USGS On The Road

Season 4

Studying Anacostia River Quality with DOEE

The Anacostia isn’t your normal river: The lower portion of the river is tidally influenced, causing portions of the river to flow in both directions; coupled with inputs from flashy urban tributaries.

Earlier this year we were sloshing around the Anacostia River at Kenilworth, using our autonomous boat to study this complex river system.

With more precision than a human, this boat is equipped with a sensor that allows us to study how the tributaries along the Anacostia are merging and mixing with the river, giving us a clearer understanding of how changing river dynamics affect its water quality.

USGS On the Road - Flooding in Westernport, MD

Westernport, Maryland was one of the hardest hit towns during the mid-May flooding in Western Maryland, where Georges Creek flooded an elementary school in Westernport, MD, prompting the emergency rescue of schoolchildren.

During and following the flooding, the U.S. Geological Survey was on the scene in Western Maryland to assess local streams and rivers, because quantifying floods is vital for planning infrastructure that can withstand such extremes in the future.

Days later, evidence of the damage caused by the flood were visible throughout Westernport and across towns in the area, including at the Georges Creek streamgage, where flooding caused the ground to collapse beneath an unused train line, leaving rails that were twisted mid-air and dangling for several dozen yards, yet somehow still connected on the other side.

Season 3

Deploying the Autonomous Boat at Lower Darby Creek

Did you know the USGS is involved in understanding how PFAS travel through the environment?

At Lower Darby Creek Superfund site south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we are studying how PFAS and other contaminants may travel through groundwater from the former Clearview Landfill into the creek. At this site, we are pioneering our cutting-edge USGS methods to monitor water-quality autonomously.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 7

Original Release Date: December 4, 2024

On Camera: Michelle Lorah, Adam Mumford

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

Sampling in the Dark

Are you afraid of the dark?

Not this scientist. He is using a special technique to examine sediment samples that can help scientists study historical hurricanes.

Turns out, the last time this soil saw the light of day was 1972, when it was being pelted with rain. But not just any rain, rain from a hurricane that devasted the east coast and etched its name into the history books (and sediment): Hurricane Agnes.

Physical Scientist Zach Clifton is on the hunt for sediment layers that were deposited during flooding from Hurricane Agnes, which typically contain larger particles. By scouring the sediment core for these layers, Clifton is increasing scientists' understanding about the flooding caused by large hurricanes like Agnes.

To confirm he’s found a layer deposited by Agnes, Clifton used optically stimulated luminescence dating. To use this dating technique, the samples must be kept in the dark. 52 years later, this soil finally saw the light again, but a different kind of light, a red light which doesn’t affect the dating technique.

It works because radiation from the sun causes reactions within the sediment, so the sample can be fated by examining the decay of molecules known to react to sunlight. Since the rate of decay is known, scientists can look at the amount of decay and work backwards to the last exposure of sunlight.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 6

Original Release Date: October 23, 2024

What's in the Dam Water?

It’s the final checkpoint…

As the largest river flowing into the nation's largest freshwater estuary, the Susquehanna River plays an important role in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.

Since it’s important for our region to keep tabs on Bay health, the USGS samples water in the Susquehanna River at the Conowingo Dam, which is right before the river empties into the bay. These samples represent water traveling downstream from a 27,100 sq. mile watershed spanning parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 5

Original Release Date: October 16, 2024

Learn More About The National Water Quality Network: USGS National Water Quality Network

View Real Time Data from this Gage: Susquehanna River at Conowingo, MD (01578310)

On Camera: Shane Mizelle, Kelly McVicker

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

Measuring Water Quality at Plumtree

As a USGS hydrologic technician Kelly McVicker explains, we collect water-quality samples with an attention to detail.

Why care about water quality? Because it holds the clues to the health of the stream or river.

USGS hydrologic technicians routinely visit streams and rivers to sample water for sediment, nutrients, and pH, as well as temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductance.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 4

Original Release Date: October 9, 2024

Learn More About The National Water Quality Network: USGS National Water Quality Network

View Real Time Data from this Gage: Plumtree Run Near Bel Air, MD (01581752)

On Camera: Kelly McVicker

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

Choptank River Water Quality Sampling

On a fair sunny day in March, hydrologic technician Michael Brownley makes his way up the metal rung ladder to a platform. From there he beards a cableway, no bigger than a twin-sized bed. Luckily, he’s the only one aboard the cableway, space is tight as it is.

