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USGS2026

Wind River subbasin restoration: Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities January 2024 through December 2024

We sampled juvenile wild Oncorhynchus mykiss (Steelhead Trout) in headwater streams of the Wind River, Washington, to characterize population attributes and investigate life-history metrics, particularly migratory patterns, and early life-stage survival. Additionally, this sampling provides an index of abundance of non-native Brook Trout Salvelinus confluentus . We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagging and a series of instream PIT-tag interrogation systems (PTISs) to track juveniles and adults. The Wind River subbasin is considered a wild Steelhead refuge by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). No hatchery Steelhead Trout have been released in the Wind River subbasin since 1997, and hatchery adults are estimated at less than one percent of spawners in most years. Over 25 years of Steelhead Trout status and trend monitoring and research in the subbasin is contributing to understanding of population response to numerous restoration actions in the subbasin, including removal of Hemlock Dam from Trout Creek in 2009, which had an inadequate adult ladder and contributed to increased water temperatures, to near lethal levels for salmonids. Data from our study, and companion work by WDFW, are contributing to the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (2009) Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RM&E) Strategy of Fish Population Status Monitoring. Specifically, this work addresses the sub-strategies of 1) Assessing the Status and Trends of Diversity of Natural Origin Fish Populations and Uncertainties Research regarding differing life histories of a wild Steelhead Trout population, 2) Assessing the Status and Trend of Adult Natural Origin Fish Populations, and 3) Monitoring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Tributary Habitat Actions Relative to Environmental, Physical, or Biological Performance Objectives. During summer and fall 2024, we PIT-tagged 2,075 Steelhead Trout parr (age-0 and age-1), in the Trout Creek and upper Wind River watersheds. Age-0 and age-1 parr were at high abundance due to strong spawner numbers in 2023 and 2024 (Estimate of 932 in 2023; and a moderate number of spawners in 2024 though an estimate is not available at this time; 24-year median = 619; Charlie Cochran, WDFW Fish Biologist, personal commun., 2025). An additional 100 parr (age-0 and age-2 or older) were tagged to provide fish for estimating detection efficiencies at PTISs. Steelhead Trout parr were recaptured and detected through repeat headwater sampling, smolt trapping, instream PTISs and Columbia River mainstem PIT-tag detection. We maintained and upgraded six instream PTISs to detect PIT-tagged Steelhead Trout parr, smolts, and adults, providing data for population assessments, and life-cycle research. Detection data from PIT-tagged adult Steelhead Trout at our four primary PTISs allow assessment of adult escapement to tributary watersheds within the Wind River subbasin. Most adult Steelhead detected were tagged by WDFW at an adult trap in the lower Wind River and some as smolts at screw traps. Adult Steelhead Trout detection efficiency estimates at our primary PTIS in Trout Creek have been greater than 99 percent during eight of the past ten years and have exceeded 97% at our primary PTIS in the Wind River during nine of the past ten years. Adult escapement estimates to tributary watersheds are helping evaluate the efficacy of the 2009 removal of Hemlock Dam from rkm 2.0 of Trout Creek. Detections at the instream PTISs have shown trends of age-0 and age-1 Steelhead Trout parr emigration from natal areas during summer and fall, in addition to the expected movement of parr and smolts in spring. Our data suggest that most fish from a cohort that migrate downstream will do so at age-1 for additional rearing in the subbasin. We have estimated that from 15% to 56% of parr tagged as age-0 fish in headwater areas make downstream migrations at age-1 for additional rearing (median = 29%). We have estimated that from 1% to 27% of Steelhead Trout parr, tagged as age-1 fish, make downstream migrations during fall (median = 3.5%): this is especially pronounced in the upper Wind River portion of the watershed (median 10%). These findings raise questions about parr rearing habitat and whether migrations are density- or habitat-quality driven, and answers to such questions are long-term goals of this study as active and passive habitat restoration occurs. Repeat sampling at sites in the subbasin within and between years has enabled assessment of juvenile Steelhead Trout growth patterns. Growth rates (relative change in weight) of age-0 PIT-tagged parr during summer have been similar across the subbasin, though slightly lower in the Trout Creek watershed (Trout Creek sites, 0.57 - 1.25%/day, Wind River sites = 0.94 – 2.48%/day). Summer growth rates have been lower for age-1 parr in the Trout Creek watershed than the upper Wind River watershed (Trout Creek sites, = 0.03 - 0.14%/day, Wind River sites = 0.05 – 0.19%/day). Yearly relative growth was similar across the subbasin for both age-0 and age-1 tagged parr. During 2024 range of mean daily relative change in weight from the previous year for age-0 tagged fish was: Trout Creek sites = 0.96 – 1.41%/day, Wind River sites = 0.80 – 1.30 %/day; and for age1 tagged fish was: Trout Creek sites = 0.37 - 0.50 %/day, Wind River sites = no age-1 tagged recaptures. Non-native Brook Trout are present in the subbasin, chiefly the Trout Creek watershed. Mean percent-of-catch that is Brook Trout, at four sample sites in Trout Creek, has declined from the period 1998 – 2003 to the period 2011 – 2024 (range of decrease = 19 - 82%). Percent-of-catch (of 64 samples, 52 < 10%; 3 > 20%) and number of Brook Trout at the Trout Creek sites from 2011 through 2024, though variable, have generally declined. Habitat restoration evaluation efforts are critical to ensure efficient use of money and resources but require long-term monitoring of population metrics. Detailed viable salmonid population and life-history data, such as that provided by PIT-tagging and instream PTIS networks inform fisheries policy and management and enable assessment of long-term effects of habitat restoration actions such as the removal of Hemlock Dam on Trout Creek and proposed major instream habitat restoration in the upper Wind River.

