Surface Water and Groundwater Monitoring

The water quality of New Jersey's water bodies is monitored by the USGS New Jersey Water Science Center to characterize waters, identify trends over time, identify emerging problems, determine whether pollution control programs are working, help direct pollution control efforts to where they are most needed, and respond to emergencies such as floods and spills.

The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center streamgage program is part of the nationwide program that provides streamflow information for a variety of purposes—including the protection of life and property, infrastructure design, recreational usage, and long-term trend assessment. This information is critical to resource managers, farmers, fishermen, kayakers, land-use planners, engineers...

The accurate, long-term monitoring networks of New Jersey Water Science Center provide valuable data in real-time and historical perspective to compare that data to. The longer a monitoring location is in operation, the more valuable it becomes, since more statistical comparisons can be performed. Our field technicians continuously make field measurements and maintain these networks.

Manning’s Roughness Coefficient (n) is an input to the Manning’s Equation, which can be used for the computation of streamflow during times it is impractical or impossible to make a measurement. ​ Methods and regional equations for determining the value of n have largely been developed in the western United States; New Jersey is comparatively unstudied. New Jersey features a diverse range of...

The temperature, water quality, and channel connectivity along headwater stream networks often show highly dynamic spatiotemporal patterns that are tied to localized hydrogeologic and landcover controls. Groundwater exchanges exert a spatially discontinuous influence on streams that reflect, in part, the preferential nature of groundwater discharge as controlled by recharge, topography, and...

The USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project (NAWQA) is now part of the USGS National Water-Quality Network (NWQN). NWQN 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 USGS New Jersey Water Science Center provides hydrologic technical assistance to the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) in New Jersey, regarding contamination issues associated with perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in groundwater and surface water.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and other partners, is conducting an extensive, coordinated study of physical, chemical, and biological processes in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary. The study integrates findings of teams from the USGS New Jersey Water Science Center and USGS Coastal and Marine Science...

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...

Frequently, water withdrawals for public supply are made from the freshwater reaches of rivers and streams across new Jersey. Overall, there is a lack of scientific information describing the movement of saltwater upstream into the tributaries discharging into Delaware Bay. This project is beginning to collect water quality data along three selected tributaries in New Jersey to Delaware Bay in an...

The purpose of the Program is to develop a sound understanding of the potential for development of potable groundwater supply in selected African countries and build local capacity to plan and conduct the hydrologic investigations and monitoring necessary to help ensure that groundwater resources are developed and managed efficiently and sustainably.

The US Geological Survey collaborated with Northern Arizona University and New Mexico State University in a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development-Kenya and East Africa Mission to investigate the use of satellite image data, along with hydrological and geological data sets, to research and develop maps of potential of groundwater resources in the Athi and Tana...