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Jason Sorenson

Jason Sorenson is a Hydrologist in the New England Water Science Center.

Science and Products

Nutrient and metal loads estimated by using discrete, automated, and continuous water-quality monitoring techniques for the Blackstone River at the Massachusetts-Rhode Island State line, water years 2013–14

Flow-proportional composite water samples were collected in water years 2013 and 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, from the Blackstone River at Millville, Massachusetts (U.S. Geological Survey station 01111230), about 0.5 mile from the border with Rhode Island. Samples were collected in order to better understand the d
Authors
Jason R. Sorenson, Gregory E. Granato, Kirk P. Smith
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Characterization of stormwater runoff from bridge decks in eastern Massachusetts, 2014–16

The quality of stormwater runoff from bridge decks (hereafter referred to as “bridge-deck runoff”) was characterized in a field study from August 2014 through August 2016 in which concentrations of suspended sediment (SS) and total nutrients were monitored. These new data were collected to supplement existing highway-runoff data collected in Massachusetts which were deficient in bridge-deck runoff
Authors
Kirk P. Smith, Jason R. Sorenson, Gregory E. Granato
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Potential reductions of street solids and phosphorus in urban watersheds from street cleaning, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2009-11

Material accumulating and washing off urban street surfaces and ultimately into stormwater drainage systems represents a substantial nonpoint source of solids, phosphorus, and other constituent loading to waterways in urban areas. Cost and lack of usable space limit the type and number of structural stormwater source controls available to municipalities and other public managers. Non-structural so
Authors
Jason R. Sorenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Nutrient and sediment concentrations, yields, and loads in impaired streams and rivers in the Taunton River Basin, Massachusetts, 1997-2008

Rapid development, population growth, and the changes in land and water use accompanying development are placing increasing stress on water resources in the Taunton River Basin. An assessment by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection determined that a number of tributary streams to the Taunton River are impaired for a variety of beneficial uses because of nutrient enrichment. Mos
Authors
Jeffrey R. Barbaro, Jason R. Sorenson

Estimated sediment thickness, quality, and toxicity to benthic organisms in selected impoundments in Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, Division of Ecological Restoration, collaborated to collect baseline information on the quantity and quality of sediment impounded behind selected dams in Massachusetts, including sediment thickness and the occurrence of contaminants potentially toxic to benthic organisms. The thicknesses of impounded sediments were meas
Authors
Robert F. Breault, Jason R. Sorenson, Peter K. Weiskel
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Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Effects of low-impact-development (LID) practices on streamflow, runoff quantity, and runoff quality in the Ipswich River Basin, Massachusetts: A summary of field and modeling studies

Low-impact-development (LID) approaches are intended to create, retain, or restore natural hydrologic and water-quality conditions that may be affected by human alterations. Wide-scale implementation of LID techniques may offer the possibility of improving conditions in river basins, such as the Ipswich River Basin in Massachusetts, that have run dry during the summer because of groundwater withdr
Authors
Marc J. Zimmerman, Marcus C. Waldron, Jeffrey R. Barbaro, Jason R. Sorenson
By
New England Water Science Center

Effects of selected low-impact-development (LID) techniques on water quality and quantity in the Ipswich River Basin, Massachusetts-Field and modeling studies

During the months of August and September, flows in the Ipswich River, Massachusetts, dramatically decrease largely due to groundwater withdrawals needed to meet increased residential and commercial water demands. In the summer, rates of groundwater recharge are lower than during the rest of the year, and water demands are higher. From 2005 to 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a cooperative fun
Authors
Marc J. Zimmerman, Jeffrey R. Barbaro, Jason R. Sorenson, Marcus C. Waldron
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Hydrogeology and Simulated Ground-Water Flow in the Salt Pond Region of Southern Rhode Island

The Salt Pond region of southern Rhode Island extends from Westerly to Narragansett Bay and forms the natural boundary between the Atlantic Ocean and the shallow, highly permeable freshwater aquifer of the South Coastal Basin. Large inputs of fresh ground water coupled with the low flushing rates to the open ocean make the salt ponds particularly susceptible to eutrophication and bacterial contami
Authors
John P. Masterson, Jason R. Sorenson, Janet Radway Stone, S. Bradley Moran, Andrea Hougham
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Water Resources Mission Area, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, New England Water Science Center

