Geology topics

Kimberly Shaffer

Publications and source records attributed to Kimberly Shaffer.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2022

Water-use data in the United States: Challenges and future directions

In the United States, greater attention has been given to developing water supplies and quantifying available waters than determining who uses water, how much they withdraw and consume, and how and where water use occurs. As water supplies are stressed due to an increasingly variable climate, changing land-use, and growing water needs, greater consideration of the demand side of the water balance equation is essential. Data about the spatial and temporal aspects of water use for different purposes are now critical to long-term water supply planning and resource management. We detail the current state of water-use data, the major stakeholders involved in their collection and applications, and the challenges in obtaining high-quality nationally consistent data applicable to a range of scales and purposes. Opportunities to improve access, use, and sharing of water-use data are outlined. We cast a vision for a world-class national water-use data product that is accessible, timely, and spatially detailed. Our vision will leverage the strengths of existing local, state, and federal agencies to facilitate rapid and informed decision-making, modeling, and science for water resources. To inform future decision-making regarding water supplies and uses, we must coordinate efforts to substantially improve our capacity to collect, model, and disseminate water-use data.

Journal of the American Water Resources Associatio↗

USGS2022

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) program overview and status as of March 31, 2022

The USGS Water-Use Data and Research Program (WUDR) is an appropriated program and is authorized under the SECURE Water Act (Sec. 9508 (c)). WUDR provides financial assistance through cooperative agreements to State water resource agencies. The WUDR Program has two main goals: • To improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and delivery of water-use data that are collected and/or estimated by States to support national water-use assessments; and • To integrate the water-use data into USGS databases in electronic or machine-readable formats.

Newsletter↗

USGS2021

Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations in the Maumee River and tributaries during 2019 rain-induced fallow conditions

Above average precipitation from October 2018 through July 2019 in the Maumee River (R.) Basin resulted in 29% of cropland left fallow, providing a glimpse of potential effects from decreased nutrient application. Ongoing monitoring at 15 water-quality sites on the Maumee R. upstream from Defiance enabled comparison with 2017, which was hydrologically similar to 2019 in precipitation and streamflow. In 2019, nitrate (as nitrogen; NO 3 -N) for March-July was significantly less than previous years (2015–2018), but the response for phosphorus (P) was more complicated. Relative to 2017, total P (TP) was lower at 7 of 15 sites, but higher at 7, reflecting higher suspended sediment (SS). Dissolved P (DP) was generally lower, but less different than NO 3 ; DP was higher at 3 sites. DP-P:NO 3 -N was generally higher in 2019, DP-P:TP was lower, and there was less TP relative to SS. Overall, less P was in the system in 2019. However smaller streams showed a large range of difference between 2019 and 2017 for all constituents, indicating variability in land management and physiography. In contrast, all constituents were lower in 2019 in larger (>5000 km 2 ) streams, including the Maumee R. near Defiance, where the difference in NO 3 (−37%) exceeded that for TP (−16%), DP (−10%), and SS (−20%). Differences in these relations among N, P, and SS indicate that P was available from legacy sources that are more difficult to distinguish during typical agricultural production years and that some material from 2019 was stored in the system upstream from the largest sites.

Indiana, Ohio↗

USGS2020

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water-Use Data and Research (WUDR) program overview and status as of October 22, 2020

The USGS Water-Use Data and Research Program (WUDR) is an appropriated program that began in Federal fiscal year 2015 and is authorized under the SECURE Water Act (Sec. 9508 (c)). WUDR provides financial assistance through cooperative agreements to State water resource agencies. The WUDR Program has two main goals: To improve the availability, quality, compatibility, and delivery of water-use data that are collected and/or estimated by States to support national water-use assessments; and To integrate the water-use data into USGS databases in electronic or machine-readable formats.

Newsletter↗

USGS2018

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water-use websites

Explore U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) water-use websites to learn how and where the Nation's water use has changed over time! Learn how to find and access USGS water-use data shown in maps, graphs, visualizations, and information products. Gain a better understanding of water-use terms and USGS educational resources. Learn how to find and use USGS visualizations to see how water use has changed in each State, and explore county water withdrawals during 2015 to see which areas withdrew the most or least water.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2016

Science to support the understanding of Ohio's water resources, 2016-17

Ohio’s water resources support a complex web of human activities and nature—clean and abundant water is needed for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry, as well as for fish and wildlife needs. Although rainfall in normal years can support these activities and needs, occasional floods and droughts can disrupt streamflow, groundwater, water availability, water quality, recreation, and aquatic habitats. Ohio is bordered by the Ohio River and Lake Erie; it has over 44,000 miles of streams and more than 60,000 lakes and ponds (State of Ohio, 1994). Nearly all of the rural population obtains drinking water from groundwater sources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, as well as universities, to furnish decisionmakers, policy makers, USGS scientists, and the general public with reliable scientific information and tools to assist them in management, stewardship, and use of Ohio’s natural resources. The diversity of scientific expertise among USGS personnel enables them to carry out large- and small-scale multidisciplinary studies. The USGS is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority—its sole product is impartial, credible, relevant, and timely scientific information, equally accessible and available to everyone. The USGS Ohio Water Science Center provides reliable hydrologic and water-related ecological information to aid in the understanding of the use and management of the Nation’s water resources, in general, and Ohio’s water resources, in particular. This fact sheet provides an overview of current (2016) or recently completed USGS studies and data activities pertaining to water resources in Ohio. More information regarding projects of the USGS Ohio Water Science Center is available at http://oh.water.usgs.gov/ .

