Water Resources Update

USGS Illinois Water Science Center Newsletter

U.S. Department of Interior Illinois Water Science Center May 2006

U.S. Geological Survey 1201 W University Ave Ste 100

Science Center Web Site: http://il.water.usgs.gov/ Urbana IL 61801-2347

Message from the Director

Robert R. Holmes, Jr., PhD, P.E.

	 As you drive along in your car, you don’t think much about the oil that lubricates your engine. After all, it does nothing to

enhance the appearance of the car; however, it is vital to the operation. If you are conscientious, you will spend the money and have

the oil changed at regular intervals as the manufacturer recommends. If you are short on funds, it is tempting to stretch the mileage

between oil changes or maybe you forgo the oil change all together. As some people find out, this is penny-wise and pound-foolish. 

In a way, streamflow-gaging stations are analogous to the oil in your car. Without an adequate streamflow-gaging network, 

society can get into serious trouble as we try to predict floods, detect drought, determine water availability, design bridges and water 

supplies, monitor water quality, maintain channels for navigation, or operate reservoirs, however streamflow gages add no aesthetic 

value to either the natural or built environment, but just like engine oil protects your cars engine, streamgages are vital to properly

protecting our health and safety. It is all too easy to discontinue funding gages when things are going along well and floods or 

droughts are distant memories. Consider the following quote from the National Research Council’s Report ‘Envisioning the Agenda 

for Water Resources Research in the Twenty-First Century’— “Intensifying water scarcity cannot be successfully addressed in the 

absence of reliable data about the quantity and quality of water over time and at different locations. The end-of-century trend of 

investing fewer and fewer dollars in data-gathering efforts—the declining number of stream gages is but one example—will need to 

be reversed if availability is to be adequately characterized.” 

Most water resources professionals know the value of streamflow-gaging stations, and over time, I have seen an increasing 

awareness of their value to policy and decision makers. This awareness was recently demonstrated by the emergency funding 

provided by the State of Illinois to keep 10 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages operational in the Illinois River Basin for 

Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 after one of our Federal funding partners had a serious budget shortfall. Another demonstration of this 

awareness is the President’s budget, which for FY 2007 contains a proposed increase in the USGS National Streamflow Information 

Program (NSIP) line item. If passed, additional Federal funds will go toward the USGS streamgaging program in FY 2007. Let’s 

hope it happens.

As we continue to face budget uncertainties for data collection, I am especially concerned over the decades-long decrease 

in small rural watershed streamflow gages. Small watershed streamflow data is crucial for periodic assessments of streamflow 

characteristics, such as flood frequency and low-flow frequency studies. Small watershed streamflow data also provides important 

data for regionalization of watershed modeling parameters. These assessments and studies are used by many water resources 

professionals ranging from consultants to highway engineers. We must look for ways to increase the number of rural streamflow 

gages in this State to address water issues of the future. Loss of streamflow-gaging stations could well be penny-wise and poundfoolish.

Lastly, I want to thank all of you, our friends, who have supported our streamgaging program through the years. With your 

help, the USGS provides needed and valuable data that serves the State wisely.

Table of Contents

Message from the Director..............................................................................................................................................1

Where’s the Data? You Can Find It In the Annual Water-Data Report .........................................................................2

Employee Spotlight .........................................................................................................................................................4

User-Friendly DVDs and Detailed GIS Features for the Rapid Watershed Assessment...............................................5

Illinois Streamflow Conditions for June 2005 through May 2006.................................................................................6

USGS Acting Director Tours USGS Illinois Water Science Center Streamflow Gaging Station.................................7

Illinois Hydrologic Conditions on May 25, 2006 ...........................................................................................................7

USGS Illinois Water Science Center Publications.........................................................................................................8

Newsletter Format Preference.........................................................................................................................................8

Compiled by D.M. Ayers


Where’s The Data?

You Can Find It in the Annual 

Water-Data Report

by

John K. LaTour, Hydrologist

The Water Resources 

Discipline of the U.S. Geological

Survey (USGS), in cooperation

with Federal, State, and other local 

governmental agencies, collects a

large amount of data pertaining to

the water resources of Illinois. These 

data, accumulated during many

years, constitute a valuable data

base for developing an improved

understanding of the water

resources of the State. To make 

these data readily available to

interested parties outside the

USGS, they are published each

year in Water-Data Reports.