Michael is collecting water samples from the Choptank River (01491000), a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. The samples will be sent to a lab and tested for nutrients, sediment, and other parameters. Michael uses the cableway to traverse the width of the river so he can safely collect from many spots, thereby ensuring a representative sample at this location.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 3

Original Release Date: October 2, 2024

Learn More About The National Water Quality Network: USGS National Water Quality Network

View Real Time Data from this Gage: Choptank River Near Greensboro, MD (01491000)

On Camera: Michael Brownley

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

Habitat Assessment at Red Run

Our scientists are keen on understanding the impact that urban and suburban developments can have on stream habitats.

They wade through streams to assess its habitat, and carefully catalogue grain size. They assess various metrics such as soil composition, presence of contaminants, discharge, tree cover, and more, which are fed into a specially designed data model that allows our scientists to rank the stream’s suitability for things like fish habitat or to predict erosion rates. All of which are vital tools to help local resource managers care for stream habitats.

Over the last few years, our team has been conducting habitat assessments across the Chesapeake bay watershed in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Our goal is to understand how conservation practices affect stream habits.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 2

Original Release Date: September 26, 2024

On Camera: Tristan Mohs, Jason Chase

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Nicole Felts (Production)

Potomac River Measurements

The Potomac River Supplies drinking water for Washington D.C., so it’s important for us to understand what’s going on in the river.

That’s where the U.S. Geological Survey comes in. We have a number of monitoring locations along the Potomac River going all the way north to West Virginia that track the river conditions as it makes its way south, and all that water flows through the D.C. region.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 3, Episode 1

Original Release Date: September 17, 2024

On Camera: Sarah Queen

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

Season 2

Servicing Saltwater Monitoring Equipment in the Delaware Bay

It’s quite the trek to get to Ship John Shoal lighthouse, which is several miles off the Delaware coast and only accessible by boat. There, USGS scientists clean and service equipment that plays an important role in our understanding of the salt front in the Delaware Bay.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 7

Original Release Date: February 15, 2023

Rain Check

Did you know that the USGS maintains a network of precipitation gages that need to be calibrated to ensure accuracy? In this episode, hydro-tech Tyler Bowser services a rain gage in Harford Glen Park.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 6

Original Release Date: February 8, 2023

First Stop On The Potomac

Learn how the USGS services the streamgage at Barnum, WV, which is situated along the North Branch Potomac River downstream of Jennings Randolph Lake.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 5

Original Release Date: January 18, 2023

Stormflow Forensics

It’s an age-old question: If the river floods and no one sees it, did it flood? Yes! High water events leave behind clues such as debris that USGS scientists can observe to indirectly estimate the water level and streamflow during the event.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 4

Original Release Date: January 11, 2023

Doing Well In DC

How do we know if D.C. aquifers are protected from human contamination? The USGS samples groundwater for the presence or absence of specific chemical markers known to be of human origin. If we don’t find these markers, it’s a good indication the water is protected.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 3

Original Release Date: January 4, 2023

The Lake on the Potomac

Why is it important to know how much water is in Jennings Randolph Lake? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers factors water-level data collected by the USGS into how much water they should release downstream into the North Branch Potomac River.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 2

Original Release Date: December 21, 2022

Home Stream Home

Physical Scientists Leah Staub and Zachary Clifton assess a stream along the Chesterville Branch on the Eastern shore of Maryland.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 1

Original Release Date: December 14, 2022

Season 1

Keeping Stormwater Under Control in Clarksburg MD

HIVIS-ability at Serene Lake

Securing Sediment Samples at Hickey Run

The USGS wants to know where nutrient-rich sediment in the DC area is coming from.

Through its sediment fingerprinting project with the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, the USGS is looking into the sources of the excess sediments that are found in Hickey Run and the National Arboretum.

Why It’s Important: This sediment contains important nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. But too much sediment can block sunlight from aquatic plants, while excess nutrients can stimulate phytoplankton growth that use up all the oxygen in the water.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 5

Original Release Date: May 18, 2022

Swamp Surveillance - Nassawango Creek

How do land use and best management practices affect the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

To find out, USGS scientists trudge through the muddy swamp of Nassawango Creek on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for a water science partnership with Virginia Tech.

The USGS is conducting an ecological assessment of regions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and assessing how best management practices (BMPs) on the landscape affect stream health. USGS is monitoring water quality, water temperature, salinity, flow, and geomorphology, while researchers from VA Tech are surveying macroinvertebrates and fish. Put together, these data can be used to determine the effects of land use and BMPs on stream conditions, and how those stream conditions affect biodiversity.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 4

Original Release Date: May 11, 2022

On Camera: Tristan Mohs (Interviewed), Anthony Tallman, Ashley Melvin, Jacob Mavrogeorge

Audio Description Version: Swamp Surveillance at Nassawango Creek (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

Sediment source analysis in the Linganore Creek watershed, Maryland, USA, using the sediment fingerprinting approach: 2008 to 2010