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National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) |
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The Nevada Basin and
Range (NVBR) study unit includes three hydrographic basins and adjacent
areas: (1) the Las Vegas Valley area, (2) the Carson River Basin, and (3)
the Truckee River Basin. The Las Vegas Valley area is in southern Nevada
and the Carson and Truckee River Basins are in northwestern Nevada and northeastern
California. The basins were selected for investigation because they (1)
contain more than 90 percent of Nevada's population; (2) include geologic
features, climate, vegetation, and hydrology representative of Basin and
Range physiography; (3) include areas where rapid urban and suburban population
growth has increased competition for limited water supplies; and (4) contain
various natural- and human-caused water-quality problems. |
During
Cycle 1 of NAWQA (1991-2000), most of the program's emphasis was
on characterizing the status of water quality. During Cycle II,
most of the program's emphasis will be on trends and understanding
factors that affect water quality. To describe trends, surface-water
sites that have been monitored since Cycle I will continue to be
monitored. Sub-unit surveys and land-use surveys will be re-sampled
to characterize decadal changes in ground-water quality. In addition,
lakes and reservoirs will be cored to characterize trends in the
deposition of hydrophobic contaminants. The goal of understanding
will focus on 2 topics that are important in the NVBR study unit:
contaminant transport to public supply wells and effects of urbanization
on streams. An extra year of intensive data collection is planned
for the first group of Cycle II study units to develop approaches
for these topics. Status and trends work will be front-loaded in
the first two years of Cycle II, and topics will be worked on during
the remaining years of the high-intensity phase.
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National
NAWQA Program
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The NAWQA Program of
the USGS is the primary source of long-term, nationwide information on the
quality of streams, ground water, and aquatic ecosystems. In more than 50
major river basins and aquifers across the nation, USGS scientists collect
and assess information on water chemistry, hydrology, land use, stream habitat,
and aquatic life. |
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For Further Information on the
NAWQA Program:
Michael Rosen, Ph.D.
Project Chief
USGS
333 W. Nye Lane
Carson City, NV 89706
(775) 887-7683
Email: mrosen@usgs.gov
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