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Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed - A Century of Change, 1950–2050

National Award for Superior Communication Product

News Event

Domestic Well Water Quality in Marcellus Shale Region

Factors Affecting Groundwater Quality Used for Domestic Supply in Marcellus Shale Region of North-Central and North-East Pennsylvania

Journal Article

Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus Shale gas development, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

Report at Pennsylvania Geological Survey

Publications are the cornerstone of the Pennsylvania Water Science Center’s dissemination of scientific data and conclusions. 

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Filter Total Items: 937

A borehole test for chlorinated solvent diffusion and degradation rates in sedimentary rock

We present a new field measurement and numerical interpretation method (combined termed ‘test’) to parameterize the diffusion of trichloroethene (TCE) and its biodegradation products (DPs) from the matrix of sedimentary rock. The method uses a dual-packer system to interrogate a low-permeability section of the rock matrix adjacent to a previously contaminated borehole and uses the borehole monitor

Authors
Richelle M. Allen-King, Rebecca L. Kiekhaefer, Daniel J. Goode, Paul A. Hsieh, Michelle Lorah, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Mine drainage precipitates attenuate and conceal wastewater-derived phosphate pollution in stream water

Hydrous ferric-oxide (HFO) coatings on streambed sediments may attenuate dissolved phosphate (PO4) concentrations at acidic to neutral pH conditions, limiting phosphorus (P) transport and availability in aquatic ecosystems. Mesh-covered tiles on which “natural” HFO from abandoned mine drainage (AMD) had precipitated were exposed to treated municipal wastewater (MWW) effluent or a mixture of stream
Authors
Peter M. Smyntek, Natalie Lamagna, Charles A. Cravotta, William H. J. Strosnider
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Food, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams

Process wastewaters from food, beverage, and feedstock facilities, although regulated, are an under-investigated environmental contaminant source. Food process wastewaters (FPWWs) from 23 facilities in 17 U.S. states were sampled and documented for a plethora of chemical and microbial contaminants. Of the 576 analyzed organics, 184 (32%) were detected at least once, with concentrations as large as
Authors
Laura E. Hubbard, Dana W. Kolpin, Carrie E Givens, Bradley D. Blackwell, Paul M. Bradley, James L. Gray, Rachael F. Lane, Jason R. Masoner, R. Blaine McCleskey, Kristin M. Romanok, Mark W. Sandstrom, Kelly L. Smalling, Daniel L. Villeneuve
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory

Factors Affecting Groundwater Quality Used for Domestic Supply in Marcellus Shale Region of North-Central and North-East Pennsylvania, USA

Factors affecting groundwater quality used for domestic supply within the Marcellus Shale footprint in north-central and north-east Pennsylvania are identified using a combination of spatial, statistical, and geochemical modeling. Untreated groundwater, sampled during 2011–2017 from 472 domestic wells within the study area, exhibited wide ranges in pH (4.5–9.3), total dissolved solids (TDS, 22–196
Authors
Charles A. Cravotta, Lisa A. Senior, Matthew D. Conlon
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Relation between road-salt application and increasing radium concentrations in a low-pH aquifer, southern New Jersey

The Kirkwood–Cohansey aquifer in southern New Jersey is an important source of drinking-water supplies, but the availability of the resource is limited in some areas by high concentrations of radium, a potential carcinogen at elevated concentrations. Radium (226Ra plus 228Ra) concentrations from a network of 25 drinking-water wells showed a statistically significant increase over a decadal time sc

Authors
Bruce D. Lindsey, Charles A. Cravotta, Zoltan Szabo, Kenneth Belitz, Paul Stackelberg
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Cyanobacteria, cyanotoxin synthetase gene, and cyanotoxin occurrence among selected large river sites of the conterminous United States, 2017–18

The U.S. Geological Survey measured cyanobacteria, cyanotoxin synthetase genes, and cyanotoxins at 11 river sites throughout the conterminous United States in a multiyear pilot study during 2017–19 through the National Water Quality Assessment Project to better understand the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in large inland and coastal rivers. This report focuses on the first 2 years of
Authors
Robert E. Zuellig, Jennifer L. Graham, Erin A. Stelzer, Keith A. Loftin, Barry H. Rosen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Environmental Health Program, Colorado Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—A century of change, 1950–2050

ForewordSustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and long-term e
Authors
John W. Clune, Paul D. Capel, Matthew P. Miller, Douglas A. Burns, Andrew J. Sekellick, Peter R. Claggett, Richard H. Coupe, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Ana Maria Garcia, Jeff P. Raffensperger, Silvia Terziotti, Gopal Bhatt, Joel D. Blomquist, Kristina G. Hopkins, Jennifer L. Keisman, Lewis C. Linker, Gary W. Shenk, Richard A. Smith, Alex M. Soroka, James S. Webber, David M. Wolock, Qian Zhang
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Utah Water Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus Shale gas development, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

The stratigraphy, water-bearing zones, and quality of groundwater were characterized in a 1,400-ft-deep test hole drilled during 2013 in fractured bedrock in Sullivan County, Pa., by collection and analysis of measurements made during drilling, geophysical logs, and depth-specific hydraulic tests and water samples. The multidisciplinary characterization of the test hole was a cooperative effort be

Authors
Dennis W. Risser, John H. Williams, Aaron D. Bierly
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Managed aquifer recharge suitability—Regional screening and case studies in Jordan and Lebanon

The U.S. Geological Survey, at the request of the U.S. Agency for International Development, led a 5-year regional project to develop and apply methods for water availability and suitability mapping for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in the Middle East and North Africa region. A regional model of surface runoff for the period from 1984 to 2015 was developed to characterize water availability using
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, International Programs

Methods for estimating regional skewness of annual peak flows in parts of eastern New York and Pennsylvania, based on data through water year 2013

Bulletin 17C (B17C) recommends fitting the log-Pearson Type III (LP−III) distribution to a series of annual peak flows at a streamgage by using the method of moments. The third moment, the skewness coefficient (or skew), is important because the magnitudes of annual exceedance probability (AEP) flows estimated by using the LP–III distribution are affected by the skew; interest is focused on the ri
Authors
Andrea G. Veilleux, Daniel M. Wagner
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Development of a screening tool to examine lake and reservoir susceptibility to eutrophication in selected watersheds of the eastern and southeastern United States

This report describes a new screening tool to examine lake and reservoir susceptibility to eutrophication in selected watersheds of the eastern and southeastern United States using estimated nutrient loading and flushing rates with measures of waterbody morphometry. To that end, the report documents the compiled data and methods (R-script) used to categorize waterbodies by Carlson’s Trophic State
Authors
W. Reed Green, Anne B. Hoos, Alan E. Wilson, Elizabeth N. Heal
By
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Forecasting drought probabilities for streams in the northeastern United States

Maximum likelihood logistic regression (MLLR) models for the northeastern United States forecast drought probability estimates for water flowing in rivers and streams using methods previously identified and developed. Streamflow data from winter months are used to estimate chances of hydrological drought during summer months. Daily streamflow data collected from 1,143 streamgages from April 1, 187
Authors
Samuel H. Austin
By
Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center