U.S. Geological Survey
Water Resources Discipline, Central Region, Denver, Colorado

156th Committee Meeting
Oct. 17-19, 2006
Eureka Springs, Arkansas

As part of its national mission the United States Geological Survey (USGS) operates data-collection networks for the purpose of monitoring the water resources of the United States.  Within the Arkansas, White, and Red River Basins the surface-water sites include about 450 continuous-recording streamflow gages and more than 300 surface-water quality sampling sites, some of which are equipped with continuous monitors.  In addition, a variety of other sites, such as partial-record stations and precipitation stations, are also operated.  The data collected from these networks are published annually and can be obtained from individual USGS District offices as soon as the data are reviewed.  Most stations are equipped with data-collection platforms and provide "real-time data" through satellite transmission.  In addition, the USGS conducts water-resource investigations that are published periodically.

The Arkansas Water Science Center operates 103 continuous-record streamflow gages, 18 partial-record gages, 8 stage-only gages, 47 rainfall gages, 76 surface-water quality stations (13 of which have continuous real-time recorders), and 1 NASQAN site in the Arkansas, White, and Red River Basins.  Ground-water levels are being measured in about 500 wells. Fifteen wells are real-time sites and nine wells are continuous recorder sites. Approximately 65 wells are sampled for water-quality determinations.  A basic data report is published annually.  Ground-water data and potentiometric-surface reports also are published annually.  These data are collected as a part of the USGS’ Collection of Basic Records program; ongoing cooperative work with local State and Federal agencies; and in support of the Arkansas River Compact Commission, the Red River Compact Commission, and the Union County Water Conservation Board.

Water-quality data are currently being collected at 14 stream sites and 9 lake sites in the White River Basin, 14 stream sites and 5 lake sites in the Arkansas River Basin, and  10 stream sites and 3 lake sites in the Red River Basin.   Water-quality data have been collected and a full water-quality model for Beaver Lake has been developed and calibrated.  The calibrated model was applied to evaluate how various nutrient and sediment loading scenarios into Beaver Lake effect the reservoir water quality. A study was also completed on the occurrence of organic-wastewater constituents in selected streams in the Illinois, Spavinaw, and White River watersheds that are influenced by wastewater discharge. 

Several interpretive hydrologic investigations are being conducted in Arkansas.  A study to establish a set of regionalized equations to predict the 2- year and 7-year low-flow for streams in Arkansas is ongoing.  Six USGS Water Resources Investigations Reports documenting results from six separate ground-w ater flow and optimization models were released at 3 separate press conferences.  These reports are available for download at the USGS website ar.water.usgs.gov.   The reports documented past and future hydrologic conditions in the Sparta and alluvial aquifers, as well as sustainable-yield estimates from ground and surface water.  The alluvial aquifer, which is in hydraulic connection with the lower White and Arkansas Rivers, is an important source of agricultural and irrigation water.  The Sparta is a primary source of water for industrial and municipal use.  Both aquifers have been over pumped and are experiencing massive cones of depression in some areas. 

As a follow up to published ground-water modeling analyses of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, the USGS performed additional conjunctive-use optimization modeling to assess the impact of varying planned withdrawals from the White and Arkansas Rivers as part of the Grand Prairie and Bayou Meto Irrigation Projects. The alluvial aquifer, which is in hydraulic connection with the lower White and Arkansas Rivers, is an important source of agricultural and irrigation water.   If planned deliveries of water from the Arkansas and White Rivers are set to zero, and potential additional withdrawals from other rivers specified within the model are removed, then the long-term sustainable yield from ground water produced from the alluvial aquifer increases.  An additional analysis of potential ground-water withdrawals from a site near Pine Bluff, AR adjacent to the Arkansas River showed that about 39 million gallons per day could be produced sustainably, which is more than the amount of water being pumped from the Sparta aquifer by a large paper mill in the area.

