Water Use and Availability Science
Water Use and Availability Science
Demand for water in the U.S. is unevenly distributed. Because of increasing competition for local supplies that could lead to shortages, it is expedient to know how and where water is withdrawn, delivered, and used. The NYWSC studies how the interactions of humans affect the water cycle, including how much water is withdrawn from natural sources, where this water goes, how this water is used, what happens to the water after it is used, and how water moves from its source to its outlet. These studies are a first step in understanding how future water demands can be met while maintaining adequate water quality and balancing the needs of human and ecological water needs. Studies on water use and availability also explore the nature of and outlook for water stored in ice and the oceans, examine the effects of climate change on water systems and ecosystems, analyze the effects of major storms on habitats, human populations, and coastal regions, and track and predict flooding and areas that could potentially be inundated.
Filter Total Items: 82
Geohydrology of the Valley-Fill Aquifer in the Nanticoke Creek Valley near Endicott, New York
Problem The Village of Endicott relies on wells that supply ground water from sand and gravel aquifers within the Susquehanna River valley. Localized contamination in the Village of Endicott and elsewhere in the Susquehanna River Valley has been documented by U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) from a...
Groundwater Flow Patterns near Pulaski, Oswego County, New York
Problem - The Village of Pulaski in Oswego County, N.Y., obtains its water supply from groundwater that drains under gravity from an unconfined aquifer into three shallow dug wells. The well field is in an area where groundwater discharges to springs along the west edge of the Tug Hill Aquifer, which is comprised of beach and kame deposits of sand and gravel. A numerical groundwater...
Ground-water-flow model of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia and West Virginia
Problem - Increasing development within the Shenandoah Valley in recent years has placed additional demands on the region’s water resources. The sedimentary rocks in the Valley have been compressed and folded by tectonic forces to form a 5-km deep basin. Ground water, a principal component of the available water supply, flows through fractures in the sedimentary and crystalline rocks...
Hydrogeologic Recharge Settings of the Carbonate-Bedrock Aquifer in Genesee County, Western New York
Problem - The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Health (NYSDOH) are concerned about Problem - The New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Health (NYSDOH) are concerned about ground-water contamination in the carbonate-bedrock aquifers, especially relating to the inadvertent introduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)...
Hydrogeology and Surface/Groundwater Interactions in the Meads Creek Valley, Schuyler and Steuben Counties, New York
Problem - The interaction between ground water and surface water within the Meads Creek watershed is not well understood, and the need for understanding the interaction has increased in recent years because of widespread concerns related to water supply, ground- and surface-water contamination, loss of wetlands due to development; and other changes in the watershed. In addition, flooding...
Nassau Hydrogeologic Maps
Problem - The major hydrogeologic units of Long Island, New York, have been delineated as part of the islandwide mapping effort of Smolensky, Buxton, and Shernoff that was published in 1989 as U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Atlas (HA) 709. Concern about local details in the hydrogeologic framework that may not be represented in HA-709 has led the USGS, in cooperation with the U...
Simulation of Flow and Water Quality by a Precipitation-Runoff Model of the Onondaga Lake Watershed, Onondaga County, New York
Problem - During 2003-07, a precipitation-runoff watershed model with water-quality components was developed to assess pollutant sources and loadings to Onondaga Lake, and to assist water-resources managers in making decisions regarding the selection and location of mitigative measures to maximize load reduction for a given effort. In the absence of chemical loading rates that were...
Simulation of Ground-Water Flow and Chemistry to Evaluate Water-Management Alternatives in Kings and Queens Counties, New York
Water-management alternatives being considered for New York City involve aquifer storage and recovery, or ASR. An ASR system may store surplus water in an aquifer, then later recover this water in times of short supply. The success of an ASR system depends on the quantity and quality of water that can be withdrawn during recovery phases, which are influenced by hydrogeologic...
Simulation of the Shallow Ground-Water Flow System at Fire Island National Seashore, Long Island, New York
Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) is located on the barrier island along the extreme southern shore of western and central Suffolk County, New York. Interspersed throughout FIIS are seventeen residential beach communities that in the summer months greatly increase in population due to the arrival of summer residents and vacationers. Wastewater from the numerous homes and businesses in...
The Onondaga Valley Ground-Water Study, central New York
Problem Onondaga Lake has been identified as one of the nation's most contaminated lakes as a result of discharges from industrial, sewage, and stormwater sources, and the lake received priority cleanup status under the National Water Resources Development Act of 1990. Although remediation of polluted surface-water discharges is planned, the migration of poor quality (saline) ground...