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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
USGS1986

Activities of the Water Resources Division, California District, in the 1985 fiscal year

This report summarizes the progress of water-resources studies in California by the U.S. Geological Survey during the fiscal year 1985. Much of the work was done in cooperation with the State and local agencies. Additional supporting funds were transferred from other Federal agencies or appropriated directly to the Geological Survey. The water-resources program in California consisted of 55 projects. This report includes a brief discussion of each project and also contains a brief description of the origin of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Water Resources Division 's basic mission, and abbreviated organizational structure of the California District, sources of funding, and a summary of water conditions. Reports issued by the Geological Survey on studies completed fiscal years 1984 and 1985 also are listed. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2016

Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of Alaska

This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to contribute to knowledge of the storage, fluxes, and balance of carbon and methane gas in ecosystems of Alaska. The carbon and methane variables were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems (uplands and wetlands) and inland aquatic ecosystems in Alaska in two time periods: baseline (from 1950 through 2009) and future (projections from 2010 through 2099). The assessment used measured and observed data and remote sensing, statistical methods, and simulation models. The national assessment, conducted using the methodology described in SIR 2010-5233, has been completed for the conterminous United States, with results provided in three separate regional reports (PP 1804, PP 1797, and PP 1897).

Washington↗
USGS2012

Data resources for range-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome

The data contained in this series were compiled, modified, and analyzed for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report "Range-Wide Assessment of Livestock Grazing Across the Sagebrush Biome." This report can be accessed through the USGS Publications Warehouse (online linkage: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1263/). The dataset contains spatial and tabular data related to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Grazing Allotments. We reviewed the BLM national grazing allotment spatial dataset available from the GeoCommunicator National Integrated Land System (NILS) website in 2007 (http://www.geocommunicator.gov). We identified several limitations in those data and learned that some BLM State and/or field offices had updated their spatial data to rectify these limitations, but maintained the data outside of NILS. We contacted appropriate BLM offices (State or field, 25 in all) to obtain the most recent data, assessed the data, established a data development protocol, and compiled data into a topologically enforced dataset throughout the area of interest for this project (that is, the pre-settlement distribution of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Western United States). The final database includes three spatial datasets: Allotments (BLM Grazing Allotments), OUT_Polygons (nonallotment polygons used to ensure topology), and Duplicate_Polygon_Allotments. See Appendix 1 of the aforementioned report for complete methods. The tabular data presented here consists of information synthesized by the Land Health Standard (LHS) analysis (Appendix 2), and data obtained from the BLM Rangeland Administration System (http://www.blm.gov/ras/). In 2008, available LHS data for all allotments in all regions were compiled by BLM in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by a private organization. The BLM provided us with a copy of these data. These data provided three major types of information that were of interest: (1) date(s) (if any) of the most recent LHS evaluation for each allotment; (2) whether if evaluated, each region-specific standard (3–8 LHS depending on region) had been met on a given allotment; and (3) whether livestock contributed to any of these standards not being met. A description of how we processed the original data to prepare for analysis is described in Appendix 2, and the synthesized dataset can be found in the table "lhs_x_walk." Permitted use dates, livestock type (horse, sheep or cattle), number of livestock, and Animal Unit Months [the number of animal units (1,000-pound animal equivalents) that can be grazed for 31 days with the available forage in a sustainable manner] are the legal maximum grazing amounts for a given allotment, and legal adjustments to these numbers occur infrequently. We summarized permitted use by BLM allotment in the table "Permitted_Use." Billed use records are used for calculations of permittees' annual grazing bills. We summarized billed use by allotment for BLM grazing year in the table "Billed_Use." All three tables can be joined with the allotment spatial data in a geographic information system (GIS) environment, using the IDENT attribute as the primary key.

