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At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
USGS2022

River Metabolism Estimation Tools (RiverMET) with demo in the Illinois River Basin

Ecosystem metabolism quantifies the rate of production, maintenance, and decay of organic matter in terrestrial and aquatic systems. It is a fundamental measure of energy flow associated with biomass production by photosynthesizing organisms and biomass oxidation by respiring plants, animals, algae, and bacteria (Bernhardt et al., 2022) . Ecosystem metabolism also provides an understanding of energy flow to higher trophic levels that supports secondary and tertiary productivity, as well as helping to explain when aquatic ecosystems undergo out-of-balance behaviors such as harmful algal blooms and hypoxia. Recent advances in sensor technology and modeling capabilities have enabled estimation of aquatic system metabolism and gas exchange over long time periods in rivers, streams, ponds, and wetlands where oxygen sensors have been deployed. Here we present RiverMET, a framework for estimation of river metabolism, with workflows to streamline data preparation, run a stream metabolism model, assess the model performance, and flag and censor final output data. The workflows are specifically tailored to use streamMetabolizer, a model for one-station calculations of stream metabolism that calculates gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER) and the air-water gas exchange rate constant (K600). We advise potential users of RiverMET to review core publications for the streamMetabolizer model (Appling et al., 2018 a, b, c) to ensure best practices that produce the most useful results. We encourage feedback about our workflows, although issues regarding the streamMetabolizer model itself should be referred to the model authors. We tested RiverMET by calculating GPP, ER, and K600 across 17 river sites in the Illinois River basin (ILRB). Each river had between one and nine years of sensor data appropriate for modeling metabolism. In total, metabolism was modeled on 15,176 days between 2005 and 2020. Overall confidence in the results was rated as high at nine river sites, medium at six river sites, and poor at two river sites. Twenty-nine percent of the total modeled days had performance metrics that triggered flags. Metrics used for daily flagging are provided with the final output, with an option to only retain the censored daily outputs with high confidence (representing 72 %, i.e., 10,938 days, of the total days modeled). This work was completed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Proxies Project, an effort supported by the Water Mission Area (WMA) Water Quality Processes program to develop estimation methods for harmful algal blooms (HABs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and metals, at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

Illinois River Basin↗
USGS2020

Seasonal manganese transport in the hyporheic zone of a snowmelt-dominated river (East River, Colorado)

Manganese (Mn) plays a critical role in river-water quality because Mn-oxides serve as sorption sites for contaminant metals. The aim of this study is to understand the seasonal cycling of Mn in an alpine streambed that experiences large spring snowmelt events and the potential responses to changes in snowmelt timing and magnitude. To address this goal, annual variations in river-water/groundwater interaction and Mn (aq) transport were measured and modeled in the bed of East River, Colorado, USA. In observations and numerical models, oxygenated river water containing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) mixes with groundwater rich in Mn (aq) in the streambed. The mixing depth increases during spring snowmelt when river discharge increases, leading to a greater DOC supply to the hyporheic zone and net respiration of Mn-oxides, despite an enhanced supply of oxygen. As groundwater upwelling resumes during the subsequent baseflow period, Mn (aq) -rich groundwater mixes with oxygenated river water, resulting in net accumulation of Mn-oxides until the bed freezes in winter. To explore potential responses of Mn transport to different climate-induced hydrological regimes, three hydrograph scenarios were numerically modeled (historic, low-snow, and storm) for the Rocky Mountain region. In a warming climate, Mn (aq) export to the river decreases, and Mn (aq) oxidation is favored in the upper streambed sediments over more of the year. One important implication is that the streambed may have an increased sorption capacity for metals over more of the year, leading to potential changes in river-water quality.

