A stormdrain receiving water input during a high-precipitation storm in Massachusetts.
Alana Burton Spaetzel
Alana Burton Spaetzel is a Hydrologist in the New England Water Science Center.
Alana Spaetzel studies surface water-quality issues in New England. Her interests include nutrient loading in the urban environment, highway-runoff quality, and coastal water-quality monitoring.
Professional Experience
Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New England Water Science Center, 2017 to Present
Education and Certifications
M.S. Geology, Boston College, 2018
B.S. Geology, College of William & Mary, 2015
Science and Products
Highway-runoff quality from segments of open-graded friction course and dense-graded hot-mix asphalt pavement on Interstate 95, Massachusetts, 2018–21
Highway runoff is a source of sediment and associated constituents to downstream waterbodies that can be managed with the use of stormwater-control measures that reduce sediment loads. The use of open-graded friction course (OGFC) pavement has been identified as a method to reduce loads from highway runoff because it retains sediment in pavement voids; however, few datasets are available in New En
Approaches for assessing flows, concentrations, and loads of highway and urban runoff and receiving-stream stormwater in southern New England with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
Water-quality conditions and constituent loads, water years 2013–19, and water-quality trends, water years 1983–2019, in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island
Assessment of water quality and discharge in the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, November 2015 to September 2017
Statistical methods for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
This report documents statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM). The U.S. Geological Survey developed SELDM and the statistics documented in this report in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration to indicate the risk for stormwater flows, concentrations, and loads to exceed us
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Delineating High-Resolution Urban Drainage Systems for Stormwater Management in the Neponset River Watershed
Delineating High-Resolution Urban Drainage Systems for Stormwater Management in the Mystic River Watershed
Transportation-Related Water Projects in New England
Herring River Water Quality
Transportation-Related Water Projects
SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Project page
Physical and Chemical Data to Characterize Water-Quality Conditions in the Sakonnet River, Rhode Island, 2018-2019
Highway-Monitoring Data from Segments of Open-Graded Friction Course and Dense-Graded Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement in Eastern Massachusetts, 2018-2021
Digital Elevation Model and Derivative Datasets to Support the Integration of Stormwater Drainage into the StreamStats Application for the Mystic River Watershed, Massachusetts
Basin Characteristics Data for the StreamStats Application in the Mystic River Basin, Massachusetts
Model Archive for Analysis of Flows, Concentrations, and Loads of Highway and Urban Runoff and Receiving-Stream Stormwater in Southern New England with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
Water-Quality, Streamflow, and Quality-Control Data Supporting Estimation of Nutrient and Sediment Loads in the Scituate Reservoir Drainage Area, Rhode Island, Water Years 2016-19
Water-quality data from the Providence Water Supply Board for tributary streams to the Scituate Reservoir (ver. 3.0, November 2023)
Statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
Basin characteristics and point locations of road crossings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for highway-runoff mitigation analyses using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model
Discrete water quality data supporting Herring River restoration project, Cape Cod National Seashore, 1984-2017
A stormdrain receiving water input during a high-precipitation storm in Massachusetts.
This is a downstream view of the Herring River from the Chequessett Neck Road dike. The site was visited on November 6, 2017 to collect water-quality samples. An automated sampler inside the gage house was used to collect samples over an approximately 24-hour period and combine them into two bottles.
This is a downstream view of the Herring River from the Chequessett Neck Road dike. The site was visited on November 6, 2017 to collect water-quality samples. An automated sampler inside the gage house was used to collect samples over an approximately 24-hour period and combine them into two bottles.
SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Software page
Overview
The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is designed to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks.
