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Aaron J. Porter

Aaron Porter is a hydrologist and Project Chief at the U.S. Geological Survey's Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center (VA-WV-WSC) in Richmond, VA.

Aaron has been involved in a wide variety of USGS water-resources investigations since 2014. His primary focus has been on utilizing streamflow and continuous water-quality monitoring to improve our understanding of nutrient and sediment dynamics in, and loadings from, small urban watersheds. Aaron is currently the project chief for the Hampton Roads Regional Stormwater Monitoring Program, Salem Source-Water Monitoring, the VA-WV-WSC demonstation gage at Mechumps Creek, and the co-project chief for the Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Program.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. in Environmenal Science (2011) from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a focus on microbial ecology in wetland environments

  • B.A. in English with a minor in Public and Urban Planning from Virginia Tech (2005)

Science and Products

Spatial and temporal patterns in streamflow, water chemistry, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007–18

Urbanization substantially alters the landscape in ways that can impact stream hydrology, water chemistry, and the health of aquatic communities. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are the primary tools used to mitigate the effects of urban stressors such as increased runoff, decreased baseflow, and increased nutrient and sediment transport. To date, Fairfax County Virginia’s stormwater m
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

Hampton roads regional Water-Quality Monitoring Program

IntroductionHow much nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solids are contributed by the highly urbanized areas of the Hampton Roads region in Virginia to Chesapeake Bay? The answer to this complex question has major implications for policy decisions, resource allocations, and efforts aimed at restoring clean waters to Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. To quantify the amount of nitrogen, phosphoru
By
Water Resources, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

Pre-USGS Publications

Wood, Joseph D., Elliott, David, Garman, Greg, Hopler, David, Lee, William, McIninch, Stephen, Porter, Aaron J., Bukaveckas, Paul A., 2016, Autochthony, allochthony and the role of consumers in influencing the sensitivity of aquatic systems to nutrient enrichment: Food Webs, vol 7, p. 1-12
Wood JD, Franklin RB, Garman G, McIninch S, Porter AJ, Bukaveckas PA. Exposure to the cyanotoxin microcystin arising from interspecific differences in feeding habits among fish and shellfish in the James River Estuary, Virginia. Environ Sci Technol. 2014 May 6;48(9):5194-202. doi: 10.1021/es403491k. Epub 2014 Apr 11. PMID: 24694322.
Porter, Aaron J, 2011, Microbial Community Function in Freshwater Wetland Soils: Using Extracellular Enzyme Analysis to Study the Effect of Moisture and Vegetation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Master Thesis, http://doi.org/10.25772/KMGV-ZR84
link
Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Measurments Illustration

Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Network

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the...
By
Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
link

Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Network

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the...
Learn More
link
A culvert in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Hampton Roads Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program

In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to implement a water-quality monitoring program with the goals of (1) collecting high quality nutrient and sediment data representative of the Coastal Plain, (2) computing loads that can be compared to those developed for the Chesapeake...
By
Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
link

Hampton Roads Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program

In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to implement a water-quality monitoring program with the goals of (1) collecting high quality nutrient and sediment data representative of the Coastal Plain, (2) computing loads that can be compared to those developed for the Chesapeake...
Learn More

Inputs and Selected Outputs Used to Assess Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Streamflow, Water-Chemistry, and Aquatic Macroinvertebrates of Selected Streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007-2018

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended-sediment (SS) loads, in Fairfax County, Virginia streams have been calculated using monitoring data from five intensively monitored watersheds for the period from water year (October - September) 2008-2017. Nutrient and suspended-sediment loads were computed using a surrogate (multiple-linear regression) approach with lab analyzed N, P, and SS samples as
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
link
link

Science and Products

  • Publications

    Spatial and temporal patterns in streamflow, water chemistry, and aquatic macroinvertebrates of selected streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007–18

    Urbanization substantially alters the landscape in ways that can impact stream hydrology, water chemistry, and the health of aquatic communities. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are the primary tools used to mitigate the effects of urban stressors such as increased runoff, decreased baseflow, and increased nutrient and sediment transport. To date, Fairfax County Virginia’s stormwater m
    By
    Chesapeake Bay Activities, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

    Hampton roads regional Water-Quality Monitoring Program

    IntroductionHow much nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended solids are contributed by the highly urbanized areas of the Hampton Roads region in Virginia to Chesapeake Bay? The answer to this complex question has major implications for policy decisions, resource allocations, and efforts aimed at restoring clean waters to Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. To quantify the amount of nitrogen, phosphoru
    By
    Water Resources, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

    Pre-USGS Publications

    Wood, Joseph D., Elliott, David, Garman, Greg, Hopler, David, Lee, William, McIninch, Stephen, Porter, Aaron J., Bukaveckas, Paul A., 2016, Autochthony, allochthony and the role of consumers in influencing the sensitivity of aquatic systems to nutrient enrichment: Food Webs, vol 7, p. 1-12
    Wood JD, Franklin RB, Garman G, McIninch S, Porter AJ, Bukaveckas PA. Exposure to the cyanotoxin microcystin arising from interspecific differences in feeding habits among fish and shellfish in the James River Estuary, Virginia. Environ Sci Technol. 2014 May 6;48(9):5194-202. doi: 10.1021/es403491k. Epub 2014 Apr 11. PMID: 24694322.
    Porter, Aaron J, 2011, Microbial Community Function in Freshwater Wetland Soils: Using Extracellular Enzyme Analysis to Study the Effect of Moisture and Vegetation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Master Thesis, http://doi.org/10.25772/KMGV-ZR84
  • Science
    link
    Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Measurments Illustration

    Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Network

    Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the...
    By
    Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
    link

    Fairfax County Water Resources Monitoring Network

    Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), with the explicit goal of improving water quality. Earlier research has demonstrated that these implemented BMPs are effective at the plot-scale and the field-scale; however, less information is available to document the effectiveness of these BMPs at the watershed scale - precisely the...
    Learn More
    link
    A culvert in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

    Hampton Roads Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program

    In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to implement a water-quality monitoring program with the goals of (1) collecting high quality nutrient and sediment data representative of the Coastal Plain, (2) computing loads that can be compared to those developed for the Chesapeake...
    By
    Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
    link

    Hampton Roads Regional Water Quality Monitoring Program

    In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission to implement a water-quality monitoring program with the goals of (1) collecting high quality nutrient and sediment data representative of the Coastal Plain, (2) computing loads that can be compared to those developed for the Chesapeake...
    Learn More
  • Data

    Inputs and Selected Outputs Used to Assess Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Streamflow, Water-Chemistry, and Aquatic Macroinvertebrates of Selected Streams in Fairfax County, Virginia, 2007-2018

    Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and suspended-sediment (SS) loads, in Fairfax County, Virginia streams have been calculated using monitoring data from five intensively monitored watersheds for the period from water year (October - September) 2008-2017. Nutrient and suspended-sediment loads were computed using a surrogate (multiple-linear regression) approach with lab analyzed N, P, and SS samples as
    By
    Chesapeake Bay Activities, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center
  • Multimedia
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