The USGS began 

publishing water-resources data 

starting with the “Tenth Annual 

Report of the U.S. Geological 

Survey to the Secretary of the

Interior, Part 2: 1888-1889.” 

From 1896 to 1970, waterresources data were published

by river basin in USGS WaterSupply Papers. From 1961 to 

current, water-resources data 

were published by State in USGS

Annual Water-Data Reports.

To address increases in 

the volumes of data collected and data

requests, Illinois Water Science Center 

became the first Water Science Center 

to produce an interactive Annual

Water-Data Report. Beginning with 

water year 1998, Illinois’ Annual 

Water-Data Report has been published 

in electronic version on the Web at 

http://il.water.usgs.gov/annual_report/

start.htm and on compact disc (CD). 

	 Illinois’ electronic report

contains the most comprehensive

coverage of data types in the

country. The report includes USGS 

approved current and historical data

of discharge, stage, water quality, 

sediment and biology of streams; stage

of lakes and reservoirs; levels and

quality of ground water; and records 

of precipitation, air temperature, dew

point, solar radiation, and wind speed. 

Over 1,300 stations are presented with

information dating back as far as 1861. 

Also included are miscellaneous data

collected at various stations not in the

continuous data-collection network. 

Since data published in previous

years’ reports are included in each

year’s report, the most recent report

supersedes previous reports. The 

Introductory text, however, would

differ each year.

The electronic report offers 

more information and features than

traditional printed Water-Data Reports. 

The following is a list of the general 

features available in the report: 

1.	 Data are arranged by data type

and station.

2. Traditional annual data tables 

are provided for water years

1998 to current. 

3.	 Daily values are available

in text files for the period of 

record.

4.	 Gage values are available in

text files for water years 1994 

to current.

5. Real-time data are available 

through an Internet

connection.

6. Peak flows are available for 

the period of record.

7. Station descriptions are 

provided separately from data

tables.

8.	 Stations can be sorted by

station number or name.

9. Map is interactive and 

includes many capabilities.

10. The current year’s data can be 

printed as a traditional Annual

Water-Data Report. 

	 Data are arranged in the

electronic report by data type

and station. When the report is 

accessed, the general data types

listed in the first selection window 

include “Surface Water”, “Ground 

Water”, “Meteorological”, and 

“Biological”. If interested in 

surface-water data, for example, 

“Surface-Water Data” would be 

selected. Additional data types

within “Surface-Water Data” can 

be selected to show stations where

data were collected. Stations can also

be identified and selected by using the 

interactive map.

Traditional annual data tables 

are those presented in the “Annual 

Tables” section of the report. This 

section includes data tables that appear

similar to those in previously printed

Annual Water-Data Reports. Tables 

are available for water years 1998 to 

current.

“Daily Values” include meandaily values for each station that has


approved data available from the

USGS Illinois Water Science Center’s 

computer system. These daily values 

cover the period of record and are

provided as text files.

“Gage Values” include 

those recorded, transmitted, and/or 

computed from a gaging station and

typically are 5-, 15-, or 30-minute 

data. These data are provided as 

compressed text files by an Internet 

connection, and are generally available

for water years 1994 to current.

“Real-time” is a link to realtime gage values of surface-water, 

ground-water, and meteorological data 

on the National Water Information 

System (NWIS) real-time data 

Web site, if an Internet connection 

is available from your computer. 

Depending on the link chosen,

accessing the Web site will either 

display a list of stations with real-time 

data or display 7-day hydrographs of 

current gage values for all data types

collected at the selected station. Many

other forms of data retrievals and

options for displaying the data are

available on this National Web site. 

“Peak flow” contains text files 

of annual maximum peak discharge

and their associated stage values for

the period of record. Also, secondary

instantaneous peak discharges and

their associated stage values above a

selected base discharge are available

if the flow above the gage is not 

appreciably regulated.

The section “Station 

Descriptions” provides information

about each station, such as station

location, period of record, extremes

for period of record, and other remarks

pertinent to the station. This section 

provides station descriptions separate

from annual data tables.

