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USGS2009

Federal standards and procedures for the National Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)

The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) is a seamless, national hydrologic unit dataset developed using the guidelines and specifications outlined in this document. A hydrologic unit defines the areal extent of surface-water drainage to an outlet point on a dendritic stream network or to outlet points where the stream network is not dendritic. A hydrologic unit may represent all or only part of the total drainage area to the outlet point so that multiple hydrologic units may be required to define the entire drainage area for a given outlet. Hydrologic unit boundaries in the WBD are determined on the basis of topographic, hydrologic, and other relevant landscape characteristics without regard for administrative, political, or jurisdictional boundaries. The WBD seamlessly represents hydrologic units at six required and two optional hierarchical levels mapped at a minimum of 1:24,000-scale in the United States, except for in Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands, which are at 1:25,000-scale, and in Alaska, where the data range from the minimum required 1:24,000-scale to 1:63,360-scale. Hydrologic units in the WBD provide a standardized base for water-resources organizations to locate, store, retrieve, and exchange hydrologic data; to index and inventory hydrologic data and information; to catalog water-data acquisition activities; and to use in a variety of other applications. The specifications and procedures established in this document are intended to provide guidelines and best practices to local, regional, and national partners for delineating and updating the hydrologic units of the WBD. Maintaining the WBD using consistent practices improves watershed management through efficient sharing of information and resources and by ensuring that digital geographic data can be used with other related geographic information system data. Edits and additions to the hydrologic units are reviewed against this specification prior to inclusion to the national WBD.

Techniques and Methods↗

USGS1996

Status of ground-water resources at U.S. Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia; summary of hydrologic and climatic data, January 1993 through September 1995

This report contains hydrologic and climatic data that describe the status of ground-water resources at U.S. Navy Support Facility, Diego Garcia. Data presented are from January 1993 through September 1995, although the report focuses on hydrologic events from July through September 1995. Cumulative rainfall for July through September 1995 was about 15 inches which is 32 percent less than the mean cumulative rainfall of about 22 inches for July through September. July and August are within the annual dry season, while September is the start of the annual wet season. Mean cumulative rainfall is calculated for the fixed base period 1951-90. Ground-water withdrawal during July through September 1995 averaged 888,500 gallons per day. Withdrawal for the same 3 months in 1994 averaged 919,400 gallons per day. Patterns of withdrawal during the third quarter of 1995 did not change significantly since 1993 at all five ground-water production areas. At the end of September 1995, the chloride concentration of the composite water supply was 51 milligrams per liter, well below the 250 milligrams per liter secondary drinking-water standard established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chloride concentrations of the composite water supply from July through September 1995 ranged between 42 and 68 milligrams per liter. Chloride concentration of ground water in monitoring wells at Cantonment and Air Operations continued to increase since April 1995, with water from the deepest monitoring wells increasing in chloride concentration by as much as 2,000 milligrams per liter. A fuel leak at Air Operations caused the shutdown of ten wells in May 1991. Four of the wells resumed pumping for water-supply purposes in April 1992. The remaining six wells are being used to hydraulically divert fuel migration away from water-supply wells by recirculating about 150,000 gallons of water each day.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1983

Potential effects of surface coal mining on the hydrology of the Greenleaf-Miller area, Ashland coal field, southeastern Montana

The Greenleaf-Miller area of the Ashland coal field contains reserves of Federal coal that have been identified for potential lease sale. A hydrologic study was conducted in the potential lease area in 1981 to describe the existing hydrologic system and to assess potential impacts of surface coal mining on local water resources. The hydrologic data collected from wells, test holes, and springs were used to identify aquifers in the alluvium (Pleistocene and Holocene age) and the Tongue River member of the Fort Union Formation (Paleocene age). Coal, clinker, and sandstone beds comprise the aquifers in the Tongue River Member. Most streams are ephemeral and flow only as a result of precipitation. The only perennial surface-water flow in the study area is along short reaches downstream from springs. A mine plan for the area is not available; thus, the location of mine cuts, direction and rate of the mine expansion, and duration of mining are unknown. The mining of the Sawyer and Knoblock coal beds in the Tonge River Member would effect ground-water flow in the area. Declines in the potentiometric surface would be caused by dewatering where the mine pits intersect the water table. Wells and springs would be removed in the mine area; however, deeper aquifers are available as replacement sources of water. The chemical quality of the ground water would change after moving through the spoils. The change would be an increase in the concentration of dissolved solids. (USGS)