Colorado↗
USGS2009

Identifying sources of dissolved organic carbon in agriculturally dominated rivers using radiocarbon age dating: Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin, California

We used radiocarbon measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to resolve sources of riverine carbon within agriculturally dominated landscapes in California. During 2003 and 2004, average Δ 14 C for DOC was −254‰ in agricultural drains in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, −218‰ in the San Joaquin River, −175‰ in the California State Water Project and −152‰ in the Sacramento River. The age of bulk DOC transiting the rivers of California’s Central Valley is the oldest reported for large rivers and suggests wide-spread loss of soil organic matter caused by agriculture and urbanization. Using DAX 8 adsorbent, we isolated and measured 14 C concentrations in hydrophobic acid fractions (HPOA); river samples showed evidence of bomb-pulse carbon with average Δ 14 C of 91 and 76‰ for the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers, respectively, with older HPOA, −204‰, observed in agricultural drains. An operationally defined non-HPOA fraction of DOC was observed in the San Joaquin River with seasonally computed Δ 14 C values of between −275 and −687‰; the source of this aged material was hypothesized to be physically protected organic-matter in high clay-content soils and agrochemicals (i.e., radiocarbon-dead material) applied to farmlands. Mixing models suggest that the Sacramento River contributes about 50% of the DOC load in the California State Water Project, and agricultural drains contribute approximately one-third of the load. In contrast to studies showing stabilization of soil carbon pools within one or two decades following land conversion, sustained loss of soil organic matter, occurring many decades after the initial agricultural-land conversion, was observed in California’s Central Valley.

California↗
USGS2019

Applying concepts of general resilience to large river ecosystems: A case study from the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers

Large floodplain-river ecosystems are often highly modified to provide services that society desires, yet these modifications can limit an ecosystem’s ability to adapt to changing conditions. The adaptive capacity of an ecosystem, its general resilience, is a conceptual framework for considering how a system will respond to such changes. We sought to apply aspects of three general resilience principles (diversity and redundancy, connectivity, and controlling variables) to our understanding of floodplain-river ecosystem structure and function. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach in a case study of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). In doing so, we developed ten indicators that highlight important structural and functional aspects of this floodplain-river ecosystem, and likely underlie the capacity of large rivers to cope with environmental change and disturbance. We developed diversity and redundancy indicators for aquatic habitats, patterns of floodplain inundation, and fish communities. Connectivity indicators included metrics of longitudinal and lateral connections. Controlling variable indicators included deviations from historic water surface elevation fluctuations, water clarity, nutrient concentrations, and aquatic invasive species. This set of indicators provides a simple description of the adaptive capacity of four distinct reaches of the UMRS: Upper Impounded, Lower Impounded, Unimpounded Reaches of the Upper Mississippi River and the entire Illinois River. High aquatic habitat diversity and redundancy, fish functional diversity and redundancy, and water clarity, and the scarcity of invasive fish species are all factors that likely contribute to the high general resilience of the Upper Impounded Reach. However, the limited longitudinal connectivity and establishment of a minimum water level for navigation are factors that may inhibit the general resilience of this reach. In the Lower Impounded Reach, there is high within-reach variability for individual indicators such as aquatic habitat diversity, fish functional diversity and redundancy, and longitudinal and lateral connectivity. In the Unimpounded Reach, a high degree of longitudinal connectivity likely enhances its general resilience, but low aquatic habitat diversity, low lateral connectivity, and relatively high number of invasive fish species inhibit general resilience. For the Illinois River Reach, the relatively high fish functional diversity and redundancy likely contributes to its general resilience, whereas high number of invasive fish species, low water clarity, low lateral connectivity, and high range of water levels may inhibit general resilience. Indicators derived from application of concepts of general resilience provide insight into the current coping capacity of the UMRS and identify opportunities for enhancing resilience.

Upper Mississippi River System↗
USGS2019

Identification of conservation and restoration priority areas in the Danube River based on the multi-functionality of river-floodplain systems

Large river-floodplain systems are hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem services but are also used for multiple human activities, making them one of the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. There is wide evidence that reconnecting river channels with their floodplains is an effective measure to increase their multi-functionality, i.e., ecological integrity, habitats for multiple species and the multiple functions and services of river-floodplain systems, although, the selection of promising sites for restoration projects can be a demanding task. In the case of the Danube River in Europe, planning and implementation of restoration projects is substantially hampered by the complexity and heterogeneity of the environmental problems, lack of data and strong differences in socio-economic conditions as well as inconsistencies in legislation related to river management. We take a quantitative approach based on best-available data to assess biodiversity using selected species and three ecosystem services (flood regulation, crop pollination , and recreation), focused on the navigable main stem of the Danube River and its floodplains. We spatially prioritize river-floodplain segments for conservation and restoration based on (1) multi-functionality related to biodiversity and ecosystem services, (2) availability of remaining semi-natural areas and (3) reversibility as it relates to multiple human activities (e.g. flood protection, hydropowerand navigation). Our approach can thus serve as a strategic planning tool for the Danube and provide a method for similar analyses in other large river-floodplain systems.

