Science By State/Region

The 64,000-square mile watershed that drains to the Chesapeake Bay is highly populated and has diverse land use, including forested, agricultural, and urbanized areas. Increased precipitation in the eastern United States over the last 100 years has affected stream flow and thus the loading of pollutants delivered to the bay. Such pollutants as suspended sediment and dissolved phosphorus and...

Cost effective and safe highway bridge designs are required to ensure the long-term sustainability of Virginia’s road systems. The water flows that, over time, scour streambed sediments from bridge piers inherently affect bridge safety and design costs. To ensure safety, bridge designs must anticipate streambed scour at bridge piers over the lifespan of a bridge. Until recently Federal Highway...

A key component to assessing the contaminant exposure pathways in streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay is using GIS-based landscape analysis to identify sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges are potentially major sources of EDCs to streams, and therefore understanding the de facto wastewater reuse (represented as...

The ULCT serves as a resource to assist the Region and its Science Centers for developing regional science programs that provide technical support on impacts of urban development on water resources and ecosystems. Specific objectives include: • Build expertise to help communities understand their natural resources and effects of urbanization • Develop expertise in the effects of climate change and...

In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices in Fairfax County, Virginia, with the goal of improving water quality. Research has demonstrated that best management practices are effective at smaller scales, but less information is available to document the effectiveness of these best management practices at the watershed...

In 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to implement a water-quality monitoring program in six major cities across the Hampton Roads region. This long-term monitoring program consists of a network of 12 water-quality monitoring stations, 2 per jurisdiction, across the cities...

Planning for drought conditions in Virginia streams is essential to the sound management of water resources and associated riparian and watershed ecosystems. Reliable estimations of the likelihood that stream flows during drought-prone months will exceed specific low-flow thresholds can provide advance warning of drought conditions, allowing extended lead times for improved drought awareness and...

Access the most recent data gathered from the Chesapeake Bay Nontidal Monitoring Network, learn about the techniques used to collect this data, and read about the history of the Chesapeake Bay Nontidal Monitoring Program. Nontidal Network (NTN) data refers to data from the 123 monitoring stations where nutrients and sediment are collected monthly and during storms. River Input Monitoring (RIM)...

As urban and rural growth continues, competition for clean water expands into stream areas previously capable of meeting local water-use demands. Conflicts among instream and offstream users of streamflow increase as flows decrease. This research enhances understanding of summer low-flow conditions in the North Fork, South Fork, and Shenandoah Rivers, relating water availability to physical...

Understanding low flows in Virginia streams is essential to sound management of our water resources and associated riparian and watershed ecosystems. Meaningful characterizations of the magnitude, frequency, and duration of low flows provide valuable insights into the dynamics, variability, and flux associated with water movement through these unique stream systems. Improved estimates of low flows...

An important part of the Virginia Department of Transportation's missions is the safe maintenance, design, and constructions of bridges that cross-waterways and wetlands in the State. The data collected by USGS in conjunction with this project is a vital element of the overall task and mission of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Economic growth and the development, management, and protection of Virginia’s natural resources require anticipating peak stream flows and changes in peak stream flows over time. Extensive hydraulic analysis and smart design are needed to limit the environmental impacts of buildings, pavements, highways, and bridges. Effective design and placement of structures built near streams and on flood...