Washington↗

USGS2013

Scenarios of bioenergy development impacts on regional groundwater withdrawals

Irrigation increases agricultural productivity, but it also stresses water resources (Huffaker and Hamilton 2007). Drought and the potential for drier conditions resulting from climate change could strain water supplies in landscapes where human populations rely on finite groundwater resources for drinking, agriculture, energy, and industry (IPCC 2007). For instance, in the North American Great Plains, rowcrops are utilized for livestock feed, food, and bioenergy production (Cassman and Liska 2007), and a large portion is irrigated with groundwater from the High Plains aquifer system (McGuire 2011). Under projected future climatic conditions, greater crop water use requirements and diminished groundwater recharge rates could make rowcrop irrigation less feasible in some areas (Rosenberg et al. 1999; Sophocleous 2005). The Rainwater Basin region of south central Nebraska, United States, is an intensively farmed and irrigated Great Plains landscape dominated by corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) production (Bishop and Vrtiska 2008). Ten starch-based ethanol plants currently service the region, producing ethanol from corn grain (figure 1). In this study, we explore the potential of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a drought-tolerant alternative bioenergy feedstock, to impact regional annual groundwater withdrawals for irrigation under warmer and drier future conditions. Although our research context is specific to the Rainwater Basin and surrounding North American Great Plains, we believe the broader research question is internationally pertinent and hope that this study simulates similar research in other areas.

Nebraska↗

USGS2019

GRACE storage change characteristics (2003–2016) over major surface basins and principal aquifers in the Conterminous United States

In this research, we characterized the changes in Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment’s (GRACE) monthly total water storage anomaly (TWSA) in 18 surface basins and 12 principal aquifers in the Conterminous United States (CONUS) over 2003–2016. Regions with high variability in storage were identified. Ten basins and 4 aquifers showed significant change in storage. Eight surface basins and 8 aquifers were found to show decadal stability in storage. A pixel-based analysis of storage showed that New England basin and North Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer showed the largest area under positive storage change. Whereas, the Lower Colorado basin and California aquifers showed largest area under negative change. This study found that historically wetter regions (with more storage) are becoming wetter and dryer regions (with less storage) are becoming dryer. Fourier analysis of the GRACE data showed that while all basins exhibited prominent annual periodicities, significant sub-annual and multi-annual cycles also exist in some basins. The storage turnover period was estimated to range between 6 to 12 months. The primary explanatory variable (PEV) of TWSA was identified for each region. This study provides new insights on several aspects of basin or aquifer storage that are important for understanding basin/aquifer hydrology.