Model simulations of the impact of proposed pumping from wells owned by municipalities in Lonoke County were developed by the USGS. The purpose of the models was to assess future impacts of pumping to water levels in the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer out to the end of the year 2049.  Water level changes were assessed in a multi-county area surrounding the area of proposed pumping.  Changes in the number of dry cells in the model area after 46 years of pumping were also assessed.

A proposal to study the feasibilty of artificial recharge of the alluvial aquifer using constructed wetlands in conjunction with specially constructed trenches, recharge galleries, and wells was developed in conjunction with staff from Arkansas State University. Potential study site locations are near Weiner, AR and at the UAPB Experimental Farm near Lonoke, AR.

A computer model of hydrodynamics and dissolved oxygen in Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Norfork Reservoirs has recently been developed and calibrated to evaluate probable impacts of proposed minimum flow changes.  Water-quality data have been collected and a full water-quality model for Beaver Reservoir has been developed and calibrated.  The calibrated model is currently being used to evaluate how various nutrient and sediment loading scenarios into Beaver Lake effect the reservoir water quality. Stream flow and nutrient flux have been investigated in the Buffalo River and two of its major tributaries.  Recharge area delineation and water quality of four public water supply springs in north-central Arkansas has recently been investigated.

The Ozark Plateaus National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, headquartered in Arkansas, includes portions of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.  Numerous technical reports and fact sheets on ground- and surface-water quality and aquatic ecology have been published since the study began in 1991.  During the low intensity phase of the Ozark Plateaus NAWQA program, periodic sampling for nutrients, pesticides, suspended sediment, fecal-indicator bacteria, sulfate, and chloride, and fish, macroinvertebrate, and periphyton communities occurred at two to three surface-water sites in the White River Basin.  Six wells in the Springfield Plateau aquifer in southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma were sampled for a similar list of constituents in the springs of 2002 and 2005.  A reconnaissance of more than 60 sites in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma took place in the summer of 2005.  Thirty of these sites spanning a range of nutrient concentrations in forested and agricultural settings in the White River, Arkansas River, and Missouri River Basins were sampled during the summer of 2006.  Samples were collected for analysis of nutrients and suspended sediment, periphyton communities, benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and fish communities. Seven of these sites will be sampled seasonally for nutrients, suspended sediment, periphyton, and macroinvertebrates during 2007.

The Colorado Water Science Center currently operates 76 recording streamflow gages and 3 gages on reservoirs within the Arkansas River Basin. All streamflow stations are equipped with satellite telemetry, which allows near real-time access to the data through http://water.usgs.gov. Continuous recording water-quality monitors are operated at 17 sites. Periodic water-quality data are collected at 41 surface-water sites, 6 sites in Pueblo reservoir, and 160 wells. Suspended-sediment data are collected at 31 sites. Water-level measurements are made annually or more frequently in about 560 wells.

The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, High Plains Regional Ground-Water Study started in October 1998.  Studies conducted during the first 2 years of intensive data collection were located in Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle north of Amarillo.  These studies included a broad-scale assessment of water quality in the Ogallala Formation and the Quaternary deposits; an investigation of the quality of recently recharged ground water under irrigated fields in the Ogallala Formation and under recent commercial and residential development in alluvial deposits in Wichita, Kansas; a water-quality comparison study, in which 15 public-supply wells were sampled and compared against 15 nearby domestic wells; a transect study within the Ogallala Formation along the Kansas/Oklahoma state line to examine vertical gradients in ground-water chemistry and age; and unsaturated-zone studies to measure recharge rates and chemical fluxes to the water table under irrigated fields.  Studies conducted during the third year of intensive data collection were located in the Texas Panhandle south of Amarillo.  These studies included a broad-scale assessment of ground-water quality in the Ogallala Formation; a transect study within the Ogallala Formation to examine vertical gradients in ground-water chemistry and age; and unsaturated-zone studies to measure recharge rates and chemical fluxes to the water table under irrigated fields. During the fourth year, efforts were split between an irrigated agricultural (cotton) Land Use Study in the southern High Plains and several ground-water quality studies in the northern High Plains. The northern High Plains studies include a broad-scale assessment of the Ogallala Formation in which approximately 50 domestic-supply wells were sampled during this initial effort; a transect study that began with the installation of multiple-completion wells at four sites along a hypothetical flowline, and unsaturated-zone studies to measure recharge rates and chemical fluxes to the water table under rangeland and irrigated fields. The work in the northern High Plains is designed to complement similar work that has taken place in the central and southern High Plains.