Danube River↗
USGS2015

Denitrification in the Mississippi River network controlled by flow through river bedforms

Increasing nitrogen concentrations in the world’s major rivers have led to over-fertilization of sensitive downstream waters. Flow through channel bed and bank sediments acts to remove riverine nitrogen through microbe-mediated denitrification reactions. However, little is understood about where in the channel network this biophysical process is most efficient, why certain channels are more effective nitrogen reactors, and how management practices can enhance the removal of nitrogen in regions where water circulates through sediment and mixes with groundwater - hyporheic zones. Here we present numerical simulations of hyporheic flow and denitrification throughout the Mississippi River network using a hydrogeomorphic model. We find that vertical exchange with sediments beneath the riverbed in hyporheic zones, driven by submerged bedforms, has denitrification potential that far exceeds lateral hyporheic exchange with sediments alongside river channels, driven by river bars and meandering banks. We propose that geomorphic differences along river corridors can explain why denitrification efficiency varies between basins in the Mississippi River network. Our findings suggest that promoting the development of permeable bedforms at the streambed - and thus vertical hyporheic exchange - would be more effective at enhancing river denitrification in large river basins than promoting lateral exchange through induced channel meandering.

Mississippi River Network↗
USGS2008

Age, distribution, and formation of late cenozoic paleovalleys of the lower Colorado River and their relation to river aggradation and degradation

Distinctive far-traveled fluvial sediment of the lower Colorado River fills 20 paleo-valleys now stranded by the river downstream of Grand Canyon as it crosses the Basin and Range Province. These sediments resulted from two or more aggradational epi sodes in Pliocene and Pleistocene times following initial incision during the early Pliocene. A review of the stratigraphic evidence of major swings in river elevation over the last 5 m.y. from alternating degradation and aggradation episodes establishes a framework for understanding the incision and filling of the paleovalleys. The paleo-valleys are found mostly along narrow bedrock canyon reaches of the river, where divides of bedrock or old deposits separate them from the modern river. The paleo-valleys are interpreted to have stemmed from periods of aggradation that filled and broadened the river valley, burying low uplands in the canyon reaches into which later channel positions were entrenched during subsequent degradation episodes. The aggradation-degradation cycles resulted in the stranding of incised river valleys that range in elevation from near the modern river to 350 m above it. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2018

Ongoing bedrock incision of the Fortymile River driven by Pliocene–Pleistocene Yukon River capture, eastern Alaska, USA, and Yukon, Canada

Quantification of river incision via process rate laws represents a key goal of geomorphic research, but such models often fail to reproduce traits of natural rivers responding to base-level lowering. The Fortymile River flows from eastern Alaska in the United States to the Yukon River in Canada across a tectonically quiescent region with near-uniform precipitation and bedrock erosivity. We exploit these stable boundary conditions to quantify bedrock incision evident in a gravel-capped strath terrace that flanks the lower ∼175 km of the river and grades to the minimally incised headwaters. The terrace gravel yields a cosmogenic isochron burial age of 2.44 ± 0.24 Ma, consistent with abandonment triggered by late Pliocene–early Pleistocene Yukon River headwater capture. The deeply incised reach forms a linear knickzone where basin relief nearly doubles and inferred bedrock incision rates (∼19–110 m/m.y.) averaged since ca. 2.44 Ma increase downstream toward the Fortymile–Yukon River confluence. Basin-scale 10 Be-based erosion rates of tributaries to the Fortymile River trunk nearly double from the headwaters (∼9 mm/k.y.) to the knickzone (average ∼16 mm/k.y.), revealing the pace of ongoing landscape response to knickzone incision over 10 4 yr. Our observations calibrate a stream-power model (erosion coefficient K ∼ 1.1 × 10 –6 m 0.2 ) that closely reproduces the knickzone profile and thus implies long-term (10 4 –10 6 yr) efficacy of a simple stream-power bedrock incision law.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

