Elizabeth Nystrom
Biography
My research encompasses a broad range of hydrology and hydraulics, including hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, mapping, and data collection, water quality sampling and analysis, and data management. My current focus is on combining hydrologic and hydraulic data and models for application in human-environment interactions, including flood inundation mapping and mapping of bathymetry.
Education
2001 - M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, University of Illinois
1999 - B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Science and Products
Surface-water quality in the Lake Erie/Niagara River Basin of New York State
Problem The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) intends to develop a Nine-Element Watershed Plan (http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/103264.html) for the Lake Erie/Niagara Basin. To develop the Nine-Element Plan, NYSDEC needs a high quality, quality assured, nutrient-loading dataset to serve as a baseline...
Bathymetry of New York City’s East of Hudson Reservoirs
Background: The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) maintains an extensive network of reservoirs and aqueducts for water collection, storage, and transport; it supplies more than one billion gallons of drinking water daily to more than nine million people. The East of Hudson (EOH) network (fig. 1) includes thirteen reservoirs – Amawalk, Bog Brook, Boyd Corners, Cross...
Flood-Inundation Mapping for Schoharie Creek at North Blenheim, NY
Background and Problem Flooding is a ubiquitous problem throughout New York State. The Schoharie Creek has experienced severe floods, including the devastating floods of August 2011 following Hurricane Irene, which severely damaged or destroyed many homes, businesses, roads, and other property within the Schoharie Valley. In North Blenheim, homes, the Blenheim Town Hall, fire hall, and...
305b Groundwater Quality Monitoring in New York
Relatively little data describing the quality of groundwater in New York State exist, yet groundwater is used as a source of drinking water by approximately one quarter of the population of the state. The objective of the 305(b) groundwater quality monitoring project is to quantify and report on ambient groundwater quality from bedrock and glacial-drift aquifers in upstate New York.
An...
Mohawk River Basin Water Quality
Elevated levels of nutrients (for example, phosphorus) in the Mohawk River can lead to eutrophication and potentially toxic blue-green algal blooms. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) collected nutrient samples and measured streamflow in the Mohawk River. These data are being used to develop a water-quality...
Well Selection Information for Homeowners and PWS Personnel
Well Selection Information for Homeowners and PWS Personnel
Analytes 2018
Samples are analyzed for a wide range of constituents, including physical parameters (such as pH and temperature), nutrients, major ions, trace elements including mercury and arsenic, Coliform bacteria, radon, total organic carbon, volatile organic compounds, and pesticides
Groundwater Sample Collection Methods
Collecting groundwater samples from a typical homeowner well...
Surface-water Quality in the Mohawk River Basin (Pilot RIBS/TMDL)
Problem The quality of surface water has important effects on human and ecological health. Surface water is an important drinking water source and is used for swimming, fishing, and recreation, and the quality of surface water can have profound effects on the health, diversity, and resilience of ecological communities. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is t...
Flood-Inundation Maps for Four Stream Reaches, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York
Problem The City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, N.Y., is in the process of developing a flood management plan for the streams that flow through the City. Flooding in the City is an annual problem caused by a variety of distinct and sometimes interconnected reasons. Flooding often is a result of snowmelt and rain during the winter and spring. Slow ice-melt and breakup can lead to ice jams and...
Bathymetry of New York City's West of Hudson Reservoirs
Background Every day, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) supplies more than one billion gallons of drinking water to more than nine million people. To do this, the DEP maintains an extensive network of reservoirs and aqueducts. A major part of this system, the West of Hudson (WOH) network, in the Delaware and Hudson River drainages, includes six reservoirs (fig. 1...
305b Ambient Groundwater Quality Monitoring in New York
Introduction Relatively little data describing the quality of groundwater in New York State exists, yet groundwater is used as a source of drinking water by approximately one quarter of the population of the state. The objective of the 305(b) groundwater quality monitoring project is to quantify and report on ambient groundwater quality from bedrock and glacial-drift aquifers in upstate Ne...
Bathymetry of Morris Lake (Newton Reservoir), New Jersey, 2018
Morris Lake, also known as Newton Reservoir, has been the source of drinking water for the Town of Newton, New Jersey, since the early 1900s. Although Morris Lake has been used as a source of drinking water for many years, its capacity was previously uncertain. In April 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey and the New Jersey Department of...
Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Collenburg, Jerilyn V.
Groundwater quality in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, collected groundwater samples from 5 production wells and 5 domestic wells in the Delaware River Basin, 8 production wells and 7 domestic wells in the Genesee River Basin, and 1 municipal well, 7 production wells, and 13 domestic wells in...