Remote Sensing↗

USGS1984

Geologic studies in support of the U.S. Department of Energy Multiwell Experiment, Garfield County, Colorado

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a field-oriented, enhanced-gas-recovery research experiment in the southern Piceance Creek basin. This project is called the Multiwell Experiment (MWX) and is being undertaken as a major part of DOE's Fossil Energy Western Gas Sands Subprogram. The main purpose of the research is to provide new and improved technology for the identification of natural gas in tight reservoirs and to develop economically viable and reliable methods to recover the gas (Northrop and others, 1984).

Colorado↗

USGS2023

Characterizing historic streamflow to support drought planning in the upper Missouri River basin

This project combined tree-ring based paleo and modern climate and hydrologic research aimed at understanding the primary influences on drought risk and water reliability in basins critical for western U.S. water resources. New paleohydrologic datasets and analyses were developed and applied to contextualize future streamflow projections and address specific water management questions. These questions centered around optimizing future water management protocols for numerous objectives ranging from improving agricultural water allocation during drought while maintaining instream flows for aquatic ecosystem health, to the testing of operations across large river systems with complex infrastructure critical for downstream flood control, navigation, and hydropower generation. USGS scientists worked closely with the Bureau of Reclamation to estimate both past and future drought risk at key management locations throughout the Missouri basin, the Milk and St. Mary River system, and across the major managed river systems in the western United States. These efforts provided a roadmap for future water management strategies under changing climate and water supply conditions, which are detailed in Reclamation’s newly completed Missouri Headwaters Basin Study, the 2021 SECURE Water Act Report, and the forthcoming update of the St. Mary and Milk Rivers Basin Study. Among the major scientific findings to emerge was a new understanding of the long-term (1200-year) history of drought variability for the Missouri River, which highlighted the unusual severity of the early 2000s drought across the Rocky Mountain headwaters and adjacent high plains. By combining the extended drought record with extensive modern and paleoclimate records, we document how warming exacerbates severities of naturally occurring droughts, with recent decades defined by “hot” droughts and the 2000s (2001-2010) drought ranking as the most severe event in 1200 years. Increasingly severe drought events such as this strain already over-allocated water resources that multiple sectors of society depend heavily upon.

upper Missouri River basin↗

USGS1995

Pinyon-juniper woodlands

Pinyon-juniper woodlands are one of the largest ecosystems in the Southwest and in the Middle Rio Grande Basin (Fig. 1). The woodlands have been important to the region's inhabitants since prehistoric times for a variety of natural resources and amenities. The ecosystems have not been static; their distributions, stand characteristics, and site conditions have been altered by changes in climatic patterns and human use and, often, abuse. Management of these lands since European settlement has varied from light exploitation and benign neglect, to attempts to remove the trees in favor of forage for livestock, and then to a realization that these lands contain useful resources and should be managed accordingly. Land management agencies are committed to ecosystem management. While there are several definitions of ecosystem management, the goal is to use ecological approaches to create and maintain diverse, productive, and healthy ecosystems (Kaufmann et al. 1994). Ecosystem management recognizes that people are an integral part of the system and that their needs must be considered. Ecological approaches are central to the concept, but our understanding of basic woodland ecology is incomplete, and there are different opinions and interpretations of existing information (Gottfried and Severson 1993). There are many questions concerning proper ecosystem management of the pinyon-juniper woodlands and how managers can achieve these goals (Gottfried and Severson 1993). While the broad concept of ecosystem management generally is accepted, the USDA Forest Service, other public land management agencies, American Indian tribes, and private landowners may have differing definitions of what constitutes desired conditions. Key questions about the pinyon-juniper ecosystems remain unanswered. Some concern the basic dynamics of biological and physical components of the pinyon-juniper ecosystems. Others concern the distribution of woodlands prior to European settlement and changes since the introduction of livestock and fire control. This relates to whether tree densities have been increasing or whether trees are invading grasslands and, to a lesser extent, drier ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. In areas where woodlands were heavily used by American Indians for fuelwood prior to European contact, the advance of pinyon and juniper could represent the slow recovery from intensive use (Samuels and Betancourt 1982). There are numerous questions regarding declines in watershed condition related to changes in pinyon-juniper tree stand densities and to the density and composition of understory vegetation. There are different opinions about proper management of woodland ecosystems. Should these lands be managed for a single resource, such as forage for livestock production, or managed for sustained production of multiple resource products and amenities? Depending on site and stand conditions, the woodlands can produce variable quantities of fuelwood, pinyon nuts, wildlife habitat, forage for livestock, and cover for watershed protection. Management must also consider increasing recreational demands, threatened and endangered species, and protection of archeological sites. Many pinyon-juniper woodland watersheds in New Mexico have unsatisfactory soil and watershed conditions (USDA Forest Service 1993); managers must develop restoration procedures that recognize the value of woodland ecosystems. The concerns, questions, and conflicts surrounding management of pinyon-juniper lands, as well as the ecological foundations of ecosystem management, require that all interested parties reevaluate attitudes toward the woodlands. Ecosystem management goals and concepts recognize diversity. Pinyonjuniper woodlands are diverse, and stand characteristics and site productivities vary. Management objectives and prescriptions must evaluate the potential of each site, and decisions must be based on sound scientific information. This information is often unavailable. Therefore, this paper describes what we do know about the characteristics, distribution, and ecology of pinyon-juniper woodlands, including the effects of natural and human factors, within the southwestern United States and particularly the Middle Rio Grande Basin. It also reviews some past and present management options in this widespread and important vegetation type. The review draws on research and management information from the Rio Grande Basin and from similar areas in the Southwest and adjacent regions. It does not attempt to review all of the relevant literature; additional sources can be found within the articles cited in the References.

