Rod Caldwell is a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center.
His professional career is based on working with USGS colleagues, scientists from other agencies, resource managers, and the public to design and implement scientific investigations to increase the understanding of hydrologic systems while providing needed information for resource management.
He began his career with the USGS in 1990 in Oregon and transferred to Montana in 1998 and has since worked on hydrologic investigations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. He was the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Northern Rockies Intermontane Basins Groundwater Specialist from 1998 to 2004. He was the Water-Use Specialist for the Western United States from 2016 to 2020. He has been a project hydrologist for several geologic framework, groundwater assessment, groundwater/surface-water interaction, and water-quality studies. Current work includes the Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation and the Clark Fork Superfund projects.
Professional Experience
1998-present Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Helena, MT
1990-1998 Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, OR
1988-1989, Scientific Investigator, Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL
Education and Certifications
M.S. Geology/Geohydrology, Portland State University, 1993
B.S. Geology, University of Illinois, 1989
Honors and Awards
U.S. Department of the Interior, Safety and Health Award of Excellence, 2015
U.S. Geological Survey, Safety and Occupational Health Award of Excellence, 2015
Science and Products
Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
Verification Datasets of Irrigation Status of Agricultural Lands in Select Areas of Montana, 2019 and 2020
Water Use in Wyoming
Water Use in Montana
Establishment of a baseline groundwater monitoring program in an area identified for energy development on the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
Hydrologic Assessment with an Emphasis on Water Quality within the Lame Deer Creek Watershed, Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana
Smith River Watershed Investigations
Water Resources of the Energy Development Area of the Williston Basin in Eastern Montana, Western North Dakota, and Northwest South Dakota
Verified Irrigated Agricultural Lands for the United States, 2002-17
2015 calendar-year county-level estimates of actual evapotranspiration for the conterminous United States and Hawaii
U.S. Geological Survey and Blackfeet Water Department Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Montana
Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Water resources
Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells
Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in Williston Ba
Documentation of methods and inventory of irrigation information collected for the 2015 U.S. Geological Survey estimated use of water in the United States
Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Using remote sensing to characterize and compare evapotranspiration from different irrigation regimes in the Smith River Watershed of central Montana
Evaluating the impact of irrigation on surface water – groundwater interaction and stream temperature in an agricultural watershed
Quality and age of shallow groundwater in the Bakken Formation production area, Williston Basin, Montana and North Dakota
A precipitation-runoff model for simulating natural streamflow conditions in the Smith River watershed, Montana, water years 1996-2008
Occurrence and hydrogeochemistry of radiochemical constituents in groundwater of Jefferson County and surrounding areas, southwestern Montana, 2007 through 2010
Groundwater and surface-water interaction within the upper Smith River Watershed, Montana 2006-2010
Fate of geothermal mercury from Yellowstone National Park in the Madison and Missouri Rivers, USA
Science and Products
- Science
Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
The Blackfeet Nation seeks an increased scientific understanding of the water resources within the Blackfeet Reservation of northwestern Montana. Hydrologic information is needed in order to make informed water management decisions as the Blackfeet Nation moves forward with implementation of the Blackfeet Water Rights Compact as new water-use projects are initiated and as the Blackfeet Irrigation...Verification Datasets of Irrigation Status of Agricultural Lands in Select Areas of Montana, 2019 and 2020
The Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center (WY-MT WSC) is currently (2019-2020) developing field and data management methods to collect and manage field-verified spatial datasets of irrigated lands in an effort to improve estimates of irrigation water use throughout the nation. The USGS is currently (2019) working with the University of Wisconsin to develop datasets to describe the spatial extent of...Water Use in Wyoming
