Search USGS⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “Water Resource Report”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 865 records · Page 48Linked to original sources

Magnitude and extent of arsenic and thallium concentrations in ground water and sediments at the Charleston Naval Complex, North Charleston, South Carolina, 1994-99

Water-quality samples were collected quarterly during 1994-99 from 604 wells screened in the surficial aquifer system beneath the Charleston Naval Complex, North Charleston, South Carolina. Arsenic and thallium were selected for analysis because concentrations of these metals in some wells consistently exceeded the established (2001) drinking water maximum contaminant levels of 10 and 2 micrograms per liter, respectively. The analysis was conducted to determine the magnitude and spatial distribution of arsenic and thallium in ground water at the Charleston Naval Complex and to quantify arsenic and thallium concentrations in a dated sediment core from Shipyard Creek marsh near the southern boundary of the Naval Complex. The surficial aquifer system beneath the Charleston Naval Complex consists of an unconfined upper surficial aquifer and a confined lower surficial aquifer. Hydraulic connection between the two aquifers is limited or nonexistent throughout the system at the Naval Complex. The Charleston Naval Complex is divided into nine operational units designated as zones A through I. Arsenic and thallium concentration data were compiled and interpreted for the two surficial aquifers within each zone. Mean arsenic (n=603) and thallium (n=604) concentrations were calculated for water samples from each well screened in the upper and lower surficial aquifers. In the upper surficial aquifer, mean arsenic concentrations ranged from 0.9 to 339 micrograms per liter and exceeded 10 micrograms per liter in 29 percent of the wells. In the lower surficial aquifer, mean arsenic concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 97.4 micrograms per liter and exceeded 10 micrograms per liter in 23 percent of the wells. The greatest number of water samples with mean arsenic concentrations exceeding 10 micrograms per liter were collected from wells in the upper surficial aquifer at zone E in the northwestern part of the study area. Well clusters, defined as three or more wells in a solid-waste management unit or area of concern, where the mean arsenic concentration exceeded 10 micrograms per liter, were identified in association with 12 sites in the upper surficial aquifer-solid-waste management unit 039 (a drum-storage area) in zone A; solid-waste management units 044 (coal-storage area) and 047 (burning dump) in zone C; solid-waste management unit 065 (lead-storage area) and area of concern 556 (dry docks 3 and 4) in zone E; areas of concern 609 (building 1346 gas station) and 613 (locomotive shop) in zone F; solid-waste management units 006 (public works storage yard) and 008 (oil sludge pit), and area of concern 709 (fuel-delivery system wells 12, 13, and 14) in zone G; and solid-waste management units 009 (closed landfill) and 196 (south landfill) in zone H. One well cluster was identified in the lower surficial aquifer in association with solidwaste management unit 009 (closed landfill) in zone H. Mean thallium concentrations in water from all wells ranged from less than 1.6 to 32.6 micrograms per liter in water samples from the upper surficial aquifer, and from less than 1.6 to 67.7 micrograms per liter in water samples from the lower surficial aquifer. Mean thallium concentrations equal to or greater than 10 micrograms per liter were present in water samples from 21 of 604 wells (3.5 percent). Of the 21 wells, 14 wells were located at solid-waste management unit 009 (closed landfill) in zone H near Shipyard Creek, 8 wells in the upper aquifer, and 6 wells in the lower aquifer. One well cluster where thallium exceeded 10 micrograms per liter was identified in association with solid-waste management unit 009 (closed landfill) in the upper surficial aquifer. Mean arsenic and thallium concentrations in water were calculated for all wells screened in one aquifer and located in a single zone, and are referred to as zone mean concentration in this report. Zone mean arsenic concentrations in all nine zones ranged from 3.2 to 18 micrograms per liter in water samples from the upper surficial aquifer and from 2.7 to 22 micrograms per liter in water samples from the lower surficial aquifer. Zone mean thallium concentrations in all nine zones ranged from 3.2 to 13 micrograms per liter in water samples from the upper surficial aquifer and from 3.2 to 14 micrograms per liter in water samples from the lower surficial aquifer. Ground-water samples rarely had elevated (equal to or greater than 10 micrograms per liter) concentrations of both arsenic and thallium. Water samples had coincident elevated arsenic and thallium concentrations in 10 wells in zone H, 1 well in zone A, and 1 well in zone B. Sediment quality at Shipyard Creek marsh was investigated by collecting an 11.8-foot -long sediment core (SYC-1) adjacent to zone I. The mean arsenic concentration in sediment samples from SYC-1 (n= 160) was 3.05 milligrams per kilogram plus or minus 0.92. The mean arsenic concentration and standard deviation calculated for SYC-1 sediment samples fall within the standard error for the background mean arsenic concentration reported for South Carolina sediments (1.5 milligrams per kilogram plus or minus 2. 7). All but one sample (core depth =50 inches) was less than the threshold-effects level of 7.24 milligrams per kilogram. Acid extracts of the sediment samples were analyzed for thallium concentration, but none were detected. These data indicate no obvious change in arsenic or thallium concentrations with depth in the core.

