Unified Interior Regions
Arizona
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RestoreNet: Distributed Field Trial Network for Dryland Restoration
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers and land managers are co-producing a network of restoration field trial sites on DOI and surrounding lands in the southwestern U.S. The network systematically tests restoration treatments across a broad range of landscape, soil, and climate conditions. Each site in the network is used to test suitable seed mixes and treatments that promote plant...
Occurrence and Potential Risk of Microplastics in Lake Mead and the Delaware River
There is mounting evidence that microplastics present a significant threat to aquatic organisms. Microplastics – defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter – come from many different sources, including synthetic textiles, industrial waste products, personal care products, and the breakdown of litter, car tires, and other objects. This study will assess the occurrence of...
National Water-Quality Program Monitoring Networks, Arizona, 2013-2023
The Arizona Water Science Center collects water-quality data from stream and aquifer sites in networks that are part of the National Water-Quality Program (NWQP) and the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN).
Ecosystem Modelling and Decision Support
The Ecosystem Modelling and Decision Support Project seeks to understand how drivers of ecosystem change like wildfire, drought, and land use affected past spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation communities and wildlife. Research methods involve 1) analyzing field-collected information (e.g. long-term plot/transect data, repeat photography) on soils, vegetation, and/or wildlife with...
Hydrocarbon Monitoring in Response to Personal Watercraft Regulation at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination related to watercraft use is one of the most significant water-quality issues affecting Lake Powell at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GLCA). Water quality in Lake Powell is important as the lake is a water source for public and agricultural consumption. In addition, more than 2 million people visit GLCA annually, and most of these...
Identification and Analysis of Points of Diversion along the Lower Colorado River in Support of Decree Accounting
In the United States, the Colorado River Compact of 1922 apportions the waters of the Colorado River between the upper basin States and the lower basin States (U.S. Congress, 1948, p. A17-A22). The requirement for participation of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is stated in Article V. Water in the lower Colorado River is apportioned among the States of...
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Bacterial Indicators and Microbial Source Tracking within Tumacácori National Historical Park and the Santa Cruz River Watershed
Elevated levels of bacteria have been measured by the USGS, National Park Service, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and other agencies, in the Upper Santa Cruz River, including within the reach at Tumacácori National Historical Park (TUMA). Indicators of pathogens in the river at TUMA are at levels that are of great concern to TUMA personnel responsible for safeguarding two...
Occurrence, fate, transport, and ecological effects of aerially applied herbicides in the effort to control invasive buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare syn. Cenchrus ciliaris) in Saguaro National Park
The Sonoran Desert lands that the Saguaro National Park (SAGU) has been tasked to protect are facing an unprecedented threat from buffelgrass (Cenhrus ciliaris), an invasive perennial grass that was added to Arizona’s noxious weed list in 2005. The buffelgrass invasion has been so pervasive that the U.S. Department of Interior issued a declaration in 2010 which highlighted a need for...
C Aquifer Monitoring Program
The Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Regional Office (Navajo-BIA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintain a cooperative monitoring program with other local and State agencies for groundwater in the C Aquifer (Coconino Aquifer) in the Little Colorado River Basin. The goal of this program is to determine baseline groundwater conditions in the C Aquifer and other water-bearing zones before...
Black Mesa Monitoring Program
The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. The monitoring program includes measuring potential recovery in the N aquifer as a result of the reduction in industrial pumpage by Peabody Western Coal Company.
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Maricopa County Urban Stormwater Quality
Since 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC), the city of Phoenix, and the city of Glendale, has been collecting, analyzing, and interpreting urban stormwater information from selected basins throughout the metropolitan Phoenix area. Water-resource managers and policy makers have used this information to determine...
Air Force Plant 44
Industrial activity at Air Force Plant 44 (AFP 44), a manufacturing facility located on property owned by the U.S. Air Force and operated by a major defense contractor, resulted in extensive contamination of groundwater with the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) and other organic compounds. The sole-source regional aquifer underlying AFP 44 provides potable water for municipal,...
Estimates of average annual tributary inflow to the lower Colorado River, Hoover Dam to Mexico
Estimates of tributary inflow by basin or area and by surface water or groundwater are presented in this report and itemized by subreaches in tabular form. Total estimated average annual tributary inflow to the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Mexico, excluding the measured tributaries, is 96,000 acre-ft or about 1% of the 7.5 million acre-ft...
Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.