Montana↗

USGS2011

Effects of brush management on the hydrologic budget and water quality in and adjacent to Honey Creek State Natural Area, Comal County, Texas, 2001-10

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Edwards Region Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, the San Antonio River Authority, the Edwards Aquifer Authority, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, and the San Antonio Water System, evaluated the hydrologic effects of ashe juniper ( Juniperus ashei ) removal as a brush management conservation practice in and adjacent to the Honey Creek State Natural Area in Comal County, Tex. By removing the ashe juniper and allowing native grasses to reestablish in the area as a brush management conservation practice, the hydrology in the watershed might change. Using a simplified mass balance approach of the hydrologic cycle, the incoming rainfall was distributed to surface water runoff, evapotranspiration, or groundwater recharge. After hydrologic data were collected in adjacent watersheds for 3 years, brush management occurred on the treatment watershed while the reference watershed was left in its original condition. Hydrologic data were collected for another 6 years. Hydrologic data include rainfall, streamflow, evapotranspiration, and water quality. Groundwater recharge was not directly measured but potential groundwater recharge was calculated using a simplified mass balance approach. The resulting hydrologic datasets were examined for differences between the watersheds and between pre- and post-treatment periods to assess the effects of brush management. The streamflow to rainfall relation (expressed as event unit runoff to event rainfall relation) did not change between the watersheds during pre- and post-treatment periods. The daily evapotranspiration rates at the reference watershed and treatment watershed sites exhibited a seasonal cycle during the pre- and post-treatment periods, with intra- and interannual variability. Statistical analyses indicate the mean difference in daily evapotranspiration rates between the two watershed sites is greater during the post-treatment than the pre-treatment period. Average annual rainfall, streamflow, evapotranspiration, and potential groundwater-recharge conditions were incorporated into a single hydrologic budget (expressed as a percentage of the average annual rainfall) applied to each watershed before and after treatment to evaluate the effects of brush management. During the post-treatment period, the percent average annual unit runoff in the reference watershed was similar to that in the treatment watershed, however, the difference in percentages of average annual evapotranspiration and potential groundwater recharge were more appreciable between the reference and treatment watersheds than during the pre-treatment period. Using graphical comparisons, no notable differences in major ion or nutrient concentrations were found between samples collected at the reference watershed (site 1C) and treatment watershed (site 2C) during pre- and post-treatment periods. Suspended-sediment loads were calculated from samples collected at sites 1C and 2T. The relation between suspended-sediment loads and streamflow calculated from samples collected from sites 1C and 2T did not exhibit a statistically significant difference during the pre-treatment period, whereas during the post-treatment period, relation between suspended-sediment loads and streamflow did exhibit a statistically significant difference. The suspended-sediment load to streamflow relations indicate that for the same streamflow, the suspended-sediment loads calculated from site 2T were generally less than suspended-sediment loads calculated from site 1C during the post-treatment period.

Texas↗

USGS1985

Water Resources Division in the 1980's : a summary of activities and programs of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Division

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey has the principal responsibility within the Federal government for providing hydrologic information and appraising the Nation's water resounds. The Geological Survey is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority--its sole product is information that is made available equally to all interested parties. This report describes the Water Resources Division's mission, organization, source of funds, and major programs. Three types of programs are described: long-term programs, which include the Federal-State cooperative program, coordination of Federal water-data acquisition, assistance to other Federal agencies, the national research program, the national water-data exchange, the water resources scientific information center, the national water-use information program, hydrologic-data collection, and international hydrology activities; topical programs, which include hazardous waste hydrology, coal and oil-shale hydrology, regional aquifer system analyses, acid rain, volcano hazards, and national water-resources conditions; and technical-assistance programs. Emphasis is on programs that will contribute to identifying, mitigating, or solving nationwide water-resources problems in the 1980's. A discussion of how the data and information axe disseminated and a selected list of references complete the report.

