Water Quality and Emerging Contaminants

Contaminants associated with industrial, airport, and other activities are present in groundwater in fractured-rock aquifers, posing long-term hazards to drinking-water supplies and ecosystems. The heterogeneous character of fractured rock challenges our understanding, monitoring, and remediation of such sites.

NJDEP has determined that water quality modeling of the Salem River is necessary for a nutrient (phosphorus) TMDL. However, little background data is available for the basin. Intensive field monitoring was commenced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the NJDEP in 2007 to support understanding of the nutrient loading processes in basin as well as to provide the input data to the flow and...

Long-Term Field Research at former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, New Jersey This is an Archive.

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.

The NJWSC conducts research and investigations related to topics such as groundwater and surface-water quality related to anthropogenic and agricultural activities, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, tracking the movement of groundwater contamination, groundwater resource assessments and modeling, ecological assessments and response to urbanization, and estimating water-use for human and...

The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center, in cooperation with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), New Jersey Water Supply Authority, and the Delaware River Basin Commission, maintain the New Jersey Ambient Surface-Water-Quality Monitoring Network (ASWQMN) — a collection of monitoring stations on streams throughout New Jersey. Constituent concentration data from the ASWQMN are...

Water Resources Data reports were published annually for many decades for use by engineers, scientists, managers, educators, and the general public. These static archival products supplemented direct access to current and historical water data provided by the National Water Information System web interface (NWISWeb), the authoritative source for USGS water data.

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 U.S. Geological Survey New Jersey Water Science Center’s monthly summary reports and tables of hydrologic conditions for surface and ground water are based on average monthly conditions for the period of record at each index station. Statistical analyses that correlate current conditions with previous climatic extremes are commonly used to develop these averages.