Susquehanna River and Basin Active
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 local agencies and stakeholders, and with other USGS Water Science Centers and national programs.
Recently, crews from the Pennsylvania Water Science Center New Cumberland office undertook a project to remove a set of concrete stairs leading down an embankment to streamgaging station Susquehanna River at Harrisburg (01570500) located on Harrisburg’s City Island. City Island offers many popular recreational activities resulting in high pedestrian traffic. The stairs removal will improve public safety and the aesthetics of the surrounding area. Aging streamgages are routinely upgraded to improve safety and enhance data collection quality. USGS has been collecting streamflow data at this location since 1890, which makes it one of the oldest stations in the Pennsylvania streamgaging network.
Also see Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for science related to the effects of the Susquehanna River and other Pennsylvania streams on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
USGS national programs in the Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania have included the National Water Quality Program and Chesapeake Bay Activities.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Below are related data.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of selected headwater streams along the Allegheny Front, Blair County, Pennsylvania, July 2011–September 2013
Water data to answer urgent water policy questions: Monitoring design, available data, and filling data gaps for determining whether shale gas development activities contaminate surface water or groundwater in the Susquehanna River Basin
Sediment transport and capacity change in three reservoirs, Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1900-2012
Flood-inundation maps for the West Branch Susquehanna River near the Boroughs of Lewisburg and Milton, Pennsylvania
Flood-inundation maps for the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2013
Flux of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment from the Susquehanna River Basin to the Chesapeake Bay during Tropical Storm Lee, September 2011, as an indicator of the effects of reservoir sedimentation on water quality
Streamflow and water-quality monitoring in response to young-of-year smallmouth bass (micropterus dolomieu) mortality in the Susquehanna River and major tributaries, with comparisons to the Delaware and Allegheny Rivers, Pennsylvania, 2008-10
Water-quality monitoring in response to young-of-the-year smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) mortality in the Susquehanna River and major tributaries, Pennsylvania: 2008
Bathymetry and Sediment-Storage Capacity Change in Three Reservoirs on the Lower Susquehanna River, 1996-2008
Linking landscapes and habitat suitability scores for diadromous fish restoration in the susquehanna river basin
Analysis of flood-magnitude and flood-frequency data for streamflow-gaging stations in the Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania
Determining sources of water and contaminants to wells in a carbonate aquifer near Martinsburg, Blair County, Pennsylvania, by use of geochemical indicators, analysis of anthropogenic contaminants, and simulation of ground-water flow
News
- Overview
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 local agencies and stakeholders, and with other USGS Water Science Centers and national programs.
Recently, crews from the Pennsylvania Water Science Center New Cumberland office undertook a project to remove a set of concrete stairs leading down an embankment to streamgaging station Susquehanna River at Harrisburg (01570500) located on Harrisburg’s City Island. City Island offers many popular recreational activities resulting in high pedestrian traffic. The stairs removal will improve public safety and the aesthetics of the surrounding area. Aging streamgages are routinely upgraded to improve safety and enhance data collection quality. USGS has been collecting streamflow data at this location since 1890, which makes it one of the oldest stations in the Pennsylvania streamgaging network.
Also see Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for science related to the effects of the Susquehanna River and other Pennsylvania streams on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
USGS national programs in the Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania have included the National Water Quality Program and Chesapeake Bay Activities.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
USGS provides monitoring, analysis, modeling and research on streams and water quality to better understand the fate and transport of nutrients and sediment to the Susquehanna and other rivers, and their tributaries, and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay. Additional research focuses on emerging contaminants and other stressors that effect human and aquatic life in the watershed and estuary. - Data
Below are related data.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 63
Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of selected headwater streams along the Allegheny Front, Blair County, Pennsylvania, July 2011–September 2013
The Altoona Water Authority (AWA) obtains all of its water supply from headwater streams that drain western Blair County, an area underlain in part by black shale of the Marcellus Formation. Development of the shale-gas reservoirs will require new access roads, stream crossing, drill-pad construction, and pipeline installation, activities that have the potential to alter existing stream channel moAuthorsDennis J. Low, Robin A. Brightbill, Heather L. Eggleston, Jeffrey J. ChaplinWater data to answer urgent water policy questions: Monitoring design, available data, and filling data gaps for determining whether shale gas development activities contaminate surface water or groundwater in the Susquehanna River Basin
