Joe Duris

Throughout my time at the USGS I have been actively involved in many facets of water-quality monitoring and research. I have worked with several national and regional USGS programs including the Toxics Substances Hydrology program (Toxics), the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA), the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), and most recently the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS) Program in the Delaware River Basin. Most of my work throughout my career has focused on evaluating the occurrence, fate, and transport of fecally-derived pathogens and their relation to trace organic compounds (PFAS, wastewater compounds, pharmaceuticals, hormones, pesticides). In addition, I have worked on issues of nutrient enrichment and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in inland lakes and the Great Lakes, and on monitoring nutrient and sediment flux using surrogate regression models.

Current Research

• Evaluation of the distribution, fate, transport, and mass-balance of Per-and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) at multiple spatial scales and refining and testing field techniques for proper sampling of PFAS in surface water
• Evaluation of suspended sediment and nutrient flux in real-time using surrogate regression models by rating in-stream measurements with parameters of interest
• Exploring the connection between blending untreated human sewage and acid mine drainage on the microbial ecology of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in streams
• Data management, data visualization, and evaluating new monitoring technologies