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.
Professional Experience
1987-present: Research Hydrologist, USGS, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
2018-present: Adjunct Instructor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
2001-2005: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg, 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
Education and Certifications
1996 Ph.D. Geochemistry and Mineralogy, Pennsylvania State University
1986 M.S. Geochemistry and Mineralogy, Pennsylvania State University
1980-82 Continuing education, George Mason University
1979 B.A. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
1995-present: Registered Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania PG-002255-G
Affiliations and Memberships
2011-2016: Associate Editor, Mine Water and the Environment Journal, International Mine Water Association
Honors and Awards
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
Science and Products
Regional Synthesis of Groundwater Quality in Domestic Supply Wells in Northeast and North Central Pennsylvania
Groundwater Quality of Domestic Supply Wells in Pennsylvania
Recoding of AMDTreat Phase 2: Integration of PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools with recoded AMDTreat cost-analysis software
Data compilation for regional synthesis of chemical characteristics of groundwater used for domestic supply in north-east and north-central Pennsylvania
Inorganic Constituent and Ancillary Data for Evaluation of Lithium in Groundwater in the United States, 1991-2018
Compilation of data not available in the National Water Information System for domestic wells sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, May-September 2017
Hydrologic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Summit Area, Blair and Cambria Counties, Pennsylvania, April 2014-December 2016
Factors Affecting Groundwater Quality Used for Domestic Supply in Marcellus Shale Region of North-Central and North-East Pennsylvania, USA
Relation between road-salt application and increasing radium concentrations in a low-pH aquifer, southern New Jersey
Machine-learning predictions of high arsenic and high manganese at drinking water depths of the glacial aquifer system, northern continental United States
Lithium in groundwater used for drinking-water supply in the United States
Interactive PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality modeling tools to evaluate performance and design of treatment systems for acid mine drainage
Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and hydrogeologic and geochemical characteristics for 47 domestic wells in Potter County, Pennsylvania, 2017
Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and geochemical characteristics for 54 domestic wells in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, 2017
Occurrence and geochemistry of lead-210 and polonium-210 radionuclides in public-drinking-water supplies from principal aquifers of the United States
Batch extraction method to estimate total dissolved solids (TDS) release from coal refuse and overburden
Kinetic study on clogging of a geothermal pumping well triggered by mixing-induced biogeochemical reactions
Drinking water health standards comparison and chemical analysis of groundwater for 72 domestic wells in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 2016
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
Interactive PHREEQ-N-Titration-PO4-Adsorption water-quality modeling tools to evaluate potential attenuation of phosphate and associated dissolved constituents by aqueous-solid equilibrium processes (software download)
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.
Interactive PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat Water-Quality Modeling Tools to Evaluate Performance and Design of Treatment Systems for Acid Mine Drainage (software download)
Science and Products
- Science
Regional Synthesis of Groundwater Quality in Domestic Supply Wells in Northeast and North Central Pennsylvania
USGS synthesized groundwater quality measurements in wells to characterize regional chemical characteristics of aquifers used for domestic supply in northeast and north central Pennsylvania.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...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. - Data
Data compilation for regional synthesis of chemical characteristics of groundwater used for domestic supply in north-east and north-central Pennsylvania
Groundwater quality data for 472 domestic well-water samples were retrieved from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) database and combined with descriptive information on the sampled well locations. The NWIS data for a sample, collected on the selected date, were averaged into a single record (one per well), and rounded according to USGS protocols. For evaluation and reporting, the wInorganic Constituent and Ancillary Data for Evaluation of Lithium in Groundwater in the United States, 1991-2018
Lithium concentrations in untreated groundwater from 1,464 public-supply wells, 1,676 domestic-supply wells, and 1,560 monitoring wells distributed across 33 principal aquifers in the United States were evaluated for spatial variations and possible explanatory factors. For context, lithium concentrations are compared to a drinking-water only threshold (60 mg/L) and a Health-Based Screening Level (Compilation of data not available in the National Water Information System for domestic wells sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, May-September 2017
This dataset contains the lithologic class and topographic position index information and quality-assurance and quality-control data not available in the online National Water Information System for 54 domestic wells sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, May-September 2017. The topographic position index (TPI) for each well location was computed on the basis of a 2Hydrologic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Summit Area, Blair and Cambria Counties, Pennsylvania, April 2014-December 2016
This data release reports water-quantity and water-quality data collected during 2014-2016 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS) at the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site (ALPO) in Blair and Cambria Counties, Pennsylvania (figure 1). These data establish a base-line for current hydrologic conditions and may be helpful to evaluat - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 80
Factors Affecting Groundwater Quality Used for Domestic Supply in Marcellus Shale Region of North-Central and North-East Pennsylvania, USA
Factors affecting groundwater quality used for domestic supply within the Marcellus Shale footprint in north-central and north-east Pennsylvania are identified using a combination of spatial, statistical, and geochemical modeling. Untreated groundwater, sampled during 2011–2017 from 472 domestic wells within the study area, exhibited wide ranges in pH (4.5–9.3), total dissolved solids (TDS, 22–196Relation between road-salt application and increasing radium concentrations in a low-pH aquifer, southern New Jersey
The Kirkwood–Cohansey aquifer in southern New Jersey is an important source of drinking-water supplies, but the availability of the resource is limited in some areas by high concentrations of radium, a potential carcinogen at elevated concentrations. Radium (226Ra plus 228Ra) concentrations from a network of 25 drinking-water wells showed a statistically significant increase over a decadal time scMachine-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 provides drinking water to 30 million people. Our BRT moLithium 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 fromInteractive 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 speciation models and kinetics models for O2 ingassing and CO2 oGroundwater 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 properties that could be evaluated in relation to drinGroundwater 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 in 2017. The samples were evaluated for a wide rangeOccurrence 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 groundwater samples from 1263 public-supply wells in 19 principal aquifBatch 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), or 30% H2O2 under 10% CO2 (H2O2+CO2). In all extractions, 10 g of pKinetic 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 within the wells and time scales for clogging processeDrinking 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 limited. In Bradford County, more than half of the resFactors 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 occurrence of dissolved lead and manganese in sampled groundwater, prior to it - Software
Interactive PHREEQ-N-Titration-PO4-Adsorption water-quality modeling tools to evaluate potential attenuation of phosphate and associated dissolved constituents by aqueous-solid equilibrium processes (software download)
Two complementary executable water-quality modeling tools (CausticTitration_PO4mg.exe, CausticTitration_PO4moles.exe) simulate equilibrium processes that may attenuate dissolved concentrations of phosphate (PO4) plus associated concentrations of iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca), and sulfate (SO4) as pH and other solution characteristics change during titration with a causticPHREEQ-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.
Interactive PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat Water-Quality Modeling Tools to Evaluate Performance and Design of Treatment Systems for Acid Mine Drainage (software download)
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 speciation - News