Contrasting biogeochemical characteristics of the Oubangui River and tributaries (Congo River basin)

PubMed Central

Bouillon, Steven; Yambélé, Athanase; Gillikin, David P.; Teodoru, Cristian; Darchambeau, François; Lambert, Thibault; Borges, Alberto V.

2014-01-01

The Oubangui is a major tributary of the Congo River. We describe the biogeochemistry of contrasting tributaries within its central catchment, with watershed vegetation ranging from wooded savannahs to humid rainforest. Compared to a 2-year monitoring record on the mainstem Oubangui, these tributaries show a wide range of biogeochemical signatures, from highly diluted blackwaters (low turbidity, pH, conductivity, and total alkalinity) in rainforests to those more typical for savannah systems. Spectral analyses of chromophoric dissolved organic matter showed wide temporal variations in the Oubangui compared to spatio-temporal variations in the tributaries, and confirm that different pools of dissolved organic carbon are mobilized during different hydrological stages. δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon ranged between −28.1‰ and −5.8‰, and was strongly correlated to both partial pressure of CO2 and to the estimated contribution of carbonate weathering to total alkalinity, suggesting an important control of the weathering regime on CO2 fluxes. All tributaries were oversaturated in dissolved greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O, CO2), with highest levels in rivers draining rainforest. The high diversity observed underscores the importance of sampling that covers the variability in subcatchment characteristics, to improve our understanding of biogeochemical cycling in the Congo Basin. PMID:24954525

Fish communities of the Buffalo River Basin and nearby basins of Arkansas and their relation to selected environmental factors, 2001-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, James C.

2004-01-01

The Buffalo River lies in north-central Arkansas and is a tributary of the White River. Most of the length of the Buffalo River lies within the boundaries of Buffalo National River, a unit of the National Park Service; the upper 24 river kilometers lie within the boundary of the Ozark National Forest. Much of the upper and extreme lower parts of the basin on the south side of the Buffalo River is within the Ozark National Forest. During the summers of 2001 and 2002, fish communities were sampled at 52 sites in the study area that included the Buffalo River Basin and selected smaller nearby basins within the White River Basin in north-central Arkansas. Water quality (including nutrient and bacteria concentrations) and several other environmental factors (such as stream size, land use, substrate size, and riparian shading) also were measured. A total of 56 species of fish were collected from sites within the Buffalo River Basin in 2001 and 2002. All 56 species also were collected from within the boundaries of Buffalo National River. Twenty-two species were collected from headwater sites on tributaries of the Buffalo River; 27 species were collected from sites within or immediately adjacent to the Ozark National Forest. The list of species collected from Buffalo National River is similar to the list of species reported by previous investigators. Species richness at sites on the mainstem of the Buffalo River generally increased in a downstream direction. The number of species collected (both years combined) increased from 17 at the most upstream site to 38 near the mouth of the Buffalo River. In 2001 and 2002, a total of 53 species of fish were collected from sites outside the Buffalo River Basin. Several fish community metrics varied among sites in different site categories (mainstem, large tributary, small tributary, headwater, and developed out-of-basin sites). Median relative abundances of stonerollers ranged from about 25 to 55 percent and were highest at

Steelhead Supplementation in Idaho Rivers : 2001 Project Progress Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Byrne, Alan

In 2001, Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) continued an assessment of the Sawtooth Hatchery steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss stock to reestablish natural populations in Beaver and Frenchman creeks in the upper Salmon River. Crews stocked both streams with 20 pair of hatchery adults, and I estimated the potential smolt production from the 2000 adult outplants. n the Red River drainage, IDFG stocked Dworshak hatchery stock fingerlings and smolts from 1993 to 1999 to assess which life stage produces more progeny when the adults return to spawn. In 2001, IDFG operated the Red River weir to trap adults that returnedmore » from these stockings, but none were caught from either group. Wild steelhead populations in the Lochsa and Selway river drainages were assessed and the chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha escapement was enumerated in Fish Creek. I estimated that 75 wild adult steelhead and 122 adult chinook salmon returned to Fish Creek in 2001. I estimated that slightly more than 30,000 juvenile steelhead migrated out of Fish Creek. This is the largest number of steelhead to migrate out of Fish Creek in a single year since I began estimating the yearly migration in 1994. Juvenile steelhead densities in Lochsa and Selway tributaries were somewhat higher in 2001 than those observed in 2000. Crews from IDFG collected over 4,800 fin samples from wild steelhead in 74 streams of the Clearwater, Snake, and Salmon river drainages and from five hatchery stocks during the summer of 2000 for a DNA analysis to assess Idaho's steelhead stock structure. The DNA analysis was subcontracted to Dr. Jennifer Nielsen, Alaska Biological Science Center, Anchorage. Her lab developed protocols to use for the analysis in 2001 and is continuing to analyze the samples. Dr. Nielsen plans to have the complete set of wild and hatchery stocks analyzed in 2002.« less

Wind River Watershed Restoration: Annual Report April 2005 - March 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jezorek, Ian G.; Connolly, Patrick J.; Charrier, Jodi; Munz, Carrie

2007-01-01

This report summarizes work completed by U.S. Geological Survey’s Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) in the Wind River subbasin during the period April 2005 through March 2006 under Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) contract 22095. During this period, we collected temperature, flow, and habitat data to characterize habitat condition and variation within and among tributaries and mainstem sections in the Wind River subbasin. We also conducted electrofishing and snorkeling surveys to determine juvenile salmonid populations within select study areas throughout the subbasin. Portions of this work were completed with additional funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group (LCFEG).

Primary Productivity in Meduxnekeag River, Maine, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldstein, Robert M.; Schalk, Charles W.; Kempf, Joshua P.

2009-01-01

During August and September 2005, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, specific conductance, streamflow, and light intensity (LI) were determined continuously at six sites defining five reaches on Meduxnekeag River above and below Houlton, Maine. These data were collected as input for a dual-station whole-stream metabolism model to evaluate primary productivity in the river above and below Houlton. The river receives nutrients and organic matter from tributaries and the Houlton wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Model output estimated gross and net primary productivity for each reach. Gross primary productivity (GPP) varied in each reach but was similar and positive among the reaches. GPP was correlated to LI in the four reaches above the WWTP but not in the reach below. Net primary productivity (NPP) decreased in each successive downstream reach and was negative in the lowest two reaches. NPP was weakly related to LI in the upper two reaches and either not correlated or negatively correlated in the lower three reaches. Relations among GPP, NPP, and LI indicate that the system is heterotrophic in the downstream reaches. The almost linear decrease in NPP (the increase in metabolism and respiration) indicates a cumulative effect of inputs of nutrients and organic matter from tributaries that drain agricultural land, the town of Houlton, and the discharges from the WWTP.

Carbon export and cycling by the Yukon, Tanana, and Porcupine rivers, Alaska, 2001-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Striegl, Robert G.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; Aiken, George R.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Raymond, Peter A.

2007-01-01

Loads and yields of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic carbon (DOC, POC, DIC, PIC) were measured and modeled at three locations on the Yukon River (YR) and on the Tanana and Porcupine rivers (TR, PR) in Alaska during 2001–2005. Total YR carbon export averaged 7.8 Tg C yr−1, 30% as OC and 70% as IC. Total C yields (0.39–1.03 mol C m−2 yr−1) were proportional to water yields (139–356 mm yr−1; r2 = 0.84) at all locations. Summer DOC had an aged component (fraction modern (FM) = 0.94–0.97), except in the permafrost wetland‐dominated PR, where DOC was modern. POC had FM = 0.63–0.70. DOC had high concentration, high aromaticity, and high hydrophobic content in spring and low concentration, low aromaticity, and high hydrophilic content in winter. About half of annual DOC export occurred during spring. DIC concentration and isotopic composition were strongly affected by dissolution of suspended carbonates in glacial meltwater during summer.

Estimation of stream conditions in tributaries of the Klamath River, northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manhard, Christopher V.; Som, Nicholas A.; Jones, Edward C.; Perry, Russell W.

2018-01-01

Because of their critical ecological role, stream temperature and discharge are requisite inputs for models of salmonid population dynamics. Coho Salmon inhabiting the Klamath Basin spend much of their freshwater life cycle inhabiting tributaries, but environmental data are often absent or only seasonally available at these locations. To address this information gap, we constructed daily averaged water temperature models that used simulated meteorological data to estimate daily tributary temperatures, and we used flow differentials recorded on the mainstem Klamath River to estimate daily tributary discharge. Observed temperature data were available for fourteen of the major salmon bearing tributaries, which enabled estimation of tributary-specific model parameters at those locations. Water temperature data from six mid-Klamath Basin tributaries were used to estimate a global set of parameters for predicting water temperatures in the remaining tributaries. The resulting parameter sets were used to simulate water temperatures for each of 75 tributaries from 1980-2015. Goodness-of-fit statistics computed from a cross-validation analysis demonstrated a high precision of the tributary-specific models in predicting temperature in unobserved years and of the global model in predicting temperatures in unobserved streams. Klamath River discharge has been monitored by four gages that broadly intersperse the 292 kilometers from the Iron Gate Dam to the Klamath River mouth. These gages defined the upstream and downstream margins of three reaches. Daily discharge of tributaries within a reach was estimated from 1980-2015 based on drainage-area proportionate allocations of the discharge differential between the upstream and downstream margin. Comparisons with measured discharge on Indian Creek, a moderate-sized tributary with naturally regulated flows, revealed that the estimates effectively approximated both the variability and magnitude of discharge.

33 CFR 207.180 - All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries, South and Southwest Passes and the... DEFENSE NAVIGATION REGULATIONS § 207.180 All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the... with the Gulf of Mexico between St. Marks, Fla., and the Rio Grande, Tex. (both inclusive), and the...

33 CFR 207.180 - All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries, South and Southwest Passes and the... DEFENSE NAVIGATION REGULATIONS § 207.180 All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the... with the Gulf of Mexico between St. Marks, Fla., and the Rio Grande, Tex. (both inclusive), and the...

33 CFR 207.180 - All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries, South and Southwest Passes and the... DEFENSE NAVIGATION REGULATIONS § 207.180 All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the... with the Gulf of Mexico between St. Marks, Fla., and the Rio Grande, Tex. (both inclusive), and the...

Estimates of average annual tributary inflow to the lower Colorado River, Hoover Dam to Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.

1987-01-01

Estimates of tributary inflow by basin or area and by surface water or groundwater are presented in this report and itemized by subreaches in tabular form. Total estimated average annual tributary inflow to the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and Mexico, excluding the measured tributaries, is 96,000 acre-ft or about 1% of the 7.5 million acre-ft/yr of Colorado River water apportioned to the States in the lower Colorado River basin. About 62% of the tributary inflow originates in Arizona, 30% in California, and 8% in Nevada. Tributary inflow is a small component in the water budget for the river. Most of the quantities of unmeasured tributary inflow were estimated in previous studies and were based on mean annual precipitation for 1931-60. Because mean annual precipitation for 1951-80 did not differ significantly from that of 1931-60, these tributary inflow estimates are assumed to be valid for use in 1984. Measured average annual runoff per unit drainage area on the Bill Williams River has remained the same. Surface water inflow from unmeasured tributaries is infrequent and is not captured in surface reservoirs in any of the States; it flows to the Colorado River gaging stations. Estimates of groundwater inflow to the Colorad River valley. Average annual runoff can be used in a water budget; although in wet years, runoff may be large enough to affect the calculation of consumptive use and to be estimated from hydrographs for the Colorado River valley are based on groundwater recharge estimates in the bordering areas, which have not significantly changed through time. In most areas adjacent to the Colorado River valley, groundwater pumpage is small and pumping has not significantly affected the quantity of groundwater discharged to the Colorado River valley. In some areas where groundwater pumpage exceeds the quantity of groundwater discharge and water levels have declined, the quantity of discharge probably has decreased and groundwater inflow to the Colorado

Importance of reservoir tributaries to spawning of migratory fish in the upper Paraná River

USGS Publications Warehouse

da Silva, P.S.; Makrakis, Maristela Cavicchioli; Miranda, Leandro E.; Makrakis, Sergio; Assumpcao, L.; Paula, S.; Dias, João Henrique Pinheiro; Marques, H.

2015-01-01

Regulation of rivers by dams transforms previously lotic reaches above the dam into lentic ones and limits or prevents longitudinal connectivity, which impairs access to suitable habitats for the reproduction of many migratory fish species. Frequently, unregulated tributaries can provide important habitat heterogeneity to a regulated river and may mitigate the influence of impoundments on the mainstem river. We evaluated the importance of tributaries to spawning of migratory fish species over three spawning seasons, by comparing several abiotic conditions and larval fish distributions in four rivers that are tributaries to an impounded reach of the Upper Parana River, Brazil. Our study confirmed reproduction of at least 8 long-distance migrators, likely nine, out of a total of 19 occurring in the Upper Parana River. Total larval densities and percentage species composition differed among tributaries, but the differences were not consistent among spawning seasons and unexpectedly were not strongly related to annual differences in temperature and hydrology. We hypothesize that under present conditions, densities of larvae of migratory species may be better related to efficiency of fish passage facilities than to temperature and hydrology. Our study indicates that adult fish are finding suitable habitat for spawning in tributaries, fish eggs are developing into larvae, and larvae are finding suitable rearing space in lagoons adjacent to the tributaries. Our findings also suggest the need for establishment of protected areas in unregulated and lightly regulated tributaries to preserve essential spawning and nursery habitats.

Pesticide Occurrence and Distribution in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carpenter, Kurt D.; Sobieszczyk, Steven; Arnsberg, Andrew J.; Rinella, Frank A.

2008-01-01

Pesticide occurrence and distribution in the lower Clackamas River basin was evaluated in 2000?2005, when 119 water samples were analyzed for a suite of 86?198 dissolved pesticides. Sampling included the lower-basin tributaries and the Clackamas River mainstem, along with paired samples of pre- and post-treatment drinking water (source and finished water) from one of four drinking water-treatment plants that draw water from the lower river. Most of the sampling in the tributaries occurred during storms, whereas most of the source and finished water samples from the study drinking-water treatment plant were obtained at regular intervals, and targeted one storm event in 2005. In all, 63 pesticide compounds were detected, including 33 herbicides, 15 insecticides, 6 fungicides, and 9 pesticide degradation products. Atrazine and simazine were detected in about half of samples, and atrazine and one of its degradates (deethylatrazine) were detected together in 30 percent of samples. Other high-use herbicides such as glyphosate, triclopyr, 2,4-D, and metolachlor also were frequently detected, particularly in the lower-basin tributaries. Pesticides were detected in all eight of the lower-basin tributaries sampled, and were also frequently detected in the lower Clackamas River. Although pesticides were detected in all of the lower basin tributaries, the highest pesticide loads (amounts) were found in Deep and Rock Creeks. These medium-sized streams drain a mix of agricultural land (row crops and nurseries), pastureland, and rural residential areas. The highest pesticide loads were found in Rock Creek at 172nd Avenue and in two Deep Creek tributaries, North Fork Deep and Noyer Creeks, where 15?18 pesticides were detected. Pesticide yields (loads per unit area) were highest in Cow and Carli Creeks, two small streams that drain the highly urban and industrial northwestern part of the lower basin. Other sites having relatively high pesticide yields included middle Rock Creek and

Pulsed flows, tributary inputs, and food web structure in a highly regulated river

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sabo, John; Caron, Melanie; Doucett, Richard R.; Dibble, Kimberly L.; Ruhi, Albert; Marks, Jane; Hungate, Bruce; Kennedy, Theodore A.

2018-01-01

1.Dams disrupt the river continuum, altering hydrology, biodiversity, and energy flow. Although research indicates that tributary inputs have the potential to dilute these effects, knowledge at the food web level is still scarce.2.Here we examined the riverine food web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam, focusing on organic matter sources, trophic diversity, and food chain length. We asked how these components respond to pulsed flows from tributaries following monsoon thunderstorms that seasonally increase streamflow in the American Southwest.3.Tributaries increased the relative importance of terrestrial organic matter, particularly during the wet season below junctures of key tributaries. This contrasted with the algal-based food web present immediately below Glen Canyon Dam.4.Tributary inputs during the monsoon also increased trophic diversity and food chain length: food chain length peaked below the confluence with the largest tributary (by discharge) in Grand Canyon, increasing by >1 trophic level over a 4-5 kilometre reach possibly due to aquatic prey being flushed into the mainstem during heavy rain events.5.Our results illustrate that large tributaries can create seasonal discontinuities, influencing riverine food web structure in terms of allochthony, food web diversity, and food chain length.6.Synthesis and applications. Pulsed flows from unregulated tributaries following seasonal monsoon rains increase the importance of terrestrially-derived organic matter in large, regulated river food webs, increasing food chain length and trophic diversity downstream of tributary inputs. Protecting unregulated tributaries within hydropower cascades may be important if we are to mitigate food web structure alteration due to flow regulation by large dams. This is critical in the light of global hydropower development, especially in megadiverse, developing countries where dam placement (including completed and planned structures) is in tributaries.

Temporal Variations in 234U/238U Activity Ratios in Four Mississippi River Tributaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grzymko, T. J.; Marcantonio, F.

2005-05-01

In 2004 we sampled the four tributaries that are the major contributors to the Mississippi River in terms of water discharge, i.e., the Arkansas, Missouri, Upper Mississippi, and Ohio rivers. Each river was sampled four times over the course of the year at variable levels of discharge in an attempt to constrain the causes of the temporal variations of 234U/238U activity ratios in the lower Mississippi River at New Orleans. The tributary uranium data support the idea that lower river uranium isotope and elemental systematics are controlled by a simple mass balance of the source tributary discharges. Furthermore, the uranium isotope ratios of the individual tributaries show coherent patterns of variability. Specifically, the data obtained from the four sampling trips yielded similar patterns of temporal variation in the 234U/238U activity ratios of all of the rivers, although the absolute values of these ratios were distinctly different from one river to the next. The pattern was such that the highest 234U/238U activity ratios were observed during the highest flow associated with the spring freshet while the lowest ratios occurred during the summer. For example, in the Missouri River, the 234U/238U activity ratios varied from 1.51 (February 12) to 1.37 (April 14) to 1.34 (July 16) to 1.37 (November 12), while in the Ohio River the same ratios varied from 1.36 (February 12) to 1.29 (April 14) to 1.21 (July 16) to 1.23 (November 12). The apparent seasonal pattern of these ratios in each tributary has led to several ideas as to the causes of the observed trends. The first, and most obvious, is that in each individual drainage basin there are various source tributaries that contribute to the uranium isotope systematics of the main stem of the tributary of interest. It follows that the variations in the uranium activity ratios may be caused by spatial variations in the source rock chemistry of the drainage basin. Other more complex scenarios can also be envisioned and

Critical role of seasonal tributaries for native fish and aquatic biota in the Sacramento River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchetti, M.

2016-12-01

We examined the ecology of seasonal tributaries in California in terms of native fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates. This talk summarizes data from five individual studies. Studying juvenile Chinook growth using otolith microstructure we find that fish grow faster and larger in seasonal tributaries. In a four-year study on the abundance of native fish larvae in tributaries of the Sacramento River we find certain tributaries produce an order of magnitude more native fish larvae than nearby permanent streams. In a study comparing the distribution and abundance of aquatic macroinvertebrates in a seasonal tributary with a permanent stream we find the seasonal tributary contains unique taxa, higher drift densities and ecologically distinct communities. In a cross-watershed comparison of larval fish drift we find that a seasonal tributary produces more larvae than all other streams/rivers we examined. In a comparison of juvenile Chinook growth morphology between seasonal and permanent streams using geometric morphometrics we find that salmon show phenotypic plasticity and their growth is characteristically different in seasonal tributaries. Taken together, this body of work highlights the critical ecological importance of this habitat.

33 CFR 117.664 - Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries. 117.664 Section 117.664 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Minnesota § 117.664 Rainy River...

33 CFR 117.664 - Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries. 117.664 Section 117.664 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Minnesota § 117.664 Rainy River...

33 CFR 117.664 - Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries. 117.664 Section 117.664 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Minnesota § 117.664 Rainy River...

33 CFR 117.664 - Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Rainy River, Rainy Lake and their tributaries. 117.664 Section 117.664 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY BRIDGES DRAWBRIDGE OPERATION REGULATIONS Specific Requirements Minnesota § 117.664 Rainy River...

Evaluating the conservation potential of tributaries for native fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laub, Brian G.; Thiede, Gary P.; Macfarlane, William W.; Budy, Phaedra

2018-01-01

We explored the conservation potential of tributaries in the upper Colorado River basin by modeling native fish species richness as a function of river discharge, temperature, barrier‐free length, and distance to nearest free‐flowing main‐stem section. We investigated a historic period prior to large‐scale water development and a contemporary period. In the historic period, species richness was log‐linearly correlated to variables capturing flow magnitude, particularly mean annual discharge. In the contemporary period, the log‐linear relationship between discharge and species richness was still evident but weaker. Tributaries with lower average temperature and separated from free‐flowing main‐stem sections often had fewer native species compared to tributaries with similar discharge but with warmer temperature and directly connected to free‐flowing main stems. Thus, tributaries containing only a small proportion of main‐stem discharge, especially those at lower elevations with warmer temperatures and connected to free‐flowing main stems, can support a relatively high species richness. Tributaries can help maintain viable populations by providing ecological processes disrupted on large regulated rivers, such as natural flow and temperature regimes, and may present unique conservation opportunities. Efforts to improve fish passage, secure environmental flows, and restore habitat in these tributaries could greatly contribute to conservation of native fish richness throughout the watershed.

Anthropogenic impacts on American eel demographics in Hudson River tributaries, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Machut, L.S.; Limburg, K.E.; Schmidt, R.E.; Dittman, D.

2007-01-01

Populations of American eel Anguilla rostrata along the eastern coast of North America have declined drastically for largely unknown reasons. We examined the population dynamics of American eels in six tributaries of the Hudson River, New York, to quantify their distribution and the impacts of anthropogenic stressors. With up to 155 American eels per 100 m2, tributary densities are greater than those within the main stem of the Hudson River and are among the highest reported anywhere. The predominance of small American eels (<200 mm) and wide range of ages (from young-of-year glass eels to 24-year-old yellow eels) suggest that tributaries are an important nursery area for immature American eels. However, upstream of natural and artificial barriers, American eel densities were reduced by at least a factor of 10 and condition, as measured by mass, was significantly lower. Significantly lower American eel condition was also found with increasing riparian urbanization. Density-dependent growth limitations below barriers are suggested by increased growth rates above the first tributary barrier. We suggest that (1) tributaries are important habitat for the conservation of American eels and (2) mitigation of anthropogenic stressors is vital for complete utilization of available habitat and conservation of the species. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

Timing, frequency and environmental conditions associated with mainstem-tributary movement by a lowland river fish, golden perch (Macquaria ambigua).

PubMed

Koster, Wayne M; Dawson, David R; O'Mahony, Damien J; Moloney, Paul D; Crook, David A

2014-01-01

Tributary and mainstem connections represent important links for the movement of fish and other biota throughout river networks. We investigated the timing, frequency and environmental conditions associated with movements by adult golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) between the mainstem of the mid-Murray River and a tributary, the Goulburn River, in south-eastern Australia, using acoustic telemetry over four years (2007-2011). Fish were tagged and released in autumn 2007-2009 in the mid-Murray (n = 42) and lower Goulburn (n = 37) rivers within 3-6 km of the mid-Murray-lower Goulburn junction. 38% of tagged fish undertook mainstem-tributary movements, characterised mostly by temporary occupation followed by return of fish to the original capture river. Approximately 10% of tagged fish exhibited longer-term shifts between the mainstem and tributary. Movement of fish from the tributary into the mainstem occurred primarily during the spawning season and in some years coincided with the presence of golden perch eggs/larvae in drift samples in the mainstem. Many of the tributary-to-mainstem movements occurred during or soon after changes in flow. The movements of fish from the mainstem into the tributary were irregular and did not appear to be associated with spawning. The findings show that golden perch moved freely across the mainstem-tributary interface. This demonstrates the need to consider the spatial, behavioural and demographic interdependencies of aquatic fauna across geographic management units such as rivers.

Timing, Frequency and Environmental Conditions Associated with Mainstem–Tributary Movement by a Lowland River Fish, Golden Perch (Macquaria ambigua)

PubMed Central

Koster, Wayne M.; Dawson, David R.; O’Mahony, Damien J.; Moloney, Paul D.; Crook, David A.

2014-01-01

Tributary and mainstem connections represent important links for the movement of fish and other biota throughout river networks. We investigated the timing, frequency and environmental conditions associated with movements by adult golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) between the mainstem of the mid-Murray River and a tributary, the Goulburn River, in south-eastern Australia, using acoustic telemetry over four years (2007–2011). Fish were tagged and released in autumn 2007–2009 in the mid-Murray (n = 42) and lower Goulburn (n = 37) rivers within 3–6 km of the mid-Murray-lower Goulburn junction. 38% of tagged fish undertook mainstem–tributary movements, characterised mostly by temporary occupation followed by return of fish to the original capture river. Approximately 10% of tagged fish exhibited longer-term shifts between the mainstem and tributary. Movement of fish from the tributary into the mainstem occurred primarily during the spawning season and in some years coincided with the presence of golden perch eggs/larvae in drift samples in the mainstem. Many of the tributary-to-mainstem movements occurred during or soon after changes in flow. The movements of fish from the mainstem into the tributary were irregular and did not appear to be associated with spawning. The findings show that golden perch moved freely across the mainstem–tributary interface. This demonstrates the need to consider the spatial, behavioural and demographic interdependencies of aquatic fauna across geographic management units such as rivers. PMID:24788137

Modeling Streamflow and Water Temperature in the North Santiam and Santiam Rivers, Oregon, 2001-02

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sullivan, Annett B.; Roundsk, Stewart A.

2004-01-01

To support the development of a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for water temperature in the Willamette Basin, the laterally averaged, two-dimensional model CE-QUAL-W2 was used to construct a water temperature and streamflow model of the Santiam and North Santiam Rivers. The rivers were simulated from downstream of Detroit and Big Cliff dams to the confluence with the Willamette River. Inputs to the model included bathymetric data, flow and temperature from dam releases, tributary flow and temperature, and meteorologic data. The model was calibrated for the period July 1 through November 21, 2001, and confirmed with data from April 1 through October 31, 2002. Flow calibration made use of data from two streamflow gages and travel-time and river-width data. Temperature calibration used data from 16 temperature monitoring locations in 2001 and 5 locations in 2002. A sensitivity analysis was completed by independently varying input parameters, including point-source flow, air temperature, flow and water temperature from dam releases, and riparian shading. Scenario analyses considered hypothetical river conditions without anthropogenic heat inputs, with restored riparian vegetation, with minimum streamflow from the dams, and with a more-natural seasonal water temperature regime from dam releases.

Distribution of agrochemicals in the lower Mississippi River and its tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pereira, W.E.; Rostad, C.E.; Leiker, T.J.

1990-01-01

The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain extensive agricultural regions of the Mid-Continental United States. Millions of pounds of herbicides are applied annually in these areas to improve crop yields. Many of these compounds are transported into the river from point and nonpoint sources, and eventually are discharged into the Gulf of Mexico. Studies being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey along the lower Mississippi River and its major tributaries, representing a 2000 km river reach, have confirmed that several triazine and acetanilide herbicides and their degradation products are ubiquitous in this riverine system. These compounds include atrazine and its degradation products desethyl and desisopropylatrazine, cyanazine, simazine, metolachlor, and alachlor and its degradation products 2-chloro-2',6'-diethylacetanilide, 2-hydroxy-2',6-diethylacetanilide and 2,6-diethylaniline. Loads of these compounds were determined at 16 different sampling stations. Stream-load calculations provided information concerning (a) conservative or nonconservative behavior of herbicides; (b) point sources or nonpoint sources; (c) validation of sampling techniques; and (d) transport past each sampling station.

Translocation of Humpback Chub into tributary streams of the Colorado River: Implications for conservation of large-river fishes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spurgeon, Jonathan J.; Paukert, Craig P.; Healy, Brian D.; Trammell, Melissa; Speas, Dave; Smith, Emily Omana

2015-01-01

The Humpback Chub Gila cypha, a large-bodied, endangered cyprinid endemic to the Colorado River basin, is in decline throughout most of its range due largely to anthropogenic factors. Translocation of Humpback Chub into tributaries of the Colorado River is one conservation activity that may contribute to the expansion of the species’ current range and eventually provide population redundancy. We evaluated growth, survival, and dispersal following translocation of approximately 900 Humpback Chub over a period of 3 years (2009, 2010, and 2011) into Shinumo Creek, a tributary stream of the Colorado River within Grand Canyon National Park. Growth and condition of Humpback Chub in Shinumo Creek were consistent among year-classes and equaled or surpassed growth estimates from both the main-stem Colorado River and the Little Colorado River, where the largest (and most stable) Humpback Chub aggregation remains. Based on passive integrated tag recoveries, 53% ( = 483/902) of translocated Humpback Chub dispersed from Shinumo Creek into the main-stem Colorado River as of January 2013, 35% leaving within 25 d following translocation. Annual apparent survival estimates within Shinumo Creek ranged from 0.22 to 0.41, but were strongly influenced by emigration. Results indicate that Shinumo Creek provides favorable conditions for growth and survival of translocated Humpback Chub and could support a new population if reproduction and recruitment occur in the future. Adaptation of translocation strategies of Humpback Chub into tributary streams ultimately may refine the role translocation plays in recovery of the species.

Water Quality of the Snake River and Five Eastern Tributaries in the Upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1998-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Melanie L.; Sadler, Wilfrid J.; O'Ney, Susan E.

2004-01-01

To address water-resource management objectives of the National Park Service in Grand Teton National Park, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service has conducted water-quality sampling in the upper Snake River Basin. Routine sampling of the Snake River was conducted during water years 1998-2002 to monitor the water quality of the Snake River through time. A synoptic study during 2002 was conducted to supplement the routine Snake River sampling and establish baseline water-quality conditions of five of its eastern tributaries?Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek. Samples from the Snake River and the five tributaries were collected at 12 sites and analyzed for field measurements, major ions and dissolved solids, nutrients, selected trace metals, pesticides, and suspended sediment. In addition, the eastern tributaries were sampled for fecal-indicator bacteria by the National Park Service during the synoptic study. Major-ion chemistry of the Snake River varies between an upstream site above Jackson Lake near the northern boundary of Grand Teton National Park and a downstream site near the southern boundary of the Park, in part owing to the inputs from the eastern tributaries. Water type of the Snake River changes from sodium bicarbonate at the upstream site to calcium bicarbonate at the downstream site. The water type of the five eastern tributaries is calcium bicarbonate. Dissolved solids in samples collected from the Snake River were significantly higher at the upstream site (p-value<0.001), where concentrations in 43 samples ranged from 62 to 240 milligrams per liter, compared to the downstream site where concentrations in 33 samples ranged from 77 to 141 milligrams per liter. Major-ion chemistry of Pilgrim Creek, Pacific Creek, Buffalo Fork, Spread Creek, and Ditch Creek generally did not change substantially between the upstream sites near the National Park Service boundary with the National

Kootenai River Fisheries Investigation; Stock Status of Burbot, 2004-2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paragamian, Vaughn L.; Laude, Dorothy C.

2006-03-01

The main objective of this investigation was to monitor movement and spawning activity of burbot Lota lota in the Kootenai River, Idaho and British Columbia, Canada during the winter of 2004-2005. As a secondary objective, we examined the literature to obtain inferential information on how changes in historic water temperature may affect burbot movement and spawning. Discharge from Libby Dam for October 2004 ranged from 133 to 272 m{sup 3}/s, was ramped up to 532 m{sup 3}/s early in November, then was brought down to about 283 m{sup 3}/s through the last 10 days of the month. In early Decembermore » 2004, discharge was brought up to full powerhouse of about 762 m{sup 3}/s several times but remained above 436 m{sup 3}/s for most of the month. However, with the prospect of a below normal snowpack and a mild winter, discharge was brought down to 113 m{sup 3}/s, minimum flow, for the remainder of January through March 2005. Discharge did not meet the systems operation request as a burbot rehabilitation measure. Mean water temperature of the Kootenai River at Libby Dam from November 1, 2004 through April 5, 2005 was 5.3 C, ranging from 10.45 C on November 1, 2004 to 3.2 C on March 2, 2005. Tributary water temperatures were monitored in Deep, Smith, and Boundary creeks in Idaho and in the Goat River, Corn, and Summit creeks, British Columbia, Canada from November 1, 2004 to about April 18, 2005. Baited hoop nets of 25 and 19 mm bar mesh were fished from November 5, 2004 through April 4, 2005 for 2,046 net d (one net day is a single 24 h set). One hundred twenty-two fish were caught encompassing ten different species of fish. Eighteen burbot (14 different fish) were captured. Sixteen of the captures were at Ambush Rock (rkm 244.5), one was near Nicks Island (rkm 144.5), British Columbia, and the other was downstream of the Goat River (rkm 152.7). Of the 18 burbot captured, one fish escaped from the net overnight, four were recaptures from this year's study, six were

33 CFR 334.450 - Cape Fear River and tributaries at Sunny Point Army Terminal, Brunswick County, N.C.; restricted...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cape Fear River and tributaries... AND RESTRICTED AREA REGULATIONS § 334.450 Cape Fear River and tributaries at Sunny Point Army Terminal, Brunswick County, N.C.; restricted area. (a) The area. That portion of Cape Fear River due west of the main...

Channel planform change and detachment of tributary: A study on the Haora and Katakhal Rivers, Tripura, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandyopadhyay, Shreya; Saha, Sushmita; Ghosh, Kapil; Kumar De, Sunil

2013-07-01

The main objective of the paper is to find the probable causes behind the shifting course of the Haora River, one of the major rivers of West Tripura and detachment of one of its major tributaries, the Katakhal River. From a recent satellite image, we observed that the River Haora has changed its course drastically near the confluence. Earlier, it used to take a sharp northward bend to meet with the River Titas immediately after crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border; but presently it is flowing westward to do so. Moreover, the Katakhal River, a right bank tributary of the River Haora, that used to flow through the northern side of the city of Agartala and meet with the River Haora at Bangladesh, is no longer a tributary of the Haora River. Now it is completely detached from the Haora River and meets with the River Titas separately. Spatiotemporal maps have been used to detect the changes. Field investigation, with the help of GPS, has been done in order to find the link between the Haora River and the Katakhal River within the Indian territory. Changing patterns of the Haora and Katakhal River confluences are also analysed, and earlier courses are identified. The shifting trends of both of these two rivers are found along the flanks of the interfluvial area because of microscale tectonic activity, i.e., upliftment of the interfluvial zone.

Design of a monitoring network and assessment of the pollution on the Lerma river and its tributaries by wastewaters disposal.

PubMed

Fall, C; Hinojosa-Peña, A; Carreño-de-León, M C

2007-02-01

While the 2005 progress report of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals stresses out the need of a dramatic increase in investment to meet the sanitation target in the third world, it is important to anticipate about some parallel negative impacts that may have this optimistic programme (extension of sewer networks without sufficient treatment works). Research was initiated on Lerma River (Mexico), subjected to many rejects disposal, to design a monitoring network and evaluate the impact of wastewaters on its water quality. The discharges was inventorized, geo-positioned with a GPS and mapped, while the physico-chemical characteristics of the river water, its tributaries and main rejects were evaluated. Microtox system was used as an additional screening tool. Along the 60 km of the High Course of Lerma River (HCLR), 51 discharges, with a diameter or width larger than 0.3 m (including 7 small tributaries) were identified. Based on the inventory, a monitoring network of 21 sampling stations in the river and 13 in the important discharges (>2 m) was proposed. A great similitude was found between the average characteristics of the discharges and the river itself, in both the wet and dry seasons. Oxygen was found exhausted (<0.5 mg/L) almost all along the high course of the river, with COD and TDS average levels of 390 and 1980 mg/L in the dry season, against 150 and 400 mg/L in the wet season. In the dry season, almost all the sites along the river revealed some toxicity to the bacteria test species (2.9 to 150 TU, with an average of 27 TU). Same septic conditions and toxicity levels were observed in many of the discharges. Four of the six evaluated tributaries, as well as the lagoon (origin of the river), were relatively in better conditions (2 to 8 mg/L D.O., TU<1) than for the Lerma, acting as diluents and renewal of the HCLR flow rate. The river was shown to be quite a main sewer collector. The high surface water contamination by untreated wastewaters

Spawning and nursery habitats of neotropical fish species in the tributaries of a regulated river

USGS Publications Warehouse

Makrakis, Maristela Cavicchioli; da Silva, Patrícia S.; Makrakis, Sergio; de Lima, Ariane F.; de Assumpção, Lucileine; de Paula, Salete; Miranda, Leandro E.; Dias, João Henrique Pinheiro

2012-01-01

This chapter provides information on ontogenetic patterns of neotropical fish species distribution in tributaries (Verde, Pardo, Anhanduí, and Aguapeí rivers) of the Porto Primavera Reservoir, in the heavily dammed Paraná River, Brazil, identifying key spawning and nursery habitats. Samplings were conducted monthly in the main channel of rivers and in marginal lagoons from October through March during three consecutive spawning seasons in 2007-2010. Most species spawn in December especially in Verde River. Main river channels are spawning habitats and marginal lagoons are nursery areas for most fish, mainly for migratory species. The tributaries have high diversity of larvae species: a total of 56 taxa representing 21 families, dominated by Characidae. Sedentary species without parental care are more abundant (45.7%), and many long-distance migratory fish species are present (17.4%). Migrators included Prochilodus lineatus, Rhaphiodon vulpinus, Hemisorubim platyrhynchos, Pimelodus maculatus, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, Sorubim lima, two threatened migratory species: Salminus brasiliensis and Zungaro jahu, and one endangered migratory species: Brycon orbignyanus. Most of these migratory species are vital to commercial and recreational fishing, and their stocks have decreased drastically in the last decades, attributed to habitat alteration, especially impoundments. The fish ladder at Porto Primavera Dam appears to be playing an important role in re-establishing longitudinal connectivity among critical habitats, allowing ascent to migratory fish species, and thus access to upstream reaches and tributaries. Establishment of Permanent Conservation Units in tributaries can help preserve habitats identified as essential spawning and nursery areas, and can be key to the maintenance and conservation of the fish species in the Paraná River basin.

Organochlorine pesticide residues in bed sediments of the San Joaquin River and its tributary streams, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilliom, R.J.; Clifton, D.G.

1987-01-01

The distribution and concentrations of organochlorine pesticide residues in bed sediments were assessed from samples collected at 24 sites in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries in the San Joaquin Valley, California. Sampling was designed to collect the finest grained bed sediments present in the vicinity of each site. One or more of the 14 pesticides analyzed were detected at every site. Pesticides detected at one or more sites were chlordane, DDD, DDE, DDT, dieldrin, endosulfan, mirex, and toxaphene. Pesticides not detected were endrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, lindane, methoxychlor, and perthane. The most frequently detected pesticides were DDD (83% of sites), DDE (all sites), DDT (33% of sites), and dieldrin (58% of sites). Maximum concentrations of these pesticides, which were correlated with each other and with the amount of organic carbon in the sample, were DDD, 260 micrograms/kg; DDE, 430 micrograms/kg; DDT, 420 micrograms/kg; and dieldrin, 8.9 micrograms/kg. Six small tributary streams that drain agricultural areas west of the San Joaquin River had the highest concentrations. Water concentrations and loads were estimated for each pesticide from its concentration in bed sediments, the concentration of suspended sediment, and streamflow. Estimated loadings of DDD, DDE, DDT, and dieldrin from tributaries to the San Joaquin River indicate that most of the loading to the river at the time of the study was probably from the westside tributaries. Estimated water concentrations exceeded the aquatic life criterion for the sum of DDD, DDE, and DDt of 0.001 microgram/L at nine of the 24 sites sampled. Five of the nine sites are westside tributaries and one is the San Joaquin River near Vernalis. (Author 's abstract)

33 CFR 334.475 - Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. 334.475 Section 334.475 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF....475 Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. (a) The areas: (1) That...°. (9) (Laurel Bay Military Family Housing Area, Broad River). That section of the Broad River...

33 CFR 334.475 - Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. 334.475 Section 334.475 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF....475 Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. (a) The areas: (1) That...°. (9) (Laurel Bay Military Family Housing Area, Broad River). That section of the Broad River...

33 CFR 334.475 - Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. 334.475 Section 334.475 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF....475 Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. (a) The areas: (1) That...°. (9) (Laurel Bay Military Family Housing Area, Broad River). That section of the Broad River...

33 CFR 334.475 - Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. 334.475 Section 334.475 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF....475 Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. (a) The areas: (1) That...°. (9) (Laurel Bay Military Family Housing Area, Broad River). That section of the Broad River...

33 CFR 334.475 - Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. 334.475 Section 334.475 Navigation and Navigable Waters CORPS OF....475 Brickyard Creek and tributaries and the Broad River at Beaufort, SC. (a) The areas: (1) That...°. (9) (Laurel Bay Military Family Housing Area, Broad River). That section of the Broad River...

A Synoptic Survey of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Tributary Streams and Great Rivers of the Upper Mississippi River Basin

EPA Science Inventory

We combined stream chemistry and hydrology data from surveys of 467 tributary stream sites and 447 great river sites in the Upper Mississippi River basin to provide a regional snapshot of baseflow total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations, and to investigate th...

Contrasting biogeochemical characteristics of right-bank tributaries of the Oubangui River, and a comparison with the mainstem river (Congo basin, Central African Republic).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouillon, Steven; Yambélé, Athanase; Gillikin, David P.; Teodoru, Cristian; Darchambeau, François; Lambert, Thibault; Borges, Alberto V.

2014-05-01

The Oubangui is a major right-bank tributary of the Congo River, draining an area of ~500,000 km² of mainly wooded savannahs. Here, we describe data on the physico-chemical characteristics and biogeochemistry of contrasting tributaries within the central Oubangui catchment collected during 3 field surveys between 2010 and 2012, with land use ranging from wooded savannahs to humid tropical rainforest. Compared to data from two years of sampling at high temporal resolution on the mainstem river in Bangui (Central African Republic), these tributaries show a remarkably wide range of biogeochemical signatures, from highly diluted blackwaters (low turbidity, pH, conductivity and total alkalinity (TA)) in rivers draining dense rainforests to those more typical for (sub)tropical savannah systems. Based on carbon stable isotope data (δ13C), the majority of sites show a corresponding dominance of C3-derived organic matter, with a tendency for increased C4 contributions the more turbid sites such as the Mpoko River. δ13C of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were generally similar to those of particulate organic carbon (POC) across the different tributaries. δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) ranged between -28.1 ‰ in low-TA rainforest (blackwater) rivers to -5.8 ‰ in the mainstem Oubangui. These variations were strongly correlated to both partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and to the estimated contribution of carbonate weathering to total alkalinity, suggesting an important control of the dominant weathering regime (silicate versus carbonate weathering) on DIC and CO2 fluxes. All tributaries were consistently oversaturated in dissolved greenhouse gases (CH4, N2O, and CO2) with respect to atmospheric equilibrium, with highest levels observed in rivers draining rainforest vegetation. The high diversity observed within this subcatchment of the Congo River basin is equivalent to that observed in much larger, heterogeneous catchments, and underscores the importance of

Northern Great Plains Network water quality monitoring design for tributaries to the Missouri National Recreational River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rowe, Barbara L.; Wilson, Stephen K.; Yager, Lisa; Wilson, Marcia H.

2013-01-01

The National Park Service (NPS) organized more than 270 parks with important natural resources into 32 ecoregional networks to conduct Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) activities for assessment of natural resources within park units. The Missouri National Recreational River (NRR) is among the 13 parks in the NPS Northern Great Plain Network (NGPN). Park managers and NGPN staff identified surface water resources as a high priority vital sign to monitor in park units. The objectives for the Missouri NRR water quality sampling design are to (1) assess the current status and long-term trends of select water quality parameters; and (2) document trends in streamflow at high-priority stream systems. Due to the large size of the Missouri River main stem, the NGPN water quality design for the Missouri NRR focuses on wadeable tributaries within the park unit. To correlate with the NGPN water quality protocols, monitoring of the Missouri NRR consists of measurement of field core parameters including dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, and temperature; and streamflow. The purpose of this document is to discuss factors examined for selection of water quality monitoring on segments of the Missouri River tributaries within the Missouri NRR.Awareness of the complex history of the Missouri NRR aids in the current understanding and direction for designing a monitoring plan. Historical and current monitoring data from agencies and entities were examined to assess potential NGPN monitoring sites. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 303(d) list was examined for the impaired segments on tributaries to the Missouri River main stem. Because major tributaries integrate water quality effects from complex combinations of land use and environmental settings within contributing areas, a 20-mile buffer of the Missouri NRR was used to establish environmental settings that may impact the water quality of tributaries that feed the Missouri River main stem. For selection of

Design of a sediment-monitoring gaging network on ephemeral tributaries of the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffiths, Ronald E.; Topping, David J.; Anderson, Robert S.; Hancock, Gregory S.; Melis, Theodore S.

2014-01-01

Management of sediment in rivers downstream from dams requires knowledge of both the sediment supply and downstream sediment transport. In some dam-regulated rivers, the amount of sediment supplied by easily measured major tributaries may overwhelm the amount of sediment supplied by the more difficult to measure lesser tributaries. In this first class of rivers, managers need only know the amount of sediment supplied by these major tributaries. However, in other regulated rivers, the cumulative amount of sediment supplied by the lesser tributaries may approach the total supplied by the major tributaries. The Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon has been hypothesized to be one such river. If this is correct, then management of sediment in the Colorado River in the part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area downstream from the dam and in Grand Canyon National Park may require knowledge of the sediment supply from all tributaries. Although two major tributaries, the Paria and Little Colorado Rivers, are well documented as the largest two suppliers of sediment to the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, the contributions of sediment supplied by the ephemeral lesser tributaries of the Colorado River in the lowermost Glen Canyon, and Marble and Grand Canyons are much less constrained. Previous studies have estimated amounts of sediment supplied by these tributaries ranging from very little to almost as much as the amount supplied by the Paria River. Because none of these previous studies relied on direct measurement of sediment transport in any of the ephemeral tributaries in Glen, Marble, or Grand Canyons, there may be significant errors in the magnitudes of sediment supplies estimated during these studies. To reduce the uncertainty in the sediment supply by better constraining the sediment yield of the ephemeral lesser tributaries, the U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center established eight sediment-monitoring gaging

Suspended Sediment Loads and Tributary Inputs in the Mississippi River below St. Louis, MO, 1990-2013 Compared With Earlier Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allison, M. A.; Biedenharn, D. S.; Dahl, T. A.; Kleiss, B.; Little, C. D.

2017-12-01

Annual suspended sediment loads and water discharges were calculated in the Mississippi River mainstem channel, and at the most downstream gaging station for major tributaries, from below the Missouri confluence near St. Louis, MO to Belle Chasse, LA, as well as down the Atchafalaya distributary for water years 1990 to 2013. The purpose of the present study was to assess changes in the Mississippi River sediment budget over the past half century, and to examine the continuing role that anthropogenic (e.g., dams, river control works, soil conservation practices) and natural (e.g., rainfall and denudation rates) factors have in controlling these changes. Sixteen of the 17 measured Mississippi River tributaries decreased in total suspended sediment load) from 1970-1978 to 1990-2013. The largest decreases occurred in the 2nd (Ohio River, 41% of 1970-1978) and 4th (Arkansas River, 45% of 1970-1978) largest water sources to the Mississippi. The Missouri River remains the largest Mississippi River tributary in terms of average annual suspended sediment flux; its relative contribution increased from 38% to 51% of the total flux from the 17 measured tributaries, even as its total suspended flux declined by 13%. Averaged over the period of study (WY 1990-2013), water flux increased by 468% and sediment flux increased by 37,418% downstream from the Gavin's Point Dam to the confluence with the Mississippi. Possible reasons for this disproportional increase in suspended sediment load downstream include sediment-rich contributions from 2nd order rivers below the dams and channel incision. Suggested station improvements to the system include improved monitoring of the Upper Mississippi and Arkansas River tributaries, establishing additional mainstem stations in the reach between Thebes, IL and Arkansas City, AR, and standardization of laboratory and field methodologies to eliminate a major source of station-to-station and time-series variability in the sediment budgeting.

Phosphorus Concentrations, Loads, and Yields in the Illinois River Basin, Arkansas and Oklahoma, 1997-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pickup, Barbara E.; Andrews, William J.; Haggard, Brian E.; Green, W. Reed

2003-01-01

The Illinois River and tributaries, Flint Creek and the Baron Fork, are designated scenic rivers in Oklahoma. Recent phosphorus increases in streams in the basin have resulted in the growth of excess algae, which have limited the aesthetic benefits of water bodies in the basin, especially the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has established a standard for total phosphorus not to exceed the 30- day geometric mean concentration of 0.037 milligram per liter in Oklahoma Scenic Rivers. Data from water-quality samples from 1997 to 2001 were used to summarize phosphorus concentrations and estimate phosphorus loads, yields, and flowweighted concentrations in the Illinois River basin. Phosphorus concentrations in the Illinois River basin generally were significantly greater in runoff-event samples than in base-flow samples. Phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with increasing base flow, from dilution, and increased with runoff, possibly because of phosphorus resuspension, stream bank erosion, and the addition of phosphorus from nonpoint sources. Estimated mean annual phosphorus loads were greater at the Illinois River stations than at Flint Creek and the Baron Fork. Loads appeared to generally increase with time during 1997-2001 at all stations, but this increase might be partly attributable to the beginning of runoff-event sampling in the basin in July 1999. Base-flow loads at stations on the Illinois River were about 10 times greater than those on the Baron Fork and 5 times greater than those on Flint Creek. Runoff components of the annual total phosphorus load ranged from 58.7 to 96.8 percent from 1997-2001. Base-flow and runoff loads were generally greatest in spring (March through May) or summer (June through August), and were least in fall (September through November). Total yields of phosphorus ranged from 107 to 797 pounds per year per square mile. Greatest yields were at Flint Creek near Kansas (365 to 797 pounds per

Congruent Bifurcation Angles in River Delta and Tributary Channel Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coffey, Thomas S.; Shaw, John B.

2017-11-01

We show that distributary channels on river deltas exhibit a mean bifurcation angle that can be understood using theory developed in tributary channel networks. In certain cases, tributary network bifurcation geometries have been demonstrated to be controlled by diffusive groundwater flow feeding incipient bifurcations, producing a characteristic angle of 72∘. We measured 25 unique distributary bifurcations in an experimental delta and 197 bifurcations in 10 natural deltas, yielding a mean angle of 70.4∘±2.6∘ (95% confidence interval) for field-scale deltas and a mean angle of 68.3∘±8.7∘ for the experimental delta, consistent with this theoretical prediction. The bifurcation angle holds for small scales relative to channel width length scales. Furthermore, the experimental data show that the mean angle is 72∘ immediately after bifurcation initiation and remains relatively constant over significant time scales. Although distributary networks do not mirror tributary networks perfectly, the similar control and expression of bifurcation angles suggests that additional morphodynamic insight may be gained from further comparative study.

Nitrate in the Mississippi River and its tributaries, 1980 to 2008: Are we making progress?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sprague, Lori A.; Hirsch, Robert M.; Aulenbach, Brent T.

2011-01-01

Changes in nitrate concentration and flux between 1980 and 2008 at eight sites in the Mississippi River basin were determined using a new statistical method that accommodates evolving nitrate behavior over time and produces flow-normalized estimates of nitrate concentration and flux that are independent of random variations in streamflow. The results show that little consistent progress has been made in reducing riverine nitrate since 1980, and that flow-normalized concentration and flux are increasing in some areas. Flow-normalized nitrate concentration and flux increased between 9 and 76% at four sites on the Mississippi River and a tributary site on the Missouri River, but changed very little at tributary sites on the Ohio, Iowa, and Illinois Rivers. Increases in flow-normalized concentration and flux at the Mississippi River at Clinton and Missouri River at Hermann were more than three times larger than at any other site. The increases at these two sites contributed much of the 9% increase in flow-normalized nitrate flux leaving the Mississippi River basin. At most sites, concentrations increased more at low and moderate streamflows than at high streamflows, suggesting that increasing groundwater concentrations are having an effect on river concentrations.

Determing Lamprey Species Composition, Larval Distribution, and Adult Abundance in the Deschutes River, Oregon, Subbasin; 2005-2006 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Graham, Jennifer C.; Brun, Christopher V.

2006-05-01

Information about lamprey species composition, distribution, life history, abundance, habitat requirements, and exploitation in the lower Deschutes River Subbasin is extremely limited. During 2002, we began a multi-year study to assess the status of lamprey in the Deschutes River subbasin. The objectives of this project are to determine ammocoete (larval lamprey) distribution and associated habitats; Lampretra species composition; numbers of emigrants; adult escapement and harvest rates at Sherars Falls. This report describes the preliminary results of data collected during 2005. We continued documenting ammocoete (larval) habitat selection by surveying four perennial eastside tributaries to the Deschutes River (Warm Springs River,more » Badger, Beaver and Shitike creeks) within the known ammocoete distribution. The results of 2003-2005 sampling indicate that positive relationships exist between: presence of wood (P = < 0.001), depositional area (P = < 0.001), flow (P = < 0.001), and fine substrate (P = < 0.001). Out-migrants numbers were not estimated during 2005 due to our inability to recapture marked larvae. In Shitike Creek, ammocoete and microphthalmia out-migration peaked during November 2005. In the Warm Spring River, out-migration peaked for ammocoetes in April 2006 and December 2005 for microphthalmia. Samples of ammocoetes from each stream were retained in a permanent collection of future analysis. An escapement estimate was generated for adult Pacific lamprey in the lower Deschutes River using a two event mark-recapture experiment during run year 2005. A modified Peterson model was used to estimate the adult population of Pacific lamprey at 3,895 with an estimated escapement of 2,881 during 2005 (95% CI= 2,847; M = 143; C = 1,027 R = 37). A tribal creel was also conducted from mid-June through August. We estimated tribal harvest to be approximately 1,015 adult lamprey during 2005 (95% CI= +/- 74).« less

Copper, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in aquatic food chains from the Upper Sacramento River (California) and selected tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saiki, M.K.; Castleberry, D. T.; May, T. W.; Martin, B.A.; Bullard, F. N.

1995-01-01

Metals enter the Upper Sacramento River above Redding, California, primarily through Spring Creek, a tributary that receives acid-mine drainage from a US EPA Superfund site known locally as Iron Mountain Mine. Waterweed (Elodea canadensis) and aquatic insects (midge larvae, Chironomidae; and mayfly nymphs, Ephemeroptera) from the Sacramento River downstream from Spring Creek contained much higher concentrations of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn) than did similar taxa from nearby reference tributaries not exposed to acid-mine drainage. Aquatic insects from the Sacramento River contained especially high maximum concentrations of Cu (200 mg/kg dry weight in midge larvae), Cd (23 mg/kg dry weight in mayfly nymphs), and Zn (1,700 mg/kg dry weight in mayfly nymphs). Although not always statistically significant, whole-body concentrations of Cu, Cd, and Zn in fishes (threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus; Sacramento sucker, Catostomus occidentalis; Sacramento squawfish, Ptychocheilus grandis; and chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytasch) from the Sacramento River were generally higher than in fishes from the reference tributaries.

Tucannon River Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, Annual Report 2001.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gallinat, Michael P.; Bumgarner, Joseph D.

2002-05-01

This report summarizes the objectives, tasks, and accomplishments of the Tucannon River spring chinook captive brood during 2001. The WDFW initiated a captive broodstock program in 1997. The overall goal of the Tucannon River captive broodstock program is for the short-term, and eventually long-term, rebuilding of the Tucannon River spring chinook salmon run, with the hope that natural production will sustain itself. The project goal is to rear captive salmon selected from the supplementation program to adults, spawn them, rear their progeny, and release approximately 150,000 smolts annually into the Tucannon River between 2003-2007. These smolt releases, in combination withmore » the current hatchery supplementation program (132,000 smolts) and wild production, are expected to produce 600-700 returning adult spring chinook to the Tucannon River each year from 2005-2010. The captive broodstock program will collect fish from five (1997-2001) brood years (BY). The captive broodstock program was initiated with 1997 BY juveniles, and the 2001 BY fish have been selected. As of Jan 1, 2002, WDFW has 17 BY 1997, 159 BY 1998, 316 BY 1999, 448 BY 2000, and approximately 1,200 BY 2001 fish on hand at LFH. The 2001 eggtake from the 1997 brood year (Age 4) was 233,894 eggs from 125 ripe females. Egg survival was 69%. Mean fecundity based on the 105 fully spawned females was 1,990 eggs/female. The 2001 eggtake from the 1998 brood year (Age 3) was 47,409 eggs from 41 ripe females. Egg survival was 81%. Mean fecundity based on the 39 fully spawned females was 1,160 eggs/female. The total 2001 eggtake from the captive brood program was 281,303 eggs. As of May 1, 2002 we have 171,495 BY 2001 captive brood progeny on hand. A total of 20,592 excess fish were marked as parr (AD/CWT) and will be released during early May, 2002 into the Tucannon River (rkm 40-45). This will allow us to stay within our maximum allowed number (150,000) of smolts released. During April 2002, WDFW

Characterizing hydroclimatic variability in tributaries of the Upper Colorado River Basin—WY1911-2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matter, Margaret A.; Garcia, Luis A.; Fontane, Darrell G.; Bledsoe, Brian

2010-01-01

SummaryMountain snowpack is the main source of water in the semi-arid Colorado River Basin (CRB), and while the demands for water are increasing, competing and often conflicting, the supply is limited and has become increasingly variable over the 20th Century. Greater variability is believed to contribute to lower accuracy in water supply forecasts, plus greater variability violates the assumption of stationarity, a fundamental assumption of many methods used in water resources engineering planning, design and management. Thus, it is essential to understand the underpinnings of hydroclimatic variability in order to accurately predict effects of climate changes and effectively meet future water supply challenges. A new methodology was applied to characterized time series of temperature, precipitation, and streamflow (i.e., historic and reconstructed undepleted flows) according to the three climate regimes that occurred in CRB during the 20th Century. Results for two tributaries in the Upper CRB show that hydroclimatic variability is more deterministic than previously thought because it entails complementary temperature and precipitation patterns associated with wetter or drier conditions on climate regime and annual scales. Complementary temperature and precipitation patterns characterize climate regime type (e.g., cool/wet and warm/dry), and the patterns entail increasing or decreasing temperatures and changes in magnitude and timing of precipitation according to the climate regime type. Accompanying each climate regime on annual scales are complementary temperature ( T) and precipitation ( P) patterns that are associated with upcoming precipitation and annual basin yield (i.e., total annual flow volume at a streamflow gauge). Annual complementary T and P patterns establish by fall, are detectable as early as September, persist to early spring, are related to the relative magnitude of upcoming precipitation and annual basin yield, are unique to climate regime type

Linking Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Physicochemical Variables for Water Quality Assessment in Saigon River and Its Tributaries, Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, A. D.

