Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Methods For Biological, Chemical, And Physical Analyses In Reservoirs, Penelope E. Kellar, Sherell A. Paulson, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

This manual contains detailed descriptions of biological, chemical and physical sampling and analytical procedures used at the Lake Mead Limnological Research Center. The manual was prepared in response to requests made by numerous individuals involved in the Las Vegas Valley Water Quality Program. This manual represents what we consider to be a reasonably complete compilation of methods useful in studying both general and specific limnological questions. While each section is sufficiently detailed to be of use to investigators with little experience in limnological methodology, the methods can be used on a wide variety of lakes and reservoirs, with relatively little …

Nutrient Interactions Among Reservoirs On The Colorado River, Larry J. Paulson, John R. Baker

Publications (WR)

Interactions among physical, chemical and biological processes in reservoirs can significantly alter the characteristics of the discharge (Neel 1963, Wright 1967, Hannan 1979) that, in turn, can influence the ecology of the river downstream .(Ward and Stanford 1979). Investigations of the Colorado River, system reveal that reservoir-induced changes in the river can also affect downstream reservoirs. The formation of Lake Powell, in 1963 was accompanied by reductions in suspended sediment and nutrient loading and changes in the seasonal temperature and discharge cycles of the Colorado River. In this paper, we evaluate how these changes have influenced the nutrient and trophic …

Potential Use Of Hydroelectric Facilities For Manipulating The Fertility Of Lake Mead, Larry J. Paulson, John R. Baker, James E. Deacon

Publications (WR)

Analysis of historical nutrient data for Lake Mead indicates that the fertility of the reservoir has decreased which may be the cause for a corresponding decline in the largemouth bass population. However, it appears that fertility can be manipulated by altering the operation of the dam. The depletion of nutrients in the euphotic zone by phytoplankton and subsequent accumulation in the hypolimnion during summer and fall provide a natural nutrient gradient from which water of varying fertility can be drawn for discharge. This combined with alterations in the depth or seasonal pattern of discharge can possibly be used to enhance …

Limnological Aspects Of Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, John R. Baker, James E. Deacon, Thomas A. Burke, Samuel S. Egdorf, Larry J. Paulson, Richard W. Tew, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead is a deep, subtropical, moderately productive, desert impoundment with a negative heterograde oxygen profile occurring during; the summer stratification. investigations of the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead by the University of Nevada were initiated in November 1971. The primary objective of the study was to determine what effects industrial and sewage effluent from the Las Vegas metropolitan area, discharged into Las Vegas Bay, have had on the water quality and limnological conditions of Boulder Basin. Data from the 1975-76 period are presented in detail, with earlier data included in the summaries and discussions. Measurements of water temperature, dissolved …

A Review Of The Limnology Of And Water Quality Standards For Lake Mead, Charles R. Goldman

Publications (WR)

1. The waters of Las Vegas Bay, a heavily utilized recreational resource, receive discharges from a variety of municipal and industrial waste sources. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined, on the basis of numerous studies, that the present water quality violates state and federal standards and constitutes a public nuisance. Consultants have advised the Sewage and Wastewater Advisory Committee that rapid abatement of the alleged pollution conditions can be achieved by an advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) plant.

2. The major problems in Las Vegas Bay are an objectionable water color, excessive turbidity, noxious odors, and oxygen depletion in certain …

Report On Wastewater Disposal To Board Of County Commissioners, Clark County Nevada, Clair N. Sawyer

Publications (WR)

This report is concerned with the management of waste-waters and subsurface drainage from the City of Las Vegas and its environs and the BMI complex, all in Clark County, Nevada. The prime objective is to recommend a plan of action which will utilize the natural resources of the area in the least costly manner and still protect Lake Mead for recreational purposes and use as a public water supply, At this writing, conditions in the upper Las Vegas arm of Boulder Basin are quite unsatisfactory for some recreational purposes due to the extensive blooms of algae which develop. Experience at …

Final Report - Lake Mead Monitoring Program, James E. Deacon

Publications (WR)

The Lake Mead monitoring program has developed a substantial body of information on the physical, chemical and biological limnology of Lake Mead since 1972. This report summarizes pertinent aspects of that data, with emphasis on studies completed in 1975 -76. It is our continuing hope that the data developed by us will be useful to an ever broader group of users of the water resource represented by Lake Mead. We have been privileged to see our data have a significant influence in some very important water resource decisions over the past four years. There is every reason to expect that …

