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David S Armstrong

Dave Armstrong is a Hydrologist in the New England Water Science Center.

Dave has more than 25 years of experience investigating water resource issues in New England. His background is primarily in surface-water hydrology. He completed his B.A. in Geosciences at Hobart College in 1982, and took graduate courses in forest hydrology, ground-water hydrology, and limnology at the University of Minnesota.

Dave has extensive experience working on multidisciplinary investigations to support state water-resource managers in their efforts to protect and restore water resources, habitat, and ecosystems in New England. He is author on numerous USGS technical reports with a focus on understanding relations between streamflow and habitat; and ecological responses to water withdrawals and land-use in streams and wetlands. Dave currently is working on investigations that are developing a water-quality monitoring strategy for the Taunton River Estuary and Mount Hope Bay, collecting water-quality data at freshwater sites in eastern Massachusetts to demonstrate a process for calculating aluminum criteria, and investigating fish and macroinvertebrate responses to impervious cover.

Professional Experience

  • 1992 - present, U.S. Geological Survey - Hydrologist

  • 1989 - 1992, U.S. Geological Survey - Hydrologic Technician

Education and Certifications

  • B.A. Geoscience, Hobart College, 1982

  • Dave is certified in electrofishing and as a USGS MOCC boat operator.

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 17

Surface-water-quality data to support implementation of revised freshwater aluminum water-quality criteria in Massachusetts, 2018–19

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, performed a study to inform the development of the department’s guidelines for the collection and use of water-chemistry data to support calculation of site-dependent aluminum criteria values. The U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed discrete water-quality samples at four wastewater-t
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Scientific information in support of water resource management of the Big River area, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Water Resources Board (RIWRB) is concerned that the demand for water may exceed the available public water supply in central and southern Rhode Island. Although water is often assumed to be plentiful in Rhode Island because of abundant rainfall, an adequate supply of water is not always available everywhere in the state during dry periods. Concerns that water demand may exceed sup
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Hydrologic, vegetation, and soil data collected in selected wetlands of the Big River Management area, Rhode Island, from 2008 through 2010

The Rhode Island Water Resources Board planned to develop public water-supply wells in the Big River Management Area in Kent County, Rhode Island. Research in the United States and abroad indicates that groundwater withdrawal has the potential to affect wetland hydrology and related processes. In May 2008, the Rhode Island Water Resources Board, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the University of Rh
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Factors influencing riverine fish assemblages in Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, conducted an investigation of fish assemblages in small- to medium-sized Massachusetts streams. The objective of this study was to determine relations between fish-assemblage characteris
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Effects of water use and land use on streamflow and aquatic habitat in the Sudbury and Assabet River Basins, Massachusetts

Water withdrawals from surface-water reservoirs and groundwater have affected streamflow in the Sudbury and Assabet River Basins. These effects are particularly evident in the upper Sudbury River Basin, which prompted the need to improve the understanding of water resources and aquatic habitat in these basins. In 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of
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New England Water Science Center

Preliminary assessment of factors influencing riverine fish communities in Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (MDCR), Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP), and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game (MDFG), conducted a preliminary investigation of fish communities in small- to medium-sized Massachusetts streams. The objective of this investigation was to determine relat
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Characteristics and Classification of Least Altered Streamflows in Massachusetts

Streamflow records from 85 streamflow-gaging stations at which streamflows were considered to be least altered were used to characterize natural streamflows within southern New England. Period-of-record streamflow data were used to determine annual hydrographs of median monthly flows. The shapes and magnitudes of annual hydrographs of median monthly flows, normalized by drainage area, differed amo

Comparison of methods for determining streamflow requirements for aquatic habitat protection at selected sites on the Assabet and Charles Rivers, Eastern Massachusetts, 2000-02

Four methods used to determine streamflow requirements for habitat protection at nine critical riffle reaches in the Assabet River and Charles River Basins were compared. The methods include three standard setting techniques?R2Cross, Wetted Perimeter, and Tennant?and a diagnostic method, the Range of Variability Approach. One study reach is on the main stem of the Assabet River, four reaches are o

Evaluation of Streamflow Requirements for Habitat Protection by Comparison to Streamflow Characteristics at Index Streamflow-Gaging Stations in Southern New England

Streamflow characteristics and methods for determining streamflow requirements for habitat protection were investigated at 23 active index streamflow-gaging stations in southern New England. Fish communities sampled near index streamflow-gaging stations in Massachusetts have a high percentage of fish that require flowing-water habitats for some or all of their life cycle. The relatively unaltered
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New England Water Science Center

Assessment of habitat and streamflow requirements for habitat protection, Usquepaug–Queen River, Rhode Island, 1999–2000