Circular↗

USGS1983

Water Resources Division in the 1980's

Circular↗

USGS2009

Reconnaissance of Organic Wastewater Compounds at a Concentrated Swine Feeding Operation in the North Carolina Coastal Plain, 2008

Water-quality and hydrologic data were collected during 2008 to examine the occurrence of organic wastewater compounds at a concentrated swine feeding operation located in the North Carolina Coastal Plain. Continuous groundwater level and stream-stage data were collected at one monitoring well and one stream site, respectively, throughout 2008. One round of environmental and quality-control samples was collected in September 2008 following a period of below-normal precipitation and when swine waste was not being applied to the spray fields. Samples were collected at one lagoon site, seven shallow groundwater sites, and one surface-water site for analysis of 111 organic wastewater compounds, including household, industrial, and agricultural-use compounds, sterols, pharmaceutical compounds, hormones, and antibiotics. Analytical data for environmental samples collected during the study provide preliminary information on the occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in the lagoon-waste source material, groundwater beneath fields that receive spray applications of the lagoon wastes, and surface water in the tributary adjacent to the site. Overall, 28 organic wastewater compounds were detected in the collected samples, including 11 household, industrial, and agricultural-use compounds; 3 sterols; 2 pharmaceutical compounds; 5 hormones; and 7 antibiotics. The lagoon sample had the greatest number (20) and highest concentrations of compounds compared to groundwater and surface-water samples. The antibiotic lincomycin had the maximum detected concentration (393 micrograms per liter) in the lagoon sample. Of the 11 compounds identified in the groundwater and surface-water samples, all with reported concentrations less than 1 microgram per liter, only lincomycin identified in groundwater at 1 well and 3-methyl-1H-indole and indole identified in surface water at 1 site also were identified in the lagoon waste material.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1993

Water resources data, Nevada, water year 1992

This report for Nevada is one of a series of annual reports that document hydrologic data gathered from the U.S. Geological Survey's surface-water and ground-water data-collection networks in each State, Puerto Rico, and the Trust Territories. These records of streams, canals, drains and springs, lakes and reservoirs, and observation wells provide the hydrologic information needed by State, local, and Federal agencies and the private sector for developing and managing our Nation's land and water resources.

Nevada↗

USGS2005

Evaluating water management strategies with the Systems Impact Assessment Model: SIAM version 4