Summary of fluvial sediment collected at selected sites on the Gunnison River in Colorado and the Green and Duchesne Rivers in Utah, Water Years 2005-2008

The Colorado River Basin provides habitat for 14 native fish, including four endangered species protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 - Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), bonytail (Gila elegans), and humpback chub (Gila cypha). These endangered fish species once thrived in the Colorado River system, but water-resource development, including the building of numerous diversion dams and several large reservoirs, and the introduction of nonnative fish, resulted in large reductions in the numbers and range of the four species. Knowledge of sediment dynamics in river reaches important to specifc life-stages of the endangered fishes is critical to understanding the effects of flow regimes on endangered fish habitats. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wyoming State Engineer's Office, implemented daily sediment sampling at three locations in critical habitat reaches in the Upper Colorado River Basin. This report presents a summary of data collected at these sites, including water and suspended-sediment discharge, streambed compositions, and channel and flood-plain topography. The locations are at U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations 09152500, Gunnison River near Grand Junction, Colorado; 09261000, Green River near Jensen, Utah; and 09302000, Duchesne River near Randlett, Utah.

Colorado, Utah↗
USGS1981

Hydrologic data of the lower Merrimack River basin, Massachusetts, from Concord River, Lowell, to Plum Island, Newburyport

The lower Merrimack River basin study area drains approximately 180 square miles along the New Hampshire border in northeastern Massachusetts. This area includes parts of the Merrimack River basin within Massachusetts east of the Beaver Brook and Concord River basins, except for the Shawsheen River basin. Even though the Blackwater River basin within Massachusetts isn't part of the lower Merrimack River basin, it has been included in this report. Principal tributaries to the Merrimack River, which discharges to the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport, Massachusetts, are: Bare Meadow, Bartlett, Cobbler Creek, Fish, Richardson, and Trull Brooks, Artichoke, East Meadow, Indian, Little, Powwow, and Spicket Rivers, and Johnson Creek.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1997

Ground-water resources of the Cahaba River basin in Alabama - Subarea 7 of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa river basins

Drought conditions in the 1980's focused attention on the multiple uses of the surface- and ground-water resources in the Apalachicola-Chattahooochee-Flint and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River basins in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. State and Federal agencies also have proposed projects that would require additional water resources and revise operating practices within the river basins. The existing and proposed water projects create conflicting demands for water by the States and emphasize the problem of water-resource allocation. This study was initiated to describe ground-water availablity in the Cahaba River basin in Alabama, Subarea 7 of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River basins, and to estimate the possible effects of increased ground-water use within the basin. Subarea 7 encompasses about 1,030 square miles in north-central Alabama. Subarea 7 encompasses parts of the Piedmont, Valley and Ridge, and Coastal Plain physiographic provinces. The Piedmont Province is underlain by a two-component aquifer system that is composed of a fractured, crystalline-rock aquifer characterized by little or no primary porosity or permeability; and the overlying regolith, which can behave as a porous-media aquifer. The Valley and Ridge Province is underlain by fracture- and solution-conduit aquifer systems, similar in some ways to those in the Piedmont Province. Fracture-conduit aquifers predominante in the well-consolidated sandstones and shales of Paleozoic age; solution-conduit aquifers dedominate in the carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age. The Coastal Plain is underlain by southward-dipping, poorly consolidated deposits of sand, gravel, and clay of fluvial and marine origin. The conceptual model described for this study qualitatively subdivides the ground-water flow system into local (shallow), intermediate, and regional (deep) flow regimes. Ground- water discharge to tributaries mainly is from local and intermediate flow regimes and varies seasonally. The regional flow regime probably approximates steady-state conditions and discharges chiefly to major drains such as the Cahaba River. Ground-water discharge to major drains originates from all flow regimes. Mean-annual ground-water discharge to streams (baseflow) is considered to approximate the long-term, average recharge to ground water. The mean-annual baseflow was estimated using an atuomated hydrograph-separation method, and represents discharge from the local, intermediate, and regional flow regimes of the ground-water flow system. Mean-annual baseflow in Georgia was estimated to be 763 cubic feet per second at Centreville, Ala., where the Cahaba River exits Subarea 7 into Subarea 8. Mean-annual baseflow represented about 48 percent of total mean-annual stream discharge for the period of record. Stream discharge for selected sites on the Cahaba River and its tributaries were compiled for the years 1941, 1954, and 1986, during which sustained droughts occurred throughout most of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River basin area. Stream discharges were assumed to be sustained entirely by baseflow during the latter periods of these droughts. Estimated baseflow near the end of these droughts averaged about 21 percent of the estimated mean-annual baseflow in Subarea 7 (ranged from about 16 to 25 percent for individual drought years). The potential exists for the development of ground-water resources on a regional scale throughout Subarea 7. Estimated ground-water use in 1990 was about 2 percent of the estimated mean-annual baseflow, and 9.7 percent of the average drought baseflow near the end of the droughts of 1941, 1954, and 1986. Because ground- water use in Subarea 7 represents a relatively minor percentage of ground- water recharge, even a large increase in ground-water use in Subarea 7 is likely to have little effect on ground-water and surface-water occurrernce in Alabama. Indications of long-term ground-water dec

