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57-769: Borrego Valley is groundwater basin 7-24 with California's Colorado River hydrologic region . The Borrego Valley Groundwater Basin is housed underneath the Borrego Valley, which lies in both San Diego and Imperial counties of southern California. It reaches from the San Ysidro Mountains in San Diego County, to the east, where it enters Imperial County. As of 2016, the California Department of Water Resources split this basin into two sub-basins, Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells. The total surface area of this basin

114-403: A decline of up to two feet per year in groundwater levels occurred, mainly in the northern area of Borrego Valley, where agriculture predominates. As of 2010, a total of 50 wells were used for agricultural purposes, while eight service golf courses, and residential users rely on 14. More wells exist or are planned, but only 20 of the existing ones are monitored in their usage. Groundwater use by

171-578: A federal survey agency, in part to inventory the vast lands added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Mexican–American War in 1848. The USGS was authorized on March 3 in a last-minute amendment to an unrelated bill that charged the new agency with the "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of

228-449: A lack of accuracy and detail in comparison to older generation maps based on aerial photo surveys and field checks. As the digital databases were not designed for producing general-purpose maps, data integration can be a problem when retrieved from sources with different resolutions and collection dates. Human-made features once recorded by direct field observation are not in any public domain national database and are frequently omitted from

285-673: A new way to view their entire digitized collection of over 178,000 maps from 1884 to 2006. The site is an interactive map of the United States that allows users to search or move around the map to find the USGS collection of maps for a specific area. Users may then view the maps in great detail and download them if desired. In 2008 the USGS abandoned traditional methods of surveying, revising, and updating topographic maps based on aerial photography and field checks. Today's U.S. Topo quadrangle (1:24,000) maps are mass-produced, using automated and semiautomated processes, with cartographic content supplied from

342-410: A non-metric scale virtually unique to the United States. Each of these maps covers an area bounded by two lines of latitude and two lines of longitude spaced 7.5 minutes apart. Nearly 57,000 individual maps in this series cover the 48 contiguous states , Hawaii , U.S. territories , and areas of Alaska near Anchorage , Fairbanks , and Prudhoe Bay . The area covered by each map varies with

399-517: A number of specific science programs, facilities, and other organizational units: The Earthquake Hazards Program monitors earthquake activity worldwide. The National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) in Golden, Colorado , on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines detects the location and magnitude of global earthquakes. The USGS also runs or supports several regional monitoring networks in

456-818: A number of water-related programs, notably the National Streamflow Information Program and National Water-Quality Assessment Program. USGS Water data is publicly available from their National Water Information System database. The USGS also operates the National Wildlife Health Center , whose mission is "to serve the nation and its natural resources by providing sound science and technical support, and to disseminate information to promote science-based decisions affecting wildlife and ecosystem health. The NWHC provides information, technical assistance, research, education, and leadership on national and international wildlife health issues." It

513-658: A result, some have noted that the U.S. Topo maps currently fall short of traditional topographic map presentation standards achieved in maps drawn from 1945 to 1992. The Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) has four sections within its organizational structure; the Field Services Section which includes the warehouse, repair shop, and Engineering Unit; the Testing Section which includes the Hydraulic Laboratory, testing chambers, and Water Quality Laboratory;

570-475: A towing tank, jet tank, pipe flow facility, and tilting flume. In addition, the HIF provides training and technical support for the equipment it stocks. The Engineering Group seeks out new technology and designs for instrumentation that can work more efficiently, be more accurate, and or be produced at a lower cost than existing instrumentation. HIF works directly with vendors to help them produce products that will meet

627-614: A variety of USGS Report Series that include preliminary results, maps, data, and final results. A complete catalog of all USGS publications is available from the USGS Publications Warehouse. In the mid-1800s, various states set up geological survey institutions; e.g., the Kentucky Geological Survey , established in 1854. In 1879, a report from the National Academy of Sciences prompted Congress to set up

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684-482: Is 150,000 acres (240 square miles), encompassing three aquifers throughout the valley. The natural landscape of this area consists mostly of shrublands, rocky outcrops and sediment, with sparse forested areas. The altitudes in this region ranges from 30 feet below sea level in the Lower Borrego Valley, and exceeds 4,500 ft above sea level in the San Ysidro Mountains. The average amount of precipitation gained in