Water from many of California's coastal rivers has been used for a wide variety of development ventures, including major agricultural diversions, hydropower generation, and contaminant assimilation from industry, agriculture and logging. Anthropogenic impacts often degrade water quality and decrease the quantity and quality of aquatic habitat. Reallocating streamflow away from uses that degrade water quality to uses that foster higher water quality is a critical step in restoring riverine habitat and the anadromous fish that rely on that habitat for a portion of their life cycle. Reallocation always brings with it the need to examine the economic efficiency of the proposed changes. If the dollar benefits of improving water quality are greater than the costs, the criterion of improving economic efficiency is satisfied, a fact that can be highly persuasive to decision makers contemplating reallocation. Previous related studies have examined nonmarket benefits of the Trinity River in northern California (Douglas and Taylor, 1998; Douglas and Taylor, 1999abc) but nothing of this kind had been done on the Klamath River, another system with numerous uses for and competition over water in times of drought. An economic survey is nearing completion for the mid- to lower Klamath River, including the Scott, Shasta, and Salmon Rivers, but excluding the Trinity River. This survey provides valuable insights about the magnitude of the benefits and nature of the costs of reallocating water from market uses to instream flows that improve water quality and assist in the recovery of Klamath River fish stocks. Preliminary survey results (Douglas and Johnson, 2002; Douglas and Sleeper, In Prep.) indicate that about 234,000 California, Oregon, and Nevada households made recreation trips to the Klamath River Basin 1997-1998 and that these users spent about $372 million on trip related expenditures. Clearly the prosperity of the region is closely linked to the demand for mid- and lower Klamath River Basin recreation trips. Further, respondents indicated that they would make roughly 36% more recreational trips per annum to the Klamath if the water quality and the fishery were restored to an unspoiled condition. Using two distinct types of survey data, these additional trips would yield benefits with a present value of approximately $9.6 billion (at a discount rate of 7.5%). Calculating costs to restore the fishery and raise water quality involved five major hypothetical restoration activities: (1) purchasing Klamath project farmland and environmentally sensitive forest lands, (2) allocating more water down the Trinity River to enhance the quantity and quality of Klamath flows below the confluence, (3) removing four mainstem dams along the Klamath River and losing their associated hydropower production, (4) eliminating all harvest of Klamath-Trinity fish stocks for a 12-year period including the acquisition of fishing rights from both tribal and commercial marine fishermen, and (5) operating all Klamath-Trinity fish hatcheries to restore self-reproducing stocks. In total, restoration costs were estimated to be about $1.7 to $2.3 billion. If the assumptions used in this study are valid, it is clear that the benefits ($9.6B) outweigh the costs of restoring water quality and the fishery. The apparent disparity between restoration benefits and costs for the Klamath River may suggest to some that water resources on the Klamath be reallocated to environmentally friendly nonmarket uses. The economic analysis rests in part on the information made available to the survey designers by the biological, hydrologic, and water quality data incorporated in The System Impact Assessment Model (SIAM). It is our hope that SIAM can be used to improve the river's water quality and fishery, and strengthen the important regional economy.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2019

Summary of hydrologic testing, wellbore-flow data, and expanded water-level and water-quality data, 2011–15, Fort Irwin National Training Center, San Bernardino County, California