Ohio↗

USGS2014

Science to support the understanding of Ohio's water resources, 2014-15

Ohio’s water resources support a complex web of human activities and nature—clean and abundant water is needed for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry, as well as for fish and wildlife needs. Although rainfall in normal years can support these activities and needs, occasional floods and droughts can disrupt streamflow, groundwater, water availability, water quality, recreation, and aquatic habitats. Ohio is bordered by the Ohio River and Lake Erie; it has over 44,000 miles of streams and more than 60,000 lakes and ponds. Nearly all the rural population obtain drinking water from groundwater sources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, as well as universities, to furnish decision makers, policy makers, USGS scientists, and the general public with reliable scientific information and tools to assist them in management, stewardship, and use of Ohio’s natural resources. The diversity of scientific expertise among USGS personnel enables them to carry out large- and small-scale multidisciplinary studies. The USGS is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority—its sole product is impartial, credible, relevant, and timely scientific information, equally accessible and available to everyone. The USGS Ohio Water Science Center provides reliable hydrologic and water-related ecological information to aid in the understanding of the use and management of the Nation’s water resources, in general, and Ohio’s water resources, in particular. This fact sheet provides an overview of current (2014) or recently completed USGS studies and data activities pertaining to water resources in Ohio. More information regarding projects of the USGS Ohio Water Science Center is available at http://oh.water.usgs.gov/ .

Ohio↗

USGS2012

Science to support the understanding of Ohio's water resources

Ohio’s water resources support a complex web of human activities and nature—clean and abundant water is needed for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry, as well as for fish and wildlife needs. The distribution of rainfall can cause floods and droughts, which affects streamflow, groundwater, water availability, water quality, recreation, and aquatic habitats. Ohio is bordered by the Ohio River and Lake Erie and has over 44,000 miles of streams and more than 60,000 lakes and ponds (State of Ohio, 1994). Nearly all the rural population obtain drinking water from groundwater sources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, as well as universities, to furnish decisionmakers, policymakers, USGS scientists, and the general public with reliable scientific information and tools to assist them in management, stewardship, and use of Ohio’s natural resources. The diversity of scientific expertise among USGS personnel enables them to carry out large- and small-scale multidisciplinary studies. The USGS is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority—its sole product is reliable, impartial, credible, relevant, and timely scientific information, equally accessible and available to everyone. The USGS Ohio Water Science Center provides reliable hydrologic and water-related ecological information to aid in the understanding of use and management of the Nation’s water resources, in general, and Ohio’s water resources, in particular. This fact sheet provides an overview of current (2012) or recently completed USGS studies and data activities pertaining to water resources in Ohio. More information regarding projects of the USGS Ohio Water Science Center is available at http://oh.water.usgs.gov/.

Ohio↗

USGS2003

Streamflow and water-quality characteristics of the Ottawa River and selected tributaries in Allen, Hardin, and Putnam counties, Ohio

Streamflow and water-quality measurements were made on the Ottawa River and selected tributaries between 1999 to 2002. Ten sets of streamflow measurements were made at an index station on the Auglaize River at Fort Jennings (station 04186500) and at 19 other sites along the Ottawa River and selected tributaries. These data were collected to relate daily mean streamflow at the Auglaize River at Fort Jennings and the instantaneous streamflow at each of the other 19 sites. Two sets of water-quality samples were collected and 4 or 5 dissolved-oxygen measurements were made at the 19 sites. Water samples were collected during periods of potential stress on the aquatic communities, once during low flow and once during a runoff event that occurred after recent land application of pesticides. The first set of water-quality samples was analyzed for groups of nutrients, major ions and trace elements, and physical properties, whereas the second set was analyzed for nutrients, pesticides, and physical properties. With regard to nutrients and physical properties, median values of specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and orthophosphate were higher during low flow than during the runoff event. In contrast, the median concentrations of total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, and ammonia plus organic nitrogen were higher during the runoff event than during low flow. Orthophosphate, total phosphorus, and dissolved-oxygen concentrations all had wider ranges during the low-flow sampling than the runoff-event sampling. Of the 25 major ions and trace elements analyzed for, 15 were detected in all 18 samples, and 10 were detected infrequently or not detected at all. The runoff samples were analyzed for 48 pesticides, 18 of which were detected in one or more samples and 30 of which were not detected. Of the 18 pesticides detected, 13 were detected in 5 or more samples. Five pesticides acetochlor, atrazine, deethylatrazine, metolachlor, and simazine were detected in all the samples.

Ohio↗

USGS2000

The history of stream gaging in Ohio

Introduction Streams are a natural resource that can influence economic growth and the development of communities. They supply water for many uses, provide habitat for aquatic plants and animals, and sup-port recreational activities such as boat-ing and fishing. The amount of water (flow) in a stream — either too little or too much — can seriously affect these uses and human life. By using a method called stream gaging , information about the flow in a stream and the fluctuations in that flow can be obtained. n its simplest form, stream gaging may consist of measuring any number of the following stream characteristics: stage (or depth), cross-sectional area, velocity, and (or) flow (or discharge). When the depth and velocity are measured at several points across the stream channel so that the flow (or discharge ) is calculated, a streamflow measurement (or discharge measurement ) is made. By making streamflow measurements at the same site on a stream over a wide range of stages, a relation between stage and discharge can be developed. This relation can be used to provide information on the magnitude and fluctuations of flow on a stream. If long-term or continuous information is needed on a specific site, a stream-gaging station can be established. A stream-gaging station is a site where stage is monitored and recorded and streamflow measurements are made to provide a stage-discharge relation. Ever since the first documented streamflow measurement was made in Ohio — on the Sandusky River — stream-gaging information has been used to minimize the effects of floods and droughts, determine locations for water intakes and wastewater-treatment plants, and provide data for many other uses. Today, stream gaging is a routine activity in managing the State’s water resources.

Ohio↗