Water Quality

The Issue: In aquatic ecosystems, dissolved organic carbon represents the largest flux of carbon in streams and it is a primary energy source in aquatic food webs. There is limited understanding of how human activities related to urban development influence the timing and scale of carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems. How USGS will help: The USGS is working with university partners to assess how...

The USGS is monitoring the water quality of rivers that cross the U.S.-Canadian border. In Washington State, our focus is on the Upper Skagit and Similkameen watersheds. Intensive monitoring began in 2019, and the data we collect helps us understand current conditions and detect long-term changes in water quality.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are refining a water quality model to better understand temperature and salinity dynamics in the Lake Washington Ship Canal. This effort is supported by the Sustainable Rivers Program, a partnership between the USACE and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

The USGS is working with local water managers to characterize water and sediment quality in a fish hatchery. For the past few years, large numbers of salmon eggs raised in the hatchery have perished unexpectedly. Resource managers need information about the water, sediment and organic material found in the hatchery and surrounding watershed. The USGS is using novel techniques to learn what is in...

The Issue: Stormwater can quickly run off impervious surfaces delivering potentially polluted water to streams and rivers in the Puget Sound region. Runoff from impervious surfaces can either be directly connected to streams through stormwater pipes or indirectly connected if runoff is routed to some other surface such as grass or a feature like a stormwater management structure. It is currently...

The Issue: Forests in the Pacific Northwest have changed substantially over the past hundred years because of logging, changing forest management methods, and climate change. These forests contain a dense network of small headwater streams that supply cold, clean water and support 52 amphibian species. These amphibians live both in the cold streams and in the cool, moist areas nearby. Natural...

The Issue: Changes in the water temperature and flow regimes of rivers throughout the western United States have contributed to shifts in the ranges of aquatic species that they support. Cold-water species such as fish are sensitive to changes in water temperature, which regulates their physiological functions and behavior. How USGS will help: A spatial stream network (SSN) model was developed...

Pacific salmon and trout, especially coho, are threatened by a toxic contaminant resulting from tire additives that end up in untreated road runoff. This contaminant, 6PPD-q, has been associated with high rates of coho pre-spawn mortality in streams, including in the Green-Duwamish watershed. Many coho spawning streams in the watershed are predicted to be at high risk for “urban runoff mortality...

The Issue: Scientists and water-resource managers recognize the increasing impact of wildfires on water supply in the western U.S. The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires are linked to changes in snowpack, warmer temperatures, and drought. Sedimentation following wildfire can impact aquatic habitat, reservoir storage capacity, water quality, and thus public drinking water supplies...

The issue: Stormwater runoff often carries pollutants that degrade water quality in receiving waters. A regional-scale monitoring program is necessary to objectively measure and track progress in reducing stormwater impacts on environmental health. How USGS will help: Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are monitoring water quality and watershed health for urban and urbanizing areas...

The Issue: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of oil-derived compounds widely distributed in fresh and marine waters. They pose a significant toxicity risk to fish. It can be challenging to pinpoint the source of PAHs found in wild fish populations. PAHs are widespread and come from many sources, so it is hard to determine whether fish exposure is event-related or consistent with...

The Issue: Mercury contamination and toxicity threaten Pacific lamprey recovery in the Columbia River basin. Methylmercury concentrations in larval Pacific lamprey from tributaries in the mid-Columbia were measured to be as high as 4.0 µg/g wet weight. At these concentration levels, injury is predicted to occur in more than 50% of larval and adult fish and more than 90% of early-life stage fish...