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Research about White River Basin

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including White River Basin.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2007

Factors affecting pesticide occurrence and transport in a large Midwestern river basin

Several factors affect the occurrence and transport of pesticides in surface waters of the 29,400 km2 White River Basin in Indiana. A relationship was found between pesticide use and the average annual concentration of that pesticide in the White River, although this relationship varies for different classes of pesticides. About one percent of the mass applied of each of the commonly used agricultural herbicides was transported from the basin via the White River. Peak pesticide concentrations were typically highest in late spring or early summer and were associated with periods of runoff following application. Concentrations of diazinon were higher in an urban basin than in two agricultural basins, corresponding to the common use of this insecticide on lawns and gardens in urban areas. Concentrations of atrazine, a corn herbicide widely used in the White River Basin, were higher in an agricultural basin with permeable, well-drained soils, than in an agricultural basin with less permeable, more poorly drained soils. Although use of butylate and cyanazine was comparable in the White River Basin between 1992 and 1994, concentrations in the White River of butylate, which is incorporated into soil, were substantially less than for cyanazine, which is typically applied to the soil surface.

Indiana↗
USGS2005

Evaluation of unsaturated-zone solute-transport models for studies of agricultural chemicals

Seven unsaturated-zone solute-transport models were tested with two data sets to select models for use by the Agricultural Chemical Team of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The data sets were from a bromide tracer test near Merced, California, and an atrazine study in the White River Basin, Indiana. In this study the models are designated either as complex or simple based on the water flux algorithm. The complex models, HYDRUS2D, LEACHP, RZWQM, and VS2DT, use Richards' equation to simulate water flux and are well suited to process understanding. The simple models, CALF, GLEAMS, and PRZM, use a tipping-bucket algorithm and are more amenable to extrapolation because they require fewer input parameters. The purpose of this report is not to endorse a particular model, but to describe useful features, potential capabilities, and possible limitations that emerged from working with the model input data sets. More rigorous assessment of model applicability involves proper calibration, which was beyond the scope of this study. Uncalibrated ("cold") simulations were run using all seven models to predict the transport of bromide (Merced) and the transport and fate of atrazine and three of its transformation products (White River Basin). Among the complex models, HYDRUS2D successfully predicted both the surface retention and accumulation of bromide at depth at the Merced site, whereas RZWQM and VS2DT predicted only the latter. RZWQM predictions of atrazine were closest to observed values at the White River Basin site, where preferential flow has been observed. LEACHP predicted smaller solute concentrations than observed at both the Merced and White River Basin sites. Among the simple models, CALF predicted the highest values of atrazine and deethylatrazine at the measurement depth of 1.5 meters. CALF includes the Addiscott flow option for preferential flow, and also accepts user-specified dispersivity. PRZM underpredicted solute concentrations, probably because control of dispersion is a problem with this model. GLEAMS has a maximum simulation depth of 1.5 meters, which is limiting for mass-balance purposes because it creates a potential disconnect between unsaturated-zone transport and the water table. Of the models tested, RZWQM, HYDRUS2D, VS2DT, GLEAMS and PRZM had graphical user interfaces. Extensive documentation was available for RZWQM, HYDRUS2D, and VS2DT. RZWQM can explicitly simulate water and solute flux in macropores, and both HYDRUS2D and VS2DT can simulate water and solute flux in two dimensions. The version of RZWQM tested had a maximum simulation depth of 3 meters. The complex models simulate the formation, transport, and fate of degradates of up to three to five compounds including the parent, with the exception of VS2DT, which simulates the transport and fate of a single compound.

