Geology topics

J. E. Terry

Publications and source records attributed to J. E. Terry.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1988

Hydrology of the lower Little Red River, Arkansas, and a procedure for estimating available streamflow

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission, conducted a hydrologic investigation of the lower Little Red River from near Searcy, Arkansas (mi 31.7), to the river 's mouth at its confluence with the White River. During 1983 and 1984, data were collected on streamflow, stream altitude, groundwater altitude and diversion pumping from the Little Red River. Flow in the Little Red River near Searcy is computed by using a modified stage/fall/discharge relation and stage data collected at Searcy and at Judsonia 6.5 mi downstream. This procedure uses a family of 12 rating curves that can be selected by stage records at Searcy and fall records between Searcy and Judsonia. A comparison of water levels in the river to water levels in selected alluvial wells near the river indicates that the Little Red is a gaining stream during summer and fall low periods and is a losing stream during periods of high flow. Flows in the lower Little Red River are also significantly affected by releases from Greers Ferry Reservoir at mi 78.8 and by varying backwater conditions resulting from high stages on the White River. To meet the expressed needs of the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission, a mass balance procedure was developed to be used for estimating the amount of streamflow available along a reach of stream, given a minimum instream flow requirement set by the regulating authority. This procedure was coded into a computer program that can be invoked interactively as an aid in making streamflow allocation decisions and in maintaining related data bases. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1984

Water-quality assessment of the Illinois River basin, Arkansas

A water-quality assessment was made of Illinois River, Muddy Fork, Spring Creek, and Osage Creek in northwest Arkansas. Data were collected to calibrate and verify steady-state digital, stream, water-quality models. The models were then used to simulate changes in instream diel-minimum dissolved-oxygen resulting from changes in nutrient loading. The city of Fayetteville proposes to divert part of its projected wastewater-treatment plant discharge to Illinois River. Muddy Fork, Spring Creek, and Osage Creek currently received effluent from the cities of Prairie Grove, Springdale, and Rogers, respectively. The diel-minimum dissolved-oxygen standard for each of these streams is 4.0 mg/L under projected loadings. Data collected indicate that none of the four streams meet Arkansas state standards for diel-minimum dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform bacteria. Computed dissolved-oxygen deficits indicate that benthal demand is the principal reason for dissolved-oxygen not meeting standards. Model simulations indicate that Spring Creek and Osage Creek can meet dissolved oxygen standards with stringent effluent limits imposed at the inspecting waste water-treatment plants; Muddy Fork and Illinois River can not. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1982

Water-quality assessment of White River between Lake Sequoyah and Beaver Reservoir, Washington County, Arkansas

The Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology and U.S. Geological Survey conducted a water quality assessment be made of the White River and, that a steady-state digital model be calibrated and used as a tool for simulating changes in nutrient loading. The city of Fayetteville 's wastewater-treatment plant is the only point-source discharger of waste effluent to the river. Data collected during synoptic surveys downstream from the wastewater-treatment plan indicate that temperature, dissolved oxygen, dissolved solids, un-ionized ammonia, total phosphorus, and floating solids and depositable materials did not meet Arkansas stream standards. Nutrient loadings below the treatment plant result in dissolved oxygen concentrations as low as 0.0 milligrams per liter. Biological surveys found low macroinvertebrate organism diversity and numerous dead fish. Computed dissolved oxygen deficits indicate that benthic demands are the most significant oxygen sinks in the river downstream from the wastewater-treatment plant. Benthic oxygen demands range from 2.8 to 11.0 grams per meter squared per day. Model projections indicate that for 7-day, 10-year low-flow conditions and water temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, daily average dissolved oxygen concentrations of 6.0 milligrams per liter can be maintained downstream from the wastewater-treatment plant if effluent concentrations of ultimate carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen are 7.5 (5.0 5-day demand) and 2 milligrams per liter respectively. Model sensitivity analysis indicate that dissolved oxygen concentrations were most sensitive to changes in stream temperature. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1980

Methods and applications of digital-model simulation of the Red River alluvial aquifer: Shreveport to the mouth of the Black River, Louisiana

The Red River Waterways Project provides for the construction of five locks and dams on the Red River from the Mississippi River to Shreveport, La. The methodology used by the U.S. Geological Survey in studying the effects of the navigation pools on the ground-water-flow regime involved digital modeling of steady- and nonsteady-state conditions. The steady-state model, GWFLOW, computes the head response in an aquifer due to various boundary conditions. The nonsteady-state model, SUPERMOCK, was designed to simulate transient stress and response in an alluvial-flow system. In addition to the simulation models several computer programs were developed during the study to aid in the preparation of field data for input to the models and in the calibration of the models. Calibration techniques unique to each of the models were developed for the investigation. (USGS)

