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Edith B. Chase

Publications and source records attributed to Edith B. Chase.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1985

Water Resources Division in the 1980's : a summary of activities and programs of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Division

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey has the principal responsibility within the Federal government for providing hydrologic information and appraising the Nation's water resounds. The Geological Survey is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority--its sole product is information that is made available equally to all interested parties. This report describes the Water Resources Division's mission, organization, source of funds, and major programs. Three types of programs are described: long-term programs, which include the Federal-State cooperative program, coordination of Federal water-data acquisition, assistance to other Federal agencies, the national research program, the national water-data exchange, the water resources scientific information center, the national water-use information program, hydrologic-data collection, and international hydrology activities; topical programs, which include hazardous waste hydrology, coal and oil-shale hydrology, regional aquifer system analyses, acid rain, volcano hazards, and national water-resources conditions; and technical-assistance programs. Emphasis is on programs that will contribute to identifying, mitigating, or solving nationwide water-resources problems in the 1980's. A discussion of how the data and information axe disseminated and a selected list of references complete the report.

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USGS1983

Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1980

Water use in the United States in 1980 was estimated to be an average of 450 bgd (billion gallons per day) of fresh and saline water for offstream uses- an 8-percent increase from the 1975 estimate and a 22-percent increase from the 1970 estimate. Average per capita use for all offstream uses was 2,000 gpd (gallons per day) of fresh and saline water, and 1,600 gpd of fresh water; this represents a slight increase since 1975. Offstream uses include (1) public supply (domestic, public, commercial, and industrial uses), (2) rural (domestic and livestock uses), (3) irrigation, and (4) self-supplied industrial uses (including thermoelectric power). From 1975 to 1980, public supply use increased 15 percent to 34 bgd, rural use increased 14 percent to 5.6 bgd, irrigation use increased 7 percent to 150 bgd, and self-supplied industrial use increased 8 percent to 260 bgd. Within the industrial category, thermoelectric power generation increased 9 percent to 210 bgd, whereas other self-supplied industrial uses remained approximately constant at 45 bgd. Total fresh water consumed- that part of water withdrawn that is no longer available for subsequent use- by these offstream uses increased 7 percent to 100 bgd, with irrigation accounting for the largest part of water consumed, estimated at 83 bgd. Estimates of withdrawals by source indicate that from 1975 to 1980, total groundwater withdrawals increased 7 percent to 89 bgd, and total surface-water withdrawals increased 9 percent to 360 bgd. Total saline-water withdrawals increased by about 2 bgd to 72 bgd, of which 71 bgd was saline surface water. Reclaimed sewage amounted to about 0.5 bgd in 1980, an 11-percent decrease from 1975. Water used for hydroelectric power generation, an instream use, remained unchanged from 1975 at 3,300 bgd. This is in contrast to the increasing trend from 1950 to 1975. Although 1980 estimates of water use were higher than the 1975 estimates for all offstream categories, trends establishing during the periods 1970 to 1975 and 1975 to 1980 indicate a general slackening in the rate of increase of total withdrawls in comparison to the period 1965 to 1970. (USGS)

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USGS1983

Water Resources Division in the 1980's

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey has the principal responsibility within the Federal government for providing hydrologic information and appraising the Nation's water resounds. The Geological Survey is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority--its sole product is information that is made available equally to all interested parties. This report describes the Water Resources Division's mission, organization, source of funds, and major programs. Three types of programs are described: long-term programs, which include the Federal-State cooperative program, coordination of Federal water-data acquisition, assistance to other Federal agencies, the national research program, the national water-data exchange, the water resources scientific information center, the national water-use information program, hydrologic-data collection, and international hydrology activities; topical programs, which include hazardous waste hydrology, coal and oil-shale hydrology, regional aquifer system analyses, acid rain, volcano hazards, and national water-resources conditions; and technical-assistance programs. Emphasis is on programs that will contribute to identifying, mitigating, or solving nationwide water-resources problems in the 1980's. A discussion of how the data and information axe disseminated and a selected list of references complete the report.

