Search USGS⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “Computers and Geology”

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 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources
USGS1988

Suspended sediment transport under estuarine tidal channel conditions

A modified version of the GEOPROBE tripod has been used to monitor flow conditions and suspended sediment distribution in the bottom boundary layer of a tidal channel within San Francisco Bay, California. Measurements were made every 15 minutes over three successive tidal cycles. They included mean velocity profiles from four electromagnetic current meters within 1 m of the seabed; mean suspended sediment concentration profiles from seven miniature nephelometers operated within 1 m of the seabed; near-bottom pressure fluctuations; vertical temperature gradient; and bottom photographs. Additionally, suspended sediment was sampled from four levels within 1 m of the seabed three times during each successive flood and ebb cycle. While the instrument was deployed, STD-nephelometer measurements were made throughout the water column, water samples were collected each 1–2 hours, and bottom sediment was sampled at the deployment site. From these measurements, estimates were made of particle settling velocity ( w s ) from size distributions of the suspended sediment, friction velocity (U * U ∗ "> ) from the velocity profiles, and reference concentration ( C a ) was measured at z = 20 cm. These parameters were used in the suspended sediment distribution equations to evaluate their ability to predict the observed suspended sediment profiles. Three suspended sediment particle conditions were evaluated: (1) individual particle size in the 4–11 φ (62.5-0.5 μm) range with the reference concentration C a at z = 20 cm ( C φ ), (2) individual particle size in the 4–6 φ size range, flocs representing the 7–11 φ size range with the reference concentration C a at z = 20 cm ( C f ), and (3) individual particle size in the 4–6 φ size range, flocs representing the 7–11 φ size range with the reference concentration predicted as a function of the bed sediment size distribution and the square of the excess shear stress. In addition, computations of particle flux were made in order to show vertical variations in horizontal mass flux for varying flow conditions.

California↗
USGS2013

The use of modeling and suspended sediment concentration measurements for quantifying net suspended sediment transport through a large tidally dominated inlet

Sediment exchange at large energetic inlets is often difficult to quantify due complex flows, massive amounts of water and sediment exchange, and environmental conditions limiting long-term data collection. In an effort to better quantify such exchange this study investigated the use of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) measured at an offsite location as a surrogate for sediment exchange at the tidally dominated Golden Gate inlet in San Francisco, CA. A numerical model was calibrated and validated against water and suspended sediment flux measured during a spring–neap tide cycle across the Golden Gate. The model was then run for five months and net exchange was calculated on a tidal time-scale and compared to SSC measurements at the Alcatraz monitoring site located in Central San Francisco Bay ~ 5 km from the Golden Gate. Numerically modeled tide averaged flux across the Golden Gate compared well (r 2 = 0.86, p-value < 0.05) with 25 h low-pass filtered (tide averaged) SSCs measured at Alcatraz over the five month simulation period (January through April 2008). This formed a basis for the development of a simple equation relating the advective flux at Alcatraz with suspended sediment flux across the Golden Gate. Utilization of the equation with all available Alcatraz SSC data resulted in an average export rate of 1.2 Mt/yr during water years 2004 through 2010. While the rate is comparable to estimated suspended sediment inflow rates from sources within the Bay over the same time period (McKee et al., 2013-this issue), there was little variation from year to year. Exports were computed to be greatest during the wettest water year analyzed but only marginally so.

