U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

We 1 come

V

1993
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Front Cover: Downtown Alton. 111., in 

the midst of the Mississippi River flood 

of 1993. USGS hydrologists measured 

Mississippi River waters in flood stage at 

42 sites on 33 streams in the Mississippi 

basin, in seven of the nine States that 

were affected by the flood. Other 

aspects of the flood being studied by 

USGS hydrologists include structural 

impacts of the flood on several bridges, 

concentrations and loads of agricultural 

chemicals and their impact on water 

quality, cutoff of a meander at Miller 

City, 111., sediment concentrations and 

loads, and impacts of reservoirs on peak 

flows.

Back cover: Farm building under 

water just west of the canal that 

bypasses, on the Illinois side, the 

Chain of Rocks segment of the 

Mississippi River north of St. Louis, 

Mo.

Design and layout by 

Maura Jean Hogan. 1993.

Art Credits

[All photographers except H. William Hadfk'ld are USGS employees]

Front and back cover photographs are courtesy of H. William Hadficld. 

Photograph on page iv is courtesy of Robert Meade. 

Photograph on page 16, 60, and 80 are courtesy of Paul Stone. 

Photograph on page 36 is courtesy of Dona J. Brizzi. 

Photograph on page 66 is courtesy of David F. Usher. 

Designs on page vi and 90 are courtesy of Maura Jean Hogan.
U.S. Geological Survey

Yearbook 

Fiscal Year 1993

At Work Across 

the Nation
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Robert M. Hirsch Acting Director

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not 

imply endorsement by the U.S. Government

United States Geological Survey Yearbook Fiscal Year 1993 

ISSN 0892-3442

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1994

For sale by the U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribution, Box 25286, 

Bldg. 810, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225
Message from the Director

The U.S. Geological Survey 

 At Work Across the Nation

In Mapping Activities

In Geologic Studies

In Water Resources Investigations

In Global Change

In Assisting Other Nations

In Information Systems and Administrative Support

For People and Special Initiatives
I, ... .. «#**

U.S. Geological Survey

Mission

As the Nation's largest earth-science research and information agency, the USGS maintains a long tradition of providing "Earth Science in the Public Service."

The USGS, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the 

Interior, was established to provide a permanent Federal 

agency to conduct the systematic and scientific "classification 

of the public lands and examination of the geological structure, 

mineral resources, and products of the national domain."

As a Nation we face serious questions concerning our 

global environment. Will we have adequate supplies of quality 

water available for national needs? How can we ensure an 

adequate supply of critical water, energy, and mineral 

resources in the future? In what ways are we irreversibly altering our natural environment when we use these resources? 

How has the global environment changed over geologic time, 

and what can the past tell us about the future? How can we 

predict, prevent, and mitigate the effects of natural hazards?

Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating the scientific 

information needed to answer these questions are the primary 

mission of the USGS. This information is provided to the 

public in many forms, such as reports, maps, and data bases, 

that provide descriptions and analyses of the water, energy, 

and mineral resources, the land surface, the underlying geologic structure, and the dynamic processes of the Earth.
Message from the Acting Director

The need for earth science has never 

been more paramount. The devastating 

flooding of the Mississippi River this past 

year, strikingly portrayed on the cover and 

discussed in detail in this report (p. 37-42), 

was a sobering reminder of nature's elemental power. As a Nation, we face many 

environmental and economic challenges, 

such as natural hazards, that can be 

addressed effectively only through science. 

Water quality, resource assessments, climate change, and toxic wastes are all critical issues that can best be dealt with when 

approached from a sound scientific base. 

The goal of the U.S. Geological Survey is to 

provide hydrologic, geologic, and topographic information and understanding 

that contribute to the wise management of 

the Nation's natural resources and that 

promote the health, safety, and well-being 

of all Americans. FY1993 has proven to be 

a particularly challenging one for the 

USGS. We entered into a time of transition 

from the long-term leadership of Director 

Dallas Peck and Associate Director Doyle 

Frederick to the appointment of a new 

director. We thank Dallas and Doyle for 

their many years of service and for their 

support during the transition.

As part of our transition efforts, we 

established a team of employees to examine USGS organization and programs and 

to develop a range of options for the 

incoming director. That team developed a 

revitalized vision for the USGS that will, 

under the guidance of our new director, 

move us positively and creatively into the 

21st century. The vision of the transition 

team is that the USGS will continue its leadership in earth science for sustained global 

health, welfare, and prosperity. While the 

transition team was undertaking its important task, the dedicated employees of the 

USGS continued working diligently to 

address the many scientific challenges 

before them.

Much scientific good news from recent 

years came to fruition in many areas this fiscal year. The initiation of the National 

Water Quality Assessment program in 1986 

signaled a profound change in our 

approach to water-quality studies. This 

perennial effort will give managers and policymakers consistent information on the 

status and trends of the quality of the 

Nation's vital water resources. This year we 

designated 20 new study units in 36 States 

for the second leg of what will ultimately be 

60 study units that, in aggregate, will provide us with an overview of water quality in 

many of the Nation's most important river 

basins and aquifers. This year also saw the 

release of early findings from the National 

Synthesis component of the NAWQA 

Program. In response to questions raised 

during reauthorization hearings for the 

Clean Water Act, the NAWQA Program

provided information on the magnitude 

and extent of point and nonpoint sources 

of contamination in different parts of the 

Nation and their relations to different natural and human factors (p. 48,49). The 

results are an example of the type of information that NAWQA is providing that will 

be useful for making decisions about waterquality policies and programs at the national level.

We have moved aggressively into digital mapping and are making critical strides 

in building the National Spatial Data 

Infrastructure (p, 4-6), a key component of 

the information superhighway envisioned 

by Vice President Gore. Through our longstanding partnerships throughout the mapping world, we have been at the forefront 

of the transition from traditional paper 

maps to the exciting vistas of computer-generated maps.

We are reaping continued benefits 

from our intensive effort to map and 

explore the near-shore and offshore sea 

floor of the continental United States and 

the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Boston 

Harbor, cited by the Environmental 

Protection Agency as the most contaminated 

harbor in the country, is benefiting from a 

cleanup effort that has as a key element scientific information from the USGS on the 

transport and accumulation of contaminated sediments in the bay area (p. 17-19). 

This type of information will be needed as 

the Nation deals with many coastal areas 

where the discharge of wastes into the 

ocean presents serious environmental and 

economic consequences.

In global change research, we are looking at the global carbon cycle and trying to 

determine the sources and sinks of this critical component in global climate and 

ecosystems. A key aspect of our global 

change research is reconstructing past climate "snapshots" in order to have a basis 

for distinguishing those changes caused by 

human activities from those caused by natural climate variation (p. 60-65). Reconstruction of these paleoclimates give scientists the means to test their climate models 

and improve their ability to predict future 

climate change.

These highlights are only a few of our 

many accomplishments during the past fiscal year. The year also saw the publication 

of the first standard USGS map produced 

by using fully automated computer technology. We developed a framework for assessing the economic benefits of new geologic 

map information in making land-management decisions. The EROS Data Center in 

Sioux Falls, S.Dak., which holds more than 

2 million satellite images, was designated as 

the world data center for satellite images by 

the International Council of Scientific 

Unions. We identified high concentrations 

of agricultural chemicals in the Mississippi

River in the aftermath of the river's historic 

flooding, which dispelled previous notions 

about the dilution of herbicides in a large 

river system. Water managers in the 

Delaware River basin area are now using 

USGS information on the potential impacts 

of climate change on the river basin to more 

effectively balance water-supply storage 

against the movement of the salt front in the 

Delaware River. In conjunction with the 

National Science Foundation and the 

University of Colorado, we now operate the 

Nation's only ice-core repository in Denver, 

Colo., where scientists store and examine 

glacier ice to unlock information about 

ancient climates.

We are poised at a crucial and exciting 

threshold. Just as the need for science has 

never been more paramount, so, too, is the 

need to work effectively with other organizations to ensure that we meet the needs of the 

customers we serve, be they another government entity, an academic institution, or the 

public, whose taxes pay for our programs. 

The underlying theme of this annual report 

is that the USGS is at work across the Nation 

and around the world, conducting cooperative research and investigations in the earth 

sciences and disseminating traditional and 

innovative information products. Without 

the more than 1,200 other Federal, State, 

and local agencies that are our cooperators, 

the hundreds of academic institutions with 

which we interact each year, and the millions 

of people who rely on the USGS for maps, 

reports, data, and information, we would not 

and could not exist.

It has been my personal and professional pleasure to serve as Acting Director of the 

U.S. Geological Survey. It has been my good 

fortune to have had a very able Acting 

Associate Director, Bonnie McGregor, to 

share with me in the challenges and rewards 

of leading the USGS during the last 6 

months. I have been repeatedly impressed 

with the breadth and caliber of science that 

is the constant climate of the USGS, and I 

commend each and every employee for their 

dedication. In concert with our many cooperators and colleagues, we are each day at 

work at the fundamental business of understanding our Earth and communicating that 

understanding to the public we serve. We 

look forward to the completion of the transition to new leadership for the USGS and to 

our continued commitment to provide the 

scientific foundation to help the Nation 

make wise decisions that provide for a safe 

environment and a strong economy. Enjoy 

reading the accomplishments of this, our 

114th year of providing "earth science in the 

public service."

Robert M. Hirsch

Acting Director, U.S. Geological Survey

[Editor's note: Gordon P. Eaton was sworn in as the 12th Director of the U.S. Geological Survey fry 

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt on March 14, 1994.]
At Work Across the Nation

/ in Mapping Activities I ',

f Mission

Through its National Mapping Program, the USGS 

provides accurate and up-to-date basic cartographic information for the United States in forms that can be readily 

applied to present-day problems. Maps, digital data, aerial 

photographs, satellite images, and geodetic control information represent some of the cartographic products available. Topographic maps at various scales, which illustrate 

detailed and precisely referenced information about natural 

and manmade features on the Earth's surface, continue to 

be important products.

These maps provide basic cartographic information 

that is needed by Federal, State, and local government 

agencies in dealing with key issues ranging from satisfying 

energy demands to conserving natural resources, from 

identifying environmental problems to developing acceptable solutions, and from locating commercial facilities to 

designing public works.

In addition to maps, cartographic data in computerreadable form are becoming increasingly important. These 

data are used in computer-based resource and geographic 

information systems to evaluate alternative management 

plans and to study the effects of different management policies.
National Map and 

Digital Data Production

T

he USGS continues to fulfill its 

responsibility to produce, revise, and 

distribute America's topographic maps, 

which are available to the public through 

a national network of earth-science information offices and over 3,000 commercial 

map dealers. The recent explosive growth 

of geographic information system (GIS) 

technology has placed unprecedented 

demands on the USGS for map data in 

computer-readable files. To accelerate the 

creation of a national, electronically 

retrievable cartographic data base, the 

USGS is working in partnership arrangements with public and private organizations to reduce Federal data-acquisition 

costs, minimize duplication of effort, and 

share "coverage," as in the mapping of a 

specific State.

Although certain segments of the 

public will always need printed maps (for 

example, recreational users, small businesses, and local government offices), 

demand will increase for specific types of 

USGS cartographic data in computerreadable formats. For example, aerial 

photographs used in map revision are 

electronically scanned, combined with 

digital terrain elevation data, and corrected for feature displacements due to 

variations in land elevation. Known as 

digital orthophotoquads, these 

information-age tools have significantly 

shortened the USGS map-making and 

map-revision cycles and are drawing substantial interest from GIS users. Other 

computer-data products available from 

the USGS include digital files of map 

lines, elevation, land use and land cover, 

and geographic names.

Map Revision and Product 

Generation

P

roviding the public with the fundamental topographic mapping information required to inventory, analyze, 

and develop informed plans concerning 

the Nation's lands and natural resources 

is a primary mission of the USGS. Primary topographic mapping products 

depict transportation routes, surface 

hydrography, terrain data, cultural

Digital image of the Denver Federal Center.

features, and boundary and Public Land 

Survey System (PLSS) information, all of 

which are vital data for a variety of planning and management applications. 

The USGS's topographic maps and 

resulting digital line graphs are the 

most comprehensive set of base cartographic information available to the 

Nation's resource managers and scientific 

community.

In response to the exponential 

growth in demand for its products, the 

USGS has developed a three-pronged 

approach to meeting the diverse needs of 

its customers:

 Printed maps: The traditional map 

user remains a valued customer. The 

USGS sold approximately 5.5 million 

maps during FY 1993. Demand should 

remain stable into the 21st century.

 Digital line graphs (DLG): DLG's are 

topographic maps in digital form and 

reflect the same level of information 

shown on printed maps. DLG's are often 

the foundation on which geographic 

information system (GIS) users orient 

other types of data.

 Digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQ): 

The goals of the National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) are to complete 

conterminous aerial photographic coverage of the United States and to provide 

cyclic updates every 5 years. The DOQ 

process brings spatially corrected photographic images acquired by the NAPP 

into computers, where the data can be 

combined with other digital map data 

(such as roads, boundaries, and hydrography). DOQ's provide an economic,
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) was established by the 

Second Continental Congress in 1785 to facilitate the orderly settlement of that part of the United States acquired by the Federal Government by cession from the States, by treaty, and by purchase. The 

PLSS currently provides the basic ownership (cadastral) reference 

system for all States except for 18 Eastern States, Texas, and Hawaii. 

Public lands are subdivided by a rectangular system of surveys established and regulated by the Bureau of Land Management. The standard format for subdivision is by townships measuring 6 miles on a 

side; townships are further subdivided into 36 1-mile-square numbered sections.

A CTL staffer at work in the 

Cartographic Technology 

Laboratory.

For more information, contact:

Telephone (303) 236-5825 

Internet rolsen@usgs.gov

high-resolution image base for use in 

map revision.

A major revision program known as 

the digital revision and product generation (RevPG) system will provide current, 

reliable information to its users. The primary components of the system are customized commercial GIS software and 

distributed workstation technologies.

During FY 1993, the RevPG system 

was used to revise the first topographic 

maps that used DOQ's as the primary 

source of information. The RevPG process provides users with a DOQ on which 

to delineate discipline-specific information. It creates updated DLG's for the 

National Digital Cartographic Data Base, 

which are valuable for the spatial integrity and multiple-user versatility that they 

provide, and can also be used to produce 

an updated printed map from the revised 

DLG's. The RevPG process provides a 

mechanism through which the Nation's 

spatial data user community can acquire 

cartographic information in an effective, 

efficient manner.

Randle W. Olsen

of the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping 

Center in Denver, Colo.

Cartographic Technology 

Laboratory Opens

T

he Cartographic Technology Laboratory (CTL) opened in April 1993 to 

enable USGS cartographers and researchers to develop advanced digital cartographic production processes and applications. Located in the National Center in 

Reston, Va., the CTL houses the latest 

in digital cartographic hardware and 

software.

The CTL promotes mapping 

research and modernization efforts by 

pursuing advanced developmental and 

applications projects in spatial data collection and analysis. Projects currently 

under development include the National 

Advanced Remote Sensing and Applications Project, an exhibit of USGS data 

sets for the Washington, D.C., area, and 

three-dimensional visualization of the 

Earth's surface.

The CTL supports research and 

development in image-processing techniques, digital revision, product generation, digital line graph-enhanced data format, softcopy stereo extraction and 

analysis, land-use and land-cover production, evaluation of other mapping organization digital spatial data, and geographic 

information systems applications. The 

CTL also supports production activities of 

the Mapping Applications Center.

The CTL staff demonstrates software and production techniques developed by the USGS and makes commercial 

software and data products available for 

use. These products range from software 

available on personal computers to those 

used on complex workstations.

The CTL provides briefings and 

demonstrations of production capabilities 

and developmental activities to visitors 

and employees. In 1993, visitors to the

The Mapping Applications Center, one of five such centers in the 

USGS, manages the National Digital 

Cartographic Data Base and the 

National Mapping Program's map 

printing operations, using advanced 

technology to create new map production techniques, processes, and 

products.

At Work Across the Nation. . .
CTL came from the Department of the 

Interior, other Federal agencies, State 

and local governments, universities, and 

the private sector. International mapping 

agency representatives from more than 

10 countries also visited the CTL.

Another feature of the CTL is the 

"Demonstration of the Week," at which 

different products and projects are displayed and demonstrated. These short, 

informal demonstrations are open to all 

USGS employees. The most popular 

demonstrations in 1993 were the Softcopy 

stereo workstation, the digital line graphenhanced production system, the Orange 

County, Calif., fly-through, and the 

revision and product generation system.

Paul M. Young

is a cartographer who has been with the USGS

since 1986 developing new computer systems

and production techniques used in the collection

of digital cartographic data

Forest Service and the 

USGS Join Efforts to 

Produce a Single-Edition 

Map

A

new map of the Mt. Defiance area 

of Oregon and Washington is the 

first of an agreed-upon series of 

l:24,000-scale maps that, in addition to 

portraying the usual information shown 

on USGS maps, highlights areas containing national forest lands. This singleedition map was produced under the provisions of an interagency agreement 

between the USGS and the U.S. Forest 

Service (USFS).

The l:24,000-scale (1 inch=2,000 

feet) Mt. Defiance map shows areas straddling the Columbia River, including the 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest to the 

north and the Mt. Hood National Forest 

to the south. The Mt. Defiance map portrays traditional USGS map features such 

as roads and trails, streams and lakes, 

cultural features, contours, boundaries,

This map is an excerpt from the first primary-series topographic quadrangle map 

to be produced under an interagency agreement between the USCS and the 

USFS that results in a single-edition map meeting the needs of both agencies. 

The USFS and the USCS are cooperating in the revision of full-color primaryseries topographic maps that use common product standards for format, 

accuracy, content, and symbolization.

The USGS is responsible for producing topographic maps and digital data 

throughout the United States. In the 48 contiguous States and Hawaii, the USCS 

produces primary-series 7.5-minute 1:24,000-scale topographic maps and 

associated digital line graph data. In Alaska, the primary series maps are 

produced in the 15-minute format at 1:63,360 scale.

geographic names, and Public Land 

Survey section lines and numbers. It alsoportrays USFS road classifications, which 

distinguish among paved, gravel, and 

dirt improved roads; private or local 

government-owned lands within USFS 

boundaries; designated numbering of 

USFS roads; more detailed USFS administrative boundaries; and international

For more information about the CTL, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-4643 

Internet pyoung@usgs.gov 

Mail MAC/CTL

560 National Center 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Reston, VA 22092

... in Mapping Activities
For more information about the USCSUSFS joint effort, contact:

Telephone (303) 236-5825 

Internet rolsen@usgs.gov

symbols for selected features such as trailheads, picnic areas, and campgrounds.

This jointly produced map series 

reduces duplication of efforts between 

the agencies. In addition, traditional users 

of USGS maps should find the additional 

features useful for recreational purposes. 

The road classification system will allow 

people to decide, for example, whether to 

take a passenger car into remote areas. 

The detailed road numbering will aid 

in location with respect to the map. 

Shaded inholdings indicate potential 

access restrictions on assumed public 

lands. International symbols highlight 

recreational facilities or other points of 

interest.

Traditional customers of USFS 

versions of the maps will find the multicolored lithographed maps to be more 

useful than typical black-and-white reproductions. In addition, the maps will be 

available from USGS map sales outlets, 

including the network of official USGS 

map dealers located near most of the 

national forests.

Barry Napier

is the USGS's National Mapping Division liaison

with the U.S. Forest Service and is stationed at the

Geometronics Service Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Handle Olsen

is the chief of the USGS Rocky Mountain Mapping 

Center in Denver, Colo.

Research and 

Technology

C

artographic and geographic research 

supports the day-to-day operations of 

the National Mapping Program, from 

data collection to map and digital data 

production, which entails designing and 

developing advanced mapping technology 

needed for creating and updating mapping products. New technologies that are 

explored and evaluated may enhance and 

improve the efficiency of the production 

process.

Geographic and spatial information 

analysis is the applied research function 

that addresses analytical techniques and 

applications of data in geographic information systems (GIS) to support land, 

natural resource, and natural hazards 

management. Research conducted to 

develop and test new and innovative

theories and techniques to manage spatial 

data includes investigating new methods 

for modeling, analyzing, and visualizing 

spatial data in GIS's and in automated 

cartography, image processing, and land 

characterization.

The USGS coordinates the National 

Mapping Program at the Federal and 

State levels, including remote-sensing 

activities and development and promulgation of cartographic and earth-science 

data standards that enable multipurpose 

use and exchange of digital cartographic 

data. Governmentwide leadership in 

ensuring coordinated planning and execution of Federal mapping efforts is carried out through the Federal Geographic 

Data Committee, chaired by the USGS. 

[Editor's note: In FY 1994, the Secretary 

of the Interior assumed chairmanship of 

the committee.]

Building the National Spatial 

Data Infrastructure and 

Fostering Partnerships

G

eographic data sets can be used to 

help rebuild the Nation's infrastructure. Working cooperatively, more than 

95 Federal agencies use geographic data 

in applications such as managing land 

ownership and use, locating sites from 

which to provide services, routing vehicles, maintaining public works, and marketing resources and products.

The Office of Management and 

Budget has called for "development of a 

national digital spatial information 

resource, with the involvement of Federal, State, and local governments, and 

the private sector." This information 

resource has become known as the 

national spatial data infrastructure or 

NSDI.

The Office of Management and 

Budget's Circular A-16 provides a framework for Federal leadership in developing the NSDI. The circular also establishes the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee (FGDC) to promote the coordinated development and dissemination 

of geographic data. The FGDC is working in four areas: linking communities, 

developing common procedures, creating 

partnerships, and developing a long-term 

strategic plan. Different Federal agencies 

lead coordination activities for 10 specific 

categories of data.

At Work Across the Nation. . .
For example, the U.S. Forest Service 

(USFS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for vegetation data, 

and the USGS is responsible for base 

cartographic and geologic data.

As this plan develops, standards are 

needed to improve the effectiveness with 

which geographic data users communicate and share data. The FGDC is working on standards in three areas: metadata 

(information for documenting data), 

transfer (the Spatial Data Transfer Standard) (see p. 7), and data content. Several 

partnership programs are underway 

within the National Mapping Program to 

expand the resource base for cartographic data.

One critical aspect of NSDI will be a 

first-ever, comprehensive data base of 

Federal land ownership. A major cooperative effort is underway among Federal 

and State agencies to provide a nationwide data base of Federal land ownership 

information for quick analyses and emergency preparedness. The data are being 

compiled at 1:2,000,000 scale (1 inch=32 

miles). Many Federal and State agencies 

are contributing information to update 

and expand the information in the existing l:2,000,000-scale digital line graph 

(DLG) series. Transportation information 

is being supplied by State departments of 

transportation, the Department of Transportation's National Highway Planning 

Network Database, and the Federal Railroad Administration. Hydrologic information is being provided by the USGS 

and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

All Federal agencies are contributing 

information in a variety of formats (data 

bases, maps, plats, annotated charts) to 

delineate their land holdings or administrative responsibilities. The USGS will 

compile this information and plans to 

complete the l:2,000,000-scale Federal 

lands data base by the end of FY 1994.

Another area of rapidly expanding cooperation within the Federal 

Government and with State and local 

agencies has been the relatively new 

national digital orthophotography program. Four Federal agencies the USGS, 

the Soil Conservation Service, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation 

Service, and the USFS have formed a 

partnership to assemble a nationwide data 

base of digital orthophoto quadrangles 

(DOQ). One interesting development of 

the new program is the extent of user

ACTION: In partnership with State and local governments and private 

companies, we will create a National Spatial Data Infrastructure.

Dozens of agencies collect spatial data for example, geophysical, environmental, land use, and transportation data. They 

spend $1 billion to $3 billion a year on these efforts. The Administration will develop a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) to . 

integrate all of these data sources into a single digital resource 

accessible to anyone who has a personal computer. This resource 

will help land developers and conservationists, transportation planners and those concerned with mineral resources, and farmers and 

city water departments.

Because of the value of the data, it will be possible to attract 

private-sector funding for their collection, processing, and distribution. The Federal Geographic Data Committee, which operates 

under the auspices of the Office of Management and Budget, plans 

to raise enough non-Federal funding to pay for at least 50 percent 

of the project's costs. It will set the standards for data collection 

and processing by all agencies to ensure that the NSDI can be 

developed as economically as possible.

-From Red Tape to Results: Creating A

Government That Works Better & Cosfs Less:

Report of the National Performance Review

By Vice President Al Core

interest that has blossomed among State 

agencies. Initially proposed by the USGS 

to Federal land management agencies, 

the program immediately attracted the 

interest of similar State agencies and has 

grown from $350,000 in FY 1990 to current estimates of $5 million in cooperative 

funding during FY 1994. In addition to 

providing funding support, many States 

have independently produced DOQ's for 

their own needs and are seeking to contribute those products to the USGS 

National Mapping Program.

The Federal partnership aspect of 

the DOQ program was developed by 

using the National Aerial Photography 

Program (NAPP) as a guide. A steering 

committee made up of members from the 

Departments of Agriculture and Interior 

and the Tennessee Valley Authority 

guides the program overall. The USGS 

administers the NAPP under the joint 

committee's direction. In addition to the 

Federal partnership, many State contributions to the NAPP over the years have 

increased the number of photographs 

collected each year. The USGS expects 

similar results from the DOQ program, in 

which State contributions are expected to

. . in Mapping Activities
Digital line graph (DIG): A 

selected category of base 

cartographic data in a 

topologically structured 

vector format; includes 

transportation networks, 

elevation contours, 

boundaries, and cultural 

features.

Digital elevation model 

(DEM): An array of elevations, usually at regularly 

spaced intervals, for 

a number of ground 

positions; shows threedimensional differences in 

elevations of the Earth's 

surface.

Digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ): A rasterscanned aerial photograph, orthographically 

rectified to remove distortions caused by camera 

height and angle and by 

terrain; has the same geometric fidelity as a map.

more than double the volume of DOQ 

production that would have been produced solely through Federal appropriations in FY 1994.

State contributions are 

expected to more than 

double the volume of 

DOQ production. . .

Innovative partnerships are another 

mechanism receiving considerable attention. Such partnerships are opportunities 

for the USGS to acquire digital cartographic data for the public domain from 

entities such as public utilities and land 

management organizations, which are collecting data independently for their own 

purposes. Through these partnerships, 

the USGS could supplement other organizations' data collection activities and 

thereby bring those data into conformance with national standards. If data have 

already been collected, the USGS may 

acquire data that can be modified to meet 

national standards. USGS Program 

Announcement #7885 (released December 18, 1992) solicited technical and cost 

proposals for cooperative DLG production from non-Federal agencies and private firms that collect base-category data 

from USGS primary-scale maps to meet 

their own needs. After comprehensive 

technical evaluations and program negotiations, three organizations have entered 

into partnerships totaling nearly $500,000 

of support. An expanded program 

announcement (#8039) for FY 1994 

entertains proposals for cooperative production of digital elevation model (DEM) 

and DOQ data in addition to DLG's and 

makes provision for the USGS to evaluate 

existing digital elevation data and DOQ's 

for possible inclusion in the NSDI.

Since its inception, the USGS has 

had cooperative agreements with other 

organizations, including States and local 

governments. Traditionally, these agreements have been cost-sharing arrangements in which the other agency contributed 50 percent of the cost and the USGS 

performed the work. State contributions 

declined during the late 1980's, partly as

a reflection of the approaching completion of once-over coverage of the Nation 

by primary-scale maps. However, contributions have been steadily rising since 

1990, owing largely to increasing State 

interest in digital data production. In FY 

1993, agreements with 30 States produced nearly $3 million in cooperative 

funding.

The USGS expects to expand its 

partnerships and innovative relationships 

in the development of the NSDI. Sharing 

data and the resources to convert those 

data into maps and digital products is 

crucial to supporting the escalating 

demand for spatial data products. Partnerships offer the best chance for maintaining quality standards, responding to 

user needs, and expanding the base cartographic data in the NSDI.

Michael A. Kelley

is responsible for the planning and management of

map and digital data production in the National

Mapping Division

Michael A. Domaratz

is executive secretary of the Federal Geographic Data

Committee, an interagency group working with the

non-Federal community to establish the NSDI

Coordination and Standards

Do You Know Your Seven-Digit 

FIPS Code?

T

he tenth update to the Federal 

Information Processing Standard 

(FIPS) 55 file was completed during the 

fall of 1993. The file, entitled "Codes for 

Named Populated Places, Primary County 

Divisions and Other Locational Entities of 

the United States, Its Posessions, and 

Associated Areas," provides a unique 

seven-digit code for approximately 

195,800 populated places, townships, 

American Indian-Alaska Native areas, 

census county divisions, census-designated 

areas, and other locational entities of the 

50 States, the District of Columbia, and 

outlying areas. This code consists of a 

two-digit numeric FIPS State code (as 

specified in FIPS 5) and a five-digit 

numeric FIPS place code.

Some of the data included for each 

entity in the file (in addition to its name 

and FIPS State and place codes) are the 

State postal abbreviation, the name and

At Work Across the Nation. . .
FIPS 6 code for each county in which the 

entity is located, a class code that identifies the type of entity, the ZIP code, and 

a cross reference to the code issued by 

the U.S. General Services Administration. 

The "part of code" and "other name 

code" fields provide identification of relationships among entities.

Additional data are included for 

each entity that represents a county, primary county division, incorporated place, 

census-designated place, or American 

Indian-Alaska Native area. For these entities, the congressional district in which 

each is located is identified; the area is 

shown for any entity located in a metropolitan statistical area or primary statistical area. The code assigned by the U.S. 

Bureau of the Census is listed for incorporated places, census-designated places, 

and American Indian-Alaska Native area.

The data are used in a variety of 

applications, including public and private 

accounting and procurement systems, and 

are available for a fee in hard copy or on 

magnetic tape as FIPS Publication 55-3 

from the National Technical Information 

Service.

Key to Sharing Digital Data

A

n essential component of data sharing is a mechanism by which data 

can be transferred from one computer 

system to another without distortion or 

loss. The Spatial Data Transfer Standard 

(SDTS), being coordinated and promoted 

by the USGS at the direction of the 

National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST), provides just such a 

mechanism. The standard consists of 

specifications for the organization and 

structure of digital data transfer, definitions of spatial features and attributes, 

and encoding instructions for data 

transfer.

The SDTS was approved in July 

1992 as FIPS 173. Effective February 15, 

1993, the SDTS became mandatory for 

Federal agencies 1 year from that date. 

The SDTS is also available for use by 

State and local governments and the private sector. Efforts are now underway to 

approve FIPS 173 as an American 

National Standards Institute (ANSI) 

standard. The USGS is actively promoting the use of the SDTS by conducting 

workshops and training, as well as by

developing practical user guides and 

software, a spatial feature and attribute 

dictionary, and a spatial data transfer 

processor.

Effective February 15, 

1993, the SDTS became

mandatory for Federal 

agencies 1 year 

from that date.

As with all FIPS, the SDTS now 

enters a required 5-year maintenance 

cycle. During this cycle, the USGS will 

provide the capability for the spatial data 

community to review the contents of the 

SDTS in order to suggest changes to the 

standard. The SDTS has a modular 

design that allows modifications and 

enhancements to be made with relative 

ease.

The SDTS is implemented through 

the use of profiles, or subsets, of the 

SDTS designed to handle a specific type 

of data. Defining a profile allows the 

elimination of numerous options and thus 

simplifies the encoding and decoding 

process. The first of these profiles is the 

Topological Vector Profile (TVP), which 

will standardize the distribution of topologically structural vector data, one of the 

more common types of spatial data currently created by Federal agencies. Two 

prominent data sets covered by this profile are the U.S. Bureau of the Census 

TIGER data and USGS digital line 

graphs (DLG). The TVP was finalized 

in 1992 and forwarded to NIST for 

approval as a new part of FIPS 173 in 

February 1993. A second SDTS subset, 

the Raster Profile, is currently in a test 

and demonstration period to allow the 

user community to evaluate and comment 

on its contents. This profile was forwarded to NIST for approval as another 

part of FIPS 173 by the end of 1993.

Additional profiles being considered 

for development include one for network 

data structures, one for computer-aided 

design/computer-aided manufacturing 

(CAD/CAM) graphics, and one for data 

that replace or modify an existing data

. . in Mapping Activities
Topological Vector Profile (TVP) Georeferenced Raster Profile (GRP)

Status

Data structure 

Spatial objects

Characteristics

Examples of supported data

NIST formal review period ended 

October 25, 1993

Vector

Points 

Nodes 

Chains 

Polygons

Full-area topology 

Coordinates limited to geographic, 

Universal Transverse Mercator, or State Plane

DLG-3 

DLG-E 

TIGER 

GRASS 

ARC/INFO

Test period ended November 19, 1993

Raster

Pixels 

Grid cells

Supports image compression 

Data must be georeferenced

DEM 

Images 

DOQ 

Grids

set ( a "transaction" profile). The USGS is 

actively working with States and local 

communities to identify requirements for 

SDTS profiles to support municipal and 

utility requirements. Information for 

profile development needs is being 

requested from State and local governments and the private sector through 

professional societies.

User guides and other training materials for the SDTS are currently being 

developed to increase knowledge and 

understanding of the SDTS within the 

user community. The USGS will use these 

materials in workshops and other presentations to promote the use of the SDTS.

Although the vendor community will 

play a large role in software development, 

the USGS is producing publicly available 

software tools to support encoding and 

decoding of SDTS data. The first of these 

tools-as ISO 8211/FIPS 123 Function 

Library is already available. In addition, 

the USGS is designing a processing system to support SDTS transfers of its own 

digital spatial data, such as DLG's and 

digital elevation models. DLG data will 

be made available in the SDTS TVP by 

January 1994.

The SDTS contains a standard 

model for a spatial features data dictionary as well as a list of terms and definitions for entities and attributes. The features and attributes glossary, which 

provides a foundation for standardizing

spatial features, currently contains a limited set of hydrographic and topographic 

terms. Because of increased efforts to 

share and integrate spatial data, the glossary must be expanded to include terms 

and definitions for additional categories 

of data. The NIST has established a FIPS 

Spatial Features Register at the USGS to 

allow the periodic addition, modification, 

or deletion of spatial features. A plan to 

maintain the register and to identify 

sponsoring groups for appropriate categories of spatial features is being developed with input from the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC).

Longer term goals for SDTS activities include maintenance of FIPS 173 to 

ensure that it continues to meet data 

exchange requirements for spatial data 

and continued cooperation with the spatial data community to address national 

and international implementation needs.

The USGS is working closely with 

the FGDC and relevant professional societies to ensure that everyone has an 

opportunity to be actively involved in the 

development and promotion of the 

SDTS. To encourage widespread use of 

the SDTS, the USGS is developing additional agreements to increase participation and support.

Kathryn C. Wortman

manages the SDTS maintenance authority and a

program of developmental data standards and

technology assessment for the USGS

8 At Work Across the Nation. . .
National Map and Digital 

Data Cooperative Program

T

he advent of geographic information 

system (GIS) technology has created 

an enormous demand for accurate digital 

spatial data. To better meet the growing 

demand for data, the USGS established 

the National Map and Digital Data Cooperative program. The production of spatial data with partners from State and 

local government agencies, public utilities, 

and the private sector will enable the 

USGS to fulfill more product needs, 

accelerate the growth of the national data 

base, and reduce costs and duplication.

To facilitate the development of production partnerships, the USGS is first 

identifying geographic areas where more 

than one type of geographic data is 

required. These high-demand areas then 

are targeted for the development of partnerships among several agencies. Typically, traditional funded or unfunded 

agreements are used. Funded agreements 

involve a transfer of funds; unfunded 

agreements usually involve the transfer of 

materials or the exchange of services.

In the past, these agreements were 

typically developed with Federal, State, 

and local government agencies only. 

However, in FY 1993, the USGS obtained 

the legislative authority to participate in 

production partnerships with the nongovernmental community. Under this innovative partnership program, the USGS 

seeks nonproprietary data produced by 

public utilities, State and local governments, and the private sector that are 

derived from USGS source materials. 

Proposals submitted by these organizations may request the purchase of existing data for a fair and reasonable price 

or the funding of future data production. 

In the latter case, the USGS would provide funds to cover the incremental cost 

of producing the data to its standards. In 

either case, USGS contributions may not 

exceed 50 percent of production costs.

Program announcements for the 

innovative partnership program will 

appear periodically in the Commerce 

Business Daily to specify product types 

sought currently digital line graph 

(DLG) data, digital elevation model 

(DEM) data, and digital orthophoto quadrangle (DOQ) data and deadlines for

proposal submission. Although these program announcements currently have a 

specific proposal submission period, eventually there will be an open program 

announcement to which proposals may be 

submitted at any time.

Some traditional agreements developed in 1993 include a joint funding 

agreement with the State of Minnesota 

for the production of DOQ's for a major 

portion of the State and a cost-share 

agreement with the National Park Service 

for the production of DLG's and OEM's. 

Under innovative partnerships, the USGS 

will provide support to Ohio State University for the production of DLG's; to 

Graphics Information Technologies, Inc., 

for the purchase of existing Public Land 

Survey System data from several States; 

and to the State of Maine for the purchase of DLG's. Total non-National Mapping program contributions toward cooperative agreements in FY 1993 will 

exceed $3 million.

Gregory Snyder

is a staff cartographer involved in interagency 

coordination and base cartographic user needs

assessments

Mary Griffeth

is a staff cartographer providing cooperative

program and policy support to USGS regional

mapping center personnel

How Does Land Use Affect 

Water Quality in an Urban 

Watershed?

T

he Difficult Run watershed is 

approximately 59 square miles in 

size and drains an area of northern Virginia that, like many tributaries to the 

Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., 

area, has seen commercial and residential 

development in recent decades. Through 

agreements with the Northern Virginia 

Soil and Water Conservation District, the 

Soil Conservation Service, and other Federal and local government agencies, the 

Difficult Run environmental quality 

research project will establish a data base 

for continued environmental analysis by 

local government, citizen and environmental action and volunteer organizations, and local university and high school 

students.

For more information on the National 

Map and Digital Data Cooperative 

program, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-4710 

Internet mgriffet@usgs.gov

. in Mapping Activities
GeoData are digital 

cartographic and geographic base data that 

have been collected, 

processed, and archived 

in the National Digital 

Cartographic Data Base 

for distribution to users 

in government agencies, 

the private sector, and 

the public. These data 

include elevation, planimetric, land-use and 

land-cover, orthophoto, 

and geographic names 

information in digital 

form, as well as comparable digital information 

contributed by other 

mapping organizations.

For more information on the Difficult 

Run study, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5543 

Internet jjones@usgs.gov

For more information on base 

cartographic data, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-4133 

Internet gsnyder@usgs.gov

The project will examine the relationship between land-use change in the 

Difficult Run watershed and the quality 

of water in the basin. The base layers 

(hydrography, watershed and subwatershed boundaries, terrain elevation and 

slope) for the entire watershed have been 

derived from USGS GeoData products 

and will be used in water-quality sampling. Land-use information (past and 

current) will be gathered for the watershed. A geographic information system 

(GIS) will be used to portray Difficult 

Run's streamflow and water quality. Once 

the methods of sampling, land-cover 

mapping, and initial hydrologic modeling 

have been developed, university and 

advanced high school students will take 

over the project and will use GIS to continue the study. Any trends between landuse change and water quality indicated by 

the data will be documented in maps, 

videotapes, and reports.

John W.Jones

is a geographer in the USGS's GIS Research

Laboratory who trains researchers in the use of GIS

and conducts both basic and applied research using

GIS, image processing, and related technologies

Are We Meeting Customer 

Needs for Base 

Cartography?

T

he transition from hard-copy map 

use to digital spatial data has 

prompted the need for a survey to determine whether USGS products contain the 

appropriate base cartographic information needed to satisfy the Nation's spatial 

data community. To be completed in 

1994, the assessment is being conducted 

in three phases.

The preliminary phase will consist of 

interactive sessions, led by a facilitator, 

with representative digital line graph 

(DLG) user groups from the public and 

private sectors. These sessions will give 

users an opportunity to voice their concerns on DLG format and content. Several sessions were conducted in 1993 at 

open meetings of the Subcommittee on 

Base Cartographic Data and at regional 

State Mapping Advisory Committee 

meetings.

During the second phase, the information gathered in the interactive sessions will be analyzed independently by 

several reviewers. Preliminary analyses 

have shown that users are most concerned with cartographic feature content, 

geometric and feature classification, positional accuracy, currency, topology, and 

distribution media. Additionally, those 

data categories of greatest interest include 

hypsography (elevation of the Earth's surface with reference to sea level) and road 

networks.

In the final phase of the assessment, 

the analyses of data obtained from the 

interactive sessions will be used to 

develop a questionnaire. Questionnaire 

responses will be cross-tabulated to define 

user needs by organization and industry. 

The results of the assessment may be 

used to modify DLG content standards. 

Other factors to be considered before 

making changes to standards include 

availability of funding and technological 

constraints. This assessment will provide 

an initial baseline for digital data to 

support informed decisionmaking by a 

variety of users in the public and private 

sectors.

Gregory Snyder

is a staff cartographer involved in interagency 

coordination and base cartographic data market

research

Soil Mapping Developed at 

the EROS Data Center to 

Help Scientists

T

he EROS Data Center (EDC), the 

Federal archive for remotely sensed 

data maintained by the USGS in Sioux 

Falls, S. Dak., has developed a new means 

of soil mapping on a continental scale 

that promises to help scientists understand the Earth's carbon cycle and its 

effects on phenomena such as global 

warming.

Using the State soil geographic 

(STATSGO) data base developed by 

the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), 

EDC and SCS scientists have used the 

STATSGO data in a geographic information system to produce maps of specific 

soil properties.

10 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Upper Midwestern portion of 

the soil organic carbon map 

of the Eastern United States 

(shown here in black and 

white).

The data base consists of digital 

maps and associated data on soil properties. Map units that represent groupings 

of soils at a landscape level were compiled 

on USGS l:250,000-scale base maps 

(1 inch=4 miles). The map units are 

described as a set of soil phases. For each 

phase, a set of layer records represents a 

generalized profile of soil properties with 

depth. The map of soil carbon for the 

Eastern United States, for example, is 

based on estimates of the organic matter 

and bulk density for each layer. Average 

values per unit area (kilograms per 

square meter) are used to color the map 

(shown here in black and white). The 

total amount of soil organic carbon for 

the States shown is estimated to be 42.8 

billion metric tons.

Using this data base and geographic 

information systems, scientists will be better able to assess how soils will respond to 

changes in climate.

Norman Bliss

lias been developing soil data bases at the EROS 

Data Center in Sioux Falls, S. Dak., since 1985

Sharon Waltman

is a soil scientist with the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service

Jesse Nelson

is a graduate student at South Dakota State

University

Monitoring Changes to 

Wetland Areas in the United 

States

T

he USGS is participating with the 

Wetlands Subcommittee of the Federal Geographic Data Committee to 

resolve inconsistencies among several wetlands classification reports produced by 

Federal agencies. The USGS assembled 

10 data overlays for Wicomico County, 

Md., from various Federal and State 

agencies and placed them onto a geographic information system (GIS) for 

analysis and evaluation. A user interface 

was designed that allows the operator to 

analyze the data and make direct comparisons among data sets. More than 900 

special plots (plus tabular reports) were 

produced on a GIS to identify and measure patterns of inconsistency in the data.

A progress report issued in the fall 

of 1993 describing the results of the 

Maryland case study showed that there 

are major disagreements between the 

data sets used in wetland identification. 

In the case of the Maryland data, the 

greatest inconsistencies were in the 

forested wetland area. Because the 

inconsistencies appear to be somewhat 

systematic, a better understanding of the 

strengths and weaknesses of the various 

programs may allow users to use the data

For more information on soil 

mapping, contact:

Telephone (605) 594-6034 

Internet nbliss@usgs.gov

For more information on wetlands 

monitoring, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5512 

Internet rberry(o>usgs.gov

. in Mapping Activities 11
For more information on the global 

land-cover characteristics data base, 

contact:

Telephone (605) 594-6066 

Internet tlovelan@usgs.gov

more intelligently. Additional counties in 

various types of ecosystems will subsequently be studied nationwide.

Russell D. Berry

is a research cartographer using CIS technology

to help solve wetland resource problems

across the country

Information and Data 

Systems

T

he USGS, through its Earth Science 

Information Center (ESIC) network, 

provides a national clearinghouse service 

for cartographic, geographic, earthscience, and remotely sensed information 

and responds to national requirements to 

deliver this information to a community 

of Federal, State, and local government 

agencies and general public users. Functions performed include acquiring, 

archiving, managing, replicating, and distributing cartographic, geologic, hydrologic, and geographic information in 

many forms and responding to requests 

for earth-science information. In addition, a centralized facility in Denver, 

Colo., warehouses and distributes published USGS products, including 5.5 million maps in FY 1993.

In addition to providing product 

information and distribution services, the 

USGS manages cartographic, remotely 

\ sensed, and other earth-science data in 

 digital and cartographic data bases. The 

; USGS supports several major national 

i data bases. The National Digital Cartoj graphic Data Base organizes and manages 

! the primary- and intermediate-scale digi- 

! tal map data files and digital orthophoto 

quadrangles. The geographic names 

information system is an automated data 

i system that cites locations and descripj tions for nearly 2 million proper names 

j of places, features, and areas in the 

United States. The map separates tracking system is used to manage the inventory of original graphics from which the 

USGS's primary topographic base maps 

are printed. The Main Image File at the 

EROS Data Center is an electronic catalog 

of nearly 10 million aerial photographs 

and satellite images.

