Dissolved solids in basin-fill aquifers and streams in the southwestern United States

Anning, David W.; Bauch, Nancy J.; Gerner, Steven J.; Flynn, Marilyn E.; Hamlin, Scott N.; Moore, Stephanie J.; Schaefer, Donald H.; Anderholm, Scott K.; Spangler, Lawrence E.

doi:10.3133/sir20065315

Cited by 31 publications

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“…10). In addition, Anning (2007) found that dissolvedsolids concentrations were decreasing over time in many streams of the Upper Colorado River water-resources region; however, the rate of decrease was greater downstream from salinity-control projects than upstream of the projects, implying their effectiveness in dissolved-solids control. Leib and Bauch (2008) also found downward trends in dissolved-solids concentrations in the Upper Colorado River water-resources region.…”

Section: Temporal Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In cases like the diversions to the Colorado River Aqueduct or the aqueducts of the Central Arizona Project, the water is conveyed hundreds of miles to the location of use. Much of the water is used for irrigation in an arid climate, and consequently the dissolved solids carried in the diverted water are not likely to be transported back to the Colorado River, but rather they are likely to accumulate in the soils or in the groundwater near the place of use (Anning, 2007).…”

Section: Accumulated Loads and Yieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dissolved-solids sources, loads, yields, and concentrations in streams of the conterminous United States

Anning¹,

Flynn²

2014

Scientific Investigations Report

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For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.Suggested citation: Anning, D.W, and Flynn, M.E., 2014, Dissolved-solids sources, loads, yields, and concentrations in streams of the conterminous United States: U. S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2014-5012, 101 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20145012. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii FOREWORDThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is committed to providing the Nation with reliable scientific information that helps to enhance and protect the overall quality of life and that facilitates effective management of water, biological, energy, and mineral resources (http://www.usgs.gov/). Information on the Nation's water resources is critical to ensuring long-term availability of water that is safe for drinking and recreation and is suitable for industry, irrigation, and fish and wildlife. Population growth and increasing demands for water make the availability of that water, measured in terms of quantity and quality, even more essential to the long-term sustainability of our communities and ecosystems.The USGS implemented the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991 to support national, regional, State, and local information needs and decisions related to water-quality management and policy (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa). The NAWQA Program is designed to answer: What is the quality of our Nation's streams and groundwater? How are conditions changing over time? How do natural features and human activities affect the quality of streams and groundwater, and where are those effects most pronounced? By combining information on water chemistry, physical characteristics, stream habitat, and aquatic life, the NAWQA Program aims to provide science-based insights for current and emerging water issues and priorities. From 1991 to 2001, the NAWQA Program completed interdisciplinary assessments and established a baseline understanding of water-quality conditions in 51 of the Nation's river basins and aquifers, referred to as Study Units (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/studies/ study_units.html ).National and regional assessments are ongoing in the second decade (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012) of the NAWQA Program as 42 of the 51 Study Units are selectively reassessed. These assessments extend the findings in the Study U...

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Section: Temporal Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accumulated Loads and Yieldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissolved-solids sources, loads, yields, and concentrations in streams of the conterminous United States

Anning¹,

Flynn²

2014

Scientific Investigations Report

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“…Sedimentary rocks are the largest natural source of dissolved solids to streams in the UCRB [40], including the Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale, the Paradox Member of the Pennsylvanian Hermosa Formation, and the Eocene Green River Formation [39]. Dissolution of carbonate rocks, including calcite and dolomite, release Ca, Mg, and HCO 3 ; dissolution of gypsum and anhydrite releases Ca and SO 4 ; dissolution of halite releases Na and Cl; and dissolution of silicate minerals releases Na, Ca, Mg, K, and HCO 3 [41]. Groundwater that comes into contact with these rocks will dissolve salts from these geologic units, which may then contribute to streamflow either through baseflow or as spring point sources [42].…”

Section: Dissolved Solids and Suspended Sediment In The Ucrbmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…River basin (UCRB) is the source of much of the more than 8 × 10 6 metric tons of dissolved solids (salinity) that flow annually past the Hoover Dam [4], including major cations such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, and major anions such as bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate. High dissolved-solids concentrations in the Colorado River cause substantial economic damage to water users, primarily through corrosion and reduced crop yields, with damages estimated to exceed $300 million dollars annually [2].…”

