McDevitt, B., McLaughlin, M., Cravotta, C.A. III, Ajemigbitsea, M.A., Van Sice, K.J., Blotevogel, J., Borch, T., and Warner, N.R. (2019) Emerging investigator series: radium accumulation in carbonate river sediments at oil and gas produced water discharges: implications for beneficial use as disposal management: Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, v. 21, 324-338, https://doi.org/10.1039/c8em00336j.
Charles A Cravotta, III, PhD, PG
Charles "Chuck" Cravotta is a research hydrologist whose projects focus on geochemical and hydrological processes that control water quality, particularly the sources, transport, and attenuation of metals and nutrients in undisturbed and mining-impacted watersheds and aquifers. Results apply to scientific and regulatory programs for the prevention and remediation of aquatic contamination.
Biography
Education
1979 B.A. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
1980-82 Continuing education, George Mason University
1986 M.S. Geochemistry and Mineralogy, Pennsylvania State University
1996 Ph.D. Geochemistry and Mineralogy, Pennsylvania State University
Professional Assignments
1987-present: Research Hydrologist, USGS, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
1986-1987: Geochemist, IT Corporation, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
1982-1986: Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant, Geosciences Department, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
1979-1982: Geologist, Office of Scientific Publications, Geologic Division, USGS, Reston, Virginia
1979: Geologic Technician, Virginia State Water Control Board, Alexandria, Virginia
Professional Affiliations and Certification
2018-present: Adjunct Instructor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
2011-2016: Associate Editor, Mine Water and the Environment Journal, International Mine Water Association
2001-2005: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
1995-present: Registered Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania PG-002255-G
Awards and Recognition
The Society for Organic Petrology Dalaway J. Swain Award “Best Refereed Paper”, 2016
Department of Interior Partners in Conservation Award (AMDTreat Development Team), 2013
Top 50 Most-Cited Papers in "Applied Geochemistry" (2006-2011)
Department of Interior Superior Service Award, 2005
Schuylkill County Conservation Professional of the Year Award, 2003
Department of Interior Honor Award, 2000
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Award for Excellence, 1999
External Research Database
Science and Products
Year Published: 2015
The quality of our nation's waters: water quality in the Principal Aquifers of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge regions, eastern United States, 1993-2009
The aquifers of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge regions underlie an area with a population of more than 40 million people in 10 states. The suburban and rural population is large, growing rapidly, and increasingly dependent on groundwater as a source of supply, with more than 550 million gallons per day withdrawn from domestic wells...
Lindsey, Bruce D.; Zimmerman, Tammy M.; Chapman, Melinda J.; Cravotta, Charles A.; Szabo, ZoltanAttribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources
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Lindsey, B.D., Zimmerman, T.M., Chapman, M.J., Cravotta, C.A., III, and Szabo, Zoltan, 2014, The quality of our Nation’s waters—Water quality in the Principal Aquifers of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge regions, eastern United States, 1993–2009: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1354, 107 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/cir1354.
Year Published: 2014
Spectral masking of goethite in abandoned mine drainage systems: implications for Mars
Remote sensing studies of the surface of Mars use visible- to near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy to identify hydrated and hydroxylated minerals, which can be used to constrain past environmental conditions on the surface of Mars. However, due to differences in optical properties, some hydrated phases can mask others in VNIR spectra, complicating...
Cull, Selby; Cravotta, Charles A.; Klinges, Julia Grace; Weeks, ChloeAttribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Spectral masking of goethite in abandoned mine drainage systems: implications for Mars; 2014; Article; Journal; Earth and Planetary Science Letters; Cull, Selby; Cravotta, Charles A.; Klinges, Julia Grace; Weeks, Chloe
Year Published: 2014
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...
Cravotta, Charles A.; Goode, Daniel J.; Bartles, Michael D.; Risser, Dennis W.; Galeone, Daniel G.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Surface-water and groundwater interactions in an extensively mined watershed, upper Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, USA; 2014; Article; Journal; Hydrological Processes; Cravotta, Charles A., III; Goode, Daniel J.; Bartles, Michael D.; Risser, Dennis W.; Galeone, Daniel G.
Year Published: 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
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 (...
