Water Quality and Emerging Contaminants

These summaries describe and characterize the quality of surface-water data collected cooperatively by the USGS and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as part of the New Jersey Ambient Surface-Water-Quality Monitoring Network. Data on the physical characteristics and water-quality constituents in samples collected at surface-water and bed-sediment sites are presented in...

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...

Hurricane Sandy made a variety of impacts along the highly populated northeastern Atlantic seaboard in October 2012. Improved understanding of these impacts will better prepare us for the next one. As a result the USGS science provides a strong foundation for decision makers, planners and resource managers.

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...

The development of hydrodynamic and water-quality models is proposed to provide NJDEP with the necessary analytical capability to address critical management issues relating to water quality and eutrophication in the Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor Estuary. The primary objectives of this proposed study are to examine the water-quality causes of eutrophication in the BB-LEH Estuary and evaluate...

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...

The objective of this project is to provide technical support to U.S. Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force). The choice of sites requiring USGS technical assistance will be made in consultation with base/facility personnel.

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...

The frequent occurrence of OWCs in streams, many of which are used as sources for drinking-water supplies, gives rise to concern over the potential for these compounds to occur in drinking water and, thus, the potential for adverse human- health effects due to chronic exposure to these compounds. Limited sampling conducted by the USGS indicate that some OWCs that occur in source streams are...

Elevated gross alpha-particle activity in groundwater has recently been documented from scattered areas in northern New Jersey. Initial data compilations indicate most of this alpha-particle activity is attributable to long-lived isotopes of U, and to a lesser extent, the long-lived progeny, Ra-226. The project will consist of three phases to be completed cooperatively between the USGS and NJDEP...

Atlantic City Naval Air Station (Atlantic City NAS) located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey covers an area of approximately 5,000 acres approximately 10 miles northwest of Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey. The focus of this USACE investigation is the potential identification of mercury source areas and the migration of mercury within Area U (Absecon Creek Watershed), which...