Water quality in the upper Mississippi River basin, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa, and North Dakota, 1995-98

Abstract

Water quality is discussed in terms of local and regional issues and compared to conditions in 36 NAWQA study areas, called study units, assessed to date. Findings are also explained in the context of selected national benchmarks, such as those for drinkingwater quality and the protection of aquatic organisms. The NAWQA Program was not intended to assess the quality to the Nation's drinking water, such as by monitoring water from household taps. Rather, the assessments focus on the quality of the resource itself, thereby complementing many ongoing Federal, State, and local drinking-water monitoring programs. The comparisons made in this report to drinking-water standards and guidelines are only in the context of the available untreated resource. Finally, this report includes information about the status of aquatic communities and the condition of in-stream habitat as elements of the complete water-quality assessment.Many topics covered in this report reflect the concerns of officials of State and Federal agencies, water-resource managers, and members of stakeholder groups who provided advice and input during the Study Unit assessment. Basin residents who wish to know more about water quality in the areas where they live will find this report informative as well.THE NAWQA PROGRAM seeks to improve scientific and public understanding of water quality in the Nation's major river basins and ground-water systems. Better understanding encourages effective resource management, accurate identification of water-quality priorities, and successful development of strategies that protect and restore water quality. Guided by a nationally consistent study design and shaped by ongoing communication with local, State, and Federal agencies, NAWQA assessments support the investigation of local issues and trends, while providing a firm foundation for understanding water quality at regional and national scales. The ability to integrate local and national scales of data collection and analysis is a unique feature of the NAWQA Program.The Upper Mississippi River Basin Study Unit is one of 51 water-quality assessments initiated since 1991, when the U.S. Congress appropriated funds for the USGS to begin the NAWQA Program. As indicated on the map, 36 assessments have been completed, and 15 assessments will conclude in 2001. Collectively, these assessments cover about one-half of the land area of the United States and include water resources that are available to more than 60 percent of the U.S. population.

Zinc Isotopic Signatures in Eight Lake Sediment Cores from Across the United States

“…The consistency of Zn concentrations near the top of the core indicates that land use and population growth likely stabilized by the late-1990s. Based on census data from 1970 and land cover digital data from 1990, we estimate that the Palmer Lake watershed represented reference conditions before 1975, was transitional between 1975 and 2000, and was urban after 2000. − The δ 66 Zn of the Palmer Lake sediment core samples changed from +0.37‰ at the bottom of the sediment core (1970) to +0.08‰ at the top of the core (2005) (Figure d). The mean δ 66 Zn for core in the reference, transitional, and urban periods was +0.35 ± 0.07‰ ( n = 2), +0.24 ± 0.07‰ ( n = 5), and +0.10 ± 0.07‰ ( n = 3), respectively (Table ).…”

Assessment of Water Quality in Asa River (Nigeria) and Its Indigenous Clarias gariepinus Fish

“…The quality of any body of surface or ground water is a function of either or both natural influences and human activities [2,3]. It is now generally accepted that aquatic environments cannot be perceived simply as holding tanks that supply water for human activities.…”

“…Water is vital to the existence of all living organisms, but this valued resource is increasingly being threatened as human populations grow and demand more water of high quality for domestic purposes and economic activities [ 1 ]. The quality of any body of surface or ground water is a function of either or both natural influences and human activities [ 2 , 3 ]. It is now generally accepted that aquatic environments cannot be perceived simply as holding tanks that supply water for human activities.…”

History of Mercury Loading in the Upper Mississippi River Reconstructed from the Sediments of Lake Pepin

“…The diverse characteristics of the three primary sub-watersheds (headwater Mississippi, Minnesota, St. Croix) result in broad differences in the makeup of the water leaving them. Nutrient, suspended sediment, and Hg concentrations and loads are much greater in the Minnesota River than in the headwater Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers ( , ). The Mississippi River integrates these diverse waters as it flows into Lake Pepin.…”