Louisiana↗

USGS1979

Water-quality assessment of the L'Anguille River basin, Arkansas

For several years, dissolved oxygen in the L'Anguille River has been reduced to concentrations of less than 5.0 milligrams per liter during the summer and fall. The dissolved-oxygen reduction is due only in part to the municipal-waste discharges which enter the river. In addition, concentrations of pesticides have been reported consistently at one long-term station on the river, and trace metals have been reported at two long-term monitoring sites. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an intensive study of the L'Anguille River basin during the summer and fall of 1978. This study was done in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology to fulfill the requirements of section 208 of Public Law 92-500. An assessment of the general water quality was made, the causes of stream-dissolved-oxygen reductions were determined, and the occurrence of pesticides and trace metals in the basin was documented. A steady-state, segmented, dissolved-oxygen model was calibrated and used to project simulated dissolved-oxygen profiles. Pesticides are used extensively in the basin and their occurrence in streams throughout the basin is documented. Concentrations of DDT from the river were as high as 110 micrograms per kilogram in streambed material, whereas 1,600 micrograms per kilogram of DDE and 530 micrograms per kilogram of DDD were found in bottom-feeding fish. In addition, toxaphene concentrations of 45 micrograms per kilogram were found in streambed material and concentrations of 3,400 micrograms per kilogram were found in fish. Concentrations of iron and manganese, at times, exceeded recommended limits for human consumption. Also, dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate occasionally exceeded the water-quality standards set by the State. Streambed materials consist of deposited sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. The respiration of bacteria, fungi, and benthic invertebrates, which feed on the organic matter, accounts for most of the dissolved-oxygen reduction in the river. The sources of the streambed materials include municipal wastes, agricultural fertilizers, fluvial sediment, and natural organic matter. Model projections indicate that a reduction of 60 percent in the streambed-oxygen demand would allow the stream-dissolved-oxygen concentrations to remain at or greater than 5.0 milligrams per liter.

Arkansas↗

USGS1979

Preconstruction and postconstruction ground-water levels, Lock and Dam 3, Red River Valley, Louisiana

Proposed construction of a series of locks and dams in the Red River in Louisiana will cause a permanent increase in average river stage. The potentiometric surface of the shallow alluvial aquifer and the water table in the fine-grained material confining the aquifer will be affected. The purpose of this study, using digital-modeling techniques, was to predict the average postconstruction potentiometric surface (steady state) and the water table (nonsteady state) so that potential effects of the water-level changes could be evaluated. Plans for lock and dam 3 at realined mile 111 (kilometer 179) above the mouth of the Red River call for a pool elevation of 87 feet (27 meters) and will cause an average increase in river stage ranging from 21 to 3.5 feet (l.4 to 1.1 meters). As a result, ground-water levels will be raised to near land surface in low areas east of the river from the damsite to Aloha and in a 0.5-mile (0.8-kilometer) strip along the west side extending 9 miles (14 kilometers) above the dam. The potentiometric surface may be above land surface locally near the dam. The magnitude of ground-water-level fluctuations near the river will be reduced to less than half the preconstruction range.

Louisiana↗

USGS1979

Preconstruction and postconstruction ground-water levels, Lock and Dam 5 and 6, Red River Valley, Louisiana

Proposed construction of a series of locks and dams in the Red River in Louisiana will cause a permanent increase in average river stage. The potentiometric surface of the shallow alluvial aquifer and the water table in the fine-grained material confining the aquifer will be affected. The purpose of this study, using digital-modeling techniques, was to predict the average postconstruction potentiometric surface (steady state) and the water table (nonsteady state) so that potential effects of the water-level changes could be evaluated. Plans for lock and dam 5 at mile 243 (kilometer 390) above the mouth of the Red River call for a pool elevation of 145 feet (44 meters) and will cause an average increase in river stage of 23 feet (7.0 meters). As a result, ground-water levels in the pool area will be raised to near land surface in much of the area between the river and Bayou Pierre and as much as 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the river from the dam upstream to realined mile 220 (kilometer 350). Areas of Barksdale Air Force Base where levels are now near land surface would be enlarged and extend downstream along Flat River to near Curtis. The potentiometric surface may be above land surface near Howard, Anderson Island, and Dixie Gardens. (Woodard-USGS)