Progress report on the ground-water, surface-water, and quality-of-water monitoring program, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona, 1987
The N aquifer is an important source of water in the 5,400 sq-mi Black Mesa area on the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations. The Black Mesa monitoring program is designed to monitor long-term effects on the groundwater resources of the mesa as a result of withdrawals from the aquifer by the strip-mining operation of Peabody Coal Company....
Hill, G.W.; Sottilare, J.P.
Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, spring 1984 to spring 1985
In arid and semiarid regions such as Arizona, the availability of adequate water supplies has a significant influence on the type and extent of economic development. About two-thirds of the water used in the State is groundwater. The nature and extent of the groundwater reservoirs must be known for proper management of this valuable resource. The...
Evapotranspiration estimates using remote-sensing data, Parker and Palo Verde valleys, Arizona and California
In 1981 the U.S. Geological Survey established an experimental project to assess the possible and practical use of remote sensing data to estimate evapotranspiration as an approximation of consumptive use in the lower Colorado River flood plain. The project area was in Parker Valley, Arizona. The approach selected was to measure the areas covered...
Raymond, L.H.; Rezin, K.V.
Progress report on Black Mesa monitoring program; 1985-86
Hill, George W.; Whetten, Marlin I. Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, Spring 1983 to Spring 1984
A summary map shows various aspects of groundwater availability in Arizona. Potential well production, in increments of 0 to 10 gpm, 10 to 500 gpm, and 50 to 2500 gpm (average 1000 gpm) os the primary emphasis of the map; however, data on changes in water level from spring 1983 to spring 1984, status of groundwater inventory, and estimated...
Progress report on Black Mesa monitoring program, 1984
The N aquifer is an important source of water in the 5,400 square-mile Black Mesa area on the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations. The project is designed to monitor long-term effects on the ground-water resources of the mesa as a result of withdrawals from the aquifer by a strip-mining operation. Withdrawals from the N aquifer by the mine have...
Hill, G.W.
A method for estimating ground-water return flow to the Colorado River in the Palo Verde-Cibola area, California and Arizona
Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.
A method for estimating ground-water return flow to the Colorado River in the Parker area, Arizona and California
Leake, S.A.
Annual summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona, spring 1982 to spring 1983
The withdrawal of ground water was slightly less than 4.2 million acre-feet in Arizona in 1982, which is about 1.2 million acre-feet less than the amount withdrawn in 1981. Most of the decrease in 1982 was in the amount of ground water used for irrigation in the Basin and Range lowlands province. Through 1982, slightly more than 193 million acre-...
A method for estimating ground-water return flow to the lower Colorado River in the Yuma area, Arizona and California
Loeltz, Omar J.; Leake, S.A.
A method for estimating ground-water return flow to the lower Colorado River in the Yuma area, Arizona and California; executive summary
Loeltz, Omar J.; Leake, S.A.
Drilling in Cinder Lake, Arizona
Boreholes being drilled at Cinder Lake as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study to determine the feature's floodwater storage capacity. Cinder Lake, which is located on the Coconino National Forest, has been used to store runoff from areas affected by the 2010 Schultz Fire outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Electronic Tape Calibration Procedure
A training video discussing how to calibrate the electronic tape.
Microgravity Measurement for Groundwater Analysis
A video discussing the Gravity Meters used at the USGS Arizona Water Science Center.
Dust Storm Near Winslow, Arizona, in April 2011
Dust carried by the wind has far-reaching effects, including the loss of nutrients and water-holding capacity from landscapes, and the speeding up of the melting of snow, which affects the timing and magnitude of runoff into streams and rivers.
Dust Storm Near Winslow, Arizona, in April 2011
Dust carried by the wind has far-reaching effects, including the loss of nutrients and water-holding capacity from landscapes, and the speeding up of the melting of snow, which affects the timing and magnitude of runoff into streams and rivers.
Dust Storm near Winslow, Arizona, in April 2011
Dust carried by the wind has far-reaching effects, including the loss of nutrients and water-holding capacity from landscapes, and the speeding up of the melting of snow, which affects the timing and magnitude of runoff into streams and rivers.
Dust Storm Near Winslow, Arizona, in April 2011
Dust carried by the wind has far-reaching effects, including the loss of nutrients and water-holding capacity from landscapes, and the speeding up of the melting of snow, which affects the timing and magnitude of runoff into streams and rivers.