California↗
USGS1992

Analyzing vegetation dynamics of land systems with satellite data

Large area assessment of vegetation conditions is a major requirement for understanding the impact of weather on food, fiber, and forage production. The distribution of vegetation is largely associated with climate, terrain characteristics, and human activity. The interpretation of vegetation dynamics from satellite data can be improved by stratifying the land surface into ecoregions. The Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, has developed a system for mapping major land resource areas (MLRA) that groups land areas in the United States on the basis of climate, physiography, land use, and land cover characteristics. In 1989, the U.S. Geological Survey used National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellite data to conduct a biweekly assessment of vegetation conditions in 17 western states. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data were acquired daily, and were geographically registered, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was computed for the Western United States during the 1989 growing season. Fifteen biweekly NDVI data sets were used to evaluate MLRA's as an appropriate stratification for monitoring and interpreting vegetation conditions in the study area. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using MLRA's to stratify areas for monitoring phenological development and vegetation condition assessment within the growing season. Assessments of the NDVI at biweekly intervals are adequate for monitoring seasonal growth patterns on MLRA's where rangelands, forests, or cultivated agriculture are the primary resource type. Descriptive statistics are indicators of the uniformity or diversity of land use and land cover within an MLRA. Growing season profiles of the NDVI are characterized by the seasonal effects of climate on various land use and land cover classes.

Geocarto International↗
USGS2015

Sequential decision making in computational sustainability via adaptive submodularity

Many problems in computational sustainability require making a sequence of decisions in complex, uncertain environments. Such problems are generally notoriously difficult. In this article, we review the recently discovered notion of adaptive submodularity, an intuitive diminishing returns condition that generalizes the classical notion of submodular set functions to sequential decision problems. Problems exhibiting the adaptive submodularity property can be efficiently and provably near-optimally solved using simple myopic policies. We illustrate this concept in several case studies of interest in computational sustainability: First, we demonstrate how it can be used to efficiently plan for resolving uncertainty in adaptive management scenarios. Secondly, we show how it applies to dynamic conservation planning for protecting endangered species, a case study carried out in collaboration with the US Geological Survey and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

AI Magazine↗
USGS2009

Twelve Years of Monitoring Phosphorus and Suspended-Solids Concentrations and Yields in the North Fork Ninnescah River above Cheney Reservoir, South-Central Kansas 1997-2008

Cheney Reservoir, located on the North Fork Ninnescah River in south-central Kansas, is the primary water supply for the city of Wichita and an important recreational resource. Concerns about taste-and-odor occurrences in Cheney Reservoir have drawn attention to potential pollutants, including total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS). July 2009 was the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Cheney Reservoir Watershed pollution management plan. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Wichita, has collected water-quality data in the basin since 1996, and has monitored water quality continuously on the North Fork Ninnescah River since 1998. This fact sheet describes 12 years (1997-2008) of computed TP and TSS data and compares these data with water-quality goals for the North Fork Ninnescah River, the main tributary to Cheney Reservoir.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1992

Woods Hole Image Processing System Software implementation; using NetCDF as a software interface for image processing

The Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology has been involved in the collection, processing and digital mosaicking of high, medium and low-resolution side-scan sonar data during the past 6 years. In the past, processing and digital mosaicking has been accomplished with a dedicated, shore-based computer system. With the need to process sidescan data in the field with increased power and reduced cost of major workstations, a need to have an image processing package on a UNIX based computer system which could be utilized in the field as well as be more generally available to Branch personnel was identified. This report describes the initial development of that package referred to as the Woods Hole Image Processing System (WHIPS). The software was developed using the Unidata NetCDF software interface to allow data to be more readily portable between different computer operating systems.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1995

Reference manual for data base on Nevada water-rights permits

The U.S. Geological Survey and Nevada Division of Water Resources have cooperatively developed and implemented a data-base system for managing water-rights permit information for the State of Nevada. The Water-Rights Permit data base is part of an integrated system of computer data bases using the Ingres Relational Data-Base Manage-ment System, which allows efficient storage and access to water information from the State Engineer's office. The data base contains a main table, three ancillary tables, and five lookup tables, as well as a menu-driven system for entering, updating, and reporting on the data. This reference guide outlines the general functions of the system and provides a brief description of data tables and data-entry screens.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2013

Prediction of suspended-sediment concentrations at selected sites in the Fountain Creek watershed, Colorado, 2008-09

