USGS Oregon Water Science Center

Welcome to the home page for the U.S. Geological Survey Oregon Water Science Center. This is your gateway to a wealth of information on surface water, ground water, and water quality in Oregon and the Nation. The Oregon Water Science Center provides water data and interpretation of data to Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribes; and the public. Our data and study results are widely used to manage Oregon's water resources for the benefit of both people and our environment. We hope that you will find this Website informative and useful.

Streamflow Conditions in Oregon

USGS Oregon WSC Highlights

USGS Study of Upper Klamath Lake Links Circulation Patterns and Water Quality

Summer algae blooms in Upper Klamath Lake create water-quality conditions that are stressful for fish. (Photograph by Mary Lindenberg, U.S. Geological Survey, September 26, 2006.)

Upper Klamath Lake is a large, shallow lake in southern Oregon, just east of the Cascades. Land use changes in the basin during the 19^th and 20^th centuries led to increased inputs of sediments and nutrients to the lake, creating an ideal environment for the proliferation of the blue-green alga Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Extensive annual blooms of this alga through the summer and subsequent bloom declines create conditions that are detrimental to the well being of fish that live in the lake, including the endangered shortnose and Lost River suckers. These conditions include large daily fluctuations of dissolved oxygen and pH, as well as occasionally high amounts of un-ionized ammonia. Fish die-offs have occurred during and following extended periods of oxygen depletion, either because of the low dissolved oxygen or disease epidemics resulting from stressed fish crowding together while seeking refuge from the unfavorable conditions.

The extended periods of oxygen depletion have been more severe in the northern part of Upper Klamath Lake than in areas of similar depth throughout the rest of the lake, suggesting that circulation patterns affect the distribution and severity of unfavorable water-quality conditions. A recent USGS Oregon Water Science Center study, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, used hydrologic, water-quality, and meteorological data collected continuously since 2002, as well as current velocity profiles and other data, to model lake circulation and heat transport. The model used is called UnTRIM, which is a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and constituent transport model.

Water in Upper Klamath Lake circulates clockwise in two gyres owing to the influence of prevailing westerly to northwesterly winds and the configuration of the lake basin, but circulation occasionally reverses when winds blow from the southeast for extended periods. Current speed generally fluctuates between 0 and 4 inches per second over most of the lake, which averages less than 10 feet in depth but has a narrow, deep trench as much as 40 feet deep along the western shore. Water in the trench moves faster than elsewhere, typically exceeding 8 inches per second.

The study found that water exiting the northern end of the trench had two components: a surface component that flows toward the southern part of the lake and a deep component that flows into the northern part of the lake, which is prime habitat for endangered suckers. Under certain conditions the deeper component exits the trench with a very low dissolved oxygen content, which is stressful to fish. This is because light does not penetrate to the deeper water, so there is no oxygen-producing photosynthesis, and oxygen-consuming processes such as algal respiration and decay, and sediment oxygen demand predominate. Why the oxygen depletion persists when the deeper water exits the trench and travels through shallow areas where photosynthesis should occur, though, is unknown. Explanations might be that algae entrained in the deeper water are either not as healthy as the more buoyant colonies in the surface water or that they have settled out of the water altogether. Answers to this question await further study.

Read the report from this study at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5076/.

Read about other USGS Oregon Water Science Center Klamath Basin studies at http://or.water.usgs.gov/klamath/.

Study: Emerging Contaminants are Widespread in Stream Sediments of the Lower Columbia Basin

Columbia Slough, an urban waterway that receives surface runoff and combined sewer overflows, is a hotspot for PPCPs, AWIs, and EDCs. (Photo courtesy of Lyn Topinka, Columbia River Images, Vancouver, WA)

A recent USGS reconnaissance study in the lower Columbia River Basin found a widespread occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and anthropogenic (human-produced) waste indicators (AWIs) in streambed sediments— 49 compounds in all. Some of these chemicals are endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) that can affect reproduction in wildlife and in humans. Sediment samples were collected from the Columbia River, the Willamette River, the Tualatin River, and several small urban creeks that enter the Columbia River or the River. Concentrations and frequency of detection were higher in tributaries and small urban creeks than in the Columbia River itself, pointing to a higher risk of impacts on juvenile salmonids and other aquatic life in smaller streams. At least one EDC was detected at 22 of 23 sites sampled; several EDCs were widespread among the sites.