Chapman, Melinda J.; Cravotta, Charles A.; Szabo, Zoltan; Lindsay, Bruce D.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Water Resources, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
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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; 2013; SIR; 2013-5072; Chapman, Melinda J.; Cravotta, III, Charles A.; Szabo, Zoltan; Lindsay, Bruce D.
Year Published: 2013
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...
Wang, Hongmei; Gong, Linfeng; Cravotta, Charles A.; Yang, Xiaofen; Tuovinen, Olli H.; Dong, Hailiang; Fu, XiangAttribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Inhibition of bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron by lead nitrate in sulfate-rich systems; 2013; Article; Journal; Journal of Hazardous Materials; Wang, Hongmei ; Gong, Linfeng ; Cravotta, Charles A.; Yang, Xiaofen ; Tuovinen, Olli H.; Dong, Hailiang ; Fu, Xiang
Year Published: 2012
Evolution of the chemistry of Fe bearing waters during CO2 degassing
The rates of Fe(II) oxidation and precipitation from groundwater are highly pH dependent. Elevated levels of dissolved CO2 can depress pH and cause difficulty in removing dissolved Fe and associated metals during treatment of ferruginous water. This paper demonstrates interdependent changes in pH, dissolved inorganic C species, and Fe(II)...
Geroni, J.N.; Cravotta, C.A.; Sapsford, D.J.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Evolution of the chemistry of Fe bearing waters during CO2 degassing; 2012; Article; Journal; Applied Geochemistry; Geroni, J. N.; Cravotta, C. A., III; Sapsford, D. J.
Year Published: 2011
Water budgets and groundwater volumes for abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle Anthracite Coalfield, Schuylkill, Columbia, and Northumberland Counties, Pennsylvania-Preliminary estimates with identification of data needs
This report, prepared in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP), the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, and the Dauphin County Conservation District, provides estimates of water budgets and groundwater volumes stored in abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle...
Goode, Daniel J.; Cravotta, Charles A.; Hornberger, Roger J.; Hewitt, Michael A.; Hughes, Robert E.; Koury, Daniel J.; Eicholtz, Lee W.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Water budgets and groundwater volumes for abandoned underground mines in the Western Middle Anthracite Coalfield, Schuylkill, Columbia, and Northumberland Counties, Pennsylvania-Preliminary estimates with identification of data needs; 2011; SIR; 2010-5261; Goode, Daniel J.; Cravotta, Charles A. III; Hornberger, Roger J.; Hewitt, Michael A.; Hughes, Robert E.; Koury, Daniel J.; Eicholtz, Lee W.
Year Published: 2011
Contributions of Phosphorus from Groundwater to Streams in the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge Physiographic Provinces, Eastern United States
Phosphorus from natural and human sources is likely to be discharged from groundwater to streams in certain geochemical environments. Water-quality data collected from 1991 through 2007 in paired networks of groundwater and streams in different hydrogeologic and land-use settings of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge Physiographic...
Denver, Judith M.; Cravotta, Charles A.; Ator, Scott W.; Lindsey, Bruce D.Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Contributions of Phosphorus from Groundwater to Streams in the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge Physiographic Provinces, Eastern United States; 2011; SIR; 2010-5176; Denver, Judith M.; Cravotta, Charles A. III; Ator, Scott W.; Lindsey, Bruce D.
Year Published: 2011
Mineral transformations associated with goethite reduction by Methanosarcina barkeri
To investigate the interaction between methanogens and iron-containing minerals in anoxic environments, we conducted batch culture experiments with Methanosarcina barkeri in a phosphate-buffered basal medium (PBBM) to bioreduce structural Fe(III) in goethite with hydrogen as the sole substrate. Fe(II) and methane...
Liu, D.; Wang, Hongfang; Dong, H.; Qiu, X.; Dong, X.; Cravotta, C.A.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Year Published: 2010
Utilization of AMD sludges from the anthracite region of Pennsylvania for removal of phosphorus from wastewater
Excess phosphorus (P) inputs from human sewage, animal feeding operations, and nonpoint source discharges to the environment have resulted in the eutrophication of sensitive receiving bodies of water such as the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. Phosphorus loads in wastewater discharged from such sources can be decreased by conventional...
Sibrell, P.L.; Cravotta, C.A.; Lehman, W.G.; Reichert, W.