In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Springs City Engineering, and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, began a small-scale pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a computational model of streamflow and suspended-sediment transport for predicting suspended-sediment concentrations and loads in the Fountain Creek watershed in Colorado. Increased erosion and sedimentation damage have been identified by the Fountain Creek Watershed Plan as key problems within the watershed. A recommendation in the Fountain Creek Watershed plan for management of the basin is to establish measurable criteria to determine if progress in reducing erosion and sedimentation damage is being made. The major objective of this study was to test a computational method to predict local suspended-sediment loads at two sites with different geomorphic characteristics in order to evaluate the feasibility of using such an approach to predict local suspended-sediment loads throughout the entire watershed. Detailed topographic surveys, particle-size data, and suspended-sediment samples were collected at two gaged sites: Monument Creek above Woodmen Road at Colorado Springs, Colorado (USGS gage 07103970), and Sand Creek above mouth at Colorado Springs, Colorado (USGS gage 07105600). These data were used to construct three-dimensional computational models of relatively short channel reaches at each site. The streamflow component of these models predicted a spatially distributed field of water-surface elevation, water velocity, and bed shear stress for a range of stream discharges. Using the model predictions, along with measured particle sizes, the sediment-transport component of the model predicted the suspended-sediment concentration throughout the reach of interest. These computed concentrations were used with predicted flow patterns and channel morphology to determine fluxes of suspended sediment for the median particle size and for the measured range of particle sizes in the channel. Three different techniques were investigated for making the suspended-sediment predictions; these techniques have varying degrees of reliance on measured data and also have greatly differing degrees of complexity. Based on these data, the calibrated Rouse method provided the best balance between accuracy and both computational and data collection costs; the presence of substantial washload was the primary factor in eliminating the simpler and the more complex techniques. Based on this work, using the selected technique at additional sites in the watershed to determine relative loads and source areas appears plausible. However, to ensure that the methodology presented in this report yields reasonable results at other selected sites in the basin, it is necessary to collect additional verification data sets at those locations.

Colorado↗
USGS1987

Resource assessments, geologic deposit models, and offshore minerals with an example of heavy-mineral sands

A resource assessment method for offshore minerals based on descriptive and grade-tonnage models is proposed. Historical development and applications of this method are summarized. Based on this approach, descriptive and quantitative deposit models for strand-line titanium placer deposits have been developed. Descriptive statistics were also computed using the worldwide deposit data set upon which the grade-tonnage models are based. Certain guidelines and limitations in applying onshore titanium deposit models to offshore assessment and exploration must, however, be observed. The descriptive model points out the specific features of strandline titanium placer deposits which can be of use in selection of areas for exploration; the grade-tonnage models display the expected size distribution for this type of deposit. Used with an estimate of expected number of deposits, this information can be applied to quantify probable values associated with deposits of this type within a given area.

NATO Science Series↗
USGS1991

Compilation of ground-water level measurements, obtained by the United States Geological Survey in Puerto Rico, 1958-1985

A digital compilation of the groundwater levels in Puerto Rico was prepared as part of the Caribbean Islands Regional Aquifers System Analysis program. Of special interest are the groundwater levels measurements obtained on a routine basis at wells located in the different aquifer regions or aquifer zones. Data from 181 observation wells were entered in the computer data base. The data base includes the following: name, latitude and longitude coordinates, owner, diameter, depth, station identification, local number, aquifer area or region, period of record, construction date, earliest groundwater level reported, and groundwater level fluctuations for various time periods between 1958 and 1985. Data showing conditions under which groundwater level measurements may have been affected by (1) pumping of the well, (2) by a nearby pumping well (3) a specific method by which the groundwater level was determined, (4) whether the well was recently pumped, and (5) when recorded, the lowest water level are also indicated. The summarized information is available in printed format on a yearly basis as part of the Water Resources Data Publication series. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Evaluation of LANDSAT-2 (ERTS) images applied to geologic structures and mineral resources of South America: Type II progress report for period June 30, 1975-June 30, 1976

The author has identified the following significant results. The Salar of Coposa is located in northern Chile along the frontier with Bolivia. The surface was divided into six general classes of materials. Analysis of LANDSAT image 1243-14001 by use of interactive multispectral computer (Image 100) enabled accurate repetition of these general classes based on reflectance. The Salar of Uyuni is the largest of the South American evaporite deposits. Using image 1243-13595, and parallel piped computer classification of reflectance units, the Salar was divided into nine classes ranging from deep to shallow water, water over salt, salt saturated with water, and several classes of dry salt.