Sediment studies in the Assabet River, central Massachusetts, 2003

From its headwaters in Westborough, Massachusetts, to its confluence with the Sudbury River, the 53-kilometer-long Assabet River passes through a series of small towns and mixed land-use areas. Along the way, wastewater-treatment plants release nutrient-rich effluents that contribute to the eutrophic state of this waterway. This condition is most obvious where the river is impounded by a series of
Authors
Marc J. Zimmerman, Jason R. Sorenson

Residential street-dirt accumulation rates and chemical composition, and removal efficiencies by mechanical- and vacuum-type sweepers, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 2003-04

No abstract available.
Authors
Robert F. Breault, Kirk P. Smith, Jason R. Sorenson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center

Streamflow, water quality, and contaminant loads in the lower Charles River Watershed, Massachusetts, 1999-2000

Streamflow data and dry-weather and stormwater water-quality samples were collected from the main stem of the Charles River upstream of the lower Charles River (or the Basin) and from four partially culverted urban streams that drain tributary subbasins in the lower Charles River Watershed. Samples were collected between June 1999 and September 2000 and analyzed for a number of potential contamina
Authors
Robert F. Breault, Jason R. Sorenson, Peter K. Weiskel
By
New England Water Science Center
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USGS boat crew on Merrimack River, Massachusetts

Monitoring Merrimack River Mainstem and Tidal Reaches in Massachusetts to Evaluate Water Quality Conditions, May to September 2020

The Merrimack River watershed, the 4th largest watershed in New England (Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, 2001), has seen substantial growth and development in recent years.
By
New England Water Science Center
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Monitoring Merrimack River Mainstem and Tidal Reaches in Massachusetts to Evaluate Water Quality Conditions, May to September 2020

The Merrimack River watershed, the 4th largest watershed in New England (Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, 2001), has seen substantial growth and development in recent years.
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Leaf litter removal practices

Nutrient and Sediment Load Reduction Estimates from Intensive Street Cleaning and Leaf Litter Removal Practices in Vermont

Urban stormwater runoff contains high phosphorus concentrations that contribute to the eutrophication to receiving waters. Recent studies have further shown that leaf fall management presents an opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of common municipal practices such as street cleaning and leaf litter removal and substantially nutrient loading.
By
New England Water Science Center
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Nutrient and Sediment Load Reduction Estimates from Intensive Street Cleaning and Leaf Litter Removal Practices in Vermont

Urban stormwater runoff contains high phosphorus concentrations that contribute to the eutrophication to receiving waters. Recent studies have further shown that leaf fall management presents an opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of common municipal practices such as street cleaning and leaf litter removal and substantially nutrient loading.
Learn More
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Sakonnet River, the eastern arm of the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Characterization of Water Quality in the Sakonnet River, Rhode Island, 2018-19

Sections of Narragansett Bay and its eastern arm, the Sakonnet River, are considered impaired for shellfishing, aquatic habitat and recreational use by the State of Rhode Island. Aquatic habitat and water quality in the western portions of Narragansett Bay are relatively well understood, but there is comparably limited information available in the Sakonnet River. To address concerns about the lack...
By
New England Water Science Center
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Characterization of Water Quality in the Sakonnet River, Rhode Island, 2018-19

Sections of Narragansett Bay and its eastern arm, the Sakonnet River, are considered impaired for shellfishing, aquatic habitat and recreational use by the State of Rhode Island. Aquatic habitat and water quality in the western portions of Narragansett Bay are relatively well understood, but there is comparably limited information available in the Sakonnet River. To address concerns about the lack...
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Text reads: Imagery as Streamflow Data: Introducing the USGS Flow Photo Explorer link
Thumbnail reads: Imagery as Streamflow Data: Introducing the USGS Flow Photo Explorer (AD). link
American Beachgrass planted on a beach with the ocean on the right and a hazy sky.
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USGS Scientist describes riparian health assessment to a crowd in a forested area with a creek.
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A scientist implants a PIT tag in the underside of a river herring.
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A lighthouse sits atop coastal cliffs overlooking the ocean.
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Black culvert pipes move water in a rocky forested area.
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Two men with a seine net in a creek on a cloudy day.
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A group of people standing on a beach listening to a field demonstration.
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Examples of multi-parameter probes and temperature and dissolved oxygen sensors used for 2018-19 monitoring program
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Examples of monitoring buoys used for 2018-19 monitoring program
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USGS boat crew on Merrimack River, Massachusetts
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Merrimack River near Aiken St Bridge, Lowell, Massachusetts (USGS ID: 010965985)
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Sakonnet River, the eastern arm of the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
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Leaf litter removal practices
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Science and Products