Data Series↗
USGS2016

Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A map-based resource linking scientific studies and associated geospatial information about dam removals

The removal of dams has recently increased over historical levels due to aging infrastructure, changing societal needs, and modern safety standards rendering some dams obsolete. Where possibilities for river restoration, or improved safety, exceed the benefits of retaining a dam, removal is more often being considered as a viable option. Yet, as this is a relatively new development in the history of river management, science is just beginning to guide our understanding of the physical and ecological implications of dam removal. Ultimately, the “lessons learned” from previous scientific studies on the outcomes dam removal could inform future scientific understanding of ecosystem outcomes, as well as aid in decision-making by stakeholders. We created a database visualization tool, the Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP), to display map-based, interactive information about the scientific studies associated with dam removals. Serving both as a bibliographic source as well as a link to other existing databases like the National Hydrography Dataset, the derived National Dam Removal Science Database serves as the foundation for a Web-based application that synthesizes the existing scientific studies associated with dam removals. Thus, using the DRIP application, users can explore information about completed dam removal projects (for example, their location, height, and date removed), as well as discover sources and details of associated of scientific studies. As such, DRIP is intended to be a dynamic collection of scientific information related to dams that have been removed in the United States and elsewhere. This report describes the architecture and concepts of this “metaknowledge” database and the DRIP visualization tool.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2012

Science to support the understanding of Ohio's water resources

Ohio’s water resources support a complex web of human activities and nature—clean and abundant water is needed for drinking, recreation, farming, and industry, as well as for fish and wildlife needs. The distribution of rainfall can cause floods and droughts, which affects streamflow, groundwater, water availability, water quality, recreation, and aquatic habitats. Ohio is bordered by the Ohio River and Lake Erie and has over 44,000 miles of streams and more than 60,000 lakes and ponds (State of Ohio, 1994). Nearly all the rural population obtain drinking water from groundwater sources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, as well as universities, to furnish decisionmakers, policymakers, USGS scientists, and the general public with reliable scientific information and tools to assist them in management, stewardship, and use of Ohio’s natural resources. The diversity of scientific expertise among USGS personnel enables them to carry out large- and small-scale multidisciplinary studies. The USGS is unique among government organizations because it has neither regulatory nor developmental authority—its sole product is reliable, impartial, credible, relevant, and timely scientific information, equally accessible and available to everyone. The USGS Ohio Water Science Center provides reliable hydrologic and water-related ecological information to aid in the understanding of use and management of the Nation’s water resources, in general, and Ohio’s water resources, in particular. This fact sheet provides an overview of current (2012) or recently completed USGS studies and data activities pertaining to water resources in Ohio. More information regarding projects of the USGS Ohio Water Science Center is available at http://oh.water.usgs.gov/.

Ohio↗
USGS2023

A reference genome assembly for the continentally distributed ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus

Snakes in the family Colubridae include more than 2,000 currently recognized species, and comprise roughly 75% of the global snake species diversity on Earth. For such a spectacular radiation, colubrid snakes remain poorly understood ecologically and genetically. Two subfamilies, Colubrinae (788 species) and Dipsadinae (833 species), comprise the bulk of colubrid species richness. Dipsadines are a speciose and diverse group of snakes that largely inhabit Central and South America, with a handful of small-body-size genera that have invaded North America. Among them, the ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus , has an incredibly broad distribution with 14 subspecies. Given its continental distribution and high degree of variation in coloration, diet, feeding ecology, and behavior, the ring-necked snake is an excellent species for the study of genetic diversity and trait evolution. Within California, six subspecies form a continuously distributed “ring species” around the Central Valley, while a seventh, the regal ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus regalis is a disjunct outlier and Species of Special Concern in the state. Here, we report a new reference genome assembly for the San Diego ring-necked snake, D. p. similis , as part of the California Conservation Genomics Project. This assembly comprises a total of 444 scaffolds spanning 1,783 Mb and has a contig N50 of 8.0 Mb, scaffold N50 of 83 Mb, and BUSCO completeness score of 94.5%. This reference genome will be a valuable resource for studies of the taxonomy, conservation, and evolution of the ring-necked snake across its broad, continental distribution.

