Surface Water

Fish diseases in freshwater ecosystems pose significant ecological and socioeconomic challenges; yet, monitoring them in wild populations is complex due to interactions between pathogens, hosts, and environmental conditions. External DELT (deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite) data (fig. 1) provide a rapid and broad measure of fish health but are a relatively coarse indicator that...

USGS, in cooperation with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN), is monitoring water quality changes related to wastewater infrastructure improvements in the Three Rivers region in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, the USGS's water-resources roots date back to the late 1800's, with the initiation of streamflow gaging on the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers and assessments of groundwater resources near Philadelphia. The USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center continues to provide scientific information about the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin, in cooperation with regional and...

USGS, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 3 and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), is developing a Rapid Deployment Network (RDN) for monitoring stream levels at currently unmonitored locations in Pennsylvania during flooding. RDN data helps emergency response agencies protect life and property during forecast floods and informs flood...

Surface Water Data and Monitoring tools for Pennsylvania

USGS is providing data and analyses to assess stream restoration effectiveness in Turtle Creek, Union County, Pennsylvania, by measuring differences in sediment erosion and deposition in restored and eroded stream reaches.

USGS characterizes the relationship between a stream's water temperature and the surrounding air temperature to understand the influence groundwater flow into and out of the stream has on that relationship.

StreamStats is a national web-based application that provides selected water-resource information for Pennsylvania. Users can easily obtain descriptive information, basin characteristics, and streamflow statistics for USGS streamgages and ungaged stream locations throughout the Commonwealth.

What is a Super Gage? A gage at which continuous flow and water level are determined, along with continuous traditional water-quality (water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and/or turbidity) and either of the following criteria: at least one other less-traditional continuous water-quality parameter (orthophosphate, nitrate concentration) and/or where surrogates (developed...

Pennsylvania Water Science Center and the Next Generation Water Observing Systems (NGWOS) Program are implementing new technologies for streamflow estimation at sites in Pennsylvania where conventional measurement techniques are inadequate.

The Pennsylvania Water Science Center hosts webcams at several streamgaging sites.