Capabilities

By New Jersey Water Science Center

The New Jersey Water Science Center is one of the Water Science Centers in the Water Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey. Our centers’ staff is composed of professional scientists, technicians, and support personnel who are committed to providing accurate and timely natural-resource information to New Jersey and the Nation.

By integrating our diverse scientific expertise, we work to analyze and understand complex hydrogeologic and biological systems needed to wisely manage water resources for the United States and the state of New Jersey.

We operate and maintain statewide water data collection networks and databases, both real-time and historical, that document natural and human-induced hydrologic conditions.
We analyze hydrologic processes through unbiased investigations and research to increase understanding of important water-resource issues and to promote informed decision making.
We disseminate unbiased hydrologic information through peer-reviewed interpretive and data publications.

Data Collection

Water-data collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and archiving are major parts of the New Jersey Water Science Center program. USGS data are stored and maintained in long-term, quality-assured databases, and much of the data are available on a near-real-time basis by satellite telemetry. These data include:

Streamflow, Reservoir, and Lake Data
Groundwater Level Data
Continuous and Discrete Water Quality Data
Tide Data
Short-term Climate Data
Water-use Data
Geographic Information System (GIS) Data

These data are stored and maintained in long-term quality-assured databases that are readily accessible to the public through NWISWeb.

Research Capabilities

Hydrologic Research are done with the purpose to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural hazards; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life. Research helps cooperating agencies solve water problems and provides water-information Publications on many topics in a variety of formats.

Research projects with the data collection activities of the New Jersey Water Science Center make it an indispensable resource to New Jersey water managers on watershed and water-supply assessment tools and information. For example providing:

flood-hazard and drought assessment of New Jersey riverine and coastal resources, both in real-time and post-flood analysis
New Jersey hazardous-waste program managers on waste-site characterization, analysis tools, and information, and the authority on cutting-edge, hazardous-waste-site remediation research.
Water-quantity and -quality assessments
Toxic substances in natural waters and biota
Rural and urban nonpoint pollution
Saltwater intrusion
Surface-water/groundwater interactions
Sediment transport and chemistry
Geohydrolic modeling
Wetland functions and hydrology
Aquifer and streamflow characterizations
A range of data dissemination, including by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) formats