Selecting “Annual Tables,” 

“Daily Values,” or “Gage Values” 

from the report will provide a list of

stations with available data. The list of 

stations includes the period of record

in years. Stations can be sorted by

station number or name.

	 An interactive map is

available that shows stations that

have data. The map offers seven main 

options as follows: 

1.	 display stations by data type,

2. display features such as 

streams,

3. find stations by station number 

or map feature,

4.	 display stations by year(s) of

available data,

5.	 increase or decrease text or

symbol sizes,

6. zooming and panning 

capabilities, and

7. displays the various types of 

data that are available for a

selected station.

Stations can be displayed on the

map according to data type such as

discharge, stage, sediment, biology,

surface-water quality, meteorology, 

ground-water levels, and groundwater quality. Map features, such as 

State boundaries, streams and county

boundaries can also be displayed.

	 Stations can be found on the

map by using the “Find” function. The 

red bull’s eye will show the location

of the first station or feature found. If 

interested in stations with data for a

certain year or period of time, you can

use the “Show Stations by Year(s)” 

function. Enter a year or years in the 

box provided to display stations with

data for the desired year(s).

Text and symbols on the 

map can be increased or decreased in

size. The “+” and “–” symbols in the 

“Size” function are used to increase 

or decrease the size of the text or

symbols, respectively. Text of station 

numbers and map features will appear

on the map when zooming for more

detail.

The map offers zoom and pan 

capabilities. By using the “Zoom” 

bar, you can increase or decrease the

detail of the map. By holding down 

any mouse button, the map can be

repositioned (panning).

When a station or feature is 

pointed to with the cursor, the name

of the station or feature appears below

the map. Selecting (double clicking)

a station on the map will display the

various types of data that are available

for that station.

The report provides a PDF 

print-on-demand feature that can 

print a paper copy very similar to

the traditional printed Water-Data 

Report for the current water year. This 

printable format of the report contains

the same introductory sections as

the electronic report and presents the

traditional annual tables of surfacewater, ground-water, meteorological, 

and biological data collected during

the current water year. To print 

this document, the user can select

“Printable Water-Data Report.”

	 Illinois’ interactive Annual

Water Data Report has greatly 

improved the availability of USGS

data to the public and has reduced the

cost of publication. Over 90% of data 

requests received by the Illinois Water 

Science Center have been addressed

with the Annual Data Report. 

Thousands of dollars have 

been saved by publishing the report

on compact disc versus large paper

volumes. The availability of data 

will continue to grow as the Illinois

Water Science Center continues to 

expand the amounts and types of data

available in the report.

	 Additional information about

data presented in Annual Water-Data 

Reports can be obtained by contacting 

the Illinois Water Science Center 

by mail at 1201 W. University Ave., 

Suite 100, Urbana IL 61801-2347, by 

telephone at 217-344-0037, or by email at DC_IL@usgs.gov.


Employee Spotlight

George E. Groschen

 (Chief, Ground-Water and

Water-Quality Investigations

Section)

	 George Groschen began work

as a hydrologic field assistant in the 

USGS Minnesota District office, 

St. Paul, in September 1977. He 

attended the University of Minnesota

where he received a B.A. in 

Philosophy in 1978. At Minnesota, 

he also received a M.Sc. in Geology.

His thesis described the geochemical

interaction of the lake and the

contiguous ground-water system. 

Having grown up in Maplewood,

Minnesota, he was naturally

interested in lakes. In April 1980, 

he became a full time hydrologist

in the Minnesota District to study

the interaction of the ground water

at a lake in Washington County, 

Minnesota.

He transferred to Austin, Texas 

in 1982 thinking he would spend a 

few years at most in Texas. In Austin 

he modeled the potential for saltwater intrusion into aquifers. In the 

Corpus Christi area, he demonstrated

that sea-water encroachment 

was unlikely but that leakage of

overlying saline water was going to

increase. Another Texas project was 

a 3-D solute-transport simulation, 

including the effects of density

contrasts, of potential intrusion of

natural saline water into the Hueco

Bolson aquifer at El Paso, Texas. 

