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At least 1,459 records · Page 81Linked to original sources
USGS1975

Hydrology of three sinkhole basins in southwestern Seminole County, Florida

The southwestern part of Seminole County--in east-central Florida-is characterized by sinkholes formed by the subsidence of surficial deposits into solution cavities in the underlying limestone deposits. The area includes three sinkhole basins created by such subsidence: Cranes Roost, Palm Springs, and Grace Lake. Cranes Roost basin (drainage area, 5.02 square miles) contains a closed drainage system of lakes and swamps--including Lakes Adelaide, Florida, and Mobile--that terminates at Cranes Roost sink. It also contains Lake Orienta and two unnamed sinks which do not overflow into Cranes Roost sink. Palm Springs basin (drainage area, 1.77 square miles) includes Lake Marion, Eleventh Hole Pond, and several small unconnected sinks. Grace Lake basin (drainage area, 1.64 square miles) includes Island Lake which overflows into Grace Lake. The recent spread of urban development has tended to encroach on the flood plains of lakes in these sinkhole basins and cause concern over the flood hazard that results. An investigation was made of the area to document the highest known lake levels, to examine possible effects of urbanization with regard to increasing the flood hazard, and to appraise the possibilities of controlling lake levels to reduce or limit the flood hazard. The highest lake stages of record in the three sinkhole basins occurred in September 1960. Analyses of the hydrologic relations between lake stages, ground-water levels, stream discharges, and rainfall in the area indicated that the lake stages of September 1960 probably were the highest attained since at least 1895. Cultural development that increases the percentage of a sink basin covered by impervious materials will cause more rapid runoff of a larger part of the rainfall in the basin. Thus, as development progresses, lake stages seldom reached under natural conditions may be reached more frequently unless the lake levels are controlled. In Crane Roost basin, the levels of Lakes Mobile, Adelaide, and Florida could be controlled by enlarging their surface outlets and adding control structures; however, such measures might be ineffective unless the level of Cranes Roost also was controlled. The level of Cranes Roost could be controlled by removal of water by pumping or by providing a surface outlet; pumping might be ineffective during extreme wet periods because of the potential for inflow from upstream lakes and the potential for ground-water inflow from the Floridan aquifer. The level of Lake Orienta could be Controlled by removal of water by pumping or by providing a surface outlet. In the Palm Springs sink basin, the levels of Lake Marion and the several small sinks could be controlled by removal of water by pumping or by providing surface outlets. For the several sinks, however, providing a surface outlet would require an extensive excavation and pumping might prove impractical because of seepage induced from the Floridan aquifer. The level of Island Lake--in Grace Lake sink basin-could be controlled by enlarging its surface outlet and providing a control structure. The peak stage of Grace Lake could be reduced by lowering its outlet to the north, but release of water during wet periods might cause downstream flooding.

Florida↗
USGS1975

Plan of study of the hydrology of the Madison Limestone and associated rocks in Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming

A major part of the United States ' coal reserves is in the Fort Union coal region of the Northern Great Plains. Large-scale development of these reserves would place a heavy demand on the area 's limited water resources. Surface water is poorly distributed in time and space. Its use for coal development in parts of the area would require storage reservoirs and distribution systems, whereas in the rest of the area surface water is fully appropriated and its use would deprive present users of their supply. Preliminary studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and State agencies in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota indicate that the Madison Limestone and associated rocks might provide a significant percentage of the total water requirements for coal development. This report briefly summarized the present knowledge of the geohydrology of the Madison and associated rocks, identifies the need for additional data, and outlines a 5-year plan for a comprehensive study of the hydrology of these rocks. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Evaluation of hydrologic properties of the Long Island ground-water reservoir using cross-sectional electric-analog models

Variables necessary for constructing a quantitative model to predict the response of ground-water reservoirs to hydrologic stresses are in four classes: (a) external and internal geometry of the reservoir, (b) nature of the reservoir boundaries, (c) areal distribution of horizontal and vertical hydraulic conductivities, and (d) areal distribution of storage capability within the reservoir. In this report, the sensitivity of the Long Island ground-water reservoir's reponse to the first three of these variables was evaluated using analog models.