The Kansas District currently operates 63 continuous-record stream gages, 7 stage only gages, 3 irrigation ditch gages, 1 lake gage, 10 crest-stage gages, and 3 continuous-record ground-water level recorders in the Arkansas River Basin.  Periodic water levels are collected at 115 wells in the Arkansas River Basin near Wichita. Water-quality samples are collected at 4 of the streamflow stations, 3 continuous-record ground-water wells, and 115 short-term project stations.  Continuous-record water quality are logged and transmitted real-time from 4 surface-water stations and 1 lake gage.  All continuous-record surface-water and ground-water stations are equipped with DCP's and most of the streamflow stations have rain gages installed.  Support for these data collection is provided by USGS, State agencies, other Federal agencies, various local governments, and the Arkansas River Compact Administration.

A USGS real-time water quality notification system has been developed in Kansas.  Five of the 14 sites in Kansas are located in the Arkansas River Basin. Information provided by this system can be used to improve drinking water treatment and to monitor the environment.  The real-time water quality information includes hourly sensor measurements of streamflow, specific conductance, pH, water temperature, turbidity, and chlorophyll.  Statistical models are then applied to the hourly values and concentrations of other water quality chemicals can be estimated, such as fecal coliform bacteria.  The hourly values and information on the real-time water-quality notification system are available on the Internet at http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/rtqw/ .

The Kansas District is continuing work on a cooperative study with the city of Wichita to collect and interpret water quantity and quality data for the Equus Beds Ground-Water Recharge Demonstration Project in south-central Kansas.  The objective of this endeavor is to collect and interpret the data necessary to evaluate two ground-water recharge and recovery techniques, including the impacts on water quality, design criteria, and problems associated with infiltration of streamflow.  Interpretation of the results of data collection activities and evaluation of the effectiveness of the recharge techniques are being published in a series of articles that can be found at http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/equus.

The USGS Kansas Water Science Center is continuing work on a cooperative study with the City of Wichita and the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation on water quality in Cheney Reservoir and the surrounding watershed.  Cheney Reservoir serves and both a drinking water supply and a recreational resource for the City of Wichita.  The primary objectives of this study are to:  1) continue quantification of watershed contributions of nutrients, sediment, total dissolved solids, and herbicides to Cheney Reservoir, 2) link watershed inputs with reservoir water quality, and 3) determine relations between reservoir water quality, algal community structure and dynamics, and cyanobacterial production of taste-and-odor compounds and toxins.  In addition to standard real-time water-quality monitors nitrate and blue-green algae monitors are also being utilized for this project.  Numerous other reports have been published and are accessible on the project website at http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/qw/cheney.

Historic lead and zinc mining in the tri-state area of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma has left a legacy of contaminated streams and surface-water impoundments. An assessment of this contamination was begun in 2004 as a cooperative study between the USGS Kansas Water Science Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The initial phase of the study evaluated trace element concentrations in streambed sediment at 87 locations in the Kansas part of the tri-state area (a superfund site established in 1983). Concentrations of cadmium, lead, and zinc in streambed sediment were as large as two orders of magnitude greater than sediment-quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. The second phase of the assessment will examine the historic accumulation of trace elements in the bottom sediment of Empire Lake, the largest surface-water impoundment in the study area.

