Predicting synoptic water quality indicators of wadeable streams in the U.S. using National Soil Database

EPA Science Inventory

Nationwide assessment of water quality is a goal of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the EPA’s Wadeable Stream Assessment (WSA) was developed in response to that goal. The observed chemical, physical, and biological water quality indicators (WQI) fro...

Predicting synoptic water quality indicators of wadeable streams in the U.S. using national soil database - Shirazi

EPA Science Inventory

Nationwide assessment of water quality is a goal of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the EPA’s Wadeable Stream Assessment (WSA) was developed in response to that goal. The observed chemical, physical, and biological water quality indicators (WQI) fro...

Success in Outreach and Education Through a Partnership Approach Between Government and Grass Roots: The Yukon River Basin Water Quality Monitoring Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maracle, B. K.; Schuster, P. F.

2008-12-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently concluded a five-year water quality study (2001-2005) of the Yukon River and its major tributaries. One component of the study was to establish a water quality baseline providing a frame of reference to assess changes in the basin that may result from climate change. As the study neared its conclusion, the USGS began to foster a relationship with the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC). The YRITWC was in the process of building a steward-based Yukon River water quality program. Both the USGS and the YRITWC recognized the importance of collaboration resulting in mutual benefits. Through the guidance, expertise, and training provided by the USGS, YRITWC developed and implemented a basin-wide water quality program. The YRITWC program began in March, 2006 utilizing USGS protocols, techniques, and in-kind services. To date, more than 300 samplings and field measurements at more than 25 locations throughout the basin (twice the size of California) have been completed by more than 50 trained volunteers. The Yukon River Basin baseline water quality database has been extended from 5 to 8 years due to the efforts of the YRITWC-USGS collaboration. Basic field measurements include field pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and water temperature. Samples taken for laboratory analyses include major ions, dissolved organic carbon, greenhouse gases, nutrients, and stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen, and selected trace elements. Field replicates and blanks were introduced into the program in 2007 for quality assurance. Building toward a long-term dataset is critical to understanding the effects of climate change on river basins. Thus, relaying the importance of long-term water-quality databases is a main focus of the training workshops. Consistencies in data populations between the USGS 5-year database and the YRITWC 3-year database indicate protocols and procedures made a successful transition. This reflects the success of the YRITWC- USGS sponsored water-quality training workshops for water technicians representing more than 18 Tribal Councils and First Nations throughout the Yukon River Basin. The collaborative approach to outreach and education will be described along with discussion of future opportunities using this model.

Development of water environment information management and water pollution accident response system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, J.; Ruan, H.

2009-12-01

In recent years, many water pollution accidents occurred with the rapid economical development. In this study, water environment information management and water pollution accident response system are developed based on geographic information system (GIS) techniques. The system integrated spatial database, attribute database, hydraulic model, and water quality model under a user-friendly interface in a GIS environment. System ran in both Client/Server (C/S) and Browser/Server (B/S) platform which focused on model and inquiry respectively. System provided spatial and attribute data inquiry, water quality evaluation, statics, water pollution accident response case management (opening reservoir etc) and 2D and 3D visualization function, and gave assistant information to make decision on water pollution accident response. Polluted plume in Huaihe River were selected to simulate the transport of pollutes.

Glossary | STORET Legacy Data Center | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2014-06-06

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains two data management systems containing water quality information for the nation's waters: the Legacy Data Center (LDC), and STORET. The LDC is a static, archived database and STORET is an operational system actively being populated with water quality data.

Organizations - I | STORET Legacy Data Center | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2007-05-16

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains two data management systems containing water quality information for the nation's waters: the Legacy Data Center (LDC), and STORET. The LDC is a static, archived database and STORET is an operational system actively being populated with water quality data.

Glossary | STORET Legacy Data Center | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2011-02-14

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains two data management systems containing water quality information for the nation's waters: the Legacy Data Center (LDC), and STORET. The LDC is a static, archived database and STORET is an operational system actively being populated with water quality data.

Contacts | STORET Legacy Data Center | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2007-05-16

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains two data management systems containing water quality information for the nation's waters: the Legacy Data Center (LDC), and STORET. The LDC is a static, archived database and STORET is an operational system actively being populated with water quality data.

Development of innovative computer software to facilitate the setup and computation of water quality index.

PubMed

Nabizadeh, Ramin; Valadi Amin, Maryam; Alimohammadi, Mahmood; Naddafi, Kazem; Mahvi, Amir Hossein; Yousefzadeh, Samira

2013-04-26

Developing a water quality index which is used to convert the water quality dataset into a single number is the most important task of most water quality monitoring programmes. As the water quality index setup is based on different local obstacles, it is not feasible to introduce a definite water quality index to reveal the water quality level. In this study, an innovative software application, the Iranian Water Quality Index Software (IWQIS), is presented in order to facilitate calculation of a water quality index based on dynamic weight factors, which will help users to compute the water quality index in cases where some parameters are missing from the datasets. A dataset containing 735 water samples of drinking water quality in different parts of the country was used to show the performance of this software using different criteria parameters. The software proved to be an efficient tool to facilitate the setup of water quality indices based on flexible use of variables and water quality databases.

Quality-control design for surface-water sampling in the National Water-Quality Network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Riskin, Melissa L.; Reutter, David C.; Martin, Jeffrey D.; Mueller, David K.

2018-04-10

The data-quality objectives for samples collected at surface-water sites in the National Water-Quality Network include estimating the extent to which contamination, matrix effects, and measurement variability affect interpretation of environmental conditions. Quality-control samples provide insight into how well the samples collected at surface-water sites represent the true environmental conditions. Quality-control samples used in this program include field blanks, replicates, and field matrix spikes. This report describes the design for collection of these quality-control samples and the data management needed to properly identify these samples in the U.S. Geological Survey’s national database.

Legacy STORET Level 5 | STORET Legacy Data Center | US ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2007-05-16

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains two data management systems containing water quality information for the nation's waters: the Legacy Data Center (LDC), and STORET. The LDC is a static, archived database and STORET is an operational system actively being populated with water quality data.

Assessment of groundwater quality data for the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, Rolette County, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lundgren, Robert F.; Vining, Kevin C.

2013-01-01

The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation relies on groundwater supplies to meet the demands of community and economic needs. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, examined historical groundwater-level and groundwater-quality data for the Fox Hills, Hell Creek, Rolla, and Shell Valley aquifers. The two main sources of water-quality data for groundwater were the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database and the North Dakota State Water Commission database. Data included major ions, trace elements, nutrients, field properties, and physical properties. The Fox Hills and Hell Creek aquifers had few groundwater water-quality data. The lack of data limits any detailed assessments that can be made about these aquifers. Data for the Rolla aquifer exist from 1978 through 1980 only. The concentrations of some water-quality constituents exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant levels. No samples were analyzed for pesticides and hydrocarbons. Numerous water-quality samples have been obtained from the Shell Valley aquifer. About one-half of the water samples from the Shell Valley aquifer had concentrations of iron, manganese, sulfate, and dissolved solids that exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant levels. Overall, the data did not indicate obvious patterns in concentrations.

Pesticides in Drinking Water – The Brazilian Monitoring Program

PubMed Central

Barbosa, Auria M. C.; Solano, Marize de L. M.; Umbuzeiro, Gisela de A.

2015-01-01

Brazil is the world largest pesticide consumer; therefore, it is important to monitor the levels of these chemicals in the water used by population. The Ministry of Health coordinates the National Drinking Water Quality Surveillance Program (Vigiagua) with the objective to monitor water quality. Water quality data are introduced in the program by state and municipal health secretariats using a database called Sisagua (Information System of Water Quality Monitoring). Brazilian drinking water norm (Ordinance 2914/2011 from Ministry of Health) includes 27 pesticide active ingredients that need to be monitored every 6 months. This number represents <10% of current active ingredients approved for use in the country. In this work, we analyzed data compiled in Sisagua database in a qualitative and quantitative way. From 2007 to 2010, approximately 169,000 pesticide analytical results were prepared and evaluated, although approximately 980,000 would be expected if all municipalities registered their analyses. This shows that only 9–17% of municipalities registered their data in Sisagua. In this dataset, we observed non-compliance with the minimum sampling number required by the norm, lack of information about detection and quantification limits, insufficient standardization in expression of results, and several inconsistencies, leading to low credibility of pesticide data provided by the system. Therefore, it is not possible to evaluate exposure of total Brazilian population to pesticides via drinking water using the current national database system Sisagua. Lessons learned from this study could provide insights into the monitoring and reporting of pesticide residues in drinking water worldwide. PMID:26581345

ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT CALIBRATION OF WATER QUALITY IN ESTERO BAY MX964227

EPA Science Inventory

This project will produce a GIS database and habitat maps of benthic substrates and biological assemblages within the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve. A biological approach for identifying ambient water quality conditions will be developed. This will increase awareness among resource...

Development of innovative computer software to facilitate the setup and computation of water quality index

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Developing a water quality index which is used to convert the water quality dataset into a single number is the most important task of most water quality monitoring programmes. As the water quality index setup is based on different local obstacles, it is not feasible to introduce a definite water quality index to reveal the water quality level. Findings In this study, an innovative software application, the Iranian Water Quality Index Software (IWQIS), is presented in order to facilitate calculation of a water quality index based on dynamic weight factors, which will help users to compute the water quality index in cases where some parameters are missing from the datasets. Conclusion A dataset containing 735 water samples of drinking water quality in different parts of the country was used to show the performance of this software using different criteria parameters. The software proved to be an efficient tool to facilitate the setup of water quality indices based on flexible use of variables and water quality databases. PMID:24499556

Data collection and compilation for a geodatabase of groundwater, surface-water, water-quality, geophysical, and geologic data, Pecos County Region, Texas, 1930-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, Daniel K.; Bumgarner, Johnathan R.; Houston, Natalie A.; Stanton, Gregory P.; Teeple, Andrew; Thomas, Jonathan V.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District, Pecos County, City of Fort Stockton, Brewster County, and Pecos County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, compiled groundwater, surface-water, water-quality, geophysical, and geologic data for site locations in the Pecos County region, Texas, and developed a geodatabase to facilitate use of this information. Data were compiled for an approximately 4,700 square mile area of the Pecos County region, Texas. The geodatabase contains data from 8,242 sampling locations; it was designed to organize and store field-collected geochemical and geophysical data, as well as digital database resources from the U.S. Geological Survey, Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District, Texas Water Development Board, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality,and numerous other State and local databases. The geodatabase combines these disparate database resources into a simple data model. Site locations are geospatially enabled and stored in a geodatabase feature class for cartographic visualization and spatial analysis within a Geographic Information System. The sampling locations are related to hydrogeologic information through the use of geodatabase relationship classes. The geodatabase relationship classes provide the ability to perform complex spatial and data-driven queries to explore data stored in the geodatabase.

Compilation of historical water-quality data for selected springs in Texas, by ecoregion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heitmuller, Franklin T.; Williams, Iona P.

2006-01-01

Springs are important hydrologic features in Texas. A database of about 2,000 historically documented springs and available spring-flow measurements previously has been compiled and published, but water-quality data remain scattered in published sources. This report by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, documents the compilation of data for 232 springs in Texas on the basis of a set of criteria and the development of a water-quality database for the selected springs. The selection of springs for compilation of historical water-quality data in Texas was made using existing digital and hard-copy data, responses to mailed surveys, selection criteria established by various stakeholders, geographic information systems, and digital database queries. Most springs were selected by computing the highest mean spring flows for each Texas level III ecoregion. A brief assessment of the water-quality data for springs in Texas shows that few data are available in the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, High Plains, East Central Texas Plains, Western Gulf Coastal Plain, and South Central Plains ecoregions. Water-quality data are more abundant for the Chihuahuan Deserts, Edwards Plateau, and Texas Blackland Prairies ecoregions. Selected constituent concentrations in Texas springs, including silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, strontium, sulfate, chloride, fluoride, nitrate (nitrogen), dissolved solids, and hardness (as calcium carbonate) are comparatively high in the Chihuahuan Deserts, Southwestern Tablelands, Central Great Plains, and Cross Timbers ecoregions, mostly as a result of subsurface geology. Comparatively low concentrations of selected constituents in Texas springs are associated with the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, Southern Texas Plains, East Central Texas Plains, and South Central Plains ecoregions.

Specific conductance measurements in central and western New York streams - A retrospective characterization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kappel, William M.; Sinclair, Gaylen J.; Reddy, James E.; Eckhardt, David A.; deVries, M. Peter; Phillips, Margaret E.

2012-01-01

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Rescue Program funds were used to recover data from paper records for 139 streamgages across central and western New York State; 6,133 different streamflow measurement forms, collected between 1970-80, contained field water-quality measurements. The water-quality data were entered, reviewed, and uploaded into the USGS National Water Information System. In total, 4,285 unique site visits were added to the database. The new values represent baseline water quality from which to measure change and will lead to a comparison of water-quality change over the last 40 years and into the future. Specific conductance was one of the measured properties and represents a simple way to determine if ambient inorganic water quality has been altered by anthropogenic (road salt runoff, wastewater discharges, or natural gas development) or natural sources. The objective of this report is to describe ambient specific conductance characteristics of surface water across the central and western part of New York. This report presents median specific conductance of stream discharge for the period 1970-80 and a description of the relation between specific conductance and concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) retrieved from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database from 1955 to present. The data descriptions provide a baseline of surface-water specific conductance data that can used for comparison to current and future measurements in New York streams.

An evaluation of freshwater mussel toxicity data in the derivation of water quality guidance and standards for copper

USGS Publications Warehouse

March, F.A.; Dwyer, F.J.; Augspurger, T.; Ingersoll, C.G.; Wang, N.; Mebane, C.A.

2007-01-01

The state of Oklahoma has designated several areas as freshwater mussel sanctuaries in an attempt to provide freshwater mussel species a degree of protection and to facilitate their reproduction. We evaluated the protection afforded freshwater mussels by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) hardness-based 1996 ambient copper water quality criteria, the 2007 U.S. EPA water quality criteria based on the biotic ligand model and the 2005 state of Oklahoma copper water quality standards. Both the criterion maximum concentration and criterion continuous concentration were evaluated. Published acute and chronic copper toxicity data that met American Society for Testing and Materials guidance for test acceptability were obtained for exposures conducted with glochidia or juvenile freshwater mussels. We tabulated toxicity data for glochidia and juveniles to calculate 20 species mean acute values for freshwater mussels. Generally, freshwater mussel species mean acute values were similar to those of the more sensitive species included in the U.S. EPA water quality derivation database. When added to the database of genus mean acute values used in deriving 1996 copper water quality criteria, 14 freshwater mussel genus mean acute values included 10 of the lowest 15 genus mean acute values, with three mussel species having the lowest values. Chronic exposure and sublethal effects freshwater mussel data available for four species and acute to chronic ratios were used to evaluate the criterion continuous concentration. On the basis of the freshwater mussel toxicity data used in this assessment, the hardness-based 1996 U.S. EPA water quality criteria, the 2005 Oklahoma water quality standards, and the 2007 U.S. EPA water quality criteria based on the biotic ligand model might need to be revised to afford protection to freshwater mussels. ?? 2007 SETAC.

The inland water macro-invertebrate occurrences in Flanders, Belgium.

PubMed

Vannevel, Rudy; Brosens, Dimitri; Cooman, Ward De; Gabriels, Wim; Frank Lavens; Mertens, Joost; Vervaeke, Bart

2018-01-01

The Flanders Environment Agency (VMM) has been performing biological water quality assessments on inland waters in Flanders (Belgium) since 1989 and sediment quality assessments since 2000. The water quality monitoring network is a combined physico-chemical and biological network, the biological component focusing on macro-invertebrates. The sediment monitoring programme produces biological data to assess the sediment quality. Both monitoring programmes aim to provide index values, applying a similar conceptual methodology based on the presence of macro-invertebrates. The biological data obtained from both monitoring networks are consolidated in the VMM macro-invertebrates database and include identifications at family and genus level of the freshwater phyla Coelenterata, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Mollusca, and Arthropoda. This paper discusses the content of this database, and the dataset published thereof: 282,309 records of 210 observed taxa from 4,140 monitoring sites located on 657 different water bodies, collected during 22,663 events. This paper provides some background information on the methodology, temporal and spatial coverage, and taxonomy, and describes the content of the dataset. The data are distributed as open data under the Creative Commons CC-BY license.

Exploration of ToxCast/Tox21 bioassays as candidate bioanalytical tools for measuring groups of chemicals in water.

PubMed

Louisse, Jochem; Dingemans, Milou M L; Baken, Kirsten A; van Wezel, Annemarie P; Schriks, Merijn

2018-06-14

The present study explores the ToxCast/Tox21 database to select candidate bioassays as bioanalytical tools for measuring groups of chemicals in water. To this aim, the ToxCast/Tox21 database was explored for bioassays that detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines (AAs), (chloro)phenols ((C)Ps) and halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (HAliHs), which are included in the European and/or Dutch Drinking Water Directives. Based on the analysis of the availability and performance of bioassays included in the database, we concluded that several bioassays are suitable as bioanalytical tools for assessing the presence of PAHs and (C)Ps in drinking water sources. No bioassays were identified for AAs and HAliHs, due to the limited activity of these chemicals and/or the limited amount of data on these chemicals in the database. A series of bioassays was selected that measure molecular or cellular effects that are covered by bioassays currently in use for chemical water quality monitoring. Interestingly, also bioassays were selected that represent molecular or cellular effects that are not covered by bioassays currently applied. The usefulness of these newly identified bioassays as bioanalytical tools should be further evaluated in follow-up studies. Altogether, this study shows how exploration of the ToxCast/Tox21 database provides a series of candidate bioassays as bioanalytical tools for measuring groups of chemicals in water. This assessment can be performed for any group of chemicals of interest (if represented in the database), and may provide candidate bioassays that can be used to complement the currently applied bioassays for chemical water quality assessment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

AGRICULTURAL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE EFFECTIVENESS DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

Resource Purpose:The Agricultural Best Management Practice Effectiveness Database contains the results of research projects which have collected water quality data for the purpose of determining the effectiveness of agricultural management practices in reducing pollutants ...

Database Dictionary for Ethiopian National Ground-Water DAtabase (ENGDA) Data Fields

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuniansky, Eve L.; Litke, David W.; Tucci, Patrick

2007-01-01

Introduction This document describes the data fields that are used for both field forms and the Ethiopian National Ground-water Database (ENGDA) tables associated with information stored about production wells, springs, test holes, test wells, and water level or water-quality observation wells. Several different words are used in this database dictionary and in the ENGDA database to describe a narrow shaft constructed in the ground. The most general term is borehole, which is applicable to any type of hole. A well is a borehole specifically constructed to extract water from the ground; however, for this data dictionary and for the ENGDA database, the words well and borehole are used interchangeably. A production well is defined as any well used for water supply and includes hand-dug wells, small-diameter bored wells equipped with hand pumps, or large-diameter bored wells equipped with large-capacity motorized pumps. Test holes are borings made to collect information about the subsurface with continuous core or non-continuous core and/or where geophysical logs are collected. Test holes are not converted into wells. A test well is a well constructed for hydraulic testing of an aquifer in order to plan a larger ground-water production system. A water-level or water-quality observation well is a well that is used to collect information about an aquifer and not used for water supply. A spring is any naturally flowing, local, ground-water discharge site. The database dictionary is designed to help define all fields on both field data collection forms (provided in attachment 2 of this report) and for the ENGDA software screen entry forms (described in Litke, 2007). The data entered into each screen entry field are stored in relational database tables within the computer database. The organization of the database dictionary is designed based on field data collection and the field forms, because this is what the majority of people will use. After each field, however, the ENGDA database field name and relational database table is designated; along with the ENGDA screen entry form(s) and the ENGDA field form (attachment 2). The database dictionary is separated into sections. The first section, Basic Site Data Fields, describes the basic site information that is similar for all of the different types of sites. The remaining sections may be applicable for only one type of site; for example, the Well Drilling and Construction Data Fields and Lithologic Description Data Fields are applicable to boreholes and not to springs. Attachment 1 contains a table for conversion from English to metric units. Attachment 2 contains selected field forms used in conjunction with ENGDA. A separate document, 'Users Reference Manual for the Ethiopian National Ground-Water DAtabase (ENGDA),' by David W. Litke was developed as a users guide for the computer database and screen entry. This database dictionary serves as a reference for both the field forms and the computer database. Every effort has been made to have identical field names between the field forms and the screen entry forms in order to avoid confusion.

An Integrated Decision Support System for Water Quality Management of Songhua River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haiping; Yin, Qiuxiao; Chen, Ling

2010-11-01

In the Songhua River Basin of China, many water resource and water environment conflicts interact. A Decision Support System (DSS) for the water quality management has been established for the Basin. The System is featured by the incorporation of a numerical water quality model system into a conventional water quality management system which usually consists of geographic information system (GIS), WebGIS technology, database system and network technology. The model system is built based on DHI MIKE software comprising of a basin rainfall-runoff module, a basin pollution load evaluation module, a river hydrodynamic module and a river water quality module. The DSS provides a friendly graphical user interface that enables the rapid and transparent calculation of various water quality management scenarios, and also enables the convenient access and interpretation of the modeling results to assist the decision-making.

Protecting water quality in the watershed

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

James, C.R.; Johnson, K.E.; Stewart, E.H.

1994-08-01

This article highlights the water quality component of a watershed management plan being developed for the San Francisco (CA) Water Department. The physical characteristics of the 63,000-acre watersheds were analyzed for source and transport vulnerability for five groups of water quality parameters--particulates, THM precursors, microorganisms (Giardia and cryptosporidium), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and synthetic organic chemicals--and vulnerability zones were mapped. Mapping was achieved through the use of an extensive geographic information system (GIS) database. Each water quality vulnerability zone map was developed based on five watershed physical characteristics--soils, slope, vegetation, wildlife concentration, and proximity to water bodies--and their relationships tomore » each of the five groups of water quality parameters. An approach to incorporate the watershed physical characteristics information into the five water quality vulnerability zone maps was defined and verified. The composite approach was based in part on information gathered from existing watershed management plans.« less

Arkansas Groundwater-Quality Network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pugh, Aaron L.; Jackson, Barry T.; Miller, Roger

2014-01-01

Arkansas is the fourth largest user of groundwater in the United States, where groundwater accounts for two-thirds of the total water use. Groundwater use in the State increased by 510 percent between 1965 and 2005 (Holland, 2007). The Arkansas Groundwater-Quality Network is a Web map interface (http://ar.water.usgs.gov/wqx) that provides rapid access to the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Water Information System (NWIS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) STOrage and RETrieval (STORET) databases of ambient water information. The interface enables users to perform simple graphical analysis and download selected water-quality data.

Spatially pooled depth-dependent reservoir storage, elevation, and water-quality data for selected reservoirs in Texas, January 1965-January 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burley, Thomas E.; Asquith, William H.; Brooks, Donald L.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Texas Tech University, constructed a dataset of selected reservoir storage (daily and instantaneous values), reservoir elevation (daily and instantaneous values), and water-quality data from 59 reservoirs throughout Texas. The period of record for the data is as large as January 1965-January 2010. Data were acquired from existing databases, spreadsheets, delimited text files, and hard-copy reports. The goal was to obtain as much data as possible; therefore, no data acquisition restrictions specifying a particular time window were used. Primary data sources include the USGS National Water Information System, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Surface Water-Quality Management Information System, and the Texas Water Development Board monthly Texas Water Condition Reports. Additional water-quality data for six reservoirs were obtained from USGS Texas Annual Water Data Reports. Data were combined from the multiple sources to create as complete a set of properties and constituents as the disparate databases allowed. By devising a unique per-reservoir short name to represent all sites on a reservoir regardless of their source, all sampling sites at a reservoir were spatially pooled by reservoir and temporally combined by date. Reservoir selection was based on various criteria including the availability of water-quality properties and constituents that might affect the trophic status of the reservoir and could also be important for understanding possible effects of climate change in the future. Other considerations in the selection of reservoirs included the general reservoir-specific period of record, the availability of concurrent reservoir storage or elevation data to match with water-quality data, and the availability of sample depth measurements. Additional separate selection criteria included historic information pertaining to blooms of golden algae. Physical properties and constituents were water temperature, reservoir storage, reservoir elevation, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, unfiltered salinity, unfiltered total nitrogen, filtered total nitrogen, unfiltered nitrate plus nitrite, unfiltered phosphorus, filtered phosphorus, unfiltered carbon, carbon in suspended sediment, total hardness, unfiltered noncarbonate hardness, filtered noncarbonate hardness, unfiltered calcium, filtered calcium, unfiltered magnesium, filtered magnesium, unfiltered sodium, filtered sodium, unfiltered potassium, filtered potassium, filtered chloride, filtered sulfate, unfiltered fluoride, and filtered fluoride. When possible, USGS and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality water-quality properties and constituents were matched using the database parameter codes for individual physical properties and constituents, descriptions of each physical property or constituent, and their reporting units. This report presents a collection of delimited text files of source-aggregated, spatially pooled, depth-dependent, instantaneous water-quality data as well as instantaneous, daily, and monthly storage and elevation reservoir data.

Effect of water quality sampling time and frequency on storm load predictions of a prominent regression-based model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High frequency in situ measurements of nitrate can greatly reduce the uncertainty in nitrate flux estimates. Water quality databases maintained by various federal and state agencies often consist of pollutant concentration data obtained from periodic grab samples collected from gauged reaches of a s...

Derivation of site-specific surface water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic ecosystems near a Korean military training facility.

PubMed

Jeong, Seung-Woo; An, Youn-Joo

2014-01-01

This study suggested the first Korean site-specific ecological surface water quality criteria for the protection of ecosystems near an artillery range at a Korean military training facility. Surface water quality (SWQ) criteria in Korea address human health protection but do not encompass ecological criteria such as limits for metals and explosives. The first objective of this study was to derive site-specific SWQ criteria for the protection of aquatic ecosystems in Hantan River, Korea. The second objective was to establish discharge criteria for the artillery range to protect the aquatic ecosystems of Hantan River. In this study, we first identified aquatic organisms living in the Hantan River, including fishes, reptiles, invertebrates, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and amphibians. Second, we collected ecotoxicity data for these aquatic organisms and constructed an ecotoxicity database for Cd, Cu, Zn, TNT, and RDX. This study determined the ecological maximum permissible concentrations for metals and explosives based on the ecotoxicity database and suggested ecological surface water quality criteria for the Hantan River by considering analytical detection limits. Discharge limit criteria for the shooting range were determined based on the ecological surface water quality criteria suggested for Hantan River with further consideration of the dilution of the contaminants discharged into the river.

Coordination and standardization of federal sedimentation activities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glysson, G. Douglas; Gray, John R.

1997-01-01

- precipitation information critical to water resources management. Memorandum M-92-01 covers primarily freshwater bodies and includes activities, such as "development and distribution of consensus standards, field-data collection and laboratory analytical methods, data processing and interpretation, data-base management, quality control and quality assurance, and water- resources appraisals, assessments, and investigations." Research activities are not included.

Development of the framework for a water quality monitoring system : controlling MoDOT's contribution to 303(d) listed streams in the state of Missouri, final report, February 2010.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

By utilizing ArcGIS to quickly visualize the location of any impaired waterbody in relation to its projects/activities, MoDOT will : be able to allocate resources optimally. Additionally, the Water Quality Impact Database (WQID) will allow easy trans...

Drinking water quality standards and standard tests: Worldwide. (Latest citations from the Food Science and Technology Abstracts database). Published Search

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

Not Available

1993-06-01

The bibliography contains citations concerning standards and standard tests for water quality in drinking water sources, reservoirs, and distribution systems. Standards from domestic and international sources are presented. Glossaries and vocabularies that concern water quality analysis, testing, and evaluation are included. Standard test methods for individual elements, selected chemicals, sensory properties, radioactivity, and other chemical and physical properties are described. Discussions for proposed standards on new pollutant materials are briefly considered. (Contains a minimum of 203 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Guidelines for the collection of continuous stream water-temperature data in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toohey, Ryan C.; Neal, Edward G.; Solin, Gary L.

2014-01-01

Objectives of stream monitoring programs differ considerably among many of the academic, Federal, state, tribal, and non-profit organizations in the state of Alaska. Broad inclusion of stream-temperature monitoring can provide an opportunity for collaboration in the development of a statewide stream-temperature database. Statewide and regional coordination could reduce overall monitoring cost, while providing better analyses at multiple spatial and temporal scales to improve resource decision-making. Increased adoption of standardized protocols and data-quality standards may allow for validation of historical modeling efforts with better projection calibration. For records of stream water temperature to be generally consistent, unbiased, and reproducible, data must be collected and analyzed according to documented protocols. Collection of water-temperature data requires definition of data-quality objectives, good site selection, proper selection of instrumentation, proper installation of sensors, periodic site visits to maintain sensors and download data, pre- and post-deployment verification against an NIST-certified thermometer, potential data corrections, and proper documentation, review, and approval. A study created to develop a quality-assurance project plan, data-quality objectives, and a database management plan that includes procedures for data archiving and dissemination could provide a means to standardize a statewide stream-temperature database in Alaska. Protocols can be modified depending on desired accuracy or specific needs of data collected. This document is intended to guide users in collecting time series water-temperature data in Alaskan streams and draws extensively on the broader protocols already published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The National Eutrophication Survey: lake characteristics and historical nutrient concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stachelek, Joseph; Ford, Chanse; Kincaid, Dustin; King, Katelyn; Miller, Heather; Nagelkirk, Ryan

2018-01-01

Historical ecological surveys serve as a baseline and provide context for contemporary research, yet many of these records are not preserved in a way that ensures their long-term usability. The National Eutrophication Survey (NES) database is currently only available as scans of the original reports (PDF files) with no embedded character information. This limits its searchability, machine readability, and the ability of current and future scientists to systematically evaluate its contents. The NES data were collected by the US Environmental Protection Agency between 1972 and 1975 as part of an effort to investigate eutrophication in freshwater lakes and reservoirs. Although several studies have manually transcribed small portions of the database in support of specific studies, there have been no systematic attempts to transcribe and preserve the database in its entirety. Here we use a combination of automated optical character recognition and manual quality assurance procedures to make these data available for analysis. The performance of the optical character recognition protocol was found to be linked to variation in the quality (clarity) of the original documents. For each of the four archival scanned reports, our quality assurance protocol found an error rate between 5.9 and 17 %. The goal of our approach was to strike a balance between efficiency and data quality by combining entry of data by hand with digital transcription technologies. The finished database contains information on the physical characteristics, hydrology, and water quality of about 800 lakes in the contiguous US (Stachelek et al.(2017), https://doi.org/10.5063/F1639MVD). Ultimately, this database could be combined with more recent studies to generate meta-analyses of water quality trends and spatial variation across the continental US.

Status of groundwater quality in the San Fernando--San Gabriel study unit, 2005--California GAMA Priority Basin Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Land, Michael; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Belitz, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Groundwater quality in the approximately 460-square-mile San Fernando--San Gabriel (FG) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study area is in Los Angeles County and includes Tertiary-Quaternary sedimentary basins situated within the Transverse Ranges of southern California. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The GAMA FG study was designed to provide a spatially unbiased assessment of the quality of untreated (raw) groundwater in the primary aquifer systems (hereinafter referred to as primary aquifers) throughout California. The assessment is based on water-quality and ancillary data collected in 2005 by the USGS from 35 wells and on water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifers were defined by the depth interval of the wells listed in the CDPH database for the FG study unit. The quality of groundwater in primary aquifers may be different from that in the shallower or deeper water-bearing zones; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to surficial contamination. This study assesses the status of the current quality of the groundwater resource by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements. This status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources in the primary aquifers of the FG study unit, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors.

User's manual for the national water information system of the U.S. Geological Survey: Ground-water site-inventory system

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2004-01-01

The Ground-Water Site-Inventory (GWSI) System is a ground-water data storage and retrieval system that is part of the National Water Information System (NWIS) developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The NWIS is a distributed water database in which data can be processed over a network of workstations and file servers at USGS offices throughout the United States. This system comprises the GWSI, the Automated Data Processing System (ADAPS), the Water-Quality System (QWDATA), and the Site-Specific Water-Use Data System (SWUDS). The GWSI System provides for entering new sites and updating existing sites within the local database. In addition, the GWSI provides for retrieving and displaying ground-water and sitefile data stored in the local database. Finally, the GWSI provides for routine maintenance of the local and national data records. This manual contains instructions for users of the GWSI and discusses the general operating procedures for the programs found within the GWSI Main Menu.

A Corresponding Study of Water Quality Evaluation of the Pasquotank Watershed in Northeastern North Carolina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, J.; Walthall, S.; McKenzie, R.; Dixon, R.

2015-12-01

The Pasquotank River Watershed covers 450 sq miles in the Coastal Plain of NE North Carolina. It flows from the Great Dismal Swamp at the VA/NC border into the Albemarle Sound. The watershed provides a transition between spawning grounds and waters of the Albemarle Sound. Forested swamp wetlands border much of the waterways. Increased agricultural and urban development has greatly affected water quality during recent years. Test were completed along the tributaries and the river itself, adding to the previously data from 2011, 2013, and 2014. Streams tested were the Newbegun Creek, Knobbs Creek, Areneuse Creek, Mill Dam Creek, and Sawyers Creek. These streams cover a large area of the watershed and provide a wide variety of shore development from swampland and farmland to industrial development. Samples were tested for pH, salinity, total dissolved solids, and conductivity. Air/water temperature, dissolved oxygen, wind speed/direction, and turbidity/clarity measurements were taken in the field. The results were placed into an online database and correlated to the location of the sample using Google Maps®. Analysis tools were developed to compare the data from all years. Excel spreadsheets were developed to look more closely at individual points and tests for each point. This database was connected to a data visualization page utilizing Google Maps®. The results show variations for the individual water quality scores, but the overall water quality score for all the tested water sources remained at a comparable level from previous years. Mill Dam Creek rose above the previous three scores of 48 (2011), 47 (2013), and 49 (2014) and achieved a medium water quality score of 57. Areneuse Creek improved in water quality with a medium water quality score of 60. Sawyers Creek became the lowest scoring waterway tested at 35. Knobbs Creek decreased from previous years with a water quality score of 42. For a fourth consecutive testing year, Newbegun Creek fell within the medium water quality range with a score of 65. Pasquotank River rose from the previous testing year's score of 35 but still remained within the bad water quality range with a score of 45. The Lower Pasquotank remained the highest scoring tributary for a second consecutive year with a score of 85. Team included authors plus Ricky Dixon and Raveen McKenzie of MVSU.

Probabilistic Determination of Green Infrastructure Pollutant Removal Rates from the International Stormwater BMP Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilliom, R.; Hogue, T. S.; McCray, J. E.

2017-12-01

There is a need for improved parameterization of stormwater best management practices (BMP) performance estimates to improve modeling of urban hydrology, planning and design of green infrastructure projects, and water quality crediting for stormwater management. Percent removal is commonly used to estimate BMP pollutant removal efficiency, but there is general agreement that this approach has significant uncertainties and is easily affected by site-specific factors. Additionally, some fraction of monitored BMPs have negative percent removal, so it is important to understand the probability that a BMP will provide the desired water quality function versus exacerbating water quality problems. The widely used k-C* equation has shown to provide a more adaptable and accurate method to model BMP contaminant attenuation, and previous work has begun to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the k-C* method. However, no systematic method exists for obtaining first-order removal rate constants needed to use the k-C* equation for stormwater BMPs; thus there is minimal application of the method. The current research analyzes existing water quality data in the International Stormwater BMP Database to provide screening-level parameterization of the k-C* equation for selected BMP types and analysis of factors that skew the distribution of efficiency estimates from the database. Results illustrate that while certain BMPs are more likely to provide desired contaminant removal than others, site- and design-specific factors strongly influence performance. For example, bioretention systems show both the highest and lowest removal rates of dissolved copper, total phosphorous, and total nitrogen. Exploration and discussion of this and other findings will inform the application of the probabilistic pollutant removal rate constants. Though data limitations exist, this research will facilitate improved accuracy of BMP modeling and ultimately aid decision-making for stormwater quality management in urban systems.

User's Manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Ground-water site-inventory system

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2005-01-01

The Ground-Water Site-Inventory (GWSI) System is a ground-water data storage and retrieval system that is part of the National Water Information System (NWIS) developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The NWIS is a distributed water database in which data can be processed over a network of workstations and file servers at USGS offices throughout the United States. This system comprises the GWSI, the Automated Data Processing System (ADAPS), the Water-Quality System (QWDATA), and the Site- Specific Water-Use Data System (SWUDS). The GWSI System provides for entering new sites and updating existing sites within the local database. In addition, the GWSI provides for retrieving and displaying groundwater and Sitefile data stored in the local database. Finally, the GWSI provides for routine maintenance of the local and national data records. This manual contains instructions for users of the GWSI and discusses the general operating procedures for the programs found within the GWSI Main Menu.

Development of a method for comprehensive water quality forecasting and its application in Miyun reservoir of Beijing, China.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Zou, Zhihong; Shan, Wei

2017-06-01

Water quality forecasting is an essential part of water resource management. Spatiotemporal variations of water quality and their inherent constraints make it very complex. This study explored a data-based method for short-term water quality forecasting. Prediction of water quality indicators including dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand by KMnO 4 and ammonia nitrogen using support vector machine was taken as inputs of the particle swarm algorithm based optimal wavelet neural network to forecast the whole status index of water quality. Gubeikou monitoring section of Miyun reservoir in Beijing, China was taken as the study case to examine effectiveness of this approach. The experiment results also revealed that the proposed model has advantages of stability and time reduction in comparison with other data-driven models including traditional BP neural network model, wavelet neural network model and Gradient Boosting Decision Tree model. It can be used as an effective approach to perform short-term comprehensive water quality prediction. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Field methods and quality-assurance plan for water-quality activities and water-level measurements, U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartholomay, Roy C.; Maimer, Neil V.; Wehnke, Amy J.

2014-01-01

Water-quality activities and water-level measurements by the personnel of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Project Office coincide with the USGS mission of appraising the quantity and quality of the Nation’s water resources. The activities are carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho Operations Office. Results of the water-quality and hydraulic head investigations are presented in various USGS publications or in refereed scientific journals and the data are stored in the National Water Information System (NWIS) database. The results of the studies are used by researchers, regulatory and managerial agencies, and interested civic groups. In the broadest sense, quality assurance refers to doing the job right the first time. It includes the functions of planning for products, review and acceptance of the products, and an audit designed to evaluate the system that produces the products. Quality control and quality assurance differ in that quality control ensures that things are done correctly given the “state-of-the-art” technology, and quality assurance ensures that quality control is maintained within specified limits.

Water use data to enhance scientific and policy insight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konar, M.

2017-12-01

We live in an era of big data. However, water use data remains sparse. There is an urgent need to enhance both the quality and resolution of water data. Metered water use information - as opposed to estimated water use, typically based on climate - would enhance the quality of existing water databases. Metered water use data would enable the research community to evaluate the "who, where, and when" of water use. Importantly, this information would enable the scientific community to better understand decision making related to water use (i.e. the "why"), providing the insight necessary to guide policies that promote water conservation. Metered water use data is needed at a sufficient resolution (i.e. spatial, temporal, and water user) to fully resolve how water is used throughout the economy and society. Improving the quality and resolution of water use data will enable scientific understanding that can inform policy.

Evaluation and Analysis of Regional Best Management Practices in San Diego, California (USA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flint, K.; Kinoshita, A. M.

2017-12-01

In urban areas, surface water quality is often impaired due to pollutants transported by stormwater runoff. To maintain and improve surface water quality, the United States Clean Water Act (CWA) requires an evaluation of available water quality information to develop a list of impaired water bodies and establish contaminant restrictions. Structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) are designed to reduce runoff volume and/or pollutant concentrations to comply with CWA requirements. Local level policy makers and managers require an improved understanding of the costs and benefits associated with BMP installation, performance, and maintenance. The International Stormwater BMP Database (Database) is an online platform for submittal of information about existing BMPs, such as cost, design details, and statistical analysis of influent and effluent pollutant concentrations. While the Database provides an aggregation of data which supports analysis of overall BMP performance at international and national scales, the sparse spatial distribution of the data is not suitable for regional and local analysis. This research conducts an extensive review of local inventory and spatial analysis of existing permanent BMPs throughout the San Diego River watershed in California, USA. Information collected from cities within the San Diego River watershed will include BMP types, locations, dates of installation, costs, expected removal efficiencies, monitoring data, and records of maintenance. Aggregating and mapping this information will facilitate BMP evaluation. Specifically, the identification of spatial trends, inconsistencies in BMP performances, and gaps in current records. Regression analysis will provide insight into the nature and significance of correlations between BMP performance and physical characteristics such as land use, soil type, and proximity to impaired waters. This analysis will also result in a metric of relative BMP performance and will provide a basis for future predictions of BMP effectiveness. Ultimately, results from this work will provide information to local governments and agencies for prioritizing, maintaining and monitoring BMPs, and improvement of hydrologic and water quality modeling in urban systems subject to compliance.

Summary of inorganic compositional data for groundwater, soil-water, and surface-water samples collected at the Headgate Draw subsurface drip irrigation site, Johnson County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geboy, Nicholas J.; Engle, Mark A.; Schroeder, Karl T.; Zupancic, John W.

2011-01-01

As part of a 5-year project on the impact of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) application of coalbed-methane (CBM) produced waters, water samples were collected from the Headgate Draw SDI site in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA. This research is part of a larger study to understand short- and long-term impacts on both soil and water quality from the beneficial use of CBM waters to grow forage crops through use of SDI. This document provides a summary of the context, sampling methodology, and quality assurance and quality control documentation of samples collected prior to and over the first year of SDI operation at the site (May 2008-October 2009). This report contains an associated database containing inorganic compositional data, water-quality criteria parameters, and calculated geochemical parameters for samples of groundwater, soil water, surface water, treated CBM waters, and as-received CBM waters collected at the Headgate Draw SDI site.

Estimation of water quality parameters of inland and coastal waters with the use of a toolkit for processing of remote sensing data

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

Dekker, A.G.; Hoogenboom, H.J.; Rijkeboer, M.

1997-06-01

Deriving thematic maps of water quality parameters from a remote sensing image requires a number of processing steps, such as calibration, atmospheric correction, air/water interface correction, and application of water quality algorithms. A prototype software environment has recently been developed that enables the user to perform and control these processing steps. Main parts of this environment are: (i) access to the MODTRAN 3 radiative transfer code for removing atmospheric and air-water interface influences, (ii) a tool for analyzing of algorithms for estimating water quality and (iii) a spectral database, containing apparent and inherent optical properties and associated water quality parameters.more » The use of the software is illustrated by applying implemented algorithms for estimating chlorophyll to data from a spectral library of Dutch inland waters with CHL ranging from 1 to 500 pg 1{sup -1}. The algorithms currently implemented in the Toolkit software are recommended for optically simple waters, but for optically complex waters development of more advanced retrieval methods is required.« less

Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models to Predict Runoff Water Quantity and Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradford, S. A.; Liang, J.; Li, W.; Murata, T.; Simunek, J.

2017-12-01

Contaminants can be rapidly transported at the soil surface by runoff to surface water bodies. Physically-based models, which are based on the mathematical description of main hydrological processes, are key tools for predicting surface water impairment. Along with physically-based models, data-driven models are becoming increasingly popular for describing the behavior of hydrological and water resources systems since these models can be used to complement or even replace physically based-models. In this presentation we propose a new data-driven model as an alternative to a physically-based overland flow and transport model. First, we have developed a physically-based numerical model to simulate overland flow and contaminant transport (the HYDRUS-1D overland flow module). A large number of numerical simulations were carried out to develop a database containing information about the impact of various input parameters (weather patterns, surface topography, vegetation, soil conditions, contaminants, and best management practices) on runoff water quantity and quality outputs. This database was used to train data-driven models. Three different methods (Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, and Recurrence Neural Networks) were explored to prepare input- output functional relations. Results demonstrate the ability and limitations of machine learning and deep learning models to predict runoff water quantity and quality.

Rhode Island Water Supply System Management Plan Database (WSSMP-Version 1.0)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Granato, Gregory E.

2004-01-01

In Rhode Island, the availability of water of sufficient quality and quantity to meet current and future environmental and economic needs is vital to life and the State's economy. Water suppliers, the Rhode Island Water Resources Board (RIWRB), and other State agencies responsible for water resources in Rhode Island need information about available resources, the water-supply infrastructure, and water use patterns. These decision makers need historical, current, and future water-resource information. In 1997, the State of Rhode Island formalized a system of Water Supply System Management Plans (WSSMPs) to characterize and document relevant water-supply information. All major water suppliers (those that obtain, transport, purchase, or sell more than 50 million gallons of water per year) are required to prepare, maintain, and carry out WSSMPs. An electronic database for this WSSMP information has been deemed necessary by the RIWRB for water suppliers and State agencies to consistently document, maintain, and interpret the information in these plans. Availability of WSSMP data in standard formats will allow water suppliers and State agencies to improve the understanding of water-supply systems and to plan for future needs or water-supply emergencies. In 2002, however, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law that classifies some of the WSSMP information as confidential to protect the water-supply infrastructure from potential terrorist threats. Therefore the WSSMP database was designed for an implementation method that will balance security concerns with the information needs of the RIWRB, suppliers, other State agencies, and the public. A WSSMP database was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the RIWRB. The database was designed to catalog WSSMP information in a format that would accommodate synthesis of current and future information about Rhode Island's water-supply infrastructure. This report documents the design and implementation of the WSSMP database. All WSSMP information in the database is, ultimately, linked to the individual water suppliers and to a WSSMP 'cycle' (which is currently a 5-year planning cycle for compiling WSSMP information). The database file contains 172 tables - 47 data tables, 61 association tables, 61 domain tables, and 3 example import-link tables. This database is currently implemented in the Microsoft Access database software because it is widely used within and outside of government and is familiar to many existing and potential customers. Design documentation facilitates current use and potential modification for future use of the database. Information within the structure of the WSSMP database file (WSSMPv01.mdb), a data dictionary file (WSSMPDD1.pdf), a detailed database-design diagram (WSSMPPL1.pdf), and this database-design report (OFR2004-1231.pdf) documents the design of the database. This report includes a discussion of each WSSMP data structure with an accompanying database-design diagram. Appendix 1 of this report is an index of the diagrams in the report and on the plate; this index is organized by table name in alphabetical order. Each of these products is included in digital format on the enclosed CD-ROM to facilitate use or modification of the database.

Drinking water quality in Indigenous communities in Canada and health outcomes: a scoping review.

PubMed

Bradford, Lori E A; Okpalauwaekwe, Udoka; Waldner, Cheryl L; Bharadwaj, Lalita A

2016-01-01

Many Indigenous communities in Canada live with high-risk drinking water systems and drinking water advisories and experience health status and water quality below that of the general population. A scoping review of research examining drinking water quality and its relationship to Indigenous health was conducted. The study was undertaken to identify the extent of the literature, summarize current reports and identify research needs. A scoping review was designed to identify peer-reviewed literature that examined challenges related to drinking water and health in Indigenous communities in Canada. Key search terms were developed and mapped on five bibliographic databases (MEDLINE/PubMED, Web of Knowledge, SciVerse Scopus, Taylor and Francis online journal and Google Scholar). Online searches for grey literature using relevant government websites were completed. Sixteen articles (of 518; 156 bibliographic search engines, 362 grey literature) met criteria for inclusion (contained keywords; publication year 2000-2015; peer-reviewed and from Canada). Studies were quantitative (8), qualitative (5) or mixed (3) and included case, cohort, cross-sectional and participatory designs. In most articles, no definition of "health" was given (14/16), and the primary health issue described was gastrointestinal illness (12/16). Challenges to the study of health and well-being with respect to drinking water in Indigenous communities included irregular funding, remote locations, ethical approval processes, small sample sizes and missing data. Research on drinking water and health outcomes in Indigenous communities in Canada is limited and occurs on an opportunistic basis. There is a need for more research funding, and inquiry to inform policy decisions for improvements of water quality and health-related outcomes in Indigenous communities. A coordinated network looking at First Nations water and health outcomes, a database to store and create access to research findings, increased funding and time frames for funding, and more decolonizing and community-based participatory research aimed at understanding the relationship between drinking water quality and health outcomes in First Nations communities in Canada are needed.

[Quality of water for human consumption and its association with morbimortality in Colombia, 2008-2012].

PubMed

Guzmán, Blanca Lisseth; Nava, Gerardo; Díaz, Paula

2015-08-01

The quality of water for human consumption has been correlated with the occurrence of different diseases. Studying the relationship between these parameters would allow determining the impact of water quality on human health, and to direct preventative measures and promote environmental health. To analyze the quality of water intended for human consumption and its association with morbimortality in Colombia, 2008-2012. The database for surveillance of water quality was analyzed by means of descriptive statistics of the principal indicators (total coliforms, Escherichia coli , turbidity, color, pH, free residual chlorine and water quality risk index). The results were correlated with infant mortality and morbidity due to acute diarrheal diseases, foodborne diseases and hepatitis A. A risk map was prepared to identify those municipalities with the highest risk of water contamination and infant mortality. A high percentage of municipalities did not conform to existing standards for water potability values. Problems were identified that were related to presence of E. coli and total coliforms, as well as absence of free residual chlorine, a situation that was exacerbated in rural areas. Water quality showed a high correlation with infant mortality, highlighting its importance for children's health. Water quality was found to have an important impact on infant mortality. Improving water quality in Colombia will require policies that strengthen water supply systems in this country. Strengthening of environmental health surveillance programs is essential to guide actions aimed at improving water quality and exert a positive impact on health.

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 3. Historical ground-water quality for the Red River Valley, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

LoVetere, Sara H.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Maest, Ann S.; Naus, Cheryl A.

2003-01-01

Historical ground-water quality data for 100 wells in the Red River Valley between the U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station (08265000), near Questa, and Placer Creek east of the town of Red River, New Mexico, were compiled and reviewed. The tabulation included 608 water-quality records from 23 sources entered into an electronic database. Groundwater quality data were first collected at the Red River wastewater-treatment facility in 1982. Most analyses, however, were obtained between 1994 and 2002, even though the first wells were developed in 1962. The data were evaluated by considering (a) temporal consistency, (b) quality of sampling methods, (c) charge imbalance, and (d) replicate analyses. Analyses that qualified on the basis of these criteria were modeled to obtain saturation indices for gypsum, calcite, fluorite, gibbsite, manganite, and rhodocrosite. Plots created from the data illustrate that water chemistry in the Red River Valley is predominantly controlled by calcite dissolution, congruent gypsum dissolution, and pyrite oxidation.

User's manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Automated Data Processing System (ADAPS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2003-01-01

The Automated Data Processing System (ADAPS) was developed for the processing, storage, and retrieval of water data, and is part of the National Water Information System (NWIS) developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. NWIS is a distributed water database in which data can be processed over a network of computers at U.S. Geological Survey offices throughout the United States. NWIS comprises four subsystems: ADAPS, the Ground-Water Site Inventory System (GWSI), the Water-Quality System (QWDATA), and the Site-Specific Water-Use Data System (SWUDS). This section of the NWIS User's Manual describes the automated data processing of continuously recorded water data, which primarily are surface-water data; however, the system also allows for the processing of water-quality and ground-water data. This manual describes various components and features of the ADAPS, and provides an overview of the data processing system and a description of the system framework. The components and features included are: (1) data collection and processing, (2) ADAPS menus and programs, (3) command line functions, (4) steps for processing station records, (5) postprocessor programs control files, (6) the standard format for transferring and entering unit and daily values, and (7) relational database (RDB) formats.

Availability of groundwater data for California, water year 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ray, Mary; Orlando, Patricia v.P.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the groundwater resources of California each water year (October 1-September 30). These data constitute a valuable database for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. This Fact Sheet serves as an index to groundwater data for Water Year 2010. It contains a map of California showing the number of wells (by county) with available water-level or water-quality data for Water Year 2010 (fig. 1) and instructions for obtaining this and other groundwater information contained in the databases of the U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center. From 1985 to 1993, data were published in the annual report "Water Resources Data for California, Volume 5. Ground-Water Data"; prior to 1985, the data were published in U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers.

Data-base development for water-quality modeling of the Patuxent River basin, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fisher, G.T.; Summers, R.M.

1987-01-01

Procedures and rationale used to develop a data base and data management system for the Patuxent Watershed Nonpoint Source Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling Program of the Maryland Department of the Environment and the U.S. Geological Survey are described. A detailed data base and data management system has been developed to facilitate modeling of the watershed for water quality planning purposes; statistical analysis; plotting of meteorologic, hydrologic and water quality data; and geographic data analysis. The system is Maryland 's prototype for development of a basinwide water quality management program. A key step in the program is to build a calibrated and verified water quality model of the basin using the Hydrological Simulation Program--FORTRAN (HSPF) hydrologic model, which has been used extensively in large-scale basin modeling. The compilation of the substantial existing data base for preliminary calibration of the basin model, including meteorologic, hydrologic, and water quality data from federal and state data bases and a geographic information system containing digital land use and soils data is described. The data base development is significant in its application of an integrated, uniform approach to data base management and modeling. (Lantz-PTT)

Assessment of Historical Water-Quality Data for National Park Units in the Rocky Mountain Network, Colorado and Montana, through 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mast, M. Alisa

2007-01-01

This report summarizes historical water-quality data for six National Park units that compose the Rocky Mountain Network. The park units in Colorado are Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and Rocky Mountain National Park; and in Montana, they are Glacier National Park, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This study was conducted in cooperation with the Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service to aid in the design of an effective and efficient water-quality monitoring plan for each park. Data were retrieved from a number of sources for the period of record through 2004 and compiled into a relational database. Descriptions of the environmental setting of each park and an overview of the park's water resources are presented. Statistical summaries of water-quality constituents are presented and compared to aquatic-life and drinking-water standards. Spatial, seasonal, and temporal patterns in constituent concentrations also are described and suggestions for future water-quality monitoring are provided.

Evaluation of multiple water quality indices for drinking and irrigation purposes for the Karoon river, Iran.

PubMed

Aminiyan, Milad Mirzaei; Aitkenhead-Peterson, Jacqueline; Aminiyan, Farzad Mirzaei

2018-06-16

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the water quality of the Karoon river, which is a main river in Iran country. For this purpose, hydrochemical analyses of a database that maintained by the Water Resources Authority of Khuzestan Province, Iran's Ministry of Energy, were carried out. These data were compared with the maximum permissible limit values recommended by World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization water standards for drinking and agricultural purposes, respectively. Also in this regard, multiple indices of water quality were utilized. However, not all indices gave similar rankings for water quality. According to the USSL diagram and Kelly ratio, Karoon's water quality is not suitable for irrigation purposes due to high salinity and moderate alkalinity. However, the results of the magnesium hazard analysis suggested that water quality for irrigation is acceptable. A Piper diagram illustrated that the most dominant water types during the 15 years of the study were Na-Cl and Na-SO 4 . The mineral saturation index also indicated that Na-Cl is the dominant water type. The water quality for drinking purpose was evaluated using a Schoeller diagram and water quality index (WQI). According to the computed WQI ranging from 111.9 to 194.0, the Karoon's water in the Khuzestan plain can be categorized as "poor water" for drinking purposes. Based on hydrochemical characteristics, years 2000-2007 and 2008-2014 were categorized into two clusters illustrating a decline in water quality between the two time periods.

Mosquito Lagoon environmental resources inventory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Provancha, Jane A.; Hall, Carlton R.; Oddy, Donna M.

1992-01-01

This document provides a synopsis of biotic and abiotic data collected in the Mosquito Lagoon area in relation to water quality. A holistic ecological approach was used in this review to allow for summaries of climate, land use, vegetation, geohydrology, water quality, fishes, sea turtles, wading birds, marine mammals, invertebrates, shellfish, and mosquito control. The document includes a bibliographic database list of 157 citations that have references to the Mosquito Lagoon, many of which were utilized in development of the text.

Temporal and spatial trends in nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coats, Robert; Lewis, Jack; Alvarez, Nancy L.; Arneson, Patricia

2016-01-01

Since 1980, the Lake Tahoe Interagency Monitoring Program (LTIMP) has provided stream-discharge and water quality data—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended sediment—at more than 20 stations in Lake Tahoe Basin streams. To characterize the temporal and spatial patterns in nutrient and sediment loading to the lake, and improve the usefulness of the program and the existing database, we have (1) identified and corrected for sources of bias in the water quality database; (2) generated synthetic datasets for sediments and nutrients, and resampled to compare the accuracy and precision of different load calculation models; (3) using the best models, recalculated total annual loads over the period of record; (4) regressed total loads against total annual and annual maximum daily discharge, and tested for time trends in the residuals; (5) compared loads for different forms of N and P; and (6) tested constituent loads against land use-land cover (LULC) variables using multiple regression. The results show (1) N and P loads are dominated by organic N and particulate P; (2) there are significant long-term downward trends in some constituent loads of some streams; and (3) anthropogenic impervious surface is the most important LULC variable influencing water quality in basin streams. Many of our recommendations for changes in water quality monitoring and load calculation methods have been adopted by the LTIMP.

Design and Deployment of Low-Cost Sensors for Monitoring the Water Quality and Fish Behavior in Aquaculture Tanks during the Feeding Process

PubMed Central

Parra, Lorena; García, Laura

2018-01-01

The monitoring of farming processes can optimize the use of resources and improve its sustainability and profitability. In fish farms, the water quality, tank environment, and fish behavior must be monitored. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a promising option to perform this monitoring. Nevertheless, its high cost is slowing the expansion of its use. In this paper, we propose a set of sensors for monitoring the water quality and fish behavior in aquaculture tanks during the feeding process. The WSN is based on physical sensors, composed of simple electronic components. The system proposed can monitor water quality parameters, tank status, the feed falling and fish swimming depth and velocity. In addition, the system includes a smart algorithm to reduce the energy waste when sending the information from the node to the database. The system is composed of three nodes in each tank that send the information though the local area network to a database on the Internet and a smart algorithm that detects abnormal values and sends alarms when they happen. All the sensors are designed, calibrated, and deployed to ensure its suitability. The greatest efforts have been accomplished with the fish presence sensor. The total cost of the sensors and nodes for the proposed system is less than 90 €. PMID:29494560

Historic distribution of Common Loons in Wisconsin in relation to changes in lake characteristics and surrounding land use

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, Kevin P.; Garrison, Paul J.; Fox, Timothy J.; Meyer, Michael W.

2013-01-01

A study was conducted to evaluate changes in water quality and land-use change associated with lakes that are south of the current breeding range of Common Loons in Wisconsin but that historically supported breeding loons. Museum collection records and published accounts were examined to identify lakes in southern Wisconsin with a former history of loon nesting activity. Historical and recent water quality data were obtained from state and USEPA databases for the former loon nesting lakes that were identified and paleolimnological data were acquired for these lakes from sediment cores used to infer historical total phosphorus concentrations from diatom assemblages. U.S. General Land Office notes and maps from the original land survey conducted in Wisconsin during 1832-1866 and the National Land Cover Database 2006 were utilized to assess land use changes that occurred within the drainage basins of former loon nesting lakes. Our results indicate that the landscape of southern Wisconsin has changed dramatically since Common Loons last nested in the region. A number of factors have likely contributed to the decreased appeal of southern Wisconsin lakes to breeding Common Loons, including changes to water quality, altered trophic status resulting from nutrient enrichment, and reductions in suitable nesting habitat stemming from shoreline development and altered water levels. Increased nutrient and sediment inputs from agricultural and developed areas likely contributed to a reduction in habitat quality.

Design and Deployment of Low-Cost Sensors for Monitoring the Water Quality and Fish Behavior in Aquaculture Tanks during the Feeding Process.

PubMed

Parra, Lorena; Sendra, Sandra; García, Laura; Lloret, Jaime

2018-03-01

The monitoring of farming processes can optimize the use of resources and improve its sustainability and profitability. In fish farms, the water quality, tank environment, and fish behavior must be monitored. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a promising option to perform this monitoring. Nevertheless, its high cost is slowing the expansion of its use. In this paper, we propose a set of sensors for monitoring the water quality and fish behavior in aquaculture tanks during the feeding process. The WSN is based on physical sensors, composed of simple electronic components. The system proposed can monitor water quality parameters, tank status, the feed falling and fish swimming depth and velocity. In addition, the system includes a smart algorithm to reduce the energy waste when sending the information from the node to the database. The system is composed of three nodes in each tank that send the information though the local area network to a database on the Internet and a smart algorithm that detects abnormal values and sends alarms when they happen. All the sensors are designed, calibrated, and deployed to ensure its suitability. The greatest efforts have been accomplished with the fish presence sensor. The total cost of the sensors and nodes for the proposed system is less than 90 €.

Interagency field manual for the collection of water-quality data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lurry, Dee L.; Kolbe, Christine M.

2000-01-01

The USEPA, IBWC, USGS, and Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) have been working cooperatively to establish a Water-Quality Monitoring Council for the international reach of the Rio Grande (Río Bravo). A similar effort is occurring along the western international boundary with interested partners including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB). As of February 1997, the partners agreed to work towards greater cooperation, specifically: 1. to revise the 1977 Joint Report of IBWC Engineers as specified in IBWC Minute No. 289; 2. to implement a binational Intergovernmental Task Force for Water-Quality Monitoring (ITFM) workgroup by inviting the participation of cooperators from Mexico; 3. to review and revise each agency’s existing monitoring network to reduce interagency redundancy; 4. to develop a bilingual manual for water-quality monitoring that would describe various field methods used for sampling water, aquatic biology, and sediment, and for assessing stream habitat; and selection of methods on the basis of DQOs, representativeness, and limitations; 5. to establish a common, easily accessible water-quality database; and 6. to hold joint training programs in water-quality monitoring and data management. Part of the fourth goal—to develop a field manual for water-sample-collection methods—will be accomplished with the publication of this manual.

Quality of ground water in Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yee, Johnson J.; Souza, William R.

1987-01-01

The major aquifers in Idaho are categorized under two rock types, sedimentary and volcanic, and are grouped into six hydrologic basins. Areas with adequate, minimally adequate, or deficient data available for groundwater-quality evaluations are described. Wide variations in chemical concentrations in the water occur within individual aquifers, as well as among the aquifers. The existing data base is not sufficient to describe fully the ground-water quality throughout the State; however, it does indicate that the water is generally suitable for most uses. In some aquifers, concentrations of fluoride, cadmium, and iron in the water exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's drinking-water standards. Dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate may cause problems in some local areas. Water-quality data are sparse in many areas, and only general statements can be made regarding the areal distribution of chemical constituents. Few data are available to describe temporal variations of water quality in the aquifers. Primary concerns related to special problem areas in Idaho include (1) protection of water quality in the Rathdrum Prairie aquifer, (2) potential degradation of water quality in the Boise-Nampa area, (3) effects of widespread use of drain wells overlying the eastern Snake River Plain basalt aquifer, and (4) disposal of low-level radioactive wastes at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Shortcomings in the ground-water-quality data base are categorized as (1) multiaquifer sample inadequacy, (2) constituent coverage limitations, (3) baseline-data deficiencies, and (4) data-base nonuniformity.

Distribution of water quality parameters in Dhemaji district, Assam (India).

PubMed

Buragohain, Mridul; Bhuyan, Bhabajit; Sarma, H P

2010-07-01

The primary objective of this study is to present a statistically significant water quality database of Dhemaji district, Assam (India) with special reference to pH, fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, iron, sodium and potassium. 25 water samples collected from different locations of five development blocks in Dhemaji district have been studied separately. The implications presented are based on statistical analyses of the raw data. Normal distribution statistics and reliability analysis (correlation and covariance matrix) have been employed to find out the distribution pattern, localisation of data, and other related information. Statistical observations show that all the parameters under investigation exhibit non uniform distribution with a long asymmetric tail either on the right or left side of the median. The width of the third quartile was consistently found to be more than the second quartile for each parameter. Differences among mean, mode and median, significant skewness and kurtosis value indicate that the distribution of various water quality parameters in the study area is widely off normal. Thus, the intrinsic water quality is not encouraging due to unsymmetrical distribution of various water quality parameters in the study area.

Evaluation of global water quality - the potential of a data- and model-driven analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bärlund, Ilona; Flörke, Martina; Alcamo, Joseph; Völker, Jeanette; Malsy, Marcus; Kaus, Andrew; Reder, Klara; Büttner, Olaf; Katterfeld, Christiane; Dietrich, Désirée; Borchardt, Dietrich

2016-04-01

The ongoing socio-economic development presents a new challenge for water quality worldwide, especially in developing and emerging countries. It is estimated that due to population growth and the extension of water supply networks, the amount of waste water will rise sharply. This can lead to an increased risk of surface water quality degradation, if the wastewater is not sufficiently treated. This development has impacts on ecosystems and human health, as well as food security. The United Nations Member States have adopted targets for sustainable development. They include, inter alia, sustainable protection of water quality and sustainable use of water resources. To achieve these goals, appropriate monitoring strategies and the development of indicators for water quality are required. Within the pre-study for a 'World Water Quality Assessment' (WWQA) led by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a methodology for assessing water quality, taking into account the above-mentioned objectives has been developed. The novelty of this methodology is the linked model- and data-driven approach. The focus is on parameters reflecting the key water quality issues, such as increased waste water pollution, salinization or eutrophication. The results from the pre-study show, for example, that already about one seventh of all watercourses in Latin America, Africa and Asia show high organic pollution. This is of central importance for inland fisheries and associated food security. In addition, it could be demonstrated that global water quality databases have large gaps. These must be closed in the future in order to obtain an overall picture of global water quality and to target measures more efficiently. The aim of this presentation is to introduce the methodology developed within the WWQA pre-study and to show selected examples of application in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

An integrated toolbox for processing and analysis of remote sensing data of inland and coastal waters - atmospheric correction

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

Haan, J.F. de; Kokke, J.M.M.; Hoogenboom, H.J.

1997-06-01

Deriving thematic maps of water quality parameters from a remote sensing image requires a number of processing steps, such as calibration, atmospheric correction, air-water interface correction, and application of water quality algorithms. A prototype version of an integrated software environment has recently been developed that enables the user to perform and control these processing steps. Major parts of this environment are: (i) access to the MODTRAN 3 radiative transfer code, (ii) a database of water quality algorithms, and (iii) a spectral library of Dutch coastal and inland waters, containing subsurface irradiance reflectance spectra and associated water quality parameters. The atmosphericmore » correction part of this environment is discussed here. It is shown that this part can be used to accurately retrieve spectral signatures of inland water for wavelengths between 450 and 750 nm, provided in situ measurements are used to determine atmospheric model parameters. Assessment of the usefulness of the completely integrated software system in an operational environment requires a revised version that is presently being developed.« less

Hydrologic Conditions in Northwest Florida: 2006 Water Year

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verdi, Richard Jay

2007-01-01

Introduction National data for streamflow, ground-water levels, and quality of water for the 2006 water year are accessible to the public on the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Site Information Management System (SIMS) website http://web10capp.er.usgs.gov/adr06_lookup/search.jsp. This fact sheet describes data and hydrologic conditions throughout northwest Florida during the 2006 water year (fig. 1), when record-low monthly streamflow conditions were reported at several streamgage locations. Prior to 1960, these data were published in various USGS Water-Supply Papers and included water-related data collected by the USGS during the water year (October 1 to September 30). In 1961, a series of annual reports, 'Water Resources Data-Florida,' was introduced that published surface-water data. In 1964, a similar report was introduced for the purposes of publishing water-quality data. In 1975, the reports were merged to a single volume and were expanded to publish data for surface water, water quality, and ground-water levels. Formal publication of the annual report series was discontinued at the end of the 2005 water year, upon activation of the SIMS website database.

Monitoring and assessment of water health quality in the Tajan River, Iran using physicochemical, fish and macroinvertebrates indices.

PubMed

Aazami, Jaber; Esmaili-Sari, Abbas; Abdoli, Asghar; Sohrabi, Hormoz; Van den Brink, Paul J

2015-01-01

Nowadays, aquatic organisms are used as bio-indicators to assess ecological water quality in western regions, but have hardly been used in an Iranian context. We, therefore, evaluated the suitability of several indices to assess the water quality for an Iranian case study. Measured data on biotic (fish and macroinvertebrates) and abiotic elements (28 physicochemical and habitat parameters), were used to calculate six indices for assessment of water quality and the impact of human activities in the Tajan river, Iran. GIS, uni- and multivariate statistics were used to assess the correlations between biological and environmental endpoints. The results showed that ecological condition and water quality were reduced from up- to downstream. The reduced water quality was revealed by the biotic indices better than the abiotic ones which were linked to a variety of ecological water quality scales. The fish index showed a strong relationship with long-term database of physicochemical parameters (12 years (94%)), whereas macroinvertebrates index is more correlated with short-term data (76%). Meanwhile, the biotic and abiotic elements in this study were also classified well by PCA. Pulp and wood plants and sand mining are indicated to have the most negative effects on the river ecosystem.

Drinking water quality in Indigenous communities in Canada and health outcomes: a scoping review

PubMed Central

Bradford, Lori E. A.; Bharadwaj, Lalita A.; Okpalauwaekwe, Udoka; Waldner, Cheryl L.

2016-01-01

Background Many Indigenous communities in Canada live with high-risk drinking water systems and drinking water advisories and experience health status and water quality below that of the general population. A scoping review of research examining drinking water quality and its relationship to Indigenous health was conducted. Objective The study was undertaken to identify the extent of the literature, summarize current reports and identify research needs. Design A scoping review was designed to identify peer-reviewed literature that examined challenges related to drinking water and health in Indigenous communities in Canada. Key search terms were developed and mapped on five bibliographic databases (MEDLINE/PubMED, Web of Knowledge, SciVerse Scopus, Taylor and Francis online journal and Google Scholar). Online searches for grey literature using relevant government websites were completed. Results Sixteen articles (of 518; 156 bibliographic search engines, 362 grey literature) met criteria for inclusion (contained keywords; publication year 2000–2015; peer-reviewed and from Canada). Studies were quantitative (8), qualitative (5) or mixed (3) and included case, cohort, cross-sectional and participatory designs. In most articles, no definition of “health” was given (14/16), and the primary health issue described was gastrointestinal illness (12/16). Challenges to the study of health and well-being with respect to drinking water in Indigenous communities included irregular funding, remote locations, ethical approval processes, small sample sizes and missing data. Conclusions Research on drinking water and health outcomes in Indigenous communities in Canada is limited and occurs on an opportunistic basis. There is a need for more research funding, and inquiry to inform policy decisions for improvements of water quality and health-related outcomes in Indigenous communities. A coordinated network looking at First Nations water and health outcomes, a database to store and create access to research findings, increased funding and time frames for funding, and more decolonizing and community-based participatory research aimed at understanding the relationship between drinking water quality and health outcomes in First Nations communities in Canada are needed. PMID:27478143

ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF THE NATIONAL LAND COVER DATABASE 2001 (NLCD 2001) IMPERVIOUSNESS DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Landscape conditions of watersheds strongly influence the sustainability of aquatic resources valued by society, including quality of drinking water, diversity of stream life, and resilience to catastrophic flooding.

BASINS Framework and Features

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

BASINS enables users to efficiently access nationwide environmental databases and local user-specified datasets, apply assessment and planning tools, and run a variety of proven nonpoint loading and water quality models within a single GIS format.

Summary of selected U.S. Geological survey data on domestic well water quality for the Centers for Disease Control's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartholomay, Roy C.; Carter, Janet M.; Qi, Sharon L.; Squillace, Paul J.; Rowe, Gary L.

2007-01-01

About 10 to 30 percent of the population in most States uses domestic (private) water supply. In many States, the total number of people served by domestic supplies can be in the millions. The water quality of domestic supplies is inconsistently regulated and generally not well characterized. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has two water-quality data sets in the National Water Information System (NWIS) database that can be used to help define the water quality of domestic-water supplies: (1) data from the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, and (2) USGS State data. Data from domestic wells from the NAWQA Program were collected to meet one of the Program's objectives, which was to define the water quality of major aquifers in the United States. These domestic wells were located primarily in rural areas. Water-quality conditions in these major aquifers as defined by the NAWQA data can be compared because of the consistency of the NAWQA sampling design, sampling protocols, and water-quality analyses. The NWIS database is a repository of USGS water data collected for a variety of projects; consequently, project objectives and analytical methods vary. This variability can bias statistical summaries of contaminant occurrence and concentrations; nevertheless, these data can be used to define the geographic distribution of contaminants. Maps created using NAWQA and USGS State data in NWIS can show geographic areas where contaminant concentrations may be of potential human-health concern by showing concentrations relative to human-health water-quality benchmarks. On the basis of national summaries of detection frequencies and concentrations relative to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) human-health benchmarks for trace elements, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds, 28 water-quality constituents were identified as contaminants of potential human-health concern. From this list, 11 contaminants were selected for summarization of water-quality data in 16 States (grantee States) that were funded by the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only data from domestic-water supplies were used in this summary because samples from these wells are most relevant to human exposure for the targeted population. Using NAWQA data, the concentrations of the 11 contaminants were compared to USEPA human-health benchmarks. Using NAWQA and USGS State data in NWIS, the geographic distribution of the contaminants were mapped for the 16 grantee States. Radon, arsenic, manganese, nitrate, strontium, and uranium had the largest percentages of samples with concentrations greater than their human-health benchmarks. In contrast, organic compounds (pesticides and volatile organic compounds) had the lowest percentages of samples with concentrations greater than human-health benchmarks. Results of data retrievals and spatial analysis were compiled for each of the 16 States and are presented in State summaries for each State. Example summary tables, graphs, and maps based on USGS data for New Jersey are presented to illustrate how USGS water-quality and associated ancillary geospatial data can be used by the CDC to address goals and objectives of the EPHT Program.

Trophic state and toxic cyanobacteria density in optimization modeling of multi-reservoir water resource systems.

PubMed

Sulis, Andrea; Buscarinu, Paola; Soru, Oriana; Sechi, Giovanni M

2014-04-22

The definition of a synthetic index for classifying the quality of water bodies is a key aspect in integrated planning and management of water resource systems. In previous works [1,2], a water system optimization modeling approach that requires a single quality index for stored water in reservoirs has been applied to a complex multi-reservoir system. Considering the same modeling field, this paper presents an improved quality index estimated both on the basis of the overall trophic state of the water body and on the basis of the density values of the most potentially toxic Cyanobacteria. The implementation of the index into the optimization model makes it possible to reproduce the conditions limiting water use due to excessive nutrient enrichment in the water body and to the health hazard linked to toxic blooms. The analysis of an extended limnological database (1996-2012) in four reservoirs of the Flumendosa-Campidano system (Sardinia, Italy) provides useful insights into the strengths and limitations of the proposed synthetic index.

Water-quality assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin, North Carolina and Virginia; characterization of suspended sediment, nutrients, and pesticides

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harned, Douglas; McMahon, Gerard; Spruill, T.B.; Woodside, M.D.

1995-01-01

The 28,000-square-mile Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin includes the Roanoke, Dan, Chowan Tar, and Neuse Rivers. The basin extends through four physiographic provinces in North Carolina and Virginia-Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont and Coastal Plain. The spatial and temporal trends in ground-water and riverine water quality in the study area were characterized by using readily available data sources The primary data sources that were used included the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE) database, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Storage and Retrieval System (STORET) database, and results of a few investigations of pesticide occurrence. The principal water-quality constituents examined were suspended sediment, nutrients, and pesticides. The data examined generally spanned the period from 1950 to 1993. The only significant trends in suspended sediment were detected at three Chowan River tributary sites which showed long-term decreases. Suspended- and total-solids concentrations have decreased throughout the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin. The decreases are probably a result of (1) construction of new lakes and ponds in the basin, which trap solids, (2) improved agricultural soil management, and (3) improved wastewater treatment. Nutrient point sources are much less than nonpoint nutrient sources at the eight NASQAN basins examined for nutrient loads. The greatest nitrogen inputs are associated with crop fertilizer and biological nitrogen fixation by soybeans and peanuts, whereas atmospheric and animal-related nitrogen inputs are comparable in magnitude. The largest phosphorus inputs are associated with animal wastes. The most commonly detected pesticides in surface water in the STORET database were atrazine and aldrin.Intensive organonitrogen herbicide sampling of Chicod Creek in 1992 showed seasonal variations in pesticide concentration. The most commonly detected herbicides were atrazine, alachlor, metolachlor, prometon, and metribuzin. No relation between streamflow and pesticide concentration was evident.

High-quality unsaturated zone hydraulic property data for hydrologic applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perkins, Kimberlie; Nimmo, John R.

2009-01-01

In hydrologic studies, especially those using dynamic unsaturated zone moisture modeling, calculations based on property transfer models informed by hydraulic property databases are often used in lieu of measured data from the site of interest. Reliance on database-informed predicted values has become increasingly common with the use of neural networks. High-quality data are needed for databases used in this way and for theoretical and property transfer model development and testing. Hydraulic properties predicted on the basis of existing databases may be adequate in some applications but not others. An obvious problem occurs when the available database has few or no data for samples that are closely related to the medium of interest. The data set presented in this paper includes saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, water retention, particle-size distributions, and bulk properties. All samples are minimally disturbed, all measurements were performed using the same state of the art techniques and the environments represented are diverse.

Web-based flood database for Colorado, water years 1867 through 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kohn, Michael S.; Jarrett, Robert D.; Krammes, Gary S.; Mommandi, Amanullah

2013-01-01

In order to provide a centralized repository of flood information for the State of Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for flood information from water years 1867 through 2011 and data for paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years. The geodatabase was created using the Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS JavaScript Application Programing Interface 3.2. The database can be accessed at http://cwscpublic2.cr.usgs.gov/projects/coflood/COFloodMap.html. Data on 6,767 flood events at 1,597 individual sites throughout Colorado were compiled to generate the flood database. The data sources of flood information are indirect discharge measurements that were stored in U.S. Geological Survey offices (water years 1867–2011), flood data from indirect discharge measurements referenced in U.S. Geological Survey reports (water years 1884–2011), paleoflood studies from six peer-reviewed journal articles (data on events occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years), and the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System peak-discharge database (water years 1883–2010). A number of tests were performed on the flood database to ensure the quality of the data. The Web interface was programmed using the Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS JavaScript Application Programing Interface 3.2, which allows for display, query, georeference, and export of the data in the flood database. The data fields in the flood database used to search and filter the database include hydrologic unit code, U.S. Geological Survey station number, site name, county, drainage area, elevation, data source, date of flood, peak discharge, and field method used to determine discharge. Additional data fields can be viewed and exported, but the data fields described above are the only ones that can be used for queries.

