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Water Resources UpdateUSGS Illinois Water Science Center Newsletter

Spring/Summer 2007

Message from the DirectorRobert R. Holmes, Jr., PhD, P.E.

Table of Contents

MessagefromtheDirector.......................................................................................................................................................1NewAnnualReportImprovesDataConsistency.....................................................................................................................2EmployeeSpotlight..................................................................................................................................................................3ServingandStoringNAWQAEcologicalData........................................................................................................................4IllinoisStreamflowConditionsforApril2006throughMarch2007......................................................................................6U.S.GeologicalSurveyReal-TimeSewerFlowMonitoring...................................................................................................7USGSIllinoisWaterScienceCenterPublications...................................................................................................................8

U.S. Department of InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyIllinois Water Science Center1201 W University Ave Ste 100Urbana IL 61801-2347http://il.water.usgs.gov/

Compiled by D.M. Ayers and J.B. Sharpe

Iwrite thisarticlewhileonaplane returning froman internationalmeetingatSt.AnthonyFallsLab inMinneapolis,Minnesota,onthemeasurementofbedloadsedimenttransport.Myinvitationtothemeetingstemsfrommyownlongtimeresearchinterestinsedimenttransportandriverhydraulics.Themeasurementofbedload,definedasthosesedimentsthatmoveinariverinnear-constantcontactwiththebed,isimportantforanumberofscientificandengineeringpurposes.Theincreasinginterestinstreamrestorationinthepast20yearshasonlyheightenedtheneedtobeabletoreliablymeasureandpredictbedloadtransport.Themeetingwasconvenedtoexaminethestateofthescienceofbedloadtransportmeasurementandhowtoimproveit.Wediscussedeverythingfromthetraditionaltrapsamplers,whicharephysicallyloweredtothebedtocapturethebedloadintransport,tovariousacoustictechniques,includingtheuseofacousticDopplercurrentprofilers(ADCP)andhydrophones.TheU.S.GeologicalSurvey(USGS)haslongplayedacrucialroleinthedevelopmentofbedloadsamplers(aswellasmanyothertypesofsamplers,relatedequipment,andprocedures).

Oneof the topics that Ididnotexpect tobediscussedat themeetingwas themanagementof thedata itselfandhowimportantitistoproperlydocumentandstorethesedataandtheassociatedmetadatasothattheywillbeavailabletoscientistsandengineersforvariouspurposes.IwholeheartedlyagreewiththatoverridingpremisebecauseIfeelthattomaximizethepublicgood,datacollectedbyanypublicagencyorpubliclyfinancedresearchendeavorneedsproperandpermanentstorageandaccess.TheUSGShaslongexpendedmuchtimeandeffortinthemanagementanddisseminationofnotonlysedimentdatabutallofthehydrologic,geologic,geospatial,andbiologicdatawecollect.

ThisnewslettercontainsarticlesdiscussingsomeofthedatastorageanddisseminationeffortsoftheUSGS.ThefirstarticlehighlightsthenewversionoftheIllinoisWaterScienceCenterannualdatareport,whileanotherarticlediscussestheeffortsbyUSGStostoreanddisseminateecologicaldatacollectedaspartoftheongoingNationalWater-QualityAssessmentProgram.SeveralmembersoftheUSGSIllinoisWaterScienceCenterstaffhaveplayeduniqueandcrucialrolesinthedevelopmentofthesetwodatadisseminationeffortsovertheyears.Ihopeyouenjoythesearticles.

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Eachyear, theUSGSpublishesannualreports toprovidewater-resources data to the public. Data have been publishedovertheyearsinvariousformatsandmedia.TheUSGSbeganpublishingwater-resourcesdatastartingwiththe“TenthAnnualReport of the U.S. Geological Survey to the Secretary of theInterior,Part2:1888–1889.”From1896to1960,waterresourcesdata were published by river basin in USGS Water-SupplyPapers.From1961to2005,water-resourcesdatawerepublishedbyeachStateinpaperUSGSWater-DataReports.Toimprovedataaccessibility,theUSGSIllinoisWaterScienceCenterbeganaround1998publishinginteractiveWater-DataReportsindigitalformat.ThemostrecentinteractiveWater-DataReportforIllinoisisavailableoncompactdisc(CD)andontheWebathttp://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-il-05/start.htm. USGS headquartersrecentlydecidedtoprovidedatafromallStatesinaconsistentformat.Startingwiththe2006wateryear,aNationalWater-DataReport is available on the Web at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/wdr2006(fig.1).Thisreportprovidesdatainaconsistentformatforalldata-collectionsitesintheUnitedStates.

