USGS collects data at the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway

Noteworthy

National & Regional Science:

• OFR 2012-5228: Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
• Fact Sheet: Tracking and Forecasting the Nation's Water Quality Priorities and Strategies for 2013–2023
• An Economic Value of Remote-Sensing Information: Application to Agricultural Production and Maintaining Groundwater Quality
• WaterNow: Get current water conditions by text or email
• Press Release: Research, Response for Future Oil Spills: Lessons Learned from Deepwater Horizon

Local Science Features:

• Arkansas: No Contamination from Fayetteville Shale Exploration Found in Sampled Wells
• Kansas: Cyanobacteria and associated toxins in the Kansas River

Past listings...

Water Quality Data

National Water Information System (NWIS)

NWIS provides current and historical water-quality data.

Today's Water Conditions

Water-Quality Watch provides continuous real-time water-quality measurements.

Water-Quality Web Services

Web services automate the sharing of USGS and USEPA water-quality monitoring data.

For More Data

Additional water-quality data resources are available.

USGS in Your Area

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Selected Water-Quality Publications

• All USGS water-resources reports available online can be accessed from the USGS Publications Warehouse.
• Order USGS Products from the USGS Store or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.
• Other collections of USGS water-quality publications:
  • Toxic Substances Hydrology Program Bibliography
  • National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program Publications
• USGS Water Quality Technical Memos are available online
• All USGS Publications, Maps, and Imagery

Publications

Selected USGS publications USGS water-quality activities and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

• OFR 2012-5228: Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
• Journal Article: Scientific basis for safely shutting in the Macondo Well after the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon blowout
• Press Release: Research, Response for Future Oil Spills: Lessons Learned from Deepwater Horizon
• OFR 2012-1153: Benthic Community Structure and Composition in Sediment from the Northern Gulf of Mexico Shoreline, Texas to Florida
• Department of Interior Strategic Sciences Working Group, Mississippi Canyon 252/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Progress Report 2, April 2012 [3.6MB PDF]
• OFR 2011-1271: Organic contaminants, trace and major elements, and nutrients in water and sediment sampled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
• OFR 2011-1199: Characterization of Sediments from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Shorelines, Texas to Florida
• OFR 2011-1151: A Survey of Microbial Community Diversity in Marine Sediments Impacted by Petroleum Hydrocarbons from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Shorelines, Texas to Florida
• OFR 2011-1059: A survey of alterations in microbial community diversity in marine sediments in response to oil from the Deepwater Horizon Spill: Northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline, Texas to Florida
• OFR 2011-1098: USGS Protocol for Sample Collection in Response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Gulf of Mexico, 2010
• OFR 2011-1078: Sediment Pore-Water Toxicity Test Results and Preliminary Toxicity Identification of Post-Landfall Pore-Water Samples Collected Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Release, Gulf of Mexico, 2010
• OFR 2010-1318: Determination of the Anionic Surfactant Di(Ethylhexyl) Sodium Sulfosuccinate in Water Samples Collected from Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters Before and After Landfall of Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, May to October, 2010
• GIP123: Science supporting Gulf of Mexico oil-spill response, mitigation, and restoration activities
• OFR 2011-1022: Shoreline Surveys of Oil-Impacted Marsh in Southern Louisiana, July to August 2010
• OFR 2011-1014: Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Sediment from the Northern Gulf of Mexico Shoreline, Texas to Florida
• OFR 2010-1290: Reconnaissance of Macondo-1 Well Oil in Sediment and Tarballs from the Northern Gulf of Mexico Shoreline, Texas to Florida
• OFR 2010-1191: Sampling Protocol for Post-Landfall Deepwater Horizon Oil Release, Gulf of Mexico, 2010 (This report superseded by OFR 2011-1098)
• Journal Article: A Role for Analytical Chemistry in Advancing our Understanding of the Occurrence, Fate, and Effects of Corexit Oil Dispersants
• OFR 2010-1107: A Rapid Method for Creating Qualitative Images Indicative of Thick Oil Emulsion on the Ocean's Surface from Imaging Spectrometer Data)
• OFR 2010-1132: Estimated Minimum Discharge Rates of the Deepwater Horizon Spill-Interim Report to the Flow Rate Technical Group from the Mass Balance Team
• OFR 2010-1108: Effects of Building a Sand Barrier Berm to Mitigate the Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Louisiana Marshes
• OFR 2010-1101: A Method for Qualitative Mapping of Thick Oil Spills Using Imaging Spectroscopy

For additional publications:

• USGS Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill response: Up-to-date information, including complete list of USGS publications, data, and multimedia from the latest USGS spill response activities
• RestoreTheGulf.gov: U.S. federal government portal for Deepwater BP oil spill response and recovery information, data, news, and resources

National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data

National field manual for the collection of water-quality data: USGS Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 9, chaps. A1-A9

• Factsheet: Water-Quality Sampling by the USGS — Standard Protocols and Procedures
• Comments and Errata
• A1. Preparations for Water Sampling
• A2. Selection of Equipment for Water Sampling
• A3. Cleaning of Equipment for Water Sampling
• A4. Collection of Water Samples
• A5. Processing of Water Samples
• A6. Field Measurements
• A7. Biological Indicators
• A8. Bottom-Material Samples
• A9. Safety in Field Activities

Selected USGS Water-Quality Publications

Fact Sheets (FS)

A Primer on Water Quality, USGS Fact Sheet 027-01.