Journal of Heredity↗
USGS1996

Selected hydrologic data, through water year 1994, Black Hills Hydrology Study, South Dakota

This report presents water-level, water-quality, and spring data that have been collected or compiled, through water year 1994, for the Black Hills Hydrology Study. This study is a long-term cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District (which represents various local and county cooperators). This report is the second in a series of biennial project data reports produced for the study. Daily water-level data are presented for 39 observation wells and 2 cave sites in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. The wells are part of a network of observation wells maintained by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and are completed in various bedrock formations that are utilized as aquifers in the Black Hills area. Both cave sites are located within outcrops of the Madison Limestone. Data presented include site descriptions, hydrographs, and tables of daily water levels. Annual measurements of water levels collected during water years 1993-94 from a network of 20 additional, miscellaneous wells are presented. These wells are part of a Statewide network of wells completed in bedrock aquifers that was operated from 1959 through 1989 in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Site descriptions and hydrographs for the entire period of record for each site also are presented. Drawdown and recovery data are presented for five wells that were pumped (or flowed) for collection of water-quality samples. These wells are part of the network of observation wells for which daily water-level records are compiled. Water-quality data are presented for 20 surface-water sites and 22 ground-water sites. Data presented include field parameters, bacteria counts, and concentrations of common ions, solids, nutrients, trace elements, radiometrics and isotopes, cyanide, phenols, and suspended sediment. Spring data are presented for 94 springs and 21 stream reaches with significant springflow components. Data presented include site information, discharge, and field water-quality parameters including temperature, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and pH.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Assessment of artificial recharge at Sand Hollow Reservoir, Washington County, Utah, updated to conditions through 2006

Sand Hollow, Utah, is the site of a surface-water reservoir completed in March 2002 and operated by the Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) primarily as an aquifer storage and recovery project. The reservoir is an off-channel facility that receives water from the Virgin River, diverted near the town of Virgin, Utah. Hydrologic data collected are described and listed in this report, including ground-water levels, reservoir stage, reservoir-water temperature, meteorology, evaporation, and estimated ground-water recharge. Since the construction of the reservoir in 2002, diversions from the Virgin River have resulted in generally rising stage and surface area. Large spring run-off volumes during 2005-06 allowed the WCWCD to fill the reservoir to near capacity, with a surface area of about 1,300 acres in 2006. Reservoir stage reached a record altitude of about 3,060 feet in May 2006, resulting in a depth of nearly 90 feet and a reservoir storage of about 51,000 acre-feet. Water temperature in the reservoir shows large seasonal variation and has ranged from about 5 to 32?C. Estimated ground-water recharge rates have ranged from 0.01 to 0.43 feet per day. Estimated recharge volumes have ranged from about 200 to about 3,500 acre-feet per month. Total ground-water recharge from March 2002 through August 2006 is estimated to be about 51,000 acre-feet. Estimated evaporation rates have varied from 0.05 to 0.97 feet per month, resulting in evaporation losses of 20 to 1,200 acre-feet per month. Total evaporation from March 2002 through August 2006 is estimated to be about 17,000 acre-feet. The combination of generally declining recharge rates and increasing reservoir altitude and area explains the trend of an increasing ratio of evaporation to recharge volume over time, with the total volume of water lost through evaporation nearly as large as the volume of ground-water recharge during the first 8 months of 2006. With removal of the viscosity effects (caused by seasonal water temperature variations), the intrinsic permeability indicates a large seasonal variation in clogging, with large winter increases likely caused by a combination of both decreased biofilms and the reduced volume of trapped gas bubbles.