Distribution Of Stream Pollution In Lake Water, Richard W. Tew, Samuel S. Egdorf, James E. Deacon

Publications (WR)

Wastewater effluent-laden waters from Las Vegas Wash (LVW) form a density current that may be detected in Boulder Basin of Lake Mead at considerable distances from the wash estuary. This led to the suspicion that water from the inflowing stream [40 mgd (1.5 X 10⁵ cu m/day)] might not be rapidly diluted in the enormous volume of the lake [19 mil acre-ft (2.3 X 10¹⁰ cu m)], but might persist as a recognizable entity to the vicinity of the intake of a major water source for populous Clark County, Nev.

Because of the detection sensitivity implicit in the …

Seasonal And Spatial Variation In Primary Productivity In Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, Clark County, Nevada, Isamu Aoki

Publications (WR)

The ¹⁴C light and dark bottle technique for measurement of primary production was utilized as a means of assessing the amount of inorganic carbon being converted Into organic form by the photosynthesis of phytoplankton populations In the Boulder Basin of Lake Mead.

Spatial and time series changes of productivity levels observed at eight sampling locations within Boulder Basin Indicate that the Influence of treated municipal arts' industrial effluent flowing into Les Vegas Bay is contributing high levels of available nutrients at Las Vegas Wash Inlet to cause productivity to approximate those levels associated with polluted waters.

Productivity levels at …

A Diurnal Zooplankton Migration Study In Lake Mead, Robert D. Staker

Publications (WR)

The diurnal vertical movement of zooplankton was first recorded in freshwater lakes by Weismann (1877) in Lake Constance (Bodensee), although Cuvier was credited with observing the migration of Daphniae in 1817 (Gushing, 1955). The migration is best observed in deep oligotrophic lakes and migrations of 50 m per day are described (Worthington, 1931). In addition, two species of chaetognaths are reported to migrate 400 m a day in marine waters off of Lisbon (Waterman and Berry, 1967) while Birge (1895) found little evidence of the phenomenon at all in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. Most zooplankton that migrate rise at night and …

Phytoplankton Distribution And Water Quality Indices For Lake Mead (Colorado River), Robert D. Staker, Robert W. Hoshaw, Lorne G. Everett

Publications (WR)

Phytoplankton samples were collected in Lake Mend 6 times from September 1910 to June 1971 for 8 stations at depths of 0. 3, 5, 10, 20, and 30 m. These samples were processed through a Millipore filter apparatus and 79 planktonic algae were identified. Algal divisions represented were Bacillariophyta, 42 species; Chlorophyta, 18 ; Cyanophyta, 9; Chrysophyta, 3; Cryptophyta, 3; Pyrrophyta, 2; and Euglenophyta, 2. Blue-green algae were dominant in late summer and fall; green algae, diatoms, and, cryptomonads in winter; and green algae in spring. The early summer flora was best represented by the Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, and Chrysophyta. Palmer's …

Final Report On Interrelationships Between Chemical, Physical And Biological Conditions Of The Waters Of Las Vegas Bay Of Lake Mead, James E. Deacon, Richard W. Tew

Publications (WR)

This program was a status study of the interaction between Las Vegas Wash, an enriched stream, and Las Vegas Bay, a wedge shaped arm of one of the world's deeper reservoirs. The program centered primarily on identification and counting of planktonic algae from several points in Las Vegas Bay. Additional work on nutrient enrichment of water samples was conducted to aid in interpretation of algal distribution related to nutrient input. Examination of a variety of physical, chemical, and biological parameters, both at many surface points in the bay, as well as in vertical profile, was also accomplished and further aided …

Phytoplankton Successions And Lake Dynamics In Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead, Nevada, Ervon R. Koening, Richard W. Tew, James E. Deacon

Publications (WR)

Phytoplankton successions, applications of the general growth equation, and physical measurements have been employed to investigate events occurring at the interface between industrial and sewage effluent contained in Las Vegas Wash and the waters of Lake Mead, Nevada. The data indicate that the entering waters tend to form a density current interrupted at intervals by dynamic effects generated in the lake. The dynamic relationships described here for the spring months suggest that a much more thorough understanding of physical, chemical and biological interactions is necessary to permit solution of the numerous problems of Las Vegas Bay discussed or alluded to …

