David A Saad
David Saad is Chief of the Environmental Hydrodynamics Branch, Earth System Processes Division, USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
In the Environmental Hydrodynamics Branch, Dave oversees a diverse group of multi-disciplinary researchers and scientists who study the connections between surface and groundwater hydraulics and chemical and ecological fate and transport. This includes human and natural influences on the quality of surface and groundwater.
Dave has been with the USGS since 1987 where he has been a scientist (hydrologist), project manager, team leader, and supervisor in the Pennsylvania and Upper Midwest Water Science Centers and the Water Mission Area. In Pennsylvania, he worked on projects evaluating coal-mining reclamation methods and the effects on acid-mine drainage. In Wisconsin, Dave was the groundwater specialist and study unit chief of the Western Lake Michigan Drainages study unit of the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. He also worked on groundwater modeling projects for the Water Science Center. Dave also developed regional SPARROW (stream-water quality) models of the Midwest for NAWQA and binational SPARROW models of the Great Lakes Basin in collaboration with the International Joint Commission and the National Research Council Canada. In addition to being a branch chief with the Water Mission Area, Dave is currently project manager for “Quantifying Water Reuse and Return Flow Influences on Water Quality and Suitability”. This project is looking at the influences of return flow on water availability and is utilizing SPARROW models to achieve project goals.
Education and Certifications
B.S. in Geology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987
Science and Products
Trends in Streamflow and Nutrient and Suspended-Sediment Concentrations and Loads in the Upper Mississippi, Ohio, Red, and Great Lakes River Basins, 1975-2004
Incorporating uncertainty into the ranking of SPARROW model nutrient yields from Mississippi/Atchafalaya River basin watersheds
Agriculture-related trends in groundwater quality of the glacial deposits aquifer, central Wisconsin
Linking ground-water age and chemistry data along flow paths: Implications for trends and transformations of nitrate and pesticides
Dynamics of CFCs in northern temperate lakes and adjacent groundwater
Present and Reference Concentrations and Yields of Suspended Sediment in Streams in the Great Lakes Region and Adjacent Areas
A regional classification scheme for estimating reference water quality in streams using land-use-adjusted spatial regression-tree analysis
Water quality, hydrology, and phosphorus loading to Little St. Germain Lake, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of winter aeration and ground-water inputs
Pesticides in surface water, bed sediment, and ground water adjacent to commercial cranberry bogs, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Vilas County, Wisconsin
Investigating surface water-well interaction using stable isotope ratios of water
Numerical simulation of ground-water flow in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, and into nearby pools of the Mississippi River
Water quality and the effects of changes in phosphorus loading to Muskellunge Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin
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Filter Total Items: 52
Trends in Streamflow and Nutrient and Suspended-Sediment Concentrations and Loads in the Upper Mississippi, Ohio, Red, and Great Lakes River Basins, 1975-2004
Many actions have been taken to reduce nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations and the amount of nutrients and sediment transported in streams as a result of the Clean Water Act and subsequent regulations. This report assesses how nutrient and suspended-sediment concentrations and loads in selected streams have changed during recent years to determine if these actions have been successful.AuthorsDavid L. Lorenz, Dale M. Robertson, David W. Hall, David A. SaadIncorporating uncertainty into the ranking of SPARROW model nutrient yields from Mississippi/Atchafalaya River basin watersheds
Excessive loads of nutrients transported by tributary rivers have been linked to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Management efforts to reduce the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico and improve the water quality of rivers and streams could benefit from targeting nutrient reductions toward watersheds with the highest nutrient yields delivered to sensitive downstream waters. One challenge is that mostAuthorsDale M. Robertson, Gregory E. Schwarz, David A. Saad, Richard B. AlexanderAgriculture-related trends in groundwater quality of the glacial deposits aquifer, central Wisconsin
Measuring and understanding trends in groundwater quality is necessary for determining whether changes in land-management practices have an effect on groundwater quality. This paper describes an approach that was used to measure and understand trends using data from two groundwater studies conducted in central Wisconsin as part of the USGS NAWQA program. One of the key components of this approach,AuthorsD. A. SaadLinking ground-water age and chemistry data along flow paths: Implications for trends and transformations of nitrate and pesticides
