Water Quality and Emerging Contaminants

The USGS will collect monthly water quality and quantity data from Neldon's Brook and Indian Brook in support of the Swartswood Lake and Watershed Association's (SWLA) development of a regional storm water management plan (RSWMP).

Radium is a radioactive element that can have negative effects on humans upon consumption. The research objectives are designed to obtain information regarding the fate of Ra from entry into the water well through passage through the treatment system and ultimate disposal.

The overall objective of this project is to provide to the NJDEP a data model that can be used to develop a working database for various watershed planning, water supply planning and water management regulatory activities. As part of a water-use database project for the USGS Districts in New England, a data model and database were created to provide a tool to better evaluate the water use in the...

Results of investigations since the early 1980s by Health Departments of eight counties in southern New Jersey, by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and by the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) have determined that mercury concentrations in water tapped by about 500 domestic wells in more than 70 residential areas exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 2 mg/L. The...

The USGS will assist in the development of a prototype and multipurpose Early Warning System (EWS) for drinking water safety and security from intentional and accidental spills that utilizes real time monitoring.

A new Federal statute adopted by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) concerning Source Water Assessment Program requires NJDEP to conduct assessments on the vulnerability of public supply wells (community and noncommunity) and surface water intakes to 84 contaminants of concern. These contaminants include pathogens, inorganics, nutrients, pesticides, volatile organic...

The problem of fecal coliform bacterial contamination in an anti-degradation stream requires characterization of possible source, additional contaminants, and the potential rate of mobility. This synoptic study will investigate water quality from an additional surface water site and up to 7 groundwater sites in addition to ongoing fixed-station surface-water monitoring during selected seasonal...

PCBs contamination is a problem in the Delaware Estuary. Levels of PCBs being contributed from the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers is unknown. The goal of this study is to quantify concentrations and types of PCBs in the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers.

The widespread occurrence of naturally occurring radionuclides in principal aquifers of New Jersey and the considerable reliance of the dense population on groundwater resources for drinking water have made extensive research necessary to define the aquifers or portions of aquifers most vulnerable to such contamination. The project will consist of three phases to be completed cooperatively between...

Water-quality problems (radium, mercury) in southern NJ in the unconfined Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer increase needs for high quality water from confined aquifers. The installation of borehole and observation wells throughout Southern NJ provides opportunity to study the chemical evolution of water in both aquifers and confining units.

The Unsaturated Zone is a critical, yet poorly-understood part of the hydrologic cycle. Although it controls the flux of water and chemicals between land surface and the water table, the data necessary to evaluate transport, storage, and reactions occurring within the unsaturated zone are not routinely collected. The unsaturated zone, although often considered a black box, is a fundamental part of...