California, Indiana↗
USGS1999

Environmental setting and natural factors and human influences affecting water quality in the White River Basin, Indiana

The White River Basin drains 11,349 square miles of central and southern Indiana and is one of 59 Study Units selected for water-quality assessment as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National WaterQuality Assessment Program. Defining the environmental setting of the basin and identifying the natural factors and human influences that affect water quality are important parts of the assessment. Interrelated natural factors help determine the quality of surface and ground water in a river basin. The White River Basin has a humid continental climate, characterized by well-defined winter and summer seasons. Geologic features in the basin include glaciated and nonglaciated areas; a region of karst geomorphology that is characterized by caves and sinkholes; and a thick, sedimentary bedrock sequence underlying the entire basin. Unconsolidated glacial deposits of clay, silt, sand and gravel cover more than 60 percent of the basin. Soils developed in unconsolidated glacial deposits are typically fertile, naturally or artificially well drained, and farmed. Soils in the unglaciated south-central part of the basin are thin, have low fertility, and are best suited for forest or pasture. Agriculture is the principal land use in the White River Basin. Approximately 70 percent of the basin is used for agriculture, and about 50 percent of the basin is cropland. Corn and soybeans are the major crops. Other significant land uses are forest (22 percent) and urban and residential (7 percent). The population of the basin was 2.1 million in 1990. Water use in the White River Basin totaled 1,284 million gallons per day in 1995, of which 84.5 percent was surface water and 15.5 percent was ground water. Despite the predominant use of surface water, ground water was the primary source of drinking water for approximately 56 percent of the population. The general water chemistry in the White River Basin is determined by natural factors such as soils and geologic materials that water contacts as it moves through the hydrologic system. In the southern part of the basin, bedrock upland areas are dominated by non-carbonate bedrock, thin soils, and high runoff-rainfall ratios. These areas have small chemical concentrations in streamwater. Conversely, in the northern part of the basin where glacial deposits are thick and in the southwestern part of the basin where loess deposits are thick, water has longer periods of time to react with soils and aquifers and to acquire substantial quantities of dissolved constituents. As a result, streams in the till plain and glacial lowland have higher concentrations of most constituents than streams in the unglaciated parts of the basin. Water quality is significantly modified by human influences. Water quality is affected locally by point sources of contamination that include combined-sewer overflows, power-generation-plant cooling stations, and wastewater-treatment-plant effluents that are generally associated with densely populated areas. Water quality is additionally affected by non-point sources of contamination related to agriculture, urban runoff, and mining. Six hydrogeomorphic regions of the White River Basin are delineated on the basis of distinct and relatively homogeneous natural characteristics. These six regions are used in the White River Basin study as a framework for examining the effects of natural factors on water quality in the basin. Bedrock is exposed or near the surface in three hydrogeomorphic regions the bedrock uplands, bedrock lowland and plain, and karst plain; streams and shallow aquifers in these regions are susceptible to contamination, especially in the karst plain, and show rapid response to rainfall. The other three hydrogeomorphic regions the fluvial deposits, till plain, and glacial lowland are in the glaciated part of the basin. Where thick fine-grained unconsolidated sediments are present, primarily in the till plain, ground-water supplies are protected from contamination, and extreme high and low streamflows are moderated.

Indiana↗
USGS1998

Benthic-invertebrate and streambed-sediment data for the White River and its tributaries in and near Indianapolis, Indiana, 1994–96

Data were collected in the White River and its tributaries in and near Indianapolis, Indiana, on the diversity and density of benthic invertebrates; concentrations of metals, insecticides, herbicides, and semivolatile organic compounds sorbed on streambed sediments; and particle-size distribution of streambed sediments. A total of 369 benthic-invertebrate samples were collected at 21 sites during late spring or summer and early fall 1994 through 1996; of these, 30 were quality-control samples. A total of 33 streambed-sediment samples were collected at 14 sites during August 1994, 1995, and 1996; of these, 10 were quality-control samples.

