Ecology and Biology

Biological microbes such as Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB)—including Escherichia coli (E. coli)—along with pathogens like Cryptosporidium, and microbial signatures used in Microbial Source Tracking (MST), are receiving heightened attention from the public, environmental agencies, and water-resource managers. These indicators help identify potential contamination sources, assess recreational water...

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in lakes, ponds, and rivers adversely affect water resources worldwide. Under the right conditions, cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins that can pose health risks to both animals and humans which makes them a major environmental and public health concern. More studies to examine the occurrence and persistence of HABs and their potential transport are needed to better...

The USGS NJWSC is collaborating with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) on an Urban Waters Federal Partnership project in the Lower Passaic River basin to investigate the occurrence and potential sources of E. coli fecal indicator bacteria.

Understanding the quality of U.S. streams, rivers, and groundwater requires consistent data collection and analysis over decades for proper context of current conditions. The USGS collects nationally standardized data and information as part of the National Water Quality Network (NWQN). The NQWN is made up of sites across the Nation where USGS scientists regularly measure water-quality conditions.

As part of the Urban Water Federal Partnership, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC) is currently assessing the use of innovative, near real-time bacteria monitoring technology to provide rapid results on bacteria concentrations to water regulators. Traditional methods of collecting and quantifying fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) is labor intensive, expensive...

Across the nation, Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) in freshwater coastal lakes and ponds have become a major environmental and public health concern. Under the right conditions, cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins that can pose health risks to both animals and humans (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2020) and have been shown to have severe impacts on water quality...

Issue: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries in the United States since the 1940s. PFAS are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment and have the potential to have adverse human and ecological health effects. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnerships has concerns about how PFAS will affect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The CBP...

Ecological flows (also referred to as environmental flows) collectively describe the components of streamflow that are needed to ensure the structure and function of a stream ecosystem. Five major components of streamflow that are important in shaping ecological processes in streams are: magnitude, frequency, duration, timing, and rate of change. The US Geological Survey, in cooperation with the...

As part of the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System the NJWSC is evaluating the use of passive samplers, or Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) samplers, to examine the temporal variability of dissolved cyanotoxin occurrence. These innovative, low-cost, time-integrated passive samplers offer several advantages over current water-column cyanotoxin monitoring techniques. However...

Harmful algal blooms with cyanotoxin production (CyanoHABs) have been shown to adversely affect water resources worldwide, however only a handful of studies have examined the occurrence and persistence of CyanoHABs in fluvial systems used for municipal water-supply. Of particular concern in New Jersey is the Raritan Basin Water Supply Complex (RBWSC) as it is the water supply for multiple water...

The Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (PAGR) in the historic city of Paterson, New Jersey was established in 2011 and consists of natural, cultural, and historic resources associated with the Great Falls of the Passaic River. Due to the park’s young age and limited resources, the park does not have the natural resource data needed to guide future park management and planning decisions...

These archive pages document the first phase of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program (Cycle I) studies in New Jersey, including summary documents, work plans, study sites, maps and publications.