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
Date published: September 1, 2020
Status: Active Groundwater Quality of Domestic Supply Wells in Pennsylvania
Most rural residents in Pennsylvania use groundwater from domestic supply wells for drinking, cleaning and other purposes. Some groundwater samples have been analyzed for private purposes, but those results generally are not readily available to the public. Many of the publicly available water-quality samples from rural areas were collected more than 30 years ago. Quality-assured groundwater...
Contacts: Jeffrey Chaplin, John Clune, Ph.D., Charles A Cravotta, III, PhD, PG, Lisa A Senior, Daniel G Galeone, MS, Eliza L Gross, Ronald Sloto
Date published: April 10, 2020
Status: Active Regional Synthesis of Groundwater Quality in Domestic Supply Wells in Northeast and North Central Pennsylvania
USGS is synthesizing groundwater quality measurements in wells to characterize regional chemical characteristics of aquifers used for domestic supply in northeast and north central Pennsylvania.
Date published: April 10, 2020
Status: Active Recoding of AMDTreat Phase 2: Integration of PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools with recoded AMDTreat cost-analysis software
Newly developed PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools indicate potential changes in pH, dissolved metals, and associated solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of coal-mine drainage.
Contacts: Charles A Cravotta, III, PhD, PG
Date published: April 3, 2020
Status: Active Mine Drainage and Water Quality Research
PaWSC conducts research 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.
Contacts: Charles A Cravotta, III, PhD, PG
Year Published: 2021
Machine-learning predictions of high arsenic and high manganese at drinking water depths of the glacial aquifer system, northern continental United States
Globally, over 200 million people are chronically exposed to arsenic (As) and/or manganese (Mn) from drinking water. We used machine-learning (ML) boosted regression tree (BRT) models to predict high As (>10 μg/L) and Mn (>300 μg/L) in groundwater from the glacial aquifer system (GLAC), which spans 25 states in the northern United States and...
Erickson, Melinda L.; Elliott, Sarah M.; Brown, Craig J.; Stackelberg, Paul; Ransom, Katherine Marie; Reddy, James E.; Cravotta, Charles A.Attribution: California Water Science Center, Minnesota Water Science Center, New England Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, Region 4: Mississippi Basin
Year Published: 2021
Lithium in groundwater used for drinking-water supply in the United States
Lithium concentrations in untreated groundwater from 1464 public-supply wells and 1676 domestic-supply wells distributed across 33 principal aquifers in the United States were evaluated for spatial variations and possible explanatory factors. Concentrations nationwide ranged from <1 to 396 μg/L (median of 8.1) for public supply wells and...
Lindsey, Bruce D.; Belitz, Kenneth; Cravotta, Charles A.; Toccalino, Patricia; Dubrovsky, Neil M.
Year Published: 2021
Interactive PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality modeling tools to evaluate performance and design of treatment systems for acid mine drainage
The PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat aqueous geochemical modeling tools described herein simulate changes in pH and solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of acidic or alkaline mine drainage (AMD). The “user-friendly” interactive tools, which are publicly available software, utilize PHREEQC equilibrium aqueous and surface...
Cravotta, Charles A.
Year Published: 2020
Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and hydrogeologic and geochemical characteristics for 47 domestic wells in Potter County, Pennsylvania, 2017
As part of a regional effort to characterize groundwater in rural areas of Pennsylvania, water samples from 47 domestic wells in Potter County were collected from May through September 2017. The sampled wells had depths ranging from 33 to 600 feet in sandstone, shale, or siltstone aquifers. Groundwater samples were analyzed for physicochemical...
Galeone, Daniel G.; Cravotta, Charles A. ; Risser, Dennis W.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Galeone, D.G., Cravotta, C.A., III, and Risser, D.W., 2020, Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and hydrogeologic and geochemical characteristics for 47 domestic wells in
Potter County, Pennsylvania, 2017: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5038, p.67, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205038.
Year Published: 2020
Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and geochemical characteristics for 54 domestic wells in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, 2017
Despite the reliance on groundwater by approximately 2.4 million rural Pennsylvania residents, publicly available data to characterize the quality of private well water are limited. As part of a regional effort to characterize groundwater in rural areas of Pennsylvania, samples from 54 domestic wells in Clinton County were collected and analyzed...
Clune, John W.; Cravotta, Charles A.Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Clune, J.W., and Cravotta, C.A., III, 2020, Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and geochemical characteristics for 54 domestic wells in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, 2017 (ver 1.1, July 2020): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5022, 72 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205022.
Year Published: 2020
Occurrence and geochemistry of lead-210 and polonium-210 radionuclides in public-drinking-water supplies from principal aquifers of the United States
On the basis of lifetime cancer risks, lead-210 (210Pb) and polonium-210 (210Po) ≥ 1.0 and 0.7 pCi/L (picocuries per liter), respectively, in drinking-water supplies may pose human-health concerns. 210Pb and 210Po were detected at concentrations greater than these thresholds at 3.7 and 1.5%, respectively, of filtered untreated...
Szabo, Zoltan; Stackelberg, Paul; Cravotta, Charles A.