2017-10-01

The benthic macroinvertebrates living on the bottom channels are one of the most promising of the potential indicators of river health for the Saigon River and its tributaries with hydrochemistry playing a supporting role. An evaluation of the interrelationships within this approach deems necessary. This work identified and tested these relationships to improve the method for water quality assessment. Data from over 4,500 km2 watershed were used as a representative example for the Saigon River and its tributaries. The data covered the period March and September, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2015. To implement this evaluation, the analyses were based on accepted the methodology of Mekong River Commission and the studies of scientific group for the biological status assessment. For correlation analyses, the selected environmental variables were compared with the ecological indices, based on benthic macroinvertebrates. The results showed that the metrics of Species Richness, H’, and 1-DS had significant and strong relationships with the water quality variables of DO, BOD5, T_N, and TP (R2 = 0.3751 - 0.8866; P << 0.05). While the metrics of Abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates did not have a statistically significant relationship with any water quality variables (R2 = 0.0000 - 0.0744; P > 0.05). Additionally, the metrics of Species Richness, H’, and 1-DS had negatively correlated with the pH and TSS. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine the ecological quality of the Saigon River and its tributaries using benthic macroinvertebrates seems to be the most sensitive indicator to correlate with physicochemical variables. This demonstrated that it could be applied to describe the water quality in the Saigon River and its tributaries.

Nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations and loads and benthic-invertebrate data for tributaries to the St. Croix River, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 1997-99

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lenz, Bernard N.; Robertson, Dale M.; Fallon, James D.; Ferrin, Randy

2001-01-01

Benthic invertebrates were sampled and indices of water quality were calculated at 16 tributaries in fall 1999. Benthic invertebrate indices indicated excellent to good water quality at all tributaries except Valley Creek, Willow River, and Kettle River. No relations were found between benthic invertebrate indices and the calculated and estimated 1999 annual tributary loads and yields.

Heavy truck casualty collisions, 2001-2005

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-04-01

This document reviews casualty collisions (fatalities and injuries) involving heavy trucks in Canada : from 2001 to 2005. Collisions involving heavy trucks include all vehicles in these collisions, such as : passenger cars, light trucks and vans, hea...

The Bottomland Hardwoods of the Hatchie River, The Only Unchannelized Mississippi Tributary

Treesearch

Roger Steed; Edward Buckner

2002-01-01

Documenting the natural condition of the floodplain forests of Mississippi River tributaries becomes ever more elusive as cultural alterations continue to obscure their "original" character. The 4,532 hectare Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge (HNWR) in West Tennessee provides the best-available opportunity to document the floodplain forests that once...

Water and sediment quality of the Yukon River and its tributaries, from Eagle to St. Marys, Alaska, 2002-2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dornblaser, Mark M.; Halm, Douglas R.

2006-01-01

The Yukon River basin is a vast and diverse ecosystem covering more than 330,000 square miles, an area larger than Texas. Approximately 126,000 people live within the basin and depend on the Yukon River and its tributaries for drinking water, commerce, and recreational and subsistence fish and game resources. Much of the Yukon River basin is underlain by permafrost containing vast amounts of organic carbon and nutrients. Recent climatic warming of the basin has resulted in lengthening of the growing season, melting of permafrost, deepening of the soil active layer, drying of upland soils, and shrinking of wetlands. These mostly terrestrial effects also affect the hydrology of the basin, changing the timing, magnitude, and fate of water and dissolved and particulate materials delivery to the Yukon River and its tributaries. As permafrost melts, stored carbon and nutrients are expected to become available for decomposition by soil organisms or for export downstream and to the Bering Sea. Such changes can have numerous, far-reaching effects on the ecosystem, including increased emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane; changes in stream productivity, including salmon populations; changes in the productivity and chemistry of the Bering Sea; and increased fire frequency. One important question is whether organic carbon export to rivers will increase or decrease downstream from large wetland areas presently having substantial carbon storage, such as Yukon Flats. Because very few historical water-quality data are available for the Yukon River basin, scientists are unable to quantitatively assess potential effects of climate warming on aquatic ecosystems in the basin. In order to address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a comprehensive baseline water-quality characterization of the Yukon River and its major tributaries during 2000-05. The study included frequent water-quality sampling at a fixed-site network. In addition to the

Suspended-sediment loads from major tributaries to the Missouri River between Garrison Dam and Lake Oahe, North Dakota, 1954-98

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macek-Rowland, Kathleen M.

2000-01-01

Annual suspended-sediment loads for water years 1954 through 1998 were estimated for the major tributaries in the Missouri River Basin between Garrison Dam and Lake Oahe in North Dakota and for the Missouri River at Garrison Dam and the Missouri River at Bismarck, N. Dak.  The major tributaries are the Knife River, Turtle Creek, Painted Woods Creek, Square Butte Creek, Burnt Creek, Heart River, and Apple Creek.  Sediment and streamflow data used to estimate the suspended-sediment loads were from selected U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations located within each basin.  Some of the stations had no sediment data available and limited continuous streamflow data for water years 1954 through 1998.  Therefore, data from nearby streamflow-gaging stations were assumed for the calculations. The Heart River contributed the largest amount of suspended sediment to the Missouri River for 1954-98.  Annual suspended-sediment loads in the Heart River near Mandan ranged from less than 1 to 40 percent of the annual suspended-sediment load in the Missouri River. The Knife River contributed the second largest amount of suspended sediment to the Missouri River.  Annual suspended-sediment loads in the Knife River at Hazen ranged from less than 1 to 19 percent of the annual suspended-sediment load in the Missouri River.  Apple Creek, Turtle Creek, Painted Woods Creek, Square Butte Creek, and Burnt Creek all contributed 2 percent or less of the annual suspended-sediment load in the Missouri River.  The Knife River and the Heart River also had the largest average suspended-sediment yields for the seven tributaries.  The yield for the Knife River was 91.1 tons per square mile, and the yield for the Heart River was 133 tons per square mile.  The remaining five tributaries had yields of less than 24 tons per square mile based on total drainage area. 

Tributary use by imperiled Flannelmouth and Bluehead Suckers in the upper Colorado River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fraser, Gregory S.; Winkelman, Dana L.; Bestgen, Kevin R.; Thompson, Kevin G.

2017-01-01

Habitat alterations and establishment of nonnative fishes have reduced the distributions of Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis and Bluehead Sucker C. discobolus to less than 50% of their historical ranges in the Colorado River basin. Tributaries are sometimes less altered than main-stem habitat in the basin and may be important to support various life history processes, but their role in the maintenance of Flannelmouth Sucker and Bluehead Sucker populations is poorly understood. Using mark–recapture techniques, we show tributaries are important habitat for native suckers in the upper Colorado River basin and report three main findings. First, both Flannelmouth and Bluehead suckers likely respond to a thermal cue that initiates spawning movement patterns. Suckers moved into Coal Creek from the White River beginning in mid-May of 2012 and 2013 to spawn. The majority of sucker spawning movements occurred when water temperatures in White River exceeded 11–14°C and those in Coal Creek were 2.5–4°C warmer, while flows varied between years. Second, based on PIT tag detection arrays, 13–45% of suckers showed spawning site fidelity. Sampling only with fyke nets would have resulted in the conclusion that site fidelity by native suckers was only 1–17%, because nets were less efficient at detecting marked fish. Third, most suckers of both species emigrated from Coal Creek within 48 h after being captured while suckers that were detected only via arrays remained resident for 10–12 d. The posthandling flight response we observed was not anticipated and to our knowledge has not been previously reported for these species. Remote PIT tag antenna arrays allowed for a stronger inference regarding movement and tributary use by these species than what could be achieved using just fyke nets. Tributaries are an important part of Flannelmouth Sucker and Bluehead Sucker life history and thus important to conservation strategies for these species.

Selenium in the upper Blackfoot River watershed, southeastern Idaho, 2001-12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mebane, Christopher A.; Mladenka, Greg; Van Every, Lynn; Williams, Marshall L.; Hardy, Mark A.; Garbarino, John R.

2014-11-05

For the annual spring synoptic samples collected by the IDEQ along the main stem Blackfoot River and major tributaries, selenium concentrations ranged from less than 2 to 870 μg/L in 176 samples. In most years, the synoptic sampling showed that the majority of the selenium loads passing the USGS streamgage at the outlet of the watershed could be attributed to a single tributary, East Mill Creek, which enters the Blackfoot River through Spring Creek. Selenium loads decreased by about half from East Mill Creek before reaching the Blackfoot River, suggesting that much selenium is at least temporarily removed from the water column by uptake by aquatic vegetation or by losses to sediment. Similar decreases in selenium loads occurred through the main stem Blackfoot River before reaching the outlet in low flow years, but not in high flow years.

Paleovalley fills: Trunk vs. tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvale, E.P.; Archer, A.W.

2007-01-01

A late Mississippian-early Pennsylvanian eustatic sea level drop resulted in a complex lowstand drainage network being eroded across the Illinois Basin in the eastern United States. This drainage system was filled during the early part of the Pennsylvanian. Distinct differences can be recognized between the trunk and tributary paleovalley fills. Fills preserved within the trunk systems tend to be fluvially dominated and consist of bed-load deposits of coarse- to medium-grained sandstone and conglomerate. Conversely, the incised valleys of tributary systems tend to be filled with dark mudstone, thinly interbedded sandstones, and mudstones and siltstones. These finer grained facies exhibit marine influences manifested by tidal rhythmites, certain traces fossils, and macro- and microfauna. Examples of tributary and trunk systems, separated by no more than 7 km (4.3 mi) along strike, exhibit these styles of highly contrasting fills. Useful analogs for understanding this Pennsylvanian system include the Quaternary glacial sluiceways present in the lower Ohio, White, and Wabash river valleys of Indiana (United States) and the modern Amazon River (Brazil). Both the Amazon River and the Quaternary rivers of Indiana have (or had) trunk rivers that are (were) dominated by large quantities of bed load relative to their tributaries. The trunk valley systems of these analogs aggraded much more rapidly than their tributary valleys, which evolved into lakes because depositional rates along the trunk are (were) so high that the mouths of the tributaries have been dammed by bed-load deposits. These Holocene systems illustrate that sediment yields can significantly influence the nature of fill successions within incised valleys independent of rates of sea level changes or proximity to highstand coastlines. Copyright ?? 2007. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Bioassessment metrics and deposited sediments in tributaries of the Chattooga river watershed

Treesearch

Erica Chiao; J. Bruce Wallace

2003-01-01

Excessive sedimentation places waters of the Chattooga River network at risk of biological impairment. Monitoring efforts could be improved by including metrics that are responsive to changes in levels of fine sediments. We sampled three habitats (riffle, depositional, bedrock outcrop) for benthic macroinvertebrates at four sites in three low-order, tributary reaches...

Algal and Water-Quality Data for the Yellowstone River and Tributaries, Montana and Wyoming, 1999-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, David A.

2009-01-01

Streams of the Yellowstone River Basin in Montana and Wyoming were sampled as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Algal communities were sampled in 1999 in conjunction with other ecological sampling and in 2000 during synoptic sampling. Water-quality measurements related to the algal sampling included light attenuation and dissolved-oxygen concentrations. Sites were sampled on the main-stem Yellowstone River, major tributaries such as the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River and the Bighorn River, and selected minor tributaries. Some of the data collected, such as the phytoplankton chlorophyll-a data, were referenced or summarized in previous U.S. Geological Survey reports but were not previously published in tabular form, and therefore are presented in this report, prepared in cooperation with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Data presented in this report include chlorophyll-a concentrations in phytoplankton and periphyton samples, as well as light attenuation and dissolved-oxygen production data from 1999-2000.

Determination of the 100-year flood plain on Upper Three Runs and selected tributaries, and the Savannah River at the Savannah River site, South Carolina, 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanier, T.H.

1996-01-01

The 100-year flood plain was determined for Upper Three Runs, its tributaries, and the part of the Savannah River that borders the Savannah River Site. The results are provided in tabular and graphical formats. The 100-year flood-plain maps and flood profiles provide water-resource managers of the Savannah River Site with a technical basis for making flood-plain management decisions that could minimize future flood problems and provide a basis for designing and constructing drainage structures along roadways. A hydrologic analysis was made to estimate the 100-year recurrence- interval flow for Upper Three Runs and its tributaries. The analysis showed that the well-drained, sandy soils in the head waters of Upper Three Runs reduce the high flows in the stream; therefore, the South Carolina upper Coastal Plain regional-rural-regression equation does not apply for Upper Three Runs. Conse- quently, a relation was established for 100-year recurrence-interval flow and drainage area using streamflow data from U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations on Upper Three Runs. This relation was used to compute 100-year recurrence-interval flows at selected points along the stream. The regional regression equations were applicable for the tributaries to Upper Three Runs, because the soil types in the drainage basins of the tributaries resemble those normally occurring in upper Coastal Plain basins. This was verified by analysis of the flood-frequency data collected from U.S. Geological Survey gaging station 02197342 on Fourmile Branch. Cross sections were surveyed throughout each reach, and other pertinent data such as flow resistance and land-use were col- lected. The surveyed cross sections and computed 100-year recurrence-interval flows were used in a step-backwater model to compute the 100-year flood profile for Upper Three Runs and its tributaries. The profiles were used to delineate the 100-year flood plain on topographic maps. The Savannah River forms the southwestern border

Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River and its Tributaries Between Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, and Eagle, Alaska, USA, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halm, Douglas R.; Dornblaser, Mark M.

2007-01-01

The Yukon River basin is the fourth largest watershed in North America at 831,400 square kilometers (km2). Approximately 126,000 people live within the basin and depend on the Yukon River and its tributaries for drinking water, commerce, subsistence, and recreational fish and game resources. Climate warming in the Arctic and Subarctic regions encompassing the Yukon basin has recently become a concern because of possible far-reaching effects on the ecosystem. Large amounts of carbon and nutrients are stored in permafrost and have potential for release in response to this warming. These changes in carbon and nutrient cycling may result in changes in stream chemistry and productivity, including salmon populations, and ultimately changes in the chemistry and productivity of the Bearing Sea. To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a 5-year comprehensive water-quality study of the Yukon River and its major tributaries starting in 2000. The study included frequent water-quality sampling at a fixed site network as well as intensive sampling along the Yukon River and its major tributaries. This report contains observations of water and sediment quantity and quality of the Yukon River and its tributaries in Canada during 2004. Chemical, biological, physical, and discharge data are presented for the reach of river between Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, and Eagle, Alaska, USA.

Habitat relationships and larval drift of native and nonindigenous fishes in neighboring tributaries of a coastal California river

Treesearch

Bret C. Harvey; Jason L. White; Rodney J. Nakamoto

2002-01-01

Abstract - Motivated by a particular interest in the distribution of the nonindigenous, piscivorous Sacramento pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus grandis, we examined fish-habitat relationships in small tributaries (draining 20-200 km 2 )in the Eel River drainage of northwestern California.We sampled juvenile and adult fish in 15 tributaries in both the summer and...

Water quality in the Bear River Basin of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming prior to and following snowmelt runoff in 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gerner, Steven J.; Spangler, Lawrence E.

2006-01-01

Water-quality samples were collected from the Bear River during two base-flow periods in 2001: March 11 to 21, prior to snowmelt runoff, and July 30 to August 9, following snowmelt runoff. The samples were collected from 65 sites along the Bear River and selected tributaries and analyzed for dissolved solids and major ions, suspended sediment, nutrients, pesticides, and periphyton chlorophyll a.On the main stem of the Bear River during March, dissolved-solids concentrations ranged from 116 milligrams per liter (mg/L) near the Utah-Wyoming Stateline to 672 mg/L near Corinne, Utah. During July-August, dissolved-solid concentrations ranged from 117 mg/L near the Utah-Wyoming Stateline to 2,540 mg/L near Corinne and were heavily influenced by outflow from irrigation diversions. High concentrations of dissolved solids near Corinne result largely from inflow of mineralized spring water.Suspended-sediment concentrations in the Bear River in March ranged from 2 to 98 mg/L and generally decreased below reservoirs. Tributary concentrations were much higher, as high as 861 mg/L in water from Battle Creek. Streams with high sediment concentrations in March included Whiskey Creek, Otter Creek, and the Malad River. Sediment concentrations in tributaries in July-August generally were lower than in March.The concentrations of most dissolved and suspended forms of nitrogen generally were higher in March than in July-August. Dissolved ammonia concentrations in the Bear River and its tributaries in March ranged from less than 0.021 mg/L to as much as 1.43 mg/L, and dissolved ammonia plus organic nitrogen concentrations ranged from less than 0.1 mg/L to 2.4 mg/L. Spring Creek is the only site where the concentrations of all ammonia species exceeded 1.0 mg/L. In samples collected during March, tributary concentrations of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate ranged from 0.042 mg/L to 5.28 mg/L. In samples collected from tributaries during July-August, concentrations ranged from less than 0

Ecological assessment of streams in the Powder River Structural Basin, Wyoming and Montana, 2005-06

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, D.A.; Wright, P.R.; Edwards, G.P.; Hargett, E.G.; Feldman, D.L.; Zumberge, J.R.; Dey, Paul

2009-01-01

Energy and mineral development, particularly coalbed natural gas development, is proceeding at a rapid pace in the Powder River Structural Basin (PRB) in northeastern Wyoming. Concerns about the potential effects of development led to formation of an interagency working group of primarily Federal and State agencies to address these issues in the PRB in Wyoming and in Montana where similar types of resources exist but are largely undeveloped. Under the direction of the interagency working group, an ecological assessment of streams in the PRB was initiated to determine the current status (2005–06) and to establish a baseline for future monitoring.The ecological assessment components include assessment of stream habitat and riparian zones as well as assessments of macroinvertebrate, algal, and fish communities. All of the components were sampled at 47 sites in the PRB during 2005. A reduced set of components, consisting primarily of macroinvertebrate and fish community assessments, was sampled in 2006. Related ecological data, such as habitat and fish community data collected from selected sites in 2004, also are included in this report.The stream habitat assessment included measurement of channel features, substrate size and embeddedness, riparian vegetation, and reachwide characteristics. The width-to-depth ratio (bankfull width/bankfull depth) tended to be higher at sites on the main-stem Powder River than at sites on the main-stem Tongue River and at sites on tributary streams. The streambed substrate particle size was largest at sites on the main-stem Tongue River and smallest at sites on small tributary streams such as Squirrel Creek and Otter Creek. Total vegetative cover at the ground level, understory, and canopy layers ranged from less than 40 percent at a few sites to more than 90 percent at many of the sites. A bank-stability index indicated that sites in the Tongue River drainage were less at risk of bank failure than sites on the main-stem Powder River

Nutrient enrichment, phytoplankton algal growth, and estimated rates of instream metabolic processes in the Quinebaug River Basin, Connecticut, 2000-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colombo, Michael J.; Grady, Stephen J.; Todd Trench, Elaine C.

2004-01-01

A consistent and pervasive pattern of nutrient enrichment was substantiated by water-quality sampling in the Quinebaug River and its tributaries in eastern Connecticut during water years 2000 and 2001. Median total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s recently recommended regional ambient water-qual-ity criteria for streams (0.71 and 0.031 milligrams per liter, respectively). Maximum total phosphorus concentrations exceeded 0.1 milligrams per liter at nearly half the sampled locations in the Quinebaug River Basin. Elevated total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations were measured at all stations on the mainstem of the Quinebaug River, the French River, and the Little River. Nutrient enrichment was related to municipal wastewater point sources at the sites on the mainstem of the Quinebaug River and French River, and to agricultural nonpoint nutrient sources in the Little River Basin. Nutrient enrichment and favorable physical factors have resulted in excessive, nuisance algal blooms during summer months, particularly in the numerous impoundments in the Quinebaug River system. Phytoplankton algal density as high as 85,000 cells per milliliter was measured during such nuisance blooms in water years 2000 and 2001. Different hydrologic conditions during the summers of 2000 and 2001 produced very different seston algal populations. Larger amounts of precipitation sustained higher streamflows in the summer of 2000 (than in 2001), which resulted in lower total algal abundance and inhibited the typical algal succession from diatoms to cyanobacteria. Despite this, nearly half of all seston chlorophyll-a concentrations measured during this study exceeded the recommended regional ambient stream-water-quality criterion (3.75 micrograms per liter), and seston chlorophyll-a concentrations as large as 42 micrograms per liter were observed in wastewa-ter-receiving reaches of the Quinebaug River. Estimates of primary

Mercury Contributions from Flint Creek and other Tributaries to the Upper Clark Fork River in Northwestern Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langner, H.; Young, M.; Staats, M. F.

2013-12-01

Methylmercury contamination in biota is a major factor diminishing the environmental quality of the Upper Clark Fork River (CFR), e.g. by triggering human consumption limits of fish. The CFR is subject to one of the largest Superfund cleanup projects in the US, but remediation and restoration is currently focused exclusively on other mining-related contaminants (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd), which may be counterproductive with respect to the bio-availability of mercury, for example by creation of wetlands along mercury-contaminated reaches of the river. The identification and elimination of Hg sources is an essential step toward reducing the methylmercury exposure in the biota of the CFR watershed because a strong correlation exists between total mercury levels in river sediment and methylmercury levels in aquatic life. We analyzed duplicate samples from the top sediment layer of the main stem and significant tributaries to the Clark Fork River along a 240 km reach between Butte, MT and downstream of the Missoula Valley. Mercury concentrations were 1.3 × 1.6 (mean × SD, n = 35) in the main stem. Concentrations in tributaries varied widely (0.02 to 85 mg/kg) and seemed only loosely related to the number of historic precious metal mines in the watershed. In the upper reach of the CFR, elevated Hg levels are likely caused by residual contaminated sediments in the flood plain. Levels tend to decrease downstream until Drummond, MT, where Flint Creek contributes a significant amount of mercury, causing Hg levels in the main stem CFR to increase from 0.7 to 4 mg/kg. Levels continue to decrease downstream. Flint Creek is the single largest contributor of Hg to the CFR. Detailed sampling of the main stem Flint Creek and tributaries (26 sites) showed extremely high levels in two tributaries (22 to 85 mg/kg) where historic milling operations were located. Elimination of these point sources may be accomplished comparatively economically and may significantly reduce mercury levels in

Debris flows from tributaries of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Webb, Robert H.; Pringle, Patrick T.; Rink, Glenn R.

1989-01-01

A reconnaissance of 36 tributaries of the Colorado River indicates that debris flows are a major process by which sediment is transported to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Debris flows are slurries of sediment and water that have a water content of less than about 40 percent by volume. Debris flows occur frequently in arid and semiarid regions. Slope failures commonly trigger debris flows, which can originate from any rock formation in the Grand Canyon. The largest and most frequent flows originate from the Permian Hermit Shale, the underlying Esplanade Sandstone of the Supai Group, and other formations of the Permian and Pennsylvanian Supai Group. Debris flows also occur in the Cambrian Muav Limestone and underlying Bright Angel Shale and the Quaternary basalts in the western Grand Canyon. Debris-flow frequency and magnitude were studied in detail in the Lava-Chuar Creek drainage at Colorado River mile 65.5; in the Monument Creek drainage at mile 93.5; and in the Crystal Creek drainage at mile 98.2. Debris flows have reached the Colorado River on an average of once every 20 to 30 years in the Lava-Chuar Creek drainage since about 1916. Two debris flows have reached the Colorado River in the last 25 years in Monument Creek. The Crystal Creek drainage has had an average of one debris flow reaching the Colorado River every 50 years, although the debris flow of 1966 has been the only flow that reached the Colorado River since 1900. Debris flows may actually reach the Colorado River more frequently in these drainages because evidence for all debris flows may not have been preserved in the channel-margin stratigraphy. Discharges were estimated for the peak flow of three debris flows that reached the Colorado River. The debris flow of 1966 in the Lava-Chuar Creek drainage had an estimated discharge of 4,000 cubic feet per second. The debris flow of 1984 in the Monument Creek drainage had a discharge estimated between 3,600 and 4,200 cubic feet per

Sediment Budgeting in Dam-Affected Rivers: Assessing the Influence of Damming, Tributaries, and Alluvial Valley Sediment Storage on Sediment Regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, A. C.; Dekker, F. J.; Riebe, C. S.

2014-12-01

Although sediment supply is recognized as a fundamental driver of fluvial processes, measuring how dams affect sediment regimes and incorporating such knowledge into management strategies remains challenging. To determine the influences of damming, tributary supply, and valley morphology and sediment storage on downstream sediment supply in a dryland river, the Bill Williams River (BWR) in western Arizona, we measured basin erosion rates using cosmogenic nuclide analysis of beryllium-10 (10Be) at sites upstream and downstream of a dam along the BWR, as well as from tributaries downstream of the dam. Riverbed sediment mixing calculations were used to test if the dam, which blocks sediment supply from the upper 85% of the basin's drainage area, increases the proportion of tributary sediment to residual upstream sediment in mainstem samples downstream of the dam. Erosion rates in the BWR watershed are more than twice as large in the upper catchment (136 t km-2 yr-1) than in tributaries downstream of Alamo Dam (61 t km-2 yr-1). Tributaries downstream of the dam have little influence on mainstem sediment dynamics. The effect of the dam on reducing sediment supply is limited, however, because of the presence of large alluvial valleys along the mainstem BWR downstream of the dam that store substantial sediment and mitigate supply reductions from the upper watershed. These inferences, from our 10Be derived erosion rates and mixing calculations, are consistent with field observations of downstream changes in bed material size, which suggest that sediment-deficit conditions are restricted to a 10 km reach downstream of the dam, and limited reservoir bathymetry data. Many studies have suggested that tributary sediment inputs downstream of dams play a key role in mitigating dam-induced sediment deficits, but here we show that in a dryland river with ephemeral tributaries, sediment stored in alluvial valleys can also play a key role and in some cases trumps the role of

Measured and Estimated Sodium-Adsorption Ratios for Tongue River and its Tributaries, Montana and Wyoming, 2004-06

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cannon, M.R.; Nimick, David A.; Cleasby, Thomas E.; Kinsey, Stacy M.; Lambing, John H.

2007-01-01

The Tongue River drains an area of about 5,400 square miles and flows northward from its headwaters in the Bighorn National Forest of northeastern Wyoming to join the Yellowstone River at Miles City, Montana. Water from the Tongue River and its tributaries is extensively used for irrigation in both Wyoming and Montana. The Tongue River watershed contains vast coal deposits that are extracted at several surface mines. In some areas of the watershed, the coal beds also contain methane gas (coal-bed methane or natural gas), which has become the focus of intense exploration and development. Production of coal-bed methane requires the pumping of large volumes of ground water from the coal beds to reduce water pressure within the formation and release the stored gas. Water from the coal beds typically is high in sodium and low in calcium and magnesium, resulting in a high sodium-adsorption ratio (SAR). Disposal of ground water with high sodium concentrations into the Tongue River has the potential to increase salinity and SAR of water in the river, and potentially reduce the quality of water for irrigation purposes. This report documents SAR values measured in water samples collected at 12 monitoring sites in the Tongue River watershed and presents regression relations between specific conductance (SC) and SAR at each site for the years 2004-06. SAR in water samples was determined from laboratory-measured concentrations of sodium, calcium, and magnesium. The results of regression analysis indicated that SC and SAR were significantly related (p-values < 0.05) at most sites. The regression relations developed for most monitoring sites in the Tongue River watershed were used with continuous SC data to estimate daily SAR during the 2004 and 2005 irrigation seasons and to estimate 2006 provisional SAR values, which were displayed on the Web in real-time. Water samples were collected and analyzed from seven sites on the main stem of the Tongue River located at: (1) Monarch

Water Quality of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River and Tributary Streams, New York and Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Siemion, Jason; Murdoch, Peter S.

2010-01-01

Water-quality samples were collected from the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UPDE) and its tributaries during the period October 1, 2005, to September 30, 2007, to document existing water quality, determine relations between land use and water quality, and identify areas of water-quality concern. A tiered water-quality monitoring framework was used, with the tiers consisting of intensively sampled sites, gradient sites representing the range of land uses present in the basin, and regional stream-survey sites. Median nitrate and total phosphorous concentrations were 1.15 and 0.01 mg/L (milligrams per liter) for three sites on the mainstem Delaware River, 1.27 and 0.009 mg/L for the East Branch Delaware River, 2.04 and 0.01 mg/L for the West Branch Delaware River, and 0.68 and 0.006 mg/L for eight tributaries that represent the range of land uses resent in the basin, respectively. The percentage of agricultural land varied by basin from 0 to 30 percent and the percentage of suburbanization varied from 0 to 17 percent. There was a positive correlation between the percentage of agricultural land use in a basin and observed concentrations of acid neutralizing capacity, calcium, potassium, nitrate, and total dissolved nitrogen, whereas no correlation between the percentage of suburbanization and water quality was detected. Results of stream surveys showed that nitrate concentrations in 55 to 65 percent of the UPDE Basin exceeded the nitrate reference condition and a suggested water-quality guideline for ecological impairment in New York State (0.98 mg/L) during the spring. Many of the affected parts of the basin were more than 90 percent forested and showed signs of episodic acidification, indicating that the long-term effects of acid deposition play a role in the high nitrate levels. Nitrate concentrations in 75 percent of samples collected from agricultural sites exceeded the suggested nitrate water-quality guideline for ecological impairment

Flood of April 2-4, 2005, Delaware River Main Stem from Port Jervis, New York, to Cinnaminson, New Jersey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, Timothy J.; Protz, Amy R.

2007-01-01

Several conditions, including saturated soils, snowmelt, and heavy rains, caused flooding on the Delaware River on April 2-4, 2005. The event occurred 50 years after the historic 1955 Delaware River flood, and only six months after a smaller but equally notable flood on September 18-19, 2004. The Delaware River flooded for a third time in 22 months in June, 2006. The peak flows and elevations of the 2005 flood were similar to those on June 28-29, 2006. The following report describes the April 2-4, 2005, Delaware River flood, and includes the associated precipitation amounts, peak flows and elevations, and flood frequencies. A comparison of historic Delaware River floods also is presented. The appendix of the report contains detailed information for 156 high-water mark elevations obtained on the main stem of the Delaware River from Port Jervis, New York, to Cinnaminson, New Jersey, for the April 2-4, 2005 flood. The April 2005 event originated with frequent precipitation from December 2004 to March 2005 which saturated the soils in the upper Delaware River Basin. The cold winter froze some of the soils and left a snowpack at higher elevations equivalent to as much as 10 inches of water in some areas. Temperatures rose above freezing, and heavy rains averaging 1 to 3 inches on March 27, 2005, melted some of the snow, causing the Delaware River to rise; however, peak elevations were still 2 to 7 feet below flood stage. Another round of rainfall averaging 2-5 inches in the basin on April 2, 2005, melted the remaining snowpack. The combination of snowmelt and runoff from the two storms produced flood conditions along the main stem of the Delaware River. Flood frequencies of flows at selected tributaries to the Delaware River did not exceed the 35-year recurrence intervals. The Delaware River main stem peak-flow recurrence intervals ranged from 40 to 80 years; flows were approximately 20 percent less than those from the peak of record in 1955. Peak elevations exceeded

A Three-Year Study of Ichyoplankton in Coastal Plains Reaches of the Savannah River Site and its Tributaries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martin, D.

2007-03-05

Altering flow regimes of rivers has large effects on native floras and faunas because native species are adapted to the natural flow regime, many species require lateral connectivity with floodplain habitat for feeding or spawning, and the change in regime often makes it possible for invasive species to replace natives (Bunn & Arthington 2002). Floodplain backwaters, both permanent and temporary, are nursery areas for age 0+ fish and stable isotope studies indicate that much of the productivity that supports fish larvae is autochthonous to these habitats (Herwig et al. 2004). Limiting access by fish to floodplain habitat for feeding, spawningmore » and nursery habitat is one of the problems noted with dams that regulate flow in rivers and is considered to be important as an argument to remove dams and other flow regulating structures from rivers (Shuman 1995; Bednarek 2001). While there have been a number of studies in the literature about the use of floodplain habitat for fish reproduction (Copp 1989; Killgore & Baker 1996; Humphries, et al. 1999; Humphries and Lake 2000; Crain et al. 2004; King 2004) there have been only a few studies that examined this aspect of stream ecology in more than a cursory way. The study reported here was originally designed to determine whether the Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site was having a negative effect on fish reproduction in the Savannah River but its experimental design allowed examination of the interactions between the river, the floodplain and the tributaries entering the Savannah River across this floodplain. This study is larger in length of river covered than most in the literature and because of its landscape scale may be in important indicator of areas where further study is required.« less

Fish community response to dam removal in a Maine coastal river tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Hogg, Robert S.; Coghlan, Stephen M.; Gardner, Cory

2016-01-01

Sedgeunkedunk Stream, a third-order tributary to the Penobscot River in Maine, historically has supported several anadromous fishes including Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar, Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, and Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus. Two small dams constructed in the 1800s reduced or eliminated spawning runs entirely. In 2009, efforts to restore marine–freshwater connectivity in the system culminated in removal of the lowermost dam (Mill Dam) providing access to 4.7 km of lotic habitat and unimpeded passage into the lentic habitat of Fields Pond. In anticipation of these barrier removals, we initiated a modified before-after-control-impact study, and monitored stream fish assemblages in fixed treatment and reference sites. Electrofishing surveys were conducted twice yearly since 2007. Results indicated that density, biomass, and diversity of the fish assemblage increased at all treatment sites upstream of the 2009 dam removal. No distinct changes in these metrics occurred at reference sites. We documented recolonization and successful reproduction of Atlantic Salmon, Alewife, and Sea Lamprey in previously inaccessible upstream reaches. These results clearly demonstrate that dam removal has enhanced the fish assemblage by providing an undisrupted stream gradient linking a small headwater lake and tributary with a large coastal river, its estuary, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Nonpoint source contamination of the Mississippi river and its tributaries by herbicides

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pereira, W.E.; Hostettler, F.D.

1993-01-01

A study of the Mississippi River and its tributaries during July-August 1991, October-November 1991, and April-May 1992 has indicated that the entire navigable reach of the river is contaminated with a complex mixture of agrochemicals and their transformation products derived from nonpoint sources. Twenty-three compounds were identified, including triazine, chloroacetanilide, thiocarbamate, phenylurea, pyridazine, and organophosphorus pesticides. The upper and middle Mississippi River Basin farm lands are major sources of herbicides applied to corn, soybeans, and sorghum. Farm lands in the lower Mississippi River Basin are a major source of rice and cotton herbicides. Inputs of the five major herbicides atrazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, alachlor, and simazine to the Mississippi River are mainly from the Minnesota, Des Moines, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers. Ratios of desethylatrazine/atrazine potentially are useful indicators of groundwater and surface water interactions in the Mississippi River. These ratios suggested that during baseflow conditions, there is a significant groundwater contribution to the river. The Mississippi River thus serves as a drainage channel for pesticide-contaminated surface and groundwater from the midwestern United States. Conservative estimates of annual mass transport indicated that about 160 t of atrazine, 71 t of cyanazine, 56 t of metolachlor, and 18 t of alachlor were discharged into the Gulf of Mexico in 1991.

Movement and habitat use by radio-tagged paddlefish in the upper Mississippi River and tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zigler, S.J.; Dewey, M.R.; Knights, B.C.; Runstrom, A.L.; Steingraeber, M.T.

2003-01-01

We used radio telemetry to evaluate the movement and habitat use of paddlefish Polyodon spathula in the upper Mississippi River and two tributary rivers. Radio transmitters were surgically implanted into 71 paddlefish in Navigation Pools 5A and 8 of the upper Mississippi River, the Chippewa River, and the Wisconsin River during fall 1994 through fall 1996. Radiotagged paddlefish were located through summer 1997. The range of paddlefish movement was typically low during all seasons except spring, but some paddlefish moved throughout the 420-km extent of the study area. Paddlefish tagged in the Chippewa River were closely linked with the upper Mississippi River, as substantial portions of the population inhabited the adjacent Navigation Pool 4 each spring; paddlefish in the Wisconsin River, however, rarely ventured out of that tributary. The use of aquatic area types by paddlefish varied among the study reaches. A cartographic model of paddlefish habitat suitability was developed for Navigation Pool 8 based on geographic information systems (GIS) coverages of bathymetry and current velocity. The value of paddlefish habitat in the cartographic model increased with depth and decreased with current velocity. For example, areas modeled as excellent corresponded to regions classified as having both deep water (greater than or equal to6.0 m) and negligible (<5 cm/s) current velocities. Our study suggests that aquatic area types are an inadequate basis for making sound management decisions regarding the critical habitats of paddlefish in complex riverine systems because such strata rely on gross geomorpological features rather than on the physicochemical variables that fish use to choose habitats. The development of systemic GIS coverages of such variables could improve the understanding of fish habitat selection and management in the upper Mississippi River.

Macroinvertebrate diets reflect tributary inputs and turbidity-driven changes in food availability in the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wellard Kelly, Holly A.; Rosi-Marshall, Emma J.; Kennedy, Theodore A.; Hall, Robert O.; Cross, Wyatt F.; Baxter, Colden V.

2013-01-01

Physical changes to rivers associated with large dams (e.g., water temperature) directly alter macroinvertebrate assemblages. Large dams also may indirectly alter these assemblages by changing the food resources available to support macroinvertebrate production. We examined the diets of the 4 most common macroinvertebrate taxa in the Colorado River through Glen and Grand Canyons, seasonally, at 6 sites for 2.5 y. We compared macroinvertebrate diet composition to the composition of epilithon (rock and cliff faces) communities and suspended organic seston to evaluate the degree to which macroinvertebrate diets tracked downstream changes in resource availability. Diets contained greater proportions of algal resources in the tailwater of Glen Canyon Dam and more terrestrial-based resources at sites downstream of the 1st major tributary. As predicted, macroinvertebrate diets tracked turbidity-driven changes in resource availability, and river turbidity partially explained variability in macroinvertebrate diets. The relative proportions of resources assimilated by macroinvertebrates ranged from dominance by algae to terrestrial-based resources, despite greater assimilation efficiencies for algal than terrestrial C. Terrestrial resources were most important during high turbidity conditions, which occurred during the late-summer monsoon season (July–October) when tributaries contributed large amounts of organic matter to the mainstem and suspended sediments reduced algal production. Macroinvertebrate diets were influenced by seasonal changes in tributary inputs and turbidity, a result suggesting macroinvertebrate diets in regulated rivers may be temporally dynamic and driven by tributary inputs.

Total Phosphorus Loads for Selected Tributaries to Sebago Lake, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hodgkins, Glenn A.

2001-01-01

The streamflow and water-quality datacollection networks of the Portland Water District (PWD) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as of February 2000 were analyzed in terms of their applicability for estimating total phosphorus loads for selected tributaries to Sebago Lake in southern Maine. The long-term unit-area mean annual flows for the Songo River and for small, ungaged tributaries are similar to the long-term unit-area mean annual flows for the Crooked River and other gaged tributaries to Sebago Lake, based on a regression equation that estimates mean annual streamflows in Maine. Unit-area peak streamflows of Sebago Lake tributaries can be quite different, based on a regression equation that estimates peak streamflows for Maine. Crooked River had a statistically significant positive relation (Kendall's Tau test, p=0.0004) between streamflow and total phosphorus concentration. Panther Run had a statistically significant negative relation (p=0.0015). Significant positive relations may indicate contributions from nonpoint sources or sediment resuspension, whereas significant negative relations may indicate dilution of point sources. Total phosphorus concentrations were significantly larger in the Crooked River than in the Songo River (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, p<0.0001). Evidence was insufficient, however, to indicate that phosphorus concentrations from medium-sized drainage basins, at a significance level of 0.05, were different from each other or that concentrations in small-sized drainage basins were different from each other (Kruskal-Wallis test, p= 0.0980, 0.1265). All large- and medium-sized drainage basins were sampled for total phosphorus approximately monthly. Although not all small drainage basins were sampled, they may be well represented by the small drainage basins that were sampled. If the tributaries gaged by PWD had adequate streamflow data, the current PWD tributary monitoring program would probably produce total phosphorus loading data that

Water quality in the Mahoning River and selected tributaries in Youngstown, Ohio

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stoeckel, Donald M.; Covert, S. Alex

2002-01-01

The lower reaches of the Mahoning River in Youngstown, Ohio, have been characterized by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) as historically having poor water quality. Most wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) in the watershed did not provide secondary sewage treatment until the late 1980s. By the late 1990s, the Mahoning River still received sewer-overflow discharges from 101 locations within the city of Youngstown, Ohio. The Mahoning River in Youngstown and Mill Creek, a principal tributary to the Mahoning River in Youngstown, have not met biotic index criteria since the earliest published assessment by OEPA in 1980. Youngstown and the OEPA are working together toward the goal of meeting water-quality standards in the Mahoning River. The U.S. Geological Survey collected information to help both parties assess water quality in the area of Youngstown and to estimate bacteria and inorganic nitrogen contributions from sewer-overflow discharges to the Mahoning River. Two monitoring networks were established in the lower Mahoning River: the first to evaluate hydrology and microbiological and chemical water quality and the second to assess indices of fish and aquatic-macroinvertebrate-community health. Water samples and water-quality data were collected from May through October 1999 and 2000 to evaluate where, when, and for how long water quality was affected by sewer-overflow discharges. Water samples were collected during dry- and wet-weather flow, and biotic indices were assessed during the first year (1999). The second year of sample collection (2000) was directed toward evaluating changes in water quality during wet-weather flow, and specifically toward assessing the effect of sewer-overflow discharges on water quality in the monitoring network. Water-quality standards for Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentration and draft criteria for nitrate plus nitrite and total phosphorus were the regulations most commonly exceeded in the Mahoning River and Mill

Duck Valley Habitat Enhancement and Protection, 2001-2002 Progress Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allen, Mattie H.; Sellman, Jake

The Duck Valley Indian Reservation's Habitat Enhancement project is an ongoing project designed to enhance and protect critical riparian areas, natural springs, the Owhyee River and its tributaries, and native fish spawning areas on the Reservation. The project commenced in 1997 and addresses the Northwest Power Planning Council's measures 10.8C.2, 10.8C.3, and 10.8C.5 of the 1994 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The performance period covers dates from April 2001 through August 2002.

Debris flows from tributaries of the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Webb, R.H.; Pringle, P.T.; Rink, G.R.

1987-01-01

A reconnaissance of 36 tributaries of the Colorado River indicates that debris flows are a major process by which sediment is transported to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Debris flows are slurries of sediment and water that have a water content < 40% by volume. Debris flows occur frequently in arid and semiarid regions. Slope failures commonly trigger debris flows, which can originate from any rock formation in the Grand Canyon. The largest and most frequent flows originate from the Permian Hermit Shale, the underlying Esplanade Sandstone of the Supai Group, and other formations of the Permian and Pennsylvanian Supai Group. Debris flows have reached the Colorado River on an average of once every 20 to 30 yr in the Lava-Chuar Creek drainage since about 1916. Two debris flows have reached the Colorado River in the last 25 yr in Monument Creek. The Crystal Creek drainage has had an average of one debris flow reaching the Colorado River every 50 yr, although the debris flow of 1966 has been the only flow that reached the Colorado River since 1900. Debris flows may actually reach the Colorado River more frequently in these drainages because evidence for all debris flows may not have been preserved in the channel-margin stratigraphy. Discharges were estimated for the peak flow of three debris flows that reached the Colorado River. The debris flow of 1966 in the Lava-Chuar Creek drainage had an estimated discharge of 4,000 cu ft/sec. The debris flow of 1984 in the Monument Creek drainage had a discharge estimated between 3,600 and 4,200 cu ft/sec. The debris flow of 1966 in the Crystal Creek drainage had a discharge estimated between 9,200 and 14,000 cu ft/sec. Debris flows in the Grand Canyon generally are composed of 10 to 40% sand by weight and may represent a significant source of beach-building sand along the Colorado River. The particle size distributions are very poorly sorted and the largest transported boulders were in the Crystal Creek

Temporal trends and spatial patterns in nutrient export along the Mississippi River and its Tributaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, B.; Li, L.

2017-12-01

The Mississippi River, the largest river in the U. S., exports excessive nutrients from the land to the sea, causing the problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. In this research, we examined nutrient export along the Mississippi River and its tributaries to understand its trends and patterns and to identify the major factors contributing to these trends. We examined nutrient data from 1950 - 2017 for four sites along the Mississippi River and four tributary sites from the U. S. Geological Survey. The species included: total nitrogen, organic nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, orthophosphate, and phosphorous. We analyzed the power law relationship of concentration and discharge, for which the export of nutrient species exhibited several trends. Both nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) species exhibited mostly chemodynamic behavior. This is in contrast to previous observations in smaller agricultural land where N and P export was mostly chemostatic with no significant change in concentration as discharge varies, suggesting possible scaling effects at different spatial scales. We also compared the average annual concentration over time at each site. The N concentration decreased from upstream to downstream, likely due to greater agricultural activities in the upstream Mississippi river and possible denitrification along the river. The N concentration also increased with time. The P species, however, fluctuated from site to site with no clear spatial patterns, but consistently exhibited higher concentrations at upstream sites with greater agricultural activities. The P species also fluctuated over time, likely due to patterns in discharge and agricultural activities. The results of this research can be further explored by calculating the total export of nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico to determine limits and drivers of nutrient export for better water management, thus helping prevent hypoxia and eutrophication within the Mississippi River basin.

Low-flow profiles of the upper Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers and tributaries in Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, R.F.; Hopkins, E.H.; Perlman, H.A.

1988-01-01

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

Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategies

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategies were developed by the seven watershed jurisdictions and outlined the river basin-specific implementation activities to reduce nutrient and sediment pollutant loads from point and nonpoint sources.

Base flow (1966-2005) and streamflow gain and loss (2006) of the Brazos River, McLennan County to Fort Bend County, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turco, Michael J.; East, Jeffery W.; Milburn, Matthew S.

2007-01-01

During 2006?07, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board, did a study to quantify historical (water years 1966?2005) base flow and streamflow gains and losses from two streamflow-measuring surveys (March and August 2006) in the Brazos River from McLennan County to Fort Bend County, Texas. The Brazos River is hydraulically connected to the Brazos River alluvium aquifer, which in turn is hydraulically connected to several underlying aquifers, the outcrops of which occur in laterally adjacent layers generally parallel to the coast (major aquifers, Carrizo-Wilcox and Gulf Coast, and minor aquifers, Queen City, Sparta, and Yegua-Jackson). Hydrograph separation was done using the USGS computer program Hydrograph Separation and Analysis with historical streamflow from 10 USGS gaging stations, three on the Brazos River and seven on selected tributaries to the Brazos River. Streamflow data for computation of gains and losses were collected in March 2006 from 36 sites on the Brazos River and 19 sites on 19 tributaries to the Brazos River; and in August 2006 from 28 sites on the Brazos River and 16 sites on tributaries. Hydrograph separation and associated analyses indicate an appreciable increase in base flow as a percentage of streamflow in the reach of the Brazos River that crosses the outcrops of the Carrizo-Wilcox, Queen City, Sparta, and Yegua-Jackson aquifers compared to that in the adjacent upstream reach (on average from about 43 percent to about 60 percent). No increase in base flow as a percentage of streamflow in the reach of the Brazos River crossing the Gulf Coast aquifer compared to that in the adjacent upstream reach was indicated. Streamflow gains and losses computed for March 2006 for 35 reaches defined by pairs of sites on the Brazos River indicated that five reaches were verifiably gaining streamflow (computed gain exceeded potential flow measurement error) and none were verifiably losing streamflow. Four of

Streamflow and selenium loads during synoptic sampling of the Gunnison River and its tributaries near Delta, Colorado, November 2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stevens, Michael R.; Leib, Kenneth J.; Thomas, Judith C.; Bauch, Nancy J.; Richards, Rodney J.

2018-06-13

In response to the need for more information about selenium (Se) sources and transport, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board, completed a study that characterized Se loads in a reach of the Gunnison River between Delta and Grand Junction, Colo. This report identifies where possible dissolved Se loading is occurring in a study reach in the Lower Gunnison River Basin between Delta and Grand Junction on November 19, 2015.The combined Se loads from the Gunnison River at Delta (site 3) and the Uncompahgre River at Delta (site 4) were about 95 percent of the load at the furthest downstream main-stem sample location at the Gunnison River below Roubideau Creek near Delta (site 20) (31.6 and 33.4 pounds per day, respectively), indicating that about 5 percent of the total load (1.8 pounds) was potentially contributed from diffuse groundwater inflow. Main-stem streamflow accounting during November 2015 in a downstream direction was not supportive of substantial net gains or losses in the main-stem water balance.The cumulative load from measured tributary inflows downstream from the Uncompahgre River confluence only amounted to 1.2 pounds of the main-stem loads (1.8 pounds gain) from site 4 to the end of the synoptic reach at site 20. The remaining 33 percent (about 0.6 pounds) of Se load increase was not accounted for by known tributary inflow. Yet, the small changes in the streamflow mass balance in the same reach does not strongly support a net inflow explanation for the apparent gain in load.Based on the results of the loading and streamflow analysis, when errors in the loading estimates are considered, there is no conclusive evidence of an appreciable amount of Se load that is unaccounted for in the study reach of the Gunnison River as was originally hypothesized. Differences determined from comparisons of cumulative tributary loads and Gunnison River main-stem loads for this study are within error estimates of the main

Approaches to restoration of oak forests on farmed lowlands of the Mississippi River and its tributaries

Treesearch

Emile S. Gardiner; Daniel C. Dey; John A. Stanturf; Brian Roy Lockhart

2010-01-01

The lowlands associated with the Mississippi River and its tributaries historically supported extensive broadleaf forests that were particularly rich in oak (Quercus spp.) species. Beginning in the 1700s, deforestation for agriculture substantially reduced the extent of the original forest, and fragmented the remainder into small parcels. More...

Water Quality Assessment of Danjiangkou Reservoir and its Tributaries in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Linghua; Peng, Wenqi; Wu, Leixiang; Liu, Laisheng

2018-01-01

Danjiangkou Reservoir is an important water source for the middle route of the South to North Water Diversion Project in China, and water quality of Danjiangkou Reservoir and its tributaries is crucial for the project. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the water quality of Daniiangkou Reservoir and its tributaries based on Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCMEWQI). 22 water quality parameters from 25 sampling sites were analyzed to calculate WQI. The results indicate that water quality in Danjiangkou Reservoir area, Hanjiang River and Danjiang River is excellent. And the seriously polluted tributary rivers were Shending River, Jianghe River, Sihe River, Tianhe River, Jianhe River and Jiangjun River. Water quality parameters that cannot meet the standard limit for drinking water source were fecal coliform bacteria, CODcr, CODMn, BOD5, NH3-N, TP, DO, anionic surfactant and petroleum. Fecal coliform bacteria, TP, ammonia nitrogen, CODMn were the most common parameters to fail.

Flood-inundation mapping for the Blue River and selected tributaries in Kansas City, Missouri, and vicinity, 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heimann, David C.; Weilert, Trina E.; Kelly, Brian P.; Studley, Seth E.

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and City of Kansas City, Missouri, operate multiple streamgages along the Blue River and tributaries in and near the city. Knowledge of water level at a streamgage is difficult to translate into depth and areal extent of flooding at points distant from the streamgage. One way to address these informational gaps is to produce a library of flood-inundation maps that are referenced to the stages recorded at a streamgage. By referring to the appropriate map, emergency responders can discern the severity of flooding (depth of water and areal extent), identify roads that are or may be flooded, and make plans for notification or evacuation of residents in harm’s way for some distance upstream and downstream from the streamgage. The USGS, in cooperation with the city of Kansas City, Missouri, developed a library of flood-inundation maps for the Blue River and selected tributaries.

Transport of Water, Carbon, and Sediment Through the Yukon River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brabets, Timothy P.; Schuster, Paul F.

2008-01-01

INTRODUCTION In 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a water-quality study of the Yukon River. The Yukon River Basin (YRB), which encompasses 330,000 square miles in northwestern Canada and central Alaska (fig. 1), is one of the largest and most diverse ecosystems in North America. The Yukon River is more than 1,800 miles long and is one of the last great uncontrolled rivers in the world, and is essential to the eastern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea ecosystems, providing freshwater runoff, sediments, and nutrients (Brabets and others, 2000). Despite its remoteness, recent studies (Hinzman and others, 2005; Walvoord and Striegl, 2007) indicate the YRB is changing. These changes likely are in response to a warming trend in air temperature of 1.7i??C from 1951 to 2001 (Hartmann and Wendler, 2005). As a result of this warming trend, permafrost is thawing in the YRB, ice breakup occurs earlier on the main stem of the Yukon River and its tributaries, and timing of streamflow and movement of carbon and sediment through the basin is changing (Hinzman and others, 2005; Walvoord and Striegl, 2007). One of the most striking characteristics in the YRB is its seasonality. In the YRB, more than 75 percent of the annual streamflow runoff occurs during a five month period, May through September. This is important because streamflow determines when, where, and how much of a particular constituent will be transported. As an example, more than 95 percent of all sediment transported during an average year also occurs during this period (Brabets and others, 2000). During the other 7 months, streamflow, concentrations of sediment and other water-quality constituents are low and little or no sediment transport occurs in the Yukon River and its tributaries. Streamflow and water-quality data have been collected at more than 50 sites in the YRB (Dornblaser and Halm, 2006; Halm and Dornblaser, 2007). Five sites have been sampled more than 30 times and others have been sampled twice

Kootenai River Focus Watershed Coordination, 2004-2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kootenai River Network,

2005-07-01

The Kootenai River Network (KRN) was contracted by the Bonneville Power Administration; PPA Project Number 96087200 for the period June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2005 to provide Kootenai River basin watershed coordination services. The prime focus of the KRN Watershed Coordination Program is coordinating projects and disseminating information related to watershed improvement and education and outreach with other interest groups in the Kootenai River basin. The KRN willingly shares its resources with these groups. The 2004-2005 BPA contract extended the original Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks contract, which was transferred to the Kootenai River Network through a Memorandum ofmore » Understanding in November 2001. The KRN objectives of this contract were carried out by one half-time Watershed Coordinator position in Montana-Idaho (Nancy Zapotocki) and one half-time Watershed Coordination team in British Columbia (Laura and Jim Duncan). Nancy Zapotocki was hired as the KRN US Watershed Coordinator in July 2004. Her extensive work experience in outreach and education and watershed planning complements the Duncans in British Columbia. To continue rejuvenating and revitalizing the KRN, the Board conducted a second retreat in November 2004. The first retreat took place in November 2003. Board and staff members combined efforts to define KRN goals and ways of achieving them. An Education and Outreach Plan formulated by the Watershed Coordinators was used to guide much of the discussions. The conclusions reached during the retreat specified four ''flagship'' projects for 2005-2006, to: (1) Provide leadership and facilitation, and build on current work related to the TMDL plans and planning efforts on the United States side of the border. (2) Continue facilitating trans-boundary British Columbia projects building on established work and applying the KRN model of project facilitation to other areas of the Kootenai basin. (3) Finalize and implement the KRN Education and Outreach

CNES Strategic Plan 2001-2005

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janichewski, S.; Ben Aı̈m, H.

2004-04-01

CNES's latest strategic plan defines the French space agency's strategic focus and charts its course for the 2001-2005 timeframe. Based on a vision of how the space sector will evolve over the period up to 2010, the Strategic Plan sets out the agency's ambition for 2005: " CNES—space technology serving society". This ambition is structured around four challenges: Focusing actions on society's needs in three areas where space technology can make a major difference—environment, science and the information society and mobility. Building the foundation for success by ensuring competitive access to space and boosting basic research and technological innovation. Strengthening national and European synergies to ensure complementarity between: the ESA European framework, which is well adapted for major projects and the development of a European Space Strategy (ESS); and the national framework to support activities of national responsibility such as defence, science and technology development, and to improve competitiveness through direct international cooperation with other space agencies. Forging effective partnerships with its research and industry partners in Europe and France to enhance performance by: developing a service culture; building partnerships; concentrating on core competencies where it can most add value; improving skills and responsiveness in line with its strategic position; ensuring transparent and rigorous management of public funds. This Strategic Plan will be implemented in the 2001-2005 timeframe at all management levels. Implementation will be eased by the fact that the plan has been drawn up through a specific process designed to make internal management aware of the analysis underlying it. This will ensure that all stakeholders understand and appropriate the plan's orientations and thus play an active role in CNES' development. This process involved five successive steps: shared assessment of the space sector's evolution, providing a common

Temporal Variations in 234U/238U Activity Ratios in the Lower Mississippi River due to Changes in Source Tributary Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grzymko, T. J.; Marcantonio, F.; McKee, B. A.; Stewart, C. M.

2004-12-01

The world's 25 largest river systems contribute nearly 50% of all freshwater to the global ocean and carry large quantities of dissolved trace metals annually. Trace metal concentrations in these systems show large variances on seasonal time scales. In order to constrain the causes of these variations, consistent sampling on sub-seasonal time intervals is essential. Here, we focus on the Mississippi River, the seventh largest river in the world in terms of freshwater discharge and the third largest in terms of drainage basin area. Biweekly sampling of the lower Mississippi River at New Orleans was performed from January 2003 to August 2004. Uranium concentrations and 234U/238U activity ratios were measured for the dissolved component (<0.2 μ m-fraction) of river water. Over the course of this study, dissolved U activity ratios spanned a range of about 25%, from 1.23 to 1.60. Dissolved U concentrations ranged from 0.28 to 1.06 ppb. The relationship between concentrations, activity ratios, and lower river discharge is complicated, and no clear pattern is observed on both biweekly and seasonal timescales. However, there does seem to be a relationship between the larger seasonal trends in the lower Mississippi River and variations in the discharge of its upstream tributaries. To constrain this relationship, we have sampled water from the Missouri River, the upper Mississippi River above the confluence with the Missouri, the Ohio River, and the Arkansas River in February, April, and August of 2004. For the upstream samples measured thus far, the highest dissolved uranium concentrations are observed for the Missouri River at 2.02 ppb, while the lowest are found in the Ohio River at 0.38 ppb. Dissolved 234U/238U activity ratios are as unique for each tributary and vary from 1.36 in the Ohio River to 1.51 in the Missouri River. A preliminary mass balance analysis reveals that the lower river uranium activity ratios are controlled simply by the quantity and isotope

Analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky : 2001-2005.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-08-01

This report includes an analysis of traffic accident data in Kentucky for the years of 2001 through 2005. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Average and critical rates of crashes were ca...

Streamflow characteristics of small tributaries of Rock Creek, Milk River basin, Montana, base period water years 1983-87

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parrett, Charles; Hull, J.A.