South Carolina↗

Comparison and continuous estimates of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli bacteria in selected Kansas streams, May 1999 through April 2002

The sanitary quality of water and its use as a public-water supply and for recreational activities, such as swimming, wading, boating, and fishing, can be evaluated on the basis of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria densities. This report describes the overall sanitary quality of surface water in selected Kansas streams, the relation between fecal coliform and E. coli, the relation between turbidity and bacteria densities, and how continuous bacteria estimates can be used to evaluate the water-quality conditions in selected Kansas streams. Samples for fecal coliform and E. coli were collected at 28 surface-water sites in Kansas. Of the 318 samples collected, 18 percent exceeded the current Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) secondary contact recreational, single-sample criterion for fecal coliform (2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters of water). Of the 219 samples collected during the recreation months (April 1 through October 31), 21 percent exceeded the current (2003) KDHE single-sample fecal coliform criterion for secondary contact rec-reation (2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters of water) and 36 percent exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) recommended single-sample primary contact recreational criterion for E. coli (576 colonies per 100 milliliters of water). Comparisons of fecal coliform and E. coli criteria indicated that more than one-half of the streams sampled could exceed USEPA recommended E. coli criteria more frequently than the current KDHE fecal coliform criteria. In addition, the ratios of E. coli to fecal coliform (EC/FC) were smallest for sites with slightly saline water (specific conductance greater than 1,000 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius), indicating that E. coli may not be a good indicator of sanitary quality for those streams. Enterococci bacteria may provide a more accurate assessment of the potential for swimming-related illnesses in these streams. Ratios of EC/FC and linear regression models were developed for estimating E. coli densities on the basis of measured fecal coliform densities for six individual and six groups of surface-water sites. Regression models developed for the six individual surface-water sites and six groups of sites explain at least 89 percent of the variability in E. coli densities. The EC/FC ratios and regression models are site specific and make it possible to convert historic fecal coliform bacteria data to estimated E. coli densities for the selected sites. The EC/FC ratios can be used to estimate E. coli for any range of historical fecal coliform densities, and in some cases with less error than the regression models. The basin- and statewide regression models explained at least 93 percent of the variance and best represent the sites where a majority of the data used to develop the models were collected (Kansas and Little Arkansas Basins). Comparison of the current (2003) KDHE geometric-mean primary contact criterion for fecal coliform bacteria of 200 col/100 mL to the 2002 USEPA recommended geometric-mean criterion of 126 col/100 mL for E. coli results in an EC/FC ratio of 0.63. The geometric-mean EC/FC ratio for all sites except Rattlesnake Creek (site 21) is 0.77, indicating that considerably more than 63 percent of the fecal coliform is E. coli. This potentially could lead to more exceedances of the recommended E. coli criterion, where the water now meets the current (2003) 200-col/100 mL fecal coliform criterion. In this report, turbidity was found to be a reliable estimator of bacteria densities. Regression models are provided for estimating fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria densities using continuous turbidity measurements. Prediction intervals also are provided to show the uncertainty associated with using the regression models. Eighty percent of all measured sample densities and individual turbidity-based estimates from the regression models were in agreement as exceedi

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Ground-water conditions in the southern and central parts of the East Shore area, Utah, 1953-61

The East Shore area is in north-central Utah between the Wasatch Range and Great Salt Lake, and it has been divided into the Bountiful, Weber Delta, and Brigham ground-water districts, from south to north. The area described in this report includes the Bountiful and Weber Delta districts and the southernmost part of the Brigham district. Long-term mean annual precipitation at Ogden is 17.07 inches, and the average annual temperature over the area is about 50°F. The population of the project area increased by 54 per cent from 1950 to 1960 and should increase rapidly in the future.

