Christopher Churchill, Ph.D.
Currently serve as Supervisory Ecologist and Branch Chief of the Ecological Sciences Branch of the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Started as Biology student in North Texas Branch Office (NTBO) in Fort Worth, Texas of the Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) in January 2009. Worked primarily on ecological, biological, and water-quality studies. Started the Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for Texas (ZMMP) in 2010. Moved to full time Hydrologist upon graduating with Ph.D. Served as Project Chief for several studies including ZMMP, cyanobacteria, nutrients dynamics, and compounds of emerging concern. Served as Biology Specialist for the OTWSC. Served as Supervisory Hydrologist and Studies Chief starting in 2018. Served as Branch Chief of the NTBO starting in 2021.
Professional Experience
Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for Texas; 2010 to present: Design and execute state-wide program for population/reproduction ecology and life-history study of invasive zebra and quagga mussels and associated water quality. Ensure compliance with state and national policies, laws, and regulations regarding research.
Cyanotoxins Methods Assessment Project; 2015 to present: Design and implement state-wide field and laboratory methods assessment study for cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, taste-and-odor compounds, and associated water quality with identification of land-use practices.
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products Study; 2009 to present: Implement and report interpretive assessment of data set for five-year study on pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and compounds of emerging concern in the Trinity River Basin, Texas
Nutrients Modeling Studies; 2015 to present: Design and execute holistic nutrients studies in north Texas reservoirs to assist funding cooperator in modeling point- and non-point nutrient loadings.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Science; University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 2013
M.S. Molecular Biology; Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas 2007
B.S. Biology; Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas
Chemistry minor 1998
Science and Products
Climate matching with the climatchR R package
Cyanobacteria Methods
Dallas Lake Nutrients Study
Dallas Compounds of Emerging Concern Study
Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program (ZMMP)
Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Science in Oklahoma and Texas
Biological Science in Oklahoma and Texas
Invasive Species Science in Oklahoma and Texas
Nutrients and Major-Ions Measured in Water-Quality Samples Collected from Four North Texas Reservoirs (ver. 2.0, September 2020)
Detections and concentrations of compounds of emerging concern at water treatment plants and in the Trinity River Basin, Dallas, Texas, 2009-13
Phytoplankton Data for 18 Texas Reservoirs, August through October, 2016
Biological and physical data for zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) veligers collected from a coupled lake-stream ecosystem in north Texas, 2012-2014
BioLake: A first assessment of lake temperature-derived bioclimatic predictors for aquatic invasive species
Compounds of emerging concern detected in water samples from potable water and wastewater treatment plants and detected in water and bed-sediment samples from sites on the Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, 2009–13
Spatio-temporal spawning and larval dynamics of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in a North Texas Reservoir: implications for invasions in the southern United States
USGS Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas
Bromide, Chloride, and Sulfate Concentrations and Loads at U.S. Geological Survey Streamflow-Gaging Stations 07331600 Red River at Denison Dam, 07335500 Red River at Arthur City, and 07336820 Red River near DeKalb, Texas, 2007-09
Science and Products
- Science
Climate matching with the climatchR R package
Climate matching is a method for understanding species distributions and ranges and may be used as part of horizon scanning. Horizon scanning is the process of examining potential risk of invasion of new invasive species. Preventing new invasive species invasion requires less time and resources than attempting to control and remove established invasive species. Horizon scanning allows resource...Cyanobacteria Methods
Texas Water Science Center (TXWSC) scientists are testing different methods of detecting and quantifying cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Texas reservoirs. The results of these tests could be used to develop a cost-effective monitoring plan to evaluate the presence and concentration of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in Texas reservoirs.Dallas Lake Nutrients Study
The USGS Texas Water Science Center Nutrients Study for Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) provides discrete-depth data for nutrients, major ions, and other water-quality parameters in multiple source-water reservoirs used by DWU. The program is designed to assess nutrient and major ion occurrence, distribution, and concentration in waters by using established field and laboratory methods.Dallas Compounds of Emerging Concern Study
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), as environmental contaminants, are a source of increasing concern because of their possible disruption of endocrine systems in humans and other organisms. The USGS Texas Water Science Center is collecting and analyzing samples from inflows and outflows of five Dallas water treatment plants and five sites in the Trinity River for pharmaceuticals...Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program (ZMMP)
The zebra mussel is an invasive species that has spread rapidly in the United States. The first confirmed detection of zebra mussels in Texas occurred in 2009 at Lake Texoma along the Texas–Oklahoma border. The USGS Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for Texas (ZMMP) began in April 2010 and has expanded over time in response to the continued spread of zebra mussels in Texas.Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Science in Oklahoma and Texas