Tracer-based ground-water ages, along with the concentrations of pesticides, nitrogen species, and other redox-active constituents, were used to evaluate the trends and transformations of agricultural chemicals along flow paths in diverse hydrogeologic settings. A range of conditions affecting the transformation of nitrate and pesticides (e.g., thickness of unsaturated zone, redox conditions) wasAuthorsA. J. Tesoriero, D. A. Saad, K.R. Burow, E. A. Frick, L.J. Puckett, J.E. BarbashDynamics of CFCs in northern temperate lakes and adjacent groundwater
Three dimictic lakes and one meromictic lake in and near the Trout Lake, Wisconsin, watershed were sampled to determine the variation of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) concentrations within the lakes. The lakes were sampled during stratified conditions, during fall turnover, and during ice cover. The results demonstrate a considerable variation in CFC concentrations and corresponding atmospheric mixingAuthorsJohn F. Walker, David A. Saad, Randall J. HuntPresent and Reference Concentrations and Yields of Suspended Sediment in Streams in the Great Lakes Region and Adjacent Areas
In-stream suspended sediment and siltation and downstream sedimentation are common problems in surface waters throughout the United States. The most effective way to improve surface waters impaired by sediments is to reduce the contributions from human activities rather than try to reduce loadings from natural sources. Total suspended sediment/solids (TSS) concentration data were obtained from 964AuthorsDale M. Robertson, David A. Saad, Dennis M. HeiseyA regional classification scheme for estimating reference water quality in streams using land-use-adjusted spatial regression-tree analysis
Various approaches are used to subdivide large areas into regions containing streams that have similar reference or background water quality and that respond similarly to different factors. For many applications, such as establishing reference conditions, it is preferable to use physical characteristics that are not affected by human activities to delineate these regions. However, most approaches,AuthorsDale M. Robertson, D. A. Saad, D.M. HeiseyWater quality, hydrology, and phosphorus loading to Little St. Germain Lake, Wisconsin, with special emphasis on the effects of winter aeration and ground-water inputs
Little St. Germain Lake is a 978-acre, multibasin lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. In the interest of protecting and improving the water quality of the lake, the Little St. Germain Lake District initiated several cooperative studies with the U.S. Geological Survey between 1991 and 2004 to (1) document the water quality and the extent of winter anoxia in the lake, (2) evaluate the success of aeratoAuthorsDale M. Robertson, William J. Rose, David A. SaadPesticides in surface water, bed sediment, and ground water adjacent to commercial cranberry bogs, Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Vilas County, Wisconsin
Pesticides commonly used on cranberries were detected in lakes, lake-bed sediment, and ground water of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation, Wisconsin adjacent to commercial cranberry bogs. Additionally, pesticides not typically used on cranberries were also detected. In water samples from Little Trout and the Corn Lakes, which are adjacent to commercial cranberry bogs, five targeted pesticides commonlAuthorsDavid A. SaadInvestigating surface water-well interaction using stable isotope ratios of water
Because surface water can be a source of undesirable water quality in a drinking water well, an understanding of the amount of surface water and its travel time to the well is needed to assess a well's vulnerability. Stable isotope ratios of oxygen in river water at the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin, show peak-to-peak seasonal variation greater than 4‰ in 2001 and 2002. This seasonal signal was ideAuthorsR. J. Hunt, T. B. Coplen, N.L. Haas, D. A. Saad, M. A. BorchardtNumerical simulation of ground-water flow in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, and into nearby pools of the Mississippi River
This report describes a two-dimensional regional screening model and two associated three-dimensional ground-water flow models that were developed to simulate the ground-water flow systems in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, and Pool 8 of the Mississippi River. Although the geographic extents of the three-dimensional models were slightly different, both were derived from the same geologic interpretatiAuthorsRandall J. Hunt, David A. Saad, Dawn M. ChapelWater quality and the effects of changes in phosphorus loading to Muskellunge Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin
Muskellunge Lake is a productive, eutrophic lake because of high nutrient loading. Historical data indicate that water quality has only slightly degraded since the early 1970s, possibly because of phosphorus input from effluent from septic systems. A detailed phosphorus budget for the lake indicated that most of the phosphorus comes from natural sources?ground water and surface water flowing throuAuthorsDale M. Robertson, William J. Rose, David A. Saad - Web Tools
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