Scott, Tia-Marie; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Reddy, James E.
Flood-inundation maps for Cayuga Inlet, Sixmile Creek, Cascadilla Creek, and Fall Creek at Ithaca, New York
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.9-square-mile area of Ithaca, New York, were created in 2015–18 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the City of Ithaca, New York, and the New York State Department of State. The flood-inundation maps depict estimates of the maximum areal extent and depth of flooding corresponding to selected...
Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Lilienthal, Arthur G.; Coon, William F.
Bathymetry of Ashokan, Cannonsville, Neversink, Pepacton, Rondout, and Schoharie Reservoirs, New York, 2013–15
Drinking water for New York City is supplied from several large reservoirs, including a system of reservoirs west of the Hudson River. To provide updated reservoir capacity tables and bathymetry maps of the City’s six West of Hudson reservoirs, bathymetric surveys were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey from 2013 to 2015. Depths were surveyed...
Nystrom, Elizabeth A.
Bathymetric survey of the Cayuga Inlet flood-control channel and selected tributaries in Ithaca, New York, 2016
From July 14 to July 20, 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Ithaca, New York, and the New York State Department of State, surveyed the bathymetry of the Cayuga Inlet flood-control channel and the mouths of selected tributaries to Cayuga Inlet and Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, N.Y. The flood-control channel, built by the U.S...
Wernly, John F.; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Coon, William F.
Sensitivity of the projected hydroclimatic environment of the Delaware River basin to formulation of potential evapotranspiration
The Delaware River Basin (DRB) encompasses approximately 0.4 % of the area of the United States (U.S.), but supplies water to 5 % of the population. We studied three forested tributaries to quantify the potential climate-driven change in hydrologic budget for two 25-year time periods centered on 2030 and 2060, focusing on sensitivity to...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Milly, Paul C.D.
Groundwater quality in the Lake Champlain and Susquehanna River basins, New York, 2014
In a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, groundwater samples were collected from 6 production wells and 7 domestic wells in the Lake Champlain Basin and from 11 production wells and 9 domestic wells in the Susquehanna River Basin in New York. All samples...
Scott, Tia-Marie; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Reddy, James E.
Flood-inundation maps for the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.6-mile reach of the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville, New York, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The flood-inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site at http://...
Nystrom, Elizabeth A.
Summary of hydrologic modeling for the Delaware River Basin using the Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER)
The Water Availability Tool for Environmental Resources (WATER) is a decision support system for the nontidal part of the Delaware River Basin that provides a consistent and objective method of simulating streamflow under historical, forecasted, and managed conditions. In order to quantify the uncertainty associated with these simulations, however...
Williamson, Tanja N.; Lant, Jeremiah G.; Claggett, Peter R.; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Milly, Paul C.D.; Nelson, Hugh L.; Hoffman, Scott A.; Colarullo, Susan J.; Fischer, Jeffrey M.
Groundwater quality in the Chemung River, Eastern Lake Ontario, and Lower Hudson River Basins, New York, 2013
In a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, water samples were collected from 4 production wells and 4 domestic wells in the Chemung River Basin, 8 production wells and 7 domestic wells in the Eastern Lake Ontario Basin, and 12 production wells and 13...
Scott, Tia-Marie; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Reddy, James E.
Flood-inundation maps for the White River at Indianapolis, Indiana, 2014
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 6.4-mile reach of the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 0.3 miles upstream of Michigan Street to the Harding Street Generating Station dam (at the confluence with Lick Creek), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The...
Nystrom, Elizabeth A. An empirical approach to modeling methylmercury concentrations in an Adirondack stream watershed
Inverse empirical models can inform and improve more complex process-based models by quantifying the principal factors that control water quality variation. Here we developed a multiple regression model that explains 81% of the variation in filtered methylmercury (FMeHg) concentrations in Fishing Brook, a fourth-order stream in the Adirondack...
Burns, Douglas A.; Nystrom, Elizabeth A.; Wolock, David M.; Bradley, Paul M.; Riva-Murray, Karen
Field Photo Friday Winner for January 2021
Physical scientist Ariel Reed digging a hole thru the ice to check on passive loggers at USGS 04273996 W BR AUSABLE R TRIB 1 ABV ST HW 86 NR LK PLACID NY in Ausable Tributary, Lake Placid, NY. (Credit: Kaitlyn Jozokos, USGS NY WSC. Public domain.)