource management in selected main-stem reaches of the Upper Colorado River, Colorado and Utah, 1965-2007
The Colorado River Basin provides habitat for 14 native fish, including 4 endangered species protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. These endangered fish species once thrived in the Colorado River system, but water-resource development, including the building of numerous diversion dams and several large reservoirs, and the introduction of non-native fish, resulted in...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Keelin R. Schaffrath, John G. Elliott, Rodney J. Richards
Assessment of surface-water quantity and quality, Eagle River watershed, Colorado, 1947-2007 Assessment of surface-water quantity and quality, Eagle River watershed, Colorado, 1947-2007
From the early mining days to the current tourism-based economy, the Eagle River watershed (ERW) in central Colorado has undergone a sequence of land-use changes that has affected the hydrology, habitat, and water quality of the area. In 2000, the USGS, in cooperation with the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Eagle County, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Upper Eagle...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Jennifer L. Moore, Rodney J. Richards
Characterization of hydrology and salinity in the Dolores project area, McElmo Creek region, southwest Colorado, water years 1978-2006 Characterization of hydrology and salinity in the Dolores project area, McElmo Creek region, southwest Colorado, water years 1978-2006
Increasing salinity loading in the Colorado River has become a major concern for agricultural and municipal water supplies. The Colorado Salinity Control Act was implemented in 1974 to protect and enhance the quality of water in the Colorado River Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Colorado River Salinity Control Forum, summarized...
Authors
Rodney J. Richards, Kenneth J. Leib
Science and Products
Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, western Colorado, 2017 Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, western Colorado, 2017
This data set contains cross-section geometry and sediment-size distribution data collected in the fall of 2017 from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, western Colorado. Six cross-sections were surveyed using Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) methods to document channel geometry below the reservoir in 2015. Those same cross...
Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2015 Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2015
This data set contains cross-section geometry and sediment-size distribution data collected in the fall of 2015 from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado. Six cross-sections were surveyed using Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) methods to document channel geometry below the reservoir. One cross-section was surveyed on...
Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2016 Cross-Section Geometry and Sediment-Size Distribution Data from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado, 2016
This data set contains cross-section geometry and sediment-size distribution data collected in the fall of 2016 from Muddy Creek and North Fork Gunnison River below Paonia Reservoir, Colorado. Six cross-sections were surveyed using Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) methods to document channel geometry below the reservoir in 2015. Those same cross-sections...
Suspended-sediment transport and storage: A demonstration of acoustic methods in the evaluation of reservoir management strategies for a small water-supply reservoir in western Colorado Suspended-sediment transport and storage: A demonstration of acoustic methods in the evaluation of reservoir management strategies for a small water-supply reservoir in western Colorado
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and local stakeholder groups are evaluating reservoir-management strategies within Paonia Reservoir. This small reservoir fills to capacity each spring and requires approximately half of the snowmelt-runoff volume from its sediment-laden source waters, Muddy Creek. The U.S. Geological Survey is currently conducting high-resolution (15-minute data...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Rodney J. Richards, Kent L. Collins
Characterization of streamflow, salinity, and selenium loading and land-use change in Montrose Arroyo, western Colorado, from 1992 to 2013 Characterization of streamflow, salinity, and selenium loading and land-use change in Montrose Arroyo, western Colorado, from 1992 to 2013
Salinity and dissolved selenium are known water-quality impairments in the lower Gunnison River watershed of western Colorado. Salinity is a concern because of its adverse effects on agricultural land and equipment, and on municipal and industrial users. The Montrose Arroyo watershed in Montrose, Colorado, contains agricultural and residential areas as well as undeveloped land and has...
Authors
Rodney J. Richards, Jennifer L. Moore
Characterization of salinity loads and selenium loads in the Smith Fork Creek region of the Lower Gunnison River Basin, western Colorado, 2008-2009 Characterization of salinity loads and selenium loads in the Smith Fork Creek region of the Lower Gunnison River Basin, western Colorado, 2008-2009
The lower Gunnison River Basin of the Colorado River Basin has elevated salinity and selenium levels. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of June 24, 1974 (Public Law 93–320, amended by Public Law 98–569), authorized investigation of the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit Salinity Control Project by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the...
Authors
Rodney J. Richards, Joshua I. Linard, Christopher M. Hobza
Application of sediment characteristics and transport conditions to resource management in selected main-stem reaches of the Upper Colorado River, Colorado and Utah, 1965-2007 Application of sediment characteristics and transport conditions to resource management in selected main-stem reaches of the Upper Colorado River, Colorado and Utah, 1965-2007
The Colorado River Basin provides habitat for 14 native fish, including 4 endangered species protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. These endangered fish species once thrived in the Colorado River system, but water-resource development, including the building of numerous diversion dams and several large reservoirs, and the introduction of non-native fish, resulted in...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Keelin R. Schaffrath, John G. Elliott, Rodney J. Richards
Assessment of surface-water quantity and quality, Eagle River watershed, Colorado, 1947-2007 Assessment of surface-water quantity and quality, Eagle River watershed, Colorado, 1947-2007
From the early mining days to the current tourism-based economy, the Eagle River watershed (ERW) in central Colorado has undergone a sequence of land-use changes that has affected the hydrology, habitat, and water quality of the area. In 2000, the USGS, in cooperation with the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Eagle County, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District, Upper Eagle...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Jennifer L. Moore, Rodney J. Richards
Characterization of hydrology and salinity in the Dolores project area, McElmo Creek region, southwest Colorado, water years 1978-2006 Characterization of hydrology and salinity in the Dolores project area, McElmo Creek region, southwest Colorado, water years 1978-2006
Increasing salinity loading in the Colorado River has become a major concern for agricultural and municipal water supplies. The Colorado Salinity Control Act was implemented in 1974 to protect and enhance the quality of water in the Colorado River Basin. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Colorado River Salinity Control Forum, summarized...
Authors
Rodney J. Richards, Kenneth J. Leib