Utah↗
USGS2024

Development of a hydrogeologic visualization model for western Sarpy County, Nebraska

Population in western Sarpy County, Nebraska, has steadily increased over the last several decades and has led to increased groundwater use for domestic purposes. To meet the increase in demand, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District is seeking to use all available sources of groundwater in western Sarpy County. Additionally, elevated groundwater nitrate plus nitrite as nitrogen concentrations were detected, indicating the need to better understand the groundwater quality of the area. Although the general geology of the area is understood, the area does not have detailed information on the extent of the various aquifers, particularly the Dakota aquifer. To characterize these aquifers, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District invested in airborne electromagnetic surveys of the area to better understand the subsurface geology. Although these surveys improved understanding of the groundwater systems in the area, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District wanted to integrate the subsurface information with available water-quality and groundwater-level data. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission, and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, assembled geologic, hydrogeologic and nitrate plus nitrite as nitrogen information for the selected area into a three-dimensional visualization computer software package called GeoScene3D. The completed GeoScene3D project was assembled to provide a visualization of the groundwater systems and associated water-quality results in Sarpy County and to provide the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District managers with information that can be used to make more informed groundwater resource-planning decisions in the future. This report details the development of a three-dimensional model created within GeoScene3D to visualize the subsurface, particularly the Dakota Sandstone in western Sarpy County.

Nebraska↗
USGS2017

Final synthesis report for factors controlling DDE dechlorination rates on the palos verdes shelf: A field and laboratory investigation

This project was organized into separate field and laboratory studies aimed at answering “18 questions” in the original Scope of Work (cf., section 2 of this report, Background, for explanation). Because of some early results, certain questions became irrelevant and were, therefore, not pursued. In other cases, there simply was not enough time to complete the originally planned studies. On the other hand, additional work, not identified in any of the original “18 questions”, was carried out for purposes of addressing specific issues of concern to the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Examples of the latter include: 1) the analysis of an expanded list of sediment cores for DDX (DDX refers to the ten DDT-related compounds of interest in this study; cf., Eganhouse et al., [1]) and selected PCB congeners to facilitate estimation of site-specific reductive dechlorination (RDC) and total loss rates, 2) analysis of gravity and box cores for trace elements to allow stratigraphic alignment, and 3) determination of the extent of mineralization of p,p’-DDE (1-chloro-2-[2,2-dichloro-1-(4- chlorophenyl)ethyl]benzene) in microcosm experiments. In this Executive Summary, we offer a brief recapitulation of what was learned about the factors controlling reductive dechlorination of p,p’-DDE in Palos Verdes Shelf (PVS) sediments using the “18 questions” as a structural guide. The summary is written in narrative form, but references to specific sections (corresponding to the “18 questions”) are identified parenthetically in the text so that the reader can explore the expanded answers that appear later in the report.

Palos Verdes Shelf↗
USGS2008

Lower Methow tributaries intensive effectiveness monitoring study. Interim report

Actions have been taken to replace diversion dams in lower Beaver Creek with a series of rock vortex weirs. Some of these diversion dams have been in place for over 100 years, and they have impaired or completely blocked upstream migration of fish. Three diversion dams were replaced in 2003 (Lower Stokes, Thurlow Transfer, and Upper Stokes), and a forth diversion dam was replaced in 2004 (Fort-Thurlow). These vortex weirs were designed and installed under the supervision of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) engineers and completed in accordance to National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (WDFW) fish passage criteria. The projects were designed to meet fish species recovery needs described by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the “BiOp” issued by NMFS (2000a). Since no specific guidelines have been identified to date specifically addressing diversion dams, WDFW and NMFS guidelines are being considered as the target design and performance criteria for the sites monitored as part of this project. Where used, the vortex weirs were designed to maintain irrigation diversion capabilities while improving fish passage.

Washington↗
USGS2011

Fractal analysis of the Navassa Island seascape

This release provides the numerical results of the fractal analyses discussed in Zawada and others (2010) for the Navassa Island reefscape. The project represents the continuation of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research effort begun in 2006 (Zawada and others, 2006) to understand the patterns and scalability of roughness and topographic complexity from individual corals to complete reefscapes.