The relations among stream habitat and hydrologic conditions were investigated in the Usquepaug–Queen River Basin in southern Rhode Island. Habitats were assessed at 13 sites on the mainstem and tributaries from July 1999 to September 2000. Channel types are predominantly low-gradient glides, pools, and runs that have a sand and gravel streambed and a forest or shrub riparian zone. Along the strea

Preliminary assessment of streamflow requirements for habitat protection for selected sites on the Assabet and Charles rivers, eastern Massachusetts

Streamflow requirements for habitat protection were determined at several critical riffle reaches in the Assabet River and Charles River Basins. The R2Cross and Wetted-Perimeter methods yielded median streamflow requirements of 0.75 cubic feet per second per square mile (ft3/s/mi2) and 0.13 ft3/s/mi2, respectively. Three study reaches are on tributaries to the Assabet River (Danforth Brook, Great

Assessment of Habitat, Fish Communities, and Streamflow Requirements for Habitat Protection, Ipswich River, Massachusetts, 1998-99

The relations among stream habitat, fish communities, and hydrologic conditions were investigated in the Ipswich River Basin in northeastern Massachusetts. Data were assessed from 27 sites on the mainstem of the Ipswich River from July to September 1998 and from 10 sites on 5 major tributaries in July and August 1999. Habitat assessments made in 1998 determined that in a year with sustained stream
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New England Water Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Armstrong, D.S., and McAdams, T., 1990, Minnesota groundwater bibliography, V. II: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Waters, St. Paul, Minn., 117 p
Armstrong, D.S., 1989, Minnesota groundwater bibliography, Vol. I: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Waters, St. Paul, Minn., 102 p.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fixed-site monitoring station in Mount Hope Bay

Development of a Water Quality Monitoring Strategy for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary, Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are collaborating on a study to develop a water quality monitoring strategy for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary.
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New England Water Science Center
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Development of a Water Quality Monitoring Strategy for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary, Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are collaborating on a study to develop a water quality monitoring strategy for Mount Hope Bay and the Taunton River Estuary.
Learn More
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Collecting a water-quality sample

Water Quality Data Collection to Support Aluminum Criteria Development in Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are collaborating on a study to collect water-quality data at streams and ponds in Massachusetts that receive aluminum discharges from wastewater treatment (WWTF) or public-water supply (PWS) facilities. The objective of this study is to inform the development of MassDEP guidelines on discharge...
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New England Water Science Center
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Water Quality Data Collection to Support Aluminum Criteria Development in Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are collaborating on a study to collect water-quality data at streams and ponds in Massachusetts that receive aluminum discharges from wastewater treatment (WWTF) or public-water supply (PWS) facilities. The objective of this study is to inform the development of MassDEP guidelines on discharge...
Learn More
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View of Mount Ascutney, Connecticut River, and Cornish-Windsor Bridge

NorEaST: A Tool to Understand the Responses of Fish to Changes in Stream Temperature

Climate change is expected to alter stream temperature and flow regimes over the coming decades, and in turn influence distributions of aquatic species in those freshwater ecosystems. To better anticipate these changes, there is a need to compile both short- and long-term stream temperature data for managers to gain an understanding of baseline conditions, historic trends, and future projections.
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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NorEaST: A Tool to Understand the Responses of Fish to Changes in Stream Temperature

Climate change is expected to alter stream temperature and flow regimes over the coming decades, and in turn influence distributions of aquatic species in those freshwater ecosystems. To better anticipate these changes, there is a need to compile both short- and long-term stream temperature data for managers to gain an understanding of baseline conditions, historic trends, and future projections.
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Total and Dissolved Organic Carbon Data to Support Implementation of Revised Freshwater Aluminum Water-Quality Criteria in Massachusetts

This data set contains historical data on concentrations of total and dissolved organic carbon in Massachusetts streams from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS) database. The data were compiled from NWIS using site and sample selection criteria to retrieve all publicly available data from surface-water samples that contained analysis of both total and dissolved orga
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New England Water Science Center

Surface-Water-Quality Data and Time-Series Plots to Support Implementation of Site-Dependent Aluminum Criteria in Massachusetts, 2018-19 (ver. 1.1, February 2023)

This data release includes water-quality data collected at 38 sites in central and eastern Massachusetts from April 2018 through May 2019 by the U.S. Geological Survey to support the implementation of site-dependent aluminum criteria for Massachusetts waters. Samples of effluent and receiving surface waters were collected monthly at four wastewater-treatment facilities (WWTFs) and seven water-trea
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New England Water Science Center
Recording water-quality field parameters on the Merrimack River, Massachusetts
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Merrimack River estuary in Salisbury, Massachusetts
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USGS Hydrologist collecting water samples with a Van Dorn sampler on the Merrimack River, Massachusetts
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Collecting a water-quality sample
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Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection fixed-site monitoring station in Mount Hope Bay
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Habitat assessment in the Bronx River NY
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Shoreline of Mary Dunn Pond, Barnstable, MA
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Science and Products