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Sediment quality and polychlorinated biphenyls in the Lower Neponset River, Massachusetts, and implications for urban river restoration

Efforts to restore fish passage, habitat, and recreational use of the Neponset River, a tributary to Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, have raised concerns about the sediment, water, and biota quality of the river. Consequently, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Department of Fish and Game Riverways Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studied sediment and water quality, with a specific focus on polychlorinated biphenyls, in the Neponset River. Sediment samples were collected throughout the Neponset River and tested for elements and organic compounds including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls. Although enriched compared to background concentrations, sediment quality in the Neponset River was generally better than that of other urban rivers in the United States, except with respect to one constituent, polychlorinated biphenyls. Concentrations of lead, some polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls in the sediment may be toxic to aquatic organisms and may pose a risk to human health. The sediment quality also fails to meet the minimum requirements set by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for lined landfill disposal. The locations of the source(s) of polychlorinated biphenyls to the Neponset River were determined by means of congener analysis from PISCES passive water-column samplers. The PISCES data indicate a sharp increase in polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and a substantial shift in congener pattern downstream of one PISCES sampling location near Fairmont Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. This result indicates that the area upstream of this sampling location may be the location of a historical source of polychlorinated biphenyls to the Neponset River. The present (2003) source to the water column may likely be PCB contaminated sediment.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2011

Coastal and lower Elwha River, Washington, prior to dam removal--history, status, and defining characteristics: Chapter 1 in Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington--biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal

Characterizing the physical and biological characteristics of the lower Elwha River, its estuary, and adjacent nearshore habitats prior to dam removal is essential to monitor changes to these areas during and following the historic dam-removal project set to begin in September 2011. Based on the size of the two hydroelectric projects and the amount of sediment that will be released, the Elwha River in Washington State will be home to the largest river restoration through dam removal attempted in the United States. Built in 1912 and 1927, respectively, the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams have altered key physical and biological characteristics of the Elwha River. Once abundant salmon populations, consisting of all five species of Pacific salmon, are restricted to the lower 7.8 river kilometers downstream of Elwha Dam and are currently in low numbers. Dam removal will reopen access to more than 140 km of mainstem, flood plain, and tributary habitat, most of which is protected within Olympic National Park. The high capture rate of river-borne sediments by the two reservoirs has changed the geomorphology of the riverbed downstream of the dams. Mobilization and downstream transport of these accumulated reservoir sediments during and following dam removal will significantly change downstream river reaches, the estuary complex, and the nearshore environment. To introduce the more detailed studies that follow in this report, we summarize many of the key aspects of the Elwha River ecosystem including a regional and historical context for this unprecedented project.