Data Series↗
USGS2007

Water quality of the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and their U.S. tributaries, 1946-2005

The St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair waterway forms an international boundary between the United States and Canada. The waters of the area are an important part of the cultural heritage of the area and serves as an important water-supply and power-generating resource; the waterway also supports an economy based largely on recreation, agriculture, and manufacturing. This report was undertaken as part of the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project for the purpose of providing a comprehensive assessment of the hydrological, chemical, and physical state of the surface water of Lake St. Clair and its tributaries. The data varied in focus and density over the period of compilation which in many cases this variation prevented the completion of statistical analyses because data did not meet minimum comparability or quality requirements for those tests. Comparison of water quality of the Belle, Black, Clinton, and Pine River Basins, as well as basins of minor rivers in the study area, showed that water quality in many of the tributaries, particularly the Clinton River and some of the minor rivers, was degraded compared to the water quality of the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair waterway. Data analyses included comparison of nutrients, chloride, specific conductance, turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and pesticides among the basins and the St. Clair River. Median concentrations of total nitrate were well below the recommended USEPA total nitrogen ambient water-quality criterion of 0.54 mg/L as N for nutrient ecoregion VII for all study-area streams except the Clinton River. More than 93 percent of the phosphorus concentrations for the Belle, Black, Pine and minor river basins and 84 percent of the phosphorus concentrations for the Clinton River Basin are greater than the USEPA recommended ambient total phosphorus criterion of 0.033 mg/L for rivers and streams. Nine chloride concentrations exceeded the USEPA criterion maximum concentration (CMC) for chloride set at 860 mg/L for all study-area streams, with the six largest being in the Belle River Basin. Higher chloride concentrations were increasingly common from 2002 to 2005. The urban minor river basins had the highest median specific conductance, whereas the agricultural Pine River Basin had the lowest median specific conductance. The median values of BOD for the five basins in the study area ranged from 2.4 mg/L for the Pine River Basin to 3.2 mg/L for the Black and Clinton River Basins, whereas the median for the St. Clair River was 0.5 mg/L. In 1985, the highest concentrations of pesticides were found in samples from the mouth of the Clinton River; however, in 1996–98, the majority of high pesticide concentrations were found in samples from the Black River. Changing land-use patterns, specifically conversion of agricultural lands to urban/residential lands in the Clinton River Basin, may explain this difference. Trend analysis was done for four stream sites where adequate data were available. These analyses identified no significant water-quality changes at a stream site on the Black River, where land-use patterns have changed little in the past few decades. This stands in marked contrast to trend analysis for three stream sites in the Clinton River Basin, which has undergone significant land-use change. The changes at the Clinton River stream sites, ranging from 5 to 13 significant trends, were generally decreases in nutrients and increases in total dissolved solids (TDS) and chloride. The greater flow volume of the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair waterway is able to assimilate incoming dissolved and suspended constituents from tributaries with little effect upon its overall water quality, although incomplete mixing may result in localized water-quality impairment downstream from tributary confluences. Mixing effects on Lake St. Clair water quality was also demonstrated in analysis of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) data collected at paired nearshore/offshore sites, which reflected similarity in water quality among many paired sites.

Michigan↗
USGS2018

Science support for evaluating natural recovery of polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations in fish from Crab Orchard Lake, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, Illinois