A national-scale analysis of the impacts of drought on water quality in UK rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coxon, G.; Howden, N. J. K.; Freer, J. E.; Whitehead, P. G.; Bussi, G.

2015-12-01

Impacts of droughts on water quality qre difficult to quanitify but are essential to manage ecosystems and maintain public water supply. During drought, river water quality is significantly changed by increased residence times, reduced dilution and enhanced biogeochemical processes. But, the impact severity varies between catchments and depends on multiple factors including the sensitivity of the river to drought conditions, anthropogenic influences in the catchment and different delivery patterns of key nutrient, contaminant and mineral sources. A key constraint is data availability for key water quality parameters such that impacts of drought periods on certain determinands can be identified. We use national-scale water quality monitoring data to investigate the impacts of drought periods on water quality in the United Kingdom (UK). The UK Water Quality Sampling Harmonised Monitoring Scheme (HMS) dataset consists of >200 UK sites with weekly to monthly sampling of many water quality variables over the past 40 years. This covers several major UK droughts in 1975-1976, 1983-1984,1989-1992, 1995 and 2003, which cover severity, spatial and temporal extent, and how this affects the temporal impact of the drought on water quality. Several key water quality parameters, including water temperature, nitrate, dissolved organic carbon, orthophosphate, chlorophyll and pesticides, are selected from the database. These were chosen based on their availability for many of the sites, high sampling resolution and importance to the drinking water function and ecological status of the river. The water quality time series were then analysed to investigate whether water quality during droughts deviated significantly from non-drought periods and examined how the results varied spatially, for different drought periods and for different water quality parameters. Our results show that there is no simple conclusion as to the effects of drought on water quality in UK rivers; impacts are diverse both in terms of timing, magnitude and duration. We consider several scenarios in which management interventions may alleviate water quality pressures, and discuss how the many interacting factors need to be better characterised to support detailed mechanistic models to improve our process understanding.

Past, present, and future of water data delivery from the U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hirsch, Robert M.; Fisher, Gary T.

2014-01-01

We present an overview of national water databases managed by the U.S. Geological Survey, including surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data. These are readily accessible to users through web interfaces and data services. Multiple perspectives of data are provided, including search and retrieval of real-time data and historical data, on-demand current conditions and alert services, data compilations, spatial representations, analytical products, and availability of data across multiple agencies.

National Contaminant Occurrence Database (NCOD)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This site describes water sample analytical data that EPA is currently using and has used in the past for analysis, rulemaking, and rule evaluation. The data have been checked for data quality and analyzed for national representativeness.

Development of a station based climate database for SWAT and APEX assessments in the U.S.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Water quality simulation models such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Agricultural Policy EXtender (APEX) are widely used in the U.S. These models require large amounts of spatial and tabular data to simulate the natural world. Accurate and seamless daily climatic data are critical...

Data Model and Relational Database Design for Highway Runoff Water-Quality Metadata

USGS Publications Warehouse

Granato, Gregory E.; Tessler, Steven

2001-01-01

A National highway and urban runoff waterquality metadatabase was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration as part of the National Highway Runoff Water-Quality Data and Methodology Synthesis (NDAMS). The database was designed to catalog available literature and to document results of the synthesis in a format that would facilitate current and future research on highway and urban runoff. This report documents the design and implementation of the NDAMS relational database, which was designed to provide a catalog of available information and the results of an assessment of the available data. All the citations and the metadata collected during the review process are presented in a stratified metadatabase that contains citations for relevant publications, abstracts (or previa), and reportreview metadata for a sample of selected reports that document results of runoff quality investigations. The database is referred to as a metadatabase because it contains information about available data sets rather than a record of the original data. The database contains the metadata needed to evaluate and characterize how valid, current, complete, comparable, and technically defensible published and available information may be when evaluated for application to the different dataquality objectives as defined by decision makers. This database is a relational database, in that all information is ultimately linked to a given citation in the catalog of available reports. The main database file contains 86 tables consisting of 29 data tables, 11 association tables, and 46 domain tables. The data tables all link to a particular citation, and each data table is focused on one aspect of the information collected in the literature search and the evaluation of available information. This database is implemented in the Microsoft (MS) Access database software because it is widely used within and outside of government and is familiar to many existing and potential customers. The stratified metadatabase design for the NDAMS program is presented in the MS Access file DBDESIGN.mdb and documented with a data dictionary in the NDAMS_DD.mdb file recorded on the CD-ROM. The data dictionary file includes complete documentation of the table names, table descriptions, and information about each of the 419 fields in the database.

Synthesis and interpretation of surface-water quality and aquatic biota data collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 1979-2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jastram, John D.; Snyder, Craig D.; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Rice, Karen C.

2013-01-01

Shenandoah National Park in northern and central Virginia protects 777 square kilometers of mountain terrain in the Blue Ridge physiographic province and more than 90 streams containing diverse aquatic biota. Park managers and visitors are interested in the water quality of park streams and its ability to support healthy coldwater communities and species, such as the native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), that are at risk in the eastern United States. Despite protection from local stressors, however, the water quality of streams in the park is at risk from many regional stressors, including atmospheric pollution, decline in the health of the surrounding forests because of invasive forest pests, and global climate change. In 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, undertook a study to compile, analyze, and synthesize available data on water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fish within Shenandoah National Park. Specifically, the effort focused on creating a comprehensive water-resources database for the park that can be used to evaluate temporal trends and spatial patterns in the available data, and characterizing those data to better understand interrelations among water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish, and the landscape.

[Assessment of so called organic trace compounds in drinking water from the regulatory, health and aesthetic-quality points of view, with special consideration given to pharmaceuticals].

PubMed

Dieter, H H; Mückter, H

2007-03-01

More than 2500 chemically defined substances are approved as drugs in Germany. Unlike agricultural pesticides, these biologically active structures are not used in open environmental compartments and therefore their environmental toxicological data base is not nearly as complete. Nevertheless, some of them become environmental contaminants after their intended use. Therefore, from the viewpoint of environmental health protection, there are gaps in their health-related environmental risk assessment. Organic trace compounds that lack an adequate toxicological database, and their mixtures, in drinking water can be safely regulated and provisionally assessed by combining the "similar joint action" addition rule with the recommendation of the Federal Environment Agency of March 2003 "Assessing the presence of substances in drinking water without (adequate) toxicological database from the health point of view". The general precautionary value (Gesundheitlicher Orientierungswert GOW1=0.10 microg/l), which is a recommendation for weakly to not genotoxic compounds, re presents a workable compromise between preventive health protection, water management considerations and aesthetic quality claims (purity). Compliance with this value in the long term will only be possible if the chemical and biological degradation of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in waste water and waste water treatment plants is effectively improved. Alternatively, there is the risk of drinking water degenerating into a sink for highly mobile, polar and persistent compounds. Their elimination at a stage as late as technical drinking water treatment would be neither close to the initial cause nor justifiable in terms of technical effectiveness. The risk assessment of their byproducts would give rise to further uncertainties. Possible conflicts with the therapeutic quality must be solved by developing substitute products which are environmentally sound.

Post-fire Water Quality Response and Associated Physical Drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rust, A.; Saxe, S.; Hogue, T. S.; McCray, J. E.; Rhoades, C.

2017-12-01

The frequency and severity of forest fires is increasing across the western US. Wildfires are known to impact water quality in receiving waters; many of which are important sources of water supply. Studies on individual forest fires have shown an increase in total suspended solids, nutrient and metal concentrations and loading in receiving streams. The current research looks at a large number of fires across a broad region (Western United States) to identify typical water quality changes after fire and the physical characteristics that drive those responses. This presentation will overview recent development of an extensive database on post-fire water quality. Across 172 fires, we found that water quality changed significantly in one out of three fires up to five years after the event compared to pre-burn conditions. For basins with higher frequency data, it was evident that water quality changes were significant in the first three years following fire. In both the initial years following fire and five years after fire, concentrations and loading rates of dissolved nutrients such as nitrite, nitrate and orthophosphate and particulate forms of nutrients, total organic nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphate, and total phosphorus increase thirty percent of the time. Concentrations of some major dissolved ions and metals decrease, with increased post-fire flows, while total particulate concentrations increased; the flux of both dissolved and particulate forms increase in thirty percent of the fires over five years. Water quality change is not uniform across the studied watersheds. A second goal of this study is to identify physical characteristics of a watershed that drive water quality response. Specifically, we investigate the physical, geochemical, and climatological characteristics of watersheds that control the type, direction, and magnitude of water quality change. Initial results reveal vegetation recovery is a key driver in post-fire water quality response. Ultimately, improved understanding of post-fire response and related drivers will advance potential mitigation and treatment strategies as well as aid in the parametrization of post-fire models of water quality.

QADATA user's manual; an interactive computer program for the retrieval and analysis of the results from the external blind sample quality- assurance project of the U.S. Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lucey, K.J.

1990-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey conducts an external blind sample quality assurance project for its National Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colorado, based on the analysis of reference water samples. Reference samples containing selected inorganic and nutrient constituents are disguised as environmental samples at the Survey 's office in Ocala, Florida, and are sent periodically through other Survey offices to the laboratory. The results of this blind sample project indicate the quality of analytical data produced by the laboratory. This report provides instructions on the use of QADATA, an interactive, menu-driven program that allows users to retrieve the results of the blind sample quality- assurance project. The QADATA program, which is available on the U.S. Geological Survey 's national computer network, accesses a blind sample data base that contains more than 50,000 determinations from the last five water years for approximately 40 constituents at various concentrations. The data can be retrieved from the database for any user- defined time period and for any or all available constituents. After the user defines the retrieval, the program prepares statistical tables, control charts, and precision plots and generates a report which can be transferred to the user 's office through the computer network. A discussion of the interpretation of the program output is also included. This quality assurance information will permit users to document the quality of the analytical results received from the laboratory. The blind sample data is entered into the database within weeks after being produced by the laboratory and can be retrieved to meet the needs of specific projects or programs. (USGS)

Trophic State and Toxic Cyanobacteria Density in Optimization Modeling of Multi-Reservoir Water Resource Systems

PubMed Central

Sulis, Andrea; Buscarinu, Paola; Soru, Oriana; Sechi, Giovanni M.

2014-01-01

The definition of a synthetic index for classifying the quality of water bodies is a key aspect in integrated planning and management of water resource systems. In previous works [1,2], a water system optimization modeling approach that requires a single quality index for stored water in reservoirs has been applied to a complex multi-reservoir system. Considering the same modeling field, this paper presents an improved quality index estimated both on the basis of the overall trophic state of the water body and on the basis of the density values of the most potentially toxic Cyanobacteria. The implementation of the index into the optimization model makes it possible to reproduce the conditions limiting water use due to excessive nutrient enrichment in the water body and to the health hazard linked to toxic blooms. The analysis of an extended limnological database (1996–2012) in four reservoirs of the Flumendosa-Campidano system (Sardinia, Italy) provides useful insights into the strengths and limitations of the proposed synthetic index. PMID:24759172

SITE COMPREHENSIVE LISTING (CERCLIS) (Superfund)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) (Superfund) Public Access Database contains a selected set of non-enforcement confidential information and is updated by the regions every 90 days. The data describes what has happened at Superfund sites prior to this quarter (updated quarterly). This database includes lists of involved parties (other Federal Agencies, states, and tribes), Human Exposure and Ground Water Migration, and Site Wide Ready for Reuse, Construction Completion, and Final Assessment Decision (GPRA-like measures) for fund lead sites. Other information that is included has been included only as a service to allow public evaluations utilizing this data. EPA does not have specific Data Quality Objectives for use of the data. Independent Quality Assessments may be made of this data by reviewing the Quality Assurance Action Plan (QAPP).

Database of well and areal data, South San Francisco Bay and Peninsula area, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leighton, D.A.; Fio, J.L.; Metzger, L.F.

1995-01-01

A database was developed to organize and manage data compiled for a regional assessment of geohydrologic and water-quality conditions in the south San Francisco Bay and Peninsula area in California. Available data provided by local, State, and Federal agencies and private consultants was utilized in the assessment. The database consists of geographicinformation system data layers and related tables and American Standard Code for Information Interchange files. Documentation of the database is necessary to avoid misinterpretation of the data and to make users aware of potential errors and limitations. Most of the data compiled were collected from wells and boreholes (collectively referred to as wells in this report). This point-specific data, including construction, water-level, waterquality, pumping test, and lithologic data, are contained in tables and files that are related to a geographic information system data layer that contains the locations of the wells. There are 1,014 wells in the data layer and the related tables contain 35,845 water-level measurements (from 293 of the wells) and 9,292 water-quality samples (from 394 of the wells). Calculation of hydraulic heads and gradients from the water levels can be affected adversely by errors in the determination of the altitude of land surface at the well. Cation and anion balance computations performed on 396 of the water-quality samples indicate high cation and anion balance errors for 51 (13 percent) of the samples. Well drillers' reports were interpreted for 762 of the wells, and digital representations of the lithology of the formations are contained in files following the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The usefulness of drillers' descriptions of the formation lithology is affected by the detail and thoroughness of the drillers' descriptions, as well as the knowledge, experience, and vocabulary of the individual who described the drill cuttings. Additional data layers were created that contain political, geohydrologic, and other geographic data. These layers contain features represented by areas and lines rather than discrete points. The layers consist of data representing the thickness of alluvium, surficial geology, physiographic subareas, watershed boundaries, land use, water-supply districts, wastewater treatment districts, and recharge basins. The layers manually digitizing paper maps, acquisition of data already in digital form, or creation of new layers from available layers. The scale of the source data affects the accurate representation of real-world features with the data layer, and, therefore, the scale of the source data must be considered when the data are analyzed and plotted.

Petition for the Administrator to Object to Lansing Board of Water and Light's Eckert and Moores Park Stations Operating Permit

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document may be of assistance in applying the Title V air operating permit regulations. This document is part of the Title V Petition Database available at www2.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-petition-database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.

Order Responding to 2002 Petitions Requesting the Administartor Object to North River Water Pollution Control Plant's Title V Permit

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document may be of assistance in applying the Title V air operating permit regulations. This document is part of the Title V Petition Database available at www2.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-petition-database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.

Data compilation and assessment for water resources in Pennsylvania state forest and park lands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Galeone, Daniel G.

2011-01-01

As a result of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PaDCNR), available electronic data were compiled for Pennsylvania state lands (state forests and parks) to allow PaDCNR to initially determine if data exist to make an objective evaluation of water resources for specific basins. The data compiled included water-quantity and water-quality data and sample locations for benthic macroinvertebrates within state-owned lands (including a 100-meter buffer around each land parcel) in Pennsylvania. In addition, internet links or contacts for geographic information system coverages pertinent to water-resources studies also were compiled. Water-quantity and water-quality data primarily available through January 2007 were compiled and summarized for site types that included streams, lakes, ground-water wells, springs, and precipitation. Data were categorized relative to 35 watershed boundaries defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for resource-management purposes. The primary sources of continuous water-quantity data for Pennsylvania state lands were the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Weather Service (NWS). The USGS has streamflow data for 93 surface-water sites located in state lands; 38 of these sites have continuous-recording data available. As of January 2007, 22 of these 38 streamflow-gaging stations were active; the majority of active gaging stations have over 40 years of continuous record. The USGS database also contains continuous ground-water elevation data for 32 wells in Pennsylvania state lands, 18 of which were active as of January 2007. Sixty-eight active precipitation stations (primarily from the NWS network) are located in state lands. The four sources of available water-quality data for Pennsylvania state lands were the USGS, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP), and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. The water-quality data, which were primarily collected after 1970, were summarized by categorizing the analytical data for each site into major groups (for example, trace metals, pesticides, major ions, etc.) for each type (streams, lakes, ground-water wells, and springs) of data compiled. The number of samples and number of detections for each analyte within each group also were summarized. A total of 410 stream sites and 205 ground-water wells in state lands had water-quality data from the available data sets, and these sites were well-distributed across the state. A total of 107 lakes and 47 springs in state lands had water-quality data from the available data sets, but these data types were not well-distributed across the state; the majority of water-quality data for lakes was in the western or eastern sections of the state and water-quality data for springs was primarily located in the central part of the Lower Susquehanna River Valley. The most common types of water-quality data collected were major ions, trace elements, and nutrients. Physical parameters, such as water temperature, stream discharge, or water level, typically were collected for most water-quality samples. Given the large database available from PaDEP for benthic macroinvertebrates, along with some data from other agencies, there is very good distribution of benthic-macroinvertebrate data for state lands. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected at 1,077 locations in state lands from 1973 to 2006. Most (980 samples) of the benthic-macroinvertebrate samples were collected by PaDEP as part of the state assessment of stream conditions required by the Clean Water Act. Data compiled in this report can be used for various water-resource issues, such as basin-wide water-budget analysis, studies of ecological or instream flow, or water-quality assessments. The determination of an annual water budget in selected basins is best supported by the availab

UTILIZATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF REGIONAL GROUND-WATER QUALITY.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nebert, Douglas; Anderson, Dean

1987-01-01

The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs and several State agencies in Oregon has prepared a digital spatial database at 1:500,000 scale to be used as a basis for evaluating the potential for ground-water contamination by pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. Geographic information system (GIS) software was used to assemble, analyze, and manage spatial and tabular environmental data in support of this project. Physical processes were interpreted relative to published spatial data and an integrated database to support the appraisal of regional ground-water contamination was constructed. Ground-water sampling results were reviewed relative to the environmental factors present in several agricultural areas to develop an empirical knowledge base which could be used to assist in the selection of future sampling or study areas.

Assessment of surface water chloride and conductivity trends in areas of unconventional oil and gas development-Why existing national data sets cannot tell us what we would like to know

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowen, Zachary H.; Oelsner, Gretchen P.; Cade, Brian S.; Gallegos, Tanya J.; Farag, Aïda M.; Mott, David N.; Potter, Christopher J.; Cinotto, Peter J.; Clark, Melanie L.; Kappel, William M.; Kresse, Timothy M.; Melcher, Cynthia P.; Paschke, Suzanne; Susong, David D.; Varela, Brian A.

2015-01-01

Heightened concern regarding the potential effects of unconventional oil and gas development on regional water quality has emerged, but the few studies on this topic are limited in geographic scope. Here we evaluate the potential utility of national and publicly available water-quality data sets for addressing questions regarding unconventional oil and gas development. We used existing U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data sets to increase understanding of the spatial distribution of unconventional oil and gas development in the U.S. and broadly assess surface water quality trends in these areas. Based on sample size limitations, we were able to estimate trends in specific conductance (SC) and chloride (Cl-) from 1970 to 2010 in 16% (n=155) of the watersheds with unconventional oil and gas resources. We assessed these trends relative to spatiotemporal distributions of hydraulically fractured wells. Results from this limited analysis suggest no consistent and widespread trends in surface water quality for SC and Cl- in areas with increasing unconventional oil and gas development and highlight limitations of existing national databases for addressing questions regarding unconventional oil and gas development and water quality.

Isotopic Tracers for Delineating Non-Point Source Pollutants in Surface Water

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

Davisson, M L

2001-03-01

This study tested whether isotope measurements of surface water and dissolved constituents in surface water could be used as tracers of non-point source pollution. Oxygen-18 was used as a water tracer, while carbon-14, carbon-13, and deuterium were tested as tracers of DOC. Carbon-14 and carbon-13 were also used as tracers of dissolved inorganic carbon, and chlorine-36 and uranium isotopes were tested as tracers of other dissolved salts. In addition, large databases of water quality measurements were assembled for the Missouri River at St. Louis and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California to enhance interpretive results of the isotope measurements. Muchmore » of the water quality data has been under-interpreted and provides a valuable resource to investigative research, for which this report exploits and integrates with the isotope measurements.« less

Analysing inter-relationships among water, governance, human development variables in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dondeynaz, C.; Carmona Moreno, C.; Céspedes Lorente, J. J.

2012-10-01

The "Integrated Water Resources Management" principle was formally laid down at the International Conference on Water and Sustainable development in Dublin 1992. One of the main results of this conference is that improving Water and Sanitation Services (WSS), being a complex and interdisciplinary issue, passes through collaboration and coordination of different sectors (environment, health, economic activities, governance, and international cooperation). These sectors influence or are influenced by the access to WSS. The understanding of these interrelations appears as crucial for decision makers in the water sector. In this framework, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has developed a new database (WatSan4Dev database) containing 42 indicators (called variables in this paper) from environmental, socio-economic, governance and financial aid flows data in developing countries. This paper describes the development of the WatSan4Dev dataset, the statistical processes needed to improve the data quality, and finally, the analysis to verify the database coherence is presented. Based on 25 relevant variables, the relationships between variables are described and organised into five factors (HDP - Human Development against Poverty, AP - Human Activity Pressure on water resources, WR - Water Resources, ODA - Official Development Aid, CEC - Country Environmental Concern). Linear regression methods are used to identify key variables having influence on water supply and sanitation. First analysis indicates that the informal urbanisation development is an important factor negatively influencing the percentage of the population having access to WSS. Health, and in particular children's health, benefits from the improvement of WSS. Irrigation is also enhancing Water Supply service thanks to multi-purpose infrastructure. Five country profiles are also created to deeper understand and synthetize the amount of information gathered. This new classification of countries is useful in identifying countries with a less advanced position and weaknesses to be tackled. The relevance of indicators gathered to represent environmental and water resources state is questioned in the discussion section. The paper concludes with the necessity to increase the reliability of current indicators and calls for further research on specific indicators, in particular on water quality at national scale, in order to better include environmental state in analysis to WSS.

TransWatL - Crowdsourced water level transmission via short message service within the Sondu River Catchment, Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weeser, Björn; Jacobs, Suzanne; Breuer, Lutz; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Rufino, Mariana

2016-04-01

The fast economic development in East African countries causes an increasing need of water and farmland. Ongoing changes in land use and climate may affect the function of water tower areas such as the Mau Forest complex as an important water source and tropical montane forest in Kenya. Reliable models and predictions are necessary to ensure a sustainable and adequate water resource management. The calibration and validation process of these models requires solid data, based on widespread monitoring in both space and time, which is a time consuming and expensive exercise. Countries with merging economies often do not have the technical capacity and resources to operate monitoring networks, although both the government and citizens are aware of the importance of sustainable water management. Our research focus on the implementation and testing of a crowdsourced database as a low-cost method to assess the water quantity within the Sondu river catchment in Kenya. Twenty to 30 water level gauges will be installed and equipped with instructional signage. Citizens are invited to read and transmit the water level and the station number to the database using a simple text message and their cell phone. The text message service is easy to use, stable, inexpensive and an established way of communication in East African countries. The simplicity of the method ensures a broad access for interested citizens and integration of locals in water monitoring all over the catchment. Furthermore, the system allows a direct and fast feedback to the users, which likely increases the awareness for water flow changes in the test region. A raspberry pi 2 Model B equipped with a mobile broadband modem will be used as a server receiving and storing incoming text messages. The received raw data will be quality checked and formatted by a python script and afterwards written back in a database. This ensures flexible and standardized access for postprocessing and data visualization, for which a web based databank is foreseen. For the validation of the method, TransWatL stations will also be installed next to permanent gauging stations to compare the quality of citizen's readings against permanent readings.

Adapting water treatment design and operations to the impacts of global climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Robert M.; Li, Zhiwei; Buchberger, Steven G.

2011-12-01

It is anticipated that global climate change will adversely impact source water quality in many areas of the United States and will therefore, potentially, impact the design and operation of current and future water treatment systems. The USEPA has initiated an effort called the Water Resources Adaptation Program (WRAP) which is intended to develop tools and techniques that can assess the impact of global climate change on urban drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. A three step approach for assessing climate change impacts on water treatment operation and design is being persude in this effort. The first step is the stochastic characterization of source water quality, the second step is the application of the USEPA Water Treatment Plant model and the third step is the application of cost algorithms to provide a metric that can be used to assess the coat impact of climate change. A model has been validated using data collected from Cincinnati's Richard Miller Water Treatment Plant for the USEPA Information Collection Rule (ICR) database. An analysis of the water treatment processes in response to assumed perturbations in raw water quality identified TOC, pH, and bromide as the three most important parameters affecting performance of the Miller WTP. The Miller Plant was simulated using the EPA WTP model to examine the impact of these parameters on selected regulated water quality parameters. Uncertainty in influent water quality was analyzed to estimate the risk of violating drinking water maximum contaminant levels (MCLs).Water quality changes in the Ohio River were projected for 2050 using Monte Carlo simulation and the WTP model was used to evaluate the effects of water quality changes on design and operation. Results indicate that the existing Miller WTP might not meet Safe Drinking Water Act MCL requirements for certain extreme future conditions. However, it was found that the risk of MCL violations under future conditions could be controlled by enhancing existing WTP design and operation or by process retrofitting and modification.

Canadian ENGOs in governance of water resources: information needs and monitoring practices.

PubMed

Kebo, Sasha; Bunch, Martin J

2013-11-01

Water quality monitoring involves a complex set of steps and a variety of approaches. Its goals include understanding of aquatic habitats, informing management and facilitating decision making, and educating citizens. Environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) are increasingly engaged in water quality monitoring and act as environmental watchdogs and stewards of water resources. These organizations exhibit different monitoring mandates. As government involvement in water quality monitoring continues to decline, it becomes essential that we understand their modi operandi. By doing so, we can enhance efficacy and encourage data sharing and communication. This research examined Canadian ENGOs that collect their own data on water quality with respect to water quality monitoring activities and information needs. This work had a twofold purpose: (1) to enhance knowledge about the Canadian ENGOs operating in the realm of water quality monitoring and (2) to guide and inform development of web-based geographic information systems (GIS) to support water quality monitoring, particularly using benthic macroinvertebrate protocols. A structured telephone survey was administered across 10 Canadian provinces to 21 ENGOs that undertake water quality monitoring. This generated information about barriers and challenges of data sharing, commonly collected metrics, human resources, and perceptions of volunteer-collected data. Results are presented on an aggregate level and among different groups of respondents. Use of geomatics technology was not consistent among respondents, and we found no noteworthy differences between organizations that did and did not use GIS tools. About one third of respondents did not employ computerized systems (including databases and spreadsheets) to support data management, analysis, and sharing. Despite their advantage as a holistic water quality indicator, benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) were not widely employed in stream monitoring. Although BMIs are particularly suitable for the purpose of citizen education, few organizations collected this metric, despite having public education and awareness as part of their mandate.

Sharing Water Data to Encourage Sustainable Choices in Areas of the Marcellus Shale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brantley, S. L.; Abad, J. D.; Vastine, J.; Yoxtheimer, D.; Wilderman, C.; Vidic, R.; Hooper, R. P.; Brasier, K.

2012-12-01

Natural gas sourced from shales but stored in more permeable formations has long been exploited as an energy resource. Now, however, gas is exploited directly from the low-porosity and low-permeability shale reservoirs through the use of hydrofracturing. Hydrofracturing is not a new technique: it has long been utilized in the energy industry to promote flow of oil and gas from traditional reservoirs. To exploit gas in reservoirs such as the Marcellus shale in PA, hydrofracturing is paired with directional drilling. Such hydrofracturing utilizes large volumes of water to increase porosity in the shale formations at depth. Small concentrations of chemicals are added to the water to improve the formation and maintenance of the fractures. Significant public controversy has developed in response to the use of hydrofracturing especially in the northeastern states underlain by the Marcellus shale where some citizens and scientists question whether shale gas recovery will contaminate local surface and ground waters. Researchers, government agencies, and citizen scientists in Pennsylvania are teaming up to run the ShaleNetwork (www.shalenetwork.org), an NSF-funded research collaboration network that is currently finding, collating, sharing, publishing, and exploring data related to water quality and quantity in areas that are exploiting shale gas. The effort, focussed initially on Pennsylvania, is now developing the ShaleNetwork database that can be accessed through HydroDesktop in the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System. In the first year since inception, the ShaleNetwork ran a workshop and reached eight conclusions, largely focussed on issues related to the sources, entry, and use of data. First, the group discovered that extensive water data is available in areas of shale gas. Second, participants agreed that the Shale Network team should partner with state agencies and industry to move datasets online. Third, participants discovered that the database allows participants to assess data gaps. Fourth, the team was encouraged to search for data that plug gaps. Fifth, the database should be easily sustained by others long-term if the Shale Network team simplifies the process of uploading data and finds ways to create community buy-in or incentives for data uploads. Sixth, the database itself and the workshops for the database should drive future agreement about analytical protocols. Seventh, the database is already encouraging other groups to publish data online. Finally, a user interface is needed that is easier and more accessible for citizens to use. Overall, it is clear that sharing data is one way to build bridges among decision makers, scientists, and citizens to understand issues related to sustainable development of energy resources in the face of issues related to water quality and quantity.

Compilation, quality control, analysis, and summary of discrete suspended-sediment and ancillary data in the United States, 1901-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, Casey J.; Glysson, G. Douglas

2013-01-01

Human-induced and natural changes to the transport of sediment and sediment-associated constituents can degrade aquatic ecosystems and limit human uses of streams and rivers. The lack of a dedicated, easily accessible, quality-controlled database of sediment and ancillary data has made it difficult to identify sediment-related water-quality impairments and has limited understanding of how human actions affect suspended-sediment concentrations and transport. The purpose of this report is to describe the creation of a quality-controlled U.S. Geological Survey suspended-sediment database, provide guidance for its use, and summarize characteristics of suspended-sediment data through 2010. The database is provided as an online application at http://cida.usgs.gov/sediment to allow users to view, filter, and retrieve available suspended-sediment and ancillary data. A data recovery, filtration, and quality-control process was performed to expand the availability, representativeness, and utility of existing suspended-sediment data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the United States before January 1, 2011. Information on streamflow condition, sediment grain size, and upstream landscape condition were matched to sediment data and sediment-sampling sites to place data in context with factors that may influence sediment transport. Suspended-sediment and selected ancillary data are presented from across the United States with respect to time, streamflow, and landscape condition. Examples of potential uses of this database for identifying sediment-related impairments, assessing trends, and designing new data collection activities are provided. This report and database can support local and national-level decision making, project planning, and data mining activities related to the transport of suspended-sediment and sediment-associated constituents.

Information Technology Support in the 8000 Directorate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

My summer internship was spent supporting various projects within the Environmental Management Office and Glenn Safety Office. Mentored by Eli Abumeri, I was trained in areas of Information Technology such as: Servers, printers, scanners, CAD systems, Web, Programming, and Database Management, ODIN (networking, computers, and phones). I worked closely with the Chemical Sampling and Analysis Team (CSAT) to redesign a database to more efficiently manage and maintain data collected for the Drinking Water Program. This Program has been established for over fifteen years here at the Glenn Research Center. It involves the continued testing and retesting of all drinking water dispensers. The quality of the drinking water is of great importance and is determined by comparing the concentration of contaminants in the water with specifications set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and its 1986 and 1991 amendments. The Drinking Water Program consists of periodic testing of all drinking water fountains and sinks. Each is tested at least once every 2 years for contaminants and naturally occurring species. The EPA's protocol is to collect an initial and a 5 minute draw from each dispenser. The 5 minute draw is what is used for the maximum contaminant level. However, the CS&AT has added a 30 second draw since most individuals do not run the water 5 minutes prior to drinking. This data is then entered into a relational Microsoft Access database. The database allows for the quick retrieval of any test@) done on any dispenser. The data can be queried by building number, date or test type, and test results are documented in an analytical report for employees to read. To aid with the tracking of recycled materials within the lab, my help was enlisted to create a database that could make this process less cumbersome and more efficient. The date of pickup, type of material, weight received, and unit cost per recyclable. This information could then calculate the dollar amount generated by the recycling of certain materials. This database will ultimately prove useful in determining the amounts of materials consumed by the lab and will help serve as an indicator potential overuse.

ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OF THE NATIONAL LAND COVER DATABASE 2001 (NLCD 2001) IMPERVIOUSNESS DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Landscape conditions of watersheds strongly influence the sustainability of aquatic resources valued by society, including quality of drinking water, diversity of stream life, and resilience to catastrophic flooding. The amount of impervious surface area in a watershed is a key ...

Quality of Nevada's aquifers and their susceptibility to contamination, 1990-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lopes, Thomas J.

2006-01-01

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced a rule to protect the quality of ground water in areas other than source-water protection areas. These other sensitive ground-water areas (OSGWA) are areas that are not currently but could eventually be used as a source of drinking water. To help determine whether a well is in an OSGWA, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection needs statewide information on the susceptibility and vulnerability of Nevada's aquifer systems to contamination. This report presents an evaluation of the quality of ground water and susceptibility of Nevada's aquifer systems to anthropogenic contamination. Chemical tracers and statistical methods were used to assess the susceptibility of aquifer systems in Nevada. Chemical tracers included nitrate, pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), dissolved gases, and isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Ground-water samples were collected from 133 wells during August 2002 through October 2003. Logistic regression was done to estimate the probability of detecting nitrate above concentrations typically found in undeveloped areas. Nitrate is one of the most common anthropogenic contaminants that degrades ground-water quality, is commonly measured and is persistent, except in reducing conditions. These characteristics make nitrate a good indicator of aquifer susceptibility. Water-quality data for 5,528 wells were compiled into a database. The area around each well was characterized using information on explanatory variables that could be related to nitrate concentrations. Data also were used to characterize the quality of ground water in Nevada, including dissolved solids, nitrate, pesticide, and VOC concentrations.

Salt Water Drift From Cooling Towers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document may be of assistance in applying the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting regulations including the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements. This document is part of the NSR Policy and Guidance Database. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.

Geochemical Data on Waters, gases, scales, and rocks from the Dixie Valley Region, Nevada (1996-1999)

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

Goff, Fraser; Bergfeld, Deborah; Janik, C.J.

2002-08-01

This report tabulates an extensive geochemical database on waters, gases, scales, rocks, and hot-spring deposits from the Dixie Valley region, Nevada. The samples from which the data were obtained were collected and analyzed during 1996 to 1999. These data provide useful information for ongoing and future investigations on geothermal energy, volcanism, ore deposits, environmental issues, and groundwater quality in this region.

Remote Sensing of Water Quality in Multipurpose Reservoirs: Case Study Applications in Indonesia, Mexico, and Uruguay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miralles-Wilhelm, F.; Serrat-Capdevila, A.; Rodriguez, D.

2017-12-01

This research is focused on development of remote sensing methods to assess surface water pollution issues, particularly in multipurpose reservoirs. Three case study applications are presented to comparatively analyze remote sensing techniquesforo detection of nutrient related pollution, i.e., Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Chlorophyll, as this is a major water quality issue that has been identified in terms of pollution of major water sources around the country. This assessment will contribute to a better understanding of options for nutrient remote sensing capabilities and needs and assist water agencies in identifying the appropriate remote sensing tools and devise an application strategy to provide information needed to support decision-making regarding the targeting and monitoring of nutrient pollution prevention and mitigation measures. A detailed review of the water quality data available from ground based measurements was conducted in order to determine their suitability for a case study application of remote sensing. In the first case study, the Valle de Bravo reservoir in Mexico City reservoir offers a larger database of water quality which may be used to better calibrate and validate the algorithms required to obtain water quality data from remote sensing raw data. In the second case study application, the relatively data scarce Lake Toba in Indonesia can be useful to illustrate the value added of remote sensing data in locations where water quality data is deficient or inexistent. The third case study in the Paso Severino reservoir in Uruguay offers a combination of data scarcity and persistent development of harmful algae blooms. Landsat-TM data was obteined for the 3 study sites and algorithms for three key water quality parameters that are related to nutrient pollution: Chlorophyll-a, Total Nitrogen, and Total Phosphorus were calibrated and validated at the study sites. The three case study applications were developed into capacity building/training workshops for water resources students, applied scientists, practitioners, reservoir and water quality managers, and other interested stakeholders.

Evaluating Water Quality Response and Controlling Variables for Burned Watersheds in the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rust, A.; Saxe, S.; Hogue, T. S.; McCray, J. E.

2016-12-01

Increasing wildfire size and frequency in the Western United States creates short-term and long-term impacts on water quality. Surface water in forested watersheds provides water for municipal water supplies and aquatic ecosystems. After fire, increased runoff and erosion lead to elevated loading of nutrients, sediment, and metals. Studies on individual fires have observed mobilization of contaminants, nutrients, metals and sediments into receiving waters. Other studies focused on individual fires over a short period, 1-3 years after fire. The objective of this study is to utilize an extensive historical water quality database, assembled by the authors, to identify trends in post-fire water quality response for the ten years following a significant fire. Specifically, we investigate the variability of post-fire water quality response and determine the key drivers impacting the immediate contaminant flux, recovery over the longer-term and ultimate resiliency of impacted watersheds and municipal water supplies. Results show that the most common post-fire response was increased nutrient loading. Thirty-two western watersheds experienced significant increases in NO3-, NO2-, NH3, and total nitrogen loading for the first five years after fire and remained elevated ten years after fire. Dissolved and total phosphorous significantly increased in 32 western watersheds for the first five years after fire. The majority of these water bodies returned to normal loading after 10 years. Dissolved ions such as calcium, magnesium, and chloride were also exported from over 32 watersheds for the first five years after fire. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we also identify the key physical watershed characteristics that drive post-fire water quality response and recovery. Burn severity, burn area and aridity index all influence the degree of water quality response. Our work provides managers with critical information to evaluate water supply impacts, including short-term treatment needs, as well as the potential long-term resiliency of impacted watersheds.

Inventory and review of existing PRISM hydrogeologic data for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Africa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedel, Michael J.

2008-01-01

The USGS entered into an agreement with the Mauritania Ministry of Mines and Industry to inventory and review the quality of information collected as part of the Project for Strengthening of the Institutions in the Mining Sector (PRISM). Whereas the PRISM program collected geophysical, geochemical, geological, satellite, and hydrogeologic information, this report focuses on an inventory and review of available hydrogeologic data provided to the USGS in multiple folders, files, and formats. Most of the information pertained to the hydrogeologic setting and the water budget of evaporation, evapotranspiration, and precipitation in the Choum-Zouerate area in northwestern Mauritania, and the country of Mauritania itself. Other information about the quantity and quality of groundwater was found in the relational Access database. In its present form, the limited hydrogeologic information was not amenable to conducting water balance, geostatistical, and localized numerical modeling studies in support of mineral exploration and development. Suggestions are provided to remedy many of the data's shortcomings, such as performing quality assurance on all SIPPE2 data tables and sending questionnaires to appropriate agencies, mining and other companies to populate the database with additional meteorology, hydrology, and groundwater data.

Chemical-Help Application for Classification and Identification of Stormwater Constituents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Granato, Gregory E.; Driskell, Timothy R.; Nunes, Catherine

2000-01-01

A computer application called Chemical Help was developed to facilitate review of reports for the National Highway Runoff Water-Quality Data and Methodology Synthesis (NDAMS). The application provides a tool to quickly find a proper classification for any constituent in the NDAMS review sheets. Chemical Help contents include the name of each water-quality property, constituent, or parameter, the section number within the NDAMS review sheet, the organizational levels within a classification hierarchy, the database number, and where appropriate, the chemical formula, the Chemical Abstract Service number, and a list of synonyms (for the organic chemicals). Therefore, Chemical Help provides information necessary to research available reference data for the water-quality properties and constituents of potential interest in stormwater studies. Chemical Help is implemented in the Microsoft help-system interface. (Computer files for the use and documentation of Chemical Help are included on an accompanying diskette.)

Conclusions to the special issue of Science of the Total Environment concerning 'The water quality of UK rivers entering the North Sea'.

PubMed

Neal, C; House, W A; Leeks, G J; Whitton, B A; Williams, R J

2000-05-05

This paper presents an overview of the water quality functioning of eastern UK rivers draining into the North Sea. It summarises the results of three special issues of Science of the Total Environment and related work and complements a companion bibliography (Neal and Turner, 2000, this volume). The rivers are described in straightforward broad terms, and the reader is guided via the bibliography to the special volumes for the detailed findings. The water quality is shown to be highly variable over space and time. The changes over the past 300 years reflect first the transition from a rural society to the major impact of the industrial revolution and subsequently to one of the worlds' most successful environmental cleanups. The present water quality reflects the relative impacts of diffuse agricultural sources, urban and industrial point source discharges together with background inputs associated with geology: all these can be modified by within-river processes associated with physical mixing, biology and inorganic reactions. The work is set within the context of water quality, modelling and flux outputs to the North Sea and contemporary and future environmental research and management needs. A range of environmental impact studies is included. The detailed information is now available on a major and easily accessible database.

Design and Compilation of a Geodatabase of Existing Salinity Information for the Rio Grande Basin, from the Rio Arriba-Sandoval County Line, New Mexico, to Presidio, Texas, 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shah, Sachin D.; Maltby, David R.

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, compiled salinity-related water-quality data and information in a geodatabase containing more than 6,000 sampling sites. The geodatabase was designed as a tool for water-resource management and includes readily available digital data sources from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas, Paso del Norte Watershed Council, numerous other State and local databases, and selected databases maintained by the University of Arizona and New Mexico State University. Salinity information was compiled for an approximately 26,000-square-mile area of the Rio Grande Basin from the Rio Arriba-Sandoval County line, New Mexico, to Presidio, Texas. The geodatabase relates the spatial location of sampling sites with salinity-related water-quality data reported by multiple agencies. The sampling sites are stored in a geodatabase feature class; each site is linked by a relationship class to the corresponding sample and results stored in data tables.

Science center capabilities to monitor and investigate Michigan’s water resources, 2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giesen, Julia A.; Givens, Carrie E.

2016-09-06

Michigan faces many challenges related to water resources, including flooding, drought, water-quality degradation and impairment, varying water availability, watershed-management issues, stormwater management, aquatic-ecosystem impairment, and invasive species. Michigan’s water resources include approximately 36,000 miles of streams, over 11,000 inland lakes, 3,000 miles of shoreline along the Great Lakes (MDEQ, 2016), and groundwater aquifers throughout the State.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works in cooperation with local, State, and other Federal agencies, as well as tribes and universities, to provide scientific information used to manage the water resources of Michigan. To effectively assess water resources, the USGS uses standardized methods to operate streamgages, water-quality stations, and groundwater stations. The USGS also monitors water quality in lakes and reservoirs, makes periodic measurements along rivers and streams, and maintains all monitoring data in a national, quality-assured, hydrologic database.The USGS in Michigan investigates the occurrence, distribution, quantity, movement, and chemical and biological quality of surface water and groundwater statewide. Water-resource monitoring and scientific investigations are conducted statewide by USGS hydrologists, hydrologic technicians, biologists, and microbiologists who have expertise in data collection as well as various scientific specialties. A support staff consisting of computer-operations and administrative personnel provides the USGS the functionality to move science forward. Funding for USGS activities in Michigan comes from local and State agencies, other Federal agencies, direct Federal appropriations, and through the USGS Cooperative Matching Funds, which allows the USGS to partially match funding provided by local and State partners.This fact sheet provides an overview of the USGS current (2016) capabilities to monitor and study Michigan’s vast water resources. More information regarding projects by the Michigan Water Science Center (MI WSC) is available at http://mi.water.usgs.gov/.

Analysing inter-relationships among water, governance, human development variables in developing countries: WatSan4Dev database coherency analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dondeynaz, C.; Carmona Moreno, C.; Céspedes Lorente, J. J.

2012-01-01

The "Integrated Water Resources Management" principle was formally laid down at the International Conference on Water and Sustainable development in Dublin 1992. One of the main results of this conference is that improving Water and Sanitation Services (WSS), being a complex and interdisciplinary issue, passes through collaboration and coordination of different sectors (environment, health, economic activities, governance, and international cooperation). These sectors influence or are influenced by the access to WSS. The understanding of these interrelations appears as crucial for decision makers in the water sector. In this framework, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has developed a new database (WatSan4Dev database) containing 45 indicators (called variables in this paper) from environmental, socio-economic, governance and financial aid flows data in developing countries. This paper describes the development of the WatSan4Dev dataset, the statistical processes needed to improve the data quality; and, finally, the analysis to verify the database coherence is presented. At the light of the first analysis, WatSan4Dev Dataset shows the coherency among the different variables that are confirmed by the direct field experience and/or the scientific literature in the domain. Preliminary analysis of the relationships indicates that the informal urbanisation development is an important factor influencing negatively the percentage of the population having access to WSS. Health, and in particular children health, benefits from the improvement of WSS. Efficient environmental governance is also an important factor for providing improved water supply services. The database would be at the base of posterior analyses to better understand the interrelationships between the different indicators associated in the water sector in developing countries. A data model using the different indicators will be realised on the next phase of this research work.

Quality-assurance data for routine water analysis in the National Water-Quality Laboratory of the US Geological Survey for water year 1988

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lucey, K.J.

1989-01-01

The US Geological Survey maintains a quality assurance program based on the analysis of reference samples for its National Water Quality Laboratory located in Denver, Colorado. Reference samples containing selected inorganic, nutrient, and precipitation (low-level concentration) constituents are prepared at the Survey 's Water Quality Services Unit in Ocala, Florida, disguised as routine samples, and sent daily or weekly, as appropriate, to the laboratory through other Survey offices. The results are stored permanently in the National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System (WATSTORE), the Survey 's database for all water data. These data are analyzed statistically for precision and bias. An overall evaluation of the inorganic major ion and trace metal constituent data for water year 1988 indicated a lack of precision in the National Water Quality Laboratory for the determination of 8 out of 58 constituents: calcium (inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry), fluoride, iron (atomic absorption spectrometry), iron (total recoverable), magnesium (atomic absorption spectrometry), manganese (total recoverable), potassium, and sodium (inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry). The results for 31 constituents had positive or negative bias during water year 1988. A lack of precision was indicated in the determination of three of the six nutrient constituents: nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen as nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen as nitrogen, and orthophosphate as phosphorus. A biased condition was indicated in the determination of ammonia nitrogen as nitrogen, ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen, and nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen as nitrogen. There was acceptable precision in the determination of all 10 constituents contained in precipitation samples. Results for ammonia nitrogen as nitrogen, sodium, and fluoride indicated a biased condition. (Author 's abstract)

Location and site characteristics of the ambient ground-water-quality-monitoring network in West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kozar, M.D.; Brown, D.P.

1995-01-01

Ground-water-quality-monitoring sites have been established in compliance with the 1991 West Virginia "Groundwater Protection Act." One of the provisions of the "Groundwater Protection Act" is to conduct ground-water sampling, data collection, analyses, and evaluation with sufficient frequency so as to ascertain the characteristics and quality of ground water and the sufficiency of the ground- water protection programs established pursuant to the act (Chapter 20 of the code of West Virginia, 1991, Article 5-M). Information for 26 monitoring sites (wells and springs) which comprise the Statewide ambient ground-water-quality-monitoring network is presented. Areas in which monitoring sites were needed were determined by the West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection, Office of Water Resources in consultation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Initial sites were chosen on the basis of recent hydrogeologic investigations conducted by the USGS and from data stored in the USGS Ground Water Site Inventory database. Land use, aquifer setting, and areal coverage of the State are three of the more important criteria used in site selection. A field reconnaissance was conducted to locate and evaluate the adequacy of selected wells and springs. Descriptive information consisting of site, geologic, well construction, and aquifer-test data has been compiled. The 26 sites will be sampled periodically for iron, manganese, most common ions (for example, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate, chloride, bicarbonate), volatile and semivolatile organic compounds (for example, pesticides and industrial solvents), and fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria. Background information explaining ground-water systems and water quality within the State has been included.

Uncertainty analyses of the calibrated parameter values of a water quality model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rode, M.; Suhr, U.; Lindenschmidt, K.-E.

2003-04-01

For river basin management water quality models are increasingly used for the analysis and evaluation of different management measures. However substantial uncertainties exist in parameter values depending on the available calibration data. In this paper an uncertainty analysis for a water quality model is presented, which considers the impact of available model calibration data and the variance of input variables. The investigation was conducted based on four extensive flowtime related longitudinal surveys in the River Elbe in the years 1996 to 1999 with varying discharges and seasonal conditions. For the model calculations the deterministic model QSIM of the BfG (Germany) was used. QSIM is a one dimensional water quality model and uses standard algorithms for hydrodynamics and phytoplankton dynamics in running waters, e.g. Michaelis Menten/Monod kinetics, which are used in a wide range of models. The multi-objective calibration of the model was carried out with the nonlinear parameter estimator PEST. The results show that for individual flow time related measuring surveys very good agreements between model calculation and measured values can be obtained. If these parameters are applied to deviating boundary conditions, substantial errors in model calculation can occur. These uncertainties can be decreased with an increased calibration database. More reliable model parameters can be identified, which supply reasonable results for broader boundary conditions. The extension of the application of the parameter set on a wider range of water quality conditions leads to a slight reduction of the model precision for the specific water quality situation. Moreover the investigations show that highly variable water quality variables like the algal biomass always allow a smaller forecast accuracy than variables with lower coefficients of variation like e.g. nitrate.

Effect of beach management policies on recreational water quality.

PubMed

Kelly, Elizabeth A; Feng, Zhixuan; Gidley, Maribeth L; Sinigalliano, Christopher D; Kumar, Naresh; Donahue, Allison G; Reniers, Adrianus J H M; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M

2018-04-15

When beach water monitoring programs identify poor water quality, the causes are frequently unknown. We hypothesize that management policies play an important role in the frequency of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) exceedances (enterococci and fecal coliform) at recreational beaches. To test this hypothesis we implemented an innovative approach utilizing large amounts of monitoring data (n > 150,000 measurements per FIB) to determine associations between the frequency of contaminant exceedances and beach management practices. The large FIB database was augmented with results from a survey designed to assess management policies for 316 beaches throughout the state of Florida. The FIB and survey data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, factor analysis, and linear regression. Results show that beach geomorphology (beach type) was highly associated with exceedance of regulatory standards. Low enterococci exceedances were associated with open coast beaches (n = 211) that have sparse human densities, no homeless populations, low densities of dogs and birds, bird management policies, low densities of seaweed, beach renourishment, charge access fees, employ lifeguards, without nearby marinas, and those that manage storm water. Factor analysis and a linear regression confirmed beach type as the predominant factor with secondary influences from grooming activities (including seaweed densities and beach renourishment) and beach access (including charging fees, employing lifeguards, and without nearby marinas). Our results were observable primarily because of the very large public FIB database available for analyses; similar approaches can be adopted at other beaches. The findings of this research have important policy implications because the selected beach management practices that were associated with low levels of FIB can be implemented in other parts of the US and around the world to improve recreational beach water quality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project: Engaging High School and Undergraduate Students in Watershed Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, E.; McCabe, D.; Sheldon, S.; Jankowski, K.; Haselton, L.; Luck, M.; van Houten, J.

2009-12-01

The Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project engages a diverse group of undergraduates, high school students, and their teachers in hands-on water quality research and exposes them to the process of science. The project aims to (1) recruit students to science careers and (2) create a water quality database comprised of high-quality data collected by undergraduates and high school groups. The project is the training and outreach mechanism of the Complex Systems Modeling for Environmental Problem Solving research program, an NSF-funded program at the University of Vermont (UVM) that provides computational strategies and fresh approaches for understanding how natural and built environments interact. The Streams Project trains participants to collect and analyze data from streams throughout Vermont and at limited sites in Connecticut, New York, and Puerto Rico. Participants contribute their data to an online database and use it to complete individual research projects that focus on the effect of land use and precipitation patterns on selected measures of stream water quality. All undergraduates and some high school groups are paired with a mentor, who is either a graduate student or a faculty member at UVM or other college. Each year, undergraduate students and high school groups are trained to (1) collect water and macroinvertebrate samples from streams, (2) analyze water samples for total phosphorus, bacteria, and total suspended solids in an analytical laboratory, and/or (3) use geographic information systems (GIS) to assess landscape-level data for their watersheds. After training, high school groups collect samples from stream sites on a twice-monthly basis while undergraduates conduct semi-autonomous field and laboratory research. High school groups monitor sites in two watersheds with contrasting land uses. Undergraduate projects are shaped by the interests of students and their mentors. Contribution to a common database provides students with the option to expand the scope of their analyses and produce more powerful results than any one team could have produced alone. The year of research culminates in a final project that is presented at a symposium. The project is in its second year and has received positive feedback from outside reviewers. Participants leave the project with a greater understanding of watershed research. Immediate outcomes include nearly 60 participant projects, an online publicly-accessible shared dataset, and Web-based macroinvertebrate identification keys. We found that the best training strategies make the material and concepts explicit. To this end, the project is enhancing its Web interface, which will soon include tutorials on water quality and an interactive map through which participants will have access to watershed-level spatial information such as land use, bedrock, soils, and transportation infrastructure. Ultimately, the data from the project can inform public debate and aid resource managers in implementing watershed restoration and protection projects.

Evaluating Non-potable Water Usage for Oil and Gas Purposes in the Permian Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsac, K.; Pedrazas, M.; Suydam, S.; Navarre-Sitchler, A.

2016-12-01

Oil and gas company water usage is currently an area of extreme concern in the water stressed Western United States. 87% of the wells in Permian Basin are being drilled in areas of high or extreme water stress. Using recycled produced water or groundwater that does not meet the USDW drinking water standards for oil and gas purposes could assist in relieving both water stress and tension between oil and gas companies and the public. However, non-USDW drinking water (TDS over 10,000 ppm), has the potential to react with formation water causing mineral precipitation, reducing the permeability of the producing formation. To evaluate the potential of non-potable water usage in the Permian Basin, available groundwater chemistry data was compiled into a database. Data was collected from the NETL-run NATCARB database, the USGS Produced Water Database, and the Texas Railroad Commission. The created database went through a system of quality assurance and control for pH, TDS, depth and charge balance. Data was used to make a set of waters representative of Permian Basin groundwater based on TDS, Ca/Mg ratio and Cl/SO 4 ratio. Low, medium and high of these three characteristics; representing the 25 th , 50 th and 75 th percentile respectively; was used to make a matrix of 27 waters. Low TDS is 64,660 ppm, medium TDS is 98,486 ppm, and high TDS is 157,317 ppm. Ca/Mg ratios range from 1.98 to 7.26, and Cl/SO 4 ratios range from 32.96 to 62.34. Geochemical models of the mixing of these 27 waters with an average water were used to evaluate for possible precipitation. Initial results are positive, with the highest total precipitation being 2.371 cm 3 of dolomite and anhydrite in 2000 cm 3 of water with high TDS, high Ca/Mg ratio and low Cl/SO 4 ratio. This indicates a maximum of approximately 0.12% of porosity would be filled with mineral precipitation during the mixing of chosen Permian Basin waters.

Long-term Watershed Database for the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province: Mahantango Creek Watershed, Pennsylvania, USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding agricultural effects on water quality in rivers and estuaries requires understanding of hydrometeorology and geochemical cycling at various scales over time. The USDA-ARS initiated a hydrologic research program at the Mahantango Creek Watershed (MCW) in 1968, a research watershed at t...

Agricultural conservation planning framework: 3. Land use and field boundary database development and structure

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conservation planning information is important in identifying options for watershed water quality improvement, and can be developed for use at field, farm, and watershed scales. Translation across scales is a key issue impeding progress at watershed scales because watershed improvement goals must be...

Acute sensitivity of a broad range of freshwater mussels to chemicals with different modes of toxic action

EPA Science Inventory

Freshwater mussels, one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world, are generally underrepresented in toxicity databases used for the development of ambient water quality criteria and other environmental guidance values. Acute 96-h toxicity tests were conducted to evalu...

Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification (BEACON) system

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Beach Advisory and Closing Online Notification system (BEACON) is a colletion of state and local data reported to EPA about beach closings and advisories. BEACON is the public-facing query of the Program tracking, Beach Advisories, Water quality standards, and Nutrients database (PRAWN) which tracks beach closing and advisory information.

SPATIALLY-BALANCED SURVEY DESIGN FOR GROUNDWATER USING EXISTING WELLS

EPA Science Inventory

Many states have a monitoring program to evaluate the water quality of groundwater across the state. These programs rely on existing wells for access to the groundwater, due to the high cost of drilling new wells. Typically, a state maintains a database of all well locations, in...

Building a multi-scaled geospatial temporal ecology database from disparate data sources: fostering open science and data reuse.

PubMed

Soranno, Patricia A; Bissell, Edward G; Cheruvelil, Kendra S; Christel, Samuel T; Collins, Sarah M; Fergus, C Emi; Filstrup, Christopher T; Lapierre, Jean-Francois; Lottig, Noah R; Oliver, Samantha K; Scott, Caren E; Smith, Nicole J; Stopyak, Scott; Yuan, Shuai; Bremigan, Mary Tate; Downing, John A; Gries, Corinna; Henry, Emily N; Skaff, Nick K; Stanley, Emily H; Stow, Craig A; Tan, Pang-Ning; Wagner, Tyler; Webster, Katherine E

2015-01-01

Although there are considerable site-based data for individual or groups of ecosystems, these datasets are widely scattered, have different data formats and conventions, and often have limited accessibility. At the broader scale, national datasets exist for a large number of geospatial features of land, water, and air that are needed to fully understand variation among these ecosystems. However, such datasets originate from different sources and have different spatial and temporal resolutions. By taking an open-science perspective and by combining site-based ecosystem datasets and national geospatial datasets, science gains the ability to ask important research questions related to grand environmental challenges that operate at broad scales. Documentation of such complicated database integration efforts, through peer-reviewed papers, is recommended to foster reproducibility and future use of the integrated database. Here, we describe the major steps, challenges, and considerations in building an integrated database of lake ecosystems, called LAGOS (LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal database), that was developed at the sub-continental study extent of 17 US states (1,800,000 km(2)). LAGOS includes two modules: LAGOSGEO, with geospatial data on every lake with surface area larger than 4 ha in the study extent (~50,000 lakes), including climate, atmospheric deposition, land use/cover, hydrology, geology, and topography measured across a range of spatial and temporal extents; and LAGOSLIMNO, with lake water quality data compiled from ~100 individual datasets for a subset of lakes in the study extent (~10,000 lakes). Procedures for the integration of datasets included: creating a flexible database design; authoring and integrating metadata; documenting data provenance; quantifying spatial measures of geographic data; quality-controlling integrated and derived data; and extensively documenting the database. Our procedures make a large, complex, and integrated database reproducible and extensible, allowing users to ask new research questions with the existing database or through the addition of new data. The largest challenge of this task was the heterogeneity of the data, formats, and metadata. Many steps of data integration need manual input from experts in diverse fields, requiring close collaboration.

Building a multi-scaled geospatial temporal ecology database from disparate data sources: Fostering open science through data reuse

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soranno, Patricia A.; Bissell, E.G.; Cheruvelil, Kendra S.; Christel, Samuel T.; Collins, Sarah M.; Fergus, C. Emi; Filstrup, Christopher T.; Lapierre, Jean-Francois; Lotting, Noah R.; Oliver, Samantha K.; Scott, Caren E.; Smith, Nicole J.; Stopyak, Scott; Yuan, Shuai; Bremigan, Mary Tate; Downing, John A.; Gries, Corinna; Henry, Emily N.; Skaff, Nick K.; Stanley, Emily H.; Stow, Craig A.; Tan, Pang-Ning; Wagner, Tyler; Webster, Katherine E.

2015-01-01

Although there are considerable site-based data for individual or groups of ecosystems, these datasets are widely scattered, have different data formats and conventions, and often have limited accessibility. At the broader scale, national datasets exist for a large number of geospatial features of land, water, and air that are needed to fully understand variation among these ecosystems. However, such datasets originate from different sources and have different spatial and temporal resolutions. By taking an open-science perspective and by combining site-based ecosystem datasets and national geospatial datasets, science gains the ability to ask important research questions related to grand environmental challenges that operate at broad scales. Documentation of such complicated database integration efforts, through peer-reviewed papers, is recommended to foster reproducibility and future use of the integrated database. Here, we describe the major steps, challenges, and considerations in building an integrated database of lake ecosystems, called LAGOS (LAke multi-scaled GeOSpatial and temporal database), that was developed at the sub-continental study extent of 17 US states (1,800,000 km2). LAGOS includes two modules: LAGOSGEO, with geospatial data on every lake with surface area larger than 4 ha in the study extent (~50,000 lakes), including climate, atmospheric deposition, land use/cover, hydrology, geology, and topography measured across a range of spatial and temporal extents; and LAGOSLIMNO, with lake water quality data compiled from ~100 individual datasets for a subset of lakes in the study extent (~10,000 lakes). Procedures for the integration of datasets included: creating a flexible database design; authoring and integrating metadata; documenting data provenance; quantifying spatial measures of geographic data; quality-controlling integrated and derived data; and extensively documenting the database. Our procedures make a large, complex, and integrated database reproducible and extensible, allowing users to ask new research questions with the existing database or through the addition of new data. The largest challenge of this task was the heterogeneity of the data, formats, and metadata. Many steps of data integration need manual input from experts in diverse fields, requiring close collaboration.

Compiling an Open Database of Dam Inundation Areas on the Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, and Red River Basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cutter, P. G.; Walcutt, A.; O'Neil-Dunne, J.; Geheb, K.; Troy, A.; Saah, D. S.; Ganz, D.

2016-12-01

Dam construction in mainland Southeast Asia has increased substantially in recent years with extensive regional impacts including alterations to water regimes, the loss and degradation of natural forests and biodiversity, and reductions in soil and water quality. The CGIAR Water Land Ecosystem program (WLE) and partners maintain a comprehensive database of locations and other data relating to existing, planned, and proposed dams in the region's major transboundary rivers spanning areas in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and China. A recent regional needs assessment and specific stakeholder requests revealed the need for a dataset reflecting the inundation areas of these dams for use in measuring impacts to river ecology, analyzing disaster risk, monitoring land cover and land use change, evaluating carbon emissions, and assessing the actual and potential impacts to communities. In conjunction with WLE and other partners, SERVIR-Mekong, a regional hub of the USAID and NASA-supported SERVIR program, formulated an explicit procedure to produce this dataset. The procedure includes leveraging data from OpenStreetMap and other sources, creating polygons based on surface water classification procedures achieved via Google Earth Engine, manual digitizing, and modeling of planned/proposed dams based on a DEM and the location and planned height of dams. A quality assurance step ensures that all polygons conform to spatial data quality standards agreed upon by a wide range of production partners. When complete, the dataset will be made publicly available to encourage greater understanding and more informed decisions related to the actual and potential impacts of dams in the region.

Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change on Stream Discharge and Water Quality in an Arid, Urbanized Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranatunga, T.; Tong, S.; Yang, J.

2011-12-01

Hydrologic and water quality models can provide a general framework to conceptualize and investigate the relationships between climate and water resources. Under a hot and dry climate, highly urbanized watersheds are more vulnerable to changes in climate, such as excess heat and drought. In this study, a comprehensive watershed model, Hydrological Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF), is used to assess the impacts of future climate change on the stream discharge and water quality in Las Vegas Wash in Nevada, the only surface water body that drains from the Las Vegas Valley (an area with rapid population growth and urbanization) to Lake Mead. In this presentation, the process of model building, calibration and validation, the generation of climate change scenarios, and the assessment of future climate change effects on stream hydrology and quality are demonstrated. The hydrologic and water quality model is developed based on the data from current national databases and existing major land use categories of the watershed. The model is calibrated for stream discharge, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment yield. The climate change scenarios are derived from the outputs of the Global Climate Models (GCM) and Regional Climate Models (RCM) simulations, and from the recent assessment reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Climate Assessment Tool from US EPA's BASINS is used to assess the effects of likely future climate scenarios on the water quantity and quality in Las Vegas Wash. Also the presentation discusses the consequences of these hydrologic changes, including the deficit supplies of clean water during peak seasons of water demand, increased eutrophication potentials, wetland deterioration, and impacts on wild life habitats.

Design and Establishment of Quality Model of Fundamental Geographic Information Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, W.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Y.; Zhang, P.; Dang, Y.; Zhao, T.

2018-04-01

In order to make the quality evaluation for the Fundamental Geographic Information Databases(FGIDB) more comprehensive, objective and accurate, this paper studies and establishes a quality model of FGIDB, which formed by the standardization of database construction and quality control, the conformity of data set quality and the functionality of database management system, and also designs the overall principles, contents and methods of the quality evaluation for FGIDB, providing the basis and reference for carry out quality control and quality evaluation for FGIDB. This paper designs the quality elements, evaluation items and properties of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database gradually based on the quality model framework. Connected organically, these quality elements and evaluation items constitute the quality model of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database. This model is the foundation for the quality demand stipulation and quality evaluation of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database, and is of great significance on the quality assurance in the design and development stage, the demand formulation in the testing evaluation stage, and the standard system construction for quality evaluation technology of the Fundamental Geographic Information Database.

A database of chlorophyll a in Australian waters

PubMed Central

Davies, Claire H.; Ajani, Penelope; Armbrecht, Linda; Atkins, Natalia; Baird, Mark E.; Beard, Jason; Bonham, Pru; Burford, Michele; Clementson, Lesley; Coad, Peter; Crawford, Christine; Dela-Cruz, Jocelyn; Doblin, Martina A.; Edgar, Steven; Eriksen, Ruth; Everett, Jason D.; Furnas, Miles; Harrison, Daniel P.; Hassler, Christel; Henschke, Natasha; Hoenner, Xavier; Ingleton, Tim; Jameson, Ian; Keesing, John; Leterme, Sophie C.; James McLaughlin, M; Miller, Margaret; Moffatt, David; Moss, Andrew; Nayar, Sasi; Patten, Nicole L.; Patten, Renee; Pausina, Sarah A.; Proctor, Roger; Raes, Eric; Robb, Malcolm; Rothlisberg, Peter; Saeck, Emily A.; Scanes, Peter; Suthers, Iain M.; Swadling, Kerrie M.; Talbot, Samantha; Thompson, Peter; Thomson, Paul G.; Uribe-Palomino, Julian; van Ruth, Paul; Waite, Anya M.; Wright, Simon; Richardson, Anthony J.

2018-01-01

Chlorophyll a is the most commonly used indicator of phytoplankton biomass in the marine environment. It is relatively simple and cost effective to measure when compared to phytoplankton abundance and is thus routinely included in many surveys. Here we collate 173, 333 records of chlorophyll a collected since 1965 from Australian waters gathered from researchers on regular coastal monitoring surveys and ocean voyages into a single repository. This dataset includes the chlorophyll a values as measured from samples analysed using spectrophotometry, fluorometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The Australian Chlorophyll a database is freely available through the Australian Ocean Data Network portal (https://portal.aodn.org.au/). These data can be used in isolation as an index of phytoplankton biomass or in combination with other data to provide insight into water quality, ecosystem state, and relationships with other trophic levels such as zooplankton or fish. PMID:29461516

A database of chlorophyll a in Australian waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Claire H.; Ajani, Penelope; Armbrecht, Linda; Atkins, Natalia; Baird, Mark E.; Beard, Jason; Bonham, Pru; Burford, Michele; Clementson, Lesley; Coad, Peter; Crawford, Christine; Dela-Cruz, Jocelyn; Doblin, Martina A.; Edgar, Steven; Eriksen, Ruth; Everett, Jason D.; Furnas, Miles; Harrison, Daniel P.; Hassler, Christel; Henschke, Natasha; Hoenner, Xavier; Ingleton, Tim; Jameson, Ian; Keesing, John; Leterme, Sophie C.; James McLaughlin, M.; Miller, Margaret; Moffatt, David; Moss, Andrew; Nayar, Sasi; Patten, Nicole L.; Patten, Renee; Pausina, Sarah A.; Proctor, Roger; Raes, Eric; Robb, Malcolm; Rothlisberg, Peter; Saeck, Emily A.; Scanes, Peter; Suthers, Iain M.; Swadling, Kerrie M.; Talbot, Samantha; Thompson, Peter; Thomson, Paul G.; Uribe-Palomino, Julian; van Ruth, Paul; Waite, Anya M.; Wright, Simon; Richardson, Anthony J.

2018-02-01

Chlorophyll a is the most commonly used indicator of phytoplankton biomass in the marine environment. It is relatively simple and cost effective to measure when compared to phytoplankton abundance and is thus routinely included in many surveys. Here we collate 173, 333 records of chlorophyll a collected since 1965 from Australian waters gathered from researchers on regular coastal monitoring surveys and ocean voyages into a single repository. This dataset includes the chlorophyll a values as measured from samples analysed using spectrophotometry, fluorometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The Australian Chlorophyll a database is freely available through the Australian Ocean Data Network portal (https://portal.aodn.org.au/). These data can be used in isolation as an index of phytoplankton biomass or in combination with other data to provide insight into water quality, ecosystem state, and relationships with other trophic levels such as zooplankton or fish.

Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Variation of Surface Water Quality in Streams Affected by Coalbed Methane Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chitrakar, S.; Miller, S. N.; Liu, T.; Caffrey, P. A.

2015-12-01

Water quality data have been collected from three representative stream reaches in a coalbed methane (CBM) development area for over five years to improve the understanding of salt loading in the system. These streams are located within Atlantic Rim development area of the Muddy Creek in south-central Wyoming. Significant development of CBM wells is ongoing in the study area. Three representative sampling stream reaches included the Duck Pond Draw and Cow Creek, which receive co-produced water, and; South Fork Creek, and upstream Cow Creek which do not receive co-produced water. Water samples were assayed for various parameters which included sodium, calcium, magnesium, fluoride, chlorine, nitrate, O-phosphate, sulfate, carbonate, bicarbonates, and other water quality parameters such as pH, conductivity, and TDS. Based on these water quality parameters we have investigated various hydrochemical and geochemical processes responsible for the high variability in water quality in the region. However, effective interpretation of complex databases to understand aforementioned processes has been a challenging task due to the system's complexity. In this work we applied multivariate statistical techniques including cluster analysis (CA), principle component analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA) to analyze water quality data and identify similarities and differences among our locations. First, CA technique was applied to group the monitoring sites based on the multivariate similarities. Second, PCA technique was applied to identify the prevalent parameters responsible for the variation of water quality in each group. Third, the DA technique was used to identify the most important factors responsible for variation of water quality during low flow season and high flow season. The purpose of this study is to improve the understanding of factors or sources influencing the spatial and temporal variation of water quality. The ultimate goal of this whole research is to develop coupled salt loading and GIS-based hydrological modelling tool that will be able to simulate the salt loadings under various user defined scenarios in the regions undergoing CBM development. Therefore, the findings from this study will be used to formulate the predominant processes responsible for solute loading.

Land Surface Microwave Emissivities Derived from AMSR-E and MODIS Measurements with Advanced Quality Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moncet, Jean-Luc; Liang, Pan; Galantowicz, John F.; Lipton, Alan E.; Uymin, Gennady; Prigent, Catherine; Grassotti, Christopher

2011-01-01

A microwave emissivity database has been developed with data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E) and with ancillary land surface temperature (LST) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the same Aqua spacecraft. The primary intended application of the database is to provide surface emissivity constraints in atmospheric and surface property retrieval or assimilation. An additional application is to serve as a dynamic indicator of land surface properties relevant to climate change monitoring. The precision of the emissivity data is estimated to be significantly better than in prior databases from other sensors due to the precise collocation with high-quality MODIS LST data and due to the quality control features of our data analysis system. The accuracy of the emissivities in deserts and semi-arid regions is enhanced by applying, in those regions, a version of the emissivity retrieval algorithm that accounts for the penetration of microwave radiation through dry soil with diurnally varying vertical temperature gradients. These results suggest that this penetration effect is more widespread and more significant to interpretation of passive microwave measurements than had been previously established. Emissivity coverage in areas where persistent cloudiness interferes with the availability of MODIS LST data is achieved using a classification-based method to spread emissivity data from less-cloudy areas that have similar microwave surface properties. Evaluations and analyses of the emissivity products over homogeneous snow-free areas are presented, including application to retrieval of soil temperature profiles. Spatial inhomogeneities are the largest in the vicinity of large water bodies due to the large water/land emissivity contrast and give rise to large apparent temporal variability in the retrieved emissivities when satellite footprint locations vary over time. This issue will be dealt with in the future by including a water fraction correction. Also note that current reliance on the MODIS day-night algorithm as a source of LST limits the coverage of the database in the Polar Regions. We will consider relaxing the current restriction as part of future development.

Influence of the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant on surface water in the Santa Cruz River and local aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaBrie, H. M.; Brusseau, M. L.; Huth, H.

2015-12-01

As water resources become limited in Arizona due to drought and excessive use of ground water, treated wastewater effluent is becoming essential in creating natural ecosystems and recharging the decreasing groundwater supplies. Therefore, future water supplies are heavily dependent of the flow (quantity) and quality of the treated effluent. The Nogales International Wastewater Treatment Plant (NIWTP) releases treated wastewater from both Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico into the Santa Cruz River. This released effluent not only has the potential to impact surface water, but also groundwater supplies in Southern Arizona. In the recent past, the NIWTP has had reoccurring issues with elevated levels of cadmium, in addition to other, more infrequent, releases of high amounts of other metals. The industrial demographic of the region, as well as limited water quality regulations in Mexico makes the NIWTP and its treated effluent an important area of study. In addition, outdated infrastructure can potentially lead to damaging environmental impacts, as well as human health concerns. The Santa Cruz River has been monitored and studied in the past, but in recent years, there has been a halt in research regarding the state of the river. Data from existing water quality databases and recent sampling reports are used to address research questions regarding the state of the Santa Cruz River. These questions include: 1) How will change in flow eventually impact surface water and future groundwater supplies 2) What factors influence this flow (such as extreme flooding and drought) 3) What is the impact of effluent on surface water quality 4) Can changes in surface water quality impact groundwater quality 5) How do soil characteristics and surface flow impact the transport of released contaminants Although outreach to stakeholders across the border and updated infrastructure has improved the quality of water in the river, there are many areas to improve upon as the demand for treated wastewater increases.

Loch Vale Watershed Long-Term Ecological Research and Monitoring Program: Quality Assurance Report, 2003-09

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richer, Eric E.; Baron, Jill S.

2011-01-01

The Loch Vale watershed project is a long-term research and monitoring program located in Rocky Mountain National Park that addresses watershed-scale ecosystem processes, particularly as they respond to atmospheric deposition and climate variability. Measurements of precipitation depth, precipitation chemistry, discharge, and surface-water quality are made within the watershed and elsewhere in Rocky Mountain National Park. As data collected for the program are used by resource managers, scientists, policy makers, and students, it is important that all data collected in Loch Vale watershed meet high standards of quality. In this report, data quality was evaluated for precipitation, discharge, and surface-water chemistry measurements collected during 2003-09. Equipment upgrades were made at the Loch Vale National Atmospheric Deposition Program monitoring site to improve precipitation measurements and evaluate variability in precipitation depth and chemistry. Additional solar panels and batteries have been installed to improve the power supply, and data completeness, at the NADP site. As a result of equipment malfunction, discharge data for the Loch Outlet were estimated from October 18, 2005, to August 17, 2006. Quality-assurance results indicate that more than 98 percent of all surface-water chemistry measurements were accurate and precise. Records that did not meet quality criteria were removed from the database. Measurements of precipitation depth, precipitation chemistry, discharge, and surface-water quality were all sufficiently complete and consistent to support project data needs.

Analysis of Ground-Water Levels and Associated Trends in Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, 1951-2003

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

J.M. Fenelon

2005-10-05

Almost 4,000 water-level measurements in 216 wells in the Yucca Flat area from 1951 to 2003 were quality assured and analyzed. An interpretative database was developed that describes water-level conditions for each water level measured in Yucca Flat. Multiple attributes were assigned to each water-level measurement in the database to describe the hydrologic conditions at the time of measurement. General quality, temporal variability, regional significance, and hydrologic conditions are attributed for each water-level measurement. The database also includes narratives that discuss the water-level history of each well. Water levels in 34 wells were analyzed for variability and for statistically significantmore » trends. An attempt was made to identify the cause of many of the water-level fluctuations or trends. Potential causes include equilibration following well construction or development, pumping in the monitoring well, withdrawals from a nearby supply well, recharge from precipitation, earthquakes, underground nuclear tests, land subsidence, barometric pressure, and Earth tides. Some of the naturally occurring fluctuations in water levels may result from variations in recharge. The magnitude of the overall water-level change for these fluctuations generally is less than 2 feet. Long-term steady-state hydrographs for most of the wells open to carbonate rock have a very similar pattern. Carbonate-rock wells without the characteristic pattern are directly west of the Yucca and Topgallant faults in the southwestern part of Yucca Flat. Long-term steady-state hydrographs from wells open to volcanic tuffs or the Eleana confining unit have a distinctly different pattern from the general water-level pattern of the carbonate-rock aquifers. Anthropogenic water-level fluctuations were caused primarily by water withdrawals and nuclear testing. Nuclear tests affected water levels in many wells. Trends in these wells are attributed to test-cavity infilling or the effects of depressurization following nuclear testing. The magnitude of the overall water-level change for wells with anthropogenic trends can be large, ranging from several feet to hundreds of feet. Vertical water-level differences at 27 sites in Yucca Flat with multiple open intervals were compared. Large vertical differences were noted in volcanic rocks and in boreholes where water levels were affected by nuclear tests. Small vertical differences were noted within the carbonate-rock and valley-fill aquifers. Vertical hydraulic gradients generally are downward in volcanic rocks and from pre-Tertiary clastic rocks toward volcanic- or carbonate-rock units.« less

Analysis of ground-water levels and associated trends in Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, 1951-2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fenelon, Joseph M.