New York↗
USGS1976

Effect of deicing chemicals on the hydrologic environment in Massachusetts; evaluation of surface-water data collection

The objective of this study is to develop predictive relationships that can be used to describe the impact of highway deicing salts on the hydrologic environment. A method, presented in an earlier report, for estimating yearly mean chloride concentrations from estimated or actual runoff and salt-application data was applied to the period 1971 through1974 and the results compared with yearly mean chloride concentrations computed from records of specific conductance. Estimates were found to be from minus 63 percent to plus 56 percent in error when the error was expressed as the difference between estimated and computed values as a percentage of the computed values. Chloride concentrations used in this study are computed from specific conductance/chloride concentration relationships and records of specific conductance. Preliminary results from graphic analyses and least-squares regression analysis show that relationships between measured values of specific conductance and chloride concentration have correlation coefficients ranging from 0.30 to 0.97. Analysis of streamflow for all major dissolved constituents is recommended with the purpose of attempting to describe the variations in the specific conductance/chloride concentration relationships.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1976

Selected hydrologic data, Clarion River and Redbank Creek basins, northwestern Pennsylvania: an interim report

This report presents basic hydrologic data collected for part of a water-resources study and supplements an interpretive report which will be published separately. The report summarizes discharge data from 140 stream collection sites, contains tables of about 800 chemical analyses from 164 stream sites and 107 analyses from 91 abandoned flowing oil and gas wells including concentrations of major ions and trace metals. A table shows results of collections of macroinvertebrates at 136 stream sites. Seven flow duration curves are also presented.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

A review of hydrologic and geologic conditions related to the radioactive solid-waste burial grounds at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee

Solid waste contaminated by radioactive matter has been buried in the vicinity of Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 1944. By 1973, an estimated six million cubic feet of such material had been placed in six burial grounds in two valleys. The practice initially was thought of as a safe method for permanently removing these potentially hazardous substances from man's surroundings, but is now que.3tionable at this site because of known leaching of contaminants from the waste, transport in ground water, and release to the terrestrial and fluvial environments. This review attempts to bring together in a single document information from numerous published and unpublished sources regarding the past criteria used for selecting the Oak Ridge burial-ground sites, the historical development and conditions of these facilities as of 1974, the geologic framework of the Laboratory area and the movement of water and water-borne contaminants in that area, the effects of sorption and ion exchange upon radionuclide transport, and a description and evaluation of the existing monitoring system. It is intended to assist Atomic Energy Commission (now Energy Research and Development Administration) officials in the formulation of managerial decisions concerning the burial grounds and present monitoring methods. Sites for the first three burial grounds appear to have been chosen during and shortly after World War II on the basis of such factors as safety, security, and distance from sources of waste origin. By 1950, geologic criteria had been introduced, and in the latter part of that decade, geohydrologic criteria were considered. While no current criteria have been defined, it becomes evident from the historical record that the successful containment of radionuclides below land surface for long periods of time is dependent upon a complex interrelationship between many geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical controls, and any definition of criteria must include consideration of these factors. For the most part, the burial grounds have been developed by a simple cut and fill procedure similar to the operation of a municipal landfill. Low permeability of the residuum, high rainfall, shallow depth to ground water, the excavation of trenches below the water table, and other practices, have contributed to a condition of waste leaching in probably all of the burial grounds. Despite these conditions, only very small concentrations of radionuclides have been found in wells or otherwise attributed to the initial three, small sites in Bethel Valley. This fact, however, may be due in part to the scant extent of site monitoring of those burial grounds for transport of radionuclides in ground water, and to the discharge of liquid radioactive waste to the drainage in concentrations that probably would have masked the presence of contaminants derived from these burial grounds. In comparison to the Bethel Valley sites, larger amounts of radioactive contaminants have been found in wells, seeps, trench overflow, and the drainages that drain Burial Grounds 4 and 5 in Melton Valley. The movement of radionuclides from the trenches to the drainages show that the latter sites are not suitable for the retention of all contaminants under existing conditions, and invalidates the operational concept of long-term or permanent retention of all radionuclides in the geologic environment. The transport of many radioactive ions leached from the waste has been retarded by the very high sorptive and ion exchange capacity of the residuum with which the radionuclides have had contact. Not all radionuclides, though, will be retained in the subsurface by adsorption, absorption, or ion exchange. Among those radioactive contaminants that may be problematical with respect to trench burial at Oak Ridge are tritium and other negatively-charged nuclides, positively-charged radionuclides included in some of the complexed molecules, radioactive ions that have chemical properties si