In view of the U.S. Army’s historical reliance and plans to increase demands on groundwater to supply its operations at Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC), California, coupled with the continuing water-level declines in some developed groundwater basins as a result of pumping, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army, evaluated the water resources, including water quality and potential groundwater supply, of undeveloped basins in the NTC. Previous work in the three developed groundwater basins—Langford, Bicycle, and Irwin—provided information to support water-resources management of those basins. During 2009–12, the USGS installed 41 wells at the NTC; 34 wells were at 14 single- or multiple-well monitoring sites, and 7 wells were long-screen test wells. The majority of the wells were installed in previously undeveloped or minimally developed groundwater basins (Cronise, Red Pass, the Central Corridor area, Superior, Goldstone, and Nelson Basins). During 2012–15, the USGS tested hydrologic properties at 32 wells in 8 basins to help characterize the aquifer system. This report presents data and analyses from core samples; slug tests and single-well aquifer tests; coupled measurements of wellbore flow, water levels, and water-quality constituents; and results from two-dimensional numerical modeling. This information provides a basis for developing and constraining basin-scale hydrogeologic framework and groundwater-flow models to further evaluate water resources in each groundwater basin. Core samples were tested for vertical saturated hydraulic conductivity, physical properties, and particle-size distribution. Vertical saturated hydraulic conductivities of the cores ranged from less than 0.00001 to 18.13 feet per day, and porosities ranged from 0.15 to 0.56. These physical properties and particle-size analyses indicate the high degree of heterogeneity of the hydrogeologic deposits penetrated by the boreholes. Horizontal hydraulic conductivities estimated from slug tests in 22 monitoring wells in 6 basins (Cronise, Central Corridor area, Goldstone, Langford, Bicycle, and Nelson Basins) ranged from less than 0.1 to 40 feet per day. Results of the aquifer tests at six test wells in the Goldstone, Nelson, and Superior Basins indicate hydraulic conductivities ranged from 0.37 to 66 feet per day; associated transmissivity values ranged from 130 to 28,000 feet squared per day. Wellbore-flow data, collected from the six test wells under unpumped and pumped conditions, generally showed downward movement of water. Flow data collected under unpumped conditions indicate groundwater entered the well through the upper part of the screened interval and exited to aquifer zones in the lower part of the screened interval at rates ranging from 1 to 3 gallons per minute. Flow data collected under pumping conditions show increased flow downward in the test wells, indicating higher yields from deeper aquifers. Water levels, measured periodically between 2011 and 2015, remained stable during this period in the majority of the wells measured since 2011, except at two monitoring sites in developed basins (Bicycle and Langford). Vertical hydraulic gradients were generally low throughout the NTC, but ranged from –0.0003 to 0.27 during the summer of 2015. Multiple-well monitoring sites in Bicycle, Central Corridor area, Cronise, Goldstone, Nelson, and Superior Basins, had downward vertical gradients. Groundwater in wells in Nelson and Superior Basins, and wells BLA5, CCT1, and GOLD2 #2, was characterized as sodium-bicarbonate water, whereas groundwater from the remaining wells in Goldstone Basin was characterized as sodium-chloride water and Cronise Basin, and well LL04 was characterized by sodium-sulfate water. Total dissolved solids (TDS) ranged from 285 to 13,400 milligrams per liter (mg/L) TDS and chloride concentrations ranged from 19 to 1,030 mg/L chloride, with lowest concentrations of each in groundwater from Superior and Nelson Basins and highest concentrations in Cronise Basin. Nitrate plus nitrite as nitrogen ranged from less than 0.040 mg/L in groundwater from Cronise and Goldstone Basins to about 20 mg/L in Nelson Basin. Groundwater from wells in Nelson Basin was isotopically light, whereas groundwater samples from wells CRTH1, CRTH2, and LL04 were isotopically heavier and plotted along an evaporative trend line. No measurable tritium was detected in groundwater from 13 wells sampled in 2015, indicating that groundwater was recharged prior to 1952. Measured carbon-14 ( 14 C) activities in groundwater from four wells sampled in 2015 ranged from about 7.9 to 23.5 percent modern carbon and had apparent (uncorrected) ages of 11,970–20,980 years. Arsenic concentrations were above the maximum contaminant level of 10 micrograms per liter in groundwater from all wells, except those in Goldstone Basin and the two deepest wells in Langford Basin (LL04); likewise, fluoride concentrations were above the California maximum contaminant level of 2 mg/L in groundwater from most wells, except those in Goldstone and Superior Basins, the middle well in Langford Basin, middle and deep wells in two locations in Cronise Basin, and two wells in Nelson Basin. Wellbore flow was simulated for each well by using an integrated-flow analysis tool, AnalyzeHOLE, to evaluate aquifer properties and heterogeneity. Horizontal layers in the model (hydrogeologic units) were defined by lithostratigraphic‐geophysical units, interpreted from lithologic and geophysical logs for each well, and were adjusted during calibration. The saturated hydraulic conductivities derived from the calibrated simulations ranged from less than 0.01 to 60 feet per day in Nelson, Goldstone, and Superior Basins.

California↗

USGS1981

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado: fiscal year 1981

The report provides an overview of water-resources data collection and hydrologic investigations in Colorado from October 1, 1980, to September 30, 1981. Most of the work is carried out in cooperation with 51 Federal, State, and local agencies. Data are being collected at 503 surface-water gaging stations, 161 surface-water quality stations, and 1,151 observation wells. Sixty-seven hydrologic investigations are underway and are described in the report by a map showing the location of the study area and a statement of the purpose, objective, approach, progress, and plans. Twelve of the investigations are statewide, 6 are regional, 9 are in the Missouri River basin, 8 in the Arkansas River basin, 6 in the Rio Grande basin, and 5 are multistate. Listed in the report are references to 9 data reports and 27 interpretive reports released or published in fiscal year 1980 as a result of water-resources investigations in Colorado. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS2004