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled estimates of water use in Wyoming and the rest of the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950.Water Use in Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled estimates of water use in Montana and the rest of the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950.Establishment of a baseline groundwater monitoring program in an area identified for energy development on the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
As a result of energy development, the Blackfeet Environmental Office has developed a groundwater monitoring program specifically focused on the Cut Bank Creek watershed of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The addition of groundwater data to an existing surface-water monitoring program will help the Blackfeet Tribe develop a more complete understanding of the current conditions of their water...Hydrologic Assessment with an Emphasis on Water Quality within the Lame Deer Creek Watershed, Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana
The Lame Deer Creek watershed of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana encompasses about 82 square miles and is home to the community of Lame Deer. Local water resources within the Lame Deer Creek watershed include Lame Deer Creek and groundwater within unconsolidated sediments and bedrock aquifers. In 2017 the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Northern Cheyenne...Smith River Watershed Investigations
The Smith River watershed is an important recreational and agricultural area in Meagher and Cascade counties in west-central Montana. Thousands of visitors travel to the area annually to float and fish the Smith River. Additionally, most of the water used to irrigate 36,000 acres of the upper Smith River watershed is withdrawn from the Smith River or its tributaries. During a recent drought... - Data
Water Resources of the Energy Development Area of the Williston Basin in Eastern Montana, Western North Dakota, and Northwest South Dakota
A set of comma-separated value tables containing data for streamflow, water quality, surface-water features, and produced waters in the energy development area of the Williston Basin in eastern Montana, western North Dakota, and northwest South Dakota.Verified Irrigated Agricultural Lands for the United States, 2002-17
The spatial extents of verified irrigated lands were compiled from various federal and state sources across the nation and combined into a single Geographic Information System (GIS) geodatabase for the purpose of model training and validation. In cooperation with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), researchers at the University of Wisconsin (UW) generated a nation-wide map of irrigated lands using remo2015 calendar-year county-level estimates of actual evapotranspiration for the conterminous United States and Hawaii
Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) values estimated for specified areas including 1) total county areas; 2) potentially irrigated areas within each county; and 3) mapped extents of irrigated lands within each county provided by some states. These ETa estimates were provided to the USGS National Water Use Science Project by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center (Gabriel Senay - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 25
U.S. Geological Survey and Blackfeet Water Department Hydrologic Assessment of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Montana
The Blackfeet Nation seeks an increased scientific understanding of the water resources within the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of northwestern Montana. Hydrologic information is needed to better inform water-management decisions as the Blackfeet Nation implements the Blackfeet Water Rights Compact, initiates new water-use projects, and improves the Blackfeet Irrigation Project.The U.S. GeologicalAuthorsSean M. Lawlor, Rodney R. Caldwell, Timothy T. Bartos, Brett PricePotential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Water resources
The Williston Basin has been a leading oil and gas producing area for more than 50 years. While oil production initially peaked within the Williston Basin in the mid-1980s, production rapidly increased in the mid-2000s, largely because of improved horizontal (directional) drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods. In 2012, energy development associated with the Bakken Formation was identified as aAuthorsTimothy T. Bartos, Steven K. Sando, Todd M. Preston, Gregory C. Delzer, Robert F. Lundgren, Rochelle A. Nustad, Rodney R. Caldwell, Zell E. Peterman, Bruce D. Smith, Kathleen M. Macek-Rowland, David A. Bender, Jill D. Frankforter, Joel M. GallowayInsights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells
Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in Williston Ba
AuthorsTanya J. Gallegos, Colin A. Doolan, Rodney R. Caldwell, Mark A Engle, Matthew S. Varonka, Justin E. Birdwell, Glenn D. Jolly, Tyler B. Coplen, Thomas A. OliverByDocumentation of methods and inventory of irrigation information collected for the 2015 U.S. Geological Survey estimated use of water in the United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Use Science Project strives to report water-use estimates using the best available information for the period of the estimates. The information available on water used for irrigation activities varies from State to State and in some areas from county to county within a State, which results in many information sources and methods being used to estimaAuthorsJaime A. Painter, Justin T. Brandt, Rodney R. Caldwell, Jonathan V. Haynes, Amy L. ReadEstimated use of water in the United States in 2015