George demonstrated that lateral

migration of saline water from the

river alluvium would increase. His

study was one of the first to use 

the Heat and Solute Transport 3-D 

model (HST3D). He also studied the 

complexity of flow to a long well 

screen (greater than 50 ft.) including

the effects of density contrasts and

aquifer heterogeneity and anisotropy 

especially with salinity stratification 

in the aquifer.

	 Groschen transferred to the

USGS San Antonio office in October 

1986 to study the Edwards aquifer 

– the sole source of drinking water 

for the City of San Antonio. During

the next 3 years he developed

experience with surface modeling

using Interactive Surface Modeling

(ISM) to characterize the geometry

of the aquifer including hundreds 

of normal faults, many with

large displacements. He used this

scientific visualization technique 

to graphically display and to

demonstrate the effectiveness of

faults as barriers to ground-water 

flow. He also gained experience 

in ARC/INFO, a geographic 

information system. His next project

was the study of the geochemistry

and hydrology of the saline-water 

zone of the Edwards aquifer. The 

geochemistry study involved the

sampling and analysis of both stable

isotopes and radioisotopes, including

chlorine-36. He developed a 

hydrologically consistent concept of

geochemical evolution of the water

in the saline-water zone.

After only 12 years in Texas, 

Groschen transferred, in 1994, to 

the Illinois District Office in Urbana 

to become the Lower Illinois River 

Basin National Water-Quality 

Assessment study-unit chief. Here 

he directs a water-quality monitoring 

and analysis project covering most

of central and west-central Illinois. 

In 2003 he also became the studyunit chief of the Upper Illinois River 

Basin and in 2004, became the 

Ground-Water and Water-Quality 

Investigations Section Chief of the

Illinois Water Science Center.

	 George and his wife, Kate

Winkler, live in Champaign and 

have 6 children. The oldest was 

left behind in San Antonio where

she is a comic book publishing

magnate. Their other five children 

are in various stages of attending the

University of Illinois or Parkland

College studying biochemistry,

paleontology, graphics arts, or auto

mechanics. In his spare time, George

prefers to collect and digitize ancient

vinyl LPs, especially those that he 

felt would never be re-issued on 

compact disc, such as Ruth Welcome 

on concert zither, Jane Morgan 

and the Troubadours, or the Banjo 

Barons. He also plays classical and 

jazz guitar and occasionally his

hammered dulcimer or arabic oud,

when he’s not listening to his vast

collection of audio CDs or restoring

antique zithers.


User-Friendly DVDs and Detailed GIS Features for the Rapid Watershed Assessment

by

Timothy D. Straub and Donald Roseboom, Hydrologists

The watershed assessment tool is a user-friendly DVD that combines aerial video documentation with 

Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping. The DVD format allows individual stream locations within 

the entire watershed to be quickly located and visually evaluated by local and state agency staff, and landowner 

committees. The DVD operates on home or computer DVD players without the need for proprietary software. The 

visual image can include high-, mid-, low-, and ground-level video which is included on the top portion of the DVD 

screen and a map with helicopter or ground location on the bottom portion of the screen (fig. 1). 

Figure 1. DVD screen captures of an urban (left) and rural (right) mid-level flight of West Branch Du Page River in Illinois. The video 

is shown on the top portion of the DVD screen and the map with helicopter location (cross-hair symbol) is on the bottom portion. The 

yellow-dotted line is the flight path of the helicopter.

	 Utilizing video mapping capabilities, detailed information (in GIS format) on the location and severity of

stream-channel erosion and other channel and riparian features can be quickly processed (fig. 2). The Illinois Water 

Science Center (IWSC) expertise in stream and riparian evaluations, and video and GIS processing help streamline 

the process of stream and watershed assessments. Further watershed applications of this product could include 

evaluations of wetlands, riparian areas, urban outflows, and row crop tillage.

Figure 2. GIS features showing stream and riparian conditions on the East Branch Du Page River in Illinois.