Building a Global LandCover Characteristics Data 

Base

A

s part of the USGS Global Change 

Research program, the Earth 

Resources Observation Systems (EROS) 

Data Center (EDC) and the Center for 

Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT) have analyzed advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) and other data over 

time to characterize land cover to meet 

the needs of global change researchers. 

The methods involved clustering a 

1990 set of 28-day maximum composite 

images of the conterminous United States 

into 70 spectral-temporal classes and subsequently stratifying, refining, and labeling them with ancillary data. The result 

is a 159-class land-cover characteristics 

data base, available from the EDC on 

CD-ROM, that allows users to tailor data 

to the unique requirements of a variety of 

applications and to develop custom products. The map inserted at the back of this 

report is one product that was developed 

by using these data. It shows seasonal 

land-cover regions for the conterminous 

United States. These regions have unique 

combinations of vegetation mosaics, seasonal properties (onset, peak, and length 

of green period), and annual net primary 

production and are grouped into general 

land-cover types. Increasing color intensity within each group corresponds to 

increasing relative primary production.

Advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) is a sensor on board 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration polar orbiting meteorological satellites. The data from 

AVHRR sensors have a nominal resolution of 1.1 kilometer, represent five 

bands of reflected and emitted electromagnetic energy, and cover the 

entire Earth's surface each day. These 

data provide a unique means of monitoring and mapping the condition 

and dynamics of global vegetation.

12 At Work Across the Nation. . .
In cooperation with the U.S. Forest 

Service (USFS), EDC is conducting an 

accuracy assessment of the land-cover 

classification system. Field personnel are 

visiting 3,500 randomly selected sites 

throughout the United States and gathering land-cover information.

The Environmental Protection 

Agency, the USFS, the International 

Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and 

the United Nations Environment 

Programme-Global Resources Information Database initiated the development 

of a Western Hemisphere land-cover data 

base in late 1993; completion of a preliminary data base is scheduled for late 

1994. Plans will continue, continent by 

continent, to characterize the remaining 

land masses. Priorities for the eventual 

completion of the effort will depend on 

recommendations from the scientific 

community.

Thomas R. Loveland

has been involved in remote-sensing research

at the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, S. Dak.,

for more than 14 years

This map represents seasonal regions of the 

conterminous United States and was 

developed through the analysis of 

March-October 1990 1-km AVHRR imagery, 

digital elevation, ecoregions, and climate 

data. The complete land characteristics data 

base, available on CD-ROM, can be tailored 

to classification legends or parameters 

required for specific applications.

To order CD-ROM, contact:

Telephone: (605) 594-6507 

Mail: Customer Services,

USGS, EROS Data Center, 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198

Side-Looking Airborne Radar 

Program

S

ide-looking airborne radar (SLAR) 

data have been acquired for over 40 

percent of the United States. The USGS 

began collecting SLAR data in 1980 as a 

result of a congressional request "to begin 

the use of side-looking airborne radar 

imagery for topographic and geologic 

mapping, and geologic research surveys 

in promising areas." Each data-collection 

mission is designed around local geology 

and specific earth-science research criteria 

for the area. Because SLAR can penetrate 

most clouds, it has great value as an 

almost all-weather imaging system. SLAR 

data are available both in stereographic 

strip form and mosaicked onto 1:250,000- 

scale USGS quadrangles. Since 1986, 

computer-compatible digital tapes have 

also been available. All data acquired 

since 1990 are also available on CD-ROM.

During FY 1993, SLAR data for 

eight quadrangles were acquired, processed, and delivered to the USGS by a 

contractor. Data conversion from highdensity digital tape to more useful 9-track

.nalog H

USCS SLAR data holdings available from the EROS Data Center.

... in Mapping Activities 13
For more information on SLAR, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-4524 

Internet bsschoonm(S.usgs.gov

computer-compatible tape (CCT) was 

completed for 36 previously imaged 

quadrangles in the Appalachian region. 

The conversion of 165 quadrangles from 

CCT's to longer lasting, more accessible 

CD-ROM's was initiated.

James W. Schoonmaker

is a civil engineer specializing in surveying, 

mapping, and remote sensing since 1971

Advanced Cartographic 

Systems

T

he USGS is modernizing its production, management, and user service 

technologies for the National Mapping 

Program. Traditional map-production 

techniques cannot provide timely products that meet user requirements for 

computer-assisted applications. Map users

are also requiring a wider variety of 

source material such as those available 

from advanced remote-sensing and satellite technologies. Advanced Cartographic 

Systems is a multiyear effort that is 

replacing outdated graphic mapping 

equipment with more efficient, advanced 

computer-assisted cartographic systems 

and developing innovative applications 

capable of producing cartographic and 

image data in both graphic and digital 

form. The automated production equipment and specialized facilities acquired 

under this program also provide the 

USGS with improved ability and greater 

flexibility for supporting civilian government agency use of remote-sensing capabilities for national concerns such as predicting, detecting, and monitoring natural 

events and disasters, monitoring environmental conditions and effects, and managing resources.

National Advanced Remote 

Sensing Applications

D

uring FY 1993, USGS activities 

supporting the coordinated 

civilian use of advanced cartographic 

capabilities were moved into a new 

facility in Reston, Va. Initial implementation of the national advanced remote 

sensing applications project (which deals

This map of Park Ridge, III., is an excerpt of 

the first topographic quadrangle map 

produced and published by the USCS using 

fully automated digital technology. The map 

was produced by using digital orthophoto 

quadrangles from orthorectified aerial 

photography and digital line graph data scan 

digitized from the original graphic map 

separates. The graphic data on the map were 

plotted by using automated computer 

technology; only the type was placed 

manually. The techniques and equipment 

used to produce this map were developed by 

the USGS Advanced Cartographic System's 

development program. The processes used 

will increase the efficiency of USCS map 

production and shorten the map-updating 

cycle. They will also result in digital imagery 

and cartographic data that can be used in 

computerized geographic information systems 

to support complex land and resource 

management analysis and decisionmaking.

14 At Work Across the Nation.
primarily with classified materials) was 

completed, enhancing USGS ability to 

conduct prototype scientific investigations 

of natural phenomena and to look into 

expanding its support of the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency.

Initial map production using the 

advanced technologies introduced with 

Advanced Cartographic Systems began 

during 1993. The first digitally produced 

quadrangle map is of Park Ridge, 111., a 

suburban area north of Chicago. The 

map was produced by using digital orthophoto quadrangles as the primary source 

for revision of digital line graph data that 

had been scan digitized from the original

graphic map separates. After revision, 

symbols were added to the digital data by 

means of automated computer technology. These processes will increase the 

efficiency of USGS map production and 

shorten the map updating cycle. As 

byproducts of these advanced cartographic systems processes, digital imagery 

and cartographic data will be available for 

use in computerized geographic information systems to support complex land 

and resource management analysis and 

decisionmaking.

Thomas M. McCulloch

has been developing advanced systems for the USGS 

for the past 7 years

For more information on advanced systems, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-4543 

Internet tmccullo@usgs.gov

. . in Mapping Activities 15
" 'i^.

At Work Across the Nation 

in Geologic Studies

Mission

The Geologic Division evaluates the Nation's geologic structure and the geologic processes that have shaped it, assesses the 

Nation's mineral and energy resources, and identifies and investigates geologic hazards.

 Investigations of geologic hazards provide information for predicting and delineating hazards from earthquakes and 

volcanoes and for identifying engineering problems related to 

ground-failure hazards.

 Regional geologic studies provide geologic maps and regional 

syntheses of detailed geologic data essential to mineral, energy, and 

hazard assessments and to land-use decisions such as 

landfill siting and selection of transportation routes.

 Offshore geologic studies characterize the marine Federal lands, 

identifying and describing the mineral and petroleum resources of 

the offshore areas of the U.S., including the Exclusive Economic 

Zone, an area one-third larger than the land area of the United 

States.

 Mineral resource investigations assess the distribution, 

quantity, and quality of the Nation's mineral resources and their 

environmental implications that are required for making land-use 

decisions by Federal, State, and local land-management agencies.

 Surveys of energy resources provide assessments of the Nation's 

coal, petroleum, uranium, and geothermal resources and enhance 

capabilities to explore for and develop new sources of energy.
Marine and Coastal 

Geologic Surveys

A

s onshore resources are depleted and 

as the population continues to shift 

toward the coasts, more societal pressure 

will be placed on the Nation's already 

severely stressed coastal and marine environments. These stresses will increase 

further as the Nation turns to the coasts 

and oceans in its search for new sources 

of minerals and energy, for increased 

food production, for recreation, and for 

safe disposal sites for waste materials. 

Increased use of coasts and oceans in 

turn increases the potential risk to people 

and property from natural hazards such 

as coastal erosion, landslides, earthquakes, 

and severe storms. Much multidisciplinary information is needed to manage 

the development of the ocean's vast 

resources in a safe and environmentally 

sound manner.

The USGS Marine and Coastal Geologic Surveys program provides data, 

analysis, and information on issues of 

national, regional, and local concern in 

marine and coastal areas; it is the seaward 

extension of the USGS's onshore geologic 

investigations. The program covers 

coastal wetlands, beaches, and estuaries 

and Federal lands contained in the U.S. 

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the 

Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans and 

the Gulf of Mexico, which are 30 percent 

larger than the land area of the continental United States. Research topics 

include determining the geologic framework of coasts and oceans, mapping the 

EEZ by using sidescan sonar, identifying 

and quantifying the processes responsible 

for transporting and depositing sediments, and characterizing offshore hazards and resources.

Contamination in Boston 

Harbor and Massachusetts 

Bay

B

oston Harbor, cited in the late 1980's 

by the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency as the most contaminated harbor 

in the United States, is presently benefiting from a $4.8 billion cleanup effort that 

involves elimination of sludge discharge, 

construction of a secondary sewage

EXISTING OUTFALL

PROPOSED OUTFALL

Effluent dilutions for the existing outfall in 

Massachusetts Bay and the proposed outfall 

simulated for the period from December 1, 

1990, to March 29, 1991 (typical unstratified 

conditions) and assuming conservative 

behavior of the effluent.

treatment plant, and relocation of a sewage effluent outfall from its present position at the harbor mouth to a point 9 

miles into Massachusetts Bay. The USGS 

is conducting a research program in 

cooperation with State agencies in Massachusetts and scientists from universities 

and the Woods Hole Oceanographic 

Institution to provide basic scientific 

information on the transport and accu 

mulation of contaminated sediments in 

the bay area. Not only is this information 

critical to making management and engineering decisions, but it also contributes 

to evaluating the cleanup effort. Such 

information is needed in many coastal 

areas around the United States where the

\

17
(Top) Sample bottles from a 

sediment trap located 4 

meters (13 feet) above the 

bottom of Massachusetts Bay. 

Each bottle represents 

accumulations during about 

9 days during the period from 

October 1990 to February 

1991. (Middle) Suspended 

sediment concentration based 

on light transmission shows 

peaks in turbidity that 

correlate well with sample 

bottles. (The upward trend 

beginning in December was 

caused by algae fouling the 

lenses of the turbidity 

sensor.) (Bottom) There is a 

clear correlation between the 

four most intense periods of 

wave activity and the peaks in 

suspended sediment shown 

by the upper graph and the 

bottles. This correlation 

indicates that waves are the 

major cause of resuspension. 

The samples in bottles are 

also used to measure 

attributes (such as sediment 

characteristics and 

contaminant levels) during 

stormy and calm periods.

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Oct Nov Dec Jan

1990 1991

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discharge of wastes into the ocean conflicts with other uses of the marine environment, such as recreation, fishing, and 

transportation.

Three-dimensional computer modeling of circulation in Massachusetts Bay, 

which is a major component of the USGS 

effort, not only has provided insight to 

scientists but also has played a key role in 

the debate about whether to complete the 

new outfall that redirects treated sewage 

effluent from the presently contaminated 

harbor to a location 9 miles into Massachusetts Bay. When the model was tested 

under winter conditions, it showed excellent agreement between what was 

observed and what was predicted for currents in Massachusetts Bay. The model 

results, which have been presented at a 

number of public forums, in court, and 

for a television documentary, have been 

used to compare effluent dilution at the 

present outfall site and the proposed site. 

The model shows that the present outfall 

maintains significant concentrations of

effluent throughout Boston Harbor and 

southward along the shore of Massachusetts Bay. Effluent at equivalent concentrations from the deeper offshore outfall 

does not reach Boston Harbor and affects 

much less of the Massachusetts Bay 

shoreline.

The amounts of heavy metals in bottom sediment and suspended matter in 

western Massachusetts Bay have also been 

established and provide a baseline for 

evaluating changes that may result from 

the new ocean outfall. Maps showing 

grain sizes of the sea floor in Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay have been 

generated by using sidescan sonar, seismic reflection, bottom photography, and 

sediment sampling. Because contaminants 

are commonly bound to fine-grained particles, maps that show particle sizes can be 

used to indicate where contaminants are 

most likely to accumulate. These maps 

have been used by State agencies to 

design baywide programs to monitor and

18 At Work Across the Nation. . .
evaluate the environmental impacts of the 

new outfall.

Field measurements conducted 

around the future outfall site to determine the fate of particles show that surface waves during major winter storms 

are the principal agents in resuspending 

sediment. A time-series sediment trap 

used at a long-term instrumented mooring in Massachusetts Bay demonstrates 

the correlation between bottom currents 

caused by surface waves and sediment 

resuspension and provides material from 

individual storms for analysis. Fine particles that settle in western Massachusetts 

Bay during relatively tranquil summer 

periods may be eroded and redistributed 

to deeper waters of Stellwagen Basin during winter storms. Knowledge of these 

processes is critical to evaluating the longterm impacts of pollutants in this coastal 

area.

The USGS Massachusetts Bay studies 

are providing information that is applicable to other coastal regions and may serve 

as a model for studies to assess the environmental consequences of waste disposal 

and contaminant accumulation in the 

coastal ocean areas.

Michael Bothner and Bradford Butman

have studied the geochemistry of shallow marine 

sediments for more than a decade

Richard P. Signell

is a physical oceanographer specializing 

in numerical models of circulation

Surprising News of Recent 

Faulting in South San 

Francisco Bay

T

he USGS began acquiring ultra-highresolution seismic reflection profiles 

in San Francisco Bay in 1992 as part of a 

long-term study of the geology and environment of the Nation's largest urban 

estuary. In cooperation with scientists 

from four Japanese universities, the 

USGS acquired profiles by sharing the 

use of a Japanese sonar system, which is 

capable of obtaining unusually precise 

records from layers as thin as 18 centimeters (7 inches) in the upper 20 meters 

(66 feet) of soft bay mud. Japanese scientists have used this instrument to study a 

large and active fault in Japan, called the 

Median Tectonic Line, and were interMassachusetts Bay Program

A long-term objective of the USGS Massachusetts Bay program 

is to develop the ability to predict patterns of sediment and contaminant transport and accumulation on a regional basis. The program addresses fundamental questions such as (1) what is the texture and structure of the sea-floor environment in the harbor and 

bay, (2) how are water and materials transported throughout the 

system, and (3) where do sediments and associated contaminants 

accumulate and at what rate? To answer these questions, the USGS 

study of the bay includes:

 Regional mapping of sediment types and areas of erosion and 

deposition.

 Chemical analyses of sediment to determine present levels of 

contaminants.

 Direct measurement of ocean currents and computer modeling of 

regional circulation.

 Assembly of existing information to describe the spatial distributions and temporal trends in sediment and contaminant conditions.

 Long-term monitoring of ocean conditions and sediment properties to evaluate seasonal and annual variability and the infrequent 

catastrophic events that may be responsible for most sediment 

transport.

ested in acquiring data on other strikeslip faults such as the Hayward fault, 

which crosses the San Pablo Bay area of 

north San Francisco Bay.

As part of the cooperative study, the 

USGS extended its surveys into southcentral San Francisco Bay. Previous airborne surveys of the magnetic field of the 

bay had shown that long linear aeromagnetic anomalies were known to cross this 

part of the bay from northwest to southeast. USGS researchers suggested in the 

late 1970's that the anomalies delineate 

fault zones. These faults are exposed on 

the peninsula beneath the city of San 

Francisco in a mass of rock called the 

Franciscan Formation along the Hunters 

Point-Fort Point shear zone. Because the 

faults separate bodies of rock that are 

more than 65 million years old, they were 

thought to be old and inactive. The new 

seismic profiles confirmed earlier speculation that the faults extend offshore along 

the linear magnetic anomalies but also 

show that some faulting occurred less 

than 10,000 years ago.

Two major fault zones have been 

identified, each 2 to 3 kilometers (1.3-1.8 

miles) wide and consisting of dozens of 

strands (a fault strand is a short segment

For more information on contamination 

in Massachusetts Bay, contact:

Telephone (508) 457-2240 

Internet mbothner@usgs.gov

... in Geologic Studies 19
PACIFIC OCEAN

EXPLANATION

HPFZ = Hunters Point 

Fault Zone

CPFZ = Coyote Point 

Fault Zone

Magnetic anomaly

SFO = San Francisco 

International Airport

SF = San Francisco

For more information about the Marine 

and Coastal Surveys program, contact ; 

Janet Morton at:

Telephone (703) 648-6509

Internet janet@oemg.er.usgs.gov !

For more information about the San 

Francisco Bay study, contact:

Telephone (415) 354-3129 

Internet mmarlow@usgs.gov

of a fault). The northern fault zone, 

called the Hunters Point fault zone, is 

known to extend about 5 kilometers 

(3 miles) from the shear zones exposed 

on Hunters Point to the central part of 

the bay, but it may be longer; the shallow 

depth of the bay to the southeast prevented surveying there. The area will be 

surveyed this year by using a shallowdraft vessel on loan from San Francisco 

State University. The Hunters Point fault 

zone may be as long as 120 kilometers (75 

miles) (as long as the adjacent Hayward 

fault) if it follows the regional extension 

of a pronounced magnetic anomaly. The 

second fault zone, called the Coyote Point 

fault zone, extends from the end of the 

runways of San Francisco International 

Airport to the southeast past Coyote 

Point and may extend into the shallow 

part of the bay or beyond. Separating the 

two fault zones is a large suspected fold

and thrust structure called the San Bruno 

Shoal anticline, which has uplifted the 

bay floor to less than a meter (3 feet) 

deep in the center of south San Francisco 

Bay.

A month after the surveys, the 

USGS began collecting a series of cores in 

the south-central bay to date the layers 

that have been offset by fault movement. 

Colleagues at Stanford University and the 

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have been 

assisting USGS scientists in dating shells 

found in some layers by means of a precise carbon-14 dating technique. The preliminary results indicate that all the faults 

in the bay offset layers that were deposited 5,000 years ago and that some of the 

faults offset beds deposited only 1,600 

years ago. At least two fault strands offset 

the bay floor, an indication that faulting 

may have been active within the past 

1,000 years, but further studies are 

needed to determine the actual age of 

faulting.

Because of the young age of the 

faulting and the proximity of the faults to 

large urban areas and critical infrastructure, the USGS has held a series of briefings with officials from the airport, city 

emergency and transportation services, 

and others to advise them of the newly 

mapped faults. Future plans include a 

cooperative study with the State transportation agency to assist in the analysis of 

deep borings (to bedrock) that will be collected near the bay bridges. USGS scientists have recently finished an extensive 

survey of the rest of the south San Francisco Bay. Other USGS scientists will 

extend the fault studies on land across 

the San Francisco Peninsula and into the 

Pacific Ocean. They hope to find the area 

where the San Andreas fault intersects 

these newly delineated faults, near the 

epicenter of the great 1906 San Francisco 

earthquake.

Michael S. Marlow

has published extensively on tectonic processes 

at continental margins

Gary M. Mann

studies the deformation caused by strike-slip faulting

in young rocks in the Pacific Northwest

and in San Francisco Bay

Roberta J. Anima

specializes in combining high-resolution geophysical

methods with sedimentology to study the shallow

structural framework of San Francisco Bay

20 At Work Across the Nation. . .
The U.S. Energy Mix

T

he energy consumption of the 

United States continues to grow at a 

steady pace. Ninety-nine percent of the 

energy used in this country is based on 

natural, nonrenewable resources 91 percent on fossil fuels, including coal, oil, 

and natural gas, and 8 percent on nuclear 

power. The remaining 1 percent comes 

from hydroelectric, solar, and wind 

power and other renewable sources. The 

mix of energy used by the United States 

is the foundation of the Nation's infrastructure and economy and significantly 

influences the environment. The USGS 

Energy Program provides fundamental 

scientific knowledge on the abundance of 

energy resources and the environmental 

consequences of their use, information 

that is vital in order to effect any substantial changes in the energy mix of the 

Nation.

Energy Resources and the 

Economy

T

he bulk of domestic energy consumption comprises oil-based fuels. 

Domestic oil production satisfies only 

about half of the Nation's oil appetite, 

however, and domestic oil production is 

declining at an alarming rate. Imported 

oil accounts for a significant proportion 

of the national trade deficit. Natural gas 

and coal are alternatives to oil-based fuel 

and are considered to be abundant in the 

United States. Scientists do not have a 

comprehensive understanding of the geological occurrences of natural gas, however, and this lack of knowledge inhibits 

exploration and development of domestic 

natural gas resources. Domestic coal 

resources also are thought to be vast, but 

a comprehensive understanding of the 

quantity and quality of minable coal has 

still not been achieved. Moreover, the use 

of coal poses potential environmental hazards that must be addressed if coal is to 

remain a viable energy resource in coming decades. USGS scientists conduct scientifically based assessments of specific 

energy resources, including oil, natural 

gas, coal, uranium, and oil shale. In 

addition, they evaluate the Nation's 

energy mix on a regular basis. World 

assessments of oil, natural gas, and coal

New Energy Assessment Underway

The USCS, in cooperation with the Minerals Management Service (MMS), is currently conducting a new assessment of U.S. oil 

and gas resources. The USCS assesses all onshore lands and State 

offshore waters; the MMS assesses Federal offshore waters. The 

assessment provides an independent, scientifically based set of 

hypotheses concerning the amounts of oil and gas that could be 

added to U.S. reserves. The new assessment includes (1) undiscovered, conventionally recoverable oil and natural gas; (2) selected 

recoverable, unconventional resources of oil and natural gas; and 

(3) reserve appreciation (field growth). The USCS assessment will 

be completed by January 1995; results will be published early in 

1996.

All results of the new assessment will be released in digital 

form, including on CD-ROM's. The geographic information system 

approach being used for the first time in this assessment allows 

results to be identified in relation to specific geologic provinces and 

geographic areas. For example, resource estimates will be available 

for individual Federal land-management areas, sedimentary basins, 

or States. This capability will make it easier for Federal landmanagement agencies, State agencies, and industry to use the 

assessment results. Moreover, it will provide a base of digital information that will be the foundation of continuing USCS efforts to 

improve assessment results.

80

70

60

50

00

<40

g 3.

20

10

1 quad -, 

"7 quads 2 trillion kWh_

20 quads . 

Natural gas 20 trillion cubic feet

Imported oil 

Domestic oil

Coal

14 quads 

2.6 billion barrels .

17 quads - 

3.1 billion barrels

19 quads 

1 billion tons

1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 

YEAR

provide a global perspective for national 

energy needs. Scientifically based information from these assessments is used by 

decisionmakers in Federal and State 

agencies as well as in the private sector.

Energy Resources and the 

Environment

R

educing the emission of greenhouse 

gases and toxic elements into the 

atmosphere is of foremost importance to 

the Nation and the world. Research in 

coal quality and oil geochemistry provides 

the basic information needed to select 

fuels that are more environmentally 

benign. This information can also be used

U.S. energy consumption 

from 1982 through 1991 (in 

common units of quads, 

where 1 quad equals one 

quadrillion British thermal 

units or 1015 Btu and kWh is 

kilowatt hours).

. . in Geologic Studies 21
Coal-Quality Data Base Sets Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently designated 

the USGS coal-quality data base as the sole data base on which policy recommendations concerning trace-metal emissions from coalburning powerplants will be made. The electric power industry also 

has recognized the uniqueness of this data base and the high quality of information it contains. Representatives of the Electric Power 

Research Institute, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Utility Air 

Regulations Group recently expressed a strong desire to work cooperatively with the USGS to expand the coverage of the coal-quality 

data base. These developments establish the USGS coal-quality data 

base as the primary source of independent scientific data recognized and used by both regulators and industry to address airquality issues.

For more information about the Energy 

Resources Surveys program, contact 

David Houseknecht at:

Telephone (703) 648-6470 

Internet dhousekn@usgs.gov

to predict the occurrence of relatively 

clean fossil fuels and to develop technology for removing hazardous elements 

from fuels before use.

Increased use of natural gas in place 

of coal and oil-based fuels would significantly reduce the amounts of greenhouse 

gases and hazardous elements released to 

the atmosphere. Expanded research on 

natural gas will build a comprehensive 

understanding of this vital resource. 

Research topics of particular interest 

include the volume and distribution of 

economically and technically recoverable 

domestic natural gas resources and the 

earth-science background needed for the 

optimal development of those resources. 

The results of this research will establish 

a scientific basis for evaluating the environmental impacts of various energy-use 

scenarios and will provide predictive 

models to use in exploring for environmentally benign energy resources. An 

added benefit is an improved understanding of geological constraints in 

designing technology for removing harmful elements from fossil fuels before use.

Energy Resources and 

Cooperation

T

he USGS is a partner with the Minerals Management Service and the 

Bureau of Mines in oil and gas assessment activities and coal assessment activities, respectively. Because a large proportion of undiscovered energy resources 

resides on federally managed lands, the

USGS maintains formal liaisons with the 

U.S. Forest Service and with other 

Department of the Interior bureaus, 

including the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs. Results of 

energy-resource assessments are shared 

with the Bureau of Mines and incorporated into the National Energy Strategy, 

largely through cooperation among various agencies in the U.S. Department of 

Energy, including the Energy Information Administration, the Office of Oil and 

Gas Exploration and Development, and 

the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Similarly, the environmental impact assessments conducted by the USGS are cooperative ventures with the Bureau of 

Reclamation, the Bureau of Mines, and 

the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Interaction with agencies in every State 

having oil, natural gas, or coal potential is 

an essential part of most Energy Program 

research.

David Houseknecht

coordinates the USGS Energy Resource Surveys 

program and has published extensively 

on various aspects of petroleum geology

Reducing Hazards from 

Landslides

L

andslides are among our Nation's 

most costly and destructive geologic 

; hazards, causing billions of dollars of ecoi nomic losses and significant loss of life. In 

some areas, expanding urban development onto landslide-prone hillsides has 

! increased the number of landslide disasters and escalated costs of Federal disaster relief. An understanding of landslide 

processes and their consequent hazards 

can lead to nationwide reduction of landslide losses through proper planning and 

effective engineering.

Practical Planning for 

Hawaiian Landslides

I

n the aftermath of a severe rainstorm 

that struck Honolulu, Hawaii, on 

December 31, 1987, and caused massive 

debris flows and landslides, the USGS 

began a multiyear project that was completed in 1993 and that provided practical information to local officials on how

22 At Work Across the Nation. . .
to deal with such landslide disasters. The 

study, which was conducted by USGS 

geologists and hydrologists in cooperation 

with the city and county of Honolulu, 

developed new scientific techniques to 

analyze debris flows and landslides and 

methods of applying these techniques in 

ways that are helpful to local planners 

and officials.

Debris-flow investigations focused on 

identifying when and where these rapid 

and potentially fatal slope movements are 

likely to occur and established the rainfall 

thresholds required to trigger them. 

These thresholds are now the basis for a 

public warning system like the one currently operating in the San Francisco Bay 

region. Areas susceptible to debris flows 

were mapped by using a newly developed 

computer-based digital method. Information on volumes, travel characteristics, 

and more than 1,500 source locations of 

past debris flows was combined to create 

computer models of potential debris flows 

that were routed through a digital model 

of the landscape. The computer generated numerous such simulations in order 

to systematically delineate areas of hazard. In combination with the rainfall 

thresholds, the resulting hazard-zone 

map, released in FY 1993, provides local 

officials with information needed for 

effective planning and emergency 

response over a 180-square-kilometer (70- 

square-mile) area around Honolulu.

These thresholds are now

the basis for a public

warning system like the

one currently operating

in the San Francisco

Bay region.

Several larger, slow-moving landslides also were reactivated by the 

1987-88 storm; these slides have been 

damaging several residential areas intermittently for more than 30 years. Scientists made detailed maps of landslide features and related damage in high-priority 

areas. These maps provided city and 

county officials with the first systematic 

portrayal of the underlying cause of

The USGS Landslide Hazards program seeks to reduce landslide 

losses that occur throughout the United States by:

 Developing technologies to map and assess landslide susceptibility and risk.

 Advancing our understanding of landslide processes and the geologic, topographic, hydrologic, and cultural factors that control 

slope failure.

 Developing and demonstrating landslide prediction capabilities to 

avoid, prevent, or mitigate landslide damage.

 Aiding the application of research results to improved planning, 

engineering design, and construction and to warning and emergency response plans.

damage in apparently unrelated areas 

and supplied the basis for remedial 

efforts. Sophisticated analysis and computer modeling of this detailed mapping 

revealed that movement of the entire 

landslide mass is being driven by only a 

part of the landslide. This seemingly simple result has far-reaching implications. 

Stabilizing only the part of the landslide 

that is driving the whole mass is much 

more economical than stabilizing the 

entire landslide area. This modeling will 

provide the basis for innovative strategies 

to stabilize landslides in areas that have 

proven difficult to control by conventional methods.

This cooperative project in Hawaii 

has combined the very best aspects of 

basic scientific research on landslide

Damage caused by a large, 

slow-moving landslide near 

Honolulu. This landslide, and 

others like it, disrupted 

streets, severed utilities, and 

damaged and destroyed many 

homes.

in Geologic Studies 23
Path of a debris flow triggered 

by the New Year's Eve storm 

in Honolulu, 1987-88. The 

flow started near the top of 

the slope, moved rapidly 

down the steep face, and 

damaged two homes at the 

bottom of the slope.

For more information about the 

Landslide Hazards program, contact 

Randall Jibson at:

Telephone (303) 273-8577

Internet jibson@gldvxa.cr.usgs.gov

processes and applied research on delineating landslide hazard and risk with local 

cooperation and implementation to 

reduce actual losses from landslides.

Randall Jibson

coordinates the USGS research effort 

on landslide processes

Earthquake Studies: 

Increasing Awareness, 

Reducing Risk

N

o technology is yet able to prevent 

earthquakes nor, for that matter, to 

predict precisely when or where future 

earthquakes will strike. In the past 

decade, earthquakes at Loma Prieta, 

Calif., in Armenia, and elsewhere have 

graphically demonstrated their tragic 

impacts on human lives and the deep, 

long-lasting economic losses to the 

affected region and to nations as a whole. 

More recently, the September 29, 1993, 

earthquake in India, in which many thousands of people died, is yet another 

sobering reminder of the destructive

EXPLANATION 

Hazard from hillslopes

 High Return period <500 years

- Moderate Return period 500-2,000 years 

Low Return period 2,000-10,000 years 

Maximum likely extent 

n No hazard

Hazard along drainages

 Drainage from hillslopes; may carry 

debris flow and water-borne debris

 Drainage from headwaters; may carry 

large debris flows and abundant 

water-borne debris

Preliminary version of a map of debris-flow 

hazards in part of the Honolulu study area. 

Return periods are measured on 10-meter 

cells; larger cells would result in smaller 

return periods.

power of earthquakes. The USGS Earthquake Hazards Reduction program 

(EHRP) is designed to help provide the 

Nation with the scientific and technical 

tools needed to significantly improve its 

social, economic, and environmental 

preparation for damaging earthquakes. 

The USGS effort seeks to achieve a 

clearer understanding of the nature of 

the earthquake process, define the specific earthquake hazard for various geographic regions in terms of how big the 

earthquakes could be, how often they 

might recur, and the likelihood of future 

significant earthquakes in each region, 

and predict the actual effects by defining 

specific characteristics of the shaking and 

how the Earth's surface will respond to

24 At Work Across the Nation. . .
the shaking (for example, landslides and 

soil liquefaction). Working cooperatively 

with other scientific agencies and many 

State and local officials to transfer the 

data, developed technologies, and risk 

assessments to those who need them is a 

critical program goal. Earthquakes are a 

unique class of hazards, unlike hurricanes, volcanoes, and floods, for which 

forecasts of timing and magnitude can be 

made hours to days in advance. Nonetheless, much can be done in advance to significantly reduce the risk from future 

earthquakes.

A Regional Approach to 

Earthquake Research

I

n the United States, earth scientists 

have long recognized that the earthquake threat is not uniform across the 

Nation, as residents of Alaska and California can attest, and yet earthquakes are 

not exclusively a problem of the Pacific 

Coast States. The sequence of four earthquakes that struck the New Madrid, Mo., 

area in 1811-12 was probably the largest 

and most potentially damaging in the 

United States; a recurrence of an earthquake of similar magnitude would be felt 

from Denver to New York City and 

would damage buildings over thousands 

of square miles in eight States. The USGS

Earthquake Hazards Reduction program 

has reaffirmed a national commitment by 

continuing the deployment of new 

satellite-linked monitoring equipment 

throughout the United States and by supporting scientific investigations ranging 

from New England and South Carolina to 

Nevada and Hawaii.

A substantial proportion of the program's resources is focused on problems 

in the four regions having the highest 

earthquake hazard: southern California, 

northern California, the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Alaska), and 

the Central United States (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee). Each of these 

high-priority regions has a recently established regional USGS earthquake office

This unreinforced masonry 

building was damaged by the 

earthquakes that struck 

Klamath Falls, Oreg., on 

September 20, 1993.

This trench, northeast of New 

Madrid, Mo., shows clear 

evidence of multiple 

earthquakes in the region. 

The dark soil at the base is 

cut by a dike (next to the 

shovel), which has formed a 

thick sand blow on top. A 

younger, thick soil horizon 

has developed on top of the 

sand blow. All of these layers 

are cut by smaller sand dikes, 

probably from the 1811-12 

New Madrid great earthquake 

series, which fed a sand blow 

at the top of the picture.

... in Geologic Studies 25
Regional Coordinators

Pacific Northwest and Alaska Craig Weaver, Seattle, Wash.

Telephone (206) 553-0627 

Internet weaver@usgs.gov

The USGS orchestrated the response to the September 20, 1993, 

Klamath Falls, Oreg., earthquake, coordinating its efforts with 

those of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. 

Forest Service, Oregon's Department of Geology and Mineral 

Industries, and State universities in Oregon.

Northern California William Bakun, Menlo Park, Calif.

Telephone (415)329^793 

Internet bakun@usgs.gov

The USGS is a principal sponsor and participant in CONCERT 

(Coordinating Organizations for Northern California Earthquake 

Research and Technology), a technology transfer effort to get 

USGS research products into the hands of the user community in 

the San Francisco Bay area.

Southern California James Mori, Pasadena, Calif.

Telephone (818) 405-7821 

Internet mori@usgs.gov

In cooperation with the Southern California Earthquake Center, a 

consortium of more than 100 researchers at 7 core academic institutions, USGS scientists conducted phase two of the Landers, 

Calif., assessment, which is an assessment of the hazard over the 

next 30 years.

Central United States Buddy Schweig, Memphis, Tenn.

Telephone (901) 678-4974 

Internet schweig@usgs.gov

The USGS provided support in the formation of a technical 

advisory team from State geological surveys of the region; the 

team will provide technical and scientific advice to the Central 

U.S. Earthquake Consortium of State emergency services.

and a regional coordinator (see box) who 

defines the USGS goals for that region 

and the short-term needs and objectives 

bearing on those goals. The regional 

coordinators are forging new linkages, 

collaborations, and agreements among 

academic researchers, USGS scientists, 

private industry, and Federal, State, and 

local government agencies.

Fully 30 percent of USGS program 

funding supports external research 

awards to private industry, State and local 

government entities, and universities. In 

FY 1993, the USGS received about 350 

proposals in response to its annual Earthquake Program Request for Proposals

and made about 100 awards on the basis 

of recommendations provided through a 

rigorous peer-review process. The 

regional coordinators have substantial 

input to setting the immediate and longterm needs to be addressed through this 

support. A few of the topics funded in 

FY 1993 include:

 Providing support for a collaborative 

earthquake project with the State geological surveys of Washington, Oregon, and 

Alaska.

 Deploying new state-of-the-art instrumentation on the Hayward fault in California to detect early signals of earthquake activity.

 Verifying the occurrence of a major 

earthquake in the Upper Midwest 

Wabash Valley in the last 4,000 years.

 Studying earthquake-wave attenuation 

in the Mississippi Embayment to improve 

predictions of future ground motion in 

urban areas including Memphis and St. 

Louis.

 Discovering features in the Columbia 

River valley of Oregon that suggest major 

earthquakes occurred in the past 300 

years.

Getting the Information Out

D

eveloping new technologies for 

transferring information is a vital 

part of the USGS earthquake program. 

For example, the fundamental earthquake data acquired at hundreds of monitoring stations are now routinely published in digital formats (such as 

CD-ROM), which scientists, engineers, 

planners, and local governments can 

acquire for a nominal fee. Each month, 

more Federal, State, local, and private 

agencies responsible for transportation, 

energy transmission, pipelines, and critical 

facilities access USGS telecommunication 

networks that provide information on 

recent or ongoing earthquakes. The 

USGS regional coordinators and individual USGS scientists work with broadbased regional earthquake mitigation 

groups such as the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), the Northeastern States Earthquake Consortium 

(NESEC), the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), and Coordinating 

Organizations for Northern California 

Earthquake Research and Technology 

(CONCERT).

26 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Geographic information systems 

(GIS) are now widely employed for communicating hazard and risk information 

on national, regional, State, and local 

scales. Use of GIS allows USGS products 

to be efficiently updated, enhanced, and 

disseminated either in hard copy, on 

computer disks, or by direct telecommunication links. For example, national 

maps showing the probabilities of 

expected levels of ground shaking for 

future earthquakes are the basis of 

seismic-design building codes across the 

country.

. . . national maps

showing the probabilities

of expected levels

of ground shaking

for future earthquakes

are the basis

of seismic-design

building codes

across the country.

Timely access to up-to-the-minute 

information on earthquakes anywhere in 

the Nation is critical to planning immediate and long-term responses. The USGS 

National Earthquake Information Center 

in Golden, Colo., disseminates much of 

this information. Analyses of the location, 

timing, and magnitude of an earthquake 

begin within seconds of the event, and 

distribution of the results by e-mail, fax, 

and telephone begins within minutes. In 

addition, the four regional earthquake 

offices, which have rapid access to 

regional seismograph networks, have a 

critical "onsite" role in the high-seismicity 

regions.

The USGS Earthquake Hazards 

Reduction program responds to user 

needs through public forums, technical 

results reported in scientific and engineering meetings and publications, policy 

group interactions, and vigorous collaboration with other Federal agencies such as 

the National Science Foundation, the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency, 

and the National Institute for Standards 

and Technology. Outreach activities in 

FY 1993 include:

 Collaboration with Humboldt State 

University in Arcata, Calif., to prepare 

and publish the full-color newspaper 

insert "On Shaky Ground Living with 

Earthquakes on the North Coast."

 A workshop, in cooperation with the 

National Science Foundation, the 

National Academy of Sciences, and the 

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, on the lessons learned from the 

Loma Prieta earthquake.

 Two workshops, organized in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, on the probabilities of 

damaging earthquakes in the Northeast, 

held in Boston, Mass., and on earthquake 

hazards in rural America, held in Boise, 

Idaho.

 Collaboration with the Applied Technology Council on a major effort to 

develop new methods of transferring the 

latest results of USGS research to practicing engineers nationwide.

 Completion of new national earthquake 

risk maps, which will be the basis of new 

Building Seismic Safety Commission 

building codes to be adopted nationwide.

 Publication of USGS Professional Paper 

1519 on the earthquake hazards and risk 

along the Wasatch Front, Utah.

Through these activities, the USGS 

Earthquake Hazards Reduction program 

continues to increase scientific understanding of how earthquakes happen and 

to disseminate that knowledge to decisionmakers, engineers, and the public. 

Understanding the earthquake process 

and carefully delineating the hazard 

posed by this process are major scientific 

challenges facing the Nation beyond the 

year 2000.

Randall G. Updike

coordinates the USGS Earthquake Hazards

Reduction program and has written extensively

on earthquake processes

Understanding Volcano 

Hazards

For more information about the 

Earthquake Hazards Reduction 

program, contact Randall Updike at:

Telephone (703) 648-6708 

Internet rupdike@usgs.gov

R

ecent volcanic eruptions in the 

United States and abroad have 

shown the potential impact of volcanic 

activity in terms of casualties (25,000 in 

Colombia in 1985 and 500 at Mount 

Pinatubo in 1991) and socioeconomic 

losses ($1 billion from Mount St. Helens 

in 1980 and $200 million from Redoubt

. in Geologic Studies 27
Global Positioning System 

receiver at a benchmark along 

Fortification Bluff, 

overlooking Cook Inlet in 

Alaska; a band of cloud 

wreaths Augustine Volcano in 

the distance.

Volcano in 1989-90). During this century, volcanoes in California, Washington, 

Alaska, and Hawaii have devastated hundreds of square miles and caused major 

economic hardships and loss of life. Significant impacts can occur hundreds of 

miles from a volcano. For example, in the 

past 25 years, more than 40 aircraft have 

been damaged by encounters with volcanic ash clouds. A Boeing 747 flying 

through an ash cloud from Alaska's 

Redoubt Volcano in 1989 temporarily lost 

power in all four engines and did not 

regain power until only a few thousand 

feet above the ground.

The goals of the USGS Volcano 

Hazards Program are to reduce loss of 

life caused by volcanic activity and to 

minimize the social and economic disruption that can occur when volcanoes 

threaten to erupt. These goals are pursued by studying volcanic processes to 

better understand how volcanoes act and 

to better interpret warning signs; by 

studying selected volcanoes near population centers to assess the hazard posed by 

future activity at the volcano; and bymonitoring restless volcanoes to interpret 

the likelihood and probable style of an 

eruption.

Living with Volcanoes

A

lthough volcanic activity worldwide is 

not on the rise, the impact on people 

and their activities is increasing as more 

homes are built in the shadow of volcanoes and as more long-distance aircraft 

fly over remote volcanoes. Because no

violent eruptions threatened lives or 

property in the United States during the 

past year, USGS scientists were able to 

focus on expanding our basic knowledge 

of the causes and effects of the many 

types of volcanic activity. For example, in 

March 1993, the USGS organized a workshop of Japanese and USGS volcanologists who are studying volcano monitoring and processes of explosive eruptions. 

The workshop was held in Menlo Park, 

Calif., and was attended by more than 

100 volcanologists, mainly from the 

United States and Japan but including 

scientists from several other countries. 

Workshop participants identified two 

topics as the most important for collaborative research to mitigate the hazards of 

explosive eruptions processes of dome 

growth and seismic precursors to explosive eruptions.

To minimize the hazard that volcanic 

ash poses to aircraft, the USGS is working 

actively with the aviation industry, aircraft 

manufacturers, and other governmental 

agencies to gain a better understanding 

of how ash plumes behave over time, how 

to detect ash plumes quickly in remote 

airspace, and how to communicate information in real time to aircraft in the air 

or about to depart along affected routes. 

During FY 1993, the USGS cosponsored 

or participated in three international 

workshops on ash and aviation safety. 

The proceedings of the most recent 

workshop, which concerned the impact of 

volcanic ash on airports, are summarized 

in USGS Open-File Report 93-518, "Volcanic Ash and Airports: Discussions and 

Recommendations from the Workshop on 

Impacts of Volcanic Ash on Airport Facilities." In addition, USGS scientists are 

working with the International Civil Aviation Organization in revising procedures 

for detecting and issuing warnings of ash 

plumes in foreign airspace. The USGS 

also has formal collaborative agreements 

with the Federal Aviation Administration, 

the National Weather Service, and other 

regional agencies involved with disaster 

mitigation to address issues of aviation 

safety and volcanic eruptions.

Augustine Volcano, one of the most 

active in Cook Inlet, has been the focus 

of special study because of its frequent 

eruptions (1935, 1963-64, 1976, and 

1986 in this century alone). USGS scientists have installed three tiltmeters and 

three Global Positioning System receivers

28 At Work Across the Nation. . .
on Augustine Island to monitor ground 

deformation continuously. If an eruption 

threatens, the Alaska Volcano Observatory a consortium of the USGS, the 

University of Alaska, and the State of 

Alaska should be able to warn people 

in the region, including the cities of Anchorage and Homer, and alert commercial aircraft to any possible danger. These 

warnings will help to minimize the socioeconomic disruption caused by volcanoes. 

In May 1991, the Philippine Government invited USGS scientists to collaborate with Filipino volcanologists in assessing unrest at previously little-known 

Mount Pinatubo. The team provided 

warnings that led to the timely evacuation 

of thousands of Filipino residents and 

U.S. military personnel and dependents 

and hundreds of millions of dollars worth 

of military equipment just before the climactic eruption in June 1991. Clark Air 

Base was closed prematurely as a direct 

result of this volcanic activity, and ongoing mudflows and secondary eruptions 

continue to endanger the area. Scientists 

from the USGS, the Philippines, and the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are investigating these hazards, funded in part by 

the U.S. Department of State.