Many types of algae can cause HABs in freshwater ecosystems. The most frequent and severe blooms typically are caused by cyanobacteria, the only freshwater “algae” with the potential for production of toxins that can adversely affect human health. USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) scientists studying HAB issues in water bodies throughout the United States, using a combination of...Biological Science in Oklahoma and Texas
The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) provides policy makers, public agencies, non-governmental organizations, and stakeholders with baseline data and interpretations on the occurrence and distribution of instream and riparian-zone biological resources; assesses the status and trends of instream and riparian-zone biological resources in relation to differences in channel habitat...Invasive Species Science in Oklahoma and Texas
The USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center (OTWSC) has studies looking at the occurrence and impact of invasive species in Oklahoma and Texas. Visit the links below for more information on our data and science. - Data
Nutrients and Major-Ions Measured in Water-Quality Samples Collected from Four North Texas Reservoirs (ver. 2.0, September 2020)
In cooperation with Dallas Water Utilities (DWU), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measures nutrient and major-ion concentrations in selected reservoirs in north Texas. This data release documents the results from water-quality samples collected from Ray Hubbard Lake, Grapevine Lake, Ray Roberts Lake, and Lake Lewisville during 2016 -18. The study began in water year 2016 (WY16) with monthly sampDetections and concentrations of compounds of emerging concern at water treatment plants and in the Trinity River Basin, Dallas, Texas, 2009-13
This data release documents water-quality data obtained as part of an assessment of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) measured in samples collected at potable water and wastewater treatment plants in Dallas and downstream from Dallas in the Trinity River from August 2009 to December 2013 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the City of Dallas, Dallas Water Utilities. Targeted CECsPhytoplankton Data for 18 Texas Reservoirs, August through October, 2016
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data Release provides phytoplankton data collected from 18 Texas reservoirs during August through October, 2016. All data are reported as raw calculated values and are not rounded to USGS significant figures. This data release was produced in compliance with the open data requirements as a way to make scientific products associated with USGS research efforts andBiological and physical data for zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) veligers collected from a coupled lake-stream ecosystem in north Texas, 2012-2014
Dispersal, establishment, and spread of aquatic invasive species such as the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) can be influenced by riverine velocities and volumetric flows in invaded lake-stream ecosystems. Zebra mussels, which have a planktonic larval form (veliger), disperse rapidly downstream from a source population. Concentrations, dispersal, and body conditions of zebra mussel veligers we - Publications
BioLake: A first assessment of lake temperature-derived bioclimatic predictors for aquatic invasive species
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) present major ecological and economic challenges globally, endangering ecosystems and human livelihoods. Managers and policy makers thus need tools to predict invasion risk and prioritize species and areas of concern, and they often use native range climate matching to determine whether a species could persist in a new location. However, climate matching for AIS ofteAuthorsRyan C. Burner, Wesley Daniel, Peder S. Engelstad, Christopher J. Churchill, Richard A. EricksonCompounds of emerging concern detected in water samples from potable water and wastewater treatment plants and detected in water and bed-sediment samples from sites on the Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, 2009–13
The population in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in northern Texas is rapidly growing, resulting in a rapid increase in the demand for potable water and an increase in the discharge of wastewater treatment plant effluent. An assessment of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) in samples collected at potable water and wastewater treatment plants in Dallas and downstream from Dallas in the TAuthorsChristopher J. Churchill, Stanley Baldys III, Cathina L. Gunn, Craig A. Mobley, Daniel P. QuigleySpatio-temporal spawning and larval dynamics of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) population in a North Texas Reservoir: implications for invasions in the southern United States
Zebra mussels were first observed in Texas in 2009 in a reservoir (Lake Texoma) on the Texas-Oklahoma border. In 2012, an established population was found in a near-by reservoir, Ray Roberts Lake, and in June 2013, settled mussels were detected in a third north Texas reservoir, Lake Lewisville. An established population was detected in Belton Lake in September 2013. With the exception of LouisianaAuthorsChristopher John ChurchillUSGS Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas provides early detection and monitoring of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) by using a holistic suite of detection methods. The program is designed to assess zebra mussel occurrence, distribution, and densities in north Texas waters by using four approaches: (1) SCUBA diving, (2) water-sample collection with planAuthorsChristopher J. Churchill, Stanley BaldysBromide, Chloride, and Sulfate Concentrations and Loads at U.S. Geological Survey Streamflow-Gaging Stations 07331600 Red River at Denison Dam, 07335500 Red River at Arthur City, and 07336820 Red River near DeKalb, Texas, 2007-09
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Dallas Water Utilities Division, did a study to characterize bromide, chloride, and sulfate concentrations and loads at three U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations on the reach of the Red River from Denison Dam, which impounds Lake Texoma, to the U.S. Highway 259 bridge near DeKalb, Texas. Bromide, chloride, and sulfate concenAuthorsStanley Baldys, Christopher J. Churchill, Craig A. Mobley, David K. Coffman