A Mathmatical Model Of Primary Productivity And Limnological Patterns In Lake Mead, Lorne G. Everett

Publications (WR)

The temporal and spatial changes in chemical and biological properties of Lake Mead have been investigated, thereby indicating the sources of water pollution and the time of highest pollution potential. Planktonic organisms have been shown to indicate the presence of water problems. Macro- and micro-nutrient analyses have shown that primary productivity is not inhibited by limiting concentrations. A mathematical model has been developed, tested with one set of independent data, and shown worthy of management utility. Although the model works very well for the Lake Mead area, the physical reality of the Multiple Linear Regression equation should be tested on …

Report On Water Pollution Problems In Las Vegas Wash And Las Vegas Bay, Environmental Protection Agency

Publications (WR)

This report was prepared by the Federal Water- Quality Administration, Pacific Southwest Region, now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region IX, at the request of the State of Nevada, Department of Health, Welfare, and rehabilitation. In a letter, dated December 5, 1969, this agency asked for technical assistance, as authorized by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, in developing discharge standards appropriate for Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead, and the Lower Colorado River. The subsequent study was performed by EPA from January through August, 1970. The establishment of Nevada State Water Quality Standards for these waters will enable responsible officials …

A Conceptual Draft Of A Dynamic Hydro-Biological Model For Lake Mead, L. G. Everett, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Food and energy transformation in an aquatic system must be understood in order to develop a simulation approach. This report provides a comprehensive study of an aquatic ecosystem. The objectives of this report are to show: (1) the biological relationships in an aquatic system (2) the role of nutrients in the biological cycle (3) the role of abiotic factors in a limnetic environment (4) the status of the art of "Eutrophication modeling".

Micronutrients And Biological Patterns In Lake Mead, Hasan K. Qashu, Lorne G. Everett, J. S. Carlson, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Progressive increases in concentration of dissolved solids in the Colorado River water from Lake Powell to Imperial Dam seem to alter plankton dynamics and biological productivity of the river. Also, changes in biological productivity and micronutrients concentrations occur within the same reservoir. Development of a digital simulation model to predict micronutrients concentrations and biological productivity is necessary for diagnosing changes in plankton population and effluent-carrying capacity of the system. The objectives of the study are: (1) to determine trace metal balance at different locations in Lake Mead, (2) to measure biological productivity and conduct plankton population counts at each sampling …

Water Chemistry Survey Of Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, P. R. Tramutt, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

The survey results indicate that the impoundment of water behind Hoover Dam has not adversely affected the dissolved oxygen (DO) content and that water quality and DO content were uniform regardless of depth. The study made in April-May 1964 will provide water quality data of Lake Mead prior to releases from Lake Powell as a basis for evaluating Lake Powell's effect on water quality and limnology of Lake Mead. The performance of a DO analyzer was tested and found unsatisfactory at depths below 150 ft. Parameters tested by standard chemical analyses of water samples in the Denver Laboratory and by …

Preliminary Report: Monolayer Behavior Studies, 1959, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

During the fall of 1959, monolayer behavior studies were made on two lakes in the southwest; Boulder Basin of Lake Mead, Nevada, and Lake Sahuaro near Phoenix, Arizona. These studies were made to evaluate the effect of geographical and climatological conditions on movement and behavior of monolayers. The Lake Sahuaro tests also were used to provide data for design and development of improved methods of application and maintenance of a film on this lake in anticipation of full scale, evaporation-reduction tests to be performed there during the summer of I960. The Lake Mead studies produced the following general points of …

Comprehensive Survey Of Sedimentation In Lake Mead, 1948-49, W. O. Smith, C. P. Vetter, G. B. Cummings, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Reservoirs are becoming an increasingly prominent feature of the American landscape. Built for flood mitigation and to change a fluctuating river into a dependable source of water for irrigation, power, and other purposes, they are predestined, like natural lakes, to be destroyed sometime following their creation. Sedimentation sooner or later robs most lakes and reservoirs of their capacity to store water. The significance of sedimentation in the life of Lake Mead, the largest artificial reservoir in the world, was realized when the plan for the reservoir was conceived, and an aerial survey of the floor was made in 1935 before …