Year Published: 2010
A geochemical module for "AMDTreat" to compute caustic quantity, effluent quantity, and sludge volume
Treatment with caustic chemicals typically is used to increase pH and decrease concentrations of dissolved aluminum, iron, and/or manganese in largevolume, metal-laden discharges from active coal mines. Generally, aluminum and iron can be removed effectively at near-neutral pH (6 to 8), whereas active manganese removal requires treatment to...
Cravotta, Charles A.; Parkhurst, David L.; Means, Brent P; McKenzie, Bob; Morris, Harry; Arthur, Bill
Year Published: 2010
Abandoned mine drainage in the Swatara Creek Basin, southern anthracite coalfield, Pennsylvania, USA: 1. stream quality trends coinciding with the return of fish
Acidic mine drainage (AMD) from legacy anthracite mines has contaminated Swatara Creek in eastern Pennsylvania. Intermittently collected base-flow data for 1959–1986 indicate that fish were absent immediately downstream from the mined area where pH ranged from 3.5 to 7.2 and concentrations of sulfate, dissolved iron, and dissolved aluminum...
Cravotta, Charles A.; Brightbill, Robin A.; Langland, Michael J.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Cravotta, C.A. III, Brightbill, R.A., and Langland, M.J. (2010) Abandoned mine drainage in the Swatara Creek Basin, Southern Anthracite Coalfield, Pennsylvania, USA--1. Streamwater-quality trends coinciding with the return of fish: Mine Water and the Environment, v. 29, p. 176-199. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10230-010-0112-6)
Pre-USGS Publications
Cravotta, C.A. III (2013) Apparent rates of Fe(II) oxidation and associated hydrogeochemical interactions in an extensively mined watershed, Pennsylvania, USA, in Brown A, Figueroa L, Wolkersdorfer Ch (eds) Reliable Mine Water Technology: International Mine Water Association 2013 Symposium, Golden, Colorado, vol I, p. 319-324.
Cravotta, C.A. III, and Geroni, J.N. (2013) Effects of CO2 on pH and oxidation rates of Fe(II) in mining affected waters, in Brown A, Figueroa L, Wolkersdorfer Ch (eds) Reliable Mine Water Technology: International Mine Water Association 2013 Symposium, Golden, Colorado, vol II, p. 949-954.
Han, Y., Wang, G., Cravotta, C.A., III, Hu, W., Bian, Y., Zhang, Z. and Liu, Y., 2013, Hydrogeochemical evolution of Ordovician limestone groundwater in Yanzhou, North China: Hydrological Processes, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9297.
Cravotta, C.A., III, Parkhurst, D.L., Means, B., McKenzie, R., and Arthur, W. (2010) Using the computer program AMDTreat with a PHREEQC titration module to compute caustic quantity, effluent quality, and sludge volume, in International Mine Water Association 2010 Symposium, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Cravotta, C.A., III, Parkhurst, D.L., Means, B., McKenzie, R., Morris, H., and Arthur, W. (2010) A geochemical module for “AMDTreat” to compute caustic quantity, effluent quality, and sludge volume, in 2010 National Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, Pittsburgh, PA, p. 1413-1436.
Sibrell, P.L., Cravotta, C.A., III, Lehman, W.G., and Reichert, W. (2010) Utilization of AMD sludges from the anthracite region of Pennsylvania for removal of phosphorus from wastewater, in 2010 National Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, Pittsburgh, PA, p. 1085-1100.
Cravotta, C.A., III, and Nantz, J.M. (2008) Quantity and quality of stream water draining mined areas of the upper Schuylkill River basin, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 2005-2007. in National Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, Richmond VA, New Opportunities to Apply Our Science June 14-19, 2008: American Society of Mining and Reclamation, p. 223-252.
Cravotta, C.A., III, and Trahan, M.K. (1999) Limestone drains to increase pH and remove dissolved metals from acidic mine drainage: Applied Geochemistry, v. 14, no. 5, p 581-606.
Szabo, Zoltan, Stackelberg, P.E., and Cravotta, C.A., III, 2020, Occurrence and geochemistry of Lead-210 and Polonium-210 radionuclides in public-drinking-water supplies from principal aquifers of the United States: Environmental Science & Technology, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c00192.