Selected hydrologic data for the upper Rio Hondo basin, Lincoln County, New Mexico, 1945-2003

Demands for ground and surface water have increased in the upper Rio Hondo Basin due to increases in development and population. Local governments are responsible for land-use and development decisions and, therefore, the governments need information about water resources in their areas. Hydrologic data were compiled for the upper Rio Hondo Basin and water-level data were collected during two synoptic measurements in March and July 2003. Water-level data from March 2003 were contoured and compared with contours constructed in 1963. The 5,600-, 5,700-, and 5,800-foot March 2003 contours indicate that water levels rose. The 5,500-foot contour for March 2003 indicates a decline in water level. The 5,400-foot contour of March 2003 and the 1963 contour mostly coincide, indicating a static water level. The 5,300- and 5,200-foot contours for March 2003 cross the 1963 contours, indicating a decline in water levels near the Rio Ruidoso but a rise in water levels near the Rio Bonito. In eight hydrographs, 2003 water levels are shown to be higher than water levels from the mid- to late 1950's in five of the eight wells. For the same period of record, water levels in the three remaining wells were lower. Rising and declining water levels were highest in the northern part of the study area; the median rise was 4.01 feet and the median decline was 3.51 feet. In the southern part of the study area, the median water-level rise was 2.21 feet and the median decline was 1.56 feet.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS1986

Hydrologic reconnaissance and summary of existing data on surface and ground-water resources in the Missouri River valley in Woodbury and Monona counties, Iowa, 1985

A hydrologic reconnaissance of the Missouri River valley in western Iowa was begun in 1985. The study area is about 400 sq mi of Missouri River flood plain used mainly for agricultural purposes and is located mostly in parts of Woodbury and Monona Counties, Iowa. The reconnaissance was conducted to determine the extent of hydrologic information available for the study area and to determine if the existing data base is sufficient to support an interpretive investigation to quantify the groundwater/surface water relationships in the area. Extensive information concerning the surface water resources of the area, particularly the Missouri River, is available. Very little information concerning the geometry, hydraulic characteristics and groundwater flow relationships in the alluvial aquifer is available. Information needs to be collected to create an adequate data base for future simulation of groundwater flow and to calibrate any estimates of flow. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1979

Water-resources investigations in Kansas; fiscal year 1978

Hydrologic investigations in Kansas during fiscal year 1978 consisted of collecting and analyzing data to assess the State 's water resources, describe the framework of hydrologic systems , and provide quantity and quality of water data for optimum development and management. Surface-water studies were made to analyze long-term records of streamflow, basin and stream-channel characteristics, relations of rainfall and runoff , frequency of low flows and floods, interrelation of ground and surface water, and the effects of stream regulation on the quantity, quality, and availability of water supplies. Geohydrologic studies were made to determine the source, availability, quantity, and quality of water in the principal aquifers; evaluate long-range effects of irrigation, industrial, and municipal withdrawals; determine the potential for storage of liquid wastes; and prepare digital models for evaluating plans of aquifer development and management. Water-quality studies were made to define the physical, chemical, and biological character of surface and ground water; the origin transport, and character of solutes and sediment in streams; the areal and temporal changes in water quality; and the suitability of water for municipal, industrial and agricultural use.

Kansas↗

USGS2020

Hydrologic technician postcard

Hydrologic technicians collect water data related to water quantity, quality, availability, and movement in surface-water and groundwater environments. For more information, visit https://www.usajobs.gov .