James Riehle

is on the staff of the USGS Volcano Hazards

program and the Geothermal Investigations program

and has published extensively on volcano systems

USGS and Filipino scientists verify operation of a mudflow-detection station at 

Mount Pinatubo.

Deep Continental 

Studies

I

n our knowledge of the Earth and its 

processes, there is a large gap between 

the detail provided by shallow geologic 

exploration and the general knowledge of 

the deep roots of continents. Increasing 

our knowledge of these deeper zones is

For more information about the 

Volcano Hazards Reduction program, 

contact James Riehle at:

Telephone (703) 648-6907

Internet jriehle@isdres.wr.usgs.gov

30'

30°

50°

70°

EXPLANATION 

' Subduction zones 

Other plate boundaries 

Some of the Earth's 

active volcanoes

SCOTIA

ANTARCTIC

Major tectonic plates of the 

Earth.

... in Geologic Studies 29
The Explorer, Juan de Fuca, 

and Gorda plates are being 

subducted beneath the North 

American plate.

It is in the deeper zones

that many critical 

mineral deposits form 

and that earthquakes

and volcanoes originate.

essential, because it is there that many 

critical mineral deposits form and that 

earthquakes and volcanoes originate. The 

USGS Deep Continental Studies program

50'

48'

EXPLANATION 

xXO.-'l Crustal seismicity

A Volcanoes

promotes multidisciplinary research to 

expand our knowledge of deep crustal 

environments and processes that control 

or influence near-surface geology. The 

program provides basic information on 

hazards; management of land, mineral, 

and energy resources; and environmental 

concerns about the disposal of wastes. 

The challenges of deep drilling spur 

improvements in drilling instruments and 

technology.

Evolution of Volcanic Arcs

B

asic interdisciplinary research on the 

evolution of volcanic arcs (belts of 

volcanoes that parallel the deep ocean 

trenches) has led to a new understanding 

of their behavior, especially the relationships among volcanic eruptions (often 

explosive), earthquakes, and the descent 

of cold oceanic crust into the Earth's 

mantle. This new conceptual understanding is based on experimental and theoretical studies funded by the Deep Continental Studies program over the past 2 

years.

The new model is based on the complex relationships among the dehydration 

of the descending ocean crust, the formation of a very dense rock called eclogite 

(which forms rapidly from crustal material under certain pressure and temperature conditions in the presence of water), 

and the melting of oceanic crust and 

overlying mantle rocks to form magmas. 

The formation of eclogite is controlled by 

the influx of water and the kinetics of 

mineral reactions that convert relatively 

voluminous minerals, commonly found in 

oceanic crust, into the much denser minerals that compose eclogite. The eclogite 

forms only along a narrow layer of the 

sinking slab, where the crustal minerals 

are present; the rest of the slab consists 

of mantle minerals that do not change 

volume as they sink. The reduction in 

volume that results from the formation of 

eclogite causes stresses in the oceanic 

crustal slab; these stresses, in turn, cause 

earthquakes. (An analogy is the cracking 

caused by thermal shock when an object 

is suddenly and unevenly heated or 

cooled, such as when a cold ice cube is 

dropped into lukewarm water.) Hence, 

water from the sinking oceanic crust not 

only aids in the melting of crust and 

mantle but also facilitates chemical

30 At Work Across the Nation. . .
reactions that are ultimately the cause of 

powerful earthquakes.

Because most of the Earth's volcanoes are in volcanic arcs and most earthquakes occur within narrow zones 

beneath volcanic arcs, our new model 

provides a framework for understanding 

arc mechanics. We can now begin to 

quantify the buildup of stresses in downgoing slabs and improve our understanding of the episodic character of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. As our 

understanding of the model's numerical 

aspects improves, we will be able to test it. 

The Pacific Northwest, between Seattle 

and Portland where the Juan de Fuca 

plate is forced beneath the North American plate, would be an excellent test area. 

The results of this fundamental work will 

have significant impact on earthquake 

and volcano hazards mitigation all over 

the world, wherever subduction zones are 

found.

Steven Bohlen

coordinates the USGS Deep Continental Studies

program and has made numerous contributions

to research on the mineralogy of the Earth's crust

and mantle

Mineral-Resource 

Surveys

Mineral-resource surveys provide the mineral-resource and mineralenvironmental information required to 

make land-use and environmental policy 

decisions for effective management, preservation, and use of the Nation's lands 

and resources. The USGS is increasing its 

emphasis on environmental mineral 

investigations by developing and applying 

geochemical and geophysical techniques 

to regional and site-specific characterizations of the environment. For example, 

USGS geoscientists are helping to identify, characterize, and remediate environmental problems associated with active 

and abandoned mine sites. Selection and 

scheduling of study areas are conducted 

in close cooperation with Federal landmanaging agencies, the U.S. Bureau of 

Mines (USBOM), State geological surveys, 

and the mining industry. The USBOM 

uses USGS estimates of undiscovered 

mineral resources to analyze potential 

mineral supplies, and the land-managing

Deep Continental Studies Program Components

Regional crustal experiments: Regional studies traversing major 

geologic features in order to define crustal compositions, structures, 

and geologic processes. These studies are focused on Alaska, southern California, and the Washington-Oregon-northern California area.

Continental scientific drilling: Multiagency activities determining 

the origin of continents, examining the ocean-continent boundary, 

and seeking to understand the occurrence of natural resources and 

natural hazards. Drilling has taken place in Colorado, California, 

New Mexico, and Iowa; collaborative studies are ongoing with Germany and Russia.

Physics and chemistry of deep continental materials: Crustal 

investigations into chemical and mechanical interactions, quantitative changes in processes, magmatism and fluid production and 

movement, and the high-temperature and high-pressure properties 

of geologic materials.

agencies use information from both agencies for planning land use and for estimating cumulative environmental 

impacts.

Evaluating Mineral Potential 

in National Forests

I

n response to a high-priority request 

from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), 

the USGS assessed undiscovered mineral 

resources" of 1.4 million acres of contiguous parts of the Gallatin and Custer 

National Forests in southwestern Montana. The USFS is using this information 

to develop comprehensive land- and 

resource-management plans for the 

Absaroka-Beartooth area, which lies 

within the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

The USGS provided quantitative 

estimates of undiscovered mineral 

resources to enable the USFS to evaluate 

the significance of the mineral potential. 

Most of the identified and estimated 

undiscovered resources of platinum, palladium, and chromium in the United 

States occur in the Absaroka-Beartooth 

study area. The USGS estimates that an 

additional 3,000 metric tons of platinum 

and palladium resources and 4 million 

metric tons of chromium resources are 

present in extensions of known deposits. 

Mean probabilistic estimates (in metric 

tons) for gross in-place undiscovered mineral resources include 200 tons of gold, 

2,000 tons of silver, 130,000 tons of

For more information about the Deep 

Continental Studies program, contact 

Steven Bohlen at:

Telephone (415) 329-5241

Internet sbohlen@mojave.wr.usgs.gov

Absaroka-Beartooth 

study area

in Geologic Studies 31
Identified resources

are defined as 

resources whose location, quality, and quantity are known or estimated from specific 

geologic evidence. 

Identified resources 

may be economic, 

marginally economic, 

or subeconomic. Identified resources include 

demonstrated (measured and indicated) 

and inferred resources.

Estimated undiscovered resources are 

defined as resources 

whose existence is 

only postulated; these 

postulated resources 

may be in deposits that 

are economic, marginally economic, or subeconomic.

molybdenum, 230,000 tons of nickel, 6.5 

million tons of copper, and more than 6.5 

million tons of chromium.

In this assessment, the USGS delineated a favorable tract for the occurrence 

of gold deposits on the basis of historical 

mining and exploration and a distinctive 

geologic environment in the southwestern 

part of the study area near Jardine, 

Mont. The USGS estimated a 50-percent 

probability that the tract contains at least 

8.1 metric tons of gold in undiscovered 

deposits. Commercial exploration that 

started before the USGS study resulted in 

an announcement of a new discovery 

within the tract at Crevice Mountain that 

contains preliminary drill-indicated 

reserves of 12.4 metric tons of gold.

Among the results of the AbsarokaBeartooth study are new maps showing 

the geology, aeromagnetic and gravity 

data, and stream-sediment geochemical 

anomalies. Locations of mines, prospects, 

mineral occurrences, and tracts favorable 

for various types of mineral deposits also 

are included. Because these data are 

shown at the map scale used by the USFS 

(1:126,720), they can be easily incorporated into the USFS planning process as 

base maps for ecosystem management. 

The results of the USGS study are published in "Mineral-Resource Assessment 

of the Absaroka-Beartooth Study Area, 

Custer and Gallatin National Forests, 

Montana" (USGS Open-File Report 

93-207).

Mineral Studies Help Protect 

Habitat

T

he USGS published a mineralresource assessment requested by the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for 

use in land-planning efforts to protect the 

habitats of the desert tortoise and the 

Mohave ground squirrel in the western 

Mojave Desert of southern California. 

The Western Mojave Management Area 

has been the site of mineral exploration 

and mining activity since the early 1800's. 

The USGS report (Open-File Report 

92-595, "Evaluation of Selected Metallic 

and Nonmetallic Mineral Resources, West

Mojave Management Area, Southern California") provides quantitative estimates 

of undiscovered gold, silver, copper, 

borate, lead, zinc, tungsten, iron, and 

molybdenum and qualitative descriptions 

of undiscovered saline, zeolite, and clay 

resources. The estimated value of undiscovered borate salts, which are used primarily in manufacturing glass fibers for 

insulation and textiles, is larger than that 

of all other quantified resources combined. USGS estimates of undiscovered 

mineral resources assist the BLM in 

developing reserve management plans 

that provide for multiple resource use 

while maintaining the viability of critical 

habitat areas for the desert tortoise and 

the Mohave ground squirrel.

Mineral-Environmental 

Investigations

Mineral-environmental studies apply 

geological, geochemical, and geophysical expertise to environmental challenges such as establishing geochemistry 

baselines, characterizing natural and 

human-induced hazardous sites, and predicting potential environmental impacts 

caused by mining. Studies underway for 

several ongoing mineral-resource assessments include:

 In the Routt National Forest in northern Colorado, the USGS is conducting 

acid-mine drainage studies and analyzing 

stressed vegetation downwind from a 

powerplant.

 The USGS is comparing the soil and 

water chemistry of samples collected during FY 1993 with the chemistry of baseline samples collected before the recent 

opening of a smelter near the BLM's 

Mimbres Resource Area in southwestern 

New Mexico.

 In the Wenatchee National Forest in 

northeastern Washington, USGS scientists 

are comparing the geochemistry of natural drainage and mine drainage.

 A comprehensive mineralenvironmental assessment is being prepared to complete the mineral-resource 

assessment of the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado.

32 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Minerals-Related 

Contamination

Water of the Alamosa River, which 

runs through the San Luis Valley 

in southwestern Colorado, is used extensively for irrigation, domestic purposes, 

and water supply to the Alamosa National 

Wildlife Refuge and nearby wetlands. 

Increasing concentrations of heavy metals 

and acid in the river water, attributed to 

recent mining at Summitville, Colo., have 

drawn national attention. These environmental problems are compounded by the 

erosion of natural sources of highly mineralized rocks in the San Juan Mountains 

and by contamination from historical 

mining. To address these problems, the 

USGS has begun site-specific studies at 

the now-abandoned Summitville mine 

and detailed geologic and geophysical 

work in the San Luis Valley.

At Summitville, USGS scientists are 

evaluating the contamination problems at 

and downstream from the mine. Geologists and geophysicists are working on a 

detailed map of the fracture systems and 

chemically toxic zones at the mine site to 

establish the hydrologic paths of contaminated water. These studies will provide 

information for onsite remediation by 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA). The USGS also is providing information to the EPA on the concentrations 

of chemical elements that have not been 

monitored previously in the Summitville 

drainages, on the geologic and geochemical processes that control the drainage 

chemistries, and on baseline geochemical 

conditions now present on the site before 

any reclamation or remediation.

The San Luis Valley downstream 

from the Summitville mine is being examined to determine the extent and effects 

of metal contamination in wetlands of the 

Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and 

adjacent farms and forests. The studies 

are providing information on the changes 

in soil geochemistry that have resulted 

from the recent mining. Scientists are 

analyzing the metal content of tree rings 

from nearby forests to evaluate changes 

that have occurred through time. Other 

studies include monitoring the concentration and mobility of metals in irrigationditch sediments and ponds and comparing the metal concentrations in crops 

irrigated by Alamosa River water with 

those of crops irrigated by other sources.

Alamosa National 

Wildlife Refuge

Monte Vista National 

-^ Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife habitat 

potentially affected by 

Alamosa River water

Cooperators in the San Luis Valley studies include the Geologic and Water 

Resources Divisions of the USGS, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Office 

of Surface Mining, the U.S. Forest Service, the EPA, the State of Colorado, local 

extension services, irrigation districts, and 

farmers.

Information and Technology 

Transfer

U

SGS geologists organized and taught 

an environmental geochemistry 

course in late April 1993 to more than 

100 geologists, environmental consultants, 

regulators, and governmental officials 

concerned about minimizing the environmental impacts of mineral development. 

The course focused on the geochemical 

and biogeochemical processes that control 

how mineral deposits and mining byproducts interact with the environment. This 

course was one of several held in conjunction with the Society of Economic 

Geologists international meeting "Integrated Methods in Exploration and Discovery" in Denver, Colo.

The USGS continues to increase the 

effectiveness and accessibility of its nonfuel mineral-resource information. In FY 

1993, the Minerals Information Offices 

(see p. 107 for locations) completed 

minerals-related research for 3,398 clients 

affiliated with industry and other business 

interests, government agencies, academia, 

trade associations, and the general public. 

Custom searches of the Mineral

The Summitville mine and its 

downstream environmental 

effects in the San Luis Valley, 

Colo.

. . in Geologic Studies 33
For more information about mineralresource surveys, contact Willis White 

at:

Telephone (703) 648-6101 

Internet wwhite@usgs.gov

Resources Data System, a data base of 

more than 90,000 mineral sites worldwide, helped resolve environmental, landuse, and exploration questions for more 

than 800 clients. The Mineral Resources 

Newsletter, an information digest of USGS 

and related mineral-resource activities, is 

distributed quarterly to more than 10,000 

individuals and groups. In addition, 

mineral-related technology training was 

given to staff of the U.S.. Forest Service, 

Department of State, and government 

agencies in Venezuela and Argentina.

Dede Bohn

has studied the geologic structure and mineral

resources of the Western United States and Alaska

for the past decade

Monitoring and 

Charting the Earth's 

Magnetic Field

T

he Earth's magnetic field, believed to 

be produced by movement in its 

fluid iron core, changes continuously and 

irregularly as magnetic north swings 

around true or geographic north. Precise

Precise determinations of the difference between true north and 

magnetic north are useful in a number of different applications, 

including charts and maps produced by various Federal agencies:

 USGS topographic maps and military, Federal Aviation Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration navigational charts.

 Aeromagnetic anomaly maps used in exploration for fossil fuels, 

geothermal energy, and minerals.

 Studies of geologic structures associated with earthquake and volcano hazards.

 Prediction of atmospheric conditions that affect missile flight and 

disrupt satellite data transmissions.

 Information concerning potential communications disruptions 

caused by solar flares.

 Monitoring of real-time magnetic indices that contribute to the 

U.S. Global Change program by providing basic information on 

changes in the Earth's magnetic field, especially those caused by 

solar activity (sunspots).

 Determinations of the attitude of many spacecraft.

 Retracing old boundaries and settling court disputes.

determinations of magnetic declination 

(the difference between true north and 

magnetic north) are required for all maps 

and charts. Numerous Federal agencies 

require detailed geomagnetic data for 

statutory missions, including the operation of satellites.

The USGS operates 11 magnetic 

observatories, conducts magnetic field 

surveys to determine rates of changes in 

! the magnetic field components, and 

I works with other Federal agencies to 

I obtain satellite data as part of a world- 

| wide data collection effort. The USGS 

[National Geomagnetic Information

Center, located in Denver, Colo., collabo- i 

I rates with 30 international observatories

| to collect and exchange satellite data 

! and makes these international data 

! readily available to users in the United 

i States.

i In addition to the data collection 

projects, the USGS Magnetic Field Moni- 

; toring and Charting program funds 

I research on a wide variety of topics. Vari- 

| ations in the geomagnetic field enable 

I scientists to study many types of geologic 

processes, whose time spans range from 

mere seconds to millions of years, from 

deep within the Earth's core to the far 

reaches of space. Such studies include 

research on electromagnetic dynamo 

models of the Earth's molten core in an 

attempt to explain the origin of planetary 

i magnetic fields; field polarity reversals, 

which are vitally important to paleomagnetic, archeomagnetic, and paleoclimatic 

research; conductivity of the Earth's crust 

and mantle; mathematical modeling to 

predict changes in the field; development 

of magnetic monitoring and measuring 

equipment, including data acquisition systems and methods; and relationships 

i between solar-induced geomagnetic disturbances and long-term global weather 

patterns.

The program provides advice and 

information to people in other governmental agencies, the academic community, and the private sector. Services provided include the calibration of magnetic 

instruments, recommendations on the 

installation and operation of magnetic 

equipment and data acquisition systems, 

and advice on methods for identifying 

and eliminating magnetic influences on 

satellite spacecraft.

34 At Work Across the Nation. . .
World Magnetic Charts 

Available

A series of world magnetic charts published in 1993 shows the magnetic 

declination, horizontal and vertical intensities, inclination, and total field intensity 

components of the Earth's magnetic field. 

These charts display contours of the absolute values of each component for the 

current magnetic epoch. Additionally, 

each chart displays contours of the average rate of change in that component, so 

that a user can compute a localized field 

value for a short period of years before 

and after the epoch date of the chart.

To improve the data available to its 

users, the National Geomagnetic Information Center, with the support and 

cooperation of other agencies, established 

new magnetic observatories in Hungary, 

Brazil, and India to fill large gaps in global data availability. These observatories 

are owned and operated by the countries 

in which they are located. The data are 

available in near real time for use by 

USGS researchers and other users in the 

United States.

John Wood

coordinates the USGS Magnetic Field Monitoring

and Charting program and has written extensively

on the Earth's magnetic properties

Ice-Core Laboratory 

Dedication

C

limate changes can result from both 

human actions (emissions of carbon 

dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse 

gases) and natural events (volcanic eruptions or meteorite impacts). By studying 

the record of climate changes preserved 

in ice, scientists may be able to evaluate 

current changes in the atmosphere and 

predict future changes. To that end, the 

most advanced ice-core laboratory in the 

world was dedicated in Denver, Colo., in 

August 1993. A joint effort of the 

National Science Foundation, the University of Colorado, and the USGS, the laboratory is the only storage and curatorial 

facility for ice cores in North America. 

The lab allows scientists to examine

and measure ice cores, and it preserves 

these ice samples in a long-term repository for present and future investigations. 

The cores are stored in a continuously 

monitored cold room at a controlled temperature of 31 °F. In an adjacent laboratory kept at a more temperate climate 

of 10 °F, scientists can examine the 

1-meter lengths of cores in "relative comfort." The laboratory's data base can be 

accessed remotely by telephone, so that 

researchers throughout the world can 

review repository holdings.

The laboratory, housed at the USGS 

Denver facility, curently holds more than 

10,000 meters of ice cores from the polar 

caps of Antarctica and Greenland, including the world's deepest ice core, the 

GISP2, from central Greenland. Climate 

records now being reconstructed from 

the GISP2 core have fundamentally 

changed the way scientists view climate 

change and indicate that major shifts in 

temperature and precipitation can occur 

in as few as 5 years rather than centuries, 

as previously thought. These ice cores 

also provide the only known direct record 

of atmospheric changes over the last 

250,000 years.

To access the base 

computer models developed in publishing these 

magnetic charts, call 

1 (800) 358-2663.

For more information on monitoring and 

charting the Earth's magnetic field, contact 

Donald Herzog at:

Telephone (303) 273-8487 

Internet herzog@gldfs.cr.usgs.gov

For more information on the ice-core 

laboratory, contact:

Telephone (303) 236-5562 

Internet jfitz@bpgsvr.cr.usgs.gov

Elizabeth Ann Rieke, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science (center), and 

Robert M. Hirsch, Acting Director of the USGS, join ice-core lab technical 

director Joan Fitzpatrick for the August 1993 dedication of the new facility.

... in Geologic Studies 35
At Work Across the Nation 

in Water Resource Investigations

,*,*,»,.; -'*"* Mission

The USGS has the principal responsibility within the Federal 

Government to provide the hydrologic information and understanding needed by others to achieve the best use and management of the 

Nation's water resources. To accomplish this mission, the Water 

Resources Division, in cooperation with State, local, and other 

Federal agencies:

 Systematically collects and analyzes data to evaluate the quantity, 

quality, and use of the Nation's water resources and provides results 

of these investigations to the public.

 Conducts water resources appraisals describing the occurrence, 

availability, and physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of 

surface and ground water.

 Conducts basic and problem-oriented hydrologic and related 

research that aids in alleviating water resources problems and provides an understanding of hydrologic systems sufficient to predict 

their response to natural or human-caused stress.

 Coordinates the activities of Federal agencies in the acquisition of 

water resources data for streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, and 

ground water.

 Provides scientific and technical assistance in hydrologic fields to 

other Federal, State, and local agencies, to licensees of the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, and to international agencies on 

behalf of the Department of State.

 Administers the State Water Resources Research Institutes 

Program and the National Water Resources Research Grants 

Program.
Of Floods and 

Forecasts: Critical 

Water Information for 

the Nation

Water-data stations at selected locations throughout the Nation are 

used by the USGS Hydrologic Data 

Collection program to obtain records 

on stream discharge (flow) and stage 

(height), including floodflow monitoring; 

reservoir and lake stage and storage; well 

and spring discharge and ground-water 

levels; and the quality of surface and 

ground water. These data provide a continuing record of the quantity and quality 

of the Nation's surface- and ground-water 

resources and thus provide the hydrologic information needed by Federal, 

State, and local agencies and the private 

sector for the development and management of land and water resources.

In cooperation with State and local 

agencies, the USGS collects, stores, analyzes, and disseminates data on water use 

for the Nation. Every 5 years since 1950, 

the National Water-Use Information program has prepared estimates of (1) water 

withdrawn from surface- and groundwater sources, (2) consumptive use, and 

(3) instream use and wastewater releases. 

These reports, the latest of which was 

published in 1990, are used to develop 

and evaluate trends in water use and to 

plan for more effective uses of the 

Nation's water resources in the future.

The Flood of 1993

T

he months of June to August 1993 

will long be remembered by the people of the Midwest as the "Summer of the 

Flood." The floods, which were the result 

of a succession of severe storms in the 

upper Mississippi River Basin, were the 

most severe, in terms of damage, in the 

history of the United States. Unofficial 

estimates of damage to property and agricultural losses have been as high as $10 

billion, and many tens of thousands of 

people were forced from their homes.

The flooding presented the USGS 

with the scientific challenge of monitoring 

floodwaters in extremely hazardous conditions and conducting followup studies

that will help planners and managers in 

the affected States recover from this 

year's natural disaster and plan appropriately for future floods. During the floods, 

the USGS furnished continuous information on streamflow and other related topics to the National Weather Service 

(NWS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and many State 

and local agencies as part of its mission to 

provide basic data on the Nation's 

surface- and ground-water resources at 

more than 50,000 sites across the United 

States. The NWS uses the data in forecasting floods and issuing flood warnings. 

The Corps uses the data to manage water 

projects, such as diversions, dams, locks, 

and levees. FEMA and many State and 

local emergency management agencies 

use USGS hydrologic data and NWS forecasts as part of the basis of their local 

flood-response plans.

The flood of 1993 was the result of 

a. series of unusual climatic factors. A wet 

spring followed by record-breaking rains 

in June and July produced more than a 

year's worth of precipitation in 7 months, 

which in turn produced the recordbreaking floods on the Mississippi River. 

Precipitation was as much as 200 percent 

of normal for the 6 months preceding the 

June and July storms. As a result, streamflows were also well above normal, reservoirs were filled to the point where little 

reserve storage capacity remained, and 

wet soil conditions were conducive to runoff of most of the later rainfall.

Extreme stream/lows 

ones that exceeded the

100-year recurrence

interval were recorded

at 45 stream-gaging

stations in 9 States.

In June and July, the jet stream consistently dipped abnormally south over 

the Plains area east of the Rocky Mountains. That stalled weather system, coupled with a high-pressure zone in the

37
Qg 600

58

13

LJJ O

100-year 

flood \

1950

YEAR

Raccoon River at Van Meter, Iowa

Of

0

1800 1900

YEAR

Mississippi at Keokuk, Iowa

EXPLANATION

Area of flooding streams

 .. Boundary of Mississippi River Basin 

A Streamflow-gaging station

Missouri River at Booneville, Missouri

1900

YEAR

Mississippi River at St Louis, Missouri

Historical peak discharges and peak discharges for the 1993 flood at selected streamflow-gaging 

stations in the upper Mississippi River Basin.

Flooded filling stations on Highway 67 at West Alton, Mo. (July 26, 1993). 

38 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Samples from 

New Orleans. Louisiana, 

deby

the Jetlerson Parish, Louisiana 

Water Quality Laboratory

Streamflow and temporal 

distribution in the 

concentrations of atrazine at 

three sites on the Mississippi 

| River from April 1991 through 

August 1993. A, Clinton, 

Iowa; B, Thebes, III.; C, 

Baton Rouge, La.

Sampling site and 

station location

AMJ J ASONDJ FMAMJ J ASOND 

1991 1992

JFMAMJJA 

1993

This flooded farmhouse near 

West Alton, Mo., was on high 

ground surrounded for many 

weeks by floodwaters of the 

Missouri and Mississippi 

Rivers (July 26, 1993).

in Water Resources Investigations 39
Submerged "Fresh Bait" shops along Highway 67 near West Alton, Mo. (July 26, 

1993).

Interstate Highway 80 spans the Des Moines River in flood upstream from Des 

Moines, Iowa (July 12, 1993).

The new Alton Bridge still under construction and submerged crane in 

foreground. The riverbank, which is hidden by the flood, is at the first pier of 

the new bridge (on the right) below the cables and white cement trucks. Usually, 

20 to 30 more feet of the main bridge support towers are visible above the water 

line (August 9, 1993).

The ConAgra flour mill and entrance to the 

Great River Road in Alton, III., at the 

confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri 

Rivers. The front doors to the mill are nearly 

under water 1 week before the flood crest 

(August 1, 1993). The old high-water marks 

painted on the sides of the building are 

already covered by the floodwaters (July 26, 

1993).

Southeastern United States, brought 

large amounts of warm, moist air into the 

upper Midwest where it collided with the 

cool, dry air and caused repeated severe 

rainfalls. All or parts of nine States in the 

Midwest received large amounts of precipitation that resulted in floods on many 

streams in June, July, and August. 

Extreme streamflows ones that exceeded 

the 100-year recurrence interval were 

recorded at 45 stream-gaging stations 

in 9 States. All-time record-high flows 

some that were more than twice the 

previous record were measured on 

streams in Minnesota, Iowa, South 

Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and 

Wisconsin.

The timing of the June and July 

storms was another critical climatic factor 

in the resulting flooding. Floodwaters 

from storm runoff in northern parts of 

the upper Mississippi River Basin reached 

downstream points at about the same 

time as later storm runoff from tributaries lower in the basin, which contributed 

to the magnitude of peak discharges at 

some sites on the Mississippi and lower 

Missouri Rivers.

The recurring storms throughout 

most of the upper Mississippi River Basin 

resulted in long periods when rivers were

40 At Work Across the Nation. . .
above flood or bankfull stage. The Mississippi River at St. Louis, Mo., for example, 

was above flood stage for more than 10 

weeks. Total volume of runoff at this 

location during July and August 1993 was 

more than 400 percent above normal for 

these months. The peak stage at this site 

on August 1, 1993, exceeded the previous 

maximum recorded stage by more than 6 

feet. New maximum peak stages for the 

period of record were set at more than 

60 gaging stations. Some of these new 

record stages may have been influenced 

by construction of levees or other channel 

alterations and were not necessarily coincident with new record peak discharge.

The hydrologic and social effects of 

runoff throughout the flood area were 

severe and widespread. Although most 

Federal levees withstood the floods, many 

others that protected populated areas or 

agricultural land either were overtopped 

or failed. One failed levee on the Raccoon River in Des Moines, Iowa, caused 

this city of 250,000 people to be without 

drinking water for 19 days. Other cities 

experienced similar disruptions in their 

water supply delivery systems. Thousands 

of acres of land were inundated along the 

Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and their 

major tributaries. Damaged highways and 

submerged roads disrupted overland 

transportation throughout the flooded 

region. Many bridges in the floodaffected area were inundated, and some 

failed owing to scour of the channel bed 

by the fast-moving floodwaters and subsequent failure of bridge piers or abutments. At the State Route 51 bridge at 

Chester, 111., downstream from Ste. 

Genevieve, Mo., more than 20 feet of 

scour occurred around one bridge pier. 

The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were 

closed to navigation before and after the 

flooding. Millions of acres of productive 

farmland remained under water for 

weeks during the growing season, and 

severe erosion caused rills and gullies in 

many tilled fields throughout the Midwestern U.S. farmbelt. Banks and channels of many rivers were severely eroded, 

and sediment was deposited over large 

areas of the basin's flood plain. The 

record flows submerged many areas that 

had not been affected by previous floods. 

Because industrial and agricultural areas 

were inundated, there was concern about 

the transport and fate of industrial

Looking toward Missouri from Alton, III. The old Clark Bridge (Highway 67) 

spanning the Mississippi River was kept open during most of the flood, closing 

for only 1 week during the crest. Dust visible at the end of the bridge (right) is 

from traffic on gravel that was used to build up the upper (new) roadway about 6 

feet above the floodwaters. The lower (old) section of the roadway had been 

flooded for quite some time before this photograph was taken on August 9, 

1993.

chemicals, sewage effluent, and agricultural chemicals in the floodwaters.

Herbicide concentrations in Midwestern farmbelt streams typically are highest 

in late spring and early summer, shortly 

after application of the herbicides to 

cropland. The wet spring in 1993 delayed 

planting of crops in parts of the upper 

Midwest, so most of the planting and 

subsequent application of herbicides

Farm buildings under water 

just west of the canal that 

bypasses, on the Illinois side, 

the Chain of Rocks segment 

of the Mississippi River north 

of St. Louis, Mo. (July 26, 

1993).

... in Water Resources Investigations 41
South Skunk River near 

Colfax, Iowa, floods roads 

and farmsteads (July 12, 1993).

For more information on the flood of 

1993, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5305 

Internet cwboning@usgs.gov

occurred in late spring or summer during 

short dry periods. Whereas it was anticipated that abnormally high streamflows 

in 1993 would dilute the herbicides to 

lower-than-normal concentrations in the 

Mississippi River, the intense and sustained rainfall that began soon after the 

herbicides were applied, together with the 

widespread extent of the rainfall on the 

farmbelt, caused larger-than-normal 

amounts of herbicides to be flushed into 

the streams. As a result, concentrations of 

herbicides such as atrazine were similar to 

the maximum levels (about 3 parts per 

billion for atrazine) measured in previous 

years when streamflows were much lower. 

Once herbicides reach streams, they persist for longer periods of time than they 

do in the soil because streamwater contains less organic matter and fewer microorganisms to degrade the chemicals. Consequently, most of the large amounts of 

herbicides that were flushed into the Mississippi River and its tributaries ultimately 

were transported to the Gulf of Mexico.

Concentrations of nitrate in streams 

were similar to levels measured in previous years. The concentrations at all sites 

were well below the drinking-water standard of 10 parts per million of nitrate. 

The large total loads of nitrate flushed 

into the Gulf of Mexico during midsummer present a longer term concern 

because the higher nitrate load could 

stimulate algal growth and affect the Gulf 

ecosystem along the Louisiana coast. 

Monitoring by the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration showed that 

the salinity of surface water in the Gulf 

shelf was lower than average for this time 

of year and that the phytoplankton biomass was higher than average, all of 

which could be attributed to larger-thanaverage seasonal inflows of freshwater 

and nutrients, such as nitrate.

The hydrologic legacy of the flood 

of 1993 is far from over. USGS hydrologists are conducting a series of investigations to document the effects of the 

flooding and to improve understanding 

of the related processes. A special publication series (USGS Circular 1120) documents various aspects of the flood. The 

series includes data and findings on the 

magnitude and frequency of peak discharges; precipitation; water-quality characteristics, including nutrients and manmade contaminants; transport of 

sediment; assessment of sediment deposited on flood plains; effects of inundation 

on ground-water quality; flood-discharge 

volume; effects of reservoir storage on 

flood peaks; stream-channel scour at 

selected bridges; extent of flood-plain 

inundation; and documentation of significant geomorphic changes.

Charles W. Boning

has acquired extensive experience in surface-water

data collection and hydraulic analysis of stream

systems in his 33 jean with the USGS

Forecasting Water Demand

With the implementation of the 

National Water-Use Information 

(NWUI) program in 1978, the USGS 

began to establish the framework for 

studying the water-demand side of the 

water-supply-and-demand equation. As 

the era of building large dams and conveyance systems draws to a close, the 

transition is well underway to an era of 

integrated water management that balances water-supply management options 

with water-demand management options. 

The NWUI program is in a position to 

support the transition to integrated water 

management and to analyze and evaluate 

the growing emphasis on water-use 

accounting, water-use efficiency, conservation, water-demand modeling, and 

other demand-management options that 

are occurring in the 1990's. The USGS 

has established water-demand forecasting 

studies with a number of cooperators. 

Florida. In cooperation with the 

Florida Department of Environmental 

Regulation (FDER), the USGS has forecasted drinking-water needs for each 

county in Florida for the years 2000, 

2010, and 2020 by determining, for each 

county, (1) the projected population, (2) 

the percentage of projected population 

that will be served by a public-supply 

water system, and (3) the projected per 

capita use. The FDER will use these projections as a basis for making informed 

decisions regarding the protection and 

management of drinking-water resources 

in Florida.

Tennessee. The USGS, in cooperation with the Upper Duck River Development Agency (UDRDA) and the Tennessee State Planning Office, conducted a 

study of water use and availability in the 

Duck River basin above Columbia, Tenn.

42 At Work Across the Nation. . .
The Duck River is the main source of 

water for public supply, industry, commerce, and agriculture in the basin. The 

members of the UDRDA are concerned 

that existing water supplies will not meet 

future water demands without an additional surface-water impoundment of the 

Duck River at Columbia. This study forecasts annual water demand for 5, 10, and 

25 years on the basis of anticipated 

growth in the area. These projections, in 

conjunction with other flow-duration 

characteristics, demonstrated that the 

Duck River cannot meet future water-use 

requirements without additional storage.

California. As part of an ongoing 

effort to better manage the water 

resources in the Salinas River basin, the 

USGS is assisting representatives from the 

Monterey County Water Resources 

Agency (MCWRA) in quantifying existing 

water use and in estimating future water 

demands in the municipal, commercial, 

and industrial sectors of the Salinas River 

basin. The results are being linked to 

information acquired from studies and 

analyses of agricultural and other basin 

users that were conducted jointly by the 

Bureau of Reclamation and the MCWRA.

Colorado. In cooperation with the 

Denver Water Department (DWD), the 

USGS has analyzed weekly (1980-87) and 

hourly (1986-87) water-use data for 16 

study sites in the city and county of Denver. Linear relations developed for estimating seasonal water use were based on 

lot size and billing type (flat rate versus 

block rate). Outdoor water use, the largest use of water, was significantly related 

to lot size. The data were used by the 

DWD to support a change from a flat 

rate to a metered billing system.

Wayne B. Solley

has been in charge of the National Water-Use 

Program for the past 10 years

Coordinating Water 

Information for the 

Nation

Water resources information is 

acquired by and shared among 

thousands of Federal, State, and local 

government agencies, Native American

tribes, private groups, and individuals. 

Federal agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, 

Defense, Energy, Interior, and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Valley 

Authority, and other independent Federal agencies, use water resources information in the construction and operation 

of water projects, forecasts and emer- 

| gency response, management of natural 

resources, environmental regulations and 

enforcement, interstate and international 

treaties and compacts, and research. Federal and non-Federal organizations use 

water information to manage natural 

resources, protect the environment, and 

; develop and operate the Nation's infrastructure. The USGS leads the effort to 

encourage cooperation and to provide 

water-resources information that is 

; responsive to the public need.

Water Information 

Coordination

T

he Water Information Coordination 

Program (WICP), for which the 

USGS has lead responsibility, was established by guidance from the Office of 

Management and Budget (Memorandum 

No. M-92-01). WICP is designed to 

ensure that water information is available 

for effective decisionmaking at all levels 

of government and the private sector in 

order to manage natural resources and 

protect the environment.

WICP promotes active partnerships 

among all water resources information 

collectors and users to achieve more 

effective and economical natural-resource 

management and environmental protection. These partnerships also are needed 

to avoid duplications of effort and to 

make better use of available resources to 

meet water-information requirements.

Major accomplishments under the 

program in FY 1993 include:

 Publication of a report titled "Ambient 

Water-Quality Monitoring in the United 

States" prepared by WICP's Intergovernmental Task Force on Monitoring Water 

Quality (see following article).

 The Secretary of the Interior established a subcabinet-level steering committee, chaired by the Assistant Secretary for 

Water and Science, to oversee the implementation of WICP.

For more information on NWUI, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 64&-5670 

Internet wbsolley@usgs.gov

WICP's goals are 

being accomplished by 

focusing on four major 

aspects of coordination: (1) review by Federal and non-Federal 

organizations of waterinformation collection 

and dissemination programs to evaluate their 

effectiveness and to 

identify needed 

changes; (2) development of plans and priorities that can adjust 

existing informationcollection activities to 

meet current and future 

needs more effectively 

and efficiently; (3) 

development and dissemination of consensus water-information 

standards and identification of comparable 

sampling and analytical 

methods, which will 

assist in integrating data 

and ensure consistency 

of those data; and (4) 

development and 

implementation of 

plans and procedures 

to improve the availability and usefulness of 

data and interpretive 

products.

... in Water Resources Investigations 43
For more information on WICP, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5014 

Internet nclopez@usgs.gov

For more information on the ITFM, 

contact:

Telephone (703)648-5017 

Internet

 Participation of the private sector 

in WICP through the Advisory Committee on Water Data for Public Use 

(ACWDPU), chaired by the Director 

of the USGS. At the ACWDPU 

meeting July 14 and 15, 1993, a new 

subcommittee the National WaterQuality Assessment Advisory Council 

was established, which includes representatives of ACWDPU member organizations and Federal agencies.

Nancy C. Lopez

is Chief of the Office of Water Data Coordination

and has had more than 25 years of experience

as a hydrologist in both the Federal and the

private sectors

Needed: Better WaterQuality Information

More than $500 billion has been spent on water-pollution abatement 

since the 1970's, but the effectiveness of 

these investments in achieving the objectives of the Clean Water Act and other 

Federal and State legislation related to 

water quality is inadequately documented. 

Better water-quality information is 

needed to evaluate the effects of past or 

present water-pollution control efforts on 

the Nation's fresh surface-water, coastalwater, and ground-water resources and to 

effectively manage those efforts. Because 

of this need for better information, 

numerous groups have requested greater 

coordination, consistency, and collaboration among Federal, State, and local 

agencies engaged in water-quality monitoring activities.

The Intergovernmental Task Force 

on Monitoring Water Quality (ITFM) is a 

partnership between Federal, State, interstate, and tribal agencies to improve 

water-quality monitoring nationwide. The 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

and the USGS began discussions in April 

1991 to develop a strategy for solving a 

number of pervasive problems associated 

with water-quality monitoring activities. 

Subsequent discussions with representatives of other Federal and State organizations led to general agreement that a joint 

task force was needed to improve waterquality monitoring. The ITFM began 

work in January 1992.

The ITFM is part of the implementation of a 1991 Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) directive to 

strengthen nationwide coordination of 

water information. The USGS has the 

lead responsibility for the Water Information Coordination Program, and other 

Federal agencies are active participants. 

The ITFM is chaired by an EPA representative; a USGS representative serves as 

vice chair, and the USGS provides administrative and management support. Members of the ITFM currently include 10 

Federal and 10 State and interstate 

agency representatives. To date, over 90 

additional Federal, State, and other governmental agency representatives have 

been involved in the deliberations of the 

ITFM and its task groups on institutional 

framework, environmental indicators, 

data-collection methods, data management and information sharing, and 

assessment and reporting.

The ITFM's first report, "Ambient 

Water-Quality Monitoring in the United 

States: First Year Review, Evaluation, and 

Recommendations," was released in 1993 

in response to an OMB requirement to 

evaluate water-quality monitoring and 

recommend improvements. The report 

proposes implementing an overall strategic plan to improve water-quality monitoring by assessing status and trends in 

the United States. Many of the basic 

approaches recommended in the initial 

report, however, also would improve 

monitoring to meet four other recognized 

purposes: characterizing existing and 

emerging problems, designing and implementing water management and regulatory programs, evaluating program effectiveness, and responding to emergencies. 

The ITFM views water-quality monitoring as encompassing the full range of 

activities required to obtain, manage, 

store, interpret, present, share, and 

report water-quality information useful to 

decisionmakers and the public. Such 

monitoring is an integrated activity for 

evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological character of water in relation to 

human health, ecological conditions, and 

designated water uses.

The ITFM report recommends that: 

 An integrated, voluntary, nationwide 

strategy for water-quality monitoring is 

needed to enhance the implementation of 

defensible water-quality programs and 

management decisions. A national intergovernmental committee will oversee 

implementation of the strategy.

44 At Work Across the Nation. . .
 Changing water programs require 

changes in monitoring. Water management programs are changing to focus on 

multimedia, geographically based activities; biological and ecological information; 

and nonpoint source, wetlands, and sediment concerns. Water-monitoring programs must be responsive to these changing information needs.

An integrated,

voluntary, nationwide

strategy for water-quality

monitoring is needed. . .

 Better integration of water-quality 

monitoring activities is now achievable 

because public and private organizations 

are more open to cooperation. Also, 

recent technological advances have created new opportunities to improve waterquality monitoring.

 Monitoring investments will be more 

effective through integration of existing 

programs to sharpen monitoring objectives, improve data consistency, and facilitate more effective interpretation and 

reporting.

 Everyone interested in monitoring 

should be invited to participate in developing and implementing the process, to 

help refine the recommendations, and to 

initiate the proposed changes needed to 

improve monitoring activities.

 Training programs for personnel from 

participating agencies should be established to support implementation of the 

strategic plan.

Bernard A. Malo

is the executive secretary of the ITFM and the

recipient of several awards from the American

Society for Testing and Materials for his standards

development work with the Committee on Water

Improved Access to 

Water Information

T

he USGS, the Nation's largest earthscience agency, makes extensive use 

of computer technology to accomplish its 

' mission. Data-base management is a large 

part of the computational workload of 

USGS water resources programs because 

hydrologic data are collected in all 50 

States, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific 

Islands Trust Territory. Streamflow is 

measured at about 10,000 locations, water 

levels are measured in about 31,000 wells, 

water quality is sampled at over 11,000 

I locations, and water-use data are collected 

i throughout the Nation. All of these data 

1 are stored in computerized data bases 

and in a new system called the National 

Water Information System-II.

National Water Information 

System-//

T

he National Water Information 

System-II (NWIS-II) provides a single data system for storing and processing 

basic data in support of environmental 

assessments. NWIS-II also functions as an 

archive for all data used in completed 

studies and in published products of the 

USGS and as a depository for hydrologic 

and related environmental data. NWIS-II 

was developed in cooperation with other 

agencies, including the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) and the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration.

NWIS-II has been developed as a 

distributed data-base management system 

on a network of workstations and file 

servers using a UNIX operating system 

and the INGRES relational data-base 

management system. The software and 

data are being distributed on file servers 

located in about 100 USGS offices

For more information on NWIS-II, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5659 

Internet thyorke@usgs.gov

... in Water Resources Investigations 45
throughout the country. Data and functional capabilities of the NWIS-II include: 

 An integrated data base of waterchemistry analyses, biological surveys, 

streamflow data, well and aquifer characteristics, water use, sediment surveys, and 

related location and land-use descriptions. 

Data structure also provides the capability 

to store information on the history of 

activities, participants, methods, and 

equipment used to collect, process, and 

analyze environmental data.

Data. . .include 3.4

million water-quality

analyses, 780,000

station-years of 

streamflow data, and

well and aquifer

characteristics for more

than 1 million sites.

 Data transferred from existing database systems of the USGS, which include 

3.4 million water-quality analyses, 780,000 

station-years of streamflow data, and well 

and aquifer characteristics for more than 

1 million sites.

 A graphics interface using multiple 

windows, which insures that the system is 

efficient and flexible for the user.

 Flexible input and update capability, 

which includes support for keyboard 

entry, abbreviations, and mouse-driven 

selections from pick lists.

 Extensive reference lists, which include 

location descriptions from the USGS 

Geographic Names Information System, 

13,000 parameters that correspond to 

EPA's STORET parameter codes, and the 

National Ocean Data Center's (NODC) 

taxonomic file. The NODC file has more 

than 200,000 taxa, including many vertebrates, invertebrates, and algae.