Illinois Streamflow Conditions for June 2005 through May 2006

Daily mean discharge from June 1, 2005 through May 30, 2006 compared with percentile distribution of mean daily 

discharged for the 30-year period, 1961-90, for 3 representative streamgaging stations. A daily mean discharge is in the 

deficient-flow if its value is less than or equal to the 25th percentile, in the normal-flow range if its value is between 25th

and 75th percentiles, and in the excessive-flow range if its value is equal to or greater than the 75th percentile.


USGS Illinois Science Center Director Dr. Robert Holmes (left) gives USGS Acting Director Dr. Patrick 

Leahy (right) a tour of the USGS teaching streamflow-gaging station on the University of Illinois campus 

on February 9, 2006.

Illinois Hydrologic Conditions on May 25, 2006

The map at left can be found at: http://il.water.usgs.gov/hydro_

conditions/index.html. This map tracks short-term changes (over several 

hours) in rivers and streams where USGS has a streamflow gage. The 

colors represent real-time streamflow compared to percentiles of historical daily streamflow for the day of the year. Only stations having at 

least 30 years of record are used. You can access the real-time data for 

each station by clicking on the dots. You may also access a similar map 

for the entire United States at http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/.


USGS Illinois Water Science

Center Publications

Listed below are publications that 

were published recently. Federal 

Fiscal Year (FY) covers October 1 

through September 30. Our policy is

to provide copies of our publications

to requestors at no cost as long as 

the publication is in stock in the

USGS Illinois Water Science Center. 

To obtain copies of the following, 

or any other USGS Illinois Water 

Science Center publication, you may

contact Donna Ayers at (217) 344-

0037, extension 3053 or by e-mail at 

dmayers@usgs.gov.

Reports also can be found at: http://

il.water.usgs.gov/pubs/search.html.

FY 2005

SIR 2005-5270, Hydrologic, 

Hydraulic, and Flood-Hazard 

Analysis of the Blackberry 

Creek Watershed, Kane 

County, Illinois, by D.

Soong, T.D. Straub, and E.A. 

Murphy (http://pubs.usgs.gov/

sir/2005/5270/)

FY 2006

SIR 2006-5016, Suspended-Sediment 

Yields and Stream Channel 

Processes on Judy’s Branch 

Watershed in the St. Louis 

Metro East Region in Illinois, 

by T.D. Straub, G.P. Johnson, 

D.P. Roseboom, and C.R. 

Sierra (http://pubs.usgs.gov/

sir/2006/5016)

SIR 2006-5018, Computation of 

Discharge and Error Analysis 

for the Lake Michigan 

Diversion Project in Illinois,

by J.J. Duncker, T.M. Over, 

and J.A. Gonzalez (available 

soon as Web-only report)

SIR 2006-5076, Hydrogeology, Water 

Use, and Simulated GroundWater Flow and Availability 

in Campton Township, Kane 

County, Illinois, by R.T. Kay, 

L.D. Arihood, T.L. Arnold, 

and K.K. Fowler (Web only 

at http://pubs.usgs.gov/

sir/2006/5076/)

SIR 2006-5078, Concentrations, 

Fluxes, and Yield of Nitrogen, 

Phosphorus, and Suspended

Sediment in the Illinois River 

Basin, 1996-2000, by P.J. 

Terrio (not yet available)

OFR 2006-1045, Geology, Hydrology, 

and Water Quality in the 

Vicinity of a Brownfield Site 

near Yorkville, Illinois, by 

R.T. Kay (Web only at http://

pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1045/)

OFR 2006-1430, Sensitivity of 

Potential Evapotranspiration 

and Simulated Flow to 

Varying Meteorological 

Inputs, Salt Creek Watershed, 

DuPage County, Illinois, by

D. Whitbeck (http://pubs.usgs.

gov/of/2005/1430/)

Newsletter Format Preference

You now have a choice in how you receive the newsletter: hard copy or electronically. If you wish to 

continue receiving a hard copy, you need to do nothing. If, however, you prefer an electronic copy, please send an

e-mail to Donna Ayers at dmayers@usgs.gov indicating you wish to receive the newsletter electronically. When the 

next issue is ready, you will receive an e-mail with the newsletter attached as a PDF along with instructions on how 

to access the current newsletter and back issues in PDF format from the USGS Illinois Water Science Center Web 

page.