741-506: Is a partnership-driven program that teams scientific researchers with natural and cultural resource managers to help fish, wildlife, waters, and lands across the country adapt to climate change . The National CASC (NCASC), based at USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia, serves as the national office for the CASC network, while eight regional CASCs made up of federal-university consortiums located across

798-419: Is also an assortment of camping locations, as well as wildflower and wildlife viewing areas. While this region consists of desert, seemingly counter-intuitive uses of water persist. These include irrigation, not only of agricultural fields, but also vegetated landscapes like golf resorts. Another main water use, though a bit more practical, is the use of septic systems to dispose of wastewater. From 1945 to 2010,

855-490: Is extremely important to this region, as it is the only source of water available for agriculture, recreation, and general public use. Groundwater quality in this region is mostly affected by the available quantity. This is to be expected, as the concentration of dissolved solids will become greater in groundwater stocks that are decreasing in volume. One issue that is associated with this is that as groundwater levels fluctuate, their ability to flow from underlying aquifers to wells

912-577: Is impacted, and can cause erratic amounts of present toxicants to either increase or decrease in the water. An analysis on historic water quality data from the Borrego Valley Groundwater Basin performed by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that total dissolved solids (TDS) and nitrate in the upper level of the aquifer exceeded the water-quality thresholds for each given substance (500mg/L and 10 mg/L respectively). TDS, sulfates, and nitrates were found to have variable levels throughout

969-472: Is mapped at this scale in quadrangles measuring 1° by 1°. USGS topographic quadrangle maps are marked with grid lines and tics around the map collar which make it possible to identify locations on the map by several methods, including the graticule measurements of longitude and latitude, the township and section method within the Public Land Survey System , and cartesian coordinates in both

1026-399: Is one of the 10 major hydrologic regions of the state as identified by the California Department of Water Resources . The Colorado River hydrologic region has a surface area of about 20,000 sq mi (52,000 km ), and includes all of Imperial County , and portions of Riverside , San Bernardino , and San Diego . With an average of 5.5 in (140 mm) rain annually, this

1083-516: Is the agency primarily responsible for surveillance of H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in the United States. The USGS also runs 17 biological research centers in the United States, including the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center . The USGS is investigating collaboration with the social networking site Twitter to allow for more rapid construction of ShakeMaps. ShakeMaps are an interactive tool allowing users to visually observe

1140-463: Is the most arid hydrologic region of the state. The Colorado River drainage basin is the major watershed of this region. The Colorado River hydrologic region has 71 state-recognized alluvial groundwater basins and subbasins. United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey ( USGS ), founded as the Geological Survey , is an agency of the U.S. Department of

1197-469: Is worrisome for the Borrego Valley because water levels have decreased more than 100 feet in some areas of the basin. The Borrego Valley Hydrologic Model was created to recreate historic conditions so that past movement and use of both surface and groundwater could be analyzed, in hopes of addressing what future conditions may hold for the valley. Groundwater becomes available via percolation from various intermittent streams, such as Coyote Creek, which flow from

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1254-575: The State Plane Coordinate System and the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system . Other specialty maps have been produced by the USGS at a variety of scales. These include county maps, maps of special interest areas, such as the national parks , and areas of scientific interest. A number of Internet sites have made these maps available on the web for affordable commercial and professional use. Because works of

1311-610: The UCERF California earthquake forecast. As of 2005, the agency is working to create a National Volcano Early Warning System by improving the instrumentation monitoring the 169 volcanoes in U.S. territory and by establishing methods for measuring the relative threats posed at each site. The USGS also operates five volcano observatories throughout the nation: the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, Alaska (on

1368-550: The magnetic field at magnetic observatories and distributes magnetometer data in real time. The USGS collaborates with Canadian and Mexican government scientists, along with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation , to produce the North American Environmental Atlas , which is used to depict and track environmental issues for a continental perspective. The USGS operates the streamgaging network for