Seepage Investigation: Clear Creek and Little Colorado River
Stream gaging occurring in Winslow: Clear Creek and Little Colorado River.
Smoke From Schultz Pass Forest Fire, Flagstaff, Arizona, June 20, 2010
Panorama (180 degree field of view) photograph of smoke rising from the Schultz Pass fire near Flagstaff, Arizona, at 1:34 p.m. on its day of ignition, June 20, 2010. Over the following 10 days, the fire burned an estimated 15,075 acres, or more than 23 square miles of northern Arizona forest, and cost more than $8.6 million to fight. The fire was started by a campfire
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Grand Canyon Investigations: 131 Years in the Field
Staff at the USGS Central Region Library created two displays for an open-house in celebration of National Library Week, April, 2010. This display on USGS scientific investigtations of the Grand Canyon displays field records, historical photography,historical surveying equipment, and publications from the science areas of biology, geology, geography, and water.
Saguaro National Park, East Unit, Southern Arizona - 2010
Saguaro National Monument is now Saguaro National Park. The decline is saguaros has continued but at a rate slightly less steep than predicted. Very few of the saguaro present in 1935 remain. Meanwhile, the regeneration of this forest has already begun, as shown by findings from a long-term study-plot located at left midground. There has been a sharp increase in
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Recent Landsat satellite data captured by the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA on May 10 show the major flooding of the Mississippi River around Memphis, Tenn. and along the state borders of Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas as seen from 438 miles above the Earth.
A new groundwater model of the interconnected aquifers in central and northern Arizona was released today by the U.S. Geological Survey, following a multi-year development effort that involved the Arizona Department of Water Resources and regional cooperators.
Forests should be managed according to their respective, specific fire ecology — not whole-scale fire suppression or one-size-fits-all plans — to optimize forest growth and stabilize carbon storage.
Forests should be managed according to their respective, specific fire ecology — not whole-scale fire suppression or one-size-fits-all plans — to optimize forest growth and stabilize carbon storage.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is celebrating the success of three distinguished researchers who are recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This award is the highest recognition granted by the United States government to scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- A new book on the methods and applications of repeat photography that showcases its international usage in monitoring landscape change on five continents has been released.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The U.S. Geological Survey has named Kate Kitchell the director of its Southwest Biological Science Center. Kitchell, who served as the acting center director for the previous 16 months, assumed the role permanently November 6, 2010.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Climate change and growing human demands for water are leaving an indelible mark on rivers and streams, shortening food chains and eliminating some top predators like large-bodied fish, according to a new study led by Arizona State University and co-authored by a U.S. Geological Survey scientist.
Flagstaff, Ariz. — As part of the Department of the Interior’s evaluation of whether to segregate nearly 1 million acres of federal lands near the Grand Canyon from new uranium claims, the United States Geological Survey today released a report on uranium resources and uranium mining impacts in the area.
Flagstaff, Ariz. —Resources along the Colorado River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park generally benefited from a high-flow experiment conducted in March 2008 from Glen Canyon Dam, near Page, Ariz., according to research findings released today by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Greater sage-grouse populations have declined substantially in many areas in the West, though populations in some locations remain relatively stable, according to a comprehensive publication written by federal, state, and non-governmental organizations. The population assessment is one of numerous sage-grouse topics covered in the 24 chapters released today.
Intersex in smallmouth and largemouth basses is widespread in numerous river basins throughout the United States is the major finding of the most comprehensive and large-scale evaluation of the condition, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research published online in Aquatic Toxicology.
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Locations
Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Astrogeology Science Center
Phone: 928-556-7000
Fax: 928-556-7014
Western Geographic Science Center - Tucson Project Office
Western Geographic Science Center - Flagstaff Project Office
Arizona Water Science Center, Tucson Office
Phone: (520) 670-6671
Fax: (520) 670-5592
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
Southwest Biological Science Center - Tucson, AZ, Research Station
Phone: (520) 670-6671
Fax: (520) 670-5592
Southwest Biological Science Center - Flagstaff, AZ, Research Station
Phone: 928-556-7094
Fax: 928-556-7092
Arizona Water Science Center, Flagstaff Office
Phone: (928) 556-7136
Fax: (928) 556-7112
Arizona Water Science Center, Tempe Office
Phone: (480) 736-1093
Fax: (480) 736-1356
Arizona Water Science Center, Yuma Office
Phone: (928) 782-6024
Fax: (928) 782-0268