Year Published: 2020
Batch extraction method to estimate total dissolved solids (TDS) release from coal refuse and overburden
A rapid batch extraction method was evaluated to estimate potential for total dissolved solids (TDS) release by 65 samples of rock from coal and gas-bearing strata of the Appalachian Basin in eastern USA. Three different extractant solutions were considered: deionized water (DI), DI equilibrated with 10% CO2 atmosphere (DI + CO2),...
Castillo-Meza, L. E.; Cravotta, Charles A.; Tasker, T. L.; Warner, N. R.; Daniels, W. L.; Orndorff, Z. W.; Bergstresser, T.; Douglass, A.; Kimble, G.; Streczywilk, J.; Barton, C.; Thompson A.; Burgos, W. D.
Year Published: 2019
Kinetic study on clogging of a geothermal pumping well triggered by mixing-induced biogeochemical reactions
The sustainability of ground-source geothermal systems can be severely impacted by microbially mediated clogging processes. Biofouling of water wells by hydrous ferric oxide is a widespread problem. Although the mechanisms and critical environmental factors associated with clogging development are widely recognized, effects of mixing processes...
Burté, Luc; Cravotta, Charles A. ; Bethencourt, Lorine; Farasin, Julien; Pedrot, Mathieu; Dufresne, Alexis; Gérard, Marie-Françoise; Baranger, Catherine; Le Borgne, Tanguy; Aquilina, Luc
Year Published: 2019
Drinking water health standards comparison and chemical analysis of groundwater for 72 domestic wells in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 2016
Pennsylvania has the second highest number of residential wells of any state in the Nation with approximately 2.4 million residents that depend on groundwater for their domestic water supply. Despite the widespread reliance on groundwater in rural areas of the state, publicly available data to characterize the quality of private well water are...
Clune, John W.; Cravotta, Charles A.Attribution: Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Clune, J.W., and Cravotta, C.A., III, 2019, Drinking water health standards comparison and chemical analysis of groundwater for 72 domestic wells in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 2016 (ver 1.2, May 30, 2019): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5170, 66 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185170.
Year Published: 2019
Factors affecting the occurrence of lead and manganese in untreated drinking water from Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain aquifers, eastern United States—Dissolved oxygen and pH framework for evaluating risk of elevated concentrations
Groundwater samples collected during 2012 and 2013 from public-supply wells screened in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain aquifers of the eastern and southeastern U.S. rarely contained lead or manganese concentrations that exceeded drinking-water limits, despite having corrosive characteristics. Data indicate that the...
Brown, Craig J.; Barlow, Jeannie R. B.; Cravotta, Charles A.; Lindsey, Bruce D.
Year Published: 2019
Radium accumulation in carbonate river sediments at oil and gas produced water discharges: Implications for beneficial use as disposal management
In the western U.S., produced water from oil and gas wells discharged to surface water augments downstream supplies used for irrigation and livestock watering. Here we investigate six permitted discharges on three neighboring tributary systems in Wyoming. During 2013-16, we evaluated radium activities of the permitted discharges and the potential...
McDevitt, Bonnie; McLaughlin, Molly; Cravotta, Charles A. ; Ajemigbitse, Moses A; Van Sice, Katherine J.; Blotevogel, Jens; Borch, Thomas; Warner, Nathaniel R.
Year Published: 2018
Radium attenuation and mobilization in stream sediments following oil and gas wastewater disposal in western Pennsylvania
Centralized waste treatment facilities (CWTs) in Pennsylvania discharged wastewater from conventional and unconventional oil and gas (O&G) wells into surface waters until 2011, when a voluntary request from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) encouraged recycling rather than...
Van Sice, Katherine; Cravotta, Charles A.; McDevitt, Bonnie; Tasker, Travis L.; Landis, Joshua D.; Puhr, Johnna; Warner, Nathaniel R.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.
Date published: December 10, 2020
PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat
USGS developed, in cooperation with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, “user-friendly” aqueous geochemical modeling tools to simulate changes in water quality during passive and active treatment of acid mine drainage.
Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center
December 31, 2020
Silver Creek Aerobic Wetlands, New Philadelphia, PA, treatment stages
Silver Creek Aerobic Wetlands, New Philadelphia, PA
Treatment Stage:
0-Untreated
1-Sedimentation Pond
2-Aeration Cascade
3-Aerobic Pond
4-Aeration Cascade
5-Aerobic Pond
6-Riprap Cascade
7-Aerobic Wetland
8-Riprap Cascade
9-Aerobic Wetland
10-Riprap
Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Date published: April 6, 2021
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.
Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Date published: December 10, 2020
USGS Develops a New Water-Quality Modeling Tool for Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Systems
USGS developed, in cooperation with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, “user-friendly” aqueous geochemical modeling tools to simulate changes in water quality during passive and active treatment of acid mine drainage as described in a new study.
Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Date published: September 4, 2020
USGS Characterizes Baseline Groundwater Quality in Potter County, Pennsylvania
A report on the groundwater quality of Potter County is the latest of seven publications characterizing water quality of aquifers underlying central and northern tier counties. Wells were sampled throughout Potter County with funding support from Commonwealth Financing Authority through the...
Attribution: Pennsylvania Water Science Center
Date published: June 8, 2020
USGS fills a knowledge gap for radionuclide occurrence in groundwater
Using recently developed and sensitive laboratory methods, the USGS has documented where the radionuclides lead-210 and polonium-210 occur in principal aquifers of the U.S. used for drinking-water supply, reports a ...