Brandon Fleming
I've been a hydrologist with USGS since 2008 and currently serve as the Pennsylvania Water Science Center Groundwater Specialist. My work has focused on characterizing fractured rock and porous media aquifers, groundwater/surface water relations, groundwater ages, and understanding spatial and temporal variability of groundwater quality.
Biography
Education
M.S. Geosciences (Hydrogeology), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2009
B.S. Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2002
Science and Products
Delaware River Basin IWAAs Pilot
The USGS is conducting a pilot study in the Delaware River Basin to support development of National and Regional Integrated Water Availability Assessments (IWAAs). The Delaware River Basin Pilot will be conducted with state and local partners with the support of USGS Cooperative Program Matching Funds and will focus on improving the data, tools, and information stakeholders need to make water-...
Groundwater Recharge - Pennsylvania
Recharge is the process of adding water to the saturated zone. Because it is almost impossible to measure directly, recharge is usually estimated by indirect means.
Groundwater Availability and Use
The USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center helps water providers assess the availability of groundwater for use in homes, on farms, and in industrial activities.
Pennsylvania Drought Condition Monitoring
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection relies upon a number of parameters to monitor water-supply-drought conditions, among which are four parameters displayed herein—precipitation, streamflow, groundwater levels, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index, an indicator of soil moisture dryness.
Groundwater Monitoring
Groundwater Monitoring and Tools for Pennsylvania
Simulated effects of sea-level rise on the shallow, fresh groundwater system of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, developed a three-dimensional groundwater-flow model for Assateague Island in eastern Maryland and Virginia to assess the effects of sea-level rise on the groundwater system. Sea-level rise is expected to increase the altitude of the water table in barrier island aquifer...
Fleming, Brandon J.; Raffensperger, Jeff P.; Goodling, Phillip J.; Masterson, John P.
Evaluating low flow patterns, drivers and trends in the Delaware River Basin
In the humid, temperate Delaware River Basin (DRB) where water availability is generally reliable, summer low flows can cause competition between various human and ecological water uses. As temperatures continue to rise, population increases and development expands, it is critical to understand historical low flow variability to anticipate and...
Hammond, John; Fleming, Brandon J. Spatial and temporal patterns of low streamflow and precipitation changes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Spatial and temporal patterns in low streamflows were investigated for 183 streamgages located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for the period 1939–2013. Metrics that represent different aspects of the frequency and magnitude of low streamflows were examined for trends: (1) the annual time series of seven‐day average minimum streamflow, (2) the...
Fleming, Brandon J.; Archfield, Stacey A.; Hirsch, Robert M.; Kiang, Julie E.; Wolock, David M.
Groundwater-quality data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and select quality-control data from May 2012 through December 2014
Groundwater-quality data were collected from 559 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from January through December 2014. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of...
Arnold, Terri; Bexfield, Laura M.; Musgrove, MaryLynn; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Stackelberg, Paul E.; Barlow, Jeannie R. B.; Desimone, Leslie A.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Kingsbury, James A.; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Fleming, Brandon J.; Belitz, Kenneth
Water quality in the surficial aquifer near agricultural areas in the Delaware Coastal Plain, 2014
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Delaware Department of Agriculture, developed a network of wells to monitor groundwater quality in the surficial aquifer of the Delaware Coastal Plain. Well-drained soils, a flat landscape, and accessible water in the Delaware Coastal Plain make for a productive agricultural setting. As such,...
Fleming, Brandon J.; Mensch, Laura L.; Denver, Judith M.; Cruz, Roberto M.; Nardi, Mark R.
Statistical classification of hydrogeologic regions in the fractured rock area of Maryland and parts of the District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
Hydrogeologic regions in the fractured rock area of Maryland were classified using geographic information system tools with principal components and cluster analyses. A study area consisting of the 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watersheds with rivers that flow through the fractured rock area of Maryland and bounded by the Fall Line was...
Fleming, Brandon J.; LaMotte, Andrew E.; Sekellick, Andrew J.
A science plan for a comprehensive assessment of water supply in the region underlain by fractured rock in Maryland
The fractured rock region of Maryland, which includes land areas north and west of the Interstate 95 corridor, is the source of water supply for approximately 4.4 million Marylanders, or approximately 76 percent of the State's population. Whereas hundreds of thousands of residents rely on wells (both domestic and community), millions rely on...
Fleming, Brandon J.; Hammond, Patrick A.; Stranko, Scott A.; Duigon, Mark T.; Kasraei, Saeid
Geology, Hydrology, and Water Quality of the Little Blackwater River Watershed, Dorchester County, Maryland, 2006-09
The Little Blackwater River watershed is a low-lying tidal watershed in Dorchester County, Maryland. The potential exists for increased residential development in a mostly agricultural watershed that drains into the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Groundwater and surface-water levels were collected along with water-quality samples to document...
Fleming, Brandon J.; DeJong, Benjamin D.; Phelan, Daniel J.
Simulation of groundwater flow to assess future withdrawals associated with Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
Increased groundwater withdrawals from confined aquifers in the Maryland Coastal Plain to supply anticipated growth at Fort George G. Meade (Fort Meade) and surrounding areas resulting from the Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure Program may have adverse effects in the outcrop or near-outcrop areas. Specifically, increased pumping...
Raffensperger, Jeff P.; Fleming, Brandon J.; Banks, William S.L.; Horn, Marilee A.; Nardi, Mark R.; Andreasen, David C. Implications of anthropogenic river stage fluctuations on mass transport in a valley fill aquifer
In humid regions a strong coupling between surface water features and groundwater systems may exist. In these environments the exchange of water and solute depends primarily on the hydraulic gradient between the reservoirs. We hypothesize that daily changes in river stage associated with anthropogenic water releases (such as those from a...
Boutt, David F.; Fleming, Brandon J.
USGS at the 2021 Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium (Virtual)
USGS scientists presented recent research results and updated stakeholders on USGS groundwater activities at the 2021 Pennsylvania Groundwater Symposium (Virtual) on May 6, 2021.
USGS Studies Low-Flow Changes in the Delaware River Basin
USGS scientists published a new study of low flow in streams in the Delaware River Basin. In general, the low flows measured during 1980-2018 increased along with increased precipitation, although low flows decreased in the Coastal Plain area, in the southern part of the basin, where water use and impervious surface...
Drought Watch Removed for 3 Pennsylvania Counties - All Commonwealth Counties now in Normal Status
On February 4, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection removed the three remaining counties under Drought Watch declarations. Hydrologic conditions for all Commonwealth counties are now in a Normal status.
Drought Watch Reduced to 20 Pennsylvania Counties, Drought Warning Continues in 3 Counties
USGS groundwater and surface water monitoring data contributed to the August 21, 2020 drought watch declaration for 16 counties by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP). The last drought...