Welcome to the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center
Consider this site your source for water-related information, collected and interpreted by the USGS in MD, DE, and Washington, DC
Consider this site your source for water-related information, collected and interpreted by the USGS in MD, DE, and Washington, DC
Soaking Up Stormwater In Clarksburg
A 20-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Montgomery County, Maryland assesses ecosystem response to different types of stormwater management.
A 20-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Montgomery County, Maryland assesses ecosystem response to different types of stormwater management.
MD-DE-DC WSC Capabilities Sites
A new series of microsites featuring in-depth assessments of our center's abilities
A new series of microsites featuring in-depth assessments of our center's abilities
MD-DE-DC Seminar Series
Seminars presented by great scientific minds, hosted by the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center
Seminars presented by great scientific minds, hosted by the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center
MD-DE-DC Stream Gaging Network
The USGS operates thousands of stream gages throughout the US. See how our science center does our part!
The USGS operates thousands of stream gages throughout the US. See how our science center does our part!
Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center
Welcome to the USGS Water Science Center serving Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. We operate streamgages, observation wells, and monitoring stations that provide the reliable scientific information needed to understand our natural world.
Explore Our Capabilities
Explore Our Capabilities
We’ve created a series of websites thematically named to characterize our work as “Capabilities”. Our highly skilled staff work with diverse groups of cooperative partners, producing the high-quality output for which the USGS is world-renown.
Local Water Conditions
Local Water Conditions
Explore real-time streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data for MD, DE, and DC with our new interactive map application. This application offers data displays on multiple device platforms with various basemap options.
QUICK LINKS
QUICK LINKS
Featured below are some popular features on the MD-DE-DC Water Science site. To better navigate our pages, please use the vertical header listing to the left side of this window.
News
Spring 2025 Newsletter - In The Flow
Spring 2025 Newsletter - In The Flow
Fall 2024 Newsletter - In The Flow
Fall 2024 Newsletter - In The Flow
Spring 2024 Newsletter - In The Flow - Maryland-Delaware-DC Water Science Center
Spring 2024 Newsletter - In The Flow - Maryland-Delaware-DC Water Science Center
Publications
Predictive modeling reveals elevated conductivity relative to background levels in freshwater tributaries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Elevated conductivity (i.e., specific conductance or SC) causes osmotic stress in freshwater aquatic organisms and may increase the toxicity of some contaminants. Indices of benthic macroinvertebrate integrity have declined in urban areas across the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW), and more information is needed about whether these declines may be due to elevated conductivity. A...
Seasonally varying contributions of contemporaneous and lagged sources of instream total nitrogen and phosphorus load across the Illinois River basin
Quantifying nutrient sources in streams, their temporal and spatial variability, and drivers of that variability can support effective water resources management. Yet a lack of data and modeling capabilities has previously prevented comprehensive quantification across both space and time. Here a dynamic SPARROW (Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes) model that...
A spatial machine learning model developed from noisy data requires multiscale performance evaluation: Predicting depth to bedrock in the Delaware River Basin, USA
Spatial machine learning models can be developed from observations with substantial unexplainable variability, sometimes called ‘noise’. Traditional point-scale metrics (e.g., R2) alone can be misleading when evaluating these models. We present a multi-scale performance evaluation (MPE) using two additional scales (distributional and geostatistical). We apply the MPE framework to...
Science
Informing Chesapeake Bay Watershed Management by Monitoring Trends in River Nutrient and Sediment Loads
The USGS has computed nutrient and suspended-sediment loads and trends through water year 2023 in Chesapeake Bay rivers. These monitoring-based estimates help federal, state, and local managers evaluate and plan water-quality restoration strategies.
Decoding Harmful Algal Blooms: Unraveling the Mystery
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a significant environmental concern due to their potential effects on health, ecosystems, and economies. Algal toxins, which are toxic compounds produced by certain species of cyanobacteria and algae, are commonly linked to these blooms. It's important to note that algal toxins can still be present even when a bloom is not visible, highlighting the need for ongoing...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center (CFWSC), Kansas Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Nevada Water Science Center, New England Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Natural Solutions for Reducing PFOS Pollution in Our Environment
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of over 14,000 different man-made compounds that are widely used in various industrial and consumer products and linked to various health issues. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a persistent synthetic chemical within the PFAS group, recognized for its widespread use and persistence in the environment. The U.S. Geological Survey is...