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Water Quality

Different uses of water may require a different level of “quality” of water; for example, water that contains dirt and grime might work fine for agricultural uses, but industrial uses and drinking water require a different level of water quality; or water that might be safe to use in industrial and agricultural uses may not be safe to drink or promote healthy ecosystems. The NYWSC collects water-quality data for all water resources and works with the public, government agencies, organizations, and the private sector to identify and understand environmental issues and concerns regarding the quality of water supplies in the Nation and abroad. Water-quality data are then used to determine the health of various ecosystems, including wetlands, urban landscapes, coastal environments, and watersheds. Effects of nutrient and micropollutant loading to watersheds and wetlands, habitat response to changes in infrastructure, wetlands restoration for the effects of treating urban wastewater, and toxicity in waters affected by urban runoff are some of the more recent projects undertaken by the NYWSC with State and local cooperators.

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man in flourescent yellow pfd jacket workin with bottles of water

Mohawk River Basin Water Quality

Elevated levels of nutrients (for example, phosphorus) in the Mohawk River can lead to eutrophication and potentially toxic blue-green algal blooms. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) collected nutrient samples and measured streamflow in the Mohawk River. These data are being used to develop a water-quality model...
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New York Water Science Center
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Mohawk River Basin Water Quality

Elevated levels of nutrients (for example, phosphorus) in the Mohawk River can lead to eutrophication and potentially toxic blue-green algal blooms. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) collected nutrient samples and measured streamflow in the Mohawk River. These data are being used to develop a water-quality model...
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woman filling gw sample bottle from plastic encased box made from pvc pipes

Groundwater Sample Collection Methods

Collecting groundwater samples from a typical homeowner well...
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New York Water Science Center
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Groundwater Sample Collection Methods

Collecting groundwater samples from a typical homeowner well...
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small stream running through boulders in green forest

Responses of fish assemblages to changing environmental conditions in the Neversink River and Rondout Creek

Problem The Neversink River and Rondout Creek are historic trout fishing and recreational streams in the heart of the Catskill Mountains of southeastern NY. Waters throughout upper reaches of both rivers currently range from neutral to severely acidic due to deposition of acid rain throughout their watersheds. Fish surveys conducted by the USGS during the late 1980s and early 1990s found that some
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New York Water Science Center
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Responses of fish assemblages to changing environmental conditions in the Neversink River and Rondout Creek

Problem The Neversink River and Rondout Creek are historic trout fishing and recreational streams in the heart of the Catskill Mountains of southeastern NY. Waters throughout upper reaches of both rivers currently range from neutral to severely acidic due to deposition of acid rain throughout their watersheds. Fish surveys conducted by the USGS during the late 1980s and early 1990s found that some
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Barrier-island breach created by Hurricane Sandy at Fire Island National Seashore, N.Y.

Long Island Topography

The present landforms of Long Island are the result of many geologic processes, some of which began many millions of years ago and some of which began only recently. Most of the major features of the present-day topography, however, are related to the last glaciation, which ended approximately 22,000 years ago.
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Topography

The present landforms of Long Island are the result of many geologic processes, some of which began many millions of years ago and some of which began only recently. Most of the major features of the present-day topography, however, are related to the last glaciation, which ended approximately 22,000 years ago.
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group of prople in orange life jackets standing in water looking at flowtracker instrument

Long Island Population

About 7.56 million people lived on Long Island in 2010. Of these, about 2.50 million are in Kings County, 2.23 million in Queens County, 1.34 million in Nassau County, and 1.49 million in Suffolk County.
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Population

About 7.56 million people lived on Long Island in 2010. Of these, about 2.50 million are in Kings County, 2.23 million in Queens County, 1.34 million in Nassau County, and 1.49 million in Suffolk County.
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woman standing in Long Island estuary

Long Island Land Use and Land Cover

On Long Island, land use includes the human activities and management practices for which land is used. Land cover is a mosaic of developed, forest, agriculture, and wetlands areas. Both land use and land cover are usually discussed in similar environments. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) serves as the definitive LANDSAT-based, 30-meter resolution, land cover database for the Nation. NLCD...
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Land Use and Land Cover