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

A brief investigation of the surface-water hydrology of Yemen Arab Republic

Yemen, near the southwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a mountainous country bordered by a desert on the east and a coastal plain on the west. Rainfall is low and seasonal; consequently, most streams (wadis) are ephemeral. The natural flow regimens of many of the smaller wadis are modified by terracing for agriculture. The only streamflow data available in Yemen are short records on four large wadis. A brief field investigation and application of reconnaissance techniques are the bases for the largely qualitative description of the hydrology, and for the proposal to collect streamflow data needed for orderly development of the expanding economy. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1978

Selected hydrologic data, 1931-77, Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area, Utah

The Wasatch Plateau-Book Cliffs coal-fields area in east-central Utah includes a significant part of the State's coal resources and is currently (1977) the most active coal-mining area in the State. This report presents data gathered by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of a hydrologic reconnaissance carried out during the period July 1975-September 1977 in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as well as selected information for water-years 1931-75. The data were obtained in the field or from private, State, and other Federal agencies. The purpose of this report is to make the data available to those engaged in coal mining, to those assessing water resources that may possibly be affected by coal mining, and to supplement an interpretive report that will be published at a later date.

Utah↗
USGS1978

Hydrologic reconnaissance of the Yampa River during low flow, Dinosaur National Monument, northwestern Colorado

A hydrologic reconnaissance of a 74-kilometer reach of the Yampa River in Dinosaur National Monument was made during low flow in mid-August 1976. Stream discharge, which was measured along this reach every 16 to 24 kilometers, ranged from 9.4 to 10.6 cubic meters per second. Variations in streamflow were explained, in part, by underflow, loss to ground water, and evaporation. Specific conductance was measured about every 2 kilometers and indicated a downstream increase on the order of 11 to 12 percent for the reach. Except for mercury, bottom-sediment trace-element concentrations in the study reach were less than maximum concentrations determined during August-September 1976 for bottom sediments at unperturbed sites upstream in the Yampa River basin. At one of five sampling sites, the mercury concentration in bottom sediments exceeded the maximum measured upstream level.

Colorado↗
USGS1978

Selected hydrologic data, Yampa River basin and parts of the White River basin, northwestern Colorado and south-central Wyoming

Selected hydrologic data are presented from four energy-related projects conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Yampa River basin and parts of the White River basin in northwestern Colorado and south-central Wyoming. Water-quality data during 1974 and 1975 and parts of 1976 for 129 ground-water sites and 119 surface-water sites are tabulated. For most samples, major cations, anions, and trace metals were analyzed. For the same time period, field measurements of specific conductance, temperature, and pH were made on 252 springs and wells. These samplings sites, as well as the locations of 20 climatological stations, 18 snow-course sites, and 43 surface-water gaging stations, are shown on maps. Geologic units that contain coal deposits or supply much of the water used for stock and domestic purposes in the area also are shown on a map. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1978

Hydrologic data for urban storm runoff from three localities in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado

