Publications
Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
GeoHEALTH-USGS Newsletter
The GeoHEALTH–USGS Newsletter—published since 2004—provides information on USGS science activities pertinent to safeguarding the health of fish, wildlife, domesticated animals, and people from environmental exposures to contaminants and pathogens.
Featured Science Activities
Featured Science Activities
Lean about our Featured Science Activities through our pages that highlight science studies, publications, and results.
Filter Total Items: 3783
Sequestration of hydrophobic organic contaminants by geosorbents
The chemical interactions of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) with soils and sediments (geosorbents) may result in strong binding and slow subsequent release rates that significantly affect remediation rates and endpoints. The underlying physical and chemical phenomena potentially responsible for this apparent sequestration of HOCs by geosorbents are not well understood. This challenges our
Authors
Richard G. Luthy, George R. Aiken, Mark L. Brusseau, Scott D. Cunningham, Philip M. Gschwend, Joseph J. Pignatello, Martin Reinhard, Samuel J. Traina, Walter J. Weber, John C. Westall
A study of the temporal variability of atrazine in private well water. part ii: analysis of data
In 1988, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, along withthe University of Iowa, conducted the Statewide Rural WellWater Survey, commonly known as SWRL. A total of 686private rural drinking water wells was selected by use of aprobability sample and tested for pesticides and nitrate. A subsetof these wells, the 10% repeat wells, were additionally sampledin October, 1990 and June, 1991. Starting
Authors
Paul Pinsky, Matthew Lorber, Kent Johnson, Burton Kross, Leon Burmeister, Amina Wilkins, George Hallberg
Water-quality and hydrogeologic data used to evaluate the effects of farming systems on ground-water quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Princeton, Minnesota, 1991-95
The Minnesota Management Systems Evaluation Area (MSEA) project was part of a multi-scale, inter-agency initiative to evaluate the effects of agricultural management systems on water quality in the midwest corn belt. The research area was located in the Anoka Sand Plain about 5 kilometers southwest of Princeton, Minnesota. The ground-water-quality monitoring network within and immediately surround
Authors
M.K. Landon, G. N. Delin, K.J. Nelson, C.P. Regan, J.A. Lamb, S.J. Larson, P. D. Capel, J. L. Anderson, R.H. Dowdy
Source, transport, and partitioning of metals between water, colloids, and bed sediments of the Animas River, Colorado
No abstract available.
Authors
S. E. Church, B. A. Kimball, D. L. Fey, D.A. Ferderer, T. J. Yager, R. B. Vaughn
Methods to identify areas susceptible to irrigation-induced selenium contamination in the western United States
No abstract available.
Authors
Ralph L. Seiler
How does streamflow affect metals in the upper Arkansas River?
No abstract available.
Authors
Michael E. Lewis, Melanie L. Clark
Effects of produced waters at oilfield production sites on the Osage Indian Reservation, northeastern Oklahoma
The authors conducted limited site surveys in the Wildhorse and Burbank oilfields on the Osage Indian Reservation, northeastern Oklahoma. The purpose was to document salt scarring, erosion, and soil and water salinization, to survey for radioactivity in oilfield equipment, and to determine if trace elements and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) were present in soils affected by oilf
Authors
James K. Otton, Sigrid Asher-Bolinder, Douglass E. Owen, Laurel Hall
Research on acidic metal contaminants in Pinal Creek Basin near Globe, Arizona
No abstract available.
Authors
James G. Brown, Robert Brew, Judson W. Harvey
Use of tracer injections and synoptic sampling to measure metal loading from acid mine drainage
Thousands of abandoned and inactive mines are located in environmentally sensitive mountain watersheds. Cost-effective remediation of the effects of metals from mining in these watersheds requires knowledge of the most significant sources of metals. The significance of a given source depends on the toxicity of a particular metal, how much of the metal enters the stream, and whether or not the meta
Authors
Briant A. Kimball
The travel times of solutes at the Cape Cod Tracer Experiment: Data analysis, modeling, and structural parameters inference
A method for analyzing and interpreting travel times of solutes in heterogeneous aquifers is presented based on the peak concentration arrival times as measured at various samplers in the aquifer. The method allows separation of the effects of pore-scale dispersion from the effects of the large-scale aquifer heterogeneity. An analysis of data from the Cape Cod field experiment is presented, and we
Authors
Yoram Rubin, Souheil Ezzedine
USGS research on saline waters co-produced with energy resources
The United States energy industry faces the challenge of satisfying our expanding thirst for energy while protecting the environment. This challenge is magnified by the increasing volumes of saline water produced with oil and gas in the Nation's aging petroleum fields. Ultimately, energy-producing companies are responsible for disposing of these waters. USGS research provides basic information, fo
Authors
Numerical simulation of ground-water flow through glacial deposits and crystalline bedrock in the Mirror Lake area, Grafton County, New Hampshire
This report documents the development of a computer model to simulate steady-state (long-term average) flow of ground water in the vicinity of Mirror Lake, which lies at the eastern end of the Hubbard Brook valley in central New Hampshire. The 10-km2 study area includes Mirror Lake, the three streams that flow into Mirror Lake, Leeman's Brook, Paradise Brook, and parts of Hubbard Brook and the Pem
Authors
Claire R. Tiedeman, Daniel J. Goode, Paul A. Hsieh