Introduction Crab Orchard Lake in southern Illinois is one of the largest and most popular recreational lakes in the state. Construction of the nearly 7,000-acre reservoir in the late 1930s created employment opportunities through the Works Progress Administration, and the lake itself was intended to supply water, control flooding, and provide recreational opportunities for local communities (Stall, 1954). In 1942, the Department of War appropriated or purchased more than 20,000 acres of land around Crab Orchard Lake and constructed the Illinois Ordnance Plant, which manufactured bombs and anti-tank mines during World War II. After the war, an Act of Congress transferred the property to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge was established on August 5, 1947, for the joint purposes of wildlife conservation, agriculture, recreation, and industry. Production of explosives continued, but new industries also moved onsite. More than 200 tenants have held leases with Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and have operated a variety of manufacturing plants (electrical components, plated metal parts, ink, machined parts, painted products, and boats) on-site. Soils, water, and sediments in several areas of the refuge were contaminated with hazardous substances from handling and disposal methods that are no longer acceptable environmental practice (for example, direct discharge to surface water, use of unlined landfills). Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination at the refuge was identified in the 1970s, and a PCB-based fish-consumption advisory has been in effect since 1988 for Crab Orchard Lake. The present advisory covers common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) and channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ); see Illinois Department of Public Health (2017). Some of the most contaminated areas of the refuge were actively remediated, and natural ecosystem recovery processes are expected to further reduce residual PCB concentrations in the lake. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sought technical support to understand environmental drivers of current (2017) PCB residues in fish tissue and patterns in PCB residues through time to inform the fish-consumption advisory for Crab Orchard Lake. This project is planned in two phases (Tasks 1 and 2); the first phase is included in this report. Task 1, reported here, includes a review of existing literature and a brief overview focused on environmental and biochemical/physiological processes that drive PCB residues in fish tissue. This review specifically targets processes that are relevant for freshwater lacustrine environments such as those at Crab Orchard Lake. In addition to discussions of environmental fate, metabolism, and accumulation of PCBs, this review includes a brief scientifically based explanation of approaches used to establish fish-consumption advisories. A planned second task (Task 2) will include a compilation and summary of existing data on PCB residues in fish tissue samples from Crab Orchard Lake. This summary will also place Crab Orchard Lake data in a broader geographic context through a comparison with fish data from other Midwestern lakes. When Task 1 and Task 2 are complete, resource managers will have (a) a synthesis of existing literature that characterizes the processes influencing the fate of residual PCBs remaining in systems such as Crab Orchard Lake, (b) a summary of natural PCB attenuation processes for use in risk communication with the public, and (c) a summary of existing data on PCBs in fish tissues from Crab Orchard Lake, including exploratory plots of tissue residues through time. Overall, this project will provide data to help resource managers better understand the ecological and public health consequences of residual PCBs in Crab Orchard Lake.

Illinois↗
USGS2009

Data from theodolite measurements of creep rates on San Francisco Bay region faults, California

Introduction Our purpose is to annually update our creep-data archive on San Francisco Bay region active faults for use by the scientific research community. Earlier data (1979-2001) were reported in Galehouse (2002) and were analyzed and described in detail in a summary report (Galehouse and Lienkaemper, 2003). A complete analysis of our earlier results obtained on the Hayward Fault was presented in Lienkaemper, Galehouse and Simpson (2001) and updated in Lienkaemper and others (2012). Lienkaemper and others (2014) provide a new overview and analysis of fault creep along all sections of the northern San Andreas Fault system, from which they estimate by how much fault creep reduces the seismic hazard for each fault section. From 1979 until his retirement from the project in 2001, Jon Galehouse of San Francisco State University (SFSU) and many student research assistants measured creep (aseismic slip) rates on these faults. The creep measurement project, which was initiated by Galehouse, continued through the Geosciences Department at SFSU from 2001-2006 under the direction of Karen Grove and John Caskey (Grove and Caskey, 2005) and since 2006 under Caskey (2007). Forrest McFarland has managed most of the technical and logistical project operations, as well as data processing and compilation since 2001. Data from 2001-2007 are found in McFarland and others (2007). From 2009 onward, we have released the raw data annually using this report (OF2009-1119) as a permanent publication link, while publishing more detailed analyses of these data in the scientific literature, such as Lienkaemper and others (2014). We maintain a project Web site (http://funnel.sfsu.edu/creep/) that includes the following information: project description, project personnel, creep characteristics and measurement, map of creep-measurement sites, creep-measurement site information, and links to data plots for each measurement site. Our most current, annually updated results are, therefore, accessible to the scientific community and to the general public. Information about the project can currently be requested by the public by an email link ( fltcreep@sfsu.edu) found on our project Web site.