Water use in the United States in 2015 was estimated to be about 322 billion gallons per day (Bgal/d), which was 9 percent less than in 2010. The 2015 estimates put total withdrawals at the lowest level since before 1970, following the same overall trend of decreasing total withdrawals observed from 2005 to 2010. Freshwater withdrawals were 281 Bgal/d, or 87 percent of total withdrawals, and salinAuthorsCheryl A. Dieter, Molly A. Maupin, Rodney R. Caldwell, Melissa A. Harris, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, John K. Lovelace, Nancy L. Barber, Kristin S. LinseyUsing remote sensing to characterize and compare evapotranspiration from different irrigation regimes in the Smith River Watershed of central Montana
According to the 2005 U.S. Geological Survey national water use compilation, irrigation is the second largest use of fresh water in the United States, accounting for 37%, or 484.48 million cubic meters per day, of total freshwater withdrawal. Accurately estimating the amount of water withdrawals and actual consumptive water use (the difference between water withdrawals and return flow) for irrigatAuthorsRoy Sando, Rodney R. Caldwell, Kyle W. BlaschEvaluating the impact of irrigation on surface water – groundwater interaction and stream temperature in an agricultural watershed
Changes in groundwater discharge to streams caused by irrigation practices can influence stream temperature. Observations along two currently flood-irrigated reaches in the 640-square-kilometer upper Smith River watershed, an important agricultural and recreational fishing area in west-central Montana, showed a downstream temperature decrease resulting from groundwater discharge to the stream. A wAuthorsHedeff I. Essaid, Rodney R. CaldwellQuality and age of shallow groundwater in the Bakken Formation production area, Williston Basin, Montana and North Dakota
The quality and age of shallow groundwater in the Bakken Formation production area were characterized using data from 30 randomly distributed domestic wells screened in the upper Fort Union Formation. Comparison of inorganic and organic chemical concentrations to health based drinking-water standards, correlation analysis of concentrations with oil and gas well locations, and isotopic data give noAuthorsPeter B. McMahon, Rodney R. Caldwell, Joel M. Galloway, Joshua F. Valder, Andrew G. HuntA precipitation-runoff model for simulating natural streamflow conditions in the Smith River watershed, Montana, water years 1996-2008
This report documents the construction of a precipitation-runoff model for simulating natural streamflow in the Smith River watershed, Montana. This Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System model, constructed in cooperation with the Meagher County Conservation District, can be used to examine the general hydrologic framework of the Smith River watershed, including quantification of precipitation, evapAuthorsKatherine J. Chase, Rodney R. Caldwell, Andrea K. StanleyOccurrence and hydrogeochemistry of radiochemical constituents in groundwater of Jefferson County and surrounding areas, southwestern Montana, 2007 through 2010
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Jefferson County and the Jefferson Valley Conservation District, sampled groundwater in southwestern Montana to evaluate the occurrence and concentration of naturally-occurring radioactive constituents and to identify geologic settings and environmental conditions in which elevated concentrations occur. A total of 168 samples were collected from 128AuthorsRodney R. Caldwell, David A. Nimick, Rainie M. DeVaneyGroundwater and surface-water interaction within the upper Smith River Watershed, Montana 2006-2010
The 125-mile long Smith River, a tributary of the Missouri River, is highly valued as an agricultural resource and for its many recreational uses. During a drought starting in about 1999, streamflow was insufficient to meet all of the irrigation demands, much less maintain streamflow needed for boating and viable fish habitat. In 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Meagher CoAuthorsRodney R. Caldwell, Cheryl A. Eddy-MillerFate of geothermal mercury from Yellowstone National Park in the Madison and Missouri Rivers, USA
Mercury is a worldwide contaminant derived from natural and anthropogenic sources. River systems play a key role in the transport and fate of Hg because they drain widespread areas affected by aerial Hg deposition, transport Hg away from point sources, and are sites of Hg biogeochemical cycling and bioaccumulation. The Madison and Missouri Rivers provide a natural laboratory for studying the fateAuthorsDavid A. Nimick, Rodney R. Caldwell, Donald R. Skaar, Trevor M. Selch - News