Geology topics
Publications and source records attributed to R. A. Fontaine.
This District Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plan documents the standards, policies, and procedures used by the Hawaii District for activities related to the collection, processing, storage, analysis, and publication of surface-water data.
Water resources data for the 2000 water year for Hawaii consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; and water levels and quality of water wells.
This report includes records on both surface and ground water in the State. Specifically, it contains: (1) Discharge records for 74 stream-gaging stations, 71 miscellaneous streamflow stations, and 88 crest-stage partial-record streamflow stations; (2) water-quality records for 6 streamflow-gaging stations, and 28 partial-record streamflow stations; (3) water-level records for 84 observation wells; (4) water-quality records for 122 observation wells; and (5) accumulated rainfall records for 40 rainfall stations. This series of annual reports for Hawaii began with the 1961 fiscal year (State of Hawaii) with a report that contained only data relating to the quantities of surface water. For the 1964 fiscal year, a similar report was introduced that contained only data relating to water quality. Beginning with the 1975 water year, the report format was changed to include, in one volume, data on quantities of surface water, quality of surface and ground water, and ground-water levels. Beginning with the 1993 water year, accumulated rainfall data were included in the report.
Water-resources data for the 1995 water year for Hawaii consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams and springs; and water levels and quality of water wells. This report contains discharge records for 91 gaging stations; water quality at 12 gaging stations; 22 partial-record flow stations, and 167 wells; and water levels for 78 observation wells. Also included are 107 crest-stage partial record stations, 4 miscellaneous partial-record stations, 6 low-flow partial-record stations, and 44 rainfall stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and other local agencies in Hawaii.
Water-resources data for the 1989 water year for other Pacific areas consist of records of discharge, and water quality of streams and stage of a lake and reservoir; water levels and water quality in wells; stage in a tide gage; and rainfall. This report volume 2 contains discharge records for 26 gaging stations; stage only for 2 gaging stations; water quality at 11 gaging stations, one streamflow partial record station, and 54 wells; water levels for 28 observation wells; and tide stages for one tide gage station. Also included are 2 crest-stage partial record stations, 4 miscellaneous partial-record stations, 15 low-flow partial-record stations, and 19 rainfall stations. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating Federal, State, and other agencies in other Pacific areas.
Widespread flooding ocurred through a large part of New England in early to mid-April 1987. The States affected most by these floods were Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The flooding was the result of two distinct storms-one that brought heavy rains to the area from March 30 to April 2 and the other that brought additional precipitation from April 4 through April 8. Fortunately for the residents of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, the two storms developed their greatest intensity and dropped the most precipitation over different parts of the three-State area. The first storm combined with meltwater from the snowpack to produce major flooding primarily in the western and south-central parts of Maine. The second storm produced flooding primarily in southern New Hampshire and northeastern and northwestern Massachusetts. Many streams in the affected area produced peaks that exceeded previously known flood heights and discharges, and the recurrence interval of many peak discharges exceeded 100 years. (USGS)
The report documents the results of a study of the cost-effectiveness of the U.S. Geological Survey 's continuous-record stream-gaging programs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Data uses and funding sources were identified for 91 gaging stations being operated in Massachusetts are being operated to provide data for two special purpose hydrologic studies, and they are planned to be discontinued at the conclusion of the studies. Cost-effectiveness analyses were performed on 63 continuous-record gaging stations in Massachusetts and 15 stations in Rhode Island, at budgets of $353,000 and $60,500, respectively. Current operations policies result in average standard errors per station of 12.3% in Massachusetts and 9.7% in Rhode Island. Minimum possible budgets to maintain the present numbers of gaging stations in the two States are estimated to be $340,000 and $59,000, with average errors per station of 12.8% and 10.0%, respectively. If the present budget levels were doubled, average standards errors per station would decrease to 8.1% and 4.2%, respectively. Further budget increases would not improve the standard errors significantly. (USGS)
This report documents the results of rating analyses of flow during periods of ice-cover at 33 stations on selected rivers in Maine. Results were obtained through linear multiple regression. It also presents functions relating uncertainties in records to the number of discharge measurements made at these and 21 other stations. The application is unusual in that it includes analysis of the uncertainty of discharge as affected by backwater from ice. Total uncertainty consists of errors incurred during measurement and during data processing. An average of 46.8 percent of the total variance for the 21 stations not affected by backwater was due to measurement variance, and 53.2 percent was due to process variance. Data from the remaining 33 stations were divided into summer (open-water) periods and the winter (backwater) periods. An average of 49.3 percent of the total variance for the summer-period stations was due to measurements variance; 50.7 percent was due to process variance. An average of 25.2 percent of the total variance for the winter-period stations was due to measurement variance; 74.8 percent was due to process variance. Results of the seasonal division of average variance suggest that the process and measurement variances are essentially equal during open-water periods and that process variance is considerably greater than the measurement variance during backwater periods. The errors in winter discharge records significantly increased average uncertainty in the records of annual mean discharge. (USGS)
This report documents the successful application of the traveling-hydrographer program developed by Moss and Gilroy to stream-gaging operations. This application was novel in the consideration of winter discharge records for the period of backwater effects due to ice. The current level of operation in Maine was identified as requiring a budget of $195,000 and having a total uncertainty of 374 cubic feet per second. Stream-gaging strategies were identified that could reduce the level of uncertainty in the system by as much as 45.8%, assuming the budgetary level remained constant. Alternately, practical stream-gaging strategies were also indentified that could reduce the total level of funding by as much as 19.2%, assuming the current level of uncertainty was deemed acceptable. Several alternatives of concurent budgeting and levels of uncertainty were identified. These relationships provide flexibility to the network manager. The results, documented in the report, were based on a sparse data base and should be applied in that context. (USGS)