 Links to water-quality and taxonomy 

laboratories, by which the user can 

request analytical and identification services, container labels with bar codes can 

be created, and laboratories can transmit 

results to the user for storage on a file 

server in the office originating the 

request.

 A flexible data retrieval and report system, which supports both X-Window and 

character-based hardware for producing 

export files, ASCII reports, and 

publication-quality reports.

NWIS-II was developed and is being 

released as two components. The first 

component, released in 1993, consists of 

subsystems for inputting, updating, processing, and storing locational, waterquality, ground-water, and biological 

data. The second release, scheduled 

for early in 1994, includes subsystems 

for processing streamflow, sedimenttransport, and water-use data, including 

the capability to process data by using a 

geographic information system (GIS) 

interface. Access to NWIS-II by other 

governmental agencies and the general 

public will continue to be granted 

through the USGS National Water Data 

Exchange office located in Reston, Va.

Thomas H. Yorke

has managed water-resources monitoring and

research activities for more than 10 years and for the

past 3 years has been responsible for the operation

and maintenance of USGS hydrologic data systems,

including the development of NWIS-H

Distributed Information 

System-//

A Distributed Spatial Data Library is 

also being developed and implemented. This online library is a collection 

of spatial data, programs, and techniques, 

a portion of which is located at each 

Water Resources Division office. Data, 

documentation, computer programs, and 

other electronic documents are accessible 

to the public through any software that is 

compatible with the Wide-Area Information System (WAIS) communication 

protocol.

The Distributed Information 

System-II (DIS-II), an advanced 

minicomputer-based distributed information system that was implemented beginning in February 1991, provides a new 

generation of computer hardware and 

software and a migration to open-systems 

technology. The system can be procured 

and used with and can be connected to 

other DIS-system computers throughout 

the USGS and other bureaus of the 

Department of the Interior.

DIS-II workstations/servers are powerful desktop computers equipped with

46 At Work Across the Nation. . .
high-resolution graphics monitors and 

software and peripheral devices that permit the most advanced tasks to be conducted at each individual workstation. 

Every USGS Water Resources Division 

office has its own system of workstations 

and supporting devices. Because these 

workstations are interconnected by Ethernet, a local-area network, information, 

equipment, and programs can be shared 

among all workstations in an office.

The workstation/server approach has 

dramatically improved the computing 

response times for scientists and researchers from within and outside the USGS.

Data-processing activities for the 

water resources program are coordinated 

with other USGS programs, other 

Department of the Interior bureaus, and 

other Federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, that have 

an interest in developing collections of 

spatial data for environmental analyses. 

Coordination is effected through participation in the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee, the Department of the Interior Geographic Data Committee, the 

USGS Geographic Data Committee, and 

the GIS Laboratory Steering Committee.

Gloria J. Stiltner

has been involved with or directed the 

implementation of DIS-ll since 1983

For more information on DIS-ll, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5616 

Internet stiltner@usgs.gov

Workstation computers are connected to a wide-area telecommunications 

network known as the Distributed Information System-ll. A wide-area 

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) communications 

routing-based network connects all USGS Water Resources offices using the 

DIS-ll. Thus, a user of any DIS-ll system can connect to any other DIS-ll system, 

move files, or gain access to remote data bases. The DIS-ll communications 

network is based on high-performance TCP/IP routers running at speeds of 

from 56 kilobytes per second to 1.5 megabytes per second. Shared-data 

communication networks are cost effective and enable users at all sites to share 

data with universities, research centers, and private organizations.

A USGS hydrologist demonstrates one of the functions available to users on the 

DIS-ll network at the National Computer Technology meeting held May 17-22, 

1992, in Norfolk, Va.

. in Water Resources Investigations 47
Average daily phosphorus 

loads (in pounds) in four 

rivers during average annual 

streamflow conditions.

Assessing the Quality 

of the Nation's Water

D

uring recent decades, the Nation has 

made major investments in waterquality management and protection, and 

the potential exists for much larger 

investments in the future. Considerable 

sums of money also have been spent on 

acquiring water-quality data for many 

purposes. Until the recent implementation of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program, however, the 

capability to provide consistent information on the status, trends, and causes of 

the condition of surface- and groundwater quality nationwide did not exist. 

This information is needed to determine 

whether past investments in improving 

water quality have been cost effective 

and to provide a sound basis for future 

decisions.

Under the NAWQA program, 

assessments of surface- and ground-water 

quality conditions are being conducted in 

60 major river basins and aquifer systems 

throughout the Nation. Assessments 

began in 20 study units in 1991 (20 study 

units are being added in 1994 and a final 

20 in 1997).

Point versus Nonpoint 

Sources of Phosphorus in 

Rivers

A major component of the NAWQA program, referred to as "national 

synthesis," combines study-unit findings

Upper Illinois River 

22,000 Ibs per day

Kentucky River 

11,400 Ibs per day

EXPLANATION 

Hi Nonpoint source 

I I Point source

with existing data as well as data from 

large regional water-quality surveys to 

characterize and explain, to the extent 

possible, similarities and differences in 

the occurrence and distribution of pesticides and nutrients nationwide. This 

study of the relative magnitudes of point 

and nonpoint sources of phosphorus in 

streams draining four river basins is an 

example of these synthesis efforts.

A major topic of discussion in congressional hearings on reauthorizing the 

Clean Water Act of 1972 is the magnitude and extent of nonpoint-source pollution and its effect on the Nation's streams 

and aquifers. The reason for this concern 

is the recognition that the Nation has 

made a considerable investment to control pollution from point sources and, 

although these investments are believed 

to have been successful, additional 

upgrading of wastewater-treatment levels 

may not be cost effective for achieving 

further improvements in water quality. 

Thus, water resources management agencies are increasing their focus on controlling nonpoint sources of contaminants to 

improve water quality. Phosphorus is of 

particular concern. At elevated levels in 

streams and rivers draining into lakes and 

estuaries, phosphorus causes nuisance 

growths of algae and aquatic plants.

The four river basins studied the 

Kentucky River basin in Kentucky; the 

upper Illinois River basin in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin; the lower Kansas 

River basin in Kansas and Nebraska; and 

the Yakima River basin in Washington 

State were part of the NAWQA pilot 

effort. In general, phosphorus loads (in 

pounds) and yields (in pounds per square 

mile) in the upper Illinois and Kentucky 

River basins were significantly larger than 

in the lower Kansas and Yakima River 

basins because of differences in 

average annual streamflow between the 

basins. The average annual streamflow 

from the Kentucky and upper Illinois 

River basins is more than 2.5 times larger 

than that from the lower Kansas and 

Yakima River basins.

Phosphorus yields were largest for 

the upper Illinois River basin. The upper 

Illinois River basin has the largest percentage (75 percent) of land devoted to 

cultivated row crops, the largest phosphorus fertilizer application rates, and, 

because of the large population in the 

basin (about 7.6 million people), the

48 At Work Across the Nation.
largest loadings of phosphorus from wastewater effluent. In contrast, the yield of 

phosphorus was smallest for the Yakima 

River basin, where the population is small 

and much of the land is covered by forests, grazing lands, orchards, and crops 

that tend to be more permanent and thus 

undergo less erosion.

One of the conclusions that can be 

drawn from this effort is that the relative 

importance of point and nonpoint sources is highly variable. In this example, 

nonpoint sources account for 40 to 80 

percent of the total amount of phosphorus in the stream. In some areas of the 

country, especially major population 

centers like Chicago, point sources of 

contaminants are still very important. 

The 20 study-unit investigations that 

began in 1991 are providing similar types 

of information on point and nonpoint 

sources of contamination. As part of the 

national synthesis efforts, the NAWQA 

program will be bringing together the 

results from these studies related to nutrients and pesticides to compare and contrast the findings and to explain the similarities and differences. This information 

will be available to water managers, policymakers, and the public for the planning 

and evaluation of point- and nonpointsource management programs and other 

water-quality protection programs.

William G. Wither

is the coordinator of the National Synthesis

component of the NAWQA program and has worked

on the design and implementation of the program

since 1985

Jerri V. Davis

is a hydrologist working on the Ozark Plateaus 

NAWQA study-unit investigation.

Hazardous Substances 

in the Water 

Environment

H

azardous chemicals and radioactive 

wastes pose significant concerns for 

the Nation's water resources. The USGS 

conducts research and investigations into 

the disposal of hazardous chemicals and 

radioactive wastes. The information from

these studies is useful in alleviating the 

effects of waste on surface- and groundwater resources.

Through the Toxic Substances 

Hydrology program, USGS hydrologists, 

chemists, and biologists provide the information necessary to improve wastedisposal practices and to help mitigate 

surface- and ground-water contamination 

problems. By studying major types of 

I contaminants in ground water and sur- 

| face water and by developing new meth- 

! ods to assess the extent of contamination, 

scientists can determine the occurrence, 

| movement, and fate of toxic substances in 

the hydrologic system. The site characterization, modeling, prediction, and remediation methods and techniques developed and tested through this program 

are useful in designing effective strategies 

for the tens of thousands of hazardous- 

! waste sites across the country that have 

been identified for potential cleanup.

The Department of Defense (DOD) 

Environmental Contamination Hydrology 

program provides scientific and technical 

data and interpretations needed to characterize hazardous-waste sites and to support the evaluation of plausible remedial 

alternatives. These activities support the 

DOD Installation Restoration program, 

which addresses issues of contamination 

resulting from past operations at military 

installations, and the DOD Environmental 

Compliance program, which deals with 

contamination resulting from current 

operations.

USGS research and field studies in 

the Nuclear Waste Hydrology program 

are directed toward a better understanding of the mechanisms of radionuclide 

transport in ground water and toward 

developing methods and techniques for 

site characterization. The program provides consultation on the hydrologic 

aspects of nuclear waste disposal to the 

Department of Energy (DOE), the 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 

and other Federal agencies. The role of 

the USGS in the national high-level 

radioactive-waste repository program, led 

by the DOE, is supported through this 

program. Earth-science information and 

technical assistance are also provided to 

States in their management of low-level 

radioactive waste.

For more information on NAWQA's 

national synthesis, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-6878 

Internet wgwilber@usgs.gov

... in Water Resources Investigations 49
For more information on the Bemidji 

study, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-6872 

Internet gmallardfo usgs.gov

Location of study site near 

Bemidji, Minn., showing the 

approximate location of the 

oil body, sampling sites, and 

cross section A-A' (see box) 

(from Baedecker and others, 

Applied Geochemistry, v. 8, 

p. 569-586, 1993).

Natural Remediation of Oil 

Contamination in Ground 

Water

P

etroleum hydrocarbons are significant 

ground-water contaminants in the 

United States. The combination of accidental spills during production, refining, 

and transportation of petroleum products 

and leaking underground storage tanks 

has created thousands of sites where 

petroleum hydrocarbons have contaminated ground water. Although the number of contaminated sites is large, the 

impact of these discharges is mitigated by 

natural biological degradation. Interdisciplinary research conducted under the 

USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology program at a field site contaminated by 

crude oil has demonstrated that petroleum hydrocarbons can be degraded by 

microorganisms that occur naturally in 

the environment.

In 1979, a buried high-pressure 

pipeline near Bemidji, Minn., burst, spilling 10,500 barrels of crude oil . After 

cleanup of oil from the land surface, 

2,500 barrels (105,000 gallons) of crude 

oil remained in the unsaturated zone and 

near the water table in the sand-andIn 1979, a buried high-pressure oil pipeline 

burst, spilling approximately 10,500 barrels of 

crude oil at a remote site near Bemidji, Minn.

gravel aquifer. Because the spill was 

located in a remote area where ground 

water is not used extensively, the remaining oil was left in place. All changes 

observed over time in the distribution of 

crude-oil components can be attributed to 

natural processes. At present, the oil is 

moving very slowly near the top of the 

water table as a separate fluid phase, and 

vapors from the oil are moving in the 

unsaturated zone. Although groundwater chemistry and biogeochemical processes have changed over time, the area of 

contaminated ground water has not 

expanded significantly from 1983 to 

1992.

USGS investigations at the Bemidji 

field site have provided strong evidence 

that petroleum hydrocarbons are 

degraded by natural processes and that 

these processes can limit the spread of 

contaminant plumes in ground water. 

The Bemidji study is significant because it 

is one of the very few field sites where 

natural degradation has been documented. A full understanding of the 

natural degradation processes at this site 

and at other contaminated sites will provide a stronger scientific basis for decisions about whether and when to employ 

costly physical and chemical cleanup 

procedures.

Gail Mallard

coordinates a USGS program that supports 

investigations of contaminants in water resources

Mary Jo Baedecker

is a chemist with the USGS and has conducted 

research on organic contaminants in ground water

Isabelle Cozzarelli

is a USGS hydrologist who conducts research

on the fate and effects of petroleum products

in ground water

50 At Work Across the Nation. . .
A generalized section through the 

contaminant plume shows five zones 

having different water chemistries. The 

screened intervals of wells in the aquifer are shown (modified from Baedecker and others, Applied Geochemistry, v. 8, p. 569-586, 1993).

Zone II underlies the area where 

the land surface was sprayed with oil. 

In this zone, hydrocarbons are gradually being degraded and transported 

vertically through the unsaturated 

zone with recharge water. Ground 

water in this zone contains no 

volatile hydrocarbons but has high 

concentrations of carbon dioxide, 

which indicate microbial degradation 

of hydrocarbons.

A plume of contaminated ground 

water containing dissolved constituents from the crude oil, such as benzene and alkylbenzenes, and products 

from biochemical reactions, such as 

organic acids, has developed downgradient from the spill site. The part of 

the plume nearest the oil body (zone 

III) is lacking in oxygen (anaerobic) 

and is characterized by high concentrations of hydrocarbons, bicarbonate,reduced iron, manganese, and 

methane. Bacteria that do not require

oxygen are able to degrade some crude oil components in this area. 

Further downgradient (zone IV), the ground water contains low concentrations of oxygen, and a different group of bacteria is primarily 

responsible for hydrocarbon degradation. Here, hydrocarbon concentrations are lower than they are in the anaerobic zone of the plume 

because aerobic degradation proceeds more rapidly and more completely.

In the area farthest from the oil spill (zone V), concentrations of 

some organic and inorganic constituents are above background levels 

(the levels in zone I), but the concentrations of hydrocarbons are 

below the EPA maximum levels of contaminants allowable for drinking 

water. Ground water is moving rapidly enough for crude-oil components to have reached this area. The rate of solubilization of hydrocarbons from the oil body, however, is about the same as the rate at 

which hydrocarbons are degraded by microbial processes.

A'

_ 435

~ 430

425

420

415

Land

Water table Oil body

ground-water flow -

-200 -150 -100 -50 0 50 100 150 

DISTANCE FROM CENTER OF OIL BODY (METERS)

200

Environmental 

Contamination at 

Department of Defense Sites

A

ctivities at more than 100 military 

installations in 38 States and 2 foreign countries highlighted FY 1993 

efforts of the Department of Defense 

Environmental Contamination (DODEC) 

hydrology program. Facilities involved 

include those of the Air Force, Army, 

Navy, Marine Corps, Air National Guard, 

Army National Guard, and Defense 

Logistics Agency. Major concerns are the 

presence and transport of chlorinated 

hydrocarbons (trichloroethene, dichloroethene, vinyl chloride), constituents of 

fuels (benzene, toluene, xylenes), and 

trace metals (lead) in soil and water. Current research studies address natural 

bioremediation and augmented

bioremediation of fuel hydrocarbon compounds in the shallow water-table aquifer. 

Ongoing projects provide opportunities to increase knowledge in the definition of the hydrogeologic framework 

within many terranes; movement of 

ground water and contaminants in different terranes; ground-water-flow modeling 

in different terranes; occurrence of heavy 

metals in ground water; isotope geochemistry; surface and borehole geophysics; 

soil gas and its relation to ground-water 

contamination; and slug tests and other 

tests in aquifers to determine aquifer 

properties in different terranes. The 

development of relational data bases and 

use of geographic information system 

(GIS) technology, as well as the analyses 

of water quality and the quality control of 

analytical data and field data, are also 

benefits derived from the DODEC 

hydrology program.

... in Water Resources Investigations 51
For more information on DODEC, 

contact:

Telephone (703)648-5010 

Internet jdpowell@usgs.gov

For more information on the Nuclear 

Waste Hydrology program, contact:

Telephone (703)648-5719 

: Internet njtrask@usgs.gov ',

Examples of projects active during 

FY 1993 include:

o Research on the effectiveness of both 

natural and augmented bioremediation 

on the degradation of organic compounds in the subsurface. Results of this 

research being conducted for the Air 

Force are expected to be important to the 

development of cost-effective methods of 

mitigating organic compounds in the subsurface, a principal problem at U.S. military, bases throughout the world. 

o Study of contamination of soil and ' 

ground water by trichloroethylene at an 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

National Priority List facility at F.E. 

Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. 

o Hydrologic assessment of surface- and 

ground-water systems, ground-water-flow 

modeling, and research in paleohydrology at an EPA National Priority List facility, at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in 

Colorado.

o Migration of petroleum hydrocarbons 

in the shallow freshwater aquifer of the 

atoll Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. 

o Assessment of ground-water contamination migrating from landfills and technical support of the Department of 

Defense (DOD) Installation Restoration 

Program at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. 

o Soil and ground-water contamination 

studies in support of EPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facility assessments and investigations and 

stormwater-runoff monitoring at Fort 

Bragg in North Carolina. 

o Soil and ground-water contamination 

studies in support of EPA RCRA facility 

investigations at MacDill Air Force Base 

in Florida.

o Regional ground-water hydrogeology 

and ground-water-flow modeling at 

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. 

o Hydrogeologic framework of the shallow water-table aquifer and soil-gas surveys to identify sources of ground-water 

contamination at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va.

John D. Powell

has been involved in USGS environmental 

contamination studies for the past-13 years

Nuclear Waste and Water 

Resources

N

uclear waste arises from -the generation of nuclear power, from the production of nuclear weapons, and from 

medical, industrial, and other miscellaneous sources. Broad agreement exists 

that these wastes must be sequestered 

from the environment, by deep geologic 

disposal in the case "of high-level waste 

and by shallow disposal or near-surface 

engineered structures in the case of lowlevel waste. For all options, the hydrology 

of the site is a key factor in assessing the 

performance of the total waste-disposal 

system. Key elements of the Nuclear 

Waste Hydrology program include: 

o Refining methods and techniques for 

the hydrologic characterization of environments.

o Finding new instrumentation and techniques for the characterization and monitoring of disposal sites. 

o Defining hydrogeologic and geochemical processes that occur when nuclear 

waste, rocks, and ground water interact. 

o Improving understanding of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in 

fractured rocks.

Recent accomplishments of the 

Nuclear Waste Hydrology program are as 

follows:

o Using innovative well-logging techniques, the USGS conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the hydrology in 

the vicinity of waste-disposal sites at the 

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. 

o Studies of soil-water movement at a 

newly excavated experimental trench in 

the very dry Amargosa Valley in Nevada 

indicate that there is little if any downward movement below 9 meters (about 27 

feet) in depth.

o A study at a low-level radioactive disposal site in New York State confirmed 

the role of plants in the uptake of 

carbon-14 released at such disposal sites.

Newell J. Trash

is the Chief of the Branch of Nuclear Waste

Hydrology

52 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Characterizing a Safe 

Repository for Nuclear 

Waste

T

he USGS historically has been active 

in acquiring and analyzing hydrologic, hydrogeologic, and geologic information in southern Nevada as a part of 

ongoing local, State, and national programs. Following enactment of the 

Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the 

USGS expanded the investigations at and 

around Yucca Mountain, Nev., in cooperation with the Department of Energy 

(DOE). Yucca Mountain is currently the 

sole site being characterized as a potential 

site for a mined geologic repository for 

the long-term storage of high-level radioactive waste. Characterization of the 

mountain is necessary to determine its 

suitability as a location for a safe, permanent, underground repository. Site suitability will be determined by matching 

documented characteristics against Federal standards and regulations promulgated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which ultimately will administer the 

licensing process.

Studies at Yucca Mountain are taking place in two physical settings. Surfacebased testing consists of detailed surface 

mapping, digging trenches to expose surficial geology, and drilling both deep and 

shallow boreholes for geophysical and 

(or) stratigraphic analyses and hydrologic 

testing of the unsaturated and saturated 

zones. Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) 

testing will be done in a U-shaped tunnel 

about 5 miles long that enters the northern part of Yucca Mountain in a westerly 

direction, then will turn in a southerly 

direction in line with the crest of the 

mountain about 800 feet beneath the 

crest, and ultimately will turn in an easterly direction to exit the mountain. The 

ESF, construction of which began in April 

1993, will provide underground access to 

geologic and hydrogeologic features for 

refining results of surface-based testing. 

In addition to extensive hydrologic and 

seismic monitoring, representative accomplishments in FY 1993 include:

 Completed maps that establish the 

abundance, distribution, and geographic 

orientation of known and suspected Quaternary faults within about 62 miles of 

Yucca Mountain.

 Completed draft reports for the resolution of issues centering around erosion

and the origin (atmospheric water or 

upwelling ground water) of calcite-silica 

deposits near faults. These reports should 

allow DOE to complete work on erosion 

and the calcite-silica issues.

 Dry drilling and coring of the first 

deep, unsaturated-zone hydrologic test 

hole, which reached a depth of about 

1,670 feet. Core and stratigraphic analyses have begun.

 Successful installation of sensitive seismographs in two boreholes in excess of 

1,640 feet deep to provide documentation 

of microearthquakes that could not otherwise have been accurately recorded.

 Continued mapping of the lateral 

extent of the Ghost Dance fault at a scale 

of 1:240 (1 inch = 20 feet) in order to 

resolve any potential effects on the design 

of the repository, such as fast pathways 

for water within the unsaturated zone.

G. Louis Ducret

serves as senior manager for the Yucca Mountain

Project Branch

Cooperative FederalState Water Resources 

Activities

T

he Federal-State Cooperative Water 

Resources program is a unique partnership between the USGS and State and 

local agencies. Although State and local 

cooperators provide at least half the 

funds, the USGS conducts most of the 

work. For almost 100 years, studies under 

this program have contributed to the 

advancement of earth science and the 

compilation of a major part of the 

Nation's hydrologic information. From 

its earliest days, the responsibility for 

developing stream-gaging procedures, 

concepts of surface- and ground-water 

flow; and analytical techniques for investigations of water quality has been vested 

in the program. In 1993, hydrologic-data 

collection, interpretive investigations, and 

research were conducted as part of the 

cooperative program by USGS scientists 

located in offices in every State, Puerto 

Rico, and several territories, through 

agreements with more than 1,000 cooperating agencies.

The number of investigations that 

emphasize water-quality issues, such as 

aquifer contamination, river-water quality, stormwater-runoff quality, and the

For more information on the Yucca 

Mountain project, contact:

Telephone (303) 236-0516 

Internet gducret@usgs.gov

... in Water Resources Investigations 53
For more information on the FederalState Cooperative program, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5033 

Internet bgilbert@usgs.gov

effects of acid rain, coal mining, and agricultural chemicals and practices on the 

hydrologic system, has increased since the 

early 1970's. The following are examples 

of investigations into water quality and 

other related topics conducted as part of 

the cooperative program.

Florida: Ground water and wetland 

interaction. The Everglades ecosystem 

thrives in water having very low phosphorus concentrations. Recent urban and 

agricultural development in the surrounding areas have raised phosphorus 

concentrations enough to cause concern. 

As a result, the South Florida Water 

Management District has asked the USGS 

to investigate the ground water/surface 

water interactions in the Everglades. 

Once an improved understanding of 

the flow system has been developed, the 

sources, movement, and distribution of 

phosphorus will be analyzed with the 

objective of comparing different management techniques.

Kansas: Movement of pesticides in 

surface and ground water. A cooperative 

project between the USGS, the Kansas 

State Board of Agriculture, and Kansas 

State University is determining the potential for decreasing the amount of atrazine 

and other triazine herbicides transported 

to surface and ground water. Concentrations of atrazine, alachlor, and their 

selected metabolites are being measured 

in suspended sediment in surface runoff 

under different land-management practices, such as terraced, clean-tilled, and 

ridge-tilled cornfields with and without 

grassed filter strips. The effects of these 

different land-management practices on 

the quality of ground water as well as on 

the volume of herbicides infiltrating to 

ground water are being evaluated.

Michigan and Wisconsin: Quality 

of water in streams tributary to Lake 

Superior. The USGS, in cooperation with 

the Michigan and Wisconsin Departments 

of Natural Resources, is using state-ofthe-art technology to estimate the amount 

of contaminants reaching Lake Superior 

in inflow from its major tributaries. Data 

are being collected uniformly from 

throughout the Lake Superior region. A 

computerized long-term data base, now 

accessible to every agency studying the 

Great Lakes, provides information that is 

being used to evaluate efforts by State 

and Federal agencies to lessen the harmful effects of selected contaminants in 

Lake Superior.

Oregon: Water quality in the Tualatin 

River. Excessive phosphorus in the 

Tualatin River has resulted in nuisance 

growths of planktonic algae and periodically low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the lower part of the river. 

Although it has long been believed that 

water-quality problems could be solved by 

eliminating phosphorus from wastewater treatment plants and surface runoff 

from urban and agricultural lands, this 

USGS investigation in cooperation with 

the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County has shown that ground 

water discharging to the river and its tributaries contains phosphorus concentrations from 5 to 100 times larger than 

expected; these excessive concentrations 

are hampering clean-up efforts. Phosphorus in ground water comes from both 

human activities and natural sources, but 

some of the highest concentrations seem 

to occur naturally in an aquifer that contains large amounts of organic matter 

buried by catastrophic floods during the 

Pleistocene Epoch. Remediation strategies 

for the Tualatin River are being reviewed 

on the basis of results of the investigations to date, so that millions of dollars 

will not be spent on possibly ineffective 

"best management practices" in urban 

and agricultural areas.

South Carolina: Degradation rates of 

petroleum hydrocarbons. The USGS, in 

cooperation with the South Carolina 

Water Resources Commission, is investigating an extensively contaminated, shallow water-table aquifer that underlies a 

fuel tank farm in Hanahan, S.C. Data collected to date reveal that petroleum 

hydrocarbons in the aquifer are being 

degraded anaerobically in a complex 

pattern of zones dominated by ironreducing, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic (gas-producing) conditions that 

change dynamically over time and space. 

Further investigation is designed to determine relative rates of hydrocarbon degradation under these same aquifer conditions and how degradation rates are 

affected by continually changing conditions. The results will help responsible 

agencies design bioremediation strategies 

at this site and similar sites nationwide.

Bruce K. Gilbert

has prepared annual reports describing the

Federal-State Cooperative program and its

accomplishments since 1983

54 At Work Across the Nation. . .
The Truckee-Carson 

Program

A

fter decades of litigation and negotiation, the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid 

Lake Water Rights Settlement Act, Public 

Law (P.L.) 101-618, was passed in 1990. 

The law provides a framework for 

constructing a complex combination of 

operating criteria to balance interstate 

allocation of water and water demands 

for municipal, irrigation, fish and wildlife, water-quality, and recreational uses 

in the Truckee and Carson River basins 

of Nevada and California.

The USGS Truckee-Carson program 

was established to support the Department of the Interior in the implementation of P.L. 101-618 as follows:

 Consolidate and (or) develop as necessary a streamflow and water-quality 

gaging-station network in order to document water resources and support river 

operations.

 Calibrate, test, and use interbasin 

hydrologic and hydraulic computer models to support the management and allocation of water and the assessment of 

environmental effects.

 Provide technical guidance to other 

Federal agencies during negotiations for 

the Truckee River Operating Agreement. 

Computer models of the watersheds 

and geographic information system coverages are being linked with operation/allocations models (developed as a joint 

effort with the Bureau of Reclamation) so 

that alternative management scenarios 

can be analyzed at hourly, daily, weekly, 

seasonal, or annual time scales. Easy-toevaluate numerical, statistical, and graphical results allow managers to test and 

improve long-term operating policies 

responsive to the many competing 

demands for water. Although development and calibration of the models are 

basin specific, the underlying decisionsupport modeling system has national 

transfer value.

The Truckee River near the Farad gaging station, a key measuring point in the 

allocation of the river's water supply between Nevada and California.

The data network and the models 

adapted or developed by the USGS under 

the Truckee-Carson program will be used 

extensively by the Bureau of Reclamation, 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the 

Fish and Wildlife Service. Principal State 

agencies benefiting from the program 

include the California Department of 

Water Resources, the California Department of Fish and Game, the Nevada 

Department of Conservation and Natural 

Resources' Divisions of Water Resources, 

Water Planning, and Environmental Protection, and the Nevada Department of 

Wildlife. Potential users include two 

Native American tribes, about a dozen 

counties in California and Nevada, and 

several utility and irrigation districts.

For more information on the TruckeeCarson program, contact:

Telephone (702) 887-7679 

Internet lrbohman@dnvcrl. 

wr.usgs.gov

Larry R. Bohman

has studied surface-water modeling for the USGS for

the past 15 years

... in Water Resources Investigations 55
National Research Program

T

he National Research Program (NRP), established in the late 1950's, encompasses a broad 

spectrum of scientific investigations. The program is 

designed to encourage research that provides new 

knowledge and insights into varied and complex 

hydrologic phenomena, processes, and systems that 

are neither well understood nor defined. The sciences of hydrology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, 

ecology, biology, geology, and engineering are used 

to gain a fundamental understanding of the processes that affect the availability, movement, and 

quality of the Nation's water resources. Results of 

the investigations conducted under the NRP are 

applicable not only to the solution of current water 

problems but also to future issues, anticipated or 

unanticipated, that may affect the Nation's water 

resources.

The emphasis of research activities has changed 

through time to reflect the emergence of promising 

new areas of inquiry and the demand for new tools 

and techniques with which to address water 

resources issues and problems. Many issues 

addressed by NRP scientists involve potential threats 

to human health, ecosystems, and (or) the potential 

high social costs of control or mitigation. Knowledge

gained and methods developed in this program 

apply to all of the hydrologic investigations of the 

USGS, to water-oriented investigations and operations of other agencies, and to the general scientific 

community.

In recent years, NRP scientists have:

 Completed the Nation's first systematic waterquality study of the Mississippi River system.

 Conducted a multidisciplinary study to develop 

the techniques and understanding needed to characterize fluid movement and chemical transport in fractured bedrock.

 Discovered microorganisms that can naturally 

remove a variety of contaminants from ground 

water, including aromatic hydrocarbons and 

uranium.

 Developed a method to identify recently recharged ground water, thereby helping to determine 

the vulnerability of ground water to contamination.

 Developed a method for assessing the sensitivity 

of surface waters to acid deposition.

Linda C. Friedman

is the assistant to the Chief of the 

Office of Hydrologic Research

For more information on National 

Research Program, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-5051 

Internet lcfriedman@usgs.gov

Acid Rain

trong acids (sulfuric and nitric acids), 

formed when atmospheric pollutants 

| emitted from powerplants, factories, and 

j motor vehicles combine with water in the 

' atmosphere, have fallen as acid rain and 

i snow on the Northeastern United States 

i and southeastern Canada during the last 

j several decades. This acidic precipitation 

; is believed to be responsible for the acidi- 

: fication of sensitive lakes and streams, 

| damage to high-elevation forests and historical structures, and impaired visibility 

I in affected areas. The USGS, in coopera- 

; tion with other Federal agencies and

many State agencies, is participating in a 

; coordinated nationwide program to 

i define the causes and effects of acid rain 

I and to assess the benefit of reduced emis- 

! sions of the precursors of acid rain, as 

j required by the Clean Air Act Amend- 

! ments of 1990. The USGS is the lead

agency for monitoring deposition under 

| the Federal Interagency National Acid 

I Precipitation Assessment program

(NAPAP).

Significant Downward Trend 

in Sulfate

O

peration of the National Trends 

Network (NTN), a 150-station, 

nationwide, multiagency network for 

monitoring precipitation chemistry in the 

United States, is coordinated by the 

USGS. Selected sensitive lakes and 

streams throughout the Nation are monitored through the NTN to document 

changes in water chemistry that may 

result from the effects of acid rain, and 

research is conducted in several sensitive 

watersheds to define how the geochemical 

processes caused by acid rain affect water 

quality.

An analysis of trends was conducted 

in FY 1993 on data from the 33 stations 

in the NTN that had the longest records. 

The analysis covered 1980 through 1991 

and showed substantial and statistically 

significant downward trends in sulfate 

deposition at 26 of the 33 stations. Downward trends in nitrate deposition were 

also preponderant but were statistically 

significant at only three stations. Trends

56 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Battery 

acid

Normal

F 'sn f . range of 

reproduction precipitatjon 

affected -I,

'M Normal

Vinegar

Adult 

fish di

range of 

pH

Baking soda 

nd sea water Lye

I I I

10 11

I I

I

12 

I

13 14

ACID RAIN

ACID ALKALINENEUTRAL

Strong acids can decrease the pH of precipitation to less than 5.6, the pH of pure 

water in equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide.

EXPLANATION

Significant downward trend 

In sulfate concentration

No significant trend In sulfate 

concentration

Locations of atmospheric-deposition collection stations where sulfate levels 

were down, indicating a decrease in the acidity of precipitation between 1980 

and 1991.

Collectively, the trends

indicate that the acidity

of precipitation decreased

between 1980 and

1991.

in pH were mostly upward, showing 

decreasing acidity, and were highly significant at nine stations. Collectively, the

trends indicate that the acidity of precipitation decreased between 1980 and 1991. 

These results as well as continuing trends 

analyses are helping public officials evaluate the effectiveness of the newest provisions of the Clean Air Act as well as 

remain alert to other threats to water 

quality from atmospheric pollution.

R.J. Pickering

has been in charge of the USGS Acid Rain program

since its inception in 1982 and is an expert

on water quality

For more information on the NTN, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-6875 

Internet rjpicker@usgs.gov

... in Water Resources Investigations 57
For more information on the National 

Water Summary, contact Kenneth 

Lanfear at:

Telephone (703) 648-6852 

Internet lanfear@usgs.gov

The National 

Water Summary: 

Stream Water Quality

T

o acquire information about the 

availability, quantity, quality, and use 

of water resources and to organize it in 

ways that portray the condition of the 

Nation's water resources to national, 

State, and local officials and the general 

public is the goal of the National Water 

Summary (NWS) program. Each NWS 

report covers one specific water-resources 

topic through extensive documentation in 

articles on the technical or institutional 

aspects of the topic and in State-by-state 

summaries as well as through descriptions 

of hydrologic conditions and waterrelated events.

Stream water quality is the topic of 

the latest published report, "1990-91 

National Water Summary Hydrologic 

Events and Stream Water Quality." This 

600-page, four-color report presents

information on hydrologic conditions and 

water-related events for water years 1990 

and 1991 and information on the status 

and trends of water quality in streams in 

the United States, Puerto Rico, and the 

western Pacific islands. As represented by 

the statistical analyses of as many as eight 

water-quality constituents and water 

properties, State water-quality summaries 

present information on conditions for 

water years 1987-89 and trends for one 

or more of the water-year periods 

1970-89, 1975-89, 1980-89, and 

1982 89. Articles on statistical analysis 

and quality assurance of water-quality 

data, trends in national water quality for 

the 1980's, and trends in water quality in 

four basins for the period extending 

from about 1905 to the present also are 

included.

Richard W. Paulson

produced the National Water Summary report series

for 7 years and has been a water resources

consultant since his retirement from the USGS in

October 1993

1

^,nn

o'i

l§Zuj 10

fT 1 """

V i i

w

T"

Fecal coliform bacteria

Dissolved chloride

SITE NUMBER

EXPLANATION

Water quality of selected 

streams in New Jersey, water 

years 1987-89 (data from 

USGS files).

/atef -quality conditions in selected

drainage basins

55 Number of analyses Dash indicates 

insufficient data

Percentile Percentage of analyses 

equal to or less than indicated

values

 90th

 I 75th

H 50th Median

J 25th

' 10th

 Reporting limit Minimum reporting

limit for analytical method used.

Data below limit line not shown

Drainage basin 

Basin may extend beyond State

I I Passaic River 1

I I Toms River 2

HH West Branch Wading River 3

WBR Maurice River 4

[ ~1 Delaware River 5

1 1 Raritan River 6

EJgigg McDonalds Branch 7

1 1 Hackensack River 8

f 1 Musconetcong River 9

H Cooper River 10

V Water-quality monitoring station

50 MILES

_i

50 KILOMETERS

58 At Work Across the Nation.
Dissolved chloride, 1975-89

Dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, 

1982-89

 . ,.y- ' ' ,^

Total ammonia, 1980-89

State Water Resources 

Research Institutes 

Program

E

ach year, the State Water Resources 

Research Institutes support nearly 

800 research projects at over 100 college 

and university campuses nationwide. 

More than 1,200 students have received 

training by participating in these research 

projects and the Institutes' informationtransfer projects. In recent years, the 

Institutes have published nearly 1,000 

reports a year, nearly one-fourth of them 

articles in refereed scientific journals. 

The Institutes have also sponsored more 

than 130 conferences and published 

nearly 200 newsletters each year.

The program is implemented 

through grants to 54 Institutes, one in 

each State, the District of Columbia, 

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and 

Guam, which also serves the Federated 

States of Micronesia. Grants are used by 

the Institutes to support a program of 

research, education, and information 

transfer on State and regional waterresources problems.

Recent accomplishments under the 

Institutes program, which is administered 

by the USGS, are as follows: 

 A project sponsored by the North 

Carolina Water Resources Research Insti13

EXPLANATION Total nitrite plus nitrate,

1980-89

Trend in water-quality

constituent

A "Upward I - * 2<> t

 None

^ 4 Downward

\L... ' ' ': ' 

" s ^\i ' ! p

 - J1'

7 >-/

8 ' ^

Total phosphorus, 1982-89

tute has identified a new and previously 

unknown algae that has been responsible 

for massive fish kills. The results of the 

project were reported widely by national 

and international media.

 The Virginia Water Resources 

Research Center sponsored a project on 

safe drinking water, which provided the 

groundwork for State legislation passed 

in 1992 providing technical assistance for 

small water-treatment plants.

 The Wisconsin Water Resources Center 

sponsored research leading to the development of a copper toxicity test that is 

now being used to identify potential copper toxicity in Wisconsin's drinking-water 

supplies. The research leading to the 

development of the test was cited by the 

American Chemical Society as one of the 

most innovative findings of the year.

 The results of a project sponsored by 

the Texas Water Resources Institute are 

being used as a basis for changing Texas 

State regulations regarding the capture, 

storage, and onsite disposal of dairy 

wastes.

 The New Mexico Water Resources 

Research Institute sponsored a large 

interdisciplinary project to develop a 

reservoir-management model being used 

by the New Mexico Department of Game 

and Fish.

John E. Schefter

has administered the Water Resources Institutes State 

agency program since 1989

Trends in water quality of 

selected streams in Arkansas, 

by water years (data from 

USGS and Arkansas 

Department of Pollution 

Control and Ecology files).

For more information on the State 

Water Resources Research Institutes, 

contact:

Telephone (703) 648-6800 

Internet jschefter@usgs.gov

... in Water Resources Investigations 59
' - --» **' ' 

At Work Across tRe Nation 

t in Global Change Research ,

The Earth's interrelated environmental systems the climate, 

land, oceans, freshwater, atmosphere, and ecological systems have 

changed continually throughout Earth history. Human activities are 

having ever-increasing impacts on these systems. In order to sustain 

the environment as the human population grows and the associated 

demands for resources increase, the global community must develop a 

sound understanding of the causes and cycles of natural change and 

the impacts of human activities on the Earth's environmental systems. 

Only through such understanding is it possible to develop the capability to predict changes, to mitigate the impacts of human activities, and 

to formulate strategies for adapting to natural environmental change.

Congress established the U.S. Global Change Research Program 

to coordinate the scientific research necessary to develop national and 

international policies concerning global environmental issues, particularly global climate change. The USGS plays an important role in this 

program. Drawing on the breadth of geologic, hydrologic, and landcharacterization expertise within the bureau, USGS global change 

research complements oceanic and atmospheric research within other 

Federal agencies as well as the biological research of other agencies 

and bureaus within the Department of the Interior. The USGS contributes to studies on the role of land, water, and ecological processes 

in global change and the natural history of global change. Evaluating 

the interactions of climate and hydrology and the impacts of environmental change on land and water resources is another important 

aspect of USGS global change research. USGS experience in the longterm collection, interpretation, and management of ground-based and 

remotely sensed information about geology, hydrology, and land characteristics provides a valuable resource for national and worldwide 

data bases used by global change researchers.
"Global change" means changes in the global environment (including alterations in climate, land 

productivity, oceans or other water resources, atmospheric chemistry, and ecological systems) that

may alter the capacity of the Earth to sustain life. 

 Global Change Research Act of 1990

Good data will be vital in solving the problems associated with global climate changes. The U.S.

must be a leader in developing these information resources. 

From Red Tape to Results: Creating a Government that Works Better fsf Costs Less

Snapshots of the Past, 

Models of the Future

Global Snapshots Reveal 

Past Climate Change

T

hrough the looking glass of past climate changes, researchers can view 

possible future climate changes. Understanding past climates provides the basis 

for clearly distinguishing those changes 

caused by human activities from those 

caused by natural climate variation. USGS 

scientists study the geologic record to 

assemble histories of past climate variation and worldwide "snapshots" of climates at specific times in the past by 

using fossil and geochemical data. These 

geologic histories and global snapshots 

will help in assessing the causes, consequences, and extremes that might result 

from any future climate changes.

Recent work by USGS scientists on a 

600,000-year climate record from Devils 

Hole in Death Valley National Monument, for example, questions the prevailing theory about the cause of the ice ages. 

The Milankovitch theory holds that systematic variations in the tilt and wobble 

of the Earth on its axis and in its orbit 

around the Sun cause predictable variations in the distribution of solar energy 

that reaches the surface of the Earth. The 

theory predicts cycles of low and high 

levels of incoming solar energy at the 

Earth's surface that should match the 

waxing and waning of ice ages. The ages 

of climate changes in the Devil's Hole 

record have been determined in detail by 

using uranium and thorium isotopic dating methods. The pattern of climate 

change in the Devil's Hole record 

matches well the pattern of other climate 

records (such as those obtained from ice 

cores in Antarctica and from deep-sea 

sediment cores), but the pattern does not 

match as well the cycles of change in 

incoming solar energy predicted by the

Milankovitch theory. Researchers on the 

Devil's Hole project support a competing 

hypothesis for the causes of climate 

change the nonlinear dynamic hypothesis, which holds that ice-age climates are 

the result of complex interplay between 

the oceans, the polar ice caps, and the 

atmosphere. This research demonstrates 

the need for reducing uncertainties about 

the causes of climate change and fosters a 

healthy skepticism about our current ability to forecast the future.

Recent work by USGS

scientists on a

600,000-year climate

record from Devils Hole

in Death Valley National

Monument, for example,

questions the prevailing

theory about the cause of

the ice ages.

By reconstructing worldwide snapshots of past climates, scientists can test 

how effective climate models are in simulating known past conditions and thereby 

improve the ability to model and predict 

the impacts of future changes in global 

climate. International concern about possible global warming is focusing the attention of scientists on understanding climate conditions during periods in the 

geologic past when the average global 

temperature was higher than it is today. 

USGS scientists currently are working 

with scientists around the world reconstructing climate snapshots for a warm 

period during the Pliocene Epoch, about 

3 million years ago, and for a geologically 

brief interglacial interval when the Earth 

was only slightly warmer than it is today,

61
A Partner in 

Global Change

As the Nation's 

principal conservation 

agency, the Department of the Interior is 

responsible for managing public lands and 

other resources 

throughout the United 

States and its Trust Territories. Today, a major 

concern of resource 

managers is how natural and cultural 

resources are affected 

by environmental 

change, whether 

caused by human activities or by natural variability. The USGS contributes to 

departmental global 

change research on 

sensitive environments 

and resources. This 

research provides 

information necessary 

for managers to make 

decisions on a variety 

of environmental 

issues, including the 

ability to sustain water 

supplies, ecological 

systems, and biological 

diversity.

about 130,000 years ago, preceding the 

last great ice-sheet advance.

Where is the Missing 

Carbon?

T

he more scientists understand the 

processes that govern the atmosphere today, the more reliably they will 

be able to predict future changes. Much 

of the solar energy reaching Earth heats 

its surface. Some of this heat, along with 

heat energy generated within the Earth 

itself, is radiated back toward space. Certain gases in the atmosphere, called 

greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon 

dioxide, and methane, for example) 

absorb heat radiated from the Earth and, 

in turn, radiate energy back to the land 

and lower atmosphere, trapping heat in a 

manner similar to warming in a greenhouse. Many scientists believe that 

increases in atmospheric concentrations 

of greenhouse gases caused by human 

activities will increase the "greenhouse 

effect" in the atmosphere and lead to 

global warming.

The amount of carbon dioxide produced each year by human activities 

mainly the use of fossil fuels and the 

destruction of forests exceeds our best 

estimate of the combined amount of carbon dioxide absorbed each year into the 

atmosphere and oceans by about 2 billion 

tons. Much of this carbon dioxide is 

thought to be absorbed by the land, but 

exactly how much and in what form are

Gas hydrates stable 

at Arctic temperatures

Methane released to 

the atmosphere

Gas hydrates break down

due to warming from

ocean water

USGS Global Change 

Research Goals

 Describe past and contemporary 

states and changes in the Earth's 

environment.