Indiana↗
USGS1997

Trends in acetochlor concentrations in surface waters of the White River Basin, Indiana, 1994–96

Corn herbicides are used extensively in the White River Basin and account for about 70 percent of the total agricultural pesticide use in the basin. Acetochlor, a corn herbicide registered for use in 1994, is expected to reduce the total amount of corn herbicides used because of its broad-spectrum weed control and low use rates. Acetochlor is considered to be a probable human carcinogen, and its continued registration is contingent on concentrations in surface and ground water not exceeding target levels. During 1994, acetochlor was detected in only trace concentrations near the mouth of the White River and not at all in a small stream (93-square-mile drainage) in the northern part of the basin. By 1996, peak concentrations were about 2 and 3 micrograms per liter near the mouth of the White River and in the small stream, respectively. The estimated annual average concentration of acetochlor near the mouth of the White River in 1996 was 0.15 micrograms per liter, well below the 2 micrograms per liter criterion for surface-water supplied community-water systems.

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Comparison of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassay techniques on concentrations of atrazine in storm runoff

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques were used to measure concentrations of dissolved atrazine in 149 surface-water samples. Samples were collected during May 1992–September 1993 near the mouth of the White River (Indiana) and in two small tributaries of the river. GC/MS was performed on a Hewlett-Packard 5971 A, with electron impact ionization and selected ion monitoring of filtered water samples extracted by C-18 solid phase extraction; ELISA was performed with a magnetic-particle-based assay with photometric analysis. ELISA results compared reasonably well to GC/MS measurements at concentrations below the Maximum Contaminant Level for drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (3.0 μg/L), but a systematic negative bias was observed at higher concentrations. When higher concentration samples were diluted into the linear range of calibration, the relation improved. A slight positive bias was seen in all of the ELISA data compared to the GC/MS results, and the bias could be partially explained by correcting the ELISA data for cross reactivity with other triazine herbicides. The highest concentrations of atrazine were found during the first major runoff event after the atrazine was applied. Concentrations decreased throughout the rest of the sampling period even though large runoff events occurred during this time, indicating that most atrazine loading to surface waters in the study area occurs within a few weeks after application. Use of brand names is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Uniroyal Chemical Company, or Wichita State University.

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Occurrence of pesticides in ground water in the White River Basin, Indiana, 1994–95

Pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) are used extensively in the White River Basin. Application of herbicides to corn and soybeans accounts for most of the use. The U.S. Geological Survey collected samples from four networks of monitoring wells in the White River Basin during 1994-95. The most frequently detected compounds in ground water were desethyl atrazine (a breakdown product of atrazine) and the commonly used herbicides, atrazine and metolachlor. Insecticides commonly used in urban and agricultural areas were not found. The highest concentration of any pesticide detected was alachlor at 0.19 micrograms per liter. Most detections of atrazine and desethyl atrazine were in agricultural areas overlying fluvial deposits, which are vulnerable to pesticide contamination, but the concentrations were small (less than 0.1 microgram per liter).

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Occurrence of nitrate in ground water in the White River Basin, Indiana, 1994–95

Nitrogen-based fertilizers are used extensively in the White River Basin. Water samples were collected for nitrate analysis from 103 monitoring wells in four networks in the basin. Ninety-four "shallow" wells were screened near the top of the uppermost aquifer encountered; the remaining 9 wells were paired with shallow wells but screened 18 to 45 feet deeper. Samples from 6.4 percent of the shallow wells exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 mg/L (milligrams per liter). Elevated nitrate concentrations (higher than 3 mg/L) were common in unconfined, permeable deposits underlying agricultural areas; nitrate concentrations decreased with depth in these deposits. Low nitrate concentrations (less than 0.05 mg/L) were found in aquifers confined by clay-rich tills that retard downward movement of nitrate and oxygen into the ground water.

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Influence of natural and human factors on pesticide concentrations in surface waters of the White River Basin, Indiana

Pesticide concentrations in surface waters of the White River Basin are affected by natural and human factors. For example, concentrations of atrazine, a herbicide widely used on corn in the White River Basin, tended to be higher in an agricultural basin with permeable, well-drained soils, than in an agricultural basin with less permeable, more poorly drained soils. Concentrations of butylate, another herbicide used on corn, were substantially higher in an agricultural basin in the southern part of the White River Basin than in an agricultural basin in the central part of the White River Basin, corresponding to the higher use of this compound in southern Indiana. Concentrations of diazinon were substantially higher in a predominantly urban basin than in two predominantly agricultural basins, corresponding to the common use of this insecticide on lawns and gardens in urban areas.