Urban storm-runoff data, collected from 1975 to 1977, on three catchment areas in the Denver, Colo., metropolitan area are presented. The catchment are predominantly a single-family residential catchment area in Littleton, a multifamily residential and commercial catchment area in Lakewood, and a high-density residential and commercial catchment area in Denver. Precipitation, rainfall-runoff, snowmelt-runoff, water-quality (common constituents, nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand, coliform bacteria, and solids, trace elements, and pesticides), and catchment-area data are necessary to use the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 's Storm Water Management Model II. The urban storm-runoff data may be used by planning, water-management, and environmental-protection agencies to assess the impact of urban storm runoff on the hydrologic system. (Woodard-USGS)

Colorado↗
USGS1978

Hydrologic data for the Copper Basin area, a potential mining area in Yavapai County, Arizona

Large low-grade ore bodies have been discovered in Copper Basin, and a large copper-mining operation is anticipated in the near future. Hydrologic data are being collected to provide the data base necessary to determine the effects of a potential mining operation on the water resources of the area. The area of potential depletion or contamination of water supplies is the 50-square-mile alluvial slope downgradient from Copper Basin. In the Copper Basin area the streams generally are dry, except for the perennial flow in a 3-mile-long reach of Kirkland Creek, where the base flow ranges from about 1 to 3 cubic feet per second. The water in the alluvium, which is more than 1,000 feet thick in places, generally is under unconfined conditions. The direction of ground-water movement is generally southwesterly toward Skull Valley Wash and Kirkland Creek. The depth to water in wells ranges from less than 10 to 675 feet below the land surface. Near the center of the area, test wells penetrate a clay confining bed at the base of the alluvium and an underlying sequence of volcanic rocks, which is more than 1,000 feet thick and contains water under confined conditions. Pump tests indicate that the confining bed forms a barrier between the water in the alluvium and the water in the volcanic rocks and that, initially, pumping from the volcanic rocks would not affect the water level in the alluvium. The areal extent of the volcanic sequence is not known.

Arizona↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic data for floods of July 1978 in Southeast Minnesota and Southwest Wisconsin

Intense storms of July 1978 caused floods of historical significance in southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. Local, State, and Federal officials need data and information to evaluate, coordinate, and manage programs concerned with floods and flood losses. Because of a need to document stream discharges, elevations, and sediment concentrations, current-meter and indirect measurements were made at 34 gaging stations during or immediately after the floods. This report summarizes some of the hydrologic data collected. Peak discharges of record occurred at 20 gaging stations. Frequency of peak discharge equaled or exceeded the 100-year recurrence interval at 11 stations. The Federal Benchmark gaging station on the North Fork Whitewater River was destroyed. Five people died as a result of the floods, and property damages were estimated to exceed $114 million. Thirty-three counties were officially declared disaster areas.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS1979

Regional geohydrology of the San Juan hydrologic basin of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah

The San Juan Basin in the southeastern part of the Colorado Plateau, southwest of the San Juan Mountains, broadly includes the Acoma and Gallup Sags in its southern part and the small Chama Basin in its northeastern part. Regionally, the water-yielding strata (aquifers) dip inward toward the center of San Juan Basin or toward the axes of the adjoining structural sags. Aquifers exposed or at shallow depths along the margin of the basin are deeply buried in the center of the basin. The occurrence and movement of ground water is strongly influenced by the structural configuration of the basin; fractures along joints and faults, particularly the Puerco fault belt; distribution and lithology of the rock strata, and the relationship of the uplands recharge areas of the aquifers to the lowland areas where the most ground-water discharges. The aggregate thickness of sedimentary rocks is more than 10,000 feet in the deepest part of the basin. In order of decreasing abundance, these rocks consist of mudstone, claystone, siltstone, sandstone, silty sandstone, coal, limestone, conglomerate, and gypsum. The main aquifers consist of sandstone or sandstone containing lenses of conglomerate except for the San Andres Limestone. The principal aquifers, listed in descending stratigraphic order, are the Tertiary Cuba Mesa and Llaves Members of the San Jose Formation and the Ojo Alamo Sandstone; the Pictured Cliffs, Cliff House, Point Lookout, Gallup, and Dakota Sandstones; the Westwater Canyon and Salt Wash Sandstone Members of the Morrison Formation, the Cow Springs Sandstone, the Zuni Sandstone, and the Entrada Sandstone; and the San Andres Limestone, Glorieta Sandstone, and De Chelly Sandstone. These aquifer are separated by formations, that do not readily transmit water between the aquifers. Regional movement of ground water is mainly to the San Juan and Chaco s Rivers, the Puerco River, the Rio Puerco, and their main tributaries. Ground water from aquifers overlying the Dakota Sandstone discharge within the confines of the San Juan hydrologic basin. Part of the ground water in the Dakota Sandstone, Morrison Formation, and underlying formations moves across the interbasin divide into the Black Mesa, the Blanding Basin, or to the Rio Grande Trough.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah↗
USGS1980