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USGS1983

Summary of water withdrawals in the United States, 1950-80

Estimated use of water in the United States increased from 180 bgd (billion gallons per day) in 1950 to 450 bgd in 1980. During this same time population increased from about 150 million to about 230 million. Data on consumptive use are not available for the first decade of the period; however, from 1960 to 1980, consumptive use increased from 61 bgd to 100 bgd. From 1950 to 1980, fresh surface-water withdrawals increased from 140 bgd to 290 bgd and fresh ground-water withdrawals increased from 34 bgd to 88 bgd. Withdrawals of saline surface water increased from 10 bgd in 1950 to 71 bgd in 1980. In 1980, 91 percent of the saline surface water withdrawn was used in thermoelectric power plants. Withdrawals of water for domestic purposes nationwide increased from 16 bgd in 1960 to 25 bgd in 1980. The Northeastern States still are the largest users of water for domestic purposes; however, domestic withdrawals in that region declined from 9.6 bgd in 1975 to 8.8 bgd in 1980. Population in that region also showed a slight decline from 1970 to 1980. Irrigation withdrawals nationwide increased from 89 bgd in 1950 to 150 bgd in 1980. The Western States continue to be the largest user of irrigation water, 136 bgd in 1980. Irrigation accounted for 81 percent of the total consumptive use for the Nation in 1980. Industrial withdrawals (exclusive of thermoelectric power generation) increased from 44 bgd in 1960 to about 56 bgd in 1980. The Northeast Region continues to withdraw the largest amount of water for industrial purposes, although withdrawals declined steadily from 33 bgd in 1965 to 27 bgd in 1980. Total withdrawals for thermoelectric power generation increased from about 99 bgd in 1960 to about 210 bgd in 1980. During that period, saline surface water withdrawals increased from 26 bgd to 71 bgd. Thermoelectric plants accounted for 84 percent of saline surface water withdrawals in 1960 compared to 91 percent in 1980. Withdrawals for thermoelectric power generation continue to be the largest in the Northeast, ll3 bgd in 1980, where many of the major industrial and population centers are located. Agriculture (nonirrigation) water withdrawals nationwide increased from 1.6 bgd in 1960 to about 2.2 bgd in 1980. Withdrawals for this purpose in 1980 were about evenly divided between the West and East.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1982

A national water-use information program

The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled estimates of water use every five years since 1950. These estimates have been derived from many sources, and have a wide range of accuracy. Therefore, they fall short of providing a national data base that is both current and reliable. In 1977, the Congress of the United States recognized the need for uniform information on water use and directed the U.S. Geological Survey to establish a National Water-Use Information Program to complement the Survey's data on the availability and quality of the Nation's water resources. The National Water-Use Information Program was designed as a cooperative program between the States and the Federal Government. The goals of the program are: to collect and compile water-use data; to develop and refine computerized water-use data systems at both the State and national levels; to devise new methods and techniques to improve the collection and analysis of water-use information; and to disseminate this information to those involved in establishing water-resources policy and to those managing the resources. The program that started in 1978 in 20 States now includes participation by 47 States. Water-Use information is being compiled for 12 categories of use. Each State will have a automated data system that contains site-specific information about the water use in each category. The National Water-Use Data System will contain information for the 12 categories of use summarized by counties and river basins within each State. The national system will aid in defining how much fresh and saline surface water and ground water is withdrawn and for what purpose, how much water is consumed during use, and how much water is returned to a water body (stream, lake, or aquifer) after use.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1973

Fluvial-sediment discharge to the oceans from the conterminous United States

This report is a contribution to the UNESCO-sponsored project of the International Hydrological Decade called the World Water Balance. Annual fluvial-sediment discharge from the conterminous United States averages 491,449,600 short tons, of which 14,204,000 is discharged to the Atlantic Ocean, 378,179,000 to the Gulf of Mexico, and 99,066,600 to the Pacific Ocean. Data from 27 drainage areas were used to estimate the average annual discharge, yield, and concentration of fluvial sediment. The data may be used to extrapolate part of the total world sediment yield to the marine environment.

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USGS1971

Subsurface waste disposal by means of wells - A selective annotated bibliography

Subsurface waste disposal by means of wells is the practice of using drilled wells to inject unwanted substances into underground rock formations. The use of wells for this purpose is not a new idea. As long ago as the end of the last century, it was common practice to drill wells for the express purpose of draining swamps and small lakes to reclaim the land for agricultural purposes. A few decades later in the 1920's and 1930's many oil companies began using injection wells to dispose of oil-field brines and to repressurize oil reservoirs. During World War II, the Atomic Energy Commission began using injection wells to dispose of certain types of radioactive wastes. More recently, injection wells have been drilled to dispose of a variety of byproducts of industrial processes. The number of such wells has increased rapidly since Congress passed the Clean Streams Act of 1966, which restricted the discharge of waste into surface waters. Many scientists and public officials question the propriety of using the term "disposal" when referring to the underground injection of wastes. Their reasons are that underground injection is not, as many advocates claim, "a complete and final answer" to the waste-disposal problem. Rather, it is merely a process wherein the injected wastes are committed to the subsurface with uncertainty as to their ultimate fate or limits of confinement. In effect, the wastes, undiminished and unchanged, are removed from the custody of man and placed in the custody of nature. Although the concept of waste-injection wells is relatively simple, the effects of waste injection can be very complex, particularly when dealing with the exotic and complex components of some industrial wastes. Besides the physical forces of injection, there are many varied interactions between the injected wastes and the materials within the injection zone. Because these changes occur out of sight in the subsurface, they are difficult to assess and not generally understood. In addition, the various aspects of the problem involve a wide spectrum of science and engineering. Hence, articles published on the subject are widely dispersed in the technical and scientific literature.

Water Supply Paper↗