Northeast Region Urban Landscapes Capability Team

About us

The Urban Landscapes Capability Team (ULCT) serves as a resource to assist the Region and its Science Centers for developing connections among scientists and building science programs that provide technical support on impacts of urban development on water resources and ecosystems. Urban landscapes commonly are impacted in many ways, including degraded water quality, fragmented habitats, invasive species, contaminant spills and transport, reduced groundwater recharge, increasing streamflow flashiness, and others. The ULCT meets regularly to discuss relevant topics and funding opportunities and works together to advance the USGS as a leader in urban science and decision support programs.

Urban development disrupts native biological communities, particularly the loss of sensitive biota. Every aquifer or stream can be degraded by inputs of nutrients, contaminants and/or sediments. In addition, stormwater runoff is a major problem in urban areas, increasing flooding or contaminant loads in local streams and rivers and costing cities millions of dollars to mitigate. The USGS Northeast Region has been an active participant in the Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP), which is a White House sponsored program designed to reconnect urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, with their waterways by improving coordination among Federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts to improve our Nation’s water systems and to promote their economic, environmental, and social benefits. Through the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, the Northeast Region is working with many Federal, state and local partners to improve and protect water quality, restore urban watersheds, create recreational opportunities, and improve social and economic conditions in unserved urban communities.

Areas of Technical Collaboration

• Impacts on streams and other waterbodies
• Effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
• Effects on flood discharge and frequency
• Green infrastructure and ecosystem services
• Ways to minimize impact on urban waters quality and quantity from urban development
• Understanding microplastics occurrence and transport