Publications

Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed - A Century of Change, 1950–2050

National Award for Superior Communication Product

Domestic Well Water Quality in Marcellus Shale Region

Factors Affecting Groundwater Quality Used for Domestic Supply in Marcellus Shale Region of North-Central and North-East Pennsylvania

Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus Shale gas development, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

Report at Pennsylvania Geological Survey

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

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September 9, 2013

Distribution of indoor radon concentrations in Pennsylvania, 1990-2007 Distribution of indoor radon concentrations in Pennsylvania, 1990-2007

Results from 548,507 indoor radon tests from a database compiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Radiation Protection, Radon Division, are evaluated in this report in an effort to determine areas where concentrations of radon are highest. Indoor radon concentrations were aggregated according to geologic unit and hydrogeologic setting for spatial...

Authors

Eliza L. Gross

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

September 6, 2013

Dissolved methane in groundwater, Upper Delaware River Basin, Pennsylvania and New York, 2007-12 Dissolved methane in groundwater, Upper Delaware River Basin, Pennsylvania and New York, 2007-12

The prospect of natural gas development from the Marcellus and Utica Shales has raised concerns about freshwater aquifers being vulnerable to contamination. Well owners are asking questions about subsurface methane, such as, “Does my well water have methane and is it safe to drink the water?” and “Is my well system at risk of an explosion hazard associated with a combustible gas like...

Authors

William M. Kappel

Water Resources Mission Area, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

August 19, 2013

Velocity, water-quality, and bathymetric surveys of the Grays Landing and Maxwell Navigation Pools, and Selected Tributaries to the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania, 2010–11 Velocity, water-quality, and bathymetric surveys of the Grays Landing and Maxwell Navigation Pools, and Selected Tributaries to the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania, 2010–11

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted velocity, water-quality, and bathymetric surveys from spring 2010 to summer 2011 in the Grays Landing and Maxwell navigation pools of the Monongahela River, Pennsylvania, and selected tributaries in response to elevated levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) recorded in early September 2009. Velocity data were collected using an Acoustic...

Authors

Scott A. Hoffman, Mark A. Roland, Luther Schalk, John W. Fulton

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

August 15, 2013

Water resources and shale gas/oil production in the Appalachian Basin: critical issues and evolving developments Water resources and shale gas/oil production in the Appalachian Basin: critical issues and evolving developments

Unconventional natural gas and oil resources in the United States are important components of a national energy program. While the Nation seeks greater energy independence and greener sources of energy, Federal agencies with environmental responsibilities, state and local regulators and water-resource agencies, and citizens throughout areas of unconventional shale gas development have...

Authors

William M. Kappel, John Williams, Zoltan Szabo

Water Resources Mission Area, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

July 31, 2013

Naturally occurring contaminants in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers and Piedmont Early Mesozoic basin siliciclastic-rock aquifers, eastern United States, 1994–2008 Naturally occurring contaminants in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers and Piedmont Early Mesozoic basin siliciclastic-rock aquifers, eastern United States, 1994–2008

Groundwater quality and aquifer lithologies in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Physiographic Provinces in the eastern United States vary widely as a result of complex geologic history. Bedrock composition (mineralogy) and geochemical conditions in the aquifer directly affect the occurrence (presence in rock and groundwater) and distribution (concentration and mobility) of potential naturally...

Authors

Melinda J. Chapman, Charles A. Cravotta, Zoltan Szabo, Bruce D. Lindsay

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

June 18, 2013

Baseline groundwater quality from 20 domestic wells in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, 2012 Baseline groundwater quality from 20 domestic wells in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, 2012

Water samples were collected from 20 domestic wells during August and September 2012 and analyzed for 47 constituents and properties, including nutrients, major ions, metals and trace elements, radioactivity, and dissolved gases, including methane and radon-222. This study, done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic...