ThehomepageoftheNationalWater-DataReportprovidesa way to search for data across the country by State, county,riverbasin,ordatacollections.Toselectadatasite,forexample,

choosetheradiobutton“SearchbySiteNumber”andenterthesitenumber.Ifdataareavailable,thesitenumberandnamewillappearbelowthesearchwindow.Selectingthesitenumberwillprovideadescription,adatatable,andagraphofthedata(fig.2).Thehomepagealsoprovidesamaplink(Mapper),alinktodocumentation for the report (Documentation), and a link toadditionalsourcesofinformation(RelatedInformation).

Datacanbeobtainedbyusingthelink“Mapper”(fig.3)from the homepage, which is an interactive map showing thelocationofdatasites.Themapincludesfeaturessuchascounties,municipalities, roads, and streams. Some of the navigationfunctionsof themapincludezooming,panning,andselecting.Toobtaindata,choosethe“IdentifySites”iconandselectasitefromthemap.Thenchoose,“DownloaddataforthisSiteinPDFFormat”toobtainthedata.

Documentation for the National Report is available as alinkonthehomepage.Itconsistsofintroductorytextsimilartothat provided in previous Water-Data Reports. General topicsdescribedinthissectioninclude(1)downstreamorderandstationnumber, (2) numbering system for wells and miscellaneousrecords, (3) explanation of stage and water-discharge records,

New Annual Report Improves Data Consistencyby

John K. LaTour, Hydrologist

Figure1.NationalWater-DataReport. Figure2.Resultofasearchbasedonsitenumber.

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Figure3.InteractiveMapper.

(4)explanationofprecipitationrecords,(5)explanationofwater-qualityrecords,(6)surface-water-qualityrecords,(7)explanationofground-water-levelrecords,(8)ground-water-qualitydata,(9)definitionofterms,and(10)hydrologicconditions.

A “Related Information” link is available from thehomepagethatprovidesadditionalsourcesofinformationrelatedtoUSGSdataandpublications.Fromthislink,youcanaccessanextensivesourceofhistoricalandreal-timedatathroughtheNationalWaterInformationSystemWebsite:http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis,orlookatpastAnnualWater-DataReports.YoucancontactaWaterScienceCenter,viewasummaryofscienceactivitiesinyourState,doasearchofpublicationsthroughtheUSGSpublicationswarehouse,orviewtheTechniquesforWater-ResourcesInvestigations(TWRI)reports.TheTWRI’sdescribethemethodsusedtocollectwater-resourcesdata.Informationisalsoavailableaboutspecialdatanetworksandprograms,suchas the Hydrologic Benchmark Program, the National StreamQualityAccountingNetwork,theNationalTrendsNetworkforMonitoringAtmosphericDeposition,theNationalWater-QualityAssessmentProgram,andtheNationalStreamflowInformationProgram.

AdditionalinformationaboutdatapresentedintheNationalWater-DataReportandotherUSGSreportscanbeobtainedbycontacting theUSGSIllinoisWaterScienceCenterbymailat1201WestUniversityAvenue,Suite100,Urbana,Illinois61801-2347,by telephoneat (217)344-0037,orbyvisitingourWebsiteathttp://il.water.usgs.gov.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Gary P. Johnson(Chief, Hydrologic Data Collection

and Analysis Section)

Gary Johnson serves as the Chiefof the Hydrologic Data Collection andAnalysis Section of the USGS, IllinoisWater Science Center. As “Data Chief,”hiscurrentdutiesincludeoversightandadministrationoftheentire streamgage network throughout the State of Illinois,withanannualbudgetofover$2.4million.