In 2005, the USGS Kansas Water Science Center and Kansas Water Office began a cooperative study to evaluate ground-water availability and quality in the Ozark and Springfield aquifers of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma. A regional ground-water flow model will be developed to simulate the effects of existing and proposed municipal and industrial ground-water withdrawal rates on ground-water levels. Pumping stress also may induce changes in water quality. Results of this study will help water managers assess the availability of ground water in their areas, to determine the effects of pumping on groundwater levels, and to assess the potential for possible future contamination of wells.

The Louisiana Water Science Center operates 62 continuous-recording stream gages (16 continuous discharge gages, 46 continuous stage gages), 5 lake and reservoir gages, 21 crest-stage gages, 27 flood-profile gages  stations in the Red River Basin.  As part of the Louisiana real-time monitoring network, 41 of the continuous gages have Data Collection Platforms (DCP’s), and 32 sites have rain gages.  Included in the real-time network are 19 stage-rain gages in the Caddo-Bossier Parish area near Shreveport, Louisiana.  The Louisiana District operates a statewide ground-water-level and quality network of which 71 water-level sites and 20 water-quality sites are located in the Red River Basin..

The Missouri Water Science Center currently operates 34 continuous-record streamflow gages, 5 stage-only gages, 5 crest-stage gages, and 21 rain gages in the White and Arkansas River Basins.  Water-quality data are collected at 33 sites in the White and Arkansas River Basins.  Continuous-record dissolved oxygen and water temperature data are collected from July through December at two surface-water stations.  These data collection efforts are done in cooperation with local, state, and other federal government agencies. The center has three investigative studies underway in the Missouri part of the basin, a surface-water quality study of the Elk River basin, a ground-water model in the Springfield, Missouri area, and a source-water assessment of springs and streams along the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers in the ONSR (Ozark National Scenic Riverways).

Elk River study - Confined animal feeding operations, land application of manure, excessive fertilizer use, leaking septic tanks, and urban runoff are suspected of degrading the water quality, with respect to nutrient concentrations, in the Elk River Basin.  The USGS is conducting a study to determine which sub-basins in the Elk River Basin are contributing the largest volume of nutrients to the system and to determine the source(s) of the nutrients.  The study includes storm-runoff, routine water-quality, and sediment sampling. In addition to nutrients and fecal bacteria, selected sites are monitored for pharmaceuticals. The data will be used by resource managers as part of a phase II total maximum daily load assessment.  The findings of this study are scheduled to be published by October 1, 2007.

ONSR source-water assessment -Beginning in 2005, the USGS begin a three-year source-water assessment of springs and streams in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.  Project tasks include conducting a geohydrologic investigation to better define the extent and locations of spring recharge areas, an inventory of potential contaminant sources in spring recharge areas and the Current and Jacks Fork watersheds, and to develop and implement, with the National Park Service, a methodology for integrating information about the number, type, and distribution of potential contaminant sources.  The findings of this study are scheduled to be published by October 1, 2008.

Greene County ground-water model -In October 2006, the USGS began a ground-water modeling study of Greene County, Missouri. The model will include the surficial and deeper aquifer in the region and stream and spring flows. The study in being conducted in cooperation with the Greene County Resource Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District.

The New Mexico Water Science Center, within the Arkansas River Basin, operates 18 continuous-record streamflow gages, 4 lake or reservoir gages, and 3 water-quality sampling sites.  In addition, data was collected at 15 crest-stage partial record sites.  Ground-water data are collected semi-annually at 10 wells, and at 5-year intervals at about 190 wells.

Currently, there are no interpretive studies within the Arkansas or Red River basins.

The Oklahoma Water Science Center is located within the Arkansas and Red River Basins and collects surface-water and discharge data from 148 continuous recording stream gages, 21 lake and reservoir gages, and 32 other surface-water sites.  Surface-water-quality data are collected at 25 continuous monitoring sites and 31 miscellaneous sites.  Event-flow water-quality samples are collected at 19 surface-water stations in five separate basins.  Ground-water levels are measured at 4 continuous sites and annually at 250 wells.  Four surface-water and two ground-water sites were added this year.