General Technical Report↗

USGS2003

Geothermal GIS coverage of the Great Basin, USA: Defining regional controls and favorable exploration terrains

A geographic information system (GIS) of geothermal resources, built last year for the state of Nevada, is being expanded to cover the Great Basin, USA. Data from that GIS is being made available to industry, other researchers, and the public via a web site at the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, Reno, Nevada. That web site features a search engine, supports ArcExplorer?? for on-line map construction, and provides downloadable data layers in several formats. Though data collection continues, preliminary analysis has begun. Contour maps of geothermal temperatures, constructed using geothermometer temperatures calculated from a Great Basin geochemical database compiled by the Geo-Heat Center, reveal distinctive trends and patterns. As expected, magmatic-type and extensional-type geothermal systems have profoundly different associations, with magmatic-type systems following major tectonic boundaries, and extensional-type systems associating with regionally high heat flow, thin crust, active faulting, and high extensional strain rates. As described by earlier researchers, including Rowen and Wetlaufer (1981) and Koenig and McNitt (1983), high-temperature (> 100??C) geothermal systems appear to follow regional northeast trends, most conspicuously including the Humboldt structural zone in Nevada, the "Black Rock-Alvord Desert" trend in Oregon and Nevada, and the "Newcastle-Roosevelt" trend in Utah and Nevada. Weights-of-evidence analyses confirm a preference of high-temperature geothermal systems for young northeast-trending faults, but the distribution of geothermal systems correlates even better with high rates of crustal extension, as measured from global positioning system (GPS) stations in Nevada. A predictive map of geothermal potential based only on areas of high extensional strain rates and high heat flux does an excellent job of regionally predicting the location of most known geothermal systems in Nevada, and may prove useful in identifying blind systems.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2020

Investigation on endocrine disruption of the larval lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol: Short-term reproduction assay with fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) under flow-through conditions

