Rodney R Caldwell
Rod began his career with the USGS in 1990 with the Oregon District as a project hydrologist for several geologic framework, hydrologic, and water-quality studies. He transferred to the Montana Water Science Center in 1998 and has since worked on hydrologic investigations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. Currently he is the USGS Regional Water-Use Specialist for the western US.
Biography
Education
M.S. Geology/Hydrogeology, 1993, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
B.S. Geology, 1989, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL
Science and Products
Verification Dataset of Irrigation Status of Agricultural Lands in Montana
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...
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...
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...
Estimated 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...
Dieter, Cheryl A.; Maupin, Molly A.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Harris, Melissa A.; Ivahnenko, Tamara I.; Lovelace, John K.; Barber, Nancy L.; Linsey, Kristin S.
Using 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...
Sando, Thomas R.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Blasch, Kyle W. Evaluating 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...
Essaid, Hedeff I.; Caldwell, Rodney R. Quality 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...
McMahon, Peter B.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Galloway, Joel M.; Valder, Joshua F.; Hunt, Andrew G.
A 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...
Chase, Katherine J.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Stanley, Andrea K.
Occurrence 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...
Caldwell, Rodney R.; Nimick, David A.; DeVaney, Rainie M.
Groundwater 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....
Caldwell, Rodney R.; Eddy-Miller, Cheryl A. Fate 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...
Nimick, David A.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Skaar, Donald R.; Selch, Trevor M. Expanded stream gauging includes groundwater data and trends
Population growth has increased water scarcity to the point that documenting current amounts of worldwide water resources is now as critical as any data collection in the Earth sciences. As a key element of this data collection, stream gauges yield continuous hydrologic information and document long-term trends, recording high-frequency hydrologic...
Constantz, James E.; Barlow, Jeannie R. B.; Eddy-Miller, Cheryl; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Wheeler, Jerrod D.
Hydrologic data for an investigation of the Smith River Watershed through water year 2010
Hydrologic data collected through water year 2010 and compiled as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study of the water resources of the Smith River watershed in west-central Montana are presented in this report. Tabulated data presented in this report were collected at 173 wells and 65 surface-water sites. Figures include location maps of data-...
Nilges, Hannah L.; Caldwell, Rodney R.
Demonstrating usefulness of real-time monitoring at streambank wells coupled with active streamgages - Pilot studies in Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi
Groundwater and surface water in many cases are considered separate resources, but there is growing recognition of a need to treat them as a single resource. For example, groundwater inflow during low streamflow is vitally important to the health of a stream for many reasons, including buffering temperature, providing good quality water to the...
Eddy-Miller, Cheryl A.; Constantz, Jim; Wheeler, Jerrod D.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Barlow, Jeannie R.B.
Compilation of geologic, hydrologic, and ground-water flow modeling information for the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie aquifer, Spokane County, Washington, and Bonner and Kootenai Counties, Idaho
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources and Washington Department of Ecology compiled and described geologic, hydrologic, and ground-water flow modeling information about the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) aquifer in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington. Descriptions of the...
Kahle, Sue C.; Caldwell, Rodney R.; Bartolino, James R.