The chemical and physical methods to recycle or dispose of materials which, without treatment, are deemed to have no further value or are too contaminated to be used.
Research findings and examples of application to real problems--biosolids have high concentrations of household contaminants compared to treated liquid wastewater effluent.
Study of the effects of the practice of cycling municipal nutrient-enriched wastewater from holding ponds through forested wetlands. Studies were in the Cypiere Perdue Swamp, Louisiana, and the Drummond Bog, Wisconsin.
Study of the effects on the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary resulting from the disposal of San Francisco dredged material and barrels of low-level radioactive waste with links to publications and atlas with digital images.
Links to studies at the Amargosa Desert Research Site by the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program studying the subsurface migration and fate of contaminants in arid environments. Links to news, remediation, photos, bibliography and techniques.
Papers from a 1999 symposium on the possible effects on water resources and the environment of large agricultural feeding operations for pigs, chickens, and cattle, with links to other meetings, bibliography, and research studies. (Also as PDF files)
A geologic and oceanographic study of the waters and Continental Shelf of Gulf of the Farallones adjacent to the San Francisco Bay region. The results of the study provide a scientific basis to evaluate and monitor human impact on the marine environment.
Discussion and links to research for the multi-disciplinary investigation on the Norman Landfill located on alluvium associated with the Canadian River in central Oklahoma.
Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay Studies research project conducted as part of Boston Harbor cleanup to predict the fate of contaminants and sediments introduced to Massachusetts' coastal waters from sources that include Boston sewage outfall.
Microbial source tracking analysis of water sampled supports the argument that birds are the primary source of fecal contamination during the warm season.
Wetlands and oil wells shouldn't mix, but in some areas they do. This explains what problems may arise and how we study the effects of highly salty water produced by oil wells when it leaks into nearby wetlands and streams.
Overview with links to studies on the effects of human activity on the San Francisco estuary with loss of historic fresh and saltwater tidal marshes reducing habitats, introducing contaminants in waste, and creating dredging problems.
Research findings and examples of application to real problems--When can natural processes to reduce, or even destroy, contaminants at toxic waste sites be relied on?
Brief descriptions of research programs in water resources in Kentucky with a few links to program websites. Programs include data collection projects, acid mine drainage, hydrodynamics, geology, waste site cleanup and hydrogeology.
Webpage based on USGS Open File Report 98-139 links to information on the San Francisco Bay estuary to study dredge disposal effects, fish habitats, sediment transport, rock pinnacles and navigation, and consequences of a large oil spill.
The area contributing recharge to this aquifer is undergoing rapid growth, generating more wastewater. We found that nitrate, a major component of wastewater and a nutrient that can degrade water quality, has increased in the creeks in this area.
Reports concentration of organic compounds here, to serve as a baseline against which future measurements can be compared and to provide a general assessment of the quality of local water treatment efforts.
Overview of studies of marine sediment on the continental shelf south of Los Angeles contaminated with DDT and PCBs from past sewage effluent discharges with links to research on Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles Shelf and Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Describes cooperation of the USGS office in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the Department of Energy to address environmental and scientific issues at the Nevada Test Site and vicinity with links to project information.
The Marcellus shale is a black shale unit in the eastern US. It has economic use as a source of natural gas. Environmental concerns arising from the process of exploiting this resource include water supply and wastewater disposal.