April 2024 USGS Water News

USGS scientists studying the Illinois River demonstrated how the often-overlooked river transport component of harmful algal blooms (HABs) can be quantified to better identify where, when, and why algae grow in river networks. The Illinois River basin is the site of several ongoing USGS IWAAs program projects.

The river transport article also is one of several USGS Proxies projects. For more information, contact USGS scientist, Noah Schmadel.

A recent USGS publication presents the Lake Trophic State - US dataset, a compilation of lake trophic state estimates for 55,662 lakes throughout the contiguous US (1984 – 2020). The work brings together sampling efforts from the US EPA's National Lake Assessment with the remotely-sensed Landsat archive to identify lake water quality shifts.

For more information, read the article or contact USGS scientist Michael Meyer.

USGS Scientists have created an interactive story map for rivers along the US-Canada border due to a shared desire to support human and ecological health. This story map, or geonarrative, provides a visual, multimedia experience of USGS science on these shared rivers.

See the story map, learn more about transboundary river monitoring, or contact USGS scientist Alex Headman.

We have developed a new baseflow forecast web tool that allows you to access baseflow forecasts at most active USGS streamgaging locations across the Nation. The tool assumes a “worst-case scenario” of persistent dry conditions and forecasts the lowest streamflow that is likely to be observed over the next 90 days.

For more information, access the tool, join us for a webinar demonstration at 11 AM PDT/2 PM EDT on Thursday, May 9^th, or contact USGS Scientist, Christopher Konrad.

USGS worked with EPA to expand the Health-Based Screening Levels (HSBLs) database to include 27 per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals. The database also reflects updated EPA procedures for drinking-water contaminants. The searchable HBSL database now contains 835 contaminants.

For more information, search the database or contact USGS scientist Cassandra Smith.