1990-01-01

Five streamflow-gaging stations were installed in the Rock Creek basin north of the Milk River near Hinsdale, Montana. Streamflow was monitored at these stations and at an existing gaging station upstream on Rock Creek from May 1983 through September 1987. The data collected were used to describe the flow characteristics of four small tributary streams. Annual mean streamflow ranges from 2.8 to 57 cu ft/sec in the mainstem and from 0 to 0.60 cu ft/sec in the tributaries. Monthly mean streamflow ranged from 0 to 528 cu ft/sec in Rock Creek and from zero to 5.3 cu ft/sec in the four tributaries. The six gaged sites show similar patterns of daily mean streamflow during periods of large runoff, but substantial individual variations during periods of lesser runoff. During periods of lesser runoff , the small tributaries may have small daily mean streamflows. At other times, daily mean streamflow at the two mainstem sites decreased downstream. Daily mean streamflow in the tributaries appears to be closely related to daily mean streamflow in the mainstem only during periods of substantial area-wide runoff. Thus, streamflow in the tributaries resulting from local storms or local snowmelt may not contribute to streamflow in the mainstem. (USGS)

Use of Virginia's tributaries of the Potomac River by anadromous fishes : final report for phase four of an analysis of the impediments to spawning migrations of anadromous fish in Virginia rivers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-10-01

The use of Virginia's tributaries of the lower Potomac River (downstream of Great Falls) : by striped bass, American shad, hickory shad, and river herring (a collective term for alewife : and blueback herring) was determined by reviewing literature, ...

Ares Vallis Tributary - False Color

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-12-17

The THEMIS VIS camera contains 5 filters. The data from different filters can be combined to create a false color image. This false color image from NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows part of a tributary channel that empties into Ares Vallis.

Relation between flows and dissolved oxygen in the Roanoke River between Roanoke Rapids Dam and Jamesville, North Carolina, 2005-2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wehmeyer, Loren L.; Wagner, Chad R.

2011-01-01

The relation between dam releases and dissolved-oxygen concentration, saturation and deficit, downstream from Roanoke Rapids Dam in North Carolina was evaluated from 2005 to 2009. Dissolved-oxygen data collected at four water-quality monitoring stations downstream from Roanoke Rapids Dam were used to determine if any statistical relations or discernible quantitative or qualitative patterns linked Roanoke River in-stream dissolved-oxygen levels to hydropower peaking at Roanoke Rapids Dam. Unregulated tributaries that inundate and drain portions of the Roanoke River flood plain are crucial in relation to in-stream dissolved oxygen. Hydropower peaking from 2005 to 2009 both inundated and drained portions of the flood plain independently of large storms. The effects of these changes in flow on dissolved-oxygen dynamics are difficult to isolate, however, because of (1) the variable travel time for water to move down the 112-mile reach of the Roanoke River from Roanoke Rapids Dam to Jamesville, North Carolina, and (2) the range of in-situ conditions, particularly inundation history and water temperature, in the flood plain. Statistical testing was conducted on the travel-time-adjusted hourly data measured at each of the four water-quality stations between May and November 2005-2009 when the weekly mean flow was 5,000-12,000 cubic feet per second (a range when Roanoke Rapids Dam operations likely affect tributary and flood-plain water levels). Results of this statistical testing indicate that at the 99-percent confidence interval dissolved-oxygen levels downstream from Roanoke Rapids Dam were lower during peaking weeks than during non-peaking weeks in three of the five years and higher in one of the five years; no data were available for weeks with peaking in 2007. For the four years of statistically significant differences in dissolved oxygen between peaking and non-peaking weeks, three of the years had statistically signficant differences in water temperature. Years

Indicators of Methamphetamine Use and Abuse in San Diego County, California: 2001–2005†

PubMed Central

Pollini, Robin A.; Strathdee, Steffanie A.

2013-01-01

San Diego County, California, is a major distribution center for methamphetamine entering the U.S. from Mexico. All available indicators suggest that the use and abuse of methamphetamine increased between 2001 and 2005. Drug treatment admissions for primary methamphetamine use accounted for 49% of all drug treatment admissions in 2005, up from 37% in 2001, with trends showing smaller proportions of female and Hispanic users and a larger proportion of methamphetamine smokers (vs. inhalation or injection). Increases in prevalence of methamphetamine use were documented among arrestees as well; by 2005, 51% of female and 21% of juvenile arrestees tested positive for methamphetamine The proportion of emergency department visits involving illicit drugs in which methamphetamine was reported increased from 32% in 2004 to 40% in 2005, although this change was not statistically significant, and methamphetamine-related deaths increased 48% between 2001 and 2005. Data from non-federal drug seizures in San Diego County documented an increase from 21 % of all drug items analyzed in 2001 to 32% in 2005 In summary, methamphetamine remains the drug of utmost concern in San Diego. The availability of multiple data sources is imperative for constructing valid characterizations of trends in methamphetamine use and abuse and its affect on health. PMID:18284098

Long-term decreases in phosphorus and suspended solids, but not nitrogen, in six upper Mississippi River tributaries, 1991–2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kreiling, Rebecca; Houser, Jeff N.

2016-01-01

Long-term trends in tributaries provide valuable information about temporal changes in inputs of nutrients and sediments to large rivers. Data collected from 1991 to 2014 were used to investigate trends in total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate (NO3–N), soluble-reactive P (SRP), and total suspended solids (TSS) in the following six tributaries of the upper Mississippi River: Cannon (CaR; Minnesota (MN)), Maquoketa (MR; Iowa (IA)), Wapsipinicon (WR; IA), Cuivre (CuR; Missouri (MO)), Chippewa (ChR; Wisconsin (WI)), and Black (BR; WI) rivers. Weighted regression on time discharge and season was used to statistically remove effects of random variation in discharge from estimated trends in flow-normalized concentrations and flux. Concentration and flux of TSS declined in all six rivers. Concentration of P declined in four of the rivers, and P flux declined in five rivers. Concentration and flux of N exhibited small changes relative to TP. TN concentration and flux did not change substantially in four of the rivers and decreased in two (ChR, CuR). Nitrate concentration and flux increased in three rivers (ChR, BR, CaR) and remained relatively constant in the other three rivers. General declines in P and TSS suggest that improvements in agricultural land management, such as the adoption of conservation tillage and enrollment of vulnerable acreage into the Conservation Reserve Program, may have reduced surface runoff; similar reductions in N were not observed.

Parvicapsula minibicornis in anadromous sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) and coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) salmon from tributaries of the Columbia River.

PubMed

Jones, Simon; Prosperi-Porta, Gina; Dawe, Sheila; Taylor, Kimberley; Goh, Benjamin

2004-08-01

The myxosporean parasite Parvicapsula minibicornis is described from adult sockeye and coho salmon during spawning migrations in tributaries of the Columbia River in Canada and the United States. These observations extend the known distribution of this parasite from the Fraser River drainage basin. The parasite was identified in Columbia River salmonids using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridization, but unlike in Fraser River salmon, it was not observed in conventional histological preparations of the kidney. Prevalence of the parasite determined by PCR was higher in spawning sockeye from the Fraser River than in those from the Okanagan River. Our ability to explain the relatively low prevalence and absence of clinical P. minibicornis infections in Columbia River salmon is hampered by our poor understanding of the life cycle of this parasite.

Concentrations and loads of nutrients in the tributaries of the Lake Okeechobee watershed, south-central Florida, water years 2004-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Byrne, Michael J.; Wood, Molly S.

2011-01-01

Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida is the second largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States. Excessive phosphorus loading, harmful high and low water levels, and rapid expansion of non-native vegetation have threatened the health of the lake in recent decades. A study was conducted to monitor discharge and nutrient concentrations from selected tributaries into Lake Okeechobee and to evaluate nutrient loads. The data analysis was performed at 16 monitoring stations from December 2003 to September 2008. Annual and seasonal discharge measured at monitoring stations is affected by rainfall. Hurricanes affected three wet years (2004, 2005, and the latter part of 2008) and resulted in substantially greater discharge than the drought years of 2006, 2007, and the early part of 2008. Rainfall supplies about 50 percent of the water to Lake Okeechobee, discharge from the Kissimmee River supplies about 25 percent, and discharge from tributaries and groundwater seepage along the lake perimeter collectively provide the remaining 25 percent. Annually, tributary discharge from basins located on the west side of the Kissimmee River is about 5 to 6 times greater than that from basins located on the east side. For the purposes of this study, the basins on the east side of the Kissimmee River are called "priority basins" because of elevated phosphorus concentrations, while those on the west side are called "nonpriority" basins. Total annual discharge in the non-priority basins ranged from 245,000 acre-feet (acre-ft) in 2007 to 1,322,000 acre-ft in 2005, while annual discharge from the priority basins ranged from 41,000 acre-ft in 2007 to 219,000 acre-ft in 2005. Mean total phosphorus concentrations ranged from 0.10 to 0.54 milligrams per liter (mg/L) at the 16 tributaries during 2004–2008. Mean concentrations were significantly higher at priority basin sites than at non-priority basin sites, particularly at Arbuckle Creek and C 41A Canal. Concentrations of organic

Habitat associations of juvenile Burbot in a tributary of the Kootenai River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beard, Zachary S.; Quist, Michael C.; Hardy, Ryan S.; Ross, Tyler J.

2017-01-01

Burbot Lota lota in the lower Kootenai River, Idaho, have been the focus of extensive conservation efforts, particularly conservation aquaculture. One of the primary management strategies has been the release of Burbot into small tributaries in the Kootenai River basin, such as Deep Creek. Since 2012, approximately 12,000 juvenile Burbot have been stocked into Deep Creek; however, little is known about the habitat use of stocked Burbot. The objective of this study was to evaluate habitat associations of juvenile Burbot in Deep Creek. Fish and habitat were sampled from 58 reaches of the creek. Regression models suggested that Burbot moved little after stocking and were associated with areas of high mean depth and coarse substrate. This study provides additional knowledge on habitat associations of juvenile Burbot and suggests that managers should consider selecting deep habitats with coarse substrate for stocking locations.

Effects of coal-mine discharges on the quality of the Stonycreek River and its tributaries, Somerset and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Donald R.; Sams, James I.; Mulkerrin, Mary E.

1996-01-01

This report describes the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the Somerset Conservation District, to locate and sample abandoned coal-mine discharges in the Stonycreek River Basin, to prioritize the mine discharges for remediation, and to determine the effects of the mine discharges on water quality of the Stonycreek River and its major tributaries. From October 1991 through November 1994, 270 abandoned coal-mine discharges were located and sampled. Discharges from 193 mines exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency effluent standards for pH, discharges from 122 mines exceeded effluent standards for total-iron concentration, and discharges from 141 mines exceeded effluent standards for total-manganese concentration. Discharges from 94 mines exceeded effluent standards for all three constituents. Only 40 mine discharges met effluent standards for pH and concentrations of total iron and total manganese.A prioritization index (PI) was developed to rank the mine discharges with respect to their loading capacity on the receiving stream. The PI lists the most severe mine discharges in a descending order for the Stonycreek River Basin and for subbasins that include the Shade Creek, Paint Creek, Wells Creek, Quemahoning Creek, Oven Run, and Pokeytown Run Basins.Passive-treatment systems that include aerobic wetlands, compost wetlands, and anoxic limestone drains (ALD's) are planned to remediate the abandoned mine discharges. The successive alkalinity-producing-system treatment combines ALD technology with the sulfate reduction mechanism of the compost wetland to effectively remediate mine discharge. The water quality and flow of each mine discharge will determine which treatment system or combination of treatment systems would be necessary for remediation.A network of 37 surface-water sampling sites was established to determine stream-water quality during base flow. A series of illustrations show how water quality in the mainstem

Temperature anomalies in the Lower Suwannee River and tidal creeks, Florida, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raabe, Ellen A.; Bialkowska-Jelinska, Elzbieta

2007-01-01

Temperature anomalies in coastal waters were detected with Thermal Infrared imagery of the Lower Suwannee River (LSR) and nearshore tidal marshes on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Imagery included 1.5-m-resolution day and night Thermal Infrared (TIR) and 0.75-m-resolution Color Infrared (CIR) imagery acquired on 2-3 March 2005. Coincident temperature readings were collected on the ground and used to calibrate the imagery. The Floridan aquifer is at or near the land surface in this area and bears a constant temperature signature of ~ 22 degrees Celsius. This consistent temperature contrasts sharply with ambient temperatures during winter and summer months. Temperature anomalies identified in the imagery during a late-winter cold spell may be correlated with aquifer seeps. Hot spots were identified as those areas exceeding ambient water temperature by 4 degrees Celsius or more. Warm-water plumes were also mapped for both day and night imagery. The plume from Manatee Spring, a first-order magnitude spring, influenced water temperature in the lower river. Numerous temperature anomalies were identified in small tributaries and tidal creeks from Shired Island to Cedar Key and were confirmed with field reconnaissance. Abundant warm-water features were identified along tidal creeks south of the Suwannee River and near Waccasassa Bay. Features were mapped in the tidal creeks north of the river but appear to be less common or have lower associated discharge. The imagery shows considerable promise in mapping coastal-aquifer seeps and understanding the underlying geology of the region. Detection of seep locations may aid research in groundwater/surface-water interactions and water quality, and in the management of coastal habitats.

Effects of Jackson Lake dam and Tributaries on the Hydrology and Geomorphology of the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, N. C.; Schmidt, J. C.

2006-05-01

Geomorphic and hydrologic analyses of the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) indicate that flow contributions of tributaries mitigate impacts of regulation. Since a flow regime change in 1958, regulation resulted in a 43 and 35% decrease in estimated unregulated flows immediately downstream of Jackson Lake Dam (JLD) and at Moose (43 km and 5 tributaries downstream of JLD), respectively. Geomorphic evidence indicates that some channel characteristics are more sensitive than others to this decreasing influence of flow regulation. First, entrainment of tracer rocks suggests that the ability of the Snake River to mobilize its bed increases downstream. A greater proportion of the bed became active, and the mobilized clasts moved further, in the two study reaches furthest downstream. Second, repeat mapping from aerial photographs suggest that some changes in channel form are the result of flow regulation and some are the result of climatically driven changes in runoff determined by tributaries. Initial decreases in flows due to regulation may have caused the observed channel narrowing between 1945 and 1969, and greater precipitation causing greater natural flows may have resulted in the subsequent channel widening between 1969 and 1990. Third, flow models were used to obtain the magnitudes of flows necessary to inundate two floodplain surfaces in 4 reaches from JLD to Moose. Recurrence intervals and inundation periods were similar for a narrow, inset floodplain in all 4 reaches, suggesting that this surface developed due to regulation. Recurrence intervals for a much broader and higher floodplain decreased downstream from 9 to 3.2 years and inundation periods increased downstream from 1.1 to 3 days immediately below JLD and at Moose, respectively. This suggests the upper floodplain was formed prior to regulation of the Snake River. Thus, the effects of flow regulation on bed mobility and connectivity between the channel and the upper floodplain decrease

Export of dissolved organic carbon from the Penobscot River basin in north-central Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huntington, Thomas G.; Aiken, George R.

2013-01-01

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux from the Penobscot River and its major tributaries in Maine was determined using continuous discharge measurements, discrete water sampling, and the LOADEST regression software. The average daily flux during 2004–2007 was 71 kg C ha−1 yr−1 (392 Mt C d−1), an amount larger than measured in most northern temperate and boreal rivers. Distinct seasonal variation was observed in the relation between concentration and discharge (C–Q). During June through December (summer/fall), there was a relatively steep positive C–Q relation where concentration increased by a factor of 2–3 over the approximately 20-fold range of observed stream discharge for the Penobscot River near Eddington, Maine. In contrast, during January through May (winter/spring), DOC concentration did not increase with increasing discharge. In addition, we observed a major shift in the C–Q between 2004–2005 and 2006–2007, apparently resulting from unprecedented rainfall, runoff, and soil flushing beginning in late fall 2005. The relative contribution to the total Penobscot River basin DOC flux from each tributary varied dramatically by season, reflecting the role of large regulated reservoirs in certain basins. DOC concentration and flux per unit watershed area were highest in tributaries containing the largest areas in palustrine wetlands. Tributary DOC concentration and flux was positively correlated to percentage wetland area. Climatic or environmental changes that influence the magnitude or timing of river discharge or the abundance of wetlands will likely affect the export of DOC to the near-coastal ocean.

Ecological comparisons of Lake Erie tributaries with elevated incidence of fish tumors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Stephen B.; Blouin, Marc A.; Mac, Michael J.

1994-01-01

Ecological comparisons were made between two Lake Erie tributaries (Black and Cuyahoga rivers) with contaminated sediments and elevated rates of tumors in fish populations and a third, relatively unpolluted, reference tributary, the Huron River. Fish populations, benthic invertebrates, and sediments were evaluated in all three Ohio rivers. Community structure analyses indicated similar total densities but lower species diversity for fish and benthic invertebrates in the contaminated rivers when compared with the reference river. Growth rates in fish from the contaminated areas were either similar to or higher than those offish from the reference site. Brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from the two contaminated tributaries exhibited 51% (Black River) and 45% (Cuyahoga River) incidence of liver lesions (neoplastic and preneoplastic) as compared with a 4% incidence of liver lesions in brown bullhead from the reference river (Huron River). Incidence of external abnormalities on brown bullhead was 54% (Black River) and 73% (Cuyahoga River) as compared with a 14% incidence on fish from the Huron River. On a regional basis, incidence of external abnormalities on particular benthic fish species may be an effective method to quickly indicate areas for more intensive contaminant studies.

Evaluation of sources and loading of pesticides to the Sacramento River, California, USA, during a storm event of winter 2005.

PubMed

Guo, Lei; Kelley, Kevin; Goh, Kean S

2007-11-01

A monitoring study was conducted in the tributaries and main stem of the Sacramento River, California, USA, during the storm event of January 26 to February 1, 2005. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the sources and loading of pesticides in the Sacramento River watershed during the winter storm season. A total of 26 pesticides or pesticide degradates were analyzed, among which five pesticides and one triazine degradate were detected. Diuron, diazinon, and simazine were found in all streams with a total load of 110.4, 15.4, and 15.7 kg, respectively, in the Sacramento River over the single storm event. Bromacil, hexazinone, and the triazine degradate diaminochlorotriazine were only detected in two smaller drainage canals with a load ranged from 0.25 to 7 kg. The major source of pesticides detected in the main stem Sacramento River was from the most upstream subbasin, the Sacramento River above Colusa, where detected pesticides either exceeded or were close to those at the main outlet of the Sacramento River at Alamar Marina. The higher precipitation in this subbasin was partly responsible for the greater contribution of pesticides observed. Diazinon was the only pesticide with concentrations above water quality criteria, indicating that additional mitigation measures may be needed to reduce its movement to surface water.

Alder Establishment and Channel Dynamics in a Tributary of the South Fork Eel River, Mendocino County, California

Treesearch

William J. Trush; Edward C. Connor; Knight Alan W.

1989-01-01

Riparian communities established along Elder Creek, a tributary of the upper South Fork Eel River, are bounded by two frequencies of periodic flooding. The upper limit for the riparian zone occurs at bankfull stage. The lower riparian limit is associated with a more frequent stage height, called the active channel, having an exceedance probability of 11 percent on a...

Evaluation of total phosphorus mass balance in the lower Boise River and selected tributaries, southwestern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Etheridge, Alexandra B.

2013-01-01

he U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, developed spreadsheet mass-balance models for total phosphorus using results from three synoptic sampling periods conducted in the lower Boise River watershed during August and October 2012, and March 2013. The modeling reach spanned 46.4 river miles (RM) along the Boise River from Veteran’s Memorial Parkway in Boise, Idaho (RM 50.2), to Parma, Idaho (RM 3.8). The USGS collected water-quality samples and measured streamflow at 14 main-stem Boise River sites, two Boise River north channel sites, two sites on the Snake River upstream and downstream of its confluence with the Boise River, and 17 tributary and return-flow sites. Additional samples were collected from treated effluent at six wastewater treatment plants and two fish hatcheries. The Idaho Department of Water Resources quantified diversion flows in the modeling reach. Total phosphorus mass-balance models were useful tools for evaluating sources of phosphorus in the Boise River during each sampling period. The timing of synoptic sampling allowed the USGS to evaluate phosphorus inputs to and outputs from the Boise River during irrigation season, shortly after irrigation ended, and soon before irrigation resumed. Results from the synoptic sampling periods showed important differences in surface-water and groundwater distribution and phosphorus loading. In late August 2012, substantial streamflow gains to the Boise River occurred from Middleton (RM 31.4) downstream to Parma (RM 3.8). Mass-balance model results indicated that point and nonpoint sources (including groundwater) contributed phosphorus loads to the Boise River during irrigation season. Groundwater exchange within the Boise River in October 2012 and March 2013 was not as considerable as that measured in August 2012. However, groundwater discharge to agricultural tributaries and drains during non-irrigation season was a large source of discharge and

Assessing Microplastic Loads in the Mississippi River and Its Major Tributaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasenmueller, E. A.; Martin, K. M.; Conkle, J. L.; White, J. R.

2017-12-01

Plastic debris is ubiquitous in marine environments and can cause significant harm to aquatic life when organisms become entangled in the plastic or mistake it for food. Macroplastic debris (plastic >5 mm in diameter) has received significant attention from the public, government agencies, and the scientific community. However, the majority of plastics in aquatic environments are microplastics (plastic <5 mm in diameter), emerging contaminants that, due to their small size, were understudied until the last decade. Estimates of plastic debris in the world's ocean vary widely from 244,000 tonnes floating at the water's surface to 4.8-12.7 million tonnes loaded from terrestrial sources annually. Many of these terrestrial inputs of plastic debris to the ocean have not yet been systematically quantified. The Mississippi River is likely one of the largest sources of marine plastic debris, not only to the Gulf of Mexico, but also the global ocean. Therefore, this research, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, has quantified and characterized microplastics (i.e., size, shape, and resin type) at the surface and at depth along the mainstem of the Mississippi River, including near major cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans, as well as in some of the Mississippi River's major tributaries (i.e., the Missouri River, Ohio River, and Illinois River). Sampling is ongoing, but our datasets will allow us to characterize: 1) total microplastic concentrations and loads, 2) spatial and temporal trends in microplastic abundances, and 3) land-use effects on microplastic levels across the Mississippi River watershed. Our data will also provide estimates of the total discharge of microplastics from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. These efforts will provide a baseline for future research relating to the fate and effects of microplastics in aquatic environments and can guide federal and local policy makers in creating and

The story of the creation and monitoring of the Russian Desman (Desmana moschata L.) population reintroduced of in the Kerzhenets river floodplain in the Nizhny Novgorod region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakka, S. V.; Kiseleva, N. Yu; Pankratov, I. I.; Tarasov, I. A.; Shukov, P. M.

2018-01-01

The article summarizes the results of creating the reintroduced population of the Russian desman (Desmana moschata L.) in the Nizhny Novgorod region in the floodplain of the Kerzhenets river (the left tributary of the Volga) and monitoring of its status in 2005-2017. In 2001-2002, a total of 51 individuals were released in the Kerzhenskiy State Nature Reserve. In subsequent years, the desman iinhabited the floodplain of the Kerzhenets river 20 km upstream and 60 km downstream of the river. The number of reintroduced population was 35-40 individuals in 2012, 17 individuals - in 2013. Probably from 30 to 50% of the reintroduced population of desmans inhabit the territory of the Kerzhenskiy State Nature Reserve. Population numbers of desmans in the Reserve varied from 25 individuals in 2005 to 3 in 2015. The positive population trend was recored in 2016-17. Also the paper discusses the limiting factors, the relationship between desmans and muskrats. Now the number of reintroduced population is at a critically low level. However, it is essential for conservation of this endangered species. Recommendations for continued monitoring of the desman status in the valley of the Kerzhenets river are presented.

Astronautics and Aeronautics: A Chronology, 2001-2005

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivey, William Noel; Lewis, Marieke

2010-01-01

This report is a chronological compilation of narrative summaries of news reports and government documents highlighting significant events and developments in U.S. and foreign aeronautics and astronautics. It covers the years 2001 through 2005. These summaries provide a day-by-day recounting of major activities, such as administrative developments, awards, launches, scientific discoveries, corporate and government research results, and other events in countries with aeronautics and astronautics programs. Researchers used the archives and files housed in the NASA History Division, as well as reports and databases on the NASA Web site.

75 FR 53264 - Restricted Area in Cape Fear River and Tributaries at Sunny Point Army Terminal, Brunswick County...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-31

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers 33 CFR Part 334 Restricted Area in Cape Fear River and Tributaries at Sunny Point Army Terminal, Brunswick County, NC AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The U.S. Army requested that the U.S...

75 FR 53197 - Restricted Area in Cape Fear River and Tributaries at Sunny Point Army Terminal, Brunswick County...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-31

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers 33 CFR Part 334 Restricted Area in Cape Fear River and Tributaries at Sunny Point Army Terminal, Brunswick County, NC AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. ACTION: Direct final rule. SUMMARY: The U.S. Army requested that the U.S...

Assessing geomorphic change along the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtis, Jennifer A.; Wright, Scott A.; Minear, Justin T.; Flint, Lorraine E.

2015-01-01

The highest rates of change in the areal extents of channel and riparian features were observed during the pre‑2001 period, which was longer and relatively wetter than the post-2001 period. A series of tributary floods in 1997, 1998, and 2006 increased channel complexity and floodplain connectivity. During the post-2006 period, managed-flow releases, in the absence of tributary flooding, combined with gravel augmentation and mechanical restoration, caused localized increases in sediment supply and transport capacity that led to smaller, but measurable, increases in channel complexity and floodplain connectivity in the upper river near Lewiston Dam. Extensive pre-2001 channel widening and the muted geomorphic response of channel rehabilitation sites to post-2001 managed flows highlight the need for continued monitoring and assessment of the magnitude, duration, and timing of prescriptive flows and associated geomorphic responses.

Wind River Watershed Restoration 2004-2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Connolly, Patrick J.; Jezorek, Ian G.

2008-11-10

During 2004, researchers from U.S. Geological Survey's Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) collected temperature, flow, and habitat data to characterize physical habitat condition and variation within and among tributaries and mainstem sections in the Wind River subbasin. Juvenile salmonid population surveys were conducted within select study areas throughout the subbasin. We expanded our survey coverage of the mainstem Wind River to a reach in the vicinity of Carson National Fish Hatchery to assess effects of non-indigenous Chinook on native steelhead. These efforts add to a database of habitat and fish data collected in the Wind River since 1996. This researchmore » contributes to the Wind River Restoration Project, which includes active stream habitat restoration and monitoring of adult and juvenile steelhead populations. We maintained a network of 32 thermographs in the Wind River subbasin during 2004. Additionally, Underwood Conservation District provided us with data from seven thermographs that they maintained during 2004. Thermograph data are identifying areas with chronic high water temperatures and stream sections where high rates of warming are occurring. During 2004, water temperatures at 26 thermograph sites exceeded the 16 C limit for surface waters set by the Washington Department of Ecology. Water temperatures exceeded 20 C at five sites in the Trout Creek watershed. Our thermograph dataset includes information from as early as 1996 at some sites and has become a valuable long-term dataset, which will be crucial in determining bioenergetic relationships with habitat and life-histories. We have monitored salmonid populations throughout the Wind River subbasin by electrofishing and snorkeling. We electrofished four stream sections for population estimates during 2004. In these sections, and others where we simply collected fish without a population estimate, we tagged juvenile steelhead and Chinook salmon with Passive Integrated

Survival, movement, and distribution of juvenile Burbot in a tributary of the Kootenai River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beard, Zachary S.; Quist, Michael C.; Hardy, Ryan S.; Ross, Tyler J.

2017-01-01

Burbot Lota lota in the lower Kootenai River, Idaho, have been the focus of extensive conservation efforts, particularly the release of hatchery-reared juvenile Burbot into small tributaries. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game installed a fixed PIT antenna on Deep Creek, a tributary of the Kootenai River, to evaluate movement of juvenile Burbot to the Kootenai River. Since then, approximately 12,000 juvenile Burbot have been PIT-tagged and released into Deep Creek, but few Burbot have been detected at the antenna, thus raising questions about their fate in the creek. The objectives of this study were to evaluate survival, movement, and distribution of Burbot released into Deep Creek. During 2014, 3,000 age-0, 200 age-1, 16 age-2, and 16 age-4 Burbot were released at two different locations; during 2015, 3,000 age-0 Burbot were released at six different locations (i.e., 500 fish/site). Five additional stationary PIT tag antennas were installed on Deep Creek prior to stocking in 2014. Mobile PIT tag antennas were used to survey the creek in 2015 and 2016. A Barker model in Program MARK was used to estimate survival. Stationary and mobile PIT tag antennas relocated 3,372 (56%) of the Burbot released in Deep Creek during 2014 and 2015. Eighty-eight percent of PIT tags relocated during mobile surveys were relocated within 1 km of a release location. Mobile surveys of release locations in Deep Creek suggested poor dispersal from stocking locations. Survival did not vary across years or release groups. Initial 7-month survival in Deep Creek was 0.27, and survival improved to 0.63 after the first 7 months. Although survival did not differ between years or among release groups, managers may consider releasing Burbot at lower densities across multiple locations.

Water-quality and biological conditions in selected tributaries of the Lower Boise River, southwestern Idaho, water years 2009-12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Etheridge, Alexandra B.; MacCoy, Dorene E.; Weakland, Rhonda J.

2014-01-01

Water-quality conditions were studied in selected tributaries of the lower Boise River during water years 2009–12, including Fivemile and Tenmile Creeks in 2009, Indian Creek in 2010, and Mason Creek in 2011 and 2012. Biological samples, including periphyton biomass and chlorophyll-a, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish were collected in Mason Creek in October 2011. Synoptic water-quality sampling events were timed to coincide with the beginning and middle of the irrigation season as well as the non-irrigation season, and showed that land uses and irrigation practices affect water quality in the selected tributaries. Large increases in nutrient and sediment concentrations and loads occurred over relatively short stream reaches and affected nutrient and sediment concentrations downstream of those reaches. Escherichia coli (E. coli) values increased in study reaches adjacent to pastured lands or wastewater treatment plants, but increased E. coli values at upstream locations did not necessarily affect E. coli values at downstream locations. A spatial loading analysis identified source areas for nutrients, sediment, and E. coli, and might be useful in selecting locations for water-quality improvement projects. Effluent from wastewater treatment plants increased nutrient loads in specific reaches in Fivemile and Indian Creeks. Increased suspended-sediment loads were associated with increased discharge from irrigation returns in each of the studied tributaries. Samples collected during or shortly after storms showed that surface runoff, particularly during the winter, may be an important source of nutrients in tributary watersheds with substantial agricultural land use. Concentrations of total phosphorus, suspended sediment, and E. coli exceeded regulatory water-quality targets or trigger levels at one or more monitoring sites in each tributary studied, and exceedences occurred during irrigation season more often than during non-irrigation season. As with water

Low-flow profiles of the Tennessee River tributaries in Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, R.F.; Hopkins, E.H.; Perlman, H.A.

1988-01-01

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

Toxicity of bed sediments from the Niagara River Area of Concern and tributaries, New York, to Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca, 2014-15

USGS Publications Warehouse

George, Scott D.; Baldigo, Barry P.; Duffy, Brian T.

2016-09-20

The Niagara River was designated as an Area of Concern in 1987 on both the United States and Canadian sides of the international boundary line because past industrial discharges and hazardous waste sites had caused extensive degradation of aquatic habitats. The degradation of the “benthos”, or the benthic macroinvertebrate community, was identified as one of seven beneficial use impairments caused by contaminated bed sediments. The U.S. Geological Survey and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, conducted a study in 2014 and 2015 to gather more extensive data on (a) the toxicity of bed sediments and (b) the status of macroinvertebrate communities on the main stem and tributaries of the Niagara River. This report addresses the first component of that study (toxicity of bed sediments), and summarizes results from laboratory toxicity tests that compare the survival and growth of two macroinvertebrate species between bed sediments from study sites and laboratory controls. Sediment toxicity was negligible at most sites, however poor performance of one or both test species in bed sediments from several tributary sites suggests that the quality of sediments may be adversely affecting benthic macroinvertebrate communities in some tributaries to the Niagara River.

Faunal assemblages and multi-scale habitat patterns in headwater tributaries of the South Fork Trinity River - an unregulated river embedded within a multiple-use landscape

Treesearch

H. H. Jr. Welsh; J. J. G. R. Hodgson; J. M. Emlen Duda

2010-01-01

Headwaters can represent 80% of stream kilometers in a watershed, and they also have unique physical and biological properties that have only recently been recognized for their importance in sustaining healthy functioning stream networks and their ecological services. We sampled 60 headwater tributaries in the South Fork Trinity River, a 2,430 km2...

Sampling little fish in big rivers: Larval fish detection probabilities in two Lake Erie tributaries and implications for sampling effort and abundance indices

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pritt, Jeremy J.; DuFour, Mark R.; Mayer, Christine M.; Roseman, Edward F.; DeBruyne, Robin L.

2014-01-01

Larval fish are frequently sampled in coastal tributaries to determine factors affecting recruitment, evaluate spawning success, and estimate production from spawning habitats. Imperfect detection of larvae is common, because larval fish are small and unevenly distributed in space and time, and coastal tributaries are often large and heterogeneous. We estimated detection probabilities of larval fish from several taxa in the Maumee and Detroit rivers, the two largest tributaries of Lake Erie. We then demonstrated how accounting for imperfect detection influenced (1) the probability of observing taxa as present relative to sampling effort and (2) abundance indices for larval fish of two Detroit River species. We found that detection probabilities ranged from 0.09 to 0.91 but were always less than 1.0, indicating that imperfect detection is common among taxa and between systems. In general, taxa with high fecundities, small larval length at hatching, and no nesting behaviors had the highest detection probabilities. Also, detection probabilities were higher in the Maumee River than in the Detroit River. Accounting for imperfect detection produced up to fourfold increases in abundance indices for Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis and Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum. The effect of accounting for imperfect detection in abundance indices was greatest during periods of low abundance for both species. Detection information can be used to determine the appropriate level of sampling effort for larval fishes and may improve management and conservation decisions based on larval fish data.

Occurrence and accumulation of pesticides and organic contaminants in river sediment, water and clam tissues from the San Joaquin River and tributaries, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pereira, W.E.; Domagalski, Joseph L.; Hostettler, F.D.; Brown, L.R.; Rapp, J.B.

1996-01-01

A study was conducted in 1992 to assess the effects of anthropogenic activities and land use on the water quality of the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries. This study focused on pesticides and organic contaminants, looking at distributions of contaminants in water, bed and suspended sediment, and the bivalve Corbicula fluminea. Results indicated that this river system is affected by agricultural practices and urban runoff. Sediments from Dry Creek contained elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), possibly derived from urban runoff from the city of Modesto; suspended sediments contained elevated amounts of chlordane. Trace levels of triazine herbicides atrazine and simazine were present in water at most sites. Sediments, water, and bivalves from Orestimba Creek, a westside tributary draining agricultural areas, contained the greatest levels of DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2-2-bis[p-chlorophenyl]ethane), and its degradates DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis[p-chlorophenyl]ethane), and DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2- bis[p-chlorophenyl]ethylene). Sediment adsorption co efficients (K(oc)), and bioconcentration factors (BCF) in Corbicula of DDT, DDD, and DDE at Orestimba Creek were greater than predicted values. Streams of the western San Joaquin Valley can potentially transport significant amounts of chlorinated pesticides to the San Joaquin River, the delta, and San Francisco Bay. Organochlorine compounds accumulate in bivalves and sediment and may pose a problem to other biotic species in this watershed.

Assessment of maternal anemia in rural Western China between 2001 and 2005: a two-level logistic regression approach

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background There are multiple adverse effects of anemia on human function, particularly on women. However, few researches are conducted on women anemia in rural Western China. This study mainly aims to investigate the levels and associated factors of maternal anemia between 2001 and 2005 in this region. Methods 6172 and 5372 mothers with children under three years old were selected from 8 provinces in 2001 and from 9 provinces in 2005 respectively in Western China by means of a multi-stage probability proportion to size sampling method (PPS). The blood samples were tested and related socio-demographic information was obtained through questionnaires. A two-level logistic regression model was employed to identify the determinants and provincial variations of women anemia in 2001 and 2005. Results The results indicated that the crude prevalence of women anemia in 2005 was higher than the rate in 2001(45.7% vs 33.6%). Based on the nationwide census data in 2000, the age-standardized prevalence of women anemia in the study were obtained as 38.0% in 2001 and 50.0% in 2005 respectively. Two-level logistic model analysis showed that compared to the average, women were more likely to be anemic in Guangxi and Qinghai in 2001 as well as in Chongqing and Qinghai in 2005; that women from Minority groups had higher odds of anemia in contrast with Han; that women with higher parity, longer breastfeeding duration and higher socioeconomic level had a lower rate of anemia, while age of women was positively associated with anemia. The positive correlation between women anemia and altitude was also observed. Conclusions The study demonstrated that the burden of maternal anemia in rural Western China increased considerably between 2001 and 2005. The Chinese government should conduct integrated interventions on anemia of mothers in this region. PMID:23597320

Occurrence, Distribution, Instantaneous Loads, and Yields of Dissolved Pesticides in the San Joaquin River Basin, California, During Summer Conditions, 1994 and 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Larry R.; Panshin, Sandra Y.; Kratzer, Charles R.; Zamora, Celia; Gronberg, JoAnn M.

2004-01-01

Water samples were collected from 22 drainage basins for analysis of 48 dissolved pesticides during summer flow conditions in 1994 and 2001. Of the 48 pesticides, 31 were reported applied in the basin in the 28 days preceding the June 1994 sampling, 25 in the 28 days preceding the June 2001 sampling, and 24 in the 28 days preceding the August 2001 sampling. The number of dissolved pesticides detected was similar among sampling periods: 26 were detected in June 1994, 28 in June 2001, and 27 in August 2001. Concentrations of chlorpyrifos exceeded the California criterion for the protection of aquatic life from acute exposure at six sites in June 1994 and at five sites in June 2001. There was a single exceedance of the criterion for diazinon in June 1994. The number of pesticides applied in tributary basins was highly correlated with basin area during each sampling period (Spearman's r = 0.85, 0.70, and 0.84 in June 1994, June 2001, and August 2001, respectively, and p < 0.01 in all cases). Larger areas likely include a wider variety of crops, resulting in more varied pesticide use. Jaccard's similarities, cluster analysis, principal components analysis, and instantaneous load calculations generally indicate that west-side tributary basins were different from east-side tributary basins. In general, west-side basins had higher concentrations, instantaneous loads, and instantaneous yields of dissolved pesticides than east-side basins, although there were a number of exceptions. These differences may be related to a number of factors, including differences in basin size, soil texture, land use, irrigation practices, and stream discharge.

A reconnaissance study of halogenated organic compounds in catfish from the lower Mississippi river and its major tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leiker, T.J.; Rostad, C.E.; Barnes, C.R.; Pereira, W.E.

1991-01-01

Blue catfish, (Ictarurus furcatus), black bullhead catfish, (Ictalurus melas), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and flathead catfish (Pylodictus olivaris), were collected along a 1200 mile river reach of the Mississippi River and its major tributaries. Tissue samples were extracted and analyzed by fused silica capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to determine the concentrations of hydrophobic organic halogenated contaminants that have bioconcentrated within the tissues. The compounds identified in the tissue include chlordane, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites along with several other chlorinated pesticides. The data indicates that the southern reach of the river system appears to be more contaminated than the middle and upper reaches of the study area.

Suspended sediments from upstream tributaries as the source of downstream river sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddadchi, Arman; Olley, Jon

2014-05-01

Understanding the efficiency with which sediment eroded from different sources is transported to the catchment outlet is a key knowledge gap that is critical to our ability to accurately target and prioritise management actions to reduce sediment delivery. Sediment fingerprinting has proven to be an efficient approach to determine the sources of sediment. This study examines the suspended sediment sources from Emu Creek catchment, south eastern Queensland, Australia. In addition to collect suspended sediments from different sites of the streams after the confluence of tributaries and outlet of the catchment, time integrated suspended samples from upper tributaries were used as the source of sediment, instead of using hillslope and channel bank samples. Totally, 35 time-integrated samplers were used to compute the contribution of suspended sediments from different upstream waterways to the downstream sediment sites. Three size fractions of materials including fine sand (63-210 μm), silt (10-63 μm) and fine silt and clay (<10 μm) were used to find the effect of particle size on the contribution of upper sediments as the sources of sediment after river confluences. And then samples were analysed by ICP-MS and -OES to find 41 sediment fingerprints. According to the results of Student's T-distribution mixing model, small creeks in the middle and lower part of the catchment were major source in different size fractions, especially in silt (10-63 μm) samples. Gowrie Creek as covers southern-upstream part of the catchment was a major contributor at the outlet of the catchment in finest size fraction (<10 μm) Large differences between the contributions of suspended sediments from upper tributaries in different size fractions necessitate the selection of appropriate size fraction on sediment tracing in the catchment and also major effect of particle size on the movement and deposition of sediments.

2001 floods in the Red River of the North basin in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macek-Rowland, K. M.

2001-01-01

The Red River of the North is a complex river system in the north-central plains of the United States. The river continues to impact the people and property within its basin. During the spring of 2001, major flooding occurred for the second time in four years on the Red River of the North and its many tributaries in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. Unlike the 1997 floods, which were the result of record-high snowpacks region-wide and a late spring blizzard, the 2001 floods were the result of above-average soil moistures in some areas of the basin, rapid melting of above-average snowpacks in the upper basin, and heavy rainfall that swept across the region on April 7, 2001. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the principal Federal agencies responsible for the collection and interpretation of water-resources data, works with other Federal, State, and local agencies to ensure that accurate and timely data are available for making decisions regarding the public's welfare. This report presents preliminary water-resources 2001 flood data that were obtained from selected streamflow-gaging stations located in the Red River of the North Basin.Flooding in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota usually is caused by spring snowmelt, and the severity of the flooding is affected by (1) substantial precipitation in the fall that produces high levels of soil moisture, (2) above-normal snowfall in the winter, (3) moist, frozen ground that prohibits infiltration of moisture, (4) a late spring thaw, (5) above-normal precipitation during spring thaw, and (6) ice jams (temporary dams of ice) on rivers and streams.Stream stages (height of water in a stream above an arbitrarily established datum) and discharges measured by USGS personnel at streamflow-gaging stations are used to define a unique relation between stage and discharge. This relation, commonly called a rating curve, may not be well defined at extreme high discharges because these discharges are rare

2001 floods in the Red River of the North basin in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Macek-Rowland, K. M.

2001-01-01

The Red River of the North is a complex river system in the north-central plains of the United States. The river continues to impact the people and property within its basin. During the spring of 2001, major flooding occurred for the second time in four years on the Red River of the North and its many tributaries in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. Unlike the 1997 floods, which were the result of record-high snowpacks region-wide and a late spring blizzard, the 2001 floods were the result of above-average soil moistures in some areas of the basin, rapid melting of above-average snowpacks in the upper basin, and heavy rainfall that swept across the region on April 7, 2001. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the principal Federal agencies responsible for the collection and interpretation of water-resources data, works with other Federal, State, and local agencies to ensure that accurate and timely data are available for making decisions regarding the public's welfare. This report presents preliminary water-resources 2001 flood data that were obtained from selected streamflow-gaging stations located in the Red River of the North Basin. Flooding in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota usually is caused by spring snowmelt, and the severity of the flooding is affected by (1) substantial precipitation in the fall that produces high levels of soil moisture, (2) above-normal snowfall in the winter, (3) moist, frozen ground that prohibits infiltration of moisture, (4) a late spring thaw, (5) above-normal precipitation during spring thaw, and (6) ice jams (temporary dams of ice) on rivers and streams. Stream stages (height of water in a stream above an arbitrarily established datum) and discharges measured by USGS personnel at streamflow-gaging stations are used to define a unique relation between stage and discharge. This relation, commonly called a rating curve, may not be well defined at extreme high discharges because these discharges are rare

A field analysis of lampricide photodegradation in Great Lakes tributaries.

PubMed

McConville, Megan B; Cohen, Natan M; Nowicki, Shawn M; Lantz, Stephen R; Hixson, Jase L; Ward, Adam S; Remucal, Christina K

2017-07-19

The lampricides 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2',5-dichloro-4'-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide) are added to Great Lakes tributaries to target the sea lamprey, an invasive parasitic fish. This study examines the photochemical behavior of the lampricides in Carpenter Creek, Sullivan Creek, and the Manistique River. The observed loss of TFM in Carpenter and Sullivan Creeks (i.e., 34 and 19%) was similar to the loss of bromide in parallel time of passage studies (i.e., 30 and 29%), demonstrating that TFM photodegradation was minimal in both tributaries during the lampricide application. Furthermore, the absence of inorganic and organic photoproducts in the Manistique River demonstrates that TFM and niclosamide photodegradation was minimal in this large tributary, despite its long residence time (i.e., 3.3 days). Kinetic modeling was used to identify environmental variables primarily responsible for the limited photodegradation of TFM in the field compared to estimates from laboratory data. This analysis demonstrates that the lack of TFM photodegradation was attributable to the short residence times in Carpenter and Sullivan Creeks, while depth, time of year, time of day, and cloud cover influenced photochemical fate in the Manistique River. The modeling approach was extended to assess how many of the 140 United States tributaries treated with lampricides in 2015 and 2016 were amenable to TFM photolysis. While >50% removal of TFM due to photolysis could occur in 13 long and shallow tributaries, in most systems lampricides will reach the Great Lakes untransformed.

Benthic invertebrates and quality of streambed sediments in the White River and selected tributaries in and near Indianapolis, Indiana, 1994-96

USGS Publications Warehouse

Voelker, David C.; Renn, Danny E.

2000-01-01

During this study, 369 benthic-invertebrate samples were collected at 21 sites and 33 streambed-sediment samples were collected at 14 sites to help develop and evaluate control strategies to mediate the impact of point and nonpoint sources of pollution on the White River and selected tributaries in and near Indianapolis, Indiana. Data analyses show that 124 taxa were identified and that most of the benthic invertebrates found belong to one of three taxa: the pollution-tolerant Diptera and the pollution-intolerant Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera. The Hilsenhoff Biotic Index, which was calculated from the number of arthropods and their tolerance to pollution, ranged from 4.4 (very good) to 9.4 (very poor) on the White River, and from 4.9 (good) to 9.1 (very poor) on the tributaries. The Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) Richness Index, which was calculated from the number of taxa in pollution-intolerant species, ranged from 0 to 9 for the White River and from 0 to 9 for the tributaries. A high EPT Richness Index value reflects a great diversity of pollution-intolerant invertebrates at a site and generally indicates good water quality. A comparison of data collected during the 1994 through 1996 study to data collected during a 1981 through 1987 study indicates that the proportion of pollution-tolerant taxa increased in the immediate vicinity of Indianapolis. This increase may be an indicator that the water quality in the immediate vicinity of Indianapolis has declined since the earlier study. Comparison of the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index values, however, indicates there has been no change since the previous study. In the analysis of streambed sediments, small amounts of 12 metals were detected. Of those, only lead exceeded sediment-quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life in three samples from two sites. Thirteen insecticides were detected in the streambed sediments, and of those only chlordane exceeded sediment-quality guidelines for the

Characterization of water quality in selected tributaries of the Alamosa River, southwestern Colorado, including comparisons to instream water-quality standards and toxicological reference values, 1995-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ortiz, Roderick F.; Ferguson, Sheryl A.

2001-01-01

A comprehensive water-quality sampling network was implemented by the U.S. Geological Survey from 1995 through 1997 at 12 tributary sites to the Alamosa River. The network was designed to address data gaps identified in the initial ecological risk assessment of the Summitville Superfund site. Tributaries draining hydrothermally altered areas had higher median values for nearly all measured properties and constituents than tributaries draining unaltered areas. Colorado instream standards for pH, copper, iron, and zinc were in attainment at most tributary sites. Instream standards for pH and chronic aquatic-life standards for iron were not attained in Jasper Creek. Toxicological reference values were most often exceeded at Iron Creek, Alum Creek, Bitter Creek, Wightman Fork, and Burnt Creek. These tributaries all drain hydrothermally altered areas.

Importance of measuring discharge and sediment transport in lesser tributaries when closing sediment budgets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, Ronald E.; Topping, David J.

2017-11-01

Sediment budgets are an important tool for understanding how riverine ecosystems respond to perturbations. Changes in the quantity and grain size distribution of sediment within river systems affect the channel morphology and related habitat resources. It is therefore important for resource managers to know if a river reach is in a state of sediment accumulation, deficit or stasis. Many sediment-budget studies have estimated the sediment loads of ungaged tributaries using regional sediment-yield equations or other similar techniques. While these approaches may be valid in regions where rainfall and geology are uniform over large areas, use of sediment-yield equations may lead to poor estimations of loads in regions where rainfall events, contributing geology, and vegetation have large spatial and/or temporal variability. Previous estimates of the combined mean-annual sediment load of all ungaged tributaries to the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam vary by over a factor of three; this range in estimated sediment loads has resulted in different researchers reaching opposite conclusions on the sign (accumulation or deficit) of the sediment budget for particular reaches of the Colorado River. To better evaluate the supply of fine sediment (sand, silt, and clay) from these tributaries to the Colorado River, eight gages were established on previously ungaged tributaries in Glen, Marble, and Grand canyons. Results from this sediment-monitoring network show that previous estimates of the annual sediment loads of these tributaries were too high and that the sediment budget for the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam is more negative than previously calculated by most researchers. As a result of locally intense rainfall events with footprints smaller than the receiving basin, floods from a single tributary in semi-arid regions can have large (≥ 10 ×) differences in sediment concentrations between equal magnitude flows. Because sediment loads do not

Synthetic organic agrochemicals in the lower Mississippi River and its major tributaries: Distribution, transport and fate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pereira, W.E.; Rostad, C.E.; Leiker, T.J.; ,

1992-01-01

The Mississippi River and its major tributaries transport herbicides and their degradation products from agricultural areas in the mid-western U.S.A. These compounds include atrazine and its degradation products (desethyl- and desisopropylatrazine), simazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and alachlor and its degradation products (2-chloro-2',6'-diethylacetanilide, 2-hydroxy-2',6'-diethylacetanilide and 2,6-diethylaniline). These compounds were identified and confirmed by gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry. Loads of these compounds were determined during five sampling trips in 1987-1989. Stream loads of these compounds indicated that atrazine and metolachlor were relatively conservative in downstream transport. Alachlor and its degradation products were generated from point and non-point sources. Seasonal variations and hydrologic conditions controlled the loads of these compounds in the Mississippi River. Cross-channel mixing was slow downstream from major river confluences, possibly requiring several hundred kilometers of downriver transit for completion. The annual transport of these compounds into the Gulf of Mexico was estimated to be < 2% of the annual application of each herbicide in the Midwest.The Mississippi River and its major tributaries transport herbicides and their degradation products from agricultural areas in the mid-western U.S.A. These compounds include atrazine and its degradation products (desethyl- and desisopropylatrazine), simazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and alachlor and its degradation products (2-chloro-2???,6???-diethylacetanilide, 2-hydroxy-2???,6???-diethylacetanilide and 2,6-diethylaniline). These compounds were identified and confirmed by gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry. Loads of these compounds were determined during five sampling trips in 1987-1989. Stream loads of these compounds indicated that atrazine and metolachlor were relatively conservative in downstream transport. Alachlor and its degradation products

Estimation of erosion and sedimentation yield in the Ucayali river basin, a Peruvian tributary of the Amazon River, using ground and satellite methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santini, William; Martinez, Jean-Michel; Guyot, Jean-Loup; Espinoza, Raul; Vauchel, Philippe; Lavado, Waldo

2014-05-01

Since 2003, the works of HYBAM observatory (www.ore-hybam.org) has allowed to quantify with accuracy, precision and over a long period Amazon's main rivers discharges and sediments loads. In Peru, a network of 8 stations is regularly gauged and managed in association with the national meteorological and Hydrological service (SENAMHI), the UNALM (National Agrological University of La Molina) and the National Water Agency (ANA). Nevertheless, some current processes of erosion and sedimentation in the foreland basins are still little known, both in volumes and in localization. The sedimentary contributions of Andean tributaries could be there considerable, masking a very strong sedimentation in subsidence zones localized between the control points of the HYBAM's network. The development of spatial techniques such as the Altimetry and reflectance measurement allows us today to complete the ground's network: HYBAM's works have allowed establishing a relation between surface concentration and reflectance in Amazonian rivers (Martinez et al., 2009, Espinoza et al., 2012) and reconstituting water levels series (Calmant et al., 2006, 2008). If the difficulty of calibration of these techniques increases towards the upstream, their use can allow a first characterization of the tributaries contributions and sedimentation zones. At world level, erosion and sedimentation yields in the upper Ucayali are exceptional, favored by a marked seasonality in this region (Espinoza et al., 2009, Lavado, 2010, Pépin et al., 2010) and the presence of cells of extreme precipitation ("Hotspots") (Johnson et al., 1976, Espinoza et al, 2009a). The upper Ucayali drainage basin is a Piggyback where the River run with a low slope, parallel to the Andean range, deposing by gravity hundred millions a year of sands, silts and clays. In this work, we thus propose an estimation of sedimentation and erosion yield in the Ucayali river basin using ground and satellite methods.

Presumptive Sources of Fecal Contamination in Four Tributaries to the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mathes, Melvin V.; O'Brien, Tara L.; Strickler, Kriston M.; Hardy, Joshua J.; Schill, William B.; Lukasik, Jerzy; Scott, Troy M.; Bailey, David E.; Fenger, Terry L.

2007-01-01

Several methods were used to determine the sources of fecal contamination in water samples collected during September and October 2004 from four tributaries to the New River Gorge National River -- Arbuckle Creek, Dunloup Creek, Keeney Creek, and Wolf Creek. All four tributaries historically have had elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria. The source-tracking methods used yielded various results, possibly because one or more methods failed. Sourcing methods used in this study included the detection of several human-specific and animal-specific biological or molecular markers, and library-dependent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis that attempted to associate Escherichia coli bacteria obtained from water samples with animal sources by matching DNA-fragment banding patterns. Evaluation of the results of quality-control analysis indicated that pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis was unable to identify known-source bacteria isolates. Increasing the size of the known-source library did not improve the results for quality-control samples. A number of emerging methods, using markers in Enterococcus, human urine, Bacteroidetes, and host mitochondrial DNA, demonstrated some potential in associating fecal contamination with human or animal sources in a limited analysis of quality-control samples. All four of the human-specific markers were detected in water samples from Keeney Creek, a watershed with no centralized municipal wastewater-treatment facilities, thus indicating human sources of fecal contamination. The human-specific Bacteroidetes and host mitochondrial DNA markers were detected in water samples from Dunloup Creek, Wolf Creek, and to a lesser degree Arbuckle Creek. Results of analysis for wastewater compounds indicate that the September 27 sample from Arbuckle Creek contained numerous human tracer compounds likely from sewage. Dog, horse, chicken, and pig host mitochondrial DNA were detected in some of the water samples with the exception of the

Numerical Model of Transitory Flood Flow in 2005 on River Timis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghitescu, Marie-Alice; Lazar, Gheorghe; Titus Constantin, Albert; Nicoara, Serban-Vlad

2017-10-01

The paper presents numerical modelling of fluid flow transiting on the Timis River, downstream Lugoj section - N.H. COSTEIU, the occurrence of accidental flood waves from 4 April to 11 April 2005. Numerical simulation aims to estimate water levels on the route pattern on some areas and areas associated respectively floodplain adjacent construction site on the right bank of Timis river, on existing conditions in 2005. The model simulation from 2005 flood event shows that the model can be used for future inundation studies in this locality.

Temporal variability in terrestrially-derived sources of particulate organic carbon in the lower Mississippi River and its upper tributaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchi, Thomas S.; Wysocki, Laura A.; Stewart, Mike; Filley, Timothy R.; McKee, Brent A.

2007-09-01

In this study, we examined the temporal changes of terrestrially-derived particulate organic carbon (POC) in the lower Mississippi River (MR) and in a very limited account, the upper tributaries (Upper MR, Ohio River, and Missouri River). We used for the first time a combination of lignin-phenols, bulk stable carbon isotopes, and compound-specific isotope analyses (CSIA) to examine POC in the lower MR and upper tributaries. A lack of correlation between POC and lignin phenol abundances ( Λ8) was likely due to dilution effects from autochthonous production in the river, which has been shown to be considerably higher than previously expected. The range of δ 13C values for p-hydroxycinnamic and ferulic acids in POC in the lower river do support that POM in the lower river does have a significant component of C 4 in addition to C 3 source materials. A strong correlation between δ 13C values of p-hydroxycinnamic, ferulic, and vanillyl phenols suggests a consistent input of C 3 and C 4 carbon to POC lignin while a lack of correlation between these same phenols and POC bulk δ 13C further indicates the considerable role of autochthonous carbon in the lower MR POC budget. Our estimates indicate an annual flux of POC of 9.3 × 10 8 kg y -1 to the Gulf of Mexico. Total lignin fluxes, based on Λ8 values of POC, were estimated to be 1.2 × 10 5 kg y -1. If we include the total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) flux (3.1 × 10 9 kg y -1) reported by [Bianchi T. S., Filley T., Dria K. and Hatcher, P. (2004) Temporal variability in sources of dissolved organic carbon in the lower Mississippi River. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta68, 959-967.], we get a total organic carbon flux of 4.0 × 10 9 kg y -1. This represents 0.82% of the annual total organic carbon supplied to the oceans by rivers (4.9 × 10 11 kg).

Evaluation of Water Quality for Two St. Johns River Tributaries Receiving Septic Tank Effluent, Duval County, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wicklein, Shaun M.

2004-01-01

Tributary streamflow to the St. Johns River in Duval County is thought to be affected by septic tank leachate from residential areas adjacent to these tributaries. Water managers and the city of Jacksonville have committed to infrastructure improvements as part of a management plan to address the impairment of tributary water quality. In order to provide data to evaluate the effects of future remedial activities in selected tributaries, major ion and nutrient concentrations, fecal coliform concentrations, detection of wastewater compounds, and tracking of bacterial sources were used to document septic tank influences on the water quality of selected tributaries. The tributaries Fishing Creek and South Big Fishweir Creek were selected because they drain subdivisions identified as high priority locations for septic tank phase-out projects: the Pernecia and Murray Hill B subdivisions, respectively. Population, housing (number of residences), and septic tank densities for the Murray Hill B subdivision are greater than those for the Pernecia subdivision. Water-quality samples collected in the study basins indicate influences from ground water and septic tanks. Estimated concentrations of total nitrogen ranged from 0.33 to 2.86 milligrams per liter (mg/L), and ranged from less than laboratory reporting limit (0.02 mg/L) to 0.64 mg/L for total phosphorus. Major ion concentrations met the State of Florida Class III surface-water standards; total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ecoregion XII nutrient criteria for rivers and streams 49 and 96 percent of the time, respectively. Organic wastewater compounds detected at study sites were categorized as detergents, antioxidants and flame retardants, manufactured polycarbonate resins, industrial solvents, and mosquito repellent. The most commonly detected compound was para-nonylphenol, a breakdown product of detergent. Results of wastewater sampling give evidence that

A COMPARISON OF BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE SAMPLING METHODS ON SELECTED LARGE RIVER TRIBUTARIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI

EPA Science Inventory

We compared three benthic macroinvertebrate sampling methods on the St. Croix, Wisconsin and Scioto Rivers in summer 2004 and 2005. EPA's newly developed, multi-habitat Large River Bioassessment Protocol (LR-BP) was compared to the multi-habitat method of the Minnesota Pollution...