 Improve understanding of landatmosphere and land-ocean 

exchanges of water, energy, carbon, 

and nutrients.

 Facilitate access to and use of global change data and information for 

research, resource management, 

education, and policy decisions.

Seal-level rise causes relatively warm ocean 

water to cover cold Arctic strata. The resulting 

breakdown of stable gas hydrates within the 

sediment releases gas into the atmosphere.

unknown. Locating this missing carbon 

dioxide and understanding the role of 

natural additions and subtractions in the 

global carbon budget are important steps 

in developing realistic national and international policies to regulate human 

emissions of greenhouse gases to the 

atmosphere.

Scientists have only recently learned 

about the missing carbon. Current theory 

suggests that this carbon is being stored 

on land. To test this hypothesis, USGS 

scientists are studying the movement of 

carbon between land and the atmosphere 

and between the land and the oceans, as 

well as in sediments, water, and soil, to 

help determine what happens to the 

greenhouse gas produced by human 

activities. Much of this research involves 

monitoring and experiments at several 

geographically distributed Water, Energy, 

and Biogeochemical Budget (WEBB) 

study sites established by the USGS, 

including alpine, forested upland, temperate lake, and tropical rain forest environments. At the Panola Mountain 

WEBB site near Atlanta, Ga., for example, the USGS is studying the past and 

present rates of carbon accumulation, 

erosion, transport, and burial in an area 

that was almost entirely deforested during the last century and is now recovering. Preliminary results suggest that 

recovering temperate forests in middle 

latitude regions, such as in the Panola 

Mountain watershed, are important carbon storage areas that help in balancing 

the present-day carbon budget.

62 At Work Across the Nation. . .
A potential source of large volumes 

of greenhouse gas is the methane naturally produced and stored in Arctic environments. Naturally formed methane 

occurs in Arctic wetlands, frozen in permafrost, and is trapped in Arctic sediments as methane hydrate, a solid compound consisting of a methane molecule 

surrounded by ice. Should Arctic temperatures or sea level rise, as the global 

warming theory suggests will happen, 

methane stored in the Arctic could be 

released and further increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The USGS is studying the formation, amount, and distribution of 

methane in Arctic permafrost, wetlands, 

and sediments to assist in estimating the 

potential for methane release to the 

atmosphere in response to regional or 

global environmental change.

Providing Data and 

Information

T

he complexity of global change 

requires that many types of data and 

information from a variety of scientific 

disciplines be available to conduct 

research, manage natural resources, 

educate the public, and make informed 

policy decisions. Large quantities of data 

and information must be assembled, documented, archived, and disseminated to 

meet the demand of the scientific community. It is equally important to provide 

data bases and communicate research 

results outside the scientific community as 

a basis for decisionmaking and public 

education.

The USGS is working with other 

Federal agencies to develop the Global 

Change Data and Information System to 

improve access to data and information. 

As part of this effort, the USGS is preserving the 21-year archive of data from

Interactive CLIS browse screen showing an 

advanced very high resolution radiometer 

(AVHRR) satellite image of the eastern 

Mediterranean and Red Sea areas. For 

direct-dial access, modem settings should be 

at 8 bits with no parity and 1 stop bit, then 

dial (605) 594-6888. For network access, telnet 

to the Internet address glis.cr.usgs.gov on any 

standard computer terminal.

C0 2 t

t

Absorbed by 

atmosphere -

I 

3 billion tons

Produced

by

deforestation 

and land use 

2 billion 

tons

A 3 billion

Produced

by 

burning fossil

fuels

5 billion

tons

Missing carbon 

2 billion tons

Absorbed by 

oceans

2 billion 

tons

Absorbed 

on land

I

The amount of carbon dioxide produced each year by human activities mainly 

the use of fossil fuels and the destruction of forests exceeds our best estimate 

of the combined amount of carbon dioxide absorbed each year into the 

atmosphere and oceans by about 2 billion tons. Current theory suggests that this 

carbon is being stored on land.

... in Global Change Research 63
the Landsat series of Earth-observing satellites and making these data available to 

the public in useful formats. The Global 

Land Information System (GLIS), showcased at the United Nations Conference 

on Environment and Development in Rio 

de Janeiro in 1992, can be used to learn 

about these data and their availability. 

GLIS is a "user friendly" interactive 

computer-based system that provides 

information about global land data sets 

and how to obtain them. It can be 

accessed via computer modem from 

remote locations throughout the world. 

The system is based at the USGS EROS 

Data Center in Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

CD-ROM technology is offering 

another significant improvement in 

archiving and disseminating global 

change data by providing an inexpensive 

means of offering large regional, continental, and global data sets. New 

CD-ROM products available from the 

USGS include the Hydro-Climatic Data 

Network, which provides historical 

streamflow data for sites throughout the 

United States and its Territories, 10-day 

preprocessed global AVHRR data, and 

the land-cover characteristics data base, 

which includes information reflecting 

selected seasonal vegetation changes, 

along with elevation, soils, and climate 

data for the conterminous United States. 

These data bases provide the "real-world" 

basis for predictive modeling, which is 

needed for solving the problems associated with global climate change.

Understanding Global 

Change

A

n improved understanding of Earth 

systems increases the capability to 

predict future global climate change by 

enhancing the ability of the scientific 

community to build and run reliable 

Earth system models. Researchers use 

sophisticated computer models, called 

general circulation models (GCM), to 

evaluate changes in global climate conditions as a result of the complex interplay 

between Earth's changing environmental 

systems. The usefulness of GCM's are 

limited by the accuracy of the assumptions and mathematical formulas used in 

creating the models and the quality of the

data used for running the models. 

Improving the reliability of model simulations of future global change depends on 

reducing uncertainties about the processes operating within each of the Earth's 

critical environmental systems and how 

these systems interact to regulate the 

global climate.

GCM's must incorporate mathematical representations of the movement of 

energy, water, and carbon between the 

land, atmosphere, and oceans. USGS participation in global modeling activities 

includes simulations of past climates, 

detailed descriptions of the land surface, 

and improvements in the mathematical 

representation of hydrologic processes 

and terrestrial environments. Land 

characterization and surface hydrology 

are critical to predicting climate, water 

resources availability, agricultural 

productivity, ecosystem change, and

Gunnison River Basin 

Study

In the Gunnison River basin of 

Colorado, a modeling framework for 

coupling atmospheric, hydrologic, 

and water management variables has 

been developed in cooperation with 

the Bureau of Reclamation. In the 

spring of 1993, this model enabled 

the bureau to regulate flow from 

dams on the Gunnison more effectively and thereby avoid downstream 

flood hazard during the spring snowmelt season. Other techniques and 

models are being developed for estimating impacts such as desertification and changes in permafrost. 

Understanding the potential impacts 

of global change in arid and cold 

regions is especially important, 

because these fragile environments 

would in many instances be the first 

to show the impacts of climate 

change. Because of this sensitivity, 

the study of arid and cold regions is 

important to the early detection of 

global change. As the case of methane in the Arctic indicates, climate 

change in cold regions could even 

trigger processes causing further 

environmental change.

64 At Work Across the Nation. . .
desertification. The USGS is providing 

modelers with high-quality data sets that 

allow for more accurate representations 

of current environmental conditions in 

GCM's and other models of terrestrial 

processes. USGS scientists are developing 

techniques and data sets that integrate 

information about contemporary environmental systems, using Landsat and 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration satellite data, along with a 

variety of ground-based information.

Improved understanding of the 

impacts of climate change on people and 

on ecological systems also depends on 

having better models at landscape, watershed, and regional scales that are relevant 

to resource managers. USGS global 

change research has developed improved 

analytical methods and modeling procedures for evaluating the sensitivity of 

land and water resources to global 

change. These techniques help quantify 

the potential impacts of change and 

have already helped to solve watermanagement problems in the Delaware 

River Basin, the Gunnison River basin of 

Colorado, and the American and Carson 

River basins of California and Nevada.

The USGS is participating in the 

development of a multiagency laboratory 

for Terrestrial Ecosystems Regional 

Research and Analysis (TERRA) located

in Ft. Collins, Colo. The TERRA laboratory is developing analytical techniques 

that realistically incorporate land and 

natural resource management considerations into the components of global computer models that represent terrestrial 

ecosystems.

USGS global change 

research has developed

improved analytical 

methods and modeling

procedures for

evaluating the sensitivity

of land and water

resources to global

change.

Through this balanced program of 

ground-based observations and remote 

sensing, process studies, data management, and modeling, all based on longterm experience in earth-science research, 

the USGS is contributing information 

needed by the Nation to assess the causes 

and consequences of global change.

USGS global change research is 

coordinated by a multidisciplinary team 

whose combined experience spans the 

technical expertise of the entire 

bureau.

For more information on USCS global 

change research, contact:

Telephone (703) 648^450 

Internet mdcarr@usgs.gov

... in Global Change Research 65

r
At Work Around the World 

in Assisting Other Nations

Mission

USGS cooperative science and technology studies with foreign 

nations are authorized under the Organic Act, as revised, and the 

Foreign Assistance Act and related legislation when the activities are 

determined by the U.S. Departments of State and the Interior to be 

in the best interest of the U.S. Government. Objectives of the investigations are as follows:

 Liaison will be established and maintained with foreign counterpart organizations, scientists, and technicians. Technology transfer 

and data exchange will be facilitated through cooperation, goodwill, 

and harmony.

 Comparative international studies will expand the range and contribute to attainment of domestic research objectives through testing 

and application of scientific concepts and techniques in favorable 

areas abroad.

 Worldwide data bases will be established into which information 

about known and potential foreign resources of interest to the 

United States will be incorporated. These data bases will be available worldwide to all interested parties.

 Worldwide cooperative studies in the earth sciences will broaden 

the expertise of both USGS and foreign-counterpart scientists and

technicians. "f #

 Earth-science and natural resource programs of other Federal 

agencies, international organizations, academia, and the private sector that share mutual interest with USGS efforts will be supported; 

the Department of State, in particular, will be provided with information from which to formulate objectives and decisions on matters of 

foreign policy.
Significant Coal 

Discovery in Pakistan

A joint coal-resource evaluation and assessment program was completed 

in 1993 by the USGS, the U.S. Agency 

for International Development (USAID), 

and the Geological Survey of Pakistan 

(GSP). This multidisciplinary program, 

which began in 1985, focused on exploring and assessing Pakistan's coal 

resources.

Over the first 6 years of the project, 

the program increased estimates of Pakistan's coal resources from a few tens of 

millions of tons of coal to more than 9 

billion tons. During the last 2 years, a 

world-class coal deposit was discovered in 

the Thar Desert area in southeastern 

Pakistan. The Thar coal field is estimated 

to contain around 80 billion tons of coal. 

The discovery of the Thar Desert coal

field is the most significant energy discovery in Pakistan's history. This field has 

the potential to make Pakistan selfsufficient in energy well into the 21st century and perhaps even beyond.

The discovery of the

Thar Desert coal field is

the most significant

energy discovery in

Pakistan's history.

The first evidence of the presence of 

coal in the Thar Desert area came in the 

late 1980's from water-well drillers in 

Sindh Province, who reported the presence of coal beneath the desert in the

64

f r f* ** :

..**;,/*

24°

Location of Pakistan coal fields and occurrences (compiled by P.O. Warwick).

67
For more information on coal-resource 

investigations in Pakistan, contact:

Telephone (703) 648-6062 

Internet jmedlin@usgs.gov

cuttings from water wells at several locations in the desert. USGS and GSP scientists ran a geophysical log in one of these 

water wells that indicated the presence of 

as much as 60 feet (18 meters) of coal at 

a depth of about 450 feet (140 meters). 

Four coal test holes were drilled in the 

Thar Desert in the spring of 1992. The 

first of these drill holes confirmed the 

presence of 60 feet of coal in several beds 

near the water well that had been geophysically logged. Another of the test 

holes indicated a 96-foot-thick (30-meterthick) coal bed at a depth of around 450 

feet (140 meters).

In late 1992 and early 1993, a drillhole program in the Thar Desert roughly 

defined the extent of the field. The field 

is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) long 

and about 35 miles (55 kilometers) wide 

and covers about 2,000 square miles 

(5,000 square kilometers). The thick-coal 

axis trends north, and total coal thicknesses decrease to the east, west, and 

north. The average total-coal thickness 

throughout the field is 37 feet (11 

meters); depths to the coal range from 

443 to 804 feet (135 to 245 meters). 

Throughout most of the field area, the 

coal occurs in several beds over an interval of around 150 feet (45 meters). The 

Thar Desert coal has the rank of lignite B 

and is relatively low in sulfur (about 1 

percent) and in ash (less than 8 percent). 

These analyses indicate that the Thar 

Desert coal is similar to the coals of the 

Fort Union region in North Dakota and 

Montana.

Although the USGS program in 

Pakistan is completed, USGS scientists 

continue to work on the final Thar 

Desert coal report, which is scheduled to 

be completed in early 1994. A Pittsburgh, 

Pa., coal company plans to drill 10 closely 

spaced holes in the Thar field to determine the feasibility of mining the Thar 

coal deposit.

Jack Medlin

coordinates USGS research programs 

in Asia and the Pacific

International 

Volunteers Collaborate 

with USGS on Pacific 

Region Study

T

he Pacific basin and surrounding 

land areas cover more than one-half 

of the globe and encompass a vast range 

of environments and earth-science concerns, from volcano and earthquake hazards to mineral and energy resources. For 

the past 20 years, volunteer (nonreimbursed) earth scientists have been working with the USGS and the CircumPacific Council for Energy and Mineral 

Resources (a private nonprofit foundation) to study, compile, interpret, and 

publish earth-science data on this 

immense area.

The Pacific region has been divided 

into four quadrants and two polar 

regions, each represented by a panel of 

volunteer earth scientists who are experts 

on their regions. Panel members change 

as the subject matter changes to bring the 

latest and best information to the studies. 

Panel chairmen, two of whom have been 

with the project since it began in 1973, 

focus and manage the work.

The products of this international 

volunteer network are a series of overlapping maps accompanied by explanatory notes and supplementary data. All 

maps produced since 1990 are published, 

sold, and distributed bv the USGS.

Lambert azimuthal equal-area 

projection used by the USGS 

in the circum-Pacific map 

series.

68 At Work Around the World. . .
Current Panel Chairmen

Northeast Kenneth J. Drummond, 

Quadrant National Energy Board of 

Canada, Alberta, Canada

Southeast Jose Corvalan, Servicio 

Quadrant Nacional de Ceologia y 

Mineria, Santiago, Chile

Southwest R. Wally Johnson, 

Quadrant Australia Geological 

Survey Organisation, 

Canberra, Australia

Northwest Tomoyuki Moritani, 

Quadrant Sumitomo Construction Co. 

Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

Arctic George Moore, Oregon 

Region State University, 

Corvallis, Oregon

Antarctic lan W.D. Dalziel, 

Region University of Texas, 

Austin, Texas

Antarctic Sheet

Boundaries for the six 1:10,000,000-scale 

circum-Pacific maps and the 1:17,000,000-scale 

Pacific basin sheet. Large parts of both the 

Arctic and Antarctic sheets are not shown on 

these index maps.

Table 1. List of circum-Pacific maps by dates published

[Until 1990, the circum-Pacific maps were published by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG); these maps are available from the AAPG Bookstore in Tulsa, Okla. 

All maps produced since 1990 are published, sold, and distributed by the USGS]

Year Map

1977

1978,

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986,

1988

1989,

1990

1991

1992

, Northeast Geographic Map

Northwest Geographic Map

Northeast Base Map

Northwest Base Map 

. Southwest Geographic Map

Southeast Geographic Map

Antarctica Geographic Map

Southwest Base Map

Southeast Base Map

Antarctica Base Map

Pacific Basin Geographic Map

Pacific Basin Base Map

Northeast Plate-Tectonic Map (revised and reprinted 1982,

1986)

Northwest Plate-Tectonic Map (revised and reprinted 1982,

1987)

Southeast Plate-Tectonic Map (out of print)

Southwest Plate-Tectonic Map (revised and reprinted 1982,

1986)

Antarctica Plate-Tectonic Map (out of print)

Pacific Basin Plate-Tectonic Map (revised and reprinted

1983, 1985)

Northeast Geologic Map

Northeast Geodynamic Map

Northeast Mineral-Resources Map

Southeast Geodynamic Map

Southwest Geodynamic Map

Tectonicostratigraphic Terranes Map

Pacific Basin Manganese Nodule/Sediment Map

Northwest Geodynamic Map

Antarctica Geodynamic Map

Pacific Basin Geodynamic Map

Southeast Geologic Map

Northeast Energy-Resources Map

Northwest Geologic Map

Southwest Geologic Map

Antarctica Geologic Map

Arctic Base Map

Arctic Geographic Map

Arctic Geodynamic Map

Pacific Basin Natural Hazard (revised and reprinted 1992)

Southeast Energy Resources

Southwest Tectonic Map

Northwest Energy Resources

Arctic Plate-Tectonic Map

Publications are printed in English; those 

on the Southeast Quadrant are in Spanish 

as well. Base maps, constructed by the 

USGS, are at a scale of 1:10,000,000 for 

the quadrants and polar regions and 

1:17,000,000 for the one-sheet oceancentered Pacific basin. All base maps are 

on Lambert azimuthal equal-area projections and are individually centered to 

minimize distortion. Topography and 

bathymetry have been added to the base 

and printed in color as a geographic

in Assisting Other Nations 69
For more information on circum-Pacific 

mapping, contact:

Telephone (415) 329^002 

Internet ggryc@frans.wr.usgs.gov

For more information on the 

ACRHYMET project, contact:

Telephone (605) 549-6027 

Internet showard1@usgs.gov

series. In addition, 41 thematic maps 

(including geology, geodynamics, plate 

and regional tectonics, energy resources, 

mineral resources, and natural hazards) 

were published through 1992; production 

continued on 17 more, and 3 on energy 

resources for the Southwest, Northwest, 

and Southeast quadrants are in proof 

stage.

The Circum-Pacific Council for 

Energy and Mineral Resources was established in 1972 to promote earth-science 

data collection and research; sponsor conferences, symposia, and workshops; and 

publish books and maps of the region. 

Exemplifying the best in international 

scientific cooperation, the Circum-Pacific 

Map Project provides valuable earthscience information to help solve the 

many problems of resource development, 

including environmental problems, and 

to promote the general welfare of all 

peoples living within the circum-Pacific 

region.

George Gryc

is the general chairman of the Circum-Pacific Map

Project, a cooperative effort with the Circum-Pacific

Council for Energy and Mineral Resources,

and a senior researcher at the USGS

A Data

Telecommunications 

System for the 

AGRHYMET Program 

in West Africa

T

he prolonged and frequent drought 

conditions in West Africa have 

prompted concerted international efforts 

to deal with this devastating natural hazard. The USGS's EROS Data Center 

(EDC) in Sioux Falls, S. Dak., has 

designed a communications network 

to link the Agriculture-HydrologyMeteorology (AGRHYMET) Regional 

Center (ARC) in Niamey, Niger, to centers in nine other countries of the Sahel 

Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, 

Niger, and Senegal. This network provides agricultural, weather, and climate 

data to assess environmental conditions 

and predict drought.

A field test conducted in April 1992 

proved that data could be transmitted in

minutes between the ARC in Niger and a 

center in Burkina Faso. In turn, researchers in Africa can log onto a remote computer at the EDC and tap into extensive 

global data bases and archives of remotely 

sensed imagery.

Since 1989, the ARC has used 

images from the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administrations's polar 

orbiting satellites to map vegetative cover 

throughout the Sahel at 10 daily intervals 

at a ground resolution of 1 kilometer. 

EDC employees, under the sponsorship 

of the U.S. Agency for International 

Development (USAID), assisted in the 

project.

The year 1993 saw the end of the 

USAID's Participating Agency Service 

Agreement. During FY 1993, the EDC 

concentrated on completing the installation of PC-based geographic information systems (GIS) in the National 

AGRHYMET Centers (NAC) of member 

nations. Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, 

and Senegal were completed in FY 1993 

(Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, and Niger 

had been brought online in FY 1992). 

Personnel from the EDC and the ARC 

installed hardware, software, and a localarea network and presented a one-week 

GIS training workshop to NAC staff and 

representatives from other natural 

resource ministries within each country.

To support these GIS installations, 

the EDC is providing digital data sets to 

each NAC. These sets include administrative boundaries, roads, cities, historical 

data sets derived from daily advanced 

very high resolution radiometer 

(AVHRR) acquisitions, interpretations of 

land use from Landsat data, and other 

natural resource data derived from existing maps of soils, vegetation, and so on.

EDC staff stationed at the Niamey 

field office in Niger support the 

AGRHYMET Program by developing 

procedures to derive specific information 

from satellites and other data sources. 

Their most recent development is a 

means of comparing current greenness 

with historical averages on a district-bydistrict basis. This procedure can be used 

to identify areas and populations that 

may suffer from lack of rain and resulting crop failures.

EDC staff in Sioux Falls are investigating ways of using AVHRR data to 

monitor the seasonal development and 

status of ephemeral bodies of water in the

70 At Work Around the World. . .
Tillabury region of Niger. These water 

bodies are important to populations that 

raise cattle.

The EDC continues to provide logistical support by procuring equipment, 

supplies, and repair services.

Stephen Howard

is a senior scientist at the EDC who has worked 

on the AGRHYMET program since its inception

5 years ago

Gray Tappan

is a senior scientist and geographer at the EDC

currently assigned to the Senegal Land-Use

Change Project

GIS Applications in the 

Lake Baikal Region of 

the Russian Federation

A

s the Russian Federation moves to a 

more market-based economy, the 

application of geographic information 

system (GIS) technologies will play a critical role in coordinating the development 

of programs to effectively manage Russian national resources. To assist in this 

transition, the USGS is helping the Russian Federal Service for Geodesy and 

Cartography (RUSKARTOGRAFIA) set 

up GIS applications centers.

These centers have potential benefits 

to the RUSKARTOGRAFIA in that GIS 

capabilities can be applied to the privatization of land and cadastral development; 

infrastucture inventory, prioritization, 

and reconstruction; nuclear materials 

storage and hazard mitigation; facilities 

siting; and many other applications. In 

addition, the centers can function as 

training centers to instruct other Russian 

scientists, as well as those from other 

republics, in the capabilities and applications of GIS.

The USGS will benefit through 

access to elevation and land-characterization data and other base cartographic and 

geographic information for global change 

analyses.

In cooperation with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and 

International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of Science and Technology, and the RUSKARTOGRAFIA, 

the USGS is assisting in the following 

tasks:

 Providing hardware, software, and 

training to institute two GIS applications 

centers in RUSKARTOGRAFIA facilities 

in Moscow and Irkutsk.

 Creating a GIS to assess the ecological 

conditions of the Lake Baikal drainage 

basin.

 Using the resultant GIS approach to 

develop a land-management plan for the 

Baikal basin to better manage the 

resources and protect the environment.

The Lake Baikal region of Russia 

was selected by the RUSKARTOGRAFIA, the Department of State, and the 

USGS because of its unique environmental and natural characteristics. Lake 

Baikal is the world's deepest and largest 

body of freshwater and is experiencing 

problems with pollution from logging and 

mining operations. The project is viewed 

by the RUSKARTOGRAFIA as an 

important part of a larger effort to protect Lake Baikal and improve the economy of the region by developing its 

natural resources on the principles of sustainable use. As a pilot project, the Lake 

Baikal GIS supports major scientific and 

technological agreements between the 

United States and Russia and affords the 

opportunity for cooperative programs in 

natural resource management and environmental protection throughout Russia.

The USGS will provide the technical 

expertise in collecting digital data and 

organizing it into a demonstration GIS 

for the Lake Baikal region. Most of the 

data will be collected by the RUSKARTOGRAFIA and will meet USGS digital

AGRYMET data 

communications network.

... in Assisting Other Nations 71
For more information on the Lake 

Baikal project, contact:

Telephone (703) 64&-5110 

Internet asteve1@usgs.gov

cartographic standards. The GIS will provide the mechanism for assessing the ecological conditions of the Lake Baikal 

drainage basin.

The USGS will also provide technical 

expertise and has offered to train 

RUSKARTOGRAFIA scientists on GIS 

workstations that will be shipped to Russia. A senior Russian management team 

has been invited to visit the GIS Research 

Laboratory in Reston, Va., as well as several USGS mapping centers.

Alan R. Stevens

is the primary architect of the bilateral agreement 

between the USGS and the RUSKARTOGRAFIA

International Workshop 

on Arctic 

Contamination

I

n an unprecedented show of scientific 

dialog and international cooperation, 

scientists from Russia, the United States,

Norway, Ireland, Finland, Great Britain, 

Monaco, and Canada joined together in a 

workshop on arctic contamination, held 

in Anchorage, Alaska, May 2 to 7, 1993.

The U.S. Interagency Arctic 

Research Policy Committee Workshop, 

organized and conducted by the USGS, 

brought together more than 200 scientists 

and officials concerned about the shortand long-term consequences of potential 

contamination of large areas of the Arctic 

by radionuclides and other toxic materials. The workshop also dealt with the 

potential effects of arctic contaminants on 

areas well beyond the physical boundaries 

of the Arctic.

A March 1993 Russian Federation 

report, which was a major impetus for 

convening the workshop, identified more 

than 2 million curies of radionuclide 

wastes that have been disposed of in 

the Kara and Barents Seas. The report 

documents that radionuclide wastes were 

also introduced into the northwesternmost Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, and 

the Sea of Okhotsk. The long-term 

effects of these hazardous materials is

Zemlya ~f~^2

s^^ Kara Sea

1000 NAUTICAL MILES

72 At Work Around the World. . .
exacerbated by the fact that the contaminants may be transported from their 

points of disposal by movement of sea ice, 

ocean water, and sediment.

Materials that have been introduced 

into the Arctic Ocean and atmosphere by 

the former Soviet Union include liquid 

radioactive waste, fueled and unfueled 

nuclear reactors from submarines and 

icebreakers, sealed barrels of solid and 

mixed radioactive waste, and other nonradioactive hazardous and toxic waste. 

Other nations have also contributed significant concentrations of contaminants to 

the Arctic. High trace-metal accumulations, some of which may be natural, are 

found at many sites in the non-U.S. 

Arctic. No information has been collected 

to indicate that critically high levels of 

trace-metal contamination exist in 

Alaskan samples.

Of particular scientific concern is the 

fact that study of the movement of sea 

ice, ocean water, and sediment has been 

insufficient to make the kind of reliable 

predictions of the trajectories of pollutants that have been made in other oceans. 

Another concern is the freezing into sea 

ice of contaminants disposed of in the 

shallow seas. Once frozen in sea ice, these 

contaminants can travel long distances 

without being diluted. If the contaminated sea ice were to reach the warmer 

waters of the Chukchi or Bering Sea, the 

melting and release of the contaminants 

into the ecosystem could affect marine 

mammals and fish.

Participants in the workshop identified and summarized existing data about 

arctic contamination and determined that 

too little credible scientific information 

exists to perform a detailed risk assessment of the effects of contamination on 

human health and on the health of the 

arctic ecosystem. Workshop presentations

If the contaminated sea

ice were to reach the

warmer waters of the

Chukchi or Bering Sea,

the melting and release

of the contaminants into

the ecosystem could affect

marine mammals and

fish.

about the extent, magnitude, and timing 

of marine, terrestrial, and atmospheric 

contamination in the Arctic were compiled in a special issue of the journal 

Arctic Research of the United States, edited 

by the USGS, and published in March 

1994.

A primary result of the workshop 

has been a USGS-led international effort 

to identify scientific institutions in 

Europe, Asia, and North America holding existing arctic environmental data and 

information sets that can be used to 

develop baseline information about arctic 

contaminants. Working with the United 

Nations Environmental Programme's 

Global Resources Information Database, 

the Russian Ministry of Environmental 

Protection, and representatives from the 

arctic rim nations, the USGS has taken 

the lead role in coordinating the development of an international directory of arctic environmental data.

Bruce Molnia

coordinates international polar and environmental

programs for the USGS and was instrumental in

organizing the U.S. Interagency Arctic Research

Policy Committee Workshop

For more information on Arctic 

, contamination, contact: 

'. Telephone (703) 648-4120 

Internet bmolnia@usgs.gov

... in Assisting Other Nations 73
International Agreements and Activities

EXPLANATION

Countries having international agreements

with the USGS 

Agreements that began during FY 1993

Scientific and technical cooperation in 

earth sciences with the Geological 

Survey of Finland

Cooperation in geoscience research 

with the Ministry of Environmental />; 

Protection and Natural Resources 4%;

Scientific and technical cooperation 

in earth sciences with the Geological 

Survey of Norway

Scientific and technical cooperation in 

earth sciences with the University 

of Bergen

Cooperation in earth sciences and 

environmental studies with the 

Natural Environment Research 

Council

IN THE FORMER 

SOVIET UNION

Cooperation in geoscience 

(studies in energy, 

mineral, and water 

 resources, mapping 

^ .science, global climate 

-change, marine geology, 

deep scientific drilling, 

and earthquake 

research) with the 

Committee on Geology 

of Russian Federation 

and Russian Academy 

of Sciences

Cooperation in mapping 

sciences with the 

Russian Committee 

of Geodesy and Cartography of the Ministry of 

Ecology and Natural 

Resources

Scientific and technical 

cooperation in the 

earth sciences with 

the Geological Surveys' 

of Czech and Slovak 

Federal Republic

Cooperation in 

geological sciences 

with the Bureau de 

Recherches Geologiques et Minieres

PORTUGAL

250 MILES

250 KILOMETERS

Regional digital seismic studies with 

the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica

Scientific and technical cooperation 

in earth sciences with the Osservatorio 

Geofisico Sperimentale, Ministry 

of Universities and Scientific Research

Cooperation in geological sciences with 

the Istituto Sperimentale Modelli e Strutture

74 At Work Around the World. . .
Cooperation in surveys, mapping, and remote-sensing 

activities in international border mapping, and the 

accessing of global change data with the Canadian 

Surveys, Mapping, & Remote Sensing Sector of the 

Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources

Scientific and technical 

cooperation in earth 

sciences with the 

Icelandic Council of 

v Science

Statement of intent regarding cooperation 

in geological sciences with the Geological 

Survey of Canada

EXPLANATION 

Countries having international agreements

with the USGS 

Agreements that began during FY 1993 500 KILOMETERS

... in Assisting Other Nations 75
Scientific and technical cooperation in earth and 

mapping sciences with the Ministry of Energy and Mines

Scientific and technical cooperation in earth and 

mapping sciences with the Guyana Geology 

and Mines Commission

,SURINAME

"\^- FRENCH GUIANA (FRANCE)

BRAZIL

Establishment of global telemetered 

seismic network station with 

the University of Brasilia

Scientific and 

technical cooperation 

in earth and mapping \ 

sciences with the 

Ministry of Energy 

and Mines

Scientific and technical 

cooperation in earth 

sciences with the 

Ministry of Mines and 

Metallurgy

Establishment of 

global telemetered 

seismic network station 

with the Academia I 

Nacional de Ciencias / 

de Bolivia/Observatorio / 

San Calixto (CHILE

Scientific cooperation 

in earth sciences 

with the Servicio 

Nacional de 

Geologia y Mineria

Establishment of global telemetered 

seismic network station with 

the Comision Nacional de 

Desarrollo Regional Integrado 

del Chaco and the National 

University of Asuncion

500 KILOMETERS

URUGUAY

Establishment of global telemetered seismic network 

station with the Institute Nacional de Prevencion Sismica

Statement of intent regarding cooperation in earth 

sciences with the Secretaria de Mineria

EXPLANATION

Countries having international agreements

with the USGS 

Agreements that began during FY 1993

76 At Work Around the World. . .
Gulf of Mexico

Cooperation in geothermal and related volcanic 

investigations with the Institute de Investigaciones 

Electricas

Technical cooperation in cartography, geographic 

information systems, and remote sensing with the 

Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Information

Scientific, technical, and policy cooperation 

in the earth and mapping sciences with the 

Ministry of Natural Resources

NICARAGUA 

Lago de Managua J

Technical cooperation in resources 

management and development 

with the Organization of American 

States in Latin America

EXPLANATION 

Countries having international agreements

with the USGS 

Agreements that began during FY 1993

0 150 MILES 

0 150 KILOMETERS

Tasman Sea

New Zealand

Pacific Ocean

Scientific and technical cooperation 

in topographic mapping of portions 

of Antarctica with the Department of 

Lands and Surveys

Worldwide:

Cooperation in the International Decade for Natural 

Disaster Reduction with UNESCO (United Nations 

Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)

Establishment and operation of a global resource data 

base facility with the U.N. Environmental Program and 

U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

... in Assisting Other Nations 77
Establish global telemetered 

seismic network station 

with the Earth Science 

Research Administration

Cooperation in earth 

sciences with the 

Kuwait Institute for 

Scientific Research

Scientific and 

technical 

cooperation 

in earth 

sciences with 

the National 

Drilling 

Company

WESTERN 

SAHARA

Mediterranean 

TUNISIA Sea

CENTRAL 

AFRICAN REPUBLIC V

Establishment of global telemetered 

seismic network station with the 

Cote D'lvoire Lamto Geophysical Station

Scientific and technical cooperation in

earth sciences with the Institute for

Geology and Mining Research

Seismic research observatory station in

Bangui with the French Office of

Scientific andTechnical Research Overseas

South Atlantic

Establishment of global telemetered seismic network 

station with the Geological Survey of Botswana

EXPLANATION

Countries having international agreements

with the USGS 

Agreements that began during FY 1993

1000 MILES

Tenth extension of the 

work agreement 

related to geology, 

geophysics, and 

mineral resources 

with the Ministry 

of Petroleum and 

Mineral Resources

1000 KILOMETERS

MADAGASCAR

Installation and operation of an integrated 

real-time system to acquire global seismic 

data with the Department of Mineral and 

Energy Affairs

78 At Work Around the World. . .
Scientific and technical cooperation in earthquake studies with the 

State Seismological Bureau

Scientific and technical cooperation in earth sciences with the Chinese 

Academy of Geological Sciences

Scientific and technical cooperation in surface-water hydrology with 

the Bureau of Hydrology of the Ministry of Water Resources

Scientific and technical cooperation in surveying and mapping studies in the 

development of geographic information systems, the application of remotesensing information, and the development of map-production management 

systems with the Bureau of Surveying and Mapping

Statement of intent regarding 

cooperation in the earth 

sciences with the Korea 

Institute of Geology, 

Mining and 

Materials

Sea of 

Okhotsk

KAZAKHSTAN

Cooperation in 

hydrology, water 

resources, and 

global climate 

change with the 

Public Works 

Research Institute 

Ministry of 

Construction

I VTAIWAN 

HONG KONG

BANGLADESH 

Bay of Bengal

KAMPUCHEA 

MALAYSIA

EXPLANATION

| | Countries having international 

___ agreements with the USGS 

^^1 Agreements that began during FY 1993

... in Assisting Other Nations 79
fcrffcAt Work Across the Nation

in Information Systems and

Administrative Support

Mission

The Information Systems Division provides support and services to the Director of the USGS, to major programs in each division 

of the USGS, the Department of the Interior, and to other government 

agencies on information technology and automated data processing 

(ADP). The Division operates the USGS mainframe computer located 

in Reston, Va., and Technology Information Centers and minicomputers in ADP service centers nationwide.

The Division assists users in acquiring ADP and telecommunications hardware, software, and services; coordinates and improves 

information systems through systems analysis and design; provides 

user education and assistance; and conducts research into better 

ways to use computer technology to solve mission-related problems. 

The Division manages and operates voice, data, and video communications for the USGS, including DOINET, the data communications 

network of the Department of the Interior, from which gateways provide access to other national networks and supercomputer systems.

The Administrative Division provides administrative direction 

and coordination in support of the scientific and technical programs 

of the USGS. This support includes policy guidance and program 

direction and provides leadership and authority for various administrative management and technical support functions, including personnel, manpower utilization, finance, administrative management 

systems, management analysis, records management, procurement 

and contract negotiation, property and facilities management, security, safety, and motor vehicle management.

The Division also manages the development, maintenance, and 

operation of the financial management system for the entire U.S. 

Department of the Interior. These functions are carried out at the 

National Center in Reston, Va., and through Regional Management 

Offices in Denver, Colo., and Menlo Park, Calif.
Information Systems 

Activities

Data Processing and 

Telecommunications

T

he USGS is responsible for the management and operation of a large 

mainframe-based multiple computer data 

center in Reston, Va., that provides computational resources to a large interagency customer base located across the 

United States. This customer base consists 

of over 8,800 registered users nationwide, 

who use the data center's computing facilities for purposes such as financial and 

administrative accounting, tracking of 

surface-mining activities, and the Automated Minerals Information System, a 

worldwide data base of mineral deposit 

information. Customers outside the USGS 

include the National Park Service, the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of 

Reclamation, the Bureau of Mines, and 

the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation 

and Enforcement at the Department of 

the Interior and other Federal agencies 

such as the General Services Administration and the Department of Commerce's

Patent and Trademark Office. The USGS 

also manages, evaluates, and operates networks and provides technical advice 

and assistance in communications hardware and software capabilities.

Expanding Data Storage for 

Future Needs

T

he USGS has embarked on a 5-year 

plan to significantly expand datastorage resources available within the data 

center. This expansion will address the 

rapid increases in data-storage requirements associated with computer modeling 

and scientific visualization activities, digital cartographic data-base functions, and 

long-term archival needs of the bureau's 

many earth-science data collections.

A diverse mixture of online, nearline, and archival storage technology is 

planned. The two traditional methods of 

data storage online direct-access magnetic media and offline tape data storage 

in a library will be supplemented by an 

intermediate "near-line" storage technology. This newer technology will offer 

lower cost storage of large volumes of 

data, at retrieval speeds somewhere

REMOTE

ELECTRONIC

INTERFACE

HAND/CAMERA 

ASSEMBLY (2X>

Diagram of a robotic arm assembly.

81
Relative Comparison of Storage Technology

Technology type

Storage capacity 

Speed of access to data

Online Near-line Archival

Magnetic disk

Low 

High

Cost per gigabyte of storage High

Half-inch cartridge tape stored in 

robotic device.

Medium 

Medium 

Medium

Half-inch cartridge tape stored in 

library vault.

High 

Low

Low

A robotic arm locates a requested tape in a mass-storage system and then 

grasps, pulls, and mounts the tape on a tape reader.

between immediate access online and 

manual tape retrieval from the tape 

library. Starting in 1993 from a file system supporting approximately 800 

gigabytes (800 billion units) of archived 

data on tape and 250 gigabytes of online 

magnetic disk storage, USGS data storage 

technology will be expanded to include 

near-line robot-managed tape and 

8-millimeter helical scan tape in 1994. 

Near-line storage is data stored offline (in 

this case, on half-inch magnetic tape in an 

automated robotic device) that is accessible within seconds or minutes rather than 

the tens of minutes required to manually 

retrieve tape from a tape library vault. 

The near-line storage technology will 

employ advanced robotic technology and

For more information about data 

storage, please contact:

Telephone (703) 648-7128 

Internet thuffman(ausgs.gov

automation techniques to store, manage, 

and automatically retrieve data stored on 

traditional tape cartridge media.

Using robotic tape library technology, a robotic arm with a camera "eye" 

spins around the interior of a compartment storing up to 6,000 half-inch 

cartridges until it finds the bar-coded 

serial number that matches a requested 

tape. The arm then automatically pulls 

and mounts the cartridge on a tape 

reader. This expanded file system will 

include a mainframe computer UNIX 

mass-storage and data-base environment 

with associated robot technology and 

read-write optical disk by 1997.

Techniques such as data compression and high-quality, rapid-access diskdrive technology will allow the total 

capacity of this mass-storage system to 

grow, by 1997, to approximately 100,000 

offline archived tapes storing at least 10 

terabytes (10 trillion units), near-line 

robot technology having capacities of 100 

terabytes, and online disks providing 

instant access to 600 gigabytes (600 billion 

units) of data.

Tod Huffman

has managed USGS mainframe data center 

operations since 1990

Data Network Sharing

R

ecognizing that sharing equipment, 

circuitry, and personnel makes the 

best use of resources and reduces overall 

expenses, the USGS has long advocated 

sharing telecommunications resources 

within the Department of the Interior. 

Today, as in the past, communications 

circuitry constitutes the single most 

expensive portion of the communications 

utility. Because the usage patterns of 

data, voice, and video communications 

are sporadic and required on demand, 

services and circuitry can be shared 

among the bureaus. With award of the

82 At Work Across the Nation. . .
GEONET-II contract in April 1993, the 

USGS can now acquire state-of-the-art 

high-speed switches and facilities to make 

such sharing easier. Several bureaus the 

Fish and Wildlife Service, the Minerals 

Management Service, the National Park 

Service, and the Bureau of Indian 

Affairs and the Washington and Denver 

Administrative Service Centers are interested in sharing facilities. This approach 

will provide more and better network 

integration, shared circuitry, and lower 

communications costs.

Elaine Stout

has over 20 years of computer and communications

experience and currently manages USGS

telecommunications activities

Information Systems Policy 

Development

T

he USGS conducts research and supports efforts to enhance delivery of 

earth-science information and to develop 

policy and procedures for the automated 

data processing security program.

A Crucial Component of the 

National Information 

Infrastructure

T

o make it easier for researchers and 

the public to find and retrieve earthscience information, the Federal Government is promoting the establishment of 

the Government Information Locator 

Service (GILS). GILS establishes a standard approach for agency-based locators of 

data and information. A locator is a 

machine-readable data base that identifies 

different information resources such as 

data bases, libraries, clearinghouses, 

guides, and lists of resources and 

describes the information available in 

those resources. GILS will be a crucial 

component of the National Information 

Infrastructure, which is envisioned as 

providing public access to information 

and other communications media 

throughout the country.

GILS will use Internet as its primary 

electronic dissemination medium, but 

GILS contents will also be available via 

electronic mail, bulletin board systems, 

and information kiosks in public places

GEONET-II-WHAT IS IT?

 GEONET-II is a high-speed network based on cell relay switches 

to support voice, video, and data (so-called multimedia services).

 The key to GEONET-II is the cell-relay-switching architecture, 

which allows for full use of the expensive telecommunications 

bandwidth and is a near-perfect solution for the bursty local-area 

and wide-area network traffic. (Bursty traffic is data streams that 

are high volume and sustained for brief periods of time and occur 

on a random basis throughout the work day.)

 The GEONET-II contract, awarded in April 1993, is a $27.3 million contract with Sprint Communications Corporation that can be 

used by all Department bureaus and offices to facilitate the sharing of the extensive high-speed circuitry.

 GEONET-II will allow Department bureaus to perform file transfers, electronic mail, and interactive sessions between bureaus 

that heretofore could be done only within the same bureau.

and in offline media such as floppy disks, 

CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only 

Memory), and printed publications.

GILS pilot operations will likely 

begin in spring 1994, and most of the 

Government may be participating within 

a year or two. Because its promotion of 

the standards for information search and 

retrieval and its leadership role in interagency forums such as the Federal 

Geographic Data Committee and the 

Interagency Working Group on Data 

Management for Global Change, the 

USGS was invited to take a leadership 

role in establishing GILS under the auspices of the Office of Management and 

Budget and the Administration's Information Infrastructure Task Force.

Eliot Christian

is a USGS computer specialist working with the

Office of Management and Budget and the

Administration's Information Infrastructure

Task Force

Computer Security in the Event of 

an Emergency

What would happen to the USGS 

mainframe computing capability in 

Reston, Va., if a major fire, tornado, or 

hurricane severely damaged or destroyed 

the data center? This very large computing facility provides significant financial 

and scientific support to the USGS and

For more information about 

telecommunications, please contact:

Telephone (703) 648-7006 

Internet estout@usgs.gov

For more information about GILS, 

please contact:

Telephone (703) 648-7245 

Internet echristi@usgs.gov

... in Information Systems and Administrative Support 83
For more information about computer 

security, please contact:

Telephone (703) 648-7046 

Internet dwatson@usgs.gov

other Department bureaus throughout 

the United States and its possessions. To 

augment the security of the Reston mainframe capability, the USGS awarded a 

contract to provide an alternate processing site in the event of such an 

emergency situation. All mainframe operations, including all necessary telecommunications links, can be switched quickly to 

another location, with minimal disruption 

of the user community.

The awarding of this contract was 

the culmination of an 18-month effort 

that included a functional impact analysis 

of all mission-critical applications that run 

on the mainframe computer, such as the 

Federal Financial System and the 

National Digital Cartographic Data Base, 

and visits to companies that provide disaster recovery services. These companies 

have large facilities that contain multiple 

computers running 24 hours a day for 

the express purpose of being immediately 

available if a client's computer operations 

are interrupted.

An integral part of the bureau's 

ongoing computer security program, this 

effort will help guarantee continued

Geologists discuss attributes of different visualization techniques. 