2005-01-01

Almost 4,000 water-level measurements in 216 wells in the Yucca Flat area from 1951 to 2003 were quality assured and analyzed. An interpretative database was developed that describes water-level conditions for each water level measured in Yucca Flat. Multiple attributes were assigned to each water-level measurement in the database to describe the hydrologic conditions at the time of measurement. General quality, temporal variability, regional significance, and hydrologic conditions are attributed for each water-level measurement. The database also includes narratives that discuss the water-level history of each well. Water levels in 34 wells were analyzed for variability and for statistically significant trends. An attempt was made to identify the cause of many of the water-level fluctuations or trends. Potential causes include equilibration following well construction or development, pumping in the monitoring well, withdrawals from a nearby supply well, recharge from precipitation, earthquakes, underground nuclear tests, land subsidence, barometric pressure, and Earth tides. Some of the naturally occurring fluctuations in water levels may result from variations in recharge. The magnitude of the overall water-level change for these fluctuations generally is less than 2 feet. Long-term steady-state hydrographs for most of the wells open to carbonate rock have a very similar pattern. Carbonate-rock wells without the characteristic pattern are directly west of the Yucca and Topgallant faults in the southwestern part of Yucca Flat. Long-term steady-state hydrographs from wells open to volcanic tuffs or the Eleana confining unit have a distinctly different pattern from the general water-level pattern of the carbonate-rock aquifers. Anthropogenic water-level fluctuations were caused primarily by water withdrawals and nuclear testing. Nuclear tests affected water levels in many wells. Trends in these wells are attributed to test-cavity infilling or the effects of depressurization following nuclear testing. The magnitude of the overall water-level change for wells with anthropogenic trends can be large, ranging from several feet to hundreds of feet. Vertical water-level differences at 27 sites in Yucca Flat with multiple open intervals were compared. Large vertical differences were noted in volcanic rocks and in boreholes where water levels were affected by nuclear tests. Small vertical differences were noted within the carbonate-rock and valley-fill aquifers. Vertical hydraulic gradients generally are downward in volcanic rocks and from pre-Tertiary clastic rocks toward volcanic- or carbonate-rock units.

Summary of available state ambient stream-water-quality data, 1990-98, and limitations for national assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pope, Larry M.; Rosner, Stacy M.; Hoffman, Darren C.; Ziegler, Andrew C.

2004-01-01

The investigation described in this report summarized data from State ambient stream-water-quality monitoring sites for 10 water-quality constituents or measurements (suspended solids, fecal coliform bacteria, ammonia as nitrogen, nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total phosphorus, total arsenic, dissolved solids, chloride, sulfate, and pH). These 10 water-quality constituents or measurements commonly are listed nationally as major contributors to degradation of surface water. Water-quality data were limited to that electronically accessible from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storage and Retrieval System (STORET), the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS), or individual State databases. Forty-two States had ambient stream-water-quality data electronically accessible for some or all of the constituents or measurements summarized during this investigation. Ambient in this report refers to data collected for the purpose of evaluating stream ecosystems in relation to human health, environmental and ecological conditions, and designated uses. Generally, data were from monitoring sites assessed for State 305(b) reports. Comparisons of monitoring data among States are problematic for several reasons, including differences in the basic spatial design of monitoring networks; water-quality constituents for which samples are analyzed; water-quality criteria to which constituent concentrations are compared; quantity and comprehensiveness of water-quality data; sample collection, processing, and handling; analytical methods; temporal variability in sample collection; and quality-assurance practices. Large differences among the States in number of monitoring sites precluded a general assumption that statewide water-quality conditions were represented by data from these sites. Furthermore, data from individual monitoring sites may not represent water-quality conditions at the sites because sampling conditions and protocols are unknown. Because of these factors, a high level of uncertainty exists in a national assessment of water quality. The purpose of this report is to present a summary of electronically available State ambient stream-water-quality data for 10 selected constituents and measurements from monitoring sites with nine or more analyses for 199098 and to discuss limitations for use of the data for national assessment. These analyses were statistiscally summarized by monitoring site and State, and the results presented in tabular format. Most of the selected constituents or measurements have U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria or guidelines for aquatic-life or drinking-water purposes. A significant finding of this investigation is that for a large percentage of monitoring sites in the Nation, there are insufficient data to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommendations for determining if water-quality conditions are degraded and for making informed decisions regarding total maximum daily loads.

Hydrogeologic settings and groundwater-flow simulations for regional investigations of the transport of anthropogenic and natural contaminants to public-supply wells—Investigations begun in 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eberts, Sandra M.

2011-01-01

A study of the Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants to public-supply wells (TANC study) was begun in 2001 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The study was designed to shed light on factors that affect the vulnerability of groundwater and, more specifically, water from public-supply wells to contamination to provide a context for the NAWQA Program's earlier finding of mixtures of contaminants at low concentrations in groundwater near the water table in urban areas across the Nation. The TANC study has included investigations at both the regional (tens to thousands of square kilometers) and local (generally less than 25 square kilometers) scales. At the regional scale, the approach to investigation involves refining conceptual models of groundwater flow in hydrologically distinct settings and then constructing or updating a groundwater-flow model with particle tracking for each setting to help quantify regional water budgets, public-supply well contributing areas (areas contributing recharge to wells and zones of contribution for wells), and traveltimes from recharge areas to selected wells. A great deal of information about each contributing area is captured from the model output, including values for 170 variables that describe physical and (or) geochemical characteristics of the contributing areas. The information is subsequently stored in a relational database. Retrospective water-quality data from monitoring, domestic, and many of the public-supply wells, as well as data from newly collected samples at selected public-supply wells, also are stored in the database and are used with the model output to help discern the more important factors affecting vulnerability in many, if not most, settings. The study began with investigations in seven regional areas, and it benefits from being conducted as part of the NAWQA Program, in which consistent methods are used so that meaningful comparisons can be made. The hydrogeologic settings and regional-scale groundwater-flow models from the initial seven regional areas are documented in Chapter A of this U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper. Also documented in Chapter A are the methods used to collect and compile the water-quality data, determine contributing areas of the public-supply wells, and characterize the oxidation-reduction (redox) conditions in each setting. A data dictionary for the database that was designed to enable joint storage and access to water-quality data and groundwater-flow model particle-tracking output is included as Appendix 1 of Chapter A. This chapter, Chapter B, documents modifications to the study methods and presents descriptions of two regional areas that were added to the TANC study in 2004.

Invertebrate-Based Water Quality Impairments and Associated Stressors Identified through the US Clean Water Act

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Govenor, Heather; Krometis, Leigh Anne H.; Hession, W. Cully

2017-10-01

Macroinvertebrate community assessment is used in most US states to evaluate stream health under the Clean Water Act. While water quality assessment and impairment determinations are reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency, there is no national summary of biological assessment findings. The objective of this work was to determine the national extent of invertebrate-based impairments and to identify pollutants primarily responsible for those impairments. Evaluation of state data in the US Environmental Protection Agency's Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System database revealed considerable differences in reporting approaches and terminologies including differences in if and how states report specific biological assessment findings. Only 15% of waters impaired for aquatic life could be identified as having impairments determined by biological assessments (e.g., invertebrates, fish, periphyton); approximately one-third of these were associated with macroinvertebrate bioassessment. Nearly 650 invertebrate-impaired waters were identified nationwide, and sediment was the most common pollutant in bedded (63%) and suspended (9%) forms. This finding is not unexpected, given previous work on the negative impacts of sediment on aquatic life, and highlights the need to more specifically identify the mechanisms driving sediment impairments in order to design effective remediation plans. It also reinforces the importance of efforts to derive sediment-specific biological indices and numerical sediment quality guidelines. Standardization of state reporting approaches and terminology would significantly increase the potential application of water quality assessment data, reveal national trends, and encourage sharing of best practices to facilitate the attainment of water quality goals.

Surface-Water, Water-Quality, and Ground-Water Assessment of the Municipio of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, 1999-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rodríguez-Martínez, Jesús; Santiago-Rivera, Luis; Guzman-Rios, Senen; Gómez-Gómez, Fernando; Oliveras-Feliciano, Mario L.

2004-01-01

The surface-water assessment portion of this study focused on analysis of low-flow characteristics in local streams and rivers, because the supply of safe drinking water was a critical issue during recent dry periods. Low-flow characteristics were evaluated at one continuous-record gaging station based on graphical curve-fitting techniques and log-Pearson Type III frequency curves. Estimates of low-flow characteristics for 20 partial-record stations were generated using graphical-correlation techniques. Flow-duration characteristics for the continuous- and partial-record stations were estimated using the relation curves developed for the low-flow study. Stream low-flow statistics document the general hydrology under current land use, water-use, and climatic conditions. A survey of streams and rivers utilized 37 sampling stations to evaluate the sanitary quality of about 165 miles of stream channels. River and stream samples for fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus analyses were collected on two occasions at base-flow conditions. Bacteriological analyses indicate that a significant portion of the stream reaches within the municipio of Mayaguez may have fecal coliform bacteria concentrations above the water-quality goal (standard) established by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (Junta de Calidad Ambiental de Puerto Rico) for inland surface waters. Sources of fecal contamination may include: illegal discharge of sewage to storm-water drains, malfunctioning sanitary sewer ejectors, clogged and leaking sewage pipes, septic tank leakage, unfenced livestock, and runoff from livestock pens. Long-term fecal coliform data from five sampling stations located within or in the vicinity of the municipio of Mayaguez have been in compliance with the water-quality goal for fecal coliform concentration established in July 1990. Geologic, topographic, soil, hydrogeologic, and streamflow data were compiled into a database and used to divide the municipio of Mayaguez into five hydrogeologic terranes. This integrated database then was used to evaluate the ground-water potential of each hydrogeologic terrane. Lineament-trace analysis was used to help assess the ground-water development potential in the hydrogeologic terranes containing igneous rocks. Analyses suggest that areas with slopes greater than 15 degrees have relatively low ground-water development potential. The presence of fractures, independent of the topographic slope, may locally enhance the water-bearing properties in the hydrogeologic terranes containing igneous rocks. The results of this study indicate that induced streamflow generally is needed to sustain low to moderate ground-water withdrawal rates in the five hydrogeologic terranes. The ground-water flow systems in the hydrogeologic terranes are only able to sustain small withdrawal rates that rarely exceed 50 gallons per minute. Areas with a high density of fractures, as could be the case at the intersection of lineament traces in the upper parts of the Rio Ca?as and Rio Yaguez watersheds, are worthy of exploratory drilling for ground-water development.

4R Water Quality Impacts: An Assessment and Synthesis of Forty Years of Drainage Nitrogen Losses.

PubMed

Christianson, L E; Harmel, R D

2015-11-01

The intersection of agricultural drainage and nutrient mobility in the environment has led to multiscale water quality concerns. This work reviewed and quantitatively analyzed nearly 1,000 site-years of subsurface tile drainage nitrogen (N) load data to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of 4R practices (application of the right source of nutrients, at the right rate and time, and in the right place) within drained landscapes across North America. Using drainage data newly compiled in the "Measured Annual Nutrient loads from AGricultural Environments" (MANAGE) database, relationships were developed across N application rates for nitrate N drainage loads and corn ( L.) yields. The lack of significant differences between N application timing or application method was inconsistent with the current emphasis placed on application timing, in particular, as a water quality improvement strategy ( = 0.934 and 0.916, respectively). Broad-scale analyses such as this can help identify major trends for water quality, but accurate implementation of the 4R approach will require site-specific knowledge to balance agronomic and environmental goals. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Investigating the Potential Impacts of Energy Production in the Marcellus Shale Region Using the Shale Network Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brantley, S.; Brazil, L.

2017-12-01

The Shale Network's extensive database of water quality observations enables educational experiences about the potential impacts of resource extraction with real data. Through tools that are open source and free to use, researchers, educators, and citizens can access and analyze the very same data that the Shale Network team has used in peer-reviewed publications about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water. The development of the Shale Network database has been made possible through efforts led by an academic team and involving numerous individuals from government agencies, citizen science organizations, and private industry. Thus far, these tools and data have been used to engage high school students, university undergraduate and graduate students, as well as citizens so that all can discover how energy production impacts the Marcellus Shale region, which includes Pennsylvania and other nearby states. This presentation will describe these data tools, how the Shale Network has used them in developing lesson plans, and the resources available to learn more.

Inventory of Exposure-Related Data Systems Sponsored By Federal Agencies

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) .... 1-152 National Herbicide Use Database .......................... 1-157 National Human Adipose Tissue ...Human Adipose Tissue ) ..................................... National Hydrologic Benchmark Network (see National Water Quality Networks Programs...Inorganic compounds (arsenic, iron, lead, mercury, zinc , cadmium , chromium, copper); pesticides (1982 and 1987 data available for 35 pesticides; original

Meta-analysis constrained by data: Recommendations to improve relevance of nutrient management research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Five research teams received funding through the North American 4R Research Fund to conduct meta-analyses of the air and water quality impacts of on-farm 4R nutrient management practices. In compiling or expanding databases for these analyses on environmental and crop production effects, researchers...

Bio-optical data integration based on a 4 D database system approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imai, N. N.; Shimabukuro, M. H.; Carmo, A. F. C.; Alcantara, E. H.; Rodrigues, T. W. P.; Watanabe, F. S. Y.

2015-04-01

Bio-optical characterization of water bodies requires spatio-temporal data about Inherent Optical Properties and Apparent Optical Properties which allow the comprehension of underwater light field aiming at the development of models for monitoring water quality. Measurements are taken to represent optical properties along a column of water, and then the spectral data must be related to depth. However, the spatial positions of measurement may differ since collecting instruments vary. In addition, the records should not refer to the same wavelengths. Additional difficulty is that distinct instruments store data in different formats. A data integration approach is needed to make these large and multi source data sets suitable for analysis. Thus, it becomes possible, even automatically, semi-empirical models evaluation, preceded by preliminary tasks of quality control. In this work it is presented a solution, in the stated scenario, based on spatial - geographic - database approach with the adoption of an object relational Database Management System - DBMS - due to the possibilities to represent all data collected in the field, in conjunction with data obtained by laboratory analysis and Remote Sensing images that have been taken at the time of field data collection. This data integration approach leads to a 4D representation since that its coordinate system includes 3D spatial coordinates - planimetric and depth - and the time when each data was taken. It was adopted PostgreSQL DBMS extended by PostGIS module to provide abilities to manage spatial/geospatial data. It was developed a prototype which has the mainly tools an analyst needs to prepare the data sets for analysis.

Evaluating Non-potable Water Usage for Oil and Gas Purposes in the Permian Basin Using Reactive Transport Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsac, K.; Navarre-Sitchler, A.

2017-12-01

Oil and gas company water usage is currently an area of concern in the water stressed western United States. 87% of recent wells in the Permian Basin are located in areas of high or extreme water stress. Using recycled produced water or groundwater that does not meet the USDW drinking water standards for oil and gas purposes could assist in relieving both water stress and tension between oil and gas companies and the public. However, non-USDW drinking water (TDS over 10,000 ppm) has the potential to react with formation water causing mineral precipitation, reducing the permeability of the producing formation. To evaluate the potential of non-potable water usage in the Permian Basin, available groundwater chemistry data was compiled into a database. Data was collected from the NETL-run NATCARB database, the USGS Produced Water and NWIS Databases, and the Texas Water Development Board. The created database went through a system of quality assurance and control for pH, TDS, depth and charge balance. Data was used to generate a set of waters representative of Permian Basin groundwater based on TDS, Ca/Mg ratio and Cl/SO4 ratio. Low, medium and high values of these three characteristics; representing the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile respectively; were used to create a matrix of 27 waters. Low TDS is 64,660 ppm, medium TDS is 98,486 ppm, and high TDS is 157,317 ppm. Ca/Mg ratios range from 1.98 to 7.26, and Cl/SO4 ratios range from 32.96 to 62.34. Results from mixing and titration models between these 27 waters and average Permian Basin water using Geochemist's Workbench show a maximum total precipitation of 1.815 cm3 in 1 L of water. In term of porosity, this represents a maximum porosity decrease due to mineral precipitation of 0.18%. This maximum precipitation scenario resulted from mixing average water with high TDS, high Ca/Mg ratio and low Cl/SO4 ratio water. We further investigate the impact of mineral precipitation on porosity and permeability using reactive transport modeling. A cylindrical, homogeneous PFLOTRAN reactive-transport model simulates the injection of high-TDS, high Ca/Mg, low Cl/SO4 water into the pay formation and the possible effects of precipitation over the lifetime of a well.

Human Variome Project Quality Assessment Criteria for Variation Databases.

PubMed

Vihinen, Mauno; Hancock, John M; Maglott, Donna R; Landrum, Melissa J; Schaafsma, Gerard C P; Taschner, Peter

2016-06-01

Numerous databases containing information about DNA, RNA, and protein variations are available. Gene-specific variant databases (locus-specific variation databases, LSDBs) are typically curated and maintained for single genes or groups of genes for a certain disease(s). These databases are widely considered as the most reliable information source for a particular gene/protein/disease, but it should also be made clear they may have widely varying contents, infrastructure, and quality. Quality is very important to evaluate because these databases may affect health decision-making, research, and clinical practice. The Human Variome Project (HVP) established a Working Group for Variant Database Quality Assessment. The basic principle was to develop a simple system that nevertheless provides a good overview of the quality of a database. The HVP quality evaluation criteria that resulted are divided into four main components: data quality, technical quality, accessibility, and timeliness. This report elaborates on the developed quality criteria and how implementation of the quality scheme can be achieved. Examples are provided for the current status of the quality items in two different databases, BTKbase, an LSDB, and ClinVar, a central archive of submissions about variants and their clinical significance. © 2016 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Watershed Data Management (WDM) database for West Branch DuPage River streamflow simulation, DuPage County, Illinois, January 1, 2007, through September 30, 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bera, Maitreyee

2017-10-16

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the DuPage County Stormwater Management Department, maintains a database of hourly meteorological and hydrologic data for use in a near real-time streamflow simulation system. This system is used in the management and operation of reservoirs and other flood-control structures in the West Branch DuPage River watershed in DuPage County, Illinois. The majority of the precipitation data are collected from a tipping-bucket rain-gage network located in and near DuPage County. The other meteorological data (air temperature, dewpoint temperature, wind speed, and solar radiation) are collected at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill. Potential evapotranspiration is computed from the meteorological data using the computer program LXPET (Lamoreux Potential Evapotranspiration). The hydrologic data (water-surface elevation [stage] and discharge) are collected at U.S.Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in and around DuPage County. These data are stored in a Watershed Data Management (WDM) database.This report describes a version of the WDM database that is quality-assured and quality-controlled annually to ensure datasets are complete and accurate. This database is named WBDR13.WDM. It contains data from January 1, 2007, through September 30, 2013. Each precipitation dataset may have time periods of inaccurate data. This report describes the methods used to estimate the data for the periods of missing, erroneous, or snowfall-affected data and thereby improve the accuracy of these data. The other meteorological datasets are described in detail in Over and others (2010), and the hydrologic datasets in the database are fully described in the online USGS annual water data reports for Illinois (U.S. Geological Survey, 2016) and, therefore, are described in less detail than the precipitation datasets in this report.

The association between drinking water turbidity and gastrointestinal illness: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Mann, Andrea G; Tam, Clarence C; Higgins, Craig D; Rodrigues, Laura C

2007-01-01

Background Studies suggest that routine variations in public drinking water turbidity may be associated with endemic gastrointestinal illness. We systematically reviewed the literature on this topic. Methods We searched databases and websites for relevant studies in industrialized countries. Studies investigating the association between temporal variations in drinking water turbidity and incidence of acute gastrointestinal illness were assessed for quality. We reviewed good quality studies for evidence of an association between increased turbidity and gastrointestinal illness. Results We found six relevant good quality studies. Of five studies investigating effluent water turbidity, two found no association. Two studies from Philadelphia reported increased paediatric and elderly hospital use on specific days after increased turbidity. A fifth study reported more telephone health service calls on specific days after peak turbidity. There were differences between studies affecting their comparability, including baseline turbidity and adjustment for seasonal confounders. Conclusion It is likely that an association between turbidity and GI illness exists in some settings or over a certain range of turbidity. A pooled analysis of available data using standard methods would facilitate interpretation. PMID:17888154

The association between drinking water turbidity and gastrointestinal illness: a systematic review.

PubMed

Mann, Andrea G; Tam, Clarence C; Higgins, Craig D; Rodrigues, Laura C

2007-09-21

Studies suggest that routine variations in public drinking water turbidity may be associated with endemic gastrointestinal illness. We systematically reviewed the literature on this topic. We searched databases and websites for relevant studies in industrialized countries. Studies investigating the association between temporal variations in drinking water turbidity and incidence of acute gastrointestinal illness were assessed for quality. We reviewed good quality studies for evidence of an association between increased turbidity and gastrointestinal illness. We found six relevant good quality studies. Of five studies investigating effluent water turbidity, two found no association. Two studies from Philadelphia reported increased paediatric and elderly hospital use on specific days after increased turbidity. A fifth study reported more telephone health service calls on specific days after peak turbidity. There were differences between studies affecting their comparability, including baseline turbidity and adjustment for seasonal confounders. It is likely that an association between turbidity and GI illness exists in some settings or over a certain range of turbidity. A pooled analysis of available data using standard methods would facilitate interpretation.

Post-fire Water Quality in the Western United States: Understanding and Predicting Short and Long-term Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogue, T. S.; Rust, A.

2016-12-01

Fire frequency is increasing across mid-elevation forests, especially in the Northern Rockies, Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, as well as the coastal ranges in California and southern Oregon. Numerous studies have noted increased discharge, floods and debris flows after wildfire. More recent work also shows increased water yield during dry seasons for up to ten years post-fire. However, few studies have evaluated long-term water quality response in fire-impacted watersheds. The current presentation will overview recent development of an extensive database on post-fire water quality response across the western U.S. A range of water quality parameters were gathered from 271 burned watersheds through local, state and federal agencies. Short and long-term response was evaluated for watersheds with at least 5 years of pre-fire data. Over 30 watersheds showed significant increases in NO3-, NO2-, NH3, and total nitrogen loading in the initial five years after fire and remained elevated ten years after fire. The burn severity influenced the degree of nitrogen response, where more severely burned watersheds showed higher nitrogen loading than less severely burned watersheds. Dissolved and total phosphorous showed significant increases in 32 watersheds for the first five years after fire. Dissolved ions such as calcium, magnesium, and chloride were also exported from over 32 watersheds, primarily during the first five years after fire, with the majority of impacted watersheds returning to pre-fire water quality conditions after ten years. Ongoing work includes evaluating key determinants that drive short and long-term response and developing predictive models for post-fire water quality. Watersheds impacted by wildfire are known to pose significant risks for downstream communities. Understanding short and long-term water quality change that can impact regional water supplies is critical for establishing potential treatment priorities and alternative source planning.

[GIS and scenario analysis aid to water pollution control planning of river basin].

PubMed

Wang, Shao-ping; Cheng, Sheng-tong; Jia, Hai-feng; Ou, Zhi-dan; Tan, Bin

2004-07-01

The forward and backward algorithms for watershed water pollution control planning were summarized in this paper as well as their advantages and shortages. The spatial databases of water environmental function region, pollution sources, monitoring sections and sewer outlets were built with ARCGIS8.1 as the platform in the case study of Ganjiang valley, Jiangxi province. Based on the principles of the forward algorithm, four scenarios were designed for the watershed pollution control. Under these scenarios, ten sets of planning schemes were generated to implement cascade pollution source control. The investment costs of sewage treatment for these schemes were estimated by means of a series of cost-effective functions; with pollution source prediction, the water quality was modeled with CSTR model for each planning scheme. The modeled results of different planning schemes were visualized through GIS to aid decision-making. With the results of investment cost and water quality attainment as decision-making accords and based on the analysis of the economic endurable capacity for water pollution control in Ganjiang river basin, two optimized schemes were proposed. The research shows that GIS technology and scenario analysis can provide a good guidance to the synthesis, integrity and sustainability aspects for river basin water quality planning.

A Data Management Framework for Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulyono, E.; Yang, D.; Craig, M.

2007-12-01

CSU East Bay operates two in-situ, near-real-time water quality monitoring stations in San Francisco Bay as a member of the Center for Integrative Coastal Ocean Observation, Research, and Education (CICORE) and the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System (CeNCOOS). We have been operating stations at Dumbarton Pier and San Leandro Marina for the past two years. At each station, a sonde measures seven water quality parameters every six minutes. During the first year of operation, we retrieved data from the sondes every few weeks by visiting the sites and uploading data to a handheld logger. Last year we implemented a telemetry system utilizing a cellular CDMA modem to transfer data from the field to our data center on an hourly basis. Data from each station are initially stored in monthly files in native format. We import data from these files into a SQL database every hour. SQL is handled by Django, an open source web framework. Django provides a user- friendly web user interface (UI) to administer the data. We utilized parts of the Django UI for our database web- front, which allows users to access our database via the World Wide Web and perform basic queries. We also serve our data to other aggregating sites, including the central CICORE website and NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). Since Django is written in Python, it allows us to integrate other Python modules into our software, such as the Matplot library for scientific graphics. We store our code in a Subversion repository, which keeps track of software revisions. Code is tested using Python's unittest and doctest modules within Django's testing facility, which warns us when our code modifications cause other parts of the software to break. During the past two years of data acquisition, we have incrementally updated our data model to accommodate changes in physical hardware, including equipment moves, instrument replacements, and sensor upgrades that affected data format.

Quality-assurance plan for groundwater activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kozar, Mark D.; Kahle, Sue C.

2013-01-01

This report documents the standard procedures, policies, and field methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Washington Water Science Center staff for activities related to the collection, processing, analysis, storage, and publication of groundwater data. This groundwater quality-assurance plan changes through time to accommodate new methods and requirements developed by the Washington Water Science Center and the USGS Office of Groundwater. The plan is based largely on requirements and guidelines provided by the USGS Office of Groundwater, or the USGS Water Mission Area. Regular updates to this plan represent an integral part of the quality-assurance process. Because numerous policy memoranda have been issued by the Office of Groundwater since the previous groundwater quality assurance plan was written, this report is a substantial revision of the previous report, supplants it, and contains significant additional policies not covered in the previous report. This updated plan includes information related to the organization and responsibilities of USGS Washington Water Science Center staff, training, safety, project proposal development, project review procedures, data collection activities, data processing activities, report review procedures, and archiving of field data and interpretative information pertaining to groundwater flow models, borehole aquifer tests, and aquifer tests. Important updates from the previous groundwater quality assurance plan include: (1) procedures for documenting and archiving of groundwater flow models; (2) revisions to procedures and policies for the creation of sites in the Groundwater Site Inventory database; (3) adoption of new water-level forms to be used within the USGS Washington Water Science Center; (4) procedures for future creation of borehole geophysics, surface geophysics, and aquifer-test archives; and (5) use of the USGS Multi Optional Network Key Entry System software for entry of routine water-level data collected as part of long-term water-level monitoring networks.

Development and Exploration of a Regional Stormwater BMP Performance Database to Parameterize an Integrated Decision Support Tool (i-DST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, C.; Li, Y.; Lopez, E.; Hogue, T. S.

2017-12-01

Decision support tools that quantitatively estimate the cost and performance of infrastructure alternatives are valuable for urban planners. Such a tool is needed to aid in planning stormwater projects to meet diverse goals such as the regulation of stormwater runoff and its pollutants, minimization of economic costs, and maximization of environmental and social benefits in the communities served by the infrastructure. This work gives a brief overview of an integrated decision support tool, called i-DST, that is currently being developed to serve this need. This presentation focuses on the development of a default database for the i-DST that parameterizes water quality treatment efficiency of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) by region. Parameterizing the i-DST by region will allow the tool to perform accurate simulations in all parts of the United States. A national dataset of BMP performance is analyzed to determine which of a series of candidate regionalizations explains the most variance in the national dataset. The data used in the regionalization analysis comes from the International Stormwater BMP Database and data gleaned from an ongoing systematic review of peer-reviewed and gray literature. In addition to identifying a regionalization scheme for water quality performance parameters in the i-DST, our review process will also provide example methods and protocols for systematic reviews in the field of Earth Science.

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

Gardner, S.

Louisiana, now in a developmental stage of policy and planning, has completed a project aimed at reducing hazardous releases of air toxics in thee state. The state is also conducting a Comparative Risk Project and is using risk assessment practices to develop its waste quality standards. In developing an air toxic list, Louisiana incorporated four major criteria into the ranking: emission levels, human health effects, potential population exposure, and persistence or accumulation in the environment. For the human health effects criterion, data for each substance was gathered from numerous sources, although the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database was usedmore » as a primary source for toxicological information. Following guidelines established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Office of Water Resources, Water Pollution Control Division, has developed numerical criteria for human health protection based on risk assessment procedures in the 1989 Water Quality Standards Revision. Currently over 30 toxic substances have risk-based criteria for th protection of human health in the standards. Numerical criteria were calculated for carcinogenic substances having an EPA Classification of A, B1, B2, or C. Cancer class designations along with cancer potency slopes and reference doses were extracted from the IRIS database, with the exception of those chemicals that had not been assessed in IRIS as of December 1, 1988. The parameters necessary for calculating human health criteria for the missing chemicals were taken from 1980, 1984, and 1985 ambient water quality criteria documents: data on bioconcentration factors were included. Currently, Louisiana is working on a Comparative Risk Project, a ranking of the environmental issues in the state relative to potential risk to the public, which is the basis for a widespread 1991 public outreach effort.« less

An integrated modeling approach for estimating the water quality benefits of conservation practices at the river basin scale.

PubMed

Santhi, C; Kannan, N; White, M; Di Luzio, M; Arnold, J G; Wang, X; Williams, J R

2014-01-01

The USDA initiated the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices at regional and national scales. For this assessment, a sampling and modeling approach is used. This paper provides a technical overview of the modeling approach used in CEAP cropland assessment to estimate the off-site water quality benefits of conservation practices using the Ohio River Basin (ORB) as an example. The modeling approach uses a farm-scale model, Agricultural Policy Environmental Extender (APEX), and a watershed scale model (the Soil and Water Assessment Tool [SWAT]) and databases in the Hydrologic Unit Modeling for the United States system. Databases of land use, soils, land use management, topography, weather, point sources, and atmospheric depositions were developed to derive model inputs. APEX simulates the cultivated cropland, Conserve Reserve Program land, and the practices implemented on them, whereas SWAT simulates the noncultivated land (e.g., pasture, range, urban, and forest) and point sources. Simulation results from APEX are input into SWAT. SWAT routes all sources, including APEX's, to the basin outlet through each eight-digit watershed. Each basin is calibrated for stream flow, sediment, and nutrient loads at multiple gaging sites and turned in for simulating the effects of conservation practice scenarios on water quality. Results indicate that sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus loads delivered to the Mississippi River from ORB could be reduced by 16, 15, and 23%, respectively, due to current conservation practices. Modeling tools are useful to provide science-based information for assessing existing conservation programs, developing future programs, and developing insights on load reductions necessary for hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Impacts of Farmers' Knowledge Increase on Farm Profit and Watershed Water Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, D.; Bennett, D. A.

2013-12-01

This study explores the impact that an increase in real-time data might have on farmers' nitrogen management, on-farm profit, and watershed water quality in the Midwestern US. In this study, an agent-based model (ABM) is used to simulate farmers' decisions about nitrogen application rate and timing in corn fields. SWAT (soil-water assessment tool) is used to generate a database that characterizes the response of corn yields to nitrogen fertilizer application and the dynamics of nitrogen loss under different scenarios of rainfall events. The database simulates a scenario where farmers would receive real-time feedback about the fate and impact of nitrogen applied to their fields from in-situ sensors. The ability to transform these data into optimal actions is simulated at multiple levels for farmer agents. In a baseline scenario, the farmer agent is only aware of the yield potential of the land field and single values of N rates for achieving the yield potential and is not aware of N loss from farm fields. Knowledge increase is represented by greater accuracy in predicting rainfall events, and the increase of the number of discrete points in a field-specific quadratic curve that captures crop yield response to various levels of nitrogen perceived by farmer agents. In addition, agents perceive N loss from farm fields at increased temporal resolutions. Correspondingly, agents make adjustments to the rate of N application for crops and the timing of fertilizer application given the rainfall events predictions. Farmers' decisions simulated by the ABM are input into SWAT to model nitrogen concentration in impacted streams. Farm profit statistics and watershed-level nitrogen loads are compared among different scenarios of knowledge increase. The hypothesis that the increase of farmers' knowledge benefits both farm profits and watershed water quality is tested through the comparison.

Study of water-table behaviour for the Indian Punjab using GIS.

PubMed

Kaur, Samanpreet; Aggarwal, Rajan; Soni, Ashwani

2011-01-01

The state of Punjab (India) has witnessed a spectacular increase in agricultural production in the last few decades. This has been possible due to high use of fertilizers, good quality seeds and increased use of water resources. This increased demand of water resources has resulted in extensive use of groundwater in the central districts of the state and surface water (canals) in South-West Punjab, where groundwater is of poor quality in general. The state has been facing the twin problem of water table decline/rise in different parts. Efficient management relies on comprehensive database and regular monitoring of the resources. GIS is one of the important tools for integrating and analyzing spatial information from different sources or disciplines. It helps to integrate, analyze and represent spatial information and database of any resource, which could be easily used for planning of resource development, environmental protection and scientific researches and investigations. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have been used for a variety of groundwater studies. Groundwater level change maps are useful in determining areas of greatest changes in storage in the regional systems. In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the long term groundwater behaviour of the state using GIS to visually and spatially analyze water level data obtained from the state and central agencies. The data was analysed for 0-3 m, 3-10 m, 10-20 m and beyond 20 m. The study revealed that per cent area with water table depth > 10 m was 20% in 1998 and has increased to 58% by 2006 which is critical limit for shifting from centrifugal pump to submersible pump.

Groundwater quality and water-well characteristics in the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma Jurisdictional Area, central Oklahoma, 1948--2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Becker, Carol J.

2013-01-01

In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, compiled historical groundwater-quality data collected from 1948 to 2011 and water-well completion information in parts of Lincoln, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie Counties in central Oklahoma to support the development of a comprehensive water-management plan for the Tribe’s jurisdictional area. In this study, water-quality data from 155 water wells, collected from 1948 to 2011, were retrieved from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database; these data include measurements of pH, specific conductance, and hardness and concentrations of the major ions, trace elements, and radionuclides that have Maximum Contaminant Levels or Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels in public drinking-water supplies. Information about well characteristics includes ranges of well yield and well depth of private water wells in the study area and was compiled from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Multi-Purpose Well Completion Report database. This report also shows depth to water from land surface by using shaded 30-foot contours that were created by using a geographic information system and spatial layers of a 2009 potentiometric surface (groundwater elevation) and land-surface elevation. Wells in the study area produce water from the North Canadian River alluvial and terrace aquifers, the underlying Garber Sandstone and Wellington Formation that compose the Garber–Wellington aquifer, and the Chase, Council Grove, and Admire Groups. Water quality varies substantially between the alluvial and terrace aquifers and bedrock aquifers in the study area. Water from the alluvial aquifer has relatively high concentrations of dissolved solids and generally is used for livestock only, whereas water from the terrace aquifer has low concentrations of dissolved solids and is used extensively by households in the study area. Water from the bedrock aquifer also is used extensively by households but may have high concentrations of trace elements, including uranium, in some areas where groundwater pH is above 8.0. Well yields vary and are dependent on aquifer characteristics and well-completion practices. Well yields in the unconsolidated alluvial and terrace aquifers generally are higher than yields from bedrock aquifers but are limited by the thickness and extent of these river deposits. Well yields in the alluvium and terrace aquifers commonly range from 50 to 150 gallons per minute and may exceed 300 gallons per minute, whereas well yields in the bedrock aquifers commonly range from 25 to 50 gallons per minute in the western one-third of study area (Oklahoma County) and generally less than 25 gallons per minute in the eastern two-thirds of the study area (Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties).

Is the quality of drinking water a risk factor for self-reported forearm fractures? Cohort of Norway.

PubMed

Dahl, C; Søgaard, A J; Tell, G S; Flaten, T P; Krogh, T; Aamodt, G

2013-02-01

Compared to pH ≥7.0 in Norwegian municipal drinking water, pH <7.0 increased the risk of forearm fractures in the population-based Cohort of Norway (CONOR; n = 127,272). The association was attenuated (p > 0.05) after adjustments for indicators of bacteria and organic matter, which may signify an association between poor drinking water and bone health. The Norwegian population has the highest rate of fractures ever reported. A large variation in fracture rate both between and within countries indicates that an environmental factor, such as the quality of drinking water, could be one of the causes of the disparities. Our aim was to investigate a possible association between pH (an important parameter for water quality) and self-reported forearm fracture and to examine whether other water quality factors could account for this association. Using Geographic Information Systems, information on the quality of drinking water was linked to CONOR (n = 127,272; mean age, 50.2 ± 15.8 years), a database comprising ten regional epidemiological health surveys from across the country in the time period 1994-2003. The highest risk of forearm fracture was found at a pH of around 6.75, with a decreasing risk toward both higher and lower pH values. The increased adjusted odds of forearm fracture in men consuming municipal drinking water with pH <7.0 compared to water with pH ≥7.0 was odds ratio (OR) = 1.19 (95 % CI, 1.14, 1.25), and the corresponding increased odds in women was OR = 1.14 (95 % CI, 1.08, 1.19). This association was attenuated (p > 0.05) after further adjustments for other water quality factors (color grade, intestinal enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens). Our findings indicate a higher risk of fracture when consuming water of an acidic pH; however, the risk does not only seem to be due to the acidity level per se, but also to other aspects of water quality associated with pH.

Pesticide toxicity index for freshwater aquatic organisms, 2nd edition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munn, Mark D.; Gilliom, Robert J.; Moran, Patrick W.; Nowell, Lisa H.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is designed to assess current water-quality conditions, changes in water quality over time, and the effects of natural and human factors on water quality for the Nation's streams and ground-water resources. For streams, one of the most difficult parts of the assessment is to link chemical conditions to effects on aquatic biota, particularly for pesticides, which tend to occur in streams as complex mixtures with strong seasonal patterns. A Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) was developed that combines pesticide exposure of aquatic biota (measured concentrations of pesticides in stream water) with acute toxicity estimates (standard endpoints from laboratory bioassays) to produce a single index value for a sample or site. The development of the PTI was limited to pesticide compounds routinely measured in NAWQA studies and to toxicity data readily available from existing databases. Qualifying toxicity data were found for one or more types of test organisms for 124 of the 185 pesticide compounds measured in NAWQA samples, but with a wide range of available bioassays per compound (1 to 232). In the databases examined, there were a total of 3,669 bioassays for the 124 compounds, including 398 48-hour EC50 values (concentration at which 50 percent of test organisms exhibit a sublethal response) for freshwater cladocerans, 699 96-hour LC50 values (concentration lethal to 50 percent of test organisms) for freshwater benthic invertebrates, and 2,572 96-hour LC50 values for freshwater fish. The PTI for a particular sample is the sum of toxicity quotients (measured concentration divided by the median toxicity concentration from bioassays) for each detected pesticide, and thus, is based on the concentration addition model of pesticide toxicity. The PTI can be calculated for specific groups of pesticides and for specific taxonomic groups. Although the PTI does not determine whether water in a sample is toxic to aquatic organisms, its values can be used to rank or compare the toxicity of samples or sites on a relative basis for use in further analysis or additional assessments. The PTI approach may be useful as a basis for comparing the potential significance of pesticides in different streams on a common basis, for evaluating relations between pesticide exposure and observed biological conditions, and for prioritizing where further studies are most needed.

Methods for quality-assurance review of water-quality data in New Jersey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, G. Allan; Pustay, Edward A.; Gibs, Jacob

2003-01-01

Because values that are identified by the program as questionable may or may not be in error, the reviewer looks at both qualitative and quantitative relations between analytes during the period of record and then uses technical judgement to decide whether to accept a questionable value or investigate further. Guidelines for, and the use of regression analysis in, making this decision are described. Instructions are given for requesting that the analyzing laboratory reanalyze a constituent or otherwise verify the reported value. If, upon reanalysis or verification, a value is still questionable, consideration must be given to deleting the value or marking the value in the USGS National Water Information System database as having been reviewed and rejected.

Water quality variability in San Francisco Bay, Some gGeneral lessons from 1996 sampling: 1996 annual report, San Francisco estuary regional monitoring program for trace substances

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cloern, J.E.; Cole, B.E.; Edmunds, J.L.; Baylosis, J.I.

1997-01-01

This report describes the results from the 1996 Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances (RMP). It is the fourth Annual Report from the RMP which began in 1993 and attempts to synthesize the most obvious data patterns from the last four years. This report includes data from Base Program monitoring activities, as well as results of Pilot and Special Studies conducted or completed in 1996. Additionally, several articles contributed by RMP investigators and others, are included. These articles provide perspective and insight on important contaminant issues identified by the RMP. This summary addresses which kinds of pollutants measured by the RMP appear to be at levels that warrant concern, what kinds of trends may be discerned, and which stations have consistently shown elevated contaminant levels. The goals or general objectives of the RMP are: 1. To obtain high quality baseline data describing the concentrations of toxic and potentially toxic trace elements and organic contaminants in the water and sediment of the San Francisco Estuary. 2. To determine seasonal and annual trends in chemical and biological water quality in the San Francisco Estuary. 3. To continue to develop a data set that can be used to determine long-term trends in the concentrations of toxic and potentially toxic trace elements and organic contaminants in the water and sediments of the San Francisco Estuary. 4. To determine whether water quality and sediment quality in the Estuary at large are in compliance with objectives established by the Basin Plan (the regulatory planning document used by the Regional Water Quality Control Board). 5. To provide a database on water and sediment quality in the Estuary which is compatible with data being developed in other ongoing studies, including wasteload allocation studies and model development, sediment quality objectives development, in-bay studies of dredged material disposal, Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) water quality studies, primary productivity studies, local effects biomonitoring programs, and state and federal mussel watch programs.

Groundwater modeling in integrated water resources management--visions for 2020.

PubMed

Refsgaard, Jens Christian; Højberg, Anker Lajer; Møller, Ingelise; Hansen, Martin; Søndergaard, Verner

2010-01-01

Groundwater modeling is undergoing a change from traditional stand-alone studies toward being an integrated part of holistic water resources management procedures. This is illustrated by the development in Denmark, where comprehensive national databases for geologic borehole data, groundwater-related geophysical data, geologic models, as well as a national groundwater-surface water model have been established and integrated to support water management. This has enhanced the benefits of using groundwater models. Based on insight gained from this Danish experience, a scientifically realistic scenario for the use of groundwater modeling in 2020 has been developed, in which groundwater models will be a part of sophisticated databases and modeling systems. The databases and numerical models will be seamlessly integrated, and the tasks of monitoring and modeling will be merged. Numerical models for atmospheric, surface water, and groundwater processes will be coupled in one integrated modeling system that can operate at a wide range of spatial scales. Furthermore, the management systems will be constructed with a focus on building credibility of model and data use among all stakeholders and on facilitating a learning process whereby data and models, as well as stakeholders' understanding of the system, are updated to currently available information. The key scientific challenges for achieving this are (1) developing new methodologies for integration of statistical and qualitative uncertainty; (2) mapping geological heterogeneity and developing scaling methodologies; (3) developing coupled model codes; and (4) developing integrated information systems, including quality assurance and uncertainty information that facilitate active stakeholder involvement and learning.

Quality modeling of drinking groundwater using GIS in rural communities, northwest of Iran

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Given the importance of groundwater resources in water supply, this work aimed to study quality of drinking groundwater in rural areas in Tabriz county, northwest of Iran. Thirty two groundwater samples from different areas were collected and analyzed in terms of general parameters along with 20 heavy metals (e.g. As, Hg and …). The data of the analyses were applied as an attribute database for preparing thematic maps and showing water quality parameters. Multivariate statistical techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) were used to compare and evaluate water quality. The findings showed that hydrochemical faces of the groundwater were of calcium-bicarbonate type. EC values were from 110 to 1750 μs/cm, in which concentration of salts was high in the east and a zone in north of the studied area. Hardness was from 52 to 476 mg/l and CaCO3 with average value of 185.88 ± 106.56 mg/L indicated hard water. Dominant cations and anions were Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > NO32, respectively. In the western areas, arsenic contamination was observed as high as 69 μg/L. Moreover, mercury was above the standard level in one of the villages. Eskandar and Olakandi villages had the lowest quality of drinking water. In terms of CA, sampling sites were classified into four clusters of similar water quality and PCA demonstrated that 3 components could cover 84.3% of the parameters. For investigating arsenic anomaly, conducting a comprehensive study in the western part of studied area is strongly recommended. PMID:25093080

Citizen science-based water quality monitoring: Constructing a large database to characterize the impacts of combined sewer overflow in New York City.

PubMed

Farnham, David J; Gibson, Rebecca A; Hsueh, Diana Y; McGillis, Wade R; Culligan, Patricia J; Zain, Nina; Buchanan, Rob

2017-02-15

To protect recreational water users from waterborne pathogen exposure, it is crucial that waterways are monitored for the presence of harmful bacteria. In NYC, a citizen science campaign is monitoring waterways impacted by inputs of storm water and untreated sewage during periods of rainfall. However, the spatial and temporal scales over which the monitoring program can sample are constrained by cost and time, thus hindering the construction of databases that benefit both scientists and citizens. In this study, we first illustrate the scientific value of a citizen scientist monitoring campaign by using the data collected through the campaign to characterize the seasonal variability of sampled bacterial concentration as well as its response to antecedent rainfall. Second, we examine the efficacy of the HyServe Compact Dry ETC method, a lower cost and time-efficient alternative to the EPA-approved IDEXX Enterolert method for fecal indicator monitoring, through a paired sample comparison of IDEXX and HyServe (total of 424 paired samples). The HyServe and IDEXX methods return the same result for over 80% of the samples with regard to whether a water sample is above or below the EPA's recreational water quality criteria for a single sample of 110 enterococci per 100mL. The HyServe method classified as unsafe 90% of the 119 water samples that were classified as having unsafe enterococci concentrations by the more established IDEXX method. This study seeks to encourage other scientists to engage with citizen scientist communities and to also pursue the development of cost- and time-efficient methodologies to sample environmental variables that are not easily collected or analyzed in an automated manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rainfall, streamflow, and water-quality data for five small watersheds, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990-92

USGS Publications Warehouse

Outlaw, George S.; Hoos, Anne B.; Pankey, John T.

1994-01-01

Rainfall, streamflow, and water-quality data were collected furing storm conditions at five urban watersheds in Nashville, Tennessee. These data can be used to build a database for developing predictive models of the relations between storm- water quality and land use, storm characteristics, and seasonal variations. The primary land and mix of land uses was different for each watershed. Stormwater samples were collected during three storms at each watershed and analyzed for selected volatile, acidic and base/neutral organic compounds; organic pesticides; trace metals; conventional pollutants; and several physical properties. Storm loads were computed for all constituents and properties with event mean concentration above the minimum reporting level. None of the samples con- tained acidic organic compounds at concentrations above the minimum reporting levels. Several constituents in each of the other categories, however, were present at concentrations above the minimum reporting level. For 21 of these constituents, water-quality criteria have been pro- mulgated by the State of Tennessee. For only 8 of the 21 did the value exceed the most restrictive of the criteria: pyrene, dieldrin, and mercury concen- trations and counts of fecal coliform exceeded the criteria for recreational use, copper and zinc concentrations and pH value exceeded the criteria for fish and aquatic life, and lead concentrations exceeded the criteria for domestic supply.

Status of groundwater quality in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley study units, 2005-08: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth

2011-01-01

Groundwater quality in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley study units was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study units are located in California's Central Valley and include parts of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Placer, Sacramento, Shasta, Solano, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, and Yuba Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The three study units were designated to provide spatially-unbiased assessments of the quality of untreated groundwater in three parts of the Central Valley hydrogeologic province, as well as to provide a statistically consistent basis for comparing water quality regionally and statewide. Samples were collected in 2005 (Southern Sacramento Valley), 2006 (Middle Sacramento Valley), and 2007-08 (Northern Sacramento Valley). The GAMA studies in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley were designed to provide statistically robust assessments of the quality of untreated groundwater in the primary aquifer systems that are used for drinking-water supply. The assessments are based on water-quality data collected by the USGS from 235 wells in the three study units in 2005-08, and water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifer systems (hereinafter, referred to as primary aquifers) assessed in this study are defined by the depth intervals of the wells in the CDPH database for each study unit. The quality of groundwater in shallow or deep water-bearing zones may differ from quality of groundwater in the primary aquifers; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to contamination from the surface. The status of the current quality of the groundwater resource was assessed by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOC), pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements. This status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources within the primary aquifers of the three Sacramento Valley study units, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. Relative-concentrations (sample concentrations divided by benchmark concentrations) were used for evaluating groundwater quality for those constituents that have Federal or California regulatory or non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. A relative-concentration greater than 1.0 indicates a concentration greater than a benchmark. For organic (volatile organic compounds and pesticides) and special-interest (perchlorate) constituents, relative-concentrations were classified as high (greater than 1.0); moderate (equal to or less than 1.0 and greater than 0.1); or low (equal to or less than 0.1). For inorganic (major ion, trace element, nutrient, and radioactive) constituents, the boundary between low and moderate relative-concentrations was set at 0.5. Aquifer-scale proportions were used in the status assessment for evaluating regional-scale groundwater quality. High aquifer-scale proportion is defined as the percentage of the area of the primary aquifers that have a relative-concentration greater than 1.0 for a particular constituent or class of constituents; percentage is based on an areal rather than a volumetric basis. Moderate and low aquifer-scale proportions were defined as the percentage of the primary aquifers that have moderate and low relative-concentrations, respectively. Two statistical approaches-grid-based, which used one value per grid cell, and spatially-weighted, which used the full dataset-were used to calculate aquifer-scale proportions for individual constituents and classes of constituents. High and moderate aquifer-scale proportions were significantly greater for inorgani

Redox Conditions in Selected Principal Aquifers of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

McMahon, P.B.; Cowdery, T.K.; Chapelle, F.H.; Jurgens, B.C.

2009-01-01

Reduction/oxidation (redox) processes affect the quality of groundwater in all aquifer systems. Redox processes can alternately mobilize or immobilize potentially toxic metals associated with naturally occurring aquifer materials, contribute to the degradation or preservation of anthropogenic contami-nants, and generate undesirable byproducts, such as dissolved manganese (Mn2+), ferrous iron (Fe2+), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and methane (CH4). Determining the kinds of redox processes that occur in an aquifer system, documenting their spatial distribution, and understanding how they affect concentrations of natural or anthropogenic contaminants are central to assessing and predicting the chemical quality of groundwater. This Fact Sheet extends the analysis of U.S. Geological Survey authors to additional principal aquifer systems by applying a framework developed by the USGS to a larger set of water-quality data from the USGS national water databases. For a detailed explanation, see the 'Introduction' in the Fact Sheet.

Water use for electricity in the United States: an analysis of reported and calculated water use information for 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Averyt, K.; Macknick, J.; Rogers, J.; Madden, N.; Fisher, J.; Meldrum, J.; Newmark, R.

2013-03-01

Water use by the electricity sector represents a significant portion of the United States water budget (41% of total freshwater withdrawals; 3% consumed). Sustainable management of water resources necessitates an accurate accounting of all water demands, including water use for generation of electricity. Since 1985, the Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) has collected self-reported data on water consumption and withdrawals from individual power generators. These data represent the only annual collection of water consumption and withdrawals by the electricity sector. Here, we compile publically available information into a comprehensive database and then calculate water withdrawals and consumptive use for power plants in the US. In effect, we evaluate the quality of water use data reported by EIA for the year 2008. Significant differences between reported and calculated water data are evident, yet no consistent reason for the discrepancies emerges.

Assessment of stream quality using biological indices at selected sites in the Schuylkill River basin, Chester County, Pennsylvania, 1981-97

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reif, Andrew G.

2002-01-01

IntroductionIn 1970, the Chester County Water Resources Authority (Pennsylvania) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established a long-term water-quality network with the goal of assessing the quality of streams in the county and understanding stream changes in response to urbanization using benthic-macroinvertebrate data. This database represents one of the longest continuous water-quality data sets in the country. Benthic macroinvertebrates are aquatic insects, such as mayflies, caddisflies, riffle beetles, and midges, and other invertebrates that live on the stream bottom. Benthic macroinvertebrates are useful in evaluating stream quality because their habitat preferences and low motility cause them to be affected directly by substances that enter the aquatic system. By evaluating the diversity and community structure of benthic-macroinvertebrate populations, a determination of stream quality can be made.Between 1981 and 1997, the network consisted of 43 sites in 5 major basins in Chester County—Delaware, Schuylkill, Brandywine, Big Elk and Octoraro, and Red and White Clay. Benthic-macroinvertebrate, water-chemistry, and habitat data were collected each year in October or November during base-flow conditions. Using these data, Reif evaluated the overall water-quality condition of Chester County streams. This Fact Sheet summarizes the key findings from Reif for streams in the Schuylkill River Basin. These streams include Pigeon Creek (site 10), Stony Run (site 6), French Creek (sites 12-16), Pickering Creek (sites 1-5), Little Valley Creek (site 49), and Valley Creek (site 50). This summary includes an analysis of stream conditions based on benthic-macroinvertebrate samples and an analysis of trends in stream conditions for the 17-year study period.

Integration of Rs/gis for Surface Water Pollution Risk Modeling. Case Study: Al-Abrash Syrian Coastal Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaghi, Y.; Salim, H.

2017-09-01

Recently the topic of the quality of surface water (rivers - lakes) and the sea is an important topics at different levels. It is known that there are two major groups of pollutants: Point Source Pollution (PSP) and non-point Source pollution (NPSP). Historically most of the surface water pollution protection programs dealing with the first set of pollutants which comes from sewage pipes and factories drainage. With the growing need for current and future water security must stand on the current reality of the coastal rivers basin in terms of freshness and cleanliness and condition of water pollution. This research aims to assign the NPS pollutants that reach Al Abrash River and preparation of databases and producing of risk Pollution map for NPS pollutants in order to put the basin management plan to ensure the reduction of pollutants that reach the river. This research resulted of establishing of Databases of NPSP (Like pesticides and fertilizers) and producing of thematic maps for pollution severity and pollution risk based on the pollution models designed in GIS environment and utilizing from remote sensing data. Preliminary recommendations for managing these pollutants were put.

Conversion of environmental data to a digital-spatial database, Puget Sound area, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Uhrich, M.A.; McGrath, T.S.

1997-01-01

Data and maps from the Puget Sound Environmental Atlas, compiled for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have been converted into a digital-spatial database using a geographic information system. Environmental data for the Puget Sound area,collected from sources other than the Puget SoundEnvironmental Atlas by different Federal, State, andlocal agencies, also have been converted into thisdigital-spatial database. Background on the geographic-information-system planning process, the design and implementation of the geographic information-system database, and the reasons for conversion to this digital-spatial database are included in this report. The Puget Sound Environmental Atlas data layers include information about seabird nesting areas, eelgrass and kelp habitat, marine mammal and fish areas, and shellfish resources and bed certification. Data layers, from sources other than the Puget Sound Environmental Atlas, include the Puget Sound shoreline, the water-body system, shellfish growing areas, recreational shellfish beaches, sewage-treatment outfalls, upland hydrography,watershed and political boundaries, and geographicnames. The sources of data, descriptions of the datalayers, and the steps and errors of processing associated with conversion to a digital-spatial database used in development of the Puget Sound Geographic Information System also are included in this report. The appendixes contain data dictionaries for each of the resource layers and error values for the conversion of Puget SoundEnvironmental Atlas data.

Guidelines for establishing and maintaining construction quality databases : tech brief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-12-01

Construction quality databases contain a variety of construction-related data that characterize the quality of materials and workmanship. The primary purpose of construction quality databases is to help State highway agencies (SHAs) assess the qualit...

A geographic data model for representing ground water systems.

PubMed

Strassberg, Gil; Maidment, David R; Jones, Norm L

2007-01-01

The Arc Hydro ground water data model is a geographic data model for representing spatial and temporal ground water information within a geographic information system (GIS). The data model is a standardized representation of ground water systems within a spatial database that provides a public domain template for GIS users to store, document, and analyze commonly used spatial and temporal ground water data sets. This paper describes the data model framework, a simplified version of the complete ground water data model that includes two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) object classes for representing aquifers, wells, and borehole data, and the 3D geospatial context in which these data exist. The framework data model also includes tabular objects for representing temporal information such as water levels and water quality samples that are related with spatial features.

Long-term chloride concentrations in North American and European freshwater lakes

PubMed Central

Dugan, Hilary A.; Summers, Jamie C.; Skaff, Nicholas K.; Krivak-Tetley, Flora E.; Doubek, Jonathan P.; Burke, Samantha M.; Bartlett, Sarah L.; Arvola, Lauri; Jarjanazi, Hamdi; Korponai, János; Kleeberg, Andreas; Monet, Ghislaine; Monteith, Don; Moore, Karen; Rogora, Michela; Hanson, Paul C.; Weathers, Kathleen C.

2017-01-01

Anthropogenic sources of chloride in a lake catchment, including road salt, fertilizer, and wastewater, can elevate the chloride concentration in freshwater lakes above background levels. Rising chloride concentrations can impact lake ecology and ecosystem services such as fisheries and the use of lakes as drinking water sources. To analyze the spatial extent and magnitude of increasing chloride concentrations in freshwater lakes, we amassed a database of 529 lakes in Europe and North America that had greater than or equal to ten years of chloride data. For each lake, we calculated climate statistics of mean annual total precipitation and mean monthly air temperatures from gridded global datasets. We also quantified land cover metrics, including road density and impervious surface, in buffer zones of 100 to 1,500 m surrounding the perimeter of each lake. This database represents the largest global collection of lake chloride data. We hope that long-term water quality measurements in areas outside Europe and North America can be added to the database as they become available in the future. PMID:28786983

Long-term chloride concentrations in North American and European freshwater lakes.

PubMed

Dugan, Hilary A; Summers, Jamie C; Skaff, Nicholas K; Krivak-Tetley, Flora E; Doubek, Jonathan P; Burke, Samantha M; Bartlett, Sarah L; Arvola, Lauri; Jarjanazi, Hamdi; Korponai, János; Kleeberg, Andreas; Monet, Ghislaine; Monteith, Don; Moore, Karen; Rogora, Michela; Hanson, Paul C; Weathers, Kathleen C

2017-08-08

Anthropogenic sources of chloride in a lake catchment, including road salt, fertilizer, and wastewater, can elevate the chloride concentration in freshwater lakes above background levels. Rising chloride concentrations can impact lake ecology and ecosystem services such as fisheries and the use of lakes as drinking water sources. To analyze the spatial extent and magnitude of increasing chloride concentrations in freshwater lakes, we amassed a database of 529 lakes in Europe and North America that had greater than or equal to ten years of chloride data. For each lake, we calculated climate statistics of mean annual total precipitation and mean monthly air temperatures from gridded global datasets. We also quantified land cover metrics, including road density and impervious surface, in buffer zones of 100 to 1,500 m surrounding the perimeter of each lake. This database represents the largest global collection of lake chloride data. We hope that long-term water quality measurements in areas outside Europe and North America can be added to the database as they become available in the future.

An inventory of continental U.S. terrestrial candidate ecological restoration areas based on landscape context.

PubMed

Wickham, James; Riitters, Kurt; Vogt, Peter; Costanza, Jennifer; Neale, Anne

2017-11-01

Landscape context is an important factor in restoration ecology, but the use of landscape context for site prioritization has not been as fully developed. We used morphological image processing to identify candidate ecological restoration areas based on their proximity to existing natural vegetation. We identified 1,102,720 candidate ecological restoration areas across the continental United States. Candidate ecological restoration areas were concentrated in the Great Plains and eastern United States. We populated the database of candidate ecological restoration areas with 17 attributes related to site content and context, including factors such as soil fertility and roads (site content), and number and area of potentially conjoined vegetated regions (site context) to facilitate its use for site prioritization. We demonstrate the utility of the database in the state of North Carolina, U.S.A. for a restoration objective related to restoration of water quality (mandated by the U.S. Clean Water Act), wetlands, and forest. The database will be made publicly available on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's EnviroAtlas website (http://enviroatlas.epa.gov) for stakeholders interested in ecological restoration.

An inventory of continental U.S. terrestrial candidate ecological restoration areas based on landscape context

PubMed Central

Wickham, James; Riitters, Kurt; Vogt, Peter; Costanza, Jennifer; Neale, Anne

2018-01-01

Landscape context is an important factor in restoration ecology, but the use of landscape context for site prioritization has not been as fully developed. We used morphological image processing to identify candidate ecological restoration areas based on their proximity to existing natural vegetation. We identified 1,102,720 candidate ecological restoration areas across the continental United States. Candidate ecological restoration areas were concentrated in the Great Plains and eastern United States. We populated the database of candidate ecological restoration areas with 17 attributes related to site content and context, including factors such as soil fertility and roads (site content), and number and area of potentially conjoined vegetated regions (site context) to facilitate its use for site prioritization. We demonstrate the utility of the database in the state of North Carolina, U.S.A. for a restoration objective related to restoration of water quality (mandated by the U.S. Clean Water Act), wetlands, and forest. The database will be made publicly available on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's EnviroAtlas website (http://enviroatlas.epa.gov) for stakeholders interested in ecological restoration. PMID:29683130

Investigating the Potential Impacts of Energy Production in the Marcellus Shale Region Using the Shale Network Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brantley, S.; Pollak, J.

2016-12-01

The Shale Network's extensive database of water quality observations in the Marcellus Shale region enables educational experiences about the potential impacts of resource extraction and energy production with real data. Through tools that are open source and free to use, interested parties can access and analyze the very same data that the Shale Network team has used in peer-reviewed publications about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water. The development of the Shale Network database has been made possible through efforts led by an academic team and involving numerous individuals from government agencies, citizen science organizations, and private industry. With these tools and data, the Shale Network team has engaged high school students, university undergraduate and graduate students, as well as citizens so that all can discover how energy production impacts the Marcellus Shale region, which includes Pennsylvania and other nearby states. This presentation will describe these data tools, how the Shale Network has used them in educational settings, and the resources available to learn more.

Investigating the Potential Impacts of Energy Production in the Marcellus Shale Region Using the Shale Network Database and CUAHSI-Supported Data Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazil, L.

2017-12-01

The Shale Network's extensive database of water quality observations enables educational experiences about the potential impacts of resource extraction with real data. Through open source tools that are developed and maintained by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI), researchers, educators, and citizens can access and analyze the very same data that the Shale Network team has used in peer-reviewed publications about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on water. The development of the Shale Network database has been made possible through collection efforts led by an academic team and involving numerous individuals from government agencies, citizen science organizations, and private industry. Thus far, CUAHSI-supported data tools have been used to engage high school students, university undergraduate and graduate students, as well as citizens so that all can discover how energy production impacts the Marcellus Shale region, which includes Pennsylvania and other nearby states. This presentation will describe these data tools, how the Shale Network has used them in developing educational material, and the resources available to learn more.

Distributed software framework and continuous integration in hydroinformatics systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jianzhong; Zhang, Wei; Xie, Mengfei; Lu, Chengwei; Chen, Xiao

2017-08-01

When encountering multiple and complicated models, multisource structured and unstructured data, complex requirements analysis, the platform design and integration of hydroinformatics systems become a challenge. To properly solve these problems, we describe a distributed software framework and it’s continuous integration process in hydroinformatics systems. This distributed framework mainly consists of server cluster for models, distributed database, GIS (Geographic Information System) servers, master node and clients. Based on it, a GIS - based decision support system for joint regulating of water quantity and water quality of group lakes in Wuhan China is established.

Analytical scaling relations to evaluate leakage and intrusion in intermittent water supply systems.

PubMed

Taylor, David D J; Slocum, Alexander H; Whittle, Andrew J

2018-01-01

Intermittent water supplies (IWS) deliver piped water to one billion people; this water is often microbially contaminated. Contaminants that accumulate while IWS are depressurized are flushed into customers' homes when these systems become pressurized. In addition, during the steady-state phase of IWS, contaminants from higher-pressure sources (e.g., sewers) may continue to intrude where pipe pressure is low. To guide the operation and improvement of IWS, this paper proposes an analytic model relating supply pressure, supply duration, leakage, and the volume of intruded, potentially-contaminated, fluids present during flushing and steady-state. The proposed model suggests that increasing the supply duration may improve water quality during the flushing phase, but decrease the subsequent steady-state water quality. As such, regulators and academics should take more care in reporting if water quality samples are taken during flushing or steady-state operational conditions. Pipe leakage increases with increased supply pressure and/or duration. We propose using an equivalent orifice area (EOA) to quantify pipe quality. This provides a more stable metric for regulators and utilities tracking pipe repairs. Finally, we show that the volume of intruded fluid decreases in proportion to reductions in EOA. The proposed relationships are applied to self-reported performance indicators for IWS serving 108 million people described in the IBNET database and in the Benchmarking and Data Book of Water Utilities in India. This application shows that current high-pressure, continuous water supply targets will require extensive EOA reductions. For example, in order to achieve national targets, utilities in India will need to reduce their EOA by a median of at least 90%.

Analytical scaling relations to evaluate leakage and intrusion in intermittent water supply systems

PubMed Central

Slocum, Alexander H.; Whittle, Andrew J.

2018-01-01

Intermittent water supplies (IWS) deliver piped water to one billion people; this water is often microbially contaminated. Contaminants that accumulate while IWS are depressurized are flushed into customers’ homes when these systems become pressurized. In addition, during the steady-state phase of IWS, contaminants from higher-pressure sources (e.g., sewers) may continue to intrude where pipe pressure is low. To guide the operation and improvement of IWS, this paper proposes an analytic model relating supply pressure, supply duration, leakage, and the volume of intruded, potentially-contaminated, fluids present during flushing and steady-state. The proposed model suggests that increasing the supply duration may improve water quality during the flushing phase, but decrease the subsequent steady-state water quality. As such, regulators and academics should take more care in reporting if water quality samples are taken during flushing or steady-state operational conditions. Pipe leakage increases with increased supply pressure and/or duration. We propose using an equivalent orifice area (EOA) to quantify pipe quality. This provides a more stable metric for regulators and utilities tracking pipe repairs. Finally, we show that the volume of intruded fluid decreases in proportion to reductions in EOA. The proposed relationships are applied to self-reported performance indicators for IWS serving 108 million people described in the IBNET database and in the Benchmarking and Data Book of Water Utilities in India. This application shows that current high-pressure, continuous water supply targets will require extensive EOA reductions. For example, in order to achieve national targets, utilities in India will need to reduce their EOA by a median of at least 90%. PMID:29775462

Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 2014

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manteufel, S. Bridgett; Robertson, Dale M.

2017-05-25

IntroductionThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many years, provide a database for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes. To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series. The locations of water-quality and lake-stage stations in Wisconsin for water year 2014 are shown in figure 1. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Thus, the periodOctober 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014, is called “water year 2014.”The purpose of this report is to provide information about the chemical and physical characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected include measurements of in-lake water quality and lake stage. Time series of Secchi depths, surface total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a concentrations collected during nonfrozen periods are included for many lakes. Graphs of vertical profiles of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance are included for sites where these parameters were measured. Descriptive information for each lake includes the location of the lake, area of the lake’s watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published online at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis.Water-resources data, including stage and discharge data at most streamflow-gaging stations, are available online. The Wisconsin Water Science Center’s home page is at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/wisconsin-water-science-center. Information about the Wisconsin Water Science Center’s Lakes Program is found at http://wi.water.usgs.gov/lakes/index.html and http://wi.water.usgs.gov/projects/index.html.

The role of pesticide fate modelling in a prevention-led approach to potable water quality management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolan, Tom; Pullan, Stephanie; Whelan, Mick; Parsons, David

2013-04-01

Diffuse inputs from agriculture are commonly the main source of pesticide contamination in surface water and may have implications for the quality of treated drinking water. After privatisation in 1991, UK water companies primarily focused on the provision of sufficient water treatment to reduce the risk of non-compliance with the European Drinking Water Directive (DWD), under which all pesticide concentrations must be below 0.1µg/l and UK Water Supply Regulations for the potable water they supply. Since 2000, Article 7 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has begun to drive a prevention-led approach to compliance with the DWD. As a consequence water companies are now more interested in the quality of 'raw' (untreated) water at the point of abstraction. Modelling (based upon best available estimates of cropping, pesticide use, weather conditions, pesticide characteristics, and catchment characteristics) and monitoring of raw water quality can both help to determine the compliance risks associated with the quality of this 'raw' water resource. This knowledge allows water companies to prioritise active substances for action in their catchments, and is currently used in many cases to support the design of monitoring programmes for pesticide active substances. Additional value can be provided if models are able to help to identify the type and scale of catchment management interventions required to achieve DWD compliance for pesticide active substances through pollution prevention at source or along transport pathways. These questions were explored using a simple catchment-scale pesticide fate and transport model. The model employs a daily time-step and is semi-lumped with calculations performed for soil type and crop combinations, weighted by their proportions within the catchment. Soil properties are derived from the national soil database and the model can, therefore, be applied to any catchment in England and Wales. Various realistic catchment management intervention scenarios were explored (including changes to land use and pesticide usage) with the aim of providing a useful input to the debate between water companies, their regulators and pesticide users over the scale of catchment management required to support both DWD and WFD Article 7 compliance.

Adapting a geographical information system-based water resource management to the needs of the Romanian water authorities.

PubMed

Soutter, Marc; Alexandrescu, Maria; Schenk, Colin; Drobot, Radu

2009-08-01

The need for global and integrated approaches to water resources management, both from the quantitative and the qualitative point of view, has long been recognized. Water quality management is a major issue for sustainable development and a mandatory task with respect to the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive as well as the Swiss legislation. However, data modelling to develop relational databases and subsequent geographic information system (GIS)-based water management instruments are a rather recent and not that widespread trend. The publication of overall guidelines for data modelling along with the EU Water Framework Directive is an important milestone in this area. Improving overall water quality requires better and more easily accessible data, but also the possibility to link data to simulation models. Models are to be used to derive indicators that will in turn support decision-making processes. For this whole chain to become effective at a river basin scale, all its components have to become part of the current daily practice of the local water administration. Any system, tool, or instrument that is not designed to meet, first of all, the fundamental needs of its primary end-users has almost no chance to be successful in the longer term. Although based on a pre-existing water resources management system developed in Switzerland, the methodological approach applied to develop a GIS-based water quality management system adapted to the Romanian context followed a set of well-defined steps: the first and very important step is the assessment of needs (on the basis of a careful analysis of the various activities and missions of the water administration and other relevant stakeholders in water management related issues). On that basis, a conceptual data model (CDM) can be developed, to be later on turned into a physical database. Finally, the specifically requested additional functionalities (i.e. functionalities not provided by classical commercial GIS software), also identified during the assessment of needs, are developed. This methodology was applied, on an experimental basin, in the Ialomita River basin. The results obtained from this action-research project consist of a set of tangible elements, among which (1) a conceptual data model adapted to the Romanian specificities regarding water resources management (needs, data availability, etc.), (2) a related spatial relational database (objects and attributes in tables, links, etc.), that can be used to store the data collected, among others, by the water administration, and later on exploited with geographical information systems, (3) a toolbar (in the ESRI environment) offering the requested data processing and visualizing functionalities. Lessons learned from this whole process can be considered as additional, although less tangible, results. The applied methodology is fairly classical and did not come up with revolutionary results. Actually, the interesting aspects of this work are, on the one hand, and obviously, the fact that it produced tools matching the needs of the local (if not national) water administration (i.e. with a good chance of being effectively used in the day-to-day practice), and, on the other hand, the adaptations and adjustments that were needed both at the staff level and in technical terms. This research showed that a GIS-based water management system needs to be backed by some basic data management tools that form the necessary support upon which a GIS can be deployed. The main lesson gained is that technology transfer has to pay much attention to the differences in existing situations and backgrounds in general, and therefore must be able to show much flexibility. The fact that the original objectives could be adapted to meet the real needs of the local end-users is considered as a major aspect in achieving a successful adaptation and development of water resources management tools. Time needed to setup things in real life was probably the most underestimated aspect in this technology transfer process. The whole material produced (conceptual data model, database and GIS tools) was disseminated among all river basin authorities in Romania on the behalf of the national water administration (ANAR). The fact that further developments, for example, to address water quantity issues more precisely, as envisaged by ANAR, can be seen as an indication that this project succeeded in providing an appropriate input to improve water quality in Romania on the long term.

Response to March 12, 2001 Communities for Land, Air, Water and Species Comments on California's Title V Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document may be of assistance in applying the Title V air operating permit regulations. This document is part of the Title V Policy and Guidance Database available at www2.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/title-v-operating-permit-policy-and-guidance-document-index. Some documents in the database are a scanned or retyped version of a paper photocopy of the original. Although we have taken considerable effort to quality assure the documents, some may contain typographical errors. Contact the office that issued the document if you need a copy of the original.

Updated Palaeotsunami Database for Aotearoa/New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gadsby, M. R.; Goff, J. R.; King, D. N.; Robbins, J.; Duesing, U.; Franz, T.; Borrero, J. C.; Watkins, A.

2016-12-01

The updated configuration, design, and implementation of a national palaeotsunami (pre-historic tsunami) database for Aotearoa/New Zealand (A/NZ) is near completion. This tool enables correlation of events along different stretches of the NZ coastline, provides information on frequency and extent of local, regional and distant-source tsunamis, and delivers detailed information on the science and proxies used to identify the deposits. In A/NZ a plethora of data, scientific research and experience surrounds palaeotsunami deposits, but much of this information has been difficult to locate, has variable reporting standards, and lacked quality assurance. The original database was created by Professor James Goff while working at the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research in A/NZ, but has subsequently been updated during his tenure at the University of New South Wales. The updating and establishment of the national database was funded by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM), led by Environment Canterbury Regional Council, and supported by all 16 regions of A/NZ's local government. Creation of a single database has consolidated a wide range of published and unpublished research contributions from many science providers on palaeotsunamis in A/NZ. The information is now easily accessible and quality assured and allows examination of frequency, extent and correlation of events. This provides authoritative scientific support for coastal-marine planning and risk management. The database will complement the GNS New Zealand Historical Database, and contributes to a heightened public awareness of tsunami by being a "one-stop-shop" for information on past tsunami impacts. There is scope for this to become an international database, enabling the pacific-wide correlation of large events, as well as identifying smaller regional ones. The Australian research community has already expressed an interest, and the database is also compatible with a similar one currently under development in Japan. Expressions of interest in collaborating with the A/NZ team to expand the database are invited from other Pacific nations.

Characterizing worldwide patterns of fluvial geomorphology and hydrology with the Global River Widths from Landsat (GRWL) database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, G. H.; Pavelsky, T.

2015-12-01

The width of a river reflects complex interactions between river water hydraulics and other physical factors like bank erosional resistance, sediment supply, and human-made structures. A broad range of fluvial process studies use spatially distributed river width data to understand and quantify flood hazards, river water flux, or fluvial greenhouse gas efflux. Ongoing technological advances in remote sensing, computing power, and model sophistication are moving river system science towards global-scale studies that aim to understand the Earth's fluvial system as a whole. As such, a global spatially distributed database of river location and width is necessary to better constrain these studies. Here we present the Global River Width from Landsat (GRWL) Database, the first global-scale database of river planform at mean discharge. With a resolution of 30 m, GRWL consists of 58 million measurements of river centerline location, width, and braiding index. In total, GRWL measures 2.1 million km of rivers wider than 30 m, corresponding to 602 thousand km2 of river water surface area, a metric used to calculate global greenhouse gas emissions from rivers to the atmosphere. Using data from GRWL, we find that ~20% of the world's rivers are located above 60ºN where little high quality information exists about rivers of any kind. Further, we find that ~10% of the world's large rivers are multichannel, which may impact the development of the new generation of regional and global hydrodynamic models. We also investigate the spatial controls of global fluvial geomorphology and river hydrology by comparing climate, topography, geology, and human population density to GRWL measurements. The GRWL Database will be made publically available upon publication to facilitate improved understanding of Earth's fluvial system. Finally, GRWL will be used as an a priori data for the joint NASA/CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission, planned for launch in 2020.

Critical heat flux in subcooled flow boiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, David Douglas

The critical heat flux (CHF) phenomenon was investigated for water flow in tubes with particular emphasis on the development of methods for predicting CHF in the subcooled flow boiling regime. The Purdue University Boiling and Two-Phase Flow Laboratory (PU-BTPFL) CHF database for water flow in a uniformly heated tube was compiled from the world literature dating back to 1949 and represents the largest CHF database ever assembled with 32,544 data points from over 100 sources. The superiority of this database was proven via a detailed examination of previous databases. The PU-BTPFL CHF database is an invaluable tool for the development of CHF correlations and mechanistic models that are superior to existing ones developed with smaller, less comprehensive CHF databases. In response to the many inaccurate and inordinately complex correlations, two nondimensional, subcooled CHF correlations were formulated, containing only five adjustable constants and whose unique functional forms were determined without using a statistical analysis but rather using the parametric trends observed in less than 10% of the subcooled CHF data. The correlation based on inlet conditions (diameter, heated length, mass velocity, pressure, inlet quality) was by far the most accurate of all known subcooled CHF correlations, having mean absolute and root-mean-square (RMS) errors of 10.3% and 14.3%, respectively. The outlet (local) conditions correlation was the most accurate correlation based on local CHF conditions (diameter, mass velocity, pressure, outlet quality) and may be used with a nonuniform axial heat flux. Both correlations proved more accurate than a recent CHF look-up table commonly employed in nuclear reactor thermal hydraulic computer codes. An interfacial lift-off, subcooled CHF model was developed from a consideration of the instability of the vapor-liquid interface and the fraction of heat required for liquid-vapor conversion as opposed to that for bulk liquid heating. Severe vapor effusion in an upstream wetting front lifts the vapor-liquid interface off the surface, triggering CHF. Since the model is entirely based on physical observations, it has the potential to accurately predict CHF for other fluids and flow geometries which are beyond the conditions for which it was validated.

