This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release contains locations and concentrations of metals in various size fractions in floodplain-core, streambed-sediment samples, and sediment deposited on the flood plain from the December 2015 flood and underlying soils collected from along the Middle Big River and tributaries in the Southeast Missouri Barite District from 2012 to 2015. All samples were analyzed either by inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Concentrations of metals in quality-assurance samples are also presented to evaluate the effect of sample splitting and compare the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USGS Missouri Water Science Center XRF units. Major and trace elements included in this data release include aluminum, antinomy, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, indium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, phosphorus, potassium, rubidium, scandium, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tellurium, thallium, thorium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, yttrium, and zinc. These data tables are provided as machine readable access to the tables in the following publication: Smith, D.C., and Schumacher, J.G., 2018, Distribution of mining-related trace elements in streambed and flood-plain sediment along the middle Big River and tributaries in the Southeast Missouri Barite District, 2012–15: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5103, 89 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185103.

These data contain concentrations of trace elements in various size fractions (less than 0.063 millimeters, 0.063 to 0.250 millimeters, 0.250 to 2 millimeters, and greater than 2 millimeters) of flood-plain core samples analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (laboratory) and x-ray fluorescence (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release contains locations and concentrations of metals in various size fractions in floodplain-core, streambed-sediment samples, and sediment deposited on the flood plain from the December 2015 flood and underlying soils collected from along the Middle Big River and tributaries in the Southeast Missouri Barite District from 2012 to 2015. All samples were analyzed either by inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Concentrations of metals in quality-assurance samples are also presented to evaluate the effect of sample splitting and compare the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USGS Missouri Water Science Center XRF units. Major and trace elements included in this data release include aluminum, antinomy, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gallium, indium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, phosphorus, potassium, rubidium, scandium, silver, sodium, strontium, sulfur, tellurium, thallium, thorium, tin, titanium, tungsten, uranium, vanadium, yttrium, and zinc. These data tables are provided as machine readable access to the tables in the following publication: Smith, D.C., and Schumacher, J.G., 2018, Distribution of mining-related trace elements in streambed and flood-plain sediment along the middle Big River and tributaries in the Southeast Missouri Barite District, 2012–15: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5103, 89 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185103.

These data contains location information for the various sites covered in the data release. Locations include streambed-sediment, flood-plain core, and flood-plain sediment sampling locations along the Big River, Maddin Creek, Mineral Fork Creek, Old Mines Creek, Mill Creek, and Dry Creek.

These data contain concentrations of trace elements in flood-plain samples in various size fractions measured using x-ray fluorescence. Samples were collected along tributaries draining the Washington County Barite District.

These data contain concentrations of trace elements in unsieved flood-plain samples collected along tributaries draining the Washington County Barite District.

The U.S. Geological Survey is monitoring concentrations of metals and other trace elements in streambed sediment and aquatic invertebrates in post-wildfire watersheds in five western states including California, Oregon, Montana, Colorado and New Mexico. This data release makes available major and minor trace element concentrations in bed sediment and aquatic invertebrates collected from 2022-2024.

Record amounts of precipitation fell across the Colorado Front Range from September 9 to 16, 2013, resulting in extensive flooding in the South Platte River and its major mountain tributaries. In this study, the effects of the flood on the City of Boulder, Colorado urban hydrology system were assessed using weekly time-series sampling of 3 source waters (Boulder tap water, Boulder wastewater treatment facility effluent, and Boulder Creek water) conducted from September 20 to October 16, 2012 (n=5) and August 13 to September 30, 2013 (n=8). The effect of the flood on the South Platte River was assessed using a single basin-wide sampling of 5 main stem and 7 tributary sites from September 18 to 22, 2013. Filtered water samples were analyzed at the Boulder sites, and filtered and unfiltered samples were analyzed at the South Platte River sites. Major elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry and trace elements were measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Each sample was measured in triplicate and the averages and standard deviations are reported. The results from analyses of associated quality assurance samples (field blanks and field duplicates) also are presented.

These data contain concentrations of select trace elements in samples collected on the flood plain from flood deposits from the December 2015 flood and underlying soils. All samples were analyzed by x-ray fluorescence.

Legacy mine waste from the Clark Fork River in Western Montana has contributed 100 million tons of tailings into the watershed between 1880 and 1982 (E.D. Andrews, Longitudinal dispersion of metals in the Clark Fork River, Montana, Lewis Publishers, 1987). Tailings deposited along the floodplain, streambanks and river channel continue to contribute metal contaminated material into the river in the form of metal-enriched particulate matter or seston, comprising a mixture of organic and inorganic materials (J.N. Moore and S.N. Luoma, Hazardous wastes from large-scale metal extraction: A case study. Environmental Science and Technology, v.24:1278-1285, 1990). Metal enriched seston poses a dietary exposure risk to filter-feeding macroinvertebrates that entrap and ingest suspended materials as a primary food source. Suspended particulate material and dissolved and total recoverable water samples were collected along a metal contamination gradient in 2017 and 2018 in the Clark Fork River and analyzed for metal concentrations to include the highly toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, and copper. Concentrations of seston arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu) ranged from 20.7–242 ug As/g, 2.7–16.2 ug Cd/g, and 129–1260 ug Cu/g. Dissolved (filtered) stream water concentrations ranged from 3.5–21.7 ug As/L, 0.1–0.38 ug Cd/L, and 1.5–12.5 ug Cu/L. Total recoverable (unfiltered) water concentrations ranged from 2.7–22.8 ug As/L, 0.1–0.35 ug Cd/L, and 2.0–14.9 ug Cu/L. Data presented here represent metal concentrations in water and seston from a mining-impacted river and provide insight to potential exposure of toxic metals to resident filter-feeding aquatic invertebrates.