Selected Physical, Chemical, and Biological Data Used to Study Urbanizing Streams in Nine Metropolitan Areas of the United States, 1999-2004

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is committed to providing the Nation with credible scientific information that helps to enhance and protect the overall quality of life and that facilitates effective management of water, biological, energy, and mineral resources (http://www.usgs. gov/). Information on the Nation's water resources is critical to ensuring long-term availability of water that is safe for drinking and recreation and is suitable for industry, irrigation, and fish and wildlife. Population growth and increasing demands for water make the availability of that water, now measured in terms of quantity and quality, even more essential to the long-term sustainability of our communities and ecosystems. The USGS implemented the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991 to support national, regional, State, and local information needs and decisions related to water-quality management and policy (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa). The NAWQA Program is designed to answer: What is the condition of our Nation's streams and ground water? How are conditions changing over time? How do natural features and human activities affect the quality of streams and ground water, and where are those effects most pronounced? By combining information on water chemistry, physical characteristics, stream habitat, and aquatic life, the NAWQA Program aims to provide science-based insights for current and emerging water issues and priorities. From 1991 to 2001, the NAWQA Program completed interdisciplinary assessments and established a baseline understanding of water-quality conditions in 51 of the Nation's river basins and aquifers, referred to as Study Units (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/studyu.html). Multiple national and regional assessments are ongoing in the second decade (2001-2012) of the NAWQA Program as 42 of the 51 Study Units are reassessed. These assessments extend the findings in the Study Units by determining status and trends at sites that have been consistently monitored for more than a decade, and filling critical gaps in characterizing the quality of surface water and ground water. For example, increased emphasis has been placed on assessing the quality of source water and finished water associated with many of the Nation's largest community water systems. During the second decade, NAWQA is addressing five national priority topics that build an understanding of how natural features and human activities affect water quality, and establish links between sources of contaminants, the transport of those contaminants through the hydrologic system, and the potential effects of contaminants on humans and aquatic ecosystems. Included are topics on the fate of agricultural chemicals, effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems, bioaccumulation of mercury in stream ecosystems, effects of nutrient enrichment on aquatic ecosystems, and transport of contaminants to public-supply wells. These topical studies are conducted in those Study Units most affected by these issues; they comprise a set of multi-Study-Unit designs...

Multilevel regression models describing regional patterns of invertebrate and algal responses to urbanization across the USA

“…Studies were conducted during 1999-2000(BOS, BIR, and SLC), 2000(ATL, DEN, and RAL), and 2003-2004. Details of the study designs can be found in Coles et al (2004), Cuffney et al (2005Cuffney et al ( , 2010, Tate et al (2005), and Giddings et al (2009).…”

Responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to environmental changes associated with urbanization in nine metropolitan areas

“…The Boston, Birmingham, and Salt Lake City metropolitan areas were studied during 1999-2000; Atlanta, Denver, and Raleigh were studied during and Dallas-Fort Worth, Milwaukee-Green Bay, and Portland in 2003-2004. Details of the study designs can be found in Tate et al (2005) and Giddings et al (2009).…”

“…5 E-mail: tcuffney@usgs.gov vation, and basin slope (Table 1). These studies examined biological, chemical, and physical changes along gradients of urbanization using a consistent experimental design and sample-collection and processing methods (Tate et al 2005, Giddings et al 2009). They represent a unique opportunity to begin to address some of the regional-and continental-scale effects of urbanization that have been hypothesized by Grimm et al (2008).…”

Determination of biologically significant hydrologic condition metrics in urbanizing watersheds: an empirical analysis over a range of environmental settings

“…Falcone et al (2007) provide a detailed description of the method used to collect the GIS characteristics. A comprehensive presentation of the data used in this study is available in Giddings et al (2009).…”

“…Study basins with more than 20% missing data were dropped from analysis. Crosssectional area-based (POR, DEN, DFW, MGB, ATL, and RAL) or stage-based (BIR, BOS, and SLC) HCMs were calculated to summarize overall hydrograph central tendency and variability and the magnitude, frequency, and duration of high-and low-flow periods (McMahon et al, 2003;Giddings et al, 2009). Three additional metrics were calculated: (1) the RichardsBaker flashiness index (rb_flash; Baker et al, 2004), which was based on daily values; (2) the percent daily change in mean daily values (day_pctchg); and (3) the duration of time that streamflow exceeded mean streamflow (Tqmean; Konrad & Booth, 2005).…”