A continuing study within the Norman Landfill Research Site is a study of a small wetland that overlies the leachate plume.  Many closed landfills are located on alluvial deposits near rivers and a large number of those landfills are near wetlands.  Research at other sites has shown that wetlands may be able to reduce contaminant concentrations.  The wetland at Norman Landfill overlies the leachate plume, and leachate-contaminated ground water interacts with the wetland.  We are studying the exchange of water between the wetland and the leachate-contaminated ground water to determine if the wetland reduces the contaminant concentrations.

The World Wide Web site about Norman Landfill can be viewed at: http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/organic/norman.htm

The study determining Trends in Peak Flows of Selected Streams in Oklahoma has been published.  This study has determined whether significant trends exist in the magnitude of annual peak discharge and mean-annual flow.

A study has begun in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to develop an internet-based web-based application (StreamStats) for Oklahoma.  It will:

• Automatically measure basin and climatic characteristics for ungaged sites using GIS;

• Provide published streamflow statistics, basin and climatic characteristics, and other information for data-collection stations contained in published streamflow statistsics reports.

• Provide estimates of flood-frequency statistics, basin and climatic characteristics, and other information for user-selected points on ungaged streams; and

• Link to USGS NWIS on line data.

The USGS, Oklahoma Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Osage Tribe, Department of Energy, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the effects of hydrocarbons and produced water (brines) on soil and ground and surface water (Osage-Skiatook Petroleum Environmental Research Project).  These findings will help mitigate effects of those products at similar sites throughout the nation.  Information can be viewed on the USGS, Oklahoma Center home page at: http://ok.water.usgs.gov/public/skiatook

The investigation at Tar Creek Super Fund Site in cooperation with Oklahoma University the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has been completed.  Following the release of  a multi-agency study on the potential hazard of subsidence in the Picher Mining District a buyout of residences is being offered. Virtually all funds have been diverted to the buyout effort resulting in a cessation of remedial work and investigations. USGS has participated in multiple projects at Tar Creek and operates three water-quality and surface water gages in the area. EPA has agreed to fund two surface-water gages on Tar Creek and the remaining gage on Beaver Creek is not supported at this time.

The study for Production Well-Head Arsenic Remediation in Western Cleveland County, Oklahoma, continues in cooperation with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oklahoma State University (OSU), the City of Norman and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).  This is a 2-year research program investigating the source, transport, and chemistry of naturally-occurring arsenic in the Central Oklahoma (Garber-Wellington) Aquifer. This year, USGS is collecting depth-dependent samples in 10 marginal City of Norman production wells to determine the depths that are contributing arsenic.  This new technology, developed by the USGS, allows sampling from public-supply well during normal operation.  In early October, USGS drilled a 730-foot test hole and retrieved rock and zonal water samples from the lower 430 feet. The purposes of the test hole are: 1) to quantify the amount of arsenic in water at different sand zones in the multilevel aquifer, 2) to test the predictive ability of geohydrologic models proposed by Oklahoma State University, and 3) to collect rock core for use in EPA laboratory experiments. The information generated from this research may help local municipalities remediate public-supply wells, as well as site future production wells in areas where arsenic poses no risk. The project field work has been completed in late 2005 and the report is in final review in 2006.

The Characterization of the Ada-Vamoosa Aquifer on the Osage Reservation study is to characterize areas of maximum potential well yield in the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer in the Osage Reservation. The USGS will use existing hydrologic data from wells in the aquifer and perform aquifer recovery tests on selected wells to construct a map of the potential well yield based on specific capacity and hydraulic conductivity. 