The USGS study is the first to document the occurrence of PPCPs and AWIs in the sediments of the Columbia River Basin. The role of sediments in exposure of aquatic organisms to these chemicals is not well understood. Some of these compounds are known to have detrimental impacts on aquatic life, while the effects of others are unknown and require further study. Their presence in the sediments raises the possibility that the compounds could be ingested by organisms that feed in and on the sediment and concentrate up the food chain. There is clearly a need for a monitoring strategy for these classes of emerging contaminants, especially because their use and subsequent discharge into the environment is likely to increase in the future.

Recent Publications

Ground-Water Availability Assessment for the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho

Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems in the Willamette River Basin and Surrounding Area, Oregon and Washington, by Ian R. Waite, Steven Sobieszczyk, Kurt D. Carpenter, Andrew J. Arnsberg, Henry M. Johnson, Curt A. Hughes, Michael J. Sarantou, and Frank A. Rinella

Estimating Flow-Duration and Low-Flow Frequency Statistics for Unregulated Streams in Oregon, by John Risley, Adam Stonewall, and Tana Haluska

Estimated Depth to Ground Water and Configuration of the Water Table in the Portland, Oregon Area, by Daniel T. Snyder

Using the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory LT-MDL to Evaluate and Analyze Data, by Bernadine A. Bonn

View the complete list of 2007-08 Oregon Water Science Center publications

Of Current Interest

Study Reveals Escalating Endangerment for North American Freshwater Fish: Nearly 40 Percent Now At-Risk

The Columbia River white sturgeon is one of several threatened or endangered fish species in West Coast streams

Nearly 40 percent of fish species in North American streams, rivers and lakes are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed evaluation of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last 20 years.

The 700 fishes now listed represent a staggering 92 percent increase over the 364 listed as "imperiled" in the previous 1989 study published by the American Fisheries Society (AFS). Researchers classified each of the 700 fishes listed as either vulnerable (230), threatened (190), or endangered (280). In addition, 61 fishes are presumed extinct.

The new report, published in Fisheries, was conducted by a U.S. Geological Survey-led team of scientists from the United States, Canada and Mexico, who examined the status of continental freshwater and diadromous (those that migrate between rivers and oceans) fish.

"Freshwater fish have continued to decline since the late 1970s, with the primary causes being habitat loss, dwindling range and introduction of nonnative species," said Mark Myers, director of the USGS. "In addition, climate change may further affect these fish."

Regions with especially notable numbers of troubled fish include the Southeastern United States, the mid-Pacific coast, the lower Rio Grande and basins in Mexico that do not drain to the sea. The groups of fish most at risk are the highly valuable salmon and trout of the Pacific Coast and western mountain regions; minnows, suckers and catfishes throughout the continent; darters in the Southeastern United States; and pupfish, livebearers, and goodeids, a large, native fish family in Mexico and the Southwestern United States.

Read the news release.

To access lists and conservation status of North American imperiled fishes by means of an interactive map, and to access the Fisheries article, go to the USGS-AFS Imperiled Fishes Web page.

Water for America Initiative

The 21st Century brings a new set of water resource challenges. Water shortage and use conflict have become more commonplace in many areas of the United States – even in normal water years – for irrigation of crops, for growing cities and communities, for energy production, and for the environment and species protected under the law. Much has changed since the last overall assessment of water resources for the Nation was published by the Water Resources Council in 1978. It is time for a comprehensive examination of water availability in the United States using what we have learned during the past thirty years and with up-to-date capabilities.

In response to a request from Congress, the USGS released a report in 2002 entitled, Concepts for National Assessment of Water Availability and Use, (Circular 1223). The circular outlines a broad framework by which a national assessment could take place and advocates using 21 Water Resources Regions for the study units. In 2005, USGS embarked on a pilot study of water availability in the Great Lakes Basin. The pilot focuses on understanding the dynamics of the water resources in the basin in terms of the flows and yields of both ground and surface water and demonstrates the importance of water-use data to quantifying water availability. These were the initial steps to building a comprehensive water availability initiative for America.

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