Utilizing Depth of Colonization of Seagrasses to Develop ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

US EPA is working with state and local partners in Florida to develop numeric water quality criteria to protect estuaries from nutrient pollution. Similar to other nutrient management programs in Florida, EPA is considering status of seagrass habitats as an indicator of biological integrity, with depth of colonization of seagrasses used to relate potential seagrass extent to water quality requirements (especially water clarity). We developed and validated an automated methodology for evaluating depth of colonization and applied it to generate 228 estimates of seagrass colonization depth for coverage years spanning 67 years (1940-2007) in a total of 100 segments within 19 estuarine and coastal areas in Florida. A validation test showed that two parameters that were computed, Zc50 and ZcMax, approximated the average and 95th percentile depth at the deep-water margin of seagrass beds. Zc50 was estimated separately for continuous seagrass vs. all seagrass. Average values for Zc50 as well as long-term trends were evaluated for the entire state, illustrating a decline on average from early years (e.g., 1940-1953) to a middle period (1982-1999) and a variable degree of recovery since 2000. The largest decrease in Zc50 occurred in Florida panhandle estuaries. Extensive water quality data compiled in the Florida DEP’s Impaired Waters Rule database was evaluated to characterize Secchi depth, CDOM, TSS, and chlorophyll-a in relation to depth of colonization estima

WetDATA Hub: Democratizing Access to Water Data to Accelerate Innovation through Data Visualization, Predictive Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarni, W.

2017-12-01

Water scarcity and poor quality impacts economic development, business growth, and social well-being. Water has become, in our generation, the foremost critical local, regional, and global issue of our time. Despite these needs, there is no water hub or water technology accelerator solely dedicated to water data and tools. There is a need by the public and private sectors for vastly improved data management and visualization tools. This is the WetDATA opportunity - to develop a water data tech hub dedicated to water data acquisition, analytics, and visualization tools for informed policy and business decisions. WetDATA's tools will help incubate disruptive water data technologies and accelerate adoption of current water data solutions. WetDATA is a Colorado-based (501c3), global hub for water data analytics and technology innovation. WetDATA's vision is to be a global leader in water information, data technology innovation and collaborate with other US and global water technology hubs. ROADMAP * Portal (www.wetdata.org) to provide stakeholders with tools/resources to understand related water risks. * The initial activities will provide education, awareness and tools to stakeholders to support the implementation of the Colorado State Water Plan. * Leverage the Western States Water Council Water Data Exchange database. * Development of visualization, predictive analytics and AI tools to engage with stakeholders and provide actionable data and information. TOOLS Education: Provide information on water issues and risks at the local, state, national and global scale. Visualizations: Development of data analytics and visualization tools based upon the 2030 Water Resources Group methodology to support the implementation of the Colorado State Water Plan. Predictive Analytics: Accessing publically available water databases and using machine learning to develop water availability forecasting tools, and time lapse images to support city / urban planning.

Seasonal and spatial variations of source and drinking water quality in small municipal systems of two Canadian regions.

PubMed

Scheili, A; Rodriguez, M J; Sadiq, R

2015-03-01

A one-year sampling program covering twenty-five small municipal systems was carried out in two Canadian regions to improve our understanding of the variability of water quality in small systems from water source to the end of the distribution system (DS). The database obtained was used to develop a global portrait of physical, chemical and microbiological water quality parameters. More precisely, the temporal and the spatial variability of these parameters were investigated. We observed that the levels of natural organic matter (NOM) were variable during different seasons, with maxima in the fall for both provinces. In the regions under study, the highest trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) levels were achieved in warmer seasons (summer, fall), as observed in previous studies involving large systems. Observed THM and HAA levels were three times higher in systems in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador than in the province of Quebec. Taste and odor indicators were detected during the summer and fall, and higher heterotrophic plate count (HPC) levels were associated with lower free chlorine levels. To determine spatial variations, stepwise statistical analysis was used to identify parameters and locations in the DS that act as indicators of drinking water quality. As observed for medium and large systems, free chlorine consumption, THM and HAA levels were dependent on their location in the DS. We also observed that the degradation of HAAs is more important in small systems than in medium or large DS reported in the literature, and this degradation can occur from the beginning of the DS. The results of this research may contribute to providing precious information on drinking water quality to small system operators and pave the way for several opportunities to improve water quality management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and application of the microbial fate and transport module for the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, E.; Park, Y.; Muirhead, R.; Jeong, J.; Pachepsky, Y. A.

2017-12-01

Pathogenic microorganisms in recreational and irrigation waters remain the subject of concern. Water quality models are used to estimate microbial quality of water sources, to evaluate microbial contamination-related risks, to guide the microbial water quality monitoring, and to evaluate the effect of agricultural management on the microbial water quality. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) is the watershed-scale water quality model that includes highly detailed representation of agricultural management. The APEX currently does not have microbial fate and transport simulation capabilities. The objective of this work was to develop the first APEX microbial fate and transport module that could use the APEX conceptual model of manure removal together with recently introduced conceptualizations of the in-stream microbial fate and transport. The module utilizes manure erosion rates found in the APEX. Bacteria survival in soil-manure mixing layer was simulated with the two-stage survival model. Individual survival patterns were simulated for each manure application date. Simulated in-stream microbial fate and transport processes included the reach-scale passive release of bacteria with resuspended bottom sediment during high flow events, the transport of bacteria from bottom sediment due to the hyporheic exchange during low flow periods, the deposition with settling sediment, and the two-stage survival. Default parameter values were available from recently published databases. The APEX model with the newly developed microbial fate and transport module was applied to simulate seven years of monitoring data for the Toenepi watershed in New Zealand. Based on calibration and testing results, the APEX with the microbe module reproduced well the monitored pattern of E. coli concentrations at the watershed outlet. The APEX with the microbial fate and transport module will be utilized for predicting microbial quality of water under various agricultural practices, evaluating monitoring protocols, and supporting the selection of management practices based on regulations that rely on fecal indicator bacteria concentrations.

Statistical analysis of DOE EML QAP data from 1982 to 1998.

PubMed

Mizanur Rahman, G M; Isenhour, T L; Larget, B; Greenlaw, P D

2001-01-01

The historical database from the Environmental Measurements Laboratory's Quality Assessment Program from 1982 to 1998 has been analyzed to determine control limits for future performance evaluations of the different laboratories contracted to the U.S. Department of Energy. Seventy-three radionuclides in four different matrices (air filter, soil, vegetation, and water) were analyzed. The evaluation criteria were established based on a z-score calculation.

8.0 Integrating the effect of terrestrial ecosystem health and land use on the hydrology, habitat, and water quality of the Delaware River and estuary

Treesearch

Peter S. Murdoch; John L. Hom; Yude Pan; Jeffrey M. Fischer

2008-01-01

To complete the collaborative monitoring study of forested landscapes within the DRB, regional perspective on the cumulative effect of different disturbances on overall ecosystem health. This section describes two modeling activities used as integrating tools for the CEMRI database and a validation system that used nested river monitoring stations.

BioData: a national aquatic bioassessment database

USGS Publications Warehouse

MacCoy, Dorene

2011-01-01

BioData is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web-enabled database that for the first time provides for the capture, curation, integration, and delivery of bioassessment data collected by local, regional, and national USGS projects. BioData offers field biologists advanced capabilities for entering, editing, and reviewing the macroinvertebrate, algae, fish, and supporting habitat data from rivers and streams. It offers data archival and curation capabilities that protect and maintain data for the long term. BioData provides the Federal, State, and local governments, as well as the scientific community, resource managers, the private sector, and the public with easy access to tens of thousands of samples collected nationwide from thousands of stream and river sites. BioData also provides the USGS with centralized data storage for delivering data to other systems and applications through automated web services. BioData allows users to combine data sets of known quality from different projects in various locations over time. It provides a nationally aggregated database for users to leverage data from many independent projects that, until now, was not feasible at this scale. For example, from 1991 to 2011, the USGS Idaho Water Science Center collected more than 816 bioassessment samples from 63 sites for the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program and more than 477 samples from 39 sites for a cooperative USGS and State of Idaho Statewide Water Quality Network (fig. 1). Using BioData, 20 years of samples collected for both of these projects can be combined for analysis. BioData delivers all of the data using current taxonomic nomenclature, thus relieving users of the difficult and time-consuming task of harmonizing taxonomy among samples collected during different time periods. Fish data are reported using the Integrated Taxonomic Information Service (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Numbers (TSN's). A simple web-data input interface and self-guided, public data-retrieval web site provides access to bioassessment data. BioData currently accepts data collected using two national protocols: (1) NAWQA and (2) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA). Additional collection protocols are planned for future versions.

Management and assimilation of diverse, distributed watershed datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varadharajan, C.; Faybishenko, B.; Versteeg, R.; Agarwal, D.; Hubbard, S. S.; Hendrix, V.

2016-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA) seeks to determine how perturbations to mountainous watersheds (e.g., floods, drought, early snowmelt) impact the downstream delivery of water, nutrients, carbon, and metals over seasonal to decadal timescales. We are building a software platform that enables integration of diverse and disparate field, laboratory, and simulation datasets, of various types including hydrological, geological, meteorological, geophysical, geochemical, ecological and genomic datasets across a range of spatial and temporal scales within the Rifle floodplain and the East River watershed, Colorado. We are using agile data management and assimilation approaches, to enable web-based integration of heterogeneous, multi-scale dataSensor-based observations of water-level, vadose zone and groundwater temperature, water quality, meteorology as well as biogeochemical analyses of soil and groundwater samples have been curated and archived in federated databases. Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) are performed on priority datasets needed for on-going scientific analyses, and hydrological and geochemical modeling. Automated QA/QC methods are used to identify and flag issues in the datasets. Data integration is achieved via a brokering service that dynamically integrates data from distributed databases via web services, based on user queries. The integrated results are presented to users in a portal that enables intuitive search, interactive visualization and download of integrated datasets. The concepts, approaches and codes being used are shared across various data science components of various large DOE-funded projects such as the Watershed Function SFA, Next Generation Ecosystem Experiment (NGEE) Tropics, Ameriflux/FLUXNET, and Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM), and together contribute towards DOE's cyberinfrastructure for data management and model-data integration.

A database of lotic invertebrate traits for North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vieira, Nicole K.M.; Poff, N. LeRoy; Carlisle, Daren M.; Moulton, Stephen R.; Koski, Marci L.; Kondratieff, Boris C.

2006-01-01

The assessment and study of stream communities may be enhanced if functional characteristics such as life-history, habitat preference, and reproductive strategy were more widely available for specific taxa. Species traits can be used to develop these functional indicators because many traits directly link functional roles of organisms with controlling environmental factors (for example, flow, substratum, temperature). In addition, some functional traits may not be constrained by taxonomy and are thus applicable at multiple spatial scales. Unfortunately, a comprehensive summary of traits for North American invertebrate taxa does not exist. Consequently, the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program in cooperation with Colorado State University compiled a database of traits for North American invertebrates. A total of 14,127 records for over 2,200 species, 1,165 genera, and 249 families have been entered into the database from 967 publications, texts and reports. Quality-assurance procedures indicated error rates of less than 3 percent in the data entry process. Species trait information was most complete for insect taxa. Traits describing resource acquisition and habitat preferences were most frequently reported, whereas those describing physiological tolerances and reproductive biology were the least frequently reported in the literature. The database is not exhaustive of the literature for North American invertebrates and is biased towards aquatic insects, but it represents a first attempt to compile traits in a web-accessible database. This report describes the database and discusses important decisions necessary for identifying ecologically relevant, environmentally sensitive, non-redundant, and statistically tractable traits for use in bioassessment programs.

Use of GIS Technology in Surface Water Monitoring fro Targeted Policy Intervention in a Mountainous Catchment in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giali, Gabriela; Schneider, Petra

2015-04-01

USE OF GIS TECHNOLOGY IN SURFACE WATER MONITORING FOR TARGETED POLICY INTERVENTION IN A MOUNTAINOUS CATCHMENT IN ROMANIA The collection of information on surface water quality is a specific activity that takes place systematically and regularly at regional and national scale, and it is important for the assessment of the water quality as well as for water management policy-making. A data base information management using a Geographical Information System (GIS) forms an important aspect of environmental management, which provides the frame for processing and visualisation of water monitoring data and information as well as for the optimisation of monitoring concepts. This paper presents an architecture performed by a GIS which provides a grafic database and attributes the nesessary measurements of the water quality to different sections of the mountainous catchment of the Suceava river in the north of Romania. With this approach the location of the water sampling points can be optimised in terms of the selection and setting of the river sections. To facilitate the setting of the sampling locations in the various sections of water sampling in the river, the presented GIS system provides to the user different information layers with combined or isolated data according to the objectives. In the frame of the research were created 5 layers of information in the basin under study, underlying the determination of a new information layer, namely the "Hydrografic Network Graded to Hydrographic Sections". Practically, in the studied basin were established 8 sections for water sampling locations, and the water quality characterization was done by the consideration of 15 quality indicators. The GIS system presented in this research is a valuable, useful and adaptable to land use changes data base that can be exploited by any number of combinations, its capabilities justify it's role as "tool to support decision making." With this characteristics it supports the policy-making of the competent bodies to fulfil the requirements of EC Water Framework Directive on catchment scale and it serves as planning tool for hydroengineering and water resources management.

Integration of population census and water point mapping data-A case study of Cambodia, Liberia and Tanzania.

PubMed

Yu, Weiyu; Wardrop, Nicola A; Bain, Robert; Wright, Jim A

2017-07-01

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 has expanded the Millennium Development Goals' focus from improved drinking-water to safely managed water services. This expanded focus to include issues such as water quality requires richer monitoring data and potentially integration of datasets from different sources. Relevant data sets include water point mapping (WPM), the survey of boreholes, wells and other water points, census and household survey data. This study examined inconsistencies between population census and WPM datasets for Cambodia, Liberia and Tanzania, and identified potential barriers to integrating the two datasets to meet monitoring needs. Literatures on numbers of people served per water point were used to convert WPM data to population served by water source type per area and compared with census reports. For Cambodia and Tanzania, discrepancies with census data suggested incomplete WPM coverage. In Liberia, where the data sets were consistent, WPM-derived data on functionality, quantity and quality of drinking water were further combined with census area statistics to generate an enhanced drinking-water access measure for protected wells and springs. The process revealed barriers to integrating census and WPM data, including exclusion of water points not used for drinking by households, matching of census and WPM source types; temporal mismatches between data sources; data quality issues such as missing or implausible data values, and underlying assumptions about population served by different water point technologies. However, integration of these two data sets could be used to identify and rectify gaps in WPM coverage. If WPM databases become more complete and the above barriers are addressed, it could also be used to develop more realistic measures of household drinking-water access for monitoring. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Clear Creek Envirohydrologic Observatory: From Vision Toward Reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Just, C.; Muste, M.; Kruger, A.

2007-12-01

As the vision of a fully-functional Clear Creek Envirohydrologic Observatory comes closer to reality, the opportunities for significant watershed science advances in the near future become more apparent. As a starting point to approaching this vision, we focused on creating a working example of cyberinfrastructure in the hydrologic and environmental sciences. The system will integrate a broad range of technologies and ideas: wired and wireless sensors, low power wireless communication, embedded microcontrollers, commodity cellular networks, the internet, unattended quality assurance, metadata, relational databases, machine-to-machine communication, interfaces to hydrologic and environmental models, feedback, and external inputs. Hardware: An accomplishment to date is "in-house" developed sensor networking electronics to compliment commercially available communications. The first of these networkable sensors are dielectric soil moisture probes that are arrayed and equipped with wireless connectivity for communications. Commercially available data logging and telemetry-enabled systems deployed at the Clear Creek testbed include a Campbell Scientific CR1000 datalogger, a Redwing 100 cellular modem, a YA Series yagi antenna, a NP12 rechargeable battery, and a BP SX20U solar panel. This networking equipment has been coupled with Hach DS5X water quality sondes, DTS-12 turbidity probes and MicroLAB nutrient analyzers. Software: Our existing data model is an Arc Hydro-based geodatabase customized with applications for extraction and population of the database with third party data. The following third party data are acquired automatically and in real time into the Arc Hydro customized database: 1) geophysical data: 10m DEM and soil grids, soils; 2) land use/land cover data; and 3) eco-hydrological: radar-based rainfall estimates, stream gage, streamlines, and water quality data. A new processing software for data analysis of Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) measurements has been finalized. The software package provides mean flow field and turbulence characteristics obtained by operating the ADCP at fixed points or using the moving-boat approach. Current Work: The current development work is focused on extracting and populating the Clear Creek database with in-situ measurements acquired and transmitted in real time with sensors deployed in the Clear Creek watershed.

Upstream watershed condition predicts rural children's health across 35 developing countries.

PubMed

Herrera, Diego; Ellis, Alicia; Fisher, Brendan; Golden, Christopher D; Johnson, Kiersten; Mulligan, Mark; Pfaff, Alexander; Treuer, Timothy; Ricketts, Taylor H

2017-10-09

Diarrheal disease (DD) due to contaminated water is a major cause of child mortality globally. Forests and wetlands can provide ecosystem services that help maintain water quality. To understand the connections between land cover and childhood DD, we compiled a database of 293,362 children in 35 countries with information on health, socioeconomic factors, climate, and watershed condition. Using hierarchical models, here we find that higher upstream tree cover is associated with lower probability of DD downstream. This effect is significant for rural households but not for urban households, suggesting differing dependence on watershed conditions. In rural areas, the effect of a 30% increase in upstream tree cover is similar to the effect of improved sanitation, but smaller than the effect of improved water source, wealth or education. We conclude that maintaining natural capital within watersheds can be an important public health investment, especially for populations with low levels of built capital.Globally diarrheal disease through contaminated water sources is a major cause of child mortality. Here, the authors compile a database of 293,362 children in 35 countries and find that upstream tree cover is linked to a lower probability of diarrheal disease and that increasing tree cover may lower mortality.

Update to the Ground-Water Withdrawals Database for the Death Valley Regional Ground-Water Flow System, Nevada and California, 1913-2003

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moreo, Michael T.; Justet, Leigh

2008-01-01

Ground-water withdrawal estimates from 1913 through 2003 for the Death Valley regional ground-water flow system are compiled in an electronic database to support a regional, three-dimensional, transient ground-water flow model. This database updates a previously published database that compiled estimates of ground-water withdrawals for 1913-1998. The same methodology is used to construct each database. Primary differences between the 2 databases are an additional 5 years of ground-water withdrawal data, well locations in the updated database are restricted to Death Valley regional ground-water flow system model boundary, and application rates are from 0 to 1.5 feet per year lower than original estimates. The lower application rates result from revised estimates of crop consumptive use, which are based on updated estimates of potential evapotranspiration. In 2003, about 55,700 acre-feet of ground water was pumped in the DVRFS, of which 69 percent was used for irrigation, 13 percent for domestic, and 18 percent for public supply, commercial, and mining activities.

[The importance of data].

PubMed

Planas, M; Rodríguez, T; Lecha, M

2004-01-01

Decisions have to be made about what data on patient characteristics and processes and outcome need to be collected, and standard definitions of these data items need to be developed to identify data quality concerns as promptly as possible and to establish ways to improve data quality. The usefulness of any clinical database depends strongly on the quality of the collected data. If the data quality is poor, the results of studies using the database might be biased and unreliable. Furthermore, if the quality of the database has not been verified, the results might be given little credence, especially if they are unwelcome or unexpected. To assure the quality of clinical database is essential the clear definition of the uses to which the database is going to be put; the database should to be developed that is comprehensive in terms of its usefulness but limited in its size.

Cross-Sectional And Longitudinal Uncertainty Propagation In Drinking Water Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesfamichael, A. A.; Jagath, K. J.

2004-12-01

Pesticide residues in drinking water can vary significantly from day to day. However, drinking water quality monitoring performed under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) at most community water systems (CWSs) is typically limited to four data points per year over a few years. Due to limited sampling, likely maximum residues may be underestimated in risk assessment. In this work, a statistical methodology is proposed to study the cross-sectional and longitudinal uncertainties in observed samples and their propagated effect in risk estimates. The methodology will be demonstrated using data from 16 CWSs across the US that have three independent databases of atrazine residue to estimate the uncertainty of risk in infants and children. The results showed that in 85% of the CWSs, chronic risks predicted with the proposed approach may be two- to four-folds higher than that predicted with the current approach, while intermediate risks may be two- to three-folds higher in 50% of the CWSs. In 12% of the CWSs, however, the proposed methodology showed a lower intermediate risk. A closed-form solution of propagated uncertainty will be developed to calculate the number of years (seasons) of water quality data and sampling frequency needed to reduce the uncertainty in risk estimates. In general, this methodology provided good insight into the importance of addressing uncertainty of observed water quality data and the need to predict likely maximum residues in risk assessment by considering propagation of uncertainties.

A Quality System Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snell, William H.; Turner, Anne M.; Gifford, Luther; Stites, William

2010-01-01

A quality system database (QSD), and software to administer the database, were developed to support recording of administrative nonconformance activities that involve requirements for documentation of corrective and/or preventive actions, which can include ISO 9000 internal quality audits and customer complaints.

Geostatistical analysis of effective vertical hydraulic conductivity and presence of confining layers in the Shallow Glacial Drift Aquifer, Oakland County, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bissell, E.G.; Aichele, Stephen S.

2004-01-01

About 400,000 residents of Oakland County, Mich., rely on ground water for their primary drinking-water supply. More than 90 percent of these residents draw ground water from the shallow glacial drift aquifer. Understanding the vertical hydraulic conductivity of the shallow glacial drift aquifer is important both in identifying areas of ground-water recharge and in evaluating susceptibility to contamination. The geologic environment throughout much of the county, however, is poorly understood and heterogeneous, making conventional aquifer mapping techniques difficult. Geostatistical procedures are therefore used to describe the effective vertical hydraulic conductivity of the top 50 ft of the glacial deposits and to predict the probability of finding a potentially protective confining layer at a given location. The results presented synthesize the available well-log data; however, only about 40 percent of the explainable variation in the dataset is accounted for, making the results more qualitative than quantitative. Most of the variation in the effective vertical hydraulic conductivity cannot be explained with the well-log data currently available (as of 2004). Although the geologic environment is heterogeneous, the quality-assurance process indicated that more than half of the wells in the county’s Wellkey database (statewide database for monitoring drinking-water wells) had inconsistent identifications of lithology.

Usage and administration manual for a geodatabase compendium of water-resources data-Rio Grande Basin from the Rio Arriba-Sandoval County line, New Mexico, to Presidio, Texas, 1889-2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burley, Thomas E.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, developed a geodatabase compendium (hereinafter referred to as the 'geodatabase') of available water-resources data for the reach of the Rio Grande from Rio Arriba-Sandoval County line, New Mexico, to Presidio, Texas. Since 1889, a wealth of water-resources data has been collected in the Rio Grande Basin from Rio Arriba-Sandoval County line, New Mexico, to Presidio, Texas, for a variety of purposes. Collecting agencies, researchers, and organizations have included the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, International Boundary and Water Commission, State agencies, irrigation districts, municipal water utilities, universities, and other entities. About 1,750 data records were recently (2010) evaluated to enhance their usability by compiling them into a single geospatial relational database (geodatabase). This report is intended as a user's manual and administration guide for the geodatabase. All data available, including water quality, water level, and discharge data (both instantaneous and daily) from January 1, 1889, through December 17, 2009, were compiled for the study area. A flexible and efficient geodatabase design was used, enhancing the ability of the geodatabase to handle data from diverse sources and helping to ensure sustainability of the geodatabase with long-term maintenance. Geodatabase tables include daily data values, site locations and information, sample event information, and parameters, as well as data sources and collecting agencies. The end products of this effort are a comprehensive water-resources geodatabase that enables the visualization of primary sampling sites for surface discharges, groundwater elevations, and water-quality and associated data for the study area. In addition, repeatable data processing scripts, Structured Query Language queries for loading prepared data sources, and a detailed process for refreshing all data in the compendium have been developed. The geodatabase functionality allows users to explore spatial characteristics of the data, conduct spatial analyses, and pose questions to the geodatabase in the form of queries. Users can also customize and extend the geodatabase, combine it with other databases, or use the geodatabase design for other water-resources applications.

The impact of database quality on keystroke dynamics authentication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panasiuk, Piotr; Rybnik, Mariusz; Saeed, Khalid; Rogowski, Marcin

2016-06-01

This paper concerns keystroke dynamics, also partially in the context of touchscreen devices. The authors concentrate on the impact of database quality and propose their algorithm to test database quality issues. The algorithm is used on their own as well as the well-known . Following specific problems were researched: classification accuracy, development of user typing proficiency, time precision during sample acquisition, representativeness of training set, sample length.

Measurements of the dissolved inorganic carbon system and associated biogeochemical parameters in the Canadian Arctic, 1974-2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giesbrecht, K. E.; Miller, L. A.; Davelaar, M.; Zimmermann, S.; Carmack, E.; Johnson, W. K.; Macdonald, R. W.; McLaughlin, F.; Mucci, A.; Williams, W. J.; Wong, C. S.; Yamamoto-Kawai, M.

2014-03-01

We have assembled and conducted primary quality control on previously publicly unavailable water column measurements of the dissolved inorganic carbon system and associated biogeochemical parameters (oxygen, nutrients, etc.) made on 26 cruises in the subarctic and Arctic regions dating back to 1974. The measurements are primarily from the western side of the Canadian Arctic, but also include data that cover an area ranging from the North Pacific to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The data were subjected to primary quality control (QC) to identify outliers and obvious errors. This data set incorporates over four thousand individual measurements of total inorganic carbon (TIC), alkalinity, and pH from the Canadian Arctic over a period of more than 30 years and provides an opportunity to increase our understanding of temporal changes in the inorganic carbon system in northern waters and the Arctic Ocean. The data set is available for download on the CDIAC (Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center) website: http://cdiac.ornl.gov/ftp/oceans/IOS_Arctic_Database/ (doi:10.3334/CDIAC/OTG.IOS_ARCT_CARBN).

Water resources of the Black Sea Basin at high spatial and temporal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouholahnejad, Elham; Abbaspour, Karim C.; Srinivasan, Raghvan; Bacu, Victor; Lehmann, Anthony

2014-07-01

The pressure on water resources, deteriorating water quality, and uncertainties associated with the climate change create an environment of conflict in large and complex river system. The Black Sea Basin (BSB), in particular, suffers from ecological unsustainability and inadequate resource management leading to severe environmental, social, and economical problems. To better tackle the future challenges, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model the hydrology of the BSB coupling water quantity, water quality, and crop yield components. The hydrological model of the BSB was calibrated and validated considering sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. River discharges, nitrate loads, and crop yields were used to calibrate the model. Employing grid technology improved calibration computation time by more than an order of magnitude. We calculated components of water resources such as river discharge, infiltration, aquifer recharge, soil moisture, and actual and potential evapotranspiration. Furthermore, available water resources were calculated at subbasin spatial and monthly temporal levels. Within this framework, a comprehensive database of the BSB was created to fill the existing gaps in water resources data in the region. In this paper, we discuss the challenges of building a large-scale model in fine spatial and temporal detail. This study provides the basis for further research on the impacts of climate and land use change on water resources in the BSB.

Using regression methods to estimate stream phosphorus loads at the Illinois River, Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haggard, B.E.; Soerens, T.S.; Green, W.R.; Richards, R.P.

2003-01-01

The development of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) requires evaluating existing constituent loads in streams. Accurate estimates of constituent loads are needed to calibrate watershed and reservoir models for TMDL development. The best approach to estimate constituent loads is high frequency sampling, particularly during storm events, and mass integration of constituents passing a point in a stream. Most often, resources are limited and discrete water quality samples are collected on fixed intervals and sometimes supplemented with directed sampling during storm events. When resources are limited, mass integration is not an accurate means to determine constituent loads and other load estimation techniques such as regression models are used. The objective of this work was to determine a minimum number of water-quality samples needed to provide constituent concentration data adequate to estimate constituent loads at a large stream. Twenty sets of water quality samples with and without supplemental storm samples were randomly selected at various fixed intervals from a database at the Illinois River, northwest Arkansas. The random sets were used to estimate total phosphorus (TP) loads using regression models. The regression-based annual TP loads were compared to the integrated annual TP load estimated using all the data. At a minimum, monthly sampling plus supplemental storm samples (six samples per year) was needed to produce a root mean square error of less than 15%. Water quality samples should be collected at least semi-monthly (every 15 days) in studies less than two years if seasonal time factors are to be used in the regression models. Annual TP loads estimated from independently collected discrete water quality samples further demonstrated the utility of using regression models to estimate annual TP loads in this stream system.

Development of a Water Infrastructure Knowledge Database

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents a methodology for developing a national database, as applied to water infrastructure systems, which includes both drinking water and wastewater. The database is branded as "WATERiD" and can be accessed at www.waterid.org. Water infrastructure in the U.S. is ag...

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay groundwater basins, 2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulongoski, Justin T.; Belitz, Kenneth; Landon, Matthew K.; Farrar, Christopher

2010-01-01

Groundwater quality in the approximately 1,000-square-mile (2,590-square-kilometer) North San Francisco Bay study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in northern California in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The GAMA North San Francisco Bay study was designed to provide a spatially unbiased assessment of untreated groundwater quality in the primary aquifer systems. The assessment is based on water-quality and ancillary data collected by the USGS from 89 wells in 2004 and water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifer systems (hereinafter referred to as primary aquifers) were defined by the depth interval of the wells listed in the CDPH database for the North San Francisco Bay study unit. The quality of groundwater in shallower or deeper water-bearing zones may differ from that in the primary aquifers; shallower groundwater may be more vulnerable to surficial contamination. The first component of this study, the status of the current quality of the groundwater resource, was assessed by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOC), pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements. This status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources within the primary aquifers of the North San Francisco Bay study unit, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. Relative-concentrations (sample concentration divided by the health- or aesthetic-based benchmark concentration) were used for evaluating groundwater quality for those constituents that have Federal and (or) California benchmarks. A relative-concentration greater than (>) 1.0 indicates a concentration above a benchmark, and less than or equal to (=) 1.0 indicates a concentration equal to or below a benchmark. Relative-concentrations of organic and special interest constituents were classified as ?high? (relative-concentration > 1.0), ?moderate? (0.1 1.0), ?moderate? (0.5 < relative-concentration = 1.0), or ?low? (relative-concentration = 0.5). Aquifer-scale proportion was used as a metric for evaluating regional-scale groundwater quality. High aquifer-scale proportion is defined as the percentage of the primary aquifers that have a relative-concentration greater than 1.0; proportion is calculated on an areal rather than a volumetric basis. Moderate and low aquifer-scale proportions were defined as the percentage of the primary aquifers that have moderate and low relative-concentrations, respectively. Two statistical approaches-grid-based and spatially-weighted-were used to evaluate aquifer-scale proportion for individual constituents and classes of constituents. Grid-based and spatially-weighted estimates were comparable in the North San Francisco Bay study unit (90-percent confidence intervals). For inorganic constituents with human-health benchmarks, relative-concentrations were high in 14.0 percent of the primary aquifers, moderate in 35.8 percent, and low in 50.2 percent. The high aquifer-scale proportion of inorganic constituents primarily reflected high aquifer-scale proportions of arsenic (10.0 percent), boron (4.1 percent), and lead (1.6 percent). In contrast, relative-concentrations of organic constituents (one or more) were high in 1.4 percent, moderate in 4.9 percent, and low in 93.7 percent (not detected in 64.8 percent) of the primary aquifers. The high aquifer-scale proport

A precipitation database of station-based daily and monthly measurements for West Africa: Overview, quality control and harmonization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bliefernicht, Jan; Waongo, Moussa; Annor, Thompson; Laux, Patrick; Lorenz, Manuel; Salack, Seyni; Kunstmann, Harald

2017-04-01

West Africa is a data sparse region. High quality and long-term precipitation data are often not readily available for applications in hydrology, agriculture, meteorology and other needs. To close this gap, we use multiple data sources to develop a precipitation database with long-term daily and monthly time series. This database was compiled from 16 archives including global databases e.g. from the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN), databases from research projects (e.g. the AMMA database) and databases of the national meteorological services of some West African countries. The collection consists of more than 2000 precipitation gauges with measurements dating from 1850 to 2015. Due to erroneous measurements (e.g. temporal offsets, unit conversion errors), missing values and inconsistent meta-data, the merging of this precipitation dataset is not straightforward and requires a thorough quality control and harmonization. To this end, we developed geostatistical-based algorithms for quality control of individual databases and harmonization to a joint database. The algorithms are based on a pairwise comparison of the correspondence of precipitation time series in dependence to the distance between stations. They were tested for precipitation time series from gages located in a rectangular domain covering Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin and Togo. This harmonized and quality controlled precipitation database was recently used for several applications such as the validation of a high resolution regional climate model and the bias correction of precipitation projections provided the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX). In this presentation, we will give an overview of the novel daily and monthly precipitation database and the algorithms used for quality control and harmonization. We will also highlight the quality of global and regional archives (e.g. GHCN, GSOD, AMMA database) in comparison to the precipitation databases provided by the national meteorological services.

Water quality assessment of the San Joaquin--Tulare basins, California; analysis of available data on nutrients and suspended sediment in surface water, 1972-1990

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kratzer, Charles R.; Shelton, Jennifer L.

1998-01-01

Nutrients and suspended sediment in surface water of the San Joaquin-Tulare basins in California were assessed using 1972-1990 data from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's STOrage and RETrieval database. Loads of nutrients and suspended sediment were calculated at several sites and the contributions from point and nonpoint sources were estimated. Trends in nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations were evaluated at several sites, especially at the basin outlet on the San Joaquin River. Comparisons of nutrient and suspended sediment concentrations were made among three environmental settings: the San Joaquin Valley--west side, the San Joaquin Valley--east side, and the Sierra Nevada.

Classifying the health of Connecticut streams using benthic macroinvertebrates with implications for water management.

PubMed

Bellucci, Christopher J; Becker, Mary E; Beauchene, Mike; Dunbar, Lee

2013-06-01

Bioassessments have formed the foundation of many water quality monitoring programs throughout the United States. Like many state water quality programs, Connecticut has developed a relational database containing information about species richness, species composition, relative abundance, and feeding relationships among macroinvertebrates present in stream and river systems. Geographic Information Systems can provide estimates of landscape condition and watershed characteristics and when combined with measurements of stream biology, provide a useful visual display of information that is useful in a management context. The objective of our study was to estimate the stream health for all wadeable stream kilometers in Connecticut using a combination of macroinvertebrate metrics and landscape variables. We developed and evaluated models using an information theoretic approach to predict stream health as measured by macroinvertebrate multimetric index (MMI) and identified the best fitting model as a three variable model, including percent impervious land cover, a wetlands metric, and catchment slope that best fit the MMI scores (adj-R (2) = 0.56, SE = 11.73). We then provide examples of how modeling can augment existing programs to support water management policies under the Federal Clean Water Act such as stream assessments and anti-degradation.

Watershed Data Management (WDM) Database for Salt Creek Streamflow Simulation, DuPage County, Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murphy, Elizabeth A.; Ishii, Audrey L.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with DuPage County Department of Engineering, Stormwater Management Division, maintains a database of hourly meteorologic and hydrologic data for use in a near real-time streamflow simulation system, which assists in the management and operation of reservoirs and other flood-control structures in the Salt Creek watershed in DuPage County, Illinois. The majority of the precipitation data are collected from a tipping-bucket rain-gage network located in and near DuPage County. The other meteorologic data (wind speed, solar radiation, air temperature, and dewpoint temperature) are collected at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois. Potential evapotranspiration is computed from the meteorologic data. The hydrologic data (discharge and stage) are collected at USGS streamflow-gaging stations in DuPage County. These data are stored in a Watershed Data Management (WDM) database. This report describes a version of the WDM database that was quality-assured and quality-controlled annually to ensure the datasets were complete and accurate. This version of the WDM database contains data from January 1, 1997, through September 30, 2004, and is named SEP04.WDM. This report provides a record of time periods of poor data for each precipitation dataset and describes methods used to estimate the data for the periods when data were missing, flawed, or snowfall-affected. The precipitation dataset data-filling process was changed in 2001, and both processes are described. The other meteorologic and hydrologic datasets in the database are fully described in the annual U.S. Geological Survey Water Data Report for Illinois and, therefore, are described in less detail than the precipitation datasets in this report.

How innovative ICT tools can enhance understanding of interactions between societal, hydrological and environmental changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foglia, L.; Borsi, I.; Cannata, M.; De Filippis, G.; Criollo, R.; Mehl, S.; Rossetto, R.

2017-12-01

The interaction of environmental, physical, and socioeconomic processes alter and are altered by water and by how human can affect water use. For example, a warming climate increases the chance of warm temperatures and lack of precipitation, and when combined with growing population requires understanding of impact on water resources and on all the processes related to the water budget including evapotranspiration. On this foundation, humans add engineered and social systems to control, manage, utilize, and alter our water environment for a variety of uses and through a variety of organizational and individual decisions. Some engineered systems have mixed consequences, for example groundwater helped sustain agriculture during drought periods, but then groundwater levels critically decrease with no chances to recover in some parts of the world. Innovative ICT tools have been demonstrated as a helpful tool for enhancing human understanding of the effect that societal, economical, and policy-based decisions have on the water resources and on the environment in general. Here we apply the new FREEWAT platform to demonstrate the importance of developing ad-hoc database and hydrological models to simulate different scenarios using a participatory approach. Stakeholders have been involved in data collection, database design and model development during the entire project period and discussion between researcher and stakeholders have been fostered during Focus Groups and workshops organized in many countries in Europe and beyond (including case studies in Ukraine and Africa). FREEWAT is an open source and public domain GIS integrated modelling environment for simulation of water quantity and quality in surface water and groundwater with an integrated water management and planning module. FREEWAT aims at promoting water resource management by simplifying the application of the Water Framework Directive and related Directives. Fourteen case studies have been considered and database and models have been developed and discussed with the local stakeholders. Here a summary of the drawbacks and successes of this approach will be presented using careful analysis of the case study implemented within the project.

A systematic review to determine the most effective interventions to increase water intake.

PubMed

Chua, Teresa X W; Prasad, Neha S; Rangan, Gopala K; Allman-Farinelli, Margaret; Rangan, Anna M

2016-10-01

Maintaining adequate fluid intake has been hypothesized to be beneficial for the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review to determine the most effective interventions to increase water intake. Six electronic databases were searched from 1910 until March 2015 in the English language. Additional sources through hand-searches, expert recommendations and reviews were checked. Intervention studies increasing water intake in adults through non-pharmacological methods were eligible for inclusion. The quality of included studies was assessed. A total of 950 studies were found of which 16 met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies were randomized controlled trials, and seven studies spanned 6 months or longer. The study populations varied and included patients with recurrent nephrolithiasis (n = 6), autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (n = 3), CKD (n = 1), urinary tract infection (n = 1) and other miscellaneous conditions (n = 5). The quality of the studies was mostly neutral (63%) with no studies of high quality. Interventions ranged from instruction alone to self-monitoring tools, providing water bottles and counselling and education. Most interventions successfully increased water intake with 13 studies reporting an increase of at least 500 mL. The most effective strategies were instruction and self-monitoring using urine dipstick or 24 h urine volume. All interventions carried out in the studies succeeded in increasing water intake, with none leading to decreases in intake, and these could be implemented in potential clinical trials in CKD. However, more high quality long-term intervention studies are required to further validate findings. © 2015 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.

Relative Linkages of Stream Dissolved Oxygen with the Hydroclimatic and Biogeochemical Drivers across the Gulf Coast of U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebreslase, A. K.; Abdul-Aziz, O. I.

2017-12-01

Dynamics of coastal stream water quality is influenced by a multitude of interacting environmental drivers. A systematic data analytics approach was employed to determine the relative linkages of stream dissolved oxygen (DO) with the hydroclimatic and biogeochemical variables across the Gulf Coast of U.S.A. Multivariate pattern recognition techniques of PCA and FA, alongside Pearson's correlation matrix, were utilized to examine the interrelation of variables at 36 water quality monitoring stations from USGS NWIS and EPA STORET databases. Power-law based partial least square regression models with a bootstrap Monte Carlo procedure (1000 iterations) were developed to estimate the relative linkages of dissolved oxygen with the hydroclimatic and biogeochemical variables by appropriately resolving multicollinearity (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency = 0.58-0.94). Based on the dominant drivers, stations were divided into four environmental regimes. Water temperature was the dominant driver of DO in the majority of streams, representing most the northern part of Gulf Coast states. However, streams in the southern part of Texas and Florida showed a dominant pH control on stream DO. Further, streams representing the transition zone of the two environmental regimes showed notable controls of multiple drivers (i.e., water temperature, stream flow, and specific conductance) on the stream DO. The data analytics research provided profound insight to understand the dynamics of stream DO with the hydroclimatic and biogeochemical variables. The knowledge can help water quality managers in formulating plans for effective stream water quality and watershed management in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Keywords Data analytics, coastal streams, relative linkages, dissolved oxygen, environmental regimes, Gulf Coast, United States.

CVD2014-A Database for Evaluating No-Reference Video Quality Assessment Algorithms.

PubMed

Nuutinen, Mikko; Virtanen, Toni; Vaahteranoksa, Mikko; Vuori, Tero; Oittinen, Pirkko; Hakkinen, Jukka

2016-07-01

In this paper, we present a new video database: CVD2014-Camera Video Database. In contrast to previous video databases, this database uses real cameras rather than introducing distortions via post-processing, which results in a complex distortion space in regard to the video acquisition process. CVD2014 contains a total of 234 videos that are recorded using 78 different cameras. Moreover, this database contains the observer-specific quality evaluation scores rather than only providing mean opinion scores. We have also collected open-ended quality descriptions that are provided by the observers. These descriptions were used to define the quality dimensions for the videos in CVD2014. The dimensions included sharpness, graininess, color balance, darkness, and jerkiness. At the end of this paper, a performance study of image and video quality algorithms for predicting the subjective video quality is reported. For this performance study, we proposed a new performance measure that accounts for observer variance. The performance study revealed that there is room for improvement regarding the video quality assessment algorithms. The CVD2014 video database has been made publicly available for the research community. All video sequences and corresponding subjective ratings can be obtained from the CVD2014 project page (http://www.helsinki.fi/psychology/groups/visualcognition/).

Geostatistical Characteristic of Space -Time Variation in Underground Water Selected Quality Parameters in Klodzko Water Intake Area (SW Part of Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namysłowska-Wilczyńska, Barbara

2016-04-01

This paper presents selected results of research connected with the development of a (3D) geostatistical hydrogeochemical model of the Klodzko Drainage Basin, dedicated to the spatial and time variation in the selected quality parameters of underground water in the Klodzko water intake area (SW part of Poland). The research covers the period 2011÷2012. Spatial analyses of the variation in various quality parameters, i.e, contents of: ammonium ion [gNH4+/m3], NO3- (nitrate ion) [gNO3/m3], PO4-3 (phosphate ion) [gPO4-3/m3], total organic carbon C (TOC) [gC/m3], pH redox potential and temperature C [degrees], were carried out on the basis of the chemical determinations of the quality parameters of underground water samples taken from the wells in the water intake area. Spatial and time variation in the quality parameters was analyzed on the basis of archival data (period 1977÷1999) for 22 (pump and siphon) wells with a depth ranging from 9.5 to 38.0 m b.g.l., later data obtained (November 2011) from tests of water taken from 14 existing wells. The wells were built in the years 1954÷1998. The water abstraction depth (difference between the terrain elevation and the dynamic water table level) is ranged from 276÷286 m a.s.l., with an average of 282.05 m a.s.l. Dynamic water table level is contained between 6.22 m÷16.44 m b.g.l., with a mean value of 9.64 m b.g.l. The latest data (January 2012) acquired from 3 new piezometers, with a depth of 9÷10m, which were made in other locations in the relevant area. Thematic databases, containing original data on coordinates X, Y (latitude, longitude) and Z (terrain elevation and time - years) and on regionalized variables, i.e. the underground water quality parameters in the Klodzko water intake area determined for different analytical configurations (22 wells, 14 wells, 14 wells + 3 piezometers), were created. Both archival data (acquired in the years 1977÷1999) and the latest data (collected in 2011÷2012) were analyzed. These data were subjected to spatial analyses using statistical and geostatistical methods. The evaluation of basic statistics of the investigated quality parameters, including their histograms of distributions, scatter diagrams between these parameters and also correlation coefficients r were presented in this article. The directional semivariogram function and the ordinary (block) kriging procedure were used to build the 3D geostatistical model. The geostatistical parameters of the theoretical models of directional semivariograms of the studied water quality parameters, calculated along the time interval and along the wells depth (taking into account the terrain elevation), were used in the ordinary (block) kriging estimation. The obtained results of estimation, i.e. block diagrams allowed to determine the levels of increased values Z* of studied underground water quality parameters. Analysis of the variability in the selected quality parameters of underground water for an analyzed area in Klodzko water intake was enriched by referring to the results of geostatistical studies carried out for underground water quality parameters and also for a treated water and in Klodzko water supply system (iron Fe, manganese Mn, ammonium ion NH4+ contents), discussed in earlier works. Spatial and time variation in the latter-mentioned parameters was analysed on the basis of the data (2007÷2011, 2008÷2011). Generally, the behaviour of the underground water quality parameters has been found to vary in space and time. Thanks to the spatial analyses of the variation in the quality parameters in the Kłodzko underground water intake area some regularities (trends) in the variation in water quality have been identified.

Measurement and modeling of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perkins, Kim S.; Elango, Lakshmanan

2011-01-01

The unsaturated zone plays an extremely important hydrologic role that influences water quality and quantity, ecosystem function and health, the connection between atmospheric and terrestrial processes, nutrient cycling, soil development, and natural hazards such as flooding and landslides. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity is one of the main properties considered to govern flow; however it is very difficult to measure accurately. Knowledge of the highly nonlinear relationship between unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K) and volumetric water content is required for widely-used models of water flow and solute transport processes in the unsaturated zone. Measurement of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of sediments is costly and time consuming, therefore use of models that estimate this property from more easily measured bulk-physical properties is common. In hydrologic studies, calculations based on property-transfer models informed by hydraulic property databases are often used in lieu of measured data from the site of interest. Reliance on database-informed predicted values with the use of neural networks has become increasingly common. Hydraulic properties predicted using databases may be adequate in some applications, but not others. This chapter will discuss, by way of examples, various techniques used to measure and model hydraulic conductivity as a function of water content, K. The parameters that describe the K curve obtained by different methods are used directly in Richards’ equation-based numerical models, which have some degree of sensitivity to those parameters. This chapter will explore the complications of using laboratory measured or estimated properties for field scale investigations to shed light on how adequately the processes are represented. Additionally, some more recent concepts for representing unsaturated-zone flow processes will be discussed.

Water Data Report: An Annotated Bibliography

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

Dunham Whitehead, Camilla; Melody, Moya

2007-05-01

This report and its accompanying Microsoft Excel workbooksummarize water data we found to support efforts of the EnvironmentalProtection Agency s WaterSense program. WaterSense aims to extend theoperating life of water and wastewater treatment facilities and prolongthe availability of water resourcesby reducing residential andcommercial water consumption through the voluntary replacement ofinefficient water-using products with more efficient ones. WaterSense hasan immediate need for water consumption data categorized by sector and,for the residential sector, per capita data available by region. Thisinformation will assist policy makers, water and wastewater utilityplanners, and others in defining and refining program possibilities.Future data needs concern water supply, wastewatermore » flow volumes, waterquality, and watersheds. This report focuses primarily on the immediateneed for data regarding water consumption and product end-use. We found avariety of data on water consumption at the national, state, andmunicipal levels. We also found several databases related towater-consuming products. Most of the data are available in electronicform on the Web pages of the data-collecting organizations. In addition,we found national, state, and local data on water supply, wastewater,water quality, and watersheds.« less

Retrospective ecotoxicological data and current information needs for terrestrial vertebrates residing in coastal habitat of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rattner, B.A.; Eisenreich, K.M.; Golden, N.H.; McKernan, M.A.; Hothem, R.L.; Custer, T.W.

2005-01-01

The Contaminant Exposure and Effects—Terrestrial Vertebrates (CEE-TV) database was developed to conduct simple searches for ecotoxicological information, examine exposure trends, and identify significant data gaps. The CEE-TV database contains 16,696 data records on free-ranging amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals residing in estuarine and coastal habitats of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Great Lakes. Information in the database was derived from over 1800 source documents, representing 483 unique species (about 252,000 individuals), with sample collection dates spanning from 1884 to 2003. The majority of the records contain exposure data (generally contaminant concentrations) on a limited number (n = 209) of chlorinated and brominated compounds, cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides, economic poisons, metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons, whereas only 9.3% of the records contain biomarker or bioindicator effects data. Temporal examination of exposure data provides evidence of declining concentrations of certain organochlorine pesticides in some avian species (e.g., ospreys, Pandion haliaetus), and an apparent increase in the detection and possibly the incidence of avian die-offs related to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides. To identify spatial data gaps, 11,360 database records with specific sampling locations were combined with the boundaries of coastal watersheds, and National Wildlife Refuge and National Park units. Terrestrial vertebrate ecotoxicological data were lacking in 41.9% of 464 coastal watersheds in the continental United States. Recent (1990–2003) terrestrial vertebrate contaminant exposure or effects data were available for only about half of the National Wildlife Refuge and National Park units in the geographic area encompassed by the database. When these data gaps were overlaid on watersheds exhibiting serious water quality problems and/or high vulnerability to pollution, 72 coastal watersheds, and 76 National Wildlife Refuge and 59 National Park units in the continental United States were found to lack recent terrestrial vertebrate ecotoxicology data. Delineation of data gaps in watersheds of concern can help prioritize monitoring in areas with impaired water quality and emphasize the need for comprehensive monitoring to gain a more complete understanding of coastal ecosystem health.

Atlantic Ocean CARINA data: overview and salinity adjustments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanhua, T.; Steinfeldt, R.; Key, R. M.; Brown, P.; Gruber, N.; Wanninkhof, R.; Perez, F.; Körtzinger, A.; Velo, A.; Schuster, U.; van Heuven, S.; Bullister, J. L.; Stendardo, I.; Hoppema, M.; Olsen, A.; Kozyr, A.; Pierrot, D.; Schirnick, C.; Wallace, D. W. R.

2009-08-01

Water column data of carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from 188 previously non-publicly available cruise data sets in the Arctic, Atlantic and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged into a new database: CARINA (CARbon IN the Atlantic). The data have gone through rigorous quality control procedures to assure the highest possible quality and consistency. The data for the pertinent parameters in the CARINA database were objectively examined in order to quantify systematic differences in the reported values, i.e. secondary quality control. Systematic biases found in the data have been corrected in the data products, i.e. three merged data files with measured, calculated and interpolated data for each of the three CARINA regions, i.e. Arctic, Atlantic and Southern Ocean. Ninety-eight of the cruises in the CARINA database were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean, defined here as the region south of the Greenland-Iceland-Scotland Ridge and north of about 30° S. Here we present an overview of the Atlantic Ocean synthesis of the CARINA data and the adjustments that were applied to the data product. We also report details of the secondary QC for salinity for this data set. Procedures of quality control - including crossover analysis between stations and inversion analysis of all crossover data - are briefly described. Adjustments to salinity measurements were applied to the data from 10 cruises in the Atlantic Ocean region. Based on our analysis we estimate the internal accuracy of the CARINA-ATL salinity data to be 4.1 ppm. With these adjustments the CARINA database is consistent both internally as well as with GLODAP data, an oceanographic data set based on the World Hydrographic Program in the 1990s (Key et al., 2004), and is now suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates and for model validation.

Guidelines for preparation of State water-use estimates for 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hutson, Susan S.

2007-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated the use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950. This report describes the water-use categories and data elements required for the 2005 national water-use compilation conducted as part of the USGS National Water Use Information Program. The report identifies sources of water-use information, provides standard methods and techniques for estimating water use at the county level, and outlines steps for preparing documentation for the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As part of this USGS program to document water use on a national scale for the year 2005, estimates of water withdrawals for the categories of public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric power at the county level are prepared for each State using the guidelines in this report. Estimates of water withdrawals for aquaculture, livestock, and mining are prepared for each State using a county-based national model, although study chiefs in each State have the option of producing independent county estimates of water withdrawals for these categories. Estimates of deliveries of water from public supplies for domestic use by county also will be prepared for each State for 2005. As a result, domestic water use can be determined for each State by combining self-supplied domestic withdrawals and publicly supplied domestic deliveries. Fresh ground-water and surfacewater estimates will be prepared for all categories of use; and saline ground-water and surface-water estimates by county will be prepared for the categories of public supply, industrial, and thermoelectric power. Power production for thermoelectric power will be compiled for 2005. If data are available, reclaimed wastewater use will be compiled for the industrial and irrigation categories. Optional water-use categories are commercial, hydroelectric power, and wastewater treatment. Optional data elements are public-supply deliveries to commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric-power users; consumptive use; irrigation conveyance loss; and number of facilities. Aggregation of water-use data by eight-digit hydrologic cataloging unit and by principal aquifer also is optional. Water-use data compiled by the States will be stored in the USGS Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS). This database is a comprehensive aggregated database designed to store both mandatory and optional data elements. AWUDS contains several routines that can be used for quality assurance and quality control of the data, and produces tables of wateruse data compiled for 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000.

Database for the degradation risk assessment of groundwater resources (Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polemio, M.; Dragone, V.; Mitolo, D.

2003-04-01

The risk characterisation of quality degradation and availability lowering of groundwater resources has been pursued for a wide coastal plain (Basilicata region, Southern Italy), an area covering 40 km along the Ionian Sea and 10 km inland. The quality degradation is due two phenomena: pollution due to discharge of waste water (coming from urban areas) and due to salt pollution, related to seawater intrusion but not only. The availability lowering is due to overexploitation but also due to drought effects. To this purpose the historical data of 1,130 wells have been collected. Wells, homogenously distributed in the area, were the source of geological, stratigraphical, hydrogeological, geochemical data. In order to manage space-related information via a GIS, a database system has been devised to encompass all the surveyed wells and the body of information available per well. Geo-databases were designed to comprise the four types of data collected: a database including geometrical, geological and hydrogeological data on wells (WDB), a database devoted to chemical and physical data on groundwater (CDB), a database including the geotechnical parameters (GDB), a database concering piezometric and hydrological (rainfall, air temperature, river discharge) data (HDB). The record pertaining to each well is identified in these databases by the progressive number of the well itself. Every database is designed as follows: a) the HDB contains 1,158 records, 28 of and 31 fields, mainly describing the geometry of the well and of the stratigraphy; b) the CDB encompasses data about 157 wells, based on which the chemical and physical analyses of groundwater have been carried out. More than one record has been associated with these 157 wells, due to periodic monitoring and analysis; c) the GDB covers 61 wells to which the geotechnical parameters obtained by soil samples taken at various depths; the HDB is designed to permit the analysis of long time series (from 1918) of piezometric data, monitored by more than 60 wells, temperature, rainfall and river discharge data. Based on geo-databases, the geostatistical processing of data has permitted to characterise the degradation risk of groundwater resources of a wide coastal aquifer.

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the San Francisco Bay groundwater basins, 2007—California GAMA Priority Basin Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsons, Mary C.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Belitz, Kenneth

2013-01-01

Groundwater quality in the approximately 620-square-mile (1,600-square-kilometer) San Francisco Bay study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in the Southern Coast Ranges of California, in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The GAMA San Francisco Bay study was designed to provide a spatially unbiased assessment of the quality of untreated groundwater within the primary aquifer system, as well as a statistically consistent basis for comparing water quality throughout the State. The assessment is based on water-quality and ancillary data collected by the USGS from 79 wells in 2007 and is supplemented with water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifer system is defined by the depth interval of the wells listed in the CDPH database for the San Francisco Bay study unit. The quality of groundwater in shallower or deeper water-bearing zones may differ from that in the primary aquifer system; shallower groundwater may be more vulnerable to surficial contamination. The first component of this study, the status of the current quality of the groundwater resource, was assessed by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements. Water- quality data from the CDPH database also were incorporated for this assessment. This status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources within the primary aquifer system of the San Francisco Bay study unit, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. Relative-concentrations (sample concentration divided by the benchmark concentration) were used for evaluating groundwater quality for those constituents that have Federal and (or) California benchmarks. A relative-concentration greater than (>) 1.0 indicates a concentration greater than a benchmark, and a relative-concentration less than or equal to (≤) 1.0 indicates a concentration equal to or less than a benchmark. Relative-concentrations of organic and special-interest constituents were classified as low (relative- concentration ≤ 0.1), moderate (0.1 1.0). Inorganic constituent relative- concentrations were classified as low (relative-concentration ≤ 0.5), moderate (0.5 1.0). A lower threshold value of relative-concentration was used to distinguish between low and moderate values of organic constituents because organic constituents are generally less prevalent and have smaller relative-concentrations than naturally occurring inorganic constituents. Aquifer-scale proportion was used as the metric for evaluating regional-scale groundwater quality. High aquifer-scale proportion is defined as the percentage of the primary aquifer system that has relative-concentration greater than 1.0 for a particular constituent or class of constituents; proportion is based on an areal rather than a volumetric basis. Moderate and low aquifer-scale proportions were defined as the percentages of the primary aquifer system that have moderate and low relative-concentrations, respectively. Two statistical approaches—grid-based and spatially weighted—were used to evaluate aquifer-scale proportion for individual constituents and classes of constituents. Grid-based and spatially weighted estimates were comparable in the San Francisco Bay study unit (90-percent confidence intervals). Inorganic constituents with health-based benchmarks were present at high relative-concentrations in 5.1 percent of the primary aquifer system, and at moderate relative-concentrations in 25 percent. The high aquifer-scale proportion of inorganic constituents primarily reflected high aquifer-scale proportions of barium (3.0 percent) and nitrate (2.1 percent). Inorganic constituents with secondary maximum contaminant levels were present at high relative-concentrations in 14 percent of the primary aquifer system and at moderate relative-concentrations in 33 percent. The constituents present at high relative-concentrations included total dissolved solids (7.0 percent), chloride (6.1 percent), manganese (12 percent), and iron (3.0 percent). Organic constituents with health-based benchmarks were present at high relative-concentrations in 0.6 percent and at moderate relative-concentrations in 12 percent of the primary aquifer system. Of the 202 organic constituents analyzed for, 32 were detected. Three organic constituents were frequently detected (in 10 percent or more of samples): the trihalomethane chloroform, the solvent 1,1,1-trichloroethane and the refrigerant 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane. One special-interest constituent, perchlorate, was detected at moderate relative-concentrations in 42 percent of the primary aquifer system. The second component of this work, the understanding assessment, identified some of the primary natural and human factors that may affect groundwater quality by evaluating land use, physical characteristics of the wells, and geochemical conditions of the aquifer. Results from these evaluations were used to explain the occurrence and distribution of constituents in the study unit.

Characterising droughts in Central America with uncertain hydro-meteorological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quesada Montano, B.; Westerberg, I.; Wetterhall, F.; Hidalgo, H. G.; Halldin, S.

2015-12-01

Droughts studies are scarce in Central America, a region frequently affected by droughts that cause significant socio-economic and environmental problems. Drought characterisation is important for water management and planning and can be done with the help of drought indices. Many indices have been developed in the last decades but their ability to suitably characterise droughts depends on the region of application. In Central America, comprehensive and high-quality observational networks of meteorological and hydrological data are not available. This limits the choice of drought indices and denotes the need to evaluate the quality of the data used in their calculation. This paper aimed to find which combination(s) of drought index and meteorological database are most suitable for characterising droughts in Central America. The drought indices evaluated were the standardised precipitation index (SPI), deciles (DI), the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and the effective drought index (EDI). These were calculated using precipitation data from the Climate Hazards Group Infra-Red Precipitation with station (CHIRPS), CRN073, the Climate Research Unit (CRU), ERA-Interim and station databases, and temperature data from the CRU database. All the indices were calculated at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month accumulation times. As a first step, the large-scale meteorological precipitation datasets were compared to have an overview of the level of agreement between them and find possible quality problems. Then, the performance of all the combinations of drought indices and meteorological datasets were evaluated against independent river discharge data, in form of the standardised streamflow index (SSI). Results revealed the large disagreement between the precipitation datasets; we found the selection of database to be more important than the selection of drought index. We found that the best combinations of meteorological drought index and database were obtained using the SPI and DI, calculated with CHIRPS and station data.

CARINA data synthesis project: pH data scale unification and cruise adjustments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velo, A.; Pérez, F. F.; Lin, X.; Key, R. M.; Tanhua, T.; de La Paz, M.; Olsen, A.; van Heuven, S.; Jutterström, S.; Ríos, A. F.

2010-05-01

Data on carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from 188 previously non-publicly available cruise data sets in the Artic Mediterranean Seas (AMS), Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged to a new database: CARINA (CARbon IN the Atlantic Ocean). These data have gone through rigorous quality control (QC) procedures to assure the highest possible quality and consistency. The data for most of the measured parameters in the CARINA database were objectively examined in order to quantify systematic differences in the reported values. Systematic biases found in the data have been corrected in the data products, three merged data files with measured, calculated and interpolated data for each of the three CARINA regions; AMS, Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean. Out of a total of 188 cruise entries in the CARINA database, 59 reported pH measured values. All reported pH data have been unified to the Sea-Water Scale (SWS) at 25 °C. Here we present details of the secondary QC of pH in the CARINA database and the scale unification to SWS at 25 °C. The pH scale has been converted for 36 cruises. Procedures of quality control, including crossover analysis between cruises and inversion analysis are described. Adjustments were applied to the pH values for 21 of the cruises in the CARINA dataset. With these adjustments the CARINA database is consistent both internally as well as with the GLODAP data, an oceanographic data set based on the World Hydrographic Program in the 1990s. Based on our analysis we estimate the internal consistency of the CARINA pH data to be 0.005 pH units. The CARINA data are now suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates, for ocean acidification assessment and for model validation.

Ecological risk assessment of nonylphenol in coastal waters of China based on species sensitivity distribution model.

PubMed

Gao, Pei; Li, Zhengyan; Gibson, Mark; Gao, Huiwang

2014-06-01

Nonylphenol (NP) is an endocrine disruptor and causes feminization and carcinogenesis in various organisms. Consequently, the environmental distribution and ecological risks of NP have received wide concern. China accounts for approximately 10% of the total NP usage in the world, but the water quality criteria of NP have not been established in China and the ecological risks of this pollutant cannot be properly assessed. This study thus aims to determine the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) of NP and to assess the ecological risks of NP in coastal waters of China with the PNEC as water quality criteria. To obtain the HC5 (hazardous concentration for 5% of biological species) and PNEC estimates, the species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) models were built with chronic toxicity data of NP on aquatic organisms screened from the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) ECOTOX database. The results showed that the PNEC for NP in freshwater and seawater was 0.48 μg L(-1) and 0.28 μg L(-1), respectively. The RQ (risk quotient) values of NP in coastal waters of China ranged from 0.01 to 69.7. About 60% of the reported areas showed a high ecological risk with an RQ value ≥ 1.00. NP therefore exists ubiquitously in coastal waters of China and it poses various risks to aquatic ecosystems in the country. This study demonstrates that the SSD methodology can provide a feasible tool for the establishment of water quality criteria for emergent new pollutants when sufficient toxicity data is available. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Water Quality Changes During Storm Events: New Methods to Protect Drinking Water Supplies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturdevant-Rees, P. L.; Long, S. C.; Barten, P. K.

2002-05-01

A forty-month investigation to collect microbial and water-quality measurements during storm events under a variety of meteorological and land-use conditions is in its initial stages. Intense sampling during storm event periods will be used to optimize sampling and analysis strategies for accurate determination of constituent loads. Of particular interest is identification of meteorological and hydrologic conditions under which sampling and analysis of surface waters for traditional microbial organisms, emerging microbial organisms and non-bacterial pathogens are critical to ensure the integrity of surface-water drinking supplies. This work is particular to the Quabbin-Ware-Wachusett reservoir system in Massachusetts, which provides unfiltered drinking water to 2.5 million people in Boston and surrounding communities. Sampling and analysis strategies will be optimized in terms of number of samples over the hydrograph, timing of sample collection (including sample initiation), constituents measured, volumes analyzed, and monetary and personnel costs. Initial water-quality analyses include pH, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, total suspended solids, total phosphorus, total Kjeldahl-nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, and total and fecal coliforms. Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts will also be measured at all sample sites. Sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacteria, Rhodococcus coprophilus, Clostridium perfringens spores, and Somatic and F-specific coliphages are measured at select sites as potential alternative source-specific indicator organisms. It is anticipated that the final database will consist of transport data for the above parameters during twenty-four distinct storm-events in addition to monthly baseline data. Results and analyses for the first monitored storm-event will be presented.

Developing a framework to assess the water quality and quantity impacts of climate change, shifting land use, and urbanization in a Midwestern agricultural landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loheide, S. P.; Booth, E. G.; Kucharik, C. J.; Carpenter, S. R.; Gries, C.; Katt-Reinders, E.; Rissman, A. R.; Turner, M. G.

2011-12-01

Dynamic hydrological processes play a critical role in the structure and functioning of agricultural watersheds undergoing urbanization. Developing a predictive understanding of the complex interaction between agricultural productivity, ecosystem health, water quality, urban development, and public policy requires an interdisciplinary effort that investigates the important biophysical and social processes of the system. Our research group has initiated such a framework that includes a coordinated program of integrated scenarios, model experiments to assess the effects of changing drivers on a broad set of ecosystem services, evaluations of governance and leverage points, outreach and public engagement, and information management. Our geographic focus is the Yahara River watershed in south-central Wisconsin, which is an exemplar of water-related issues in the Upper Midwest. This research addresses three specific questions. 1) How do different patterns of land use, land cover, land management, and water resources engineering practices affect the resilience and sensitivity of ecosystem services under a changing climate? 2) How can regional governance systems for water and land use be made more resilient and adaptive to meet diverse human needs? 3) In what ways are regional human-environment systems resilient and in what ways are they vulnerable to potential changes in climate and water resources? A comprehensive program of model experiments and biophysical measurements will be utilized to evaluate changes in five freshwater ecosystem services (flood regulation, groundwater recharge, surface water quality, groundwater quality, and lake recreation) and five related ecosystem services (food crop yields, bioenergy crop yields, carbon storage in soil, albedo, and terrestrial recreation). Novel additions to existing biophysical models will allow us to simulate all components of the hydrological cycle as well as agricultural productivity, nitrogen and phosphorus transport, and lake water quality. The integrated model will be validated using a comprehensive observational database that includes soil moisture, evapotranspiration, stomatal conductance, streamflow, stream and lake water quality, and crop yields and productivity. Integrated scenarios will be developed to synthesize decision-maker perspectives, alternative approaches to resource governance, plausible trends in demographic and economic drivers, and model projections under alternate climate and land use regimes to understand future conditions of the watershed and its ecosystem services. The quantitative data and integrated scenarios will then be linked to evaluate governance of water and land use.

Summaries of Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Plans/Studies/Reports

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-30

34+ Management of all wetland functional assessment data in a Microsoft Access© database "+ Development of a GIS wetland data management system "+ Recommendations...General Task B Design GIS -Based Decision Making Model: Scenario-Based $125,000 $125,000 Model of Landuse Hydro Data Monitoring Task C Water Quality...Landuse and Land cover data + Watershed GIS data layers + Flood Insurance Rate Maps + Proposed project locations + Stream miles, reaches and conditions

Integration of Sustainable Practices into Standard Army MILCON Designs

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

Sustainable Installations Regional Resource Assessment (SIRRA™) web -based database analysis tool output, ERDC-CERL, 2010. 18 Roy, Sujoy, B. L. Chen, E...Water issues white paper . ERDC/CERL TR-11-27 25 streams. This policy states that in the absence of other flow limits as estab- lished by the...89 Note that flush quality in some efficient toilets is undermined by non-flushable recyclable toilet paper that builds up in the

Water Resources Data, Florida, Water Year 2003, Volume 4. Northwest Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

prepared by Blum, Darlene A.; Alvarez, A. Ernie

2004-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, obtains a large amount of data on the water resources of the State of Florida each water year. These data, accumulated during many water years, constitute a valuable database that is used by water-resources managers, emergency-management officials, and many others to develop an improved understanding of water resources within the State. This report series for the 2003 water year for the state of Florida consists of records for continuous or daily discharge for 385 streams, periodic discharge for 13 streams, continuous or daily stage for 255 streams, periodic stage for 13 streams, peak stage and discharge for 36 streams, continuous or daily elevations for 13 lakes, periodic elevations for 46 lakes, continuous ground-water levels for 441 wells, periodic ground-water levels for 1,227 wells, and quality-of-water for 133 surface-water sites and 308 wells. This volume (Volume 4, Northwest Florida)contains records of continuous or daily discharge for 72 streams, periodic discharge for 3 stream, continuous or daily stage for 13 streams, periodic stage for 0 stream, peak stage and discharge for 28 streams, continuous or daily elevations for 1 lake, periodic elevations for 0 lakes, continuous ground-water levels for 3 wells, periodic ground-water levels for 0 wells, and quality-of-water for 3 surface-water sites and 0 wells. These data represent the National Water Data System records collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating local, State, and Federal agencies in Florida.

Relational-database model for improving quality assurance and process control in a composite manufacturing environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gentry, Jeffery D.

2000-05-01

A relational database is a powerful tool for collecting and analyzing the vast amounts of inner-related data associated with the manufacture of composite materials. A relational database contains many individual database tables that store data that are related in some fashion. Manufacturing process variables as well as quality assurance measurements can be collected and stored in database tables indexed according to lot numbers, part type or individual serial numbers. Relationships between manufacturing process and product quality can then be correlated over a wide range of product types and process variations. This paper presents details on how relational databases are used to collect, store, and analyze process variables and quality assurance data associated with the manufacture of advanced composite materials. Important considerations are covered including how the various types of data are organized and how relationships between the data are defined. Employing relational database techniques to establish correlative relationships between process variables and quality assurance measurements is then explored. Finally, the benefits of database techniques such as data warehousing, data mining and web based client/server architectures are discussed in the context of composite material manufacturing.

Fecal contamination of drinking-water in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bain, Robert; Cronk, Ryan; Wright, Jim; Yang, Hong; Slaymaker, Tom; Bartram, Jamie

2014-05-01

Access to safe drinking-water is a fundamental requirement for good health and is also a human right. Global access to safe drinking-water is monitored by WHO and UNICEF using as an indicator "use of an improved source," which does not account for water quality measurements. Our objectives were to determine whether water from "improved" sources is less likely to contain fecal contamination than "unimproved" sources and to assess the extent to which contamination varies by source type and setting. Studies in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were identified from online databases, including PubMed and Web of Science, and grey literature. Studies in low- and middle-income countries published between 1990 and August 2013 that assessed drinking-water for the presence of Escherichia coli or thermotolerant coliforms (TTC) were included provided they associated results with a particular source type. In total 319 studies were included, reporting on 96,737 water samples. The odds of contamination within a given study were considerably lower for "improved" sources than "unimproved" sources (odds ratio [OR] = 0.15 [0.10-0.21], I2 = 80.3% [72.9-85.6]). However over a quarter of samples from improved sources contained fecal contamination in 38% of 191 studies. Water sources in low-income countries (OR = 2.37 [1.52-3.71]; p<0.001) and rural areas (OR = 2.37 [1.47-3.81] p<0.001) were more likely to be contaminated. Studies rarely reported stored water quality or sanitary risks and few achieved robust random selection. Safety may be overestimated due to infrequent water sampling and deterioration in quality prior to consumption. Access to an "improved source" provides a measure of sanitary protection but does not ensure water is free of fecal contamination nor is it consistent between source types or settings. International estimates therefore greatly overstate use of safe drinking-water and do not fully reflect disparities in access. An enhanced monitoring strategy would combine indicators of sanitary protection with measures of water quality.

Drinking Water Treatability Database (Database)

EPA Science Inventory

The drinking Water Treatability Database (TDB) will provide data taken from the literature on the control of contaminants in drinking water, and will be housed on an interactive, publicly-available USEPA web site. It can be used for identifying effective treatment processes, rec...

Development of a national, dynamic reservoir-sedimentation database

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, J.R.; Bernard, J.M.; Stewart, D.W.; McFaul, E.J.; Laurent, K.W.; Schwarz, G.E.; Stinson, J.T.; Jonas, M.M.; Randle, T.J.; Webb, J.W.

2010-01-01

The importance of dependable, long-term water supplies, coupled with the need to quantify rates of capacity loss of the Nation’s re servoirs due to sediment deposition, were the most compelling reasons for developing the REServoir- SEDimentation survey information (RESSED) database and website. Created under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on Water Information’s Subcommittee on Sedimenta ion by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the RESSED database is the most comprehensive compilation of data from reservoir bathymetric and dry-basin surveys in the United States. As of March 2010, the database, which contains data compiled on the 1950s vintage Soil Conservation Service’s Form SCS-34 data sheets, contained results from 6,616 surveys on 1,823 reservoirs in the United States and two surveys on one reservoir in Puerto Rico. The data span the period 1755–1997, with 95 percent of the surveys performed from 1930–1990. The reservoir surface areas range from sub-hectare-scale farm ponds to 658 km2 Lake Powell. The data in the RESSED database can be useful for a number of purposes, including calculating changes in reservoir-storage characteristics, quantifying sediment budgets, and estimating erosion rates in a reservoir’s watershed. The March 2010 version of the RESSED database has a number of deficiencies, including a cryptic and out-of-date database architecture; some geospatial inaccuracies (although most have been corrected); other data errors; an inability to store all data in a readily retrievable manner; and an inability to store all data types that currently exist. Perhaps most importantly, the March 2010 version of RESSED database provides no publically available means to submit new data and corrections to existing data. To address these and other deficiencies, the Subcommittee on Sedimentation, through the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began a collaborative project in November 2009 to modernize the RESSED database architecture; provide public online input capability; and produce online reports. The ultimate goal of the Subcommittee on Sedimentation is to build a comprehensive, quality-assured database describing capacity changes over time for the largest suite of the Nation’s reservoirs.

Data model and relational database design for the New England Water-Use Data System (NEWUDS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tessler, Steven

2001-01-01

The New England Water-Use Data System (NEWUDS) is a database for the storage and retrieval of water-use data. NEWUDS can handle data covering many facets of water use, including (1) tracking various types of water-use activities (withdrawals, returns, transfers, distributions, consumptive-use, wastewater collection, and treatment); (2) the description, classification and location of places and organizations involved in water-use activities; (3) details about measured or estimated volumes of water associated with water-use activities; and (4) information about data sources and water resources associated with water use. In NEWUDS, each water transaction occurs unidirectionally between two site objects, and the sites and conveyances form a water network. The core entities in the NEWUDS model are site, conveyance, transaction/rate, location, and owner. Other important entities include water resources (used for withdrawals and returns), data sources, and aliases. Multiple water-exchange estimates can be stored for individual transactions based on different methods or data sources. Storage of user-defined details is accommodated for several of the main entities. Numerous tables containing classification terms facilitate detailed descriptions of data items and can be used for routine or custom data summarization. NEWUDS handles single-user and aggregate-user water-use data, can be used for large or small water-network projects, and is available as a stand-alone Microsoft? Access database structure. Users can customize and extend the database, link it to other databases, or implement the design in other relational database applications.

Design and evaluation of a field study on the contamination of selected volatile organic compounds and wastewater-indicator compounds in blanks and groundwater samples

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thiros, Susan A.; Bender, David A.; Mueller, David K.; Rose, Donna L.; Olsen, Lisa D.; Martin, Jeffrey D.; Bernard, Bruce; Zogorski, John S.

2011-01-01

The Field Contamination Study (FCS) was designed to determine the field processes that tend to result in clean field blanks and to identify potential sources of contamination to blanks collected in the field from selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and wastewater-indicator compounds (WICs). The VOCs and WICs analyzed in the FCS were detected in blanks collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program during 1996–2008 and 2002–08, respectively. To minimize the number of variables, the study required ordering of supplies just before sampling, storage of supplies and equipment in clean areas, and use of adequate amounts of purge-and-trap volatile-grade methanol and volatile pesticide-grade blank water (VPBW) to clean sampling equipment and to collect field blanks.Blanks and groundwater samples were collected during 2008–09 at 16 sites, which were a mix of water-supply and monitoring wells, located in 9 States. Five different sample types were collected for the FCS at each site: (1) a source-solution blank collected at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) using laboratory-purged VPBW, (2) source-solution blanks collected in the field using laboratory-purged VPBW, (3) source-solution blanks collected in the field using field-purged VPBW, (4) a field blank collected using field-purged VPBW, and (5) a groundwater sample collected from a well. The source-solution blank and field-blank analyses were used to identify, quantify, and document extrinsic contamination and to help determine the sources and causes of data-quality problems that can affect groundwater samples.Concentrations of compounds detected in FCS analyses were quantified and results were stored in the USGS National Water Information System database after meeting rigorous identification and quantification criteria. The study also utilized information provided by laboratory analysts about evidence indicating the presence of selected compounds, using less rigorous identification criteria than is required for reporting data to the National Water Information System database. For the FCS, these data are considered adequate to indicate "evidence of presence," and were used only for diagnostic purposes. Evidence of VOCs and WICs at low concentrations near or less than the long-term method detection level can indicate a contamination problem that could affect future datasets if method detection levels were ever to be lowered.

EPA Office of Water (OW): Fish Consumption Advisories and Fish Tissue Sampling Stations NHDPlus Indexed Datasets

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Fish Consumption Advisories dataset contains information on Fish Advisory events that have been indexed to the EPA Office of Water NHDPlus v2.1 hydrology and stored in the Reach Addressing Database (RAD). NHDPlus is a database that interconnects and uniquely identifies the millions of stream segments or reaches that comprise the Nations' surface water drainage system. NHDPlus provides a national framework for assigning reach addresses to water quality related entities, such as fish advisories locations. Reach addresses establish the locations of these entities relative to one another within the NHD surface water drainage network in a manner similar to street addresses. The assignment of reach addresses is accomplished through a process known as reach indexing. Fish consumption advisories and fish tissue sampling stations are reported to EPA by the states. Sampling stations are the locations where a state has collected fish tissue data for use in advisory determinations. Fish consumption advisory locations are coded onto NHDPlus flowline features to create point and linear events. Fish consumption advisory locations are also coded onto NHDPlus waterbody features to create area events. In addition to NHDPlus-reach indexed data, there may also be custom events (point, line, or area) that are not associated with NHDPlus. Although these Fish consumption advisories are not represented in NHDPlus, the data created for them are in an EPA standard format that is co

Techniques to Access Databases and Integrate Data for Hydrologic Modeling

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

Whelan, Gene; Tenney, Nathan D.; Pelton, Mitchell A.