Salar de Coposa, Salar de Uyuni↗
USGS2002

Three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model for use with a steady-state numerical ground-water flow model of the Death Valley regional flow system, Nevada and California

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Department of Energy and other Federal, State, and local agencies, is evaluating the hydrogeologic characteristics of the Death Valley regional ground-water flow system. The ground-water flow system covers an area of about 100,000 square kilometers from latitude 35? to 38?15' North to longitude 115? to 118? West, with the flow system proper comprising about 45,000 square kilometers. The Death Valley regional ground-water flow system is one of the larger flow systems within the Southwestern United States and includes in its boundaries the Nevada Test Site, Yucca Mountain, and much of Death Valley. Part of this study includes the construction of a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model to serve as the foundation for the development of a steady-state regional ground-water flow model. The digital framework model provides a computer-based description of the geometry and composition of the hydrogeologic units that control regional flow. The framework model of the region was constructed by merging two previous framework models constructed for the Yucca Mountain Project and the Environmental Restoration Program Underground Test Area studies at the Nevada Test Site. The hydrologic characteristics of the region result from a currently arid climate and complex geology. Interbasinal regional ground-water flow occurs through a thick carbonate-rock sequence of Paleozoic age, a locally thick volcanic-rock sequence of Tertiary age, and basin-fill alluvium of Tertiary and Quaternary age. Throughout the system, deep and shallow ground-water flow may be controlled by extensive and pervasive regional and local faults and fractures. The framework model was constructed using data from several sources to define the geometry of the regional hydrogeologic units. These data sources include (1) a 1:250,000-scale hydrogeologic-map compilation of the region; (2) regional-scale geologic cross sections; (3) borehole information, and (4) gridded surfaces from a previous three-dimensional geologic model. In addition, digital elevation model data were used in conjunction with these data to define ground-surface altitudes. These data, properly oriented in three dimensions by using geographic information systems, were combined and gridded to produce the upper surfaces of the hydrogeologic units used in the flow model. The final geometry of the framework model is constructed as a volumetric model by incorporating the intersections of these gridded surfaces and by applying fault truncation rules to structural features from the geologic map and cross sections. The cells defining the geometry of the hydrogeologic framework model can be assigned several attributes such as lithology, hydrogeologic unit, thickness, and top and bottom altitudes.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2018

Prioritization of oil and gas fields for regional groundwater monitoring based on a preliminary assessment of petroleum resource development and proximity to California’s groundwater resources

The California State Water Resources Control Board initiated a regional monitoring program in July 2015 to determine where and to what degree groundwater quality may be adversely impacted by oil and gas development activities. A key issue in the implementation of the regional groundwater monitoring program is that each year, detailed characterization work can be done in only a few of California’s 487 onshore oil and gas fields. The first step in monitoring groundwater near petroleum development is to prioritize oil and gas fields using consistent statewide analysis of available data that indicate potential risk of groundwater to oil and gas development. The U.S. Geological Survey compiled data for four factors that characterize the intensity of petroleum resource development and proximity to groundwater resources: petroleum-well density, volume of water injected in oil fields, vertical proximity of groundwater resources to oil and gas resource development, and water-well density. An overall priority ranking for each field was determined by computing summary metrics, analyzing statewide distributions of summary metrics for all oil and gas fields, using those distributions to define relative categories of potential risk for each factor, and combining relative risk rankings for different factors into an overall priority ranking. This preliminary assessment does not represent an evaluation of groundwater risk to oil and gas development, which needs to be based on detailed analysis and data related to development activities including well stimulation, well integrity issues, produced water ponds, and underground injection. Based on the prioritization analysis, 22 percent (107 fields) of the total number of oil and gas fields in California were ranked as high priority, 23 percent (114 fields) as moderate priority, and 55 percent (266 fields) as low priority. These results indicate that between 100 and 200 oil fields are principal candidates for the next steps in the regional monitoring program. The land area of fields that ranked high priority accounted for 41 percent of the total field area (3,392 square miles). More than half of the high priority fields were in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Los Angeles Basin. Some of the larger fields tended to have higher rankings because of greater intensity of petroleum development, sometimes coupled with proximity to groundwater resources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the California State Water Resources Control Board and other agencies, has begun regional groundwater monitoring near oil and gas fields selected for study through the California Oil, Gas, and Groundwater cooperative program. Groundwater monitoring includes compiling, analyzing, and developing three-dimensional visualizations of existing data, including geological frameworks, salinity mapping, identification of surface features that could potentially affect groundwater quality, locations and depths of oil/gas and water wells, cataloging well-construction integrity issues, and evaluating the directions of groundwater flow. These analyses are required to determine where existing wells should be monitored and where new monitoring wells may need to be drilled.