Authors

Ronald A. Sloto

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

May 17, 2013

Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA

Streams crossing underground coal mines may lose flow, while abandoned mine drainage (AMD) restores flow downstream. During 2005-12, discharge from the Pine Knot Mine Tunnel, the largest AMD source in the upper Schuylkill River Basin, had near-neutral pH and elevated concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfate. Discharge from the tunnel responded rapidly to recharge but exhibited a...

Authors

Charles A. Cravotta, Daniel J. Goode, Michael D. Bartles, Dennis W. Risser, Daniel G. Galeone

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

May 1, 2013

Investigations of groundwater system and simulation of regional groundwater flow for North Penn Area 7 Superfund site, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Investigations of groundwater system and simulation of regional groundwater flow for North Penn Area 7 Superfund site, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Groundwater in the vicinity of several industrial facilities in Upper Gwynedd Township and vicinity, Montgomery County, in southeast Pennsylvania has been shown to be contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the most common of which is the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE). The 2-square-mile area was placed on the National Priorities List as the North Penn Area 7 Superfund site...

Authors

Lisa A. Senior, Daniel J. Goode

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

April 30, 2013

Total nutrient and sediment loads, trends, yields, and nontidal water-quality indicators for selected nontidal stations, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 1985–2011 Total nutrient and sediment loads, trends, yields, and nontidal water-quality indicators for selected nontidal stations, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 1985–2011

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partners, routinely reports long-term concentration trends and monthly and annual constituent loads for stream water-quality monitoring stations across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This report documents flow-adjusted trends in sediment and total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations for 31 stations in the...

Authors

Michael J. Langland, Joel D. Blomquist, Douglas Moyer, Kenneth Hyer, Jeffrey G. Chanat

Water Resources Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

April 22, 2013

Groundwater-level trends and forecasts, and salinity trends, in the Azraq, Dead Sea, Hammad, Jordan Side Valleys, Yarmouk, and Zarqa groundwater basins, Jordan Groundwater-level trends and forecasts, and salinity trends, in the Azraq, Dead Sea, Hammad, Jordan Side Valleys, Yarmouk, and Zarqa groundwater basins, Jordan

Changes in groundwater levels and salinity in six groundwater basins in Jordan were characterized by using linear trends fit to well-monitoring data collected from 1960 to early 2011. On the basis of data for 117 wells, groundwater levels in the six basins were declining, on average about -1 meter per year (m/yr), in 2010. The highest average rate of decline, -1.9 m/yr, occurred in the...

Authors

Daniel J. Goode, Lisa A. Senior, Ali Subah, Ayman Jaber

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, International Programs

March 25, 2013

Inhibition of bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron by lead nitrate in sulfate-rich systems Inhibition of bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron by lead nitrate in sulfate-rich systems

Inhibition of bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) by Pb(NO3)2 was investigated with a mixed culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The culture was incubated at 30 °C in ferrous-sulfate medium amended with 0–24.2 mM Pb(II) added as Pb(NO3)2. Anglesite (PbSO4) precipitated immediately upon Pb addition and was the only solid phase detected in the abiotic controls. Both...

Authors

Hongmei Wang, Linfeng Gong, Charles A. Cravotta, Xiaofen Yang, Olli H. Tuovinen, Hailiang Dong, Xiang Fu

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

March 1, 2013

Arsenic concentrations, related environmental factors, and the predicted probability of elevated arsenic in groundwater in Pennsylvania Arsenic concentrations, related environmental factors, and the predicted probability of elevated arsenic in groundwater in Pennsylvania

Analytical results for arsenic in water samples from 5,023 wells obtained during 1969–2007 across Pennsylvania were compiled and related to other associated groundwater-quality and environmental factors and used to predict the probability of elevated arsenic concentrations, defined as greater than or equal to 4.0 micrograms per liter (µg/L), in groundwater. Arsenic concentrations of 4.0...

Authors

Eliza L. Gross, Dennis J. Low

Water Resources Mission Area, Pennsylvania Water Science Center