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Assessment of water quality at selected sites in the White River Basin, Indiana, 1993 and 1995 using biological indices

As part of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, fish communities were sampled at 11 sites in the White River Basin, Indiana, in 1993 and 1995 to help determine water-quality conditions. Ninety-one species of fish with representatives from 18 families were collected in the basin. Total numbers of fish collected at every site increased between collection years. The Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) and Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) were calculated for all 11 sites in 1995. The QHEI scores indicated six sites had excellent habitat to support fish communities. Only three sites were rated in the “good” to “excellent” IBI water-quality categories, indicating some type of nonhabitat environmental degradation to the fish communities. Eight of the sites were rated in the “fair,” “poor,” or “very poor” IBI water-quality categories.

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Water-quality assessment of the White River Basin, Indiana: Analysis of selected information on nutrients, 1980-92

Water-quality data from 23 surfacewater-quality monitoring sites operated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and streamflow data from 11 U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in the White River Basin were analyzed to determine recent (1981 90 water years) water-quality conditions, trends, and river loads for ammonia, nitrate, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus. The White River Basin drains 11,349 square miles of central and south-central Indiana and is divided into two nearly equal subbasins the East Fork White River and the White River upstream from its confluence with the East Fork (called the "west fork" of the White River by the State's water-management agencies). Nutrient concentrations generally were higher in the more urbanized west fork than in the more rural east fork because of the much larger volumes of treated municipal sewage, combined-sewer overflows, and urban runoff discharged to the west fork. Concentrations of nutrients, especially ammonia and total phosphorus, were higher downstream from Muncie, Anderson, and Indianapolis than they were upstream from these cities. Nutrient concentrations decreased downstream from Indianapolis in the White River and in the downstream reach of the East Fork White River because of dilution, nitrification, adsorption to stream-bottom sediments, and uptake by aquatic vegetation. Seasonal variations in nutrient concentrations and the relations of nutrient concentrations to streamflow depended on the relative contributions of point and nonpoint sources of the nutrients. Total phosphorus increased with increasing streamflow at monitoring sites on the east fork but decreased with increasing streamflow at sites on the west fork. Increasing concentrations of phosphorus with increasing streamflow were consistent with nonpoint sources of phosphorus that wash off land surfaces, whereas decreasing concentrations of phosphorus with increasing streamflow were consistent with dilution of point sources of phosphorus. Median concentrations of total phosphorus were highest during summer and fall downstream from urban areas on the White River because streamflows that dilute point sources of phosphorus are lowest during summer and fall. Median concentrations of ammonia in the White River were highest in winter because of reduced biological uptake and nitrification of ammonia during cold temperatures.

Indiana↗
USGS1996

Fishes of the White River basin, Indiana

Since 1875, researchers have reported 158 species of fish belonging to 25 families in the White River Basin. Of these species, 6 have not been reported since 1900 and 10 have not been reported since 1943. Since the 1820's, fish communities in the White River Basin have been affected by the alteration of stream habitat, overfishing, the introduction of non-native species, agriculture, and urbanization. Erosion resulting from conversion of forest land to cropland in the 1800's led to siltation of streambeds and resulted in the loss of some silt-sensitive species. In the early 1900's, the water quality of the White River was seriously degraded for 100 miles by untreated sewage from the City of Indianapolis. During the last 25 years, water quality in the basin has improved because of efforts to control water pollution. Fish communities in the basin have responded favorably to the improved water quality.