Utah↗

Stage-discharge relations for selected culverts and bridges in the Big Lost River flood plain at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho

Information is needed by the U.S. Department of Energy at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to determine the extent and severity of potential flooding at facilities along the Big Lost River. Two computer programs—the Culvert Analysis Program (CAP) and the HECRAS model—were used to define stage-discharge relations for 31 culverts and 2 bridge sites in a 10- mile reach of the river. These relations can be used to improve surface-water-flow models to evaluate potential flooding. Relations between headwater, tailwater, and discharge through each structure were unique. Discharge through the culverts as computed by the CAP ranged from about 0 cubic feet per second to as much discharge as could be conveyed, and tailwater elevations ranged from about 0 to 30 feet above the outlet elevation. Discharge through the bridges, as computed by the HEC-RAS model, ranged from nearly 0 to 7,000 cubic feet per second, and tailwater elevations ranged from nearly 0 to 30 feet above the streambed on the downstream cross section of each bridge. Stage-discharge relations provided in lookup tables in this report can be incorporated into numerical surface-water-flow models to simulate the effects of hydraulic structures on flood flows. One limitation of the CAP and HEC-RAS models is that changes in flow conditions, such as obstruction by sediment and debris, are not simulated. If flow through a hydraulic structure is obstructed by sediment or debris, then model-simulated discharges through the structure might be greater than would be experienced under actual conditions.

Idaho↗

Vulnerability of the uppermost ground water to contamination in the greater Denver area, Colorado

Information about vulnerability of ground water to contamination is needed to facilitate ground-water management. Vulnerability of ground water refers to the intrinsic characteristics that determine the sensitivity of the water to being adversely affected by an imposed contaminant load. Within the greater Denver area, vulnerability of the uppermost ground water to contamination from the surface was assessed by considering the intrinsic characteristics included in a method developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Water Well Association, the DRASTIC method. The seven geohydrologic characteristics considered are: (1) Aquifer media, (2) hydraulic conductivity, (3) unsaturated media, (4) depth to water, (5) recharge, (6) soil media, and (7) land-surface slope. Recharge from precipitation generally is less than 2 inches per year; no effort was made to quantify the variation of recharge throughout the study area. Data for geology, depth to water, soils, and elevation were obtained and processed to produce maps of the other six characteristics. Spatial and attribute data for these maps were stored and processed by geographic-information-system software to produce a map showing vulnerability of the uppermost ground water to contamination from the surface. This report describes the assessment of each geohydrologic characteristic and the 157 vulnerability response units that were delineated within the greater Denver area. These response units are unique with respect to the geohydrologic characteristics considered. The uppermost ground water within each of the vulnerability response units are described in a series of tables, which include qualitative and selected quantitative data and the vulnerability rating assigned for each of the seven geohydrologic characteristics.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Combining satellite data with ancillary data to produce a refined land-use/land-cover map

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program in the Western Lake Michigan Drainages Study Unit, a current map of land use and land cover is needed to gain a better understanding of how land use and land cover may influence water quality. Satellite data from the Landsat Thematic Mapper provides a means to map and measure the type and amount of various land-cover types across the Study Unit and can be easily updated as changes occur in the landscape or in water quality. Translating these land cover categories to land use, however, requires the use of other thematic maps or ancillary data layers, such as wetland inventories, population data, or road networks. This report describes a process of (1) using satellite imagery to produce a land-cover map for the Fox/Wolf River basin, a portion of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages NAWQA Study Unit and (2) improving the satellite-derived land-cover map by using other thematic maps. The multiple data layers are processed in a geographic information system (GIS), and the combination provides more information than individual sources alone.