GaryholdsaBSdegreeinGeneralEngineeringfromtheUniversity of Illinois (U of I) at Urbana-Champaign. Whilein school at the U of I, he worked as a Hydrologic Aid attheUSGSandwashired full-time in1990aftergraduation.BeforebecomingDataChief in2004,Garywas involved inavarietyofsurface-waterquantity,bathymetric,andsurface-waterqualityprojects.GaryhasbeentheprojectchiefoftheIllinoisSedimentProject since1993,with the responsibilityofmonitoringsedimentloadsatseveralstrategiclocationsinIllinois.Healsowasprojectchiefofnumerousotherwater-resources projects with an emphasis on sediment, nutrient,andpesticidetransportinwaterwaysandlakes.Garyrecentlywas involved in extensive researchofwater-mixingpatternsandwater-qualityeffectsfromaerationandmixingof lakes.Duringhis18-yearcareer,Garyhasauthoredorco-authored24USGSscientificreports.

Gary feels strongly that basic hydrologic data is thefoundationforwater resourcesendeavors.Healso feels thatthose data are often taken for granted by many in research,consulting, and water resources. In his current position,he sees first hand the diversity of users and applications ofUSGS streamflow data. Whether its an emergency managerusing USGS data to decide whether to evacuate during aflood, a highway engineer using USGS data to design abridge,acommunityplannerusingUSGSdata todeterminetheboundariesofadevelopment,ora localfishermanusingUSGSdatatodeterminewhenandwheretofish,GaryknowsthatUSGSdatahasaprofoundimpactonpeople’slives,butfewfullyappreciateit.Thus,oneofhisgoalsasDataChiefistospreadthewordaboutUSGSstreamgagingdata,andtodevelopbroadanddiverseappreciationandsupport.

GarygrewuparoundPeoria,Illinois.HisfamilyownedandoperatedatruckingbusinessthathauledU.S.Mail,heavyequipment,andagriculturalproducts,inadditiontooperatingafamilyfarmingoperation.Inhissparetime,Garylovestheoutdoors(hunting,fishing,andcamping),isanavidIllinisportsfan,andhascontinuedtobeinvolvedinagriculture.Hestillindependentlyfarmssomeofhisfamily’sacreageinDeWittCounty.Heandhiswife,ReneeMonfort,raiseStandardbredharnessracinghorsesathishomeinruralMahomet,Illinois.Theyalsoenjoypleasurehorsesandotheroutdooractivitiesalongwiththeirtwodaughters,Kathryn(9)andMeredith(7).

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Serving and Storing NAWQA Ecological Databy

Mitchell A. Harris, Ecologist

The USGS’s National Water-Quality Assessment(NAWQA) Program collects biological community samples(fish, invertebrates,andalgae) instreamsaspartofecologicalstudies.Informationfromtheseecologicalstudies,togetherwithchemicalandphysicaldata,provideanintegratedassessmentofwaterqualityatlocal,regional,andnationalscales.

TheNAWQAProgramfollowsthestandardbusinessprac-ticeofhavingtwotypesofdatamanagementsystems(warehouseandtransactional) tocollect,manage,anddistributeecologicaldata.TheNAWQAdatawarehousestoresdatainordertogener-ateinformationtomakedecisionsandtoservedatatothepublic.TheBiologicalTransactionalDatabase,knownasBioTDB,thetransactionalorproductiondatasystem,isdesignedtosupportday-to-dayoperationsoftheorganization,likehandlingthedatainputprocesses.

NAWQA Data Warehouse: The Public Face of Ecological Data

The NAWQA data warehouse contains data for environ-mentalsamplescollectedbytheNAWQAprogram.Overall,thewarehousecontainsdataforabout7,600surface-watersitesand8,100 wells across the country. Collectively, these data repre-sentabout14millionrecordsinthedatawarehouse.Biologicalcommunitydatafornearly16,000fish,algae,and invertebratesamples are available in the warehouse. Sampling approachesforthesesamplesvarydependingonthebiologicalcommunitythat is targeted (suchasfish)and the samplingobjectives (forinstance,generatingalistoftaxathatarepresentorestimatingtheproportionalabundanceofeachtaxon).AUSGSpublication,“Data Delivery and Mapping Over the Web: National Water-QualityAssessmentDataWarehouse,”showcasingthefeaturesand capabilities of the NAWQA Data Warehouse Web site isavailableat:http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2006/3101.Thedataware-houseWebpageathttp://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/datahasaddi-tionalinformationaboutthevarietyandcomplexityofthedatathatareavailable.