California↗
USGS2020

U.S. Geological Survey STATEMAP Program—Geologic mapping for the public good

As of 2020, STATEMAP has invested more than $150 million in 48 State geological surveys, matched dollar for dollar, to complete geologic mapping projects crucial to the health and security of State natural resources and residents. For more information about STATEMAP and other geologic mapping efforts supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, visit https://ncgmp.usgs.gov .

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2023

South San Francisco Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project—A synthesis of Phase-1 mercury studies

The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) encompasses over 6,000 hectares of former salt production ponds along the south edge of the San Francisco Bay and represents the largest wetland restoration effort on the west coast of North America. A series of studies associated with Phase 1 (2010–2018) restoration activities that are focused on a historically mercury contaminated slough and series of ponds within the restoration area have recently been completed. This report brings together the key findings of these loosely coordinated studies and integrates the results into a more comprehensive and holistic product that informs future restoration activities associated with the SBSPRP and elsewhere. This report documents key findings associated with the breach of pond A6: (1) a short-term spike in slough fish (Mississippi silverside) total mercury concentration in lower Alviso Slough; (2) a short-term spike in surface-water particulate total mercury in lower Alviso Slough; (3) significant sediment scour in Alviso Slough adjacent to and downstream of the breach points; (4) a decrease in surface-sediment methylmercury (as a percentage of total mercury) in lower Alviso Slough; (5) the transport of 70 kilograms per year of sediment-associated total mercury into pond A6 during the first 2 years following the breach but with much of this coming from outside of Alviso Slough, presumably from the nearby shallows, Guadalupe Slough, and the larger southern San Francisco Bay area; and (6) a slowing of bed sediment erosion in lower Alviso Slough 3–5 years after the breaching of pond A6. Although this report is not intended to be prescriptive in terms of the next steps the SBSPRP should or should not take, the totality of the findings presented provide critical process-level information regarding the extent and the duration of spikes in mercury levels in water, sediment, fish, and birds, which appeared to result from the two management actions under study. Thus, these results can be used to anticipate similar ecosystem responses associated with similar management actions that may be considered in the future. We also conclude this report by highlighting unanswered questions associated with mercury dynamics as it relates to the restoration project, and possible future directions for research.

California↗
USGS2000

Selected hydrologic data, through water year 1998, Black Hills Hydrology Study, South Dakota

This report presents water-level and water-quality data that have been collected or compiled, through water year 1998, for the Black Hills Hydrology Study. This study is a long-term cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the West Dakota Water Development District (which represents various local and county cooperators). This report is the third in a series of project data reports produced for the study. Daily water-level data are presented for 71 observation wells and 2 cave sites in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. The wells include a network of observation wells that are maintained in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources and are completed in various bedrock formations that are utilized as aquifers in the Black Hills area of western South Dakota. Both cave sites are located within outcrops of the Madison Limestone. Data presented include site descriptions, hydrographs, and tables of daily water levels. Annual measurements of water levels collected during water years 1995-98 from a net-work of 18 additional, miscellaneous wells are presented. These wells are part of a statewide network of wells completed in bedrock aquifers that was operated from 1959 through 1989 in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Site descriptions and hydrographs for the entire period of record for each site also are presented. Water-quality data are presented for 9 surface-water sites, 19 ground-water sites, and 30 sites that have been classified as areas of surface- and ground-water interaction in the Black Hills area. The surface- and ground-water interaction sites are further divided into three categories that include 11 loss zone sites, 8 headwater spring sites, and 11 downgradient spring sites.

South Dakota↗