USGS Nebraska Water Science Center Science Highlights

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Scientists from the USGS Nebraska Water Science Center currently are working on the projects listed below. A summary of the project is available by clicking the project title. In addition to the projects listed below, we monitor streamflow, groundwater and water-quality throughout the state. Our data and site information is available on NWISweb.

Abbreviation: NRD, Natural Resources District

City of Lincoln Groundwater Quality Monitoring

Since 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey USGS Nebraska Water Science Center has collected water samples from six monitoring wells in the Platte River alluvial aquifer near Ashland. Analytes include major and trace metals, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, pesticides and their degradates, and arsenic species. The samples are analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory.

The USGS collects additional samples from three monitoring wells north of Ashland to determine the presence and, if present, concentrations of selected explosives analytes, such as cyclonite (also known as cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, Royal Demolition Explosive, or RDX) and volatile organic compounds, such as trichloroethene (also known as trichloroethylene, or TCE). The selected explosives and volatile organic compounds of interest were not detected in the 2016 samples.

Project Website

For more information:
Jonathan Traylor
402.328.4123
jtraylor@usgs.gov
Ginny McGuire
402.328.4126
vlmcguir@usgs.gov

ELM Regional Groundwater Model

Elkhorn Loup Model

The Elkhorn-Loup Model, a multi-phase project, is a study of surface-water and groundwater resources in the Elkhorn River basin upstream from Norfolk, Nebraska, and the Loup River basin upstream from Columbus, Nebraska. The study area covers approximately 30,800 square miles, and extends north to the Niobrara River and south to the Platte River. The eastern boundary coincides with the approximate location of the westernmost extent of glacial till in eastern Nebraska. The study was designed to assist water managers by characterizing the ground-water system within the study area and by providing a regional groundwater-flow model. Phase one and two of this study have been completed. For phase three, we will:

Characterize the regional hydrogeology of the Loup and Elkhorn River basins, using recently compiled information, as well as historic data sets and previous studies, if available.
Construct a steady-state regional groundwater model of the Loup and Elkhorn River basins. The steady-state regional groundwater flow model will encompass almost 30,000 mi², and will simulate the regional groundwater flow system prior to groundwater development for irrigation.
Characterize anthropogenic impacts to the regional groundwater system from the beginning of major ground water irrigation to the present.
Estimate historic irrigation well pumpage rates for the study area based on precipitation, land use, registered wells, and available well pumpage information.
Convert the steady-state regional groundwater flow model to a transient model simulating the period of groundwater development for irrigation. Calibrate the transient regional groundwater model using estimated historic irrigation well pumpage data.
Analyze sensitivities and limitations of the groundwater model, which will help cooperators understand the capabilities and limitations of the groundwater model.

Project Website

For more information:
Amanda Flynn
402.328.4144
aflynn@usgs.gov
Steve Peterson
402.328.4151

speterson@usgs.gov

Groundwater/Surface-Water Interaction Near the Confluence of the Elkhorn and Lower Platte Rivers

To sustain flows in the lower Platte River that are needed for municipal water supplies, water managers have proposed projects aimed at temporary storage of surface water in upstream parts of the basin to augment streamflows in the lower Platte River during low-flow periods. One area of interest to the Lower Platte North NRD and the Papio-Missouri River NRD is a reach of the lower Platte River that extends from downstream of Fremont to its confluence with the Elkhorn River.

Understanding how groundwater moves in the shallow alluvial aquifer along the lower Platte and Elkhorn Rivers is essential for conjunctive water management projects aimed at increasing base flows of the lower Platte River for municipal needs. We are using several approaches to improve the understanding of groundwater/surface-water interaction along the lower Platte and lower Elkhorn Rivers. The datasets produced with this project will provide cooperators with information needed to construct a numerical groundwater flow model, which can be used to estimate the volume of water that is exchanged between the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers under varying flow conditions. Specifically, we will

Instrument three groundwater-level recorder wells along a transect above the confluence of the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers. A coupled groundwater/surface-water gaging station will be installed at the Platte River near the Leshara gaging station to mirror the instrumentation set-up at the Elkhorn River at Waterloo coupled groundwater/surface-water gaging station.
Analyze and interpret data from a transect of groundwater level recorders and coupled groundwater/surface-water gages.
Plan and execute two synoptic groundwater level surveys during flow conditions that are of interest to the project cooperators.
Use the collected groundwater-levels and surveyed surface-water elevations to interpolate a groundwater-level surface, construct contours, and interpret flow paths
Use heat as a tracer to estimate hydraulic conductivity of the streambed sediment and estimate fluxes across the streambed.