1425-442: The 15-minute series, was once used to map the contiguous 48 states at a scale of 1:62,500 for maps covering the continental United States, but was discontinued during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Each map was bounded by two parallels and two meridians spaced 15 minutes apart—the same area covered by four maps in the 7.5-minute series. The 15-minute series, at a scale of 1:63,360 (one inch representing one mile), remains

1482-439: The 30 x 60-minute quadrangle series. Each of these quadrangles covers the area contained within 32 maps in the 7.5-minute series. The 1:100,000 scale series is unusual in that it primarily employs the metric system . One centimeter on the map represents one kilometer of distance on the ground. Contour intervals , spot elevations, and horizontal distances are also specified in meters. The final regular quadrangle series produced by

1539-478: The Borrego Valley basin is usually less than 5 inches, and falls throughout the year, due to the climate being mostly the same year-round. It is mostly arid and dry, with a slightly cooler winter. The valley contains three aquifers: the upper, middle, and lower. The uppermost aquifer is made of alluvial, fan, playa and eolian deposits from the time between the Holocene and Pleistocene, and is up to 1,000 feet thick at

1596-508: The Borrego Water District in 1962 stemmed from the community wanting to protect the valley's groundwater from being sent to Salton Sea area, where much development was taking place. The Borrego Water District (BWD) is the only body to serve the needs of about 800 customers with nearly 1,600 acre feet per year thru 2,100 metered water connections, provides sewage treatment, flood control, and pest (gnat) management in select zones within

1653-595: The Coyote Mountains, and a surface drainage divide extending from the Coyote Mountains to the Superstition Mountains provides the eastern boundary. Groundwater in this basin is sourced from the mountains to the northeast, similar to the Borrego Springs sub-basin. This scenic area provides ample opportunity for hiking, observing nature, golfing, and trips to the nearby Anza-Borrego Desert State Park . There

1710-951: The Information Technology Section which includes computer support and the Drafting Unit; and the Administrative Section. The HIF was given national responsibility for the design, testing, evaluation, repair, calibration, warehousing, and distribution of hydrologic instrumentation. Distribution is accomplished by direct sales and through a rental program. The HIF supports data collection activities through centralized warehouse and laboratory facilities. The HIF warehouse provides hydrologic instruments, equipment, and supplies for USGS as well as Other Federal Agencies (OFA) and USGS Cooperators. The HIF also tests, evaluates, repairs, calibrates, and develops hydrologic equipment and instruments. The HIF Hydraulic Laboratory facilities include

1767-469: The Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology , geography , geology , and hydrology . The agency was founded on March 3, 1879, to study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources , and the natural hazards that threaten it. The agency also makes maps of extraterrestrial planets and moons based on data from U.S. space probes . The sole scientific agency of the U.S. Department of

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1824-699: The Interior, USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. It is headquartered in Reston, Virginia , with major offices near Lakewood, Colorado ; at the Denver Federal Center ; and in NASA Ames Research Park in California. In 2009, it employed about 8,670 people. The current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is "science for a changing world". The agency's previous slogan, adopted on its hundredth anniversary,

1881-514: The National GIS Database. In the two years from June 2009 to May 2011, the USGS produced nearly 40,000 maps, more than 80 maps per work day. Only about two hours of interactive work are spent on each map, mostly on text placement and final inspection; there are essentially no field checks or field inspections to confirm map details. While much less expensive to compile and produce, the revised digital U.S. topo maps have been criticized for

1938-569: The San Felipe Wash. Flow between the sub-basins is inhibited due to the immense alluvial sediments in Borrego Springs being cut off from the San Felipe Wash by the presence of large geologic structures. The effect had on each sub-basin is a reduced influence of groundwater pumping; the pumping of water from one area will not easily effect the next area. Unlike Borrego Springs, this sub-basin lies in both San Diego and Imperial counties. The westernmost region of Ocotillo Wells lies along Fish Creek and

1995-577: The Santa Rosa Mountains, and the San Felipe / Yaqui Ridge anticline and San Felipe fault in the south. At the western boundary, the San Ysidro Mountains provide the demarcation, while the eastern edge is defined by both the Coyote Creek and Superstition Mountain faultlines. Coyote Creek flows into the valley toward Borrego Sink , the prominent collection point for runoff, that sometimes overflows into

