USGS Monthly Groundwater News and Highlights: July 1, 2016

Featured Product: A Decadal Look at Groundwater Quality

[ Screenshot of USGS National Water-Quality Trends Map ]

USGS National Water-Quality Trends Map. This snapshot of the map indicates that increases in chloride concentrations were observed in thirty-one groundwater networks across the Nation.

About 140 million people -- almost one-half of the Nation's population -- rely on groundwater for drinking water, and the demand for groundwater for irrigation and agriculture continues to increase. Tracking changes in groundwater quality and investigating the reasons for these changes is crucial for informing management decisions to protect and sustain our valuable groundwater resources.

A new USGS interactive online map shows how concentrations of pesticides, nutrients, metals, and organic contaminants in groundwater are changing during decadal periods across the Nation. The online map presents decadal changes in 24 contaminants.

USGS Groundwater-Related Press Releases

Animation of Groundwater Watch Active Water Level Network, 30 days

The USGS Active Groundwater Level Network includes about 20,000 wells that have been measured by the USGS or USGS cooperators at least once within the past 13 months. The animation shows a daily snapshot of water-level statistics in the network for June 2016. Credit: USGS. The image is in the public domain.

In Hot Water: Climate Change is Affecting North American Fish (June 29, 2016)

New Groundwater-Flow Model for Idaho's Wood River Valley (June 28, 2016)

New Study Quantifies Benefits of Agricultural Conservation in Upper Mississippi River Basin (June 22, 2016)

Assessing Groundwater Over Time in Gaines, Terry and Yoakum Counties, Texas (June 21, 2016)

Thawing Permafrost Spells More than Climate Change for Earth's Underground Layers (June 20, 2016)

Rainfall Following Drought Linked to Historic Nitrate Levels in Some Midwest Streams in 2013 (June 6, 2016)

USGS Online Mapper Provides a Decadal Look at Groundwater Quality (June 2, 2016)

USGS Groundwater-Related Publications

Groundwater-derived nutrient and trace element transport to a nearshore Kona coral ecosystem: Experimental mixing model results

Understanding the hydrologic impacts of wastewater treatment plant discharge to shallow groundwater: before and after plant shutdown

Completion Summary for Boreholes TAN-2271 and TAN-2272 at Test Area North, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

Assessing the relationship between groundwater nitrate and animal feeding operations in Iowa (USA)

The role of ocean tides on groundwater-surface water exchange in a mangrove-dominated estuary: Shark River Slough, Florida Coastal Everglades, USA

Regional water table (2014) in the Mojave River and Morongo Groundwater Basins, southwestern Mojave Desert, California

Groundwater-flow model for the Wood River Valley aquifer system, south-central Idaho

Estimating peak-flow frequency statistics for selected gaged and ungaged sites in naturally flowing streams and rivers in Idaho

The Maryland Coastal Plain Aquifer Information System: A GIS-based tool for assessing groundwater resources

Pre/post-closure assessment of groundwater pharmaceutical fate in a wastewater-facility-impacted stream reach

Source, variability, and transformation of nitrate in a regional karst aquifer: Edwards aquifer, central Texas.

Changes between early development (1930-60) and recent (2005-15) groundwater-level altitudes and dissolved-solids and nitrate concentrations In and near Gaines, Terry, and Yoakum Counties, Texas

Groundwater quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013

Geologic and geophysical models for Osage County, Oklahoma, with implications for groundwater resources

Building groundwater modeling capacity in Mongolia

Biological low pH Mn(II) oxidation in a manganese deposit influenced by metal-rich groundwater

Volcanic aquifers of Hawai'i -- Hydrogeology, water budgets, and conceptual models

Water resources of Washington Parish, Louisiana

Combined use of isotopic and hydrometric data to conceptualize ecohydrological processes in a high-elevation tropical ecosystem

Groundwater quality from private domestic water-supply wells in the vicinity of petroleum production in southwestern Indiana

Hydrogeology and water quality of the Floridan aquifer system and effect of Lower Floridan aquifer withdrawals on the Upper Floridan aquifer at Barbour Pointe Community, Chatham County, Georgia, 2013

Hydrologic analyses in support of the Navajo Generating Station -- Kayenta Mine Complex environmental impact statement

Enhancing drought resilience with conjunctive use and managed aquifer recharge in California and Arizona

USGS Groundwater-Related Software Updates and New Releases

ModelMuse v3.7.1

Field Photo: Groundwater Studies in a Stream?

Did you know that every summer, college students and recent graduates from across the Nation join the USGS as summer interns? In these photos from June 2016, two undergraduate college interns are deploying fiber-optic cable along the bed of a trout stream to measure temperature. This fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing system is being used by USGS scientists to identify areas where groundwater is discharging into the stream. During the summer, this groundwater is typically cooler than the stream water, lowering overall stream temperature, which is important for fish habitat and survival during warm periods. Understanding how groundwater discharge affects the stream temperature is important for state and local resource managers, providing information that can be used to inform decisions about stream restoration and protection of future viable fish habitat.

Photo of USGS intern deploys fiber optic cable in a stream

Credit: USGS/C.B.Dawson. Photo is in the public domain. Click on photo for larger version.

Archive of Past Highlights:

Past monthly summaries are available online.