Antibiotic contamination in a typical developing city in south China: occurrence and ecological risks in the Yongjiang River impacted by tributary discharge and anthropogenic activities.

PubMed

Xue, Baoming; Zhang, Ruijie; Wang, Yinghui; Liu, Xiang; Li, Jun; Zhang, Gan

2013-06-01

The occurrence and distribution of ten selected antibiotics from three groups (sulfonamides, macrolides, and trimethoprim) were investigated in the Yongjiang River, which flows through Nanning City, a typical developing city in China. The study also assessed the ecological risks and the potential effects caused by discharge from tributaries and anthropogenic activities. Concentrations of most of the antibiotics were elevated along the section of the river in the urban area, highlighting the significant impact of high population density and human activities on the presence of antibiotics in the environment. The concentrations in the tributaries (ranged from not detected to 1336ngL(-1)) were generally higher than those in the main stream (ranged from not detected to 78.8ngL(-1)), but both areas contained the same predominant antibiotics, revealing the importance of tributary discharge as a source of antibiotic pollution. A risk assessment for the surface water contamination revealed that sulfamethoxazole and erythromycin posed high ecological risks to the most sensitive aquatic organisms (Synechococcus leopoliensis and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, respectively) in the midstream and some tributaries. Most of the selected antibiotics presented high ecological risks (risk quotients up to 95) in the sediments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Streamflow trends in the Spokane River and tributaries, Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie, Idaho and Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hortness, Jon E.; Covert, John J.

2005-01-01

A clear understanding of the aquifer and river dynamics within the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie is essential in making proper management decisions concerning ground-water and surface-water appropriations. Management of the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie aquifer is complicated because of interstate, multi-jurisdictional responsibilities, and by the interaction between ground water and surface water. Kendall?s tau trend analyses were completed on monthly mean (July through December) and annual 7-day low streamflow data for the period 1968?2002 from gaging stations located within the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie. The analyses detected trends of decreasing monthly mean streamflow at the following gaging stations: Spokane River near Post Falls, Idaho (August and September); Spokane River at Spokane, Washington (September); and Little Spokane River at Dartford, Washington (September and October); and decreasing annual 7-day low streamflows at the following gaging stations: Spokane River near Post Falls, Idaho and Spokane River at Spokane, Washington. Limited analyses of lake-level, precipitation, tributary inflow, temperature, and water-use data provided little insight as to the reason for the decreasing trends in streamflow. A net gain in streamflow occurs between the gaging stations Spokane River near Post Falls, Idaho and Spokane River at Spokane, Washington. Significant streamflow losses occur between the gaging stations Spokane River near Post Falls, Idaho and Spokane River at Greenacres, Washington; most, if not all, of the gains occur downstream from the Greenacres gaging station. Trends of decreasing net streamflow gains in the Spokane River between the near Post Falls and at Spokane gaging stations were detected for the months of September, October, and November.

Location and timing of Asian carp spawning in the Lower Missouri River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Deters, Joseph E.; Chapman, Duane C.; McElroy, Brandon

2013-01-01

We sampled for eggs of Asian carps, (bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, silver carp H. molitrix, and grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella) in 12 sites on the Lower Missouri River and in six tributaries from the months of May through July 2005 and May through June 2006 to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of spawning activity. We categorized eggs into thirty developmental stages, but usually they could not be identified to species. We estimated spawning times and locations based on developmental stage, temperature dependent rate of development and water velocity. Spawning rate was higher in the daytime between 05:00 and 21:00 h than at night. Spawning was not limited to a few sites, as has been reported for the Yangtze River, where these fishes are native, but more eggs were spawned in areas of high sinuosity. We employ a sediment transport model to estimate vertical egg concentration profiles and total egg fluxes during spawning periods on the Missouri River. We did not identify substantial spawning activity within tributaries or at tributary confluences examined in this study.

Movement patterns of armado, Pterodoras granulosus, in the Paraná River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Makrakis, M.C.; Miranda, L.E.; Makrakis, S.; Fernandez, D.R.; Garcia, J.O.; Dias, J.H.P.

2007-01-01

We studied the migratory behaviour of armado, Pterodoras granulosus, in the Paraná River Basin of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, during 1997–2005. This species invaded the Upper Paraná River after upstream dispersal was facilitated when Itaipu Reservoir inundated a natural barrier. Fish were tagged (N = 8051) in the mainstems of the Yacyreta and Itaipu reservoirs, bays of major tributaries, the Paraná River floodplain above Itaipu Reservoir, and below dams. In all, 420 fish were recaptured of which 61% moved away from the release area. Fish moved a maximum of 215 km (mean 42), and at a maximum rate of 9.4 km·day−1 (mean 0.6). Of the 256 armados that moved away from the release site, 145 moved upstream towards unimpounded stretches of the Paraná River and 111 moved downstream into the reservoir and bays of its tributaries (maximum 150 km). Based on the observed migratory movements, we suspect that most of the reproductive output originates in tributaries to the reservoirs. The ability of this species to expand its range presents a conundrum by pitting fishery management interests against conservation needs. Maintenance of the important armado fisheries depends on the ability of the species to migrate freely to use spawning and nursery areas in reservoir tributaries and floodplains. However, its ability to migrate long distances can allow this non-native species the opportunity to invade most of the Upper Paraná River.

Hospitalizations associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis in Spain, 2001–2005

PubMed Central

López-de-Andrés, Ana; Jiménez-García, Rodrigo; Carrasco-Garrido, Pilar; Alvaro-Meca, Alejandro; Galarza, Patricia Graciela; de Miguel, Ángel Gil

2008-01-01

Background This study aims to describe and analyze hospital admissions in Spain due to rotavirus infections among children aged 5 years or under during the period 2001–2005, along with the associated health cost. Methods To update estimates of rotavirus hospitalizations rates in Spain, we conducted a retrospective study of 5 years of national hospitalization data associated with acute gastroenteritis using the Minimum Basic Data Set. Results During the study period, a total of 17.1% of all admissions due to acute gastroenteritis of any etiology in children aged ≤ 5 years were attributable to rotavirus infection as determined by the rotavirus-specific International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision, Clinical Modification code. A mean incidence of 135 hospital admissions attributable to rotavirus per 100,000 children aged ≤ 5 years was found. Hospitalizations associated with rotavirus had a marked winter-time seasonality. The estimated cost of hospital admission attributable to rotavirus has risen from 3 million euros estimated for 2001 to almost 7 million euros estimated in 2005. Conclusion Rotavirus gastroenteritis remains an important cause of hospitalizations in Spanish children, mostly during the winter season. PMID:18397512

Summary and Evaluation of the Quality of Stormwater in Denver, Colorado, October 2001 to October 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bossong, Clifford R.; Fleming, Andrea C.

2008-01-01

Stormwater in the Denver area was sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, in a network of five monitoring stations - three on the South Platte River and two on tributary streams, beginning in October 2001 and continuing through October 11, 2005. Composite samples of stormwater were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory during water years 2003-2005 and the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District Laboratory during water year 2002 for water-quality properties such as pH, specific conductance, hardness, and residue on evaporation at 105 degrees Celsius; and for constituents such as major ions (calcium, chloride, fluoride, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and sulfate) in 2005, organic carbon and nutrients, including ammonia, nitrite plus nitrate, ammonia plus organic nitrogen, phosphorus, and orthophosphate; and for metals, including total and dissolved phases of copper, lead, manganese, and zinc. Samples analyzed for bacteriological indicators such as Escherichia coli and fecal coliform collected during selected storms also were analyzed at the Metro Wastewater Reclamation Laboratory. Discrete samples collected during selected storms were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory for a suite of water-quality properties and constituents similar to those analyzed in the composite samples but that did not include determinations for total phases of metals. Streamflow characteristics associated with 176 composite stormwater samples indicate that most samples were collected from hydrographs classified as falling or event hydrographs and that only a few samples were collected from rising hydrographs. Results from laboratory analyses of the composite samples indicate spatial patterns in which concentrations for some constituents increase with contributing drainage area in the South Platte River and Sand Creek, but no well-defined relation with the

Biological assessment of streams in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area, Indiana, 1999-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Voelker, David C.

2004-01-01

During 1999?2001, benthic invertebrates and fish were sampled to describe biological communities in the White River and selected tributaries in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area in Indiana. Twelve sites (six on the White River and six on tributaries) were sampled biannually for benthic invertebrates and annually for fish. The information complements water-chemistry data collected by the Indianapolis Department of Public Works in the study area. Evaluation of the habitat for sites in the study area was done, using a Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) developed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The QHEI scores basin and habitat characteristics for each site, with a maximum possible score of 100. Higher scores indicate better habitat conditions for biotic communities. The QHEI scores for sites on the White River ranged from 55 at the Harding site to 71 at the Waverly site; scores on the tributaries ranged from 45 on Pogues Run to 82 on Williams Creek. A total of 151 taxa were identified from the benthic-invertebrate samples. The Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) Index scores for sites on the White River ranged from 0 at the Harding site to 15 at the Nora site. The Nora site, which is upstream from Indianapolis, generally scored the highest of all White River sites. Sites in the immediate vicinity of Indianapolis scored the lowest and indicate a negative effect on benthic-invertebrate communities in that reach. EPT Index scores increased in the farthest downstream reaches, which indicate that water-quality conditions had improved in comparison to sites in Indianapolis. For the tributary sites, EPT Index values ranged from 0 at Pogues Run to 16 at Buck Creek. Tributary sites on Fall Creek, Pleasant Run, and Pogues Run consistently scored 7 or lower; sites on Buck Creek, Eagle Creek, and Williams Creek scored 7 or higher. Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) scores ranged from 4.9 (good) to 9.6 (very poor) for the White River sites and from 5

Importance of measuring discharge and sediment transport in lesser tributaries when closing sediment budgets

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffiths, Ronald; Topping, David

2017-01-01

Sediment budgets are an important tool for understanding how riverine ecosystems respond to perturbations. Changes in the quantity and grain size distribution of sediment within river systems affect the channel morphology and related habitat resources. It is therefore important for resource managers to know if a river reach is in a state of sediment accumulation, deficit or stasis. Many sediment-budget studies have estimated the sediment loads of ungaged tributaries using regional sediment-yield equations or other similar techniques. While these approaches may be valid in regions where rainfall and geology are uniform over large areas, use of sediment-yield equations may lead to poor estimations of loads in regions where rainfall events, contributing geology, and vegetation have large spatial and/or temporal variability.Previous estimates of the combined mean-annual sediment load of all ungaged tributaries to the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam vary by over a factor of three; this range in estimated sediment loads has resulted in different researchers reaching opposite conclusions on the sign (accumulation or deficit) of the sediment budget for particular reaches of the Colorado River. To better evaluate the supply of fine sediment (sand, silt, and clay) from these tributaries to the Colorado River, eight gages were established on previously ungaged tributaries in Glen, Marble, and Grand canyons. Results from this sediment-monitoring network show that previous estimates of the annual sediment loads of these tributaries were too high and that the sediment budget for the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam is more negative than previously calculated by most researchers. As a result of locally intense rainfall events with footprints smaller than the receiving basin, floods from a single tributary in semi-arid regions can have large (≥ 10 ×) differences in sediment concentrations between equal magnitude flows. Because sediment loads do not

Evaluation of the effects of sewering on nitrogen loads to the Niantic River, southeastern Connecticut, 2005-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mullaney, John R.

2015-01-01

Nitrogen loads from groundwater discharge to the Niantic River Estuary from the lower part of the Niantic River watershed, including Pine Grove, were estimated to be 18,800 pounds (lb) in 2011. This compares with an additional 51,000 lb from the surface-water tributaries to the estuary and an unknown quantity of nitrogen load from stormwater runoff in the lower Niantic watershed.

Shovelnose sturgeon spawning in relation to varying discharge treatments in a Missouri River tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goodman, B.J.; Guy, C.S.; Camp, S.L.; Gardner, W.M.; Kappenman, K.M.; Webb, M.A.H.

2013-01-01

Many lotic fish species use natural patterns of variation in discharge and temperature as spawning cues, and these natural patterns are often altered by river regulation. The effects of spring discharge and water temperature variation on the spawning of shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus have not been well documented. From 2006 through 2009, we had the opportunity to study the effects of experimental discharge levels on shovelnose sturgeon spawning in the lower Marias River, a regulated tributary to the Missouri River in Montana. In 2006, shovelnose sturgeon spawned in the Marias River in conjunction with the ascending, peak (134 m3/s) and descending portions of the spring hydrograph and water temperatures from 16°C to 19°C. In 2008, shovelnose sturgeon spawned in conjunction with the peak (118 m3/s) and descending portions of the spring hydrograph and during a prolonged period of increased discharge (28–39 m3/s), coupled with water temperatures from 11°C to 23°C in the lower Marias River. No evidence of shovelnose sturgeon spawning was documented in the lower Marias River in 2007 or 2009 when discharge remained low (14 and 20 m3/s) despite water temperatures suitable and optimal (12°C-24°C) for shovelnose sturgeon embryo development. A similar relationship between shovelnose sturgeon spawning and discharge was observed in the Teton River. These data suggest that discharge must reach a threshold level (28 m3/s) and should be coupled with water temperatures suitable (12°C-24°C) or optimal (16°C-20°C) for shovelnose sturgeon embryo development to provide a spawning cue for shovelnose sturgeon in the lower Marias River.

Tracking fluorescent dissolved organic matter in multistage rivers using EEM-PARAFAC analysis: implications of the secondary tributary remediation for watershed management.

PubMed

Nie, Zeyu; Wu, Xiaodong; Huang, Haomin; Fang, Xiaomin; Xu, Chen; Wu, Jianyu; Liang, Xinqiang; Shi, Jiyan

2016-05-01

Profound understanding of behaviors of organic matter from sources to multistage rivers assists watershed management for improving water quality of river networks in rural areas. Ninety-one water samples were collected from the three orders of receiving rivers in a typical combined polluted subcatchment (diffuse agricultural pollutants and domestic sewage) located in China. Then, the fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) information for these samples was determined by the excitation-emission matrix coupled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC). Consequently, two typical humic-like (C1 and C2) and other two protein-like (C3 and C4) components were separated. Their fluorescence peaks were located at λ ex/em = 255(360)/455, <250(320)/395, 275/335, and <250/305 nm, which resembled the traditional peaks of A + C, A + M, T, and B, respectively. In addition, C1 and C2 accounted for the dominant contributions to FDOM (>60 %). Principal component analysis (PCA) further demonstrated that, except for the autochthonous produced C4, the allochthonous components (C1 and C2) had the same terrestrial origins, but C3 might possess the separate anthropogenic and biological sources. Moreover, the spatial heterogeneity of contamination levels was noticeable in multistage rivers, and the allochthonous FDOM was gradually homogenized along the migration directions. Interestingly, the average content of the first three PARAFAC components in secondary tributaries and source pollutants had significantly higher levels than that in subsequent receiving rivers, thus suggesting that the supervision and remediation for secondary tributaries would play a prominent role in watershed management works.

Salmonid Gamete Preservation in the Snake River Basin, 2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Armstrong, Robyn; Kucera, Paul

2002-06-01

Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations in the Northwest are decreasing. Genetic diversity is being lost at an alarming rate. Along with reduced population and genetic variability, the loss of biodiversity means a diminished environmental adaptability. The Nez Perce Tribe (Tribe) strives to ensure availability of genetic samples of the existing male salmonid population by establishing and maintaining a germplasm repository. The sampling strategy, initiated in 1992, has been to collect and preserve male salmon and steelhead genetic diversity across the geographic landscape by sampling within the major river subbasins in the Snake River basin, assuming amore » metapopulation structure existed historically. Gamete cryopreservation conserves genetic diversity in a germplasm repository, but is not a recovery action for listed fish species. The Tribe was funded in 2001 by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) to coordinate gene banking of male gametes from Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed steelhead and spring and summer chinook salmon in the Snake River basin. In 2001, a total of 398 viable chinook salmon semen samples from the Lostine River, Catherine Creek, upper Grande Ronde River, Lookingglass Hatchery (Imnaha River stock), Lake Creek, the South Fork Salmon River weir, Johnson Creek, Big Creek, Capehorn Creek, Marsh Creek, Pahsimeroi Hatchery, and Sawtooth Hatchery (upper Salmon River stock) were cryopreserved. Also, 295 samples of male steelhead gametes from Dworshak Hatchery, Fish Creek, Grande Ronde River, Little Sheep Creek, Pahsimeroi Hatchery and Oxbow Hatchery were also cryopreserved. The Grande Ronde chinook salmon captive broodstock program stores 680 cryopreserved samples at the University of Idaho as a long-term archive, half of the total samples. A total of 3,206 cryopreserved samples from Snake River basin

Interactions between invasive round gobies (Neogobius melanostomous) and fantail darters (Etheostoma flabellare) in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Abbett, Ross; Waldt, Emily M.; Johnson, James H.; McKenna, James E.; Dittman, Dawn E.

2013-01-01

The initial, rapid expansion of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) throughout the Great Lakes drainage was largely confined to lentic systems. We recently observed round gobies ascending two tributaries of the St. Lawrence River. The expansion of gobies into small lotic environments may place ecologically similar species at risk. Fantail darter (Etheostoma flabellare) is one of the several benthic species of the New York Great Lakes drainages that are threatened by round goby invasion. We examined the habitat use and diet composition of fantail darters and round gobies in Mullet Creek, a third-order tributary of the St. Lawrence River, NY, USA. The objectives of this study were to determine the degree of habitat and diet overlap between fantail darters and round gobies in a tributary of the St. Lawrence River. Gobies and darters co-occurred at 22% of capture sites. Of the four habitat variables examined (cover, depth, substrate and velocity), only depth use was significantly different with gobies using deeper habitats than darters. Among the two species and size classes sampled (large vs. small), large darters had the most restricted habitat use requirements. There was variation in round goby and darter diet composition, but only moderate diet overlap occurred between fantail darters and round gobies (Cλ = 0.43). Conditions in Mullet Creek were appropriate for the evaluation of possible spatial and dietary competition between round goby and native darters. Early detection and management of round goby invasions is critical to maintaining ecological integrity of lotic ecosystems in the St. Lawrence Valley.

Regression models to estimate real-time concentrations of selected constituents in two tributaries to Lake Houston near Houston, Texas, 2005-07

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oden, Timothy D.; Asquith, William H.; Milburn, Matthew S.

2009-01-01

In December 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the City of Houston, Texas, began collecting discrete water-quality samples for nutrients, total organic carbon, bacteria (total coliform and Escherichia coli), atrazine, and suspended sediment at two U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations upstream from Lake Houston near Houston (08068500 Spring Creek near Spring, Texas, and 08070200 East Fork San Jacinto River near New Caney, Texas). The data from the discrete water-quality samples collected during 2005-07, in conjunction with monitored real-time data already being collected - physical properties (specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen), streamflow, and rainfall - were used to develop regression models for predicting water-quality constituent concentrations for inflows to Lake Houston. Rainfall data were obtained from a rain gage monitored by Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management and colocated with the Spring Creek station. The leaps and bounds algorithm was used to find the best subsets of possible regression models (minimum residual sum of squares for a given number of variables). The potential explanatory or predictive variables included discharge (streamflow), specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, rainfall, and time (to account for seasonal variations inherent in some water-quality data). The response variables at each site were nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic carbon, Escherichia coli, atrazine, and suspended sediment. The explanatory variables provide easily measured quantities as a means to estimate concentrations of the various constituents under investigation, with accompanying estimates of measurement uncertainty. Each regression equation can be used to estimate concentrations of a given constituent in real time. In conjunction with estimated concentrations, constituent loads were estimated by multiplying the

Synthetic organic agrochemicals in the lower Mississippi River and its major tributaries--Distribution, transport and fate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pereira, W.E.; Rostad, C.E.; Leiker, T.J.

1992-01-01

The Mississippi River and its major tributaries transport herbicides and their degradation products from agricultural areas in the mid-western U.S.A. These compounds include atrazine and its degradation products (desethyl- and desisopropylatrazine), simazine, cyanazine, metolachlor, and alachlor and its degradation products (2-chloro-2′,6′-diethylacetanilide 2-hydroxy-2′,6′-diethylacetanilide and 2,6-diethylaniline). These compounds were identified and confirmed by gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry. Loads of these compounds were determined during five sampling trips in 1987–1989. Stream loads of these compounds indicated that atrazine and metolachlor were relatively conservative in downstream transport. Alachlor and its degradation products were generated from point and non-point sources. Seasonal variations and hydrologic conditions controlled the loads of these compounds in the Mississippi River. Cross-channel mixing was slow downstream from major river confluences, possibly requiring several hundred kilometers of downriver transit for completion. The annual transport of these compounds into the Gulf of Mexico was estimated to be < 2% of the annual application of each herbicide in the Midwest.

Occurrence of Organic Compounds and Trace Elements in the Upper Passaic and Elizabeth Rivers and Their Tributaries in New Jersey, July 2003 to February 2004: Phase II of the New Jersey Toxics Reduction Workplan for New York-New Jersey Harbor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Timothy P.; Bonin, Jennifer L.

2008-01-01

Samples of surface water and suspended sediment were collected from the Passaic and Elizabeth Rivers and their tributaries in New Jersey from July 2003 to February 2004 to determine the concentrations of selected chlorinated organic and inorganic constituents. This sampling and analysis was conducted as Phase II of the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Workplan?Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Program (CARP), which is overseen by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Phase II of the New Jersey Workplan was conducted to define upstream tributary and point sources of contaminants in those rivers sampled during Phase I work, with special emphasis on the Passaic and Elizabeth Rivers. Samples were collected from three groups of tributaries: (1) the Second, Third, and Saddle Rivers; (2) the Pompton and upper Passaic Rivers; and (3) the West Branch and main stem of the Elizabeth River. The Second, Third, and Saddle Rivers were sampled near their confluence with the tidal Passaic River, but at locations not affected by tidal flooding. The Pompton and upper Passaic Rivers were sampled immediately upstream from their confluence at Two Bridges, N.J. The West Branch and the main stem of the Elizabeth River were sampled just upstream from their confluence at Hillside, N.J. All tributaries were sampled during low-flow discharge conditions using the protocols and analytical methods for organic constituents used in low-flow sampling in Phase I. Grab samples of streamflow also were collected at each site and were analyzed for trace elements (mercury, methylmercury, cadmium, and lead) and for suspended sediment, particulate organic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon. The measured concentrations and available historical suspended-sediment and stream-discharge data (where available) were used to estimate average annual loads of suspended sediment and organic compounds in these rivers. Total suspended-sediment loads for 1975?2000 were estimated using rating

Quantitative mineralogy of the Yukon River system: Changes with reach and season, and determining sediment provenance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eberl, D.D.

2004-01-01

The mineralogy of Yukon River basin sediment has been studied by quantitative X-ray diffraction. Bed, beach, bar, and suspended sediments were analyzed using the RockJock computer program. The bed sediments were collected from the main stem and from selected tributaries during a single trip down river, from Whitehorse to the Yukon River delta, during the summer of 2001. Beach and bar sediments were collected from the confluence region of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers during the summer of 2003. Suspended sediments were collected at three stations on the Yukon River and from a single station on the Tanana River at various times during the summers of 2001 through 2003, with the most complete set of samples collected during the summer of 2002. Changes in mineralogy of Yukon River bed sediments are related to sediment dilution or concentration effects from tributary sediment and to chemical weathering during transport. Carbonate minerals compose about 2 wt% of the bed sediments near Whitehorse, but increase to 14 wt% with the entry of the White River tributary above Dawson. Thereafter, the proportion of carbonate minerals decreases downstream to values of about 1 to 7 wt% near the mouth of the Yukon River. Quartz and feldspar contents of bed sediments vary greatly with the introduction of Pelly River and White River sediments, but thereafter either increase irregularly (quartz from 20 to about 50 wt%) or remain relatively constant (feldspar at about 35 wt%) with distance downstream. Clay mineral content increases irregularly downstream from about 15 to about 30 wt%. The chief clay mineral is chlorite, followed by illite + smectite; there is little to no kaolinite. The total organic carbon content of the bed sediments remains relatively constant with distance for the main stem (generally 1 to 2 wt%, with one exception), but fluctuates for the tributaries (1 to 6 wt%). The mineralogies of the suspended sediments and sediment flow data were used to calculate the amount of

Hydromorphodynamic effects of the width ratio and local tributary widening on discordant confluences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guillén-Ludeña, S.; Franca, M. J.; Alegria, F.; Schleiss, A. J.; Cardoso, A. H.

2017-09-01

River training works performed in the last couple of centuries constrained the natural dynamics of channel networks in locations that include the confluences between tributaries and main channels. As a result, the dynamics of these confluences are currently characterized by homogeneous flow depths, flow velocities, and morphologic conditions, which are associated with impoverished ecosystems. The widening of river reaches is seen as a useful measure for river restoration, as it enhances the heterogeneity in flow depths, flow velocities, sediment transport, and bed substrates. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of local widening of the tributary mouth as well as the effects of the ratio between the width of the tributary and that of the main channel on the flow dynamics and bed morphology of river confluences. For that purpose, 12 experiments were conducted in a 70° laboratory confluence. In these experiments, three unit-discharge ratios were tested (qr = 0.37, 0.50, and 0.77) with two width ratios and two tributary configurations. The unit-discharge ratio is defined as the unit discharge in the tributary divided by that of the main channel, measured upstream of the confluence. The width ratio, which is defined as the width of the tributary divided by that of the main channel, was modified by changing the width of the main channel from 0.50 to 1.00 m (corresponding to Br = 0.30 and 0.15 respectively). The tributary configurations consisted of (i) a straight reach with a constant width (the so-called reference configuration) and (ii) a straight reach with a local widening at the downstream end (the so-called widened configuration). During the experiments, a uniform sediment mixture was continuously supplied to both channels. This experimental setup is novel among existing experimental studies on confluence dynamics, as it addresses new confluence configurations and includes a continuous sediment supply to both channels. The experiments were run

Streamflow and sediment-transport data, Colorado River and three tributaries in Grand Canyon, Arizona, 1983 and 1985-86

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garrett, W.B.; van de Vanter, E.K.; Graf, J.B.

1993-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey collected streamflow and sediment-transport data at 5 streamflow-gaging stations on the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead as a part of an interagency environmental study. The data were collected for about 6 mo in 1983 and about 4 mo in 1985-86; data also were collected at 3 sites on tributary streams in 1983. The data were used for development of unsteady flow-routing and sediment-transport models, sand-load rating curves, and evaluation of channel changes. For the 1983 sampling period, 1,076 composite cross-section suspended-sediment samples were analyzed; 809 of these samples were collected on the main stem of the Colorado River and 267 samples were from the tributaries. Bed-material samples were obtained at 1,988 verticals; 161 samples of material in transport near the bed (bedload) were collected to define the location of sand, gravel, and bed rock in the channel cross section; and 664 discharge measurements were made. For the 1985-86 sampling period, 765 composite cross-section suspended-sediment samples and 887 individual vertical samples from cross sections were analyzed. Bed-material samples were obtained at 531 verticals, 159 samples of bedload were collected, and 218 discharge measurements were made. All data are presented in tabular form. Some types of data also are presented in graphs to better show trends or variations. (USGS)

Surficial geologic maps along the riparian zone of the Animas River and its headwater tributaries, Silverton to Durango, Colorado, with upper Animas River watershed gradient profiles

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blair, R.W.; Yager, D.B.; Church, S.E.

2002-01-01

This product consists of Adobe Acrobat .PDF format documents for 10 surficial geologic strip maps along the Animas River watershed from its major headwater tributaries, south to Durango, Colorado. The Animas River originates in the San Juan Mountains north of the historic mining town of Silverton, Colorado. The surficial geologic maps identify surficial deposits, such as flood-plain and terrace gravels, alluvial fans, glacial till, talus, colluvium, landslides, and bogs. Sixteen primary units were mapped that included human-related deposits and structures, eight alluvial, four colluvial, one glacial, travertine deposits, and undifferentiated bedrock. Each of the surficial geologic strip maps has .PDF links to surficial geology photographs, which enable the user to take a virtual tour of these deposits. Geochemical data collected from mapped surficial deposits that pre- and postdate mining activity have aided in determining the geochemical baseline in the watershed. Several photographs with their corresponding geochemical baseline profiles are accessible through .PDF links from several of the maps. A single coverage for all surficial deposits mapped is included as an ArcInfo shape file as an Arc Export format .e00 file. A gradient map for major headwater tributary streams to the Animas River is also included. The gradient map has stream segments that are color-coded based on relative variations in slope and .PDF format links to each stream gradient profile. Stream gradients were derived from U.S. Geological Survey 10-m digital elevation model data. This project was accomplished in support of the U.S. Geological Survey's Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado.

Bathymetric mapping, sediment quality, and water quality of Lake Delhi, Iowa, 2001-02

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schnoebelen, Douglas J.; McVay, Jason C.; Barnes, Kimberlee K.; Becher, Kent D.

2003-01-01

Water-quality sampling results indicate areas affected by elevated nutrient and bacteria concentrations in the lake and tributary streams. The tributary streams had the highest median nitrate concentrations (12.1 milligrams per liter) when compared to median nitrate concentrations in the lake (8.7 milligrams per liter) or the Maquoketa River (10.5 milligrams per liter). The maximum nitrate concentrations detected for Maquoketa River, lake, and tributary sites were 13.5, 13.5, and 18.6 milligrams per liter, respectively. Nitrate concentrations in the late summer decreased from 2 Bathymetric Mapping, Sediment Quality, and Water Quality of Lake Delhi, Iowa, 2001–02 the upstream (7.8 milligrams per liter) to the downstream (5.0 milligrams per liter) one-third of Lake Delhi and most likely were the result of uptake of nitrate by algae and aquatic biota in the lake. Median concentrations of total coliform and E. coli bacteria for the lake sites were 450 and 17 colonies per 100 milliliters of sample, respectively. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria for full body contact (swimming or bathing) are 200 colonies per 100 milliliters for fecal bacteria and 126 colonies per 100 milliliters for E. coli bacteria. The highest bacteria concentrations in the lake occurred after a rain and were 25,000 colonies per 100 milliliters total coliform and 1,900 colonies per 100 milliliters E. coli.

Uranium isotopes (U-234/U-238) in rivers of the Yukon Basin (Alaska and Canada) as an aid in identifying water sources, with implications for monitoring hydrologic change in arctic regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kraemer, Thomas F.; Brabets, Timothy P.

2012-01-01

The ability to detect hydrologic variation in large arctic river systems is of major importance in understanding and predicting effects of climate change in high-latitude environments. Monitoring uranium isotopes (234U and 238U) in river water of the Yukon River Basin of Alaska and northwestern Canada (2001–2005) has enhanced the ability to identify water sources to rivers, as well as detect flow changes that have occurred over the 5-year study. Uranium isotopic data for the Yukon River and major tributaries (the Porcupine and Tanana rivers) identify several sources that contribute to river flow, including: deep groundwater, seasonally frozen river-valley alluvium groundwater, and high-elevation glacial melt water. The main-stem Yukon River exhibits patterns of uranium isotopic variation at several locations that reflect input from ice melt and shallow groundwater in the spring, as well as a multi-year pattern of increased variability in timing and relative amount of water supplied from higher elevations within the basin. Results of this study demonstrate both the utility of uranium isotopes in revealing sources of water in large river systems and of incorporating uranium isotope analysis in long-term monitoring of arctic river systems that attempt to assess the effects of climate change.

Estimating changes in riparian and channel features along the Trinity River downstream of Lewiston Dam, California, 1980 to 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtis, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

Dam construction, flow diversion, and legacy landuse effects reduced the transport capacity, sediment supply, channel complexity and floodplain-connectivity along the Trinity River, CA below Lewiston Dam. This study documents the geomorphic evolution of the Trinity River Restoration Program’s intensively managed 65-km long restoration reach from 1980 to 2011. The nature and extent of riparian and channel changes were assessed using a series of geomorphic feature maps constructed from ortho-rectified photography acquired at low flow conditions in 1980, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2009, and 2011. Since 1980 there has been a general conversion of riparian to channel features and expansion of the active channel area. The primary mechanism for expansion of the active channel was bank erosion from 1980 to 1997 and channel widening was well distributed longitudinally throughout the study reach. Subsequent net bar accretion from 1997 to 2001, followed by slightly higher net bar scour from 2001 to 2006, occurred primarily in the central and lower reaches of the study area. In comparison, post-2006 bank and bar changes were spatially-limited to reaches with sufficient local transport capacity or sediment supply supported by gravel augmentation, mechanical channel rehabilitation, and tributary contributions to flow and sediment supply. A series of tributary floods in 1997, 1998 and 2006 were the primary factors leading to documented increases in channel complexity and floodplain connectivity. During the post-2006 period managed flow releases, in the absence of large magnitude tributary flooding, combined with gravel augmentation and mechanical restoration caused localized increases in sediment supply and transport capacity leading to smaller but measurable increases in channel complexity and floodplain connectivity primarily in the upper river below Lewiston Dam.

Tributary loading of mercury to Lake Michigan: Importance of seasonal events and phase partitioning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hurley, J.P.; Cowell, S.E.; Shafer, M.M.; Hughes, P.E.

1998-01-01

As a component of a lakewide mass balance study for Lake Michigan, we measured total mercury (Hg(T)) concentrations and fluxes in 11 selected tributaries. Unfiltered Hg(T) concentrations ranged from 0.56 ng l-61 at the Pete Marquette River to 182 ng l-1 at the Fox River. Highest mean Hg(T) concentrations were observed in the Fox R., Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, Grand R. and the Kalamazoo R. Mean particulate matter Hg(T) content ranged from about 0.1 to 1.5 ??g g-1, with highest levels from the industrialized basins of the Indiana Harbor and Fox River. Highest tributary loading rates (g day-1) were observed from the Fox, Grand, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Rivers. Increased loading rates during spring melt and summer/fall storm events in these tributaries were generally associated with particulate loading from either sediment resuspension or erosional processes. In contrast, filtered Hg(T) represented 80% of the Hg(T) flux in the Manistique R., whose watershed is comprised almost entirely of wetlands and forest.

A basin-scale approach to estimating stream temperatures of tributaries to the lower Klamath River, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, L.E.; Flint, A.L.

2008-01-01

Stream temperature is an important component of salmonid habitat and is often above levels suitable for fish survival in the Lower Klamath River in northern California. The objective of this study was to provide boundary conditions for models that are assessing stream temperature on the main stem for the purpose of developing strategies to manage stream conditions using Total Maximum Daily Loads. For model input, hourly stream temperatures for 36 tributaries were estimated for 1 Jan. 2001 through 31 Oct. 2004. A basin-scale approach incorporating spatially distributed energy balance data was used to estimate the stream temperatures with measured air temperature and relative humidity data and simulated solar radiation, including topographic shading and corrections for cloudiness. Regression models were developed on the basis of available stream temperature data to predict temperatures for unmeasured periods of time and for unmeasured streams. The most significant factor in matching measured minimum and maximum stream temperatures was the seasonality of the estimate. Adding minimum and maximum air temperature to the regression model improved the estimate, and air temperature data over the region are available and easily distributed spatially. The addition of simulated solar radiation and vapor saturation deficit to the regression model significantly improved predictions of maximum stream temperature but was not required to predict minimum stream temperature. The average SE in estimated maximum daily stream temperature for the individual basins was 0.9 ?? 0.6??C at the 95% confidence interval. Copyright ?? 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

Next-Generation Sequencing of Microbial Communities in the Athabasca River and Its Tributaries in Relation to Oil Sands Mining Activities

PubMed Central

Yergeau, Etienne; Lawrence, John R.; Sanschagrin, Sylvie; Waiser, Marley J.; Korber, Darren R.

2012-01-01

The Athabasca oil sands deposit is the largest reservoir of crude bitumen in the world. Recently, the soaring demand for oil and the availability of modern bitumen extraction technology have heightened exploitation of this reservoir and the potential unintended consequences of pollution in the Athabasca River. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential impacts of oil sands mining on neighboring aquatic microbial community structure. Microbial communities were sampled from sediments in the Athabasca River and its tributaries as well as in oil sands tailings ponds. Bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology (454 and Ion Torrent). Sediments were also analyzed for a variety of chemical and physical characteristics. Microbial communities in the fine tailings of the tailings ponds were strikingly distinct from those in the Athabasca River and tributary sediments. Microbial communities in sediments taken close to tailings ponds were more similar to those in the fine tailings of the tailings ponds than to the ones from sediments further away. Additionally, bacterial diversity was significantly lower in tailings pond sediments. Several taxonomic groups of Bacteria and Archaea showed significant correlations with the concentrations of different contaminants, highlighting their potential as bioindicators. We also extensively validated Ion Torrent sequencing in the context of environmental studies by comparing Ion Torrent and 454 data sets and by analyzing control samples. PMID:22923391

Oregon's forest resources, 2001-2005: five-year Forest Inventory and Analysis report.

Treesearch

Joseph Donnegan; Sally Campbell; Dave Azuma

2008-01-01

This report highlights key findings from the most recent (2001-2005) data collected by the Pacific Northwest Forest Inventory and Analysis (PNW-FIA) Program across all ownerships in Oregon. We present basic resource information such as forest area, land use change, ownership, volume, biomass, and carbon sequestration; structure and function topics such as biodiversity...

California's forest resources, 2001-2005: five-year Forest Inventory and Analysis Report.

Treesearch

Glenn A. Christensen; Sally J. Campbell; Jeremy S. Fried

2008-01-01

This report highlights key findings from the most recent (2001-2005) data collected by the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program across all forest land in California. We summarize and interpret basic resource information such as forest area, ownership, volume, biomass, and carbon stocks; structure and function topics such as biodiversity, forest age, dead wood, and...

Selected Outcomes Related to Tech Prep Implementation by Illinois Consortia, 2001-2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bragg, Debra D.; Kirby, Catherine; Zhu, Rongchun

2006-01-01

This report is the summary of key aspects of Tech Prep in Illinois over the five year period of 2001-2005 during which all Tech Prep consortia provided annual data based on federal legislative requirements and state-determined essential elements of successful programs. These annual Tech Prep reports enable local educators to monitor student…

Biliary PAH metabolites and the hepatosomatic index of brown bullheads from Lake Erie tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yang, X.; Baumann, P.C.

2006-01-01

In studies designed to investigate the environmental exposure of fish in Lake Erie tributaries, a benthic fish, the brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), was collected from the industrially contaminated Detroit River, Ottawa River, Black River, Cuyahoga River-harbor and -upstream, Ashtabula River, Buffalo River, and Niagara River, and the non-industrialized Old Woman Creek during 1997-2000. Biliary benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)- and naphthalene (NAPH)-type metabolites and the hepatosomatic index (HSI) were measured in fish and compared between different sites. Fish from all of the contaminated sites except Niagara River had significantly higher concentrations of both types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolites than fish from the Old Woman Creek. Concentrations of PAH metabolites in bile of fish were positively associated with concentrations of PAHs in sediments, supporting the use of bile metabolites as a measure of PAH exposure. Relatively low concentrations of PAHs detected in fish bile and sediments of the Niagara River, which had undergone extensive remediation, suggested a lowered PAH exposure for fish at this site. No apparent trend was observed in HSI between the industrialized and non-industrialized sites. This study demonstrates that biliary PAH metabolites are an effective indicator of exposure of fish to PAHs. However, because factors other than contamination could also affect the liver size of wild fish, HSI alone may be not a reliable biomarker for assessing contaminant stress. ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2004-November 30, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krejmas, Bruce E.; Paulachok, Gary N.; Blanchard, Stephen F.

2011-01-01

A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered in 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City, to be made under the supervision and direction of the River Master. The Decree stipulates that the River Master will furnish reports to the Court, not less frequently than annually. This report is the 52nd Annual Report of the River Master of the Delaware River. It covers the 2005 River Master report year; that is, the period from December 1, 2004, to November 30, 2005. During the report year, precipitation in the upper Delaware River Basin was 7.56 in., or 117 percent of the long-term average. Combined storage in Pepacton, Cannonsville, and Neversink Reservoirs remained high from December 2004 to May 2005 and reached a record high level on April 3, 2005. Reservoir storage decreased steadily from May to early October, then increased rapidly through the end of November. Delaware River operations throughout the year were conducted as stipulated by the Decree. Diversions from the Delaware River Basin by New York City and New Jersey were in compliance with the Decree. Reservoir releases were made as directed by the River Master at rates designed to meet the flow objective for the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey, on 120 days during the report year. Releases were made at conservation rates-or rates designed to relieve thermal stress and protect the fishery and aquatic habitat in the tailwaters of the reservoirs-on all other days. During the report year, New York City and New Jersey complied fully with the terms of the Decree, and directives and requests of the River Master. As part of a long-term program, the quality of water in the Delaware Estuary between Trenton, New Jersey, and Reedy Island Jetty, Delaware, was monitored at various locations

Approaches to restoration of oak forests on farmed lowlands of the Mississippi river and its tributaries (Avances en la restauración de bosques de roble en tierras bajas agrícolas del Río Mississippi y sus tributaries)

Treesearch

E.S. Gardiner; D.C. Dey; John Stanturf; B.R. Lockhart

2010-01-01

The lowlands associated with the Mississippi River and its tributaries historically supported extensive broadleaf forests that were particularly rich in oak (Quercus spp.) species. Beginning in the 1700s, deforestation for agriculture substantially reduced the extent of the original forest, and fragmented the remainder into small parcels. More recently, declines in...

Water quality of the Upper West Branch Susquehanna River and tributary streams between Curwensville and Renovo, Pennsylvania, May and July 1984

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hainly, R.A.; Barker, J.L.

1993-01-01

The soils and rocks of the Upper West Branch Susquehanna River basin, from its headwaters downstream for 150 miles, are laden with pyritic materials that have the potential to produce acid mine drainage. The effects of mine drainage are severe, particularly in the reach between Curwensville and Renovo where present water quality cannot support viable populations of benthic macroinvertebrates or fish. During base-flow periods in May and July 1984, streamflow and water quality were measured at four sites on the West Branch Susquehanna River and near the mouths of 94 tributaries. Water-quality constituents determined were temperature, specific conductance, pH, acidity, alkalinity, and concentrations of dissolved sulfate and total and dissolved forms of iron, manganese, aluminum, and zinc. The data collected for the study indicate that the predominant influence on water quality of the tributaries is land use. An area where few or no coal deposits or disturbed area were present was found to have relatively good surface-water quality (median pH was nearly 5.5 units), whereas areas where coal mining was active in the basin, or where large areas of unreclaimed mines were present, were found to have poorest water quality (median pH was generally less than 4.0 units). In general, Moshannon, Sinnemahoning, Clearfield, and Kettle Creeks were found to be the largest tributary sources of acidity and total-recoverable iron to the river. During the May sampling, Moshannon, Sinnemahoning, and Clearfield Creeks contributed 63 percent of the 365 tons/day of acidity, and Moshannon and Clearfield Creeks contributed 76 percent of the 44.8 tons/day of total-recoverable iron that were discharged to the river. During the July sampling, Moshannon, Kettle, and Clearfield Creeks contributed 60 percent of the 131 tons/day of acidity, and Moshannon and Kettle Creeks contributed 51 percent of the 6.5 tons/day of total-recoverable iron discharged to the river . The West Branch Susquehanna River

Particle size of sediments collected from the bed of the Amazon River and its tributaries in June and July 1976

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nordin, Carl F.; Meade, R.H.; Mahoney, H.A.; Delany, B.M.

1977-01-01

Sixty-five samples of bed material were collected from the Amazon River and its major tributaries between Belem, Brazil, and Iquitos, Peru. Samples were taken with a standard BM-54 sampler, a pipe dredge, or a Helley-Smith bedload sampler. Most of the samples have median diameters in the size range of fine to medium sand and contain small percentages of fine gravel. Complete size distributions are tabulated.

Sediment loads in the Red River of the North and selected tributaries near Fargo, North Dakota, 2010--2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galloway, Joel M.; Nustad, Rochelle A.

2012-01-01

Natural-resource agencies are concerned about possible geomorphic effects of a proposed diversion project to reduce the flood risk in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected data in the spring of 2010 and 2011, and from June to November 2011, during rainfall-runoff events and base-flow conditions to provide information on sediment transport. The data were used to examine sediment concentrations, loads, and particle-size distributions at nine selected sites in the Red River and its tributaries near the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. Suspended-sediment concentration varied among sites in 2010 and 2011. The least suspended-sediment concentrations were measured at the Red River (site 1) and the Buffalo River (site 9), and the greatest concentrations were measured at the two Sheyenne River sites (sites 3 and 4). Estimated daily suspended-sediment loads were highly variable in 2010 and 2011 in the Red River and its tributaries, with the greatest loads occurring in the spring and the smallest loads occurring in the winter. For the Red River, daily suspended-sediment loads ranged from 26 to 3,500 tons per day at site 1 and from 30 to 9,010 tons per day at site 2. For the Sheyenne River, daily loads ranged from less than 10 to 10,200 tons per day at site 3 and from less than 10 to 4,530 tons per day at site 4. The mean daily load was 191 tons per day in 2010 and 377 tons per day in 2011 for the Maple River, and 610 tons per day in 2011 for the Wild Rice River (annual loads were not computed for 2010). For the three sites that were only sampled in 2011 (sites 7, 8 and 9), the mean daily suspended-sediment loads ranged from 40 tons per day at the Lower Branch Rush River (site 8) to 118 tons per day at the Buffalo River (site 9). For sites that had estimated loads in 2010 and 2011 (sites 1–5), estimated annual (March–November) suspended-sediment loads were greater in 2011 compared to

Water quality and hydrology of the Silver River Watershed, Baraga County, Michigan, 2005-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weaver, Thomas L.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Rachol, Cynthia M.; Ellis, James M.

2010-01-01

The Silver River Watershed comprises about 69 square miles and drains part of northeastern Baraga County, Michigan. For generations, tribal members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community have hunted and fished in the watershed. Tribal government and members of Keweenaw Bay Indian Community are concerned about the effect of any development within the watershed, which is rural, isolated, and lightly populated. For decades, the area has been explored for various minerals. Since 2004, several mineral-exploration firms have been actively investigating areas within the watershed; property acquisition, road construction, and subsurface drilling have taken place close to tributary streams of the Silver River. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, conducted a multi-year water-resources investigation of the Silver River Watershed during 2005-08. Methods of investigation included analyses of streamflow, water-quality sampling, and ecology at eight discrete sites located throughout the watershed. In addition, three continuous-record streamgages located within the watershed provided stage, discharge, specific conductance, and water-temperature data on an hourly basis. Water quality of the Silver River Watershed is typical of many streams in undeveloped areas of Upper Michigan. Concentrations of most analytes typically were low, although several exceeded applicable surface-water-quality standards. Seven samples had concentrations of copper that exceeded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality standards for wildlife, and one sample had concentrations of cyanide that exceeded the same standards. Concentrations of total mercury at all eight sampling sites exceeded the Great Lakes Basin water-quality standard, but the ratio of methylmercury to total mercury was similar to the 5 to 10 percent found in most natural waters. Concentrations of arsenic and chromium in bed sediments were near the threshold-effect concentration. A qualitative

Spatial distribution and speciation of mercury and methyl mercury in the surface water of East River (Dongjiang) tributary of Pearl River Delta, South China.

PubMed

Liu, Jinling; Feng, Xinbin; Zhu, Wei; Zhang, Xian; Yin, Runsheng

2012-01-01

The distribution and speciation of mercury in surface water of East River, Guangdong province, China were investigated. All told 63 water samples were collected during a bi-weekly sampling campaign from July 15th to 26th, 2009. Total mercury (THg) concentrations in water samples ranged from 11 to 49 ng/L. Maximum levels of THg were measured in the lower reaches of East River, where it passes through a major industrial area adjacent to Dongguang city. Higher ratios of dissolved mercury (THg (aq)) in proportion to THg were restricted to the downstream section of East River. Concentrations of the minor constituent methyl mercury varied in the range from 0.08 to 0.21 ng/L. On average, methyl mercury made up 0.8% and 0.56% of THg (aq) and THg, respectively. Dissolved species dominated the speciation of methyl mercury in proportions up to 81%, which may imply that methyl mercury is largely produced in situ within the river water. Environmental factors (such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, etc.) are regarded to play an important role in Hg methylation processes were monitored and assessed. In an international perspective, East River must be classified as a polluted river with considerably sources within its industrial areas. The THg (aq) and particle mercury fluxes to the Pearl River Estuary by East River run-off were estimated to be 0.31 ± 0.11 and 0.17 ± 0.13 t/year, respectively. Hence, in total nearly 0.5 t Hg is annually released to the sea from the East River tributary.

Hydrologic data, Colorado River and major tributaries, Glen Canyon Dam to Diamond Creek, Arizona, water years 1990-95

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rote, John J.; Flynn, Marilyn E.; Bills, D.J.

1997-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey collected hydrologic data at 12 continuous-record stations along the Colorado River and its major tributaries between Glen Canyon Dam and Diamond Creek. The data were collected from October 1989 through September 1995 as part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Glen Canyon Environmental Studies. The data include daily values for streamflow discharge, suspended-sediment discharge, temperature, specific conductance, pH, and dissolved-oxygen concentrations, and discrete values for physical properties and chemical constituents of water. All data are presented in tabular form.

33 CFR 207.160 - All waterways tributary to the Atlantic Ocean south of Chesapeake Bay and all waterways tributary...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the United States or under its authorization. (6) When rafts are left for any reason with no one in... be left clear for navigation along the tributary. Such storage spaces must be protected by booms and... north of New River Inlet, North Carolina; to the Superintendent of Lighthouses at Charleston, South...

Occurrence and variability of mining-related lead and zinc in the Spring River flood plain and tributary flood plains, Cherokee County, Kansas, 2009--11

USGS Publications Warehouse

Juracek, Kyle E.

2013-01-01

Historical mining activity in the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), located in parts of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma, has resulted in a substantial ongoing input of cadmium, lead, and zinc to the environment. To provide some of the information needed to support remediation efforts in the Cherokee County, Kansas, superfund site, a 4-year study was begun in 2009 by the U.S. Geological Survey that was requested and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A combination of surficial-soil sampling and coring was used to investigate the occurrence and variability of mining-related lead and zinc in the flood plains of the Spring River and several tributaries within the superfund site. Lead- and zinc-contaminated flood plains are a concern, in part, because they represent a long-term source of contamination to the fluvial environment. Lead and zinc contamination was assessed with reference to probable-effect concentrations (PECs), which represent the concentrations above which adverse aquatic biological effects are likely to occur. The general PECs for lead and zinc were 128 and 459 milligrams per kilogram, respectively. The TSMD-specific PECs for lead and zinc were 150 and 2,083 milligrams per kilogram, respectively. Typically, surficial soils in the Spring River flood plain had lead and zinc concentrations that were less than the general PECs. Lead and zinc concentrations in the surficial-soil samples were variable with distance downstream and with distance from the Spring River channel, and the largest lead and zinc concentrations usually were located near the channel. Lead and zinc concentrations larger than the general or TSMD-specific PECs, or both, were infrequent at depth in the Spring River flood plain. When present, such contamination typically was confined to the upper 2 feet of the core and frequently was confined to the upper 6 inches. Tributaries with few or no lead- and zinc-mined areas in the basin—Brush Creek

Water-quality, streamflow, and ancillary data for nutrients in streams and rivers across the nation, 1992-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, David K.; Spahr, Norman E.

2005-01-01

Introduction: This report is the companion data report for: Nutrients in Streams and Rivers Across the Nation - 1992-2001 (D.K. Mueller and N.E. Spahr, U.S. Geological Survey written commun., 2005). The data contained in this report were collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Investigations were conducted in 51 large river basins and aquifer systems, which are referred to as 'study units.' Implementation of study-unit investigations were phased so that high-intensity sampling occurred in about one-third of the study units at a time. Investigations in the first 20 study units began in 1991, and stream sampling began in 1992; however, most samples were collected during water years 1993-95. (Water year is defined as the period from October through September and is identified by the year in which it ends.) A second group of 16 study-unit investigations began in 1994, with most of the sampling completed during water years 1996-98. A third group, consisting of 15 study units, began in 1997 with most of the data collected during water years 1999-2001. At some sites, additional sampling continued after the high-intensity time period. Gilliom and others (1995) provide additional information about study-unit sampling design. Additional information about the NAWQA program is available at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/index.html.

Water and Sediment Quality in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska, During Water Year 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schuster, Paul F.

2003-01-01

Overview -- This report contains water-quality and sediment-quality data from samples collected in the Yukon River Basin during water year 2001 (October 2000 through September 2001). A broad range of chemical and biological analyses from three sets of samples are presented. First, samples were collected throughout the year at five stations in the basin (three on the mainstem Yukon River, one each on the Tanana and Porcupine Rivers). Second, fecal indicators were measured on samples from drinking-water supplies collected near four villages. Third, sediment cores from five lakes throughout the Yukon Basin were sampled to reconstruct historic trends in the atmospheric deposition of trace elements and hydrophobic organic compounds.

Methods for estimating tributary streamflow in the Chattahoochee River basin between Buford Dam and Franklin, Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stamey, Timothy C.

1998-01-01

Simple and reliable methods for estimating hourly streamflow are needed for the calibration and verification of a Chattahoochee River basin model between Buford Dam and Franklin, Ga. The river basin model is being developed by Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, as part of their Chattahoochee River Modeling Project. Concurrent streamflow data collected at 19 continuous-record, and 31 partial-record streamflow stations, were used in ordinary least-squares linear regression analyses to define estimating equations, and in verifying drainage-area prorations. The resulting regression or drainage-area ratio estimating equations were used to compute hourly streamflow at the partial-record stations. The coefficients of determination (r-squared values) for the regression estimating equations ranged from 0.90 to 0.99. Observed and estimated hourly and daily streamflow data were computed for May 1, 1995, through October 31, 1995. Comparisons of observed and estimated daily streamflow data for 12 continuous-record tributary stations, that had available streamflow data for all or part of the period from May 1, 1995, to October 31, 1995, indicate that the mean error of estimate for the daily streamflow was about 25 percent.

Soil Organic Carbon Transport in Headwater Tributaries of the Amazon River Traced by Branched GDGTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirkels, F.; Peterse, F.; Ponton, C.; Feakins, S. J.; West, A. J.

2016-12-01

Transfer of soil organic carbon from land to sea by rivers plays a key role in the global carbon cycle by enabling long-term storage upon deposition in the marine environment, and generates archives of paleoinformation. Specific soil bacterial membrane lipids (branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers, brGDGTs) can trace soil inputs to a river. BrGDGT distributions relate to soil pH and mean annual air temperature and can be inferred by a novel calibration [1]. In the Amazon Fan, down-core changes in brGDGTs have been used for paleoclimate reconstructions [2]. However, the effects of fluvial sourcing and transport on brGDGT signals in sedimentary deposits are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the implications of upstream dynamics and hydrological variability (wet/dry season) on brGDGT distributions carried by the Madre de Dios River (Peru), a tributary of the upper Amazon River. The Madre de Dios basin covers a 4.5 km elevation gradient draining the eastern flank of the Andes to the Amazonian floodplains [3], along which we examined organic and mineral soils, and river suspended particulate matter (SPM). BrGDGT signals of SPM indicate sourcing of soils within the catchment, with concentrations increasing downstream indicating accumulation of this biomarker. River depth profiles demonstrated uniform brGDGT distributions and concentrations, suggesting no preferential transport and that brGDGTs are well-mixed in the river. These findings add to prior studies on brGDGTs in the downstream Amazon River [4, 5]. Our study highlights the importance of the upstream drainage basin to constrain the source of brGDGTs in rivers, to better interpret climate reconstructions with this proxy. [1] De Jonge et al. (2014) Geochim Cosmochim Act 141, 97-112 [2] Bendle et al. (2010) Geochem Geoph Geosy 11 [3] Ponton et al. (2014) Geophys. Res. Lett 41, 6420-6427. [4] Kim et al. (2012) Geochim Cosmochim Act 90, 163-180. [5] Zell et al. (2013) Front Microbio 4, 228.

Status and reproduction of Gulf coast strain walleye in a Tombigbee River tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schramm, H.L.; Hart, J.; Hanson, L.A.

2004-01-01

Walleye (Sander vitreus [Mitchill]) are native to rivers and streams in the Mobile River basin in Mississippi and Alabama. These populations comprise a genetically unique strain (Gulf coast walleye, GCW) and represent the southernmost distribution of walleye in the United States. Luxapallila Creek was considered an important spawning site for GCW prior to and shortly after impoundment of the Tombigbee River in 1980. Extensive sampling in Luxapallila Creek in 2001 and 2002 collected only one larval walleye. Microsatellite DNA analysis suggested 14 of 16 adult walleye from Luxapallila Creek were hatchery-produced fish or their progeny. Controlled angling catch rates of adult walleye have declined since 1997. The scarcity of wild-spawned walleye and the similarity of wild-caught and hatchery broodstock walleye indicates that the GCW population in, or spawning in, Luxapallila Creek is sustained by stocking and recruitment from these stocked fish may be diminishing.

Parasites of fishes in the Colorado River and selected tributaries in Grand Canyon, Arizona.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, Rebecca A.; Sterner, Mauritz C.; Linder, Chad; Hoffnagle, Timothy L.; Persons, Bill; Choudhury, Anindo; Haro, Roger

2012-01-01

As part of the endangered humpback chub (HBC; Gila cypha) Adaptive Management Program, a parasite survey was conducted from 28 June to 17 July 2006 in 8 tributaries and 7 adjacent sections of the main stem of the Colorado River, U.S.A. In total, 717 fish were caught, including 24 HBC. Field necropsies yielded 19 parasite species, 5 of which (Achtheres sp., Kathlaniidae gen. sp., Caryophyllaidae gen. sp., Myxidium sp., and Octomacrum sp.) are new records for Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A. Spearman's correlation coefficient analyses showed no correlations between parasite burden and fork length for various combinations of fish and parasite species. Regression analyses suggest that no parasite species had a strong effect on fish length. The most diverse parasite community (n=14) was at river kilometer (Rkm) 230, near the confluence of Kanab Creek. The most diverse parasite infracommunity (n=12) was found in the non-native channel catfish (CCF; Ictaluris punctatus). Overall parasite prevalence was highest in CCF (85%) followed by that in HBC (58%). The parasite fauna of humpback chub was mainly composed of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi and Ornithodiplostomum sp. metacercariae.

Particle size of sediments collected from the bed of the Amazon River and its tributaries in May and June 1977

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nordin, Carl F.; Meade, R.H.; Curtis, W.F.; Bosio, N.J.; Delaney, B.M.

1979-01-01

One-hundred-eight samples of bed material were collected from the Amazon River and its major tributaries between Belem, Brazil , and Iquitos, Peru. Samples were taken with a standard BM-54 sampler or with pipe dredges from May 18 to June 5, 1977. Most of the samples have median diameters in the size range of fine to medium sand and contain small percentages of fine gravel. Complete size distributions are tabulated. (Woodard-USGS)

Organic carbon and nitrogen content associated with colloids and suspended particulates from the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rostad, C.E.; Leenheer, J.A.; Daniel, S.R.