3‐Trifluoromethyl‐4‐nitrophenol (TFM) has been used for more than 60 yr to control the invasive parasitic sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) in the Great Lakes Basin (USA/Canada). In the early 1990s, researchers reported that TFM induced vitellogenin in fish and that TFM was an agonist for the rainbow trout estrogen receptor. To support continued registration of TFM for sea lamprey control, regulatory agencies required further testing to evaluate potential endocrine disruption effects. Fathead minnow ( Pimephales promelas ) were exposed to TFM at measured concentrations of 0.0659, 0.181, 0.594, 1.79, and 5.11 mg active ingredient (a.i.)/L for 21 d. No‐observable‐ and lowest‐observable‐effect concentrations (NOEC and LOEC, respectively) were determined to be 1.79 mg/L or greater for each endpoint. Male survival in the highest treatment group was reduced relative to the controls. Percentage of egg fertility was reduced in the highest treatment group, resulting in an estimated NOEC of 1.79 mg/L. Whereas no effect on the gonadosomatic index (GSI) was observed for males, female GSI was increased in the 5.11‐mg/L treatment. Vitellogenin production was not altered relative to the controls for all TFM treatment groups. However, female testosterone was elevated in the 5.11‐mg/L treatment. The results suggest that prolonged exposure to TFM at concentrations exceeding 1.79 mg/L has the potential to disrupt endocrine function. Biologically relevant effects were found at the highest exposure concentration following a 21‐d exposure. However, the duration of exposure in our study is not consistent with typical treatment durations (12 h) for sea lamprey control. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1599–1607. © 2020 SETAC

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2017

Factors Affecting 14C Ages of Lacustrine Carbonates: Timing and Duration of the Last Highstand Lake in the Lahontan Basin

Two processes contribute to inaccurate 14C age estimates of carbonates precipitated within the Lahontan basin, NevadaCalifornia: low initial 14C/C ratios in lake water (reservoir effect) and addition of modern carbon to calcium carbonate after its precipitation. The mast reliable set of 14C ages on carbonates from elevations > 1310 m in the Pyramid and Walker Lake subbasins indicate that lakes in all seven Lahontan subbasins coalesced ???14,200 14C yr B.P. forming Lake Lahontan. Lake Lahontan achieved its 1330-m highstand elevation by ???13,800 14 C yr B.P. and receded to 1310 m by ???13,700 14C yr B.P. Calculations, based on measured carbonate-accumulation rates, of the amount of time Lake Lahontan exceeded 1310 and 1330 m (500 and 50 yr) are consistent with this chronology. The timing of the Lake Lahontan highstand is of interest because of the linkage of highstand climates with proximity to the polar jet stream. The brevity of the Lahontan highstand is interpreted to indicate that the core of the southern branch of the polar jet stream remained only briefly over the Lahontan basin.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS2017

Highest pluvial-lake shorelines and Pleistocene climate of the western Great Basin

Shoreline altitudes of several pluvial lakes in the western Great Basin of North America record successively smaller lakes from the early to the late Pleistocene. This decrease in lake size indicates a long-term drying trend in the regional climate that is not seen in global marine oxygen-isotope records. At +70 m above its late Pleistocene shoreline, Lake Lahontan in the early middle Pleistocene submerged some basins previously thought to have been isolated. Other basins known to contain records of older pluvial lakes that exceeded late Pleistocene levels include Columbus-Fish Lake (Lake Columbus-Rennie), Kobeh-Diamond (Lakes Jonathan and Diamond), Newark, Long (Lake Hubbs), and Clover. Very high stands of some of these lakes probably triggered overflows of previously internally drained basins, adding to the size of Lake Lahontan. Simple calculations based on differences in lake area suggest that the highest levels of these pluvial lakes required a regional increase in effective moisture by a factor of 1.2 to 3 relative to late Pleistocene pluvial amounts (assuming that effective moisture is directly proportional to the hydrologic index, or lake area/tributary basin area). These previously unknown lake levels reflect significant changes in climate, tectonics, and (or) drainage-basin configurations, and could have facilitated migration of aquatic species in the Great Basin.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS2021

Exposure and transport of alkaloids and phytoestrogens from soybeans to agricultural soils and streams in the Midwestern United States