Datawarehouseuserscanaccesstheinformationcontainedinthedatawarehouseusingaseriesofselectionwindows.Tore-trieveabiologicaldatasetfromthedatawarehouseandcopytheresultingtabletoalocalcomputer,usersselectBioCommunitylinkfromthe“RETRIEVEDATA”sectionofthedatawarehousehomepage.Anewviewerwindowappearsthatallowstheusertochooseoutputoptionsandfillinsearch-criteriaparameters(fig.1).Theretrievaltypesforfish,invertebrate,andalgalcommuni-tiesincludesamplecount,taxonomiclist,andsampleabundance(fig.2).

BioTDB: Behind the Scenes

BioTDB is the centralized database system for storing,maintaining, and distributing NAWQA ecology data. It is thelocusforlong-termmaintenanceofdata,andthemastersourcefortheNAWQADataWarehouseandotherexternaldatabases.NAWQAbiologistsinstallaclientapplicationontheircomputerstoconnecttothecentraldatabase.Throughavarietyofscreens,biologistsenter theirfield-collecteddata into the system, sendelectronicsampleprocessingworkorderstotaxonomiclabora-tories,anduseaninteractivedata-checksystem(fig.3)tohelpensuredataaccuracyandcompleteness.NAWQAbiologistscanalsoexporttheirdatainformatsdesignedfordataanalysisap-plications. BioTDB assists data managers in tracking samplessenttolaboratoriesforprocessinganduploadingthedatafromthelabs.

USGS Illinois Water Science Center Connection

Based in the USGS Illinois Water Science Cen-ter, Mitchell Harris serves as the Assistant Data Manag-er for BioTDB. His management activities include plan-ning and implementing required system maintenance andupgrades,assuringtheintegrityandqualityofthedatabase,andevaluatingandimplementingnewuserrequirements.Mitchalsoprovidesusersupport, includingansweringuserquestions,de-signingtrainingexercises,andupdatingtheuserguideandWebpages.

Figure1.NAWQADataWarehouseoptionsforretrievingbiologicaldata.

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Future of BioTDB

Presently, data ware-house and BioTDB person-nel are engaged in severalactivities to ensure efficientdataaccessandimprovedataquality.For example, in thefuture, NAWQA biologistscanexpect touseelectronicfield forms on ruggedizedcomputers to enter datastreamside. Electronic fieldforms will allow automateddatacheckinginthefieldandbatch-loading to the centraldatabasethatcanreducethetime required fordataentryanddatachecking.

Figure2.Severalviewsoffish,inverte-brate,andalgalcommunityretrievalslistingsamplecounts,taxonomiclist,andsampleadundance.

Figure3.TheBioTDBinteractivedata-checksystem.

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DailymeandischargefromApril1,2006throughMarch31,2007comparedwithpercentiledistributionofmeandailydischarged for the30-yearperiod,1961-90, for3 representative streamgaging stations.Adailymeandischargeisinthedeficient-flowifitsvalueislessthanorequaltothe25thpercentile,inthenormal-flowrangeifitsvalueisbetween25thand75thpercentiles,andintheexcessive-flowrangeifitsvalueisequaltoorgreaterthanthe75thpercentile.

Illinois Streamflow Conditions for April 2006 through March 2007

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U.S. Geological Survey Real-Time Sewer Flow Monitoringby

James J. Duncker, Hydrologist

TheUSGShaslonghadthemissionofprovidingandpublishingstreamflowmeasurements foropen-channel streams in Illinoisand throughout theUnitedStates.Mostofthedataareprovidedonareal-timebasisontheInternet(seearticleinthisissuebyJ.K.LaTour).Therearecurrently(2007)nearly200streamflowmonitoring gages in Illinois and approximately 7,300 streamflow-monitoringgagesintheUnitedStates.Aspartofthiseffort,theUSGShasworkedadvancemeasurementtechnologies.Anoutgrowthofthisworkhasbeenthedevelopment,testing,andapplicationofacousticflowmeterstosewer(bothsanitaryandstorm)flowmeasurement.