California↗
USGS2011

Environmental flow allocation and statistics calculator

The Environmental Flow Allocation and Statistics Calculator (EFASC) is a computer program that calculates hydrologic statistics based on a time series of daily streamflow values. EFASC will calculate statistics for daily streamflow in an input file or will generate synthetic daily flow series from an input file based on rules for allocating and protecting streamflow and then calculate statistics for the synthetic time series. The program reads dates and daily streamflow values from input files. The program writes statistics out to a series of worksheets and text files. Multiple sites can be processed in series as one run. EFASC is written in MicrosoftRegistered Visual BasicCopyright for Applications and implemented as a macro in MicrosoftOffice Excel 2007Registered. EFASC is intended as a research tool for users familiar with computer programming. The code for EFASC is provided so that it can be modified for specific applications. All users should review how output statistics are calculated and recognize that the algorithms may not comply with conventions used to calculate streamflow statistics published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1995

Reference manual for data base on Nevada well logs

The U.S. Geological Survey and Nevada Division of Water Resources are cooperatively using a data base for are cooperatively using a data base for managing well-log information for the State of Nevada. The Well-Log Data Base is part of an integrated system of computer data bases using the Ingres Relational Data-Base Management System, which allows efficient storage and access to water information from the State Engineer's office. The data base contains a main table, two ancillary tables, and nine lookup tables, as well as a menu-driven system for entering, updating, and reporting on the data. This reference guide outlines the general functions of the system and provides a brief description of data tables and data-entry screens.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2005

