Publications

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

National Award for Superior Communication Product

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

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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April 14, 2020

Effects of legacy sediment removal and effects on nutrients and sediment in Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2009–15 Effects of legacy sediment removal and effects on nutrients and sediment in Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 2009–15

Big Spring Run is a 1.68-square mile watershed underlain by mostly carbonate rock in a mixed land-use setting (part agricultural and part developed) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Big Spring Run is a subwatershed of Mill Creek, a tributary to the Conestoga River. These watersheds are known contributors of nutrient and sediment loads to the Chesapeake Bay and several stream reaches...

Authors

Michael J. Langland, Joseph W. Duris, Tammy M. Zimmerman, Jeffrey J. Chaplin

Water Resources Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

March 25, 2020

Assessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania Assessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania

In an effort to determine whether fish populations in an area affected by wood tar waste exhibited health effects, fish were collected and analyzed with histopathology. Multiple species, including Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdii), Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), White Sucker (Catostumus commersonii), Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus), Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus), and...

Authors

Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. Mazik, Adam J. Sperry, Diana Pavlick

Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

March 17, 2020

A historical look at changing water quality in the Delaware River basin A historical look at changing water quality in the Delaware River basin

In 2019 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched a pilot regional Integrated Water Availability Assessment (IWAA) in the Delaware River Basin (fig. 1). IWAA is intended to explore, test, and refine systems and processes for assessing water availability for human and ecological uses and understanding their underlying controls. Water quality plays an important role in supporting...

Authors

Jennifer C. Murphy, Megan E. Shoda

Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

March 12, 2020

Pooling resources across organizations — Multisource water-quality data for the Delaware River Basin Pooling resources across organizations — Multisource water-quality data for the Delaware River Basin

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently launched a pilot Integrated Water Availability Assessment (IWAA) in the Delaware River Basin to explore, test, and refine systems and processes for assessing water availability for human and ecological uses based on water monitoring data. Water-quality monitoring provides citizens, managers, and scientists with the information needed to evaluate...

Authors

Jennifer C. Murphy, Megan E. Shoda

Water Resources Mission Area, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

March 5, 2020

Causal effect of impervious cover on annual flood magnitude for the United States Causal effect of impervious cover on annual flood magnitude for the United States

Despite consensus that impervious surfaces increase flooding, the magnitude of the increase remains uncertain. This uncertainty largely stems from the challenge of isolating the effect of changes in impervious cover separate from other factors that also affect flooding. To control for these factors, prior study designs rely on either temporal or spatial variation in impervious cover. We...

Authors

Annalise G. Blum, Paul J. Ferraro, Stacey A. Archfield, Karen R. Ryberg

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

March 2, 2020

Assessment of bridge scour countermeasures at selected bridges in the United States, 2014–18 Assessment of bridge scour countermeasures at selected bridges in the United States, 2014–18

Erosion of the streambed, known also as scour, around pier 3 of the New York State Thruway bridge over Schoharie Creek caused the pier to fail, which ultimately resulted in bridge failure during the flooding event of April 5, 1987. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) responded to the need for better guidance on the evaluation of bridge scour and the selection and installation of...

Authors

Thomas P. Suro, Richard J. Huizinga, Ryan L. Fosness, Taylor Dudunake

Water Resources Mission Area, Idaho Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

February 15, 2020

Does Lake Erie still have sufficient oxythermal habitat for cisco Coregonus artedi? Does Lake Erie still have sufficient oxythermal habitat for cisco Coregonus artedi?

In Lake Erie, cisco Coregonus artedi once supported one of the most valuable freshwater fisheries on earth, yet overfishing caused their eventual extirpation from the lake. With warming lake temperatures, some have questioned whether Lake Erie still contains suitable oxythermal conditions for cisco. Using published oxythermal thresholds for cisco and oxythermal profiles from Lake Erie...

Authors

Joseph Schmitt, Christoper S. Vandergoot, Brian P. O’Malley, Richard Kraus

Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

February 14, 2020

Batch extraction method to estimate total dissolved solids (TDS) release from coal refuse and overburden Batch extraction method to estimate total dissolved solids (TDS) release from coal refuse and overburden

A rapid batch extraction method was evaluated to estimate potential for total dissolved solids (TDS) release by 65 samples of rock from coal and gas-bearing strata of the Appalachian Basin in eastern USA. Three different extractant solutions were considered: deionized water (DI), DI equilibrated with 10% CO2 atmosphere (DI + CO2), or 30% H2O2 under 10% CO2 (H2O2+CO2). In all extractions...

Authors

L. E. Castillo-Meza, Charles A. Cravotta, T. L. Tasker, N. R. Warner, W. L. Daniels, Z. W. Orndorff, T. Bergstresser, A. Douglass, G. Kimble, J. Streczywilk, C. Barton, A Thompson, W. D. Burgos

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

February 6, 2020

Groundwater withdrawals and regional flow paths at and near Willow Grove and Warminster, Pennsylvania—Data compilation and preliminary simulations for conditions in 1999, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2017 Groundwater withdrawals and regional flow paths at and near Willow Grove and Warminster, Pennsylvania—Data compilation and preliminary simulations for conditions in 1999, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2017

In 2014, groundwater samples from residential and public supply wells in the vicinity of two former U.S. Navy bases at Willow Grove and Warminster, and an active Air National Guard Station at Horsham, Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania, were found to have concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which are per- and polyfluoroalkyl...

Authors

Daniel J. Goode, Lisa A. Senior

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

February 3, 2020

Shale gas development has limited effects on stream biology and geochemistry in a gradient-based, multiparameter study in Pennsylvania Shale gas development has limited effects on stream biology and geochemistry in a gradient-based, multiparameter study in Pennsylvania

The number of horizontally drilled shale oil and gas wells in the United States has increased from nearly 28,000 in 2007 to nearly 127,000 in 2017, and research has suggested the potential for the development of shale resources to affect nearby stream ecosystems. However, the ability to generalize current studies is limited by the small geographic scope as well as limited breadth and...

Authors

Adam C. Mumford, Kelly O. Maloney, Denise M. Akob, Sarah Nettemann, Arianne Proctor, Jason Ditty, Luke Ulsamer, Josh Lookenbill, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli

Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater Laboratory, Reston Microbiology Laboratory

January 31, 2020

Identification of management thresholds of urban development in support of aquatic biodiversity conservation Identification of management thresholds of urban development in support of aquatic biodiversity conservation

Urbanization degrades stream ecosystems and causes loss of bodiversity. Using benthic macroinvertebrates as a surragate for overall aquatic diversity, we conducted a series of analytical approaches to derive management thresholds of urban development designed to link ecological responses to the primary management goal of protecting aquatic diversity in streams within the Delaware Water...

Authors

Craig D. Snyder, John A. Young

Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

January 30, 2020

Multi-region assessment of pharmaceutical exposures and predicted effects in USA wadeable urban-gradient streams Multi-region assessment of pharmaceutical exposures and predicted effects in USA wadeable urban-gradient streams

Human-use pharmaceuticals in urban streams link aquatic-ecosystem health to human health. Pharmaceutical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams due to historical emphasis on wastewater-treatment plant (WWTP) sources, with limited investigation of pharmaceutical exposures and potential effects in smaller headwater streams. In 2014–2017, the United States Geological Survey...

Authors

Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Daniel T. Button, Daren M. Carlisle, B. J. Huffman, Sharon L. Qi, Kristin M. Romanok, Peter C. Van Metre

Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Plains Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)