Phytotoxins are naturally produced toxins with potencies similar/higher than many anthropogenic micropollutants. Nevertheless, little is known regarding their environmental fate and off-field transport to streams. To fill this research gap, a network of six basins in the Midwestern United States with substantial soybean production was selected for the study. Stream water ( n = 110), soybean plant tissues ( n = 8), and soil samples ( n = 16) were analyzed for 12 phytotoxins (5 alkaloids and 7 phytoestrogens) and 2 widely used herbicides (atrazine and metolachlor). Overall, at least 1 phytotoxin was detected in 82% of the samples, with as many as 11 phytotoxins detected in a single sample (median = 5), with a concentration range from below detection to 37 and 68 ng/L for alkaloids and phytoestrogens, respectively. In contrast, the herbicides were ubiquitously detected at substantially higher concentrations (atrazine: 99% and metolachlor: 83%; the concentrations range from below detection to 150 and 410 ng/L, respectively). There was an apparent seasonal pattern for phytotoxins, where occurrence prior to and during harvest season (September to November) and during the snow melt season (March) was higher than that in December–January. Runoff events increased phytotoxin and herbicide concentrations compared to those in base-flow conditions. Phytotoxin plant concentrations were orders of magnitude higher compared to those measured in soil and streams. These results demonstrate the potential exposure of aquatic and terrestrial organisms to soybean-derived phytotoxins.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Sout↗

USGS2023

Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on the winter thermal regime of two urban Colorado South Platte tributaries

Wastewater treatment plant effluent can increase stream water temperature from near freezing to 5°C–12°C in winter months. Recent research in the South Platte River Basin in Colorado showed that this warming alters the reproductive timing of some fishes. However, the spatial extent and magnitude of this warming are unknown. Thus, we created winter water temperature models both upstream and downstream of effluent inputs for two urban tributaries of the South Platte River, the Big Thompson River, and St. Vrain Creek. We examined the influence of air temperature, discharge, effluent temperature, and distance downstream on water temperature over the winter period (December–February). The models were also used to predict water temperature in the absence of effluent and based on air temperature predictions in 2052 and 2082. Effluent temperature was the largest driver of water temperature downstream of the effluent, while the impact of air temperature was comparatively small. Streams cooled after an initially sharp temperature increase, though were still predicted to be ∼2°C greater than they would be in the absence of effluent at ∼0.5 km. Predicted air temperatures in 2052 and 2082 had a negligible effect on water temperature, suggesting that mitigating effluent temperature is key to protecting the winter thermal regimes of effluent-impacted rivers. Our models can be used to gain insight into the magnitude and downstream extent of the impact of effluent temperature on small urban streams in winter and provide a baseline for models in other watersheds and at larger scales.

Colorado↗

USGS2019

Synergistic interaction of climate and land-use drivers alter the function of North American, Prairie-pothole Wetlands

Prairie-pothole wetlands provide the critical habitat necessary for supporting North American migratory waterfowl populations. However, climate and land-use change threaten the sustainability of these wetland ecosystems. Very few experiments and analyses have been designed to investigate the relative impacts of climate and land-use change drivers, as well as the antagonistic or synergistic interactions among these drivers on ecosystem processes. Prairie-pothole wetland water budgets are highly dependent on atmospheric inputs and especially surface runoff, which makes them especially susceptible to changes in climate and land use. Here, we present the history of prairie-pothole climate and land-use change research and address the following research questions: 1) What are the relative effects of climate and land-use change on the sustainability of prairie-pothole wetlands? and 2) Do the effects of climate and land-use change interact differently under different climatic conditions? To address these research questions, we modeled 25 wetland basins (1949–2018) and measured the response of the lowest wetland in the watershed to wetland drainage and climate variability. We found that during an extremely wet period (1993–2000) wetland drainage decreased the time at which the lowest wetland reached its spill point by four years, resulting in 10 times the amount of water spilling out of the watershed towards local stream networks. By quantifying the relative effects of both climate and land-use drivers on wetland ecosystems our findings can help managers cope with uncertainties about flooding risks and provide insight into how to manage wetlands to restore functionality

Sustainability↗

USGS2014

Monitoring rationale, strategy, issues, and methods: UMRR-EMP LTRMP fish component

