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.
Technical manual for estimating low-flow frequency characteristics of streams in the Susquehanna River basin
The effects of the Hurricane Agnes flood on channel geometry and sediment discharge of selected streams in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
Floods of June 1972 in the Harrisburg area, Pennsylvania
Flood of June 1972 Susquehanna River, Paxton Creek, and Conodoguinet Creek at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Appraisal of stream sedimentation in the Susquehanna River basin
Effects of roadway and pond construction on sediment yield near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Acidity control in Bald Eagle Creek and West Branch Susquehanna River, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
An appraisal of the ground-water resources of the Upper Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania
Swatara Creek basin of southeastern Pennsylvania: An evaluation of its hydrologic system
Water quality of the Swatara Creek Basin, PA
Chemical quality of surface water in the West Branch Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
Variations in the chemical character of the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
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- 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
Technical manual for estimating low-flow frequency characteristics of streams in the Susquehanna River basin
This report presents procedures for estimating low-flow frequency characteristics for streams in the Susquehanna River basin. The techniques can be used at ungaged sites as well as sites where insufficient data are available to make a reliable estimate. Streams have been divided intp two types--major and minor. Major streams are the Susquehanna, West Branch Susquehanna, Juniata, and Chemung RiversAuthorsJeffrey T. ArmbrusterThe effects of the Hurricane Agnes flood on channel geometry and sediment discharge of selected streams in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
The Hurricane Agnes flood seems to have hardly changed the channel geometry of the Pennsylvania streams studied in this report. The 10 sites studied generally showed that the width of the stream channels had been changed little by the flood and that streambed altitudes had been lowered less than a foot (0.3 m). The velocity of the streams at a given discharge had decreased. In comparison, the sediAuthorsJohn R. RitterFloods of June 1972 in the Harrisburg area, Pennsylvania
No abstract available.AuthorsLeland Vernon Page, L. C. ShawFlood of June 1972 Susquehanna River, Paxton Creek, and Conodoguinet Creek at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
In June 1972, tropical storm Agnes cause severe flooding in Pennsylvania and southern New York. The floods on many major strams were the highest known since the river valleys were settled. Maximum discharges were as much as twice the discharge of a 50-year flood. In central pennsylvania, large areas in Lock Have, Mill Hall, Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Pittston, harrisburg, and in many smaller commuAuthorsL. V. Page, L. C. ShawAppraisal of stream sedimentation in the Susquehanna River basin
The Susquehanna River presently transports about 3.0 million tons of sediment annually (110 tons per square mile). Only about 1.8 million tons of sediment enters the head of Chesapeake Bay annually because some sediment is trapped behind the power dams on the lower Susquehanna. Measured annual sediment yields from subbasins in the Susquehanna range from 40 to 440 tons per square mile. The highestAuthorsKenneth F. Williams, Lloyd A. ReedEffects of roadway and pond construction on sediment yield near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
This report shows the effects that the construction of half a mile of one-lane roadway during June, July, and August 1970 and construction of a 5-acre pond during August and September 1970, had on sediment concentrations and sediment discharge of a stream draining an area of 0.76 square mile. The effects of the construction are shown by comparing the data collected from the affected basin with datAuthorsLloyd A. ReedAcidity control in Bald Eagle Creek and West Branch Susquehanna River, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
Regression analysis of chemical and physical data collected on Beech Creek resulted in two curves that relate the concentration of free hydrogen ion to the electrical specific conductance of the water. These curves provide a means of estimating, through use of data telemetered from a water-quality monitor on Beech Creek, the acid load in the stream at any time. These estimates of acid loads in BeeAuthorsHerbert N. FlippoAn appraisal of the ground-water resources of the Upper Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania
This report describes the availability, quantity, quality, variability, and cost of development of the ground-water resources in the Upper Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania, which is the entire drainage area in Pennsylvania above the confluence of the West Branch and the main stem of the Susquehanna River at Northumberland. The report has been prepared for and under specifications establisheAuthorsPaul R. SeaberSwatara Creek basin of southeastern Pennsylvania: An evaluation of its hydrologic system
Local concentrations of population in the Swatara Creek basin of Pennsylvania find it necessary to store, transport, and treat water because local supplies are either deficient or have been contaminated by disposal of wastes in upstream areas. Water in the basin is available for the deficient areas and for dilution of the coal-mine drainage in the northern parts and the sewage wastes in the southeAuthorsWilbur Tennant Stuart, William J. Schneider, James W. CrooksWater quality of the Swatara Creek Basin, PA
The Swatara Creek of the Susquehanna River Basin is the farthest downstream sub-basin that drains acid water (pH of 4.5 or less) from anthracite coal mines. The Swatara Creek drainage area includes 567 square miles of parts of Schuylkill, Berks, Lebanon, and Dauphin Counties in Pennsylvania.To learn what environmental factors and dissolved constituents in water were influencing the quality of SwatAuthorsEdward F. McCarren, J.W. Wark, J.R. GeorgeChemical quality of surface water in the West Branch Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
The West Branch Susquehanna River is 228 miles long and drains 6,913 square miles of mountainous area in central Pennsylvania. Much of this area is forestcovered wilderness, part of which is reserved as State game land. Wild animals, such as deer, bear, turkey and grouse, are sheltered there, and many streams contain trout and other game fish. This helps to make the region one of the best huntingAuthorsEdward F. McCarrenVariations in the chemical character of the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
The chemical quality of the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg is influenced by three major factors: streamflow, anthracite and bituminous coal-mine drainage, and geology. Water samples collected at Harrisburg near the west bank of the Susquehanna River and those of western tributaries that drain limestone terranes are similar in chemical quality. The water is alkaline and contains calcium, magnesiumAuthorsPeter W. Anderson - News
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