84 At Work Across the Nation. . .

operation of the mainframe computer in 

Reston, Va., and bring the USGS into 

compliance with Federal computer 

security regulations. With contractor 

assistance, the USGS will be able to 

recover full operational capability within 

48 hours of a disaster with minimum 

impact on the user. To help ensure that 

these goals are met, several mock disaster 

recovery tests will be conducted each 

year. A typical test will involve going to

With contractor 

assistance, the USGS 

will be able to recover

full operational

capability within 48

hours of a disaster. . .

the alternate processing site, loading the 

operating system and utilities from 

backup tapes that were stored at an offsite location, and conducting tests of the 

operating system software. If all systems 

check out, selected applications will be 

loaded and computer analysts from the 

offices responsible for the applications 

will conduct remote tests to determine if 

everything functions correctly. Other 

computer specialists will revise the current mainframe contingency plan to 

reflect the use of a contractor-supplied 

recovery site.

Don Watson

is the manager of the USGS computer security

program

Support of Scientific and 

Technical Systems

T

he USGS designs and develops computer software systems for USGS 

and Departmentwide applications; evaluates hardware and software to assess 

applicability; provides technical advice to 

scientists and managers in information 

technology areas including highperformance computing and scientific 

visualization; reviews and makes recommendations regarding approval of all
requests for acquisition of information 

systems resources; provides first-level 

customer assistance for computer and 

communications technologies; provides 

computer-related training; and publishes 

an automated data processing (ADP) 

technical journal and a mainframe user's 

manual.

ADP service centers in Denver, 

Colo., Flagstaff, Ariz., and Menlo Park, 

Calif., provide a full range of comprehensive user and ADP services to all USGS 

employees in their service areas.

Scientific Visualization

S

cientific visualization is the visual or 

graphic representation of scientific 

data in a format that enables users to 

interact with, analyze, and study data and 

may lead to insights that are not possible 

through more traditional methods or 

techniques. Sharing information about 

these visualization techniques and the corresponding findings or products allows 

scientists to learn more about the technologies and techniques available to foster 

scientific endeavors and also enables the 

USGS to more effectively display the 

results of its investigations to the public 

and to customers of USGS data and 

products.

A scientific visualization workshop 

held in Menlo Park, Calif., on September 

15, 16, and 17, 1993, provided both an 

internal and a public forum to stimulate 

interest in exploring applications of this 

powerful technology. Scientists from the 

USGS and collaborating organizations 

such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Monterey Bay Aquarium 

Research Institute, the Naval Postgraduate School, the University of California at 

Santa Cruz, and the Environmental Protection Agency participated. The workshop provided exposure to a vast array of 

computer technologies and specialpurpose tools used to study and show 

phenomena such as the hydrodynamic 

properties of San Francisco Bay and Massachusetts Bay waters, the volcanic structure underlying the island of Hawaii, the 

evolution of landforms, the properties of 

rock in situ 1,000 feet under El Capitan 

in Yosemite Park, and the distribution of 

earthquakes worldwide in near-real time. 

The USGS will sponsor another scientific

Multidirectional shaded relief map of Oahu generated in ARC/INFO for the 1993 

Menlo Park workshop on scientific visualization.

visualization workshop in New Orleans, 

La., in April 1994.

Carol Lawson

served as coordinator of the USGS-sponsored

scientific visualization workshop held in Menlo

Park, Calif., in 1993

Parallel Virtual Machine

P

arallel Virtual Machine (PVM) is a 

parallel processing application environment that allows scientists to take 

advantage of excess computer power in 

their computing environment. PVM runs 

on several UNIX platforms including the 

Sun Microsystem's Sun, IBM's RISC, Data 

General's AViiON, and Silicon Graphics' 

IRIS across both local-area and wide-area 

networks. The USGS has loaded PVM 

onto several machines and begun experimenting with its capabilities.

To determine PVM's relevance to 

the USGS's application programs, scientists throughout the bureau have begun 

a number of collaborative projects. 

Computer scientists are working with 

hydrologists to move existing water 

resources applications such as Phreeqm, a 

FORTRAN IV computer program 

designed to model geochemical reactions, 

into the PVM environment. In a separate

For more information about scientific 

visualization, please contact:

Telephone (415) 329^t030 

Internet clawson@usgs.gov

For more information about PVM, 

please contact:

Telephone (703) 648-7175 

Internet lburgess@usgs.gov

... in Information Systems and Administrative Support 85
A USGS geophysicist describes a data overlay 

showing imagery of the Monterey Bay Marine 

Sanctuary.

A USGS data manager demonstrates "fly-by" 

tools on a personal computer.

mprovinj, (; 00| ()o-j c utorao

j Bv Us inn

lypereard-Based '.\nim:ilions

juake Effects

prototype development project, computer 

scientists worked with cartographers to 

move ADAPSM (adaptive smoothing 

algorithm), an image-processing mapping 

application, into the PVM environment. 

This algorithm modifies values in an 

image by means of a computer program. 

Scientists are now working together 

to quantitatively determine how much 

computer time has been saved by these 

moves to a PVM environment. These 

prototypes will help judge how useful 

PVM will be in handling a variety of 

complex earth-science computing 

applications.

Lisa Burgess

is a computer scientist exploring parallel processing 

and its possible benefits to USGS scientists

A USGS research cartographer describes a technique for developing earth globes 

showing tectonic plates for use as an education tool.

86 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Administrative Support

T

he principal administrative programs 

of the USGS include personnel management, financial management, procurement and contracts management, facilities 

and management services, and systems 

management.

Financial Management

T

he Office of Financial Management 

controls and implements accounting 

policy and procedures and administers 

the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) function. Fiscal services include accurate and 

timely processing of vouchers and claims, 

fulfilling financial reporting systems 

requirements, developing alternative 

methods for data entry and exchange, 

and providing other general support. FY 

1993 accomplishments include:

 Implementing a quality improvement 

program to upgrade the overall level 

of support provided to the program 

divisions.

 Developing the first bureau CFO 

Financial Statement.

 Realigning traditional financial functions to a process-oriented structure.

 Installing imaging technology to 

archive and retrieve fiscal documents.

support for the establishment of informal 

and formal mentoring programs. Specific 

interest has been expressed by women's 

groups within the USGS.

 Developing and issuing guidelines to 

employees in administrative and technical 

occupations. These guidelines provide a 

systematic approach to career planning 

and include job analysis information, a 

self-assessment exercise, a guide for setting performance goals, and tips on how 

to accomplish goals.

 Purchasing training materials for the 

three USGS Career and Management 

Resource Centers, including books, audio 

cassettes, and videotapes related to a variety of subjects, such as career development, self development, supervision, 

management, work force diversity, and 

Total Quality Management. Any USGS 

employee may borrow these training 

materials.

 Offering training in sexual harassment 

prevention. All employees were required 

to attend this onsite training, which 

included classes and commercial videotape programs. The USGS also developed 

a videotape on preventing sexual harassment for distribution and use throughout 

the bureau.

Procurement and Contracts 

Management

Personnel Management

T

he USGS Personnel Management 

program includes recruitment; 

employee and labor management relations; employee development; classification and position management; processing of personnel actions; and conduct of 

personnel management evaluations. FY 

1993 accomplishments include:

 Developing a USGS Executive, Managerial, and Supervisory Development program to prepare a pool of qualified candidates for executive, managerial, and 

supervisory positions through rotational 

assignments, details, and formal developmental training opportunities. This 

intensive 1-year training program will 

qualify graduates for one noncompetitive 

promotion.

 Offering mentoring seminars at key 

field centers to encourage interest in and

T

he Procurement and Contracts Management program coordinates, integrates, awards, and administers numerous 

procurement, grant, and cooperative 

agreement programs. In addition to operational procurement in support of USGS 

missions, principal functions include formulating and implementing policy procedures and technical guidance; sponsoring 

bureauwide procurement training; and 

determining procurement and contracts 

system requirements. FY 1993 accomplishments include: 

 Awarding a contract to support the 

Department of the Interior Electronic 

Acquisition System (IDEAS) project, 

which will install a computerized acquisition system in each bureau of the Department to enhance the productivity of the 

acquisition workforce, substantially eliminate duplicate data entries and reduce 

paperwork, and interface with other 

administrative management systems.

... in Information Systems and Administrative Support 87
 Awarding production contracts that, 

over the next 3 years, will provide for the 

production of 30,000 digital orthophoto 

quadrangles for the USGS National Mapping Program.

Facilities and Management 

Services

T

he Facilities and Management Services program provides staff advice, 

direction, and guidance in space and 

facilities management, security, property 

management, safety management, supply 

management, paperwork management, 

and other administrative services. FY 

1993 accomplishments include:

 Working with the General Services 

Administration to replace cooling towers 

and underground fuel tanks and install 

energy-efficient lighting, a new fire alarm 

and suppression system, and other 

energy-saving retrofits at the USGS 

National Center in Reston, Va.

 Adding cardboard and grade 2 paper 

to the headquarters recycling program, 

reaching a total waste-stream reduction of 

80 percent.

 Eliminating 55 USGS forms that were 

in little or no demand and reissuing the 

Forms Facsimile Handbook to reflect the 

changes.

 Adopting standard, networked formscompletion software and issuing electronic versions of over 100 forms.

 Overseeing construction of a new 

$7.1-million advanced systems center 

building at the National Center. The new 

facility was completed on time and under 

budget.

 Instituting cost savings in mail usage 

that led to a 36-percent cost reduction in 

international mail costs and lowered costs 

for U.S. Postal Service Express Mail.

 Developing and distributing a safety 

orientation guide for new collateral duty 

safety officers.

 Completing an in-depth analysis of 

accidents occurring throughout the 

bureau for the 10 most populous occupational codes.

 Launching a major initiative to introduce alternative-fuel vehicles into the 

motor vehicle fleet as a concrete step to 

protect the environment and reduce 

dependence on imported petroleum, in 

accordance with the bureau's energy 

reduction plan.

 Restructuring personal property 

accountability levels to ensure management involvement and to improve internal controls. Also, implementing a 

bureauwide excess reporting system to 

streamline the reporting process and promote reuse of available property.

 Designating every USGS position 

on the basis of an assessment of public 

trust responsibilities and national security 

sensitivities.

 Completing background investigations 

and providing suitability certifications for 

permanent contractors performing building services at the USGS National' Center 

in Reston, Va.

Systems Management

T

he USGS uses a variety of administrative automated data processing 

(ADP) systems and resources in support 

of its programs. The Systems Management program manages administrative 

systems and the ADP resources of the 

Administrative Division. It seeks to 

improve administrative functions by 

applying ADP techniques and technologies; standardize and integrate ADP systems and manage their costs efficiently; 

plan for both short- and long-range 

administrative ADP needs; and design, 

develop, and acquire automated administrative information systems. FY 1993 

accomplishments include: 

 Assisting the National Park Service and 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 

implementing the departmentwide

. . .the new software

will. . .improve the

capability to manage

large map and book

inventories.

AVADS (Automated Vacancy Announcement Distribution System), increasing to 

nine the number of participating Department of the Interior bureaus. AVADS 

collects and distributes job-opening information to personnel offices throughout 

DOI and to the general public.

88 At Work Across the Nation. . .
 Initiating software development to 

replace the order processing and inventory management system for USGS map 

product sales. Designed as a subsystem of 

the Federal Financial System (FFS) Inventory Control Subsystem, the new software 

will eliminate accounting differences, 

reduce manual processing, closely integrate product sales billing and receivables 

information with the FFS, and improve 

the capability to manage large map and 

book inventories.

 Initiating the redesign of an existing 

automated dme-and-attendance (T&A) 

system with a paperless T&A system that 

will be capable of running on nearly 

every type of hardware, network, operating system, or data-base management 

system at the USGS.

 Began to replace the current USGS 

Property Management System with the 

FFS Fixed Assets Subsystem, an integrated component of the Departmental 

financial system. The new system will 

increase access to property information, 

streamline workflow by incorporating 

electronic signatures and transfers of 

property records, and resolve accounting 

discrepancies.

Washington Administrative 

Service Center

A

s one of two departmental administrative service centers, the Washington Administrative Service Center 

(WASC) supports finance and accounting, 

procurement and contracts, personnel, 

property, and other general administrative functions. In support of all Department of the Interior bureaus (and other 

agencies as negotiated), the WASC provides systems analysis, design, development or acquisition, implementation, 

training, and operations and maintenance

support. FY 1993 accomplishments 

include:

 Installing software enhancements to 

the Federal Financial System (FFS). Version 5.0.1.D includes features and capabilities that improved overall FFS performance. The enhancements benefit 

users throughout the Department of the 

Interior and represent a cooperative 

effort of the FFS Software Advisory 

Board, an interbureau workgroup.

The WASC installed

software enhancements

that will benefit users

throughout the

Department of the

Interior. . .

 Providing analysis and design of FFS 

release 5.1.1 enhancements for all 

Department of the Interior bureaus, 

including the design of a generic 

microcomputer-based FFS module.

 Acquiring the Interior Department 

Electronic Acquisition System (IDEAS) 

software as part of Departmentwide 

efforts to standardize and automate procurement activities in all bureaus. Activities also included preparations for acceptance testing and coordination with all 

Department bureaus regarding IDEAS 

planning.

 Initiating operational support for the 

General Services Administration's governmentwide Federal Procurement Data System and operating the Interior Procurement Data System for the Department.

 Beginning to develop a standard 

Department of the Interior accounting 

manual.

... in Information Systems and Administrative Support 89
At Work Across the Nation 

. for People and V 

* Special Initiatives

^ * '.JIBS.* - ' ^ m » * " ""*' Is "' ». * - ' 'J-^r ,* ^ Mission £,, - ^-. ,,, "-;

i" «: - C -* -« i * ., -k -j^- j

The USGS is a people-oriented organization. 

Individual USGS scientists and technicians are vitally 

involved in doing the best science possible and then 

looking at ways in which theory and technology can 

be applied to earth-science issues and problems. 

USGS employees feel empowered and vital to the mission of the organization. The USGS was one of the 

first major U.S. organizations to experiment with and 

adopt alternative work schedules, and it supports a 

growing network of Federal day-care centers. This 

organizational mindset means that people who work 

for the USGS feel that they are part of the USGS 

team. Employees tend to stay with the USGS 

throughout their careers. At annual awards ceremonies, for example, it is not unusual to see large 

numbers of 30- and 40-year service awards, and 50- 

year awards are not unheard of. Once retired, many 

employees continue their relationship with the USGS 

as unpaid volunteer docents at visitor centers or in 

professional pursuits. Through its programs and its 

people, the USGS meets the earth-science challenges 

of a modern technology-oriented society.

\

V
Personnel

Honors and Awards

E

ach year, USGS employees receive 

awards and honors that range from 

certificates of excellence and monetary 

awards to recognition of their achievements by election to membership or 

office in professional societies.

Meritorious Service

T

he Meritorious Service Award is the 

second highest award granted by the 

Department of the Interior and is given 

for significant contributions to the earth 

sciences and to management and administration of USGS scientific programs. 

Recipients in 1993 were:

Fred Barker, Daniel B. Brothers, Joseph 

D. Camp, Charles G. Cunningham, James 

A. Davis III, Pamela S. Detra, Thomas P. 

Dinardo, Patricia P. Dunham, Robert W. 

Fleming, Albert J. Froelich (posthumous), 

Gale K. Fullerton, Judy A. George, 

Joseph E. Graham, Stephen C. Guptill, 

Aaron L. Higer, Tod E. Huffman, 

Robert M. Kosanke, Robert Y. Koyanagi, 

Robert P. Masse, Gary G. Metz, Mary G. 

Mortellaro, William A. Oliver, Jr., Ronald 

S. Oremland, Glenn L. Osick, James P. 

Owens, James A. Peterson, Charlene Hall 

Raphael, Henry R. Spall, Charles W. 

Spencer, Gail A. Wendt, Richard C. 

Williams, Gary R. Winkler.

Superior Service

T

he Superior Service Award is the 

third highest award granted by the 

Department of the Interior and is given 

for significant acts, services, or achievements that materially aid the accomplishment of the USGS mission. Recipients in 

1993 were:

Ronald V. Alien, Carol J. Anderson, 

Claud H. Baker, Jr., Jerad D. Bales, 

Norman G. Banks, A. Edward Barr, 

Herta M. Bell, James M. Bettandorff, 

John P. Borland, Brian S. Bradley, 

Walter A. Brandner, Gaylia C. Brock, 

Debra P. Campbell, David E. Catts, Paul 

Willard Cole, Derrill J. Cowing, James 

Dee Craig, Michael P. Crane, Marvin A. 

Grist, Richard B. Delp, Michael Diggles,

Michael E. Dorsey, Beth L. Duff, Mark A. 

Eaton III, Melvin Y. Ellis, Max M. 

Ethridge, Larry D. Fayard, John C. 

Fordham, Mark E. Gettings, Anthony B. 

Gibbons, Joseph G. Gorman, Martin E. 

Gurtz, Pixie A. Hamilton, Paul S. 

Hampson, Robert W. Harper, Thomas 

M. Holm, Dale R. Hughes, Barry N. 

Humphrey, Jeffrey L. Imes, John W. 

Jones, Lawrence C. King, J. Roger 

Knapton, Lee C. Koehn, Robert D. 

Lamke, Andrew G. Lamonds, Jr., Curds 

E. Larsen, L. Rodney Larson, Thomas J. 

Lauterborn, Larry S. Leveen, Katherine 

F. Lins, Ronald C. Lowrimore, Barbara 

M. Ludwick, Sharon A. Maccini, Maxine 

J. Mannion, Priscilla A. Mawyer, Thomas 

A. McCulloch, Robert F. Middelburg, Jr., 

David M. Miller, Hope D. Miller, 

Deborah K. Moreland, Patrick W. 

Murphy, Karen A. Nelson, Nancy I. 

Ordazzo, Gregory B. O'Neill, Ronald C. 

O'Neill, Glenda D. Pearsall, Linda K. 

Peng, Ellie C. Price, Lois J. Rafalko, 

Carolyn L. Reid, Emeretta F. Rudy, 

Robert D. Sapp, Dwight L. Schmidt, 

John C. Scott, Fletcher C. Sedberry, 

Truman D. Seiber, Wallace F. Shelton, 

Michael V. Shulters, Gayle A. Sisler, 

Connie L. Smith, Hezekiah Smith, 

Charles W. Smoot, David R. Seller, 

Ronnie D. Steger, James A. Sturdevant, 

Nancy R. Teed, Nancy M. Thurman, 

Richard M. Tosdal, Deborah H. Weldon, 

Linda G. Wenri, Michael G. Williams, 

Clara C. Wilson, Linda A. Witmer.

Unit Awards for Excellence of 

Service

T

he 1992 National Center Open 

House Team received a Unit Award 

from the Department of the Interior for 

organizing the Open House, held at 

USGS headquarters in Reston, Va., and 

attended by about 12,000 visitors on 

April 24 and 25, 1992. The 32 individuals recognized in the award coordinated 

the efforts of about 400 USGS employees 

who worked long hours to assist in nearly 

every aspect of the Open House. Thanks 

to the outstanding work of the Open 

House Team, the event was well conceived, well planned, and well organized 

and provided the public with an opportunity to learn about the USGS and its primary mission of providing "Earth Science 

in the Public Service."

91
Denver Open 

House Team

Members of the 

Steering Committee for 

the 1993 Open House 

in Denver, Colo., were 

recognized for their 

outstanding contributions to the success of 

that event. Committee 

members were Lisa 

Bader, Deborah S. 

Boles, Linda J. Britton, 

Beverly A. Clyncke, 

Jill J. Cress, Gerald L. 

Dinkel, Sally J. Dyson, 

John C. Fordham, 

William R. Hotchkiss, 

Ginger Peltz, Larry 

Volkening, and Richard 

M. Wells. (See p. 96 for 

photo montage.)

The USGS was presented a Unit 

Award by the Interior Department for 

exceeding all of the Fiscal Year 1992 

Business and Economic Development 

goals as well as making significant contract awards to small, minority, and 

women-owned businesses; for participating in many procurement and minority 

business conferences and trade fairs; and 

for giving a presentation to the contracting personnel of the Small Business 

Administration.

Awards and Honors Received by 

USGS Employees in 1993

F

rancis H. Chapelle received the 

Award for Excellence in Science and 

Engineering from the National Ground 

Water Association for writing the textbook "Ground Water Microbiology and 

Geochemistry."

Bonnie B. Glaus received the Safety 

Management Award in 1993 for her 

efforts to raise the level of employee 

safety awareness in the Branch of Petroleum Geology and throughout the USGS 

Central Region. She established an ergonomics training program and developed a 

workshop to train teams in ergonomic 

issues at several USGS locations.

Philip Cohen received the C.V. 

Theis Award of the American Institute of 

Hydrology for career-long contributions 

to the science of hydrogeology, for 

strengthening and expanding the USGS 

Federal-State Cooperative program, and 

for establishing the USGS National Water 

Quality Assessment.

G. Brent Dalrymple was elected to 

the National Academy of Sciences and 

was awarded an honorary doctorate from 

Occidental College, Los Angeles, Calif.,

for significant career-long contributions 

to the earth sciences,

Lucy E. Edwards was elected president of the American Association of 

Stratigraphic Palynologists, the leading 

worldwide organization for the study of 

pollen, spores, and algae.

George E. Ericksen was honored by 

the three principal geological and mining 

societies of Peru, in three separate ceremonies in July 1993, for his work in Peru 

on a range of earth-science topics including the evaluation of earthquake damage, 

analyses of Peru's metallic mineral deposits, and studies of desert landforms.

Timothy L. Gauslin won the Best 

Windows Application in the Government 

award at Windows World '93, a computer 

show of Windows software and custom 

applications, for his Wide-Area Information Server application.

Robert J. Gilliom was named Engineer of the Year for the USGS, Department of the Interior, by the National 

Society of Professional Engineers.

James L. Hott received an award 

from the Commissioner of the General 

Services Administration for his outstanding work as chairperson of the Price of 

FTS 2000 Committee.

Cliff R. Hupp received the W.S. 

Cooper Award of the Ecological Society 

of America for contributions in ecology 

with special emphasis on geobotany, physiographic ecology, plant succession, and 

plant distribution along environmental 

gradients.

Bruce Molnia was presented the 

Volunteer Service Award by the Department of the Interior in recognition of 

outstanding community leadership in a 

research project on the Bering Glacier in 

Alaska that relied heavily on volunteer 

support.

Charles D. Nethaway, Jr., received 

an award in recognition of his significant 

contributions to the success of the FTS 

2000 Cost Effectiveness Comparison 

Project of the General Services Administration.

L. Niel Plummer received the O.E. 

Meinzer Award of the Geological Society 

of America for writing an outstanding 

paper in the field of hydrogeology.

Bruce Reed (deceased) received the 

Department of the Interior's Award of 

Excellence for Accident-Free Flying for 

6,000 hours of safe flying to support 

mineral-resource fieldwork in remote 

Alaskan locations.

Victor C. Ruder received the San 

Francisco Bay Area 1992 Federal 

Employee of the Year Award (disabled 

category). Ruder began his career as an 

administrative clerk and is now a budget 

analyst.

Charles W. Spencer received the 

Public Service Award for 1993 from the 

American Association of Petroleum 

Geologists.

Marilyn M. Stark was selected to 

be a Fellow of the Special Libraries 

Association.

92 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Charles Thompson received the 

Department of the Interior's Award of 

Excellence for Accident-Free Flying for 

4,500 hours of safe flying in planes that 

are equipped with external geophysical 

devices and for flying grid-line surveys at 

low elevations.

Harry A. Tourtelot was honored as 

a Distinguished Alumnus by the Geology 

Department of the University of 

Nebraska.

Frank Whitmore received the 

Arnold Guyot Memorial Award of the 

National Geographic Society for outstanding achievements in geology and 

paleontology.

Philip L. McKinney, Richard M. 

Comerford, and Clarence L. Smith 

(Department of the Interior) were presented a 1992 Federal Leadership Award 

for giving leadership and direction to the 

Department of the Interior's initiative to 

acquire and implement a single departmentwide accounting and payment system throughout the 10 Interior bureaus. 

The new system replaced a number of 

obsolete and incompatible financial 

management systems and is expected 

to accrue substantial savings to the 

Government.

Philip L. McKinney, Richard M. 

Comerford, Clarence L. Smith (Department of the Interior), Barbara L. 

Whitford, John L. Walbert, and Anthony 

B. Queern were awarded the Financial 

Management Service Award by the 

Department of the Treasury for exceptional achievements in the standardization 

of Interior's accounting and payment systems and payroll system. Their work has 

become a standard for other Federal 

agencies in improving their financial 

management procedures.

The Branch of Telecommunications 

of the Information Systems Division 

received the General Services Administration's Management Excellence Award for 

positive contributions to the smooth transition from the old FTS network to the 

new FTS 2000 network. The branch was 

cited for developing innovative 

approaches to integrating voice, video, 

and data over long-haul circuits, analyzing FTS 2000 usage data, effecting a 

smooth transition to the new system at 

over 200 locations, and challenging network service costs that resulted in Governmentwide lowering of FTS 2000 

charges.

USGS employees received Honorable 

Mention awards in the 1993 Blue Pencil 

competition, sponsored by the National 

Association of Government Communicators:

Pixie A. Hamilton, Joan M. Rubin, and 

Robert J. Shedlock, for "Are Fertilizers 

and Pesticides in the Ground Water?"

Wayne B. Solley, Robert R. Pierce, and 

Howard A. Perlman, for "Estimated Use 

of Water in the United States in 1990."

Stephen Vandas and Frank Farrar, commercial artist, for "Wetlands: Water, 

Wildlife, Plants, and People."

Jane B. Russell and John M. Watson, for

"Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Vol. 22, No. 

6, 1990."

Public Service Recognition

S

pecial awards were presented by the 

USGS to nine employees for their outstanding contributions as public servants. 

Those receiving Public Service Recognition Awards were:

Amy L. Berger, for coordinating the 

first-ever Department of the Interior 

Conference on Accessible Technology, 

which has provided guidance to other 

agencies and bureaus in recruiting, 

retraining, and promoting employees 

with disabilities.

Sherri A. Craun, for her ability to 

accomplish many difficult tasks simultaneously while maintaining a high level of 

professionalism and for establishing a 

work ethic that is an inspiration to her 

co-workers.

Karen Franczyk, for her educational 

outreach efforts to public schools, to 

international visitors, and to fellow professionals in industry and academia.

Barbara Herring, for exceptional 

management of the official records and 

correspondence of the Director of the 

USGS.

Mary T. Krupa, for her commitment 

to the creation of a diverse workforce 

through educating minority organizations 

and academia about the mission of the 

USGS and its interest in attracting minority students.

George B. Madill, for his devotion 

to the development and operation of the 

national earth-science information network that links 11 USGS Earth Science

Personnel, by Division

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Water Resources Division 

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Director's Office and

Administrative Division

541

* Information Systems 

/A\ Division

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1993 total = 8996

... for People and Special Initiatives 93
Personnel, by Occupation 

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n II n II n

/A\ /|\ /A\ /|\ /A\ '

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Technical 2993

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/t\ /|\ Hydrologists

 M" 170R II II I/UD

/A\ /|\ /AN /l\ /AN A* J! A* f! »M» II II II II II

/II IM\ /T\ Geologists

 ! ' ! 892 

II II II

/AN /|N /AN /|N /AN

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Cartographers 533

n n

Other Scientists and 

Engineers 486

 

/A\ '1^ Geophysicists ft" ||' 266

 

/A\ /|\ Chemists 

ft II 225

/4\ Wage Board 165 

II

1993 total = 8996

Information Centers, 64 State agencies, 

and 2 Federal agencies to provide earthscience information to the public.

Leslie Ogrosky, for development of 

software that allowed the USGS to convert to a new format for producing digital cartographic data that resulted in 

more accurate maps.

Larry R. Shelton, for designing and 

developing new field equipment for use 

in difficult terrains and for superior 

recruitment and training of new technicians, resulting in a highly qualified and 

efficient technical staff.

A. Wesley Ward, Jr., for exceptional 

leadership in inspiring minorities to pursue careers in science.

Exemplary Act Awards

G

ary Huffman of Lansing, Mich., 

rushed to the aid of an elderly man 

after his truck skidded, rolled, and 

landed on the driver's side. Huffman 

turned off the vehicle's ignition, pulled 

the man to safety, and directed traffic 

around the vehicle until rescue assistance 

arrived.

William M. Kappel of Ithaca, N.Y., 

provided technical assistance to local 

police and emergency personnel in the 

immediate aftermath of a landslide. By 

drawing on his knowledge of the geology 

of the area, he provided valuable advice 

concerning possible shifts in the slide, 

evacuation of homeowners, and closure 

of roads.

Charles R. Thompson, of Golden, 

Colo., saved the life of a choking flightcrew member by applying the Heimlich 

maneuver.

Ethics Awards

A

n Ethics Award was presented to the 

USGS by the Department of the 

Interior in recognition of the career-long 

work of Jane H. Wallace, Ethics Counselor, and Maxine C. Millard, Chief of Personnel, in designing and implementing an 

outstanding ethics program for the USGS 

and for providing expert advice and 

counsel to other ethics offices in Department of the Interior bureaus.

Members of the USGS Ethics Committee were presented the Ethics Program

Award for writing the Ethics Handbook 

for USGS employees on bureau policies 

and procedures regarding ethics and outride activities. Committee members are 

Gabriel Paone, Departmental representative from the Office of the Solicitor; 

Philip M. Bethke; William J. Carswell, 

Jr.; Jack F. Evernden; William F. 

Gossman, Jr.; Maxine C. Millard; Randle 

W. Olsen; Frederick B. Sower; John R. 

Swinnerton; Jane H. Wallace; and Isaac 

J. Winograd.

John Wesley Powell Awards

E

ach year, the USGS presents the John 

Wesley Powell Awards to persons or 

groups outside the Federal Government 

for voluntary actions that result in significant gains or improvements in the efforts 

of the USGS to provide "Earth Science in 

the Public Service."

The award is named in honor of 

John Wesley Powell, the second director 

of the USGS (1881-84), geologist, Civil 

War hero, Native American ethnographer, and pioneer explorer of the Colorado River. Powell Award recipients for 

1993 were:

The California Department of 

Transportation (CalTrans) received the 

Powell Award for Achievement by a State 

or Local Government in recognition of 

significant contributions to USGS marine 

investigations of earthquake faults in the 

San Francisco Bay area. In 1991, the 

Department provided several boats and 

operators to work with USGS scientists in 

the daily deployment and retrieval of sensitive instruments along the edges of the 

dredged channels in San Francisco, San 

Pablo, and Suisun bays. Thanks to this 

support from CalTrans, the USGS was 

able to obtain unprecedented state-of-theart seismic reflection data in an urban 

region of active geologic faulting.

InterNetwork, Inc., received the 

award for Achievement in Industry for 

working with the USGS on development 

of an exceptional and innovative data and 

information system to disseminate global 

change information. The partnership 

produced the first electronic science 

journal and is encouraging the research 

community to discover new ways of 

communicating the results of scientific 

investigations to nontechnical audiences,

94 At Work Across the Nation. . .
especially primary- and secondary-school 

children.

James F. Pankow, Chairman of the 

Department of Environmental Science 

and Engineering at the Oregon Graduate 

Institute of Science and Technology, 

received the Powell Award for Achievement in an Educational Institution. 

Pankow was cited for many direct contributions to the USGS organization and 

operations, particularly in the reorganization of the National Water Quality Laboratory, and for working with a team of 

USGS scientists in the design and field 

comparison of several ground-water sampling devices.

Minority Business Enterprise 

Award

T

he USGS received the Minority Business Enterprise Award for the third 

time in the past 4 years from the Department of the Interior in recognition of 

commitment to the goals and objectives of 

the Department's Minority Business 

Enterprise program.

Antarctic Service Medal

R

oger Barlow, John C. Campbell, and 

Gordon H. Shupe were awarded the 

Antarctic Service Medal for their participation in the USGS's long-standing Antarctic research efforts in cooperation 

with other Federal agencies and foreign 

nations. The award was established by 

Congress to honor individuals who have 

served as members of a U.S. expedition 

to Antarctica.

Special Initiatives

T

he future composition of the USGS 

workforce is an important issue. Significant attention is being given to ensuring that the USGS workforce is diverse 

and reflects society as a whole. Special 

programs target women and minorities to 

ensure that they are aware of and consider careers in the earth sciences. The

USGS has one of the Department of the 

Interior's highest employment rates for 

persons with disabilities and is continuing 

its efforts to make career opportunities 

accessible. Volunteerism, another area in 

which the USGS has a strong program, 

seeks to augment the workforce and to 

provide interesting and informative work 

experiences for volunteers. USGS 

employees continue to be involved in the 

communities in which they work by making classroom presentations, participating 

in community outreach programs, and 

establishing partnerships with local 

schools.

Volunteer for Science 

Program

T

he Volunteer for Science program 

continues to be a success in communities across the Nation where USGS 

offices are located. For example, the program allowed several students with disabilities from public schools in Fairfax 

County, Va., to acquire basic job experience by volunteering as clerical assistants 

at USGS headquarters, doing filing, photocopying, and mailing in several offices. 

In the program's 7 years, 4,900 persons from all walks of life have donated 

more than 1 million hours of service to 

the USGS, a contribution worth an estimated $12 million. Interest in the program continues to grow each year. In FY 

1993, nearly 500 individual requests for 

information on the Volunteer for Science 

program were received. The Volunteer/ 

Intern/Teacher Opportunities Handbook, a 

guide to volunteer opportunities throughout the USGS, was mailed to 1,000 colleges and universities and 400 teachers 

and other professionals. An additional 

5,000 copies were distributed at career 

fairs, science and education conferences, 

the USGS Open House in Denver, 

volunteer conferences, and public libraries. On August 10, 1993, the Seventh 

Annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony 

honored more than 250 volunteers who 

served in Reston, Va., during the past 

year.

. . . for People and Special Initiatives 95
Denver Open House

Science for children and adults was 

the order of the day at the first-ever 

Department-wide open house held in 

Denver, Colo., from May 21 through 

23, 1993. Sponsored by the USGS, 

the 3 day open house was held at 

the Denver Federal Center; the 

Bureau of Mines, the Bureau 

of Reclamation, the Bureau 

of Indian Affairs, the

Bureau of 

Land

Management, the Minerals Management 

Service, the National Park Service, the 

Office of Surface Mining, and the Fish and 

Wildlife Service also participated. Nine 

Federal Center buildings were opened to 

the public, and four tents filled with 

exhibits were erected. Eight hundred 

USGS employees provided volunteer assistance to the more than 12,000 visitors who 

attended.

Friday was reserved for school 

tours. More than 1,400 students from the 

Denver area toured the exhibits at halfhour intervals. Friday was also designated 

"Employees Day," so that employees from

96 At Work Across the Nation. . .
all Department of the Interior bureaus could 

view and learn more about their counterpart 

bureaus.

Among the most popular of the 

more than 200 USGS exhibits were panning 

for gold, making fossil casts and molds, looking at rocks under a microscope, reading a 

map and using a compass, and investigating 

the chemistry of liquid nitrogen. Additional 

highlights included images of the sea floor 

arranged in a 160-foot-long mosaic, laboratory tours, electron microprobe instruments, 

and mobile laboratories where visitors could 

see for themselves how rock samples are analyzed in the field. Telephone lines extended 

to a tent allowed the public to view real-time

geomagnetic data transmitted from 

six USGS field sites and some 

Canadian sites.

Attendee questionnaires received from as far 

away as Montana, Texas, 

and New York indicated 

that visitors were 

delighted with the 

exhibits and gratified to learn that 

tax dollars are 

being applied 

to such useful work.

... for People and Special Initiatives 97
For more information about the Nazlini 

Boarding School, contact:

Mail Keith Franklin

Nazlini Boarding School 

Ganado, AZ 86505

Linda Bellisime 

U.S. Geological Survey 

2255 N. Gemini Drive 

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Community Outreach

U

SGS employees at all locations exhibited a strong commitment to meeting the social and educational needs of 

their communities in FY 1993. They supported activities for homeless and disadvantaged persons, visited schools, assisted 

the victims of natural disasters, participated in environmental cleanup projects, 

and responded to local community issues 

relating to the understanding of natural 

resources.

Education Efforts 

Nazlini Boarding School

T

o teach Navajo children in Arizona 

how to use computers and remotely 

sensed data, the USGS and the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs conducted an educational 

outreach project to supply remotely 

sensed data on a CD-ROM (compact discread only memory) to the Nazlini Boarding School. The CD-ROM contains map, 

aerial, and satellite image data of the

school, which is on the Navajo reservation, and surrounding areas. Using the 

school's computers, students in grades 4 

through 6 studied the natural resources 

in their own backyard and learned the 

fundamentals of image processing by analyzing the local geology, vegetation, and 

soils. Dealing with images of their own 

community is seen as a way to encourage 

the students to think about resource management issues and perhaps someday 

make a contribution toward resolving 

environmental issues on the reservation.

"For the first time, students are seeing and understanding the real-world 

usefulness of school work. In my entire 

career, I have never seen so much excitement in the classroom. Even though they 

are very young, some of the students 

have expressed an interest in pursuing a 

career in the earth sciences 'when they 

grow up'," said teacher Keith Franklin, 

coordinator of the Nazlini project.

The success of the Nazlini project is 

leading to a multiple-volume CD-ROM 

set including multimedia presentations of 

reservation culture and history, remotely 

sensed data showing the Navajo and Hopi 

reservations, instructional material on 

basic digital image processing procedures, 

and examples of using scientific data for 

research purposes, with emphasis placed 

on geology, land use, vegetation, archeology, and hydrology.

Hands-On Learning Center in 

Rock Creek Park

I

n an innovative effort to bring a 

greater understanding of water 

resources and the environment to students and visitors, the University of the 

District of Columbia (UDC), the National 

Park Service (NFS), and the USGS signed 

an agreement in 1993 to work together to 

turn a USGS stream-gaging station in the 

District's Rock Creek Park into a water 

learning center for students and volunteers. The station, which monitors the 

flow of Rock Creek, will provide educational opportunities for students who are 

interested in learning about hydrology in 

an urban environment.

Under the agreement, the USGS will 

operate the station, which will present 

demonstrations to park visitors and furnish real-time hydrologic information to 

the Water Resources Research Center at

98 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Shown signing the USCSUDC-NPS agreement are (left 

to right) James Hannahan, 

associate director of UDC's 

Water Resources Research 

Center; Robert C. Stanton, 

regional director of the 

National Capital Region of the 

NPS; and Dallas L. Peck, 

then-director of the USGS.

UDC for classroom use. UDC will work 

with the USGS in planning equipment 

and instruments for the data-collection 

facilities at the park. USGS and NPS volunteers will be part of the outreach program at the UDC center and will also 

promote water resources activities with 

the National Association for Equal 

Opportunity in Higher Education.

Educational Outreach to the 

Ethnic Minority Community

U

SGS ethnic minority employees have 

identified educational outreach in 

their communities as a primary activity of 

the Geologic Division's Ethnic Minority 

Advisory Committee. During 1993, committee members participated in numerous 

outreach projects in schools across the 

country.

In Flagstaff, Ariz., USGS personnel 

collaborated with the Resource Center for 

Environmental Education, a nonprofit 

organization that works with school districts in northern Arizona. Four elementary schools populated predominantly by 

minority students were selected for the 

program, which introduced students and 

teachers to basic remote-sensing and 

earth-science concepts. Program accomplishments included educating teachers 

about CD-ROM technology, remotesensing and image-processing concepts, 

and the wealth of resource materials 

available for classroom education; providing role models for students by having 

ethnic minority professionals present the

technical material; and placing computers 

in classrooms, where they are available 

for additional teacher training and use.

In Menlo Park, Calif., USGS ethnic 

minority employees are providing role 

models and heightening the awareness 

and interest of pre-college ethnic minority students in technical and scientific 

careers through modular, hands-on programs presented by ethnic minority professionals. The employees developed a 

day-long program covering plate tectonics, seismology, faulting, and geologic 

maps. Perhaps the most popular module 

was one in which students made their 

own "earthquake" by using seismometers, 

an online computer display, and a drum 

recorder. The large number of requests 

for classroom presentations indicates the 

success of this program.

Ethnic minority employees visited 

several schools in the San Francisco Bay 

area and surrounding communities to 

present computer programs on the earth 

sciences. More than 120 students in an 

inner city high school in Portland, Oreg., 

participated in 2 days of talks and demonstrations about the earth sciences. 

Members of the USGS Ethnic Minority 

Advisory Committee presented workshops on earthquake monitoring and 

plate tectonics to about 1,000 middle- and 

high-school students (and accompanying 

teachers and parents) from Colorado and 

Wyoming. The students were participating in a 1-day fair on career opportunities in the geosciences, sponsored by the 

Colorado School of Mines and the Colorado Minority Engineering Association.

... for People and Special Initiatives 99
Sigrid Asher-Bolinder 

and William Earl Brooks

were honored in a 

ceremony at the 

Colorado Governor's 

Mansion for earthscience outreach to 

students in the Denver 

public school system.

Partnerships in Education

T

he USGS supports Partnerships in 

Education agreements with school 

districts across the country. This program 

allows the USGS to use its resources to 

enhance earth-science education, encourage scholarship, and build students' selfesteem. Employees give presentations in 

classrooms, lead field trips, judge science 

fairs, serve one-on-one as mentors or 

tutors, and provide materials for displays 

and demonstrations. In many locations, 

employees provide similar resources 

under informal agreements with neighborhood schools. Highlights of these partnerships in FY 1993 include:

 Horace Mann Middle School, Denver, 

Colo.: Students, teachers, and USGS 

scientists worked together on National 

Disaster Awareness Day. Enactments of 

disasters and correct responses to them 

were demonstrated.

 Grandview Heights Public Schools, 

Columbus, Ohio: Scientists spoke at 

school career days, emphasizing the 

professional opportunities available for 

women in the sciences and at the USGS. 

Study units on geology, including methods of determining the age of rocks and 

fossils, were presented to fourth graders 

and middle-school students.

 Dogwood Elementary School, Reston, 

Va.: About 100 sixth graders participated 

in a year-long "Bucket and Broom" 

hydrology project that involved collecting 

and analyzing surface- and ground-water 

samples. USGS employees also donated 

children's books and collected grocery 

receipts toward the purchase of computers for the school.

 Langston Hughes Middle School, Reston, Va.: Scientists gave presentations on 

a. range of earth-science topics, including 

chemistry and the environment, geography and its use in the study of acid rain 

damage, and hydrology and the impact 

of herbicides on water quality. Hughes 

students mounted an art exhibit at 

USGS headquarters in Reston with the 

theme "Science and Technology are 

Everywhere."

 Cole Elementary School, Cheyenne, 

Wyo.: A USGS hydrologist judged a science fair at the school, and students 

toured the Cheyenne office laboratory 

and learned how sediment samples are 

collected and analyzed.

Women, Minorities, and 

Persons with Disabilities

Making Technology and Jobs 

Accessible

T

he first Department of the Interior 

Conference on Disability Awareness 

and Accessible Technology was held at 

the USGS National Center in Reston, Va., 

in October 1992, to show how computer 

technology can be adapted to help people 

with disabilities function and excel in the 

workplace. The conference showcased the 

latest in adaptive technology and included 

keynote speakers and panel sessions on 

specific accessibility issues. Exhibits featured computers having both speech and 

Braille output, auxiliary listening devices, 

keyboard enhancements for people with 

mobility impairments, computers that can 

recognize speech, and the latest in TDD 

(Telecommunications Device for the 

Deaf) technology.

A Disability Awareness Fair held in 

Menlo Park, Calif., in August 1993 provided information on Canine Companions, the California Relay Service, and the 

Department of Veterans Affairs Blind 

Rehabilitation and Auditory Services. A 

highlight of the fair was entertainment by 

a deaf poet and a dance troop of both 

wheelchair and able-bodied dancers. The 

fair was well attended by employees, people with disabilities from the community, 

and representatives of agencies that provide services to people with disabilities.

Another conference was held in 

Denver, Colo., in September 1993. People 

with disabilities who also have successful 

and productive careers in both Govern100 At Work Across the Nation. . .
ment and private industry (one with multiple sclerosis, one with lupus, and one 

who is blind) spoke about their experiences. An organization in Denver that is 

dedicated to helping people become more 

aware and accepting of people with disabilities presented a panel discussion. A 

motivational speaker and trainer spoke to 

attendees on beliefs about and reactions 

to hiring and working with people with 

disabilities. The conference also presented information on Government 

regulations, and accommodations for the 

disabled and exhibits by service organizations and vendors of adaptive equipment.

These conferences have not only 

helped to disseminate information but 

have also provided an increased awareness of the role of persons with disabilities in the workplace. Encouraging people 

to question their assumptions and change 

their perceptions will perhaps dispel 

some of the skepticism, fear, and apprehension directed toward people with 

disabilities.

The USGS Selective Placement Program Committee promotes disability 

awareness by approving requests for 

equipment that employees with disabilities 

need to successfully do their work and 

enhance their opportunities for advancement. Some of the equipment that was 

approved and purchased in FY 1993 

included computer equipment for visually 

impaired employees, text typewriters 

(TTY) for the deaf and hearing 

impaired, new or replacement monitors 

that allow employees having poor vision 

to more efficiently use their computer 

workstations, and specialized telephone 

handsets for individuals who have difficulty hearing the spoken word over the 

telephone.

The committee provided funding for 

the conferences on employees with disabilities that were held in Reston, Va.; 

Denver, Colo.; and Menlo Park, Calif. 