The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP), an element of the multiagency partnership Upper Mississippi River Restoration-Environmental Management Program, has been monitoring fishes in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) for over two decades, using scientific and highly standardized methods. Today, the LTRMP’s data assets represent one of the world’s largest and most extensive datasets on a great river. Methods and procedures used over the past two decades have been documented and have proven a key tool towards gaining data that are (a) scientifically valid, (b) comparable over time, and (c) comparable over space. These procedures manuals coordinate and standardize methods, procedures, and field behaviors in the execution of long-term monitoring, permitting the informed management and control of important sources of error actually under program control. As LTRMP databases have matured in scope and accumulated more years' worth of data, their utility in research and management in the UMRS basin has increased notably. To maximize their utility, data users need not only be aware of “how the data were collected,” as portrayed in the procedures manuals, but also “why the data were collected in the way they were, at the scales they were, and in the manner that they were.” Whereas the procedures manuals contribute information as to the “how” the data were gained, this document seeks to contribute information as to the “why.” As such, this document is intended to be a companion document to the procedures manuals. Herein, we present information on the rationale for monitoring nearly one-fifth of the entire North American freshwater fish fauna (representing the greatest freshwater fish diversity on the planet at temperate latitudes); strategies employed and their reasoning; and discussions on issues associated with the sampling design itself, data arising therefrom, and uses of those data in different contexts.

Illinois;Iowa;Minnesota;Montana;Wisconsin↗

USGS1970

Saline ground-water resources of the Tularosa Basin, New Mexico

This report describes the location, extent, and quality of saline ground water in the Tularosa Basin, a north-trending elongated, intermontane, desert basin in south-central New Mexico. There are no through-flowing streams; runoff from the bordering mountains flows to ephemeral lakes in the center of the basin. Fresh-water supplies in the Tularosa Basin are limited; however, large volumes of saline ground-water underlie most of the basin. Consolidated rocks ranging from Precambrian through Cretaceous in age form "bedrock" aquifers in the basin. Where these rocks are exposed in the mountains bordering the basin, and in the north part of the basin, they may yield up to 150 gallons per minute, although yields are usually less than 20 gpm. Water at shallow depths in these rocks usually contain 1-3 g/l. Water quality deteriorates with depth, and more than 35 g/l water is present in some rock units. Few wells have penetrated these rocks beneath the alluvial deposits in the central part of the basin, where well yields and water quality are generally unknown. The most widely developed aquifer in the basin is the alluvial fill of Tertiary to Holocene age which exceeds 6,000 feet in thickness in the southern part of the basin. Well yields of as much as 1,400 gallons per minute have been measured. Fresh water lenses occur in the alluvial fill adjacent to the mountains on the east and west sides of the southern part of the basin. The water below the fresh-water lenses in the alluvial fill increases in salinity with depth. Salinity also increases toward the center of the basin. The altitude of isosaline surfaces and thickness of the saline-water zones are shown on maps of the entire basin and of the following detailed areas within the basin: Alamogordo, Tularosa, Carrizozo, and the western margin of the basin.

New Mexico↗

USGS2002

Streamflow and water-quality data for selected watersheds in the Lake Tahoe basin, California and Nevada, through September 1998

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and the University of California, Davis-Tahoe Research Group, has monitored tributaries in the Lake Tahoe Basin since 1988. This monitoring has characterized streamflow and has determined concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment, which may have contributed to loss of clarity in Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program was developed to collect water-quality data in the basin. In 1998, the tributary-monitoring program included 41 water-quality stations in 14 of the 63 watersheds totaling half the area tributary to Lake Tahoe. The monitored watershed areas range from 1.08 square miles for First Creek to 56.5 square miles for the Upper Truckee River.Annual and unit runoff for 20 primary and secondary streamflow gaging stations in 10 selected watersheds are described. Water years 1988-98 were used to compare runoff data. The Upper Truckee River at South Lake Tahoe, Calif., had the highest annual runoff and Logan House Creek near Glenbrook, Nev., had the lowest. Blackwood Creek near Tahoe City, Calif., had the highest unit runoff and Logan House Creek had the lowest. The highest instantaneous peak flow was recorded at Upper Truckee River at South Lake Tahoe during the January 2, 1997, flood event.Certain water-quality measurements were made in the field. Ranges and median values of those measurements are described for 41 stations. Water temperature ranged from 0 to 23?C. Specific conductance ranged from 13 to 900 microsiemens per centimeter at 25?C. pH ranged from 6.7 to 10.6. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations ranged from 5.2 to 12.6 mg/L and from 70 to 157 percent of saturation.Loads, yields, and trends of nutrients and suspended sediment during water years 1988-98 at the streamflow gaging stations also are described. The Upper Truckee River at South Lake Tahoe had the largest median monthly load for five of the six measured nutrients and of suspended sediment, while Trout Creek at South Lake Tahoe had the largest median monthly load for the remaining nutrient. Logan House Creek near Glenbrook had the smallest median monthly loads for all nutrients and suspended sediment. Seasonal load summaries at selected stations showed nutrient and suspended-sediment loads were greatest in the spring months of April, May and June and least in the summer months of July, August, and September. Monthly load comparisons also were described for five watersheds with multiple stations.Incline Creek had the highest combined rank for all nutrients and sediment. Incline Creek had the largest monthly yields for dissolved nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen and soluble reactive phosphorus. Third Creek had the second highest combined rank and had the largest monthly yields for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, biologically reactive iron, and suspended sediment. Edgewood Creek had the largest monthly yield for dissolved ammonia nitrogen. Logan House Creek had the lowest combined rank and the smallest monthly yields for all nutrients and sediment.Trends in concentrations are either decreasing or not significant for all nutrients in all sampled watersheds, with the exception of biologically reactive iron. Biologically reactive iron and suspended sediment show an increasing trend in three watersheds and decreasing or no significant trend in the other seven watersheds.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2000

