Water Quality
Water Quality
Water quality is a measure of the suitability of water for a particular use based on selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Water-quality monitoring is used to help water-resource managers understand and avert potential negative effects of man-made and natural stresses on water resources. The Upper Midwest Water Science Center investigates water-quality issues using new technologies and techniques to study the physical, chemical, biological, geological interactions in rivers, streams, lakes, and groundwater in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and across the Nation. Some of the issues we address include the occurrence, distribution, trends, and modeling of pollutants; the relationship between ecological responses and water quality; and the relationships between natural factors, land use, and water quality, in both rural and urban settings.
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Bacteriological Research Core Technology Team
About the Research The Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory (MI-BaRL) Core Technology Team (CTT) as part of the Environmental Health Program uses a wide array of traditional and modern molecular approaches to evaluate microbial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance pathways in the environment. The scientists use these approaches to advance the understanding of how environmental...
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) Watercourse Corridor Study
Since 2000, the USGS and MMSD have been partners in the Milwaukee Area Watercourse Corridor Study. The USGS has applied a multi-disciplinary approach to monitor and assess stream water quality within studies of aquatic communities, geomorphology and habitat, water and sediment, and streamflow. Results are provided to MMSD and watershed management agencies for planning and decision-making.
MMSD Watercourse Corridor Study: Contaminants in Water and Sediment
There are many kinds of chemical, physical, and biological contaminants contained in water and sediment, and new or “emerging” contaminants are continually being discovered. USGS investigations of contaminants in the MMSD Watercourse Corridor Study include studies of PFAS, PAHs, microplastics, and wastewater contamination as well as modeling long-term trends in water quality.
MMSD Watercourse Corridor Study: Ecological Assessments and Trends
Changes in streams that result from urban development such as loss of stream habitat, inadequate or flashy streamflow, and degraded water quality can adversely affect communities of aquatic organisms. MMSD Watercourse Corridor Study ecological assessments evaluate water quality over time by pairing community assessments of aquatic organisms with chemical assessments from passive samplers, as well...
MMSD Watercourse Corridor Study: Green Infrastructure
In urban areas, the term “stormwater” refers to the precipitation (either rainfall or snowmelt) that isn’t absorbed by the ground, but rather flows off impervious surfaces such as roads, roofs, and parking lots. Stormwater flows into storm drains and is typically routed directly to streams, which often results in flooding and sometimes combined sewer overflows (CSO) as well. Stormwater can also...
MMSD Watercourse Corridor Study: Nutrient Evaluations
Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (HABs) are becoming an increasing concern in the Great Lakes. Although there is a total maximum daily load (TMDL) for phosphorus in the Milwaukee Estuary, abundance/biovolume of potential HAB-producing cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin presence in Milwaukee-area rivers and the estuary are largely unknown. USGS evaluations of nutrients in the MMSD Watercourse...
Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology (SWIGG) study
The fractured bedrock aquifers of southwest Wisconsin are often overlain by shallow soils, so private wells are potentially vulnerable to contamination by nitrate and pathogens from the land surface. The goal of this study is to evaluate the extent and causes of private well water contamination in three southwest Wisconsin counties.
Lake monitoring and research
Studying lakes provides an improved understanding of lake ecosystem dynamics and valuable information that helps lead to sound lake-management policies. The USGS collects hydrologic data in lake settings, studies water and nutrient budget development, conducts source-loading analysis, explores groundwater interactions, and performs lake water-quality modeling.
Groundwater monitoring and research
Groundwater is an important water resource. The USGS collects information on the quality and quantity of groundwater and conducts advanced modeling of groundwater flow and groundwater/surface-water systems. The USGS also evaluates the effects of water-use, land-use, and climate change on groundwater, surface-water, and the ecosystems that rely on them.
GLRI Urban Stormwater Monitoring
The GLRI Urban Stormwater Monitoring effort brings together the expertise of the USGS with local and national partners to assess the ability of green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff in Great Lakes urban areas.
Edge-of-field monitoring
Edge-of-field monitoring focuses on identifying and reducing agricultural sources of excess nutrients which can threaten the health of streams, rivers, and lakes. Edge-of-field monitoring assesses the quantity and quality of agricultural runoff and evaluates the effectiveness of conservation practices that aim to reduce nutrient loss.
Mercury studies
The USGS Mercury Research Lab is a national leader in advancing mercury research and science, specializing in low-level mercury speciation and isotope analysis and mercury-source fingerprinting. The MRL leads national cutting-edge collaborative studies, including state-of-the-art sample analysis, methods development for field and lab procedures, and data interpretation and dissemination.