Water Quality

In 2019 the USGS began a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD), EPA Region 1 Southeast New England Program for Coastal Watershed Restoration (SNEP), Barnstable Clean Water Coalition (BCWC), and other stakeholders to conduct hydrologic monitoring and assessment in support of multifaceted nutrient-management activities in the Three...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are collaborating on a study to develop a water quality monitoring strategy for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are collaborating on a study to collect water-quality data at streams and ponds in Massachusetts that receive aluminum discharges from wastewater treatment (WWTF) or public-water supply (PWS) facilities. The objective of this study is to inform the development of MassDEP guidelines on discharge...

The Pawcatuck River and the Pawcatuck River Estuary and Little Narragansett Bay form part of the boundary between the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Both states have identified water quality impairments within these waters related to nutrients (insufficient oxygen) and bacteria. Studies of the eutrophication potential of Long Island Sound embayments have identified that the Pawcatuck...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the New Mexico Environment Department, utilized a multiparameter geochemical-isotopic fingerprinting approach to differentiate anthropogenic and natural signatures of uranium contamination near the Homestake uranium mill Superfund site near Milan, New Mexico.

In 2018 USGS began work on the development of regional-scale groundwater flow and nitrogen transport models of areas along the Connecticut coast. The model will be used as a quantitative tool to evaluate groundwater flow and nitrogen loading to Long Island Sound.

In 2019 USGS completed a study designed to develop and evaluate a phased site-assessment approach for determining the hydrologic suitability of sites being considered for permeable reactive barrier installation on Cape Cod. The approach provides a template for town officials and other stakeholders to follow when considering PRBs for passive treatment of nitrogen in groundwater on Cape Cod and...

The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are collaborating on a study to better understand changes to groundwater quality beneath a densely developed coastal neighborhood as it undergoes conversion from onsite wastewater disposal to municipal sewering.

Urban stormwater runoff contains high phosphorus concentrations that contribute to the eutrophication to receiving waters. Recent studies have further shown that leaf fall management presents an opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of common municipal practices such as street cleaning and leaf litter removal and substantially nutrient loading.

Sections of Narragansett Bay and its eastern arm, the Sakonnet River, are considered impaired for shellfishing, aquatic habitat and recreational use by the State of Rhode Island. Aquatic habitat and water quality in the western portions of Narragansett Bay are relatively well understood, but there is comparably limited information available in the Sakonnet River. To address concerns about the lack...

Since 1979, the USGS has monitored water quality in the major river basins of Rhode Island contributing to Narragansett Bay.

The 2,983 miles of streams in Connecticut support a range of uses, including drinking water, recreation, and fish and shellfish habitat. The State is required by the Clean Water Act to assess the health of these waters every two years.