2009-06-17

This document addresses techniques to access and integrate data for defining site-specific conditions and behaviors associated with ground-water and surface-water radionuclide transport applicable to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews. Environmental models typically require input data from multiple internal and external sources that may include, but are not limited to, stream and rainfall gage data, meteorological data, hydrogeological data, habitat data, and biological data. These data may be retrieved from a variety of organizations (e.g., federal, state, and regional) and source types (e.g., HTTP, FTP, and databases). Available data sources relevant to hydrologic analyses for reactor licensing are identified and reviewed.more » The data sources described can be useful to define model inputs and parameters, including site features (e.g., watershed boundaries, stream locations, reservoirs, site topography), site properties (e.g., surface conditions, subsurface hydraulic properties, water quality), and site boundary conditions, input forcings, and extreme events (e.g., stream discharge, lake levels, precipitation, recharge, flood and drought characteristics). Available software tools for accessing established databases, retrieving the data, and integrating it with models were identified and reviewed. The emphasis in this review was on existing software products with minimal required modifications to enable their use with the FRAMES modeling framework. The ability of four of these tools to access and retrieve the identified data sources was reviewed. These four software tools were the Hydrologic Data Acquisition and Processing System (HDAPS), Integrated Water Resources Modeling System (IWRMS) External Data Harvester, Data for Environmental Modeling Environmental Data Download Tool (D4EM EDDT), and the FRAMES Internet Database Tools. The IWRMS External Data Harvester and the D4EM EDDT were identified as the most promising tools based on their ability to access and retrieve the required data, and their ability to integrate the data into environmental models using the FRAMES environment.« less

Set-up of a decision support system to support sustainable development of the Laguna de Bay, Philippines.

PubMed

Nauta, Tjitte A; Bongco, Alicia E; Santos-Borja, Adelina C

2003-01-01

Over recent decades, population expansion, deforestation, land conversion, urbanisation, intense fisheries and industrialisation have produced massive changes in the Laguna de Bay catchment, Philippines. The resulting problems include rapid siltation of the lake, eutrophication, inputs of toxics, flooding problems and loss of biodiversity. Rational and systematic resolution of conflicting water use and water allocation interests is now urgently needed in order to ensure sustainable use of the water resources. With respect to the competing and conflicting pressures on the water resources, the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) needs to achieve comprehensive management and development of the area. In view of these problems and needs, the Government of the Netherlands was funding a two-year project entitled 'Sustainable Development of the Laguna de Bay Environment'.A comprehensive tool has been developed to support decision-making at catchment level. This consists of an ArcView GIS-database linked to a state-of-the-art modelling suite, including hydrological and waste load models for the catchment area and a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model (Delft3D) linked to a habitat evaluation module for the lake. In addition, MS Office based tools to support a stakeholder analysis and financial and economic assessments have been developed. The project also focused on technical studies relating to dredging, drinking water supply and infrastructure works. These aimed to produce technically and economically feasible solutions to water quantity and quality problems. The paper also presents the findings of a study on the development of polder islands in the Laguna de Bay, addressing the water quantity and quality problems and focusing on the application of the decision support system.

Water quality monitoring records for estimating tap water arsenic and nitrate: a validation study.

PubMed

Searles Nielsen, Susan; Kuehn, Carrie M; Mueller, Beth A

2010-01-28

Tap water may be an important source of exposure to arsenic and nitrate. Obtaining and analyzing samples in the context of large studies of health effects can be expensive. As an alternative, studies might estimate contaminant levels in individual homes by using publicly available water quality monitoring records, either alone or in combination with geographic information systems (GIS). We examined the validity of records-based methods in Washington State, where arsenic and nitrate contamination is prevalent but generally observed at modest levels. Laboratory analysis of samples from 107 homes (median 0.6 microg/L arsenic, median 0.4 mg/L nitrate as nitrogen) served as our "gold standard." Using Spearman's rho we compared these measures to estimates obtained using only the homes' street addresses and recent and/or historical measures from publicly monitored water sources within specified distances (radii) ranging from one half mile to 10 miles. Agreement improved as distance decreased, but the proportion of homes for which we could estimate summary measures also decreased. When including all homes, agreement was 0.05-0.24 for arsenic (8 miles), and 0.31-0.33 for nitrate (6 miles). Focusing on the closest source yielded little improvement. Agreement was greatest among homes with private wells. For homes on a water system, agreement improved considerably if we included only sources serving the relevant system (rho = 0.29 for arsenic, rho = 0.60 for nitrate). Historical water quality databases show some promise for categorizing epidemiologic study participants in terms of relative tap water nitrate levels. Nonetheless, such records-based methods must be used with caution, and their use for arsenic may be limited.

Nutrient Loadings to Streams of the Continental United States from Municipal and Industrial Effluent

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maupin, M.A.; Ivahnenko, T.

2011-01-01

Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Permit Compliance System national database were used to calculate annual total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads to surface waters from municipal and industrial facilities in six major regions of the United States for 1992, 1997, and 2002. Concentration and effluent flow data were examined for approximately 118,250 facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Inconsistent and incomplete discharge locations, effluent flows, and effluent nutrient concentrations limited the use of these data for calculating nutrient loads. More concentrations were reported for major facilities, those discharging more than 1million gallons per day, than for minor facilities, and more concentrations were reported for TP than for TN. Analytical methods to check and improve the quality of the Permit Compliance System data were used. Annual loads were calculated using "typical pollutant concentrations" to supplement missing concentrations based on the type and size of facilities. Annual nutrient loads for over 26,600 facilities were calculated for at least one of the three years. Sewage systems represented 74% of all TN loads and 58% of all TP loads. This work represents an initial set of data to develop a comprehensive and consistent national database of point-source nutrient loads. These loads can be used to inform a wide range of water-quality management, watershed modeling, and research efforts at multiple scales. ?? 2011 American Water Resources Association. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Predicted pH at the domestic and public supply drinking water depths, Central Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosecrans, Celia Z.; Nolan, Bernard T.; Gronberg, Jo Ann M.

2017-03-08

This scientific investigations map is a product of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project modeling and mapping team. The prediction grids depicted in this map are of continuous pH and are intended to provide an understanding of groundwater-quality conditions at the domestic and public supply drinking water zones in the groundwater of the Central Valley of California. The chemical quality of groundwater and the fate of many contaminants is often influenced by pH in all aquifers. These grids are of interest to water-resource managers, water-quality researchers, and groundwater modelers concerned with the occurrence of natural and anthropogenic contaminants related to pH. In this work, the median well depth categorized as domestic supply was 30 meters below land surface, and the median well depth categorized as public supply is 100 meters below land surface. Prediction grids were created using prediction modeling methods, specifically boosted regression trees (BRT) with a Gaussian error distribution within a statistical learning framework within the computing framework of R (http://www.r-project.org/). The statistical learning framework seeks to maximize the predictive performance of machine learning methods through model tuning by cross validation. The response variable was measured pH from 1,337 wells and was compiled from two sources: USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database (all data are publicly available from the USGS: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/nwis) and the California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (SWRCB-DDW) database (water quality data are publicly available from the SWRCB: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/gama/geotracker_gama.shtml). Only wells with measured pH and well depth data were selected, and for wells with multiple records, only the most recent sample in the period 1993–2014 was used. A total of 1,003 wells (training dataset) were used to train the BRT model, and 334 wells (hold-out dataset) were used to validate the prediction model. The training r-squared was 0.70, and the root-mean-square error (RMSE) in standard pH units was 0.26. The hold-out r-squared was 0.43, and RMSE in standard pH units was 0.37. Predictor variables consisting of more than 60 variables from 7 sources were assembled to develop a model that incorporates regional-scale soil properties, soil chemistry, land use, aquifer textures, and aquifer hydrology. Previously developed Central Valley model outputs of textures (Central Valley Textural Model, CVTM; Faunt and others, 2010) and MODFLOW-simulated vertical water fluxes and predicted depth to water table (Central Valley Hydrologic Model, CVHM; Faunt, 2009) were used to represent aquifer textures and groundwater hydraulics, respectively. In this work, wells were attributed to predictor variable values in ArcGIS using a 500-meter buffer.Faunt, C.C., ed., 2009, Groundwater availability in the Central Valley aquifer, California: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1776, 225 p., accessed at https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1766/.Faunt, C.C., Belitz, K., and Hanson, R.T., 2010, Development of a three-dimensional model of sedimentary texture in valley-fill deposits of Central Valley, California, USA: Hydrogeology Journal, v. 18, no. 3, p. 625–649, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-009-0539-7.

Implementing the Free Water Protocol does not Result in Aspiration Pneumonia in Carefully Selected Patients with Dysphagia: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Gillman, Anna; Winkler, Renata; Taylor, Nicholas F

2017-06-01

The Frazier Free Water Protocol was developed with the aim of providing patients with dysphagia an option to consume thin (i.e. unthickened) water in-between mealtimes. A systematic review was conducted of research published in peer-reviewed journals. An electronic search of the EMBASE, CINAHL and MEDLINE databases was completed up to July 2016. A total of 8 studies were identified for inclusion: 5 randomised controlled trials, 2 cohort studies with matched cases and 1 single group pre-post intervention prospective study. A total of 215 rehabilitation inpatients and 30 acute patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia who required thickened fluids or were to remain 'nil by mouth', as determined by bedside swallow assessment and/or videofluoroscopy/fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, were included. Meta-analyses of the data from the rehabilitation studies revealed (1) low-quality evidence that implementing the protocol did not result in increased odds of having lung complications and (2) low-quality evidence that fluid intake may increase. Patients' perceptions of swallow-related quality of life appeared to improve. This review has found that when the protocol is closely adhered to and patients are carefully selected using strict exclusion criteria, including an evaluation of their cognition and mobility, adult rehabilitation inpatients with dysphagia to thin fluids can be offered the choice of implementing the Free Water Protocol. Further research is required to determine if the Free Water Protocol can be implemented in settings other than inpatient rehabilitation.

Statistics for stochastic modeling of volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment by structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Granato, Gregory E.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to indicate the risk for stormwater concentrations, flows, and loads to be above user-selected water-quality goals and the potential effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce such risks. SELDM models the potential effect of mitigation measures by using Monte Carlo methods with statistics that approximate the net effects of structural and nonstructural best management practices (BMPs). In this report, structural BMPs are defined as the components of the drainage pathway between the source of runoff and a stormwater discharge location that affect the volume, timing, or quality of runoff. SELDM uses a simple stochastic statistical model of BMP performance to develop planning-level estimates of runoff-event characteristics. This statistical approach can be used to represent a single BMP or an assemblage of BMPs. The SELDM BMP-treatment module has provisions for stochastic modeling of three stormwater treatments: volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment. In SELDM, these three treatment variables are modeled by using the trapezoidal distribution and the rank correlation with the associated highway-runoff variables. This report describes methods for calculating the trapezoidal-distribution statistics and rank correlation coefficients for stochastic modeling of volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment by structural stormwater BMPs and provides the calculated values for these variables. This report also provides robust methods for estimating the minimum irreducible concentration (MIC), which is the lowest expected effluent concentration from a particular BMP site or a class of BMPs. These statistics are different from the statistics commonly used to characterize or compare BMPs. They are designed to provide a stochastic transfer function to approximate the quantity, duration, and quality of BMP effluent given the associated inflow values for a population of storm events. A database application and several spreadsheet tools are included in the digital media accompanying this report for further documentation of methods and for future use. In this study, analyses were done with data extracted from a modified copy of the January 2012 version of International Stormwater Best Management Practices Database, designated herein as the January 2012a version. Statistics for volume reduction, hydrograph extension, and water-quality treatment were developed with selected data. Sufficient data were available to estimate statistics for 5 to 10 BMP categories by using data from 40 to more than 165 monitoring sites. Water-quality treatment statistics were developed for 13 runoff-quality constituents commonly measured in highway and urban runoff studies including turbidity, sediment and solids; nutrients; total metals; organic carbon; and fecal coliforms. The medians of the best-fit statistics for each category were selected to construct generalized cumulative distribution functions for the three treatment variables. For volume reduction and hydrograph extension, interpretation of available data indicates that selection of a Spearman’s rho value that is the average of the median and maximum values for the BMP category may help generate realistic simulation results in SELDM. The median rho value may be selected to help generate realistic simulation results for water-quality treatment variables. MIC statistics were developed for 12 runoff-quality constituents commonly measured in highway and urban runoff studies by using data from 11 BMP categories and more than 167 monitoring sites. Four statistical techniques were applied for estimating MIC values with monitoring data from each site. These techniques produce a range of lower-bound estimates for each site. Four MIC estimators are proposed as alternatives for selecting a value from among the estimates from multiple sites. Correlation analysis indicates that the MIC estimates from multiple sites were weakly correlated with the geometric mean of inflow values, which indicates that there may be a qualitative or semiquantitative link between the inflow quality and the MIC. Correlations probably are weak because the MIC is influenced by the inflow water quality and the capability of each individual BMP site to reduce inflow concentrations.

Transport of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Source-specific Indicator Organisms, and Standard Water Quality Constituents During Storm Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturdevant-Rees, P. L.; Bourdeau, D.; Baker, R.; Long, S. C.; Barten, P. K.

2004-05-01

Microbial and water-quality measurements are collected during storm events under a variety of meteorological and land-use conditions in order to 1) identify risk of Cryptosporidium oocysts, Giardia cysts and other constituents, including microbial indicator organisms, entering surface waters from various land uses during periods of surface runoff; 2) optimize storm sampling procedures for these parameters; and 3) optimize strategies for accurate determination of constituent loads. The investigation is focused on four isolated land uses: forested with free ranging wildlife, beaver influenced forested with free ranging wildlife, residential/commercial, and dairy farm grazing/pastureland using an upstream and downstream sampling strategy. Traditional water-quality analyses include pH, temperature, turbidity, conductivity, total suspended solids, total phosphorus, total Kjeldahl-nitrogen, and ammonia nitrogen, Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts. Total coliforms and fecal coliforms are measured as industry standard microbial analyses. Sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacteria, Rhodococcus coprophilus, Clostridium perfringens spores, and Somatic and F-specific coliphages are measured at select sites as potential alternative source-specific indicator organisms. Upon completion of the project, the final database will consist of wet weather transport data for a set of parameters during twenty-four distinct storm-events in addition to monthly baseline data. A subset of the results to date will be presented, with focus placed on demonstrating the impact of beaver on constituent loadings over a variety of hydrologic and meteorological conditions.

How can the research potential of the clinical quality databases be maximized? The Danish experience.

PubMed

Nørgaard, M; Johnsen, S P

2016-02-01

In Denmark, the need for monitoring of clinical quality and patient safety with feedback to the clinical, administrative and political systems has resulted in the establishment of a network of more than 60 publicly financed nationwide clinical quality databases. Although primarily devoted to monitoring and improving quality of care, the potential of these databases as data sources in clinical research is increasingly being recognized. In this review, we describe these databases focusing on their use as data sources for clinical research, including their strengths and weaknesses as well as future concerns and opportunities. The research potential of the clinical quality databases is substantial but has so far only been explored to a limited extent. Efforts related to technical, legal and financial challenges are needed in order to take full advantage of this potential. © 2016 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

A systematic review of analytical observational studies investigating the association between cardiovascular disease and drinking water hardness.

PubMed

Catling, Louise A; Abubakar, Ibrahim; Lake, Iain R; Swift, Louise; Hunter, Paul R

2008-12-01

The aim of this study is to systematically review and critically assess analytical observational epidemiology studies investigating the association between levels of drinking water hardness and cardiovascular disease. We searched electronic databases and used standardised forms to extract data and assess study quality. Of 2,906 papers identified, 14 met the inclusion criteria (nine case control and five cohort studies). Of the nine case control studies, seven examined both drinking water magnesium and calcium and risk of death from cardiovascular disease. A pooled odds ratio showed a statistically significant inverse association between magnesium and cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.75 (95%CI 0.68, 0.82), p < 0.001). Only two studies reported a statistically significant effect for calcium. Substantial heterogeneity between studies made calculation of a summary estimate for drinking water calcium inappropriate. Of three cohort studies reviewed, two were of good quality. A weak suggestion that soft water was harmful in females and possibly associated with a slightly greater risk of sudden death was reported, but there was no association between water hardness and mortality from stroke or cardiovascular disease. This study found significant evidence of an inverse association between magnesium levels in drinking water and cardiovascular mortality following a meta-analysis of case control studies. Evidence for calcium remains unclear. Copyright IWA Publishing 2008.

SMS Two Column Template: Smithsonian Marine Station (SMS) at Fort Pierce

Science.gov Websites

appreciation of this invaluable natural resource. My image My image My image My image My image Discover: - over difference in IRL water quality Check Out: - the IRL Photo Gallery - the IRL Species Image Collection Downloads: - Species Database - IRL Species Bibliography My image My image My image My image My image EOL

Nutrient loadings to streams of the continental United States from municipal and industrial effluent?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maupin, Molly A.; Ivahnenko, Tamara

2011-01-01

Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Permit Compliance System national database were used to calculate annual total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads to surface waters from municipal and industrial facilities in six major regions of the United States for 1992, 1997, and 2002. Concentration and effluent flow data were examined for approximately 118,250 facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Inconsistent and incomplete discharge locations, effluent flows, and effluent nutrient concentrations limited the use of these data for calculating nutrient loads. More concentrations were reported for major facilities, those discharging more than 1 million gallons per day, than for minor facilities, and more concentrations were reported for TP than for TN. Analytical methods to check and improve the quality of the Permit Compliance System data were used. Annual loads were calculated using "typical pollutant concentrations" to supplement missing concentrations based on the type and size of facilities. Annual nutrient loads for over 26,600 facilities were calculated for at least one of the three years. Sewage systems represented 74% of all TN loads and 58% of all TP loads. This work represents an initial set of data to develop a comprehensive and consistent national database of point-source nutrient loads. These loads can be used to inform a wide range of water-quality management, watershed modeling, and research efforts at multiple scales.

A Compilation of Spatial Datasets to Support a Preliminary Assessment of Pesticides and Pesticide Use on Tribal Lands in Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mashburn, Shana L.; Winton, Kimberly T.

2010-01-01

This CD-ROM contains spatial datasets that describe natural and anthropogenic features and county-level estimates of agricultural pesticide use and pesticide data for surface-water, groundwater, and biological specimens in the state of Oklahoma. County-level estimates of pesticide use were compiled from the Pesticide National Synthesis Project of the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water-Quality Assessment Program. Pesticide data for surface water, groundwater, and biological specimens were compiled from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database. These spatial datasets that describe natural and manmade features were compiled from several agencies and contain information collected by the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Geological Survey datasets were not collected specifically for this compilation, but were previously collected for projects with various objectives. The spatial datasets were created by different agencies from sources with varied quality. As a result, features common to multiple layers may not overlay exactly. Users should check the metadata to determine proper use of these spatial datasets. These data were not checked for accuracy or completeness. If a question of accuracy or completeness arise, the user should contact the originator cited in the metadata.

An expert system for water quality modelling.

PubMed

Booty, W G; Lam, D C; Bobba, A G; Wong, I; Kay, D; Kerby, J P; Bowen, G S

1992-12-01

The RAISON-micro (Regional Analysis by Intelligent System ON a micro-computer) expert system is being used to predict the effects of mine effluents on receiving waters in Ontario. The potential of this system to assist regulatory agencies and mining industries to define more acceptable effluent limits was shown in an initial study. This system has been further developed so that the expert system helps the model user choose the most appropriate model for a particular application from a hierarchy of models. The system currently contains seven models which range from steady state to time dependent models, for both conservative and nonconservative substances in rivers and lakes. The menu driven expert system prompts the model user for information such as the nature of the receiving water system, the type of effluent being considered, and the range of background data available for use as input to the models. The system can also be used to determine the nature of the environmental conditions at the site which are not available in the textual information database, such as the components of river flow. Applications of the water quality expert system are presented for representative mine sites in the Timmins area of Ontario.

Surface-water, water-quality, and ground-water assessment of the Municipio of Carolina, Puerto Rico, 1997-99

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rodríguez-Martínez, Jesús; Gómez-Gómez, Fernando; Santiago-Rivera, Luis; Oliveras-Feliciano, M. L.

2001-01-01

To meet the increasing need for a safe and adequate supply of water in the municipio of Carolina, an integrated surface-water, water-quality, and ground-water assessment of the area was conducted. The major results of this study and other important hydrologic and water-quality features were compiled in a Geographic Information System and are presented in two 1:30,000-scale map plates to facilitate interpretation and use of the diverse water-resources data. Because the supply of safe drinking water was a critical issue during recent dry periods, the surface-water assessment portion of this study focused on analysis of low-flow characteristics in local streams and rivers. Low-flow characteristics were evaluated for one continuous-record gaging station, based on graphical curve-fitting techniques and log-Pearson Type III frequency analysis. Estimates of low-flow characteristics for seven partial-record stations were generated using graphical-correlation techniques. Flow-duration characteristics were computed for the one continuous-record gaging station and were estimated for the partial-record stations using the relation curves developed from the low-flow study. Stream low-flow statistics document the general hydrology under current land and water use. Low-flow statistics may substantially change as a result of streamflow diversions for public supply, and an increase in ground-water development, waste-water discharges, and flood-control measures; the current analysis provides baseline information to evaluate these impacts and develop water budgets. A sanitary quality survey of streams utilized 29 sampling stations to evaluate the sanitary quality of about 87 miles of stream channels. River and stream samples were collected on two occasions during base-flow conditions and were analyzed for fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus. Bacteriological analyses indicate that a significant portion of the stream reaches within the municipio of Carolina may have fecal coliform concentrations above the water-quality goal established by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (Junta de Calidad Ambiental de Puerto Rico) for inland surface waters. Sources of fecal contamination may include: illegal discharge of sewage to storm-water drains, malfunctioning sanitary sewer ejectors, clogged and leaking sewage pipes, septic tank leakage, unfenced livestock, and runoff from livestock pens. Long-term fecal coliform data at two sampling stations, Quebrada Blasina in Carolina and the Rio Grande de Loiza, downstream from the town of Trujillo Alto, indicate that the sanitary quality of Quebrada Blasina is and has generally been poor for more than a decade. The sanitary quality of the Rio Grande de Loiza has generally been in compliance with the water-quality goal standard fecal coliform concentrations established in July 1990 by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board. Geologic, topographic, soil, hydrogeologic, and streamflow data were used to divide the municipio of Carolina into five hydrogeologic terranes. This integrated database was then used to evaluate the ground-water potential of each hydrogeologic terrane. Analysis suggests that areas with slopes greater than 15 degrees have relatively low ground-water development potential. Fractures may be locally important in enhancing the water-bearing properties in the hydrogeologic terranes containing igneous rocks. Potentiometric-surface elevations recorded in piezometers installed in the coastal area during this study were used to define ground-water flow directions in the hydrogeologic terranes composed of coastal plain clastic and limestone units. The resultant potentiometric map indicates that the coastal plain aquifer and streams in the lowland parts of the municipio of Carolina are hydraulically connected. The potentiometric map also indicates that ground-water discharge to the Rio Grande de Loiza, downstream from highway PR-3, has been enhanced by dredging of the streambed for

Classification and Mapping of Agricultural Land for National Water-Quality Assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilliom, Robert J.; Thelin, Gail P.

1997-01-01

Agricultural land use is one of the most important influences on water quality at national and regional scales. Although there is great diversity in the character of agricultural land, variations follow regional patterns that are influenced by environmental setting and economics. These regional patterns can be characterized by the distribution of crops. A new approach to classifying and mapping agricultural land use for national water-quality assessment was developed by combining information on general land-use distribution with information on crop patterns from agricultural census data. Separate classification systems were developed for row crops and for orchards, vineyards, and nurseries. These two general categories of agricultural land are distinguished from each other in the land-use classification system used in the U.S. Geological Survey national Land Use and Land Cover database. Classification of cropland was based on the areal extent of crops harvested. The acreage of each crop in each county was divided by total row-crop area or total orchard, vineyard, and nursery area, as appropriate, thus normalizing the crop data and making the classification independent of total cropland area. The classification system was developed using simple percentage criteria to define combinations of 1 to 3 crops that account for 50 percent or more or harvested acreage in a county. The classification system consists of 21 level I categories and 46 level II subcategories for row crops, and 26 level I categories and 19 level II subcategories for orchards, vineyards, and nurseries. All counties in the United States with reported harvested acreage are classified in these categories. The distribution of agricultural land within each county, however, must be evaluated on the basis of general land-use data. This can be done at the national scale using 'Major Land Uses of the United States,' at the regional scale using data from the national Land Use and Land Cover database, or at smaller scales using locally available data.

[Quality management and participation into clinical database].

PubMed

Okubo, Suguru; Miyata, Hiroaki; Tomotaki, Ai; Motomura, Noboru; Murakami, Arata; Ono, Minoru; Iwanaka, Tadashi

2013-07-01

Quality management is necessary for establishing useful clinical database in cooperation with healthcare professionals and facilities. The ways of management are 1) progress management of data entry, 2) liaison with database participants (healthcare professionals), and 3) modification of data collection form. In addition, healthcare facilities are supposed to consider ethical issues and information security for joining clinical databases. Database participants should check ethical review boards and consultation service for patients.

dBBQs: dataBase of Bacterial Quality scores.

PubMed

Wanchai, Visanu; Patumcharoenpol, Preecha; Nookaew, Intawat; Ussery, David

2017-12-28

It is well-known that genome sequencing technologies are becoming significantly cheaper and faster. As a result of this, the exponential growth in sequencing data in public databases allows us to explore ever growing large collections of genome sequences. However, it is less known that the majority of available sequenced genome sequences in public databases are not complete, drafts of varying qualities. We have calculated quality scores for around 100,000 bacterial genomes from all major genome repositories and put them in a fast and easy-to-use database. Prokaryotic genomic data from all sources were collected and combined to make a non-redundant set of bacterial genomes. The genome quality score for each was calculated by four different measurements: assembly quality, number of rRNA and tRNA genes, and the occurrence of conserved functional domains. The dataBase of Bacterial Quality scores (dBBQs) was designed to store and retrieve quality scores. It offers fast searching and download features which the result can be used for further analysis. In addition, the search results are shown in interactive JavaScript chart framework using DC.js. The analysis of quality scores across major public genome databases find that around 68% of the genomes are of acceptable quality for many uses. dBBQs (available at http://arc-gem.uams.edu/dbbqs ) provides genome quality scores for all available prokaryotic genome sequences with a user-friendly Web-interface. These scores can be used as cut-offs to get a high-quality set of genomes for testing bioinformatics tools or improving the analysis. Moreover, all data of the four measurements that were combined to make the quality score for each genome, which can potentially be used for further analysis. dBBQs will be updated regularly and is freely use for non-commercial purpose.

EQUIP: A European Survey of Quality Criteria for the Evaluation of Databases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, T. D.

1998-01-01

Reports on two stages of an investigation into the perceived quality of online databases. Presents data from 989 questionnaires from 600 database users in 12 European and Scandinavian countries and results of a test of the SERVQUAL methodology for identifying user expectations about database services. Lists statements used in the SERVQUAL survey.…

Urban Stormwater Management Model and Tools for Designing Stormwater Management of Green Infrastructure Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haris, H.; Chow, M. F.; Usman, F.; Sidek, L. M.; Roseli, Z. A.; Norlida, M. D.

2016-03-01

Urbanization is growing rapidly in Malaysia. Rapid urbanization has known to have several negative impacts towards hydrological cycle due to decreasing of pervious area and deterioration of water quality in stormwater runoff. One of the negative impacts of urbanization is the congestion of the stormwater drainage system and this situation leading to flash flood problem and water quality degradation. There are many urban stormwater management softwares available in the market such as Storm Water Drainage System design and analysis program (DRAINS), Urban Drainage and Sewer Model (MOUSE), InfoWorks River Simulation (InfoWork RS), Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF), Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model (DR3M), Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), XP Storm Water Management Model (XPSWMM), MIKE-SWMM, Quality-Quantity Simulators (QQS), Storage, Treatment, Overflow, Runoff Model (STORM), and Hydrologic Engineering Centre-Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC-HMS). In this paper, we are going to discuss briefly about several softwares and their functionality, accessibility, characteristics and components in the quantity analysis of the hydrological design software and compare it with MSMA Design Aid and Database. Green Infrastructure (GI) is one of the main topics that has widely been discussed all over the world. Every development in the urban area is related to GI. GI can be defined as green area build in the develop area such as forest, park, wetland or floodway. The role of GI is to improve life standard such as water filtration or flood control. Among the twenty models that have been compared to MSMA SME, ten models were selected to conduct a comprehensive review for this study. These are known to be widely accepted by water resource researchers. These ten tools are further classified into three major categories as models that address the stormwater management ability of GI in terms of quantity and quality, models that have the capability of conducting the economic analysis of GI and models that can address both stormwater management and economic aspects together.

Trends in Water Quality in the Southeastern United States, 1973-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harned, Douglas A.; Staub, Erik L.; Peak, Kelly L.; Tighe, Kirsten M.; Terziotti, Silvia

2009-01-01

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program, water-quality data for 334 streams in eight States of the Southeastern United States were assessed for trends from 1973 to 2005. Forty-four U.S. Geological Survey sites were examined for trends in pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen, and in concentrations of dissolved solids, suspended sediment, chloride, sodium, sulfate, silica, potassium, dissolved organic carbon, total nitrogen, total ammonia, total ammonia plus organic nitrogen, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, and total phosphorus. An additional 290 sites from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storage and Retrieval database were tested for trends in total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations for the 1975-2004 and 1993-2004 periods. The seasonal Kendall test or Tobit regression was used to detect trends. Concentrations of dissolved constituents have increased in the Southeast during the last 30 years. Specific conductance increased at 62 percent and decreased at 3 percent of the sites, and pH increased at 31 percent and decreased at 11 percent of the sites. Decreasing trends in total nitrogen were detected at 49 percent of the sites, and increasing trends were detected at 10 percent of the sites. Ammonia concentrations decreased at 27 percent of the sites and increased at 6 percent of the sites. Nitrite plus nitrate concentrations increased at 29 percent of the sites and decreased at 10 percent of the sites. These results indicate that the changes in stream nitrogen concentrations generally coincided with improved municipal wastewater-treatment methods. Long-term decreasing trends in total phosphorus were detected at 56 percent of the sites, and increasing trends were detected at 8 percent of the sites. Concentrations of phosphorus have decreased over the last 35 years, which coincided with phosphate-detergent bans and improvements in wastewater treatment that were implemented beginning in 1972. Multiple regression analysis indicated a relation between changes in atmospheric inputs and agricultural practices, and changes in water quality. A long-term water-quality and landscape trends-assessment network for the Southeast is needed to assess changes in water quality over time in response to variations in population, agricultural, wastewater, and landscape variables.

Long-term changes in river system hydrology in Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yiwen; Wurbs, Ralph

2018-06-01

Climate change and human actives are recognized as a topical issue that change long-term water budget, flow-frequency, and storage-frequency characteristics of different river systems. Texas is characterized by extreme hydrologic variability both spatially and temporally. Meanwhile, population and economic growth and accompanying water resources development projects have greatly impacted river flows throughout Texas. The relative effects of climate change, water resources development, water use, and other factors on long-term changes in river flow, reservoir storage, evaporation, water use, and other components of the water budgets of different river basins of Texas have been simulated in this research using the monthly version of the Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) modelling system with input databases sets from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). The results show that long-term changes are minimal from analysis monthly precipitation depths. Evaporation rates vary greatly seasonally and for much of the state appear to have a gradually upward trend. River/reservoir system water budgets and river flow characteristics have changed significantly during the past 75 years in response to water resources development and use.

Strategies to Improve Private-Well Water Quality: A North Carolina Perspective

PubMed Central

Pieper, Kelsey J.

2017-01-01

Background: Evidence suggests that the 44.5 million U.S. residents drawing their drinking water from private wells face higher risks of waterborne contaminant exposure than those served by regulated community water supplies. Among U.S. states, North Carolina (N.C.) has the second-largest population relying on private wells, making it a useful microcosm to study challenges to maintaining private-well water quality. Objectives: This paper summarizes recommendations from a two-day summit to identify options to improve drinking-water quality for N.C. residents served by private wells. Methods: The Research Triangle Environmental Health Collaborative invited 111 participants with knowledge of private-well water challenges to attend the Summit. Participants worked in small groups that focused on specific aspects and reconvened in plenary sessions to formulate consensus recommendations. Discussion: Summit participants highlighted four main barriers to ensuring safe water for residents currently relying on private wells: (1) a database of private well locations is unavailable; (2) racial disparities have perpetuated reliance on private wells in some urbanized areas; (3) many private-well users lack information or resources to monitor and maintain their wells; and (4) private-well support programs are fragmented and lack sufficient resources. The Summit produced 10 consensus recommendations for ways to overcome these barriers. Conclusions: The Summit recommendations, if undertaken, could improve the health of North Carolinians facing elevated risks of exposure to waterborne contaminants because of their reliance on inadequately monitored and maintained private wells. Because many of the challenges in N.C. are common nationwide, these recommendations could serve as models for other states. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP890 PMID:28728142

Five Librarians Talk about Quality Control and the OCLC Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helge, Brian; And Others

1987-01-01

Five librarians considered authorities on quality cataloging in the OCLC Online Union Catalog were interviewed to obtain their views on the current level of quality control in the OCLC database, the responsibilities of OCLC and individual libraries in improving the quality of records, and the consequences of quality control problems. (CLB)

U.S. Geological Survey programs and investigations related to soil and water conservation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osterkamp, W.R.; Gray, J.R.

2001-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey has a rich tradition of collecting hydrologic data, especially for fluxes of water and suspended sediment, that provide a foundation for studies of soil and water conservation. Applied and basic research has included investigations of the effects of land use on rangelands, croplands, and forests; hazards mapping; derivation of flood and drought frequency, and other statistics related to streamflow and reservoir storage; development and application of models of rainfall-runoff relations, chemical quality, and sediment movement; and studies of the interactive processes of overland and channel flow with vegetation. Networks of streamgaging stations and (or) sampling sites within numerous drainage basins are yielding information that extends databases and enhances the ability to use those data for interpretive studies.

ASUD2- decision support system on Dnieper reservoirs operations taking into account environmental priorities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iritz, L.; Zheleznyak, M.; Dvorzhak, A.; Nesterov, A.; Zaslavsky, A.

2003-04-01

On the European continent the Dnieper is the third largest river basin (509000 sq.km). The Ukrainian part of the drainage basin is 291 400 sq.km. The cascade of 6 reservoirs, that have capacity from 2.5 to 18 cub.km comprises the entire reach of Dnieper River in Ukraine, redistributes the water regime in time. As a result, 17-18 cub. km water can be used, 50% for hydropower production, 30% for agriculture and up to 18% for municipal water supply. The water stress, the pollution load, the insufficient technical conditions require a lot of effort in the water management development. In order to achieve optimal use of water recourses in the Dnieper River basin, it is essential to develop strategies both for the long-term perspective (planning) as well as for the short-term perspective (operation). The Dnieper River basin must be seen as complex of the natural water resources, as well as the human system (water use, social and economic intercourse). In the frame of the project, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) the software tool ASUD2 is developed to support reservoir operations provided by the State Committee of Ukraine on Water Management and by the Joint River Commission. ASUD2 includes multicriteria optimization engine that drives the reservoir water balamce models and box models of water quality. A system of supplementary (off-line) tools support more detailed analyses of the water quality parameters of largest reservoirs (Kachovka and Kremechug). The models AQUATOX and WASP ( in the developed 3-D version) are used for these purposes. The Integrated Database IDB-ASUD2 supplies the information such as state of the all reservoirs, hydrological observations and predictions, water demands, measured water quality parameters. ASUD2 is able to give the following information on an operational basis. : - recommended dynamics of the water elevation during the water allocation planning period in all reservoirs calculated on the basis of the different optimisation criteria minimum of the distance to the trajectory of the water level given by decision of the Joint River Commission, minimum value of the water contamination parameters (DO, nutrients, phosphorus), maximum energy production, taking into account limitations from fishery, water intakes of irrigation and transport channels etc; -water releases from the reservoirs to maintain the recommended dynamics in the whole Dnieper Cascade; -integrated water quality parameters for all reservoirs and distributed water quality parameters for the two largest reservoirs (Kremenchug and Kachovka). The analyses based on economical criteria provides the cost-benefit evaluation for different reservoir management alternatives. The assessment takes into account energy production, industry, agriculture as well as the costs associated with ecological damages.

Data model and relational database design for the New Jersey Water-Transfer Data System (NJWaTr)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tessler, Steven

2003-01-01

The New Jersey Water-Transfer Data System (NJWaTr) is a database design for the storage and retrieval of water-use data. NJWaTr can manage data encompassing many facets of water use, including (1) the tracking of various types of water-use activities (withdrawals, returns, transfers, distributions, consumptive-use, wastewater collection, and treatment); (2) the storage of descriptions, classifications and locations of places and organizations involved in water-use activities; (3) the storage of details about measured or estimated volumes of water associated with water-use activities; and (4) the storage of information about data sources and water resources associated with water use. In NJWaTr, each water transfer occurs unidirectionally between two site objects, and the sites and conveyances form a water network. The core entities in the NJWaTr model are site, conveyance, transfer/volume, location, and owner. Other important entities include water resource (used for withdrawals and returns), data source, permit, and alias. Multiple water-exchange estimates based on different methods or data sources can be stored for individual transfers. Storage of user-defined details is accommodated for several of the main entities. Many tables contain classification terms to facilitate the detailed description of data items and can be used for routine or custom data summarization. NJWaTr accommodates single-user and aggregate-user water-use data, can be used for large or small water-network projects, and is available as a stand-alone Microsoft? Access database. Data stored in the NJWaTr structure can be retrieved in user-defined combinations to serve visualization and analytical applications. Users can customize and extend the database, link it to other databases, or implement the design in other relational database applications.

The Reach Address Database (RAD)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Reach Address Database (RAD) stores reach address information for each Water Program feature that has been linked to the underlying surface water features (streams, lakes, etc) in the National Hydrology Database (NHD) Plus dataset.

Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework: 3. Land Use and Field Boundary Database Development and Structure.

PubMed

Tomer, Mark D; James, David E; Sandoval-Green, Claudette M J

2017-05-01

Conservation planning information is important for identifying options for watershed water quality improvement and can be developed for use at field, farm, and watershed scales. Translation across scales is a key issue impeding progress at watershed scales because watershed improvement goals must be connected with implementation of farm- and field-level conservation practices to demonstrate success. This is particularly true when examining alternatives for "trap and treat" practices implemented at agricultural-field edges to control (or influence) water flows through fields, landscapes, and riparian corridors within agricultural watersheds. We propose that database structures used in developing conservation planning information can achieve translation across conservation-planning scales, and we developed the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) to enable practical planning applications. The ACPF comprises a planning concept, a database to facilitate field-level and watershed-scale analyses, and an ArcGIS toolbox with Python scripts to identify specific options for placement of conservation practices. This paper appends two prior publications and describes the structure of the ACPF database, which contains land use, crop history, and soils information and is available for download for 6091 HUC12 watersheds located across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and parts of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin and comprises information on 2.74 × 10 agricultural fields (available through /). Sample results examining land use trends across Iowa and Illinois are presented here to demonstrate potential uses of the database. While designed for use with the ACPF toolbox, users are welcome to use the ACPF watershed data in a variety of planning and modeling approaches. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Atlantic Ocean CARINA data: overview and salinity adjustments

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

Tanhua, T.; Steinfeldt, R.; Key, Robert

2010-01-01

Water column data of carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from 188 previously non-publicly available cruise data sets in the Arctic Mediterranean Seas, Atlantic and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged into a new database: CARINA (CARbon dioxide IN the Atlantic Ocean). The data have gone through rigorous quality control procedures to assure the highest possible quality and consistency. The data for the pertinent parameters in the CARINA database were objectively examined in order to quantify systematic differences in the reported values, i.e. secondary quality control. Systematic biases found in the data have been corrected in the threemore » data products: merged data files with measured, calculated and interpolated data for each of the three CARINA regions, i.e. the Arctic Mediterranean Seas, the Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. These products have been corrected to be internally consistent. Ninety-eight of the cruises in the CARINA database were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean, defined here as the region south of the Greenland-Iceland-Scotland Ridge and north of about 30 S. Here we present an overview of the Atlantic Ocean synthesis of the CARINA data and the adjustments that were applied to the data product. We also report the details of the secondary QC (Quality Control) for salinity for this data set. Procedures of quality control including crossover analysis between stations and inversion analysis of all crossover data are briefly described. Adjustments to salinity measurements were applied to the data from 10 cruises in the Atlantic Ocean region. Based on our analysis we estimate the internal consistency of the CARINA-ATL salinity data to be 4.1 ppm. With these adjustments the CARINA data products are consistent both internally was well as with GLODAP data, an oceanographic data set based on the World Hydrographic Program in the 1990s, and is now suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates and for model validation.« less

Atlantic Ocean CARINA data: overview and salinity adjustments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanhua, T.; Steinfeldt, R.; Key, R. M.; Brown, P.; Gruber, N.; Wanninkhof, R.; Perez, F.; Körtzinger, A.; Velo, A.; Schuster, U.; van Heuven, S.; Bullister, J. L.; Stendardo, I.; Hoppema, M.; Olsen, A.; Kozyr, A.; Pierrot, D.; Schirnick, C.; Wallace, D. W. R.

2010-02-01

Water column data of carbon and carbon-relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from 188 previously non-publicly available cruise data sets in the Arctic Mediterranean Seas, Atlantic and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged into a new database: CARINA (CARbon dioxide IN the Atlantic Ocean). The data have gone through rigorous quality control procedures to assure the highest possible quality and consistency. The data for the pertinent parameters in the CARINA database were objectively examined in order to quantify systematic differences in the reported values, i.e. secondary quality control. Systematic biases found in the data have been corrected in the three data products: merged data files with measured, calculated and interpolated data for each of the three CARINA regions, i.e. the Arctic Mediterranean Seas, the Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. These products have been corrected to be internally consistent. Ninety-eight of the cruises in the CARINA database were conducted in the Atlantic Ocean, defined here as the region south of the Greenland-Iceland-Scotland Ridge and north of about 30° S. Here we present an overview of the Atlantic Ocean synthesis of the CARINA data and the adjustments that were applied to the data product. We also report the details of the secondary QC (Quality Control) for salinity for this data set. Procedures of quality control - including crossover analysis between stations and inversion analysis of all crossover data - are briefly described. Adjustments to salinity measurements were applied to the data from 10 cruises in the Atlantic Ocean region. Based on our analysis we estimate the internal consistency of the CARINA-ATL salinity data to be 4.1 ppm. With these adjustments the CARINA data products are consistent both internally as well as with GLODAP data, an oceanographic data set based on the World Hydrographic Program in the 1990s, and is now suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates and for model validation.

The European general thoracic surgery database project.

PubMed

Falcoz, Pierre Emmanuel; Brunelli, Alessandro

2014-05-01

The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) Database is a free registry created by ESTS in 2001. The current online version was launched in 2007. It runs currently on a Dendrite platform with extensive data security and frequent backups. The main features are a specialty-specific, procedure-specific, prospectively maintained, periodically audited and web-based electronic database, designed for quality control and performance monitoring, which allows for the collection of all general thoracic procedures. Data collection is the "backbone" of the ESTS database. It includes many risk factors, processes of care and outcomes, which are specially designed for quality control and performance audit. The user can download and export their own data and use them for internal analyses and quality control audits. The ESTS database represents the gold standard of clinical data collection for European General Thoracic Surgery. Over the past years, the ESTS database has achieved many accomplishments. In particular, the database hit two major milestones: it now includes more than 235 participating centers and 70,000 surgical procedures. The ESTS database is a snapshot of surgical practice that aims at improving patient care. In other words, data capture should become integral to routine patient care, with the final objective of improving quality of care within Europe.

Overview of the Nordic Seas CARINA data and salinity measurements

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

Olsen, Are; Key, Robert; Jeansson, Emil

2009-01-01

Water column data of carbon and carbon relevant hydrographic and hydrochemical parameters from 188 previously non-publicly available cruises in the Arctic, Atlantic, and Southern Ocean have been retrieved and merged into a new database: CARINA (CARbon IN the Atlantic). The data have been subject to rigorous quality control (QC) in order to ensure highest possible quality and consistency. The data for most of the parameters included were examined in order to quantify systematic biases in the reported values, i.e. secondary quality control. Significant biases have been corrected for in the data products, i.e. the three merged files with measured, calculatedmore » and interpolated values for each of the three CARINA regions; the Arctic Mediterranean Seas (AMS), the Atlantic (ATL) and the Southern Ocean (SO).With the adjustments the CARINA database is consistent both internally as well as with GLODAP (Key et al., 2004) and is suitable for accurate assessments of, for example, oceanic carbon inventories and uptake rates and for model validation. The Arctic Mediterranean Seas include the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas, and the quality control was carried out separately in these two areas. This contribution provides an overview of the CARINA data from the Nordic Seas and summaries the findings of the QC of the salinity data. One cruise had salinity data that were of questionable quality, and these have been removed from the data product. An evaluation of the consistency of the quality controlled salinity data suggests that they are consistent to at least 0.005.« less

Quality of water in the fractured-bedrock aquifer of New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Richard Bridge

2004-01-01

Over the past few decades, New Hampshire has experienced considerable population growth, which is forcing some communities to look for alternative public and private water supplies in the bedrock aquifer. Because the quality of water from the aquifer can vary, the U.S. Geological Survey statistically analyzed well data from 1,353 domestic and 360 public-supply bedrock wells to characterize the ground water. The domestic-well data were from homeowner-collected samples analyzed by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Environmental Laboratory from 1984 to 1994. Bedrock water in New Hampshire often contains high concentrations of iron, manganese, arsenic, and radon gas. Water samples from 21 percent of the domestic bedrock wells contained arsenic above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 10 micrograms per liter (?g/L) drinking-water standard for public-water supplies, and 96 percent had radon concentrations greater than the USEPA-proposed 300 picocurie per liter (pCi/L) standard for public-water supplies. Some elevated fluoride concentrations (2 percent of samples) were above the 4 milligrams per liter (mg/L) USEPA drinking-water standard for public-water supplies. Water from the bedrock aquifer also typically is soft to moderately hard, and has a pH greater than 7.0. Variations in bedrock water quality were discernable when the data were compared to lithochemical groupings of the bedrock, indicating that the type of bedrock has an effect on the quality of water in the bedrock aquifer of New Hampshire. Ground-water samples from the metasedimentary lithochemical group have greater concentrations of total iron and total manganese than do the felsic and mafic igneous lithochemical groups. Ground-water samples from the felsic igneous group have higher concentrations of total fluoride than do those from the other lithochemical groups. For arsenic, the calcareous metasedimentary group was identified, using the public-supply database, as having higher concentrations, on average, than the other lithochemical groups. The use of a radon-gas-potential classification of bedrock in the State indicated where high radon concentrations in the air and in water from private and public-supply wells were more likely to occur. In general, samples from the bedrock aquifer tend to have higher pH (are less acidic), greater hardness, much higher concentrations of iron, similar concentrations of manganese, and higher concentrations of fluoride and arsenic than do samples from stratified-drift aquifers in New Hampshire. An understanding of the water-quality conditions of water in bedrock aquifers is important from a public-health perspective because an increasing number of domestic bedrock wells are being drilled and relied upon as a source of drinking water in the State.

Weight-of-evidence approach in assessment of ecotoxicological risks of acid sulphate soils in the Baltic Sea river estuaries.

PubMed

Wallin, Jaana; Karjalainen, Anna K; Schultz, Eija; Järvistö, Johanna; Leppänen, Matti; Vuori, Kari-Matti

2015-03-01

Acidity and leaching of metals from acid sulphate soils (ASSs) impair the water quality of receiving surface waters. The largest ASS areas in Europe are found in the coasts of the northern Baltic Sea. We used weight-of-evidence (WoE) approach to assess potential risks in 14 estuary sites affected by ASS in the Gulf of Finland, northern Baltic Sea. The assessment was based on exposure and effect profiles utilizing sediment and water metal concentrations and concurrent pH variation, sediment toxicity tests using the luminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri and the midge Chironomus riparius, and the ecological status of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. Sediment metal concentrations were compared to national sediment quality criteria/guidelines, and water metal concentrations to environmental quality standards (EQSs). Hazard quotients (HQs) were established for maximum aluminium, cadmium and zinc concentrations at low pH based on applicable US EPA toxicity database. Sediment metal concentrations were clearly elevated in most of the studied estuaries. The EQS of cadmium (0.1 μg/l) was exceeded in 3 estuaries out of 14. The pH-minima were below the national threshold value (5.5) between good and satisfactory water quality in 10 estuaries. V. fischeri bioluminescence indicated toxicity of the sediments but toxic response was not observed in the C. riparius emergence test. Benthic invertebrate communities were deteriorated in 6 out of 14 sites based on the benthic invertebrate quality index. The overall ecotoxicological risk was assessed as low in five, moderate in three and high in five of the estuary sites. The risk assessment utilizing the WoE approach indicated that harmful effects of ASSs are likely to occur in the Baltic Sea river estuaries located at the ASS hotspot area. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Community-based risk assessment of water contamination from high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing.

PubMed

Penningroth, Stephen M; Yarrow, Matthew M; Figueroa, Abner X; Bowen, Rebecca J; Delgado, Soraya

2013-01-01

The risk of contaminating surface and groundwater as a result of shale gas extraction using high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has not been assessed using conventional risk assessment methodologies. Baseline (pre-fracking) data on relevant water quality indicators, needed for meaningful risk assessment, are largely lacking. To fill this gap, the nonprofit Community Science Institute (CSI) partners with community volunteers who perform regular sampling of more than 50 streams in the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions of upstate New York; samples are analyzed for parameters associated with HVHHF. Similar baseline data on regional groundwater comes from CSI's testing of private drinking water wells. Analytic results for groundwater (with permission) and surface water are made publicly available in an interactive, searchable database. Baseline concentrations of potential contaminants from shale gas operations are found to be low, suggesting that early community-based monitoring is an effective foundation for assessing later contamination due to fracking.

In Situ Global Sea Surface Salinity and Variability from the NCEI Global Thermosalinograph Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Boyer, T.; Zhang, H. M.

2017-12-01

Sea surface salinity (SSS) plays an important role in the global ocean circulations. The variations of sea surface salinity are key indicators of changes in air-sea water fluxes. Using nearly 30 years of in situ measurements of sea surface salinity from thermosalinographs, we will evaluate the variations of the sea surface salinity in the global ocean. The sea surface salinity data used are from our newly-developed NCEI Global Thermosalinograph Database - NCEI-TSG. This database provides a comprehensive set of quality-controlled in-situ sea-surface salinity and temperature measurements collected from over 340 vessels during the period 1989 to the present. The NCEI-TSG is the world's most complete TSG dataset, containing all data from the different TSG data assembly centers, e.g. COAPS (SAMOS), IODE (GOSUD) and AOML, with more historical data from NCEI's archive to be added. Using this unique dataset, we will investigate the spatial variations of the global SSS and its variability. Annual and interannual variability will also be studied at selected regions.

USGS cold-water coral geographic database-Gulf of Mexico and western North Atlantic Ocean, version 1.0

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scanlon, Kathryn M.; Waller, Rhian G.; Sirotek, Alexander R.; Knisel, Julia M.; O'Malley, John; Alesandrini, Stian

2010-01-01

The USGS Cold-Water Coral Geographic Database (CoWCoG) provides a tool for researchers and managers interested in studying, protecting, and/or utilizing cold-water coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and western North Atlantic Ocean.  The database makes information about the locations and taxonomy of cold-water corals available to the public in an easy-to-access form while preserving the scientific integrity of the data.  The database includes over 1700 entries, mostly from published scientific literature, museum collections, and other databases.  The CoWCoG database is easy to search in a variety of ways, and data can be quickly displayed in table form and on a map by using only the software included with this publication.  Subsets of the database can be selected on the basis of geographic location, taxonomy, or other criteria and exported to one of several available file formats.  Future versions of the database are being planned to cover a larger geographic area and additional taxa.

Variations in data collection methods between national databases affect study results: a comparison of the nationwide inpatient sample and national surgical quality improvement program databases for lumbar spine fusion procedures.

PubMed

Bohl, Daniel D; Russo, Glenn S; Basques, Bryce A; Golinvaux, Nicholas S; Fu, Michael C; Long, William D; Grauer, Jonathan N

2014-12-03

There has been an increasing use of national databases to conduct orthopaedic research. Questions regarding the validity and consistency of these studies have not been fully addressed. The purpose of this study was to test for similarity in reported measures between two national databases commonly used for orthopaedic research. A retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing lumbar spinal fusion procedures during 2009 to 2011 was performed in two national databases: the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and inpatient adverse events were directly compared between databases. The total numbers of patients included were 144,098 from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and 8434 from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. There were only small differences in demographic characteristics between the two databases. There were large differences between databases in the rates at which specific comorbidities were documented. Non-morbid obesity was documented at rates of 9.33% in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and 36.93% in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (relative risk, 0.25; p < 0.05). Peripheral vascular disease was documented at rates of 2.35% in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and 0.60% in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (relative risk, 3.89; p < 0.05). Similarly, there were large differences between databases in the rates at which specific inpatient adverse events were documented. Sepsis was documented at rates of 0.38% in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and 0.81% in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (relative risk, 0.47; p < 0.05). Acute kidney injury was documented at rates of 1.79% in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and 0.21% in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (relative risk, 8.54; p < 0.05). As database studies become more prevalent in orthopaedic surgery, authors, reviewers, and readers should view these studies with caution. This study shows that two commonly used databases can identify demographically similar patients undergoing a common orthopaedic procedure; however, the databases document markedly different rates of comorbidities and inpatient adverse events. The differences are likely the result of the very different mechanisms through which the databases collect their comorbidity and adverse event data. Findings highlight concerns regarding the validity of orthopaedic database research. Copyright © 2014 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

Effectiveness of aquatic exercise and balneotherapy: a summary of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials of water immersion therapies.

PubMed

Kamioka, Hiroharu; Tsutani, Kiichiro; Okuizumi, Hiroyasu; Mutoh, Yoshiteru; Ohta, Miho; Handa, Shuichi; Okada, Shinpei; Kitayuguchi, Jun; Kamada, Masamitsu; Shiozawa, Nobuyoshi; Honda, Takuya

2010-01-01

The objective of this review was to summarize findings on aquatic exercise and balneotherapy and to assess the quality of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials. Studies were eligible if they were systematic reviews based on randomized clinical trials (with or without a meta-analysis) that included at least 1 treatment group that received aquatic exercise or balneotherapy. We searched the following databases: Cochrane Database Systematic Review, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, JDream II, and Ichushi-Web for articles published from the year 1990 to August 17, 2008. We found evidence that aquatic exercise had small but statistically significant effects on pain relief and related outcome measures of locomotor diseases (eg, arthritis, rheumatoid diseases, and low back pain). However, long-term effectiveness was unclear. Because evidence was lacking due to the poor methodological quality of balneotherapy studies, we were unable to make any conclusions on the effects of intervention. There were frequent flaws regarding the description of excluded RCTs and the assessment of publication bias in several trials. Two of the present authors independently assessed the quality of articles using the AMSTAR checklist. Aquatic exercise had a small but statistically significant short-term effect on locomotor diseases. However, the effectiveness of balneotherapy in curing disease or improving health remains unclear.

Fecal Contamination of Drinking-Water in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Bain, Robert; Cronk, Ryan; Wright, Jim; Yang, Hong; Slaymaker, Tom; Bartram, Jamie

2014-01-01

Background Access to safe drinking-water is a fundamental requirement for good health and is also a human right. Global access to safe drinking-water is monitored by WHO and UNICEF using as an indicator “use of an improved source,” which does not account for water quality measurements. Our objectives were to determine whether water from “improved” sources is less likely to contain fecal contamination than “unimproved” sources and to assess the extent to which contamination varies by source type and setting. Methods and Findings Studies in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish were identified from online databases, including PubMed and Web of Science, and grey literature. Studies in low- and middle-income countries published between 1990 and August 2013 that assessed drinking-water for the presence of Escherichia coli or thermotolerant coliforms (TTC) were included provided they associated results with a particular source type. In total 319 studies were included, reporting on 96,737 water samples. The odds of contamination within a given study were considerably lower for “improved” sources than “unimproved” sources (odds ratio [OR] = 0.15 [0.10–0.21], I2 = 80.3% [72.9–85.6]). However over a quarter of samples from improved sources contained fecal contamination in 38% of 191 studies. Water sources in low-income countries (OR = 2.37 [1.52–3.71]; p<0.001) and rural areas (OR = 2.37 [1.47–3.81] p<0.001) were more likely to be contaminated. Studies rarely reported stored water quality or sanitary risks and few achieved robust random selection. Safety may be overestimated due to infrequent water sampling and deterioration in quality prior to consumption. Conclusion Access to an “improved source” provides a measure of sanitary protection but does not ensure water is free of fecal contamination nor is it consistent between source types or settings. International estimates therefore greatly overstate use of safe drinking-water and do not fully reflect disparities in access. An enhanced monitoring strategy would combine indicators of sanitary protection with measures of water quality. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:24800926

A Model Based Mars Climate Database for the Mission Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

A viewgraph presentation on a model based climate database is shown. The topics include: 1) Why a model based climate database?; 2) Mars Climate Database v3.1 Who uses it ? (approx. 60 users!); 3) The new Mars Climate database MCD v4.0; 4) MCD v4.0: what's new ? 5) Simulation of Water ice clouds; 6) Simulation of Water ice cycle; 7) A new tool for surface pressure prediction; 8) Acces to the database MCD 4.0; 9) How to access the database; and 10) New web access

Spatially detailed water footprint assessment using the U.S. National Water-Economy Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruddell, B. L.

2015-12-01

The new U.S. National Water-Economy Database (NWED) provides a complete picture of water use and trade in water-derived goods and services in the U.S. economy, by economic sector, at the county and metropolitan area scale. This data product provides for the first time a basis for spatially detailed calculations of water footprints and virtual water trade in the entire U.S.. This talk reviews the general patterns of U.S. water footprint and virtual water trade, at the county scale., and provides an opportunity for the community to discuss applications of this database for water resource policy and economics. The water footprints of irrigated agriculture and energy are specifically addressed, as well as overall patterns of water use in the economy.

Development plan for the External Hazards Experimental Group. Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program

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

Coleman, Justin Leigh; Smith, Curtis Lee; Burns, Douglas Edward

This report describes the development plan for a new multi-partner External Hazards Experimental Group (EHEG) coordinated by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) within the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization (RISMC) technical pathway of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. Currently, there is limited data available for development and validation of the tools and methods being developed in the RISMC Toolkit. The EHEG is being developed to obtain high-quality, small- and large-scale experimental data validation of RISMC tools and methods in a timely and cost-effective way. The group of universities and national laboratories that will eventually form the EHEG (which is ultimately expectedmore » to include both the initial participants and other universities and national laboratories that have been identified) have the expertise and experimental capabilities needed to both obtain and compile existing data archives and perform additional seismic and flooding experiments. The data developed by EHEG will be stored in databases for use within RISMC. These databases will be used to validate the advanced external hazard tools and methods.« less

THE DRINKING WATER TREATABILITY DATABASE (Slides)

EPA Science Inventory

The Drinking Water Treatability Database (TDB) assembles referenced data on the control of contaminants in drinking water, housed on an interactive, publicly-available, USEPA web site (www.epa.gov/tdb). The TDB is of use to drinking water utilities, treatment process design engin...

TREATABILITY DATABASE DESCRIPTION

EPA Science Inventory

The Drinking Water Treatability Database (TDB) presents referenced information on the control of contaminants in drinking water. It allows drinking water utilities, first responders to spills or emergencies, treatment process designers, research organizations, academics, regulato...

Information management and analysis system for groundwater data in Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gill, D.; Luckananurung, P.

1992-01-01

The Ground Water Division of the Thai Department of Mineral Resources maintains a large archive of groundwater data with information on some 50,000 water wells. Each well file contains information on well location, well completion, borehole geology, water levels, water quality, and pumping tests. In order to enable efficient use of this information a computer-based system for information management and analysis was created. The project was sponsored by the United Nations Development Program and the Thai Department of Mineral Resources. The system was designed to serve users who lack prior training in automated data processing. Access is through a friendly user/system dialogue. Tasks are segmented into a number of logical steps, each of which is managed by a separate screen. Selective retrieval is possible by four different methods of area definition and by compliance with user-specified constraints on any combination of database variables. The main types of outputs are: (1) files of retrieved data, screened according to users' specifications; (2) an assortment of pre-formatted reports; (3) computed geochemical parameters and various diagrams of water chemistry derived therefrom; (4) bivariate scatter diagrams and linear regression analysis; (5) posting of data and computed results on maps; and (6) hydraulic aquifer characteristics as computed from pumping tests. Data are entered directly from formatted screens. Most records can be copied directly from hand-written documents. The database-management program performs data integrity checks in real time, enabling corrections at the time of input. The system software can be grouped into: (1) database administration and maintenance—these functions are carried out by the SIR/DBMS software package; (2) user communication interface for task definition and execution control—the interface is written in the operating system command language (VMS/DCL) and in FORTRAN 77; and (3) scientific data-processing programs, written in FORTRAN 77. The system was implemented on a DEC MicroVAX II computer.

Protein Folding and Structure Prediction from the Ground Up: The Atomistic Associative Memory, Water Mediated, Structure and Energy Model.

PubMed

Chen, Mingchen; Lin, Xingcheng; Zheng, Weihua; Onuchic, José N; Wolynes, Peter G

2016-08-25

The associative memory, water mediated, structure and energy model (AWSEM) is a coarse-grained force field with transferable tertiary interactions that incorporates local in sequence energetic biases using bioinformatically derived structural information about peptide fragments with locally similar sequences that we call memories. The memory information from the protein data bank (PDB) database guides proper protein folding. The structural information about available sequences in the database varies in quality and can sometimes lead to frustrated free energy landscapes locally. One way out of this difficulty is to construct the input fragment memory information from all-atom simulations of portions of the complete polypeptide chain. In this paper, we investigate this approach first put forward by Kwac and Wolynes in a more complete way by studying the structure prediction capabilities of this approach for six α-helical proteins. This scheme which we call the atomistic associative memory, water mediated, structure and energy model (AAWSEM) amounts to an ab initio protein structure prediction method that starts from the ground up without using bioinformatic input. The free energy profiles from AAWSEM show that atomistic fragment memories are sufficient to guide the correct folding when tertiary forces are included. AAWSEM combines the efficiency of coarse-grained simulations on the full protein level with the local structural accuracy achievable from all-atom simulations of only parts of a large protein. The results suggest that a hybrid use of atomistic fragment memory and database memory in structural predictions may well be optimal for many practical applications.

Developing an A Priori Database for Passive Microwave Snow Water Retrievals Over Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Mengtao; Liu, Guosheng

2017-12-01

A physically optimized a priori database is developed for Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GMI) snow water retrievals over ocean. The initial snow water content profiles are derived from CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) measurements. A radiative transfer model in which the single-scattering properties of nonspherical snowflakes are based on the discrete dipole approximate results is employed to simulate brightness temperatures and their gradients. Snow water content profiles are then optimized through a one-dimensional variational (1D-Var) method. The standard deviations of the difference between observed and simulated brightness temperatures are in a similar magnitude to the observation errors defined for observation error covariance matrix after the 1D-Var optimization, indicating that this variational method is successful. This optimized database is applied in a Bayesian retrieval snow water algorithm. The retrieval results indicated that the 1D-Var approach has a positive impact on the GMI retrieved snow water content profiles by improving the physical consistency between snow water content profiles and observed brightness temperatures. Global distribution of snow water contents retrieved from the a priori database is compared with CloudSat CPR estimates. Results showed that the two estimates have a similar pattern of global distribution, and the difference of their global means is small. In addition, we investigate the impact of using physical parameters to subset the database on snow water retrievals. It is shown that using total precipitable water to subset the database with 1D-Var optimization is beneficial for snow water retrievals.

GAGES: A stream gage database for evaluating natural and alteredflow conditions in the conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Falcone, James A.; Carlisle, Daren M.; Wolock, David M.; Meador, Michael R.

2010-01-01

In addition, watersheds were assessed for their reference quality within nine broad regions for use in studies intended to characterize stream flows under conditions minimally influenced by human activities. Three primary criteria were used to assess reference quality: (1) a quantitative index of anthropogenic modification within the watershed based on GIS-derived variables, (2) visual inspection of every stream gage and drainage basin from recent high-resolution imagery and topographic maps, and (3) information about man-made influences from USGS Annual Water Data Reports. From the set of 6785 sites, we identified 1512 as reference-quality stream gages. All data derived for these watersheds as well as the reference condition evaluation are provided as an online data set termed GAGES (geospatial attributes of gages for evaluating stream flow).

Development and evaluation of the microbial fate and transport module for the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Eun-Mi; Park, Yongeun; Muirhead, Richard; Pachepsky, Yakov

2017-04-01

Pathogenic microorganisms in recreational and irrigation waters remain the subject of concern. Water quality models are used to estimate microbial quality of water sources, to evaluate microbial contamination-related risks, to guide the microbial water quality monitoring, and to evaluate the effect of agricultural management on the microbial water quality. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) is the watershed-scale water quality model that includes highly detailed representation of agricultural management. The APEX currently does not have microbial fate and transport simulation capabilities. The objective of this work was to develop the first APEX microbial fate and transport module that could use the APEX conceptual model of manure removal together with recently introduced conceptualizations of the in-stream microbial fate and transport. The module utilizes manure erosion rates found in the APEX. The total number of removed bacteria was set to the concentrations of bacteria in soil-manure mixing layer and eroded manure amount. Bacteria survival in soil-manure mixing layer was simulated with the two-stage survival model. Individual survival patterns were simulated for each manure application date. Simulated in-stream microbial fate and transport processes included the reach-scale passive release of bacteria with resuspended bottom sediment during high flow events, the transport of bacteria from bottom sediment due to the hyporheic exchange during low flow periods, the deposition with settling sediment, and the two-stage survival. Default parameter values were available from recently published databases. The APEX model with the newly developed microbial fate and transport module was applied to simulate seven years of monitoring data for the Toenepi watershed in New Zealand. The stream network of the watershed ran through grazing lands with the daily bovine waste deposition. Based on calibration and testing results, the APEX with the microbe module reproduced well the monitored pattern of E. coli concentrations at the watershed outlet. The APEX with the microbial fate and transport module will be utilized for predicting microbial quality of water under various agricultural practices (grazing, cropping, and manure application), evaluating monitoring protocols, and supporting the selection of management practices based on regulations that rely on fecal indicator bacteria concentrations. Future development should include modeling contributions of wildlife, manure weathering, and weather effects on manure-borne microorganism survival and release.

Data, knowledge and method bases in chemical sciences. Part IV. Current status in databases.

PubMed

Braibanti, Antonio; Rao, Rupenaguntla Sambasiva; Rao, Gollapalli Nagesvara; Ramam, Veluri Anantha; Rao, Sattiraju Veera Venkata Satyanarayana

2002-01-01

Computer readable databases have become an integral part of chemical research right from planning data acquisition to interpretation of the information generated. The databases available today are numerical, spectral and bibliographic. Data representation by different schemes--relational, hierarchical and objects--is demonstrated. Quality index (QI) throws light on the quality of data. The objective, prospects and impact of database activity on expert systems are discussed. The number and size of corporate databases available on international networks crossed manageable number leading to databases about their contents. Subsets of corporate or small databases have been developed by groups of chemists. The features and role of knowledge-based or intelligent databases are described.

NIST/ASME Steam Properties Database

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 10 NIST/ASME Steam Properties Database (PC database for purchase)   Based upon the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS) 1995 formulation for the thermodynamic properties of water and the most recent IAPWS formulations for transport and other properties, this updated version provides water properties over a wide range of conditions according to the accepted international standards.

U.S. Geological Survey coal quality (COALQUAL) database; version 2.0

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bragg, L.J.; Oman, J.K.; Tewalt, S.J.; Oman, C.L.; Rega, N.H.; Washington, P.M.; Finkelman, R.B.

1997-01-01

The USGS Coal Quality database is an interactive, computerized component of the NCRDS. It contains comprehensive analyses of more than 13,000 samples of coal and associated rocks from every major coal-bearing basin and coal bed in the U.S. The data in the coal quality database represent analyses of the coal as it exists in the ground. The data commonly are presented on an as-received whole-coal basis.

Relative Linkages of Stream Dissolved Oxygen with the Climatic, Hydrological, and Biogeochemical Drivers across the East Coast of U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdul-Aziz, O. I.; Ahmed, S.

2017-12-01

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key indicator of stream water quality and ecosystem health. However, the temporal dynamics of stream DO is controlled by a multitude of interacting environmental drivers. The relative linkages of stream DO with the relevant environmental drivers were determined in this study across the U.S. East Coast by employing a systematic data analytics approach. The study analyzed temporal data for 51 water quality monitoring stations from USGS NWIS and EPA STORET databases. Principal component analysis and factor analysis, along with Pearson's correlation analysis, were applied to identify the interrelationships and unravel latent patterns among DO and the environmental drivers. Power law based partial least squares regression models with a bootstarp Monte-Carlo procedure (1000 iterations) were developed to reliably estimate the environmental linkages of DO by resolving multicollinearity. Based on the similarity of dominant drivers, the streams were categorized into three distinct environmental regimes. Stream DO in the northern part of temperate zone (e.g., northeast coast) had the strongest linkage with water temperature; suggesting an environmental regime with dominant climatic control. However, stream DO in the tropical zones (e.g., southeast Florida) was mostly driven by pH; indicating an environmental regime likely controlled by redox chemistry. Further, a transitional regime was found between the temperate and tropical zones, where stream DO was controlled by both water temperature and pH. The results suggested a strong effect of the climatic gradient (temperate to tropical) on stream DO along the East Coast. The identified environmental regimes and the regime-specific relative linkages provided new information on the dominant controls of coastal stream water quality dynamics. The findings would guide the planning and management of coastal stream water quality and ecosystem health across the U.S. East Coast and around the world.

Regionalisation of parameters of a large-scale water quality model in Lithuania using PAIC-SWAT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarrineh, Nina; van Griensven, Ann; Sennikovs, Juris; Bekere, Liga; Plunge, Svajunas

2015-04-01

To comply with the EU Water Framework Directive, all water bodies need to achieve good ecological status. To reach these goals, the Environmental Protection Agency (AAA) has to elaborate river basin districts management plans and programmes of measures for all catchments in Lithuania. For this purpose, a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was set up for all Lithuanian catchments using the most recent version of SWAT2012 rev627 implemented and imbedded in a Python workflow by the Center of Processes Analysis and Research (PAIC). The model was calibrated and evaluated using all monitoring data of river discharge, nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations and load. A regionalisation strategy has been set up by identifying 13 hydrological regions according to the runoff formation and hydrological conditions. In each region, a representative catchment was selected and calibrated using a combination of manual and automated calibration techniques. After final parameterization and fulfilling of calibrating and validating evaluation criteria, the same parameters sets have been extrapolated to other catchments within the same hydrological region. Multi variable cal/val strategy was implemented for the following variables: river flow and in-stream NO3, Total Nitrogen, PO4 and Total Phosphorous concentrations. The criteria used for calibration, validation and extrapolation are: Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) for flow and R-squared for water quality variables and PBIAS (percentage bias) for all variables. For the hydrological calibration, NSE values greater than 0.5 should be achieved, while for validation and extrapolation the threshold is respectively 0.4 and 0.3. PBIAS errors have to be less than 20% for calibration and for validation and extrapolation less than 25% and 30%, respectively. In water quality calibration, R-squared should be achieved to 0.5 for calibration and for validation and extrapolation to 0.4 and 0.3 respectively for nitrogen variables. Besides PBIAS error should be less than 40% for calibration, and less than 70% for validation and extrapolation for all mentioned water quality variables. For the flow calibration, daily discharge data for 62 stations were provided for the period 1997-2012. For more than 500 stations, water quality data was provided and 135 data-rich stations was pre-processed in a database containing all observations from 1997-2012. Finally by implementing this regionalisation strategy, the model could satisfactorily predict the selected variables so that in the hydrological part more than 90% of stations fulfilled the criteria and in the water quality part more than 95% of stations fulfilled the criteria. Keywords: Water Quality Modelling, Regionalisation, Parameterization, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Prediction, Calibration, PAIC-SWAT.

Historical return on investment and improved quality resulting from development and mining of a hospital laboratory relational database.

PubMed

Brimhall, Bradley B; Hall, Timothy E; Walczak, Steven

2006-01-01

A hospital laboratory relational database, developed over eight years, has demonstrated significant cost savings and a substantial financial return on investment (ROI). In addition, the database has been used to measurably improve laboratory operations and the quality of patient care.

Modeling the Effects of Hydrogeomorphology and Climactic Factors on Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Riparian Zones.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanzadeh, Y.; Vidon, P.; Gold, A.; Pradhanang, S. M.; Addy, K.

2017-12-01

Vegetated riparian zones are often considered for use as best management practices to mitigate the impacts of agriculture on water quality. However, riparian zones can also be a source of greenhouse gases and their influence on water quality varies depending on landscape hydrogeomorphic characteristics and climate. Methods used to evaluate riparian zone functions include conceptual models, and spatially explicit and process based models (REMM), but very few attempts have been made to connect riparian zone characteristics with function using easily accessible landscape scale data. Here, we present comprehensive statistical models that can be used to assess riparian zone functions with easily obtainable landscape-scale hydrogeomorphic attributes and climate data. Models were developed from a database spanning 88 years and 36 sites. Statistical methods including principal component analysis and stepwise regression were used to reduced data dimensionality and identify significant predictors. Models were validated using additional data collected from scientific literature. The 8 models developed connect landscape characteristics to nitrogen and phosphorus concentration and removal (1-4), greenhouse gas emissions (5-7), and water table depth (8). Results show the range of influence that various climate and landscape characteristics have on riparian zone functions, and the tradeoffs that exist with regards to nitrogen, phosphorous, and greenhouse gases. These models will help reduce the need for extensive field measurements and help scientists and land managers make more informed decisions regarding the use of riparian zones for water quality management.

THE DRINKING WATER TREATABILITY DATABASE (Conference Paper)

EPA Science Inventory

The Drinking Water Treatability Database (TDB) assembles referenced data on the control of contaminants in drinking water, housed on an interactive, publicly-available, USEPA web site (www.epa.gov/tdb). The TDB is of use to drinking water utilities, treatment process design engin...

Spatiotemporal change of phosphorous speciation and concentration in stormwater in the St. Lucie Estuary watershed, South Florida.

PubMed

Li, Liguang; He, Zhenli; Li, Zhigang; Li, Suli; Wan, Yongshan; Stoffella, Peter J

2017-04-01

Phosphorous (P) concentration in stormwater runoff varies at different spatial and temporal scales. Excessive P loading from agriculture system into the St. Lucie Estuary (SLE) contributed to water quality deterioration in southern Indian River Lagoon. This study examines the spatial and temporal shifts of different P forms in runoff and storm water under different land use, water management, and rainfall conditions. Storm water samplings were conducted monthly between April 2013 and December 2014 in typical farmland and along the waterway (Canal C-24) that connects lands to the SLE. Concentrations of different P forms and related water quality variables were measured. Approximately 89% of the collected water samples contained total P (TP) concentrations exceeding the total maximum daily load (TMDL) level (0.081 mg L -1 ). Concentrations of different P forms declined from agricultural field furrows to the canal and then increased from the upstream to the downstream in the canal where urban activities dominated land use. Total dissolved P (TDP) was the predominant form of TP, followed by PO 4 -P. Speciation and concentrations of P varied with sites and sampling times, but were significantly higher in the summer months (from June to September) than in the winter. Water pH explained ∼20% of TP variation. Spatiotemporal variations of P concentrations and compositions provide a data-based guide for development of best management practices (BMPs) to minimize P export from the SLE watershed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

WATERS Terms of Use and Disclaimer

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Reach Address Database (RAD) stores reach address information for each Water Program feature that has been linked to the underlying surface water features (streams, lakes, etc) in the National Hydrology Database (NHD) Plus dataset.

EPA’s Drinking Water Treatability Database: A Tool for All Drinking Water Professionals

EPA Science Inventory

The Drinking Water Treatability Database (TDB) is being developed by the USEPA Office of Research and Development to allow drinking water professionals and others to access referenced information gathered from thousands of literature sources and assembled on one site. Currently, ...

Exposure to High Fluoride Drinking Water and Risk of Dental Fluorosis in Estonia

PubMed Central

Indermitte, Ene; Saava, Astrid; Karro, Enn

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess exposure to drinking water fluoride and evaluate the risk of dental fluorosis among the Estonian population. The study covered all 15 counties in Estonia and 93.7% of population that has access to public water supplies. In Estonia groundwater is the main source for public water supply systems in most towns and rural settlements. The content of natural fluoride in water ranges from 0.01 to 7.20 mg/L. The exposure to different fluoride levels was assessed by linking data from previous studies on drinking water quality with databases of the Health Protection Inspectorate on water suppliers and the number of water consumers in water supply systems. Exposure assessment showed that 4% of the study population had excessive exposure to fluoride, mainly in small public water supplies in western and central Estonia, where the Silurian-Ordovician aquifer system is the only source of drinking water. There is a strong correlation between natural fluoride levels and the prevalence of dental fluorosis. Risk of dental fluorosis was calculated to different fluoride exposure levels over 1.5 mg/L. PMID:19440411

Water-Quality Characteristics for Selected Sites Within the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Planning Area, Wisconsin, February 2004-September 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, Judith C.; Lutz, Michelle A.; Bruce, Jennifer L.; Graczyk, David J.; Richards, Kevin D.; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Scudder, Barbara C.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Bell, Amanda H.