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confidence: 99%

Managing Salinity in Upper Colorado River Basin Streams: Selecting Catchments for Sediment Control Efforts Using Watershed Characteristics and Random Forests Models

Tillman

Anning

Heilman

et al. 2018

Water

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Elevated concentrations of dissolved-solids (salinity) including calcium, sodium, sulfate, and chloride, among others, in the Colorado River cause substantial problems for its water users. Previous efforts to reduce dissolved solids in upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) streams often focused on reducing suspended-sediment transport to streams, but few studies have investigated the relationship between suspended sediment and salinity, or evaluated which watershed characteristics might be associated with this relationship. Are there catchment properties that may help in identifying areas where control of suspended sediment will also reduce salinity transport to streams? A random forests classification analysis was performed on topographic, climate, land cover, geology, rock chemistry, soil, and hydrologic information in 163 UCRB catchments. Two random forests models were developed in this study: one for exploring stream and catchment characteristics associated with stream sites where dissolved solids increase with increasing suspended-sediment concentration, and the other for predicting where these sites are located in unmonitored reaches. Results of variable importance from the exploratory random forests models indicate that no simple source, geochemical process, or transport mechanism can easily explain the relationship between dissolved solids and suspended sediment concentrations at UCRB monitoring sites. Among the most important watershed characteristics in both models were measures of soil hydraulic conductivity, soil erodibility, minimum catchment elevation, catchment area, and the silt component of soil in the catchment. Predictions at key locations in the basin were combined with observations from selected monitoring sites, and presented in map-form to give a complete understanding of where catchment sediment control practices would also benefit control of dissolved solids in streams.

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“…'Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) surface water quality model developed by Schwarz et al (2006) was used to simulate salinity sources and transport in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) (Anning et al 2007;Kenney et al 2009Keum and Kaluarachchi 2015). After the initial SPARROW salinity analysis in the western USA by Anning et al (2007), Kenney et al (2009) focused on the UCRB and simulated salinity for water year 1991, which was estimated as a hydrological normal year. and extended the SPARROW salinity model for the salinity in the UCRB until 1998 but not any further due to the lack of evapotranspiration data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a decision-making methodology to design a water quality monitoring network

Keum

Kaluarachchi

2015

Environ Monit Assess

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The number of water quality monitoring stations in the USA has decreased over the past few decades. Scarcity of observations can easily produce prediction uncertainty due to unreliable model calibration. An effective water quality monitoring network is important not only for model calibration and water quality prediction but also for resources management. Redundant or improperly located monitoring stations may cause increased monitoring costs without improvement to the understanding of water quality in watersheds. In this work, a decision-making methodology is proposed to design a water quality monitoring network by providing an adequate number of monitoring stations and their approximate locations at the eight-digit hydrologic unit codes (HUC8) scale. The proposed methodology is demonstrated for an example at the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), where salinity is a serious concern. The level of monitoring redundancy or scarcity is defined by an index, station ratio (SR), which represents a monitoring density based on water quality load originated within a subbasin. By comparing the number of stations from a selected target SR with the available number of stations including the actual and the potential stations, the suggested number of stations in each subbasin was decided. If monitoring stations are primarily located in the low salinity loading subbasins, the average actual SR tends to increase, and vice versa. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of monitoring locations in 2011 is concentrated on low salinity loading subbasins, and therefore, additional monitoring is required for the high salinity loading subbasins. The proposed methodology shows that the SR is a simple and a practical indicator for monitoring density.

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Dissolved solids in basin-fill aquifers and streams in the southwestern United States

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Dissolved-solids sources, loads, yields, and concentrations in streams of the conterminous United States

Dissolved-solids sources, loads, yields, and concentrations in streams of the conterminous United States

Managing Salinity in Upper Colorado River Basin Streams: Selecting Catchments for Sediment Control Efforts Using Watershed Characteristics and Random Forests Models

Development of a decision-making methodology to design a water quality monitoring network

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