Michigan, Wisconsin↗

Drought-related impacts on municipal and major self-supplied industrial water withdrawals in Tennessee -- Part A

A state-wide water use survey was conducted of all public water suppliers and large, self-supplied industries in Tennessee. This report contains a summation of the data received from 463 public-water suppliers and 129 self-supplied water users. Analysis of the study results and findings indicate that many communities in Tennessee do experience occasional water supply, quantity-related shortages. A total of 142 problems were reported by 107 of the public water suppliers. However, only 22 of the problems were a result of inadequate source supply. Although only three industries reported a water shortage problem , 20 were identified as having a potential water-supply source problem. West Tennessee was the only section of the state where all communities and industries surveyed reported an adequate water supply. The effects of a drought on the environment--specifically, wetlands, fish wildlife, and recreational-users--are briefly described, although there was no evidence that water withdrawn by communities or industry would directly affect the environment. This study appears to verify the conclusions that an extended drought, although directly affecting the supply to some communities and industries, may actually affect water quality and wastewater treatment more accurately by decreasing the ability of the source to assimilate wastes. (USGS)

Tennessee↗

Drought-related impacts on municipal and major self-supplied industrial water withdrawals in Tennessee -- Part B

A state-wide water use survey was conducted of all public water suppliers and large, self-supplied industries in Tennessee. This report contains a summation of the data received from 463 public-water suppliers and 129 self-supplied water users. Analysis of the study results and findings indicate that many communities in Tennessee do experience occasional water supply, quantity-related shortages. A total of 142 problems were reported by 107 of the public water suppliers. However, only 22 of the problems were a result of inadequate source supply. Although only three industries reported a water shortage problem , 20 were identified as having a potential water-supply source problem. West Tennessee was the only section of the state where all communities and industries surveyed reported an adequate water supply. The effects of a drought on the environment--specifically, wetlands, fish wildlife, and recreational-users--are briefly described, although there was no evidence that water withdrawn by communities or industry would directly affect the environment. This study appears to verify the conclusions that an extended drought, although directly affecting the supply to some communities and industries, may actually affect water quality and wastewater treatment more accurately by decreasing the ability of the source to assimilate wastes. (USGS)

Tennessee↗

Classification of irrigated land using satellite imagery, the High Plains aquifer, nominal date 1992

Satellite imagery from the Landsat Thematic Mapper (nominal date 1992) was used to classify and map the location of irrigated land across the High Plains aquifer. The High Plains aquifer underlies 174,000 square miles in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a waterquality study of the High Plains aquifer as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program. To help interpret data and select sites for the study, it is helpful to know the location of irrigated land within the study area. To date, the only information available for the entire area is 20 years old. To update the data on irrigated land, 40 summer and 40 spring images (nominal date 1992) were acquired from the National Land Cover Data set and processed using a band-ratio method (Landsat Thematic Mapper band 4 divided by band 3) to enhance the vegetation signatures. The study area was divided into nine subregions with similar environmental characteristics, and a band-ratio threshold was selected from imagery in each subregion that differentiated the cutoff between irrigated and nonirrigated land. The classified images for each subregion were mosaicked to produce an irrigated land map for the study area. The total amount of irrigated land classified from the 1992 imagery was 13.1 million acres, or about 12 percent of the total land in the High Plains. This estimate is approximately 1.5 percent greater than the amount of irrigated land reported in the 1992 Census of Agriculture (12.8 millions acres). This information was also compared to a similar data set based on 1980 imagery. The 1980 data classified 13.7 million acres as irrigated. Although the change in the amount of irrigated land between the two times was not substantial, the location of the irrigated land did shift from areas where there were large ground-water-level declines to other areas where ground-water levels were static or rising.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Selected drill-stem test data for the Upper Colorado River basin

Permeability data from aquifers and confining layers may be available from drill-stem tests made during the course of petroleum exploration. During the drill-stem test, the stratigraphic interval of interest is isolated in the hole by the use of packers attached to the drill string. Fluid flows into the drilling pipe under the influence of the formation head. Pressure measurements and other data collected during the course of the test are used to gain information on undisturbed formation head, permeability, hydraulic conductivity, and fluid temperature. Drill-stem test data for individual formation in the Upper Colorado River Basin presented in tables in this report are arranged in groups of 10 hydrogeologic units that were classified on the basis of geologic age, location, depositional environment and lithology. Maps indicating the locations of test sites and areal distribution of test data within the 10 units are provided at the beginning of each table. Stratigraphic columns also are provided to identify the relative ages of the formation tested and to correlate regional hydrogeologic units. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Survey of hydrologic models and hydrologic data needs for tracking flow in the Rio Grande, north-central New Mexico, 2010