For more information:
Chris Hobza
402.328.4133
cmhobza@usgs.gov

Understanding Sandbar Dynamics in the Lower Platte River

Among the various habitat types within a river corridor, sandbars are highly dynamic and quite sensitive to changes such as channel width, streamflow, and riparian woodland expansion. To aid our understanding of sandbars, we are studying variation in the height and area of sandbars in the Lower Platte River. Our goal is to answer these science questions:

To what height are sandbars deposited relative to the river stage that formed them?
Do sandbars tend to form in the same places during successive formative flows? Or are they quasi-randomly distributed? Can we identify controls?

This study has been completed in phases, beginning with the pilot study in 2011. These sandbar surveys have been completed:

April, July, and November 2011: Salt Creek to Plattsmouth
April and September 2012: Fremont to Plattsmouth (Drought year)
July/August 2013: Columbus to Plattsmouth
July/September 2014: Columbus to Plattsmouth

Results from the final phase of this study are being synthesized and will be released as a journal article.

Missouri River Recovery—Chute Construction Monitoring

We are providing monitoring assistance related to the construction of off-channel aquatic habitat (such as chutes) along the Missouri River. This construction is currently done using a hydraulic dredge to excavate floodplain material. The dredge slurry is discharged into the main channel of the Missouri River. The potential impacts on nutrient and sediment levels in the river from this practice have created some concern from bordering states charged with reducing nutrient loading to the Gulf of Mexico. Our primary objective is to assess the downstream impact of hydraulic dredging discharge to the Missouri River.

We have collected data on 8 different sample events during active dredge operation periods at 4 sites along the Missouri River. Sampling occurred from fall 2013 through the 2014 navigation season.

Results from this study are being synthesized and will be released as a journal article.

For more information:
Dave Rus
402.328.4127
dlrus@usgs.gov

Papio-Missouri River NRD Groundwater-Quality Monitoring

The USGS, in cooperation with the NRD, has been collecting groundwater quality samples within the district, to support the district’s groundwater management plan, since 1992. We are currently monitoring the groundwater supplies for agricultural-related chemicals, and continuing to monitor contaminants that have been detected previously in the aquifers at at least 30% of the maximum contaminant level. These contaminants are naturally occurring, but have limits set for domestic drinking water supplies by Nebraska Title 118, which are similar to EPA drinking water standards.

We sample wells across the district on a 4 year schedule. We monitor domestics, industrials, municipal, stock and irrigation wells, which we refer to as the network wells. The NRD also has a set of dedicated monitoring wells installed in clusters across the district. These clustered wells are multiple wells in the same location, but are screened at differing depths within the aquifer.

We aim to sample 25 sites per year, plus collect samples at additional cluster well sites that have shown elevated concentrations of analytes of interest. Five additional sets of monitoring well clusters were drilled in the district and the USGS is performing baseline monitoring of these sites for the next two years. The USGS has collected over 2,200 samples at over 350 sites since 1992 in support of this project.

Project Website

For more information:
Amanda Flynn
402.328.4144
aflynn@usgs.gov

Tile Drain Delineation

Trends in streamflow characteristics of sites in the Elkhorn River, Salt Creek, and Lower Platte River Basins have been studied previously by USGS scientists. The results of the study indicated increasing temporal trends in streamflow for the period of record at eight streamflow-gaging stations. For this study, we are investigating mechanisms other than precipitation and groundwater withdrawals that may affect streamflow, particularly during low-flow periods. To better understand the processes in these basins, we are studying the underlying reasons for the increasing trend in streamflow at the streamflow-gaging stations and updating the previously published streamflow statistics. Processes that could affect streamflow are

tile drains,
precipitation effects,
streambed degradation,
channel straightening effects on streambed degradation, and
agricultural best management practices (BMPs).

For this study, we focused on the effects of tile drains on streamflow during irrigation seasons and periods of low-flow as well as updating the streamflow statistics.

For more information:
Kellan Strauch
402.328.4181
kstrauch@usgs.gov

	Project Title	Cooperating Agency
	City of Lincoln Groundwater Quality Monitoring	City of Lincoln
	ELM Regional Groundwater Model	Upper Elkhorn NRD, Lower Elkhorn NRD, Middle Niobrara NRD, Lower Platte North NRD
	Lower Elkhorn Groundwater/Surface Water Interaction	Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District
	Lower Platte River Sandbar Dynamics	Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance
	Missouri River Recovery Program Monitoring	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
	Papio-Missouri River NRD Groundwater-Quality Monitoring	Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District
	Tile Drain Delineation	Lower Elkhorn NRD

USGS Nebraska Water Science Center

Congressional District 1

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry

Research Projects