1997-01-01

Suspended material samples were collected at 16 sites along the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries during July-August 1991, October-November 1991, and April-May 1992, and separated into colloid and particulate fractions to determine the organic carbon content of these two fractions of suspended material. Sample collection involved centrifugation to isolate the suspended particulate fraction and ultrafiltration to isolate the colloid fraction. For the first time, particulate and colloid concentrations and organic carbon and nitrogen content were investigated along the entire reach of the Mississippi River from above Minneapolis, Minnesota, to below New Orleans, Louisiana. Organic carbon content of the colloid (15.2 percent) was much higher than organic carbon content of the particulate material (4.8 percent). Carbon/nitrogen ratios of colloid and particulate phases were more similar to ratios for microorganisms than to ratios for soils, humic materials, or plants.Suspended material samples were collected at 16 sites along the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries during July-August 1991, October-November 1991, and April-May 1992, and separated into colloid and particulate fractions to determine the organic carbon content of these two fractions of suspended material. Sample collection involved centrifugation to isolate the suspended particulate fraction and ultrafiltration to isolate the colloid fraction. For the first time, particulate and colloid concentrations and organic carbon and nitrogen content were investigated along the entire reach of the Mississippi River from above Minneapolis, Minnesota, to below New Orleans, Louisiana. Organic carbon content of the colloid (15.2 percent) was much higher than organic carbon content of the particulate material (4.8 percent). Carbon/nitrogen ratios of colloid and particulate phases were more similar to ratios for microorganisms than to ratios for soils, humic materials, or plants.

Occurrence of bacteria in Blue Marsh Lake and selected tributaries, Berks County, Pennsylvania; September-October 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zimmerman, Michele L.

2002-01-01

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has water-quality standards that limit the number of specific bacteria in water that is considered safe for recreational use. Bacteria such as fecal streptococci, fecal coliforms, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are used to assess recreational water quality because they usually live in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Fecal indicator bacteria commonly are associated with waterborne disease-causing organisms (pathogens). These indicator bacteria are used routinely as a measure of the quality of water for recreational activities such as swimming, boating, and water skiing. If the indicator bacteria are present, effective measures could be taken to prevent the transmission or epidemic outbreak of waterborne diseases as a result of contamination of these waters from human or animal waste.Blue Marsh Lake is on Tulpehocken Creek in Berks County, Pa., and drains a largely agricultural basin. Land use in the basin is approximately 60 percent cropland, and 85 percent of the farms are livestock and poultry farms.The potential sources of fecal bacteria are:geese that inhabit the recreational areas of the lake,humans that visit the Dry Brooks Day Use Area (swimming area), andfarm animals, wastewater facilities, and household septic systems in the basin (bacteria from these sources could enter the lake through tributaries).To meet the recreational water-quality standard, lake water may not have more than 200 colony-forming units (CFU) of fecal coliforms per 100 milliliters (mL). During the week of July 23, 2001, data collected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) at the swimming area at Blue Marsh Lake showed concentrations of fecal coliforms in the water exceeding the standard. To determine the extent of elevated concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria, further study of the lake and selected tributaries was needed.

Applying of Factor Analyses for Determination of Trace Elements Distribution in Water from River Vardar and Its Tributaries, Macedonia/Greece

PubMed Central

Popov, Stanko Ilić; Stafilov, Trajče; Šajn, Robert; Tănăselia, Claudiu; Bačeva, Katerina

2014-01-01

A systematic study was carried out to investigate the distribution of fifty-six elements in the water samples from river Vardar (Republic of Macedonia and Greece) and its major tributaries. The samples were collected from 27 sampling sites. Analyses were performed by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) and atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). Cluster and R mode factor analysis (FA) was used to identify and characterise element associations and four associations of elements were determined by the method of multivariate statistics. Three factors represent the associations of elements that occur in the river water naturally while Factor 3 represents an anthropogenic association of the elements (Cd, Ga, In, Pb, Re, Tl, Cu, and Zn) introduced in the river waters from the waste waters from the mining and metallurgical activities in the country. PMID:24587756

Microhabitat use by brook trout inhabiting small tributaries and a large river main stem: Implications for stream habitat restoration in the central Appalachians

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansbarger, Jeff L.; Petty, J. Todd; Mazik, Patricia M.

2008-01-01

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) habitat restoration is needed across a range of stream sizes; however, studies quantifying brook trout habitat preferences in streams of differing sizes are rare. We used radio-telemetry to quantify adult brook trout microhabitat use in a central Appalachian watershed, the upper Shavers Fork of the Cheat River in eastern West Virginia. Our objectives were to: 1) quantify non-random microhabitat use by adult brook trout in the Shavers Fork main stem (drainage area = 32 km2) and an adjacent tributary, Rocky Run (drainage area = 7 km2); and 2) construct stream-specific habitat suitability curves (HSCs) for four important microhabitat variables (depth, average current velocity, maximum current velocity within one meter, and distance to cover). Brook trout used a subset of available microhabitats in both the main stem and Rocky Run: trout tended to occupy microhabitats that were deeper, higher velocity, and closer to cover than expected by chance alone. Although specific microhabitat values differed between the main stem and tributary populations, the overall patterns in brook trout microhabitat use were consistent regardless of stream size. Habitat suitability curves were constructed based on brook trout microhabitat use and will be used to design and monitor the effectiveness of future habitat restoration efforts in the Shavers Fork watershed. Our results suggest that habitat enhancement projects that increase the availability of deep, high velocity microhabitats adjacent to cover would benefit brook trout in both small tributaries and larger river main stems.

Association of ice and river channel morphology determined using ground-penetrationg radar in the Kuparuk River, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Best, Heather; McNamara, J.P.; Liberty, Lee M.

2005-01-01

We collected ground-penetrating radar data at 10 sites along the Kuparuk River and its main tributary, the Toolik River, to detect unfrozen water beneath river ice. We used 250 MHz and 500 MHz antennas to image both the ice-water interface and the river channel in late April 2001, when daily high temperatures were consistently freezing and river ice had attained its maximum seasonal thickness. The presence of water below the river ice appears as a strong, horizontal reflection observed in the radar data and is confirmed by drill hole data. A downstream transition occurs from ice that is frozen to the bed, called bedfast ice, to ice that is floating on unfrozen water, called floating ice. This transition in ice type corresponds to a downstream change in channel size that was detected in previously conducted hydraulic geometry surveys of the Kuparuk River. We propose a conceptual model wherein the downstream transition from bedfast ice to floating ice is responsible for an observed step change in channel size due to enhanced bank erosion in large channels by floating ice.

Hydro-climate and ecological behaviour of the drought of Amazonia in 2005.

PubMed

Marengo, J A; Nobre, C A; Tomasella, J; Cardoso, M F; Oyama, M D

2008-05-27

In 2005, southwestern Amazonia experienced the effects of an intense drought that affected life and biodiversity. Several major tributaries as well as parts of the main river itself contained only a fraction of their normal volumes of water, and lakes were drying up. The consequences for local people, animals and the forest itself are impossible to estimate now, but they are likely to be serious. The analyses indicate that the drought was manifested as weak peak river season during autumn to winter as a consequence of a weak summertime season in southwestern Amazonia; the winter season was also accompanied by rainfall that sometimes reached 25% of the climatic value, being anomalously warm and dry and helping in the propagation of fires. Analyses of climatic and hydrological records in Amazonia suggest a broad consensus that the 2005 drought was linked not to El Niño as with most previous droughts in the Amazon, but to warming sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean.

Effect of agriculture on water quality of Lake Biwa tributaries, Japan.

PubMed

Nakano, Takanori; Tayasu, Ichiro; Yamada, Yoshihiro; Hosono, Takahiro; Igeta, Akitake; Hyodo, Fujio; Ando, Atsushi; Saitoh, Yu; Tanaka, Takuya; Wada, Eitaro; Yachi, Shigeo

2008-01-15

We investigated the effects of natural environments and human activity on Lake Biwa, central Japan. We determined the concentrations of 19 elements and the compositions of stable S and Sr isotopes in the main tributaries of the lake and compared them with the corresponding values obtained from the lake water during the circulation period. Results of a principal component analysis indicated that the components dissolved in the lower reaches of the tributaries can be divided into group 1 (HCO(3), SO(4), NO(3), Ca, Mg, Sr) and group 2 components (Cl, Br, Na, K, Ba, Rb, Cs). The concentrations of group 1 components were high in the rivers of the southern area, which is urbanized and densely populated, and the eastern area, which consists of plains where agriculture predominates, compared with the rivers of the northern and western areas, which are mostly mountainous and sparsely populated. The concentrations of group 2 components tended to be high in the river water of industrial areas. The delta(34)S values of SO(4) in the river water converged to 0+/-2 per thousand as the SO(4) concentration increased and, excluding the areas where limestone is extensively distributed, as the HCO(3) concentration increased. In particular, both the delta(34)S values (0+/-2 per thousand) and the (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios (0.7117+/-0.0005) fell within narrow ranges in the small and medium rivers of the eastern plain area, where rice is widely grown. These values agreed respectively with the delta(34)S values of the fertilizers used in the Lake Biwa basin and the soil-exchangeable (87)Sr/(86)Sr in the eastern plain. The characteristics of water quality in the small and medium rivers of the eastern area can be explained by a model in which sulfuric, nitric, and bicarbonic acids generated by the decomposition of agricultural fertilizer and paddy rice selectively leached out alkaline-earth elements adsorbed on the soil and sediments of the plain or dissolved calcium carbonate enriched with Mg

AAPCC database characterization of native U.S. venomous snake exposures, 2001-2005.

PubMed

Seifert, Steven A; Boyer, Leslie V; Benson, Blaine E; Rogers, Jody J

2009-04-01

Differences in victim demographics, clinical effects, managements, and outcomes among native viperid (rattlesnake, copperhead, and cottonmouth) and elapid (coral snake) species have not been systematically characterized. The database of the American Association of Poison Control Centers from 2001 through 2005 was analyzed. Between 2001 and 2005, there were 23,676 human exposures (average = 4,735/year) to native venomous snakes in the United States reported to U.S. poison centers in all states except Hawaii: 98% were to viperid snakes and 2% to elapids. Overall, 77% of victims were male, 70% were adults >20 years, and 12% were aged less than 10 years. Sixty-five cases involved pregnant women, with rattlesnake bites resulting in moderate or greater effects in over 70%. The overall hospital admission rate was 53%. Outcomes were generally more severe with rattlesnake and copperhead envenomations and in children <6 years of age. The fatality rate of reported cases was 0.06%. Native U.S. venomous snakebite results in considerable morbidity and mortality. Rattlesnake and copperhead envenomations, and those in children <6 years of age, produce the most severe outcomes, but coral snakebites result in similar hospital admission rates.

Backwater effects in the Amazon River basin of Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meade, R.H.; Rayol, J.M.; Da Conceicao, S.C.; Natividade, J.R.G.

1991-01-01

The Amazon River mainstem of Brazil is so regulated by differences in the timing of tributary inputs and by seasonal storage of water on floodplains that maximum discharges exceed minimum discharges by a factor of only 3. Large tributaries that drain the southern Amazon River basin reach their peak discharges two months earlier than does the mainstem. The resulting backwater in the lowermost 800 km of two large southern tributaries, the Madeira and Puru??s rivers, causes falling river stages to be as much as 2-3 m higher than rising stages at any given discharge. Large tributaries that drain the northernmost Amazon River basin reach their annual minimum discharges three to four months later than does the mainstem. In the lowermost 300-400 km of the Negro River, the largest northern tributary and the fifth largest river in the world, the lowest stages of the year correspond to those of the Amazon River mainstem rather than to those in the upstream reaches of the Negro River. ?? 1991 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

Storms and flooding in California in December 2005 and January 2006 - a preliminary assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parrett, Charles; Hunrichs, Richard A.

2006-01-01

A series of storms beginning before Christmas 2005 and ending after New Year's Day 2006 produced significant runoff over much of northern California. The storms resulted in an estimated $300 million in damages and Federal disaster declarations in 10 counties. Several precipitation stations in the Sierra Nevada had precipitation totals greater than 20 inches for the period December 24 through January 3, and several stations in the Coastal Range had precipitation totals greater than 18 inches. The peak stream discharges resulting from the storms in the north coast area generally had recurrence intervals in the 10- to 25-year range, although the recurrence interval for peak discharge at one station on Sonoma Creek near Agua Caliente was greater than 100 years. In the San Francisco Bay area, peak discharges also generally had recurrence intervals in the 10- to 25-year range. Further south along the central coast and in southern California, peak discharges had smaller recurrence intervals, in the 2- to 5-year range. Upper Sacramento River tributaries draining from the west had peak flows with recurrence intervals in the 2- to 5-year range, whereas upper tributaries draining from the east side had recurrence intervals in the 5- to 10-year range. Further south, Sacramento River tributaries such as the Yuba and American Rivers had peak discharges with recurrence intervals in the 10- to 25-year range. On the east side of the central Sierra around Lake Tahoe, peak discharges had recurrence intervals in the 10- to 25-year range. Further south in the Sierra, streams draining into the San Joaquin River Basin had flows with recurrence intervals ranging from 2 to 5 years.

Distribution and solid-phase speciation of toxic heavy metals of bed sediments of Bharali tributary of Brahmaputra River.

PubMed

Hoque, Raza Rafiqul; Goswami, K G; Kusre, B C; Sarma, K P

2011-06-01

Heavy metal (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cd) concentrations and their chemical speciations were investigated for the first time in bed sediments of Bharali River, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra River of the Eastern Himalayas. Levels of Fe, Mn, Pb, and Cd in the bed sediments were much below the average Indian rivers; however, Cu and Zn exhibit levels on the higher side. Enrichment factors (EF) of all metals was greater than 1 and a higher trend of EF was seen in the abandoned channel for most metals. Pb showed maximum EF of 32 at site near an urban center. The geoaccumulation indices indicate that Bharali river is moderately polluted. The metals speciations, done by a sequential extraction regime, show that Cd, Cu, and Pb exhibit considerable presence in the exchangeable and carbonate fraction, thereby showing higher mobility and bioavailability. On the other hand, Ni, Mn, and Fe exhibit greater presence in the residual fraction and Zn was dominant in the Fe-Mn oxide phase. Inter-species correlations at three sites did not show similar trends for metal pairs indicating potential variations in the contributing sources.

Annotated checklist and key to the species of amphibians and reptiles inhabiting the northern Peruvian dry forest along the Andean valley of the Marañón River and its tributaries.

PubMed

Koch, Claudia; Venegas, Pablo J; Cruz, Roy Santa; BÖhme, Wolfgang

2018-02-22

A checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of 35 localities situated in the northern Peruvian dry forest valley of the Marañón River and its tributaries, containing 14 species of amphibians and 54 species of reptiles, is provided from data collected between July 2005 and April 2014 during several herpetological surveys and from the literature. Detailed accounts are given for each collected species containing morphometric and scalation data, information on natural history, comments regarding their distribution, the conservation status and key literature. Eleven new species were discovered and described during the survey period. At least five additional taxa might also represent new species but more field work and data collection are necessary to determine their status. For two snake species we provide the first country record and for 23 further species new departamental records are provided.

Faunal assemblages and multi-scale habitat patterns in headwater tributaries of the South Fork Trinity River - an unregulated river embedded within a multiple-use landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Welsh, H.H.; Hodgson, G.R.; Duda, J.J.; Emlen, J.M.

2010-01-01

Headwaters can represent 80% of stream kilometers in a watershed, and they also have unique physical and biological properties that have only recently been recognized for their importance in sustaining healthy functioning stream networks and their ecological services. We sampled 60 headwater tributaries in the South Fork Trinity River, a 2,430 km2, mostly forested, multiple-use watershed in northwestern California. Our objectives were: (1) to differentiate unique headwater types using 69 abiotic and vegetation variables measured at three spatial scales, and then to reduce these to informative subsets; (2) determine if distinct biota occupied the different tributary types; (3) determine the environmental attributes associated with the presence and abundance of these biotic assemblages; and (4) using niche modeling, determine key attribute thresholds to illustrate how these biota could be employed as metrics of system integrity and ecological services. Several taxa were sufficiently abundant and widespread to use as bio-indicators: the presence and abundance of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), herpetofauna (reptile and amphibian) species richness, and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) represented different trophic positions, value as commercial resources (steelhead), sensitivity to environmental stress (amphibians), and indicators of biodiversity (herpetofauna species richness). Herpetofauna species richness did not differ, but abundances of steelhead trout, signal crayfish, and amphibian richness all differed significantly among tributary types. Niche models indicated that distribution and abundance patterns in both riparian and aquatic environments were associated with physical and structural attributes at multiple spatial scales, both within and around reaches. The bio-indicators responded to unique sets of attributes, reflecting the high environmental heterogeneity in headwater tributaries across this large watershed. These niche attributes

Sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of the Bharalu River, a tributary of the River Brahmaputra in Guwahati, India.

PubMed

Hussain, Karishma; Balachandran, S; Rafiqul Hoque, Raza

2015-12-01

Analysis of riverine sediments offers important information regarding anthropogenic activities in the adjacent watershed. In this study, we provide polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels, their possible sources and potential hazards in the Bharalu tributary of the Brahmaputra River flowing through Guwahati city in India. The USEPA's 16 priority PAHs were determined in river bank sediments during two distinct seasons viz. pre- and post-monsoon. The ∑PAHs concentrations varied between 338 and 23,100 ng g(-1) during post-monsoon and between 609 and 8620 ng g(-1) during pre-monsoon. Mean benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) levels were between 17.8 ± 12 and 21.9 ± 27 ng g(-1) during post- and pre-monsoon seasons respectively. Spatial variations were observed. Interestingly, bank sediment samples from the sites near the confluence of the Bharalu River with the Brahmaputra River were found to have maximum concentrations of PAHs during post-monsoon season. The profile of the PAHs was dominated by 3-, 4- and 6-ring compounds. We estimated hazards of PAHs as RQ∑PAHs, which showed seasonal variation: 3 times higher during post-monsoon than pre-monsoon. 3-and 4-ring PAHs were the major PAHs of concern. The Bharalu River sediment was found to pose medium to high hazards to ecosystem. The individual PAHs including Acy, Phen and Pyr were observed with RQ(MPCs) value >1 indicating severe hazards during post-monsoon and pre-monsoon season. A very high percentage of coefficient of variation (CV) for PAHs during post-monsoon also revealed great variation in hazards and sources in this season. The diagnostic ratios indicated both petrogenic and pyrogenic origin of the PAHs. The pyrogenic contributions were mainly attributed to emissions from diesel, gasoline and wood combustion which are mainly from anthropogenic sources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low-flow profiles of the upper Oconee River and tributaries in Georgia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, R.F.; Hopkins, E.H.; Perlman, H.A.

1988-01-01

Low flow information is provided for use in an evaluation of the capacity of streams to permit withdrawals or to accept waste loads without exceeding the limits of State water quality standards. The purpose of this report is to present the results of a compilation of available low flow data in the form of tables and ' 7Q10 flow profiles ' (minimum average flow for 7 consecutive days with a 10-yr recurrence interval)(7Q10 flow plotted against distance along a stream channel) for all streams reaches of the Upper Oconee River and tributaries in Georgia where sufficient data of acceptable accuracy are available. Drainage area profiles are included for all stream basins larger than 5 sq mi, except for those in a few remote areas. This report is the second in a series of reports that will cover all stream basins north of the Fall Line in Georgia. It includes the Oconee River basin down to and including Camp Creek at stream mile 134.53, Town Creek in Baldwin and Hancock Counties down to County Road 213-141, and Buffalo Creek in Hancock County down to the Hancock-Washington County line. Flow records were not adjusted for diversions or other factors that cause measured flows to represent other than natural flow conditions. The 7-day minimum flow profile was omitted for stream reaches where natural flow was known to be altered significantly. (Lantz-PTT)

Assessing the potential for rainbow trout reproduction in tributaries of the Mountain Fork River below Broken Bow Dam, southeastern Oklahoma

Treesearch

James M. Long; Trevor A. Starks; Tyler Farling; Robert Bastarache

2016-01-01

Stocked trout (Salmonidae) in reservoir tailwater systems in the Southern United States have been shown to use tributary streams for spawning and rearing. The lower Mountain Fork of the Little River below Broken Bow Dam is one of two year-round tailwater trout fisheries in Oklahoma, and the only one with evidence of reproduction by stocked rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus...

Hydrogeologic Framework, Groundwater Movement, and Water Budget in Tributary Subbasins and Vicinity, Lower Skagit River Basin, Skagit and Snohomish Counties, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savoca, Mark E.; Johnson, Kenneth H.; Sumioka, Steven S.; Olsen, Theresa D.; Fasser, Elisabeth T.; Huffman, Raegan L.

2009-01-01

A study to characterize the groundwater-flow system in four tributary subbasins and vicinity of the lower Skagit River basin was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to assist Skagit County and the Washington State Department of Ecology in evaluating the effects of potential groundwater withdrawals and consumptive use on tributary streamflows. This report presents information used to characterize the groundwater and surface-water flow system in the subbasins, and includes descriptions of the geology and hydrogeologic framework of the subbasins; groundwater recharge and discharge; groundwater levels and flow directions; seasonal groundwater-level fluctuations; interactions between aquifers and the surface-water system; and a water budget for the subbasins. The study area covers about 247 mi2 along the Skagit River and its tributary subbasins (East Fork Nookachamps Creek, Nookachamps Creek, Carpenter Creek, and Fisher Creek) in southwestern Skagit County and northwestern Snohomish County, Washington. The geology of the area records a complex history of accretion along the continental margin, mountain building, deposition of terrestrial and marine sediments, igneous intrusion, and the repeated advance and retreat of continental glaciers. A simplified surficial geologic map was developed from previous mapping in the area, and geologic units were grouped into nine hydrogeologic units consisting of aquifers and confining units. A surficial hydrogeologic unit map was constructed and, with lithologic information from 296 drillers'logs, was used to produce unit extent and thickness maps and four hydrogeologic sections. Groundwater in unconsolidated aquifers generally flows towards the northwest and west in the direction of the Skagit River and Puget Sound. This generalized flow pattern is likely complicated by the presence of low-permeability confining units that separate discontinuous bodies of aquifer material and act as local groundwater-flow barriers. Groundwater

Water-Quality Assessment of the Yellowstone River Basin, Montana and Wyoming-Water Quality of Fixed Sites, 1999-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Kirk A.; Clark, Melanie L.; Wright, Peter R.

2005-01-01

The National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey initiated an assessment in 1997 of the quality of water resources in the Yellowstone River Basin. Water-quality samples regularly were collected during 1999-2001 at 10 fixed sites on streams representing the major environmental settings of the basin. Integrator sites, which are heterogeneous in land use and geology, were established on the mainstem of the Yellowstone River (4 sites) and on three major tributaries?Clarks Fork Yellowstone River (1 site), the Bighorn River (1 site), and the Powder River (1 site). Indicator sites, which are more homogeneous in land use and geology than the integrator sites, were located on minor tributaries with important environmental settings?Soda Butte Creek in a mineral resource area (1 site), the Tongue River in a forested area (1 site), and the Little Powder River in a rangeland area (1 site). Water-quality sampling frequency generally was at least monthly and included field measurements and laboratory analyses of fecal-indicator bacteria, major ions, dissolved solids, nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, and suspended sediment. Median concentrations of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli were largest for basins that were predominantly rangeland and smallest for basins that were predominantly forested. Concentrations of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli significantly varied by season (p-value <0.001); the smallest median concentrations were during January?March and the largest median concentrations were during April?June. Fecal-coliform concentrations exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended limit for a single sample of 400 colonies per 100 milliliters in 2.6 percent of all samples. Escherichia coli concentrations exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommended limit for a single sample of 298 colonies per 100 milliliters for moderate use, full-body contact recreation in 7.6 percent of all samples. Variations in

Peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asquith, William H.

1998-01-01

Peak-flow frequency for 38 stations with at least 8 years of data in natural (unregulated and nonurbanized) basins was estimated on the basis of annual peak-streamflow data through water year 1995. Peak-flow frequency represents the peak discharges for recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 years. The peak-flow frequency and drainage basin characteristics for the stations were used to develop two sets of regression equations to estimate peak-flow frequency for tributaries of the Colorado River in the study area. One set of equations was developed for contributing drainage areas less than 32 square miles, and another set was developed for contributing drainage areas greater than 32 square miles. A procedure is presented to estimate the peak discharge at sites where both sets of equations are considered applicable. Additionally, procedures are presented to compute the 50-, 67-, and 90-percent prediction interval for any estimation from the equations.

An update of hydrologic conditions and distribution of selected constituents in water, Snake River Plain aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, Emphasis 1999-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, Linda C.

2006-01-01

constant during 1999-2001, ranging from 2.1?0.6 to 42.4?1.4 pCi/L in October 2001. During 1999-2001, concentrations of cesium-137, plutonium-238, and plutonium-239, -240 (undivided) were less than the reporting level in water samples from all wells sampled at the INL. The concentration of americium-241 in one sample was 0.003?0.001 pCi/L, the reporting level for that constituent. Cobalt-60 was not detected in any samples collected during 1999-2001. Changes in detectable concentrations of nonradioactive chemical constituents in water from the Snake River Plain aquifer at the INL varied during 1999-2001. In October 2001, water from one well south of the Reactor Technology Complex (RTC) [known as the Test Reactor Area (TRA) until 2005] contained 139 micrograms per liter (?g/L) of chromium, a decrease from the concentration of 168 ?g/L detected in October 1998. Other water samples contained from less than 16.7 to 21.3 ?g/L of chromium. In October 2001, concentrations of sodium in water samples from most of the wells in the southern part of the INL were larger than the background concentration of 10 mg/L, but were similar to or slightly less than October 1998 concentrations. The largest sodium concentration was 75 milligrams per liter (mg/L) in water from well USGS 113. In 2001, chloride concentrations in most water samples from the INTEC and the Central Facilities Area (CFA) exceeded ambient concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L, respectively. Chloride concentrations in water from wells near the RTC were less than 20 mg/L. At the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC), chloride concentrations in water from wells USGS 88, 89, and 120 were 81, 40, and 23 mg/L, respectively. Concentrations of chloride in all other wells near the RWMC were less than 19 mg/L. During 2001, concentrations of sulfate in water from two wells near the RTC, two wells near the RWMC, and one well near the CFA exceeded 40 mg/L, the estimated background concentration of sulfate in the Snake River

Report for the River Master of the Delaware River for the Period December 1, 2001-November 30, 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krejmas, Bruce E.; Paulachok, Gary N.; Carswell, William J.

2006-01-01

A Decree of the United States Supreme Court in 1954 established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey. In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City, to be made under the supervision and direction of the River Master. The Decree stipulates that the River Master will furnish reports to the Court, not less frequently than annually. This report is the 49th Annual Report of the River Master of the Delaware River. It covers the 2002 River Master report year, that is, the period from December 1, 2001, to November 30, 2002. During the report year, precipitation in the upper Delaware River Basin was 2.73 in. greater than the long-term average. Combined storage in Pepacton, Cannonsville, and Neversink Reservoirs was at a record low level on December 1, 2001. Reservoir storage increased steadily from mid-winter until late June. Storage declined steadily from early July to mid-October then increased through the end of the year. Delaware River operations were conducted at reduced levels from December 1, 2001, to May 25, 2002, when drought emergency conditions prevailed, and as prescribed by the Decree from May 26, 2002, to November 30, 2002. Diversions from the Delaware River Basin by New York City and New Jersey were in compliance with the terms of the Decree or with the reduced limits in effect during drought emergency conditions. Reservoir releases were made as directed by the River Master at rates designed to meet the flow objective for the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey, on 101 days during the report year. Releases were made at experimental conservation rates-or rates designed to relieve thermal stress and protect the fishery and aquatic habitat in the tailwaters of the reservoirs-on all other days. During the report year, New York City and New Jersey complied fully with the terms of the Decree, and during

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 12. Geochemical and reactive-transport modeling based on tracer injection-synoptic sampling studies for the Red River, New Mexico, 2001-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ball, James W.; Runkel, Robert L.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk

2005-01-01

Reactive-transport processes in the Red River, downstream from the town of Red River in north-central New Mexico, were simulated using the OTEQ reactive-transport model. The simulations were calibrated using physical and chemical data from synoptic studies conducted during low-flow conditions in August 2001 and during March/April 2002. Discharge over the 20-km reach from the town of Red River to the USGS streamflow-gaging station near the town of Questa ranged from 395 to 1,180 L/s during the 2001 tracer and from 234 to 421 L/s during the 2002 tracer. The pH of the Red River ranged from 7.4 to 8.5 during the 2001 tracer and from 7.1 to 8.7 during the 2002 tracer, and seep and tributary samples had pH values of 2.8 to 9.0 during the 2001 tracer and 3.8 to 7.2 during the 2002 tracer. Mass-loading calculations allowed identification of several specific locations where elevated concentrations of potential contaminants entered the Red River . These locations, characterized by features on the north side of the Red River that are known to be sources of low-pH water containing elevated metal and sulfate concentrations, are: the initial 2.4 km of the study reach, including Bitter Creek, the stream section from 6.2 to 7.8 km, encompassing La Bobita well and the Hansen debris fan, Sulphur Gulch, at about 10.5 km, the area near Portal Springs, from 12.2 to 12.6 km, and the largest contributors of mass loading, the 13.7 to 13.9 km stream section near Cabin Springs and the 14.7 to 17.5 km stream section from Shaft Spring to Thunder Bridge, Goathill Gulch, and Capulin Canyon. Speciation and saturation index calculations indicated that although solubility limits the concentration of aluminum above pH 5.0, at pH values above 7 and aluminum concentrations below 0.3 mg/L inorganic speciation and mineral solubility controls no longer dominate and aluminum-organic complexing may occur. The August 2001 reactive-transport simulations included dissolved iron(II) oxidation, constrained

Oil sands development contributes polycyclic aromatic compounds to the Athabasca River and its tributaries

PubMed Central

Kelly, Erin N.; Short, Jeffrey W.; Schindler, David W.; Hodson, Peter V.; Ma, Mingsheng; Kwan, Alvin K.; Fortin, Barbra L.

2009-01-01

For over a decade, the contribution of oil sands mining and processing to the pollution of the Athabasca River has been controversial. We show that the oil sands development is a greater source of contamination than previously realized. In 2008, within 50 km of oil sands upgrading facilities, the loading to the snowpack of airborne particulates was 11,400 T over 4 months and included 391 kg of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC), equivalent to 600 T of bitumen, while 168 kg of dissolved PAC was also deposited. Dissolved PAC concentrations in tributaries to the Athabasca increased from 0.009 μg/L upstream of oil sands development to 0.023 μg/L in winter and to 0.202 μg/L in summer downstream. In the Athabasca, dissolved PAC concentrations were mostly <0.025 μg/L in winter and 0.030 μg/L in summer, except near oil sands upgrading facilities and tailings ponds in winter (0.031–0.083 μg/L) and downstream of new development in summer (0.063–0.135 μg/L). In the Athabasca and its tributaries, development within the past 2 years was related to elevated dissolved PAC concentrations that were likely toxic to fish embryos. In melted snow, dissolved PAC concentrations were up to 4.8 μg/L, thus, spring snowmelt and washout during rain events are important unknowns. These results indicate that major changes are needed to the way that environmental impacts of oil sands development are monitored and managed. PMID:19995964

Assessing dam development, land use conversion, and climate change pressures on tributary river flows and water quality of the Mekong's Tonle Sap basin.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochrane, T. A.; Arias, M. E.; Oeurng, C.; Arnaiz, M.; Piman, T.

2016-12-01

The Tonle Sap Lake is Southeast Asia's most productive freshwater fishery, but the productivity of this valuable ecosystem is under threat from extensive development in the lower Mekong. With dams potentially blocking all major tributaries along the lower Mekong River, the role of local Tonle Sap basin tributaries for maintaining environmental flows, sediment loads, and fish recruitment is becoming increasingly critical. Development within the Tonle Sap basin, however, is not stagnant. Developers are proposing extensive dam development in key Tonle Sap tributaries (see Figure). Some dams will provide hydroelectricity and others will provide opportunities for large-scale irrigation resulting in agro-industrial expansion. There is thus an immediate need to assess the current situation and understand future effects of dam development and land use conversion under climate change on local riverine ecosystems. A combination of remote sensing, field visits, and hydro-meteorological data analyses enabled an assessment of water infrastructure and agricultural development in the basin. The application of SWAT for modelling flows and water quality combined with HEC-RESSIM for reservoir operations enabled for a holistic modelling approach. Initial results show that dams and land use change dominate flow and water quality responses, when compared to climate change. Large ongoing dam and irrigation development in the Pursat and Battambang subbasins will critically alter the natural river flows to the Tonle Sap Lake. Some of the observed dams did not have provisions for sediment flushing, clearing of flooded areas, fish passages, or other environmental protection measures. Poor planning and operation of this infrastructure could have dire consequences on the fragile riverine ecosystem of Tonle Sap tributaries, resulting in fish migration barriers, losses in aquatic habitats, and ecological degradation. The seemingly chaotic development in the Tonle Sap basin induces a great level

33 CFR 207.180 - All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the Mississippi River, its tributaries...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... DEFENSE NAVIGATION REGULATIONS § 207.180 All waterways tributary to the Gulf of Mexico (except the... least three (3) inches less than the depth over the sills or breast walls. (iv) Vessels having...

Flooding in Clark and Lincoln Counties, Nevada, December 2004 and January 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryan, Roslyn

2006-01-01

Introduction: A regional storm passed through the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, on December 28-29, 2004, producing up to 2 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Due to the intense, sustained rainfall, streamflow along Las Vegas Wash was near the record discharges of July 8, 1999. Additional rainfall in December and in January, combined with an early warming trend, resulted in record flooding along Meadow Valley Wash, Muddy River, and Virgin River, January 10-11, 2005 (figs. 1 and 2). On January 7, this warming trend resulted in about a 15?F (degree Fahrenheit) increase over the previous week (fig. 2). This temperature spike, along with further precipitation, caused much of the snow pack in the surrounding mountain ranges to melt and run off into the valleys. These two factors led to the major flood events in Clark and Lincoln Counties during December 2004 and January 2005. Total flood and storm damage for Lincoln County was estimated at $9.4 million and $4.5 million for Clark County (Manning, 2005). Clark County generally is drained by the Las Vegas and Meadow Valley Washes, and the Muddy and Virgin River systems. Las Vegas Valley is drained by Duck Creek, Tropicana Wash (not in fig. 1), Flamingo Wash, Las Vegas Wash, and several smaller tributaries (fig. 1). Water in these drainages generally flows eastward through Las Vegas to Las Vegas Wash and on toward Lake Mead, an impoundment of the Colorado River. The Virgin River originates in southern Utah, flows past Littlefield, AZ, through Mesquite, NV, and into the Overton Arm of Lake Mead. Meadow Valley Wash flows from Ursine, NV, through Caliente, NV, continues southeast through Moapa Valley, and into the Muddy River at Glendale, NV. The Muddy River flows southeast through Moapa Valley into the Overton Arm of Lake Mead (Kane and Wilson, 2000).

Effects of water temperature on breeding phenology, growth and timing of metamorphosis of foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) on the mainstem and selected tributaries of California's Trinity River - 2004-2009.

Treesearch

Clara Wheeler; James Bettaso; Donald Ashton; Hartwell Welsh

2013-01-01

The cold temperatures maintained in the Trinity River are beneficial to fish but may be problematic for foothill yellow-legged frogs. We examined the timing of breeding, reproductive output, and growth and development of tadpoles for populations of foothill yellow-legged frogs on the mainstem and six tributaries of the Trinity River. On the colder mainstem, onset of...

Management of Water Quantity and Quality Based on Copula for a Tributary to Miyun Reservoir, Beijing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, N.; Wang, X.; Liang, P.

2017-12-01

Due to the complex mutual influence between water quantity and water quality of river, it is difficult to reflect the actual characters of the tributaries to reservoir. In this study, the acceptable marginal probability distributions for water quantity and quality of reservoir inflow were calculated. A bivariate Archimedean copula was further applied to establish the joint distribution function of them. Then multiple combination scenarios of water quantity and water quality were designed to analyze their coexistence relationship and reservoir management strategies. Taking Bai river, an important tributary into the Miyun Reservoir, as a study case. The results showed that it is feasible to apply Frank copula function to describe the jointed distribution function of water quality and water quantity for Bai river. Furthermore, the monitoring of TP concentration needs to be strengthen in Bai river. This methodology can be extended to larger dimensions and is transferable to other reservoirs via establishment of models with relevant data for a particular area. Our findings help better analyzing the coexistence relationship and influence degree of the water quantity and quality of the tributary to reservoir for the purpose of water resources protection.

Hydrologic data from Nation, Kandik, and Yukon rivers, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brabets, Timothy P.

2001-01-01

Flow data were collected from two adjacent rivers in Yukon?Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska?the Nation River (during 1991?2000) and the Kandik River (1994?2000)?and from the Yukon River (1950?2000) at Eagle, Alaska, upstream from the boundary of the preserve. These flow records indicate that most of the runoff from these rivers occurs from May through September and that the average monthly discharge during this period ranges from 1,172 to 2,210 cubic feet per second for the Nation River, from 1,203 to 2,633 cubic feet per second for the Kandik River, and from 112,000 to 224,000 cubic feet per second for the Yukon River. Water-quality data were collected for the Nation River and several of its tributaries from 1991 to 1992 and for the Yukon River at Eagle from 1950 to 1994. Three tributaries to the Nation River (Waterfall Creek, Cathedral Creek, and Hard Luck Creek) have relatively high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and sulfate. These three watersheds are underlain predominantly by Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks. The Yukon River transports 33,000,000 tons of suspended sediment past Eagle each year. Reflecting the inputs from its major tributaries, the water of the Yukon River at Eagle is dominated by calcium?magnesium bicarbonate.

Biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon in the Yukon River and its tributaries: Seasonality and importance of inorganic nitrogen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wickland, Kimberly P.; Aiken, George R.; Butler, Kenna D.; Dornblaser, Mark M.; RGM Spencer,; Striegl, Robert G.

2012-01-01

Northern high-latitude rivers transport large amounts of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) from boreal and arctic ecosystems to coastal areas and oceans. Current knowledge of the biodegradability of DOM in these rivers is limited, particularly for large rivers discharging to the Arctic Ocean. We conducted a seasonally comprehensive study of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) dynamics in the Yukon River and two of its tributaries in Alaska, USA. Distinct seasonal patterns of BDOC, consistent across a wide range of watershed size, indicate BDOC is transported year-round. Relative biodegradability (%BDOC) was greatest during winter, and decreased into spring and summer. Due to large seasonal differences in DOC concentration, the greatest concentrations of BDOC (mg C L−1) occurred during spring freshet, followed by winter and summer. While chemical composition of DOM was an important driver of BDOC, the overriding control of BDOC was mineral nutrient availability due to wide shifts in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stoichiometry across seasons. We calculated seasonal and annual loads of BDOC exported by the Yukon River by applying measured BDOC concentrations to daily water discharge values, and also by applying an empirical correlation between %BDOC and the ratio of DOC to dissolved inorganic N (DIN) to total DOC loads. The Yukon River exports ∼0.2 Tg C yr−1 as BDOC that is decomposable within 28 days. This corresponds to 12–18% of the total annual DOC export. Furthermore, we calculate that the six largest arctic rivers, including the Yukon River, collectively export ∼2.3 Tg C yr−1 as BDOC to the Arctic Ocean.

[Five years of cholera surveillance in Ivory Coast during social and political crisis, 2001 to 2005].

PubMed

Ekra, K D; Attoh-Touré, H; Bénié, B V J; Coulibaly, D; Koutouan, M G; Aka, L N; Dagnan, S N; Coulibaly, A; Douba, A; Tiembré, I; Odéhouri-Koudou, P; Tagliante-Saracino, J

2009-05-01

For an efficient struggle against infectious diseases with epidemic potential, the Cdte d'Ivoire set up a precocious alert system in 2001 with a main objective: to detect epidemics of cholera, measles, yellow fever and meningitis and to provide necessary information for their control and their prevention. During the 2001 to 2005 period, the country was marked by military and political crisis which occurred in 2002; the country had to face up to a reappearance of cholera. How did it evolve in such a context? The question was to describe the performances of the system and the evolution of cholera from weekly data collected by the centers of epidemiological monitoring in health districts. The cases and declared deaths were compiled and the indicators of morbidity and mortality were then studied according to time site and individual features on the period of 2001 to 2005. From 2001 to 2005, 11,874 cases were notified with 564 deaths and a lethal rate of 4.7%. In 2001, from the initial source of infection, the civil jail, the epidemic of cholera disseminated itself through visitors in the whole city of Abidjan where 3250 cases were notified. Out of city, 20 outbreaks have been declared with a total of 3010 cases. The yearly highest impact, 37 living cases/100,000 inhabitants recorded in 2001, decreased regularly until 2005 with 0.2 living cases/100,000. After 2002, outbreaks were located mainly in the half south of the country which welcomed displaced populations from the north, preferably in transition or settling zones near the front line. The lethal rate in Abidjan (2.3%) was less important than that of other health districts (8.6%). The lethal rate globally increased as the impact decreased. Vibrio cholerae was responsible for the epidemics. The group of 15 years old and over was the most affected (12.69 living cases/100,000) whereas the highest lethal rate appeared in the group under 5 years old (6.6%). The reappearance and constant cholera epidemics in Côte d

Isotopic Evidence of Nitrate Sources and its Relationship to Algae in the San Joaquin River, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, S. R.; Kendall, C.; Young, M. B.; Stringfellow, W. T.; Borglin, S. E.; Kratzer, C. R.; Dahlgren, R. A.; Schmidt, C.; Rollog, M. E.

2007-12-01

Many competing demands have been placed on the San Joaquin River including deep water shipping, use as agricultural and drinking water, transport of agricultural and urban runoff, and recreation. These long-established demands limit the management options and increase the importance of understanding the river dynamics. The relationships among sources of water, nitrate, and algae in the San Joaquin River must be understood before management decisions can be made to optimize aquatic health. Isotopic analyses of water samples collected along the San Joaquin River in 2005-2007 have proven useful in assessing these relationships: sources of nitrate, the productivity of the San Joaquin River, and the relationship between nitrate and algae in the river. The San Joaquin River receives water locally from wetlands and agricultural return flow, and from three relatively large tributaries whose headwaters are in the Sierra Nevada. The lowest nitrate concentrations occur during periods of high flow when the proportion of water from the Sierra Nevada is relatively large, reflecting the effect of dilution from the big tributaries and indicating that a large fraction of the nitrate is of local origin. Nitrogen isotopes of nitrate in the San Joaquin River are relatively high (averaging about 12 per mil), suggesting a significant source from animal waste or sewage and/or the effects of denitrification. The d15N of nitrate varies inversely with concentration, indicating that these high isotopic values are also a local product. The d15N values of nitrate from most of the local tributaries is lower than that in the San Joaquin suggesting that nitrate from these tributaries does not account for a significant fraction of nitrate in the river. The source of the non-tributary nitrate must be either small unmeasured surface inputs or groundwater. To investigate whether groundwater might be a significant source of nitrate to the San Joaquin River, groundwater samples are being collected

Water-quality characteristics and trend analyses for the Tongue, Powder, Cheyenne, and Belle Fourche River drainage basins, Wyoming and Montana, for selected periods, water years 1991 through 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Melanie L.

2012-01-01

, and major ion concentrations of the main-stem streams. Sites in the Tongue River drainage basin typically had the smallest range of specific conductance and SAR values. The water chemistry of sites in the Powder River drainage basin generally was the most variable as a result of diverse characteristics of that basin. Plains tributaries in the Powder River drainage basin had the largest range of specific conductance and SAR values, in part due to the many tributaries that receive CBNG-produced waters. Trends were analyzed using the seasonal Kendall test with flow-adjusted concentrations to determine changes to water quality through time at sites in the Tongue, Powder, Cheyenne, and Belle Fourche River drainage basins. Trends were evaluated for water years 2001–10 for 17 sites, which generally were on the main-stem streams and primary tributaries. Trends were evaluated for water years 2005–10 for 26 sites to increase the spatial coverage of sites. Trends were evaluated for water years 1991–2010 for eight sites to include water-quality data collected prior to widespread CBNG development and expand the temporal context of trends. Consistent patterns were not observed in trend results for water years 2001–10 for flow-adjusted specific conductance and SAR values in the Tongue, Powder, and Belle Fourche River drainage basins. Significant (p-values less than 0.05) upward trends in flow-adjusted specific conductance values were determined for 3 sites, a downward trend was determined for 1 site, and no significant (p-value greater than 0.05) trends were determined for 13 sites. One of the sites with a significant upward trend was the Tongue River at the Wyoming-Montana State line. No trend in flow-adjusted specific conductance values was determined for the Powder River at Moorhead, Mont. Significant upward trends in flow-adjusted SAR values were determined for 2 sites and no significant trends were determined for 15 sites. No trends in flow-adjusted SAR values were

[Analysis of citations and national and international impact factor of Farmacia Hospitalaria (2001-2005)].

PubMed

Aleixandre-Benavent, R; González Alcaide, G; Miguel-Dasit, A; González de Dios, J; de Granda Orive, J I; Valderrama Zurián, J C

2007-01-01

The objective of this study is to analyse the citation patterns and impact and immediacy indicators of the Farmacia Hospitalaria journal during the period 2001-2005. An analysis of citations chosen from 101 Spanish health science journals was carried out in order to determine the citing and cited journals and the national and international impact and immediacy indicators. A similar methodology used by Thomson ISI in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Journal Citation Reports (JRC) was applied. Farmacia Hospitalaria made 1,370 citations to 316 different journals. The percentage of self-citations was 9%. The national impact factor increased from 0.178 points in 2001 to 0.663 points in 2005 while the international impact factor increased from 0.178 to 0.806 for the same period. The analysis of citation patterns demonstrates the multidisciplinary nature of Farmacia Hospitalaria and a significant growth in the impact indicators over recent years. These indicators are higher than those of some other pharmacy journals included in Journal Citation Reports. Self-citation was not excessive and was similar to that of other journals.

Contrasting fish assemblages in free-flowing and impounded tributaries to the Upper Delaware River: Implications for conserving biodiversity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baldigo, Barry P.; Delucia, Mari-Beth; Keller, Walter D.; Schuler, George E.; Apse, Colin D.; Moberg, Tara

2015-01-01

The Neversink River and the Beaver Kill in southeastern New York are major tributaries to the Delaware River, the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi. While the Beaver Kill is free flowing for its entire length, the Neversink River is subdivided by the Neversink Reservoir, which likely affects the diversity of local fish assemblages and health of aquatic ecosystems. The reservoir is an important part of the New York City waster-supply system that provides drinking water to more than 9 million people. Fish population and community data from recent quantitative surveys at comparable sites in both basins were assessed to characterize the differences between free-flowing and impounded rivers and the extent of reservoir effects to improve our capacity to define ecosystems responses that two modified flow-release programs (implemented in 2007 and 2011) should produce in the Neversink River. In general, the continuum of changes in fish assemblages which normally occur between headwaters and mouth was relatively uninterrupted in the Beaver Kill, but disrupted by the mid-basin impoundment in the Neversink River. Fish assemblages were also adversely affected at several acidified sites in the upper Neversink River, but not at most sites assessed herein. The reservoir clearly excluded diadromous species from the upper sub-basin, but it also substantially reduced community richness, diversity, and biomass at several mid-basin sites immediately downstream from the impoundment. There results will aid future attempts to determine if fish assemblages respond to more natural, yet highly regulated, flow regimes in the Neversink River. More important, knowledge gained from this study can help optimize use of valuable water resources while promoting species of special concern, such as American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and conserving biodiversity in Catskill Mountain streams.

Sources and fate of nitrate in the Illinois River Basin, Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Panno, S.V.; Kelly, W.R.; Hackley, Keith C.; Hwang, H.-H.; Martinsek, A.T.

2008-01-01

We conducted a two-year investigation into the sources and fate of nitrate (NO3-) in the Illinois River from the Chicago area to the river's confluence with the Mississippi River. Samples from waterways in the Chicago area (Des Plaines River and the Sanitary and Ship Canal) had relatively high concentrations of nitrogen (N) species and NO3- isotopic compositions indicative of treated wastewater (TWW). Downstream of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, NO3- in tributaries discharging to the Illinois River primarily comes from tiles draining row crops. Nitrate isotopic signatures from these tributaries as well as drain tiles were indicative of synthetic fertilizer and/or soil organic matter (SOM) at various stages of denitrification. Nitrate-N concentrations generally decreased in the Illinois River with distance from the Chicago area primarily due to dilution. The decrease in NO3-N concentrations was especially conspicuous during the summer, when there is minimal discharge from drain tiles and NO3-N concentrations in the tributaries were low. In August 2005, when conditions were very dry, NO3-N concentrations decreased from 7.4 mg/L in the Chicago area to less than 1 mg/L near where the Illinois River discharges to the Mississippi River. The isotopic composition of NO3- in water samples from the Illinois River were a mixture of three end members: (1) fertilizer and/or SOM in drain tile water, typically showing the least amount of denitrification, (2) fertilizer and/or SOM in deeper ground water, showing the highest degree of denitrification, and (3) TWW. There was seasonal variability, depending on the volume of water flowing in the Illinois River. During high flow periods, river water samples plotted closest to those of tile drain samples; during low flow periods, a greater influence of TWW was observed in the isotopic composition. A subset of summer samples from the Chicago waterways had isotopic values plotting near and within the domain that characterizes manure and

First direct confirmation of grass carp spawning in a Great Lakes tributary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Embke, Holly S.; Kocovsky, Patrick M.; Richter, Catherine A.; Pritt, Jeremy J.; Christine M. Mayer,; Qian, Song

2016-01-01

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), an invasive species of Asian carp, has been stocked for many decades in the United States for vegetation control. Adult individuals have been found in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, but no self-sustaining populations have yet been identified in Great Lakes tributaries. In 2012, a commercial fisherman caught four juvenile diploid grass carp in the Sandusky River, a major tributary to Lake Erie. Otolith microchemistry and the capture location of these fish permitted the conclusion that they were most likely produced in the Sandusky River. Due to this finding, we sampled ichthyoplankton using paired bongo net tows and larval light traps during June–August of 2014 and 2015 to determine if grass carp are spawning in the Sandusky River. From the samples collected in 2015, we identified and staged eight eggs that were morphologically consistent with grass carp. Five eggs were confirmed as grass carp using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction for a grass carp-specific marker, while the remaining three were retained for future analysis. Our finding confirms that grass carp are naturally spawning in this Great Lakes tributary. All eggs were collected during high-flow events, either on the day of peak flow or 1–2 days following peak flow, supporting an earlier suggestion that high flow conditions favor grass carp spawning. The next principal goal is to identify the spawning and hatch location(s) for the Sandusky River. Predicting locations and conditions where grass carp spawning is most probable may aid targeted management efforts.

Ground-Water Quality in the Delaware River Basin, New York, 2001 and 2005-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nystrom, Elizabeth A.

2007-01-01

The Federal Clean Water Act Amendments of 1977 require that States monitor and report on the quality of ground water and surface water. To satisfy part of these requirements, the U.S. Geological Survey and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have developed a program in which ground-water quality is assessed in 2 to 3 of New York State's 14 major basins each year. To characterize the quality of ground water in the Delaware River Basin in New York, water samples were collected from December 2005 to February 2006 from 10 wells finished in bedrock. Data from 9 samples collected from wells finished in sand and gravel in July and August 2001 for the National Water Quality Assessment Program also are included. Ground-water samples were collected and processed using standard U.S. Geological Survey procedures. Samples were analyzed for more than 230 properties and compounds, including physical properties, major ions, nutrients, trace elements, radon-222, pesticides and pesticide degradates, volatile organic compounds, and bacteria. Concentrations of most compounds were less than drinking-water standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York State Department of Health; many of the organic analytes were not detected in any sample. Drinking-water standards that were exceeded at some sites include those for color, turbidity, pH, aluminum, arsenic, iron, manganese, radon-222, and bacteria. pH ranged from 5.6 to 8.3; the pH of nine samples was less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary drinking-water standard range of 6.5 to 8.5. Water in the basin is generally soft to moderately hard (hardness 120 milligrams per liter as CaCO3 or less). The cation with the highest median concentration was calcium; the anion with the highest median concentrations was bicarbonate. Nitrate was the predominant nutrient detected but no sample exceeded the 10 mg/L U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level. The

BILIARY PAH METABOLITES AS A BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR OF FISH EXPOSURE IN TRIBUTARIES OF LAKE ERIE

EPA Science Inventory

Biliary polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) metabolites have been studied as a biological indicator of fish exposure to PAHs since the mid 1980's. Brown bullheads were collected from the following Lake Erie tributaries: Buffalo River (BUF), Niagara River at Love Canal (NIA)...

A data reconnaissance on the effect of suspended-sediment concentrations on dissolved-solids concentrations in rivers and tributaries in the Upper Colorado River Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tillman, Fred D.; Anning, David W.

2014-01-01

The Colorado River is one of the most important sources of water in the western United States, supplying water to over 35 million people in the U.S. and 3 million people in Mexico. High dissolved-solids loading to the River and tributaries are derived primarily from geologic material deposited in inland seas in the mid-to-late Cretaceous Period, but this loading may be increased by human activities. High dissolved solids in the River causes substantial damages to users, primarily in reduced agricultural crop yields and corrosion. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program was created to manage dissolved-solids loading to the River and has focused primarily on reducing irrigation-related loading from agricultural areas. This work presents a reconnaissance of existing data from sites in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) in order to highlight areas where suspended-sediment control measures may be useful in reducing dissolved-solids concentrations. Multiple linear regression was used on data from 164 sites in the UCRB to develop dissolved-solids models that include combinations of explanatory variables of suspended sediment, flow, and time. Results from the partial t-test, overall likelihood ratio, and partial likelihood ratio on the models were used to group the sites into categories of strong, moderate, weak, and no-evidence of a relation between suspended-sediment and dissolved-solids concentrations. Results show 68 sites have strong or moderate evidence of a relation, with drainage areas for many of these sites composed of a large percentage of clastic sedimentary rocks. These results could assist water managers in the region in directing field-scale evaluation of suspended-sediment control measures to reduce UCRB dissolved-solids loading.

Flathead River Focus Watershed Coordinator, 2004-2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DuCharme, Lynn

2006-06-26

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has long been involved with funding of the Cooperative Habitat Protection and Improvement with Private Landowners program in accordance with the Northwest Power Planning Council's (NPPC) Fish & Wildlife Program (Section 7.7). Section 7.7B.1 requires the establishment of ''at least one model watershed coordinator selected by each representative state''. This project was initiated in 1997 with the purpose of fulfilling the NWPCC's watershed program within the Flathead River basin in western Montana. Currently, the Flathead watershed has been radically altered by hydropower and other land uses. With the construction of Hungry Horse, Bigfork and Kerrmore » dams, the Flathead River system has been divided into isolated populations. Bull trout have been listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and westslope cutthroat trout have been petitioned for listing. Many streams in the drainage have been destabilized during recent decades. Past legal and illegal species introductions are also causing problems. This project fosters in-kind, out-of-place mitigation to offset the impacts of hydroelectric power to 72 miles of the South Fork of the Flathead River and its tributaries upstream of Hungry Horse Dam. Key subbasins within the Flathead drainage, which are critical to native species restoration, are experiencing rapid changes in land ownership and management direction. Subdivision and residential development of agricultural and timber lands adjacent to waterways in the drainage pose one of the greatest threats to weak but recoverable stocks of trout species. Plum Creek Timber Company, a major landholder in the Flathead drainage is currently divesting itself of large tracks of its lakeshore and streamside holdings. Growth of small tract development throughout the area and its tributaries is occurring at a record rate. Immediate to short-term action is required to protect stream corridors through many of these areas if

Flathead River Focus Watershed Coordinator, 2005-2006 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DuCharme, Lynn

2006-05-01

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has long been involved with funding of the Cooperative Habitat Protection and Improvement with Private Landowners program in accordance with the Northwest Power Planning Council's (NPPC) Fish & Wildlife Program (Section 7.7). Section 7.7B.1 requires the establishment of ''at least one model watershed coordinator selected by each representative state''. This project was initiated in 1997 with the purpose of fulfilling the NWPCC's watershed program within the Flathead River basin in western Montana. Currently, the Flathead watershed has been radically altered by hydropower and other land uses. With the construction of Hungry Horse, Bigfork and Kerrmore » dams, the Flathead River system has been divided into isolated populations. Bull trout have been listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and westslope cutthroat trout have been petitioned for listing. Many streams in the drainage have been destabilized during recent decades. Past legal and illegal species introductions are also causing problems. This project fosters in-kind, out-of-place mitigation to offset the impacts of hydroelectric power to 72 miles of the South Fork of the Flathead River and its tributaries upstream of Hungry Horse Dam. Key subbasins within the Flathead drainage, which are critical to native species restoration, are experiencing rapid changes in land ownership and management direction. Subdivision and residential development of agricultural and timber lands adjacent to waterways in the drainage pose one of the greatest threats to weak but recoverable stocks of trout species. Plum Creek Timber Company, a major landholder in the Flathead drainage is currently divesting itself of large tracks of its lakeshore and streamside holdings. Growth of small tract development throughout the area and its tributaries is occurring at a record rate. Immediate to short-term action is required to protect stream corridors through many of these areas if

Channel infiltration from floodflows along the Pawnee River and its tributaries, west-central Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gillespie, James B.; Perry, C.A.

1988-01-01

Most of the streams is west-central Kansas are ephemeral. Natural recharge to the alluvial aquifers underlying these streams occurs during periods of storm runoff in the ephemeral channels. Proposed flood-retarding structures within the basin will alter the downstream runoff characteristics in these channels by reducing the peak flow and increasing the flow duration. Information concerning channel-infiltration rate, unsaturated and saturated flow, and lithology of the unsaturated zone as related to stream stage and duration was collected along the Pawnee River and its tributaries to determine the effects of the flood-retarding structures. The infiltration rate on ephemeral streams was determined at five sites within the Pawnee River Basin. Tests were conducted in channel infiltrometers constructed by isolating a section of channel with two plastic-lined wooden cofferdams. At two of the sites, perched groundwater mounds intersected the bottom of the channel and reduced the infiltration rate. At two other sites where the perched groundwater mounds did not reach the bottom of the channel, the infiltration rate was directly proportional to the stage. Comparison of infiltration from simulated controlled and uncontrolled floodflows at the five sites indicated an average increase of about 2% with the controlled floodflow. Cumulative infiltration for these simulations ranged from 0.5 to 14.8 acre-ft/mi of channel. (USGS)

The occurrence and distribution of trace metals in the Mississippi River and its tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Howard E.; Garbarino, J.R.; Brinton, T.I.