The six Middle Rio Grande Pueblos have prior and paramount rights to deliveries of water from the Rio Grande for their use. When the pueblos or the Bureau of Indian Affairs Designated Engineer identifies a need for additional flow on the Rio Grande, the Designated Engineer is tasked with deciding the timing and amount of releases of prior and paramount water from storage at El Vado Reservoir to meet the needs of the pueblos. Over the last three decades, numerous models have been developed by Federal, State, and local agencies in New Mexico to simulate, understand, and (or) manage flows in the Middle Rio Grande upstream from Elephant Butte Reservoir. In 2008, the Coalition of Six Middle Rio Grande Basin Pueblos entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct a comprehensive survey of these hydrologic models and their capacity to quantify and track various components of flow. The survey of hydrologic models provided in this report will help water-resource managers at the pueblos, as well as the Designated Engineer, make informed water-resource-management decisions that affect the prior and paramount water use. Analysis of 4 publicly available surface-water models and 13 publicly available groundwater models shows that, although elements from many models can be helpful in tracking flow in the Rio Grande, numerous data gaps and modeling needs indicate that accurate, consistent, and timely tracking of flow on the Rio Grande could be improved. Deficient or poorly constrained hydrologic variables are sources of uncertainty in hydrologic models that can be reduced with the acquisition of more refined data. Data gaps need to be filled to allow hydrologic models to be run on a real-time basis and thus ensure predictable water deliveries to meet needs for irrigation, domestic, stock, and other water uses. Timeliness of flow-data reporting is necessary to facilitate real-time model simulation, but even daily data are sometimes difficult to obtain because the data come from multiple sources. Each surface-water model produces results that could be helpful in quantifying the flow of the Rio Grande, specifically by helping to track water as it moves down the channel of the Rio Grande and by improving the understanding of river hydraulics for the specified reaches. The ability of each surface-water model to track flow on the Rio Grande varies according to the purpose for which each model was designed. The purpose of Upper Rio Grande Water Operations Model (URGWOM) - to simulate water storage and delivery operations in the Rio Grande - is more applicable to tracking flow on the Rio Grande than are any of the other surface-water models surveyed. Specifically, the strengths of URGWOM in relation to modeling flow are the details and attention given to the accounting of Rio Grande flow and San Juan-Chama flow at a daily time step. The most significant difficulty in using any of the surveyed surface-water models for the purpose of predicting the need for requested water releases is that none of the surface-water models surveyed consider water accounting on a real-time basis. Groundwater models that provide detailed simulations of shallow groundwater flow in the vicinity of the Rio Grande can provide large-scale estimates of flow between the Rio Grande and shallow aquifers, which can be an important component of the Rio Grande water budget as a whole. The groundwater models surveyed for this report cannot, however, be expected to provide simulations of flow at time scales of less than the simulated time step (1 month to 1 year in most cases). Of those of the currently used groundwater models, the purpose of model 13 - to simulate the shallow riparian groundwater environment - is the most appropriate for examining local-scale surface-water/groundwater interactions. The basin-scale models, however, are also important in understanding the large-scale water balances between the aquifers and the surface water. In the case of the Upper and Middle Rio Grande Valley, models 6, 10, and 12 are the most accurate and current groundwater models available.

Colorado;New Mexico↗

Ground-water conditions and well yields in fractured rocks, southwestern Nevada County, California

This report describes the availability of ground water in the southwestern part of Nevada County, and suggests general guidelines for selecting sites for future ground-water development in the study area. Ground water in this area occurs chiefly in fractures in hard pre-Tertiary metavolcanic and plutonic rocks generally above a depth of 215 feet. Some ground water is found at the contact between alluvium or decomposed granite and the underlying hard rock; little is found in alluvium or colluvium. Mean yield is less than 18 gallons per minute. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Surface-water-quality assessment of the Kentucky River Basin, Kentucky: Fixed-station network and selected water-quality data, April 1987 through August 1991

This report describes selected data-collection activities and the associated data collected during the Kentucky River Basin pilot study of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The data are intended to provide a nationally consistent description and improved understanding of current water quality in the basin. The data were collected at seven fixed stations that represent stream cross sections where constituent transport and water-quality trends can be evaluated. The report includes descriptions of (1) the basin; (2) the design of the fixed-station network; (3) the fixed-station sites; (4) the physical and chemical measurements; (5) the methods of sample collection, processing, and analysis; and (6) the quality-assurance and quality-control procedures. Water-quality data collected at the fixed stations during routine periodic sampling and supplemental high-flow sampling from April 1987 to August 1991 are presented.