Washington↗
USGS2014

Assessment of dissolved-solids loading to the Colorado River in the Paradox Basin between the Dolores River and Gypsum Canyon, Utah

Salinity loads throughout the Colorado River Basin have been a concern over recent decades due to adverse impacts on population, natural resources, and regional economics. With substantial financial resources and various reclamation projects, the salt loading to Lake Powell and associated total dissolved-solids concentrations in the Lower Colorado River Basin have been substantially reduced. The Colorado River between its confluence with the Dolores River and Lake Powell traverses a physiographic area where saline sedimentary formations and evaporite deposits are prevalent. However, the dissolved-solids loading in this area is poorly understood due to the paucity of water-quality data. From 2003 to 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation conducted four synoptic sampling events to quantify the salinity loading throughout the study reach and evaluate the occurrence and impacts of both natural and anthropogenic sources. The results from this study indicate that under late-summer base-flow conditions, dissolved-solids loading in the reach is negligible with the exception of the Green River, and that variations in calculated loads between synoptic sampling events are within measurement and analytical uncertainties. The Green River contributed approximately 22 percent of the Colorado River dissolved-solids load, based on samples collected at the lower end of the study reach. These conclusions are supported by water-quality analyses for chloride and bromide, and the results of analyses for the stable isotopes of oxygen and deuterium. Overall, no significant sources of dissolved-solids loading from tributaries or directly by groundwater discharge, with the exception of the Green River, were identified in the study area.

Utah↗
USGS2016

Flood-inundation map library for the Licking River and South Fork Licking River near Falmouth, Kentucky

Digital flood inundation maps for a 17-mile reach of Licking River and 4-mile reach of South Fork Licking River near Falmouth, Kentucky, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with Pendleton County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Louisville District. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://wim.usgs.gov/FIMI/FloodInundationMapper.html , depict estimates of the areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected water levels (stages) at the USGS streamgage on the Licking River at Catawba, Ky., (station 03253500) and the USGS streamgage on the South Fork Licking River at Hayes, Ky., (station 03253000). Current conditions (2015) for the USGS streamgages may be obtained online at the USGS National Water Information System site ( http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis ). In addition, the streamgage information has been provided to the National Weather Service (NWS) for incorporation into their Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) flood warning system ( http:/water.weather.gov/ahps/ ). The flood hydrograph forecasts provided by the NWS are usually collocated with USGS streamgages. The forecasted peak-stage information, also available on the NWS Web site, may be used in conjunction with the maps developed in this study to show predicted areas of flood inundation. In this study, flood profiles were computed for the Licking River reach and South Fork Licking River reach by using a one-dimensional step-backwater model. The hydraulic model was calibrated by using the most current (2015) stage-discharge relations for the Licking River at Catawba, Ky., and the South Fork Licking River at Hayes, Ky., USGS streamgages. The calibrated model was then used to calculate 60 water-surface profiles for a sequence of flood stages, at 2-foot intervals, referenced to the streamgage datum and ranging from an elevation near bankfull to the elevation associated with a major flood that occurred in the region in 1997. To delineate the flooded area at each interval flood stage, the simulated water-surface profiles were combined with a digital elevation model of the study area by using geographic information system software. The availability of these flood inundation maps for Falmouth, Ky., along with online information regarding current stages from the USGS streamgages and forecasted stages from the NWS, provides emergency management personnel and local residents with information that is critical for flood response activities such as evacuations, road closures, and post-flood recovery efforts.

Kentucky↗
USGS2018

River meander modeling of the Wabash River near the Interstate 64 Bridge near Grayville, Illinois

Natural river channels continually evolve and change shape over time. As a result, channel evolution or migration can cause problems for bridge structures that are fixed in the flood plain. A once-stable bridge structure that was uninfluenced by a river’s shape could be encroached upon by a migrating river channel. The potential effect of the actively meandering Wabash River on the Interstate 64 Bridge at the border with Indiana near Grayville, Illinois, was studied using a river migration model called RVR Meander. RVR Meander is a toolbox that can be used to model river channel meander migration with physically based bank erosion methods. This study assesses the Wabash River meandering processes through predictive modeling of natural meandering over the next 100 years, climate change effects through increased river flows, and bank protection measures near the Interstate 64 Bridge.

