Unified Interior Regions
Region 6: Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas-Gulf
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Subject-Area Specialists
Please feel free to contact any of our subject-area specialists.
Center Director/Surface-water specialist - Jason Lewis
Data Chief - Vacant
Studies Chief - Matthew Varonka
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist -...
Oklahoma DroughtWatch
The U.S. Geological Survey Oklahoma Water Science Center continuously monitors the status of surface water in the State's principal rivers, reservoirs, and aquifers. Selected index stations with long-term continuous record spanning many drought periods are used to compare existing streamflows, reservoir storage, and ground-water levels with normal and extreme recorded values. These comparisons...
Oklahoma StreamStats
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) periodically publishes streamflow statistics, such as flood-frequency, flow-duration, and mean annual streamflow statistics, for gaged sites with long-term record. Regionalized regression methods recently have been developed for estimating many of these streamflow statistics at ungaged sites as a function of measured physical and climatic drainage basin...
Oklahoma Water Science Center Publications
This page will help you locate, view, and download scientific and technical articles and reports as well as general interest publications such as booklets, fact sheets, pamphlets, and posters resulting from the research performed by our scientists and partners.
The USGS Publications Warehouse contains on-line content and citations for over 100,000...
Interpretive Reports
The Oklahoma Water Science Center publishes water-information reports on many topics and in many formats. From this Web page, you can locate, view, download, or order scientific and technical articles and reports as well as general interest publications such as booklets, fact sheets, pamphlets, and posters resulting from the research performed by our scientists and partners.
Scientific...
Fact Sheets
Fact Sheets are intended as a short publication that provides for rapid publication and dissemination of facts and findings.
Open-File Reports
Open-file reports include unpublished manuscript reports, maps, and other material and are made available for public consultation and use. They are a nonpermanent form of publication that may be cited in other publications as sources of information.
Other Reports and Data Releases
The Oklahoma Water Science Center publishes water-information reports on many topics and in many formats. From this Web page, you can locate, view, download, or order scientific and technical articles and reports as well as general interest publications such as booklets, fact sheets, pamphlets, and posters resulting from the research performed by our scientists and partners.
Aquifer Characteristics of Selected Aquifers in Oklahoma
Digital geospatial data sets of aquifer characteristics have been produced from existing, published paper reports for major aquifers in Oklahoma. The aquifer characteristics compiled include hydraulic conductivity, recharge, water-level elevation, and aquifer boundaries.
The individual aquifer characteristic data sets are designed especially for use with Geographic Information Systems (...
Riparian Ecology
Riparian ecologists in the AS Branch study interactions among flow, channel change, and vegetation along rivers across the western United States and worldwide. Our work focuses on issues relevant to the management of water and public lands, including dam operation, climate change, invasive species, and ecological restoration. Investigations take place on a range of scales. For example,...
Webinar: Karst, Critters, and Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Evaluation of Karst Species Vulnerability to Climate Change
View this webinar to learn how scientists are exploring the vulnerability of karst species to climate change.
Ozark Groundwater Availability Study
The U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Resources Program (GWRP) is conducting an assessment of groundwater availability throughout the United States to gain a better understanding of the status of the Nation's groundwater resources and how changes in water use and climate may affect those resources. Assessments will be completed for the Nation's principal aquifer systems to help characterize...
Water-level altitudes 2016 and water-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers and compaction 1973–2015 in the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas
Most of the land-surface subsidence in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, has occurred as a direct result of groundwater withdrawals for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation that depressured and dewatered the Chicot and Evangeline aquifers, thereby causing compaction of the aquifer sediments, mostly in the fine-grained...
Kasmarek, Mark C.; Ramage, Jason K.; Johnson, Michaela R.
Metformin and other pharmaceuticals widespread in wadeable streams of the southeastern United States
Pharmaceutical contaminants are growing aquatic-health concerns and largely attributed to wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) discharges. Five biweekly water samples from 59 small Piedmont (United States) streams were analyzed for 108 pharmaceuticals and degradates using high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The...
Bradley, Paul M.; Journey, Celeste A.; Button, Daniel T.; Carlisle, Daren M.; Clark, Jimmy M.; Mahler, Barbara; Nakagaki, Naomi; Qi, Sharon L.; Waite, Ian R.; Van Metre, Peter C. A python framework for environmental model uncertainty analysis
We have developed pyEMU, a python framework for Environmental Modeling Uncertainty analyses, open-source tool that is non-intrusive, easy-to-use, computationally efficient, and scalable to highly-parameterized inverse problems. The framework implements several types of linear (first-order, second-moment (FOSM)) and non-linear uncertainty analyses...