1990-01-01

Quantitative and semiquantitative analyses of dissolved trace metals are reported for designated sampling sites on the Mississippi River and its main tributaries utilizing depth-integrated and width-integrated sampling technology to collect statistically representative samples. Data are reported for three sampling periods, including: July-August 1987, November-December 1987, and May-June 1988. Concentrations of Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Pb, Sr, Tl, U, V, and Zn are reported quantitatively, with the remainder of the stable metals in the periodic table reported semiquantitatively. Correlations between As and V, Ba and U, Cu and Zn, Li and Ba, and Li and U are significant at the 99% confidence level for each of the sampling trips. Comparison of the results of this study for selected metals with other published data show generally good agreement for Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn, moderate agreement for Mo, and poor agreement for Cd and V.

Analysis of Dissolved Selenium Loading for Selected Sites in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado, 1978-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, Judith C.; Leib, Kenneth J.; Mayo, John W.

2008-01-01

-quality standard. The Uncompahgre River, Gunnison River at Delta, and Gunnison River near Grand Junction would require 69, 34 and 53 percent, respectively, of the mean annual load to be reduced for water years 2001 through 2005 to meet the water-quality standard. Mean annual load reductions can be further reduced by targeting the periods of time when selenium would be removed from streams by remediation. During a previous study of selenium loads in the Lower Gunnison River Basin, mean annual load reductions were estimated at the Gunnison River near Grand Junction for the 1997?2001 study period. Mean annual load reductions estimated for this study period were less than those estimated for the 2001?05 study period, emphasizing the importance of understanding that different study periods can result in different load reduction estimates.

Ca isotopes in the Ebro River Basin: mixing and lithological tracer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrot, C.; Negrel, P. J.; Millot, R.; Petelet-Giraud, E.; Brenot, A.

2012-12-01

A large investigation of the Ebro River catchment was done in the past years regarding hydrogen, oxygen, lithium, boron, sulphur and oxygen from SO4 and strontium isotope measurements together with major and trace elements in the dissolved load of 25 river samples collected within the Ebro River Basin in Spain (Millot et al., Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 14, EGU2012-2062, 2012). The Ebro River (928 km long, 85,530 km2 drainage basin) located in North-Eastern Spain rises near the Atlantic coast in the Cantabrian Mountains and flows into the western Mediterranean Sea through several large cities and agricultural, mining and industrial areas. The river is one of the largest contributors of freshwater in the Mediterranean Sea and ends in the Ebro delta, one of the most important wetlands in Europe. Bedrocks of the Ebro River Basin are mainly dominated by carbonates and evaporites from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic terrains. The Ebro river mainstream was sampled at Amposta one time per month between June 2005 and May 2006 and secondly, the Ebro River along its main course and its main tributaries were sampled during one field campaign in April 2006. The behaviour of Ca and its isotopes during water/rock interactions at the scale of a large river basin having various lithologies will be investigated in addition with Sr, S (SO4) and O (SO4) isotopes. One objective is to characterize the processes controlling the isotope signatures of a large river draining predominantly sedimentary bedrocks. The δ44Ca ratio (δ44/40 normalised to Seawater) ranged between -0.87 and -1.09‰ along the Ebro main stream, increasing towards the delta as the Ca content increase. In Amposta, the δ44Ca ratio ranged between -0.66 and -1.04‰ and tends to decrease with the increasing discharge. These variations are very similar to those given by the 87Sr/86Sr ratios and Sr contents. For the tributaries, the δ44Ca ratio ranged between -0.43 and -1.04‰ whereas the anhydrite-gypsum bedrock

Animal bites and stings reported by United States poison control centers, 2001-2005.

PubMed

Langley, Ricky L

2008-01-01

There is not a single data source for information on the extent of nonfatal injuries inflicted by animals. Although individuals bitten or stung by animals may not visit a health care provider, they may call poison control centers (PCCs) for information. These centers are one source of information on the frequency of occurrence of injuries from animals. The American Association of Poison Control Centers compiles an annual report of exposure calls to various agents, including chemicals, medications, animal bites and stings, plants, and use of antivenoms from their network of PCCs. An estimate of the severity of exposure for each call is also determined. This review examines summary data on different species of animal bites and stings reported by PCCs from 2001 to 2005. From 2001 to 2005 there were 472 760 reports of animal bites and stings, an average of 94,552 per year. There was a trend noted for increasing use of antivenom over this period. Twenty-seven deaths were recorded, most from snakebites. Poison control centers are a source of information for health care workers on management of animal bites and stings. The database maintained by the American Association of Poison Control Centers is another source of information on the magnitude and public health impact of injuries from animals.

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 2. Low-flow (2001) and snowmelt (2002) synoptic/tracer water chemistry for the Red River, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCleskey, R. Blaine; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Steiger, Judy I.; Kimball, Briant A.; Verplanck, Philip L.

2003-01-01

Water analyses are reported for 259 samples collected from the Red River, New Mexico, and its tributaries during low-flow(2001) and spring snowmelt (2002) tracer studies. Water samples were collected along a 20-kilometer reach of the Red River beginning just east of the town of Red River and ending at the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station located east of Questa, New Mexico. The study area was divided into three sections where separate injections and synoptic sampling events were performed during the low-flow tracer study. During the spring snowmelt tracer study, three tracer injections and synoptic sampling events were performed bracketing the areas with the greatest metal loading into the Red River as determined from the low-flow tracer study. The lowflow tracer synoptic sampling events were August 17, 20, and 24, 2001. The synoptic sampling events for the spring snowmelt tracer were March 30, 31, and April 1, 2002. Stream and large inflow water samples were sampled using equal-width and depth-integrated sampling methods and composited into half-gallon bottles. Grab water samples were collected from smaller inflows. Stream temperatures were measured at the time of sample collection. Samples were transported to a nearby central processing location where pH and specific conductance were measured and the samples processed for chemical analyses. Cations, trace metals, iron redox species, and fluoride were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. Cations and trace metal concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Arsenic concentrations were determined using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry, iron redox species were measured using ultraviolet-visible spectrometry, and fluoride concentrations were determined using an ion-selective electrode. Alkalinity was measured by automated titration, and sulfate

Water Quality and Algal Data for the North Umpqua River Basin, Oregon, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanner, Dwight Q.; Arnsberg, Andrew J.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Carpenter, Kurt D.

2006-01-01

The upper North Umpqua River Basin has experienced a variety of water-quality problems since at least the early 1990's. Several reaches of the North Umpqua River are listed as water-quality limited under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Diamond Lake, a eutrophic lake that is an important source of water and nutrients to the upper North Umpqua River, is also listed as a water-quality limited waterbody (pH, nuisance algae). A draft Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) was proposed for various parameters and is expected to be adopted in full in 2006. Diamond Lake has supported potentially toxic blue-green algae blooms since 2001 that have resulted in closures to recreational water contact and impacts to the local economy. Increased populations of the invasive tui chub fish are reportedly responsible, because they feed on zooplankton that would otherwise control the algal blooms. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Diamond Lake Restoration Project advocates reduced fish biomass in Diamond Lake in 2006 as the preferred alternative. A restoration project scheduled to reduce fish biomass for the lake includes a significant water-level drawdown that began in January 2006. After the drawdown of Diamond Lake, the fish toxicant rotenone was applied to eradicate the tui chub. The lake will be refilled and restocked with game fish in 2007. Winter exports of nutrients from Diamond Lake during the restoration project could affect the summer trophic status of the North Umpqua River if retention and recycling in Lemolo Lake are significant. The FEIS includes comprehensive monitoring to assess the water quality of the restored Diamond Lake and the effects of that restoration downstream. One component of the monitoring is the collection of baseline data, in order to observe changes in the river's water quality and algal conditions resulting from the restoration of Diamond Lake. During July 2005, the USGS, in cooperation with Douglas County, performed a synoptic

The fishermen were right: experimental evidence for tributary refuge hypothesis during floods.

PubMed

Koizumi, Itsuro; Kanazawa, Yukiyo; Tanaka, Yuuki

2013-05-01

Fishermen often anecdotally report an unexpected increase of fish caught in small tributary streams during floods, presumably due to refuge-seeking behavior from the main stem. From a population perspective, this implies the significance of refuge habitats and connectivity for population viability against natural disturbances. Despite the plausibility, however, surprisingly few studies have examined the tributary refuge hypothesis, mainly due to the difficulty in field survey during floods. Here, we made use of a large-scale controlled flood to assess whether fishes move into tributaries during flooding in the main stem. A planned water release from the Satsunai River Dam located on Hokkaido Island in Japan rapidly increased the main stem discharge by more than 20-fold. Before, during, and after flooding censuses in four tributaries provided evidence of the refuge-seeking behavior of fishes from the main stem. For example, more than 10 Dolly Varden char, a salmonid fish, were caught in a tributary during the flood, even though almost no individuals were captured before or after the flood. The fish responded immediately to the flooding, suggesting the need for studies during disturbances. In addition, the likelihood of refuge movements varied among tributaries, suggesting the importance of local environmental differences between tributary and the main stem habitats. This is the first study to experimentally confirm the tributary refuge hypothesis, and underscores the roles of habitat diversity and connectivity during disturbances, even though some habitats are not used during normal conditions.

Organic contaminants associated with suspended sediment collected during five cruises of the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries, May 1988 to June 1990

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rostad, Colleen E.; Bishop, LaDonna M.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Leiker, Thomas J.; Monsterleet, Stephanie G.; Pereira, Wilfred E.

2004-01-01

Suspended-sediment samples were obtained from sites along the Mississippi River and its principal tributaries to determine the presence of halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds on the suspended sediment smaller than 63 micrometers. Sample collection involved pumping discharge-weighted volumes of river water along a cross section of the river into a continuous-flow centrifuge to isolate the suspended sediment. The suspended sediment was analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for pentachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, pentachloroanisole, chlorothalonil, pentachlorophenol, dachthal, chlordane, nonachlor, and penta-, hexa-, hepta-, and octachlorobiphenyls. Samples collected during June 1989 and February-March 1990 also were analyzed for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, and triazines. Samples were collected at sites on the Mississippi River from above St. Louis, Missouri to below New Orleans, Louisiana, and on the Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Wabash, Cumberland, Tennessee, White, Arkansas, and Yazoo Rivers. Masses of selected halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds associated with the suspended sediment at each site are presented in this report in tabular format, along with suspended-sediment concentration, water discharge, and organic-carbon content.

Current-use flame retardants in the water of Lake Michigan tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Guo, Jiehong; Romanak, Kevin; Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Hites, Ronald A.; Venier, Marta

2017-01-01

In this study, we measured the concentrations of 65 flame retardants in water samples from five Lake Michigan tributaries. These flame retardants included organophosphate esters (OPEs), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and Dechlorane-related compounds. A total of 59 samples, including both the particulate and the dissolved phases, were collected from the Grand, Kalamazoo, Saint Joseph, and Lower Fox rivers and from the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in 2015. OPEs were the most abundant among the targeted compounds with geometric mean concentrations ranging from 20 to 54 ng/L; OPE concentrations were comparable among the five tributaries. BFR concentrations were about 1 ng/L, and the most-abundant compounds were bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate, 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate, and decabromodiphenyl ether. The highest BFR concentrations were measured in either the IHSC or the Saint Joseph River. The dechlorane-related compounds were detected at low concentrations (<1 pg/L). The fraction of target compounds in the particulate phase relative to the dissolved phase varied by chemical and tended to increase with their octanol–water partition coefficient. The chemical loading from all the five tributaries into Lake Michigan were <10 kg/year for the BFRs and about 500 kg/year for the OPEs.

A Multi-isotope Tracer Approach Linking Land Use With Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in the San Joaquin River System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, M. B.; Kendall, C.; Silva, S. R.; Dahlgren, R. A.; Stringfellow, W. T.

2008-12-01

The San Joaquin River (SJR) is a large hypereutrophic river located in the Central Valley, California, a major agricultural region. Nutrient subsidies, algae, and other organic material from the San Joaquin River contribute to periods of low dissolved oxygen in the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel, inhibiting salmon migration. We used a multi-isotope approach to link nitrate and particulate organic matter (POM) to different sources and related land uses. The isotope data was also used to better understand the physical and biological processes controlling the distribution of nitrate and POM throughout the river system. Samples collected from the mainstem SJR and tributaries twice-monthly to monthly between March 2005 and December 2007 were analyzed for nitrate, POM, and water isotopes. There are many land uses surrounding the SJR and its tributaries, including multiple types of agriculture, dairies, wetlands, and urban areas. Samples from SJR tributaries containing both major and minor contributions of wetland discharge generally had distinct nitrate and POM isotope signatures compared to other tributaries. Unique nitrate and POM isotope signatures associated with wetland discharges may reflect anaerobic biological processes occurring in flooded soils. For the mainstem SJR, we applied an isotope mass balance approach using nitrate and water isotopes to calculate the expected downstream isotope values based upon measured inputs from known water sources such as drains and tributaries. Differences between the calculated downstream isotope values and the measured values indicate locations and time periods when either biological processes such as algal uptake, or physical process such as the input of unidentified water sources, significantly altered the isotope signatures of water, POM, or nitrate within the SJR. This research will provide a better understanding of how different land uses affect the delivery of carbon and nitrogen to the SJR, and will provide a better

Landslides triggered by the October 8, 2005, Pakistan earthquake and associated landslide-dammed reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harp, Edwin L.; Crone, Anthony J.

2006-01-01

The October 8, 2005, Kashmir earthquake (M 7.6) triggered several thousand landslides, mainly rock falls and rock slides, in the epicentral area near the cities of Muzafarrabad and Balakot, Pakistan. Most of these were shallow, coalescing rock slides emanating from highly sheared and deformed limestone and dolomite of the Precambrian Muzafarrabad Formation. The largest landslide triggered by the earthquake is located approximately 32 kilometers southeast of Muzafarrabad in a tributary valley of the Jhelum River. This landslide is a debris avalanche of approximately 80 million cubic meters volume within the Miocene Murree Formation consisting of mixed sandstone, mudstone, shale, and limestone. The avalanche buried the village of Dandbeh and resulted in approximately 1,000 fatalities, according to local residents. The avalanche deposit traveled approximately 1.5 kilometers downslope and 300 meters or more up the opposite slope in the adjacent Karli stream drainage and also extended into the Tang stream drainage where the Tang stream joins the Karli drainage. The landslide mass has impounded two lakes within the blocked drainages. The lake in the Karli drainage was approximately 800 meters long and 20 meters deep as of December 19, 2005. The lake in the Tang drainage was approximately 400 meters long and 10 meters deep as of this same date. Downstream populations are at risk from possible flash flooding when these debris dams are overtopped by the reservoir water. The closest village, Hattian, is 2.8 kilometers downstream at the junction of the Jhelum River and the landslide-dammed Karli tributary. Other populations along the Jhelum River may also be at risk. Pakistan military engineers are preparing to construct a spillway within the landslide deposits to lessen the severity of the flood if the lake in the Karli stream drainage breaches the landslide dam catastrophically.

Nature of distribution of mercury in the sediments of the river Yamuna (tributary of the Ganges), India.

PubMed

Subramanian, V; Madhavan, N; Saxena, Rajinder; Lundin, Lars-Christer

2003-06-01

Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), surface (bed sediments) and short length cores of sediments collected from the largest tributary of the river Ganges, namely the river Yamuna, were analysed for total mercury as well as its fractionation in various size and chemical sites in the sediments following standard procedures. Also, attempts were made to determine the vertical distribution in sediments in relation to the recent timescale of a few decades. Our observations indicate that the SPM in general showed higher levels of total mercury compared to the surface sediments while at places the enhancement could be by a factor of 10, say around 25 microg g(-1) in the downstream region that integrates the industrial midstream and agricultural downstream terrain near its confluence with the Ganges. Surface sediments in the upstream direction near the Himalayan foothills and SPM in the lower reaches showed significant high Index of Geoaccumulation (Igeo) as defined by Müller. Size fractionation studies indicate that the finer fraction preferentially showed higher levels of mercury while in the lower reaches of the river, the total mercury is equitably distributed among all size fractions. The proportion of the residual fraction of mercury in relation to mobile fractions, in general decreases downstream towards its confluence with the Ganges river. In sediment cores, the vertical distribution show systematic peaks of mercury indicating that addition of this toxic metal to the aquatic system is in direct proportion to the increase in various types of human activities such as thermal power plants, land use changes (urbanisation) in the midstream region and intensive fertiliser application in lower reaches of this vast river basin.

Occurrence and transport of diazinon in the Sacramento River, California, and selected tributaries during three winter storms, January-February 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dileanis, Peter D.; Bennett, Kevin P.; Domagalski, Joseph L.

2002-01-01

The organophosphate pesticide diazinon is applied as a dormant orchard spray in the Sacramento Valley, California, during the winter when the area receives a majority of its annual rainfall. Dormant spray pesticides, thus, have the potential to wash off the areas of application and migrate with storm runoff to streams in the Sacramento River Basin. Previous monitoring studies have shown that rain and associated runoff from winter storms plays an important role in the transport of diazinon from point of application to the Sacramento River and tributaries. Between January 30 and February 25, 2000, diazinon concentrations in the Sacramento River and selected tributaries were monitored on 5 consecutive days during each of three winter storms that moved through the Sacramento Valley after diazinon had been applied to orchards in the basin. Water samples were collected at 17 sites chosen to represent the effect of upstream land use at local and regional scales. Most samples were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Analysis by gas chromatography with electron capture detector and thermionic specific detector (GC/ECD/TSD) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was done on split replicates from over 30 percent of the samples to confirm ELISA results and to provide lower analytical reporting limits at selected sites [30 ng/L (nanogram per liter) for ELISA, 20 ng/L for GC/ECD/TSD, and 2 ng/L for GC/MS]. Concentrations determined from ELISA analyses were consistently higher than concentrations for split samples analyzed by gas chromatography methods. Because of bias between diazinon concentrations using ELISA and gas chromatography methods, results from ELISA analyses were not compared to water-quality criteria. Load calculations using the ELISA analyses are similarly biased. Because the bias was consistent, however, the ELISA data is useful in site-to-site comparisons used to rank the relative levels and contributions of diazinon from

Changes in channel geometry of six eruption-affected tributaries of the Lewis River, 1980-82, Mount St. Helens, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martinson, H.A.; Finneran, S.D.; Topinka, L.J.

1984-01-01

The May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens generated a lateral blast, lahars and tephra deposits that altered tributary channels in the Lewis River drainage basin. In order to assess potential flood hazards, study channel adjustments, and construct a sediment budget for the perturbed drainages on the east and southeast flanks of the volcano, channel cross sections were monumented and surveyed on Pine Creek, Muddy River, and Smith Creek during September and October of 1980. Additional cross sections were monumented and surveyed on Swift Creek, Bean Creek, and Clearwater Creek during the summer of 1981. The network of 88 channel cross sections has been resurveyed annually. Selected cross sections have been surveyed more frequently, following periods of higher flow. The repetitive cross-section surveys provide measurements of bank erosion or accretion and of channel erosion or aggradation. The report presents channel cross-section profiles constructed from the survey data collected during water years 1980-82. (USGS)

Evaluation of Diazinon and Chlorpyrifos Concentrations and Loads, and other Pesticide Concentrations, at Selected Sites in the San Joaquin Valley, California, April to August, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Domagalski, Joseph L.; Munday, Cathy

2003-01-01

Twelve sites in the San Joaquin Valley of California were monitored weekly during the growing and irrigation season of 2001 for a total of 51 pesticides and pesticide degradation products, with primary interest on the concentration, load, and basin yield of organophosphorus insecticides, especially diazinon and chlorpyrifos. Diazinon was detected frequently, up to 100 percent of the time, at many of the sampling sites, but with generally low concentrations. For all sites, 75 percent of all measured diazinon concentrations were less than 0.02 mg/L, and 90 percent of all measured diazinon concentrations were less than 0.06 mg/L. The highest diazinon concentrations were measured in samples from two west-side tributaries to the San Joaquin River, Orestimba Creek, and Del Puerto Creek. The median concentration of chlorpyrifos was at or less than the laboratory reporting limit (0.005 mg/L) for most sites with the exceptions of two tributaries to the San Joaquin River: Orestimba Creek and the Tuolumne River. For all sites, 75 percent of all measured chlorpyrifos concentrations were less than 0.03 mg/L and 90 percent of all measured chlorpyrifos concentrations were less than 0.07 mg/L. The total load of diazinon out of the basin was just over 7 kilograms, which accounted for about 0.17 percent of the total agricultural applications. The diazinon load from the monitored upstream tributaries accounted for about 50 percent of the load at the mouth of the San Joaquin River. The streamflow from the selected monitored tributaries accounted for about 83 percent of the streamflow at the mouth of the San Joaquin River. The total load of chlorpyrifos out of the basin was 3.75 kilograms, and this accounted for approximately 0.007 percent of the total amount applied. Other pesticides that were frequently detected during this study included herbicides such as metolachlor, simazine, and trifluralin, and insecticides such as carbaryl, carbofuran, and propargite. At Orestimba Creek, DDE

Concentrations, loads, and yields of select constituents from major tributaries of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in Iowa, water years 2004-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garrett, Jessica D.

2012-01-01

Excess nutrients, suspended-sediment loads, and the presence of pesticides in Iowa rivers can have deleterious effects on water quality in State streams, downstream major rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico. Fertilizer and pesticides are used to support crop growth on Iowa's highly productive agricultural landscape and for household and commercial lawns and gardens. Water quality was characterized near the mouths of 10 major Iowa tributaries to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers from March 2004 through September 2008. Stream loads were calculated for select ions, nutrients, and sediment using approximately monthly samples, and samples from storm and snowmelt events. Water-quality samples collected using standard streamflow-integrated protocols were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, carbon, pesticides, and suspended sediment. Statistical data summaries of sample data used parametric and nonparametric techniques to address potential bias related to censored data and multiple levels of censoring of data below analytical detection limits. Constituent stream loads were computed using standard pre-defined models in S-LOADEST that include streamflow and time terms plus additional terms for streamflow variability and streamflow anomalies. Streamflow variability terms describe the difference in streamflow from recent average conditions, whereas streamflow anomaly terms account for deviations from average conditions from long- to short-term sequentially. Streamflow variability or anomaly terms were included in 44 of 80 site/constituent individual models, demonstrating the usefulness of these terms in increasing accuracy of the load estimates. Constituent concentrations in Iowa streams exhibit streamflow, seasonal, and spatial patterns related to the landform and climate gradients across the studied basins. The streamflow-concentration relation indicated dilution for ions such as chloride and sulfate. Other constituent concentrations, such as dissolved organic carbon and

Influence of riparian and watershed alterations on sandbars in a Great Plains river

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fischer, Jeffrey M.; Paukert, Craig P.; Daniels, M.L.

2014-01-01

Anthropogenic alterations have caused sandbar habitats in rivers and the biota dependent on them to decline. Restoring large river sandbars may be needed as these habitats are important components of river ecosystems and provide essential habitat to terrestrial and aquatic organisms. We quantified factors within the riparian zone of the Kansas River, USA, and within its tributaries that influenced sandbar size and density using aerial photographs and land use/land cover (LULC) data. We developed, a priori, 16 linear regression models focused on LULC at the local, adjacent upstream river bend, and the segment (18–44 km upstream) scales and used an information theoretic approach to determine what alterations best predicted the size and density of sandbars. Variation in sandbar density was best explained by the LULC within contributing tributaries at the segment scale, which indicated reduced sandbar density with increased forest cover within tributary watersheds. Similarly, LULC within contributing tributary watersheds at the segment scale best explained variation in sandbar size. These models indicated that sandbar size increased with agriculture and forest and decreased with urban cover within tributary watersheds. Our findings suggest that sediment supply and delivery from upstream tributary watersheds may be influential on sandbars within the Kansas River and that preserving natural grassland and reducing woody encroachment within tributary watersheds in Great Plains rivers may help improve sediment delivery to help restore natural river function.

Anadromous sea lampreys recolonize a Maine coastal river tributary after dam removal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hogg, Robert; Coghlan, Stephen M.; Zydlewski, Joseph D.

2013-01-01

Sedgeunkedunk Stream, a third-order tributary to the Penobscot River, Maine, historically supported several anadromous fishes, including the Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar, AlewifeAlosa pseudoharengus, and Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus. However, two small dams constructed in the 1800s reduced or eliminated spawning runs entirely. In 2009, efforts to restore marine–freshwater connectivity in the system culminated with removal of the lowermost dam, thus providing access to an additional 4.6 km of lotic habitat. Because Sea Lampreys utilized accessible habitat prior to dam removal, they were chosen as a focal species with which to quantify recolonization. During spawning runs of 2008–2011 (before and after dam removal), individuals were marked with PIT tags and their activity was tracked with daily recapture surveys. Open-population mark–recapture models indicated a fourfold increase in the annual abundance of spawning-phase Sea Lampreys, with estimates rising from 59±4 () before dam removal (2008) to 223±18 and 242±16 after dam removal (2010 and 2011, respectively). Accompanying the marked increase in annual abundance was a greater than fourfold increase in nesting sites: the number of nests increased from 31 in 2008 to 128 and 131 in 2010 and 2011, respectively. During the initial recolonization event (i.e., in 2010), Sea Lampreys took 6 d to move past the former dam site and 9 d to expand into the furthest upstream reaches. Conversely, during the 2011 spawning run, Sea Lampreys took only 3 d to penetrate into the upstream reaches, thus suggesting a potential positive feedback in which larval recruitment into the system may have attracted adult spawners via conspecific pheromone cues. Although more research is needed to verify the migratory pheromone hypothesis, our study clearly demonstrates that small-stream dam removal in coastal river systems has the potential to enhance recovery of declining anadromous fish populations.

Flood-inundation maps and wetland restoration suitability index for the Blue River and selected tributaries, Kansas City, Missouri, and vicinity, 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heimann, David C.; Kelly, Brian P.; Studley, Seth E.

2015-01-01

Additional information in this report includes maps of simulated stream velocity for an 8.2-mile, two-dimensional modeled reach of the Blue River and a Wetland Restoration Suitability Index (WRSI) generated for the study area that was based on hydrologic, topographic, and land-use digital feature layers. The calculated WRSI for the selected flood-plain area ranged from 1 (least suitable for possible wetland mitigation efforts) to 10 (most suitable for possible wetland mitigation efforts). A WRSI of 5 to 10 is most closely associated with existing riparian wetlands in the study area. The WRSI allows for the identification of lands along the Blue River and selected tributaries that are most suitable for restoration or creation of wetlands. Alternatively, the index can be used to identify and avoid disturbances to areas with the highest potential to support healthy sustainable riparian wetlands.

Data on polychlorinated biphenyls, dieldrin, lead, and cadmium in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan tributaries to Green Bay, July 1987 through April 1988

USGS Publications Warehouse

House, L.B.

1990-01-01

Neither dieldrin nor cadmium was detected in any of the sampled tributaries. Detectable concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls and lead were found at only three sites. Polychorinated biphenyls (0.10 microgram per gram) and lead (10 milligrams per kilogram) were found in the bottom sediment of Duck Creek, a western-shore tributary near the city of Green Bay. Lead (10 milligrams per kilogram) also was found in the bottom sediment of the Suamico River near the mouth, about 5 miles north of Duck Creek. Lead (4 micrograms per liter) was detected in a spring-runoff sample from the Fishdam River, a tributary from upper Michigan.

Spawning patterns of Pacific Lamprey in tributaries to the Willamette River, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mayfield, M.P.; Schultz, Luke; Wyss, Lance A.; Clemens, B. J.; Schreck, Carl B.

2014-01-01

Addressing the ongoing decline of Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus across its range along the west coast of North America requires an understanding of all life history phases. Currently, spawning surveys (redd counts) are a common tool used to monitor returning adult salmonids, but the methods are in their infancy for Pacific Lamprey. To better understand the spawning phase, our objective was to assess temporal spawning trends, redd abundance, habitat use, and spatial patterns of spawning at multiple spatial scales for Pacific Lamprey in the Willamette River basin, Oregon. Although redd density varied considerably across surveyed reaches, the observed temporal patterns of spawning were related to physical habitat and hydrologic conditions. As has been documented in studies in other basins in the Pacific Northwest, we found that redds were often constructed in pool tailouts dominated by gravel, similar to habitat used by spawning salmonids. Across the entire Willamette Basin, Pacific Lampreys appeared to select reaches with alluvial geology, likely because this is where gravel suitable for spawning accumulated. At the tributary scale, spawning patterns were not as strong, and in reaches with nonalluvial geology redds were more spatially clumped than in reaches with alluvial geology. These results can be used to help identify and conserve Pacific Lamprey spawning habitat across the Pacific Northwest.

Report of the River Master of the Delaware River for the period December 1, 2005-November 30, 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krejmas, Bruce E.; Paulachok, Gary N.; Blanchard, Stephen F.

2010-01-01

A Decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, entered June 7, 1954, established the position of Delaware River Master within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In addition, the Decree authorizes diversions of water from the Delaware River Basin and requires compensating releases from certain reservoirs, owned by New York City, to be made under the supervision and direction of the River Master. The Decree stipulates that the River Master will furnish reports to the Court, not less frequently than annually. This report is the 53rd Annual Report of the River Master of the Delaware River. It covers the 2006 River Master report year-the period from December 1, 2005, to November 30, 2006. During the report year, precipitation in the upper Delaware River Basin was 55.03 inches (in.) or 126 percent of the long-term average. Combined storage in Pepacton, Cannonsville, and Neversink Reservoirs was above the long-term median level on December 1, 2005. Reservoir storage remained above long–term median levels throughout the report year. Delaware River operations during the year were conducted as stipulated by the Decree. Diversions from the Delaware River Basin by New York City and New Jersey were in full compliance with the Decree. Reservoir releases were made as directed by the River Master at rates designed to meet the flow objective for the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey, on 27 days during the report year. Releases were made at conservation rates-or rates designed to relieve thermal stress and protect the fishery and aquatic habitat in the tailwaters of the reservoirs-on all other days. During the report year, New York City and New Jersey complied fully with the terms of the Decree, and directives and requests of the River Master. As part of a long-term program, the quality of water in the Delaware Estuary between Trenton, New Jersey, and Reedy Island Jetty, Delaware, was monitored at various locations. Data on water temperature, specific conductance

Channel adjustements over the last century of the Moldova River, Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiriloaei, F. A.; Radoane, M.; Radoane, N.

2012-04-01

Moldova River is a 205 km long river, right tributary of the Siret River, with the confluence close to Roman city. The most important tributaries are Moldoviţa, Suha Mică, Suha Mare, Râsca, Ozana and Topolita Rivers. The drainage basin area is 4316 km2, a discharge of about 32.8 m3/s and is superimposed on four lithostratigraphic units: the crystalline Mesozoic unit, the flysch unit, the molasse unit and the platform unit. The study reach is 110 km long and is located on the external part of the Eastern-Carpathians at the contact with the Moldavian Plateau. This contact is characterised by a piedmont zone. The high rate of alluviation in this piedmont plain had a decisive role on the spatial and temporal evolution of fluvial forms and processes, expressed in the morphology of alluvial terraces in the valley bottom, the morphology of the active channel, the spatial distribution of bars and secondary channels and lateral migration rates. The morphology of the river in the study reach is dominated by braided and wandering channel patterns. The present (2005) active channel width ranges between 700 and 1000 m. Planform changes of river features over the last 100 years were analyzed on three historical maps (1910, 1960, and 1980) and one orthophoto (2005). Channel width average has significantly decreased in the last century. The Moldova river channel width suffered a strong narrowing, approximately 76% (from 1910 to 2005). So, from a channel width about more than 1200 m, it decreased at about 300 m. We can note two phase of narrowing: a first one - stronger, of 56%, untill 1960 (a reduction of active channel width for about 10.5 m/year) and a second phase, of 35%, after 1960, with a narrowing rate for about 8.8 m/an. The historical trend of braiding index shows a remarkable decrease in the last 50 - 60 years, from 3.2 in 1960, at 2.6 in 1980 and 2.0, in 2005, for all the extra-Carpathian study reach (110 km). There are different situations at local scale, shown

Water-quality characteristics and ground water quantity of the Fraser River Watershed, Grand County, Colorado, 1998-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bauch, Nancy J.; Bails, Jeffrey B.

2004-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Grand County Board of County Commissioners, conducted a 4-year study to assess ground- and surface-water-quality conditions and ground-water quantity in the 302-square-mile Fraser River watershed in north-central Colorado. The Fraser River flows north about 28 miles from the headwaters near the Continental Divide, through the towns of Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, and Granby, and is one of the major tributaries to the Upper Colorado River. Increasing urban development, as well as the seasonal influx of tourists, is placing more demands on the water resources in the Fraser River watershed. A ground-water sampling network of 11 wells was established to represent different aquifer systems (alluvial, Troublesome Formation, Precambrian granite), land uses (urban, nonurban), and areas with or without individual septic disposal system use. The well network was sampled for ground-water quality on a semiannual basis from August 1998 through September 2001. The sampling included field properties and the collection of water samples for analysis of major ions, trace elements, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, bacteria, methylene blue active substances, and radon-222. One surface-water site, on the Fraser River just downstream from the town of Tabernash, Colorado, was sampled bimonthly from August 1998 through September 2001 to assess the cumulative effects of natural and human processes on water quality in the upper part of the Fraser River watershed. Surface-water-quality sampling included field properties and the collection of water-quality samples for analysis of major ions, trace elements, nutrients, organic carbon, and bacteria. Ground water was a calcium-bicarbonate type water and is suitable as a drinking-water, domestic, municipal, industrial, and irrigation source. In general, no widespread ground-water-quality problems were indicated. All pH values and concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, fluoride

Using hydrodynamic model to predict PFOS and PFOA transport in the Daling River and its tributary, a heavily polluted river into the Bohai Sea, China.

PubMed

Li, Qifeng; Wang, Tieyu; Zhu, Zhaoyun; Meng, Jing; Wang, Pei; Suriyanarayanan, Sarvajayakesavalu; Zhang, Yueqing; Zhou, Yunqiao; Song, Shuai; Lu, Yonglong; Yvette, Baninla

2017-01-01

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are extremely persistent in the environment, and have the potential for long-range transport. The present study focused on the Daling River and its tributary, a larger river flowing into Liaodong Bay of the Bohai Sea. Recent studies have shown the elevated levels of PFOS and PFOA in the Daling River. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the seasonal changes, fate and transport modeling of PFOS and PFOA concentrations using one-dimensional DHI MIKE-11 river model. We designed three scenarios to assess the risk of PFOS and PFOA in surface water: the measured concentrations, constant maximum and the magnitude of a continuous constant load. The mean absolute errors divided by the mean of measured concentrations were 41-64% for PFOS and 29-36% for PFOA. The result indicated that PFOS and PFOA in the downstream of the Daling River would not reach a harmful level with the current load. The fluorochemical parks contributed an average of 44.57% of the total PFOS and 95.44% of the total PFOA flow that reached the estuary. The mass flow was observed as 1.74 kg y -1 for PFOS and 40.57 kg y -1 for PFOA to the Bohai Sea. These modeling results may be useful for monitoring the status and trends of emerging POPs and will help the determination of the risk to both humans and wildlife, in the estuarine and coastal areas of the Bohai Sea, China. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of potential effects of water produced from coalbed natural gas development on macroinvertebrate and algal communities in the Powder River and Tongue River, Wyoming and Montana, 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, David A.; Hargett, Eric G.; Feldman, David L.

2011-01-01

Ongoing development of coalbed natural gas in the Powder River structural basin in Wyoming and Montana led to formation of an interagency aquatic task group to address concerns about the effects of the resulting production water on biological communities in streams of the area. Ecological assessments, made from 2005–08 under the direction of the task group, indicated biological condition of the macroinvertebrate and algal communities in the middle reaches of the Powder was lower than in the upper or lower reaches. On the basis of the 2005–08 results, sampling of the macroinvertebrate and algae communities was conducted at 18 sites on the mainstem Powder River and 6 sites on the mainstem Tongue River in 2010. Sampling-site locations were selected on a paired approach, with sites located upstream and downstream of discharge points and tributaries associated with coalbed natural gas development. Differences in biological condition among site pairs were evaluated graphically and statistically using multiple lines of evidence that included macroinvertebrate and algal community metrics (such as taxa richness, relative abundance, functional feeding groups, and tolerance) and output from observed/expected (O/E) macroinvertebrate models from Wyoming and Montana. Multiple lines of evidence indicated a decline in biological condition in the middle reaches of the Powder River, potentially indicating cumulative effects from coalbed natural gas discharges within one or more reaches between Flying E Creek and Wild Horse Creek in Wyoming. The maximum concentrations of alkalinity in the Powder River also occurred in the middle reaches. Biological condition in the upper and lower reaches of the Powder River was variable, with declines between some site pairs, such as upstream and downstream of Dry Fork and Willow Creek, and increases at others, such as upstream and downstream of Beaver Creek. Biological condition at site pairs on the Tongue River showed an increase in one case

Biological structure and dynamics of fish assemblages in tributaries of eastern Lake Ontario

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKenna, James E.; Munawar, M.

2003-01-01

Interest in effective management of Great Lakes natural resources and restoration of native populations has stimulated interest in the conditions and ecological role of tributaries in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Rivers of Lake Ontario's eastern basin provide an excellent opportunity to examine important tributaries and their relationship to Lake Ontario. This paper reports on the results of an investigation of fish assemblage structure in lower reaches of the Salmon and Oswego Rivers and at their interfaces with Lake Ontario. These two systems represent conditions near the end points on a continuum from highly disturbed to pristine. They are also of great interest to resource managers for their important fisheries and other economic values. The objective was to identify distinct fish assemblages within these systems and relate their characteristics to biotic and abiotic conditions in an attempt to determine factors responsible for structuring and maintaining those species assemblages. This information is intended to provide baseline information for monitoring the status of these rivers and coastal systems and to aid in the development of models of ecological health.

Differences in utilisation of gastroprotective drugs between 2001 and 2005 in Australia and Nova Scotia, Canada.

PubMed

Tett, Susan E; Sketris, Ingrid; Cooke, Charmaine; van Zanten, Sander Veldhuyzen; Barozzi, Nadia

2013-07-01

This study aimed to compare use of histamine H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), 2001-2005, in the elderly and social security beneficiaries in Australia (AUS) and Nova Scotia, Canada (NS). Prescription dispensing data were collected for all subsidised H2RAs and PPIs. In AUS, dispensing data for concession beneficiaries were obtained from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme database. In NS, data were sourced from the Pharmacare database. Relevant population data were used to convert to World Health Organisation Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical defined daily doses (2005) per 1000 beneficiaries per day (DDD/1000/day). Overall use of gastroprotective agents was similar and rising in NS and AUS (100-160 DDD/1000/day) over this 5-year time window. However, the proportion of this use accounted for by PPIs was far higher in AUS (over 85% by 2005) than in NS (23% rising to 35% over the 5 years). In AUS, PPI use rose from 50 to about 140 DDD/1000/day over the 5 years, whereas PPI use in NS rose slowly to less than 60 DDD/1000/day by 2005. H2RA use in NS was always high (over 100 DDD/1000/day), whereas in AUS, H2RA use fell from 54 to around 24 DDD/1000/day over this period. AUS had much higher use of PPIs than NS over 2001-2005. The proportion of PPIs in all gastroprotective agents rose in AUS to be nearly 90%. The differences in utilisation during this time window could lead to differences in health outcomes from either lower gastro-intestinal bleeding risk or higher long-term adverse effects of PPIs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Bedload transport in a river confluence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Vide, J. P.; Plana-Casado, A.; Sambola, A.; Capapé, S.

2015-12-01

The confluence of the regulated Toltén River and its tributary the unregulated Allipén (south of Chile) has proved dynamic in the last decade. Daily bedload measurements with a Helley-Smith sampler, bed surveys, and grain-size distributions of the two rivers are obtained from a field campaign that lasts 3 months in high-flow season. The goals are to quantify total bedload and to understand the balance between tributary and main river and the bedload distribution in space and texture. The bedload transport varies 200-fold, with a maximum of 5000 t/day. The discharge varies five-fold, with a maximum of 900 m3/s. Two-thirds of the total bedload volume are transported through the deeper area of the cross section and gravel is predominant (64%). Average bedload volumes in the confluence seem unbalanced in favour of the tributary. Main river bedload transport is predominantly at below-capacity conditions, while the tributary bedload transport is at-capacity conditions. This is deemed the main reason of inaccuracy of the bedload predictors. The roles of entrainment into suspension, helical flow, partial transport, and mobile armour are discussed.

Occurrence of Selected Pharmaceuticals, Personal-Care Products, Organic Wastewater Compounds, and Pesticides in the Lower Tallapoosa River Watershed near Montgomery, Alabama, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oblinger, Carolyn J.; Gill, Amy C.; McPherson, Ann K.; Meyer, Michael T.; Furlong, Edward T.

2007-01-01

Synthetic and natural organic compounds derived from agricultural operations, residential development, and treated and untreated sanitary and industrial wastewater discharges can contribute contaminants to surface and ground waters. To determine the occurrence of these compounds in the lower Tallapoosa River watershed, Alabama, new laboratory methods were used that can detect human and veterinary antibiotics; pharmaceuticals; and compounds found in personal-care products, food additives, detergents and their metabolites, plasticizers, and other industrial and household products in the environment. Well-established methods for detecting 47 pesticides and 19 pesticide degradates also were used. In all, 186 different compounds were analyzed by using four analytical methods. The lower Tallapoosa River serves as the water-supply source for more than 100,000 customers of the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board. Source-water protection is a high priority for the Board, which is responsible for providing safe drinking water. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board, conducted this study to provide baseline data that could be used to assess the effects of agriculture and residential development on the occurrence of selected organic compounds in the lower Tallapoosa River watershed. Twenty samples were collected at 10 sites on the Tallapoosa River and its tributaries. Ten samples were collected in April 2005 during high base streamflow, and 10 samples were collected in October 2005 when base streamflow was low. Thirty-two of 186 compounds were detected in the lower Tallapoosa River watershed. Thirteen compounds, including atrazine, 2-chloro-4-isopropylamino-6-amino-s-triazine (CIAT), hexazinone, metalaxyl, metolachlor, prometryn, prometon, simazine, azithromycin, oxytetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and tylosin, had measurable concentrations above their laboratory reporting levels

Multidecadal increases in the Yukon River Basin of chemical fluxes as indicators of changing flowpaths, groundwater, and permafrost

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toohey, Ryan C; Herman-Mercer, Nicole M.; Schuster, Paul F.; Mutter, Edda A.; Koch, Joshua C.

2016-01-01

The Yukon River Basin, underlain by discontinuous permafrost, has experienced a warming climate over the last century that has altered air temperature, precipitation, and permafrost. We investigated a water chemistry database from 1982 to 2014 for the Yukon River and its major tributary, the Tanana River. Significant increases of Ca, Mg, and Na annual flux were found in both rivers. Additionally, SO4 and P annual flux increased in the Yukon River. No annual trends were observed for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from 2001 to 2014. In the Yukon River, Mg and SO4 flux increased throughout the year, while some of the most positive trends for Ca, Mg, Na, SO4, and P flux occurred during the fall and winter months. Both rivers exhibited positive monthly DOC flux trends for summer (Yukon River) and winter (Tanana River). These trends suggest increased active layer expansion, weathering, and sulfide oxidation due to permafrost degradation throughout the Yukon River Basin.

Simulation of the Effects of Water Withdrawals, Wastewater Return Flows, and Land-Use Change on Streamflow in the Blackstone River Basin, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barbaro, Jeffrey R.

2007-01-01

Streamflow in many parts of the Blackstone River Basin in south-central Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island is altered by water-supply withdrawals, wastewater-return flows, and land-use change associated with a growing population. Simulations from a previously developed and calibrated Hydrological Simulation Program?FORTRAN (HSPF) precipitation-runoff model for the basin were used to evaluate the effects of water withdrawals, wastewater-return flows, and land-use change on streamflow. Most of the simulations were done for recent (1996?2001) conditions and potential buildout conditions in the future when all available land is developed to provide a long-range assessment of the effects of possible future human activities on water resources in the basin. The effects of land-use change were evaluated by comparing the results of long-term (1960?2004) simulations with (1) undeveloped land use, (2) 1995?1999 land use, and (3) potential buildout land use at selected sites across the basin. Flow-duration curves for these land-use scenarios were similar, indicating that land-use change, as represented in the HSPF model, had little effect on flow in the major tributary streams and rivers in the basin. However, land-use change?particularly increased effective impervious area?could potentially have greater effects on the hydrology, water quality, and aquatic habitat of the smaller streams in the basin. The effects of water withdrawals and wastewater-return flows were evaluated by comparing the results of long-term simulations with (1) no withdrawals and return flows, (2) actual (measured) 1996?2001 withdrawals and wastewater-return flows, and (3) potential withdrawals and wastewater-return flows at buildout. Overall, the results indicated that water use had a much larger effect on streamflow than did land use, and that the location and magnitude of wastewater-return flows were important for lessening the effects of withdrawals on streamflow in the Blackstone River Basin

Evaluate Status of Pacific Lamprey in the Clearwater River Drainage, Idaho, Annual Report 2002.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochnauer, Tim; Claire, Christopher

In 2002 Idaho Department of Fish and Game continued investigation into the status of Pacific lamprey populations in Idaho's Clearwater River drainage. Trapping, electrofishing, and spawning ground redd surveys were used to determine Pacific lamprey distribution, life history strategies, and habitat requirements in the South Fork Clearwater River, Lochsa River, Selway River, and Middle Fork Clearwater River subbasins. Five-hundred forty-one ammocoetes were captured electroshocking 70 sites in the South Fork Clearwater River, Lochsa River, Selway River, Middle Fork Clearwater River, Clearwater River, and their tributaries in 2002. Habitat utilization surveys in Red River support previous work indicating Pacific lamprey ammocoetemore » densities are greater in lateral scour pool habitats compared to riffles and rapids. Presence-absence survey findings in 2002 augmented 2000 and 2001 indicating Pacific lamprey macrothalmia and ammocoetes are not numerous or widely distributed. Pacific lamprey distribution was confined to the lower reaches of Red River below rkm 8.0, the South Fork Clearwater River, Lochsa River (Ginger Creek to mouth), Selway River (Race Creek to mouth), Middle Fork Clearwater River, and the Clearwater River (downstream to Potlatch River).« less

Influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors at the bottom sediments in a Doce River tributary in Brazil.

PubMed

Dos Reis, Deyse Almeida; da Fonseca Santiago, Aníbal; Nascimento, Laura Pereira; Roeser, Hubert Mathias Peter

2017-03-01

In developing countries, it is uncommon to find watersheds that have been the object of detailed environmental studies. It makes the assessment of the magnitude of environmental impacts and pollution of these sites difficult. This research demonstrated ways to understand the dynamics of river bottom sediments contamination, even for watersheds with a lack of environmental data. Based on geochemical affinity, we conducted a comprehensive study on the concentration of metals and metalloids. Then, we discussed the probable origin of the concentration of these elements at the bottom sediment along the Matipó River. The Matipó River is an important tributary of the Doce River, which stood out in international headlines because of the mining tailing dam disaster in Mariana, Minas Gerais, in 2015. The bottom sediment samples were taken in 25 stations located along the basin in different seasonal periods. The results showed that copper ([Formula: see text] = 464.7 mg kg -1 ) and zinc ([Formula: see text] = 287.7 mg kg -1 ) probably have natural origin, despite of the high concentrations. Lead ([Formula: see text] = 28.0 mg kg -1 ), chromium ([Formula: see text] = 153.2 mg kg -1 ), and nickel ([Formula: see text] = 41.8 mg kg -1 ) also had high concentrations at some collecting stations, and this probably reflected the local natural conditions. The bedrock of the studying basin is dominantly composed of metabasalts and metatonalites interlayered with calcitic and dolomitic metalimestone. On the other hand, the concentration was worrisome in stations near human activities, possibly due to impacts caused by unsustainably agriculture and livestock.

Isotopic fingerprint of the middle Olt River basin, Romania.

PubMed

Popescu, Raluca; Costinel, Diana; Ionete, Roxana Elena; Axente, Damian

2014-01-01

One of the most important tributaries of the Danube River in Romania, the Olt River, was characterized in its middle catchment in terms of the isotopic composition using continuous flow-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS). Throughout a period of 10 months, from November 2010 to August 2011, water samples from the Olt River and its more important tributaries were collected in order to investigate the seasonal and spatial isotope patterns of the basin waters. The results revealed a significant difference between the Olt River and its tributaries, by the fact that the Olt River waters show smaller seasonal variations in the stable isotopic composition and are more depleted in (18)O and (2)H. The waters present an overall enrichment in heavy isotopes during the warm seasons.

Internet cigarette purchasing among 9th grade students in western New York: 2000-2001 vs. 2004-2005.

PubMed

Fix, Brian V; Zambon, Margaret; Higbee, Cheryl; Cummings, K Michael; Alford, Terry; Hyland, Andrew

2006-09-01

To assess trends and correlates of youth cigarette purchasing behavior on the Internet. In 2000-2001, Roswell Park Cancer Institute conducted a survey asking 7,019 ninth grade students in Erie and Niagara Counties in New York State about their tobacco use and purchasing habits, including use of the Internet to buy cigarettes. The 2004-2005 survey is a replication of the 2000-2001 survey. Both surveys used an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey. These data were combined in order to examine trends in youth smoking behavior. Students surveyed in 2004-2005 were 2.6 times more likely (95% CI: 1.5, 4.6) to have purchased cigarettes over the Internet in the 30 days prior to the survey than those surveyed in 2001 (5.2% to 1.6%); however, the intention to use the Internet as a cigarette source in the future did not change between survey periods. Youth online cigarette purchasing has increased but intention to use the Internet to purchase cigarettes in the future has remained the same, suggesting that this trend may be reaching a plateau. Recent public efforts to reduce online cigarette sales will need to be evaluated in order to determine which policy or combination of policies are most effective.

Shoals and valley plugs in the Hatchie River watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Diehl, Timothy H.

2000-01-01

Agricultural land use and gully erosion have historically contributed more sediment to the streams of the Hatchie River watershed than those streams can carry. In 1970, the main sedimentation problem in the watershed occurred in the tributary flood plains. This problem motivated channelization projects (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1970). By the mid-1980's, concern had shifted to sedimentation in the Hatchie River itself where channelized tributaries were understood to contribute much of the sediment. The Soil Conservation Service [Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) since 1996] estimated that 640,000 tons of bedload (sand) accumulates in the Hatchie River each year and identified roughly the eastern two-thirds of the watershed, where loess is thin or absent, as the main source of sand (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1986a). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the West Tennessee River Basin Authority (WTRBA), conducted a study of sediment accumulation in the Hatchie River and its tributaries. This report identifies the types of tributaries and evaluates sediment, shoal formation, and valley-plug problems. The results presented here may contribute to a better understanding of similar problems in West Tennessee and the rest of the southeastern coastal plain. This information also will help the WTRBA manage sedimentation and erosion problems in the Hatchie River watershed.The source of the Mississippi section of the Hatchie River is in the sand hills southwest of Corinth, Mississippi (fig. 1). This section of the Hatchie River flows northward in an artificial drainage canal, gathering water from tributary streams that also are channelized. The drainage canal ends 2 miles south of the Tennessee State line. The Tennessee section of the Hatchie River winds north and west in a meandering natural channel to the Mississippi River. Although most of the Hatchie River tributaries are also drainage canals, the river's main stem has kept most of

Changes in sediment-associated trace element concentrations in the Seine river basin (1994-2001)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meybeck, Michel; Horowitz, A.J.; Grosbois, C.; Gueguen, Y.; ,

2003-01-01

In the 1980's, based on the concentrations of particulate-associated Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn relative to very low natural background levels, the Seine River Basin was one of the most impacted in the world. Over the past 20 years, there has been a general decline in these elevated concentrations that parallels declines in Paris sewage sludge trace element levels. Within the basin, marked differences in spatial and temporal geochemical patterns have been observed: (1) between major tributaries, (2) between trace elements, and (3) with stream order and population density, all of which illustrate the complexity of the geochemical processes ongoing in the basin.

Community-level response of fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates to stream restoration in a third-order tributary of the Potomac River, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selego, Stephen M.; Rose, Charnee L.; Merovich, George T.; Welsh, Stuart A.; Anderson, James T.

2012-01-01

Natural stream channel design principles and riparian restoration practices were applied during spring 2010 to an agriculturally impaired reach of the Cacapon River, a tributary of the Potomac River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fishes were sampled from the restoration reach, two degraded control, and two natural reference reaches prior to, concurrently with, and following restoration (2009 through 2010). Collector filterers and scrapers replaced collector gatherers as the dominant macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups in the restoration reach. Before restoration, based on indices of biotic integrity (IBI), the restoration reach fish and macroinvertebrate communities closely resembled those sampled from the control reaches, and after restoration more closely resembled those from the reference reaches. Although the macroinvertebrate community responded more favorably than the fish community, both communities recovered quickly from the temporary impairment caused by the disturbance of restoration procedures and suggest rapid improvement in local ecological conditions.

Water quality and algal conditions in the North Umpqua River, Oregon, 1995-2007, and their response to Diamond Lake restoration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carpenter, Kurt D.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Jones, Mikeal E.

2014-01-01

This study also provided an opportunity to examine changes in stream conditions in the main stem North Umpqua River and its tributaries, which were previously sampled in July 1995. The 1995 study was designed to provide background data during relicensing of the upstream hydroelectric facilities, and was partly motivated by anecdotal concerns about increase periphyton growth and reduced water clarity. As part of the 2005–07 study associated with the Diamond Lake restoration project, we repeated the 1995 basinwide synoptic survey in 2005, before the rotenone treatment. Although both samplings were just a snapshot of conditions, these data were evaluated for possible changes between 1995 and 2005.

Concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the lower Puyallup and White rivers, Washington, August and September 2000 and 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ebbert, J.C.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, Washington State Department of Ecology, and Puyallup Tribe of Indians conducted a study in August and September 2001 to assess factors affecting concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the lower Puyallup and White Rivers, Washington. The study was initiated because observed concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the lower Puyallup River fell to levels ranging from less than 1 milligram per liter (mg/L) to about 6 mg/L on several occasions in September 2000. The water quality standard for the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the Puyallup River is 8 mg/L.This study concluded that inundation of the sensors with sediment was the most likely cause of the low concentrations of dissolved oxygen observed in September 2000. The conclusion was based on (1) knowledge gained when a dissolved-oxygen sensor became covered with sediment in August 2001, (2) the fact that, with few exceptions, concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the lower Puyallup and White Rivers did not fall below 8 mg/L in August and September 2001, and (3) an analysis of other mechanisms affecting concentrations of dissolved oxygen.The analysis of other mechanisms indicated that they are unlikely to cause steep declines in concentrations of dissolved oxygen like those observed in September 2000. Five-day biochemical oxygen demand ranged from 0.22 to 1.78 mg/L (mean of 0.55 mg/L), and river water takes only about 24 hours to flow through the study reach. Photosynthesis and respiration cause concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the lower Puyallup River to fluctuate as much as about 1 mg/L over a 24-hour period in August and September. Release of water from Lake Tapps for the purpose of hydropower generation often lowered concentrations of dissolved oxygen downstream in the White River by about 1 mg/L. The effect was smaller farther downstream in the Puyallup River at river mile 5.8, but was still observable as a slight decrease in concentrations of dissolved oxygen caused by

Predicting the occurrence of cold water patches at intermittent and ephemeral tributary confluences with warm rivers

EPA Science Inventory

Small, cold tributary streams can provide important thermal refuge habitat for cold-water fishes such as Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) residing in warm, downstream receiving waters. We investigated the potential function of small perennial and non-perennial tributary stream...

PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, OC pesticides and mercury in fish and osprey eggs from Willamette River, Oregon (1993, 2001 and 2006) with calculated biomagnification factors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Henny, C.J.; Kaiser, J.L.; Grove, R.A.

2009-01-01

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) population nesting along the main stem Willamette River and lower Santiam River was first studied to evaluate contaminants and reproductive rates in 1993 when 78 occupied nests were present. By 2001, the population increased to 234 occupied nests, a 13.7% annual rate of population increase. A sample egg was collected from each of a series of nests along the Upper River (river mile 55-187) in 1993, 2001 and 2006 to evaluate trends of persistent contaminants (organochlorine [OC] pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins [PCDDs], and polychlorinated dibenzofurans [PCDFs]). Nearly all OC pesticide residues decreased significantly, e.g., p, p?-DDE (DDE) from 2,350 to 1,353 to 210 ??g/kg wet weight (ww). PCBs followed a similar pattern over time, e.g., ???PCBs 688 to 245 to 182 ??g/kg ww, while PCDDs and PCDFs showed a more precipitous decline (often 85-95%) between 1993 and 2001, with no egg analyses warranted in 2006. During 2001-2002, sample osprey eggs were also collected from nests at three Headwater Reservoirs and two lower reaches (Newberg Pool and Tidal Portland) of the Willamette River, as well as the lower portion of the Santiam River to evaluate spatial residue patterns. Significant differences were seldom detected among the different sampling areas for OC pesticides (probably due to small sample sizes), although higher concentrations were often seen in the lower reaches, e.g., DDE 901 ??g/kg ww (Headwater Reservoirs), 1,353 (Upper River), 1,384 (Newberg Pool) and 2,676 (Tidal Portland). PCB congener concentrations in eggs were usually higher in the Tidal Portland reach than at other locations and often significantly higher than at the Headwater Reservoirs or Upper River. Mercury (first analyzed in eggs in 2001), PCDDs and PCDFs were extremely low in 2001/2002 with no significant spatial patterns. Whole fish composite samples of largescale sucker (Catastomus macrocheilus) and northern

Occurrence and trends in the concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria and the relation to field water-quality parameters in the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers and selected tributaries, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 2001–09

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fulton, John W.; Koerkle, Edward H.; McCoy, Jamie L.; Zarr, Linda F.

2016-01-21

A total of 1,742 water samples were collected at 52 main-stem and tributary sites. Quantifiable concentrations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) were reported in 1,667 samples, or 97.0 percent of 1,719 samples; concentrations in 853 samples (49.6 percent) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recreational water-quality criterion of 235 colonies per 100 milliliters (col/100 mL). Quantifiable concentrations of fecal coliform (FC) bacteria were reported in 1,693 samples, or 98.8 percent of 1,713 samples; concentrations in 780 samples (45.5 percent) exceeded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania water contact criterion of 400 col/100 mL. Quantifiable concentrations of enterococci bacteria were reported in 912 samples, or 87.5 percent of 1,042 samples; concentrations in 483 samples (46.4 percent) exceeded the EPA recreational water-quality criterion of 61 col/100 mL. The median percentage of samples in which bacteria concentrations exceeded recreational water-quality standards across all sites with five or more samples was 48 for E. coli, 43 for FC, and 75 for enterococci. E. coli, FC, and enterococci concentrations at main-stem sites had significant positive correlations with streamflow under all weather conditions, with rho values ranging from 0.203 to 0.598. Seasonal Kendall and logistic regression were evaluated to determine whether statistically significant trends were present during the period 2001–09. In general, Seasonal Kendall tests for trends in E. coli and FC bacteria were inconclusive. Results of logistic regression showed no significant trends in dry-weather exceedance of the standards; however, significant decreases in the likelihood that wet-weather E. coli and FC bacteria concentrations will exceed EPA recreational standards were found at the USGS streamgaging station Allegheny River at 9th Street Bridge. Nonparametric correlation analysis, including Spearman’s rho and the paired Prentice-Wilcoxon test, was used to screen for associations

Spatio-temporal variation analysis of hydrochemical characteristics in the Luanhe River Basin, China.