2007-01-01

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Corridor Study is a three-phase project designed to improve the understanding of water resources in the MMSD planning area to assist managers and policy makers in their decisions. Phase I of the Study involved the compilation of existing data from multiple agencies into a single database. These data were analyzed to identify spatial, temporal, and technological gaps in the planning area, and were used to develop Phase II of the Study. Phase II, the subject of this report, involved an intensive data-collection effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with MMSD (from February, 2004, through September, 2005). This phase addressed the data gaps identified in Phase I and completed a baseline assessment of water quality for selected stream and harbor sites in the MMSD planning area. This baseline assessment included evaluations of surface-water chemistry and microbial concentrations in the streams and harbor sites; additionally, stream sites were evaluated for discharge, sediment chemistry, fish-tissue chemistry, habitat, and the quality of biological communities (including fish, macroinvertebrates, and algae). In all, data were collected at 15 stream and 6 harbor sites within the MMSD planning area, including manual sampling and analysis for more than 220 water-quality properties and constituents at all 21 sites, stream-discharge data for 14 stream sites, and automated water-quality sampling at 4 stream sites. A bioassessment during autumn 2004 included collection of biologic-community data and stream-habitat data at wadeable streams. Quartiles of Phase II aggregate bioassessment rankings were used to divide the 14 wadeable stream sites into four groups to investigate relations between bioassessment data and site characteristic and water-quality data. Quartile numbers reflect relative water quality: quartile 1 contained sites where the bioassessment data indicated the least-degraded water quality among those sampled, and quartile 4 contained sites that indicated the most-degraded water quality. Quartiles contained the following stream sites: Quartile 1: Milwaukee River near Cedarburg, Milwaukee River at Milwaukee, Jewel Creek, and Menomonee River at Menomonee Falls; Quartile 2: Willow Creek, Root River near Franklin, and Root River at Grange Avenue; Quartile 3: Menomonee River at Wauwatosa, Oak Creek, and Little Menomonee River; and Quartile 4: Honey Creek, Underwood Creek, Lincoln Creek, and Kinnickinnic River. Site characteristics (in this case, drainage area and land use) and selected water-quality data were summarized based on the four bioassessment quartiles to determine if there were relations with the aggregate bioassessment rankings. In general, sites having the largest drainage basins with the lowest proportion of urban land use were in quartile 1, and the smallest drainage basins with the highest proportion of urban land use were in quartile 4. Major ions, indicator organisms, and wastewater compounds generally had the lowest overall results in quartile 1 and highest overall results in quartile 4, with intermediate results in quartiles 2 and 3. Results for other constituent types (nutrients, mercury, pathogenic organisms, and bed sediment) were mixed, with results for some constituents decreasing from quartile 1 to quartile 4. Where sufficient Phase I data were available, summary statistics (including medians) for chemical and biological data were calculated, allowing some comparisons to be made between Phase I and Phase II data. Comparisons between Phase I and Phase II results indicated a variety of changes with respect to water quality. Concentrations of chloride, nitrate, chlorophyll a, total phosphorus in water; arsenic in bed sediment; and fish Index of Biotic Integrity ratings generally indicated declines in water quality. However, concentrations of total nitrogen, suspended sediment, and fecal coliform in water; some trace eleme

Surface-water, water-quality, and ground-water assessment of the Municipio of Comerio, Puerto Rico, 1997-99

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rodríguez-Martínez, Jesús; Gómez-Gómez, Fernando; Santiago-Rivera, Luis; Oliveras-Feliciano, M. L.

2001-01-01

To meet the increasing need for a safe and adequate supply of water in the municipio of Comerio, an integrated surface-water, water-quality, and ground-water assessment of the area was conducted. The major results of this study and other important hydrologic and water-quality features were compiled in a Geographic Information System, and are presented in two 1:30,000-scale map plates to facilitate interpretation and use of the diverse water-resource data. Because the supply of safe drinking water was a critical issue during recent dry periods, the surface-water assessment portion of this study focused on analysis of low-flow characteristics in local streams and rivers. Low-flow characteristics were evaluated at one continuous-record gaging station based on graphical curve-fitting techniques and log-Pearson Type III frequency curves. Estimates of low-flow characteristics for 13 partial-record stations were generated using graphical-correlation techniques. Flow-duration characteristics for the continuous- and partial-record stations were estimated using the relation curves developed for the low-flow study. Stream low-flow statistics document the general hydrology under current land- and water-use conditions. A sanitary quality survey of streams utilized 24 sampling stations to evaluate about 84 miles of stream channels with drainage to or within the municipio of Comerio. River and stream samples for fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus analyses were collected on two occasions at base-flow conditions to evaluate the sanitary quality of streams. Bacteriological analyses indicate that about 27 miles of stream reaches within the municipio of Comerio may have fecal coliform bacteria concentrations above the water-quality goal established by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (Junta de Calidad Ambiental de Puerto Rico) for inland surface waters. Sources of fecal contamination may include illegal discharge of sewage to storm-water drains, malfunction of sanitary sewer ejectors, clogged and leaking sewage pipes, septic tank leakage, unfenced livestock, runoff from livestock pens, and seepage from pits containing animal wastes. Long-term fecal coliform data at two sampling stations on the Rio de la Plata indicate that since 1984, the geometric mean of five consecutive samples commonly has been at or below 2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters (established as the sanitary quality goal in Puerto Rico for Class SD type waters). At the sampling station upstream of Comerio, the geometric mean concentration has been near 500 colonies per 100 milliliters; downstream of the town of Comerio, the geometric mean concentration has been near 2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters concentration. The data at these stations also indicate that fecal coliform concentrations increase commonly above 2,000 colonies per 100 milliliters during storm-runoff events, ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 colonies per 100 milliliters at both stations. Geologic, topographic, soil, hydrogeologic, and streamflow data were used to divide the municipio of Comerio into five hydrogeologic terranes. The integrated database was then used to evaluate the ground-water development potential of each hydrogeologic terrane. Analysis suggests that areas with slopes greater than 15 degrees have relatively low ground-water development potential. Fractures may be important locally in enhancing the water-bearing properties in the hydrogeologic terranes containing igneous rocks. The integrated hydrogeologic approach used in this study can serve as an important tool for regulatory agencies of Puerto Rico and the municipio of Comerio to evaluate the ground-water resource development potential, examine ground- and surface-water interaction, and determine the effect of land-use practices on ground-water quantity and quality. Stream low-flow statistics document the general hydrology under current land and water uses. Low-flow characteristics may substantially change as a re

ECG signal quality during arrhythmia and its application to false alarm reduction.

PubMed

Behar, Joachim; Oster, Julien; Li, Qiao; Clifford, Gari D

2013-06-01

An automated algorithm to assess electrocardiogram (ECG) quality for both normal and abnormal rhythms is presented for false arrhythmia alarm suppression of intensive care unit (ICU) monitors. A particular focus is given to the quality assessment of a wide variety of arrhythmias. Data from three databases were used: the Physionet Challenge 2011 dataset, the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database, and the MIMIC II database. The quality of more than 33 000 single-lead 10 s ECG segments were manually assessed and another 12 000 bad-quality single-lead ECG segments were generated using the Physionet noise stress test database. Signal quality indices (SQIs) were derived from the ECGs segments and used as the inputs to a support vector machine classifier with a Gaussian kernel. This classifier was trained to estimate the quality of an ECG segment. Classification accuracies of up to 99% on the training and test set were obtained for normal sinus rhythm and up to 95% for arrhythmias, although performance varied greatly depending on the type of rhythm. Additionally, the association between 4050 ICU alarms from the MIMIC II database and the signal quality, as evaluated by the classifier, was studied. Results suggest that the SQIs should be rhythm specific and that the classifier should be trained for each rhythm call independently. This would require a substantially increased set of labeled data in order to train an accurate algorithm.

Data-based discharge extrapolation: estimating annual discharge for a partially gauged large river basin from its small sub-basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, L.

2013-12-01

Large-scale hydrological models and land surface models are by far the only tools for accessing future water resources in climate change impact studies. Those models estimate discharge with large uncertainties, due to the complex interaction between climate and hydrology, the limited quality and availability of data, as well as model uncertainties. A new purely data-based scale-extrapolation method is proposed, to estimate water resources for a large basin solely from selected small sub-basins, which are typically two-orders-of-magnitude smaller than the large basin. Those small sub-basins contain sufficient information, not only on climate and land surface, but also on hydrological characteristics for the large basin In the Baltic Sea drainage basin, best discharge estimation for the gauged area was achieved with sub-basins that cover 2-4% of the gauged area. There exist multiple sets of sub-basins that resemble the climate and hydrology of the basin equally well. Those multiple sets estimate annual discharge for gauged area consistently well with 5% average error. The scale-extrapolation method is completely data-based; therefore it does not force any modelling error into the prediction. The multiple predictions are expected to bracket the inherent variations and uncertainties of the climate and hydrology of the basin. The method can be applied in both un-gauged basins and un-gauged periods with uncertainty estimation.

Eukaryotic Community Shift in Response to Organic Loading Rate of an Aerobic Trickling Filter (Down-Flow Hanging Sponge Reactor) Treating Domestic Sewage.

PubMed

Miyaoka, Yuma; Hatamoto, Masashi; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Syutsubo, Kazuaki

2017-05-01

In this study, changes in eukaryotic community structure and water quality were investigated in an aerobic trickling filter (down-flow hanging sponge, DHS) treating domestic sewage under different organic loading rates (OLRs). The OLR clearly influenced both sponge pore water quality and relative flagellates and ciliates (free-swimming, carnivorous, crawling, and stalked protozoa) abundances in the retained sludge. Immediately after the OLR was increased from 1.05 to 1.97 kg chemical oxygen demand (COD) m -3  day -1 , COD and NH 4 + -N treatment efficiencies both deteriorated, and relative flagellates and ciliates abundances then increased from 2-8 % to 51-65 % total cells in the middle-bottom part of the DHS reactor. In a continuous operation at a stable OLR (2.01 kg COD m -3  day -1 ), effluent water quality improved, and relative flagellates and ciliates abundances decreased to 15-46 % total cells in the middle-bottom part of the DHS reactor. This result may indicate that flagellates and ciliates preferentially graze on dispersed bacteria, thus, stabilizing effluent water quality. Additionally, to investigate eukaryotic community structure, clone libraries based on the 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene of the retained sludge were constructed. The predominant group was Nucletmycea phylotypes, representing approximately 29-56 % total clones. Furthermore, a large proportion of the clones had <97 % sequence identity in the NCBI database. This result indicates that phylogenetically unknown eukaryotes were present in the DHS reactor. These results provide insights into eukaryotic community shift in the DHS reactor treating domestic sewage.

Toxicological database of soil and derived products (BDT).

PubMed

Uricchio, Vito Felice

2008-01-01

The Toxicological database of soil and derived products is a project firstly proposed by the Regional Environmental Authority of Apulia. Such a project aims to provide comprehensive and updated information on the regional environmental characteristics, on the pollution state of the regional soil, on the main pollutants and on the reclaim techniques to be used in case of both non-point (agricultural activities) and point (industrial activities) sources of pollution. The project's focus is on the soil pollution because of the fundamental role played by the soil in supporting the biological cycle. Furthermore, the reasons for the project are related both to the reduction of human health risks due to toxic substances ingestion (these substances are present in some ring of the eating chain), and to the recognition of the importance of the groundwater quality safety (primary source of fresh water in many Mediterranean Regions). The essential requirements of a data entry are the following: speed and simplicity of the data entry; reliability and stability of the database structures; speed, easiness and pliability of the queries. Free consultation of the database represents one of the most remarkable advantages coming from the use of an "open" system.

Coverage and quality: A comparison of Web of Science and Scopus databases for reporting faculty nursing publication metrics.

PubMed

Powell, Kimberly R; Peterson, Shenita R

Web of Science and Scopus are the leading databases of scholarly impact. Recent studies outside the field of nursing report differences in journal coverage and quality. A comparative analysis of nursing publications reported impact. Journal coverage by each database for the field of nursing was compared. Additionally, publications by 2014 nursing faculty were collected in both databases and compared for overall coverage and reported quality, as modeled by Scimajo Journal Rank, peer review status, and MEDLINE inclusion. Individual author impact, modeled by the h-index, was calculated by each database for comparison. Scopus offered significantly higher journal coverage. For 2014 faculty publications, 100% of journals were found in Scopus, Web of Science offered 82%. No significant difference was found in the quality of reported journals. Author h-index was found to be higher in Scopus. When reporting faculty publications and scholarly impact, academic nursing programs may be better represented by Scopus, without compromising journal quality. Programs with strong interdisciplinary work should examine all areas of strength to ensure appropriate coverage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for preparation of State water-use estimates for 2015

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Michael W.

2017-05-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated the use of water in the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950. This report describes the water-use categories and data elements used for the national water-use compilation conducted as part of the USGS National Water-Use Science Project. The report identifies sources of water-use information, provides standard methods and techniques for estimating water use at the county level, and outlines steps for preparing documentation for the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.As part of this USGS program to document water use on a national scale, estimates of water withdrawals for the categories of public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric power are prepared for each county in each State, District, or territory by using the guidelines in this report. County estimates of water withdrawals for aquaculture, livestock, and mining are prepared for each State by using a county-based national model, although water-use programs in each State or Water Science Center have the option of producing independent county estimates of water withdrawals for these categories. Estimates of water withdrawals and consumptive use for thermoelectric power will be aggregated to the county level for each State by the national project; additionally, irrigation consumptive use at the county level will also be provided, although study chiefs in each State have the option of producing independent county estimates of water withdrawals and consumptive use for these categories.Estimates of deliveries of water from public supplies for domestic use by county also will be prepared for each State. As a result, total domestic water use can be determined for each State by combining self-supplied domestic withdrawals and public-supplied domestic deliveries. Fresh groundwater and surface-water estimates will be prepared for all categories of use, and saline groundwater and surface-water estimates by county will be prepared for the categories of public supply, industrial, mining, and thermoelectric power. Power production for thermoelectric power and irrigated acres by irrigation system type will be compiled. If data are available, reclaimed-wastewater use will be compiled for the public-supply, industrial, mining, thermoelectric-power, and irrigation categories.Optional water-use categories are commercial, hydroelectric power, and wastewater treatment. Optional data elements are public-supply deliveries to commercial, industrial, and thermoelectric-power users; consumptive use (for categories other than thermoelectric power and irrigation); irrigation conveyance loss; and number of facilities. Aggregation of water-use data by stream basin (eight-digit hydrologic unit code) and principal aquifers also is optional.Water-use data compiled by the States will be stored in the USGS Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS). This database is a comprehensive aggregated database designed to store mandatory and optional data elements. AWUDS contains several routines that can be used for quality assurance and quality control of the data, and AWUDS produces tables of water-use data from the previous compilations.

Database of historically documented springs and spring flow measurements in Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heitmuller, Franklin T.; Reece, Brian D.

2003-01-01

Springs are naturally occurring features that convey excess ground water to the land surface; they represent a transition from ground water to surface water. Water issues through one opening, multiple openings, or numerous seeps in the rock or soil. The database of this report provides information about springs and spring flow in Texas including spring names, identification numbers, location, and, if available, water source and use. This database does not include every spring in Texas, but is limited to an aggregation of selected digital and hard-copy data of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), and Capitol Environmental Services.

Water-based exercise for adults with asthma.

PubMed

Grande, Antonio Jose; Silva, Valter; Andriolo, Brenda N G; Riera, Rachel; Parra, Sergio A; Peccin, Maria S

2014-07-17

Asthma is a common condition characterised by airway inflammation and airway narrowing, which can result in intermittent symptoms of wheezing, coughing and chest tightness, possibly limiting activities of daily life. Water-based exercise is believed to offer benefits for people with asthma through pollen-free air, humidity and effects of exercise on physical function. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of water-based exercise for adults with asthma. We searched the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of Trials (CAGR), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), PsycINFO, the Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Information Database (LILACS), the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), the System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (SIGLE) and Google Scholar on 13 May 2014. We handsearched ongoing clinical trial registers and meeting abstracts of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS). We included all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with asthma comparing a water-based exercise group versus one or more of the following groups: usual care, land-based exercise, non-exercise. Two review authors (AJG, VS) independently extracted data from the primary studies using a standard form developed for this purpose, which includes methods, participants, interventions and outcomes. We contacted trial authors to request additional data. Data were input by one review author and were double-checked by a second review author. In this systematic review, we provide a narrative synthesis of available evidence from three small studies including 136 adult participants. The studies were at high risk of bias. No meta-analysis was possible because of methodological and interventional heterogeneity between included studies. The primary outcomes of quality of life and exacerbations leading to use of steroids were not reported by these studies. For exacerbations leading to health centre/hospital visits, uncertainty was wide because a very small number of events was reported (in a single study). Secondary outcomes symptoms, lung function, changes in medication and adverse effects, where available, described for each included study. The overall quality of the studies was very low, and no clear differences were noted between water-based exercise and comparator treatments. Therefore, we remain very uncertain about the effects of water-based exercise for adults with asthma. The small number of participants in the three included studies, the clinical and methodological heterogeneity observed and the high risk of bias assessed mean that we are unable to assess the place of water-based exercise in asthma. Randomised controlled trials are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of water-based exercise for adults with asthma. For future research, we suggest greater methodological rigour (participant selection, blinding of outcome assessors, reporting of all outcomes analysed and registering of the study protocol).

Escherichia coli sampling reliability at a frequently closed Chicago beach: monitoring and management implications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitman, Richard L.; Nevers, Meredith B.

2004-01-01

Monitoring beaches for recreational water quality is becoming more common, but few sampling designs or policy approaches have evaluated the efficacy of monitoring programs. The authors intensively sampled water for E. coli (N=1770) at 63rd Street Beach, Chicago for 6 months in 2000 in order to (1) characterize spatial-temporal trends, (2) determine between and within transect variation, and (3) estimate sample size requirements and determine sampling reliability.E. coli counts were highly variable within and between sampling sites but spatially and diurnally autocorrelated. Variation in counts decreased with water depth and time of day. Required number of samples was high for 70% precision around the critical closure level (i.e., 6 within or 24 between transect replicates). Since spatial replication may be cost prohibitive, composite sampling is an alternative once sources of error have been well defined. The results suggest that beach monitoring programs may be requiring too few samples to fulfill management objectives desired. As the recreational water quality national database is developed, it is important that sampling strategies are empirically derived from a thorough understanding of the sources of variation and the reliability of collected data. Greater monitoring efficacy will yield better policy decisions, risk assessments, programmatic goals, and future usefulness of the information.

Developing A National Groundwater-Monitoring Network In Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, N. J.; Cho, M. J.; Woo, N. C.

1995-04-01

Since the 1960's, the groundwater resources of Korea have been developed without a proper regulatory system for monitoring and preservation, resulting in significant source depletion, land subsidence, water contamination, and sea-water intrusion. With the activation of the "Groundwater Law" in June 1994, the government initiated a project to develop a groundwater-monitoring network to describe general groundwater quality, to define its long-term changes, and to identify major factors affecting changes in groundwater quality and yield. In selecting monitoring locations nationwide, criteria considered are 1) spatial distribution, 2) aquifer characteristics of hydrogeologic units, 3) local groundwater flow regime, 4) linkage with surface hydrology observations, 5) site accessibility, and 6) financial situations. A total of 310 sites in 78 small hydrologic basins were selected to compose the monitoring network. Installation of monitoring wells is scheduled to start in 1995 for 15 sites; the remainder are scheduled to be completed by 2001. At each site, a nest of monitoring wells was designed; shallow and deep groundwater will be monitored for water temperature, pH, EC, DO and TDS every month. Water-level fluctuations will also be measured by automatic recorders equipped with pressure transducers. As a next step, the government plans to develop a groundwater-database management system, which could be linked with surface hydrologic data.

A systematic evaluation of chemicals in hydraulic-fracturing fluids and wastewater for reproductive and developmental toxicity.

PubMed

Elliott, Elise G; Ettinger, Adrienne S; Leaderer, Brian P; Bracken, Michael B; Deziel, Nicole C

2017-01-01

Hydraulic-fracturing fluids and wastewater from unconventional oil and natural gas development contain hundreds of substances with the potential to contaminate drinking water. Challenges to conducting well-designed human exposure and health studies include limited information about likely etiologic agents. We systematically evaluated 1021 chemicals identified in hydraulic-fracturing fluids (n=925), wastewater (n=132), or both (n=36) for potential reproductive and developmental toxicity to triage those with potential for human health impact. We searched the REPROTOX database using Chemical Abstract Service registry numbers for chemicals with available data and evaluated the evidence for adverse reproductive and developmental effects. Next, we determined which chemicals linked to reproductive or developmental toxicity had water quality standards or guidelines. Toxicity information was lacking for 781 (76%) chemicals. Of the remaining 240 substances, evidence suggested reproductive toxicity for 103 (43%), developmental toxicity for 95 (40%), and both for 41 (17%). Of these 157 chemicals, 67 had or were proposed for a federal water quality standard or guideline. Our systematic screening approach identified a list of 67 hydraulic fracturing-related candidate analytes based on known or suspected toxicity. Incorporation of data on potency, physicochemical properties, and environmental concentrations could further prioritize these substances for future drinking water exposure assessments or reproductive and developmental health studies.

Visions for a Pan-European digital data infrastructure for groundwater quantity and quality data relevant for implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinsby, Klaus; Broers, Hans Peter

2014-05-01

The EU Water Framework and Groundwater Directives stipulate that EU member states (MS) should ensure good groundwater chemical and quantitative by 2015. For the assessment of good chemical status the MS have to establish Natural Background Levels (NBLs) and Threshold Values (TVs) for groundwater bodies at risk and compare current concentration levels to these. In addition the MS shall ensure trend reversals in cases where contaminants or water levels show critical increasing or decreasing trends. The EU MS have to demonstrate that the quantitative and chemical status of its groundwater bodies does not put drinking water, ecosystems or other legitimate uses at risk. Easy on-line access to relevant visualizations of groundwater quality and quantity data of e.g. nitrate, chloride, arsenic and water tables in Europe's major aquifer types compiled from national databases would be of great importance for managers, authorities and scientists conducting risk and status assessments. The Water Resources Expert Group of the EuroGeoSurveys propose to develop Pan-European interactive on-line digital maps and visualizations of concentrations levels and trends, as well as calculated natural background levels and threshold values for the most important aquifer types of Europe mainly derived based on principles established in the former EU project "BRIDGE" - Background cRiteria for the IDentification of Groundwater Thresholds. Further, we propose to develop Pan-European digital and dynamic maps and cross sections in close collaboration with ecologists, which delineate dependent or associated terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across Europe where groundwater quantity and quality plays a significant role in sustaining good ecological status of the ecosystem, and where the water resources and ecosystems are most vulnerable to climate change. Finally, integrated water resources management requires integrated consideration of both deep and shallow groundwater and surface water issues and interaction. It is therefore proposed to map regions of Europe that use coupled groundwater-surface water models in integrated water resources and river basin management. In the presentation we will show selected examples of data visualizations of importance to integrated water resources and river basin management and the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.

Quality and Safety in Health Care, Part XXVI: The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.

PubMed

Harolds, Jay A

2017-09-01

The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons has provided highly useful information in quality and safety in general thoracic surgery, including ratings of the surgeons and institutions participating in this type of surgery. The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database information is very helpful for writing guidelines and determining optimal protocols and for many research projects. This article discusses the history and current status of this database.

Unconsolidated Aquifers in Tompkins County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Todd S.

2000-01-01

Unconsolidated aquifers consisting of saturated sand and gravel are capable of supplying large quantities of good-quality water to wells in Tompkins County, but little published geohydrologic inform ation on such aquifers is available. In 1986, the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) began collecting geohydrologic information and well data to construct an aquifer map showing the extent of unconsolidated aquifers in Tompkins county. Data sources included (1) water-well drillers. logs; (2) highway and other construction test-boring logs; (3) well data gathered by the Tompkins County Department of Health, (4) test-well logs from geohydrologic consultants that conducted projects for site-specific studies, and (5) well data that had been collected during past investigations by the USGS and entered into the National Water Information System (NWIS) database. In 1999, the USGS, in cooperation with the Tompkins County Department of Planning, compiled these data to construct this map. More than 600 well records were entered into the NWIS database in 1999 to supplement the 350 well records already in the database; this provided a total of 950 well records. The data were digitized and imported into a geographic information system (GIS) coverage so that well locations could be plotted on a map, and well data could be tabulated in a digital data base through ARC/INFO software. Data on the surficial geology were used with geohydrologic data from well records and previous studies to delineate the extent of aquifers on this map. This map depicts (1) the extent of unconsolidated aquifers in Tompkins County, and (2) locations of wells whose records were entered into the USGS NWIS database and made into a GIS digital coverage. The hydrologic information presented here is generalized and is not intended for detailed site evaluations. Precise locations of geohydrologic-unit boundaries, and a description of the hydrologic conditions within the units, would require additional detailed, site-specific information.

Space Station Freedom environmental database system (FEDS) for MSFC testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Story, Gail S.; Williams, Wendy; Chiu, Charles

1991-01-01

The Water Recovery Test (WRT) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is the first demonstration of integrated water recovery systems for potable and hygiene water reuse as envisioned for Space Station Freedom (SSF). In order to satisfy the safety and health requirements placed on the SSF program and facilitate test data assessment, an extensive laboratory analysis database was established to provide a central archive and data retrieval function. The database is required to store analysis results for physical, chemical, and microbial parameters measured from water, air and surface samples collected at various locations throughout the test facility. The Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) was utilized to implement a secured on-line information system with the ECLSS WRT program as the foundation for this system. The database is supported on a VAX/VMS 8810 series mainframe and is accessible from the Marshall Information Network System (MINS). This paper summarizes the database requirements, system design, interfaces, and future enhancements.

A review on risk assessment techniques for hydraulic fracturing water and produced water management implemented in onshore unconventional oil and gas production.

PubMed

Torres, Luisa; Yadav, Om Prakash; Khan, Eakalak

2016-01-01

The objective of this paper is to review different risk assessment techniques applicable to onshore unconventional oil and gas production to determine the risks to water quantity and quality associated with hydraulic fracturing and produced water management. Water resources could be at risk without proper management of water, chemicals, and produced water. Previous risk assessments in the oil and gas industry were performed from an engineering perspective leaving aside important social factors. Different risk assessment methods and techniques are reviewed and summarized to select the most appropriate one to perform a holistic and integrated analysis of risks at every stage of the water life cycle. Constraints to performing risk assessment are identified including gaps in databases, which require more advanced techniques such as modeling. Discussions on each risk associated with water and produced water management, mitigation strategies, and future research direction are presented. Further research on risks in onshore unconventional oil and gas will benefit not only the U.S. but also other countries with shale oil and gas resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

World Ocean Database and the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program Database: Synthesis of historical and near real-time ocean profile data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, T.; Sun, L.; Locarnini, R. A.; Mishonov, A. V.; Hall, N.; Ouellet, M.

2016-02-01

The World Ocean Database (WOD) contains systematically quality controlled historical and recent ocean profile data (temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients, carbon cycle variables, biological variables) ranging from Captain Cooks second voyage (1773) to this year's Argo floats. The US National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) also hosts the Global Temperature and Salinity Profile Program (GTSPP) Continuously Managed Database (CMD) which provides quality controlled near-real time ocean profile data and higher level quality controlled temperature and salinity profiles from 1990 to present. Both databases are used extensively for ocean and climate studies. Synchronization of these two databases will allow easier access and use of comprehensive regional and global ocean profile data sets for ocean and climate studies. Synchronizing consists of two distinct phases: 1) a retrospective comparison of data in WOD and GTSPP to ensure that the most comprehensive and highest quality data set is available to researchers without the need to individually combine and contrast the two datasets and 2) web services to allow the constantly accruing near-real time data in the GTSPP CMD and the continuous addition and quality control of historical data in WOD to be made available to researchers together, seamlessly.

An Introduction to Database Structure and Database Machines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detweiler, Karen

1984-01-01

Enumerates principal management objectives of database management systems (data independence, quality, security, multiuser access, central control) and criteria for comparison (response time, size, flexibility, other features). Conventional database management systems, relational databases, and database machines used for backend processing are…

Coliform Bacteria as Indicators of Diarrheal Risk in Household Drinking Water: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Gruber, Joshua S.; Ercumen, Ayse; Colford, John M.

2014-01-01

Background Current guidelines recommend the use of Escherichia coli (EC) or thermotolerant (“fecal”) coliforms (FC) as indicators of fecal contamination in drinking water. Despite their broad use as measures of water quality, there remains limited evidence for an association between EC or FC and diarrheal illness: a previous review found no evidence for a link between diarrhea and these indicators in household drinking water. Objectives We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to update the results of the previous review with newly available evidence, to explore differences between EC and FC indicators, and to assess the quality of available evidence. Methods We searched major databases using broad terms for household water quality and diarrhea. We extracted study characteristics and relative risks (RR) from relevant studies. We pooled RRs using random effects models with inverse variance weighting, and used standard methods to evaluate heterogeneity and publication bias. Results We identified 20 relevant studies; 14 studies provided extractable results for meta-analysis. When combining all studies, we found no association between EC or FC and diarrhea (RR 1.26 [95% CI: 0.98, 1.63]). When analyzing EC and FC separately, we found evidence for an association between diarrhea and EC (RR: 1.54 [95% CI: 1.37, 1.74]) but not FC (RR: 1.07 [95% CI: 0.79, 1.45]). Across all studies, we identified several elements of study design and reporting (e.g., timing of outcome and exposure measurement, accounting for correlated outcomes) that could be improved upon in future studies that evaluate the association between drinking water contamination and health. Conclusions Our findings, based on a review of the published literature, suggest that these two coliform groups have different associations with diarrhea in household drinking water. Our results support the use of EC as a fecal indicator in household drinking water. PMID:25250662

Coliform bacteria as indicators of diarrheal risk in household drinking water: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gruber, Joshua S; Ercumen, Ayse; Colford, John M

2014-01-01

Current guidelines recommend the use of Escherichia coli (EC) or thermotolerant ("fecal") coliforms (FC) as indicators of fecal contamination in drinking water. Despite their broad use as measures of water quality, there remains limited evidence for an association between EC or FC and diarrheal illness: a previous review found no evidence for a link between diarrhea and these indicators in household drinking water. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to update the results of the previous review with newly available evidence, to explore differences between EC and FC indicators, and to assess the quality of available evidence. We searched major databases using broad terms for household water quality and diarrhea. We extracted study characteristics and relative risks (RR) from relevant studies. We pooled RRs using random effects models with inverse variance weighting, and used standard methods to evaluate heterogeneity and publication bias. We identified 20 relevant studies; 14 studies provided extractable results for meta-analysis. When combining all studies, we found no association between EC or FC and diarrhea (RR 1.26 [95% CI: 0.98, 1.63]). When analyzing EC and FC separately, we found evidence for an association between diarrhea and EC (RR: 1.54 [95% CI: 1.37, 1.74]) but not FC (RR: 1.07 [95% CI: 0.79, 1.45]). Across all studies, we identified several elements of study design and reporting (e.g., timing of outcome and exposure measurement, accounting for correlated outcomes) that could be improved upon in future studies that evaluate the association between drinking water contamination and health. Our findings, based on a review of the published literature, suggest that these two coliform groups have different associations with diarrhea in household drinking water. Our results support the use of EC as a fecal indicator in household drinking water.

Methods for Estimating Withdrawal and Return Flow by Census Block for 2005 and 2020 for New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayes, Laura; Horn, Marilee A.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, estimated the amount of water demand, consumptive use, withdrawal, and return flow for each U.S. Census block in New Hampshire for the years 2005 (current) and 2020. Estimates of domestic, commercial, industrial, irrigation, and other nondomestic water use were derived through the use and innovative integration of several State and Federal databases, and by use of previously developed techniques. The New Hampshire Water Demand database was created as part of this study to store and integrate State of New Hampshire data central to the project. Within the New Hampshire Water Demand database, a lookup table was created to link the State databases and identify water users common to more than one database. The lookup table also allowed identification of withdrawal and return-flow locations of registered and unregistered commercial, industrial, agricultural, and other nondomestic users. Geographic information system data from the State were used in combination with U.S. Census Bureau spatial data to locate and quantify withdrawals and return flow for domestic users in each census block. Analyzing and processing the most recently available data resulted in census-block estimations of 2005 water use. Applying population projections developed by the State to the data sets enabled projection of water use for the year 2020. The results for each census block are stored in the New Hampshire Water Demand database and may be aggregated to larger political areas or watersheds to assess relative hydrologic stress on the basis of current and potential water availability.

Saline aquifer mapping project in the southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, Lester J.; Spechler, Rick M.

2011-01-01

In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a study of saline aquifers in the southeastern United States to evaluate the potential use of brackish or saline water from the deeper portions of the Floridan aquifer system and the underlying Coastal Plain aquifer system (Fig. 1). The objective of this study is to improve the overall understanding of the available saline water resources for potential future development. Specific tasks are to (1) develop a digital georeferenced database of borehole geophysical data to enable analysis and characterization of saline aquifers (see locations in Fig. 1), (2) identify and map the regional extent of saline aquifer systems and describe the thickness and character of hydrologic units that compose these systems, and (3) delineate salinity variations at key well sites and along section lines to provide a regional depiction of the freshwater-saltwater interfaces. Electrical resistivity and induction logs, coupled with a variety of different porosity logs (sonic, density, and neutron), are the primary types of borehole geophysical logs being used to estimate the water quality in brackish and saline formations. The results from the geophysical log calculations are being compared to available water-quality data obtained from water wells and from drill-stem water samples collected in test wells. Overall, the saline aquifer mapping project is helping to improve the understanding of saline water resources in the area. These aquifers may be sources of large quantities of water that could be treated by using reverse osmosis or similar technologies, or they could be used for aquifer storage and recovery systems.

Aqueduct: a methodology to measure and communicate global water risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gassert, Francis; Reig, Paul

2013-04-01

The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas (Aqueduct) is a publicly available, global database and interactive tool that maps indicators of water related risks for decision makers worldwide. Aqueduct makes use of the latest geo-statistical modeling techniques to compute a composite index and translate the most recently available hydrological data into practical information on water related risks for companies, investors, and governments alike. Twelve global indicators are grouped into a Water Risk Framework designed in response to the growing concerns from private sector actors around water scarcity, water quality, climate change, and increasing demand for freshwater. The Aqueduct framework organizes indicators into three categories of risk that bring together multiple dimensions of water related risk into comprehensive aggregated scores and includes indicators of water stress, variability in supply, storage, flood, drought, groundwater, water quality and social conflict, addressing both spatial and temporal variation in water hazards. Indicators are selected based on relevance to water users, availability and robustness of global data sources, and expert consultation, and are collected from existing datasets or derived from a Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) based integrated water balance model. Indicators are normalized using a threshold approach, and composite scores are computed using a linear aggregation scheme that allows for dynamic weighting to capture users' unique exposure to water hazards. By providing consistent scores across the globe, the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas enables rapid comparison across diverse aspects of water risk. Companies can use this information to prioritize actions, investors to leverage financial interest to improve water management, and governments to engage with the private sector to seek solutions for more equitable and sustainable water governance. The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas enables practical applications of scientific data, helping non-expert audiences better understand and evaluate risks facing water users. This presentation will discuss the methodology used to combine the indicator values into aggregated risk scores and lessons learned from working with diverse audiences in academia, development institutions, and the public and private sectors.

Monitoring groundwater and river interaction along the Hanford reach of the Columbia River

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

Campbell, M.D.

1994-04-01

As an adjunct to efficient Hanford Site characterization and remediation of groundwater contamination, an automatic monitor network has been used to measure Columbia River and adjacent groundwater levels in several areas of the Hanford Site since 1991. Water levels, temperatures, and electrical conductivity measured by the automatic monitor network provided an initial database with which to calibrate models and from which to infer ground and river water interactions for site characterization and remediation activities. Measurements of the dynamic river/aquifer system have been simultaneous at 1-hr intervals, with a quality suitable for hydrologic modeling and for computer model calibration and testing.more » This report describes the equipment, procedures, and results from measurements done in 1993.« less

Global Distribution of Outbreaks of Water-Associated Infectious Diseases

PubMed Central

Yang, Kun; LeJeune, Jeffrey; Alsdorf, Doug; Lu, Bo; Shum, C. K.; Liang, Song

2012-01-01

Background Water plays an important role in the transmission of many infectious diseases, which pose a great burden on global public health. However, the global distribution of these water-associated infectious diseases and underlying factors remain largely unexplored. Methods and Findings Based on the Global Infectious Disease and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON), a global database including water-associated pathogens and diseases was developed. In this study, reported outbreak events associated with corresponding water-associated infectious diseases from 1991 to 2008 were extracted from the database. The location of each reported outbreak event was identified and geocoded into a GIS database. Also collected in the GIS database included geo-referenced socio-environmental information including population density (2000), annual accumulated temperature, surface water area, and average annual precipitation. Poisson models with Bayesian inference were developed to explore the association between these socio-environmental factors and distribution of the reported outbreak events. Based on model predictions a global relative risk map was generated. A total of 1,428 reported outbreak events were retrieved from the database. The analysis suggested that outbreaks of water-associated diseases are significantly correlated with socio-environmental factors. Population density is a significant risk factor for all categories of reported outbreaks of water-associated diseases; water-related diseases (e.g., vector-borne diseases) are associated with accumulated temperature; water-washed diseases (e.g., conjunctivitis) are inversely related to surface water area; both water-borne and water-related diseases are inversely related to average annual rainfall. Based on the model predictions, “hotspots” of risks for all categories of water-associated diseases were explored. Conclusions At the global scale, water-associated infectious diseases are significantly correlated with socio-environmental factors, impacting all regions which are affected disproportionately by different categories of water-associated infectious diseases. PMID:22348158

Expert database system for quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Anne J.; Li, Zhi-Cheng

1993-09-01

There are more competitors today. Markets are not homogeneous they are fragmented into increasingly focused niches requiring greater flexibility in the product mix shorter manufacturing production runs and above allhigher quality. In this paper the author identified a real-time expert system as a way to improve plantwide quality management. The quality control expert database system (QCEDS) by integrating knowledge of experts in operations quality management and computer systems use all information relevant to quality managementfacts as well as rulesto determine if a product meets quality standards. Keywords: expert system quality control data base

Reliability and validity assessment of administrative databases in measuring the quality of rectal cancer management.

PubMed

Corbellini, Carlo; Andreoni, Bruno; Ansaloni, Luca; Sgroi, Giovanni; Martinotti, Mario; Scandroglio, Ildo; Carzaniga, Pierluigi; Longoni, Mauro; Foschi, Diego; Dionigi, Paolo; Morandi, Eugenio; Agnello, Mauro

2018-01-01

Measurement and monitoring of the quality of care using a core set of quality measures are increasing in health service research. Although administrative databases include limited clinical data, they offer an attractive source for quality measurement. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the completeness of different administrative data sources compared to a clinical survey in evaluating rectal cancer cases. Between May 2012 and November 2014, a clinical survey was done on 498 Lombardy patients who had rectal cancer and underwent surgical resection. These collected data were compared with the information extracted from administrative sources including Hospital Discharge Dataset, drug database, daycare activity data, fee-exemption database, and regional screening program database. The agreement evaluation was performed using a set of 12 quality indicators. Patient complexity was a difficult indicator to measure for lack of clinical data. Preoperative staging was another suboptimal indicator due to the frequent missing administrative registration of tests performed. The agreement between the 2 data sources regarding chemoradiotherapy treatments was high. Screening detection, minimally invasive techniques, length of stay, and unpreventable readmissions were detected as reliable quality indicators. Postoperative morbidity could be a useful indicator but its agreement was lower, as expected. Healthcare administrative databases are large and real-time collected repositories of data useful in measuring quality in a healthcare system. Our investigation reveals that the reliability of indicators varies between them. Ideally, a combination of data from both sources could be used in order to improve usefulness of less reliable indicators.

Aqueduct: an interactive tool to empower global water risk assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reig, Paul; Gassert, Francis

2013-04-01

The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas (Aqueduct) is a publicly available, global database and interactive tool that maps indicators of water related risks for decision makers worldwide. Aqueduct makes use of the latest geo-statistical modeling techniques to compute a composite index and translate the most recently available hydrological data into practical information on water related risks for companies, investors, and governments alike. Twelve global indicators are grouped into a Water Risk Framework designed in response to the growing concerns from private sector actors around water scarcity, water quality, climate change, and increasing demand for freshwater. The Aqueduct framework includes indicators of water stress, variability in supply, storage, flood, drought, groundwater, water quality and social conflict, addressing both spatial and temporal variation in water hazards. It organizes indicators into three categories of risk that bring together multiple dimensions of water related risk into comprehensive aggregated scores, which allow for dynamic weighting to capture users' unique exposure to water hazards. All information is compiled into an online, open access platform, from which decision-makers can view indicators, scores, and maps, conduct global risk assessments, and export data and shape files for further analysis. Companies can use this tool to evaluate their exposure to water risks across operations and supply chains, investors to assess water-related risks in their portfolio, and public-sector actors to better understand water security. Additionally, the open nature of the data and maps allow other organizations to build off of this effort with new research, for example in the areas of water-energy or water-food relationships. This presentation will showcase the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas online tool and the features and functionalities it offers, as well as explain how it can be used for both private and public sector applications. The session will feature a live demonstration of how the tool can be applied to evaluate exposure to water-related risks worldwide and drive change on the ground by prioritizing areas for investment to increase resilience to natural hazards.

Fecal indicator organism modeling and microbial source tracking in environmental waters: Chapter 3.4.6

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nevers, Meredith; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara; Phanikumar, Mantha S.; Whitman, Richard L.

2016-01-01

Mathematical models have been widely applied to surface waters to estimate rates of settling, resuspension, flow, dispersion, and advection in order to calculate movement of particles that influence water quality. Of particular interest are the movement, survival, and persistence of microbial pathogens or their surrogates, which may contaminate recreational water, drinking water, or shellfish. Most models devoted to microbial water quality have been focused on fecal indicator organisms (FIO), which act as a surrogate for pathogens and viruses. Process-based modeling and statistical modeling have been used to track contamination events to source and to predict future events. The use of these two types of models require different levels of expertise and input; process-based models rely on theoretical physical constructs to explain present conditions and biological distribution while data-based, statistical models use extant paired data to do the same. The selection of the appropriate model and interpretation of results is critical to proper use of these tools in microbial source tracking. Integration of the modeling approaches could provide insight for tracking and predicting contamination events in real time. A review of modeling efforts reveals that process-based modeling has great promise for microbial source tracking efforts; further, combining the understanding of physical processes influencing FIO contamination developed with process-based models and molecular characterization of the population by gene-based (i.e., biological) or chemical markers may be an effective approach for locating sources and remediating contamination in order to protect human health better.

Characterizing the concentration of Cryptosporidium in Australian surface waters for setting health-based targets for drinking water treatment.

PubMed

Petterson, S; Roser, D; Deere, D

2015-09-01

It is proposed that the next revision of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines will include 'health-based targets', where the required level of potable water treatment quantitatively relates to the magnitude of source water pathogen concentrations. To quantify likely Cryptosporidium concentrations in southern Australian surface source waters, the databases for 25 metropolitan water supplies with good historical records, representing a range of catchment sizes, land use and climatic regions were mined. The distributions and uncertainty intervals for Cryptosporidium concentrations were characterized for each site. Then, treatment targets were quantified applying the framework recommended in the World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality 2011. Based on total oocyst concentrations, and not factoring in genotype or physiological state information as it relates to infectivity for humans, the best estimates of the required level of treatment, expressed as log10 reduction values, ranged among the study sites from 1.4 to 6.1 log10. Challenges associated with relying on historical monitoring data for defining drinking water treatment requirements were identified. In addition, the importance of quantitative microbial risk assessment input assumptions on the quantified treatment targets was investigated, highlighting the need for selection of locally appropriate values.

77 FR 38277 - Wind and Water Power Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-27

..., modeling, and database efforts. This meeting will be a technical discussion to provide those involved in... ecological survey, modeling, and database efforts in the waters off the Mid-Atlantic. The workshop aims to... models and compatible Federal and regional databases. It is not the object of this session to obtain any...

TMDL TRACKING SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

Resource Purpose:The TMDL Tracking System database contains information on the waters listed under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act and to track those listed waters through TMDL development. The purpose of the database is to allow EPA, the States/Territories/Tribes, ...

Perceptual quality prediction on authentically distorted images using a bag of features approach

PubMed Central

Ghadiyaram, Deepti; Bovik, Alan C.

2017-01-01

Current top-performing blind perceptual image quality prediction models are generally trained on legacy databases of human quality opinion scores on synthetically distorted images. Therefore, they learn image features that effectively predict human visual quality judgments of inauthentic and usually isolated (single) distortions. However, real-world images usually contain complex composite mixtures of multiple distortions. We study the perceptually relevant natural scene statistics of such authentically distorted images in different color spaces and transform domains. We propose a “bag of feature maps” approach that avoids assumptions about the type of distortion(s) contained in an image and instead focuses on capturing consistencies—or departures therefrom—of the statistics of real-world images. Using a large database of authentically distorted images, human opinions of them, and bags of features computed on them, we train a regressor to conduct image quality prediction. We demonstrate the competence of the features toward improving automatic perceptual quality prediction by testing a learned algorithm using them on a benchmark legacy database as well as on a newly introduced distortion-realistic resource called the LIVE In the Wild Image Quality Challenge Database. We extensively evaluate the perceptual quality prediction model and algorithm and show that it is able to achieve good-quality prediction power that is better than other leading models. PMID:28129417

Melanoma of the Skin in the Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Melanoma Database: A Validation Study.

PubMed

Pedersen, Sidsel Arnspang; Schmidt, Sigrun Alba Johannesdottir; Klausen, Siri; Pottegård, Anton; Friis, Søren; Hölmich, Lisbet Rosenkrantz; Gaist, David

2018-05-01

The nationwide Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Melanoma Database both record data on melanoma for purposes of monitoring, quality assurance, and research. However, the data quality of the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database has not been formally evaluated. We estimated the positive predictive value (PPV) of melanoma diagnosis for random samples of 200 patients from the Cancer Registry (n = 200) and the Melanoma Database (n = 200) during 2004-2014, using the Danish Pathology Registry as "gold standard" reference. We further validated tumor characteristics in the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database. Additionally, we estimated the PPV of in situ melanoma diagnoses in the Melanoma Database, and the sensitivity of melanoma diagnoses in 2004-2014. The PPVs of melanoma in the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database were 97% (95% CI = 94, 99) and 100%. The sensitivity was 90% in the Cancer Registry and 77% in the Melanoma Database. The PPV of in situ melanomas in the Melanoma Database was 97% and the sensitivity was 56%. In the Melanoma Database, we observed PPVs of ulceration of 75% and Breslow thickness of 96%. The PPV of histologic subtypes varied between 87% and 100% in the Cancer Registry and 93% and 100% in the Melanoma Database. The PPVs for anatomical localization were 83%-95% in the Cancer Registry and 93%-100% in the Melanoma Database. The data quality in both the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database is high, supporting their use in epidemiologic studies.

Data Used in Analyses of Trends, and Nutrient and Suspended-Sediment Loads for Streams in the Southeastern United States, 1973-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Staub, Erik L.; Peak, Kelly L.; Tighe, Kirsten C.; Sadorf, Eric M.; Harned, Douglas A.

2010-01-01

Water-quality data from selected surface-water monitoring sites in the Southeastern United States were assessed for trends in concentrations of nutrients, suspended sediment, and major constituents and for in-stream nutrient and suspended-sediment loads for the period 1973-2005. The area of interest includes river basins draining into the southern Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Tennessee River-drainage basins in Hydrologic Regions 03 (South Atlantic - Gulf) and 06 (Tennessee). This data assessment is related to studies of several major river basins as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program, which was designed to assess national water-quality trends during a common time period (1993-2004). Included in this report are data on which trend tests could be performed from 44 U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS) sampling sites. The constituents examined include major ions, nutrients, and suspended sediment; the physical properties examined include pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and streamflow. Also included are data that were tested for trends from an additional 290 sites from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storage and Retrieval (STORET) database. The trend analyses of the STORET data were limited to total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations. Data from 48 U.S. Geological Survey NWIS sampling sites with sufficient water-quality and continuous streamflow data for estimating nutrient and sediment loads are included. The methods of data compilation and modification used prior to performing trend tests and load estimation are described. Results of the seasonal Kendall trend test and the Tobit trend test are given for the 334 monitoring sites, and in-stream load estimates are given for the 48 monitoring sites. Basin characteristics are provided, including regional landscape variables and agricultural nutrient sources (annual variations in cropping and fertilizer use). The data and results presented in this report are in tabular format and can be downloaded and used by environmental researchers and water managers, particularly in the Southeast.

Pesticide toxicity index for freshwater aquatic organisms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munn, Mark D.; Gilliom, Robert J.

2001-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is designed to assess current water-quality conditions, changes in water quality over time, and the effects of natural and human factors on water quality for the Nation's streams and ground-water resources. For streams, one of the most difficult parts of the assessment is to link chemical conditions to effects on aquatic biota, particularly for pesticides, which tend to occur in streams as complex mixtures with strong seasonal patterns. A Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) was developed that combines pesticide exposure of aquatic biota (measured concentrations of pesticides in stream water) with toxicity estimates (standard endpoints from laboratory bioassays) to produce a single index value for a sample or site. The development of the PTI was limited to pesticide compounds routinely measured in NAWQA studies and to toxicity data readily available from existing databases. Qualifying toxicity data were found for one or more types of test organisms for 75 of the 83 pesticide compounds measured in NAWQA samples, but with a wide range of bioassays per compound (1 to 65). There were a total of 2,824 bioassays for the 75 compounds, including 287 48-hour EC50 values (concentration at which 50 percent of test organisms exhibit a nonlethal response) for freshwater cladocerans, 585 96-hour LC50 values (concentration lethal to 50 percent of test organisms) for freshwater benthic invertebrates, and 1,952 96-hour LC50 values for freshwater fish. The PTI for a particular sample is the sum of toxicity quotients (measured concentration divided by the median toxicity concentration from bioassays) for each detected pesticide. The PTI can be calculated for specific groups of pesticides and for specific taxonomic groups.While the PTI does not determine whether water in a sample is toxic, its values can be used to rank or compare the toxicity of samples or sites on a relative basis for use in further analysis or additional assessments. The PTI approach may be useful as a basis for comparing the potential significance of pesticides in different streams on a common basis, for evaluating relations between pesticide exposure and observed biological conditions, and for prioritizing where further studies are most needed.

Exposure to fluoride in drinking water and hip fracture risk: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

PubMed

Yin, Xin-Hai; Huang, Guang-Lei; Lin, Du-Ren; Wan, Cheng-Cheng; Wang, Ya-Dong; Song, Ju-Kun; Xu, Ping

2015-01-01

Many observational studies have shown that exposure to fluoride in drinking water is associated with hip fracture risk. However, the findings are varied or even contradictory. In this work, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between fluoride exposure and hip fracture risk. PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched to identify relevant observational studies from the time of inception until March 2014 without restrictions. Data from the included studies were extracted and analyzed by two authors. Summary relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random- or fixed-effects models as appropriate. Sensitivity analyses and meta-regression were conducted to explore possible explanations for heterogeneity. Finally, publication bias was assessed. Fourteen observational studies involving thirteen cohort studies and one case-control study were included in the meta-analysis. Exposure to fluoride in drinking water does not significantly increase the incidence of hip fracture (RRs, 1.05; 95% CIs, 0.96-1.15). Sensitivity analyses based on adjustment for covariates, effect measure, country, sex, sample size, quality of Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scores, and follow-up period validated the strength of the results. Meta-regression showed that country, gender, quality of Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scores, adjustment for covariates and sample size were not sources of heterogeneity. Little evidence of publication bias was observed. The present meta-analysis suggests that chronic fluoride exposure from drinking water does not significantly increase the risk of hip fracture. Given the potential confounding factors and exposure misclassification, further large-scale, high-quality studies are needed to evaluate the association between exposure to fluoride in drinking water and hip fracture risk.

Exposure to Fluoride in Drinking Water and Hip Fracture Risk: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

PubMed Central

Yin, Xin-Hai; Huang, Guang-Lei; Lin, Du-Ren; Wan, Cheng-Cheng; Wang, Ya-Dong; Song, Ju-Kun; Xu, Ping

2015-01-01

Background Many observational studies have shown that exposure to fluoride in drinking water is associated with hip fracture risk. However, the findings are varied or even contradictory. In this work, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between fluoride exposure and hip fracture risk. Methods PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched to identify relevant observational studies from the time of inception until March 2014 without restrictions. Data from the included studies were extracted and analyzed by two authors. Summary relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random- or fixed-effects models as appropriate. Sensitivity analyses and meta-regression were conducted to explore possible explanations for heterogeneity. Finally, publication bias was assessed. Results Fourteen observational studies involving thirteen cohort studies and one case-control study were included in the meta-analysis. Exposure to fluoride in drinking water does not significantly increase the incidence of hip fracture (RRs, 1.05; 95% CIs, 0.96–1.15). Sensitivity analyses based on adjustment for covariates, effect measure, country, sex, sample size, quality of Newcastle–Ottawa Scale scores, and follow-up period validated the strength of the results. Meta-regression showed that country, gender, quality of Newcastle–Ottawa Scale scores, adjustment for covariates and sample size were not sources of heterogeneity. Little evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusion The present meta-analysis suggests that chronic fluoride exposure from drinking water does not significantly increase the risk of hip fracture. Given the potential confounding factors and exposure misclassification, further large-scale, high-quality studies are needed to evaluate the association between exposure to fluoride in drinking water and hip fracture risk. PMID:26020536

Quantifying Sources and Fluxes of Aquatic Carbon in U.S. Streams and Reservoirs Using Spatially Referenced Regression Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, E. W.; Smith, R. A.; Alexander, R. B.; Schwarz, G. E.

2004-12-01

Organic carbon (OC) is a critical water quality characteristic in riverine systems that is an important component of the aquatic carbon cycle and energy balance. Examples of processes controlled by OC interactions are complexation of trace metals; enhancement of the solubility of hydrophobic organic contaminants; formation of trihalomethanes in drinking water; and absorption of visible and UV radiation. Organic carbon also can have indirect effects on water quality by influencing internal processes of aquatic ecosystems (e.g. photosynthesis and autotrophic and heterotrophic activity). The importance of organic matter dynamics on water quality has been recognized, but challenges remain in quantitatively addressing OC processes over broad spatial scales in a hydrological context. In this study, we apply spatially referenced watershed models (SPARROW) to statistically estimate long-term mean-annual rates of dissolved- and total- organic carbon export in streams and reservoirs across the conterminous United States. We make use of a GIS framework for the analysis, describing sources, transport, and transformations of organic matter from spatial databases providing characterizations of climate, land use, primary productivity, topography, soils, and geology. This approach is useful because it illustrates spatial patterns of organic carbon fluxes in streamflow, highlighting hot spots (e.g., organic-rich environments in the southeastern coastal plain). Further, our simulations provide estimates of the relative contributions to streams from allochthonous and autochthonous sources. We quantify surface water fluxes of OC with estimates of uncertainty in relation to the overall US carbon budget; our simulations highlight that aquatic sources and sinks of OC may be a more significant component of regional carbon cycling than was previously thought. Further, we are using our simulations to explore the potential role of climate and other changes in the terrestrial environment on OC fluxes in aquatic systems.

Building Community Around Hydrologic Data Models Within CUAHSI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maidment, D.

2007-12-01

The Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc (CUAHSI) has a Hydrologic Information Systems project which aims to provide better data access and capacity for data synthesis for the nation's water information, both that collected by academic investigators and that collected by water agencies. These data include observations of streamflow, water quality, groundwater levels, weather and climate and aquatic biology. Each water agency or research investigator has a unique method of formatting their data (syntactic heterogeneity) and describing their variables (semantic heterogeneity). The result is a large agglomeration of data in many formats and descriptions whose full content is hard to interpret and analyze. CUAHSI is helping to resolve syntactic heterogeneity through the development of WaterML, a standard XML markup language for communicating water observations data through web services, and a standard relational database structure for archiving data called the Observations Data Model. Variables in these data archiving and communicating systems are indexed against a controlled vocabulary of descriptive terms to provide the capacity to synthesize common data types from disparate data sources.

The IUPAC Database of Rotational-Vibrational Energy Levels and Transitions of Water Isotopologues from Experiment and Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Császár, Attila G.; Furtenbacher, T.; Tennyson, Jonathan; Bernath, Peter F.; Brown, Linda R.; Campargue, Alain; Daumont, Ludovic; Gamache, Robert R.; Hodges, Joseph T.; Naumenko, Olga V.; Polyansky, Oleg L.; Rothman, Laurence S.; Vandaele, Ann Carine; Zobov, Nikolai F.

2014-06-01

The results of an IUPAC Task Group formed in 2004 on "A Database of Water Transitions from Experiment and Theory" (Project No. 2004-035-1-100) are presented. Energy levels and recommended labels involving exact and approximate quantum numbers for the main isotopologues of water in the gas phase, H216O, H218O, H217O, HD16O, HD18O, HD17O, D216O, D218O, and D217O, are determined from measured transition wavenumbers. The transition wavenumbers and energy levels are validated using the MARVEL (measured active rotational-vibrational energy levels) approach and first-principles nuclear motion computations. The extensive data, e.g., more than 200,000 transitions have been handled for H216O, including lines and levels that are required for analysis and synthesis of spectra, thermochemical applications, the construction of theoretical models, and the removal of spectral contamination by ubiquitous water lines. These datasets can also be used to assess where measurements are lacking for each isotopologue and to provide accurate frequencies for many yet-to-be measured transitions. The lack of high-quality frequency calibration standards in the near infrared is identified as an issue that has hindered the determination of high-accuracy energy levels at higher frequencies. The generation of spectra using the MARVEL energy levels combined with transition intensities computed using high accuracy ab initio dipole moment surfaces are discussed.

Spatiotemporal distribution of algal and nutrient, and their correlations based on long-term monitoring data in Lake Taihu, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acharya, K.; Li, Y.; Stone, M.; Yu, Z.; Young, M.; Shafer, D. S.; Zhu, J.; Warwick, J. J.

2009-12-01

Eutrophication in Lake Taihu - China’s third largest freshwater lake - has led to deterioration of water quality and caused more frequent cyanobacteria blooms at many lake locations in recent years. Eutrophication is thought to be fueled by increased nutrient loading, a consequence of rapid population and economic growth in the region. To understand the spatiotemporal distribution of algal blooms, a database was developed that includes long-term meteorological, hydrological, water quality, and socioeconomic data from the Lake Taihu watershed. The data were collected through various field observations, and augmented with information from local and provincial agencies, and universities. Based on the data, spatiotemporal distributions of, and correlations between, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and water temperature (WT) were analyzed. Results revealed a high degree of correlation between TP and Chl-a concentrations during warm seasons, with high concentrations of both substances present in the northern and northwest portions of the lake. During winter months, Chl-a concentrations were more strongly correlated with WT. Spatial trends in TP and TN concentrations corresponded to observed nutrient fluxes from adjoining rivers in densely populated areas, demonstrating the influence of watershed pollutant loads on lake water quality. Among important questions to be answered is whether wind-driven resuspension of existing nutrients in sediments in this shallow (< 3 m) lake may cause cyanobacteria blooms to begin. This study identifies other questions, data gaps, and research needs, and provides a foundation for improving lake management strategies.

Effectiveness of Aquatic Exercise and Balneotherapy: A Summary of Systematic Reviews Based on Randomized Controlled Trials of Water Immersion Therapies

PubMed Central

Kamioka, Hiroharu; Tsutani, Kiichiro; Okuizumi, Hiroyasu; Mutoh, Yoshiteru; Ohta, Miho; Handa, Shuichi; Okada, Shinpei; Kitayuguchi, Jun; Kamada, Masamitsu; Shiozawa, Nobuyoshi; Honda, Takuya

2010-01-01

Background The objective of this review was to summarize findings on aquatic exercise and balneotherapy and to assess the quality of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials. Methods Studies were eligible if they were systematic reviews based on randomized clinical trials (with or without a meta-analysis) that included at least 1 treatment group that received aquatic exercise or balneotherapy. We searched the following databases: Cochrane Database Systematic Review, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, JDream II, and Ichushi-Web for articles published from the year 1990 to August 17, 2008. Results We found evidence that aquatic exercise had small but statistically significant effects on pain relief and related outcome measures of locomotor diseases (eg, arthritis, rheumatoid diseases, and low back pain). However, long-term effectiveness was unclear. Because evidence was lacking due to the poor methodological quality of balneotherapy studies, we were unable to make any conclusions on the effects of intervention. There were frequent flaws regarding the description of excluded RCTs and the assessment of publication bias in several trials. Two of the present authors independently assessed the quality of articles using the AMSTAR checklist. Conclusions Aquatic exercise had a small but statistically significant short-term effect on locomotor diseases. However, the effectiveness of balneotherapy in curing disease or improving health remains unclear. PMID:19881230

EPA Facility Registry Service (FRS): Facility Interests Dataset - Intranet

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This web feature service consists of location and facility identification information from EPA's Facility Registry Service (FRS) for all sites that are available in the FRS individual feature layers. The layers comprise the FRS major program databases, including:Assessment Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) : brownfields sites ; Air Facility System (AFS) : stationary sources of air pollution ; Air Quality System (AQS) : ambient air pollution data from monitoring stations; Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) : schools data on Indian land; Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) facilities; Clean Air Markets Division Business System (CAMDBS) : market-based air pollution control programs; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) : hazardous waste sites; Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) : integrated enforcement and compliance information; National Compliance Database (NCDB) : Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) module of ICIS : NPDES surface water permits; Radiation Information Database (RADINFO) : radiation and radioactivity facilities; RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC) : best available air pollution technology requirements; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRAInfo) : tracks generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers of haz

EPA Facility Registry Service (FRS): Facility Interests Dataset - Intranet Download

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This downloadable data package consists of location and facility identification information from EPA's Facility Registry Service (FRS) for all sites that are available in the FRS individual feature layers. The layers comprise the FRS major program databases, including:Assessment Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) : brownfields sites ; Air Facility System (AFS) : stationary sources of air pollution ; Air Quality System (AQS) : ambient air pollution data from monitoring stations; Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) : schools data on Indian land; Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) facilities; Clean Air Markets Division Business System (CAMDBS) : market-based air pollution control programs; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) : hazardous waste sites; Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) : integrated enforcement and compliance information; National Compliance Database (NCDB) : Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) module of ICIS : NPDES surface water permits; Radiation Information Database (RADINFO) : radiation and radioactivity facilities; RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC) : best available air pollution technology requirements; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRAInfo) : tracks generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers

EPA Facility Registry Service (FRS): Facility Interests Dataset Download

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This downloadable data package consists of location and facility identification information from EPA's Facility Registry Service (FRS) for all sites that are available in the FRS individual feature layers. The layers comprise the FRS major program databases, including:Assessment Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) : brownfields sites ; Air Facility System (AFS) : stationary sources of air pollution ; Air Quality System (AQS) : ambient air pollution data from monitoring stations; Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) : schools data on Indian land; Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) facilities; Clean Air Markets Division Business System (CAMDBS) : market-based air pollution control programs; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) : hazardous waste sites; Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) : integrated enforcement and compliance information; National Compliance Database (NCDB) : Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) module of ICIS : NPDES surface water permits; Radiation Information Database (RADINFO) : radiation and radioactivity facilities; RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC) : best available air pollution technology requirements; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRAInfo) : tracks generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers

EPA Facility Registry Service (FRS): Facility Interests Dataset

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This web feature service consists of location and facility identification information from EPA's Facility Registry Service (FRS) for all sites that are available in the FRS individual feature layers. The layers comprise the FRS major program databases, including:Assessment Cleanup and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) : brownfields sites ; Air Facility System (AFS) : stationary sources of air pollution ; Air Quality System (AQS) : ambient air pollution data from monitoring stations; Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) : schools data on Indian land; Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) facilities; Clean Air Markets Division Business System (CAMDBS) : market-based air pollution control programs; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) : hazardous waste sites; Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) : integrated enforcement and compliance information; National Compliance Database (NCDB) : Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) module of ICIS : NPDES surface water permits; Radiation Information Database (RADINFO) : radiation and radioactivity facilities; RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC) : best available air pollution technology requirements; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Information System (RCRAInfo) : tracks generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers of haz

Reach Address Database (RAD)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Reach Address Database (RAD) stores the reach address of each Water Program feature that has been linked to the underlying surface water features (streams, lakes, etc) in the National Hydrology Database (NHD). (A reach is the portion of a stream between two points of confluence. A confluence is the location where two or more streams flow together.)

User's guide: Minerals management service outer continental shelf activity database (moad). Final report

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

Steiner, C.K.; Causley, M.C.; Yocke, M.A.

1994-04-01

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments require the Minerals Management Service (MMS) to conduct a research study to assess the potential onshore air quality impact from the development of outer continental shelf (OCS) petroleum resources in the Gulf of Mexico. The need for this study arises from concern about the cumulative impacts of current and future OCS emissions on ozone concentrations on nonattainment areas, particularly in Texas and Louisiana. To make quantitative assessments of these impacts, MMS has commissioned an air quality study which includes as a major component the development of a comprehensive emission inventory for photochemical grid modeling.more » The emission inventories prepared in this study include both onshore and offshore emissions. All relevant emissions from anthropogenic and biogenic sources are considered, with special attention focused on offshore anthropogenic sources, including OCS oil and gas production facilities, crew and supply vessels and helicopters serving OCS facilities, commercial shipping and fishing, recreational boating, intercoastal barge traffic and other sources located in the adjacent state waters. This document describes the database created during this study that contains the activity information collected for the development of the OCS platform, and crew/supply vessel and helicopter emission inventories.« less

A Decade’s Experience With Quality Improvement in Cardiac Surgery Using the Veterans Affairs and Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Databases

PubMed Central

Grover, Frederick L.; Shroyer, A. Laurie W.; Hammermeister, Karl; Edwards, Fred H.; Ferguson, T. Bruce; Dziuban, Stanley W.; Cleveland, Joseph C.; Clark, Richard E.; McDonald, Gerald

2001-01-01

Objective To review the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) national databases over the past 10 years to evaluate their relative similarities and differences, to appraise their use as quality improvement tools, and to assess their potential to facilitate improvements in quality of cardiac surgical care. Summary Background Data The VA developed a mandatory risk-adjusted database in 1987 to monitor outcomes of cardiac surgery at all VA medical centers. In 1989 the STS developed a voluntary risk-adjusted database to help members assess quality and outcomes in their individual programs and to facilitate improvements in quality of care. Methods A short data form on every veteran operated on at each VA medical center is completed and transmitted electronically for analysis of unadjusted and risk-adjusted death and complications, as well as length of stay. Masked, confidential semiannual reports are then distributed to each program’s clinical team and the associated administrator. These reports are also reviewed by a national quality oversight committee. Thus, VA data are used both locally for quality improvement and at the national level with quality surveillance. The STS dataset (217 core fields and 255 extended fields) is transmitted for each patient semiannually to the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) for warehousing, analysis, and distribution. Site-specific reports are produced with regional and national aggregate comparisons for unadjusted and adjusted surgical deaths and complications, as well as length of stay for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), valvular procedures, and valvular/CABG procedures. Both databases use the logistic regression modeling approach. Data for key processes of care are also captured in both databases. Research projects are frequently carried out using each database. Results More than 74,000 and 1.6 million cardiac surgical patients have been entered into the VA and STS databases, respectively. Risk factors that predict surgical death for CABG are very similar in the two databases, as are the odds ratios for most of the risk factors. One major difference is that the VA is 99% male, the STS 71% male. Both databases have shown a significant reduction in the risk-adjusted surgical death rate during the past decade despite the fact that patients have presented with an increased risk factor profile. The ratio of observed to expected deaths decreased from 1.05 to 0.9 for the VA and from 1.5 to 0.9 for the STS. Conclusion It appears that the routine feedback of risk-adjusted data on local performance provided by these programs heightens awareness and leads to self-examination and self-assessment, which in turn improves quality and outcomes. This general quality improvement template should be considered for application in other settings beyond cardiac surgery. PMID:11573040

Evaluating Land-Atmosphere Interactions with the North American Soil Moisture Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giles, S. M.; Quiring, S. M.; Ford, T.; Chavez, N.; Galvan, J.

2015-12-01

The North American Soil Moisture Database (NASMD) is a high-quality observational soil moisture database that was developed to study land-atmosphere interactions. It includes over 1,800 monitoring stations the United States, Canada and Mexico. Soil moisture data are collected from multiple sources, quality controlled and integrated into an online database (soilmoisture.tamu.edu). The period of record varies substantially and only a few of these stations have an observation record extending back into the 1990s. Daily soil moisture observations have been quality controlled using the North American Soil Moisture Database QAQC algorithm. The database is designed to facilitate observationally-driven investigations of land-atmosphere interactions, validation of the accuracy of soil moisture simulations in global land surface models, satellite calibration/validation for SMOS and SMAP, and an improved understanding of how soil moisture influences climate on seasonal to interannual timescales. This paper provides some examples of how the NASMD has been utilized to enhance understanding of land-atmosphere interactions in the U.S. Great Plains.

The challenges of measuring quality-of-care indicators in rural emergency departments: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

PubMed

Layani, Géraldine; Fleet, Richard; Dallaire, Renée; Tounkara, Fatoumata K; Poitras, Julien; Archambault, Patrick; Chauny, Jean-Marc; Ouimet, Mathieu; Gauthier, Josée; Dupuis, Gilles; Tanguay, Alain; Lévesque, Jean-Frédéric; Simard-Racine, Geneviève; Haggerty, Jeannie; Légaré, France

2016-01-01

Evidence-based indicators of quality of care have been developed to improve care and performance in Canadian emergency departments. The feasibility of measuring these indicators has been assessed mainly in urban and academic emergency departments. We sought to assess the feasibility of measuring quality-of-care indicators in rural emergency departments in Quebec. We previously identified rural emergency departments in Quebec that offered medical coverage with hospital beds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and were located in rural areas or small towns as defined by Statistics Canada. A standardized protocol was sent to each emergency department to collect data on 27 validated quality-of-care indicators in 8 categories: duration of stay, patient safety, pain management, pediatrics, cardiology, respiratory care, stroke and sepsis/infection. Data were collected by local professional medical archivists between June and December 2013. Fifteen (58%) of the 26 emergency departments invited to participate completed data collection. The ability to measure the 27 quality-of-care indicators with the use of databases varied across departments. Centres 2, 5, 6 and 13 used databases for at least 21 of the indicators (78%-92%), whereas centres 3, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 15 used databases for 5 (18%) or fewer of the indicators. On average, the centres were able to measure only 41% of the indicators using heterogeneous databases and manual extraction. The 15 centres collected data from 15 different databases or combinations of databases. The average data collection time for each quality-of-care indicator varied from 5 to 88.5 minutes. The median data collection time was 15 minutes or less for most indicators. Quality-of-care indicators were not easily captured with the use of existing databases in rural emergency departments in Quebec. Further work is warranted to improve standardized measurement of these indicators in rural emergency departments in the province and to generalize the information gathered in this study to other health care environments.

78 FR 28848 - Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-16

... Quality's (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture Comparative Database.'' In accordance with the... for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture Comparative... SOPS) Comparative Database; OMB NO. 0935- [[Page 28849

Guidelines for establishing and maintaining construction quality databases.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-11-01

The main objective of this study was to develop and present guidelines for State highway agencies (SHAs) in establishing and maintaining database systems geared towards construction quality issues for asphalt and concrete paving projects. To accompli...

Comprehensive national database of tree effects on air quality and human health in the United States.

PubMed

Hirabayashi, Satoshi; Nowak, David J

2016-08-01

Trees remove air pollutants through dry deposition processes depending upon forest structure, meteorology, and air quality that vary across space and time. Employing nationally available forest, weather, air pollution and human population data for 2010, computer simulations were performed for deciduous and evergreen trees with varying leaf area index for rural and urban areas in every county in the conterminous United States. The results populated a national database of annual air pollutant removal, concentration changes, and reductions in adverse health incidences and costs for NO2, O3, PM2.5 and SO2. The developed database enabled a first order approximation of air quality and associated human health benefits provided by trees with any forest configurations anywhere in the conterminous United States over time. Comprehensive national database of tree effects on air quality and human health in the United States was developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can water quality of tubewells be assessed without chemical testing?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoque, Mohammad A.; Butler, Adrian P.

2016-04-01

Arsenic is one of the major pollutants found in aquifers on a global scale. The screening of tubewells for arsenic has helped many people to avoid drinking from highly polluted wells in the Bengal Delta (West Bengal and Bangladesh). However, there are still many millions of tubewells in Bangladesh yet to be tested, and a substantial proportion of these are likely to contain excessive arsenic. Due to the level of poverty and lack of infrastructure, it is unlikely that the rest of the tubewells will be tested quickly. However, water quality assessment without needing a chemical testing may be helpful in this case. Studies have found that qualitative factors, such as staining in the tubewell basement and/or on utensils, can indicate subsurface geology and water quality. The science behind this staining is well established, red staining is associated with iron reduction leading to release of arsenic whilst black staining is associated with manganese reduction (any release of arsenic due to manganese reduction is sorbed back on the, yet to be reduced, iron), whereas mixed staining may indicate overlapping manganese and iron reduction at the tubewell screen. Reduction is not uniform everywhere and hence chemical water quality including dissolved arsenic varies from place to place. This is why coupling existing tubewell arsenic information with user derived staining data could be useful in predicting the arsenic status at a particular site. Using well location, depth, along with colour of staining, an assessment of both good (nutrients) and bad (toxins and pathogens) substances in the tubewell could be provided. Social-network technology, combined with increasing use of smartphones, provides a powerful opportunity for both sharing and providing feedback to the user. Here we outline how a simple digital application can couple the reception both qualitative and quantitative tubewell data into a centralised interactive database and provide manipulated feedback to an individual user. This technology has the potential to reach more than 50 million people in the Bengal delta and can play an effective role in arsenic mitigation and water quality assessment in similar geological terrains.

Groundwater-quality data for the Sierra Nevada study unit, 2008: Results from the California GAMA program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shelton, Jennifer L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Munday, Cathy M.; Belitz, Kenneth

2010-01-01

Groundwater quality in the approximately 25,500-square-mile Sierra Nevada study unit was investigated in June through October 2008, as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). The Sierra Nevada study was designed to provide statistically robust assessments of untreated groundwater quality within the primary aquifer systems in the study unit, and to facilitate statistically consistent comparisons of groundwater quality throughout California. The primary aquifer systems (hereinafter, primary aquifers) are defined by the depth of the screened or open intervals of the wells listed in the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database of wells used for public and community drinking-water supplies. The quality of groundwater in shallower or deeper water-bearing zones may differ from that in the primary aquifers; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to contamination from the surface. In the Sierra Nevada study unit, groundwater samples were collected from 84 wells (and springs) in Lassen, Plumas, Butte, Sierra, Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Madera, Mariposa, Fresno, Inyo, Tulare, and Kern Counties. The wells were selected on two overlapping networks by using a spatially-distributed, randomized, grid-based approach. The primary grid-well network consisted of 30 wells, one well per grid cell in the study unit, and was designed to provide statistical representation of groundwater quality throughout the entire study unit. The lithologic grid-well network is a secondary grid that consisted of the wells in the primary grid-well network plus 53 additional wells and was designed to provide statistical representation of groundwater quality in each of the four major lithologic units in the Sierra Nevada study unit: granitic, metamorphic, sedimentary, and volcanic rocks. One natural spring that is not used for drinking water was sampled for comparison with a nearby primary grid well in the same cell. Groundwater samples were analyzed for organic constituents (volatile organic compounds [VOC], pesticides and pesticide degradates, and pharmaceutical compounds), constituents of special interest (N-nitrosodimethylamine [NDMA] and perchlorate), naturally occurring inorganic constituents (nutrients, major ions, total dissolved solids, and trace elements), and radioactive constituents (radium isotopes, radon-222, gross alpha and gross beta particle activities, and uranium isotopes). Naturally occurring isotopes and geochemical tracers (stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in water, stable isotopes of carbon, carbon-14, strontium isotopes, and tritium), and dissolved noble gases also were measured to help identify the sources and ages of the sampled groundwater. Three types of quality-control samples (blanks, replicates, and samples for matrix spikes) each were collected at approximately 10 percent of the wells sampled for each analysis, and the results for these samples were used to evaluate the quality of the data for the groundwater samples. Field blanks rarely contained detectable concentrations of any constituent, suggesting that contamination from sample collection, handling, and analytical procedures was not a significant source of bias in the data for the groundwater samples. Differences between replicate samples were within acceptable ranges, with few exceptions. Matrix-spike recoveries were within acceptable ranges for most compounds. This study did not attempt to evaluate the quality of water delivered to consumers; after withdrawal from the ground, groundwater typically is treated, disinfected, or blended with other waters to maintain water quality. Regulatory benchmarks apply to finished drinking water that is served to the consumer, not to untre

Seasonal variation of fecal indicator bacteria in storm events within the US stormwater database.

PubMed

Pan, Xubin; Jones, Kim D

2012-01-01

Bacteria are one of the major causes of surface water impairments in the USA. Over the past several years, best management practices, including detention basins, manufactured devices, grass swales, filters and bioretention cells have been used to remove bacteria and other pollutants from stormwater runoff. However, there are data gaps in the comprehensive studies of bacteria concentrations in stormwater runoff. In this paper, the event mean concentration (EMC) of fecal indicator bacteria (Enterococcus, Escherichia coli, fecal Streptococcus group bacteria, and fecal coliform) across the USA was retrieved from the international stormwater best management practices database to analyze the seasonal variations of inflow and outflow event mean concentrations and removal efficiencies. The Kruskal-Wallis test was employed to determine the seasonal variations of bacteria indicator concentrations and removals, and the two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for comparing different seasonal outcomes. The results indicate that all the inflow EMC of FIB in stormwater runoff is above the water quality criteria. The seasonal differences of fecal Streptococcus group bacteria and fecal coliform are significant. Summer has the potential to increase the bacteria EMC and illustrate the seasonal differences.