The committee also funded sign language 

interpreters so that hearing-impaired 

employees could have an equal chance to 

participate in the Government-sponsored 

training that is required to update their 

knowledge and skills.

Career Planning

T

he USGS provided bureau employees with long- and short-term career 

and managerial development opportunities from both internal and external training sources and academic institutions. 

Emphasis was placed on women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

A career planning manual was developed for use by employees who are pursuing career growth and advancement. 

The manual includes a personal guide for 

career planning, including job information, a self-assessment exercise, a guide to 

setting performance goals, and tips on 

developmental activities to facilitate goal 

accomplishments. The manual should be 

particularly useful for women, minorities, 

and persons with disabilities.

The manual encourages the concept 

of "mentoring" by providing opportunities for employees to interact with their 

supervisors. It can also be a tool for helping employees make informed career 

decisions and for setting goals to reach 

career objectives.

Training and educational opportunities provided to women and minorities by 

all USGS divisions in FY 1993 were wide 

ranging and included technical, academic, 

and administrative types of training. 

Academic courses taken by employees 

included undergraduate and graduate 

courses in engineering, physics, and 

isotope hydrology. Technical training 

included Government contract law and 

accounting courses. Administrative training was also provided in management 

and supervision, Total Quality Management, communication skills, and Equal 

Employment Opportunity counselor 

training.

During FY 1993, the Women's Advisory Committee (WAG) focused on a 

number of projects to help Geologic Division employees. Task forces studied training for first-line supervisors, methods 

used in other Government agencies to 

resolve workplace conflicts, and problems 

associated with fair promotions for 

women. One group has begun a statistical 

analysis of the career patterns of women 

and men in scientific and technical positions in the Office of Mineral Resources

. . . for People and Special Initiatives 101
Sexual 

Harassment 

Questionnaire 

and Response

A confidential 

questionnaire was 

developed by the 

Women's Advisory 

Committee and distributed to all Geologic 

Division employees. 

The results indicated a 

need for education on 

sexual harassment, and 

a contract was awarded 

to conduct training 

nationwide. A significant benefit of the 

training was the opportunity for male and 

female co-workers to 

spend a full day discussing their (often 

very different) opinions 

regarding sexual 

harassment in the 

workplace.

over the last decade. Another group has 

developed a pilot program for mentoring 

in which 28 employees are participating. 

A report on alternative work schedules 

and flexiplace was presented to Division 

management; work on those recommendations continues. Recommendations of 

the task force charged with studying the 

classification of secretarial, administrative, 

and editorial assistant positions are being 

implemented; some secretarial positions 

have been upgraded, and others are 

being reviewed. Revised guides for 

administrative and editorial assistant positions are expected to be approved soon. 

Another task force is beginning to study 

the standards for physical science technicians to see if outmoded and inaccurate 

job descriptions are hampering employee 

promotions in this series.

Managing Diversity in the 

Workplace

T

he USGS is working toward a better 

understanding of the challenges of a 

diverse workforce and is attempting to 

move toward accepting and managing 

diversity as it relates to USGS human 

resources initiatives and goals. As the 

composition of the USGS workforce continues to change, the bureau is focusing 

on providing training in the critical area 

of workforce diversity, including awareness of cultural, disability, and gender 

diversity, to all employees, especially 

supervisors and managers.

The major emphasis this fiscal year 

was on providing employees with sexual 

harassment awareness and prevention 

training. This training helped employees 

learn and understand the legal definition 

of sexual harassment, recognize the indicators of harassing behavior, and distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

The USGS recognizes that many 

changes are occurring in the workplace 

and that it is the responsibility of each 

employee to meet the challenges that 

these changes present with common 

sense, respect, and honest communication. To assist employees in this regard 

and to ensure a nonthreatening work 

environment and avoid sexual harassment 

in the USGS, all employees were required 

to receive sexual harassment prevention 

training.

Student Employment Programs

T

he Cooperative Education, Federal 

Junior Fellowship, and Stay-inSchool programs continue to serve as a 

significant pipeline for the entry of 

minorities and women into the USGS 

work force, as the following numbers 

from the end of FY 1993 indicate:

Program

Cooperative 

Education

Federal Junior 

Fellowship

Stay-in-School

Total

258

52

272

Women

85

27

141

Minorities

40

11

102

As these numbers indicate, human 

resources programs continue to use significant numbers of women and minority 

employees.

Recruitment Outreach and 

Recruitment Initiatives

U

SGS efforts in personnel outreach 

target specific organizations and 

institutions having major programs 

related to the earth sciences. As in previous years, emphasis was placed on maintaining partnerships with Historically 

Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) 

and the Hispanic Association of Colleges 

and Universities (HACU) as well as on 

developing relationships with new participants in these programs. USGS personnel 

participated in career fairs and education 

association conferences nationwide in 

order to provide information to qualified 

students at, among others, Alabama State 

University in Montgomery, Ala.; Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn.; 

Gallaudet University in Washington, 

D.C.; the University of Missouri in Rolla; 

the University of Texas in El Paso; the 

University of New Mexico in Las Cruces; 

and the New Mexico Institute of Mining 

and Technology in Socorro.

The USGS has a long-standing program of cooperation with and support of 

HBCU. Continuing that tradition, the 

USGS sponsored a seminar for faculty 

members of HBCU schools from July 26 

through August 6, 1993, at the USGS 

offices at the Stennis Space Center in Bay 

St. Louis, Miss. The 2-week seminar was 

designed to assist HBCU schools in devel102 At Work Across the Nation. . .
oping academic programs in earth-science 

research. The seminar included hands-on 

training in the Global Positioning System 

(GPS), geographic information systems 

(CIS), remote sensing, and CD-ROM 

applications.

Another highlight of the year's activities was a 1-week hydrology training class 

on basic ground-water concepts, the 

hydrologic cycle, surface-water data collection and computation, and an introduction to the USGS that was presented 

as part of a 6-week water resources technician training program sponsored by the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs for Native 

American youth in Las Cruces, N. Mex. 

Other examples of interactions with 

HBCU and HACU schools in FY 1993 

include:

 Langston University, Langston, Okla.: 

Provided funding to support a guest 

lecture series on computer-applied 

hydrology.

 Gateway Community College, Phoenix, 

Ariz.: Provided funding for a new hydrologic technician curriculum that will prepare students for future employment 

opportunities in field offices in New 

Mexico and Arizona.

 Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, N.C.: Participated in a college 

career fair and promoted student 

employment opportunities, participated

in an earth-science lecture series, and 

worked with faculty members to develop 

new projects.

 Hampton University, Hampton, Va.: 

Participated in career fairs, continued to 

promote student employment opportunities, established a computer network on 

campus, and continued to train students 

in computer systems maintenance.

 Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, 

Ga.: Began a consortium relationship 

with Fort Valley, the University of 

Nevada-Las Vegas, and the University of 

Oklahoma in support of minority students who are studying civil engineering 

and geophysical sciences and hired three 

students for summer employment.

 Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Mo.: 

Established a memorandum of understanding to provide training to increase 

the number of qualified candidates available for computer science and information systems positions in the USGS.

 Southern University, Baton Rouge, La.: 

Provided support for minority students 

through Stay-in-School and other student 

employment opportunities. The Louisiana 

field office in Baton Rouge became a 

"training district" for Southern students, 

allowing them to complete procurement, 

training, and travel-related work in the 

administrative office.

... for People and Special Initiatives 103
I

Sif

(0

ORGANIZATION OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

U.S. Department of the Interior

STAFF OFFICERS

Washington Liaison 

Equal Employment

Opportunity 

Congressional Liaison 

Public Affairs 

Assistant to the Director for

Human Resources Management

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

Chief Hydrologist 

Associate Chief Hydrologist

NATIONAL MAPPING DIVISION

Chief 

Associate Chief

GEOLOGIC DIVISION

Chief Geologist 

Associate Chief Geologist 

Assistant Chief Geologist 

for Program

Modernization Program 

Office

Branches

Systems Integration 

Modernization Acquisition 

External Projects

Office of Scientific 

Publications

Branches

Eastern Technical Reports 

Central Technical Reports 

Western Technical Reports 

Library and Information 

Services 

Visual Services

Field Centers

Mapping Applications Reston, VA 

Mid-Continent Mapping Rolla, MO 

Rocky Mountain Mapping - Denver, CO 

Western Mapping - Menlo Park. CA 

EROS Data Sioux Falls, SD

INFORMATION SYSTEMS 

DIVISION

Chief 

Associate Chief

Policy, Plar 

Coordinat

Otfit

Management ! 

~ Customer Sen 

Computer and 

Communicat

Office of Field Services

Centers 

Denver, CO 

Menlo Park, CA 

Flagstaff, AZ
Budget Information

/Cooperative agreements with more than 1,000 Federal, State, and local agencies and the academic community supV_>lport a large share of research and investigations. In fiscal year 1993, the USGS had obligational authority for $862 

million, $582.8 million of which came from direct appropriations, $6.7 million from estimated receipts from map sales, 

and $272.7 million from reimbursements. The USGS was reimbursed for work performed for other Federal, State, and 

local agencies whose needs for earth-science expertise complement USGS program objectives. Work for State, county, 

and municipal agencies is most often conducted on a cost-sharing basis.

USGS budget authority for fiscal year 1993, by appropriation, for surveys, investigations, and research (SIR) 

[Dollars in thousands]

Activity/Subactivity/Program element

Fiscal year

1993 

enacted

Activity/Subactivity/Program element

Fiscal year

1993 

enacted

National Mapping, Geography, and Surveys......... $ 126,092

National Map and Digital Data Production ......... 49,454

Cartographic Data and Map Revision............. 41,742

Thematic and Special Data.......................... 5,007

National Map and Digital Data Cooperative

Program .......................................... 2,209

SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar)............ 496

Information and Data Systems........................ 19,127

National Data Base Management.................. 7,228

Information Dissemination Services ............... 4,469

Global Change Data Systems ....................... 7,430

Research and Technology ............................. 18,843

Cartographic and Geographic Research .......... 8,545

National Cartographic Requirements,

Coordination, and Standards.................. 4,601

Geographic and Spatial Information Analysis ... 5,697

Advanced Cartographic Systems...................... 38,668

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and

Mapping............................................... 222,444

Geologic Hazards Surveys ............................. 68,025

Earthquake Hazards Reduction .................... 50,146

Volcano Hazards...................................... 15,528

Landslide Hazards.................................... 2,351

Geologic Framework and Processes .................. 36,626

National Geologic Mapping......................... 21,982

Deep Continental Studies ........................... 2,795

Geomagnetism ........................................ 1,823

Coastal and Wetlands Processes.................... 10,026

Global Change Research ............................... 10,873

Global Change and Climate History............... 10,873

Offshore Geologic Surveys............................. 26,935

Offshore Geologic Framework ..................... 26,935

Mineral Resource Surveys ............................. 48,282

National Mineral Resource Assessment

Program .......................................... 26,396

Strategic and Critical Minerals ..................... 8,796

Development of Assessment Techniques ......... 13,090

Energy Geologic Surveys............................... 31,703

Evolution of Sedimentary Basins.....

Coal Investigations .....................

Oil and Gas Investigations ............

Oil Shale Investigations................

Uranium and Radon Investigations . 

Geothermal Investigations ............

World Energy Resource Assessment

6,422

8,977

8,015

597

1,968

4,893

831

Water Resources Investigations ........................ $187,161

National Water Resources Research and

Information System Federal Program ........ 117,468

Data Collection and Analysis ........................ 27,108

National Water Information Clearinghouse...... 2,742

Coordination of National Water Data Activities. 997 

Regional Aquifer System Analysis ................. 6,175

Core Program Hydrologic Research............... 10,277

Improved Instrumentation.......................... 1,169

Water Resources Assessment....................... 1,589

Toxic Substances Hydrology........................ 14,428

Nuclear Waste Hydrology........................... 1,331

Acid Rain .............................................. 2,922

Scientific and Technical Publications.............. 2,343

National Water-Quality Assessment Program.... 38,260

Global Change Hydrology .......................... 6,707

Truckee-Carson Program ........................... 1,420

National Water Resources Research and 

Information System Federal-State 

Cooperative Program.............................. 63,488

Data Collection and Analysis, Areal Appraisals,

and Special Studies.............................. 59,438

Water Use.............................................. 4,050

National Water Resources Research and

Information System State Research Institutes

and Research Grants Program................... 6,205

State Water Resources Research Institutes ....... 5,529

Program Administration............................. 676

General Administration.................................. 24,506

Executive Direction ..................................... 7,494

Administrative Operations............................. 14,550

Reimbursements to the Department of Labor...... 2,462

Facilities.............'........................................ 22,684

National Center Rental Payments to GSA......... 19,549

National Center Facilities Management............ 3,135

Total, SIR...................................... $582,887

. . .with Budget and Finances 105
USGS budget for fiscal years 1990 to 1993 (in obligations), by activity and sources of funds1 

[Dollars in thousands; totals may not add because of founding]

Budget activity

Total ......................................

Direct program ................................

Reimbursable program ............................

States, counties, and municipalities ....................

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ....................

Other Federal agencies ..........................

National Mapping, Geography, and Surveys .................

Direct program ................................

Reimbursable program ............................

States, counties, and municipalities ....................

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ....................

Other Federal agencies ..........................

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping. ...........

Direct program ................................

Reimbursable program ............................

States, counties, and municipalities ....................

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ....................

Other Federal agencies ..........................

Water Resources Investigations ........................

Direct program ................................

Reimbursable program ............................

States, counties, and municipalities ....................

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ....................

Other Federal agencies ..........................

General Administration ............................

Direct program ................................

Reimbursable program ............................

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ....................

Other Federal agencies ..........................

Facilities ....................................

Direct program ................................

Reimbursable program ............................

Computer and Administrative Services ....................

Reimbursable program ............................

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ....................

Other Federal agencies ..........................

Operation and Maintenance of Quarters ...................

Direct program ................................

1990

.......... $723,137

.......... 501,510

.......... 221,628

.......... 74,113

.......... 15,151

.......... 132,363

.......... 141,069

.......... 111,528

.......... 29,542

.......... 2,132

.......... 10,278

.......... 17,131

.......... 241,739

.......... 200,472

.......... 41,267

.......... 1,917

.......... 2,022

.......... 37,328

.......... 295,128

.......... 152,904

.......... 142,224

.......... 70,064

.......... 2,839

.......... 69,321

.......... 21,493

.......... 18,081

.......... 3,412

.......... 1

.......... 3,411

.......... 18,502

.......... 18,502

.......... 0

.......... 5,183

.......... 5,183

.......... 11

.......... 5,172

.......... 23

.......... 23

1991

$802,538

575,044

227,494

87,415

13,499

126,580

162,421

132,395

30,026

2,366

9,722

17,938

261,513

225,112

36,401

2,661

1,260

32,480

333,238

177,969

155,269

82,388

2,503

70,378

21,528

21,206

322

1

321

18,314

18,314

0

5,476

5,476

13

5,463

48

48

1992

$851,979

586,699

265,280

89,950

14,609

160,721

164,981

132,612

32,369

3,028

10,633

18,708

267,642

225,383

42,259

3,077

536

38,646

363,287

184,489

178,798

83,845

3,424

91,529

25,028

23,883

1,145

1

1,144

20,304

20,304

0

10,709

10,709

15

10,694

28

28

1993

862,335

'582,891

279,444

91,299

14,842

173,303

156,898

126,092

30,806

3,219

10,562

17,025

261,089

222,565

38,524

1,609

834

36,081

384,467

186,933

197,534

86,471

3,440

107,623

25,886

24,506

1,380

1

1,379

23,111

22,750

361

10,839

10,839

5

10,834

45

45

1 Total direct program includes actual obligations of $579,337 for FY 1993 year, 

for hurricanes and floods, and $10 for Contributed funds.

USGS reimbursable funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal years 1990 to 1993, by agency 

[Dollars in thousands; figures in parentheses are included in Department of the Interior totals]

$112 for no year, $3,386 for multiyear Emergency supplementals

Budget activity

r o/

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .......................

Total. .................................

1990

.......... $ 3,379

.......... 281

.......... 1,448

.......... 41,257

.......... 29,574

.......... 358

.......... 12,728

.......... (2,018)

Cl 2391

.......... (24)

.......... (6,119)

.......... (32)

.......... (883)

.......... (1,343)

.......... (106)

.......... (964)

.......... 8,144

.......... 362

.......... 5,279

.......... 5,607

.......... 2,328

.......... 1,917

.......... 217

.......... 19,484

.......... $132,363

1991

$ 3,464

323

2,258

42,002

28,521

159

12 533

(1,834)

(1,256)

(0)

(6,259)

(76)

(1,036)

d 5491

(67)

(456)

8,279

299

4,302

6,270

625

1,441

200

15,904

$126,580

1992

$ 3,714

9

5,146

56,461

30,679

217

12,451

(1,347)

(1,508)

(0)

(5,990)

(207)

(1,107)

(1,551)

(8)

(733)

10,524

661

6,414

9,589

1,838

539

275

22,204

$160,721

1993

$ 2,697

103

1,630

64,518

33,651

445

12,090

(881)

(1,797)

(0)

(6,495)

(107)

(1,111)

(1,298)

(22)

(379)

13,333

605

7,671

10,108

2,096

1,087

417

22,852

$173,303

106 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Guide to Information and Publications

Earth Science Information 

Centers

To obtain information on cartographic data 

and on earth-science programs, publications, 

and services, or to obtain copies of reports and 

maps, write or visit U.S. Geological Survey 

Earth Science Information Centers at the 

following addresses:

Alaska:

Room 101

4230 University Dr.

Anchorage, AK 99508-4664

Box 12, New Federal Bldg. 

101 12th Ave. 

Fairbanks, AK 99701

California:

Bldg. 3, Room 3128

345 Middlefield Rd., Mail Stop 532

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Colorado:

Bldg. 25, Room 1813

Box 25046

Denver Federal Center, Mail Stop 504

Denver, CO 80225-0046

District of Columbia:

Main Interior Bldg., Room 2650

1849 C St., NW.

Washington, DC 20240

(When visiting, use E St. entrance.)

Mississippi:

Bldg. 3101

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

Missouri:

Room 231

1400 Independence Rd.

Rolla, MO 65401-2602

South Dakota:

EROS Data Center 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198

Utah:

2222 West 2300 South 

Salt Lake City, UT84119

Virginia:

Room 1C-402 

507 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

Washington:

U.S. Post Office Bldg., Room 135 

W. 904 Riverside Ave. 

Spokane, WA 99201-1088

Gateway to Earth Science and Environmental 

Information on the Internet

As part of a pilot project, selected USGS 

information and products are available on 

the Internet at the following Universal 

Resource Locator:

http://info.er.usgs.gov

Additional information on Mosaic may 

be obtained by e-mailing questions to:

webmaster@info.er.usgs.gov

USGS Library System

The USGS Library system is one of the largest 

earth-science collections in the world and contains 

more than one million monographs, serial publications, maps, and microforms. The collection covers 

all aspects of the geological sciences and related 

subjects. An online catalog provides public access. 

The library honors the standard interlibrary loan 

request forms as well as requests received online 

from the Interlibrary Loan System of the On-Line 

Computer Library Center. Information and reference services are available from the following 

library locations:

USGS Library

950 National Center

Reston, VA 22092-0001

USGS Library

Mail Stop 955 (Bldg. 5, Room 507)

345 Middlefield Rd.

Menlo Park, CA 94025-3591

USGS Library

2255 N. Gemini Dr.

Flagstaff, AZ 86001-1698

USGS Library

Box 25046, Mail Stop 914

Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225-0046

Water Information 

Sources of Water Data

To obtain assistance in locating sources of 

water data, identifying sites at which data have been 

collected, and obtaining specific information, write: 

National Water Data Exchange 

U.S. Geological Survey 

421 National Center 

Reston, VA 22092

Water-Data Aquisition Activities

To obtain information on ongoing and planned 

water-data acquisition activities of all Federal agencies and many non-Federal organizations, write: 

Office of Water Data Coordination 

U.S. Geological Survey 

417 National Center 

Reston, VA 22092

Water Resources of Specific Areas

To obtain information on water resources in 

general and about the water resources of specific 

areas of the United States, write: 

Hydrologic Information Unit 

U.S. Geological Survey 

419 National Center 

Reston, VA 22092

Geologic Information

General Geology

To obtain information on geologic topics such 

as earthquakes and volcanoes, energy and mineral 

resources, the geology of specific areas, and geologic maps and mapping, write: 

Geologic Inquiries Group 

U.S. Geological Survey 

907 National Center 

Reston, VA 22092

Mineral Resources

To obtain information on mineral resources, 

write or visit:

Minerals Information Office* 

Main Interior Bldg., Room 2647 

1849 C St., NW. 

Washington, DC 20240 

*Joint venture of the USGS and the U.S.

Bureau of Mines.

Minerals Information Office, USGS 

Corbett Bldg. 

340 N. 6th Ave. 

Tucson, AZ 85705-8325

Minerals Information Office, USGS 

Box 25046, Mail Stop 936 

Bldg. 20, Room B1324 

Denver Federal Center 

Denver, CO 80225-0046

Minerals Information Office, USGS 

c/o Mackay School of Mines 

University of Nevada, Reno 

Reno, NV 89557-0047

Minerals Information Office, USGS 

Post Office Bldg., Room 133 

W. 904 Riverside Ave. 

Spokane, WA 99201-1087

Maps and Books

To buy topographic and thematic maps of all 

areas of the United States, to request USGS catalogs, pamphlets, leaflets, and circulars (limited 

quantities free), and to buy USGS book publications, write or visit:

USGS Map Distribution 

Box 25286, Bldg. 810 

Denver Federal Center 

Denver, CO 80225

Open-File Reports

To buy USGS open-file reports or to obtain 

information on the availability of microfiche or 

paper-duplicate copies of open-file reports, write:

USGS Open-File Report Sales

Box 25286, Bldg. 810

Denver Federal Center, Mail Stop 517

Denver, CO 80225

Periodicals

New Publications

To get on the mailing list for the monthly list 

of New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey 

(free), write:

USGS New Publications 

582 National Center 

Reston, VA 22092

Earthquakes & Volcanoes

To subscribe to Earthquakes & Volcanoes, a 

bimonthly, nontechnical digest that provides 

up-to-date information on earthquakes, volcanoes, 

and related natural hazards around the world, 

write:

Superintendent of Documents 

Government Printing Office 

Washington, DC 20402

... in Information and Publications 107
Memoranda of Understanding: FY 1993

Domestic Agreements

Counterpart Organization(s)

 93-01 Central State University, 

Wilberforce, Ohio

 93-02 Washington Department of 

Natural Resources

 93 03 Department of Agriculture: 

Economic Research Service, 

National Agricultural Statistics 

Service, Soil Conservation 

Service

 93-04 First Miss Gold, Inc.,

Pinson Mining Company, 

Winnemucca, Nev.

 93-05 Lincoln University, 

Jefferson City, Mo.

 93-06 Bureau of Reclamation, 

Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs

 93-07 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

Soil Conservation Service, 

National Park Service, 

U.S. Air Force.

 93-08 U.S. Air Force

 93-09 University of the District

Columbia, National Park Service

 93-10 Bureau of Land Management

 93-11 National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, 

U.S. Department of Commerce

 93-12 National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

 93-13 Bureau of Reclamation

 93-14 Aquatic Habitat Institute, 

Richmond, Calif.

 93-15 U.S. Forest Service,

Department of Agriculture

 93-16 Langston Hughes Middle 

School, Reston, Va.

Description

To exchange technical and educational information; to conduct 

cooperative research; to share facilities; to generate cooperative training 

programs in the earth sciences.

To achieve a Federal/State partnership for scientific, technical, and 

educational cooperation.

To provide a framework for collaborative efforts for the Area Studies 

Program, a component of the President's Water Quality Initiative.

To provide the mechanism to conduct joint research and development for 

hydrogeochemical studies and development for hydrogeochemical gold in 

the vicinity of buried mineral deposits.

To create an educational partnership for the development of computer 

science and information systems professionals.

To expedite the Department of the Interior's National Irrigation Water 

Quality Program for FY 1993.

To continue the development of software for the public domain 

Geographic Resources Analysis Support System.

To coordinate research, technology transfer, evaluation, and education for 

management of cleanup and reduction of hazardous wastes at U.S. Air 

Force installations.

To promote and strengthen the University of the District of Columbia's 

educational water resource programs in the Washington, D.C., 

metropolitan area.

To facilitate the production and exchange of cartographic products and 

services.

To establish the framework for scientific and technical coordination for 

earth-science and environmental studies.

To define the USGS role in the archiving, processing, and distribution of 

NASA-generated Landsat 7 data.

To extend the existing Cooperative Stream Gaging Agreement for a 5-year 

period.

To conduct a demonstration project to monitor water quality and the 

ecological status of San Francisco Bay.

To provide joint graphic and content standards to maintain overall 

coordination of the single-map primary-series map program.

To support, promote, and enhance the school's curriculum as it relates to 

USGS missions and initiatives.

108 At Work Across the Nation. . .
U.S. Geological Survey Offices

[Information current as of April 1994]

Headquarters Offices

National Center

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive

Reston, VA 22092

Central Region Western Region

Denver Federal Center 

Box 25046 

Denver, CO 80225

345 Middlefield Rd. 

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Office of the Director

Acting Director

Acting Associate Director

Special Assistant (Washington Liaison) and

Deputy Ethics Counselor 

Assistant Director for Research 

Assistant Director for Engineering Geology 

Assistant Director for Administration 

Assistant Director for Programs 

Assistant Director for Intergovernmental

Affairs

Assistant Director for Information Systems 

Congressional Liaison Officer 

Chief, Public Affairs Office 

Equal Employment Opportunity Officer 

Special Assistant to the Director for Human

Resources

Director's Representative Central Region 

Director's Representative Western Region 

Special Assistant to the Director for Alaska

Administrative Division

Chief

Administrative Officer

Office of Personnel, Chief

Office of Procurement and Contracts, Chief

Office of Financial Management, Chief

Office of Facilities and Management

Services, Chief

Office of Systems Management, Chief 

Washington Administrative Service Center,

Chief

Central Regional Management Officer 

Western Regional Management Officer

Information Systems Division

Chief

Deputy Chief

Office of Customer Services, Chief

Office of Information Resources

Management Coordination, Chief 

Office of Computer and Communications

Services, Chief 

Office of Field Services, Chief

Robert M. Hirsch 

Bonnie McGregor 

Jane H. Wallace

Stephen E. Ragone 

James F. Devine 

JackJ. Stassi 

Peter F. Bermel 

John J. Dragonetti

James E. Biesecker 

Talmadge W. Reed 

Donovan B. Kelly 

Bruce D. Palmer 

J. Lynn Smith

Harry A. Tourtelot 

George Gryc 

Paul D. Brooks

JackJ. Stassi 

Louie Pectol 

Maxine C. Millard 

John K. Peterson 

Joseph L. Murphy 

William F. Gossman, Jr.

Phillip L. McKinney 

Phillip L. McKinney

F.B. Sower

George F. Hargrove, Jr.

James E. Biesecker 

Wendy A. Budd 

Richard A. MacDonald 

Virginia L. Ross

Charles D. Nethaway 

Doug R. Posson

(703) 648-7411 101 National Center 

(703) 648-7412 102 National Center 

(202) 343-3888 Rm. 2648, Interior Bldg. 

	Washington, DC 20240 

(703) 648-4450 104 National Center 

(703) 648-4423 106 National Center 

(703) 648-7200 201 National Center 

(703) 648-4430 105 National Center 

(703) 648-4427 109 National Center

(703) 648-7108 801 National Center

(703)648-4457 112 National Center

(703) 648-4460 119 National Center

(703) 648-4417 116 National Center

(703) 648-7 111 115 National Center

(303) 236-5438 911 Denver Federal Center 

(415) 329-4002 Western Region, Stop 144 

(907) 271-4138 4230 University Drive, Suite 120 

	Anchorage, AK 99508

(703) 648-7200

(703) 648-7204

(703) 648-7442

(703) 648-7373

(703) 648-7604

(703) 648-7338

(703) 648-7256

(703) 648-7256

(303) 236-5900

(415) 329-4150

201 National Center

203 National Center

215 National Center

205 National Center

270 National Center

207 National Center

206 National Center

206 National Center

201 Denver Federal Center

Western Region, Stop 2 1 1

(703) 648-7108 

(703)648-7103 

(703)648-7120 

(703) 648-7178

(703)648-7077 

(303)236-4944

801 National Center 

801 National Center

804 National Center

805 National Center

807 National Center

801 Denver Federal Center

... in U.S. Geological Survey Offices 109
National Mapping Division

Chief

Associate Chief

Assistant Division Chief for Research

Assistant Division Chief for Program,

Budget and Administration 

Assistant Division Chief for Information and

Data Services 

Assistant Division Chief for Coordination

and Requirements 

Assistant Division Chief for Production

Management

Eastern Mapping Center, Chief 

Mid-Continent Mapping Center, Chief

Rocky Mountain Mapping Center, Chief 

Western Mapping Center, Chief 

Earth Resources Observation Systems Data 

Center, Chief

Geologic Division

Chief Geologist

Associate Chief Geologist

Assistant Chief Geologist for Program

Administrative Officer

Human Resources Officer

Office of Scientific Publications, Chief

Office of Regional Geology, Chief

Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and

Engineering, Chief

Office of Energy and Marine Geology, Chief 

Office of Mineral Resources, Chief 

Office of International Geology, Chief 

Assistant Chief Geologist, Eastern Region 

Assistant Chief Geologist, Central Region 

Assistant Chief Geologist, Western Region

Water Resources Division

Chief Hydrologist

Associate Chief Hydrologist

Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Scientific

Information Management 

Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Operations 

Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Research and

External Coordination 

Office of Hydrologic Research, Chief 

Office of External Research, Chief 

Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Program 

Coordination and Technical Support 

Office of Atmospheric Deposition

Analysis, Chief

Office of Ground Water, Chief 

Office of Surface Water, Chief 

Office of Water Quality, Chief 

Assistant Chief Hydrologist for Water

Assessment and Data Coordination 

Office of Water Data Coordination, Chief

Alien H. Watkins 

Roy R. Mullen 

Joel L. Morrison 

Richard E. Witmer

Gary W. North 

Gene A. Thorley 

James R. Plasker

K. Eric Anderson 

Merle E. Southern

Randle W. Olsen 

John R. Swinnerton 

Donald T. Lauer

Benjamin A. Morgan 

David P. Russ 

Bonnie McGregor 

Elwood H. Like 

John D. McGurk 

John M. Aaron 

Mitchell W. Reynolds 

Robert L. Wesson

Gary W. Hill 

Willis H. White 

A. Thomas Ovenshine 

Nancy Milton 

Harry A. Tourtelot 

William R. Normark

Philip Cohen 

John N. Fischer 

James F. Daniel

William B. Mann IV 

Robert M. Hirsch

Roger G. Wolff 

John E. Schefter 

Verne R. Schneider

Ranard J. Pickering

William M. Alley 

Charles W. Boning 

David A. Rickert 

David W. Moody

Nancy C. Lopez

(703) 648-5748

(703) 648-5745

(703) 648-4640

(703)648-4611

(703) 648-5780

(703) 648-5742

(703) 648-4146

(703) 648-6002

(314) 341-0880

(303) 236-5825

(415) 329-4254

(605) 594-6123

(703) 648-6600

(703) 648-6601

(703) 648-6640

(703)648-6611

(703) 648-6628

(703) 648-6077

(703) 648-6960

(703) 648-6714

(703) 648-6472

(703) 648-6100

(703) 648-6047

(703) 648-6660

(303) 236-5438

(415) 329-5101

(703) 648-5215

(703) 648-5216

(703) 648-5699

(703) 648-5031

(703) 648-5041

(703) 648-5043

(703) 648-6800

(703) 648-5229

(703) 648-6874

(703) 648-5001

(703) 648-5301

(703) 648-6862

(703) 648-6856

516 National Center

516 National Center

519 National Center

514 National Center

508 National Center

590 National Center

511 National Center

567 National Center

1400 Independence Rd.,

Rolla, MO 65401

510 Denver Federal Center

Western Region, Stop 531

EROS Data Center

Sioux Falls, SD 57198

911 National Center

911 National Center

910 National Center

912 National Center

911 National Center

904 National Center

908 National Center

905 National Center

915 National Center

913 National Center

917 National Center

953 National Center

911 Denver Federal Center

Western Region, Stop 19

409 National Center

408 National Center

440 National Center

441 National Center

436 National Center

436 National Center

424 National Center

414 National Center

416 National Center

411 National Center

415 National Center

412 National Center

407 National Center

(703)648-5019 417 National Center

110 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Water Resources Division Continued

Northeastern Region, Acting Chief William J. Carswell, Jr. 

New England Programs, Chief Ivan C. James II

Mid-Atlantic Programs, Chief

Mid-East Programs, Chief

Ohio Valley Programs, Chief 

Western Great Lakes Programs, Chief 

Southeastern Region, Chief

Southeast Programs, Chief 

Lower Mississippi Programs, Chief

Florida-Caribbean Programs, Chief

Central Region, Chief 

Midwest Programs, Chief

North Central Programs, Chief 

Rocky Mountain Programs, Chief

Southwest Programs, Chief

Western Region, Chief

Pacific Northwest Programs, Chief

District Offices

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California 

Colorado 

Connecticut

Herbert J. Freiberger

Donald E. Vaupel 

Daniel P. Bauer 

James L. Cook

Michael W. Gaydos 

Wanda C. Meeks

Irwin H. Kantrowitz

James F. Blakey 

James E. Kircher

William J. Herb 

Charles A. Pascale

Charles R. Burchett

T. John Conomos 

Marvin O. Fretwell

Pacific Southwest Area Programs, Chief John M. Klein

(703) 648-5817 

(508) 490-5002

(410)828-1535

(609)771-3902 

(608) 274-3535 

(404)409-7700

(404) 409-7700 

(501) 378-6391

(904) 681-7631

(303) 236-5920 

(913) 832-3567

(612) 783-3107 

(303)236-4882

(512)873-3004

(415)329-4403 

(206) 593-6510

(916) 978-5529

Hillary H. Jeffcoat (205) 752-8104 

Gordon L. Nelson, Acting (907) 786-7110

(602) 670-6671 

(501) 324-6391

Garald G. Parker, Jr.,

Acting 

E. Eugene Gann

Michael V. Shulters

David J. Lystrom

(916) 978-5529

(303) 236-4882

Chester E. Thomas, Jr. (203) 240-3060

433 National Center 

28 Lord Rd., Suite 280

Marlborough, MA 01752 

208 Carroll Bldg.

8600 La Salle Rd.

Towson, MD 21204 

810 Bear Tavern Rd., Suite 206

West Trenton, NJ 08628 

6417 Normandy Ln.

Madison, WI 53719 

Suite 160

Spalding Woods Office Park

Norcross, GA 30092 

Suite 160

Spalding Woods Office Park

Norcross, GA 30092 

2301 Federal Office Bldg.

700 W. Capitol Ave.

Little Rock, AR 72201 

227 N. Bronough St., Suite 3015

Tallahassee, FL 32301 

406 Denver Federal Center 

4821 Quail Crest PI.

Lawrence, KS 66049 

2280 Wpodale Dr.

Mounds View, MN 55112 

415 Denver Federal Center

Box 25046

Denver, CO 80225 

8011 Cameron Rd., Bldg. 1

Austin, TX 78753 

Western Region, Stop 470 

1201 Pacific Ave., Suite 600

Tacoma, WA 98402 

Rm. W-2234 Federal Bldg.

2800 Cottage Way

Sacramento, CA 95825

520 19th Ave.

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 

4230 University Dr., Suite 201

Anchorage, AK 99508 

375 S. Euclid Ave.

Tucson, AZ 85719 

2301 Federal Office Bldg.

700 W. Capitol Ave.

Little Rock, AR 72201

Rm. W-2234 Federal Bldg.

2800 Cottage Way

Sacramento, CA 95825 

415 Denver Federal Center

Box 25046

Denver, CO 80225 

Rm. 525

Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Bldg.

450 Main St.

Hartford, CT 06103

... in U.S. Geological Survey Offices 111
Water Resources Division Continued 

District Offices Continued

Delaware (See Maryland)

District of Columbia (See Maryland)

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine 

Maryland

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Mississippi

Missouri 

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

John Vecchioli 

Timothy W. Hale

William Meyer 

Jerry L. Hughes 

Stephen F. Blanchard 

Jo Ann Macy 

Norwood B. Melcher

Johnette C. Shockley,

Acting 

Alfred L. Knight

Edward H. Martin

Derrill J. Cowing 

James G. Peters

Michael C. Yurewicz 

Cynthia Barton 

George Garklavs 

Gerald L. Ryan

Marvin G. Sherrill 

Joe A. Moreland

Linda S. Weiss

Jon O. Nowlin 

Brian Mrazik 

Janice R. Ward

Russell K. Livingston 

L. Grady Moore

(904) 942-9500 227 N. Bronough St., Suite 3015

Tallahassee, FL 32301 

(404) 903-9100 Suite 130, Peachtree Business Center

3039 Amwiler Rd.

Atlanta, GA 30360 

(808) 541-2653 677 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 415

Honolulu, HI 96813 

(208) 334-1750 230 Collins Rd.

Boise, ID 83702 

(217) 398-5350 102 E. Main St., 4th Floor

Urbana, IL 61801 

(317) 290-3333 5957 Lakeside Blvd.

Indianapolis, IN 46278 

(319) 337-4191 P.O. Box 1230

Rm. 269, Federal Bldg.

400 S^.Clinton St.

Iowa City, IA 52244 

(913) 832-3505 4821 Quail Crest PI.

Lawrence, KS 66049 

(502) 582-5241 2301 Bradley Ave.

Louisville, KY40217 

(504) 389-0281 3535 S. Sherwood Blvd.,

Suite 120

Baton Rouge, LA 70816 

(207) 622-8201 26 Ganneston Dr.

Augusta, ME 04330 

(410) 828-1535 208 Carroll Bldg.

8600 La Salle Rd.

Towson, MD 21204 

(508) 490-5003 28 Lord Rd., Suite 280

Marlborough, MA 01752 

(517) 377-1608 6520 Mercantile Way, Suite 5

Lansing, MI 48911 

(612) 783-3100 2280 Woodale Dr.

Mounds View, MN 55112 

(601) 965-4600 Suite 710, Federal Bldg.

100 W. Capitol St.

Jackson, MS 39269 

(314) 341-0825 1400 Independence Rd., Stop 200

Rolla, MO 65401 

(406) 449-5302 Drawer 10076, Rm. 428, Federal Bldg.

301 S. Park Ave.

Helena, MT 59626

(402) 437-5082 Rm. 406, Federal Bldg.

100 Centennial Mall, North

Lincoln, NE 68508 

(702) 887-7600 333 W. Nye Ln., Rm. 224

Carson City, NV 89706 

(603) 225-1611 525 Clinton St.

Bow, NH 03304 

(609) 771-3931 810 Bear Tavern Rd., Suite 206

West Trenton, NJ 08628

(505) 262-5301 Pinetree Office Park, Suite 200

4501 Indian School Rd., NE.

Albuquerque, NM 87110 

(518) 472-6567 P.O. Box 1669

343 U.S. Post Office and Courthouse

Albany, NY 12201

112 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Water Resources Division Continued

District Offices Continued

North Carolina James F. Turner

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island (See Massachusetts) 

South Carolina

South Dakota 

Tennessee 

Texas 

Utah

Vermont (See New Hampshire) 

Virginia

Washington 

West Virginia 

Wisconsin 

Wyoming

William F. Horak, Jr. 

Steven M. Hindall 

Kathy D. Peter 

Dennis D. Lynch 

David E. Click 

Alien L. Zack

Glenn G. Patterson

Kenneth L. Lindskov 

Harold C. Mattraw, Jr. 

Richard O. Hawkinson 

Harvey L. Case III

Gary S. Anderson 

Carl R. Goodwin 

David P. Brown 

Warren A. Gebert 

Barney D. Lewis

(919) 571-4044 3916 Sunset Rd.

P.O. Box 30728

Raleigh, NC 27622 

(701) 250-4601 821 E. Interstate Ave.

Bismarck, ND 58501 

(614) 469-5553 975 W. Third Ave.

Columbus, OH 43212 

(405) 843-7570 202 N.W. 66th, Bldg. 7

Oklahoma City, OK 73116 

(503) 251-3200 10615 S.E. Cherry Blossom Dr.

Portland, OR 97216 

(717) 730-6910 840 Market St.

Lemoyne, PA 17043 

(809) 749-4433 P.O. Box 364424

GSA Center, Bldg. 652

Hwy. 28, Km. 7.2, Pueblo Viejo

San Juan, PR 00936

(803) 750-6100 Stephenson Center, Suite 129

720 Gracern Rd.

Columbia, SC 29210 

(605) 394-1781 1608 Mountain View Rd.

Rapid City, SD 57702 

(615) 736-5424 810 Broadway, Suite 500

Nashville, TN 37203 

(512) 873-3028 8011 Cameron Rd., Bldg. A

Austin, TX 78754 

(801) 975-3405 Rm. 1016, Administration Bldg.

1745 W. 1700 South

Salt Lake City, UT 84104

(804) 771-2427 3600 W. Broad St., Rm. 606

Richmond, VA 23230 

(206) 593-6510 1201 Pacific Ave., Suite 600

Tacoma, WA 98402 

(304) 347-5131 603 Morris St.

Charleston, WV 25301 

(608) 276-3801 6417 Normandy Ln.

Madison, WI 53719 

(307) 772-2728 2617 E. Lincolnway, Suite B

Cheyenne, WY 82001

1993 Yearbook Staff

The staff of the USGS Yearbook appreciates comments from readers. If there are features that you particularly 

enjoy reading or information that you would like to have, but is not included, please let us know. Write to Managing 

Editor, USGS Yearbook, 119 National Center, Reston, VA 22092.

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Editor

Graphic Designer

Typographer

Gail Wendt 

Rebecca Phipps 

Kathie R. Eraser 

Maura Jean Hogan 

Carolyn McQuaig

National Mapping Division 

Water Resources Division 

Geologic Division 

Information Systems Division 

Administrative Division

Annette Kulyh 

Sandye Holmes 

Kathleen Gohn 

Marti Quigley 

Connie Stephenson

... in U.S. Geological Survey Offices 113
Cooperators and Other 

Financial Contributors

Cooperators listed are those with whom the USGS had a written agreement cosigned by USGS officials and officials of the cooperating agency 

for financial cooperation in fiscal year 1993. Parent agencies are listed 

separately from their subdivisions whenever there are separate cooperative agreements for different projects with a parent agency and with a subdivision of it. Agencies are listed in alphabetical order under the State or 

territory where they have cooperative agreements with the USGS. 

Agencies with whom the USGS has research contracts and to whom it 

supplied research funds are not listed.

Cooperating office of the U.S. Geological Survey

g Geologic Division

n National Mapping Division

w Water Resources Division

Alabama Department of 

 Economic and Community Affairs (w)

'ALABAMA^ *EmerSency Management (w)

'Environmental Management (w) 

Highways, Departments No. 1, 2, and 6 (w) 

Anniston, City of (w) 

Baldwin County Commission (w) 

Birmingham, City of (w) 

Coffee County Commission (w) 

Geological Survey of Alabama (n,w) 

Huntsville, City of (w) 

Jefferson County Commission (w) 

Mobile, City of (w) 

Montgomery, City of (w) 

Parrish, Town of (w) 

Sumter, County of (w) 

Tuscaloosa, City of (w)

Alaska Department of 

 Fish and Game (w)

 Natural Resources, Division of Water (w)

 Transportation (w) 

Alaska Energy Authority (w) 

Anchorage, Municipality of (w) 

Annette Islands Reserve Tribal Government (g) 

Cordova, City of (w) 

Juneau, City and Borough of (w) 

Kenai Peninsula Borough (w) 

Sitka, City and Borough of (w) 

University of Alaska, Fairbanks (w)

Environmental Protection Agency of American Samoa (w) 

Power Authority (w)

Arizona Department of 

 Environmental .Quality (w)

Game and Fish (w) 

.Water Resources (w)

Arizona State University (g) 

Gila Valley Irrigation District (w) 

Gila Water Commissioner, Office of (w) 

Havasupai Tribe (w) 

Hualapai Indian Tribe (w)

Hopi Tribe Department of Natural Resources (w) 

Maricopa County Flood Control District (w) 

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (w) 

Navajo Nation (w)

Petrified Forest Museum Association (g) 

Pima County Department of Transportation (w) 

Safford, City of, Water, Gas, and Sewer Department (w)

Salt River Project (w) 

Show Low Irrigation Company (w) 

Tucson, City of (g, w) 

University of Arizona (g)

Arkansas Department of 

 Parks and Tourism (w) 

'ARKANSAS^ 'Pollution Control and Ecology (w)

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Fisheries Division (w) 

Arkansas Geological Commission (n,w) 

Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission (w) 

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (w) 

Arkansas-Oklahoma: Arkansas River Compact Commission (w) 

Fort Smith, City of (w) 

Independence, County of (w) 

Little Rock 

 Municipal Water Works (w)

 Public Works Department (w) 

Rogers, City of, Water Utilities Department (w) 

University of Arkansas 

 at Fayetteville (w)

 at Little Rock (w)

Adelanto, City of (w) 

Alameda County 

*Fl°°d Control and Water Conservation District (Hayward) (w)

 Water District (w)

Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency (w) 

' Atherton, City of (w) 

Barstow, City of (w) 

California Department of 

 Boating and Waterways (w)

 Conservation (w)

 Parks and Recreation (w)

 Transportation (w)

 Water Resources (w)

California Polytechnical University, San Luis Obispo (w) 

California Water Resources Control Board (w) 

 Division of Water Rights (w)

 Division of Water Quality (w) 

Calleguas Municipal Water District (w) 

Carpinteria County Water District (w) 

Casitas Municipal Water District (w) 

Coachella Valley Water District (w)

Contra Costa County Flood Control and WaterConservation District (w) 

Contra Costa Water District (w) 

Crestline-Lake Arrowhead Water Agency (w) 

Desert Water Agency (w) 

East Bay Municipal Utility District (w) 

Eastern Municipal Water District (w) 

Georgetown Divide Public Utility District (w) 

Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (g) 

Hopland Band of Pomo Indians (w) 

Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (w) 

Imperial County Department of Public Works (w) 

Imperial Irrigation District (w) 

Indian Wells Valley Water District (w) 

Los Angeles, County of (w) 

Louisiana State University and A&M College (w) 

Madera Irrigation District (w) 

Marin Municipal Water District (w) 

Mendocino County Water Agency (w) 

Merced, City of (w) 

Merced Irrigation District (w) 

Mojave Water Agency (g, w) 

Mono, County of (w) 

Montecito Water District (w) 

Monterey County Water Resources Agency (w) 

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (w) 

Morongo Band of Mission Indians (w) 

Moss Landing Marine Labs, Consortium of Schools (g) 

Orange County Water District (w) 

Palmdale, City of (w)

114 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Palo Alto, City of (w)

Pechanga Indian Reservation (w) 

/CALIFO.ftNiL$s Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (w)

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (w) 

Sacramento County Department of Public Worksm(w) 

San Benito County Water District (w) 

San Bernardino County Flood Control District (w) 

San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (w) 

San Diego, City of (vv)

San Diego County Department of Public Works(w) 

San Francisco, City and County of (vv) 

San Francisco Water Department (w) 

San Luis Obispo County Engineering Department (w) 

San Mateo County Department of Public Works (w) 

Santa Barbara, City of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Santa Barbara County 

 Flood Control and Water Conservation District (w) .