Ground-water hydrology of the Sagebrush Flat area as related to the discharge of Rattlesnake Springs, Grant and Douglas counties, Washington

In 1978, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the State of Washington Department of Ecology, investigated the hydrology of the Sagebrush Flat area as it relates to Rattlesnake Springs. Rattlesnake Springs and all known wells on Sagebrush Flat obtain water from basalt aquifers. The wells tap aquifers at or below the altitude of the spring discharge. Water levels in some wells on Sagebrush Flat, and in a well 27 miles to the northeast in an area of no ground-water development, show slight fluctuations that may correspond to annual variations in precipitation. However, hydrographs of most wells on Sagebrush Flat show water-level declines and rises that correspond with the beginning and end of the pumping season. The discharge of Rattlesnake Springs started to decrease at about the beginning of the 1978 pumping season and did not start to increase until after most pumping was stopped. The water level in deep aquifers beneath Sagebrush Flat is at a lower altitude than in shallow aquifers, and water moves down well boreholes from shallow aquifers to deeper aquifers. This downward movement of water diverts ground water that is moving toward natural discharge points such as Rattlesnake Springs, thereby decreasing the discharge at these points.

Washington↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic and geologic data from the Upper East Coast Planning Area, southeast Florida

The Upper East Coast Planning Area, one of five designated planning areas in the South Florida Water Management District, consists of St. Lucie, Martin, and eastern Okeechobee Counties. Existing hydrologic and geologic data have been compiled as a base for additional investigations to determine the water-bearing characteristics of the shallow aquifer system in the area. These data include lithologic logs from 51 wells in excess of 90 feet in depth, periodic ground-water levels from 100 wells, and ground-water levels from 100 wells, and ground-water quality data from 93 wells. (Kosco-USGS)

Florida↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Dallas, Texas, metropolitan area, 1977

In August 1961, the Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Dallas, began a program of investigations designed to evaluate hydrologic factors affecting floods on several small streams in Dallas. During the 1977 water year, the original program was expanded to include the greater Dallas metropolitan area.

Texas↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic data for a subsurface waste-injection site at Mulberry, Florida; 1972-77

Since October 1972, industrial liquid waste has been injected into a brine aquifer of limestone and dolomite in Mulberry, FL., at a depth of more than 4,000 feet below land surface. During 1977, the injection rate was about 8.8 million gallons per month. To determine what effect the injected waste has on the ground-water body, water levels have been measured and water samples collected from two monitor wells that tap different permeable zones above the injection zone, and from a satellite monitor well that taps the injection zone. The monitor wells are in the annulus of the injection well, and the satellite monitor well is 2,291 feet from the injection well. This report updates previous data reports and includes all hydrologic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1972-77. Included is a table of well-construction data, a graph showing the volume of waste injected each month, and hydrographs of the annulus monitor wells and the satellite monitor well. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