Indiana↗
USGS1995

Occurrence of pesticides in the White River, Indiana, 1991-95

Pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) are used extensively in the White River Basin. Application of herbicides to corn and soybeans accounts for most of the use. The pesticides most frequently detected near the mouth of the White River during 1991-95 were the herbicides alachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, and metolachlor. The highest concentrations of herbicides in the river were typically found during late spring runoff following application. Generally, concentrations of alachlor have been decreasing while concentrations of acetochlor have been increasing in response to changes in the use of these herbicides in the basin. The total amount of the commonly used herbicides transported by the river is about 1 percent or less of the amount applied to cropland. Insecticides commonly used in urban and agricultural areas also were found but in much lower concentrations than commonly used herbicides.

Indiana↗
USGS1995

Water-quality assessment of the White River Basin, Indiana: Analysis of available information on pesticides, 1972-92

An analysis of historical pesticide data (1972-92) for the White River was conducted as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Data on the presence of pesticides in streams, bottom sediments, fish, and ground waters were examined. Results are interpreted with respect to spatial, seasonal, and streamflow effects. Concentrations of water-soluble pesticides reach a peak during the first storm following application and remain elevated for 1 to 2 months. The most herbicide loading to the White River occurs during this time, when about 1 percent of the applied herbicides are transported out of the White River Basin. Bottom sediments and fish were analyzed for lipophilic pesticides. Dieldrin, components of technical chlordane, and DDT-related compounds were the most frequently detected. In areas where pesticide concentrations in sediment were high, concentrations in fish were high, indicating that bottom sediments are probably the primary source of lipophilic pesticides in aquatic biota. Ground- water/surface-water interaction and the presence of pesticides in ground waters were examined. The bedrock karst region had the highest degree of ground-water/surface-water interaction, indicating that the shallow ground water is susceptible to contamination from surface sources. Atrazine was the most frequently detected pesticides in ground waters. All wells where pesticides were detected are in karst or alluvial outwash, indicating that these geomorphic units are highly susceptible to contamination.

Indiana↗
USGS1982

Ground-water resources of the glacial outwash along the White River, Johnson and Morgan counties, Indiana

An 88-square-mile segment of the White River valley contains an unconfined sand and gravel aquifer ranging-from a featheredge zero, to 120 feet in saturated thickness. Hydraulic conductivity is 340 feet per day, and transmissivity is as much as 35,000 square feet per day. The aquifer, recharged primarily by precipitation, gains same recharge through interbedded till and outwash boundaries and through losing streams. A two-dimensional digital model was used to simulate the steady-state ground-water flow system. Sensitivity analyses tested the reaction of the model to adjustments in hydraulic conductivity, steam bed leakance, and recharge. Simulated pumpage of 20-, 66-, and 122-million gallons per day reduced streamflow by 5, 15, and 30% , respectively. A real drawdown did not exceed 25 feet. Ground water was a calcium bicarbonate type having a median pH of 7.1, a mean alkalinity of 240 milligrams per liter, a mean hardness of 280 milligrams per liter, a mean dissolved oxygen concentration of 2.2 milligrams per liter, a mean redox potential of +347 millivolts, and a mean dissolved-solids concentration of 366 milligrams per liter. Iron and manganese concentrations exceeded National Drinking Water Regulations in 15 and 49% of the analyses, respectively. Temperature and concentration of dissolved organic carbon varied seasonally. Dissolved carbon and manganese varied with seasonally. Dissolved carbon and manganese varied with differing boundary material, till and bedrock. (USGS)

Indiana↗
USGS1946

Water utilization in the White River Basin

This report presents briefly the results of an investigation of the water and power resources of the White river made in 1943 primarily for the purpose of classification of lands adjacent to the stream that have been withdrawn for power purposes. About three days were spent by the writer in field examination of the river basin during August and September. A survey of the river from its confluence with the Deschutes River to the Mt. Hood Loop Highway is published by the Survey. Nearly all of this map was surveyed in 1932. The entire basin is shown on quadrangle sheets. A record of discharge is available for the period 1917-43 at a station near the mouth of the river, and several short records are available at points upstream and on tributary streams.

Oregon↗