On Long Island, land use includes the human activities and management practices for which land is used. Land cover is a mosaic of developed, forest, agriculture, and wetlands areas. Both land use and land cover are usually discussed in similar environments. The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) serves as the definitive LANDSAT-based, 30-meter resolution, land cover database for the Nation. NLCD...
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woman sitting on grass writing on paper

Long Island Freshwater

Long Island is surrounded by an almost limitless amount of saltwater in the Atlantic Ocean, in the Long Island Sound, and in the many bays bordering Long Island. Although the salty water is important to the economy of the area and is of significant recreational value, this website is mainly concerned with the fresh water of Long Island, which from many standpoints, is even more important than the...
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Freshwater

Long Island is surrounded by an almost limitless amount of saltwater in the Atlantic Ocean, in the Long Island Sound, and in the many bays bordering Long Island. Although the salty water is important to the economy of the area and is of significant recreational value, this website is mainly concerned with the fresh water of Long Island, which from many standpoints, is even more important than the...
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photo of 5 Long Island core samples

Long Island Hydrogeologic Units

Long Island’s aquifer system consists of a seaward-dipping wedge of mostly unconsolidated stratified sediments comprised of sand, gravel, silt and clay.
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Hydrogeologic Units

Long Island’s aquifer system consists of a seaward-dipping wedge of mostly unconsolidated stratified sediments comprised of sand, gravel, silt and clay.
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photo of an irrigation rig in a sod field

Long Island State of the Aquifer System

One of the most important concepts to understand is that volumes of water pumped from a groundwater system must come from somewhere and must cause a change in the groundwater system. Another important concept is that water table aquifers are hydraulically connected to the streams that drain them. Therefore, pumping water from aquifers that are hydraulically connected with surface-water bodies can...
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island State of the Aquifer System

One of the most important concepts to understand is that volumes of water pumped from a groundwater system must come from somewhere and must cause a change in the groundwater system. Another important concept is that water table aquifers are hydraulically connected to the streams that drain them. Therefore, pumping water from aquifers that are hydraulically connected with surface-water bodies can...
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photo of body of water on Long Island

Long Island Water Availability

The foundation of any groundwater analysis, including those analyses whose objective is to propose and evaluate alternative management strategies, is the availability of high-quality data. Some, such as precipitation data, are generally available and relatively easy to obtain at the time of a hydrologic analysis. Other data and information, such as geologic and hydrogeologic maps, can require...
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Water Availability

The foundation of any groundwater analysis, including those analyses whose objective is to propose and evaluate alternative management strategies, is the availability of high-quality data. Some, such as precipitation data, are generally available and relatively easy to obtain at the time of a hydrologic analysis. Other data and information, such as geologic and hydrogeologic maps, can require...
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Surface-water graph

NWIS - the USGS Data Archive

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) program for disseminating water data within USGS, to USGS cooperators, and to the general public, the USGS maintains a distributed network of computers and fileservers for the acquisition, processing, review, and long-term storage of water data. This water data is collected at over 1.5 million sites around the country and at some border and...
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New York Water Science Center
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NWIS - the USGS Data Archive

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) program for disseminating water data within USGS, to USGS cooperators, and to the general public, the USGS maintains a distributed network of computers and fileservers for the acquisition, processing, review, and long-term storage of water data. This water data is collected at over 1.5 million sites around the country and at some border and...
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woman kneeling next to plastic tubing for groundwater sampling

Long Island Water Suitability

Groundwater quality may be affected by natural and human factors (Johnston, 1988). Although the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination from the land surface is influenced by many factors, the degree of aquifer confinement, the depth of the well, and the surrounding land use are primary key factors that influence shallow groundwater quality.
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New York Water Science Center
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Long Island Water Suitability

Groundwater quality may be affected by natural and human factors (Johnston, 1988). Although the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination from the land surface is influenced by many factors, the degree of aquifer confinement, the depth of the well, and the surrounding land use are primary key factors that influence shallow groundwater quality.
Learn More