Throughout its history, the United States has made major investments in assessing natural resources, such as soils, timber, oil and gas, and water. These investments allow policy makers, the private sector and the American public to make informed decisions about cultivating, harvesting or conserving these resources to maximize their value for public welfare, environmental conservation and the econAuthorsElin A. Betanzo, Erik R. Hagen, John T. Wilson, Kenneth H. Reckhow, Laura Hayes, Denise M. Argue, Allegra A. CangelosiSediment transport and capacity change in three reservoirs, Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1900-2012
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted numerous sediment transport studies in the Susquehanna River and in particular in three reservoirs in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin to determine sediment transport rates over the past century and to document changes in storage capacity. The Susquehanna River is the largest tributary to Chesapeake Bay and transports about one-half of the total freAuthorsMichael J. LanglandFlood-inundation maps for the West Branch Susquehanna River near the Boroughs of Lewisburg and Milton, Pennsylvania
Digital flood-inundation maps for an approximate 8-mile reach of the West Branch Susquehanna River from approximately 2 miles downstream from the Borough of Lewisburg, extending upstream to approximately 1 mile upstream from the Borough of Milton, Pennsylvania, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC). The inundation maps,AuthorsMark A. Roland, Scott A. HoffmanFlood-inundation maps for the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2013
A series of 28 digital flood-inundation maps was developed for an approximate 25-mile reach of the Susquehanna River in the vicinity of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The study was selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) national Silver Jackets program, which supports interagency teams at the state level to coordinate and collaborate on flood-risk management. This study to produce flood-inAuthorsMark A. Roland, Stacey M. Underwood, Craig M. Thomas, Jason F. Miller, Benjamin A. Pratt, Laurie G. Hogan, Patricia A. WnekFlux of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment from the Susquehanna River Basin to the Chesapeake Bay during Tropical Storm Lee, September 2011, as an indicator of the effects of reservoir sedimentation on water quality
Concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment are measured at the U.S. Geological Survey streamgage at Conowingo Dam at the downstream end of the Susquehanna River Basin in Maryland, where the river flows into the Chesapeake Bay. During the period September 7-15, 2011, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Lee, concentrations of these three constituents were among the highest ever meAuthorsRobert M. HirschStreamflow and water-quality monitoring in response to young-of-year smallmouth bass (micropterus dolomieu) mortality in the Susquehanna River and major tributaries, with comparisons to the Delaware and Allegheny Rivers, Pennsylvania, 2008-10
Since 2005, spring hatched young-of-year (YOY) smallmouth bass in Pennsylvania reaches of the Susquehanna River have experienced above-normal mortality when summertime streamflows are near or lower than normal. Stress factors include, but are not limited to, low dissolved oxygen and elevated water temperatures during times critical for survival and development (critical period is May 1 through JulAuthorsJeffrey J. Chaplin, J. Kent CrawfordWater-quality monitoring in response to young-of-the-year smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) mortality in the Susquehanna River and major tributaries, Pennsylvania: 2008
Mortalities of young-of-the-year (YOY) smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) recently have occurred in the Susquehanna River due to Flavobacterium columnare, a bacterium that typically infects stressed fish. Stress factors include but are not limited to elevated water temperature and low dissolved oxygen during times critical for survival and development of smallmouth bass (May 1 through July 31)AuthorsJeffrey J. Chaplin, J. Kent Crawford, Robin A. BrightbillBathymetry and Sediment-Storage Capacity Change in Three Reservoirs on the Lower Susquehanna River, 1996-2008
The Susquehanna River transports a substantial amount of the sediment and nutrient load to the Chesapeake Bay. Upstream of the bay, three large dams and their associated reservoirs trap a large amount of the transported sediment and associated nutrients. During the fall of 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection completed bathymeAuthorsMichael J. LanglandLinking landscapes and habitat suitability scores for diadromous fish restoration in the susquehanna river basin
Dams within the Susquehanna River drainage, Pennsylvania, are potential barriers to migration of diadromous fishes, and many are under consideration for removal to facilitate fish passage. To provide useful input for prioritizing dam removal, we examined relations between landscape-scale factors and habitat suitability indices (HSIs) for native diadromous species of the Susquehanna River. We usedAuthorsP.M. Kocovsky, R. M. Ross, D. S. Dropkin, J.M. CampbellAnalysis of flood-magnitude and flood-frequency data for streamflow-gaging stations in the Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania
The Delaware and North Branch Susquehanna River Basins in Pennsylvania experienced severe flooding as a result of intense rainfall during June 2006. The height of the flood waters on the rivers and tributaries approached or exceeded the peak of record at many locations. Updated flood-magnitude and flood-frequency data for streamflow-gaging stations on tributaries in the Delaware and North Branch SAuthorsMark A. Roland, Marla H. StuckeyDetermining sources of water and contaminants to wells in a carbonate aquifer near Martinsburg, Blair County, Pennsylvania, by use of geochemical indicators, analysis of anthropogenic contaminants, and simulation of ground-water flow
Water supply for the Borough of Martinsburg, Pa., is from two well fields (Wineland and Hershberger) completed in carbonate-bedrock aquifers in the Morrison Cove Valley. Water supply is plentiful; however, waters with high concentrations of nitrate are a concern. This report describes the sources of water and contaminants to the supply wells. A review of previous investigations was used to establiAuthorsBruce D. Lindsey, Michele L. Koch - News
News
- Partners