2052-633: The U.S. Geological Survey say that the over draft of the basin is about 13,000 acre feet per year (4.2 billion gallons). This is adds up to be around 70% of the current use of water throughout the entire basin, so the GSA associated with the Borrego Valley Groundwater Basin aims to reduce yearly water usage from 19,100 acre feet down to 5,700 is needed for sustainability. 33°09′43″N 116°11′21″W  /  33.1620°N 116.1891°W  / 33.1620; -116.1891 Colorado River hydrologic region The Colorado River hydrologic region of California

2109-468: The U.S. government are in the public domain , it is also possible to find many of these maps for free at various locations on the Internet. Georeferenced map images are available from the USGS as digital raster graphics (DRGs) in addition to digital data sets based on USGS maps, notably digital line graphs (DLGs) and digital elevation models (DEMs). In 2015, the USGS unveiled the topoView website,

2166-699: The U.S., U.S. Pacific Islands, and U.S. Caribbean deliver science that addresses resource management priorities of the states within their footprints. Since 1962, the Astrogeology Research Program has been involved in global, lunar , and planetary exploration and mapping . In collaboration with Stanford University , the USGS also operates the USGS-Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, a world-class analytical facility for U-(Th)-Pb geochronology and trace element analyses of minerals and other earth materials. USGS operates

2223-891: The USGS Center for Coastal Geology) has three sites, one for the Atlantic Ocean (located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts ), one for the Pacific Ocean (located in Santa Cruz, California ) and one for the Gulf of Mexico (located on the University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus). The goal of this department is to conduct research in geology, mapping, hydrology, biology, and related sciences; evaluate hazards associated with floods, droughts, hurricanes, subsidence, human activity, and climate change; map

2280-474: The USGS is the 1:250,000 scale topographic series. Each of these quadrangles in the conterminous United States measures 1 degree of latitude by 2 degrees of longitude. This series was produced by the U.S.  Army Map Service in the 1950s, prior to the maps in the larger-scale series, and consists of 489 sheets, each covering an area ranging from 8,218 square miles (21,285 km ) at 30° north to 6,222 square miles (16,115 km ) at 49° north. Hawaii

2337-507: The USGS to rely on donations of time by civilian volunteers in an attempt to update its 7.5-minute topographic map series, and USGS stated outright in 2000 that the program was to be phased out in favor of The National Map (not to be confused with the National Atlas of the United States produced by the Department of the Interior , one of whose bureaus is USGS). An older series of maps,

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2394-481: The United States under the umbrella of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). The USGS informs authorities, emergency responders, the media, and the public, both domestic and worldwide, about significant earthquakes. It maintains long-term archives of earthquake data for scientific and engineering research. It also conducts and supports research on long-term seismic hazards . USGS has released

2451-867: The United States, with over 7400 streamgages . Real-time streamflow data are available online. As part of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, the State Water Resources Research Act Program created a Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) in each state, along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam. Together, these institutes make up the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). The institutes focus on water-related issues through research, training and collaboration. The National and regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs)

2508-463: The agricultural sector, recreation, municipalities, and even Anza-Borrego Desert State Park cumulatively required four times as much water as what can naturally recharge in the basin. Due to this, the U.S. Geological Survey and Borrego Water District began working together to develop a better understanding of Borrego Valley's hydrogeology, in order to know what hydrologic effects might arise from future land development projects. Groundwater availability

2565-1116: The campus of Alaska Pacific University ), the California Volcano Observatory in Menlo Park, California , the Cascades Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Idaho , Oregon , and Washington ) in Vancouver, Washington , the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in Hilo, Hawaii , and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Arizona , Colorado , Montana , New Mexico , Utah , and Wyoming ) in Yellowstone National Park , Wyoming. The USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center (formerly

2622-422: The continental United States, though only for use by members of its defense forces). The next-smallest topographic series, in terms of scale, is the 1:100,000 series. These maps are bounded by two lines of longitude and two lines of latitude. However, in this series, the lines of latitude are spaced 30 minutes apart and the lines of longitude are spaced 60 minutes, which is the source of another name for these maps;