Assessing hydrologic impacts of future Land Change scenarios in the San Pedro River (U.S./Mexico)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kepner, W. G.; Burns, S.; Sidman, G.; Levick, L.; Goodrich, D. C.; Guertin, P.; Yee, W.; Scianni, M.

2012-12-01

An approach was developed to characterize the hydrologic impacts of urban expansion through time for the San Pedro River, a watershed of immense international importance that straddles the U.S./Mexico border. Future urban growth is a key driving force altering local and regional hydrology and is represented by decadal changes in housing density maps from 2010 to 2100 derived from the Integrated Climate and Land-Use Scenarios (ICLUS) database. ICLUS developed future housing density maps by adapting the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) social, economic, and demographic storylines to the conterminous United States. To characterize the hydrologic impacts of future growth, the housing density maps were reclassified to National Land Cover Database 2006 land cover classes and used to parameterize the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) using the Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment (AGWA) tool. The presentation will report 1) the methodology for adapting the ICLUS data for use in AGWA as an approach to evaluate basin-wide impacts of development on water-quantity and -quality, 2) initial results of the application of the methodology, and 3) discuss implications of the analysis.

Examining the Factors That Contribute to Successful Database Application Implementation Using the Technology Acceptance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nworji, Alexander O.

2013-01-01

Most organizations spend millions of dollars due to the impact of improperly implemented database application systems as evidenced by poor data quality problems. The purpose of this quantitative study was to use, and extend, the technology acceptance model (TAM) to assess the impact of information quality and technical quality factors on database…

Databases as policy instruments. About extending networks as evidence-based policy.

PubMed

de Bont, Antoinette; Stoevelaar, Herman; Bal, Roland

2007-12-07

This article seeks to identify the role of databases in health policy. Access to information and communication technologies has changed traditional relationships between the state and professionals, creating new systems of surveillance and control. As a result, databases may have a profound effect on controlling clinical practice. We conducted three case studies to reconstruct the development and use of databases as policy instruments. Each database was intended to be employed to control the use of one particular pharmaceutical in the Netherlands (growth hormone, antiretroviral drugs for HIV and Taxol, respectively). We studied the archives of the Dutch Health Insurance Board, conducted in-depth interviews with key informants and organized two focus groups, all focused on the use of databases both in policy circles and in clinical practice. Our results demonstrate that policy makers hardly used the databases, neither for cost control nor for quality assurance. Further analysis revealed that these databases facilitated self-regulation and quality assurance by (national) bodies of professionals, resulting in restrictive prescription behavior amongst physicians. The databases fulfill control functions that were formerly located within the policy realm. The databases facilitate collaboration between policy makers and physicians, since they enable quality assurance by professionals. Delegating regulatory authority downwards into a network of physicians who control the use of pharmaceuticals seems to be a good alternative for centralized control on the basis of monitoring data.

National Databases for Neurosurgical Outcomes Research: Options, Strengths, and Limitations.

PubMed

Karhade, Aditya V; Larsen, Alexandra M G; Cote, David J; Dubois, Heloise M; Smith, Timothy R

2017-08-05

Quality improvement, value-based care delivery, and personalized patient care depend on robust clinical, financial, and demographic data streams of neurosurgical outcomes. The neurosurgical literature lacks a comprehensive review of large national databases. To assess the strengths and limitations of various resources for outcomes research in neurosurgery. A review of the literature was conducted to identify surgical outcomes studies using national data sets. The databases were assessed for the availability of patient demographics and clinical variables, longitudinal follow-up of patients, strengths, and limitations. The number of unique patients contained within each data set ranged from thousands (Quality Outcomes Database [QOD]) to hundreds of millions (MarketScan). Databases with both clinical and financial data included PearlDiver, Premier Healthcare Database, Vizient Clinical Data Base and Resource Manager, and the National Inpatient Sample. Outcomes collected by databases included patient-reported outcomes (QOD); 30-day morbidity, readmissions, and reoperations (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program); and disease incidence and disease-specific survival (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare). The strengths of large databases included large numbers of rare pathologies and multi-institutional nationally representative sampling; the limitations of these databases included variable data veracity, variable data completeness, and missing disease-specific variables. The improvement of existing large national databases and the establishment of new registries will be crucial to the future of neurosurgical outcomes research. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

Recommendations of the DNA Commission of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) on quality control of autosomal Short Tandem Repeat allele frequency databasing (STRidER).

PubMed

Bodner, Martin; Bastisch, Ingo; Butler, John M; Fimmers, Rolf; Gill, Peter; Gusmão, Leonor; Morling, Niels; Phillips, Christopher; Prinz, Mechthild; Schneider, Peter M; Parson, Walther

2016-09-01

The statistical evaluation of autosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) genotypes is based on allele frequencies. These are empirically determined from sets of randomly selected human samples, compiled into STR databases that have been established in the course of population genetic studies. There is currently no agreed procedure of performing quality control of STR allele frequency databases, and the reliability and accuracy of the data are largely based on the responsibility of the individual contributing research groups. It has been demonstrated with databases of haploid markers (EMPOP for mitochondrial mtDNA, and YHRD for Y-chromosomal loci) that centralized quality control and data curation is essential to minimize error. The concepts employed for quality control involve software-aided likelihood-of-genotype, phylogenetic, and population genetic checks that allow the researchers to compare novel data to established datasets and, thus, maintain the high quality required in forensic genetics. Here, we present STRidER (http://strider.online), a publicly available, centrally curated online allele frequency database and quality control platform for autosomal STRs. STRidER expands on the previously established ENFSI DNA WG STRbASE and applies standard concepts established for haploid and autosomal markers as well as novel tools to reduce error and increase the quality of autosomal STR data. The platform constitutes a significant improvement and innovation for the scientific community, offering autosomal STR data quality control and reliable STR genotype estimates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Data Quality for Clinical Trials Using Electronic Data Capture

PubMed Central

Nahm, Meredith L.; Pieper, Carl F.; Cunningham, Maureen M.

2008-01-01

Background Historically, only partial assessments of data quality have been performed in clinical trials, for which the most common method of measuring database error rates has been to compare the case report form (CRF) to database entries and count discrepancies. Importantly, errors arising from medical record abstraction and transcription are rarely evaluated as part of such quality assessments. Electronic Data Capture (EDC) technology has had a further impact, as paper CRFs typically leveraged for quality measurement are not used in EDC processes. Methods and Principal Findings The National Institute on Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network has developed, implemented, and evaluated methodology for holistically assessing data quality on EDC trials. We characterize the average source-to-database error rate (14.3 errors per 10,000 fields) for the first year of use of the new evaluation method. This error rate was significantly lower than the average of published error rates for source-to-database audits, and was similar to CRF-to-database error rates reported in the published literature. We attribute this largely to an absence of medical record abstraction on the trials we examined, and to an outpatient setting characterized by less acute patient conditions. Conclusions Historically, medical record abstraction is the most significant source of error by an order of magnitude, and should be measured and managed during the course of clinical trials. Source-to-database error rates are highly dependent on the amount of structured data collection in the clinical setting and on the complexity of the medical record, dependencies that should be considered when developing data quality benchmarks. PMID:18725958

Diversity, Physiochemical and Phylogenetic Analyses of Bacteria Isolated from Various Drinking Water Sources.

PubMed

Eid, Neveen H; Al Doghaither, Huda A; Kumosani, Taha A; Gull, Munazza

2017-01-01

To evaluate the indigenous bacterial strains of drinking water from the most commercial water types including bottled and filtered water that are currently used in Saudi Arabia. Thirty randomly selected commercial brands of bottled water were purchased from Saudi local markets. Moreover, samples from tap water and filtered water were collected in sterilized glass bottles and stored at 4°C. Biochemical analyses including pH, temperature, lactose fermentation test (LAC), indole test (IND), methyl red test (MR), Voges-Proskauer test (VP), urease test (URE), catalase test (CAT), aerobic and anaerobic test (Ae/An) were measured. Molecular identification and comparative sequence analyses were done by full length 16S rRNA gene sequences using gene bank databases and phylogenetic trees were constructed to see the closely related similarity index between bacterial strains. Among 30 water samples tested, 18 were found positive for bacterial growth. Molecular identification of four selected bacterial strains indicated the alarming presence of pathogenic bacteria Bacillus spp . in most common commercial types of drinking water used in Saudi Arabia. The lack of awareness about good sanitation, poor personal hygienic practices and failure of safe water management and supply are the important factors for poor drinking water quality in these sources, need to be addressed.

River and riparian restoration in the southwest: Results of the National River Restoration Science Synthesis project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Follstad, Shah J.J.; Dahm, Clifford N.; Gloss, S.P.; Bernhardt, E.S.

2007-01-01

Restoration activity has exponentially increased across the Southwest since 1990. Over 37,000 records were compiled into the National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS) database to summarize restoration trends and assess project effectiveness. We analyzed data from 576 restoration projects in the Southwest (NRRSS-SW). More than 50% of projects were less than or equal to 3 km in length. The most common restoration project intent categories were riparian management, water quality management, in-stream habitat improvement, and flow modification. Common project activities were well matched to goals. Conservative estimates of total restoration costs exceeded $500 million. Most restoration dollars have been allocated to flow modification and water quality management. Monitoring was linked to 28% of projects across the Southwest, as opposed to just 10% nationwide. Mean costs were statistically similar whether or not projects were monitored. Results from 48 telephone interviews provided validation of NRRSS-SW database analyses but showed that project costs are often underreported within existing datasets. The majority of interviewees considered their projects to be successful, most often based upon observed improvements to biota or positive public reaction rather than evaluation of field data. The efficacy of restoration is difficult to ascertain given the dearth of information contained within most datasets. There is a great need for regional entities that not only track information on project implementation but also maintain and analyze monitoring data associated with restoration. Agencies that fund or regulate restoration should reward projects that emphasize monitoring and evaluation as much as project implementation. ?? 2007 Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Procedural Documentation and Accuracy Assessment of Bathymetric Maps and Area/Capacity Tables for Small Reservoirs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Gary L.; Richards, Joseph M.

2006-01-01

Because of the increasing use and importance of lakes for water supply to communities, a repeatable and reliable procedure to determine lake bathymetry and capacity is needed. A method to determine the accuracy of the procedure will help ensure proper collection and use of the data and resulting products. It is important to clearly define the intended products and desired accuracy before conducting the bathymetric survey to ensure proper data collection. A survey-grade echo sounder and differential global positioning system receivers were used to collect water-depth and position data in December 2003 at Sugar Creek Lake near Moberly, Missouri. Data were collected along planned transects, with an additional set of quality-assurance data collected for use in accuracy computations. All collected data were imported into a geographic information system database. A bathymetric surface model, contour map, and area/capacity tables were created from the geographic information system database. An accuracy assessment was completed on the collected data, bathymetric surface model, area/capacity table, and contour map products. Using established vertical accuracy standards, the accuracy of the collected data, bathymetric surface model, and contour map product was 0.67 foot, 0.91 foot, and 1.51 feet at the 95 percent confidence level. By comparing results from different transect intervals with the quality-assurance transect data, it was determined that a transect interval of 1 percent of the longitudinal length of Sugar Creek Lake produced nearly as good results as 0.5 percent transect interval for the bathymetric surface model, area/capacity table, and contour map products.

PFReports: A program for systematic checking of annual peaks in NWISWeb

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryberg, Karen R.

2008-01-01

The accuracy, characterization, and completeness of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) peak-flow data drive the determination of flood-frequency estimates that are used daily to design water and transportation infrastructure, delineate flood-plain boundaries, and regulate development and utilization of lands throughout the Nation and are essential to understanding the implications of climate change on flooding. Indeed, this high-profile database reflects and highlights the quality of USGS water-data collection programs. Its extension and improvement are essential to efforts to strengthen USGS networks and science leadership and is worthy of the attention of Water Science Center (WSC) hydrographers. This document describes a computer program, PFReports, and its output that facilitates efficient and robust review and correction of data in the USGS Peak Flow File (PFF) hosted as part of NWISWeb (the USGS public Web interface to much of the data stored and managed within the National Water Information System or NWIS). Checks embedded in the program are recommended as part of a more comprehensive assessment of peak flow data that will eventually include examination of possible regional changes, seasonal changes, and decadal variations in magnitude, timing, and frequency. Just as important as the comprehensive assessment, cleaning up the database will increase the likelihood of improved WSC regional flood-frequency equations. As an example of the value of cleaning up the PFF, data for 26,921 sites in the PFF were obtained. Of those sites, 17,542 sites had peak streamflow values and daily values. For the 17,542 sites, 1,097 peaks were identified that were less than the daily value for the day on which the peak occurred. Of the 26,921 sites, 11,643 had peak streamflow values, concurrent daily values, and at least 10 peaks. At the 11,643 sites, 2,205 peaks were identified as potential outliers in a regression of peak streamflows on daily values. Previous efforts to identify problems with the PFF were time consuming, laborious, and often ineffective. This new suite of checks represents an effort to automate identification of specific problems without plotting or printing large amounts of data that may not have problems. In addition, the results of the checks of the peak flow files are delivered through the World Wide Web with links to individual reports so that WSCs can focus on specific problems in an organized and standardized fashion. Over the years, technical reviews, regional-flood studies, and user inquiries have identified many minor and some major problems in the PFF. However, the cumbersome nature of the PFF editor and a lack of analytical tools have hampered efforts at quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and subsequently to make needed revisions to the database. This document is organized to provide information regarding PFReports, especially those tests involving regression and to provide an overview of the review procedures for utilizing the output. It also may be used as a reference for the data qualification codes and abbreviations for the tests. Results of the checks for all peak flow files (March 2008) are available at http://nd.water.usgs.gov/internal/pfreports/.

EPA Office of Water (OW): 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters NHDPlus Indexed Dataset

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters program system provides impaired water data and impaired water features reflecting river segments, lakes, and estuaries designated under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Each State will establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for these waters. Note the CWA Section 303(d) list of impaired waters does not represent waters that are impaired but have an EPA-approved TMDL established, impaired waters for which other pollution control mechanisms are in place and expected to attain water quality standards, or waters impaired as a result of pollution and is not caused by a pollutant. Therefore, the Impaired Waters layers do not represent all impaired waters reported in a state's Integrated Report, but only the waters comprised of a state's approved 303(d) list. For more information regarding impaired waters refer to EPA's Integrated Reporting Guidance at: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/guidance.cfm. 303(d) waterbodies are coded onto NHDPlus v2.1 flowline and waterbody features to create line, area, and point events. In addition to NHDPlus reach indexed data there may also be custom event data (point, line, or polygon) that are not associated with NHDPlus and are in an EPA standard format that is compatible with EPA's Reach Address Database. These custom features are used to represent locations of 303(d) waterbodies that are not represented well in NHDPlus.

Water-based exercise training for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

McNamara, Renae J; McKeough, Zoe J; McKenzie, David K; Alison, Jennifer A

2013-12-18

Land-based exercise training improves exercise capacity and quality of life in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Water-based exercise training is an alternative mode of physical exercise training that may appeal to the older population attending pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, those who are unable to complete land-based exercise programmes and people with COPD with comorbid physical and medical conditions. To assess the effects of water-based exercise training in people with COPD. A search of the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of trials, which is derived from systematic searches of bibliographic databases, including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED and PsycINFO, was conducted (from inception to August 2013). Handsearching was done to identify further qualifying studies from reference lists of relevant studies. Review authors included randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials in which water-based exercise training of at least four weeks' duration was compared with no exercise training or any other form of exercise training in people with COPD. Swimming was excluded. We used standard methodological procedures expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. Five studies were included with a total of 176 participants (71 people participated in water-based exercise training and 54 in land-based exercise training; 51 completed no exercise training). All studies compared supervised water-based exercise training versus land-based exercise training and/or no exercise training in people with COPD (with average forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) %predicted ranging from 39% to 62%). Sample sizes ranged from 11 to 53 participants. The exercise training programmes lasted from four to 12 weeks, and the mean age of participants ranged from 57 to 73 years. A moderate risk of bias was due to lack of reporting of randomisation, allocation and blinding procedures in some studies, as well as small sample sizes.Compared with no exercise, water-based exercise training improved the six-minute walk distance (mean difference (MD) 62 metres; 95% confidence interval (CI) 44 to 80 metres; three studies; 99 participants; moderate quality evidence), the incremental shuttle walk distance (MD 50 metres; 95% CI 20 to 80 metres; one study; 30 participants; high quality evidence) and the endurance shuttle walk distance (MD 371 metres; 95% CI 121 to 621 metres; one study; 30 participants; high quality evidence). Quality of life was also improved after water-based exercise training compared with no exercise (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.97, 95% CI -0.37 to -1.57; two studies; 49 participants; low quality evidence). Compared with land-based exercise training, water-based exercise training did not significantly change the six-minute walk distance (MD 11 metres; 95% CI -11 to 33 metres; three studies; 62 participants; moderate quality evidence) or the incremental shuttle walk distance (MD 9 metres; 95% CI -15 to 34 metres; two studies; 59 participants; low quality evidence). However, the endurance shuttle walk distance improved following water-based exercise training compared with land-based exercise training (MD 313 metres; 95% CI 232 to 394 metres; two studies; 59 participants; moderate quality evidence). No significant differences were found between water-based exercise training and land-based exercise training for quality of life, as measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire or by three of four domains of the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ); however, the fatigue domain of the CRDQ showed a statistically significant difference in favour of water-based exercise (MD -3.00; 95% CI -5.26 to -0.74; one study; 30 participants). Only one study reported long-term outcomes after water-based exercise training for quality of life and body composition, and no significant change was observed between baseline results and six-month follow-up results. One minor adverse event was reported for water-based exercise training (based on reporting from two studies; 20 participants). Impact of disease severity could not be examined because data were insufficient. There is limited quality evidence that water-based exercise training is safe and improves exercise capacity and quality of life in people with COPD immediately after training. There is limited quality evidence that water-based exercise training offers advantages over land-based exercise training in improving endurance exercise capacity, but we remain uncertain as to whether it leads to better quality of life. Little evidence exists examining the long-term effect of water-based exercise training.

Method applied to the background analysis of energy data to be considered for the European Reference Life Cycle Database (ELCD).

PubMed

Fazio, Simone; Garraín, Daniel; Mathieux, Fabrice; De la Rúa, Cristina; Recchioni, Marco; Lechón, Yolanda

2015-01-01

Under the framework of the European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment, the European Reference Life-Cycle Database (ELCD - developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission), provides core Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data from front-running EU-level business associations and other sources. The ELCD contains energy-related data on power and fuels. This study describes the methods to be used for the quality analysis of energy data for European markets (available in third-party LC databases and from authoritative sources) that are, or could be, used in the context of the ELCD. The methodology was developed and tested on the energy datasets most relevant for the EU context, derived from GaBi (the reference database used to derive datasets for the ELCD), Ecoinvent, E3 and Gemis. The criteria for the database selection were based on the availability of EU-related data, the inclusion of comprehensive datasets on energy products and services, and the general approval of the LCA community. The proposed approach was based on the quality indicators developed within the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook, further refined to facilitate their use in the analysis of energy systems. The overall Data Quality Rating (DQR) of the energy datasets can be calculated by summing up the quality rating (ranging from 1 to 5, where 1 represents very good, and 5 very poor quality) of each of the quality criteria indicators, divided by the total number of indicators considered. The quality of each dataset can be estimated for each indicator, and then compared with the different databases/sources. The results can be used to highlight the weaknesses of each dataset and can be used to guide further improvements to enhance the data quality with regard to the established criteria. This paper describes the application of the methodology to two exemplary datasets, in order to show the potential of the methodological approach. The analysis helps LCA practitioners to evaluate the usefulness of the ELCD datasets for their purposes, and dataset developers and reviewers to derive information that will help improve the overall DQR of databases.

NHD Event Data Dictionary

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Reach Address Database (RAD) stores reach address information for each Water Program feature that has been linked to the underlying surface water features (streams, lakes, etc) in the National Hydrology Database (NHD) Plus dataset.

Water-level database update for the Death Valley regional groundwater flow system, Nevada and California, 1907-2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pavelko, Michael T.

2010-01-01

The water-level database for the Death Valley regional groundwater flow system in Nevada and California was updated. The database includes more than 54,000 water levels collected from 1907 to 2007, from more than 1,800 wells. Water levels were assigned a primary flag and multiple secondary flags that describe hydrologic conditions and trends at the time of the measurement and identify pertinent information about the well or water-level measurement. The flags provide a subjective measure of the relative accuracy of the measurements and are used to identify which water levels are appropriate for calculating head observations in a regional transient groundwater flow model. Included in the report appendix are all water-level data and their flags, selected well data, and an interactive spreadsheet for viewing hydrographs and well locations.

A survey of domestic wells and pit latrines in rural settlements of Mali: Implications of on-site sanitation on the quality of water supplies.

PubMed

Martínez-Santos, P; Martín-Loeches, M; García-Castro, N; Solera, D; Díaz-Alcaide, S; Montero, E; García-Rincón, J

2017-10-01

On-site sanitation is generally advocated as a means to eradicate the health hazards associated with open defecation. While this has provided a welcome upgrade to the livelihoods of millions of people in low-income countries, improved sanitation facilities are increasingly becoming a threat to domestic groundwater-based supplies. Within this context, a survey of pit latrines, domestic wells and improved water sources was carried out in a large rural village of southern Mali. All households were surveyed for water, sanitation and hygiene habits. Domestic wells and improved water sources were georeferenced and sampled for water quality (pH, electric conductivity, temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids, thermotolerant coliforms, chloride and nitrate) and groundwater level, while all latrines were inspected and georeferenced. A GIS database was then used to evaluate the proportion of water points within the influence area of latrines, as well as to underpin multiple regression models to establish the determinants for fecal contamination in drinking supplies. Moreover, an appraisal of domestic water treatment practices was carried out. This revealed that nearly two-thirds of the population uses bleach to purify drinking supplies, but also that domestic-scale treatment as currently implemented by the population is far from effective. It is thus concluded that existing habits could be enhanced as a means to make water supplies safer. Furthermore, population, well and latrine density were all identified as statistically significant predictors for fecal pollution at different spatial scales. These findings are policy-relevant in the context of groundwater-dependent human settlements, since many countries in the developing world currently pursue the objective of eliminating open defecation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

A reservoir morphology database for the conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rodgers, Kirk D.

2017-09-13

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership, combined multiple national databases to create one comprehensive national reservoir database and to calculate new morphological metrics for 3,828 reservoirs. These new metrics include, but are not limited to, shoreline development index, index of basin permanence, development of volume, and other descriptive metrics based on established morphometric formulas. The new database also contains modeled chemical and physical metrics. Because of the nature of the existing databases used to compile the Reservoir Morphology Database and the inherent missing data, some metrics were not populated. One comprehensive database will assist water-resource managers in their understanding of local reservoir morphology and water chemistry characteristics throughout the continental United States.

Water-quality characteristics in the Black Hills area, South Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williamson, Joyce E.; Carter, Janet M.

2001-01-01

This report summarizes the water-quality characteristics of ground-water and surface-water in the Black Hills area. Differences in groundwater quality by aquifer and differences in surfacewater quality by water source are presented. Ground-water characteristics are discussed individually for each of the major aquifers in the Black Hills area, referred to herein as the Precambrian, Deadwood, Madison, Minnelusa, Minnekahta, and Inyan Kara aquifers. Characteristics for minor aquifers also are discussed briefly. Surface-water characteristics are discussed for hydrogeologic settings including headwater springs, crystalline core sites, artesian springs, and exterior sites. To characterize the water quality of aquifers and streams in the Black Hills area, data from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System water-quality database were examined. This included samples collected as part of the Black Hills Hydrology Study as well as for other studies within the time frame of October 1, 1930, to September 30, 1998. Tables of individual results are not presented in this report, only summaries. Constituents summarized and discussed include physical properties, common ions, nutrients, trace elements, and radionuclides. Comparisons of concentration levels are made to drinking-water standards as well as beneficial-use and aquatic-life criteria. Ground water within the Black Hills and surrounding area generally is fresh and hard to very hard. Concentrations exceeding various Secondary and Maximum Contaminant Levels may affect the use of the water in some areas for many aquifers within the study area. Concentrations that exceed Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCL's) generally affect the water only aesthetically. Radionuclide concentrations may be especially high in some of the major aquifers used within the study area and preclude the use of water in some areas. The sodiumadsorption ratio and specific conductance may affect irrigation use for some wells. High concentrations of iron and manganese are the only concentrations that may hamper the use of water from Precambrian aquifers. The principal deterrents to use of water from the Deadwood aquifer are the high concentrations of radionuclides as well as iron and manganese. Iron, manganese, and hardness may deter use of water from the Madison aquifer as well as dissolved solids and sulfate in downgradient wells (generally deeper than 2,000 feet). Iron, manganese, and hardness may also deter use of the Minnelusa aquifer. Water from the Minnekahta aquifer generally is suitable for all water uses although it is hard to very hard. High concentrations of dissolved solids, iron, sulfate, and manganese may hamper the use of water from the Inyan Kara aquifer. In the southern Black Hills, radium-226 and uranium concentrations also may preclude use of water from the Inyan Kara aquifer. Suitability for irrigation may be affected by high specific conductance and sodium-adsorption ratio for the Inyan Kara. Surface-water quality within the Black Hills and surrounding area generally is very good but the water is hard to very hard. Concentrations of some constituents in the study area tend to be higher exterior to the Black Hills, primarily due to influences from the Cretaceous-age marine shales, including dissolved solids, sodium, sulfate, selenium, and uranium. Headwater springs have relatively constant discharge, specific conductance, dissolved solids, and concentrations of most other constituents. Concentrations at crystalline core sites are very similar to those found in samples from Precambrian aquifers. Some high nitrate concentrations greater than the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 mg/L (milligrams per liter) have occurred at Annie Creek near Lead, which have been attributed to mining impacts. Trace elements generally are low with the exception of arsenic, for which 60 percent of samples exceed the proposed MCL of 10 ug/L (micrograms per liter) and one sample

Evaluation of a monitoring program for assessing the effects of management practices on the quantity and quality of drainwater from the Panoche Water District, western San Joaquin Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leighton, David A.; Fio, John L.

1995-01-01

An evaluation was made of an existing monitoring program in the Panoche Water District for 1986-93. The Panoche Water District is an agricultural area located in the western San Joaquin Valley of California. Because irrigation drainage from this area has high concentrations of dissolved solids and selenium, management strategies have been developed to improve the quality of drainwater discharge. The purpose of the Panoche Water District's monitoring program is to assess the effects of water- and land-use practices on local ground water and drain flow from the district. Drainflow from the district consists of the discharge from 50 separate on-farm underground tile-drainage systems. The Panoche Water District maintains information on water deliveries, planned and actual crop types, and planned and actual acreages planted each year. In addition, the water district monitors ground-water and drainage-system discharges using a variety of data-collection methods. A total of 62 observation well sites are used to monitor ground-water level and quality. A total of 42 sites were monitored for drainflow quantity, and drain flow quality samples were collected from the outlets of each of the 50 drainage systems. However, these data were collected inconsistently and (or) intermittently during the period studied. All data obtained from the water district were compiled and stored in a geographic information system database. Water delivered for irrigation by the Panoche Water District is a mix of imported water and local ground water pumped directly into delivery canals. Although delivered water is a mix, information on the proportion of water from the two sources is not reported. Also, individual growers pump directly to their crops unknown quantities of ground water, the total of which could be greater than 60 percent of total applications during years when water district deliveries are greatly reduced (for example, the years during and following a drought). To evaluate the effects of irrigation on ground-water and drainflow quality, data on the combined chemical characteristics and the volume of water applied to crops are needed as part of the district's monitoring program. For example, without these data, this study could estimate only the effects of irrigation on ground-water recharge for 1986 (60.4 106 m3/y), 1987 (74.2 106 m3/y), and 1988 (56.0 106 m3/y) in the Panoche Water District water years when the amount of ground water pumped by individual growers was probably small. Water-level data show a significant decline of the water table in the upslope, undrained parts of the study area, and little or no significant change in the down slope, drained parts of the study area. Pumping from productions wells, most of which are located in the upslope part of the study area, may have contributed to the decline of the water table in the upslope area. The quantities of drainflow, dissolved solids, and selenium discharged from the study area decreased during the study period. However, drainflow, dissolved solids, and selenium discharged from individual on-farm drainage systems did not decrease. These data also illustrate the need for consistent and regular monitoring of the factors that affect drainage in the western San Joaquin Valley.

River and Reservoir Operations Model, Truckee River basin, California and Nevada, 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berris, Steven N.; Hess, Glen W.; Bohman, Larry R.

2001-01-01

The demand for all uses of water in the Truckee River Basin, California and Nevada, commonly is greater than can be supplied. Storage reservoirs in the system have a maximum effective total capacity equivalent to less than two years of average river flows, so longer-term droughts can result in substantial water-supply shortages for irrigation and municipal users and may stress fish and wildlife ecosystems. Title II of Public Law (P.L.) 101-618, the Truckee?Carson?Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990, provides a foundation for negotiating and developing operating criteria, known as the Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA), to balance interstate and interbasin allocation of water rights among the many interests competing for water from the Truckee River. In addition to TROA, the Truckee River Water Quality Settlement Agreement (WQSA), signed in 1996, provides for acquisition of water rights to resolve water-quality problems during low flows along the Truckee River in Nevada. Efficient execution of many of the planning, management, or environmental assessment requirements of TROA and WQSA will require detailed water-resources data coupled with sound analytical tools. Analytical modeling tools constructed and evaluated with such data could help assess effects of alternative operational scenarios related to reservoir and river operations, water-rights transfers, and changes in irrigation practices. The Truckee?Carson Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, to support U.S. Department of the Interior implementation of P.L. 101-618, is developing a modeling system to support efficient water-resources planning, management, and allocation. The daily operations model documented herein is a part of the modeling system that includes a database management program, a graphical user interface program, and a program with modules that simulate river/reservoir operations and a variety of hydrologic processes. The operations module is capable of simulating lake/ reservoir and river operations including diversion of Truckee River water to the Truckee Canal for transport to the Carson River Basin. In addition to the operations and streamflow-routing modules, the modeling system is structured to allow integration of other modules, such as water-quality and precipitation-runoff modules. The USGS Truckee River Basin operations model was designed to provide simulations that allow comparison of the effects of alternative management practices or allocations on streamflow or reservoir storages in the Truckee River Basin over long periods of time. Because the model was not intended to reproduce historical streamflow or reservoir storage values, a traditional calibration that includes statistical comparisons of observed and simulated values would be problematic with this model and database. This report describes a chronology and background of decrees, agreements, and laws that affect Truckee River operational practices; the construction of the Truckee River daily operations model; the simulation of Truckee River Basin operations, both current and proposed under the draft TROA and WQSA; and suggested model improvements and limitations. The daily operations model uses Hydrological Simulation Program?FORTRAN (HSPF) to simulate flow-routing and reservoir and river operations. The operations model simulates reservoir and river operations that govern streamflow in the Truckee River from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, including diversions through the Truckee Canal to Lahontan Reservoir in the Carson River Basin. A general overview is provided of daily operations and their simulation. Supplemental information that documents the extremely complex operating rules simulated by the model is available.

Definitions of database files and fields of the Personal Computer-Based Water Data Sources Directory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Green, J. Wayne

1991-01-01

This report describes the data-base files and fields of the personal computer-based Water Data Sources Directory (WDSD). The personal computer-based WDSD was derived from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mainframe computer version. The mainframe version of the WDSD is a hierarchical data-base design. The personal computer-based WDSD is a relational data- base design. This report describes the data-base files and fields of the relational data-base design in dBASE IV (the use of brand names in this abstract is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey) for the personal computer. The WDSD contains information on (1) the type of organization, (2) the major orientation of water-data activities conducted by each organization, (3) the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of offices within each organization from which water data may be obtained, (4) the types of data held by each organization and the geographic locations within which these data have been collected, (5) alternative sources of an organization's data, (6) the designation of liaison personnel in matters related to water-data acquisition and indexing, (7) the volume of water data indexed for the organization, and (8) information about other types of data and services available from the organization that are pertinent to water-resources activities.

Decision Support System (DSS) for MSMA Integrated Stormwater Management Ecohydrology for Sustainable Green Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidek, L. M.; Mohiyaden, H. A.; Haris, H.; Basri, H.; Muda, Z. C.; Roseli, Z. A.; Norlida, M. D.

2016-03-01

Rapid urbanization has known to have several adverse impacts towards hydrological cycle due to increasing impervious surface and degradation of water quality in stormwater runoff. In the past, urban waterways have been confined to narrow river corridors with the channels canalised and concrete and other synthetic materials forming the bed and banks of the river. Apart from that, stormwater pollutants such as litter, debris and sediments in drainage system are common problems that can lead to flooding and the degradation of water quality. To solve this problem, implementing stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) proves very promising due to its near natural characteristics and multiple effects on the drainage of stormwater runoff in urban areas. This judgment of using BMPs depends on not only relevant theoretical considerations, but also a large amount of practical experience and the availability of relevant data, as well. To fulfil this task, the so-called Decision Support System (DSS) in MSMA Design Aid and Database system are able to assist engineers and developers in management and improvement of water quantity and quality entering urban rivers from urban regions. This system is also helpful when an expert level judgment procure some repetitive and large amount of cases, like in the planning of stormwater BMPs systems for an entire city catchment. One of the advantages of an expert system is that it provides automation of expert-level judgement using availability of checking tools system.

Fire-induced water-repellent soils, an annotated bibliography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kalendovsky, M.A.; Cannon, S.H.

1997-01-01

The development and nature of water-repellent, or hydrophobic, soils are important issues in evaluating hillslope response to fire. The following annotated bibliography was compiled to consolidate existing published research on the topic. Emphasis was placed on the types, causes, effects and measurement techniques of water repellency, particularly with respect to wildfires and prescribed burns. Each annotation includes a general summary of the respective publication, as well as highlights of interest to this focus. Although some references on the development of water repellency without fires, the chemistry of hydrophobic substances, and remediation of water-repellent conditions are included, coverage of these topics is not intended to be comprehensive. To develop this database, the GeoRef, Agricola, and Water Resources Abstracts databases were searched for appropriate references, and the bibliographies of each reference were then reviewed for additional entries. Additional references will be added to this bibliography as they become available. The annotated bibliography can be accessed on the Web at http://geohazards.cr.usgs.gov/html_files/landslides/ofr97-720/biblio.html. A database consisting of the references and keywords is available through a link at the above address. This database was compiled using EndNote2 plus software by Niles and Associates, and is necessary to search the database.

Use of remote-sensing techniques to survey the physical habitat of large rivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edsall, Thomas A.; Behrendt, Thomas E.; Cholwek, Gary; Frey, Jeffery W.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Smith, Stephen B.; Edsall, Thomas A.; Behrendt, Thomas E.; Cholwek, Gary; Frey, Jeffrey W.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Smith, Stephen B.

1997-01-01

Remote-sensing techniques that can be used to quantitatively characterize the physical habitat in large rivers in the United States where traditional survey approaches typically used in small- and medium-sized streams and rivers would be ineffective or impossible to apply. The state-of-the-art remote-sensing technologies that we discuss here include side-scan sonar, RoxAnn, acoustic Doppler current profiler, remotely operated vehicles and camera systems, global positioning systems, and laser level survey systems. The use of these technologies will permit the collection of information needed to create computer visualizations and hard copy maps and generate quantitative databases that can be used in real-time mode in the field to characterize the physical habitat at a study location of interest and to guide the distribution of sampling effort needed to address other habitat-related study objectives. This report augments habitat sampling and characterization guidance provided by Meador et al. (1993) and is intended for use primarily by U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment program managers and scientists who are documenting water quality in streams and rivers of the United States.

Berkeley Sensor Database, an Implementation of CUAHSI's ODM for the Keck HydroWatch Wireless Sensor Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogle, G.; Bode, C.; Fung, I.

2010-12-01

The Keck HydroWatch Project is a multidisciplinary project devoted to understanding how water interacts with atmosphere, vegetation, soil, and fractured bedrock. It is experimenting with novel techniques to monitor and trace water pathways through these mediums, including developing an intensive wireless sensor network, in the Angelo Coast Range and Sagehen Reserves in California. The sensor time-series data is being supplemented with periodic campaigns experimenting with sampling and tracing techniques, including water chemistry, stable isotope analysis, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and neutron probes. Mechanistic and statistical modeling is being performed with these datasets. One goal of the HydroWatch project is to prototype technologies for intensive sampling that can be upscaled to the watershed scale. The Berkeley Sensor Database was designed to manage the large volumes of heterogeneous data coming from this sensor network. This system is based on the Observations Data Model (ODM) developed by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI). Due to need for the use of open-source software, UC Berkeley ported the ODM to a LAMP system (Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl). As of August 2010, the Berkeley Sensor Database contains 33 million measurements from 1200 devices, with several thousand new measurements being added each hour. Data for this research is being collected from a wide variety of equipment. Some of this equipment is experimental and subject to constant modification, others are industry standards. Well pressure transducers, sap flow sensors, experimental microclimate motes, standard weather stations, and multiple rock and soil moisture sensors are some examples. While the Hydrologic Information System (HIS) and the ODM are optimized for data interoperability, they are not focused on facility management and data quality control which occur at a complex research site. In this presentation, we describe our implementation of the ODM, the modifications we made to the ODM schema to include incident reports, concepts of 'stations', reuse and moving of equipment, and NASA data quality levels. The HydroWatch researchers' data use vary radically, so we implemented a number of different accessors to the data, from real-time graphing during storms to direct SQL queries for automated analysis to full data dumps for heavy statistical modeling.

Innovative Tools for Water Quality/Quantity Management: New York City's Operations Support Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Schaake, J. C.; Day, G. N.; Porter, J.; Sheer, D. P.; Pyke, G.

2011-12-01

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) manages New York City's water supply, which is comprised of over 20 reservoirs and supplies more than 1 billion gallons of water per day to over 9 million customers. Recently, DEP has initiated design of an Operations Support Tool (OST), a state-of-the-art decision support system to provide computational and predictive support for water supply operations and planning. This presentation describes the technical structure of OST, including the underlying water supply and water quality models, data sources and database management, reservoir inflow forecasts, and the functionalities required to meet the needs of a diverse group of end users. OST is a major upgrade of DEP's current water supply - water quality model, developed to evaluate alternatives for controlling turbidity in NYC's Catskill reservoirs. While the current model relies on historical hydrologic and meteorological data, OST can be driven by forecasted future conditions. It will receive a variety of near-real-time data from a number of sources. OST will support two major types of simulations: long-term, for evaluating policy or infrastructure changes over an extended period of time; and short-term "position analysis" (PA) simulations, consisting of multiple short simulations, all starting from the same initial conditions. Typically, the starting conditions for a PA run will represent those for the current day and traces of forecasted hydrology will drive the model for the duration of the simulation period. The result of these simulations will be a distribution of future system states based on system operating rules and the range of input ensemble streamflow predictions. DEP managers will analyze the output distributions and make operation decisions using risk-based metrics such as probability of refill. Currently, in the developmental stages of OST, forecasts are based on antecedent hydrologic conditions and are statistical in nature. The statistical algorithm is a relatively simple and versatile, but lacks short-term skill critical for water quality and spill management. To improve short-term skill, OST will ultimately operate with meteorologically driven hydrologic forecasts provided by the National Weather Service (NWS). OST functionalities will support a wide range of DEP uses, including short term operational projections, outage planning and emergency management, operating rule development, and water supply planning. A core use of OST will be to inform reservoir management strategies to control and mitigate turbidity events while ensuring water supply reliability. OST will also allow DEP to manage its complex reservoir system to meet multiple objectives, including ecological flows, tailwater fisheries and recreational releases, and peak flow mitigation for downstream communities.

Development of an electronic database for Acute Pain Service outcomes

PubMed Central

Love, Brandy L; Jensen, Louise A; Schopflocher, Donald; Tsui, Ban CH

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: Quality assurance is increasingly important in the current health care climate. An electronic database can be used for tracking patient information and as a research tool to provide quality assurance for patient care. OBJECTIVE: An electronic database was developed for the Acute Pain Service, University of Alberta Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta) to record patient characteristics, identify at-risk populations, compare treatment efficacies and guide practice decisions. METHOD: Steps in the database development involved identifying the goals for use, relevant variables to include, and a plan for data collection, entry and analysis. Protocols were also created for data cleaning quality control. The database was evaluated with a pilot test using existing data to assess data collection burden, accuracy and functionality of the database. RESULTS: A literature review resulted in an evidence-based list of demographic, clinical and pain management outcome variables to include. Time to assess patients and collect the data was 20 min to 30 min per patient. Limitations were primarily software related, although initial data collection completion was only 65% and accuracy of data entry was 96%. CONCLUSIONS: The electronic database was found to be relevant and functional for the identified goals of data storage and research. PMID:22518364

Active fault databases: building a bridge between earthquake geologists and seismic hazard practitioners, the case of the QAFI v.3 database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Mayordomo, Julián; Martín-Banda, Raquel; Insua-Arévalo, Juan M.; Álvarez-Gómez, José A.; Martínez-Díaz, José J.; Cabral, João

2017-08-01

Active fault databases are a very powerful and useful tool in seismic hazard assessment, particularly when singular faults are considered seismogenic sources. Active fault databases are also a very relevant source of information for earth scientists, earthquake engineers and even teachers or journalists. Hence, active fault databases should be updated and thoroughly reviewed on a regular basis in order to keep a standard quality and uniformed criteria. Desirably, active fault databases should somehow indicate the quality of the geological data and, particularly, the reliability attributed to crucial fault-seismic parameters, such as maximum magnitude and recurrence interval. In this paper we explain how we tackled these issues during the process of updating and reviewing the Quaternary Active Fault Database of Iberia (QAFI) to its current version 3. We devote particular attention to describing the scheme devised for classifying the quality and representativeness of the geological evidence of Quaternary activity and the accuracy of the slip rate estimation in the database. Subsequently, we use this information as input for a straightforward rating of the level of reliability of maximum magnitude and recurrence interval fault seismic parameters. We conclude that QAFI v.3 is a much better database than version 2 either for proper use in seismic hazard applications or as an informative source for non-specialized users. However, we already envision new improvements for a future update.

Climate and Humans as Amplifiers of Hydro-Ecologic Change: Science and Policy Implications for Intensively Managed Landscapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foufoula-Georgiou, E.; Czuba, J. A.; Belmont, P.; Wilcock, P. R.; Gran, K. B.; Kumar, P.

2015-12-01

Climatic trends and agricultural intensification in Midwestern U.S. landscapes has contributed to hydrologic regime shifts and a cascade of changes to water quality and river ecosystems. Informing management and policy to mitigate undesired consequences requires a careful scientific analysis that includes data-based inference and conceptual/physical modeling. It also calls for a systems approach that sees beyond a single stream to the whole watershed, favoring the adoption of minimal complexity rather than highly parameterized models for scenario evaluation and comparison. Minimal complexity models can focus on key dynamic processes of the system of interest, reducing problems of model structure bias and equifinality. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of climatic, hydrologic, and ecologic trends in the Minnesota River basin, a 45,000 km2 basin undergoing continuous agricultural intensification and suffering from declining water quality and aquatic biodiversity. We show that: (a) it is easy to arrive at an erroneous view of the system using traditional analyses and modeling tools; (b) even with a well-founded understanding of the key drivers and processes contributing to the problem, there are multiple pathways for minimizing/reversing environmental degradation; and (c) addressing the underlying driver of change (i.e., increased streamflows and reduced water storage due to agricultural drainage practices) by restoring a small amount of water storage in the landscape results in multiple non-linear improvements in downstream water quality. We argue that "optimization" between ecosystem services and economic considerations requires simple modeling frameworks, which include the most essential elements of the whole system and allow for evaluation of alternative management scenarios. Science-based approaches informing management and policy are urgent in this region calling for a new era of watershed management to new and accelerating stressors at the intersection of the food-water-energy-environment nexus.

A Web-Based GIS for Reporting Water Usage in the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, M.; Deeds, N.; Winckler, M.

2012-12-01

The High Plains Underground Water Conservation District (HPWD) is the largest and oldest of the Texas water conservation districts, and oversees approximately 1.7 million irrigated acres. Recent rule changes have motivated HPWD to develop a more automated system to allow owners and operators to report well locations, meter locations, meter readings, the association between meters and wells, and contiguous acres. INTERA, Inc. has developed a web-based interactive system for HPWD water users to report water usage and for the district to better manage its water resources. The HPWD web management system utilizes state-of-the-art GIS techniques, including cloud-based Amazon EC2 virtual machine, ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE and ArcGIS Viewer for Flex, to support web-based water use management. The system enables users to navigate to their area of interest using a well-established base-map and perform a variety of operations and inquiries against their spatial features. The application currently has six components: user privilege management, property management, water meter registration, area registration, meter-well association and water use report. The system is composed of two main databases: spatial database and non-spatial database. With the help of Adobe Flex application at the front end and ArcGIS Server as the middle-ware, the spatial feature geometry and attributes update will be reflected immediately in the back end. As a result, property owners, along with the HPWD staff, collaborate together to weave the fabric of the spatial database. Interactions between the spatial and non-spatial databases are established by Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services to record water-use report, user-property associations, owner-area associations, as well as meter-well associations. Mobile capabilities will be enabled in the near future for field workers to collect data and synchronize them to the spatial database. The entire solution is built on a highly scalable cloud server to dynamically allocate the computational resources so as to reduce the cost on security and hardware maintenance. In addition to the default capabilities provided by ESRI, customizations include 1) enabling interactions between spatial and non-spatial databases, 2) providing role-based feature editing, 3) dynamically filtering spatial features on the map based on user accounts and 4) comprehensive data validation.

The Assessment of Atmospheric Correction Processors for MERIS Based on In-Situ Measurements-Updates in OC-CCI Round Robin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muller, Dagmar; Krasemann, Hajo; Zuhilke, Marco; Doerffer, Roland; Brockmann, Carsten; Steinmetz, Francois; Valente, Andre; Brotas, Vanda; Grant, kMicheal G.; Sathyendranath, Shubha; Melin, Frederic; Franz, Bryan A.; Mazeran, Constant; Regner, Peter

2016-08-01

The Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC- CCI) provides a long-term time series of ocean colour data and investigates the detectable climate impact. A reliable and stable atmospheric correction (AC) procedure is the basis for ocean colour products of the necessary high quality.The selection of atmospheric correction processors is repeated regularly based on a round robin exercise, at the latest when a revised production and release of the OC-CCI merged product is scheduled. Most of the AC processors are under constant development and changes are implemented to improve the quality of satellite-derived retrievals of remote sensing reflectances. The changes between versions of the inter-comparison are not restricted to the implementation of AC processors. There are activities to improve the quality flagging for some processors, and the system vicarious calibration for AC algorithms in their sensor specific behaviour are widely studied. Each inter-comparison starts with an updated in-situ database, as more spectra are included in order to broaden the temporal and spatial range of satellite match-ups. While the OC-CCI's focus has laid on case-1 waters in the past, it has expanded to the retrieval of case-2 products now. In light of this goal, new bidirectional correction procedures (normalisation) for the remote sensing spectra have been introduced. As in-situ measurements are not always available at the satellite sensor specific central wave- lengths, a band-shift algorithm has to be applied to the dataset.In order to guarantee an objective selection from a set of four atmospheric correction processors, the common validation strategy of comparisons between in-situ and satellite-derived water leaving reflectance spectra, is aided by a ranking system. In principal, the statistical parameters are transformed into relative scores, which evaluate the relationship of quality dependent on the algorithms under study. The sensitivity of these scores to the selected database has been assessed by a bootstrapping exercise, which allows identification of the uncertainty in the scoring results.A comparison of round robin results for the OC-CCI version 2 and the current version 3 is presented and some major changes are highlighted.

A Quality-Control-Oriented Database for a Mesoscale Meteorological Observation Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lussana, C.; Ranci, M.; Uboldi, F.

2012-04-01

In the operational context of a local weather service, data accessibility and quality related issues must be managed by taking into account a wide set of user needs. This work describes the structure and the operational choices made for the operational implementation of a database system storing data from highly automated observing stations, metadata and information on data quality. Lombardy's environmental protection agency, ARPA Lombardia, manages a highly automated mesoscale meteorological network. A Quality Assurance System (QAS) ensures that reliable observational information is collected and disseminated to the users. The weather unit in ARPA Lombardia, at the same time an important QAS component and an intensive data user, has developed a database specifically aimed to: 1) providing quick access to data for operational activities and 2) ensuring data quality for real-time applications, by means of an Automatic Data Quality Control (ADQC) procedure. Quantities stored in the archive include hourly aggregated observations of: precipitation amount, temperature, wind, relative humidity, pressure, global and net solar radiation. The ADQC performs several independent tests on raw data and compares their results in a decision-making procedure. An important ADQC component is the Spatial Consistency Test based on Optimal Interpolation. Interpolated and Cross-Validation analysis values are also stored in the database, providing further information to human operators and useful estimates in case of missing data. The technical solution adopted is based on a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and Php) system, constituting an open source environment suitable for both development and operational practice. The ADQC procedure itself is performed by R scripts directly interacting with the MySQL database. Users and network managers can access the database by using a set of web-based Php applications.

Filling a missing link between biogeochemical, climate and ecosystem studies: a global database of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornell, Sarah

2015-04-01

It is time to collate a global community database of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen deposition. Organic nitrogen (ON) has long been known to be globally ubiquitous in atmospheric aerosol and precipitation, with implications for air and water quality, climate, biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems and human health. The number of studies of atmospheric ON deposition has increased steadily in recent years, but to date there is no accessible global dataset, for either bulk ON or its major components. Improved qualitative and quantitative understanding of the organic nitrogen component is needed to complement the well-established knowledge base pertaining to other components of atmospheric deposition (cf. Vet et al 2014). Without this basic information, we are increasingly constrained in addressing the current dynamics and potential interactions of atmospheric chemistry, climate and ecosystem change. To see the full picture we need global data synthesis, more targeted data gathering, and models that let us explore questions about the natural and anthropogenic dynamics of atmospheric ON. Collectively, our research community already has a substantial amount of atmospheric ON data. Published reports extend back over a century and now have near-global coverage. However, datasets available from the literature are very piecemeal and too often lack crucially important information that would enable aggregation or re-use. I am initiating an open collaborative process to construct a community database, so we can begin to systematically synthesize these datasets (generally from individual studies at a local and temporally limited scale) to increase their scientific usability and statistical power for studies of global change and anthropogenic perturbation. In drawing together our disparate knowledge, we must address various challenges and concerns, not least about the comparability of analysis and sampling methodologies, and the known complexity of composition of ON. We need to discuss and develop protocols that work for diverse research needs. The database will need to be harmonized or merged into existing global N data initiatives. This presentation therefore launches a standing invitation for experts to contribute and share rain and aerosol ON and chemical composition data, and jointly refine the preliminary database structure and metadata requirements for optimal mutual use. Reference: Vet et al. (2014) A global assessment of precipitation chemistry… Atmos Environ 93: 3-100

Five hydrologic and landscape databases for selected National Wildlife Refuges in the Southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buell, Gary R.; Gurley, Laura N.; Calhoun, Daniel L.; Hunt, Alexandria M.

2017-06-12

This report serves as metadata and a user guide for five out of six hydrologic and landscape databases developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to describe data-collection, data-reduction, and data-analysis methods used to construct the databases and provides statistical and graphical descriptions of the databases. Six hydrologic and landscape databases were developed: (1) the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, (2) the Cahaba River NWR and contributing watersheds in Alabama, (3) the Caloosahatchee and J.N. “Ding” Darling NWRs and contributing watersheds in Florida, (4) the Clarks River NWR and contributing watersheds in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, (5) the Lower Suwannee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida, and (6) the Okefenokee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida. Each database is composed of a set of ASCII files, Microsoft Access files, and Microsoft Excel files. The databases were developed as an assessment and evaluation tool for use in examining NWR-specific hydrologic patterns and trends as related to water availability and water quality for NWR ecosystems, habitats, and target species. The databases include hydrologic time-series data, summary statistics on landscape and hydrologic time-series data, and hydroecological metrics that can be used to assess NWR hydrologic conditions and the availability of aquatic and riparian habitat. Landscape data that describe the NWR physiographic setting and the locations of hydrologic data-collection stations were compiled and mapped. Categories of landscape data include land cover, soil hydrologic characteristics, physiographic features, geographic and hydrographic boundaries, hydrographic features, and regional runoff estimates. The geographic extent of each database covers an area within which human activities, climatic variation, and hydrologic processes can potentially affect the hydrologic regime of the NWRs and adjacent areas. The hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River NWRs and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma has been described and documented in detail (Buell and others, 2012). This report serves as a companion to the Buell and others (2012) report to describe and document the five subsequent hydrologic and landscape databases that were developed: Chapter A—the Cahaba River NWR and contributing watersheds in Alabama, Chapter B—the Caloosahatchee and J.N. “Ding” Darling NWRs and contributing watersheds in Florida, Chapter C—the Clarks River NWR and contributing watersheds in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, Chapter D—the Lower Suwannee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida, and Chapter E—the Okefenokee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida.

Groundwater resources of the Devils Postpile National Monument—Current conditions and future vulnerabilities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evans, William C.; Bergfeld, Deborah

2017-06-15

This study presents an extensive database on groundwater conditions in and around Devils Postpile National Monument. The database contains chemical analyses of springs and the monument water-supply well, including major-ion chemistry, trace element chemistry, and the first information on a list of organic compounds known as emerging contaminants. Diurnal, seasonal, and annual variations in groundwater discharge and chemistry are evaluated from data collected at five main monitoring sites, where streams carry the aggregate flow from entire groups of springs. These springs drain the Mammoth Mountain area and, during the fall months, contribute a significant fraction of the San Joaquin River flow within the monument. The period of this study, from fall 2012 to fall 2015, includes some of the driest years on record, though the seasonal variability observed in 2013 might have been near normal. The spring-fed streams generally flowed at rates well below those observed during a sequence of wet years in the late 1990s. However, persistence of flow and reasonably stable water chemistry through the recent dry years are indicative of a sizeable groundwater system that should provide a reliable resource during similar droughts in the future. Only a few emerging contaminants were detected at trace levels below 1 microgram per liter (μg/L), suggesting that local human visitation is not degrading groundwater quality. No indication of salt from the ski area on the north side of Mammoth Mountain could be found in any of the groundwaters. Chemical data instead show that natural mineral water, such as that discharged from local soda springs, is the main source of anomalous chloride in the monument supply well and in the San Joaquin River. The results of the study are used to develop a set of recommendations for future monitoring to enable detection of deleterious impacts to groundwater quality and quantity

Applying linear discriminant analysis to predict groundwater redox conditions conducive to denitrification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, S. R.; Close, M. E.; Abraham, P.

2018-01-01

Diffuse nitrate losses from agricultural land pollute groundwater resources worldwide, but can be attenuated under reducing subsurface conditions. In New Zealand, the ability to predict where groundwater denitrification occurs is important for understanding the linkage between land use and discharges of nitrate-bearing groundwater to streams. This study assesses the application of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) for predicting groundwater redox status for Southland, a major dairy farming region in New Zealand. Data cases were developed by assigning a redox status to samples derived from a regional groundwater quality database. Pre-existing regional-scale geospatial databases were used as training variables for the discriminant functions. The predictive accuracy of the discriminant functions was slightly improved by optimising the thresholds between sample depth classes. The models predict 23% of the region as being reducing at shallow depths (<15 m), and 37% at medium depths (15-75 m). Predictions were made at a sub-regional level to determine whether improvements could be made with discriminant functions trained by local data. The results indicated that any gains in predictive success were offset by loss of confidence in the predictions due to the reduction in the number of samples used. The regional scale model predictions indicate that subsurface reducing conditions predominate at low elevations on the coastal plains where poorly drained soils are widespread. Additional indicators for subsurface denitrification are a high carbon content of the soil, a shallow water table, and low-permeability clastic sediments. The coastal plains are an area of widespread groundwater discharge, and the soil and hydrology characteristics require the land to be artificially drained to render the land suitable for farming. For the improvement of water quality in coastal areas, it is therefore important that land and water management efforts focus on understanding hydrological bypassing that may occur via artificial drainage systems.

A critical review of the development, current hotspots, and future directions of Lake Taihu research from the bibliometrics perspective.

PubMed

Zhang, Yunlin; Yao, Xiaolong; Qin, Boqiang

2016-07-01

Lake Taihu, as the important drinking water source of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration and the third largest freshwater lake in China, has experienced serious lake eutrophication and water quality deterioration in the past three decades. Growing scientific, political, and public attention has been given to the water quality of Lake Taihu. This study aimed to conduct a comparative quantitative and qualitative analysis of the development, current hotspots, and future directions of Lake Taihu research using a bibliometric analysis of eight well-studied lakes (Lake Taihu, Lake Baikal, Lake Biwa, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior and Lake Victoria) around the world based on the Science Citation Index (SCI) database. A total of 1582 papers discussing Lake Taihu research were published in 322 journals in the past three decades. However, the first paper about Lake Taihu research was not found in the SCI database until 1989, and there were only zero, one, or two papers each year from 1989 to 1995. There had been rapid development in Lake Taihu research since 1996 and a sharp increase in papers since 2005. A keyword analysis showed that "sediment," "eutrophication", "Microcystis aeruginosa", "cyanobacterial blooms", and "remote sensing" were the most frequently used keywords of the study subject. Owing to its significant impact on aquatic ecosystems, a crucial emphasis has been placed on climate change recently. In addition, the future focuses of research directions, including (1) environmental effects of physical processes; (2) nutrient cycles and control and ecosystem responses; (3) cyanobacteria bloom monitoring, causes, forecast and management; (4) eutrophication and climate change interactions; and (5) ecosystem degradation mechanism and ecological practice of lake restoration, are presented based on the keyword analysis. Through multidisciplinary fields (physics, chemistry, and biology) cross and synthesis study of Lake Taihu, the development of shallow lake limnology will be largely promoted.

Tools for beach health data management, data processing, and predictive model implementation

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2013-01-01

This fact sheet describes utilities created for management of recreational waters to provide efficient data management, data aggregation, and predictive modeling as well as a prototype geographic information system (GIS)-based tool for data visualization and summary. All of these utilities were developed to assist beach managers in making decisions to protect public health. The Environmental Data Discovery and Transformation (EnDDaT) Web service identifies, compiles, and sorts environmental data from a variety of sources that help to define climatic, hydrologic, and hydrodynamic characteristics including multiple data sources within the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Great Lakes Beach Health Database (GLBH-DB) and Web application was designed to provide a flexible input, export, and storage platform for beach water quality and sanitary survey monitoring data to compliment beach monitoring programs within the Great Lakes. A real-time predictive modeling strategy was implemented by combining the capabilities of EnDDaT and the GLBH-DB for timely, automated prediction of beach water quality. The GIS-based tool was developed to map beaches based on their physical and biological characteristics, which was shared with multiple partners to provide concepts and information for future Web-accessible beach data outlets.

Geospatial database for regional environmental assessment of central Colorado.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, Stan E.; San Juan, Carma A.; Fey, David L.; Schmidt, Travis S.; Klein, Terry L.; DeWitt, Ed H.; Wanty, Richard B.; Verplanck, Philip L.; Mitchell, Katharine A.; Adams, Monique G.; Choate, LaDonna M.; Todorov, Todor I.; Rockwell, Barnaby W.; McEachron, Luke; Anthony, Michael W.

2012-01-01

In conjunction with the future planning needs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a detailed environmental assessment of the effects of historical mining on Forest Service lands in central Colorado. Stream sediment, macroinvertebrate, and various filtered and unfiltered water quality samples were collected during low-flow over a four-year period from 2004–2007. This report summarizes the sampling strategy, data collection, and analyses performed on these samples. The data are presented in Geographic Information System, Microsoft Excel, and comma-delimited formats. Reports on data interpretation are being prepared separately.

Development of a geodatabase for springs within and surrounding outcrops of the Trinity aquifer in northern Bexar County, Texas, 2010-11

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Allan K.; Pedraza, Diane E.

2013-01-01

Data for 141 springs within and surrounding the Trinity aquifer outcrops in northern Bexar County were compiled from existing reports and databases. These data were augmented with selected data collected onsite, including the location, discharge, and water-quality characteristics of selected springs, and were entered into the geodatabase. The Trinity aquifer in central Texas is commonly divided into the upper, middle, and lower Trinity aquifers; all of the information that was compiled pertaining to the aquifer is for the upper and middle Trinity aquifers.

Sensors, Cyberinfrastructure, and Examination of Hydrologic and Hydrochemical Response in the Little Bear River Observatory Test Bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horsburgh, J. S.; Stevens, D. K.; Tarboton, D. G.; Mesner, N. O.; Spackman Jones, A.

2008-12-01

The Little Bear River environmental observatory test bed is one of 11 test bed projects that are focused on developing techniques and technologies for environmental observatories ranging from innovative application of environmental sensors to publishing observations data in common formats that can be accessed by investigators nationwide. Specific objectives of the Little Bear test bed include the estimation of water quality constituent fluxes from surrogate data, relation of fluxes to watershed attributes and management practices, examination of high frequency hydrologic and hydrochemical responses, and development of cyberinfrastructure that supports these analyses and publication of the data. We have installed high frequency water quality and discharge monitoring instrumentation at seven locations in the Little Bear, along with two continuous weather stations. Cyberinfrastructure that has been implemented includes the sensors, a telemetry system that transmits data from the field to a central location, a central observations database, software that automates the ingestion of these data into the database so they are available in near real time, and software tools for screening and quality control of the raw data. We have implemented a CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System (HIS) Server that includes an instance of the Observations Data Model (ODM) relational database that stores the data, web services that provide programmatic data access over the Internet using WaterML, the Data Access System for Hydrology (DASH) that provides an Internet map based interface for data access, and the Time Series Analyst that provides Internet-based plotting and summary functionality. The high frequency data have illustrated the dynamic nature of hydrologic and hydrochemical response in the Little Bear as well as the importance of sampling frequency on estimation of constituent fluxes. Annual estimates of total phosphorus and total suspended solids loads vary over orders of magnitude as sample frequency decreases from half hourly to monthly, implying that high frequency data are necessary for quantifying fluxes of these constituents. Daily fluctuations in dissolved oxygen and dissolved oxygen saturation deficit have illustrated the importance of land use, pollutant loading, and flow regime on photosynthesis, respiration, and reaeration rates at each of the monitoring sites. Conductivity results have provided insights into contributions from differing hydrologic pathways that include baseflow, surface runoff, agricultural return flows, and reservoir releases, and together with the hydrochemical data have informed our conceptual model of the structure and function of the Little Bear River watershed. This presentation will cover both the development and implementation of cyberinfrastructure within the Little Bear River test bed as well as the results of our scientific analyses using the data that we have collected.

WaterWorld, a spatial hydrological model applied at scales from local to global: key challenges to local application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, Sophia; Mulligan, Mark

2017-04-01

WaterWorld is a widely used spatial hydrological policy support system. The last user census indicates regular use by 1029 institutions across 141 countries. A key feature of WaterWorld since 2001 is that it comes pre-loaded with all of the required data for simulation anywhere in the world at a 1km or 1 ha resolution. This means that it can be easily used, without specialist technical ability, to examine baseline hydrology and the impacts of scenarios for change or management interventions to support policy formulation, hence its labelling as a policy support system. WaterWorld is parameterised by an extensive global gridded database of more than 600 variables, developed from many sources, since 1998, the so-called simTerra database. All of these data are available globally at 1km resolution and some variables (terrain, land cover, urban areas, water bodies) are available globally at 1ha resolution. If users have access to better data than is pre-loaded, they can upload their own data. WaterWorld is generally applied at the national or basin scale at 1km resolution, or locally (for areas of <10,000km2) at 1ha resolution, though continental (1km resolution) and global (10km resolution) applications are possible so it is a model with local to global applications. WaterWorld requires some 140 maps to run including monthly climate data, land cover and use, terrain, population, water bodies and more. Whilst publically-available terrain and land cover data are now well developed for local scale application, climate and land use data remain a challenge, with most global products being available at 1km or 10km resolution or worse, which is rather coarse for local application. As part of the EartH2Observe project we have used WFDEI (WATCH Forcing Data methodology applied to ERA-Interim data) at 1km resolution to provide an alternative input to WaterWorld's preloaded climate data. Here we examine the impacts of that on key hydrological outputs: water balance, water quality and outline the remaining challenges of using datasets like these for local scale application.

The Database Business: Managing Today--Planning for Tomorrow. Quality Assurance of Text and Image Databases at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grooms, David W.

1988-01-01

Discusses the quality controls imposed on text and image data that is currently being converted from paper to digital images by the Patent and Trademark Office. The methods of inspection used on text and on images are described, and the quality of the data delivered thus far is discussed. (CLB)

EPA U.S. Nine-region MARKAL DATABASE, DATABASE DOCUMENTATION

EPA Science Inventory

The evolution of the energy system in the United States is an important factor in future environmental outcomes including air quality and climate change. Given this, decision makers need to understand how a changing energy landscape will impact future air quality and contribute ...

Integrating stations from the North America Gravity Database into a local GPS-based land gravity survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shoberg, Thomas G.; Stoddard, Paul R.

2013-01-01

The ability to augment local gravity surveys with additional gravity stations from easily accessible national databases can greatly increase the areal coverage and spatial resolution of a survey. It is, however, necessary to integrate such data seamlessly with the local survey. One challenge to overcome in integrating data from national databases is that these data are typically of unknown quality. This study presents a procedure for the evaluation and seamless integration of gravity data of unknown quality from a national database with data from a local Global Positioning System (GPS)-based survey. The starting components include the latitude, longitude, elevation and observed gravity at each station location. Interpolated surfaces of the complete Bouguer anomaly are used as a means of quality control and comparison. The result is an integrated dataset of varying quality with many stations having GPS accuracy and other reliable stations of unknown origin, yielding a wider coverage and greater spatial resolution than either survey alone.

The search for reliable aqueous solubility (Sw) and octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) data for hydrophobic organic compounds; DDT and DDE as a case study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pontolillo, James; Eganhouse, R.P.

2001-01-01

The accurate determination of an organic contaminant?s physico-chemical properties is essential for predicting its environmental impact and fate. Approximately 700 publications (1944?2001) were reviewed and all known aqueous solubilities (Sw) and octanol-water partition coefficients (Kow) for the organochlorine pesticide, DDT, and its persistent metabolite, DDE were compiled and examined. Two problems are evident with the available database: 1) egregious errors in reporting data and references, and 2) poor data quality and/or inadequate documentation of procedures. The published literature (particularly the collative literature such as compilation articles and handbooks) is characterized by a preponderance of unnecessary data duplication. Numerous data and citation errors are also present in the literature. The percentage of original Sw and Kow data in compilations has decreased with time, and in the most recent publications (1994?97) it composes only 6?26 percent of the reported data. The variability of original DDT/DDE Sw and Kow data spans 2?4 orders of magnitude, and there is little indication that the uncertainty in these properties has declined over the last 5 decades. A criteria-based evaluation of DDT/DDE Sw and Kow data sources shows that 95?100 percent of the database literature is of poor or unevaluatable quality. The accuracy and reliability of the vast majority of the data are unknown due to inadequate documentation of the methods of determination used by the authors. [For example, estimates of precision have been reported for only 20 percent of experimental Sw data and 10 percent of experimental Kow data.] Computational methods for estimating these parameters have been increasingly substituted for direct or indirect experimental determination despite the fact that the data used for model development and validation may be of unknown reliability. Because of the prevalence of errors, the lack of methodological documentation, and unsatisfactory data quality, the reliability of the DDT/ DDE Sw and Kow database is questionable. The nature and extent of the errors documented in this study are probably indicative of a more general problem in the literature of hydrophobic organic compounds. Under these circumstances, estimation of critical environmental parameters on the basis of Sw and Kow (for example, bioconcentration factors, equilibrium partition coefficients) is inadvisable because it will likely lead to incorrect environmental risk assessments. The current state of the database indicates that much greater efforts are needed to: 1) halt the proliferation of erroneous data and references, 2) initiate a coordinated program to develop improved methods of property determination, 3) establish and maintain consistent reporting requirements for physico-chemical property data, and 4) create a mechanism for archiving reliable data for widespread use in the scientific/regulatory community.

The challenges of measuring quality-of-care indicators in rural emergency departments: a cross-sectional descriptive study

PubMed Central

Layani, Géraldine; Fleet, Richard; Dallaire, Renée; Tounkara, Fatoumata K.; Poitras, Julien; Archambault, Patrick; Chauny, Jean-Marc; Ouimet, Mathieu; Gauthier, Josée; Dupuis, Gilles; Tanguay, Alain; Lévesque, Jean-Frédéric; Simard-Racine, Geneviève; Haggerty, Jeannie; Légaré, France

2016-01-01

Background: Evidence-based indicators of quality of care have been developed to improve care and performance in Canadian emergency departments. The feasibility of measuring these indicators has been assessed mainly in urban and academic emergency departments. We sought to assess the feasibility of measuring quality-of-care indicators in rural emergency departments in Quebec. Methods: We previously identified rural emergency departments in Quebec that offered medical coverage with hospital beds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and were located in rural areas or small towns as defined by Statistics Canada. A standardized protocol was sent to each emergency department to collect data on 27 validated quality-of-care indicators in 8 categories: duration of stay, patient safety, pain management, pediatrics, cardiology, respiratory care, stroke and sepsis/infection. Data were collected by local professional medical archivists between June and December 2013. Results: Fifteen (58%) of the 26 emergency departments invited to participate completed data collection. The ability to measure the 27 quality-of-care indicators with the use of databases varied across departments. Centres 2, 5, 6 and 13 used databases for at least 21 of the indicators (78%-92%), whereas centres 3, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 15 used databases for 5 (18%) or fewer of the indicators. On average, the centres were able to measure only 41% of the indicators using heterogeneous databases and manual extraction. The 15 centres collected data from 15 different databases or combinations of databases. The average data collection time for each quality-of-care indicator varied from 5 to 88.5 minutes. The median data collection time was 15 minutes or less for most indicators. Interpretation: Quality-of-care indicators were not easily captured with the use of existing databases in rural emergency departments in Quebec. Further work is warranted to improve standardized measurement of these indicators in rural emergency departments in the province and to generalize the information gathered in this study to other health care environments. PMID:27730103

High Frequency Monitoring of the Quantity and Quality of Dissolved Organic Matter Flux Between Salt Marshes and Plum Island Sound, MA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Raymond, P.

2012-12-01

Salt marshes are highly productive continental margin ecosystems, due to abundant solar radiation, water, and nutrients provided by tidal water. The unique bi-directional water movement introduced by tidal effect has a major impact on the formation and productivity of salt marsh and the material exchange between salt marsh and adjacent estuary. As a major term in carbon, energy, and nutrient budget for aquatic ecosystem, dissolved organic matter (DOM) has broad impact on food webs, carbon cycle, and nutrient retention/release. The frequency and period of DOM measurement is greatly increased by the use of reagent-free, low-cost, and reliable measurement with fluorescent and UV sensors measuring the chromophoric fraction of total DOM. Although fluorescent sensors can only measure concentration, UV absorbance in a wide spectral range (200nm-380nm) could potentially provide information on DOM composition. With the help of accurate direct real time water flux measurement and lab analysis of lability, DON, and 3D excitation emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs), a database of DOM quantity and quality exchanged between several comparative salt marshes and Plum Island Sound, MA could be established to study the dynamics of DOM behavior in the salt marsh-estuary system. Understanding DOM source and fate is very important for evaluating the role of salt marsh in the carbon cycle and food web in coastal and global scale because coastal carbon cycling represents up to 21% of the ocean's primary production (Jahnke 2008). In addition, the approaches outlined in this proposal have broad applicability to study DOM quantity and quality in the material exchange theme between systems.

Differences in sedge fen vegetation upstream and downstream from a managed impoundment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kowalski, Kurt P.; Wilcox, Douglas A.

2003-01-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed the restoration of wetlands impacted by a series of drainage ditches and pools located in an extensive undeveloped peatland in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan. This study examined the nature and extent of degradation to the Marsh Creek wetlands caused by alteration of natural hydrology by a water-storage pool (C-3 Pool) that intersects the Marsh Creek channel. We tested the hypothesis that a reduction in moderate-intensity disturbance associated with natural water-level fluctuations below the C-3 dike contributed to lower species richness, reduced floristic quality and a larger tree and shrub component than vegetation upstream from the pool. Wetland plant communities were sampled quantitatively and analyzed for species richness, floristic quality and physiognomy. Aerial photographs, GIS databases and GPS data contributed to the characterization and analysis of the Marsh Creek wetlands. Results showed that there was lower species richness in vegetated areas downstream from the pool, but not the anticipated growth in shrubs. Wetland vegetation upstream and downstream from the pool had similar floristic quality, except for a greater number of weedy taxa above the pool. Seepage through the pool dike and localized ground-water discharge created conditions very similar to those observed around beaver dams in Marsh Creek. In essence, the dike containing the C-3 Pool affected hydrology and wetland plant communities in a manner similar to an enormous beaver dam, except that it did not allow seasonal flooding episodes to occur. Management actions to release water from the pool into the original Marsh Creek channel at certain times and in certain amounts that mimic the natural flow regime would be expected to promote greater plant species richness and minimize the negative impacts of the dike.

Agricultural Impacts on Water Resources: Recommendations for Successful Applied Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harmel, D.

2014-12-01

We, as water resource professionals, are faced with a truly monumental challenge - that is feeding the world's growing population and ensuring it has an adequate supply of clean water. As researchers and educators it is good for us to regularly remember that our research and outreach efforts are critical to people around the world, many of whom are desperate for solutions to water quality and supply problems and their impacts on food supply, land management, and ecosystem protection. In this presentation, recommendations for successful applied research on agricultural impacts on water resources will be provided. The benefits of building multidisciplinary teams will be illustrated with examples related to the development and world-wide application of the ALMANAC, SWAT, and EPIC/APEX models. The value of non-traditional partnerships will be shown by the Soil Health Partnership, a coalition of agricultural producers, chemical and seed companies, and environmental advocacy groups. The results of empowering decision-makers with useful data will be illustrated with examples related to bacteria source and transport data and the MANAGE database, which contains runoff nitrogen and phosphorus data for cultivated, pasture, and forest land uses. The benefits of focusing on sustainable solutions will be shown through examples of soil testing, fertilizers application, on-farm profit analysis, and soil health assessment. And the value of welcoming criticism will be illustrated by the development of a framework to estimate and publish uncertainty in measured discharge and water quality data. The good news for researchers is that the agricultural industry is faced with profitability concerns and the need to wisely utilize soil and water resources, and simultaneously state and federal agencies crave sound-science to improve decision making, policy, and regulation. Thus, the audience for and beneficiaries of agricultural research are ready and hungry for applied research results.

Clinical Databases for Chest Physicians.

PubMed

Courtwright, Andrew M; Gabriel, Peter E

2018-04-01

A clinical database is a repository of patient medical and sociodemographic information focused on one or more specific health condition or exposure. Although clinical databases may be used for research purposes, their primary goal is to collect and track patient data for quality improvement, quality assurance, and/or actual clinical management. This article aims to provide an introduction and practical advice on the development of small-scale clinical databases for chest physicians and practice groups. Through example projects, we discuss the pros and cons of available technical platforms, including Microsoft Excel and Access, relational database management systems such as Oracle and PostgreSQL, and Research Electronic Data Capture. We consider approaches to deciding the base unit of data collection, creating consensus around variable definitions, and structuring routine clinical care to complement database aims. We conclude with an overview of regulatory and security considerations for clinical databases. Copyright © 2018 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality control of EUVE databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

John, L. M.; Drake, J.

1992-01-01

The publicly accessible databases for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer include: the EUVE Archive mailserver; the CEA ftp site; the EUVE Guest Observer Mailserver; and the Astronomical Data System node. The EUVE Performance Assurance team is responsible for verifying that these public EUVE databases are working properly, and that the public availability of EUVE data contained therein does not infringe any data rights which may have been assigned. In this poster, we describe the Quality Assurance (QA) procedures we have developed from the approach of QA as a service organization, thus reflecting the overall EUVE philosophy of Quality Assurance integrated into normal operating procedures, rather than imposed as an external, post facto, control mechanism.

Drinking Water Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, ShaTerea R.

2004-01-01

This summer I had the opportunity to work in the Environmental Management Office (EMO) under the Chemical Sampling and Analysis Team or CS&AT. This team s mission is to support Glenn Research Center (GRC) and EM0 by providing chemical sampling and analysis services and expert consulting. Services include sampling and chemical analysis of water, soil, fbels, oils, paint, insulation materials, etc. One of this team s major projects is the Drinking Water Project. This is a project that is done on Glenn s water coolers and ten percent of its sink every two years. For the past two summers an intern had been putting together a database for this team to record the test they had perform. She had successfully created a database but hadn't worked out all the quirks. So this summer William Wilder (an intern from Cleveland State University) and I worked together to perfect her database. We began be finding out exactly what every member of the team thought about the database and what they would change if any. After collecting this data we both had to take some courses in Microsoft Access in order to fix the problems. Next we began looking at what exactly how the database worked from the outside inward. Then we began trying to change the database but we quickly found out that this would be virtually impossible.

Unexpected stasis in a changing world: Lake nutrient and chlorophyll trends since 1990

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oliver, Samantha K.; Collins, Sarah M.; Soranno, Patricia A.; Wagner, Tyler; Stanley, Emily H.; Jones, John R.; Stow, Craig A.; Lottig, Noah R.

