Chemical or hazardous substance spills can occur during production, transportation, storage, and disposal activities. They kill fish and wildlife, destroy habitat, and contaminate critical resources. These environmental injuries can linger for decades and be difficult to assess. The impact of these type spills is complex and depends upon where they occur, the amount spilled and the chemical properties of the substance. Factors such as toxicity, transport properties and environmental persistence need to be assessed and considered. USGS has capabilities and expertise that can aid with site characterization, injury determination, and restoration.
To learn more about how USGS science supports the NRDAR program contact Jo Ellen Hinck, the USGS NRDAR Coordinator.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
Browse USGS publications related to NRDA chemical release cases.
Examples of assessment and restoration activities are listed below.
Assessment Activities
Principal Investigators - Donald Tillitt, David Alvarez, and Jeff Steevens
- Preliminary Survey of Contaminants in Bird Eggs for a PCB site
Principal Investigators - Donald Tillitt and Kathy Echols
- Mercury Isotope Analysis at Chemical Manufacturing Facilities
Principal Investigators - Sarah Janssen and David Krabbenhoft
- Sediment Toxicity and Aquatic Invertebrate Bioaccumulation Study
Principal Investigators - Jeff Steevens and David Walters
- Chronic Toxicity of Contaminants in Sediment to the Amphipod (Hyalella azteca) and Fatmucket Mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea)
Principal Investigator - Jeff Steevens
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Avian egg injection for injury assessment at a dioxin/PCB contaminated river site
Principal Investigators – Natalie Karouna and Thea Edwards
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Aquatic and avian injury quantification at a phosphate mining complex
Principal Investigators – Aida Farag and Chris Mebane
Restoration Activities
- Using Environmental DNA Analysis to Evaluate Freshwater Mussel Restoration in a River System
Principal Investigator - Cathy Richter
- NRDAR Monitoring of sediment toxicity from the Grand Calumet River, Indiana, with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge, Chironomus dilutes, and the mussel, Lampsilis siliquoidea.
Principal Investigator - Jeff Steevens
- Vegetation Surveys to Support Restoration at Jordan River Restoration Site
Principal Investigator - Matthew Struckhoff
Explore the NRDAR Case Map and Document Library to learn more about individual cases.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
- Overview
Chemical or hazardous substance spills can occur during production, transportation, storage, and disposal activities. They kill fish and wildlife, destroy habitat, and contaminate critical resources. These environmental injuries can linger for decades and be difficult to assess. The impact of these type spills is complex and depends upon where they occur, the amount spilled and the chemical properties of the substance. Factors such as toxicity, transport properties and environmental persistence need to be assessed and considered. USGS has capabilities and expertise that can aid with site characterization, injury determination, and restoration.
To learn more about how USGS science supports the NRDAR program contact Jo Ellen Hinck, the USGS NRDAR Coordinator.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
Browse USGS publications related to NRDA chemical release cases.
Examples of assessment and restoration activities are listed below.
Assessment Activities
Principal Investigators - Donald Tillitt, David Alvarez, and Jeff Steevens
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Mussel kill downstream of the effluent discharge in the Deep Fork River in Oklahoma. - Preliminary Survey of Contaminants in Bird Eggs for a PCB site
Principal Investigators - Donald Tillitt and Kathy Echols
- Mercury Isotope Analysis at Chemical Manufacturing Facilities
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Golden riffleshell mussels released in the Clinch River. Principal Investigators - Sarah Janssen and David Krabbenhoft
- Sediment Toxicity and Aquatic Invertebrate Bioaccumulation Study
Principal Investigators - Jeff Steevens and David Walters
- Chronic Toxicity of Contaminants in Sediment to the Amphipod (Hyalella azteca) and Fatmucket Mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea)
Principal Investigator - Jeff Steevens
-
Avian egg injection for injury assessment at a dioxin/PCB contaminated river site
Principal Investigators – Natalie Karouna and Thea Edwards
-
Aquatic and avian injury quantification at a phosphate mining complex
Principal Investigators – Aida Farag and Chris Mebane
Restoration Activities
- Using Environmental DNA Analysis to Evaluate Freshwater Mussel Restoration in a River System
Principal Investigator - Cathy Richter
- NRDAR Monitoring of sediment toxicity from the Grand Calumet River, Indiana, with the amphipod, Hyalella azteca, the midge, Chironomus dilutes, and the mussel, Lampsilis siliquoidea.
Principal Investigator - Jeff Steevens
- Vegetation Surveys to Support Restoration at Jordan River Restoration Site
Principal Investigator - Matthew Struckhoff
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Explore the NRDAR Case Map and Document Library to learn more about individual cases.
Return to USGS Science for DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program
- Publications