 Water Agency (vv) 

Santa Clara Valley Water District (w) 

Santa Cruz, City of (w)

Santa Cruz County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (vv) 

Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District (w) 

Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District (w) 

Scotts Valley Water District (vv) 

Sonoma County 

 Planning Department (vv)

 Water Agency (vv)

Tulare County Flood Control District (w) 

Turlock Irrigation District (w) 

United Water Conservation District (w) 

University of California, Berkeley (g)

 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (g) 

Ventura County Public Works Agency (w) 

Water Master Santa Margarita River Watershed (w) 

Water Replenishment District of Southern California (w) 

Woodbridge Irrigation District (w)

Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (w) 

Yuba County Water Agency (w)

Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater (w) 

Arkansas River Compact Administration (w)

Boulder, City of (w) 

Boulder, County of (w) 

Brecken ridge, Town of (w) 

Centennial Water and Sanitation District (w) 

Cherokee Water and Sanitation District (w) 

Colorado Department of 

 Health (w)

 Minerals and Geology (w)

 Natural Resources, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (w)

 Transportation (w) 

Colorado Division of Wildlife (vv) 

Colorado Office of the State Engineer (w) 

Colorado River Water Conservation District (w) 

Colorado Springs, City of 

 Department of Public Utilities (w)

 Engineering Division (w) 

Colorado Water Conservation Board (w) 

Delta County Board of Commissioners (w) 

Denver Board of Water Commissioners (w) 

Eagle County Board of Commissioners (w) 

East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District (w) 

East Grand County Water Quality Board (w) 

Englevvood, City of (w) 

Evergreen Metropolitan District (w) 

Fort Collins, City of, Water and Wastewater (w) 

Fountain Valley Authority (w) 

Fremont Sanitation District (w) 

Garfield, County of (w) 

Glendale, City of (w) 

Glenwood Springs, City of (vv) 

Jefferson County Board of Commissioners (w)

Lakewood, City of (w)

Lamar, City of (w)

Las Animas, City of (w)

Littleton-Englewood Bi-City Wastewater Treatment Plant (w)

Longmont, City of (w)

Loveland, City of (w)

Lower Fountain Water-Quality Management Association (w)

Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation District (w)

Moffat, County of (w)

Northern Colorado Water Conservation District (w)

Pueblo Board of Water Works (w)

Pueblo, City of, Department of Utilities (w)

Pueblo County Commissioners (w)

Pueblo West Metropolitan District (w)

Rio Blanco, County of (w)

Rio Blanco Water Conservation District (w)

Rio Grande Water Conservation District (w)

Rocky Ford, City of (w)

Routt, County of (w)

St. Charles Mesa Water District (w)

Southern Ute Indian Tribe (g,w)

Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (w)

Southwestern Colorado Water Conservation District (w)

Steamboat Springs, City of, Public Works Department (w)

Teller-Park Soil Conservation District (w)

Thornton, City of (w)

Trinchera Water Conservation District (w)

Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association (w)

Upper Arkansas Council of Governments (w)

Upper Arkansas River Water Conservation District (w)

Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority (w)

Upper Gunnison River (w)

Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District (w)

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (w)

Ute Mountain Indian Tribe (w)

Vail Valley Conservation Water District (w)

Westminster, City of (w)

Willows Water District (w)

Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District (w)

Connecticut Department of 

 Environmental Protection (g,n,w)

 Transportation, Bureau of Engineering and Highway 

Operations (w)

Fairfield, Town of, Conservation Department (w) 

Lake Waramaug 

 Interlocal Commission (w) 

 Task Force, Inc. (w) 

Meriden, City of (w)

New Britain, City of, Board of Water Commissioners (w) 

South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (w) 

Torrington, City of (w)

Delaware River Basin Commission (w) 

Geological Survey (n,w) 

University of Delaware (w)

Department of 

 Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Environmental Control 

Division (w) 

Public Works (w)

Bay County Utilities (w) 

Boca Raton, City of (w) 

Bradenton, City of (w) 

Broward, County of 

Natural Resources Protection (w) 

Water Resources Management Division (w)

with Cooperators and Other Financial Contributors 115
Cape Coral, City of (w) 

Century, City of (w)

'FLORIDA\ Cocoa, City of, Utilities and Public Works (w) 

(CONT.) S Daytona Beach, City of (w)

Deerfield Beach, City of (w) 

Florida Department of 

 Environmental Protection (g, n,w)

 Natural Resources (w) 

Bureau of Marine Resource and Evaluation (w) 

Division of Survey and Mapping (n)

 Transportation (n,w) 

Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (w) 

Fort Lauderdale, City of (w) 

Game and Freshwater Fish Commission (w) 

Hallandale, City of (w) 

Highland Beach, Town of (w) 

Hillsborough, County of (w) 

Hollywood, City of (w)

Jacksonville, City of, Department of Public Utilities (w) 

Jacksonville Electric Authority (w) 

Joshua Water Control District (w) 

Lake, County of, Water Authority (w) 

Lake Mary, City of, Public Works (w) 

Lee, County of (w) 

Manatee County 

 Board of County Commissioners (w)

 Environmental Action Commission (w)

Metropolitan Dade County (w)

Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Authority (w)

North Port Water Control District (w)

Northwest Florida Water Management District (w)

Orange County Public Works Division (w)

Perry, City of (w)

Pinellas, County of (w)

Pompano Beach, City of (w)

Reedy Creek Improvement District (w)

Sarasota, City of (w)

Sarasota, County of (w)

South Florida Water Management District, Department of Research and

Evaluation (w)

Southwest Florida Water Management District (w) 

St. Johns River Water Management District (g, w) 

St. Petersburg, City of (w) 

Stuart, City of (w)

Suwannee River Water Management District (w) 

Tallahassee, City of 

 Electric Department (w)

 Water Quality Laboratory (w) 

Tampa, City of (w)

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (w) 

University of Florida (g) 

Volusia, County of (w) 

Walton, County of (w)

West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority (w) 

Winter Park, City of (w)

Albany Water, Gas, and Light Commission (w) 

Athens-Clarke County (w)

«pBibb, County of (w)

Blairsville, Town of (w) 

Brunswick, City of (w)

ChestateeChattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Center (w) 

Clayton County Water Authority (w) 

Coastal Georgia Regional Development (w) 

Covington, City of (w)

De Kalb County Public Works Department (w) 

Georgia Department of 

 Natural Resources 

Water Quality Management Program (w) 

Geologic Survey (w)

 Transportation (w) 

at Atlanta (w) 

at Forest Park (w)

Georgia Forestry Commission (w)

Georgia Mountain Regional Development Center (w)

Gwinnett, County of, Preconstruction Division (w)

Helena, City of (w)

Macon Water and Sewage Authority (w)

Monroe Water, Light, and Gas Commission (w)

Moultrie, City of (w)

South Florida Water Municipal Department (w)

Springfield, City of (w)

St. Johns River Water Municipal Department (w)

Thomaston, City of (w)

Thomasville, City of (w)

Tift County Commission (w)

Tifton, City of (w)

Valdosta, City of (w)

Guam, Government of, Environmental Protection Agency (w)

Hawaii, County of, Department of Water Supply (w) 

Hawaii Department of 

 Agriculture, Division of Agriculture Resource Management (w)

 Land and Natural Resources (g) 

Commission on Water Resources Management (w) 

Division of Forestry and Wildlife (n,w) 

 Transportation (w) 

Honolulu, City and County of 

 Board of Water Supply (w)

 Department of Public Works (w) 

Kauai, County of, Department of Water Supply (w) 

Maui, County of, Department of Water Supply (w) 

University of Hawaii (g)

Ada County Highway District (w) 

Boise, City of (w)

Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho (w) 

Idaho Department of 

 Health and Welfare (w) 

 Water Resources (w) 

Salmon River Canal Co., Ltd. (w) 

Shoshone-Bannock Indian Tribes (w) 

Shoshone, County of (w) 

Southwest Irrigation District (w) 

Teton County Board of Commissioners (w) 

Water District No. 01 (Idaho Falls) (w) 

Water District No. 31 (Dubois) (w) 

Water District No. 32D (Dubois) (w)

Bloomington and Normal Sanitary District (w) 

Boneyard Creek Commission (w) 

Cook County Forest Preserve District (w)

n 11 <-. »^« . / \

Danville Sanitary District (w) 

Decatur, City of (w)

DeKalb, City of, Public Works Department (w) 

DuPage County Forest Preserve, Planning and Development Section (w) 

DuPage County Department of Environmental Concerns (w) 

Illinois Department of 

 Conservation, Planning Division (w)

 Energy and Natural Resources 

Geological Survey Division (n) 

State Water Survey (w)

 Transportation 

Division of Highways (n)

Division of Water Resources (n,w) 

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (w) 

Kane, County of 

 Development Department, Stormwater Management (w)

 Forest Preserve Commission (w)

116 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Kankakee Soil and Water Conservation District (w)

Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (w)

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (w)

Monticello City Services (w)

Springfield, City of (vv)

Vermilion County Conservation District (w)

Winnebago County Department of Public Works (w)

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (w)

Carmel, Town of, Utilities (w)

Elkhart, City of, Water Works (w) 

INDIANA ^ Indiana Department of 

 Environmental Management (g,w) 

 Natural Resources (n) 

Division of 

Transportation (w) 

Water (w)

Indiana Office of the State Chemist (w) 

Indianapolis, City of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Muncie Sanitary District, Bureau of Water Quality (w) 

Purdue University (w) 

St. Joseph River Basin Commission (w)

Ames, City of (w)

Cedar Rapids, City of, Engineering Department (w) 

IOWA N Clinton, City of (w)

Davenport, City of (w) 

Des Moines, City of (w) 

Fort Dodge, City of (w) 

Iowa Department of 

 Transportation, Highway Division (w)

 Natural Resources, Geological Survey Bureau (n,w) 

Iowa State University (w) 

Muscatane Water and Light Board (w) 

University of Iowa 

 Department of Preventive Medicine (w)

 Institute of Hydraulic Research (w)

 Hygienic Laboratory (w)

Arkansas River Compact Administration (w)

Brazos River Authority (w) 

KANSAS ^ Cameron, City of (w)

Emporia, City of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Equus Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2 (w) 

Harvey County Conservation Distict (w) 

Hays, City of (w)

Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska (w) 

Johnson, County of (w) 

Kansas Department of Transportation (w) 

Kansas Geological Survey (n,w) 

Kansas Highway Commission (w)

Kansas State Board of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources (w) 

Kansas State Conservation Commission (w) 

Kansas State University Department of Agronomy (w) 

Kansas University Center for Research, Inc. (w) 

Kansas Water Office (w) 

Sac and Fox Tribe of Missouri (w) 

University of Iowa (w) 

Wichita, City of (w)

Bullitt, County of (w)

Campbellsville Municipal Water (w) 

Elizabethtown, City of (w) 

Georgetown, City of (w) 

Glasgow Water Company (w) 

Kentucky Department of 

 Health Services (w) 

 Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet (w) 

Kentucky State University (w) 

Kentucky Tourism Cabinet, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (w)

Metropolitan Sewer District (w)

Middleboro, City of (w)

Owensboro, City of (w)

University of Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey (g,n)

University of Louisville (w)

Caddo Parish (w)

Capital-Area Groundwater Conservation Commission (w) 

East Baton Rouge Parish (w)

T . . _ r

Louisiana Department or 

 Environmental Quality, Office of Water Resources (w)

 Natural Resources, Coastal Restoration Division (w)

 Transportation and Development (w) 

Bridge Hydraulics (w)

Office of Public Works (n) 

Louisiana Geological Survey (n) 

Minden, City of (w) 

Plaquemines Parish (w) 

Sabine River Compact Administration (w) 

St. John the Baptist Parish (w) 

Terrebonne Parish (w) 

West Monroe, City of (w)

Aroostock County Water and Soil Management Board (w)

Greater Portland Council of Governments (w) 

MAINE Vay, Town of (w)

Maine Department of 

 Environmental Protection

 Geological Survey (w)

 Human Services (w)

 Transportation (w)

 State Forest Service (n)

North Kennebec Valley Regional Planning Commission (w) 

Northern Maine Regional Planning Commission (w) 

Penobscot Indian Nation (w) 

University of Maine (w)

Baltimore, City of, Water Quality Management (w) 

Delaware Geological Survey (w)

/MARYIANDX> Hyndman' Borough of (w)

k. "^ -* Interstate Commerce Commission (w)

Maryland Department of the Environment (w) 

Maryland Energy Administration (w) 

Maryland Geological Survey (n,w) 

Maryland State Highway Administration (w) 

Prince Georges County Government (w) 

Salisbury, City of (w) 

University of Maryland (g)

Berkshire, County of (w)

Cape Cod Commission (w)

'MASSACHU-\ Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (n) 

SETTS j Massachusetts Department of 

 Environmental Management, Division of Resources 

Conservation (w)

 Environmental Protection 

Division of Water Pollution Control (w)

Division of Water Supply (w)

Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup (w) 

Massachusetts Highway Department (w) 

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (g) 

Metropolitan District Commission 

 Parks, Engineering and Construction Division (w)

 Watershed Management Division (w) 

University of Rhode Island (w)

Adrian, City of (w)

Ann Arbor, City of (w) 

/MirHTrANx> Antrim County Drain Commission (w) 

Battle Creek, City of (w) 

 Board of 

Public Utilities (w) 

Water and Light (w) 

Beaverton, City of (w)

. . . with Cooperators and Other Financial Contributors 117
Cadillac, City of, Wastewater Treatment Plant (w)

Clare, City of (w) 

'MICHIGANX Cliffs Mining Services Co. (w)

Consumers Power Company (w) 

Delta Charter Township (w) 

Elsie, Village of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Flint, City of, Water Plant (w) 

French Paper Company (w) 

Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (w) 

Huron County Board of Commissioners (w) 

Imlay, City of (w) 

Indiana Michigan Power Co. (w) 

Kalamazoo, City of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (w) 

Macomb, County of (w) 

Mead Paper Company (w) 

Michigan Department of 

 Natural Resources (w) Office of Budget and Federal Aid (w)

 Transportation (w) Design Division (w) 

Michigan Power Company (w)

Negaunee, City of, Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant (w) 

Norway, City of (w)

Oakland County Drainage Commission (w) 

Otsego County Road Commission (w) 

Portage, City of (w) 

Portland, City of (w)

Roscommon County Board of Commissioners (w) 

Schoolcraft County Board of Commissioners (w) 

Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (w) 

STS Hydropower, Ltd. (w) 

Sturgis, City of (w)

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (w) 

Upper Peninsula Power Company (w) 

Wayne, County of, Division of Environmental Health (w) 

Wisconsin Electric Power Company (w) 

Wolverine Hydroelectric (w) 

Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative (w) 

Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority (w)

Beltrami County SWCD (w)

Elm Greek Conservation Management and Planning Commission (w) 

'MINNESOTA^ Grand Portage Reservation Government (w)

Hubbard County Soil and Water (w) 

Land Management Information Center (n) 

Lower Red River Watershed Management Board (w) 

Mille Lacs Reservation Band Government (w) 

Minnesota Department of 

 Natural Resources (g,w)

 Transportation (w)

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (w) 

Minnesota State Planning Agency (n)

Northwest Minnesota Ground Water Steering Committee (w) 

Pine County Soil and Water Conservation District (w) 

Snake River Watershed Planning Committee (w) 

University of Minnesota, Department of Soil Science (w)

Harrison County Development Commission (w)

Jackson, City of (w) 

'MISSISSIPPI^ Jackson County Port Authority (w)

Mississippi Department of 

 Agriculture and Commerce (w) 

 Environmental Quality 

Office of Land and Water Resources (w) 

Office of Pollution Control (w) 

 Transportation (w) 

Pat Harrison Waterway District (w) 

Pearl River Basin Development District (w) 

Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (w) 

Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District (w)

Cape Girardeau, City of (w)

Cass County Soil and Water Conservation District (w) 

'MISSOURI^ Columbia, City of (w)

Independence, City of (w) 

'Jackson County Parks and Recreation (w) 

Mid-America Regional Council (w) 

Missouri Department of 

 Conservation (n,w)

 Health (w)

 Natural Resources

Division of Environmental Quality (w)

Division of Geology and Land Survey (n) 

Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission (w) 

Rolla, City of (w)

Springfield, City of, City Utilities (w) 

St. Francois County Environmental Corporation (w) 

Watershed Commission of the Ozarks (w)

/\ Beaverhead County Water and Sewer (w) 

/ \^ Blackfeet Nation (w) 

'MONTANA^ Chippewa Creek Tribe of Rocky Boy's Reservation (g)

Fort Peck Reservation (w) 

Greenfield Irrigation District (w) 

Helena, City of (w) 

Judith Basin Conservation District (w) 

Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department (w) 

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (w) 

Montana Department of 

 Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (w)

 Health and Environmental Sciences (w)

 Natural Resources and Conservation (w)

 Transportation (w) 

Northern Cheyenne Tribe (w) 

Office of the Governor (w)

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Flathead Reservation (w) 

Wyoming State Engineer (w)

Central Platte Natural Resources District (w)

Kansas-Nebraska Blue River Compact Administration (w) 

Lincoln, City of (w)

Little Blue Natural Resources District (w) 

Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (w) 

Lower Platte North Natural Resources District (w) 

Lower Platte South Natural Resources District (w) 

Lower Republican Natural Resources District (w) 

Middle Republican Natural Resources District (w) 

Nebraska Department of 

 Environmental Quality (w)

 Water Resources (w)

Nebraska Natural Resources Commission (w) 

Nemaha Natural Resources District (w) 

North Platte Natural Resources District (w) 

Omaha, City of (w)

Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District (w) 

South Platte Natural Resources District (w) 

University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division (w) 

Upper Elkhorn Natural Resources District (w) 

Upper Loup Natural Resources District (w) 

Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District (w)

Carson City/County Department of Public Works (w)

Clark County Regional Flood Control District (w) 

NEVADA N Clark County Sanitation District (w)

Douglas, County of (w) 

Duck Valley Reservation (w) 

Henderson, City of (w) 

Las Vegas Valley Water District (g,w) 

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (g,n,w) 

Nevada Department of 

 Conservation and Natural Resources

118 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Division of Environmental Protection (w) 

Division of Water Resources (w)

 Transportation (w)

 Wildlife (w)

Summit Lake Paiute Indian Tribe (w) 

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (w) 

Truckee-Carson Irrigation District (w) 

Washoe County Planning Department (n)

Lincoln, Town of (w) 

New Hampshire Department of 

 Environmental Services (g,w) 

Transportation (n)

Atlantic Highlands, Borough of (w) 

Bergen, County of (w)

Brick Township Municipal Utility Authority (w) 

Gloucester County Planning Commission (w) 

Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission (w) 

Medford, Township of (w) 

Mercer County Park Commission (w) 

Morris County Municipal Utility Authority (w) 

New Brunswick, City of (w) 

New Jersey Department of 

 Environmental Protection (n,w)

 Transportation (w) 

New Jersey Water Supply Authority (w) 

North Jersey District Water Supply Commission (w) 

Passaic Valley Water Commission (w) 

Pinelands Commission (w)

Rutgers State University, Environmental Health and Safety (w) 

Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders (w) 

Washington Township Municipal Utility Authority (w) 

West Windsor, Township of (w)

Albuquerque, City of 

 Public Works Department 

Hydrology Division (w) 

Utility Planning Division (w) 

Waste Water Utility (w)

Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (w) 

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (w) 

Bernalillo, County of (w)

Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (w) 

Costilla Creek Compact Commission (w) 

Elephant Butte Irrigation District (w) 

El Paso Water Board (w)

Jornada Reservation, Conservation and Development (w) 

Las Cruces, City of, Water Department (w) 

New Mexico Department of 

 Environment (w)

 Highways and Transportation (w)

New Mexico State University, Water Resources Research Institute (w) 

Office of the State Engineer (w) 

Pecos River Commission (w) 

Picuris Pueblo (w) 

Pueblo of Laguna (w) 

Pueblo of Zuni (w) 

Raton, City of (w)

Rio Grande Compact Commission (w) 

Rio San Jose Flood Control District (w) 

Ruidoso, Village of (w) 

Santa Rosa, City of (w) 

Texas Water Development Board (w) 

University of New Mexico (n)

Amherst, Town of, Engineering Department (w) 

Auburn, City of (w)

Central New York Regional Planning Board (w) 

Chautauqua County Department of Planning and 

Development (w) 

Cheektowaga, Town of (w) 

Cornell University, Department of Utilities (w) 

Cortland County Health Department (w) 

Hudson-Black River Regulating District (w) 

Kiryas Joel, Village of (w)

Monroe County Department of Environmental Health (w) 

Nassau County Department of Public Works, Division of Sanitation and

Water Supply (w)

New England Interstate Water Pollution (w) 

New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of

Water Supply (w) 

New York State Department of 

 Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Monitoring and Assessment (w)

 Transportation (w)

New York State Energy Research Development Authority (w) 

New York State Power Authority (w) 

Nyack, Village of, Board of Water Commissioners (w) 

Onondaga, County of 

 Department of Drainage and Sanitation (w)

 Water Authority (w)

Onondaga Lake Management Conference (w) 

Orange County Water Authority (w)

Saratoga Springs, City of, Office of the Commissioner of Public Works (w) 

State University of New York, Binghampton (w) 

Suffolk, County of 

 Department of Health Services (w)

 Water Authority (w) 

Ulster, County of (w)

Appalachian State University (g) 

Asheville, City of (w) 

Bethel, Town of (w) 

Brevard, City of (w) 

Chapel Hill, Town of (w) 

Charlotte, City of (w) 

Danville, Virginia, City of (w) 

Durham, City of (w) 

Fayetteville, City of (w) 

Gaston, County of (w) 

Greensboro, City of (w) 

Jackson, County of (w) 

Lexington, City of (w) 

Lumber River Council of Governments (w) 

Mecklenburg, County of (w) 

Morganton, City of (w)

North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Dallas and Raleigh (w) 

North Carolina State Department of 

 Environment, Health, and Natural Resources (n,w)

 Transportation (w) 

Orange, County of (w) 

Raleigh, City of (w) 

Rocky Mount, City of (w)

Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring, Project Steering Committee (w) 

University of North Carolina, Wilmington, (g) 

Western Piedmont Council of Governments (w)

Devils Lake Sioux Tribe (w) 

Dickinson, City of (w)

Lower Heart Water Resources District (w) 

Minot, City of (w) 

North Dakota Department of 

 Game and Fish (w) 

 Health, Water Supply, and Pollution Control (w)

 Parks and Recreation (w)

 Transportation (w) 

North Dakota Geological Survey (n) 

State Water Commission (w) 

Three Affiliated Tribes (w)

. . . with Cooperators and Other Financial Contributors 119
Akron, City of (w) 

Canton, City of (w) 

Columbus, City of (w)

Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization (w) 

Eastgate Development Company (w) 

Franklin, County of (w) 

Fremont, City of (w) 

Lima, City of (w) 

Madison, County of (w) 

Miami Conservancy District (w) 

N.E. Ohio Regional Sewer District (w) 

Ohio Department of 

 Natural Resources (vv)

 Transportation (n,w) 

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (w) 

Ohio State University, Department of Agronomy (w) 

Pickaway, County of (w) 

Ross, County of (w) 

Seneca Soil and Water District (w) 

Sumit County Engineers (w) 

University of Toledo (w) 

Washington, County of (w)

Ada, City of (w)

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes (w) 

McGee Creek Authority (w)

Oklahoma City, City of (w) Water Utilities Trust (w) 

Oklahoma Conservation Commission (w) 

Oklahoma Department of 

 Health (w) 

 Transportation (n) 

Oklahoma Geological Survey (w)

Oklahoma State University, Division of Agricultural Sciences (w) 

Oklahoma Water Resources Board (w) 

Sac and Fox Nation (w)

Albany, City of (w) 

Ashland, City of (w) 

Bend, City of (w) 

OREGON ^ Coos> County of (w)

Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board (w) 

Douglas, County of (w) 

Eugene, City of (w) 

Gresham, City of (w) 

Jackson, County of (w) 

McMinnville, City of (w) 

Metropolitan Service District (w) 

Oregon Department of 

 Energy (w)

 Environmental Quality (w)

 Human Resources, State Health Division (w)

 Transportation, Highway Division (w)

 Water Resources (w) 

Portland, City of 

 Bureau of 

Environmental Services (w) 

Water Works (w)

 Department of Utilities (w) 

Portland State University (w) 

Tualatin Valley Water District (w) 

Unified Sewerage Agency (w) 

Warm Springs Tribal Council (w)

Allentown, City of, Engineering Department (w) 

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (w) 

Bethlehem, City of (w) 

Bucks, County of (w)

Chester County Water Resources Authority (w) 

Cumberland, City of (w) 

Delaware County Solid Waste Authority (w) 

Delaware River Basin Commission (w)

Doylestown Township Municipal Authority (w)

Harrisburg, City of, Department of Public Works (w)

Hazelton City Authority Water Department (w)

JPC Lehigh-Northampton Counties (w)

Letort Regional Authority (w)

Media Borough Water Department (w)

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Planning

and Restoration (w) 

North Penn Water Authority (w) 

North Wales Water Authority (w) 

Philadelphia, City of, Water Department (w) 

Pennsylvania Department of 

 Environmental Resources 

Bureau of 

Community Environmental Control (w) 

Land and Water Conservation (w) 

Mining and Reclamation (w) 

Topographic and Geologic Survey (n,w) 

Water Quality Management (w) 

Water Resources Management (w) 

Water Supply and Community Health (w)

 Transportation (w) 

Pennsylvania State University (w)

Reading, City of, Department of Streets and Public Improvements (w) 

Somerset Conservation District (w) 

Sunbury, City of, Municipal Authority (w) 

Susquehanna River Basin Commission (w) 

Tinicum, Township of (w) 

University Area Joint Authority (w) 

University of Delaware, Geological Survey (w) 

West Bradford, Township of (w) 

Williamsport, City of (w)

/\ Municipality of Manati (w)

/ \v Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (w) 

/PUERTO \ Puerto Rico Civil Defense (w)

Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources (w) 

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (w) 

Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (w) 

Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (w) 

Puerto Rico Mineral Resources Development Corporation (g) 

Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (w)

Narragansett Bay Commission (w)

Providence, City of, Water Supply Board (w) 

Rhode Island State Department of Environmental 

Management,

Division of Water Resources (w) 

State Water Resources Board (w)

Beaufort-Jasper County Water and Sewer Authority (w)

Camden, City of (w)

SOUTH \ Charleston Harbor Project (w) 

kCAROLtNA^ Charleston Public Works (w)

Clar/Sumter Soil and Water Conservation District (w) 

Clemson, City of, Department of Engineering (w) 

Clemson University, College of Agricultural Sciences (w) 

Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority (w) 

Greer Commission of Public Works (w) 

Land Resources Conservation Commission (n) 

Myrtle Beach, City of (w) 

Oconee County Sewer Commission (w) 

South Carolina State 

 Department of 

Health and Environmental Control (w) 

Highways and Public Transportation (w)

 Public Service Authority (w)

 Water Resources Commission (n,w)

 Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (w) 

South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium (w) 

Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District (w)

120 At Work Across the Nation. . .
Spartanburg Water System (w)

SQUT!M\ University of South Carolina Department of Environmental and 

Health Services (w)

Waccamavv Regional Planning and Development Council (w) 

Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority (w)

Area II Minnesota River Basin (w) 

Belle Fourche Irrigation District (w) 

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (w) 

East Dakota Water Development District (w) 

Lake Kampeska Water Project District (w) 

Lower Brule Sioux Tribe (w) 

Mellette, County of (w) 

North Central Resource Conservation and Development (w) 

Oglala Sioux Tribe Water Resources Division (w) 

Pennington County Drainage Commission (w) 

Rapid City, City of (w) 

Rosebud Sioux Tribe (w) 

Sioux Falls, City of 

 Utility Office (w)

 Water Purification Plant (w) 

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe (w) 

South Dakota Department of 

 Environment and Natural Resources 

Environmental Regulation Division (w) 

Geological Survey Division (w) 

Water Resource Management Division (w) 

Water Rights Division (w)

 Game, Fish and Parks (w)

 Transportation (w)

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (w) 

South Dakota State University (w) 

 Civil Engineering Department (w)

 Horticulture, Forestry, Landscape, and Parks Department (w) 

Spearfish, City of (w) 

Stanley County Conservation District (w) 

Watertown, City of (w)

West Dakota Water Development District (w) 

West River Water Development District (w) 

Wyoming, State of (w)

Alcoa, City of (w)

Alpha Talbott Utility District (w)

Camden, .. City of (w)

Chattanooga, City of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Clemson University Department of Environmental Toxicology (w) 

Crossville, City of (w) 

Dickson, City of (w) 

Eastside Utility District (w) 

Franklin, City of (w) 

Gatlinburg, City of (w) 

Germantown, City of (w)

Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management (w) 

Harriman Utility Board (w) 

Harpeth Valley Utility District (w) 

Johnson City, City of, Public Works Department (w) 

Knoxville, City of (w)

Memphis, City of, Light, Gas, and Water Division (w) 

Memphis State University (w)

Metropolitan Governments, Nashville, City of, and Davidson, 

County of (w)

Murfreesboro, City of, Water and Sewer Department (w) 

Red Boiling Springs, Town of (w) 

Rogersville, Town of (w) 

Savannah Valley Utility District (w) 

Sevierville, City of (w) 

Shelby County Government (w) 

Shelby County Soil Conservation District (w) 

Tennessee Department of 

 Agriculture (w)

 Environment and Conservation, Office of Water Programs (w)

 Transportation 

Division of Planning (w)

Division of Structures (w) 

Tennessee State Planning Office (w) 

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (w) 

Tullahoma Utilities Board (w) 

Union City, City of (w) 

University of Tennessee (w) 

Upper Duck River Development Agency (w) 

Wartrace, City of (w)

Abilene, City of (w) 

Arlington, City of (w) 

Austin, City of (w)

Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (w) 

Bexar-Medina-Atascosa Counties (w)

Brazos River Authority (w) 

Canadian River Municipal Water Authority (w) 

Coastal Water Authority (w) 

Colorado River Municipal Water District (w) 

Corpus Christi, City of (w) 

Dallas, City of (w)

Dallas, City of, Public Works Department (w) 

Edwards Underground Water District (w) 

El Paso, City of, Public Service Board (w) 

Fort Bend Subsidence District (w) 

Fort Worth, City of (w) 

Gainesville, City of (w) 

Galveston, County of (w)

Garland, City of, Department of Public Works (w) 

Georgetown, City of (w) 

Graham, City of (w)

Greenbelt Municipal and Industrial Water Authority (w) 

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (w) 

Harris, County of, Flood Control District (w) 

Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District (w) 

Houston, City of (w) 

Houston-Galveston Area Council (w) 

Lavaca-Navidad River Authority (w) 

Lower Colorado River Authority (w) 

Lower Neches Valley Authority (w) 

Lubbock, City of (w) 

Nacogdoches, City of (w)

North Central Texas Council of Governments (w) 

North Central Texas Municipal Water Authority (w) 

North Texas Municipal Water District (w) 

North East Texas Municipal Water District (w) 

Orange, County of (w) 

Pecos River Commission (w) 

Red River Authority of Texas(w) 

Sabine River Authority of Texas (w) 

Sabine River Compact Administration (w) 

San Angelo, City of (w) 

San Antonio, City of 

 Public Service (w)

 Water Systems (w) 

San Antonio River Authority (w) 

Sanjacinto River Authority (w) 

Somerville County Water District (w)

Tarrant, County of, Water Control and Improvement District No. 1 (w) 

Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board (w) 

Texas State Department of Highways and Transportation (w) 

Texas Water Commission (w) 

Texas Water Development Board (n,w) 

Titus, County of, Fresh Water Supply District No. 1 (w) 

Trinity River Authority (w) 

University of Texas, Austin (g, w) 

Upper Guadalupe River Authority (w) 

Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority (w) 

West Central Texas Municipal Water District (w) 

Wichita, County of, Water Improvement District No. 2 (w) 

Wichita Falls, City of (w)

. . . with Cooperators and Other Financial Contributors 121
Commonwealth Utilities Corp., Saipan (w) 

TRUST\ Northern Mariana Islands, Commonwealth of (w)- 

»Division of Environmental Quality (w)

Office of the Governor, Saipan (w) 

Ponape State Government (w) 

Republic of Palau (w)

Bear River Commission (w)

Central Utah Water Conservation District (w) 

Goshute Tribal Government (g) 

Ogden River Water Users Association (w) 

Salt Lake, County of, Division of Flood Control (w) 

Tooele, City of (w) 

University of Utah (w) 

Utah Department of 

 Natural Resources 

Geological and Mineral Survey (n,w) 

Oil, Gas, and Mining Division (w) 

Water Resources Division (w) 

Water Rights Division (w) 

Weber Basin Water Conservancy District (w) 

Weber River Water Users Association (w)

Agency of 

Administration (n)

Natural Resources (g,n) 

Department of Environmental Conservation (w)

Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission (w) 

Alexandria, City of (w)

VIRGINIA^ Danville > City of ( w)

Delaware Geological Survey (w)

Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (w) 

Henrico County Department of Public Utilities (w) 

James City, County of (w) 

Maryland, Department of 

 Environment (w)

 State Highway Administration (w) 

Newport News, City of (w)

Northern Virginia Planning District Commission (w) 

Prince William Health District (w) 

Prince William Public Works (w) 

Roanoke, City of (w)

Southeastern Public Service Authority of Virginia (w) 

University of Virginia, Department of Environmental Sciences (w) 

Virginia Department of 

 Environmental Quality (w)

 Mines, Minerals, and Energy, Division of Mineral Resources (n)

 Transportation (w)

Aberdeen, City of (w) 

Bellevue, City of (w)

Chelan, County of, Public Utility District No. 1 (w) 

Cowlitz, County of (w)

Douglas, County of, Public Utility District No. 1 (w) 

Hoh Indian Tribe (w) 

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe (w) 

Kent, City of (w)

King County Department of Public Works (w) 

Lewis County Board of Commissioners (w) 

Makah Indian Tribe (w) 

Nisqually Indian Tribe (w) 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (w) 

Pacific, County of (w) 

Pierce, County of (w) 

Quileute Tribal Council (w)

Quinault Indian Business Committee (w) 

Seattle, City of (w)

Skagit County Department of Public Works (w) 

Skagit Conservation District (w) 

Snohomish, County of 

 Board of Commissioners (w)

 Public Works (w)

Spokane County Commissioners (n) 

Tacoma, City of, Department of 

 Public Utilities (w)

 Public Works (w)

Thurston County Department of Public Works (w) 

Umatilla Indian Tribal Council (w) 

University of Washington (g) 

Washington Department of 

 Ecology (w)

 Fisheries (w)

 Information Services (n)

 Natural Resources (n,w)

 Transportation (w)

Washington State Community Development (w) 

Yakima Indian Nation (w)

/\ Morgantown, City of, Utility Board (w) 

/ \. New Martinsville, City of (w) 

f WEST \ West Virginia Department of 

k VIRGINIA > .Highways (w)

 Natural Resources, Office of Water Resources (w) 

West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection (w) 

West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (g, w)

Alma/Moon Lake District (w)

Balsam Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District (w) 

Baraboo, Town of (w) 

Barron, City of (w) 

Bear Lake, Town of (w) 

Beaver Dam, City of (w) 

Big Muskego Lake District (w) 

Brookfield, City of (w) 

Brown County Planning Commission (w) 

Cedar Lake, Town of (w) 

Dane, County of 

 Department of Public Works (w)

 Lakes and Watershed Management (w)

 Regional Planning Commission (w) 

Darboy Sanitary District #1 (w) 

Delavan, Town of (w)

Druid Lake Inland Protection and Rehabilitation District (w) 

Eagle Spring Lake Management (w)

East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (w) 

ElkhartLake Improvement Association (w) 

Fond Du Lac, City of (w) 

Fowler Lake Management District (w) 

Geological Survey (w)

Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District (w) 

Green Lake Sanitary District (w) 

Hillsboro, City of (w) 

Hills Lake Management District (w) 

Hooker Lake District (w) 

Hubbard, Township of (w) 

Illinois Department of Transportation (w) 

Kansasville, Town of (w) 

Kaukauna Electric and Water Utilities (w) 

Kimberly Water Works Department (w) 

Lac Du Flambeau Indians (w) 

Lake Keesus Management District (w) 

Lake Nebagamon, Village of (w)

Little Arbor Vitae Protection and Rehabilitation District (w) 

Little Chute, Village of (w)

Little Green Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District (w) 

Little Muskego Lake District (w) 

Little St. Germain Lake District (w)

122 At Work Across the Nation. . .
S*\ Loon Lake/Wescot Managem

/ N. Madison Engineering Depa

/ WISCONSIN\ Madison Metropolitan Se

Lake/Wescot Management District (w)

jartment (w)

Metropolitan Sewerage District (w)

Marinette County Soil and Water Conservation Department (w) 

Mead, Township of (w)

Menasha, Town of, Sanitary District No. 4 (w) 

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (w) 

Muskego, City of (w) 

Norway, Town of (w) 

Oconomowoc Lake, Village of (w) 

Okauchee Lake Management District (w) 

Oneicla Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (w) 

Park Lake Management District (w) 

Peshtigo, City of (w)

Potters Lake Rehabilitation and Protection District (w) 

Powers Lake Management District (w) 

Pretty Lake Management District (w) 

Rock, County of, Public Works Department (w) 

St. Germain, Town of (w)

Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (w) 

Sparta, City of (w) 

Stockbridge-Munsee Indians (w) 

Summit, Town of (w) 

Thorp, City of (w) 

Troy, Town of (w)

University of Wisconsin Extension, Geological and Natural History 

Survey (n)

Upper Nemahbin Lake Management District (w) 

Waupun, City of (w)

Whitewater-Rice Lake Management District (w) 

Wind Lake Management District (w) 

Wisconsin Department of 

 Justice (w)

 Natural Resources (w)

 Transportation (w) 

Wittenberg, Village of (w) 

Wolf Lake Management District (w)

Cheyenne, City of (w)

Colorado State University (w) 

Evanston, City of (w)

Freemont County Weed and Pest Division (w) 

Midvale Irrigation District (w) 

Sheridan Water Supply Board (w) 

Shoshone Tribe (g) 

Star Valley Conservation District (w) 

Teton, County of (w) 

Water Development Commission (w) 

Water Resources Research Institute (w) 

Wind River Environmental Quality Commission (w) 

Wyoming Department of 

 Agriculture (w)

 Environmental Quality (w)

 Game and Fish (w)

 Highways (w) 

Wyoming State Engineer (w)

Federal Cooperators

Central Intelligence Agency (g)

Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service (w)

Forest Service (g,n,w)

Soil Conservation Service (n,w)

Department of the Air Force (w)

Aeronautical Systems Command (w)

Air Combat Command (w)

Air Education and Training Command (w)

Air Force Academy (w)

Headquarters, AFTAC/AC (g)

Hill Air Force Base (w) 

Kirtland Air Force Base (w) 

Luke Air Force Base (w) 

MacDill Air Force Base (w) 

Patrick Air Force Base (g) 

Tyndall Air Force Base (w) 

Vandenberg Air Force Base (w) 

Warren Air Force Base (w) 

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (w)

Department of the Army (w)

Aberdeen Proving Ground (w)

Army Aviation Center (w)

Army Construction Engineering Research Lab (w)

Army Environmental Center (w)

Army Materiel Command (w)

Corps of Engineers (g,n,w)

Engineer Topographic Laboratory (g,w)

Fort Bliss Military Reservation (w)

Fort Bragg Military Reservation (w)

Rocky Mountain Arsenal (w)

Department of Commerce (w)

Bureau of the Census (n)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (g)

National Marine Fish Service (w)

National Ocean Service (n)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (g,n,w)

National Weather Service (w)

Department of Defense Agencies

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (g,n) 

Defense Intelligence Agency (g) 

Defense Mapping Agency (n) 

Defense Nuclear Agency (g) 

National Guard Bureau (w)

Department of Energy (g,n,w)

Alaska Power Administration (w)

Bonneville Power Administration (w)

Hanford Project (w)

Health and Environmental Research (g)

Idaho Falls Operations Office (g,w)

Nevada Operations Office (g,w)

Oak Ridge Operations Office (g,w)

Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (g)

Rocky Flats Operations Office (w)

Sandia National Laboratories (g)

Savannah River Operations Office (w)

Test Operations Office, Las Vegas, Nevada (g)

Yucca Mountain Project (g, w)

Department of Health and Human Services

Indian Health Service (w)

Department of Housing and Urban Development (g)

Department of the Interior

Bureau of Indian Affairs (g,n,w)

Bureau of Land Management (g,n,w)

Bureau of Mines (n)

Bureau of Reclamation (g,n,w)

Minerals Management Service (g,w)

National Park Service (g,n,w)

Office of the Secretary (w)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (n,w)

Department of Justice (g, w)

Department of the Navy (w)

Naval Command, Contract asd Ocean Surveillance Center (w)

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (g) 

 Atlantic Division (w)

 Chesapeake Division (w)

. . . with Cooperators and Other Financial Contributors 123
 Northern Division (w)

 Pacific Division (w)

 Southwest Division (w) 

Naval Oceanographic Office (g) 

Naval Research Laboratory (g) 

Naval Security Group Activity (w) 

Naval Surface Warfare Center (w) 

Naval Weapons Center, China Lake (g) 

Navy Engineering and Logistics Office (g) 

Northwest Engineering Activity (w) 

Office of Naval Research (g) 

U.S. Marine Corps (w)

Department of State (g)

Agency for International Development (g,n,w)

Foreign and Nonforeign Governments (g)

Government of Saudi Arabia (g)

International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. and Mexico (w)

International Joint Commission, U.S. and Canada (w)

Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration (w) 

Federal Highway Administration (w)

Environmental Protection Agency (g,n,w)

Corvallis Environmental Research Laboratory (w)

Hazardous Waste Management Division (g)

Office of Radiation Programs (g)

Region IV, Florida Keys (g)

Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Lab (w)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (g,w)

Federal Power Commission (w)

Federal Energy Regulating Commission Licenses (w)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (g,n,w)

National Science Foundation (g,n,w)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (g, w)

Smithsonian Institution (g)

Swedish Nuclear Power Inspection (w)

Tennessee Valley Authority (n,w)

Veterans Administration (w)

Other Cooperators and Contributors

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (n) 

Boy Scouts of America (n)

United Arab Emirates (w)

United Nations (g,w) 

Inter-America Development Bank (g) 

United Nations Development Program (n) 

UNESCO (w)

124 At Work Across the Nation
** 

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, 

the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public 

lands and natural and cultural resources. This 

includes fostering wise use of our land and 

water resources, protecting our fish and 

wildlife, preserving the environmental and cuN 

tural values of our national parks and historical 

places, and providing for the enjoyment of life 

through outdoor recreation. The Department 

assesses our energy and mineral resources and 

works to assure that their development is in the 

best interests of all our people. The 

Department also has a major responsibility for 

American Indian reservation communities and 

for people who live in Island Territories under 

U.S. administration.

^^^Hr