Hydrology and simulation of ground-water flow in Cedar Valley, Iron County, Utah

Cedar Valley, located in the eastern part of Iron County in southwestern Utah, is experiencing rapid population growth. Cedar Valley traditionally has supported agriculture, but the growing population needs a larger share of the available water resources. Water withdrawn from the unconsolidated basin fill is the primary source for public supply and is a major source of water for irrigation. Water managers are concerned about increasing demands on the water supply and need hydrologic information to manage this limited water resource and minimize flow of water unsuitable for domestic use toward present and future public-supply sources. Surface water in the study area is derived primarily from snowmelt at higher altitudes east of the study area or from occasional large thunderstorms during the summer. Coal Creek, a perennial stream with an average annual discharge of 24,200 acre-feet per year, is the largest stream in Cedar Valley. Typically, all of the water in Coal Creek is diverted for irrigation during the summer months. All surface water is consumed within the basin by irrigated crops, evapotranspiration, or recharge to the ground-water system. Ground water in Cedar Valley generally moves from primary recharge areas along the eastern margin of the basin where Coal Creek enters, to areas of discharge or subsurface outflow. Recharge to the unconsolidated basin-fill aquifer is by seepage of unconsumed irrigation water, streams, direct precipitation on the unconsolidated basin fill, and subsurface inflow from consolidated rock and Parowan Valley and is estimated to be about 42,000 acre-feet per year. Stable-isotope data indicate that recharge is primarily from winter precipitation. The chloride mass-balance method indicates that recharge may be less than 42,000 acre-feet per year, but is considered a rough approximation because of limited chloride concentration data for precipitation and Coal Creek. Continued declining water levels indicate that recharge is not sufficient to meet demand. Water levels in many areas are at or close to historic lows. In 2000, withdrawal from wells was estimated to be 36,000 acre-feet per year. About 4,000 acre-feet per year are estimated to discharge to evapotranspiration or as subsurface outflow. Prior to large-scale ground-water development, ground-water discharge by evapotranspiration and discharge to springs was much larger. Ground water along the eastern margin of the valley between Cedar City and Enoch is unsuitable for domestic use because of high dissolved-solids and nitrate concentrations. The predominant ions of Ca and SO4 in this area indicate dissolution of gypsum in the Markagunt Plateau to the east. Data collected during this study were compared to historic data; there is no evidence to indicate deterioration in ground-water quality. The spatial distribution of ground water with high nitrate concentration does not appear to be migrating beyond its previously known extent. No single source can be identified as the cause for elevated nitrate concentrations in ground water. Low nitrogen-15 values north of Cedar City indicate a natural geologic source. Higher nitrogen-15 values toward the center of the basin and associated hydrologic data indicate probable recharge from waste-water effluent. Excess dissolved nitrogen gas and low nitrate concentrations in shallow ground water indicate that denitrification is occurring in some areas. A computer ground-water flow model was developed to simulate flow in the unconsolidated basin fill. The method of determining recharge from irrigation was changed during the calibration process to incorporate more areal and temporal variability. In general, the model accurately simulates water levels and water-level fluctuations and can be considered an adequate tool to help determine the valley-wide effects on water levels of additional ground-water withdrawals and changes in water use. The model was used to simulated water-level changes caused by projecting current withdrawal rates, increased withdrawal rates, and a 10-year drought. Water levels declined 20 to 275 feet in the southern and central parts of the valley and less than 20 feet north of Enoch

Utah↗
USGS2009

Simulation of the Regional Ground-Water-Flow System and Ground-Water/Surface-Water Interaction in the Rock River Basin, Wisconsin

A regional, two-dimensional, areal ground-water-flow model was developed to simulate the ground-water-flow system and ground-water/surface-water interaction in the Rock River Basin. The model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Rock River Coalition. The objectives of the regional model were to improve understanding of the ground-water-flow system and to develop a tool suitable for evaluating the effects of potential regional water-management programs. The computer code GFLOW was used because of the ease with which the model can simulate ground-water/surface-water interactions, provide a framework for simulating regional ground-water-flow systems, and be refined in a stepwise fashion to incorporate new data and simulate ground-water-flow patterns at multiple scales. The ground-water-flow model described in this report simulates the major hydrogeologic features of the modeled area, including bedrock and surficial aquifers, ground-water/surface-water interactions, and ground-water withdrawals from high-capacity wells. The steady-state model treats the ground-water-flow system as a single layer with hydraulic conductivity and base elevation zones that reflect the distribution of lithologic groups above the Precambrian bedrock and a regionally significant confining unit, the Maquoketa Formation. In the eastern part of the Basin where the shale-rich Maquoketa Formation is present, deep ground-water flow in the sandstone aquifer below the Maquoketa Formation was not simulated directly, but flow into this aquifer was incorporated into the GFLOW model from previous work in southeastern Wisconsin. Recharge was constrained primarily by stream base-flow estimates and was applied uniformly within zones guided by regional infiltration estimates for soils. The model includes average ground-water withdrawals from 1997 to 2006 for municipal wells and from 1997 to 2005 for high-capacity irrigation, industrial, and commercial wells. In addition, the model routes tributary base flow through the river network to the Rock River. The parameter-estimation code PEST was linked to the GFLOW model to select the combination of parameter values best able to match more than 8,000 water-level measurements and base-flow estimates at 9 streamgages. Results from the calibrated GFLOW model show simulated (1) ground-water-flow directions, (2) ground-water/surface-water interactions, as depicted in a map of gaining and losing river and lake sections, (3) ground-water contributing areas for selected tributary rivers, and (4) areas of relatively local ground water captured by rivers. Ground-water flow patterns are controlled primarily by river geometries, with most river sections gaining water from the ground-water-flow system; losing sections are most common on the downgradient shore of lakes and reservoirs or near major pumping centers. Ground-water contributing areas to tributary rivers generally coincide with surface watersheds; however the locations of ground-water divides are controlled by the water table, whereas surface-water divides are controlled by surface topography. Finally, areas of relatively local ground water captured by rivers generally extend upgradient from rivers but are modified by the regional flow pattern, such that these areas tend to shift toward regional ground-water divides for relatively small rivers. It is important to recognize the limitations of this regional-scale model. Heterogeneities in subsurface properties and in recharge rates are considered only at a very broad scale (miles to tens of miles). No account is taken of vertical variations in properties or pumping rates, and no provision is made to account for stacked ground-water-flow systems that have different flow patterns at different depths. Small-scale flow systems (hundreds to thousands of feet) associated with minor water bodies are not considered; as a result, the model is not currently designed for simulating site-specifi