NASQAN--A Program to Monitor the Water Quality of the Nation's Large Rivers, Fact Sheet FS-055-97

Techniques and Methods (TM) & Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations (TWRI)

Procedures for Developing Models To Predict Exceedances of Recreational Water-Quality Standards at Coastal Beaches, U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods book 6, chap. B5.

Guidelines and Standard Procedures for Continuous Water-Quality Monitors: Station Operation, Record Computation, and Data Reporting, U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 1-D3.

Scientific Investigation Reports (SIR) & Water-Resources Investigations Reports (WRIR)

Guidelines for Design and Sampling for Cyanobacterial Toxin and Taste-and-Odor Studies in Lakes and Reservoirs, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008-5038.

StreamVOC--A Deterministic Source-Apportionment Model to Estimate Volatile Organic Compound Concentrations in Rivers and Streams, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5110.

Comparability of Suspended-Sediment Concentration and Total Suspended Solids Data, Water-Resources Investigations Report WRIR 00-4191 (pdf=1Mb) and Adjustment of Total Suspended Solids Data for Use in Sediment Studies (pdf=2Mb).

A Retrospective Analysis on the Occurrence of Arsenic in Ground-Water Resources of the United States and Limitations in Drinking-Water-Supply Characterizations, Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4279.

External Quality-Assurance Results for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network, 1995-96, Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4072.

USGS Guidelines and Standard Procedures for Studies of Ground-Water Quality: Selection and Installation of Wells, and Supporting Documentation Water-Resources Investigations Report 96-4233

The Computer Program Estimate Trend (ESTREND), A System for the Detection of Trends in Water-Quality Data, Water-Resources Investigations Report 91-4040

Open-File Reports (OFR)

A Guide to the Proper Selection and Use of Federally Approved Sediment and Water-Quality Samplers, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1087.

Selected Laboratory Evaluations of the Whole-Water Sample-Splitting Capabilities of a Prototype Fourteen-Liter Teflon^® Churn Splitter, Open-File Report 01-386

New Reporting Procedures Based on Long-Term Method Detection Levels and Some Considerations for Interpretation of Water-Quality Data Provided by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory, Open-File Report 99-193.

USGS Protocol for the Collection of Processing of Surface-Water Samples for the Subsequent Determination of Inorganic Constituents in Filtered Water, Open-File Report 94-539

Water Supply Papers (WSP)

Study and Interpretation of the Chemical Characteristics of Natural Water, Water Supply Paper 2254

Professional Paper (PP)

Transport, Behavior and Fate of Volatile Organic Compounds in Streams, Professional Paper 1589

Abstracts, Articles, and Other Publications

More Than Obvious: Better Methods for Interpreting Nondetect Data: Helsel, Dennis R., 2005, Environmental Science and Technology, A-Pages, v. 39, no. 20, p. 419A-423A.

Comparison of Seven Protocols to Identify Fecal Contamination Sources Using Escherichia coli (pdf), USGS-authored article in Environmental Science and Technology.

A Comparison of Load Estimates Using Total Suspended Solids and Suspended-Sediment Concentration Data, in American Society of Civil Engineering's Proceeding of the World Water and Environmental Resources Congress, May 20-24, 2001 (pdf = 67 Kb)

The proceedings of the technical meeting, "Animal Feeding Operations: Effects on Hydrologic Resources and the Environment," held in Fort Collins, CO, Aug. 30 - Sept. 1, 1999, are online as USGS Open-File Report 00-204 on the Proceedings page of the AFO Web site.

Report on hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico: Flux and Sources of Nutrients in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (see Topic 3).

The Solubility of Nitrogen, Oxygen and Argon in Water and Seawater, Weiss, 1970 (pdf).

Additional USGS Water-Quality-Related Publications

Publications on Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations

Ground Water Atlas of the United States

National Water-Quality Assessment Program Publications

Ohio Water Science Center's Microbiology Program

Water-Quality-Related Publications from other Sources

The Bromide Tracer reading list

The Rhodamine WT Tracer reading list

National Irrigation Water Quality Program - Bibliography of Published Studies

The National Park Service Environmental Contaminants Encyclopedia

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