Kentucky↗

Chapter A7. Section 7.2. Fecal Indicator Viruses

More than 100 types of human pathogenic viruses may be present in fecal-contaminated waters. Coliphages are used as indicators of virus-related fecal contamination and of the microbiological quality of waters. This report provides information on the equipment, sampling protocols, and laboratory methods that are in standard use by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) personnel for the collection of data on fecal indicator viruses. Each chapter of the National Field Manual is published separately and revised periodically. Newly published and revised chapters will be announced on the USGS Home Page on the World Wide Web under 'New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey.'

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations↗

Evaluation of the potential for artificial ground-water recharge in eastern San Joaquin County, California — Phase 2

In response to the increasing demand on water supplies and declining water levels in eastern San Joaquin County, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Joaquin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, is evaluating the potential for artificially recharging the aquifer system in eastern San Joaquin County, Calif. Phase 1 of this study evaluated the geologic and hydrological conditions in the area and selected 20 drill sites in three areas of high potential for artificial recharge of the aquifer system. In phase 2, test holes were drilled. This report is on phase 2, and summarizes the data collected during the drilling and evaluates the suitability of the drilled areas for their potential for artificial recharge. Two areas seem to have a fair potential for artificial recharge of the aquifer system using the basin-spreading method: (1) The flood plain area along the Mokelumne River north of Lockeford, and (2) an area northeast of Linden along the Calaveras River. (USGS)

California↗

Chemical quality of ground water in the central Sacramento Valley, California

The study area of this report includes about 1,200 square miles in the central Sacramento Valley adjacent to the Sacramento River from Knights Landing to Los Molinos. With recent agricultural development in the area, additional land has been brought under irrigation from land which had been used primarily for dry farming and grazing. This report documents the chemical character of the ground water prior to water-level declines resulting from extensive pumping for irrigation or to changes caused by extensive use of imported surface water. Chemical analyses of samples from 209 wells show that most of the area is underlain by ground water of a quality suitable for most agricultural and domestic purposes. Most of the water sampled in the area has dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 100 to 700 milligrams per liter. The general water types for the area are a calcium magnesium bicarbonate or magnesium calcium bicarbonate and there are negligible amounts of toxic trace elements.

California↗

Low-flow profiles of the Tennessee River tributaries in Georgia

Low flow information is provided for use in an evaluation of the capacity of streams to permit withdrawals or to accept waste loads without exceeding the limits of State water quality standards. The purpose of this report is to present the results of a compilation of available low flow data in the form of tables and '7Q10 flow profiles' (minimum average flow for 7 consecutive days with a 10-yr recurrence interval) (7Q10 flow plotted against distance along a stream channel) for all stream reaches of the Tennessee River tributaries where sufficient data of acceptable accuracy are available. Drainage area profiles are included for all stream basins larger than 5 sq mi, except for those in a few remote areas. This report is the fifth in a series of reports that will cover all stream basins north of the Fall Line in Georgia. It includes the parts of the Tennessee River basin in Georgia. Flow records were not adjusted for diversions or other factors that cause measured flows to represent other than natural flow conditions. The 7-day minimum flow profile was omitted for stream reaches where natural flow was known to be altered significantly. (Lantz-PTT)

Georgia↗

Climatology, hydrology, and simulation of an emergency outlet, Devils Lake basin, North Dakota

Devils Lake is a natural lake in northeastern North Dakota that is the terminus of a nearly 4,000-square-mile subbasin in the Red River of the North Basin. The lake has not reached its natural spill elevation to the Sheyenne River (a tributary of the Red River of the North) in recorded history. However, geologic evidence indicates a spill occurred sometime within the last 1,800 years. From 1993 to 1999, Devils Lake rose 24.5 feet and, at the present (August 2000), is about 13 feet below the natural spill elevation. The recent lake-level rise has caused flood damages exceeding $300 million and triggered development of future flood-control options to prevent further infrastructure damage and reduce the risk of a potentially catastrophic uncontrolled spill. Construction of an emergency outlet from the west end of Devils Lake to the Sheyenne River is one flood-control option being considered. This report describes the climatologic and hydrologic causes of the recent lake level rise, provides information on the potential for continued lake-level rises during the next 15 years, and describes the potential effectiveness of an emergency outlet in reducing future lake levels and in reducing the risk of an uncontrolled spill. The potential effects of an outlet on downstream water quantity and quality in the upper Sheyenne River also are described.

South Dakota↗