2017-01-01

The United States (U.S.) has faced major environmental changes in recent decades, including agricultural intensification and urban expansion, as well as changes in atmospheric deposition and climate—all of which may influence eutrophication of freshwaters. However, it is unclear whether or how water quality in lakes across diverse ecological settings has responded to environmental change. We quantified water quality trends in 2913 lakes using nutrient and chlorophyll (Chl) observations from the Lake Multi-Scaled Geospatial and Temporal Database of the Northeast U.S. (LAGOS-NE), a collection of preexisting lake data mostly from state agencies. LAGOS-NE was used to quantify whether lake water quality has changed from 1990 to 2013, and whether lake-specific or regional geophysical factors were related to the observed changes. We modeled change through time using hierarchical linear models for total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), stoichiometry (TN:TP), and Chl. Both the slopes (percent change per year) and intercepts (value in 1990) were allowed to vary by lake and region. Across all lakes, TN declined at a rate of 1.1% year−1, while TP, TN:TP, and Chl did not change. A minority (7%–16%) of individual lakes had changing nutrients, stoichiometry, or Chl. Of those lakes that changed, we found differences in the geospatial variables that were most related to the observed change in the response variables. For example, TN and TN:TP trends were related to region-level drivers associated with atmospheric deposition of N; TP trends were related to both lake and region-level drivers associated with climate and land use; and Chl trends were found in regions with high air temperature at the beginning of the study period. We conclude that despite large environmental change and management efforts over recent decades, water quality of lakes in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. has not overwhelmingly degraded or improved.

ECLSS evolution: Advanced instrumentation interface requirements. Volume 3: Appendix C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

An Advanced ECLSS (Environmental Control and Life Support System) Technology Interfaces Database was developed primarily to provide ECLSS analysts with a centralized and portable source of ECLSS technologies interface requirements data. The database contains 20 technologies which were previously identified in the MDSSC ECLSS Technologies database. The primary interfaces of interest in this database are fluid, electrical, data/control interfaces, and resupply requirements. Each record contains fields describing the function and operation of the technology. Fields include: an interface diagram, description applicable design points and operating ranges, and an explaination of data, as required. A complete set of data was entered for six of the twenty components including Solid Amine Water Desorbed (SAWD), Thermoelectric Integrated Membrane Evaporation System (TIMES), Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Concentrator (EDC), Solid Polymer Electrolysis (SPE), Static Feed Electrolysis (SFE), and BOSCH. Additional data was collected for Reverse Osmosis Water Reclaimation-Potable (ROWRP), Reverse Osmosis Water Reclaimation-Hygiene (ROWRH), Static Feed Solid Polymer Electrolyte (SFSPE), Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS), and Multifiltration Water Reclamation - Hygiene (MFWRH). A summary of the database contents is presented in this report.

Status of groundwater quality in the Coastal Los Angeles Basin, 2006-California GAMA Priority Basin Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldrath, Dara; Fram, Miranda S.; Land, Michael; Belitz, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Groundwater quality in the approximately 860-square-mile (2,227-square-kilometer) Coastal Los Angeles Basin study unit (CLAB) was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study area is located in southern California in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The GAMA CLAB study was designed to provide a spatially unbiased assessment of the quality of untreated (raw) groundwater in the primary aquifer system. The assessment is based on water-quality and ancillary data collected in 2006 by the USGS from 69 wells and on water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifer system was defined by the depth interval of the wells listed in the CDPH database for the CLAB study unit. The quality of groundwater in the primary aquifer system may be different from that in the shallower or deeper water-bearing zones; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to surficial contamination. This study assesses the status of the current quality of the groundwater resource by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as major ions and trace elements. This status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources in the primary aquifer system of the CLAB study unit, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. Relative-concentrations (sample concentration divided by the health- or aesthetic-based benchmark concentration) were used for evaluating groundwater quality for those constituents that have Federal and (or) California regulatory or non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. A relative-concentration greater than (>) 1.0 indicates a concentration greater than a benchmark, and a relative-concentration less than or equal to (≤) 1.0 indicates a concentration equal to or less than a benchmark. Relative-concentrations of organic and special-interest constituents [perchlorate, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), 1,2,3-trichloropropane (1,2,3-TCP), and 1,4-dioxane] were classified as "high" (relative-concentration>1.0), "moderate" (0.5status assessment for evaluating regional-scale groundwater quality. High aquifer-scale proportion is defined as the percentage of the area of the primary aquifer system with a relative-concentration greater than 1.0 for a particular constituent or class of constituents; percentage is based on an areal rather than a volumetric basis. Moderate and low aquifer-scale proportions were defined as the percentage of the primary aquifer system with moderate and low relative-concentrations, respectively. Two statistical approaches-grid-based and spatially weighted-were used to evaluate aquifer-scale proportions for individual constituents and classes of constituents. Grid-based and spatially weighted estimates were comparable in the CLAB study unit (within 90-percent confidence intervals). Inorganic constituents with human-health benchmarks were detected at high relative-concentrations in 5.6 percent of the primary aquifer system and moderate in 26 percent. High aquifer-scale proportion of inorganic constituents primarily reflected high aquifer-scale proportions of arsenic (1.9 percent), nitrate (1.9 percent), and uranium (1.2 percent). Inorganic constituents with secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCL) were detected at high relative-concentrations in 18 percent of the primary aquifer system and moderate in 47 percent. The constituents present at high relative-concentrations included total dissolved solids (1.9 percent), manganese (15 percent), and iron (9.4 percent). Relative-concentrations of organic constituents (one or more) were high in 3.7 percent, and moderate in 13 percent, of the primary aquifer system. The high aquifer-scale proportion of organic constituents primarily reflected high aquifer-scale proportions of solvents, including trichloroethene (TCE; 1.7 percent), perchloroethene (PCE; 1.1 percent), and carbon tetrachloride (1.0 percent). Of the 204 organic constituents analyzed, 44 constituents were detected. Eleven organic constituents had detection frequencies of greater than 10 percent: the trihalomethanes chloroform and bromodichloromethane, the solvents TCE, PCE, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, and 1,1-dichloroethene, the herbicides atrazine, simazine, prometon, and tebuthiuron, and the gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Most detections were at low relative-concentrations. The special-interest constituent perchlorate was detected at high relative-concentrations in 0.5 percent of the primary aquifer system, and at moderate relative-concentrations in 35 percent. The special-interest constituent 1,4-dioxane was detected at high relative-concentrations, but an insufficient number of samples was analyzed to provide a representative estimate of aquifer-scale proportion.

How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Majuru, Batsirai; Suhrcke, Marc; Hunter, Paul R

2016-12-09

Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for drinking water was met, in many developing countries water supplies are unreliable. This paper reviews how households in developing countries cope with unreliable water supplies, including coping costs, the distribution of coping costs across socio-economic groups, and effectiveness of coping strategies in meeting household water needs. Structured searches were conducted in peer-reviewed and grey literature in electronic databases and search engines, and 28 studies were selected for review, out of 1643 potentially relevant references. Studies were included if they reported on strategies to cope with unreliable household water supplies and were based on empirical research in developing countries. Common coping strategies include drilling wells, storing water, and collecting water from alternative sources. The choice of coping strategies is influenced by income, level of education, land tenure and extent of unreliability. The findings of this review highlight that low-income households bear a disproportionate coping burden, as they often engage in coping strategies such as collecting water from alternative sources, which is labour and time-intensive, and yields smaller quantities of water. Such alternative sources may be of lower water quality, and pose health risks. In the absence of dramatic improvements in the reliability of water supplies, a point of critical avenue of enquiry should be what coping strategies are effective and can be readily adopted by low income households.

How Do Households Respond to Unreliable Water Supplies? A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Majuru, Batsirai; Suhrcke, Marc; Hunter, Paul R.

2016-01-01

Although the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for drinking water was met, in many developing countries water supplies are unreliable. This paper reviews how households in developing countries cope with unreliable water supplies, including coping costs, the distribution of coping costs across socio-economic groups, and effectiveness of coping strategies in meeting household water needs. Structured searches were conducted in peer-reviewed and grey literature in electronic databases and search engines, and 28 studies were selected for review, out of 1643 potentially relevant references. Studies were included if they reported on strategies to cope with unreliable household water supplies and were based on empirical research in developing countries. Common coping strategies include drilling wells, storing water, and collecting water from alternative sources. The choice of coping strategies is influenced by income, level of education, land tenure and extent of unreliability. The findings of this review highlight that low-income households bear a disproportionate coping burden, as they often engage in coping strategies such as collecting water from alternative sources, which is labour and time-intensive, and yields smaller quantities of water. Such alternative sources may be of lower water quality, and pose health risks. In the absence of dramatic improvements in the reliability of water supplies, a point of critical avenue of enquiry should be what coping strategies are effective and can be readily adopted by low income households. PMID:27941695

Association between water fluoride and the level of children's intelligence: a dose-response meta-analysis.

PubMed

Duan, Q; Jiao, J; Chen, X; Wang, X

2018-01-01

Higher fluoride concentrations in water have inconsistently been associated with the levels of intelligence in children. The following study summarizes the available evidence regarding the strength of association between fluoridated water and children's intelligence. Meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically analyzed from November 2016. Observational studies that have reported on intelligence levels in relation to high and low water fluoride contents, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were included. Further, the results were pooled using inverse variance methods. The correlation between water fluoride concentration and intelligence level was assessed by a dose-response meta-analysis. Twenty-six studies reporting data on 7258 children were included. The summary results indicated that high water fluoride exposure was associated with lower intelligence levels (standardized mean difference : -0.52; 95% CI: -0.62 to -0.42; P < 0.001). The findings from subgroup analyses were consistent with those from overall analysis. The dose-response meta-analysis suggested a significant association between water fluoride dosage and intelligence (P < 0.001), while increased water fluoride exposure was associated with reduced intelligence levels. Greater exposure to high levels of fluoride in water was significantly associated with reduced levels of intelligence in children. Therefore, water quality and exposure to fluoride in water should be controlled in areas with high fluoride levels in water. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

2008 Niday Perinatal Database quality audit: report of a quality assurance project.

PubMed

Dunn, S; Bottomley, J; Ali, A; Walker, M

2011-12-01

This quality assurance project was designed to determine the reliability, completeness and comprehensiveness of the data entered into Niday Perinatal Database. Quality of the data was measured by comparing data re-abstracted from the patient record to the original data entered into the Niday Perinatal Database. A representative sample of hospitals in Ontario was selected and a random sample of 100 linked mother and newborn charts were audited for each site. A subset of 33 variables (representing 96 data fields) from the Niday dataset was chosen for re-abstraction. Of the data fields for which Cohen's kappa statistic or intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated, 44% showed substantial or almost perfect agreement (beyond chance). However, about 17% showed less than 95% agreement and a kappa or ICC value of less than 60% indicating only slight, fair or moderate agreement (beyond chance). Recommendations to improve the quality of these data fields are presented.

Dissolved organic matter signatures vary between naturally acidic, circumneutral and groundwater-fed freshwaters in Australia.

PubMed

Holland, Aleicia; Stauber, Jenny; Wood, Chris M; Trenfield, Melanie; Jolley, Dianne F

2018-06-15

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays important roles in both abiotic and biotic processes within aquatic ecosystems, and these in turn depend on the quality of the DOM. We collected and characterized chromophoric DOM (CDOM) from different Australian freshwater types (circumneutral, naturally acidic and groundwater-fed waterways), climatic regions and seasons. CDOM quality was characterized using absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. Excitation emission scans followed by parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis showed that CDOM was characterized by three main components: protein-like, fulvic-like and humic-like components commonly associated with various waters globally in the Openfluor database. Principal component analysis showed that CDOM quality varied between naturally acidic, circumneutral and groundwater-fed waters, with unique CDOM quality signatures shown for each freshwater type. CDOM quality also differed significantly within some sites between seasons. Clear differences in dominant CDOM components were shown between freshwater types. Naturally acidic waters were dominated by highly aromatic (as indicated by the specific absorbance co-efficient (SAC 340 ) and the specific UV absorbance (SUVA 254 ) values which ranged between 31 and 50 cm 2  mg -1 and 3.9-5.7 mg C -1  m -1 respectively), humic-like CDOM of high molecular weight (as indicated by abs 254/365 which ranged from 3.8 to 4.3). In contrast, circumneutral waters were dominated by fulvic-like CDOM of lower aromaticity (SAC 340 : 7-21 cm 2  mg -1 and SUVA 254 : 1.5-3.0 mg C -1  m -1 ) and lower molecular weight (abs 254/365 5.1-9.3). The groundwater-fed site had a higher abundance of protein-like CDOM, which was the least aromatic (SAC 340 : 2-5 cm 2  mg -1 and SUVA 254 : 0.58-1.1 mg C -1  m -1 ). CDOM was generally less aromatic, of a lower molecular weight and more autochthonous in nature during the summer/autumn sampling compared to winter/spring. Significant relationships were shown between various CDOM quality parameters and pH. This is the first study to show that different freshwater types (circumneutral, naturally acidic and groundwater-fed) contain distinct CDOM quality signatures in Australia, a continent with unique flora and geology. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery: The Dawn of a New Era of Global Communication and Quality Improvement in Congenital Heart Disease.

PubMed

St Louis, James D; Kurosawa, Hiromi; Jonas, Richard A; Sandoval, Nestor; Cervantes, Jorge; Tchervenkov, Christo I; Jacobs, Jeffery P; Sakamoto, Kisaburo; Stellin, Giovanni; Kirklin, James K

2017-09-01

The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery was founded with the mission to "promote the highest quality comprehensive cardiac care to all patients with congenital heart disease, from the fetus to the adult, regardless of the patient's economic means, with an emphasis on excellence in teaching, research, and community service." Early on, the Society's members realized that a crucial step in meeting this goal was to establish a global database that would collect vital information, allowing cardiac surgical centers worldwide to benchmark their outcomes and improve the quality of congenital heart disease care. With tireless efforts from all corners of the globe and utilizing the vast experience and invaluable input of multiple international experts, such a platform of global information exchange was created: The World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease went live on January 1, 2017. This database has been thoughtfully designed to produce meaningful performance and quality analyses of surgical outcomes extending beyond immediate hospital survival, allowing capture of important morbidities and mortalities for up to 1 year postoperatively. In order to advance the societal mission, this quality improvement program is available free of charge to WSPCHS members. In establishing the World Database, the Society has taken an essential step to further the process of global improvement in care for children with congenital heart disease.

A database and tool for boundary conditions for regional air quality modeling: description and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, B. H.; Akhtar, F.; Pye, H. O. T.; Napelenok, S. L.; Hutzell, W. T.

2013-09-01

Transported air pollutants receive increasing attention as regulations tighten and global concentrations increase. The need to represent international transport in regional air quality assessments requires improved representation of boundary concentrations. Currently available observations are too sparse vertically to provide boundary information, particularly for ozone precursors, but global simulations can be used to generate spatially and temporally varying Lateral Boundary Conditions (LBC). This study presents a public database of global simulations designed and evaluated for use as LBC for air quality models (AQMs). The database covers the contiguous United States (CONUS) for the years 2000-2010 and contains hourly varying concentrations of ozone, aerosols, and their precursors. The database is complimented by a tool for configuring the global results as inputs to regional scale models (e.g., Community Multiscale Air Quality or Comprehensive Air quality Model with extensions). This study also presents an example application based on the CONUS domain, which is evaluated against satellite retrieved ozone vertical profiles. The results show performance is largely within uncertainty estimates for the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) with some exceptions. The major difference shows a high bias in the upper troposphere along the southern boundary in January. This publication documents the global simulation database, the tool for conversion to LBC, and the fidelity of concentrations on the boundaries. This documentation is intended to support applications that require representation of long-range transport of air pollutants.

THE ECOTOX DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

The database provides chemical-specific toxicity information for aquatic life, terrestrial plants, and terrestrial wildlife. ECOTOX is a comprehensive ecotoxicology database and is therefore essential for providing and suppoirting high quality models needed to estimate population...

Human Connectome Project Informatics: quality control, database services, and data visualization

PubMed Central

Marcus, Daniel S.; Harms, Michael P.; Snyder, Abraham Z.; Jenkinson, Mark; Wilson, J Anthony; Glasser, Matthew F.; Barch, Deanna M.; Archie, Kevin A.; Burgess, Gregory C.; Ramaratnam, Mohana; Hodge, Michael; Horton, William; Herrick, Rick; Olsen, Timothy; McKay, Michael; House, Matthew; Hileman, Michael; Reid, Erin; Harwell, John; Coalson, Timothy; Schindler, Jon; Elam, Jennifer S.; Curtiss, Sandra W.; Van Essen, David C.

2013-01-01

The Human Connectome Project (HCP) has developed protocols, standard operating and quality control procedures, and a suite of informatics tools to enable high throughput data collection, data sharing, automated data processing and analysis, and data mining and visualization. Quality control procedures include methods to maintain data collection consistency over time, to measure head motion, and to establish quantitative modality-specific overall quality assessments. Database services developed as customizations of the XNAT imaging informatics platform support both internal daily operations and open access data sharing. The Connectome Workbench visualization environment enables user interaction with HCP data and is increasingly integrated with the HCP's database services. Here we describe the current state of these procedures and tools and their application in the ongoing HCP study. PMID:23707591

Summary of recovered historical ground-water-level data for Michigan, 1934-2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cornett, Cassaundra L.; Crowley, Suzanne L.; McGowan, Rose M.; Blumer, Stephen P.; Reeves, Howard W.

2006-01-01

This report documents ground-water-level data-recovery efforts performed by the USGS Michigan Water Science Center and provides nearly three-hundred hydrographs generated from these recovered data. Data recovery is the process of verifying and transcribing data from paper files into the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) electronic databases appropriate for ground-water-level data. Entering these data into the NWIS databases makes them more useful for USGS analysis and also makes them available to the public through the internet.

Mobile Source Observation Database (MSOD)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Mobile Source Observation Database (MSOD) is a relational database developed by the Assessment and Standards Division (ASD) of the U.S. EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (formerly the Office of Mobile Sources).

The Danish Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Dermatology Database.

PubMed

Lamberg, Anna Lei; Sølvsten, Henrik; Lei, Ulrikke; Vinding, Gabrielle Randskov; Stender, Ida Marie; Jemec, Gregor Borut Ernst; Vestergaard, Tine; Thormann, Henrik; Hædersdal, Merete; Dam, Tomas Norman; Olesen, Anne Braae

2016-01-01

The Danish Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Dermatology Database was established in 2008. The aim of this database was to collect data on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) treatment and improve its treatment in Denmark. NMSC is the most common malignancy in the western countries and represents a significant challenge in terms of public health management and health care costs. However, high-quality epidemiological and treatment data on NMSC are sparse. The NMSC database includes patients with the following skin tumors: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease, and keratoacanthoma diagnosed by the participating office-based dermatologists in Denmark. Clinical and histological diagnoses, BCC subtype, localization, size, skin cancer history, skin phototype, and evidence of metastases and treatment modality are the main variables in the NMSC database. Information on recurrence, cosmetic results, and complications are registered at two follow-up visits at 3 months (between 0 and 6 months) and 12 months (between 6 and 15 months) after treatment. In 2014, 11,522 patients with 17,575 tumors were registered in the database. Of tumors with a histological diagnosis, 13,571 were BCCs, 840 squamous cell carcinomas, 504 Bowen's disease, and 173 keratoakanthomas. The NMSC database encompasses detailed information on the type of tumor, a variety of prognostic factors, treatment modalities, and outcomes after treatment. The database has revealed that overall, the quality of care of NMSC in Danish dermatological clinics is high, and the database provides the necessary data for continuous quality assurance.

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the South Coast Interior groundwater basins, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parsons, Mary C.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Belitz, Kenneth

2014-01-01

Groundwater quality in the approximately 653-square-mile (1,691-square-kilometer) South Coast Interior Basins (SCI) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The South Coast Interior Basins study unit contains eight priority groundwater basins grouped into three study areas, Livermore, Gilroy, and Cuyama, in the Southern Coast Ranges hydrogeologic province. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The GAMA South Coast Interior Basins study was designed to provide a spatially unbiased assessment of untreated (raw) groundwater quality within the primary aquifer system, as well as a statistically consistent basis for comparing water quality between basins. The assessment was based on water-quality and ancillary data collected by the USGS from 50 wells in 2008 and on water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifer system was defined by the depth intervals of the wells listed in the CDPH database for the SCI study unit. The quality of groundwater in the primary aquifer system may be different from that in the shallower or deeper water-bearing zones; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to surficial contamination. The first component of this study, the status of the current quality of the groundwater resource, was assessed by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, and naturally occurring inorganic constituents, such as trace elements and minor ions. This status assessment is intended to characterize the quality of groundwater resources within the primary aquifer system of the SCI study unit, not the treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water purveyors. Relative-concentrations (sample concentration divided by the health- or aesthetic-based benchmark concentration) were used for evaluating groundwater quality for those constituents that have Federal or California regulatory or non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. A relative-concentration greater than 1.0 indicates a concentration greater than a benchmark, and a relative-concentration less than or equal to 1.0 indicates a concentration equal to or less than a benchmark. Relative-concentrations of organic constituents and special-interest constituents were classified as “high” (relative-concentration greater than 1.0), “moderate” (relative-concentration greater than 0.1 and less than or equal to 1.0), or “low” (relative-concentration less than or equal to 0.1). Relative-concentrations of inorganic constituents were classified as “high” (relative-concentration greater than 1.0), “moderate” (relative-concentration greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1.0), or “low” (relative-concentration less than or equal to 0.5). Aquifer-scale proportion was used as the primary metric in the status assessment for evaluating regional-scale groundwater quality. High aquifer-scale proportion is defined as the percentage of the area of the primary aquifer system with a relative-concentration greater than 1.0 for a particular constituent or class of constituents; percentage is based on an areal rather than a volumetric basis. Moderate and low aquifer-scale proportions were defined as the areal percentage of the primary aquifer system with moderate and low relative-concentrations, respectively. Two statistical approaches—grid-based and spatially weighted—were used to evaluate aquifer-scale proportions for individual constituents and classes of constituents. Grid-based and spatially weighted estimates were comparable in the SCI study unit (within 90-percent confidence intervals). Inorganic constituents (one or more) with health-based benchmarks were detected at high relative-concentrations in 29 percent of the primary aquifer system, at moderate relative-concentrations in 37 percent, and at low relative-concentrations in 34 percent. High aquifer-scale proportions of inorganic constituents primarily reflected high aquifer-scale proportions of nitrate (14 percent), boron (8.6 percent), molybdenum (8.6 percent), and arsenic (5.7 percent). In contrast, the relative-concentrations of organic constituents (one or more) were high in 1.6 percent, moderate in 2.0 percent, and low or not detected in 96 percent of the primary aquifer system. Of the 207 organic and special-interest constituents analyzed for, 15 constituents were detected. Perchlorate was found at moderate relative-concentrations in 34 percent of the aquifer. Two organic constituents were frequently detected (in greater than 10 percent of samples): the trihalomethane chloroform and the herbicide simazine. The second component of this study, the understanding assessment, identified natural and human factors that may have affected groundwater quality by evaluating land use, physical characteristics of the wells, and geochemical conditions of the aquifer. This evaluation was done by using statistical tests of correlations between these potential explanatory factors and water-quality data. Concentrations of arsenic, molybdenum, and manganese were generally greater in anoxic and pre-modern groundwater than other groundwater. In contrast, concentrations of nitrate and perchlorate were significantly higher in oxic and modern groundwater. Concentrations of simazine were greater in modern than pre-modern groundwater. Chloroform detections were positively correlated with greater urban land use. Boron concentrations and chloroform detections were higher in the Livermore study area than in the other study areas of the SCI; total dissolved solids and sulfate concentrations were greater in the Cuyama study area.

EPA Office of Water (OW): 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters NHDPlus Indexed Dataset

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters program system provides impaired water data and impaired water features reflecting river segments, lakes, and estuaries designated under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Each State will establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for these waters. Note the CWA Section 303(d) list of impaired waters does not represent waters that are impaired but have an EPA-approved TMDL established, impaired waters for which other pollution control mechanisms are in place and expected to attain water quality standards, or waters impaired as a result of pollution and is not caused by a pollutant. Therefore, the Impaired Waters layers do not represent all impaired waters reported in a state's Integrated Report, but only the waters comprised of a state's approved 303(d) list. For more information regarding impaired waters refer to EPA's Integrated Reporting Guidance at: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/guidance.cfm. 303(d) waterbodies are coded onto NHDPlus v2.1 flowline and waterbody features to create line, area, and point events. In addition to NHDPlus reach indexed data there may also be custom event data (point, line, or polygon) that are not associated with NHDPlus and are in an EPA standard format that is compatible with EPA's Reach Address Database. These custom features are used to represent locations of 303(d) waterbodies that are not represented well in NHDPlus.R2GIS selected out the Region 2 extent plus a one

EPA Office of Water (OW): 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters NHDPlus Indexed Dataset

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The 303(d) Listed Impaired Waters program system provides impaired water data and impaired water features reflecting river segments, lakes, and estuaries designated under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. Each State will establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for these waters. Note the CWA Section 303(d) list of impaired waters does not represent waters that are impaired but have an EPA-approved TMDL established, impaired waters for which other pollution control mechanisms are in place and expected to attain water quality standards, or waters impaired as a result of pollution and is not caused by a pollutant. Therefore, the Impaired Waters layers do not represent all impaired waters reported in a state's Integrated Report, but only the waters comprised of a state's approved 303(d) list. For more information regarding impaired waters refer to EPA's Integrated Reporting Guidance at: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/tmdl/guidance.cfm. 303(d) waterbodies are coded onto NHDPlus v2.1 flowline and waterbody features to create line, area, and point events. In addition to NHDPlus reach indexed data there may also be custom event data (point, line, or polygon) that are not associated with NHDPlus and are in an EPA standard format that is compatible with EPA's Reach Address Database. These custom features are used to represent locations of 303(d) waterbodies that are not represented well in NHDPlus. R2GIS selected out the Region 2 extent plus a one

An improved global wind resource estimate for integrated assessment models

DOE PAGES

Eurek, Kelly; Sullivan, Patrick; Gleason, Michael; ...

2017-11-25

This study summarizes initial steps to improving the robustness and accuracy of global renewable resource and techno-economic assessments for use in integrated assessment models. We outline a method to construct country-level wind resource supply curves, delineated by resource quality and other parameters. Using mesoscale reanalysis data, we generate estimates for wind quality, both terrestrial and offshore, across the globe. Because not all land or water area is suitable for development, appropriate database layers provide exclusions to reduce the total resource to its technical potential. We expand upon estimates from related studies by: using a globally consistent data source of uniquelymore » detailed wind speed characterizations; assuming a non-constant coefficient of performance for adjusting power curves for altitude; categorizing the distance from resource sites to the electric power grid; and characterizing offshore exclusions on the basis of sea ice concentrations. The product, then, is technical potential by country, classified by resource quality as determined by net capacity factor. Additional classifications dimensions are available, including distance to transmission networks for terrestrial wind and distance to shore and water depth for offshore. We estimate the total global wind generation potential of 560 PWh for terrestrial wind with 90% of resource classified as low-to-mid quality, and 315 PWh for offshore wind with 67% classified as mid-to-high quality. These estimates are based on 3.5 MW composite wind turbines with 90 m hub heights, 0.95 availability, 90% array efficiency, and 5 MW/km 2 deployment density in non-excluded areas. We compare the underlying technical assumption and results with other global assessments.« less

An improved global wind resource estimate for integrated assessment models

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

Eurek, Kelly; Sullivan, Patrick; Gleason, Michael

This study summarizes initial steps to improving the robustness and accuracy of global renewable resource and techno-economic assessments for use in integrated assessment models. We outline a method to construct country-level wind resource supply curves, delineated by resource quality and other parameters. Using mesoscale reanalysis data, we generate estimates for wind quality, both terrestrial and offshore, across the globe. Because not all land or water area is suitable for development, appropriate database layers provide exclusions to reduce the total resource to its technical potential. We expand upon estimates from related studies by: using a globally consistent data source of uniquelymore » detailed wind speed characterizations; assuming a non-constant coefficient of performance for adjusting power curves for altitude; categorizing the distance from resource sites to the electric power grid; and characterizing offshore exclusions on the basis of sea ice concentrations. The product, then, is technical potential by country, classified by resource quality as determined by net capacity factor. Additional classifications dimensions are available, including distance to transmission networks for terrestrial wind and distance to shore and water depth for offshore. We estimate the total global wind generation potential of 560 PWh for terrestrial wind with 90% of resource classified as low-to-mid quality, and 315 PWh for offshore wind with 67% classified as mid-to-high quality. These estimates are based on 3.5 MW composite wind turbines with 90 m hub heights, 0.95 availability, 90% array efficiency, and 5 MW/km 2 deployment density in non-excluded areas. We compare the underlying technical assumption and results with other global assessments.« less

Digital database architecture and delineation methodology for deriving drainage basins, and a comparison of digitally and non-digitally derived numeric drainage areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dupree, Jean A.; Crowfoot, Richard M.

2012-01-01

The drainage basin is a fundamental hydrologic entity used for studies of surface-water resources and during planning of water-related projects. Numeric drainage areas published by the U.S. Geological Survey water science centers in Annual Water Data Reports and on the National Water Information Systems (NWIS) Web site are still primarily derived from hard-copy sources and by manual delineation of polygonal basin areas on paper topographic map sheets. To expedite numeric drainage area determinations, the Colorado Water Science Center developed a digital database structure and a delineation methodology based on the hydrologic unit boundaries in the National Watershed Boundary Dataset. This report describes the digital database architecture and delineation methodology and also presents the results of a comparison of the numeric drainage areas derived using this digital methodology with those derived using traditional, non-digital methods. (Please see report for full Abstract)

UNSODA UNSATURATED SOIL HYDRAULIC DATABASE USER'S MANUAL VERSION 1.0

EPA Science Inventory

This report contains general documentation and serves as a user manual of the UNSODA program. UNSODA is a database of unsaturated soil hydraulic properties (water retention, hydraulic conductivity, and soil water diffusivity), basic soil properties (particle-size distribution, b...

Comparing surgical infections in National Surgical Quality Improvement Project and an Institutional Database.

PubMed

Selby, Luke V; Sjoberg, Daniel D; Cassella, Danielle; Sovel, Mindy; Weiser, Martin R; Sepkowitz, Kent; Jones, David R; Strong, Vivian E

2015-06-15

Surgical quality improvement requires accurate tracking and benchmarking of postoperative adverse events. We track surgical site infections (SSIs) with two systems; our in-house surgical secondary events (SSE) database and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP). The SSE database, a modification of the Clavien-Dindo classification, categorizes SSIs by their anatomic site, whereas NSQIP categorizes by their level. Our aim was to directly compare these different definitions. NSQIP and the SSE database entries for all surgeries performed in 2011 and 2012 were compared. To match NSQIP definitions, and while blinded to NSQIP results, entries in the SSE database were categorized as either incisional (superficial or deep) or organ space infections. These categorizations were compared with NSQIP records; agreement was assessed with Cohen kappa. The 5028 patients in our cohort had a 6.5% SSI in the SSE database and a 4% rate in NSQIP, with an overall agreement of 95% (kappa = 0.48, P < 0.0001). The rates of categorized infections were similarly well matched; incisional rates of 4.1% and 2.7% for the SSE database and NSQIP and organ space rates of 2.6% and 1.5%. Overall agreements were 96% (kappa = 0.36, P < 0.0001) and 98% (kappa = 0.55, P < 0.0001), respectively. Over 80% of cases recorded by the SSE database but not NSQIP did not meet NSQIP criteria. The SSE database is an accurate, real-time record of postoperative SSIs. Institutional databases that capture all surgical cases can be used in conjunction with NSQIP with excellent concordance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

User's Manual for the New England Water-Use Data System (NEWUDS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horn, Marilee A.

2003-01-01

Water is used in a variety of ways that need to be understood for effective management of water resources. Water-use activities need to be categorized and included in a database management system to understand current water uses and to provide information to water-resource management policy decisionmakers. The New England Water-Use Data System (NEWUDS) is a complex database developed to store water-use information that allows water to be tracked from a point of water-use activity (called a 'Site'), such as withdrawal from a resource (reservoir or aquifer), to a second Site, such as distribution to a user (business or irrigator). NEWUDS conceptual model consists of 10 core entities: system, owner, address, location, site, data source, resource, conveyance, transaction/rate, and alias, with tables available to store user-defined details. Three components--site (with both a From Site and a To Site), a conveyance that connects them, and a transaction/rate associated with the movement of water over a specific time interval form the core of the basic NEWUDS network model. The most important step in correctly translating real-world water-use activities into a storable format in NEWUDS depends on choosing the appropriate sites and linking them correctly in a network to model the flow of water from the initial From Site to the final To Site. Ten water-use networks representing real-world activities are described--three withdrawal networks, three return networks, two user networks, two complex community-system networks. Ten case studies of water use, one for each network, also are included in this manual to illustrate how to compile, store, and retrieve the appropriate data. The sequence of data entry into tables is critical because there are many foreign keys. The recommended core entity sequence is (1) system, (2) owner, (3) address, (4) location, (5) site, (6) data source, (7) resource, (8) conveyance, (9) transaction, and (10) rate; with (11) alias and (12) user-defined detail subject areas populated as needed. After each step in data entry, quality-assurance queries should be run to ensure the data are correctly entered so that it can be retrieved accurately. The point of data storage is retrieval. Several retrieval queries that focus on retrieving only relevant data to specific questions are presented in this manual as examples for the NEWUDS user.

RNA Bricks—a database of RNA 3D motifs and their interactions

PubMed Central

Chojnowski, Grzegorz; Waleń, Tomasz; Bujnicki, Janusz M.

2014-01-01

The RNA Bricks database (http://iimcb.genesilico.pl/rnabricks), stores information about recurrent RNA 3D motifs and their interactions, found in experimentally determined RNA structures and in RNA–protein complexes. In contrast to other similar tools (RNA 3D Motif Atlas, RNA Frabase, Rloom) RNA motifs, i.e. ‘RNA bricks’ are presented in the molecular environment, in which they were determined, including RNA, protein, metal ions, water molecules and ligands. All nucleotide residues in RNA bricks are annotated with structural quality scores that describe real-space correlation coefficients with the electron density data (if available), backbone geometry and possible steric conflicts, which can be used to identify poorly modeled residues. The database is also equipped with an algorithm for 3D motif search and comparison. The algorithm compares spatial positions of backbone atoms of the user-provided query structure and of stored RNA motifs, without relying on sequence or secondary structure information. This enables the identification of local structural similarities among evolutionarily related and unrelated RNA molecules. Besides, the search utility enables searching ‘RNA bricks’ according to sequence similarity, and makes it possible to identify motifs with modified ribonucleotide residues at specific positions. PMID:24220091

Geodatabase of environmental information for Air Force Plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas, 1990-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shah, Sachin D.; Quigley, Sean M.

2005-01-01

Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) and adjacent Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base (NAS-JRB) at Fort Worth, Tex., constitute a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility that has been in operation since 1942. Contaminants from the facility, primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals, have entered the groundwater-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sites (landfills and pits) and from manufacturing processes (U.S. Air Force, Aeronautical Systems Center, 1995). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force (USAF), Aeronautical Systems Center, Environmental Management Directorate (ASC/ENVR), developed a comprehensive database (or geodatabase) of temporal and spatial environmental information associated with the geology, hydrology, and water quality at AFP4 and NAS-JRB. The database of this report provides information about the AFP4 and NAS-JRB study area including sample location names, identification numbers, locations, historical dates, and various measured hydrologic data. This database does not include every sample location at the site, but is limited to an aggregation of selected digital and hardcopy data of the USAF, USGS, and various consultants who have previously or are currently working at the site.

Part A. The effect of the dimensions of learning model on the epistemological beliefs of students enrolled in general chemistry laboratory for post-baccalaureate pre-medical students, and, Part B. Environmental quality survey utilizing TRI Explorer and USGS water data and the analysis and characterization of particulate matter using scanning electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Darcie

The first part of this dissertation deals with the dimension of learning model was developed by Robert Marzano in response to a comprehensive research and theory based framework on cognition and learning. The strategy forms a background that can be used in instruction, curriculum, and assessment. The experimental group was exposed to the model and the control group was exposed to normal instruction for three lab activities in a summer general chemistry laboratory. The students were assessed for content knowledge via review of pre-laboratory and post-laboratory questions and for attitudinal changes via the Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science Students. The study indicates that there were no attitudinal changes between the two groups. On the other hand, the instructional model is a variable technique, and the experimental group performed better on the post laboratory questions. The second part of this dissertation presents the results of an environmental quality survey utilizing the Environmental Protection Agency's TRI Explorer database as well as the United States Geological Survey water quality database could provide a valuable tool for the assessment of land, air, and water contamination. The top three air, water, and land releases will be obtained from 1988 to 2002 for counties surrounding major cities in Tennessee. There was found to be a poor correlation between the TRI Explorer and USGS data for the counties in this study. This poor correlation may be due to the degradation pathways of the chemicals released. It should be noted that there has been a decrease in many of the compounds, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which have been addressed in legislation. Air samples were collected on mixed cellulose ester filters and silver membrane using a GS Cyclone particle size selector and analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis. Unlike quartz filters, sample loss and change was minimal with the use of the mixed cellulose ester filters and silver membranes. Residential air samples collected on mixed cellulose ester filters have indicated the presence of aluminum, silicon, carbon, and oxygen. All particles are cylindrical in shape and are less than 10 mum in aerodynamic diameter. Samples collected in heavily automobile congested areas are spherical and carbonaceous with a high carbon to oxygen ration.

The French network of hydrogeological sites H+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davy, P.; Le Borgne, T.; Bour, O.; Gautier, S.; Porel, G.; Bodin, J.; de Dreuzy, J.; Pezard, P.

2008-12-01

For groundwater issues (potential leakages in waste repository, aquifer management "), the development of modeling techniques is far ahead of the actual knowledge of aquifers. This raises two fundamental issues: 1) which and how much data are necessary to make predictions accurate enough for aquifer management issues; 2) which models remain relevant to describe the heterogeneity and complexity of geological systems. The French observatory H+ was created in 2002 with the twofold motivation of acquiring a large database for validating models of heterogeneous aquifers, and of surveying groundwater quality evolution in the context of environmental changes. H+ is a network of 4 sites (Ploemeur, Brittany, France; HES Poitiers, France; Cadarache, France; Campos, Mallorca, Spain) with different geological, climatic, and economic contexts. All of them are characterized by a highly heterogeneous structure (fractured crystalline basement for Ploemeur, karstified and fractured limestone for Poitiers, Cadarache and Mallorca), which is far to be taken into account by basic models. Ploemeur is exploited as a tap-water plant for a medium-size coastal city (15,000 inhabitants) for 20 years. Each site is developed for long term investigation and monitoring. They involves a dense network of boreholes, detailed geological and geophysical surveys, periodic campaigns and/or permanent measurements of groundwater flow, water chemistry, geophysical signals (including ground motions), climatic parameter, etc. Several large-scale flow experiments are scheduled per year to investigate the aquifer structure with combined geophysical, hydrogeological, and geochemical instruments. All this information is recorded in a database that has been developed to improve the sustainability and quality of data, and to be used as a collaborative tool for both site researchers and modelers. This project lasts now for 5 years. It is a short time to collect the amount of information necessary to apprehend the complexity of aquifers; but it is already enough to obtain a few important scientific results about the very nature of the flow heterogeneity, the origin and residence time of water elements, the kinetic of geochemical processes, etc. We have also developed new methods to investigate aquifers (in-situ flow measurements, flow experiment designs, groundwater dating, versatile in-situ probes, etc.). This experience aiming at building up long term knowledge appears extremely useful to address critical issues related to groundwater aquifers: the structure and occurrence of productive aquifer in crystalline basement, the assessment of aquifer protection area in the context of highly heterogeneous flow, the biochemical reactivity processes, the long term evolution of both water quantity and quality in the context of significant environmental changes, for instance.

SU-E-T-255: Development of a Michigan Quality Assurance (MQA) Database for Clinical Machine Operations

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

Roberts, D

Purpose: A unified database system was developed to allow accumulation, review and analysis of quality assurance (QA) data for measurement, treatment, imaging and simulation equipment in our department. Recording these data in a database allows a unified and structured approach to review and analysis of data gathered using commercial database tools. Methods: A clinical database was developed to track records of quality assurance operations on linear accelerators, a computed tomography (CT) scanner, high dose rate (HDR) afterloader and imaging systems such as on-board imaging (OBI) and Calypso in our department. The database was developed using Microsoft Access database and visualmore » basic for applications (VBA) programming interface. Separate modules were written for accumulation, review and analysis of daily, monthly and annual QA data. All modules were designed to use structured query language (SQL) as the basis of data accumulation and review. The SQL strings are dynamically re-written at run time. The database also features embedded documentation, storage of documents produced during QA activities and the ability to annotate all data within the database. Tests are defined in a set of tables that define test type, specific value, and schedule. Results: Daily, Monthly and Annual QA data has been taken in parallel with established procedures to test MQA. The database has been used to aggregate data across machines to examine the consistency of machine parameters and operations within the clinic for several months. Conclusion: The MQA application has been developed as an interface to a commercially available SQL engine (JET 5.0) and a standard database back-end. The MQA system has been used for several months for routine data collection.. The system is robust, relatively simple to extend and can be migrated to a commercial SQL server.« less

The Effect of Arc Proximity on Hydrothermal Activity Along Spreading Centers: New Evidence From the Mariana Back Arc (12.7°N-18.3°N)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Edward T.; Walker, Sharon L.; Resing, Joseph A.; Chadwick, William W.; Merle, Susan G.; Anderson, Melissa O.; Butterfield, David A.; Buck, Nathan J.; Michael, Susanna

2017-11-01

Back-arc spreading centers (BASCs) form a distinct class of ocean spreading ridges distinguished by steep along-axis gradients in spreading rate and by additional magma supplied through subduction. These characteristics can affect the population and distribution of hydrothermal activity on BASCs compared to mid-ocean ridges (MORs). To investigate this hypothesis, we comprehensively explored 600 km of the southern half of the Mariana BASC. We used water column mapping and seafloor imaging to identify 19 active vent sites, an increase of 13 over the current listing in the InterRidge Database (IRDB), on the bathymetric highs of 7 of the 11 segments. We identified both high and low (i.e., characterized by a weak or negligible particle plume) temperature discharge occurring on segment types spanning dominantly magmatic to dominantly tectonic. Active sites are concentrated on the two southernmost segments, where distance to the adjacent arc is shortest (<40 km), spreading rate is highest (>48 mm/yr), and tectonic extension is pervasive. Re-examination of hydrothermal data from other BASCs supports the generalization that hydrothermal site density increases on segments <90 km from an adjacent arc. Although exploration quality varies greatly among BASCs, present data suggest that, for a given spreading rate, the mean spatial density of hydrothermal activity varies little between MORs and BASCs. The present global database, however, may be misleading. On both BASCs and MORs, the spatial density of hydrothermal sites mapped by high-quality water-column surveys is 2-7 times greater than predicted by the existing IRDB trend of site density versus spreading rate.

User's Manual for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program Invertebrate Data Analysis System (IDAS) Software: Version 3

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cuffney, Thomas F.

2003-01-01

The Invertebrate Data Analysis System (IDAS) software provides an accurate, consistent, and efficient mechanism for analyzing invertebrate data collected as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program and stored in the Biological Transactional Database (Bio-TDB). The IDAS software is a stand-alone program for personal computers that run Microsoft (MS) Windows?. It allows users to read data downloaded from Bio-TDB and stored either as MS Excel? or MS Access? files. The program consists of five modules. The Edit Data module allows the user to subset, combine, delete, and summarize community data. The Data Preparation module allows the user to select the type(s) of sample(s) to process, calculate densities, delete taxa based on laboratory processing notes, combine lifestages or keep them separate, select a lowest taxonomic level for analysis, delete rare taxa, and resolve taxonomic ambiguities. The Calculate Community Metrics module allows the user to calculate over 130 community metrics, including metrics based on organism tolerances and functional feeding groups. The Calculate Diversities and Similarities module allows the user to calculate nine diversity and eight similarity indices. The Data export module allows the user to export data to other software packages and produce tables of community data that can be imported into spreadsheet and word-processing programs. Though the IDAS program was developed to process invertebrate data downloaded from USGS databases, it will work with other data sets that are converted to the USGS (Bio-TDB) format. Consequently, the data manipulation, analysis, and export procedures provided by the IDAS program can be used by anyone involved in using benthic macroinvertebrates in applied or basic research.

Application of furniture images selection based on neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Gao, Wenwen; Wang, Ying

2018-05-01

In the construction of 2 million furniture image databases, aiming at the problem of low quality of database, a combination of CNN and Metric learning algorithm is proposed, which makes it possible to quickly and accurately remove duplicate and irrelevant samples in the furniture image database. Solve problems that images screening method is complex, the accuracy is not high, time-consuming is long. Deep learning algorithm achieve excellent image matching ability in actual furniture retrieval applications after improving data quality.

A brachytherapy photon radiation quality index Q(BT) for probe-type dosimetry.

PubMed

Quast, Ulrich; Kaulich, Theodor W; Álvarez-Romero, José T; Carlsson Tedgren, Sa; Enger, Shirin A; Medich, David C; Mourtada, Firas; Perez-Calatayud, Jose; Rivard, Mark J; Zakaria, G Abu

2016-06-01

In photon brachytherapy (BT), experimental dosimetry is needed to verify treatment plans if planning algorithms neglect varying attenuation, absorption or scattering conditions. The detector's response is energy dependent, including the detector material to water dose ratio and the intrinsic mechanisms. The local mean photon energy E¯(r) must be known or another equivalent energy quality parameter used. We propose the brachytherapy photon radiation quality indexQ(BT)(E¯), to characterize the photon radiation quality in view of measurements of distributions of the absorbed dose to water, Dw, around BT sources. While the external photon beam radiotherapy (EBRT) radiation quality index Q(EBRT)(E¯)=TPR10(20)(E¯) is not applicable to BT, the authors have applied a novel energy dependent parameter, called brachytherapy photon radiation quality index, defined as Q(BT)(E¯)=Dprim(r=2cm,θ0=90°)/Dprim(r0=1cm,θ0=90°), utilizing precise primary absorbed dose data, Dprim, from source reference databases, without additional MC-calculations. For BT photon sources used clinically, Q(BT)(E¯) enables to determine the effective mean linear attenuation coefficient μ¯(E) and thus the effective energy of the primary photons Eprim(eff)(r0,θ0) at the TG-43 reference position Pref(r0=1cm,θ0=90°), being close to the mean total photon energy E¯tot(r0,θ0). If one has calibrated detectors, published E¯tot(r) and the BT radiation quality correction factor [Formula: see text] for different BT radiation qualities Q and Q0, the detector's response can be determined and Dw(r,θ) measured in the vicinity of BT photon sources. This novel brachytherapy photon radiation quality indexQ(BT) characterizes sufficiently accurate and precise the primary photon's penetration probability and scattering potential. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A new approach to data evaluation in the non-target screening of organic trace substances in water analysis.

PubMed

Müller, Alexander; Schulz, Wolfgang; Ruck, Wolfgang K L; Weber, Walter H

2011-11-01

Non-target screening via high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) has gained increasingly in importance for monitoring organic trace substances in water resources targeted for the production of drinking water. In this article a new approach for evaluating the data from non-target HPLC-MS screening in water is introduced and its advantages are demonstrated using the supply of drinking water as an example. The crucial difference between this and other approaches is the comparison of samples based on compounds (features) determined by their full scan data. In so doing, we take advantage of the temporal, spatial, or process-based relationships among the samples by applying the set operators, UNION, INTERSECT, and COMPLEMENT to the features of each sample. This approach regards all compounds, detectable by the used analytical method. That is the fundamental meaning of non-target screening, which includes all analytical information from the applied technique for further data evaluation. In the given example, in just one step, all detected features (1729) of a landfill leachate sample could be examined for their relevant influences on water purification respectively drinking water. This study shows that 1721 out of 1729 features were not relevant for the water purification. Only eight features could be determined in the untreated water and three of them were found in the final drinking water after ozonation. In so doing, it was possible to identify 1-adamantylamine as contamination of the landfill in the drinking water at a concentration in the range of 20 ng L(-1). To support the identification of relevant compounds and their transformation products, the DAIOS database (Database-Assisted Identification of Organic Substances) was used. This database concept includes some functions such as product ion search to increase the efficiency of the database query after the screening. To identify related transformation products the database function "transformation tree" was used. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water Vapour Mixing Ratio Measurements in Potenza in the Frame of the International Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change - NDACC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Rosa, Benedetto; Di Girolamo, Paolo; Summa, Donato; Stelitano, Dario; Mancini, Ignazio

2016-06-01

In November 2012 the University of BASILicata Raman Lidar system (BASIL) was approved to enter the International Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). This network includes more than 70 high-quality, remote-sensing research stations for observing and understanding the physical and chemical state of the upper troposphere and stratosphere and for assessing the impact of stratosphere changes on the underlying troposphere and on global climate. As part of this network, more than thirty groundbased Lidars deployed worldwide are routinely operated to monitor atmospheric ozone, temperature, aerosols, water vapour, and polar stratospheric clouds. In the frame of NDACC, BASIL performs measurements on a routine basis each Thursday, typically from local noon to midnight, covering a large portion of the daily cycle. Measurements from BASIL are included in the NDACC database both in terms of water vapour mixing ratio and temperature. This paper illustrates some measurement examples from BASIL, with a specific focus on water vapour measurements, with the goal to try and characterize the system performances.

Watershed-based survey designs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Detenbeck, N.E.; Cincotta, D.; Denver, J.M.; Greenlee, S.K.; Olsen, A.R.; Pitchford, A.M.

2005-01-01

Watershed-based sampling design and assessment tools help serve the multiple goals for water quality monitoring required under the Clean Water Act, including assessment of regional conditions to meet Section 305(b), identification of impaired water bodies or watersheds to meet Section 303(d), and development of empirical relationships between causes or sources of impairment and biological responses. Creation of GIS databases for hydrography, hydrologically corrected digital elevation models, and hydrologic derivatives such as watershed boundaries and upstream–downstream topology of subcatchments would provide a consistent seamless nationwide framework for these designs. The elements of a watershed-based sample framework can be represented either as a continuous infinite set defined by points along a linear stream network, or as a discrete set of watershed polygons. Watershed-based designs can be developed with existing probabilistic survey methods, including the use of unequal probability weighting, stratification, and two-stage frames for sampling. Case studies for monitoring of Atlantic Coastal Plain streams, West Virginia wadeable streams, and coastal Oregon streams illustrate three different approaches for selecting sites for watershed-based survey designs.

Are Lead Exposures a Risk in European Fresh Waters? A Regulatory Assessment Accounting for Bioavailability.

PubMed

Peters, Adam; Wilson, Iain; Merrington, Graham; Chowdhury, M Jasim

2018-01-01

An indicative compliance assessment of the Europe-wide bioavailable lead Environmental Quality Standard of 1.2 µg L -1 (EQS) was undertaken against regulatory freshwater monitoring data from six European member states and FOREGS database. Bio-met, a user-friendly tool based upon Biotic Ligand Models (BLMs) was used to account for bioavailability, along with the current European Water Framework Directive lead dissolved organic carbon correction approach. The outputs from both approaches were compared to the BLM. Of the 9054 freshwater samples assessed only 0.6% exceeded the EQS of 1.2 µg L -1 after accounting for bioavailability. The data showed that ambient background concentrations of lead across Europe are unlikely to influence general compliance with the EQS, although there may be isolated local issues. The waters showing the greatest sensitivity to potential lead exposures are characterized by relatively low DOC (< 0.5 mg L -1 ), regardless of the pH and calcium concentrations.

Data Auditor: Analyzing Data Quality Using Pattern Tableaux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Divesh

Monitoring databases maintain configuration and measurement tables about computer systems, such as networks and computing clusters, and serve important business functions, such as troubleshooting customer problems, analyzing equipment failures, planning system upgrades, etc. These databases are prone to many data quality issues: configuration tables may be incorrect due to data entry errors, while measurement tables may be affected by incorrect, missing, duplicate and delayed polls. We describe Data Auditor, a tool for analyzing data quality and exploring data semantics of monitoring databases. Given a user-supplied constraint, such as a boolean predicate expected to be satisfied by every tuple, a functional dependency, or an inclusion dependency, Data Auditor computes "pattern tableaux", which are concise summaries of subsets of the data that satisfy or fail the constraint. We discuss the architecture of Data Auditor, including the supported types of constraints and the tableau generation mechanism. We also show the utility of our approach on an operational network monitoring database.

Databases applicable to quantitative hazard/risk assessment-Towards a predictive systems toxicology

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

Waters, Michael; Jackson, Marcus

2008-11-15

The Workshop on The Power of Aggregated Toxicity Data addressed the requirement for distributed databases to support quantitative hazard and risk assessment. The authors have conceived and constructed with federal support several databases that have been used in hazard identification and risk assessment. The first of these databases, the EPA Gene-Tox Database was developed for the EPA Office of Toxic Substances by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and is currently hosted by the National Library of Medicine. This public resource is based on the collaborative evaluation, by government, academia, and industry, of short-term tests for the detection of mutagens andmore » presumptive carcinogens. The two-phased evaluation process resulted in more than 50 peer-reviewed publications on test system performance and a qualitative database on thousands of chemicals. Subsequently, the graphic and quantitative EPA/IARC Genetic Activity Profile (GAP) Database was developed in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A chemical database driven by consideration of the lowest effective dose, GAP has served IARC for many years in support of hazard classification of potential human carcinogens. The Toxicological Activity Profile (TAP) prototype database was patterned after GAP and utilized acute, subchronic, and chronic data from the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. TAP demonstrated the flexibility of the GAP format for air toxics, water pollutants and other environmental agents. The GAP format was also applied to developmental toxicants and was modified to represent quantitative results from the rodent carcinogen bioassay. More recently, the authors have constructed: 1) the NIEHS Genetic Alterations in Cancer (GAC) Database which quantifies specific mutations found in cancers induced by environmental agents, and 2) the NIEHS Chemical Effects in Biological Systems (CEBS) Knowledgebase that integrates genomic and other biological data including dose-response studies in toxicology and pathology. Each of the public databases has been discussed in prior publications. They will be briefly described in the present report from the perspective of aggregating datasets to augment the data and information contained within them.« less

Comparability of river quality assessment using macrophytes: a multi-step procedure to overcome biogeographical differences.

PubMed

Aguiar, F C; Segurado, P; Urbanič, G; Cambra, J; Chauvin, C; Ciadamidaro, S; Dörflinger, G; Ferreira, J; Germ, M; Manolaki, P; Minciardi, M R; Munné, A; Papastergiadou, E; Ferreira, M T

2014-04-01

This paper exposes a new methodological approach to solve the problem of intercalibrating river quality national methods when a common metric is lacking and most of the countries share the same Water Framework Directive (WFD) assessment method. We provide recommendations for similar works in future concerning the assessment of ecological accuracy and highlight the importance of a good common ground to make feasible the scientific work beyond the intercalibration. The approach herein presented was applied to highly seasonal rivers of the Mediterranean Geographical Intercalibration Group for the Biological Quality Element Macrophytes. The Mediterranean Group of river macrophytes involved seven countries and two assessment methods with similar acquisition data and assessment concept: the Macrophyte Biological Index for Rivers (IBMR) for Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, and the River Macrophyte Index (RMI) for Slovenia. Database included 318 sites of which 78 were considered as benchmarks. The boundary harmonization was performed for common WFD-assessment methods (all countries except Slovenia) using the median of the Good/Moderate and High/Good boundaries of all countries. Then, whenever possible, the Slovenian method, RMI was computed for the entire database. The IBMR was also computed for the Slovenian sites and was regressed against RMI in order to check the relatedness of methods (R(2)=0.45; p<0.00001) and to convert RMI boundaries into the IBMR scale. The boundary bias of RMI was computed using direct comparison of classification and the median boundary values following boundary harmonization. The average absolute class differences after harmonization is 26% and the percentage of classifications differing by half of a quality class is also small (16.4%). This multi-step approach to the intercalibration was endorsed by the WFD Regulatory Committee. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tennessee StreamStats: A Web-Enabled Geographic Information System Application for Automating the Retrieval and Calculation of Streamflow Statistics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ladd, David E.; Law, George S.

2007-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides streamflow and other stream-related information needed to protect people and property from floods, to plan and manage water resources, and to protect water quality in the streams. Streamflow statistics provided by the USGS, such as the 100-year flood and the 7-day 10-year low flow, frequently are used by engineers, land managers, biologists, and many others to help guide decisions in their everyday work. In addition to streamflow statistics, resource managers often need to know the physical and climatic characteristics (basin characteristics) of the drainage basins for locations of interest to help them understand the mechanisms that control water availability and water quality at these locations. StreamStats is a Web-enabled geographic information system (GIS) application that makes it easy for users to obtain streamflow statistics, basin characteristics, and other information for USGS data-collection stations and for ungaged sites of interest. If a user selects the location of a data-collection station, StreamStats will provide previously published information for the station from a database. If a user selects a location where no data are available (an ungaged site), StreamStats will run a GIS program to delineate a drainage basin boundary, measure basin characteristics, and estimate streamflow statistics based on USGS streamflow prediction methods. A user can download a GIS feature class of the drainage basin boundary with attributes including the measured basin characteristics and streamflow estimates.

Data resource profile: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

PubMed

Murray, Colleen; Newby, Holly

2012-12-01

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) plays a leading role in the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of data to inform sound policies, legislation and programmes for promoting children's rights and well-being, and for global monitoring of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. UNICEF maintains a set of global databases representing nearly 200 countries and covering the areas of child mortality, child health, maternal health, nutrition, immunization, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, education and child protection. These databases consist of internationally comparable and statistically sound data, and are updated annually through a process that draws on a wealth of data provided by UNICEF's wide network of >150 field offices. The databases are composed primarily of estimates from household surveys, with data from censuses, administrative records, vital registration systems and statistical models contributing to some key indicators as well. The data are assessed for quality based on a set of objective criteria to ensure that only the most reliable nationally representative information is included. For most indicators, data are available at the global, regional and national levels, plus sub-national disaggregation by sex, urban/rural residence and household wealth. The global databases are featured in UNICEF's flagship publications, inter-agency reports, including the Secretary General's Millennium Development Goals Report and Countdown to 2015, sector-specific reports and statistical country profiles. They are also publicly available on www.childinfo.org, together with trend data and equity analyses.

Producing a Climate-Quality Database of Global Upper Ocean Profile Temperatures - The IQuOD (International Quality-controlled Ocean Database) Project.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sprintall, J.; Cowley, R.; Palmer, M. D.; Domingues, C. M.; Suzuki, T.; Ishii, M.; Boyer, T.; Goni, G. J.; Gouretski, V. V.; Macdonald, A. M.; Thresher, A.; Good, S. A.; Diggs, S. C.

2016-02-01

Historical ocean temperature profile observations provide a critical element for a host of ocean and climate research activities. These include providing initial conditions for seasonal-to-decadal prediction systems, evaluating past variations in sea level and Earth's energy imbalance, ocean state estimation for studying variability and change, and climate model evaluation and development. The International Quality controlled Ocean Database (IQuOD) initiative represents a community effort to create the most globally complete temperature profile dataset, with (intelligent) metadata and assigned uncertainties. With an internationally coordinated effort organized by oceanographers, with data and ocean instrumentation expertise, and in close consultation with end users (e.g., climate modelers), the IQuOD initiative will assess and maximize the potential of an irreplaceable collection of ocean temperature observations (tens of millions of profiles collected at a cost of tens of billions of dollars, since 1772) to fulfil the demand for a climate-quality global database that can be used with greater confidence in a vast range of climate change related research and services of societal benefit. Progress towards version 1 of the IQuOD database, ongoing and future work will be presented. More information on IQuOD is available at www.iquod.org.

Quantifying Urban Watershed Stressor Gradients and Evaluating How Different Land Cover Datasets Affect Stream Management.

PubMed

Smucker, Nathan J; Kuhn, Anne; Charpentier, Michael A; Cruz-Quinones, Carlos J; Elonen, Colleen M; Whorley, Sarah B; Jicha, Terri M; Serbst, Jonathan R; Hill, Brian H; Wehr, John D

2016-03-01

Watershed management and policies affecting downstream ecosystems benefit from identifying relationships between land cover and water quality. However, different data sources can create dissimilarities in land cover estimates and models that characterize ecosystem responses. We used a spatially balanced stream study (1) to effectively sample development and urban stressor gradients while representing the extent of a large coastal watershed (>4400 km(2)), (2) to document differences between estimates of watershed land cover using 30-m resolution national land cover database (NLCD) and <1-m resolution land cover data, and (3) to determine if predictive models and relationships between water quality and land cover differed when using these two land cover datasets. Increased concentrations of nutrients, anions, and cations had similarly significant correlations with increased watershed percent impervious cover (IC), regardless of data resolution. The NLCD underestimated percent forest for 71/76 sites by a mean of 11 % and overestimated percent wetlands for 71/76 sites by a mean of 8 %. The NLCD almost always underestimated IC at low development intensities and overestimated IC at high development intensities. As a result of underestimated IC, regression models using NLCD data predicted mean background concentrations of NO3 (-) and Cl(-) that were 475 and 177 %, respectively, of those predicted when using finer resolution land cover data. Our sampling design could help states and other agencies seeking to create monitoring programs and indicators responsive to anthropogenic impacts. Differences between land cover datasets could affect resource protection due to misguided management targets, watershed development and conservation practices, or water quality criteria.

Complex Behavior of Contaminant Flux and the Ecology of the Lower Mississippi River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, C. C.; Manheim, F. T.; De Cola, L.; Bollinger, J. E.; Jenkins, J. A.

2001-12-01

This presentation is an overview of a collaborative NSF/USGS/Tulane funded multi-scale study of the Lower Mississippi River system. The study examines the system in three major dimensional realms: space, time, and complexity (systems and their hierarchies). Researchers at Tulane University and the U.S. Geological Survey have initiated a collaborative effort to undertake the study of interacting elements which directly or indirectly affect the water quality, ecology and physical condition of the Mississippi River. These researchers include experts in the fields of water quality chemistry, geochemistry, hydrologic modeling, bioengineering, biology, fish ecology, statistics, complexity analysis, epidemiology, and computer science. Underlying this research are large databases that permit quantitative analysis of the system over the past 40 years. Results to date show that the variation in discharge and the contaminant flux scale independently both exhibit fractal scaling, the signature geometry of nonlinear dynamical and complex systems. Public perception is that the Lower Mississippi River is a health hazard, but for the past decade, traditional water quality measurements show that contaminants are within current regulatory guidelines for human consumption. This difference between public perception and scientific reality represents a complex scientific and social issue. The connections and feedback within the ecological system and the Mississippi River are few because engineering structures isolate the lower Mississippi River from its surroundings. Investigation of the connections and feedback between human health and the ecological health of the River and the surrounding region as well as perceptions of these states of health - holds promise for explaining epidemiological patterns of human disease.

Operational use of open satellite data for marine water quality monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symeonidis, Panagiotis; Vakkas, Theodoros

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an operational platform for marine water quality monitoring using near real time satellite data. The developed platform utilizes free and open satellite data available from different data sources like COPERNICUS, the European Earth Observation Initiative, or NASA, from different satellites and instruments. The quality of the marine environment is operationally evaluated using parameters like chlorophyll-a concentration, water color and Sea Surface Temperature (SST). For each parameter, there are more than one dataset available, from different data sources or satellites, to allow users to select the most appropriate dataset for their area or time of interest. The above datasets are automatically downloaded from the data provider's services and ingested to the central, spatial engine. The spatial data platform uses the Postgresql database with the PostGIS extension for spatial data storage and Geoserver for the provision of the spatial data services. The system provides daily, 10 days and monthly maps and time series of the above parameters. The information is provided using a web client which is based on the GET SDI PORTAL, an easy to use and feature rich geospatial visualization and analysis platform. The users can examine the temporal variation of the parameters using a simple time animation tool. In addition, with just one click on the map, the system provides an interactive time series chart for any of the parameters of the available datasets. The platform can be offered as Software as a Service (SaaS) to any area in the Mediterranean region.

Estimating future temperature maxima in lakes across the United States using a surrogate modeling approach

PubMed Central

Zi, Tan; Schmidt, Michelle; Johnson, Thomas E.; Nover, Daniel M.; Clark, Christopher M.

2017-01-01

A warming climate increases thermal inputs to lakes with potential implications for water quality and aquatic ecosystems. In a previous study, we used a dynamic water column temperature and mixing simulation model to simulate chronic (7-day average) maximum temperatures under a range of potential future climate projections at selected sites representative of different U.S. regions. Here, to extend results to lakes where dynamic models have not been developed, we apply a novel machine learning approach that uses Gaussian Process regression to describe the model response surface as a function of simplified lake characteristics (depth, surface area, water clarity) and climate forcing (winter and summer air temperatures and potential evapotranspiration). We use this approach to extrapolate predictions from the simulation model to the statistical sample of U.S. lakes in the National Lakes Assessment (NLA) database. Results provide a national-scale scoping assessment of the potential thermal risk to lake water quality and ecosystems across the U.S. We suggest a small fraction of lakes will experience less risk of summer thermal stress events due to changes in stratification and mixing dynamics, but most will experience increases. The percentage of lakes in the NLA with simulated 7-day average maximum water temperatures in excess of 30°C is projected to increase from less than 2% to approximately 22% by the end of the 21st century, which could significantly reduce the number of lakes that can support cold water fisheries. Site-specific analysis of the full range of factors that influence thermal profiles in individual lakes is needed to develop appropriate adaptation strategies. PMID:29121058

FACILITATING ADVANCED URBAN METEOROLOGY AND AIR QUALITY MODELING CAPABILITIES WITH HIGH RESOLUTION URBAN DATABASE AND ACCESS PORTAL TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

Information of urban morphological features at high resolution is needed to properly model and characterize the meteorological and air quality fields in urban areas. We describe a new project called National Urban Database with Access Portal Tool, (NUDAPT) that addresses this nee...

WLN's Database: New Directions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegman, Bruce N.

1988-01-01

Describes features of the Western Library Network's database, including the database structure, authority control, contents, quality control, and distribution methods. The discussion covers changes in distribution necessitated by increasing telecommunications costs and the development of optical data disk products. (CLB)

U.S. EPA'S ECOTOX DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

In formulating hypothesis related to extrapolations across species and/or chemicals, the ECOTOX database provides researchers a means of locating high quality ecological effects data for a wide-range of terrestrial and aquatic receptors. Currently the database includes more than ...

Climate Change and Water Scarcity: The Case of Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

DeNicola, Erica; Aburizaiza, Omar S; Siddique, Azhar; Khwaja, Haider; Carpenter, David O

2015-01-01

Climate change is expected to bring increases in average global temperatures (1.4°C-5.8°C [34.52°F-42.44°F] by 2100) and precipitation levels to varying degrees around the globe. The availability and quality of water will be severely affected, and public health threats from the lack of this valuable resource will be great unless water-scarce nations are able to adapt. Saudi Arabia provides a good example of how the climate and unsustainable human activity go hand in hand in creating stress on and depleting water resources, and an example for adaptation and mitigation. A search of the English literature addressing climate change, water scarcity, human health, and related topics was conducted using online resources and databases accessed through the University at Albany, State University of New York library web page. Water scarcity, which encompasses both water availability and water quality, is an important indicator of health. Beyond drinking, water supply is intimately linked to food security, sanitation, and hygiene, which are primary contributors to the global burden of disease. Poor and disadvantaged populations are the ones who will suffer most from the negative effects of climate change on water supply and associated human health issues. Examples of adaptation and mitigation measures that can help reduce the strain on conventional water resources (surface waters and fossil aquifers or groundwater) include desalination, wastewater recycling and reuse, and outsourcing food items or "virtual water trade." These are strategies being used by Saudi Arabia, a country that is water poor primarily due to decades of irresponsible irrigation practices. The human and environmental health risks associated with these adaptation measures are examined. Finally, strategies to protect human health through international collaboration and the importance of these efforts are discussed. International, multidisciplinary cooperation and collaboration will be needed to promote global water security and to protect human health, particularly in low-income countries that do not have the resources necessary to adapt on their own. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A New Data Acquisition Portal for the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narlesky, P. E., C. A.; Williams, P. E., A. M.

2017-12-01

In 1964, the United States Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) executed settlement contracts with the Sacramento River Settlement Contractors (SRSC), entities which hold water rights along the Sacramento River with area of origin protection or that are senior to Reclamation's water rights for Shasta Reservoir. Shasta is the cornerstone of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), one of the nation's largest multi-purpose water conservation programs. In order to optimize CVP operations for multiple beneficial uses including water supply, fisheries, water quality, and waterfowl habitat, the SRSC voluntarily agreed to adaptively manage diversions throughout the year in close coordination with Reclamation. MBK Engineers assists the SRSC throughout this process by collecting, organizing, compiling, and distributing diversion data to Reclamation and others involved in operational decisions related to Shasta Reservoir and the CVP. To improve and expand participation in diversions reporting, we have developed the SRSC Web Portal, which launches a data-entry dashboard for members of the SRSC to facilitate recording and transmittal of both predicted and observed monthly and daily flow diversion data. This cloud-hosted system leverages a combination of Javascript interactive visualization libraries with a database-backed Python web framework to present streamlined data-entry forms and valuable SRSC program summary illustrations. SRSC program totals, which can now be aggregated through queries to the web-app's database backend, are used by Reclamation, SRSC, fish agencies, and others to inform operational decisions. By submitting diversion schedules and tracking actual diversions through the portal, contractors will also be directly contributing to the development of a richer and more consistently-formatted historical record for demand hydrology in the Sacramento River Watershed; this may be useful in future water supply studies. Adoption of this technology will foster an increased appreciation for the historical record of individual and combined Sacramento River diversions relative to the overall system.

The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database.

PubMed

Zwisler, Ann-Dorthe; Rossau, Henriette Knold; Nakano, Anne; Foghmar, Sussie; Eichhorst, Regina; Prescott, Eva; Cerqueira, Charlotte; Soja, Anne Merete Boas; Gislason, Gunnar H; Larsen, Mogens Lytken; Andersen, Ulla Overgaard; Gustafsson, Ida; Thomsen, Kristian K; Boye Hansen, Lene; Hammer, Signe; Viggers, Lone; Christensen, Bo; Kvist, Birgitte; Lindström Egholm, Cecilie; May, Ole

2016-01-01

The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database (DHRD) aims to improve the quality of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) to the benefit of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Hospitalized patients with CHD with stenosis on coronary angiography treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, or medication alone. Reporting is mandatory for all hospitals in Denmark delivering CR. The database was initially implemented in 2013 and was fully running from August 14, 2015, thus comprising data at a patient level from the latter date onward. Patient-level data are registered by clinicians at the time of entry to CR directly into an online system with simultaneous linkage to other central patient registers. Follow-up data are entered after 6 months. The main variables collected are related to key outcome and performance indicators of CR: referral and adherence, lifestyle, patient-related outcome measures, risk factor control, and medication. Program-level online data are collected every third year. Based on administrative data, approximately 14,000 patients with CHD are hospitalized at 35 hospitals annually, with 75% receiving one or more outpatient rehabilitation services by 2015. The database has not yet been running for a full year, which explains the use of approximations. The DHRD is an online, national quality improvement database on CR, aimed at patients with CHD. Mandatory registration of data at both patient level as well as program level is done on the database. DHRD aims to systematically monitor the quality of CR over time, in order to improve the quality of CR throughout Denmark to benefit patients.

Foot and Ankle Fellowship Websites: An Assessment of Accessibility and Quality.

PubMed

Hinds, Richard M; Danna, Natalie R; Capo, John T; Mroczek, Kenneth J

2017-08-01

The Internet has been reported to be the first informational resource for many fellowship applicants. The objective of this study was to assess the accessibility of orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship websites and to evaluate the quality of information provided via program websites. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) and the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA) fellowship databases were accessed to generate a comprehensive list of orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship programs. The databases were reviewed for links to fellowship program websites and compared with program websites accessed from a Google search. Accessible fellowship websites were then analyzed for the quality of recruitment and educational content pertinent to fellowship applicants. Forty-seven orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship programs were identified. The AOFAS database featured direct links to 7 (15%) fellowship websites with the independent Google search yielding direct links to 29 (62%) websites. No direct website links were provided in the FREIDA database. Thirty-six accessible websites were analyzed for content. Program websites featured a mean 44% (range = 5% to 75%) of the total assessed content. The most commonly presented recruitment and educational content was a program description (94%) and description of fellow operative experience (83%), respectively. There is substantial variability in the accessibility and quality of orthopaedic foot and ankle fellowship websites. Recognition of deficits in accessibility and content quality may assist foot and ankle fellowships in improving program information online. Level IV.

Using linked administrative and disease-specific databases to study end-of-life care on a population level.

PubMed

Maetens, Arno; De Schreye, Robrecht; Faes, Kristof; Houttekier, Dirk; Deliens, Luc; Gielen, Birgit; De Gendt, Cindy; Lusyne, Patrick; Annemans, Lieven; Cohen, Joachim

2016-10-18

The use of full-population databases is under-explored to study the use, quality and costs of end-of-life care. Using the case of Belgium, we explored: (1) which full-population databases provide valid information about end-of-life care, (2) what procedures are there to use these databases, and (3) what is needed to integrate separate databases. Technical and privacy-related aspects of linking and accessing Belgian administrative databases and disease registries were assessed in cooperation with the database administrators and privacy commission bodies. For all relevant databases, we followed procedures in cooperation with database administrators to link the databases and to access the data. We identified several databases as fitting for end-of-life care research in Belgium: the InterMutualistic Agency's national registry of health care claims data, the Belgian Cancer Registry including data on incidence of cancer, and databases administrated by Statistics Belgium including data from the death certificate database, the socio-economic survey and fiscal data. To obtain access to the data, approval was required from all database administrators, supervisory bodies and two separate national privacy bodies. Two Trusted Third Parties linked the databases via a deterministic matching procedure using multiple encrypted social security numbers. In this article we describe how various routinely collected population-level databases and disease registries can be accessed and linked to study patterns in the use, quality and costs of end-of-life care in the full population and in specific diagnostic groups.

Water-quality assessment of the Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland; sources, characteristics, analysis and limitations of nutrient and suspended-sediment data, 1975-90

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hainly, R.A.; Loper, C.A.

1997-01-01

This report describes analyses of available information on nutrients and suspended sediment collected in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin during water years 1975-90. Most of the analyses were applied to data collected during water years 1980-89. The report describes the spatial and temporal availability of nutrient and suspended-sediment data and presents a preliminary concept of the spatial and temporal patterns of concentrations and loads within the basin. Where data were available, total and dissolved forms of nitrogen and phosphorus species from precipitation, surface water, ground water, and springwater, and bottom material from streams and reservoirs were evaluated. Suspended-sediment data from streams also were evaluated. The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS) database was selected as the primary database for the analyses. Precipitation-quality data from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and bottom-material-quality data from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) were used to supplement the water-quality data from NWIS. Concentrations of nutrients were available from 3 precipitation sites established for longterm monitoring purposes, 883 wells (854 synoptic areal survey sites and 29 project and research sites), 23 springs (17 synoptic areal survey sites and 6 project and research sites), and 894 bottom-material sites (840 synoptic areal survey sites and 54 project and research sites). Concentrations of nutrients and (or) suspended sediment were available from 128 streams (36 long-term monitoring sites, 51 synoptic areal survey sites, and 41 project and research sites). Concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment in streams varied temporally and spatially and were related to land use, agricultural practices, and streamflow. A general north-to-south pattern of increasing median nitrate concentrations, from 2 to 5 mg/L, was detected in samples collected in study unit streams. In streams that drain areas dominated by agriculture, concentrations of nutrients and suspended sediment tend to be elevated with respect to those found in areas of other land-use types and are related to the amount of commercial fertilizer and animal manure applied to the area drained by the streams. Animal manure is the dominant source of nitrogen for the streams in the lower, agricultural part of the basin. Concentrations of nutrients in samples from wells varied with season and well depth and were related to hydrogeologic setting. Median concentrations of nitrate were 2.5 and 3.5 mg/L for wells drawing water at depths of 0 to 100 ft and 101 to 200 ft, respectively. The lowest median concentrations for nitrate in ground water from wells were generally found in siliciclastic-bedrock, forested settings of the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province, and the highest were found in carbonate-bedrock agricultural settings of the Piedmont Physiographic Province. Twenty-five percent of the measurements from wells in carbonate rocks in the Piedmont Physiographic Province exceeded the Pennsylvania drinking-water standard. An estimate of mass balance of nutrient loads within the Lower Susquehanna River Basin was produced by combining the available information on stream loads, atmosphericdeposition loads, commercial-fertilizer applications, animal-manure production, privateseptic-system nonpoint-source loads, and municipal and industrial point-source loads. The percentage of the average annual nitrate load carried in base flow of streams in the study unit ranged from 45 to 76 percent, and the average annual phosphorus load carried in base flow ranged from 20 to 33 percent. Average annual yields of nutrients and suspended sediment from tributary basins are directly related to percentage of drainage area in agriculture and inversely to drainage area. Information required to compute loads of nitrogen and phosphorus were available for all sources except atmospheric deposition, for which only nitrogen data were available. Atmospheric deposition is the dominant source of nitrogen for the mostly forested basins draining the upper half of the study unit. The estimate of total annual nitrogen load to the study unit from precipitation is 98.8 million pounds. Nonpoint and point sources of nutrients were estimated. Nonpoint and point sources combined, including atmospheric deposition, provide a potential annual load of 390 million pounds of nitrogen and 79.5 million pounds of phosphorus. The range of percentages of the estimated nonpoint and point sources that were measured in the stream was 20 to 47 percent for nitrogen and 6 to 14 percent for phosphorus. On the average, the Susquehanna River discharges 141,000 pounds of nitrogen and 7,920 pounds of phosphorus to the Lower Susquehanna River reservoir system each year. About 98 percent of the nitrogen and 60 percent of the phosphorus passes through the reservoir system. Interpretations of available water-quality data and conclusions about the water quality of the Lower Susquehanna River Basin were limited by the scarcity of certain types of water-quality data and current ancillary data. A more complete assessment of the water quality of the basin with respect to nutrients and suspended sediment would be enhanced by the availability of additional data for multiple samples over time from all water environments; samples from streams in the northern and western part of the basin; samples from streams and springs throughout the basin during high base-flow or stormflow conditions; and information on current land-use, and nutrient loading from all types of land-use settings.