Preface paper to the Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere (SALSA) Program special issue

The Semi-Arid Land-Surface-Atmosphere Program (SALSA) is a multi-agency, multi-national research effort that seeks to evaluate the consequences of natural and human-induced environmental change in semi-arid regions. The ultimate goal of SALSA is to advance scientific understanding of the semi-arid portion of the hydrosphere-biosphere interface in order to provide reliable information for environmental decision making. SALSA approaches this goal through a program of long-term, integrated observations, process research, modeling, assessment, and information management that is sustained by cooperation among scientists and information users. In this preface to the SALSA special issue, general program background information and the critical nature of semi-arid regions is presented. A brief description of the Upper San Pedro River Basin, the initial location for focused SALSA research follows. Several overarching research objectives under which much of the interdisciplinary research contained in the special issue was undertaken are discussed. Principal methods, primary research sites and data collection used by numerous investigators during 1997-1999 are then presented. Scientists from about 20 US, five European (four French and one Dutch), and three Mexican agencies and institutions have collaborated closely to make the research leading to this special issue a reality. The SALSA Program has served as a model of interagency cooperation by breaking new ground in the approach to large scale interdisciplinary science with relatively limited resources.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2000

Geochemical investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey on uranium mining, milling, and environmental restoration

Recent research by the U.S. Geological Survey has characterized contaminant sources and identified important geochemical processes that influence transport of radionuclides from uranium mining and milling wastes. 1) Selective extraction studies indicated that alkaline earth sulfates and hydrous ferric oxides are important hosts of 226 Ra in uranium mill tailings. The action of sulfate-reducing and ironreducing bacteria on these phases was shown to enhance release of radium, and this adverse result may temper decisions to dispose of uranium mill tailings in anaerobic environments. 2) Field studies have shown that although surface-applied sewage sludge/wood chip amendments aid in revegetating pyritic spoil, the nitrogen in sludge leachate can enhance pyrite oxidation, acidification of groundwater, and the consequent mobilization of metals and radionuclides. 3) In a U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyfunded study, three permeable reactive barriers consisting of phosphate-rich material, zero-valent iron, or amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide have been installed at an abandoned uranium upgrader facility near Fry Canyon, UT. Preliminary results indicate that each of the permeable reactive barriers is removing the majority of the uranium from the groundwater. 4) Studies on the geochemistry of rare earth elements as analogues for actinides such as uranium and thorium in acid mine drainage environments indicate high mobility under acid-weathering conditions but measurable attenuation associated with iron and aluminum colloid formation. Mass balances from field and laboratory studies are being used to quantify the amount of attenuation. 5) A field study in Colorado demonstrated the use of 234 U/ 238 U isotopic ratio measurements to evaluate contamination of shallow groundwater with uranium mill effluent.

Utah↗