Emerging Contaminants

The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center is providing technical hydrologic assistance to the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) in New Jersey, regarding contamination issues associated with perfluorinated compounds, such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and other perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in...

The USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA) is now part of the USGS National Water-Quality Program (NWQP). NAWQA provides nationally consistent data and information on the quality of the Nation’s water. Studies provide information on current water-quality conditions, a baseline for trend evaluation, and an understanding of what factors affect water quality. Groundwater studies for...

The endocrine system in animals produce hormones to regulate essential life processes, such as metabolism, tissue function, reproduction, and development. A large group of natural and synthetic chemicals are known to disrupt endocrine function. Examples include plant hormones, plastic components, flame retardants, surfactants, fragrances, pesticides, etc. Endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs...

Scientists from the NJ WSC, Leetown Science Center and New Jersey Pinelands Commission recently initiated a 4 year study designed to characterize the point and non-point sources of endocrine disrupting compound (EDCs) and their potential effects on fish and frogs in the NJ Pinelands.

The New Jersey Water Science Center in collaboration with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission and Montclair University, conducted a 4 year study to assess the functional equivalency of ponds and stormwater basins in the New Jersey Pinelands by comparing indicators of hydrologic condition, water quality (including pesticides) and biological metrics (amphibian pathogens).

NJ WSC and Leetown Science Center scientists in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were tasked with characterizing endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass from New Jersey.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens, or Pinelands National Reserve (PNR), is a vast and unique ecosystem comprising approximately a 938,000-acre area of southern New Jersey. It spans portions of seven counties (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean), and all or part of 56 municipalities. It is home to dozens of rare plant and animal species, and the Kirkwood-Cohansey...

Puchak well field is located in Pennsauken Township, an area with significant pumpage from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer system well fields owned by the City of Camden Water Department and the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission. Ground water contamination from a chromium plume affecting the wells at the Puchak well field resulted in termination of the use of the well field for potable...

NAWQA is a program from the USGS that addresses the goals of that status of surface-water and groundwater, provide understanding of human impact, and to support local, state, and federal agencies with aforementioned data.

Demands on ground water resources in New Jersey require the availability of high quality water for multiple uses. Water resources planning must address these and other needs to insure a water supply of sufficient quality capable of meeting present and future needs throughout the State. The development and implementation of a study on PPCPs and OWCs released to shallow ground water from large scale...

Nitrogen loading from the BB-LEH watershed and overlying airshed has resulted in shifts in ecosystem structure and function of the estuary reflected by the repeated occurrence of detrimental toxic and nuisance algal blooms, loss of essential seagrass habitat, and declining fisheries. Most of the nitrogen load enters the estuary from watershed surface-water inflow. While nitrogen loading has been...

Although the occurrence of OWCs in streams can be related in part to discharges from WWTPs it is uncertain whether the sources of these compounds are domestic waste, or waste from manufacturing or other commercial processes. Furthermore, it is unclear if different treatment processes may be more effective at removing OWCs than others. The primary objective of the study is to perform a...