Illinois↗
USGS2017

An evaluation of the zooplankton community at the Sheboygan River Area of Concern and non-Area of Concern comparison sites in western Lake Michigan rivers and harbors in 2016

The Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are considered to be the most severely degraded areas within the Great Lakes basin, as defined in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and amendments. Among the 43 designated AOCs are four Lake Michigan AOCs in the State of Wisconsin. The smallest of these AOCs is the Sheboygan River AOC, which was designated as an AOC because of sediment contamination from polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and heavy metals. The Sheboygan River AOC has 9 of 14 possible Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs), which must be addressed to improve overall water-quality, and to ultimately delist the AOC. One of the BUIs associated with this AOC is the “degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations,” which can be removed from the list of impairments when it has been determined that zooplankton community composition and structure at the AOC do not differ significantly from communities at non-AOC comparison sites. In 2012 and 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey collected plankton (phytoplankton and zooplankton) community samples at the Sheboygan River AOC and selected non-AOC sites as part of a larger Great Lakes Restoration Initiative study evaluating both the benthos and plankton communities in all four of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan AOCs. Although neither richness nor diversity of phytoplankton or zooplankton in the Sheboygan River AOC were found to differ significantly from the non-AOC sites in 2012, results from the 2014 data indicated that zooplankton diversity was significantly lower, and so rated as degraded, when compared to the Manitowoc and Kewaunee Rivers, two non-AOC sites of similar size, land use, and close geographic proximity. As a follow-up to the 2014 results, zooplankton samples were collected at the same locations in the AOC and non-AOC sites during three sampling trips in spring, summer, and fall 2016. An analysis of similarity indicated no significant difference between the zooplankton community composition and structure in the AOC and non-AOC sites. Zooplankton taxa richness in the AOC was rated as “not degraded” in 2016 because of significantly higher taxa richness values in samples collected from the Sheboygan River AOC, compared with the non-AOC sites as a group (that is, data pooled from both non-AOC sites). Zooplankton diversity in 2016, however, was characterized as “degraded” in the AOC on the basis of significantly lower (p<0.05) values in samples collected from the AOC compared with those collected from the non-AOC sites as a group. Annual variation in zooplankton community composition and structure at the Sheboygan River AOC was significantly different among all 3 years sampled, as indicated by an analysis of similarity test. Zooplankton richness was significantly higher in 2014 than in both 2012 and 2016, and diversity was significantly higher in 2012 than in both 2014 and 2016. Postremediation recovery can often be complicated by non-AOC-related stressors such as nutrients, invasive species, and extremes in flow, which could affect the recovery of zooplankton communities in the Sheboygan River AOC. The effect of the stressors on postremediation recovery underscores the importance of sampling multiple years when assessing the effectiveness of remediation activities. The results from this study will be used by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to determine if restoration efforts have been effective in removing the plankton BUI and to monitor future conditions in the AOC.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2021

Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of the Grand River, Red Cedar River, and Sycamore Creek near Lansing, Michigan

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for selected reaches of the Grand River, Red Cedar River, and Sycamore Creek near Lansing, Michigan, in cooperation with the city of Lansing. The study comprised a 3.1-mile reach of the Grand River, a 30.3-mile reach of the Red Cedar River, and a 12.0-mile reach of Sycamore Creek. The information produced from the study can be used to update and expand an existing Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Study for Ingham County, Mich. Historical streamflow data from USGS streamgages on Grand River at Lansing, Mich. (station number 04113000); Red Cedar River at East Lansing, Mich. (station number 04112500); Red Cedar River near Williamston, Mich. (station number 04111379); and Sycamore Creek at Holt Road near Holt, Mich. (station number 04112850) were used to estimate instantaneous peak streamflows for floods with 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probabilities (AEPs) and a “1-percent plus” AEP. The Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System step-backwater model was used to determine water-surface elevation profiles for the 10-, 4-, 2-, 1-, and 0.2-percent AEP floods, the 1-percent plus AEP flood, and a regulatory floodway for each stream reach. The hydraulic models were calibrated based on stage-streamflow ratings at USGS streamgages. Flood-inundation boundaries for the 1- and 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability floods and regulatory floodway were created for each stream.

Michigan↗