White, Jeremy; Fienen, Michael N.; Doherty, John E. Macroinvertebrate and diatom metrics as indicators of water-quality conditions in connected depression wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain
Methods for assessing wetland conditions must be established so wetlands can be monitored and ecological services can be protected. We evaluated biological indices compiled from macroinvertebrate and diatom metrics developed primarily for streams to assess their ability to indicate water quality in connected depression wetlands. We collected water...
Justus, Billy; Burge, David; Cobb, Jennifer; Marsico, Travis; Bouldin, Jennifer
Occurrence and concentrations of selected trace elements and halogenated organic compounds in stream sediments and potential sources of polychlorinated biphenyls, Leon Creek, San Antonio, Texas, 2012–14
The Texas Department of State Health Services issued fish consumption advisories in 2003 and 2010 for Leon Creek in San Antonio, Texas, based on elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish tissues. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured elevated PCB concentrations in stream-sediment samples collected during 2007–9...
Wilson, Jennifer T. Source, variability, and transformation of nitrate in a regional karst aquifer: Edwards aquifer, central Texas.
Many karst regions are undergoing rapid population growth and expansion of urban land accompanied by increases in wastewater generation and changing patterns of nitrate (NO3−) loading to surface and groundwater. We investigate variability and sources of NO3− in a regional karst aquifer system, the Edwards aquifer of central Texas...
Musgrove, MaryLynn; Opsahl, Stephen P.; Mahler, Barbara; Herrington, Chris; Sample, Thomas; Banta, John
Changes between early development (1930–60) and recent (2005–15) groundwater-level altitudes and dissolved-solids and nitrate concentrations In and near Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas
Llano Estacado Underground Water Conservation District, Sandy Land Underground Water Conservation District, and South Plains Underground Water Conservation District manage groundwater resources in a part of west Texas near the Texas-New Mexico State line. Declining groundwater levels have raised concerns about the amount of available groundwater...
Thomas, Jonathan V.; Teeple, Andrew ; Payne, Jason ; Ikard, Scott
Water resources of Washington Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in Washington Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-resource management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability, past...
White, Vincent E.; Prakken, Lawrence B.
U.S. Geological Survey response to flooding in Texas, May–June 2015
As a Federal science agency within the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collects and disseminates streamflow stage and discharge information along with other types of water information as a major part of its Water mission area. Data collected at USGS streamflow-gaging stations (hereinafter referred to as “streamgages...
East, Jeffery W.
Simulation of streamflow and the effects of brush management on water yields in the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River watershed, western Texas 1994–2013
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Lubbock and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, developed and calibrated a Soil and Water Assessment Tool watershed model of the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River watershed in western Texas to simulate monthly mean streamflow and to evaluate the effects of brush management...
Harwell, Glenn R.; Stengel, Victoria G.; Bumgarner, Johnathan R. Municipal solid waste landfills harbor distinct microbiomes
Landfills are the final repository for most of the discarded material from human society and its “built environments.” Microorganisms subsequently degrade this discarded material in the landfill, releasing gases (largely CH4 and CO2) and a complex mixture of soluble chemical compounds in leachate. Characterization of “landfill microbiomes” and...
Stamps, Blake W.; Lyles, Christopher N.; Suflita, Joseph M.; Masoner, Jason R.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Stevenson, Bradley S.
Arsenic and radionuclide occurrence and relation to geochemistry in groundwater of the Gulf Coast Aquifer System in Houston, Texas, 2007–11
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Houston, began a study in 2007 to determine concentrations, spatial extent, and associated geochemical conditions that might be conducive for mobility and transport of selected naturally occurring trace elements and radionuclides in the Gulf Coast aquifer system in Houston, Texas....
Oden, Jeannette H.; Szabo, Zoltan
USGS Streamgage on West Side of Houston During Hurricane Harvey
Photo of a USGS streamgage on the west side of Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Find more information from this site information here:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=08072680
Flood measurements in Houston during Hurricane Harvey
USGS scientist Mackenzie Mullins takes flood measurements at Berry Bayou in Houston, Texas.
USGS storm-tide sensor installed in preparation for Hurricane Harvey
USGS storm-tide sensor installed in preparation for Hurricane Harvey on St. Charles Bay near Interstate 35.