General Information Product↗

USGS1963

Surface water of Muddy Boggy River basin in south-central Oklahoma

This report summarizes basic hydrologic data of the surface water resources of Muddy Boggy River basin, and by analysis and interpretation, presents certain streamflow characteristics at specified points in the basin. Muddy Boggy River has a drainage area of 2,429 square miles. The climate is moist subhumid and the annual precipitation averages about 39 inches. Gross annual lake evaporation averages 54 inches. The average annual discharge at the gaging stations for the period 1938-62 was 24,000 acre-feet for Chickasaw Creek near Stringtown; 72,000 acre-feet for McGee Creek near Stringtown; 671,800 acre-feet for Muddy Boggy Creek near Farris; and 358,200 acre-feet for Clear Boggy Creek near Caney. Flow-duration curves of daily discharge have been developed to show the percentage of time various rates of discharge have been equaled or exceeded. Procedures for determining the frequency of annual floods at any point in the basin are given. Low-flow frequency curves that define the recurrence intervals of 7, 14, 30, 60, and 120 day mean flows have been prepared for two gaging stations. Curves showing the relation of measured discharge at the low-flow partial-record stations to the daily mean discharge at a base gaging station are presented. Discharge measurements made in February 1963 at selected sites show the areal distribution of low flow. The storage requirements to supplement natural flows have been prepared for two gaging-stations sites. The chemical quality of surface water of Muddy Boggy River basin varies from place-to-place during base flow periods. Limestone and dolomite outcrops and oilfield brines affect water quality in some areas. Water of North Boggy Creek, McGee Creek, and their tributaries contains less than 100 ppm (parts per million) dissolved solids. Water of other streams in Muddy Boggy River basin has a higher dissolved-solids content, but the content does not exceed 500 ppm. Water of Muddy Boggy River basin is usable for domestic, irrigation, and most industrial purposes. Softening of water from some streams may be desirable, however.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1996

Ground-water resources data for Baldwin County, Alabama

Geologic and hydrologic data for 237 wells were collected, and water-levels in 223 wells in Baldwin and Escambia Counties were measured. Long-term water water-level data, available for many wells, indicate that ground-water levels in most of Baldwin County show no significant trends for the period of record. However, ground-water levels have declined in the general vicinity of Spanish Fort and Daphne, and ground-water levels in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas are less than 5 feet above sea level in places. The quality of ground water generally is good, but problems with iron, sulfur, turbidity, and color occur. The water from most private wells in Baldwin County is used without treatment or filtration. Alabama public- health law requires that water from public-supply wells be chlorinated. Beyond that, the most common treatment of ground water by public-water suppliers in Baldwin County consists of pH adjustment, iron removal, and aeration. The transmissivity of the Miocene-Pliocene aquifer was determined at 10 locations in Baldwin County. Estimates of transmissivity ranged from 700 to 5,400 feet squared per day. In general, aquifer transmissivity was greatest in the southeastern part of the county, and least in the western part of the county near Mobile Bay. A storage coefficient of 1.5 x 10-3 was determined for the Miocene-Pliocene aquifer near Loxley.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2024

Hydrologic analysis of an earthen embankment dam in southern Westchester County, New York