Recent sewer flow monitoring work that is being done by the USGS inconjunctionwiththeMetropolitanWaterReclamationDistrictofGreaterChicago(MWRDGC),includestheuseofsatellitetelemetrytoprovidereal-timeInternetaccesstocontinuouslycollectedwater-level,velocity,andflowdatainsanitaryandcombined-sewersthatleadtotheMWRDGC’sDeepTunneldropshafts.Real-timeaccesstothesewerflowdataallowsforefficientstormsamplingandrapidassessment of sewer flow. The USGSis interested in conducting this andsimilarprojectstofurtherdevelopandrefine the state-of-the-art monitoringof flows for activities such as water-qualityorflood-hazardassessments.

USGSandMWRDGCpersonnelmakingacon-fined-spaceentryforinstallationofanacousticsewerflowmeter.

MWRDGCdropshaftDS-6andUSGSinstrumentenclosureatMt.Prospect,Illinois.Notethesolarpanelandsatel-liteantennalocatedaboveenclosureonthepole.

SewerDS-1(MelasParkatArlingtonHeights,Illinois)real-timeflowdataavailableontheInternetatil.water.usgs.gov.

IfyouhaveaneedforthistypeofsewermonitoringandwouldbeinterestedinworkingwiththeUSGSorhaveanyquestionsregardingthistypeofwork,pleasecontactBobHolmesat(217)344-0037,[email protected].

solar panel

satellite antenna

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Listedbelowarepublicationsthatwerepublishedrecently.FederalFiscalYear(FY)coversOctober1throughSeptember30.OurpolicyistoprovidecopiesofourpublicationstorequestorsatnocostaslongasthepublicationisinstockintheUSGSIllinoisWaterScienceCenter.Toobtaincopiesofthefollowing,oranyotherUSGSIllinoisWaterScienceCenterpublication,youmaycontactDonnaAyersat(217)344-0037,[email protected].

ReportsalsocanbefoundattheUSGSPublicationsWarehouseat:http://infotrek.er.usgs.gov/pubs/

FY 2006-07

SIR2006-5016,Suspended-SedimentYieldsandStream-ChannelProcessesonJudy’sBranchWatershedintheSt.LouisMetroEastRegioninIllinois,byT.D.Straub,G.P.Johnson,D.P.Roseboom,andC.R.Sierra.

(http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2006/5016/)

SIR2006-5018,ComputationandErrorAnalysisofDischargefortheLakeMichiganDiversionProjectinIllinois:1997-99WaterYears,byJ.J.Duncker,T.M.Over,andJ.A.Gonzalez(Web-only).


SIR2006-5076,Hydrogeology,WaterUse,andSimulatedGround-WaterFlowandAvailabilityinCamptonTownship,KaneCounty,Illinois,byR.T.Kay,L.D.Arihood,T.L.Arnold,andK.K.Fowler(Webonly).


SIR2006-5078,Concentrations,Fluxes,andYieldsofNitrogen,Phosphorus,andSuspendedSedimentintheIllinoisRiverBasin,1996-2000,byP.J.Terrio.


OFR2006-1045,Geology,Hydrology,andWaterQualityintheGlacialDriftAquiferintheVicinityoftheNelsonLandfillnearYorkville,Illinois,byR.T.Kay(Webonly).

(http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1045/)

OFR2006-1248,WatershedDataManagement(WDM)DatabaseforSaltCreekStreamflowSimulation,DuPageCounty,Illinois,byE.A.MurphyandA.L.Ishii.


OFR2006-1430,SensitivityofPotentialEvapotranspirationandSimulatedFlowtoVaryingMeteorologicalInputs,SaltCreekWatershed,DuPageCounty,Illinois,byD.Whitbeck.


SIR2006-5158,SedimentCoringandSedimentationAnalysisonRasmussenLakeinEthel’sWoodsForestPreservenearOldMillCreek,Illinoisin2005,byT.D.Straub,D.P.Roseboom,andP.G.Dennis(Webonly).(http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2006/5158/)

USGS Illinois Water Science Center Publications

USGS Illinois Water Science Center Staff, Dec. 2006

Ourstaffiscomposedofhydrologists,hydrologictech-nicians,geologists,cartographers,geographers,supportpersonnel,ecologists,ITandcomputerspecialists,andstudents.TheIllinoisWaterScienceCenterhasofficesinDeKalb,Urbana,andMt.Vernon.ThepictureatleftshowssomeofthestaffatarecentretirementluncheonforTomWicker(frontcenterintansweater).

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