Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Micro-samplers are sophisticated instruments that collect small "sips" of water at designated intervals. Installing one during high water conditions is a tricky business. The samples, collected every few hours, provide a picture of how rapidly water quality can change over time. These samples were analyzed for a suite of hundreds of pesticides.&nbs
Micro-samplers are sophisticated instruments that collect small "sips" of water at designated intervals. Installing one during high water conditions is a tricky business. The samples, collected every few hours, provide a picture of how rapidly water quality can change over time. These samples were analyzed for a suite of hundreds of pesticides.&nbs
Micro-samplers are sophisticated instruments that collect small "sips" of water at frequent intervals. The samples, collected every few hours, provide a picture of how rapidly water quality can change over time. These samples were analyzed for a suite of hundreds of pesticides. In 2013, the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (
Micro-samplers are sophisticated instruments that collect small "sips" of water at frequent intervals. The samples, collected every few hours, provide a picture of how rapidly water quality can change over time. These samples were analyzed for a suite of hundreds of pesticides. In 2013, the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (
A USGS hydrologist and hydrologic technician install a microsampler in an urban creek in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The microsampler allows collection of a sample "sip" every 6 hours; the sips are composited into a daily sample. Collection of daily samples revealed the presence of more pesticides and higher concentrations than manual samples collected weekly.
A USGS hydrologist and hydrologic technician install a microsampler in an urban creek in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The microsampler allows collection of a sample "sip" every 6 hours; the sips are composited into a daily sample. Collection of daily samples revealed the presence of more pesticides and higher concentrations than manual samples collected weekly.
The summer of 2013 was particularly wet in the Corn Belt states of the Midwest. Water ponded in fields under stormy skies, hampering sampling by the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) team.
The summer of 2013 was particularly wet in the Corn Belt states of the Midwest. Water ponded in fields under stormy skies, hampering sampling by the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) team.
Fish biologists Diana Papoulias and Diana Nicks wrestle with cages of fathead minnows in Goodwater Creek, Missouri, during high flow. Flooding presented some special challenges to sampling.
Fish biologists Diana Papoulias and Diana Nicks wrestle with cages of fathead minnows in Goodwater Creek, Missouri, during high flow. Flooding presented some special challenges to sampling.
Biologists from the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) use fish and frogs in cages suspended in flowing streams to study the effects of stream contaminants on fish and frog development. Here, three biologists wrestle with a cage in high water, as part of the Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA).
Biologists from the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) use fish and frogs in cages suspended in flowing streams to study the effects of stream contaminants on fish and frog development. Here, three biologists wrestle with a cage in high water, as part of the Regional Stream Quality Assessments (RSQA).
Wet weather during the 2013 USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) caused water to pond on cornfields. The RSQA studied the relations between water-quality, physical habitat, and stream ecology in the Corn Belt states of the Midwest.
Wet weather during the 2013 USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) caused water to pond on cornfields. The RSQA studied the relations between water-quality, physical habitat, and stream ecology in the Corn Belt states of the Midwest.
Predicted concentrations of arsenic in groundwater exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 μg/L in 43 percent of the areal extent of the four Southwest basin-fill aquifers.
Predicted concentrations of arsenic in groundwater exceed the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 μg/L in 43 percent of the areal extent of the four Southwest basin-fill aquifers.
In the Corn Belt states of the Midwest, intensive agriculture extends up to stream banks, eliminating trees and other riparian vegegation. In 2013, the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) investigated the effects of land use, stream quality, and other stressors on the ecological health of 100 streams i
In the Corn Belt states of the Midwest, intensive agriculture extends up to stream banks, eliminating trees and other riparian vegegation. In 2013, the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) investigated the effects of land use, stream quality, and other stressors on the ecological health of 100 streams i
A tile drain concentrates and transports irrigation water and the chemicals it contains to a stream.
A tile drain concentrates and transports irrigation water and the chemicals it contains to a stream.
Groundwater is pumped from a public-supply well and stored in a water tower for residents' use in Clayton, New Jersey. The well taps groundwater from the North Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer.
Groundwater is pumped from a public-supply well and stored in a water tower for residents' use in Clayton, New Jersey. The well taps groundwater from the North Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer.
Groundwater in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain aquifers is old—more than 21,300 years old in more than half of the wells sampled.
Groundwater in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain aquifers is old—more than 21,300 years old in more than half of the wells sampled.
Sampling Lafferty Gulch surface water that was analyzed for perchlorate and metals on July 10, 2012. Water-quality sampling of groundwater and surface water was conducted during 2011-15 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to characterize the occurrent of perchlorate and selected metals commonly associated with fireworks.
Sampling Lafferty Gulch surface water that was analyzed for perchlorate and metals on July 10, 2012. Water-quality sampling of groundwater and surface water was conducted during 2011-15 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to characterize the occurrent of perchlorate and selected metals commonly associated with fireworks.
Collection of composite soil samples, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, June 20, 2012. Water-quality sampling of groundwater and surface water and soil sampling was conducted during 2011-15 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to characterize the occurrent of perchlorate and selected metals commonly associated with fireworks.
Collection of composite soil samples, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, June 20, 2012. Water-quality sampling of groundwater and surface water and soil sampling was conducted during 2011-15 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to characterize the occurrent of perchlorate and selected metals commonly associated with fireworks.
Installing stream monitoring equipment on a tributary to Grizzly Bear Creek, May 9, 2012. Water-quality sampling of groundwater and surface water was conducted during 2011-15 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to characterize the occurrent of perchlorate and selected metals commonly associated with fireworks.
Installing stream monitoring equipment on a tributary to Grizzly Bear Creek, May 9, 2012. Water-quality sampling of groundwater and surface water was conducted during 2011-15 at Mount Rushmore National Memorial to characterize the occurrent of perchlorate and selected metals commonly associated with fireworks.
Dust carried by the wind has far-reaching effects, including the loss of nutrients and water-holding capacity from landscapes, and the speeding up of the melting of snow, which affects the timing and magnitude of runoff into streams and rivers.
Dust carried by the wind has far-reaching effects, including the loss of nutrients and water-holding capacity from landscapes, and the speeding up of the melting of snow, which affects the timing and magnitude of runoff into streams and rivers.
Public-supply wells pump higher volumes of water than domestic-supply wells. This photo appears in Circular 1352, Water Quality in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern United States, one of a series of circulars on groundwater quality in the
Public-supply wells pump higher volumes of water than domestic-supply wells. This photo appears in Circular 1352, Water Quality in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern United States, one of a series of circulars on groundwater quality in the
Runoff from this sealcoated lot will flow into the storm drain, where it will be transported to streams and lakes.
Runoff from this sealcoated lot will flow into the storm drain, where it will be transported to streams and lakes.
Once applied, sealcoat can be abraded by snowplows, as evidence here, or the abrasive action of car tires. Runoff carrying high-PAH sealcoat particles flows into storm drains, where it can be transported to streams and lakes.
Once applied, sealcoat can be abraded by snowplows, as evidence here, or the abrasive action of car tires. Runoff carrying high-PAH sealcoat particles flows into storm drains, where it can be transported to streams and lakes.
Runoff from this sealcoated lot will flow into the storm drain, where it will be transported to streams and lakes.
Runoff from this sealcoated lot will flow into the storm drain, where it will be transported to streams and lakes.
Sealcoated parking lot. Runoff from coal-tar-sealcoated pavement contains extremely high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and is toxic to aquatic life. Read more here.
Sealcoated parking lot. Runoff from coal-tar-sealcoated pavement contains extremely high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and is toxic to aquatic life. Read more here.