In 2001, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection installed 25 wells on the southern embankment of the Hillview Reservoir in Westchester County in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the source of a large seep (seep A) that began flowing continuously in 1999. In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey began a cooperative study with the NYCDEP to characterize the hydrology of the local groundwater system and identify potential sources of seep A and other seeps on the embankment. At least two groundwater-flow zones—one shallow and the other deep—overlie the bedrock at the Hillview Reservoir in southern Westchester County, New York. Analyses of slug tests of wells drilled into the southern embankment of the reservoir were used to determine the three-dimensional distribution of hydraulic conductivity of the embankment materials. The wells with the minimum and maximum hydraulic conductivity values are in the deep saturated zone on the southern embankment, where hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.0012 to 2 feet per day. Hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.0026 to 1 foot per day in the shallow saturated zone and from 0.021 to 0.27 foot per day in the toe of the embankment. A hydraulic conductivity of 0.016 foot per day was determined for one toe well partially screened in the crystalline-bedrock aquifer. In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey began a cooperative study with New York City Department of Environmental Protection to characterize the local groundwater-flow system and identify potential sources of seeps on the southern embankment of the Hillview Reservoir in southern Westchester County, New York. Long-term hydrologic data indicated that water levels trended downward in 29 of 41 sites, including the reservoir basin that was monitored during the 12-year study period; data from a National Weather Service precipitation gage at Central Park indicated annual precipitation also trended downward during the same 12-year period. Of the seven wells in which water levels trended upward during the study, two of the wells are on the west side of the southern embankment, proximal to a major water supply conduit, whereas the five remaining wells are screened in the toe. These data indicate an increasing hydrostatic pressure within the deep system and the toe of the dam, which could result in future seeps on the southern embankment near these wells. Results of 11 suspended-sediment samples collected from seeps along the southern embankment at 234.1- and 221.6-feet elevation, and another drainage outflow point between 2007 and 2015 indicate a poor correlation between suspended-sediment concentration and discharge. From the flowing seep at 234.1 feet, suspended-sediment concentrations ranged from 1 milligram per liter at a flow of 2.6 gallons per minute (that is, 1 milligram per 0.26 gallons) during March 2008 to 16 milligrams per liter at 12 gallons per minute during July 2014. At about 12 gallons per minute discharge, suspended-sediment concentration from samples collected at that seep during different sampling events, ranged from 3 to 16 milligrams per liter. From the seep at 221.6 feet elevation, the suspended sediment concentration was 2 milligrams per liter at a discharge of 3.4 gallons per minute and 2 milligrams per liter at a discharge of 1.1 gallons per minute. Only one sample was collected at the drainage outflow point, for which the suspended sediment concentration was 2 milligrams per liter at a discharge of 2.4 gallons per minute. Anomalously high-water levels were recorded in deep-system wells between June 5, 2013, and January 14, 2014. The period for the increase and the decrease back to more typical water-level elevations occurred rapidly during a 13-hour period in each instance. The sudden and rapid changes, in addition to the spatial distribution of magnitude of water-level response indicate that leaky water infrastructure was the source of recharge to the affected wells. A major water supply conduit was drained for repairs between July 7 and 10, 2010. The seeps indicated an immediate response and a substantial hydraulic connection to the water supply conduit. Approximately 10.5 hours after the water supply conduit was drained, flow from a seep on the southern embankment decreased from about 20 gallons per minute to less than 1 gallon per minute. This seep is located at about the same elevation and within the vicinity of the water supply conduit. A travel-time of about 10.5 hours from the source to the seep at 234.1 feet elevation was estimated from the dewatering timeline. During the 3-month shutdown of the water supply conduit, the previously flowing seeps remained dry until precipitation resulted in discharge of about 0.7 gallon per minute at the higher elevation seep, indicating a minor contribution from precipitation to the total seepage discharge. Discharge from the seeps resumed almost immediately coincident with the refilling of the water supply conduit, supporting the hydraulic connection observations during the drainage stage. In addition, during the refilling of the water supply conduit on September 21, 2010, a new seep (I) was observed on the southern embankment. Discharge from this new seep remained relatively constant until it became inaccessible under construction stone from subsequent embankment repairs by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Precipitation after the refilling stage of the shutdown seemed to have induced a rise in water levels in the toe wells and an increase in discharge from the seep at 234.1 feet elevation. The post shutdown discharge was less than 12 gallons per minute, compared to a discharge of about 20 gallons per minute before the repairs. The lower discharge rate measured during the period of historically higher discharge rates for the fall season indicates that the repair of the major water supply conduit may have contributed to a reduced discharge from the seeps. There were no definitive responses to the shutdown in any of the wells near the major water supply conduit. The more transmissive deep system of the southern embankment near the major water supply conduit and its associated infrastructure seems to be the preferential flow path for leaking infrastructure. The wells screened in this system showed a response during the deep system anomaly and have some of the highest hydraulic conductivities of the tested wells. All the seeps are in the elevation range of the deep system from approximately the crystalline bedrock surface around 200 feet elevation to the contact between the deep and shallow saturated zones of the reservoir at about 250 feet elevation.

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