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Publications

Publications are the cornerstone of the Pennsylvania Water Science Center’s dissemination of scientific data and conclusions. 

Filter Total Items: 968

Invasive predatory fish occupies highest trophic position leading to expansion of isotopic niches in a riverine food web Invasive predatory fish occupies highest trophic position leading to expansion of isotopic niches in a riverine food web

Invasive species are drivers of ecological change with the potential to reshape the structure and function of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The invasive flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is an opportunistic predator that has established a rapidly growing population in the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, USA, since they were first detected in 2002. Although the predatory...
Authors
Olivia C. Hodgson, Sydney Stark, Megan K. Schall, Geoffrey D. Smith, Kelly Smalling, Tyler Wagner

Projecting stream water quality using Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS): An example with drought conditions in the Delaware River Basin Projecting stream water quality using Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS): An example with drought conditions in the Delaware River Basin

Future water availability depends on understanding the responses of constituent concentrations to hydrologic change. Projecting future water quality remains a methodological challenge, particularly when using discrete observations with limited temporal resolution. This study introduces Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season for Projection (WRTDS-P), a novel, computationally...
Authors
Christopher Green, Robert M. Hirsch, Hedeff Essaid, Ward E. Sanford

Regional high-frequency monitoring revealed chloride concentrations in exceedance of ecological benchmarks in urban streams across the Delaware River Basin, USA Regional high-frequency monitoring revealed chloride concentrations in exceedance of ecological benchmarks in urban streams across the Delaware River Basin, USA

Rising chloride concentrations pose critical risks to freshwater stream ecosystems in temperate regions like the Delaware River Basin (DRB), USA, where winter deicer applications (i.e., road salt) are common. Increasing chloride concentrations have been documented in the region, but the extent to which chloride exceeds regulatory benchmarks remains unclear because detection of...
Authors
Rosemary M. Fanelli, Michelle Morency, Brandon J. Fleming, Joel Moore, Deanna Hardesty, Megan E. Shoda

Tracking status and trends in seven key indicators of river and stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed Tracking status and trends in seven key indicators of river and stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Freshwater streams and rivers are recognized as vital habitats within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has been undergoing extensive restoration efforts for more than 30 years. Resource managers need to understand stream and river condition and how these conditions are changing over time to determine whether regional long-term restoration and conservation goals are being met. The...
Authors
Lindsey J. Boyle, Samuel H. Austin, Matthew J. Cashman, Zachary J. Clifton, John W. Clune, James E. Colgin, Kaitlyn E.M. Elliott, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Ellie P. Foss, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Elizabeth A. Hittle, Coral M. Howe, Emily H. Majcher, Kelly O. Maloney, Christopher A. Mason, Marina J. Metes, Douglas L. Moyer, Trevor P. Needham, Karli M. Rogers, Joshua J. Thompson, Guoxiang Yang, Tammy M. Zimmerman

Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers Deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in fish communities of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA: A regional assessment and potential landscape drivers

Fish diseases in freshwater ecosystems pose significant ecological and socioeconomic challenges, yet monitoring them in wild populations is complex due to interactions between pathogens, hosts, and environmental conditions. We examine the prevalence and watershed-scale landscape drivers of external deformity, erosion, lesion, tumor, and parasite (DELT) anomalies in 57 riverine fish...
Authors
Sara E. Breitmeyer, Paul McLaughlin, Vicki S. Blazer, Gregory E. Noe, Kelly Smalling, Timothy A. Wertz, Tyler Wagner

The nonpoint source challenge: Obstacles and opportunities for meeting nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed The nonpoint source challenge: Obstacles and opportunities for meeting nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

This document examines the Chesapeake Bay watershed response to nutrient and sediment reduction efforts under the Clean Water Act's total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulation. As the 2025 Chesapeake Bay TMDL deadline approaches, water quality goals remain unmet, primarily because of nonpoint source pollution, the largest remaining source of nutrients and sediment, and the primary...
Authors
Zachary M. Easton, Kurt Stephenson, Brian Benhem, J.K. Bohlke, Anthony R Buda, Amy S. Collick, Lara Fowler, Ellen Gilinsky, Andrew Miller, Gregory E. Noe, Leah Palm-Forster, Leonard Shabman, Tess Wynn-Thompson

Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach

Managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water resources requires a basin-scale approach. Predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) and stream-vulnerability scores for PFAS were determined for the Potomac River watershed in the eastern United States. Approximately 15% of stream reaches contained municipal and/or industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges...
Authors
Larry B. Barber, Samuel Adam Miller, Lee Blaney, Paul M. Bradley, Kaycee E. Faunce, Jacob Fleck, Malinda Frick, Ke He, Ryan D. Hollins, Conor J. Lewellyn, Emily H. Majcher, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Kelly Smalling

A geospatial analysis of water-quality threats from orphan wells in principal and secondary aquifers of the United States A geospatial analysis of water-quality threats from orphan wells in principal and secondary aquifers of the United States

Throughout the history of oil and gas production in the United States, millions of wells have been drilled for exploration and energy production. Hundreds of thousands of unplugged wells are no longer actively producing and are currently under orphan status, with no responsible party obligated for plugging. Orphan wells can pose threats to water resources by providing pathways for...
Authors
Joshua Woda, Karl B. Haase, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Kalle Jahn, Kristina Gutchess

Tapwater exposures, residential risk, and mitigation in a PFAS-impacted-groundwater community Tapwater exposures, residential risk, and mitigation in a PFAS-impacted-groundwater community

Tapwater (TW) safety and sustainability are priorities in the United States. Per/polyfluoroalkyl substance(s) (PFAS) contamination is a growing public-health concern due to prolific use, widespread TW exposures, and mounting human-health concerns. Historically-rural, actively-urbanizing communities that rely on surficial-aquifer private wells incur elevated risks of unrecognized TW...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Lee Donahue, Mark P. Gaikowski, Randy K. Hines, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Stephanie E. Gordon, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Shannon M. Meppelink, Molly L. Schreiner

Time of travel of releases from Lake Wallenpaupack to the U.S. Geological Survey’s streamgage monitoring location on the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey Time of travel of releases from Lake Wallenpaupack to the U.S. Geological Survey’s streamgage monitoring location on the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey

In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) carried out a hydraulic study within the upper Delaware River Basin for the purpose of determining the time of travel for water releases from the Brookfield Renewable U.S. hydroelectric plant at Lake Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania, to reach the USGS streamgage located on the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey (site number 01438500). From...
Authors
Jaclynne Polcino, John J. Trainor, Jerilyn V. Collenburg

METRIC: An interactive framework for integrated visualization and analysis of monitored and expected load reductions for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed METRIC: An interactive framework for integrated visualization and analysis of monitored and expected load reductions for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Reductions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads have been the focus of watershed restoration in many regions for improving water quality, including the Chesapeake Bay. Watershed models and riverine monitoring data can provide important information on the progress of load reductions but do not always generate consistent interpretations. A new framework for integrated visualization...
Authors
Qian Zhang, Gary W. Shenk, Gopal Bhatt, Isabella Bertani
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