Geology topics

G.G. Plantz

Publications and source records attributed to G.G. Plantz.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1987

Streamflow characteristics of the Colorado River Basin in Utah through September 1981

This report summarizes discharge data and other streamflow characteristics developed from gag ing-station records collected through September 1981 at 337 stations in the Colorado River Basin in Utah. Data also are included for 14 stations in adjacent areas of the bordering states of Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming (fig. 1). The study leading to this report was done in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which needs the streamflow data in order to evaluate impacts of mining on the hydrologic system. The report also will be beneficial to other Federal, State, and county agencies and to individuals concerned with water supply and water problems in the Colorado River Basin. The streamflow characteristics in the report could be useful in many water-related studies that involve the following: Definition of baseline-hydrologic conditions; studies of the effects of man's activities on streamflow; frequency analyses of low and high flows; regional analyses of streamflow characteristics; design of water-supply systems; water-power studies; forecasting of stream discharge; time-series analyses of streamflow; design of flood-control structures; stream-pollution studies; and water-chemistry transport studies. The basic data used to develop the summaries in this report are records of daily and peak discharge collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and other Federal agencies. Much of the work of the Geological Survey was done in cooperation with Federal, State, and county agencies. Discharge records included in the report generally were for stations with at least 1 complete water year of record and nearby stations that were on the same stream and had different streamflow characteristics. A water year is a 12-month period ending September 30, and it is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. For streams that have had significant changes in regulation by reservoirs or diversions, the records before and after those changes were used separately to provide streamflow characteristics for each period of homogeneous streamflow and to show the change in the characteristics. Summaries for annual peak discharge are included only for stations with 5 or more years of data. The summaries of annual lowest and highest mean-discharge frequency are reported for stations with 10 or more years of daily-discharge record and for which computer-generated frequency curves provided a reasonable fit of the plotted data.

Utah↗

USGS1987

Hydrologic monitoring of selected streams in coal fields of central and southern Utah — Summary of data collected, August 1978-September 1984

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a coal-hydrology monitoring program in coal-field areas of central and southern Utah during August 1978-September 1984 to determine possible hydrologic impacts of future mining and to provide a better understanding of the hydrologic systems of the coal resource areas monitored. Data were collected at 19 gaging stations--18 stations in the Price, San Rafael, and Dirty Devil River basins, and 1 in the Kanab Creek Basin. Streamflow data were collected continuously at 11 stations and seasonally at 5 stations. At the other three stations streamflow data were collected continuously during the 1979 water year and then seasonally for the rest of their periods of record. Types of data collected at each station included quantity and quality of streamflow; suspended sediment concentrations; and descriptions of stream bottom sediments, benthic invertebrate, and phytoplankton samples. Also, base flow measurements were made annually upstream from 12 of the gaging stations. Stream bottom sediment sampled at nearly all the monitoring sites contained small to moderate quantities of coal, which may be attributed chiefly to pre-monitoring mining. Streamflow sampled at several sites contained large concentrations of sulfate and dissolved solids. Also, concentrations of various trace elements at 10 stations, and phenols at 18 stations, exceeded the criteria of the EPA for drinking water. This may be attributed to contemporary (water years 1979-84) mine drainage activities. The data collected during the complete water years (1979-84) of monitoring do provide a better understanding of the hydrologic systems of the coal field areas monitored. The data also provide a definite base by which to evaluate hydrologic impacts of continued or increased coal mining in those areas. (Author 's abstract)

Utah↗

USGS1986

Manual for estimating selected streamflow characteristics of natural-flow streams in the Colorado River basin in Utah

Methods are presented for estimating 10 streamflow characteristics at three types of sites on natural flow streams in the Colorado River Basin in Utah. The streamflow characteristics include average discharge and annual maximum 1-, 7-, and 15-day mean discharges for recurrence intervals of 10, 50 and 100 years. At or near gaged sites, two methods weight gaging station data with regression equation values to estimate streamflow characteristics. At sites on ungaged streams, a method estimates streamflow characteristics using regression equations. The regression equations relate the streamflow characteristics to the following basin and climatic characteristics: contributing drainage area, mean basin elevation, mean annual precipitation, main channel slope, and forested area. Separate regression equations were developed for four hydrologically distinct regions in the study area. The standard error of estimate for the 10 streamflow characteristics ranges from 13% to 87%. Basin, climatic, and streamflow characteristics, available as of September 30, 1981, are presented for 135 gaging stations in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. In addition, weighted estimates of the streamflow characteristics based on station data and the regression equation estimates are provided for most gaging stations. (Author 's abstract)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