Science and Products
- Publications
Highway-runoff quality from segments of open-graded friction course and dense-graded hot-mix asphalt pavement on Interstate 95, Massachusetts, 2018–21
Highway runoff is a source of sediment and associated constituents to downstream waterbodies that can be managed with the use of stormwater-control measures that reduce sediment loads. The use of open-graded friction course (OGFC) pavement has been identified as a method to reduce loads from highway runoff because it retains sediment in pavement voids; however, few datasets are available in New En
AuthorsKirk P. Smith, Alana B. Spaetzel, Phillip A. WoodfordApproaches for assessing flows, concentrations, and loads of highway and urban runoff and receiving-stream stormwater in southern New England with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) was designed to help quantify the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks. SELDM is calibrated using representative hydrological and water-quality input statistics. This report by the U.S. GeologiAuthorsGregory E. Granato, Alana B. Spaetzel, Lillian C. JeznachWater-quality conditions and constituent loads, water years 2013–19, and water-quality trends, water years 1983–2019, in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island
The Scituate Reservoir is the primary source of drinking water for more than 60 percent of the population of Rhode Island. From October 1, 1982, to September 30, 2019, water years (WYs) 1983–2019 (a water year is the period between October 1 and September 30 and is designated by the year in which it ends), the Providence Water Supply Board maintained a fixed-frequency sampling program at 37 statioAuthorsAlana B. Spaetzel, Kirk P. SmithAssessment of water quality and discharge in the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, November 2015 to September 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey, Cape Cod National Seashore of the National Park Service, and Friends of Herring River cooperated from 2015 to 2017 to assess nutrient concentrations and fluxes across the ocean-estuary boundary at a dike on the Herring River in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The purpose of this assessment was to characterize environmental conditions prior to a future removal of the dike, whiAuthorsThomas G. Huntington, Alana B. Spaetzel, John A. Colman, Kevin D. Kroeger, Robert T. BradleyStatistical methods for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
This report documents statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM). The U.S. Geological Survey developed SELDM and the statistics documented in this report in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration to indicate the risk for stormwater flows, concentrations, and loads to exceed us
AuthorsGregory E. Granato, Alana B. Spaetzel, Laura MedalieNon-USGS Publications**
Kaste, J.M., Lauer, N.E., Spaetzel, A.B., Goydan, C., 2016, Cosmogenic 22Na as a steady-state tracer of solute transport and water age in first-order catchments: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 456, p. 78-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.10.002**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Science
Delineating High-Resolution Urban Drainage Systems for Stormwater Management in the Neponset River Watershed
The natural environment and manmade infrastructure must be considered when characterizing hydrology and water quality in urban watersheds. This requirement is critical in stormwater management, which must account for how water flows above ground and underground through stormwater infrastructure. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is...Delineating High-Resolution Urban Drainage Systems for Stormwater Management in the Mystic River Watershed
Characterizing hydrology and pollutant inputs in urban watersheds requires the consideration of both the natural and manmade environment. The Mystic River Basin is a highly urbanized, 76-square-mile watershed north of Boston, Massachusetts, that includes several underserved communities. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a watershed-scale web application of the Mystic River Basin to...Transportation-Related Water Projects in New England
The New England Water Science Center collects data and does interpretive studies on hydrology, hydraulics, and water quality in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in New England and other states.Herring River Water Quality
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New England Water Science Center installed, operated, and maintained surface water-quality sites at the Chequessett Neck Road dike on the Herring River from November 2015 through September 2018.Transportation-Related Water Projects
The USGS has a long history of cooperative investigations with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and state highway agencies to provide data and information to address various issues related to water resources and the Nation’s transportation infrastructure. These issues cover a wide spectrum and include items such as regional flow statistics, flood documentation, regional stream...SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Project page
Note: SELDM is now on version 1.1.1. - Data
Physical and Chemical Data to Characterize Water-Quality Conditions in the Sakonnet River, Rhode Island, 2018-2019
Physical and chemical data were collected to characterize water-quality conditions in the Sakonnet River, a tidal strait located on the east side of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, from April 28 to November 11, 2018 and from June 19 to November 26, 2019. Specifically, the 2018 information in this data release includes: vertical profiles of water quality from 16 to 18 locations and data collectedHighway-Monitoring Data from Segments of Open-Graded Friction Course and Dense-Graded Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement in Eastern Massachusetts, 2018-2021
