Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Groundwater
Groundwater science for Pennsylvania, or conducted by center staff.
Browse Groundwater science related to:
Pennsylvania Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network
USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, samples 28 wells biannually to monitor ambient groundwater quality conditions throughout Pennsylvania.
Groundwater Quality of Domestic Supply Wells in Pennsylvania
Most rural residents in Pennsylvania use groundwater from domestic supply wells for drinking, cleaning and other purposes. Some groundwater samples have been analyzed for private purposes, but those results generally are not readily available to the public. Many of the publicly available water-quality samples from rural areas were collected more than 30 years ago. Quality-assured groundwater...
Contaminants in groundwater near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania
USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of former Navy bases in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. Additional cooperative support for these investigations has been provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bucks and Montgomery...
Contaminant Fate and Transport Studies in Fractured Sedimentary Rock Aquifers at the former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, N.J.
Contaminants associated with industrial, airport, and other activities are present in groundwater in fractured-rock aquifers, posing long-term hazards to drinking-water supplies and ecosystems. The heterogeneous character of fractured rock challenges our understanding, monitoring, and remediation of such sites.
Pennsylvania Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network
USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, samples 28 wells biannually to monitor ambient groundwater quality conditions throughout Pennsylvania.
Groundwater Recharge - Pennsylvania
Recharge is the process of adding water to the saturated zone. Because it is almost impossible to measure directly, recharge is usually estimated by indirect means.
Groundwater Availability and Use
The USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center helps water providers assess the availability of groundwater for use in homes, on farms, and in industrial activities.
Pesticides in Pennsylvania Groundwaters
This project is part of a collaboration that began in the 1980’s between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) to further the understanding of groundwater quality in areas where pesticides are applied. The work continues presently with active cooperation and funding support from the PDA and USGS Cooperative Matching Funds Program. The current focus...
Pennsylvania Drought Condition Monitoring
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection relies upon a number of parameters to monitor water-supply-drought conditions, among which are four parameters displayed herein—precipitation, streamflow, groundwater levels, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index, an indicator of soil moisture dryness.
Accelerating Aquifer Storage & Recovery in the Middle East and North Africa Region
At the request of the U.S. Agency for International Development, USGS is helping regional partners manage scarce groundwater resources, and improve water supply, using artificial recharge methods.
Well-Withdrawal Footprint Mapping
A simple method for mapping groundwater withdrawals at wells provides an intuitive visualization of the magnitudes by displaying an area, the 'footprint', centered on each well to represent its volumetric rate. Footprints for closely spaced wells are combined to equitably display the area corresponding to the combined withdrawals. The size of the footprints on the map are...
Contaminants in groundwater near North Penn Area Superfund sites
USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of Superfund sites in Montgomery County, southeastern Pennsylvania, in cooperation with EPA. Additional cooperative support for these investigations has been provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County, and local government agencies.
A Field Method to Quantify Chlorinated Solvent Diffusion, Sorption, Abiotic and Biotic Degradation in Low-Permeability Zones
Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program project ER-2533
In chlorinated-solvent-contaminated fractured-sedimentary-rock aquifers, low-permeability (low-K) strata typically act as long-term or secondary sources of contamination to mobile groundwater in the high-permeability fractures. The fate of dissolved trichloroethene (TCE) in the low-K...