2679-420: The distribution and severity of Shaking resulting from Earthquakes. The USGS produces several national series of topographic maps which vary in scale and extent, with some wide gaps in coverage, notably the complete absence of 1:50,000 scale topographic maps or their equivalent. The largest (both in terms of scale and quantity) and best-known topographic series is the 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 scale, quadrangle ,

2736-488: The latitude of its represented location due to convergence of the meridians. At lower latitudes, near 30° north, a 7.5-minute quadrangle contains an area of about 64 square miles (166 km ). At 49° north latitude, 49 square miles (127 km ) are contained within a quadrangle of that size. As a unique non-metric map scale, the 1:24,000 scale naturally requires a separate and specialized romer scale for plotting map positions. In recent years, budget constraints have forced

2793-537: The mission needs of the USGS. For instrument needs not currently met by a vendor, the Engineering Group designs, tests, and issues contracts to have HIF-designed equipment made. Sometimes HIF will patent a new design in the hope that instrument vendors will buy the rights and mass-produce the instrument at a lower cost to everyone. USGS researchers publish the results of their science in a variety of ways, including peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as in one of

2850-444: The mountains in the northwest. It is estimated that a total 5,500,000 acre feet of groundwater can be stored in the Borrego Springs sub-basin, but as much time has passed, and over-drafting has occurred, the storage capacity may be more limited. The Ocotillo Wells sub-basin was estimated to be able to hold roughly 6,250,000 acre feet, but a similar situation to Borrego Springs plays into the shrinkage of capacity. Groundwater quality

2907-465: The newest generation digital topo maps, including windmills, mines and mineshafts, water tanks, fence lines, survey marks, parks, recreational trails, buildings, boundaries, pipelines, telephone lines, power transmission lines, and even railroads. Additionally, the digital map's use of existing software may not properly integrate different feature classes or prioritize and organize text in areas of crowded features, obscuring important geographic details. As

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2964-495: The northern end of the basin. This layer provides the main source of water for the Borrego Valley. Beneath this layer lies the middle and lower aquifers, containing Pleistocene-age continental deposits such as consolidated sand, gravel, and boulders. The middle aquifer is thickest in the center of the valley, measuring 700 feet, while the lower aquifer reaches depths of 1800 feet in the southern portion. This region lies exclusively in San Diego County, with its northernmost edge in

3021-469: The onshore and offshore geologic framework; assess mineral resources and develop techniques for their discovery; assess water resources and develop an understanding of the impact of human activities and natural phenomena on hydrologic systems; assess links between biodiversity, habitat condition, ecosystem processes and health; and develop new technologies for collection and interpretation of earth science data. The USGS National Geomagnetism Program monitors

3078-428: The primary topographic quadrangle for the state of Alaska (and only for that particular state). Nearly 3,000 maps cover 97% of the state. The United States remains virtually the only developed country in the world without a standardized civilian topographic map series in the standard 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 metric scales, making coordination difficult in border regions (the U.S. military does issue 1:50,000 scale topo maps of

3135-487: The service area. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act requires that each basin deemed high or medium priority in the state forms a Groundwater Sustainability Agency, in which the Borrego Valley Groundwater Basin falls. The goals for these GSA's are to "avoid “undesirable results” in groundwater elevations, storage levels, water quality degradation, land subsidence, seawater intrusion and downstream interconnected water impacts," all by July 2019. Estimates made in 2015 by

3192-439: The upper aquifer as well as geographic location within the basin. This same study examined the rate of groundwater recharge for the basin, and found that very little is actually occurring, mostly attributed to changing climatic conditions. Instead of water percolating down into this basin, the water has been shifted in its area of deposition, so that recharge is happening adjacent to the bordering mountain ranges. The creation of

3249-603: Was "Earth Science in the Public Service". Since 2012, the USGS science focus has been directed at topical "Mission Areas" that have continued to evolve. Further organizational structure includes headquarters functions, geographic regions, science and support programs, science centers, labs, and other facilities. The USGS regional organization aligns with the U.S. Department of the Interior Unified Interior Regions: USGS operates and organizes within

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