Highway runoff is a source of chemical constituents to downstream waterbodies that can be managed with the use of stormwater-control measures that reduce sediment loads. The use of open-graded friction course (OGFC) pavement has been identified as a method to reduce loads from highway runoff because it retains sediment in pavement voids. Few datasets are available, though, in New England to characDigital Elevation Model and Derivative Datasets to Support the Integration of Stormwater Drainage into the StreamStats Application for the Mystic River Watershed, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey’s StreamStats program is a publicly-accessible web application (https://streamstats.usgs.gov) that can be used to delineate drainage areas, compute basin characteristics, and estimate flow statistics for user-selected locations on streams. StreamStats services are typically implemented at the statewide or watershed scale (referred to as state or basin applications), andBasin Characteristics Data for the StreamStats Application in the Mystic River Basin, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey’s StreamStats program is a publicly-accessible web application (https://streamstats.usgs.gov) that can be used to delineate drainage areas, compute basin characteristics, and estimate flow statistics for user-selected locations on streams. StreamStats services are typically implemented at the statewide or watershed scale (referred to as state or basin applications), andModel Archive for Analysis of Flows, Concentrations, and Loads of Highway and Urban Runoff and Receiving-Stream Stormwater in Southern New England with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
This data release documents the data and models used to assess flows, concentrations, and loads of highway and urban runoff and of stormwater within receiving streams in southern New England. There are more than 48,000 locations in southern New England where roads cross streams and many more locations where runoff from developed areas may discharge to receiving streams; information about runoff diWater-Quality, Streamflow, and Quality-Control Data Supporting Estimation of Nutrient and Sediment Loads in the Scituate Reservoir Drainage Area, Rhode Island, Water Years 2016-19
Annual loads of selected constituents were estimated for five stations in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, for water years 2016 to 2019 as part of a long-term monitoring program in cooperation with the Providence Water Supply Board. This data release includes the water-quality and streamflow data used to estimate annual loads of total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, total nitrWater-quality data from the Providence Water Supply Board for tributary streams to the Scituate Reservoir (ver. 3.0, November 2023)
Water-quality data were collected by the Providence Water Supply Board (PWSB) from tributaries in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2022 (water years 2018 through 2022). Water-quality samples were collected by the PWSB either monthly or quarterly at fixed stations on 38 tributaries in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island. These data were usedStatistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)
This data release documents statistics for simulating structural stormwater runoff best management practices (BMPs) with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)(Granato, 2013). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed SELDM and the statistics documented in this report in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to indicate the risk for stormwater flows, conBasin characteristics and point locations of road crossings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island for highway-runoff mitigation analyses using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model
This data release documents the location of intersections between roads and streams, referred to as road crossings, and associated basin characteristics to support highway-runoff mitigation analyses using the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM, Granato, 2013) in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The data set of road crossings was generated from the intersections ofDiscrete water quality data supporting Herring River restoration project, Cape Cod National Seashore, 1984-2017
Staff from the Cape Cod National Seashore, National Park Service (CACO NPS) began limited water-quality data collection in the Herring River Estuary as early as 1984. In 2006 a monthly sampling program was established for 14 sites to monitor nutrient concentrations, dissolved oxygen, and other constituents. This monitoring program is ongoing and has been supplemented with data from other CACO NPS - Multimedia
Stormdrain During a Heavy Rainfall Event in MassachusettsStormdrain During a Heavy Rainfall Event in Massachusetts
A stormdrain receiving water input during a high-precipitation storm in Massachusetts.
A stormdrain receiving water input during a high-precipitation storm in Massachusetts.
USGS Station 011058798 Herring River at Chequessett Neck Rd gage houseUSGS Station 011058798 Herring River at Chequessett Neck Rd gage houseThis is a downstream view of the Herring River from the Chequessett Neck Road dike. The site was visited on November 6, 2017 to collect water-quality samples. An automated sampler inside the gage house was used to collect samples over an approximately 24-hour period and combine them into two bottles.
This is a downstream view of the Herring River from the Chequessett Neck Road dike. The site was visited on November 6, 2017 to collect water-quality samples. An automated sampler inside the gage house was used to collect samples over an approximately 24-hour period and combine them into two bottles.
- Software
SELDM: Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model - Software page
Overview
The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) is designed to transform complex scientific data into meaningful information about the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks.
- News