Louisiana↗

USGS1979

Water-resources appraisal of the south-Arkansas lignite area

The feasibility of developing lignite resources in south-central Arkansas is an important question at the present time (1978). Part of the concern is related to the possible impacts that mining and processing of lignite will have on water resources. Not only will the disturbance caused by excavating affect the quantity and quality of surface and ground water but, the mining, processing, and conversion processes will require the use and consumption of significant quantities of water. In order to assess the magnitude of the effects of strip mining upon both surface and ground water, baseline conditions (hydrologic conditions in the area prior to mining) must be well defined. A thorough data file and literature search was made so that baseline conditions in the area could be defined. In addition, data-collection networks have been established for the collection of quantitative and qualitative information on streamflow and water levels in the aquifers. Data collected to date at these sites are included in the report. Collection of data at these sites will continue through at least September 1979. Information presented in this report can be used to estimate the quantities of water available for use and the possible effects of mining and associated dewatering on water resources.

Arkansas↗

USGS1979

Summary appraisals of the nation's ground-water resources – Lower Mississippi region

The Lower Mississippi Region comprises an area of 102,400 square miles (265,200 square kilometers). Almost all this area is in the physiographic province known as the Gulf Coastal Plain. Three small areas on the northwest boundary of the region are in the Interior Highlands. The Lower Mississippi Region has an abundance of ground water. The geologic structure in that part of the region within the Coastal Plain is an elongated trough which has been filled with permeable materials, resulting in vast subsurface reservoirs. Except in local areas where continued large withdrawals have caused significant water-level declines, these reservoirs are full. Recharge to the region's aquifers is primarily from rainfall. Annual rainfall in most of the region is well distributed throughout the year and is sufficient to satisfy evapotranspiration requirements and still provide recharge to the aquifers. An estimated 844 billion cubic feet (24 billion cubic meters) of fresh ground water is available for withdrawal annually in the region. Only about one-third of this quantity is being utilized. Therefore, on this basis alone, the region still has much potential for ground-water development. The Coastal Plain aquifers within the Lower Mississippi Region contain large reserves of saltwater in the downdip limits of the aquifers. The quantity of saltwater in the region is several times that of freshwater. As desalinization techniques are developed and as more uses are found for saltwater, this reserve could become an important source of water for the region. At present (1976), the most productive and potentially productive aquifers or aquifer systems in the region are the Mississippi River valley alluvial aquifer of Quaternary age and the Sparta Sand and the Memphis aquifer (Memphis Sand in Tennessee) of Tertiary age. The Sparta Sand and the Memphis aquifer are heavily utilized and have shown significant water-level declines. However, selected well hydrographs indicate that water levels may be stabilizing under present pumping conditions. The Mississippi River valley alluvial aquifer is the most extensive high-yielding aquifer in the region; yields of several thousand gallons per minute may be obtained at depths of less than 200 feet (61 meters). To obtain maximum benefit from the vast quantities of ground water in the region, adequate attention must be given to the effects of proposed development upon the ground-water regime. Knowledge of the geologic structure and hydraulic properties of the aquifer systems is essential to an evaluation of the effects of such development. Some studies have been made in sufficient detail to provide this knowledge, but additional studies are needed. Activities that could cause significant changes in the groundwater regime should be undertaken only after all available information has been considered. Failure to seek out and use such information may result in inefficient development of the groundwater resource and, in some instances, degradation of the quality of the resource. Some changes always result from ground-water development. The possible changes can be grouped into three categories: hydraulic, water quality, and those affecting the physical framework of the aquifers. Generally, they are small in magnitude and areal extent. Because these changes occur below the ground surface, they are unknown to the ground-water user unless they noticeably affect the quantity or quality of water produced or cause obvious physical effects, such as land subsidence. Great advances have been made in hydrologic technology in recent years. Predictive models have been developed that make it possible for the hydroiogist to simulate aquifer responses to proposed development or other stresses. These models would be invaluable tools in progressive water-resources planning and management.

Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missou↗

USGS1976

Simulation procedure for modeling transient water table and artesian stress and response

The series of computer programs described in this report were designed specifically to model the ground-water regime in sufficient detail to determine the effects of the imposition of various types of stress upon the system, and to display the results in a convenient manner during calibration and when presenting projected data. SUPERMOCK simulates the ground-water system and DATE and HYDROG aid in the display of computed data. During calibration, DATE is especially useful because it has the optional feature of comparing computed data with observed data. Although the programs can be run independently, experience dictates that for best results the three should be run as steps in the same job. English units of inches, feet, and days are used in each of the programs. The units for any parameters not given in the text are clearly specified in the instructions for input to the individual programs. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