USGS scientists installs storm-tide sensor
USGS scientist Darwin Ockerman installs a storm-tide sensor at Packery Channel near Corpus Christi, Texas.
USGS storm-tide sensor installed in preparation for Hurricane Harvey
USGS storm-tide sensor installed in preparation for Hurricane Harvey near Matagorda, Texas.
USGS scientist installs a storm-tide sensor
USGS scientist Charles Hartmann installs a storm-tide sensor in preparation for Hurricane Harvey in Carancahua Bay, Texas.
USGS scientist flags a debris line on a telephone pole
USGS hydrologic technician Brandon Cooper flags a debris line on a telephone pole approximately 14.3 feet above the ground and located about 245 feet east of the bridge on Keith Road over Boggy Creek, September 15, 2017.
Developing Effective Drought Monitoring Tools for Farmers and Ranchers
This webinar was conducted on August 7, 2017 as part of the USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center’s Climate Change Science and Management Webinar Series, held in partnership with the USFWS National Conservation Training Center.
Webinar Summary: The South Central U.S. is one of the main agricultural regions in North America: annual agricultural
...
Marker bed known as the Loriolia Bed
Marker bed known as the Loriolia Bed, found 80 feet below the contact of the Glen Rose Limestone and the Kainer Formation. The photograph was taken north of Farm to Market Road (FM) 195, approximately 1,500 feet west of the intersection of FM 220 and FM 195. The Loriolia texana fossils are identified by white arrows (photograph by Allan K. Clark, U.S. Geological Survey,
...
This week's EarthView is a scorcher!
Updated US Topo maps for Texas and Oklahoma available for download; add Census Bureau road data, wetlands layer and select trails
New research can help water managers along the Rio Grande make wise decisions about how to best use the flow of a river vital for drinking water, agriculture and aquatic habitat. These studies also show how conditions from the prolonged drought in the West have affected the Rio Grande watershed.
What a difference 100 years make!
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring record flooding in parts of eastern Texas following intense rainfall. Rainfall amounts of 18 – 20 inches over the last four days have led to record flooding and evacuations in eastern Texas.
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in Oklahoma on February 13, 2016 at 11:07:06 am local time.
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring record flooding on rivers and streams in 12 states across the country. USGS is making preparations for a prolonged field effort along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers as major flooding will extend well into mid-to-late January, particularly along the lower Mississippi River.
Since Saturday morning, parts of eastern Oklahoma received up to 12 inches of rain from Winter Storm Goliath. Water levels at many U.S. Geological Survey gages in that part of the state were already high due to previous rains.
The Barnett Shale contains estimated mean volumes of 53 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas, 172 million barrels of shale oil and 176 million barrels of natural gas liquids, according to an updated assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. This estimate is for undiscovered, technically recoverable resources.
The uranium oxide is located in sandstone formations throughout the South Texas Coastal Plain, which borders the Gulf of Mexico. The area has long been known to contain uranium, and two mines are currently in operation, with a number of companies actively exploring for uranium.
A newly published, three-volume “Remote Sensing Handbook” is a comprehensive coverage of all remote sensing topics written by over 300 leading global experts.
On average, streams in the Niobrara-Mowry Play of eastern Wyoming, Fayetteville Play of Arkansas, and Barnett Play of Texas ranked most vulnerable to unconventional oil and gas development, but for different reasons, according to recent U.S. Geological Survey coauthored research.
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Locations
Texas Water Science Center
Phone: (512) 927-3500
Fax: (512) 927-3590
Oklahoma Water Science Center
Phone: 405-810-4400
Fax: 405-843-7712
South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
Woodward Field Office
Phone: 580-256-5031
Tulsa Field Office
Phone: 918-254-6651
Lubbock Field Office
Phone: (806) 742-3129
Fax: (806) 742-0100
Gulf Coast Branch (Houston) Office
Phone: (936) 271-5300
Fax: (936) 271-5399
Wichita Falls Field Office
Phone: (940) 397-4453
North Texas Branch (Fort Worth) Office
Phone: (817) 263-9545
Fax: (682) 316-5022
El Paso Field Office
Phone: (915) 534-6308
Fax: (915) 534-6299
San Angelo Field Office
Phone: (325) 944-4600
Fax: (325) 942-0495
Corpus Christi Field Office
Phone: (361) 825-2073
Fax: (361) 825-2025
South Texas Branch (San Antonio) Office
Phone: (210) 691-9200
Fax: (210) 691-9270