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2014

Evaluation of seepage and discharge uncertainty in the middle Snake River, southwestern Idaho

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the State of Idaho, Idaho Power Company, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources, evaluated seasonal seepage gains and losses in selected reaches of the middle Snake River, Idaho, during November 2012 and July 2013, and uncertainty in measured and computed discharge at four Idaho Power Company streamgages. Results from this investigation will be used by resource managers in developing a protocol to calculate and report Adjusted Average Daily Flow at the Idaho Power Company streamgage on the Snake River below Swan Falls Dam, near Murphy, Idaho, which is the measurement point for distributing water to owners of hydropower and minimum flow water rights in the middle Snake River. The evaluated reaches of the Snake River were from King Hill to Murphy, Idaho, for the seepage studies and downstream of Lower Salmon Falls Dam to Murphy, Idaho, for evaluations of discharge uncertainty. Computed seepage was greater than cumulative measurement uncertainty for subreaches along the middle Snake River during November 2012, the non-irrigation season, but not during July 2013, the irrigation season. During the November 2012 seepage study, the subreach between King Hill and C J Strike Dam had a meaningful (greater than cumulative measurement uncertainty) seepage gain of 415 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s), and the subreach between Loveridge Bridge and C J Strike Dam had a meaningful seepage gain of 217 ft 3 /s. The meaningful seepage gain measured in the November 2012 seepage study was expected on the basis of several small seeps and springs present along the subreach, regional groundwater table contour maps, and results of regional groundwater flow model simulations. Computed seepage along the subreach from C J Strike Dam to Murphy was less than cumulative measurement uncertainty during November 2012 and July 2013; therefore, seepage cannot be quantified with certainty along this subreach. For the uncertainty evaluation, average uncertainty in discharge measurements at the four Idaho Power Company streamgages in the study reach ranged from 4.3 percent (Snake River below Lower Salmon Falls Dam) to 7.8 percent (Snake River below C J Strike Dam) for discharges less than 7,000 ft3/s in water years 2007–11. This range in uncertainty constituted most of the total quantifiable uncertainty in computed discharge, represented by prediction intervals calculated from the discharge rating of each streamgage. Uncertainty in computed discharge in the Snake River below Swan Falls Dam near Murphy was 10.1 and 6.0 percent at the Adjusted Average Daily Flow thresholds of 3,900 and 5,600 ft3/s, respectively. All discharge measurements and records computed at streamgages have some level of uncertainty that cannot be entirely eliminated. Knowledge of uncertainty at the Adjusted Average Daily Flow thresholds is useful for developing a measurement and reporting protocol for purposes of distributing water to hydropower and minimum flow water rights in the middle Snake River.

Idaho↗