The Oklahoma Water Science Center continues working with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Geological Survey, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Ground-Water Risk Management Laboratory, Ada, OK, in an investigation of the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer in southern Oklahoma. The Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer study is funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of Oklahoma. The USGS is constructing a ground-water flow model to test water management options for the aquifer. The USGS recently published the results of an investigation of the gravitational field near Chickasaw National Recreation Area near Sulphur:

Scheirer, Daniel S.; Scheirer, Allegra Hosford, 2006, Gravity investigations of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, south-central Oklahoma: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1083.

 This publication can be found at: http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/ofr/ofr20061083

The Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer study is funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and the State of Oklahoma.

The USGS, Oklahoma Water Science Center in cooperation with the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Grazing Lands Research Lab has begun studying Nutrient Constituent Loading in the Fort Cobb Reservoir Drainage Basin.  The purpose is to monitor inflow to Fort Cobb Lake, land use changes, and nutrient and sediment loading of major tributaries under the National Resources Conservation Service Conservation Environmental Assessment Project.  This will quantify varying changes in conservation practices and stream-flow chemical loading.  A digital atlas is currently being compiled for the Fort Cobb Reservoir Basin that will include; biological, water, chemical, land use, etc.  The information will be in cooperation with the ARS and other agencies.

The Texas Water Science Center operates 34 continuous record streamflow stations, 1 flood-hydrograph partial-record station, 21 continuous record stage reservoir stations, and 1 continuous record stage and contents reservoir station in the Arkansas and Red River Basins. Four of the continuous record stations are in the Canadian River Basin (subbasin of the Arkansas River Basin) and the remaining are in the Red River Basin.  Periodic chemical-quality data are available for 13 stations located in the Red River Basin and one site, Canadian River near Amarillo, in the Arkansas River Basin. The number of periodic sampling sites will slightly increase above 2006 levels. Continuous record temperature and conductivity data are available for 13 stations located in the Red River Basin and one site, Canadian River near Amarillo, in the Arkansas River Basin. Many of the water quality and streamflow sites are associated with the Chloride Control Project, Corps of Engineers, Tulsa.

The Arsenic Study of Lake Arrowhead will continue in 2007. Arsenic is a drinking water concern for public water supply entities. The study began in 2006 on Lake Arrowhead and included monthly water quality sampling of the reservoir, beginning in January and ending in September. Several lake sediment cores were collected during late summer. The sediment cores were sampled at intervals approximating the sedimentation rate and analyzed for Arsenic and selected trace metals. Chemical analysis of the sediment cores will help define water-quality trends in the reservoir. Streamflow water quality samples were alsocollected from tributaries to help identify sources of arsenic during high flow and low flow conditions.

Annually, three (winter, spring, summer) water-quality surveys are conducted on Wright Patman Lake near Texarkana, TX for the Fort Worth Corps of Engineers. Three inflow sites and one outflow site are included in the lake survey. Data collected  provide a means to evaluate temporal water quality changes in Wright Patman and are used by regulatory agencies evaluating water quality standards for the reservoir.

Additional water-quality data are being collected and analyzed for the Red River Authority's Clean Rivers Program monitoring plan.   Data include a water-quality continuous monitor and sampling for major ions, bacteria, and nutrients 4 times per year at 1 site.

A study will begin in 2007 to determine streamflow quantity and water quality (bromide concentrations, bromide loads, and salinity) of the Red River from Lake Texoma to the Arkansas border at selected locations. Water-quality samples will collected during high-flow and low-flow events in order to cover all ranges of streamflow experienced during the 2 year period. High-flow sampling is very important in determining loads because the majority of loads, for many constituents, are transported during high-flow events. This approach would utilize a network of stream gages, continuous water-quality monitors, and periodic discrete sampling. Sample analysis will consist of bromide and common anions/cations. Bromide concentrations will also be determined for Lake Texoma temporally and spatially through surveys at eight sites in the lake. Bromide concentrations would be determined from discrete samples in the water column selected on attendant observations of dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, and temperature. Three lake surveys are planned: early spring, summer (during anoxic conditions), and after a significant storm event in the Lake Texoma region.

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