PubMed

Xie, Ying; Li, Xuyong; Wang, Huiliang; Li, Wenzan

2013-01-01

The analysis of river pollution and assessment of spatial and temporal variation in hydrochemistry are essential to river water pollution control in the context of rapid economic growth and growing pollution threats in China. In this study, we focused on hydrochemical characteristics of the Luanhe River Basin (China) and evaluation of 12 hydrochemical variables obtained from 32 monitoring stations during 2001-2010. In each study year, the streams were monitored in the three hydrological periods (April, August, and October) to observe differences in the impacts of agricultural activity and rainfall pattern. Multivariate statistical methods were applied to the data set, and the river water hydrochemical characteristics were assessed using the water quality identification index (WQIIM). The results showed that parameters had variable contribution to water quality status in different months except for ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) and total nitrogen (TN), which were the most important parameters in contributing to water quality variations for all three periods. Results of WQIIM revealed that 18 sites were classified as 'meeting standard' while the other 14 sites were classified as 'not meeting standard', with most of the seriously polluted sites located in urban area, mainly due to discharge of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources. Sites with low pollution level were located primarily in smaller tributaries, whereas sites of medium and high pollution levels were in the main river channel and the larger tributaries. Our findings provide valuable information and guidance for water pollution control and water resource management in the Luanhe River Basin.

HYPOXIA IN CHESAPEAKE BAY, 1950-2001: LONG-TERM CHANGE IN RELATION TO NUTRIENT LOADING AND RIVER FLOW

EPA Science Inventory

A 52-yr record of dissolved oxygen in Chesapeake Bay (1950 to 2001) and a record of nitrate (NO3^-) loading by the Susquehanna River spanning a longer period (1903, 1945 to 2001) were assembled to describe the long-term pattern of hypoxia and anoxia in Chesapeake Bay an...

The fluvial geochemistry of the rivers of Eastern Siberia: I. tributaries of the Lena River draining the sedimentary platform of the Siberian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huh, Youngsook; Tsoi, Mai-Yin; Zaitsev, Alexandr; Edmond, John M.

1998-05-01

The response of continental weathering rates to changing climate and atmospheric PCO 2 is of considerable importance both to the interpretation of the geological sedimentary record and to predictions of the effects of future anthropogenic influences. While comprehensive work on the controlling mechanisms of contemporary chemical and mechanical weathering has been carried out in the tropics and, to a lesser extent, in the strongly perturbed northern temperate latitudes, very little is known about the peri-glacial environments in the subarctic and arctic. Thus, the effects of climate, essentially temperature and runoff, on the rates of atmospheric CO 2 consumption by weathering are not well quantified at this climatic extreme. To remedy this lack a comprehensive survey has been carried out of the geochemistry of the large rivers of Eastern Siberia, the Lena, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma, Anadyr, and numerous lesser streams which drain a pristine, high-latitude region that has not experienced the pervasive effects of glaciation and subsequent anthropogenic impacts common to western Eurasia and North America. The scale of the terrain sampled, in terms of area, is comparable to that of the continental United States or the Amazon/Orinoco and includes a similarly diverse range of geologic and climatic environments. In this paper the chemical fluxes from the western region, the very large, ancient, and geologically stable sedimentary basin, Precambrian to Quaternary, of the Siberian Platform will be presented and compared to published results from analogous terrains in the tropical basins of China. While the range in the chemical signatures of the various tributaries included here (˜60 sampled) is large, this mainly reflects lithology rather than the weathering environment. The areal chemical fluxes are comparable to those of the Chinese rivers, being dominated by the dissolution of carbonates and evaporites. The net consumption of atmospheric CO 2 by aluminosilicate

[Hygienic evaluation of transboundary pollution of the Ural River basin].

PubMed

Iskakov, A Zh; Lestsova, N A; Zasorin, B V; Boev, M V

2009-01-01

The anthropogenic pollution of the Ural River and its tributaries is the most important problem of the Ural-Caspian basin. Transboundary inflow from Kazakhstan to Russian is 30.9 km3/year. The border Ilek river pollution was hygienically evaluated and the contribution of pollution sources was ascertained, with the seasonal variations and hydrochemical background being kept in mind, from 2002 to 2007. The monitoring data on the content of priority pollutants of the surface waters of the basin of the Ilek River, a tributary of the Ural River, which come from the Republic of Kazakhstan, are given. Semiquantitative spectral estimation and the atomic absorption method were used to study the chemical composition of bottom sediments in the Ilek River and its tributaries. The magnitude and sources of influence of man-caused pollution on the quality of the river water were established.

75 FR 51945 - Safety Zone; Potomac River, St. Mary's River, St. Inigoes, MD

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-24

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Potomac River, St. Mary's River, St. Inigoes, MD AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. ACTION... of the St. Mary's River, a tributary of the Potomac River. This action is necessary to provide for.... Navy helicopter located near St. Inigoes, Maryland. This safety zone is intended to protect the...

Major and Trace Element Fluxes to the Ganges River: Significance of Small Flood Plain Tributary as Non-Point Pollution Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakshmi, V.; Sen, I. S.; Mishra, G.

2017-12-01

There has been much discussion amongst biologists, ecologists, chemists, geologists, environmental firms, and science policy makers about the impact of human activities on river health. As a result, multiple river restoration projects are on going on many large river basins around the world. In the Indian subcontinent, the Ganges River is the focal point of all restoration actions as it provides food and water security to half a billion people. Serious concerns have been raised about the quality of Ganga water as toxic chemicals and many more enters the river system through point-sources such as direct wastewater discharge to rivers, or non-point-sources. Point source pollution can be easily identified and remedial actions can be taken; however, non-point pollution sources are harder to quantify and mitigate. A large non-point pollution source in the Indo-Gangetic floodplain is the network of small floodplain rivers. However, these rivers are rarely studied since they are small in catchment area ( 1000-10,000 km2) and discharge (<100 m3/s). As a result, the impact of these small floodplain rivers on the dissolved chemical load of large river systems is not constrained. To fill this knowledge gap we have monitored the Pandu River for one year between February 2015 and April 2016. Pandu river is 242 km long and is a right bank tributary of Ganges with a total catchment area of 1495 km2. Water samples were collected every month for dissolved major and trace elements. Here we show that the concentration of heavy metals in river Pandu is in higher range as compared to the world river average, and all the dissolved elements shows a large spatial-temporal variation. We show that the Pandu river exports 192170, 168517, 57802, 32769, 29663, 1043, 279, 241, 225, 162, 97, 28, 25, 22, 20, 8, 4 Kg/yr of Ca, Na, Mg, K, Si, Sr, Zn, B, Ba, Mn, Al, Li, Rb, Mo, U, Cu, and Sb, respectively, to the Ganga river, and the exported chemical flux effects the water chemistry of the Ganga

Analysis of Pulsed Flow Modification Alternatives, Lower Missouri River, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacobson, Robert B.

2008-01-01

The graphical, tabular, and statistical data presented in this report resulted from analysis of alternative flow regime designs considered by a group of Missouri River managers, stakeholders, and scientists during the summer of 2005. This plenary group was charged with designing a flow regime with increased spring flow pulses to support reproduction and survival of the endangered pallid sturgeon. Environmental flow components extracted from the reference natural flow regime were used to design and assess performance of alternative flow regimes. The analysis is based on modeled flow releases from Gavins Point Dam (near Yankton, South Dakota) for nine design alternatives and two reference scenarios; the reference scenarios are the run-of-the-river and the water-control plan implemented in 2004. The alternative designs were developed by the plenary group with the goal of providing pulsed spring flows, while retaining traditional social and economic uses of the river.

Colloid particle sizes in the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries, from Minneapolis to below New Orleans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rostad, C.E.; Rees, T.F.; Daniel, S.R.

1998-01-01

An on-board technique was developed that combined discharge-weighted pumping to a high-speed continuous-flow centrifuge for isolation of the particulate-sized material with ultrafiltration for isolation of colloid-sized material. In order to address whether these processes changed the particle sizes during isolation, samples of particles in suspension were collected at various steps in the isolation process to evaluate changes in particle size. Particle sizes were determined using laser light-scattering photon correlation spectroscopy and indicated no change in size during the colloid isolation process. Mississippi River colloid particle sizes from twelve sites from Minneapolis to below New Orleans were compared with sizes from four tributaries and three seasons, and from predominantly autochthonous sources upstream to more allochthonous sources downstream. ?? 1998 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Hydrologic, land cover and seasonal patterns of waterborne pathogens in great lakes tributaries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Great Lakes tributaries deliver waterborne pathogens from a host of sources. To examine the hydrologic, land cover, and seasonal variability of waterborne pathogens, protozoa (2), pathogenic bacteria (4) and human (8) and bovine (8) viruses from eight rivers were monitored in the Great Lakes watersh...

The effect of contaminated sediments on fecundity of the brown bullhead in three Lake Erie tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lesko, Lynn T.; Smith, Stephen B.; Blouin, Marc A.

1996-01-01

Female brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) were collected from three Lake Erie tributaries (Ohio) from 8 to 25 May 1989, to determine the effects of contaminated sediments on reproductive potentials. Fish obtained from the Black and Cuyahoga rivers, which contain sediments with elevated concentrations of metals, PCBs, and PAHs, were compared with fish collected in Mud Brook, a tributary of the Huron River, which was selected as our reference site. Fecundity, egg diameter, fish length and weight, and the presence of external abnormalities were recorded for each fish. Brown bullhead from the contaminated sites were larger then those from the reference site and fecundity was significantly (P < 0.05) different in all three river systems. Those from the most polluted river (Cuyahoga River) had the greatest number of eggs per individual female. The high frequency of external abnormalities observed on brown bullhead from the contaminated sites did not appear to have a detrimental influence on fecundity. These results suggest that fecundity of the brown bullhead was not adversely affected in ecosystems altered by the presence of contaminated sediments. Increased fecundity of the brown bullhead from impacted rivers may be the result of reduced competition for an abundant invertebrate food source and limited predation by other fish species whose numbers are largely depleted in these degraded systems.

Investigations into the Early Life-history of Naturally Produced Spring Chinook Salmon and Summer Steelhead in the Grande Ronde River Basin, Annual Report 2001.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reischauer, Alyssa; Monzyk, Frederick; Van Dyke, Erick

2003-06-01

We determined migration timing and abundance of juvenile spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and juvenile steelhead/rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss using rotary screw traps on four streams in the Grande Ronde River basin during the 2001 migratory year (MY 2001) from 1 July 2000 through 30 June 2001. Based on migration timing and abundance, two distinct life-history strategies of juvenile spring chinook and O. mykiss could be distinguished. An 'early' migrant group left upper rearing areas from 1 July 2000 through 29 January 2001 with a peak in the fall. A 'late' migrant group descended from upper rearing areas from 30more » January 2001 through 30 June 2001 with a peak in the spring. The migrant population of juvenile spring chinook salmon in the upper Grande Ronde River in MY 2001 was very low in comparison to previous migratory years. We estimated 51 juvenile spring chinook migrated out of upper rearing areas with approximately 12% of the migrant population leaving as early migrants to overwinter downstream. In the same migratory year, we estimated 16,067 O. mykiss migrants left upper rearing areas with approximately 4% of these fish descending the upper Grande Ronde River as early migrants. At the Catherine Creek trap, we estimated 21,937 juvenile spring chinook migrants in MY 2001. Of these migrants, 87% left upper rearing areas early to overwinter downstream. We also estimated 20,586 O. mykiss migrants in Catherine Creek with 44% leaving upper rearing areas early to overwinter downstream. At the Lostine River trap, we estimated 13,610 juvenile spring chinook migrated out of upper rearing areas with approximately 77% migrating early. We estimated 16,690 O. mykiss migrated out of the Lostine River with approximately 46% descending the river as early migrants. At the Minam River trap, we estimated 28,209 juvenile spring chinook migrated out of the river with 36% migrating early. During the same period, we estimated 28,113 O. mykiss with

Community-level response of fishes and aquatic macroinvertebrates to stream restoration in a third-order tributary of the Potomac River, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selego, S.M.; Rose, C.L.; Merovich, G.T.; Welsh, S.A.; Anderson, James T.

2012-01-01

Natural stream channel design principles and riparian restoration practices were applied during spring 2010 to an agriculturally impaired reach of the Cacapon River, a tributary of the Potomac River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fishes were sampled from the restoration reach, two degraded control, and two natural reference reaches prior to, concurrently with, and following restoration (2009 through 2010). Collector filterers and scrapers replaced collector gatherers as the dominant macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups in the restoration reach. Before restoration, based on indices of biotic integrity (IBI), the restoration reach fish and macroinvertebrate communities closely resembled those sampled from the control reaches, and after restoration more closely resembled those from the reference reaches. Although the macroinvertebrate community responded more favorably than the fish community, both communities recovered quickly from the temporary impairment caused by the disturbance of restoration procedures and suggest rapid improvement in local ecological conditions. Copyright ?? 2012 Stephen M. Selego et al.

The Upper Mississippi River System—Topobathy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stone, Jayme M.; Hanson, Jenny L.; Sattler, Stephanie R.

2017-03-23

The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), the navigable part of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, is a diverse ecosystem that contains river channels, tributaries, shallow-water wetlands, backwater lakes, and flood-plain forests. Approximately 10,000 years of geologic and hydrographic history exist within the UMRS. Because it maintains crucial wildlife and fish habitats, the dynamic ecosystems of the Upper Mississippi River Basin and its tributaries are contingent on the adjacent flood plains and water-level fluctuations of the Mississippi River. Separate data for flood-plain elevation (lidar) and riverbed elevation (bathymetry) were collected on the UMRS by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program. Using the two elevation datasets, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) developed a systemic topobathy dataset.

Concentrations of organic contaminants detected during managed flow conditions, San Joaquin River and Old River, California, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orlando, James L.; Kuivila, Kathryn

2005-01-01

Concentrations of organic contaminants were determined in water samples collected at six surface-water sites located along the San Joaquin and Old Rivers during April through June 2001. Water samples were collected, coincident with salmon smolt caging studies conducted by researchers from the Bodega Marine Laboratory at the University of California at Davis to characterize exposure of the salmon smolt to organic contaminants. Sampling occurred prior to, during, and following the implementation of managed streamflow conditions on the San Joaquin and Old Rivers as part of the Vernalis Adaptive Management Plan. Thirteen pesticides were detected in water samples collected during this study, and at least five pesticides were detected in each sample. The total number of pesticide detections varied little between river systems and between sites, but the maximum concentrations of most pesticides occurred in San Joaquin River samples. The total number of pesticides detected varied little over the three time periods. However, during the period of managed streamflow, the fewest number of pesticides were detected at their absolute maximum concentration. Nine wastewater compounds were detected during this study. Suspended-sediment concentrations were similar for the San Joaquin and Old Rivers except during the period of managed streamflow conditions, when suspended-sediment concentration was higher at sites on the San Joaquin River than at sites on the Old River. Values for water parameters (pH, specific conductance, and hardness) were lowest during the period of managed flows.

Distribution and abundance of burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) in Lake Erie, 1997-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krieger, K.A.; Bur, M.T.; Ciborowski, J.J.H.; Barton, D.R.; Schloesser, D.W.

2007-01-01

Burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia limbata and H. rigida) recolonized sediments of the western basin of Lake Erie in the 1990s following decades of pollution abatement. We predicted that Hexageniawould also disperse eastward or expand from existing localized populations and colonize large regions of the other basins. We sampled zoobenthos in parts of the western and central basins yearly from 1997–2005, along the north shore of the eastern basin in 2001–2002, and throughout the lake in 2004. In the island area of the western basin, Hexagenia was present at densities ≤1,278 nymphs/m2and exhibited higher densities in odd years than even years. By contrast, Hexagenia became more widespread in the central basin from 1997–2000 at densities ≤48 nymphs/m2 but was mostly absent from 2001–2005. Nymphs were found along an eastern basin transect at densities ≤382/m2 in 2001 and 2002. During the 2004 lake-wide survey, Hexagenia was found at 63 of 89 stations situated throughout the western basin (≤1,636 nymphs/m2, mean = 195 nymphs/m2, SE = 32, N = 89) but at only 7 of 112 central basin stations, all near the western edge of the basin (≤708 nymphs/m2), and was not found in the eastern basin. Hexagenia was found at 2 of 62 stations (≤91 nymphs/m2) in harbors, marinas, and tributaries along the south shore of the central basin in 2005. Oxygen depletion at the sediment-water interface and cool temperatures in the hypolimnion are probably the primary factors preventing successful establishment throughout much of the central basin. Hexagenia can be a useful indicator of lake quality where its distribution and abundance are limited by anthropogenic causes.

[Studies on the water quality of the river Po and its tributaries between Monte Cremona and Casalmaggiore. II. Period 1971-2].

PubMed

Bellelli, E; Bracchi, U; Sansebastiano, G

1976-01-01

The results relating to the research carried out on the river Po upstream and downstream Cremona town, at Casalmaggiore and at the mouths of the right side tributaries Arda-Ongina and Taro in the period 1971-72 are reported in the present note. The samplings took place once every month and on the same day flow measurements were effected by the Magistracy of the river Po in the five stations. The results of this first series of sampling have shown a good stability of the water quality of the river Po, in the different seasons and in the different hydrological conditions. No significative differences were poi nted out for the most part of the determined parameters between the stations upstream and downstream Cremona and Casalmaggiore, except the turbid load (turbidity, suspended matter at 105 degrees C, setteable solids) which presented at Casalmaggiore an average value absolutely higher than the calculated one which was achieved considering concentrations and river flow at Cremona and at the mouths of Arda-Ongina and Taro. With few exceptions the water quality keeps a good level for fish life and its actual pollution degree let us think it possible to improve the situation in a short time. Only microbiological parameters are excepted, as they exceed the proposed limits for recreation and bathing uses (W.Q.C.).

Restore McComas Meadows; Meadow Creek Watershed, 2004-2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McRoberts, Heidi

2005-12-01

The Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resource Management, Watershed Division approaches watershed restoration with a ridge-top to ridge-top approach. Watershed restoration projects within the Meadow Creek watershed are coordinated and cost shared with the Nez Perce National Forest. The Nez Perce Tribe began watershed restoration projects within the Meadow Creek watershed of the South Fork Clearwater River in 1996. Progress has been made in restoring the watershed by excluding cattle from critical riparian areas through fencing, planting trees in riparian areas within the meadow and its tributaries, prioritizing culverts for replacement to accommodate fish passage, and decommissioning roads tomore » reduce sediment input. During this contract period, bids were solicited and awarded for two culvert replacement projects on Doe Creek, and a tributary to Meadow Creek. Additionally, NEPA and permits were completed for the ditch restoration project within McComas Meadows. Due to delays in cultural resource surveys, the contract was not awarded for the performance of the ditch restoration. It will occur in 2005. Monitoring for project effectiveness and trends in watershed conditions was also completed. Road decommissioning monitoring, as well as stream temperature, sediment, and discharge were completed.« less

Discrete Organic Phosphorus Signatures are Evident in Pollutant Sources within a Lake Erie Tributary.

PubMed

Brooker, M R; Longnecker, K; Kujawinski, E B; Evert, M H; Mouser, P J

2018-06-19

Phosphorus loads are strongly associated with the severity of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, a Great Lake situated between the United States and Canada. Inorganic and total phosphorus measurements have historically been used to estimate nonpoint and point source contributions, from contributing watersheds with organic phosphorus often neglected. Here, we used ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry to characterize the dissolved organic matter and specifically dissolved organic phosphorus composition of several nutrient pollutant source materials and aqueous samples in a Lake Erie tributary. We detected between 23 and 313 organic phosphorus formulas across our samples, with manure samples having greater abundance of phosphorus- and nitrogen containing compounds compared to other samples. Manures also were enriched in lipids and protein-like compounds. The greatest similarities were observed between the Sandusky River and wastewater treatment plant effluent (WWTP), or the Sandusky River and agricultural edge of field samples. These sample pairs shared 84% of organic compounds and 59-73% of P-containing organic compounds, respectively. This similarity suggests that agricultural and/or WWTP sources dominate the supply of organic phosphorus compounds to the river. We identify formulas shared between the river and pollutant sources that could serve as possible markers of source contamination in the tributary.

Glider accidents: an analysis of 143 cases, 2001-2005.

PubMed

van Doorn, Robert R A; de Voogt, Alexander J

2007-01-01

The majority of aviation crashes and casualties take place in general and sport aviation. Although gliding has gained popularity in recent decades, we could find no systematic analysis of glider accidents. This study determined factors associated with both non-fatal and fatal glider accidents to document their position within sport and general aviation accidents, and to suggest preventive measures and improvements. We performed a retrospective review of glider accidents for the period 2001-2005 in the database maintained by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). A total of 117 non-fatal and 26 fatal glider accidents were reported for the 5-yr period. Adverse weather was the cause in 20% of all non-fatal accidents, 60% of which occurred in the cruise phase. Logistic regression revealed that fatal accidents were predicted by pilot error, flight phase, and home-built aircraft. Factors contributing to glider crashes are specific to this type of sport aviation. Owners of home-built gliders should pay particular attention to the aircraft's specifications and design limits.

76 FR 8345 - Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plan Module for Columbia River Estuary Salmon and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-14

..., 6:30-8:30 p.m. Vancouver, WA, January 31, 2008, at the Water Resources Education Center, 6:30-8:30 p... influenced by Columbia River tributary/ mainstem water withdrawals and other water management actions in... River tributary/ mainstem water withdrawals and other water management actions in tributaries. Flow...

Nitrogen attenuation in the Connecticut River, northeastern USA; a comparison of mass balance and N2 production modeling approaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, T.E.; Laursen, A.E.; Deacon, J.R.

2008-01-01

Two methods were used to measure in-stream nitrogen loss in the Connecticut River during studies conducted in April and August 2005. A mass balance on nitrogen inputs and output for two study reaches (55 and 66 km), at spring high flow and at summer low flow, was computed on the basis of total nitrogen concentrations and measured river discharges in the Connecticut River and its tributaries. In a 10.3 km subreach of the northern 66 km reach, concentrations of dissolved N2 were also measured during summer low flow and compared to modeled N2 concentrations (based on temperature and atmospheric gas exchange rates) to determine the measured "excess" N2 that indicates denitrification. Mass balance results showed no in-stream nitrogen loss in either reach during April 2005, and no nitrogen loss in the southern 55 km study reach during August 2005. In the northern 66 km reach during August 2005, however, nitrogen output was 18% less than the total nitrogen inputs to the reach. N2 sampling results gave an estimated rate of N2 production that would remove 3.3% of the nitrogen load in the river over the 10.3 km northern sub-reach. The nitrogen losses measured in the northern reach in August 2005 may represent an approximate upper limit for nitrogen attenuation in the Connecticut River because denitrification processes are most active during warm summer temperatures and because the study was performed during the annual low-flow period when total nitrogen loads are small. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Upstream migration of Pacific lampreys in the John Day River, Oregon: Behavior, timing, and habitat use

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, T. Craig; Bayer, J.M.

2005-01-01

Adult Pacific lamprey migration and habitat preferences for over-winter holding and spawning, and larval rearing in tributaries to the Columbia River are not well understood. The John Day River is one such tributary where larval and adult stages of this species have been documented, and its free-flowing character provided the opportunity to study migration of Pacific lampreys unimpeded by passage constraints. Forty-two adult Pacific lampreys were captured in the John Day River near its mouth during their upstream migration. Pacific lampreys were surgically implanted with radio transmitters and released onsite, and tracked by fixed-site, aerial, and terrestrial telemetry methods for nearly one year. Adults moved upstream exclusively at night, with a mean rate of 11.1 ?? 6.3 km/day. They halted upstream migration by September, and held a single position for approximately six months in the lateral margins of riffles and glides, using boulders for cover. More than half of Pacific lampreys resumed migration in March before ending movement in early May. Pacific lampreys that resumed migration in spring completed a median of 87% of their upstream migration before over-winter holding. Upon completing migration. Pacific lampreys briefly held position before beginning downstream movement at the end of May. Though not directly observed, halting migration and movement downstream were likely the result of spawning and death. Gains in adult Pacific lamprey passage through the Columbia River hydrosystem and tributaries may be made by improvements that would expedite migration during spring and summer and increase the quantity and variety of cover and refuge opportunities. ?? 2005 by the Northwest Scientific Association. All rights reserved.

The spatiotemporal distribution of dissolved carbon in the main stems and their tributaries along the lower reaches of Heilongjiang River Basin, Northeast China.

PubMed

Wang, Lili; Song, Changchun; Guo, Yuedong

2016-01-01

The Heilongjiang River Basin in the eastern Siberia, one of the largest river basins draining to the North Pacific Ocean, is a border river between China, Mongolia, and Russia. In this study, we examined the spatial and seasonal variability in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and dissolved total carbon (DTC) concentrations along lower reaches of Heilongjiang River Basin, China. Water samples were collected monthly along the mouths of main rivers (Heilongjiang River, Wusuli River, and Songhua River) and their ten tributary waters for 2 years. The DOC concentrations of waters ranged from 1.74 to 16.64 mg/L, with a mean value of 8.90 ± 0.27 mg/L (n = 165). Notably, mean DIC concentrations were 9.08 ± 0.31 mg/L, accounting for 13.26∼83.27% of DTC. DIC concentrations increased significantly after the Heilongjiang River passed through Northeast China, while DOC concentrations decreased. Over 50% of DIC concentrations were decreased during exports from groundwater to rice fields and from rice fields to ditches. Water dissolved carbon showed large spatial and temporal variations during the 2-year measurement, suggesting that more frequently samplings were required. Carbon (DIC + DOC) loads from the Heilongjiang River to the Sea of Okhotsk were estimated to be 3.26 Tg C/year in this study, accounting for 0.64% of the global water dissolved carbon flux. DIC export contributed an average of 51.84% of the estimated carbon load in the Heilongjiang River, acting as an important carbon component during riverine transport. Our study could provide some guides on agricultural water management and contribute to more accurately estimate global carbon budgets.

Characterization of dissolved organic matter in drinking water sources impacted by multiple tributaries.

PubMed

Rosario-Ortiz, Fernando L; Snyder, Shane A; Suffet, I H

2007-10-01

The characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in drinking water sources is important as this material contributes to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) and affects how water treatment unit operations are optimized. Drinking water utilities often draw water from sources impacted by multiple tributaries, with possible shifts in DOM concentrations and reactivity over time, depending on specific environmental conditions. In this study, results are presented on the characterization of DOM under varying ambient conditions from the four main tributaries of Lake Mead, a large reservoir in the southwest United States. The tributaries include the Las Vegas Wash (LVW), Muddy River (MR), Virgin River (VR) and the upper Colorado River (UCR). One additional sample was collected at the outflow of the reservoir (lower Colorado River (LCR)). The DOM was characterized by both bulk parameters (specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA)) and specific physicochemical properties, i.e. size, polarity and fluorescence. The analyses were performed emphasizing limited changes in its natural configuration by eliminating analytical preparation steps, excluding sample filtration (0.45 microm filter). Results indicate that each tributary had a different molecular weight distribution, as well as fluorescence properties, which helped in the identification of the relative source of DOM (allochthonous versus autochthonous). The largest apparent molecular weight distribution was observed for DOM samples collected at the MR site, which is fed mostly by groundwater seepage. The smallest apparent molecular weight was observed for DOM collected at the LCR site, suggesting that retention in the reservoir resulted in a decrease in molecular weight as a probable result of photo oxidation and microbial processes. Fluorescence analysis aided the differentiation of DOM by clearly identifying waters that were affected by microbial activity (LVW, UCR, and LCR), either by wastewater influence

New Techniques for Real-Time Stage Forecasting for Tributaries in the Nashville Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charley, W.; Moran, B.; LaRosa, J.

2011-12-01

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, heavy rain began falling in the Cumberland River Valley, Tennessee, and continued through the following day. 13.5 inches was measured at Nashville, an unprecedented amount that doubled the previous 2-day record, and exceeded the May monthly total record of 11 inches. Elsewhere in the valley, amounts of over 19 inches were measured. This intensity of rainfall quickly overwhelmed tributaries to the Cumberland in the Nashville area, causing wide-spread and serious flooding. Tractor-trailers and houses were seen floating down Mill Creek, a primary tributary in the south eastern area of Nashville. Twenty-six people died and over 2 billion dollars in damage occurred as a result of the flood. Since that time, several other significant rainfall events have occurred in the area. As a result of the flood, agencies in the Nashville area want better capabilities to forecast stages for the local tributaries. Better stage forecasting will help local agencies close roads, evacuate homes and businesses and similar actions. An interagency group, consisting of Metro Nashville Water Services and Office of Emergency Management, the National Weather Service, the US Geological Survey and the US Army Corps of Engineers, has been established to seek ways to better forecast short-term events in the region. It should be noted that the National Weather Service has the official responsibility of forecasting stages. This paper examines techniques and algorithms that are being developed to meet this need and the practical aspects of integrating them into a usable product that can quickly and accurately forecast stages in the short-time frame of the tributaries. This includes not only the forecasting procedure, but also the procedure to acquire the latest precipitation and stage data to make the forecasts. These procedures are integrated into the program HEC-RTS, the US Army Corps of Engineers Real-Time Simulation program. HEC-RTS is a Java-based integration tool that

Water-Quality Monitoring in Response to Young-of-the-Year Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) Mortality in the Susquehanna River and Major Tributaries, Pennsylvania: 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chaplin, Jeffrey J.; Crawford, J. Kent; Brightbill, Robin A.

2009-01-01

Mortalities of young-of-the-year (YOY) smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) recently have occurred in the Susquehanna River due to Flavobacterium columnare, a bacterium that typically infects stressed fish. Stress factors include but are not limited to elevated water temperature and low dissolved oxygen during times critical for survival and development of smallmouth bass (May 1 through July 31). The infections were first discovered in the Susquehanna River and major tributaries in the summer months of 2005 but also were prevalent in 2007. The U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and PPL Corporation worked together to monitor dissolved oxygen, water temperature, pH, and specific conductance on a continuous basis at seven locations from May through mid October 2008. In addition, nutrient concentrations, which may affect dissolved-oxygen concentrations, were measured once in water and streambed sediment at 25 locations. Data from water-quality meters (sondes) deployed as pairs showed daily minimum dissolved-oxygen concentration at YOY smallmouth-bass microhabitats in the Susquehanna River at Clemson Island and the Juniata River at Howe Township Park were significantly lower (p-value < 0.0001) than nearby main-channel habitats. The average daily minimum dissolved-oxygen concentration during the critical period (May 1-July 31) was 1.1 mg/L lower in the Susquehanna River microhabitat and 0.3 mg/L lower in the Juniata River. Daily minimum dissolved-oxygen concentrations were lower than the applicable national criterion (5.0 mg/L) in microhabitat in the Susquehanna River at Clemson Island on 31 days (of 92 days in the critical period) compared to no days in the corresponding main-channel habitat. In the Juniata River, daily minimum dissolved-oxygen concentration in the microhabitat was lower than 5.0 mg/L on 20 days compared to only 5 days in the main-channel habitat. The maximum time periods

Angler harvest, hatchery return, and tributary stray rates of recycled adult summer steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Cowlitz River, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kock, Tobias J.; Perry, Russell W.; Gleizes, Chris; Dammers, Wolf; Liedtke, Theresa L.

2016-01-01

Hatchery ‘recycling’ programs have been used to increase angling opportunities by re-releasing fish into a river after they returned to a hatchery or fish trap. Recycling is intended to increase opportunities for fishermen, but this strategy could affect wild fish populations if some recycled fish remain in the river and interact with wild fish populations. To quantify hatchery return and angler harvest rates of recycled steelhead, we conducted a 2-year study on the Cowlitz River, Washington. A total of 1051 steelhead were recycled, including 218 fish that were radio-tagged. Fates of recycled steelhead were similar between years: 48.4% returned to the hatchery, 19.2% were reported captured by anglers, and 32.4% remained in the river. A multistate model quantified the effects of covariates on hatchery return and angler harvest rates, which were positively affected by river discharge and negatively affected by time since release. However, hatchery return rates increased and angler harvest rates decreased during periods of increasing discharge. A total of 21.1% (46 fish) of the radio-tagged steelhead failed to return to the hatchery or be reported by anglers, but nearly half of those fish (20 fish) appeared to be harvested and not reported. The remaining tagged fish (11.9% of the radio-tagged population) were monitored into the spawning period, but only five fish (2.3% of the radio-tagged population) entered tributaries where wild steelhead spawning occurs. Future research focused on straying behaviour, and spawning success of recycled steelhead may further advance the understanding of the effects of recycling as a management strategy.

Population genetic structure of Santa Ynez rainbow trout – 2001 based on microsatellite and mtDNA analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nielsen, Jennifer L.; Zimmerman, Christian E.; Olsen, Jeffrey B.; Wiacek, Talia; Kretschmer, E.J.; Greenwald, Glenn M.; Wenburg, John K.

2003-01-01

Microsatellite allelic and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype diversity are analyzed in eight rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) collections: two from tributaries flowing into the upper Santa Ynez River watershed at Gibraltar Reservoir (Camuesa and Gidney creeks); three from tributaries between Gibraltar and Jameson reservoirs (Fox, Blue Canyon, and Alder creeks); one from a tributary above Jameson Reservoir (Juncal Creek); Jameson Reservoir; and one from the mainstem Santa Ynez River above the Jameson Reservoir. Both analyses reveal a high degree of population structure. Thirteen microsatellite loci are amplified from 376 fish. Population pairwise comparisons show significant differences in allelic frequency among all populations with the exception of Juncal Creek and Jameson Reservoir (p = 0.4). Pairwise Fst values range from 0.001 (Juncal Creek and Jameson Reservoir) to 0.17 (Camuesa and Juncal creeks) with an overall value of 0.021. Regression analyses (Slatkin 1993) supports an isolation-bydistance model in the five populations below Jameson Reservoir (intercept = 1.187, slope = -0.41, r2 = 0.67). A neighbor-joining bootstrap value of 100% (based on 2000 replicate trees) separates the populations sampled above and below Juncal Dam. Composite haplotypes from 321 fish generated using mtDNA sequence data (Dloop) reveal four previously described haplotypes (MYS1, MYS3, MYS5 and MYS8; Nielsen et al. 1994a), and one (MYS5) was found in all populations. Mean haplotype diversity is 0.48. Pairwise Fst values from mtDNA range from -0.019 to 0.530 (0.177 over all populations) and are larger than those for microsatellites in 26 of 28 pairwise comparisons. In addition, the mtDNA and microsatellites provide contrasting evidence of the relationship of Fox and Alder creeks to the other six populations. Discrepancies between the two markers are likely due to the unique properties of the two marker types and their value in revealing historic (mtDNA) versus contemporary

Movements of fluvial Bonneville cutthroat trout in the Thomas Fork of the Bear River, Idaho-Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colyer, W.T.; Kershner, J.L.; Hilderbrand, R.H.

2005-01-01

The majority of interior subspecies of cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii have been extirpated from large rivers by anthropogenic activities that have fragmented habitats and introduced nonnative competitors. Selective pressures against migratory behaviors and main-stem river occupation, coupled with conservation strategies that isolate genetically pure populations above barriers, have restricted gene flow and prevented expression of the fluvial life history in many populations. Existing knowledge about the movements and home range requirements of fluvial cutthroat trout is, therefore, limited. Our objectives in this study were to (1) determine the extent of seasonal home ranges and mobility of Bonneville cutthroat trout O. c. utah (BCT) in the Thomas Fork and main-stem Bear River and (2) evaluate the role of a water diversion structure functioning as a seasonal migration barrier to fish movement. We implanted 55 BCT in the Thomas Fork of the Bear River, Idaho, with radio transmitters and located them bimonthly in 1999–2000 and weekly in 2000–2001. We found fish to be more mobile than previously reported. Individuals above the diversion barrier occupied substantially larger home ranges than those below the barrier (analysis of variance: P = 0.0003; median = 2,225 m above barrier; median = 500 m below barrier) throughout our study, and they moved more frequently (mean, 0.89 movements/contact; range, 0.57–1.00) from October 2000 through March 2001 than fish below the barrier (mean, 0.45 movements/contact; range, 0.00–1.00). During the spring of both years, we located radio-tagged fish in both upstream and neighboring tributaries as far as 86 km away from our study site. Our results document the existence of a fluvial component of BCT in the Bear River and its tributaries and suggest that successful efforts at conservation of these fish must focus on main-stem habitats and the maintenance of seasonal migration corridors.

Application of the FluEgg model to predict transport of Asian carp eggs in the Saint Joseph River (Great Lakes tributary)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garcia, Tatiana; Murphy, Elizabeth A.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Garcia, Marcelo H.

2015-01-01

The Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator (FluEgg) is a three-dimensional Lagrangian model that simulates the movement and development of Asian carp eggs until hatching based on the physical characteristics of the flow field and the physical and biological characteristics of the eggs. This tool provides information concerning egg development and spawning habitat suitability including: egg plume location, egg vertical and travel time distribution, and egg-hatching risk. A case study of the simulation of Asian carp eggs in the Lower Saint Joseph River, a tributary of Lake Michigan, is presented. The river hydrodynamic input for FluEgg was generated in two ways — using hydroacoustic data and using HEC-RAS model data. The HEC-RAS model hydrodynamic input data were used to simulate 52 scenarios covering a broad range of flows and water temperatures with the eggs at risk of hatching ranging from 0 to 93% depending on river conditions. FluEgg simulations depict the highest percentage of eggs at risk of hatching occurs at the lowest discharge and at peak water temperatures. Analysis of these scenarios illustrates how the interactive relation among river length, hydrodynamics, and water temperature influence egg transport and hatching risk. An improved version of FluEgg, which more realistically simulates dispersion and egg development, is presented. Also presented is a graphical user interface that facilitates the use of FluEgg and provides a set of post-processing analysis tools to support management decision-making regarding the prevention and control of Asian carp reproduction in rivers with or without Asian carp populations.

Another unique river: a consideration of some of the characteristics of the trunk tributaries of the Nile River in northwestern Ethiopia in relationship to their aquatic food resources.

PubMed

Kappelman, John; Tewabe, Dereje; Todd, Lawrence; Feseha, Mulugeta; Kay, Marvin; Kocurek, Gary; Nachman, Brett; Tabor, Neil; Yadeta, Meklit

2014-12-01

Aquatic food resources are important components of many modern human hunter-gatherer diets and yet evidence attesting to the widespread exploitation of this food type appears rather late in the archaeological record. While there are times when, for example, the capture of fish and shellfish requires sophisticated technology, there are other cases when the exact ecological attributes of an individual species and the particulars of its environment make it possible for these foods to be incorporated into the human diet with little or no tool use and only a minimal time investment. In order to better understand the full set of variables that are considered in these sorts of foraging decisions, it is necessary to detail the attributes of each particular aquatic environment. We discuss here some of the characteristics of the trunk tributaries of the Nile and Blue Rivers in the Horn of Africa. Unlike typical perennial rivers, these 'temporary' rivers flow only during a brief but intense wet season; during the much longer dry season, the rivers are reduced to a series of increasingly disconnected waterholes, and the abundant and diverse fish and mollusk populations are trapped in ever smaller evaporating pools. The local human population today utilizes a number of diverse capture methods that range from simple to complex, and vary according to the size and depth of the waterhole and the time of the year. When we view the particular characteristics of an individual river system, we find that each river is 'unique' in its individual attributes. The Horn of Africa is believed to be along the route that modern humans followed on their migration out of Africa, and it is likely that the riverine-based foraging behaviors of these populations accompanied our species on its movement into the rest of the Old World. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water mass interaction in the confluence zone of the Daning River and the Yangtze River--a driving force for algal growth in the Three Gorges Reservoir.

PubMed

Holbach, Andreas; Wang, Lijing; Chen, Hao; Hu, Wei; Schleicher, Nina; Zheng, Binghui; Norra, Stefan

2013-10-01

Increasing eutrophication and algal bloom events in the Yangtze River Three Gorges Reservoir, China, are widely discussed with regard to changed hydrodynamics and nutrient transport and distribution processes. Insights into water exchange and interaction processes between water masses related to large-scale water level fluctuations in the reservoir are crucial to understand water quality and eutrophication dynamics. Therefore, confluence zones of tributaries with the Yangtze River main stream are dedicated key interfaces. In this study, water quality data were recorded in situ and on-line in varying depths with the MINIBAT towed underwater multi-sensor system in the confluence zone of the Daning River and the Yangtze River close to Wushan City during 1 week in August 2011. Geostatistical evaluation of the water quality data was performed, and results were compared to phosphorus contents of selective water samples. The strongly rising water level throughout the measurement period caused Yangtze River water masses to flow upstream into the tributary and supply their higher nutrient and particulate loads into the tributary water body. Rapid algal growth and sedimentation occurred immediately when hydrodynamic conditions in the confluence zone became more serene again. Consequently, water from the Yangtze River main stream can play a key role in providing nutrients to the algal bloom stricken water bodies of its tributaries.

33 CFR 125.06 - Western rivers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Western rivers. 125.06 Section... VESSELS § 125.06 Western rivers. The term western rivers as used in the regulations in this subchapter shall include only the Red River of the North, the Mississippi River and its tributaries above the Huey...

Walla Walla River Fish Passage Operations Program, 2004-2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bronson, James P.; Duke, Bill B.

2006-02-01

In the late 1990s, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with many other agencies, began implementing fisheries restoration activities in the Walla Walla Basin. An integral part of these efforts is to alleviate the inadequate fish migration conditions in the basin. The migration concerns are being addressed by removing diversion structures, constructing fish passage facilities, implementing minimum instream flow requirements, and providing trap and haul efforts when needed. The objective of the Walla Walla River Fish Passage Operations Project is to increase the survivalmore » of migrating adult and juvenile salmonids in the Walla Walla River basin. The project is responsible for coordinating operation and maintenance of ladders, screen sites, bypasses, trap facilities, and transportation equipment. In addition, the project provides technical input on passage criteria and passage and trapping facility design and operation. Operation of the various passage facilities and passage criteria guidelines are outlined in an annual operations plan that the project develops. During the 2004-2005 project year, there were 590 adult summer steelhead, 31 summer steelhead kelts (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 70 adult bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus); 80 adult and 1 jack spring Chinook (O. tshawytscha) enumerated at the Nursery Bridge Dam fishway video counting window between December 13, 2004, and June 16, 2005. Summer steelhead and spring chinook were observed moving upstream while bull trout were observed moving both upstream and downstream of the facility. In addition, the old ladder trap was operated by ODFW in order to enumerate fish passage. Of the total, 143 adult summer steelhead and 15 summer steelhead kelts were enumerated at the west ladder at Nursery Bridge Dam during the video efforts between February 4 and May 23, 2005. Operation of the Little Walla Walla

Comparative Examination of the Primary School Science Curricula in Turkey (Curricula of 1992, 2001, 2005, 2013 and 2017)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamurcu, Hülya

2018-01-01

In the present study, the science course curricula of 1992, 2001, 2005, 2013 and 2017 taught at the primary school level in Turkey have been examined comparatively in terms of four main elements (Target, Content, Educational Status, and Measurement and Evaluation). The reason for investigating the science curriculum at five key years was to…

Characterizing a December 2005 density current event in the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garcia, C.M.; Jackson, P.R.; Oberg, K.A.; Johnson, K.K.; Garcia, M.H.

2007-01-01

During the winter months, the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois is subject to bi-directional flows, and density currents are thought to be responsible for these flow variations. This paper presents detailed field measurements using three acoustic Doppler current profiler instruments and simultaneous water-quality measurements made during December 2005. Observations indicate that the formation of density currents within the Chicago River and density differences are mostly due to salinity differences between the North Branch and the main stem of the Chicago River, whereas temperature difference does not appreciably affect the creation of density currents. Sources of higher water temperature, conductivity, and salinity values should be addressed in future studies. ?? 2007 ASCE.

Concentration, flux, and trend estimates with uncertainty for nutrients, chloride, and total suspended solids in tributaries of Lake Champlain, 1990–2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Medalie, Laura

2016-12-20

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, estimated daily and 9-month concentrations and fluxes of total and dissolved phosphorus, total nitrogen, chloride, and total suspended solids from 1990 (or first available date) through 2014 for 18 tributaries of Lake Champlain. Estimates of concentration and flux, provided separately in Medalie (2016), were made by using the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) regression model and update previously published WRTDS model results with recent data. Assessment of progress towards meeting phosphorus-reduction goals outlined in the Lake Champlain management plan relies on annual estimates of phosphorus flux. The percent change in annual concentration and flux is provided for two time periods. The R package EGRETci was used to estimate the uncertainty of the trend estimate. Differences in model specification and function between this study and previous studies that used WRTDS to estimate concentration and flux using data from Lake Champlain tributaries are described. Winter data were too sparse and nonrepresentative to use for estimates of concentration and flux but were sufficient for estimating the percentage of total annual flux over the period of record. Median winter-to-annual fractions ranged between 21 percent for total suspended solids and 27 percent for dissolved phosphorus. The winter contribution was largest for all constituents from the Mettawee River and smallest from the Ausable River. For the full record (1991 through 2014 for total and dissolved phosphorus and chloride and 1993 through 2014 for nitrogen and total suspended solids), 6 tributaries had decreasing trends in concentrations of total phosphorus, and 12 had increasing trends; concentrations of dissolved phosphorus decreased in 6 and increased in 8 tributaries; fluxes of total phosphorus decreased in 5 and

Thermal and hydrologic suitability of Lake Erie and its major tributaries for spawning of Asian carps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kocovsky, Patrick M.; Chapman, Duane C.; McKenna, James E.

2012-01-01

Bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, silver carp H. molitrix, and grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (hereafter Asian carps) have expanded throughout the Mississippi River basin and threaten to invade Lakes Michigan and Erie. Adult bighead carp and grass carp have been captured in Lake Erie, but self-sustaining populations probably do not exist. We examined thermal conditions within Lake Erie to determine if Asian carps would mature, and to estimate time of year when fish would reach spawning condition. We also examined whether thermal and hydrologic conditions in the largest tributaries to western and central Lake Erie were suitable for spawning of Asian carps. We used length of undammed river, predicted summer temperatures, and predicted water velocity during flood events to determine whether sufficient lengths of river are available for spawning of Asian carps. Most rivers we examined have at least 100 km of passable river and summer temperatures suitable (> 21 C) for rapid incubation of eggs of Asian carps. Predicted water velocity and temperature were sufficient to ensure that incubating eggs, which drift in the water column, would hatch before reaching Lake Erie for most flood events in most rivers if spawned far enough upstream. The Maumee, Sandusky, and Grand Rivers were predicted to be the most likely to support spawning of Asian carps. The Black, Huron, Portage, and Vermilion Rivers were predicted to be less suitable. The weight of the evidence suggests that the largest western and central Lake Erie tributaries are thermally and hydrologically suitable to support spawning of Asian carps.

Developing Depositional Models for Mercury Contaminated Floodplain Deposits Using Geomorphic Mapping and GIS in South River, Virginia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbieri, A.; Pizzuto, J.; O'Neal, M. A.; Rhoades, E.

2007-12-01

Mercury was introduced into the South River from the 1930s to the 1950s from an industrial plant in Waynesboro, Virginia. Mercury contamination in fish tissue continues to exceed acceptable levels. The contaminated sediments in the river's floodplains are probably the present source of mercury to the South River ecosystem. Locating and determining the extent and depositional history of these deposits are important for understanding the mercury cycle in the river as well as for remediation plans. The South River is a sinuous, single thread alluvial river with frequent bedrock exposures along its bed and banks. Overbank deposits are discontinuous and thin. Rates of lateral migration by the South River are extremely low, averaging 0.02 m/yr, and the river has been influenced by mill dams along a 19 km study reach. This 19 km section of the 37 km river reach was selected for the study because of its high concentration of Hg. Six different categories of floodplain deposits dating from 1937-2005 have been identified throughout the river using studies of historical aerial photographs in a GIS framework, field mapping, dendro- and radionuclide dating, grain size and Hg analysis. Not surprisingly, traditional depositional models of meandering rivers do not apply. Floodplain depositional units include mill dam deposits, point bar/bench deposits, concave bank bench deposits, islands, cattle deposits, and tributary confluences deposits. The most important deposits for sequestering historic mercury are those that also store the most silt and clay. These include mill dam deposits, point bar/bench deposits, concave bank deposits, and tributary confluence deposits. Many of these deposits represent reservoirs of mercury-contaminated sediments that could supply significant amounts of mercury into the river presently and in the future.

Hood River Fish Habitat Project; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, Annual Report 2001-2002.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaivoda, Alexis

2003-11-01

installation of a new fish screen and bypass system on the mainstem Hood River (Farmers Canal). Final engineering and design for the horizontal screen was completed during the winter of 2001. In December 2001 and January 2002, the concrete work was completed and the head gates were mounted. During the spring the secondary head level control gates were installed. In September 2002, the jersey barriers and vortex tubes were installed. These are located upstream of the old drum screen, and are the primary means of dealing with bedload and suspended load from the diversion. The screen surface was also installed in September 2002 and the system accommodated water soon after. Monitoring of these structures in regards to efficiency and possible effects to fish migration is scheduled to occur in spring 2003. The transition from the old canal to the new screen is smooth and currently does not present any problems. The old drum screen is going to remain in place until all the biological and hydrological monitoring is complete to ensure compliance and satisfaction of all agencies involved. OBJECTIVE 5--Assist the East Fork Irrigation District (EFID) in final engineering design and construction of the Central Lateral Canal upgrade and invert siphon. This objective was revised and included in the FY 03 Statement of Work for Project No. 1998-021-00. During FY 02, a significant portion of the engineering and design work was completed on the EFID Central Lateral Canal upgrade and invert siphon. There were some changes in canal alignment that required further design work and easement acquisition. Time was also spent looking for matching funds and securing a loan by the EFID. Construction initiation is now scheduled for summer 2003. OBJECTIVE 6--Modify and/or eliminate five culverts, three on Baldwin Creek, one on Graham Creek, and one on Evans Creek, which function as barriers to upstream and downstream fish migration. This objective was revised and included in the FY 03 Statement of Work for

Water-quality trend analysis and sampling design for streams in the Red River of the North Basin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 1970-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vecchia, Aldo V.

2005-01-01

The Bureau of Reclamation is considering several alternatives to meet the future municipal, rural, and industrial water-supply needs in the Red River of the North (Red River) Basin, and an environmental impact statement is being prepared to evaluate the potential effects of the various alternatives on the water quality and aquatic health in the basin in relation to the historical variability of streamflow and constituent concentration. Therefore, a water-quality trend analysis was needed to determine the amount of natural water-quality variability that can be expected to occur in the basin, to determine if significant water-quality changes have occurred as a result of human activities, to explore potential causal mechanisms for water-quality changes, and to establish a baseline from which to monitor future water-quality trends. This report presents the results of a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, to analyze historical water-quality trends in two dissolved major ions, dissolved solids, three nutrients, and two dissolved trace metals for nine streamflow-gaging stations in the basin. Annual variability in streamflow in the Red River Basin was high during the trend-analysis period (1970-2001). The annual variability affects constituent concentrations in individual tributaries to the Red River and, in turn, affects constituent concentrations in the main stem of the Red River because of the relative streamflow contribution from the tributaries to the main stem. Therefore, an annual concentration anomaly, which is an estimate of the interannual variability in concentration that can be attributed to long-term variability in streamflow, was used to analyze annual streamflow-related variability in constituent concentrations. The concentration trend is an estimate of the long-term systematic changes in concentration that are unrelated to seasonal or long-term variability in streamflow. Concentrations that have

Dioxin in the river Elbe.

PubMed

Götz, Rainer; Bergemann, Michael; Stachel, Burkhard; Umlauf, Gunther

2017-09-01

This paper provides a macro-analysis of the dioxin contamination in the river Elbe from the 1940s to the present. Based on different data sets, the historic dioxin concentration in the Elbe has been reconstructed. For the section between the tributary Mulde and Hamburg, during the 1940s, we find a concentration of about 1500 pg WHO-TEQ g -1 . We argue that this dioxin contamination was caused mainly by emissions from a magnesium plant in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, whose effluents were discharged into a tributary of the river Mulde which flows into the Elbe. Dioxin pattern recognition with neural networks (Kohonen) confirms this. A model simulation shows that a hypothetical dioxin concentration of 10,000 pg WHO-TEQ g -1 in the tributary Mulde could have caused the reconstructed dioxin concentration of 1500 pg WHO-TEQ g -1 in the Elbe. The recent dioxin concentration (about 25-100 pg WHO-TEQ g -1 ) in the river Elbe, downstream the tributary Mulde, originates, according to our hypothesis, from emissions of the banks and the highly contaminated flood plains (transport of the particle bound dioxin). As other possible dioxin sources, the following could be excluded: the dioxin concentration in the Mulde, groynes, small ports, sport boat harbours, and extreme floods. Our hypothesis is supported by the results of pattern recognition techniques and a model simulation. According to these findings, we argue that remediation efforts to reduce the dioxin concentration in the river Elbe are unlikely to be successful. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relation of water quality to land use in the drainage basins of four tributaries to the Toms River, New Jersey, 1994--1995

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hunchak-Kariouk, K.

1999-01-01

This report describes the results of a study to determine the relation between land use and the water quality of four tributaries to the Toms River--Long Swamp Creek, Wrangel Brook, Davenport Branch, and Jakes Branch. The constituent concentrations and yield values presented in this report are based on water-quality and streamflow data collected at seven sites during base flow and stormflow conditions during May 1994 to October 1995. Concentrations and yields (area-normalized instantaneous load values) during periods of base flow and stormflow in the growing and nongrowing seasons are presented for sites on Long Swamp Creek, Wrangel Brook, and Davenportmore » Branch. Only concentrations during base flow are presented for the site on Jakes Branch. Water-quality constituents for which concentrations and yield values are reported include total nitrogen, ammonia, nitrate, organic nitrogen, hydrolyzable phosphorus plus orthophosphorus, orthophosphorus, total suspended solids, and fecal-coliform bacteria. Concentrations of nitrite and Escherichia coliform bacteria also are listed. Distributions of constituent concentrations and yields during base flow and stormflow in the growing and nongrowing season are shown in boxplots. Specific conductance, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen in the four tributaries also are discussed, and their values are listed.« less

Juvenile salmonid monitoring in the White Salmon River, Washington, post-Condit Dam removal, 2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jezorek, Ian G.; Hardiman, Jill M.

2017-06-23

2010, though age-1 and older O. mykiss abundance was similar. In Rattlesnake Creek, age-0 O. mykiss abundance during 2016 slightly exceeded the mean abundance from 2001 through 2005, although age-1 and older O. mykiss abundance was lower than from 2001 through 2005. These sampling efforts also provided the opportunity to collect genetic samples to investigate parental and stock origin, although funding to analyze the samples was not part of this grant. Juvenile salmonid sampling efforts during 2016 have shown that natural spawning produced steelhead and coho smolts and that coho were colonizing some tributaries. The 2016 efforts also provided the first post-dam juvenile abundance estimates. We hope to continue monitoring to better understand abundance trends, distribution, and life history patterns of recolonizing salmonids in the White Salmon River to assess efficacy of natural recolonization and to inform management decisions.

Occurrence, ecological risk assessment, and spatio-temporal variation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water and sediments along River Ravi and its northern tributaries, Pakistan.

PubMed

Baqar, Mujtaba; Sadef, Yumna; Ahmad, Sajid Rashid; Mahmood, Adeel; Qadir, Abdul; Aslam, Iqra; Li, Jun; Zhang, Gan

2017-12-01

Ecological risk assessment, spatio-temporal variation, and source apportionment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were studied in surface sediments and water from River Ravi and its three northern tributaries (Nullah Deg, Nullah Basantar, and Nullah Bein) in Pakistan. In total, 35 PCB congeners were analyzed along 27 sampling stations in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The ∑ 35 PCB concentration ranged from 1.06 to 95.76 ng/g (dw) in sediments and 1.94 to 11.66 ng/L in water samples, with hexa-CBs and tetra-CBs as most dominant homologs in sediments and water matrixes, respectively. The ∑ 8 DL-PCB levels were 0.33-22.13 ng/g (dw) and 0.16-1.95 ng/L in sediments and water samples, respectively. The WHO-toxic equivalent values were ranged from 1.18 × 10 -6 to 0.012 ng/L and 1.8 × 10 -6 to 0.031 ng/g in water and sediments matrixes, respectively. The ecological risk assessment indicates considerable potential ecological risk during pre-monsoon season ([Formula: see text] = 95.17) and moderate potential ecological risk during post-monsoon season ([Formula: see text] = 49.11). The industrial and urban releases were recognized as key ongoing sources for high PCB levels in environment. Therefore, we recommend more freshwater ecological studies to be conducted in the study area and firm regulatory initiatives are required to be taken in debt to the Stockholm Convention, 2001 to cop up with PCB contamination on emergency basis.

Zooplankton Linkages between Rivers and Great Lakes: Case Study from the St. Louis River

EPA Science Inventory

In this case study, we characterized the spatial and seasonal distribution and abundance of zooplankton within the hydrologically complex drowned river mouth of the St. Louis River, the second largest tributary to Lake Superior and an important fish nursery. We hypothesize that z...

Pesticide trends in major rivers of the United States, 1992-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryberg, Karen R.; Vecchia, Aldo V.; Gilliom, Robert J.; Martin, Jeffrey D.

2014-01-01

This report is part of a series of pesticide trend assessments led by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. This assessment focuses on major rivers of various sizes throughout the United States that have large watersheds with a range of land uses, changes in pesticide use, changes in management practices, and natural influences typical of the regions being drained. Trends were assessed at 59 sites for 40 pesticides and pesticide degradates during each of three overlapping periods: 1992–2001, 1997–2006, and 2001–10. In addition to trends in concentration, trends in agricultural-use intensity (agricultural use) were also assessed at 57 of the sites for 35 parent compounds with agricultural uses during the same three periods. The SEAWAVE-Q model was used to analyze trends in concentration, and parametric survival regression for interval-censored data was used to assess trends in agricultural use. All trends are provided in downloadable electronic files. A subset of 39 sites was chosen to represent non-nested, generally independent basins for a national analysis of pesticide and agricultural-use trends for the most prevalent pesticides (15 pesticides and 2 degradation products). Graphical and numerical results are presented to provide a national overview of concentration and use trends. As another perspective on understanding pesticide concentration trends in large rivers in relation to multiple tributary watersheds, this report also presents a detailed assessment of concentration and use trends for simazine, metolachlor, atrazine, deethylatrazine, and diazinon for a set of 17 nested sites in the Mississippi River Basin (including the Ohio and Missouri River Basins), for the second and third trend periods. Pesticides strongly dominated by agricultural use—cyanazine, metolachlor, atrazine, and alachlor—had widespread agreement between concentration trends and agricultural-use trends. Pesticides with substantial use in

Flow structure at low momentum ratio river confluences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradi, Gelare; Rennie, Colin. D.; Cardot, Romain; Mettra, François; Lane, Stuart. N.

