The Nature Conservancy has initiated restoration projects on its Silver Creek Preserve, a prized trout fishery. They turned to the USGS for expertise in ecological monitoring to guide their efforts.
Providing Unbiased Science for Idaho's Silver Creek Preserve
Kilpatrick Pond, created by a 19th century irrigation dam, has captured sediment, slowed water velocities, and increased water temperatures as much as 10°F, stressing fish and the macroinvertebrates they feed on.
Cold-water adapted macroinvertebrates, such as this stonefly, are good indicators for the health of an ecosystem. Our assessment will track the macroinvertebrate community throughout the proposed Kilpatrick Pond restoration project.
On Kilpatrick Pond, we've installed artificial substrate (top inset) that aquatic insects can colonize. We'll compare pre- and post-restoration samples to assess how well the insects adapt to restoration efforts.
Our biologists work with Preserve staff and volunteers to collect, examine, identify, measure (top inset), and count fish populations. Our sampling efforts have shown a healthy rainbow and brown trout population.
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What's Up Upstream?
At home or on the go, you can access real-time information about Idaho's water resources provided by the USGS.
USGS WaterWatch (shown at right) provides a statewide snapshot of streamflow conditions compared to historical data for this date.
USGS WaterAlert lets you set conditions you want to know about (flow, level, temperature) to receive text or e-mail alerts when those conditions are met.
USGS WaterNow lets you query a USGS monitoring station and receive a return text with current conditions at that station.
Our Latest Publications
Bathymetric Surveys of the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, Idaho—Water Year 2011
In this data series report, USGS hydrologist Ryan Fosness documents bathymetric data collected in cooperation with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho. The data will be used to update and verify flow models, calibrate and verify sediment transport models, and aid the biological assessment in support of the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Master Plan.
Recharge Sources and Residence Times of Groundwater as Determined by Geochemical Tracers in the Mayfield Area, Southwestern Idaho, 2011–12
Parties proposing residential development in the area of Mayfield, Idaho are seeking a sustainable groundwater supply. In this report, USGS geochemist Candice Hopkins, working in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, used geochemical tracers to evaluate sources of aquifer recharge and differences in groundwater residence time. The results of this study can be used to further refine conceptual hydrological models of the area.