2017-04-01

The flow structure at river confluences is a complex pattern of fluid motion and can be characterized by the formation of secondary circulation. As river confluences play an essential role on flow hydrodynamics and control the movement of sediment through river networks, there has been substantial attention given to this subject in recent decades. However, there is still much debate over how momentum ratio and sediment transport can control secondary circulation and mixing processes. In particular, studies have tended to assume that there is some equilibrium between the bed morphology present and the flow structures that form in the junction region. However, this overlooks the fact that tributaries may be associated with highly varying sediment supply regimes, especially for shorter and steeper tributaries, with temporal changes in sediment delivery ratios (between the main stem and the tributary) that do not follow exactly changes in momentum ratio. This may lead to bed morphologies that are a function of rates of historical sediment supply during sediment transporting events and not the momentum ratio associated with the junction during its measurement. It is quite possible that tributaries with low flow momentum ratio have a relatively higher sediment delivery ratio, such that the tributary is still able to influence significantly secondary circulation in the main channel, long after the sediment transport event, and despite its low flow momentum during measurement. The focus of this paper is low momentum ratio junctions where it is possible that the tributary can deliver large amounts of sediment. Secondary circulation at junctions is thought to be dominated by streamwise-oriented vortical cells. These cells are produced by the convergence of surface flow towards the centre of the main channel, with descending motion in the zone of maximum flow convergence. Once flow arrives at the bed, it diverges and completes its rotation by an upwelling motion through the

Detecting groundwater contamination of a river in Georgia, USA using baseflow sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichard, James S.; Brown, Chandra M.

2009-05-01

Algal blooms and fish kills were reported on a river in coastal Georgia (USA) downstream of a poultry-processing plant, prompting officials to conclude the problems resulted from overland flow associated with over-application of wastewater at the plant’s land application system (LAS). An investigation was undertaken to test the hypothesis that contaminated groundwater was also playing a significant role. Weekly samples were collected over a 12-month period along an 18 km reach of the river and key tributaries. Results showed elevated nitrogen concentrations in tributaries draining the plant and a tenfold increase in nitrate in the river between the tributary inputs. Because ammonia concentrations were low in this reach, it was concluded that nitrate was entering via groundwater discharge. Data from detailed river sampling and direct groundwater samples from springs and boreholes were used to isolate the entry point of the contaminant plume. Analysis showed two separate plumes, one associated with the plant’s unlined wastewater lagoon and another with its LAS spray fields. The continuous discharge of contaminated groundwater during summer low-flow conditions was found to have a more profound impact on river-water quality than periodic inputs by overland flow and tributary runoff.

John Day River Subbasin Fish Habitat Enhancement Project, 2005-2006 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Powell, Russ M.; Alley, Pamela D.; Delano, Kenneth H.

2006-03-01

Work undertaken in 2005 included: (1) Four new fence projects were completed thereby protecting 7.55 miles of stream with 9.1 miles of new riparian fence (2) Fence removal 1.7 miles of barbed wire. (3) Completed three spring developments (repair work on two BLM springs on Cottonwood Creek (Dayville), 1 solar on Rock Creek/ Collins property). (4) Dredge tail leveling completed on 0.9 miles of the Middle Fork of the John Day River (5) Cut, hauled and placed 30 junipers on Indian Creek/Kuhl property for bank stability. (6) Collected and planted 1500 willow cuttings on Mountain Creek/Jones property. (7) Conducted steelheadmore » redd counts on Lake Cr./Hoover property and Cottonwood Cr./Mascall properties (8) Seeded 200 lbs of native grass seed on projects where the sites were disturbed by fence construction activities. (9) Maintenance of all active project fences (72.74 miles), watergaps (60), spring developments (30) were checked and repairs performed. (10) Since the initiation of the Fish Habitat Program in 1984 we have installed 156.06 miles of riparian fence on leased property protecting 88.34 miles of anadromous fish bearing stream. With the addition of the Restoration and Enhancement Projects from 1996-2001, where the landowner received the materials, built and maintained the project we have a total of 230.92 miles of fence protecting 144.7 miles of stream and 3285 acres of riparian habitat.« less

Survey of chemical contaminants in the Hanalei River, Kaua'i, Hawai'i, 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orazio, Carl E.; May, Thomas W.; Gale, Robert W.; Meadows, John C.; Brumbaugh, William G.; Echols, Kathy R.; Steiner, William W.M.; Berg, Carl J.

2007-01-01

The Hanalei River on the island of Kaua'i in Hawai'i was designated an American Heritage River in 1998, providing special attention to natural resource protection, economic revitalization, and historic and cultural preservation. Agricultural, urban, and tourism-related activities are potential sources of contamination within the Hanalei River watershed. The objective of this study was to measure certain persistent organic chemicals and elements in the Hanalei River.During a relatively low-flow period in December of 2001, samples of native Akupa sleeper fish (Eleotris sandwicensis), freshwater Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), giant mud crab (Scylla serrata), surface water, and stream bed sediment were collected from a lower estuarine reach of the river near its mouth at Hanalei Bay and from an upper reach at the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. Samples were analyzed for residues of urban and agricultural chemicals including organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and elements (including mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, and selenium). Organic contaminants were extracted from the samples with solvent, enriched, and then analyzed by gas chromatographic analysis with electron capture or mass spectrometric detection. Samples were acid-digested for semi-quantitative analysis for elements by inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and for quantitative analysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls in biota, surface water, and bed sediment sampled from the Hanalei River ranged from nondetectable to very low levels. Polychlorinated biphenyls were below detection in all samples. Dieldrin, the only compound detected in the water samples, was present at very low concentrations of 1-2 nanograms per liter. Akupa sleeper fish and giant mud crabs from the lower reach ranged from 1 to 5 nanograms per gram (wet weight

Phosphorus Concentrations, Loads, and Yields in the Illinois River Basin, Arkansas and Oklahoma, 2000-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tortorelli, Robert L.; Pickup, Barbara E.

2006-01-01

The Illinois River and tributaries, Flint Creek and Baron Fork, are designated scenic rivers in Oklahoma. Recent phosphorus levels in streams in the basin have resulted in the growth of excess algae, which have limited the aesthetic benefits of water bodies in the basin, especially the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has established a standard for total phosphorus not to exceed the 30-day geometric mean concentration of 0.037 milligram per liter in Oklahoma Scenic Rivers. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, conducted an investigation to summarize phosphorus concentrations and provide estimates of phosphorus loads, yields, and flow-weighted concentrations in the Illinois River and tributaries from January 2000 through December 2004. Data from water-quality samples collected from 2000 to 2004 were used to summarize phosphorus concentrations and estimate phosphorus loads, yields, and mean flow-weighted concentrations in the Illinois River basin for three 3-year periods - 2000-2002, 2001-2003, and 2002-2004, to update a previous report that used data from water-quality samples from 1997 to 2001. This report provides information needed to advance knowledge of the regional hydrologic system and understanding of hydrologic processes, and provides hydrologic data and results useful to multiple parties for interstate compacts. Phosphorus concentrations in the Illinois River basin were significantly greater in runoff samples than in base-flow samples. Phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with increasing base flow, from dilution, and decreased in the downstream direction in the Illinois River from the Watts to Tahlequah stations. Phosphorus concentrations generally increased with runoff, possibly because of phosphorus resuspension, stream bank erosion, and the addition of phosphorus from nonpoint sources. Estimated mean annual phosphorus loads were greater at the Illinois River

Water-quality data for the Russian River Basin, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California, 2005-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anders, Robert; Davidek, Karl; Stoeckel, Donald M.

2011-01-01

Field measurements included discharge, barometric pressure, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, temperature, and turbidity. All samples were analyzed for nutrients, major ions, trace metals, total and dissolved organic carbon, organic wastewater compounds, standard bacterial indicators, and the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Standard bacterial indicators included total coliform, Escherichia coli, enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens for the period 2005 through 2007, and total and fecal coliform, and enterococci for 2010. In addition, enrichment of enterococci was performed on all surface-water samples collected during summer 2006, for detection of the human-associated enterococcal surface protein in Enterococcus faecium to assess the presence of sewage effluent in the Russian River. Other analyses included organic wastewater compounds of bed sediment samples collected from four Russian River sites during 2005; carbon-13 isotopic values of the dissolved inorganic carbon for surface-water and groundwater samples collected during 2006; human-use pharmaceuticals on Russian River samples collected during 2007 and 2010; and the radiogenic isotopes tritium and carbon-14 for groundwater samples collected during 2008.

Ecological Functions of Off-Channel Habitats of the Willamette River, Oregon, Database and Documentation (1997-2001)

EPA Science Inventory

The database from the Ecological Functions of Off-Channel Habitats of the Willamette River, Oregon project (OCH Project) contains data collected from 1997 through 2001 from multiple research areas of the project, and project documents such as the OCH Research Plan, Quality Assura...

Atrazine concentrations in stream water and streambed sediment pore water in the St. Joseph and Galien River basins, Michigan and Indiana, May 2001-September 2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duris, Joseph W.; Reeves, Howard W.; Kiesler, James L.

2005-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sampled multiple stream sites across the St. Joseph and Galien River Basins to detect and quantify the herbicide atrazine using a field enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) triazine test. In May 2001, July 2001, April 2002, August 2002, August 2003 and September 2003, composite samples were collected across streams at USGS streamflow-gaging stations. Concentrations and instantaneous loading for atrazine sampled in stream water throughout the St. Joseph River and Galien River Basins in Michigan and Indiana ranged from nondetection (< 0.05 part per billion (ppb)) with an associated load less than 0.001 kilogram per day (kg/d) to 6 ppb and a maximum load of 10 kg/d. Atrazine concentrations were highest in May 2001 just after the planting season. The lowest concentration was found in April 2002 just before planting. Atrazine concentrations in streambed-sediment pore water were not spatially connected with atrazine concentrations in stream-water samples. This study showed that atrazine concentrations were elevated from May to July in the St. Joseph and Galien River Basins. At many sites, concentrations exceeded the level that has been shown to feminize frog populations (0.2 ppb). There were 8 sites where concentrations exceeded 0.2 ppb atrazine in May 2001 and July 2001.

Beyond 2001: a silvicultural odyssey to sustaining terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems? Proceedings of the 2001 national silviculture workshop, May 6-10, Hood River, Oregon.

Treesearch

Sharon Parker; Susan Stevens Hummel

2002-01-01

The 2001 National Silviculture Workshop was held in Hood River, Oregon, and hosted by the Mt. Hood National Forest, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and the Pacific Northwest Research Station. The Washington Office Vegetation Management and Protection Research and Forest and Grassland staffs are ongoing sponsors of the biennial workshop, which began in 1973 in...

Enhancing mud supply from the Lower Missouri River to the Mississippi River Delta USA: Dam bypassing and coastal restoration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, G. Paul; Day, John W.; Rogers, J. David; Giosan, Liviu; Peyronnin, Natalie

2016-12-01

Sand transport to the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) remains sufficient to build wetlands in shallow, sheltered coastal bays fed by engineered diversions on the Mississippi River (MR) and its Atchafalaya River (AR) distributary. But suspended mud (silt & clay) flux to the coast has dropped from a mean of 390 Mt y-1 in the early 1950s, to 100 Mt y-1 since 1970. This fine-grained sediment travels deeper into receiving estuarine basins and plays a critical role in sustaining existing marshes. Virtually all of the 300 Mt y-1 of missing mud once flowed from the Missouri River (MOR) Basin before nearly 100 dams were built as part of the Pick-Sloan water development project. About 100 Mt y-1 is now intercepted by main-stem Upper MOR dams closed in 1953. But the remaining 200 Mt y-1 is trapped by impoundments built on tributaries to the Lower MOR in the 1950s and 1960s. Sediment flux during the post-dam high MOR discharge years of 1973, 1993 and 2011 approached pre-dam levels when tributaries to the Lower MOR, including the Platte and Kansas Rivers, contributed to flood flows. West bank tributaries drain a vast, arid part of the Great Plains, while those entering from the east bank traverse the lowlands of the MOR floodplain. Both provinces are dominated by highly erodible loess soils. Staunching the continued decline in MR fine-grained sediment flux has assumed greater importance now that engineered diversions are being built to reconnect the Lowermost MR to the MRD. Tributary dam bypassing in the Lower MOR basin could increase mud supply to the MRD by 100-200 Mt y-1 within 1-2 decades. Such emergency measures to save the MRD are compatible with objectives of the Missouri River Restoration and Platte River Recovery Programs to restore MOR riparian habitat for endangered species. Rapid mobilization to shunt fine-grained sediments past as many as 50 Lower MOR tributary dams in several U.S. states will undoubtedly require as much regional coordination and funding in the 21st

Transport of Riverine Material From Multiple Rivers in the Chesapeake Bay: Important Control of Estuarine Circulation on the Material Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Jiabi; Shen, Jian

2017-11-01

Driven by estuarine circulation, material released from lower Chesapeake Bay tributaries has the potential to be transported to the upper Bay. How far and what fraction of the material from tributaries can be carried to the upper estuary have not been quantitatively investigated. For an estuary system with multiple tributaries, the relative contribution from each tributary can provide valuable information for source assessment and fate prediction for riverine materials and passive moving organisms. We conducted long-term numerical simulations using multiple passive tracers that are independently released in the headwater of five main rivers (i.e., Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James Rivers) and calculated the relative contribution of each river to the total material in the mainstem. The results show that discharge from Susquehanna River exerts the dominant control on the riverine material throughout the entire mainstem. Despite the smaller contribution from the lower-middle Bay tributaries to the total materials in the mainstem, materials released from these rivers have a high potential to be transported to the middle-upper Bay through the bottom inflow by the persistent estuarine circulation. The fraction of the tributary material transported to the upper Bay depends on the location of the tributary. Materials released near the mouth are subject to a rapid flushing process, small retention time, and strong shelf current. Our results reveal three distinct spatial patterns for materials released from the main river, tributary, and coastal oceans. This study highlights the important control of estuarine circulation over horizontal and vertical distributions of materials in the mainstem.

Using Elemental Abundances and Petrophysical Properties to Trace Sediment Transport in the Hudson River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.; Kenna, T. C.; Nitsche, F. O.

2016-12-01

The IPCC predicts that the frequency and severity of storms worldwide will increase due to climate change, a growing concern for the highly populated coastal areas near the Hudson River estuary. Storms have the potential to change the river's sediment budget, and it is necessary to update the current understanding of the effect of storms on sediment dynamics. In 2011, Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene delivered over 2.7 million tons of sediment to the Hudson River including over 1.5 million tons from the Mohawk River, a freshwater tributary, in addition to record amounts contributed from other major tributaries. The goals of this project are to use sediment elemental compositions to trace the major tributaries contributing to this storm-deposited sediment and to determine where sediment is accumulating as a result of storm activity. Chemical analysis of over 800 archived sediment samples are compiled to provide a pre-storm background level. These samples are compared to newly deposited sediment and material from specific tributaries. Elemental abundances (K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, Pb, and U) are measured using a field portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) unit and core scanning XRF unit. Bulk matrix density is measured using a pycnometer. The measurements are used to identify elemental signatures from tributary sediment and to trace the influence of specific tributaries on deposition through the river. Our results suggests measureable signatures in sediment from individual tributaries. The Mohawk River contributes high concentrations of Ca due to the calcite deposits in its watershed. XRF measurements also show the effect of human activity on sediment deposition; variations in Rb and Zr indicate changes in deposition due to dredging in Haverstraw Bay. The salt wedge front, where ocean and fresh water meets is evident in areas of below average matrix density. This project shows significant geochemical variability between sediment from different

Generalized sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River, 1968–2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heimann, David C.

2016-09-13

Sediment budgets of the Lower Missouri River were developed in a study led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The scope of the study included the development of a long-term (post-impoundment, 1968–2014) average annual sediment budget and selected annual, monthly, and daily sediment budgets for a reach and period that adequate data were available. Included in the analyses were 31 main-stem and tributary stations of the Lower Missouri River and two Mississippi River stations—the Mississippi River below Grafton, Illinois, and the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri.Long-term average annual suspended-sediment loads of Missouri River main-stem stations ranged from 0.33 million tons at the Missouri River at Yankton, South Dakota, station to 71.2 million tons at Missouri River at Hermann, Mo., station. Gaged tributary gains accounted for 9–36 percent of the local reach budgets and cumulative gaged tributary contributions accounted for 84 percent of the long-term average suspended-sediment load of the Missouri River at Hermann, Mo., station. Although the sediment budgets for seven defined main-stem reaches generally were incomplete—missing bedload, reach storage, and ungaged tributary contributions—the budget residuals (net result of sediment inputs and outputs) for six of the seven reaches ranged from -7.0 to 1.7 million tons, or from -9.2 to 4.0 percent of the reach output suspended-sediment load, and were within the 10 percent reported measurement error of annual suspended-sediment loads for large rivers. The remaining reach, downstream from Gavin’s Point Dam, extended from Yankton, S. Dak., to Sioux City, Iowa, and had a budget residual of -9.8 million tons, which was -88 percent of the suspended-sediment load at Sioux City.The Lower Missouri River reach from Omaha, Nebraska, to Nebraska City, Nebr., had periods of concurrent sediment data for each primary budget component with which to analyze and

Development of an Environmental Flow Framework for the McKenzie River Basin, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Risley, John; Wallick, J. Rose; Waite, Ian; Stonewall, Adam J.

2010-01-01

The McKenzie River is a tributary to the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon. The McKenzie River is approximately 90 miles in length and has a drainage area of approximately 1,300 square miles. Two major flood control dams, a hydropower dam complex, and two hydropower canals significantly alter streamflows in the river. The structures reduce the magnitude and frequency of large and small floods while increasing the annual 7-day minimum streamflows. Stream temperatures also have been altered by the dams and other anthropogenic factors, such as the removal of riparian vegetation and channel simplification. Flow releases from one of the flood control dams are cooler in the summer and warmer in the fall in comparison to unregulated flow conditions before the dam was constructed. In 2006, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality listed a total of 112.4, 6.3, and 55.7 miles of the McKenzie River basin mainstem and tributary stream reaches as thermally impaired for salmonid rearing, salmonid spawning, and bull trout, respectively. The analyses in this report, along with previous studies, indicate that dams have altered downstream channel morphology and ecologic communities. In addition to reducing the magnitude and frequency of floods, dams have diminished sediment transport by trapping bed material. Other anthropogenic factors, such as bank stabilization, highway construction, and reductions of in-channel wood, also have contributed to the loss of riparian habitat. A comparison of aerial photography taken in 1939 and 2005 showed substantial decreases in secondary channels, gravel bars, and channel sinuosity, particularly along the lower alluvial reaches of the McKenzie River. In addition, bed armoring and incision may contribute to habitat degradation, although further study is needed to determine the extent of these processes. Peak streamflow reduction has led to vegetation colonization and stabilization of formerly active bar surfaces. The large flood control

A multispecies tree ring reconstruction of Potomac River streamflow (950-2001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxwell, R. Stockton; Hessl, Amy E.; Cook, Edward R.; Pederson, Neil

2011-05-01

Mean May-September Potomac River streamflow was reconstructed from 950-2001 using a network of tree ring chronologies (n = 27) representing multiple species. We chose a nested principal components reconstruction method to maximize use of available chronologies backward in time. Explained variance during the period of calibration ranged from 20% to 53% depending on the number and species of chronologies available in each 25 year time step. The model was verified by two goodness of fit tests, the coefficient of efficiency (CE) and the reduction of error statistic (RE). The RE and CE never fell below zero, suggesting the model had explanatory power over the entire period of reconstruction. Beta weights indicated a loss of explained variance during the 1550-1700 period that we hypothesize was caused by the reduction in total number of predictor chronologies and loss of important predictor species. Thus, the reconstruction is strongest from 1700-2001. Frequency, intensity, and duration of drought and pluvial events were examined to aid water resource managers. We found that the instrumental period did not represent adequately the full range of annual to multidecadal variability present in the reconstruction. Our reconstruction of mean May-September Potomac River streamflow was a significant improvement over the Cook and Jacoby (1983) reconstruction because it expanded the seasonal window, lengthened the record by 780 years, and better replicated the mean and variance of the instrumental record. By capitalizing on variable phenologies and tree growth responses to climate, multispecies reconstructions may provide significantly more information about past hydroclimate, especially in regions with low aridity and high tree species diversity.

Surface Water Qualit: Revisiting Nitrate Concentrations in the Des Moines River: 1945 and 1976-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

McIsaac, G.F.; Libra, R.D.

2003-01-01

Recent compilations of historical and contemporary riverine nitrate (NO3) concentrations indicate that concentrations in many rivers in the north-central USA increased during the second half of the 20th century. The Des Moines River near Des Moines, Iowa, however, was reported to have had similar NO3 concentrations in 1945 and the 1980s, in spite of substantially greater N input to the watershed during the latter period. The objective of this study was to reconsider the comparison of historical and contemporary NO3 concentrations in the Des Moines River near Des Moines in light of the following: (i) possible errors in the historical data used, (ii) variations in methods of sample collection, (iii) variations in location of sampling, and (iv) additional data collected since 1990. We discovered that an earlier study had compared the flow-weighted average concentration in 1945 to arithmetic annual average concentrations in the 1980s. The intertemporal comparison also appeared to be influenced by differences in sample collection methods and locations used at different times. Depending on the model used and the estimated effects of composite sample collection, the 1945 arithmetic average NO3 concentration was between 44 and 57% of the expected mean value at a similar water yield during 1976-2001. The flow-weighted average NO3 concentration for 1945 was between 54 and 73% of the expected mean value at a similar water yield during 1976-2001. The difference between NO3 concentrations in 1945 and the contemporary period are larger than previously reported for the Des Moines River.

Water use, availability, and net demand in the Tennessee River watershed within Alabama, 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gill, Amy C.; Harper, Michael J.; Littlepage, Thomas M.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey worked in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs—Office of Water Resources to estimate water use and water availability for 2005 for the portion of the Tennessee River watershed contained within the borders of the State of Alabama. Estimates of water use and availability are an important part of planning for population and economic growth in the Tennessee River watershed in Alabama. Total water use for the region in 2005 was 5,197 million gallons per day (Mgal/d). Total surface-water withdrawals were 5,139 Mgal/d, and total groundwater withdrawals were about 58 Mgal/d. About 92 percent of the total water withdrawn was surface water used for once-through cooling for thermoelectric power generation. Self-supplied industrial and public-supply water uses accounted for the next greatest uses of water, constituting approximately 49 and 42 percent, respectively, of the total water use excluding thermoelectric power use. Summaries of water use by county and subbasin indicated the areas of greatest water withdrawals and use within the Tennessee River watershed. Limestone (2,012 Mgal/d), Jackson (1,498 Mgal/d), and Colbert (1,363 Mgal/d) Counties were the counties with the greatest total water use in 2005 and had large amounts of water withdrawn for thermoelectric power generation. When water use from thermoelectric power generation was not considered, the counties with the greatest withdrawals were Morgan (124 Mgal/d), Madison (72 Mgal/d), Colbert (69 Mgal/d), and Lawrence (67 Mgal/d). The subbasin with the greatest total water use was Wheeler Lake (2,260 Mgal/d) in the Middle Tennessee—Elk subregion. Wheeler Lake subbasin also had the greatest public-supply, irrigation, industrial, mining, and thermoelectric withdrawals of any subbasin in the Tennessee River watershed within Alabama. Total water availability for the Tennessee River watershed within Alabama was estimated to be 34,567 Mgal/d by the Geological

Tributaries affect the thermal response of lakes to climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Råman Vinnå, Love; Wüest, Alfred; Zappa, Massimiliano; Fink, Gabriel; Bouffard, Damien

2018-01-01

Thermal responses of inland waters to climate change varies on global and regional scales. The extent of warming is determined by system-specific characteristics such as fluvial input. Here we examine the impact of ongoing climate change on two alpine tributaries, the Aare River and the Rhône River, and their respective downstream peri-alpine lakes: Lake Biel and Lake Geneva. We propagate regional atmospheric temperature effects into river discharge projections. These, together with anthropogenic heat sources, are in turn incorporated into simple and efficient deterministic models that predict future water temperatures, river-borne suspended sediment concentration (SSC), lake stratification and river intrusion depth/volume in the lakes. Climate-induced shifts in river discharge regimes, including seasonal flow variations, act as positive and negative feedbacks in influencing river water temperature and SSC. Differences in temperature and heating regimes between rivers and lakes in turn result in large seasonal shifts in warming of downstream lakes. The extent of this repressive effect on warming is controlled by the lakes hydraulic residence time. Previous studies suggest that climate change will diminish deep-water oxygen renewal in lakes. We find that climate-related seasonal variations in river temperatures and SSC shift deep penetrating river intrusions from summer towards winter. Thus potentially counteracting the otherwise negative effects associated with climate change on deep-water oxygen content. Our findings provide a template for evaluating the response of similar hydrologic systems to on-going climate change.

Floods on Duck River and Flat, Big Spring, Bomar, and Little Hurricane Creeks and Pettus and Holland Branches and unnamed tributaries to Bomar and Little Hurricane Creeks and Holland Branch in the vicinity of Shelbyville, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This flood hazard information report describes the extent and severity of the flood potential along selected reaches of the Duck River; Flat, Big Spring, Bomar, and Little Hurricane Creeks; Pettus and Holland Branches; and unnamed tributaries to Bomar and Little Hurricane Creeks and Holland Branch in the vicinity of Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Preimpoundment water quality of Raystown Branch Juniata River and six tributary streams, south-central Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Donald R.

1976-01-01

The Raystown Branch Juniata River watershed, which is the main water source for Raystown Lake, is a 960-square-mile (2,490 square kilometres) drainage basin in south-central Pennsylvania. Preimpoundment water-quality data were collected on the Raystown Branch and six tributary st.reams in the basin. Specific conductance values varied inversely with water discharge. The pH values were extremely low only at the Shoup Run site. Dissolved oxygen concentrations observed at all sites indicated a relatively high oxygen saturation level throughout the year. Seasonal variations in nitrate-N and orthophosphate-P levels were measured at the main inflow station at Saxton, Pa. The highest concentrations of nitrate-N and orthophosphate-P occurred in the winter and spring months and the lowest concentrations were measured dur:l.ng the swnmer and fall. Bacteriological data indicated no excessive -amounts of fecal matter present at the inflows. Soil samples collected at four sites in the impoundment area were predominantly of the Barbour, Philo, and Basher series, which are considered to be highly fertile soils with silt-loam and sandy~loam textures. Morphological features of the lake basin and low nutrient levels at the inflows should prevent excessive weed growth around the lake perimeter.

Babocomari River Riparian Protection Project

Treesearch

Dan Robinett; Linda Kennedy

2013-01-01

The Babocomari River is a major tributary of the San Pedro River in Santa Cruz and Cochise counties, Arizona. This 140,000 acre catchment includes rolling grasslands on the Sonoita plain, oak woodlands in the Canelo Hills and the pine-oak forests of the northwestern Huachuca Mountains. The Babocomari River runs for 22 miles from its headwaters near Sonoita at 5000 feet...

Influence of urban area on the water quality of the Campo River basin, Paraná State, Brazil.

PubMed

Carvalho, K Q; Lima, S B; Passig, F H; Gusmão, L K; Souza, D C; Kreutz, C; Belini, A D; Arantes, E J

2015-12-01

The Campo River basin is located on the third plateau of the Paraná State or trap plateau of Paraná, at the middle portion between the rivers Ivaí and Piquiri, southern Brazil, between the coordinates 23° 53 and 24° 10' South Latitude and 52° 15' and 52° 31' West Longitude. The basin has 384 Km² area, being 247 km² in the municipality of Campo Mourão and 137 km² in the municipality of Peabiru, in Paraná State. The Campo River is a left bank tributary of the Mourão River, which flows into the Ivaí River. The objective of this study was to monitor water quality in the Km 119 River and the Campo River, tributaries of the Mourão River, with monthly collection of water samples to determine pH, temperature, turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliforms, total solids, total nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate and total phosphorus. The results obtained were compared with the indices established by the environmental legislation and applied in the determination of the Water Quality Index (WQI) used by the Water Institute of Paraná State, regulating environmental agency. Poor water quality in these rivers presents a worrying scenario for the region, since this river is the main source of water supply for the public system. Results of organic matter, fecal coliforms and total phosphorus were higher than the limits established by Resolution CONAMA 357/2005 to river class 2, specially at downstream of the Km 119 River and the Campo River, due to the significant influence of the urban anthropic activity by the lack of tertiary treatment and also rural by the lack of basic sanitation in this area. Results of WQI of Km 119 River and do Campo River indicated that water quality can be classified as average in 71% and good in 29% of the sites evaluated.

An Analysis of the Performance of Public Elementary Schools in New York City during 2001-2005 from a Geographical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellici, Ylli

2009-01-01

This study examines from a geographical perspective the factors that impact the performance of public elementary schools in New York City during 2001-2005, a period when its schools were undergoing major reforms at both the local and national level. Education reforms have focused their attention on schools by increasing their responsibility and…

Assessment of ecological conditions and potential effects of water produced from coalbed natural gas development on biological communities in streams of the Powder River structural basin, Wyoming and Montana, 2005-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, David A.; Clark, Melanie L.; Foster, Katharine; Wright, Peter R.; Boughton, Gregory K.

2010-01-01

Ongoing development of coalbed natural gas in the Powder River structural basin in Wyoming and Montana led to formation of an interagency task group to address concerns about the effects of the resulting production water on biological communities in streams of the area. The interagency task group developed a monitoring plan and conducted sampling of macroinvertebrate, algal, and fish communities at 47 sites during 2005-08 to document current ecological conditions and determine existing and potential effects of water produced from coalbed natural gas development on biological communities. Macroinvertebrate, algal, and fish community composition varied between drainage basins, among sites within drainage basins, and by year. Macroinvertebrate communities of the main-stem Tongue River were characterized by higher taxa richness and higher abundance of Ephemeroptera, for example, compared to macroinvertebrate communities in plains tributaries of the Tongue River and the main-stem Powder River. Fish communities of the Tongue River were characterized by higher taxa richness and abundance of introduced species compared to the Powder River where native species were dominant. Macroinvertebrate community metric values from sites in the middle reach of the main-stem Powder River, from below Willow Creek to below Crazy Woman Creek, differed from metric values in the upper and lower reaches of the Powder River. Metrics indicative of communitywide differences included measures of taxa richness, relative abundance, feeding mode, and tolerance. Some of the variation in the macroinvertebrate communities could be explained by variation in environmental variables, including physical (turbidity, embeddedness, bed substrate size, and streamflow) and chemical (alkalinity and specific conductance) variables. Of these environmental variables, alkalinity was the best indicator of coalbed natural gas development because of the sodiumbicarbonate signature of the production water. Algal

Phytoplankton diversity in the Upper Paraná River floodplain during two years of drought (2000 and 2001).

PubMed

Borges, P A F; Train, S

2009-06-01

Floodplain lakes and lotic environments of the High Paraná River floodplain present notable biodiversity, especially in relation to phytoplanktonic community. The goal of this work was to evaluate phytoplankton diversity (alpha, beta and gamma) in three subsystems during two years of drought (2000 and 2001). We sampled 33 habitats at the pelagic zone subsurface during February and August. Due to low hydrometric levels of the Paraná and Ivinhema Rivers, there was no clear distinction between the potamophase and limnophase periods for the two hydrosedimentological cycles analysed. We recorded 366 taxa. The values obtained for gamma diversity estimators ranged from 55.5-87.8%. DCA and variance analyses revealed only spatial differences in the phytoplankton composition. The mean values of species richness, evenness and Shannon diversity were low, especially when compared to those obtained in previous periods for Baía subsystem. The highest mean values of species richness were verified in the connected floodplain lakes. The highest beta diversity was obtained from the Paraná subsystem and lotic environments in 2001. In general, we observed that the Upper Paraná River floodplain has the highest values of species richness, evenness and H' during the potamophase period, when the flood facilitates dispersion. However, this pattern was not observed in 2000 and 2001, years influenced by La Niña. Besides the low precipitation observed during that period, we must consider the influence of the Porto Primavera impoundment, which also altered the discharge regime of the Paraná River by decreasing the degree of connectivity between fluvial channels and the lentic environments of the floodplain. Thus, the prevalence of conditions characterising the limnophase during 2000 and 2001 explains the lack of significant variability registered for most components of phytoplankton diversity over the study period. We conclude that variations in phytoplankton diversity during the study

Occurrence, distribution, and trends of volatile organic compounds in the Ohio River and its major tributaries, 1987-96

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lundgren, Robert F.; Lopes, Thomas J.

1999-01-01

The Ohio River is a source of drinking water for more than 3 million people. Thus, it is important to monitor the water quality of this river to determine if contaminants are present, their concentrations, and if water quality is changing with time. This report presents an analysis of the occurrence, distribution, and trends of 21 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) along the main stem of the Ohio River and its major tributaries from 1987 through 1996. The data were collected by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission's Organics Detection System, which monitors daily for VOCs at 15 stations. Various statistical methods were applied to basinwide data from all monitoring stations and to data from individual monitoring stations. For the basinwide data, one or more VOCs were detected in 45 percent of the 44,837 river-water samples. Trichloromethane, detected in 26 percent of the samples, was the most frequently detected VOC followed by benzene (11 percent), methylbenzene (6.4 percent), and the other 18 VOCs, which were detected in less than 4 percent of the samples. In samples from 8 of the 15 monitoring stations, trichloromethane was also the most frequently detected VOC. These stations were generally near large cities along the Ohio River. The median trichloromethane concentration was 0.3 microgram per liter (μg/L), and concentrations ranged from less than 0.1 to 125.3 μg/L. Most of the VOCs had median detected concentrations that ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 μg/L for the basinwide data and for samples from individual stations. Samples from stations in the upstream part of the basin and from the Kanawha River had the highest median concentrations. Ninety-nine percent of the detected VOC concentrations were within U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water regulations. Of the 268 exceedances of drinking-water regulations, 188 were due to the detection of 1,2-dichloroethane prior to 1993 in samples from the monitoring station near Paducah, Ky. Time trend

The ichthyofauna of drifting macrophyte mats in the Ivinhema River, upper Paraná River basin, Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bulla, C. K.; Gomes, Luiz Carlos; Miranda, Leandro E.; Agostinho, A. A.

2011-01-01

We describe the fish assemblages associated with drifting macrophyte mats and consider their possible role as dispersal vectors in the Ivinhema River, a major tributary of the upper Paraná River, Brazil. Fish associated with drifting mats were sampled in the main river channel during January and March 2005, when the wind and/or the increased water level were sufficient to transport macrophyte stands. Fish in the drifting mats were sampled with a floating sieve (4 m long x 2 m wide x 0.6 m high, and 2 mm mesh size). In the laboratory, larvae, juvenile, and adult fish were counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. In four drifting macrophyte mats we captured 218 individuals belonging to at least 28 species, 17 families, and 6 orders. Aphyocharax dentatus, Serrasalmus spp., and Trachelyopterus galeatus were the most abundant taxa associated with the mats, but species richness ranged from 6 to 24 species per mat. In addition, 85% of the total number of individuals caught was larvae and juveniles. Although preliminary and based on limited samples, this study of drifting macrophyte mats was the first one in the last unregulated stretch of the Paraná River remaining inside Brazilian territory, and alerts us to the potential role of macrophytes mats as dispersers of fish species in the region.

Fall diel diet composition of American eel (Anguilla rostrata) in a tributary of the Hudson River, New York, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waldt, Emily M.; Abbett, Ross; Johnson, James H.; Dittman, Dawn E.; McKenna, James E.

2013-01-01

American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a once common species, is now in decline throughout much of its native range in North America. There is little information on the role of American eel in river food webs. A better understanding of the diet and ecological role of American eel will help in the conservation of this important species. During autumn 2009, eel and aquatic invertebrate samples were collected from Hannacroix Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River, in Albany and Greene counties, New York, USA. Eel diet was analyzed by the eel size and time period (day or night). A high proportion of eel stomachs were empty (73%). Eel diets varied among size classes and day and night feeding periods (p = 0.001). Diet overlap was significant between small and medium eels caught both during the day (α = 0.71) and at night (α = 0.84). Nocturnal diet and nocturnal invertebrate samples were similar (α = 0.65), indicating a preference for bottom feeding during the night. Mayfly nymphs were the major prey consumed in each period by all size classes. Among eels that fed, night-feeding eels had the greatest stomach weight (as a percent of total body weight). The swim-bladder parasite, Anguillicoloides crassus, was also observed in eels of all size classes with nearly 50% afflicted.

Relations among geology, physiography, land use, and stream habitat conditions in the Buffalo and Current River Systems, Missouri and Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Panfil, Maria S.; Jacobson, Robert B.

2001-01-01

This study investigated links between drainage-basin characteristics and stream habitat conditions in the Buffalo National River, Arkansas and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri. It was designed as an associative study - the two parks were divided into their principle tributary drainage basins and then basin-scale and stream-habitat data sets were gathered and compared between them. Analyses explored the relative influence of different drainage-basin characteristics on stream habitat conditions. They also investigated whether a relation between land use and stream characteristics could be detected after accounting for geologic and physiographic differences among drainage basins. Data were collected for three spatial scales: tributary drainage basins, tributary stream reaches, and main-stem river segments of the Current and Buffalo Rivers. Tributary drainage-basin characteristics were inventoried using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and included aspects of drainage-basin physiography, geology, and land use. Reach-scale habitat surveys measured channel longitudinal and cross-sectional geometry, substrate particle size and embeddedness, and indicators of channel stability. Segment-scale aerial-photo based inventories measured gravel-bar area, an indicator of coarse sediment load, along main-stem rivers. Relations within and among data sets from each spatial scale were investigated using correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. Study basins encompassed physiographically distinct regions of the Ozarks. The Buffalo River system drains parts of the sandstone-dominated Boston Mountains and of the carbonate-dominated Springfield and Salem Plateaus. The Current River system is within the Salem Plateau. Analyses of drainage-basin variables highlighted the importance of these physiographic differences and demonstrated links among geology, physiography, and land-use patterns. Buffalo River tributaries have greater relief, steeper slopes, and more

Evidence of panmixia between sympatric life history forms of coastal cutthroat trout in two lower Columbia River tributaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Baumsteiger, Jason; Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Hudson, J. Michael; Ardren, William R.

2010-01-01

Coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii exhibit resident and migratory life history strategies that often occur sympatrically, but the relationship between these forms within a population is poorly characterized. Through use of passive integrated transponder technology, migratory and resident coastal cutthroat trout were identified in two lower Columbia River tributaries (Abernathy Creek and the Chinook River) separated by more than 80 km. Genetic data from 17 highly variable microsatellite loci were used to ascertain the genetic population structure of these life history forms within and between streams. No distinct genetic separation was observed between the life history forms within a stream, as assessed by four different statistical approaches: permutation tests based on the genetic differentiation index F ST, principal components analysis of individuals, analysis of molecular variance, and contingency tests of allele frequency heterogeneity. Genetic differences were an order of magnitude higher between stream samples (F ST > 0.03) than between life history forms within a stream (F ST < 0.003). The contingency test detected allele frequency differences between migratory and resident life history forms in Abernathy Creek (P = 0.001), but this result was influenced more by age-class structure than by reproductive isolation between life history forms. Results are consistent with a single, randomly mating population in each stream producing both migratory and resident life history forms. These data suggest that individual life history strategy in coastal cutthroat trout is predominantly determined by phenotypic plasticity rather than genotype.

Wind-forced salt intrusion into a tributary estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanford, Lawrence P.; Boicourt, William C.

1990-08-01

Moored measurements and hydrographic surveys were carried out during the summers of 1986 and 1987 to examine interaction between the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay and the Choptank River, an eastern shore tributary estuary. The data show that an important mode of interaction is through wind-forced intrusion of saline, hypoxic water from below the pycnocline of the Bay into the lower river. Intrusions are driven by lateral tilting of the pycnocline in the Bay, when high salinity water is upwelled on the eastern side of the Bay in response to a southward pulse of wind stress. The resulting internal surges propagate up the relict Choptank entrance channel at a speed of about 20 cm/s and spill onto the broad sill inside the mouth of the river. Intrusion-favorable pycnocline tilts in the Bay do not always result in lower layer intrusion into the Choptank, but may be blocked or choked in the entrance channel on occasion. The data suggest that wind-forced intrusion of salt leads to increased gravitational circulation in the Choptank during the summer months, providing a mechanism through which high frequency energy may be directly translated into lower frequency motion.

Floodplain sediment from a 100-year-recurrence flood in 2005 of the Ping River in northern Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, S. H.; Ziegler, A. D.

2008-07-01

The tropical storm, floodwater, and the floodplain-sediment layer of a 100-year recurrence flood are examined to better understand characteristics of large monsoon floods on medium-sized rivers in northern Thailand. Storms producing large floods in northern Thailand occur early or late in the summer rainy season (May October). These storms are associated with tropical depressions evolving from typhoons in the South China Sea that travel westward across the Indochina Peninsula. In late September, 2005, the tropical depression from Typhoon Damrey swept across northern Thailand delivering 100 200 mm/day at stations in mountainous areas. Peak flow from the 6355-km2 drainage area of the Ping River upstream of the city of Chiang Mai was 867 m3s-1 (river-gage of height 4.93 m) and flow greater than 600 m3s-1 lasted for 2.5 days. Parts of the city of Chiang Mai and some parts of the floodplain in the intermontane Chiang Mai basin were flooded up to 1-km distant from the main channel. Suspended-sediment concentrations in the floodwater were measured and estimated to be 1000 1300 mg l-1. The mass of dry sediment (32.4 kg m-2), measured over a 0.32-km2 area of the floodplain is relatively high compared to reports from European and North American river floods. Average wet sediment thickness over the area was 3.3 cm. Sediment thicker than 8 cm covered 16 per cent of the area, and sediment thicker than 4 cm covered 44 per cent of the area. High suspended-sediment concentration in the floodwater, flow to the floodplain through a gap in the levee afforded by the mouth of a tributary stream as well as flow over levees, and floodwater depths of 1.2 m explain the relatively large amount of sediment in the measured area. Grain-size analyses and examination of the flood layer showed about 15-cm thickness of massive fine-sandy silt on the levee within 15-m of the main channel, sediment thicker than 6 cm within 200 m of the main channel containing a basal coarse silt, and massive clayey

Hydrology and water quality in the Green River and surrounding agricultural areas near Green River in Emery and Grand Counties, Utah, 2004-05

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gerner, S.J.; Spangler, L.E.; Kimball, B.A.; Wilberg, D.E.; Naftz, D.L.

2006-01-01

Water from the Colorado River and its tributaries is used for municipal and industrial purposes by about 27 million people and irrigates nearly 4 million acres of land in the Western United States. Water users in the Upper Colorado River Basin consume water from the Colorado River and its tributaries, reducing the amount of water in the river. In addition, application of water to agricultural land within the basin in excess of crop needs can increase the transport of dissolved solids to the river. As a result, dissolved-solids concentrations in the Colorado River have increased, affecting downstream water users. During 2004-05, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, investigated the occurrence and distribution of dissolved solids in water from the agricultural areas near Green River, Utah, and in the adjacent reach of the Green River, a principle tributary of the Colorado River.The flow-weighted concentration of dissolved solids diverted from the Green River for irrigation during 2004 and 2005 was 357 milligrams per liter and the mean concentration of water collected from seeps and drains where water was returning to the river during low-flow conditions was 4,170 milligrams per liter. The dissolved-solids concentration in water from the shallow part of the ground-water system ranged from 687 to 55,900 milligrams per liter.Measurable amounts of dissolved solids discharging to the Green River are present almost exclusively along the river banks or near the mouths of dry washes that bisect the agricultural areas. The median dissolved-solids load in discharge from the 17 drains and seeps visited during the study was 0.35 ton per day. Seasonal estimates of the dissolved-solids load discharging from the study area ranged from 2,800 tons in the winter to 6,400 tons in the spring. The estimate of dissolved solids discharging from the study area annually is 15,700 tons.Water samples collected from selected sites within

Effects of combined sewer overflow and stormwater on indicator bacteria concentrations in the Tama River due to the high population density of Tokyo Metropolitan area.

PubMed

Ham, Young-Sik; Kobori, Hiromi; Takasago, Masahisa

2009-05-01

The indicator bacteria (standard plate count, total coliform, and fecal coliform bacteria) concentrations have been investigated using six ambient habitats (population density, percent sewer penetration, stream flow rate (m(3)/sec), percent residential area, percent forest area and percent agricultural area) in the Tama River basin in Tokyo, Japan during June 2003 to January 2005. The downstream and tributary Tama River showed higher concentrations of TC and FC bacteria than the upstream waters, which exceeded an environmental quality standard for rivers and a bathing water quality criterion. It was estimated that combined sewer overflow (CSO) and stormwater effluents contributed -4-23% to the indicator bacteria concentrations of the Tama River. The results of multiple regression analyses show that the indicator bacteria concentrations of Tama River basin are significantly affected by population density. It is concluded that the Tama River received a significant bacterial contamination load originating from the anthropogenic source.

Development of a Life History Database for Upper Mississippi River Fishes

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

prevailing ecological and river theories with existing empirical data, investigating anthropogenic controls on functional attributes of ecosystems...2001; 2005a). database closely reflect the ecological attributes Finally, the life history database will allow the of UMRS fish species. These...34 Functional Feeding Guilds attribute class provide information on reproductive capacity, timing and mode for UMRS fish species. Our first example used the

Anabranching rivers on the Northern Plains of arid central Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tooth, Stephen; Nanson, Gerald C.

1999-09-01

Anabranching rivers are a widespread feature of the Northern Plains in the Alice Springs region of central Australia but their unusual characteristics previously have not been described. On the Northern Plains, anabranching occurs on rivers transporting bedloads of coarse sand and gravel and is characterised by channels of variable size and shape which occur within a broader, typically well-defined, channel-train. Channels are separated by channel-train ridges—narrow, flow-aligned, vegetated features—or by wider islands. Ridges and islands are either depositional features (formed in situ by accretionary processes) or erosional features (formed by excision from once-continuous areas of floodplain). Vegetation plays a key role in the initiation, survival and growth of depositional forms through its influence on flow, sediment transport and ridge and island stability. Anabranching is also related to the influence of tributaries, for some large rivers alternate from single-thread to anabranching along their length in response to tributary inputs of water and sediment. Tributary inputs occur during flow events that are either independent from, or in concert with, floods in the trunk channel. Ridges and islands form in association with tributaries as a result of various hydrological, depositional and erosional processes, including irrigation of enhanced numbers of in-channel trees and resulting lee-side sediment accretion, floodplain scour, and the formation and maintenance of deferred-junction tributaries. The change from single-thread to anabranching downstream of tributary junctions occurs in the absence of any significant change in channel gradient or degree of channel confinement. On the Northern Plains, anabranching appears to be a stable river pattern that helps to maintain the throughput of relatively coarse sediment in low-gradient (typically 0.0005-0.002) channels characterised by an abundance of within-channel vegetation and subject to declining downstream

Tracing seasonal nitrate sources and loads in the San Joaquin River using nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, M. B.; Kendall, C.; Silva, S.; Stringfellow, W. T.; Dahlgren, R. A.

2007-12-01

The San Joaquin River (SJR) is a heavily impacted river draining a major agricultural basin in central California. This river receives nitrate inputs from multiple point and non-point sources including agriculture, livestock, waste water treatment plants, septic systems, urban run-off, and natural soil leaching. Nitrate inputs to the SJR may play a significant role in driving algal blooms and reducing overall water quality. The San Joaquin River discharges into the San Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem, and reduced water quality and large algal blooms in the SJR may play a significant role in driving critically low oxygen levels in the Stockton Deep Water Shipping Channel. Correct identification of the major nitrate sources to the SJR is important for coordinating mitigation efforts throughout the SJR-Delta-San Francisco Bay region. Measurements of the nitrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate were made monthly to bimonthly from 2005 through 2007 within the Lower SJR, major tributaries, and various other water input sources in order to assess spatial and temporal variations in nitrate inputs and cycling in this heavily impacted watershed. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of water was also measured to better distinguish water sources and identify changes in water inputs. A very wide range of δ15N-NO3 and δ18O-NO3 values were observed in the main stem SJR and tributaries. The δ15N values ranged from +2 to +17 ‰, and the δ18O values ranged from -1 to +18 ‰. Except for a major agricultural drain site (San Luis Drain), all the sites showed temporal changes in both δ15N-NO3 and δ18O-NO3 much greater than the differences seen between individual sites. In general, the δ15N values of nitrate in the larger tributary rivers (Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus) were much lower than those of the main stem SJR from April to May; however, after June the tributary values began to rise toward the values in the main stem river. Some of the highest δ15N-NO3

RED RIVER BASIN BIOLOGICAL MONITORING WORKGROUP

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of this project is to improve coordination of biological monitoring efforts in the Red River Basin. This is to be accomplished through coordination of a study to develop sampling protocols for macroinvertebrates in the main stream and lower tributaries of the Red River....

Walla Walla River Fish Passage Operations Program, 2000-2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zimmerman, Brian C.; Duke, Bill B.

2004-02-01

In the late 1990's, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, along with many other agencies, began implementing fisheries restoration activities in the Walla Walla Basin. An integral part of these efforts is to alleviate the inadequate migration conditions in the basin. The migration concerns are being addressed by removing diversion structures, constructing fish passage facilities, implementing minimum instream flow measures, and initiating trap and haul efforts. The objective of the Walla Walla River Fish Passage Operations Project is to increase the survival of migrating adultmore » and juvenile salmonids in the basin. The project is responsible for coordinating operation and maintenance of ladders, screen sites, bypasses, trap facilities, and transportation equipment. In addition, the project provides technical input on passage criteria and passage and trapping facility design and operation. Operation of the various passage facilities and passage criteria guidelines are outlined in an annual operations plan that the project develops. During the 2000-2001 project year, there were 624 summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 24 bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), and 47 spring chinook (O. tshawytscha) counted at the Nursery Bridge Dam adult trap between December 27, 2000 and June 7, 2001. The Little Walla Walla River juvenile trap was not operated this year. The project transported 1600 adult spring chinook from Ringold Springs Hatchery to the South Fork Walla Walla Brood Holding Facility and outplanted 1156 for natural spawning in the basin. The project also provided equipment for transportation of juveniles captured during the construction fish salvage at Nursery Bridge Dam.« less

Trading-off fish biodiversity, food security, and hydropower in the Mekong River Basin.

PubMed

Ziv, Guy; Baran, Eric; Nam, So; Rodríguez-Iturbe, Ignacio; Levin, Simon A

2012-04-10

The Mekong River Basin, site of the biggest inland fishery in the world, is undergoing massive hydropower development. Planned dams will block critical fish migration routes between the river's downstream floodplains and upstream tributaries. Here we estimate fish biomass and biodiversity losses in numerous damming scenarios using a simple ecological model of fish migration. Our framework allows detailing trade-offs between dam locations, power production, and impacts on fish resources. We find that the completion of 78 dams on tributaries, which have not previously been subject to strategic analysis, would have catastrophic impacts on fish productivity and biodiversity. Our results argue for reassessment of several dams planned, and call for a new regional agreement on tributary development of the Mekong River Basin.

Trading-off fish biodiversity, food security, and hydropower in the Mekong River Basin

PubMed Central

Ziv, Guy; Baran, Eric; Nam, So; Rodríguez-Iturbe, Ignacio; Levin, Simon A.

2012-01-01

The Mekong River Basin, site of the biggest inland fishery in the world, is undergoing massive hydropower development. Planned dams will block critical fish migration routes between the river's downstream floodplains and upstream tributaries. Here we estimate fish biomass and biodiversity losses in numerous damming scenarios using a simple ecological model of fish migration. Our framework allows detailing trade-offs between dam locations, power production, and impacts on fish resources. We find that the completion of 78 dams on tributaries, which have not previously been subject to strategic analysis, would have catastrophic impacts on fish productivity and biodiversity. Our results argue for reassessment of several dams planned, and call for a new regional agreement on tributary development of the Mekong River Basin. PMID:22393001

Population connectivity and genetic structure of burbot (Lota lota) populations in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Underwood, Zachary E.; Mandeville, Elizabeth G.; Walters, Annika W.

2016-01-01

Burbot (Lota lota) occur in the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming, USA, at the southwestern extreme of the species’ native range in North America. The most stable and successful of these populations occur in six glacially carved mountain lakes on three different tributary streams and one large main stem impoundment (Boysen Reservoir) downstream from the tributary populations. Burbot are rarely found in connecting streams and rivers, which are relatively small and high gradient, with a variety of potential barriers to upstream movement of fish. We used high-throughput genomic sequence data for 11,197 SNPs to characterize the genetic diversity, population structure, and connectivity among burbot populations on the Wind River system. Fish from Boysen Reservoir and lower basin tributary populations were genetically differentiated from those in the upper basin tributary populations. In addition, fish within the same tributary streams fell within the same genetic clusters, suggesting there is movement of fish between lakes on the same tributaries but that populations within each tributary system are isolated and genetically distinct from other populations. Observed genetic differentiation corresponded to natural and anthropogenic barriers, highlighting the importance of barriers to fish population connectivity and gene flow in human-altered linked lake-stream habitats.

Carbon isotope composition of dissolved humic and fulvic acids in the Tokachi River system.

PubMed

Nagao, Seiya; Kodama, Hiroki; Aramaki, Takafumi; Fujitake, Nobuhide; Uchida, Masao; Shibata, Yasuyuki

2011-07-01

This study reports carbon isotopic ratios (Δ(14)C and δ(13)C) of dissolved humic and fulvic acids in the Tokachi River system, northern Japan. These acids have a refractory feature and they represent the largest fraction of dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments. The acids were isolated using the XAD extraction method from river water samples collected at three sites (on the upper and lower Tokachi River, and from one of its tributaries) in June 2004 and 2005. δ(13)C values were -27.8 to -26.9 ‰ for humic and fulvic acids. On the other hand, the Δ(14)C values ranged from -247 to +26 ‰ and the average values were -170 ± 79 ‰ for humic acid and -44 ± 73 ‰ for fulvic acid. The difference was attributed to the residence time of fulvic acid in the watershed being shorter than that of humic acid. The large variation suggested that humic substances have a different pathway in each watershed environment.

Potential water-quality effects of coal-bed methane production water discharged along the upper Tongue River, Wyoming and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinsey, Stacy M.; Nimick, David A.

2011-01-01

Water quality in the upper Tongue River from Monarch, Wyoming, downstream to just upstream from the Tongue River Reservoir in Montana potentially could be affected by discharge of coal-bed methane (CBM) production water (hereinafter referred to as CBM discharge). CBM discharge typically contains high concentrations of sodium and other ions that could increase dissolved-solids (salt) concentrations, specific conductance (SC), and sodium-adsorption ratio (SAR) in the river. Increased inputs of sodium and other ions have the potential to alter the river's suitability for agricultural irrigation and aquatic ecosystems. Data from two large tributaries, Goose Creek and Prairie Dog Creek, indicate that these tributaries were large contributors to the increase in SC and SAR in the Tongue River. However, water-quality data were not available for most of the smaller inflows, such as small tributaries, irrigation-return flows, and CBM discharges. Thus, effects of these inflows on the water quality of the Tongue River were not well documented. Effects of these small inflows might be subtle and difficult to determine without more extensive data collection to describe spatial patterns. Therefore, synoptic water-quality sampling trips were conducted in September 2005 and April 2006 to provide a spatially detailed profile of the downstream changes in water quality in this reach of the Tongue River. The purpose of this report is to describe these downstream changes in water quality and to estimate the potential water-quality effects of CBM discharge in the upper Tongue River. Specific conductance of the Tongue River through the study reach increased from 420 to 625 microsiemens per centimeter (.μS/cm; or 49 percent) in the downstream direction in September 2005 and from 373 to 543 .μS/cm (46 percent) in April 2006. Large increases (12 to 24 percent) were measured immediately downstream from Goose Creek and Prairie Dog Creek during both sampling trips. Increases attributed to

Pesticides in groundwater in the Anacostia River and Rock Creek watersheds in Washington, D.C., 2005 and 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koterba, Michael T.; Dieter, Cheryl A.; Miller, Cherie V.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the District Department of the Environment, conducted a groundwater-quality investigation to (a) determine the presence, concentrations, and distribution of selected pesticides in groundwater, and (b) assess the presence of pesticides in groundwater in relation to selected landscape, hydrogeologic, and groundwater-quality characteristics in the shallow groundwater underlying the Anacostia River and Rock Creek watersheds in Washington, D.C. With one exception, well depths were 100 feet or less below land surface. The USGS obtained or compiled ancillary data and information on land use (2001), subsurface sediments, and groundwater samples from 17 wells in the lower Anacostia River watershed from September through December 2005, and from 14 wells in the lower Anacostia River and lower Rock Creek watersheds from August through September 2008. Twenty-seven pesticide compounds, reflecting at least 19 different types of pesticides, were detected in the groundwater samples obtained in 2005 and 2008. No fungicides were detected. In relation to the pesticides detected, degradate compounds were as or more likely to be detected than applied (parent) compounds. The detected pesticides chiefly reflected herbicides commonly used in urban settings for non-specific weed control or insecticides used for nonspecific haustellate insects (insects with specialized mouthparts for sucking liquid) or termite-specific control. Detected pesticides included a combination of pesticides currently (2008) in use, banned or under highly restricted use, and some that had replaced the banned or restricted-use pesticides. The presence of banned and restricted-use pesticides illustrates their continued persistence and resistance to complete degradation in the environment. The presence of the replacement pesticides indicates the susceptibility of the surficial aquifer to contamination irrespective of the changes in the pesticides used. A

Long-term monitoring of metal pollution in sediments from the estuary of the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River (2005-2010)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gredilla, Ainara; Fdez-Ortiz de Vallejuelo, Silvia; Arana, Gorka; de Diego, Alberto; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2013-10-01

This work aims to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of trace metals in sediment samples taken from the Nerbioi-Ibaizabal River estuary (Bilbao, Basque Country) over the course of a long-term surveillance monitoring programme from 2005 to 2010. Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) and the geoaccumulation indexes (Igeo) were used to assess the environmental risk posed by metal content in the estuary sediment. Sediment was collected at eight different sites in the estuary every three months over the period of investigation. A total of 14 elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, V and Zn) were selected and the concentration of each was measured in all samples. Additionally, conductivity, pH and the concentration of carbonate, total organic carbon and fulvic and humic acids were also measured in those samples collected in sampling campaigns from March 2006 to October 2008. The concentration of most of the metals systematically decreased over the period of investigation. There are still some points of the estuary (those located in the surroundings of the Gobela and Galindo tributaries), however, where concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn are significantly higher than the background values estimated for the area. According to the mean Effects Range Median quotients (mERMqs) calculated for these sites, sediments may still pose a toxicological threat to living organisms. Metal content in inner estuary sediment is low. Specific point sources of metals to the estuary, together with background contamination of diffuse origin, are probably responsible for this situation.

Kootenai River Focus Watershed Coordination, 2001-2002 Annual Report.