Conducts applied research projects related to ecological flows, aquatic habitat quality, or endangered species critical habitat needs. My goal is to further USGS water-resources research incorporating my interests in ecology, hydrology, GIS, geomorphology, and ecosystem-management tool development.
Ongoing Research Projects:
- Flow-Ecology Baseline Biological Richness Evaluation in Virginia: The current investigation will evaluate regional organizing variables for flow-ecology evaluations, evaluate extensive biological-richness data (fish and macro-invertebrates) in relation to drainage area and selected significant metrics from the phase-1 reseach, update and extend the previous modeling dataset to further test significant flow-ecology relations in Virginia.
- From the Mountains to the Sea: An innovative Water-Quality Network and Unique Collaborative Partnership: This successful partnership brings together Randolph-Macon College (RMC), Washington and Lee University (W&L), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to foster growth in STEM through Summer student internship experience, awareness of USGS science in the class room, and increased the water-quality and streamflow monitoring network in the James River and tidal freshwater-estuary through new and enhanced technologies.
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Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants (EDC) in the Shenandoah River and Fish Health - Sources and Biological Effects: Collaboration with the USGS National Research Program to evaluate point and non-point potential sources of EDCs and transport pathways in the Shenandoah River Watershed. Partnership with Larry Barber, U.S. Geological Survey, Boulder, Colorado and Alan Vajda and David Bertolatus, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado.
Previous Studies:
- Water-Quality Effects on Rare and Endangered Freshwater Mussels in the Clinch River: Multi-disciplinary USGS project incorporates water-quality, hydrology, geomorphology, biology, and land use change assessments toward an understanding of stressors causing decline in freshwater mussel populations. Outcomes should support forecasting ecosystem change in response to changes in land use, energy extraction practices, and climate.
Science and Products
Refined Model Provides a Screening Tool to Understand Exposure to Contaminants from Incidental Wastewater Reuse
Refinement of the existing national-scale “de facto reuse incidence in our nation’s consumable supply” (DRINCS) model, complemented by field measurements, provides a screening tool to understand human and wildlife exposure to toxicants and pathogens associated with the incidental reuse of treated wastewater in the Shenandoah River watershed. The model results can be accessed in a companion web...
River Continuum Concept Ecological Limit Functions for Fish and Benthic Data in Virginia
The ecological limit functions (ELF) developed in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are a graphical representation of the current and historical state of aquatic biota in Virginia streams. The goal of this study was to quantify the potential species richness and habitat response to flow alteration using available long-term ecological data. Fish and benthic...
GIS-based landscape analysis to identify sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals
A key component to assessing the contaminant exposure pathways in streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay is using GIS-based landscape analysis to identify sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges are potentially major sources of EDCs to streams, and therefore understanding the de facto wastewater reuse (represented as...
Clinch River Water Quality and Mussel Health
The Clinch and Powell Rivers flowing from southwestern Virginia through parts of East Tennessee (see Figure 1) support unique and nationally significant endemic and endangered populations of fresh-water mussels and other aquatic fauna. Surveys of mussel and fish community structure over past decades have shown a pattern of decline throughout the Powell River and on parts of the upper Clinch that...
James River Research Corridor: Mountains to Sea Innovative Water Quality Network
This successful partnership brings together Randolph-Macon College (RMC), Washington and Lee University (W&L), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to foster growth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through summer student internship experience, awareness of USGS science in the classroom, and increased understanding of...
Shenandoah River Instream Flow Studies
As urban and rural growth continues, competition for clean water expands into stream areas previously capable of meeting local water-use demands. Conflicts among instream and offstream users of streamflow increase as flows decrease. This research enhances understanding of summer low-flow conditions in the North Fork, South Fork, and Shenandoah Rivers, relating water availability to physical...
Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring for the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project
This project: (1) initiates a continuous water-quality monitoring study for the Roanoke River in the area upstream and downstream of the RRFRP project area; (2) provides a mechanism for detecting short- and long-term changes in Roanoke River suspended sediment water quality during and after the RRFRP implementation; and (3) assesses trends in suspended sediment water quality in this section of the...
Roanoke River Study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District and the City of Roanoke, Virginia began construction of a congressionally authorized Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project (RRFRP) in 2005. RRFRP implementation activities include: construction activities, stream bank vegetation changes, and floodplain geometry changes which are occurring in a complicated urban river system. These...
Virginia Bankfull Regional Curves Project
Properly developed regional curves for a specific hydro-physiographic province are an invaluable tool for stream restoration design. Development of regional curves specifically for physiographic provinces of Virginia will enhance the ability to develop successful natural channel designs based on climatic, geologic, and hydrologic characteristics of specific regions of the state.
Science and Products
- Science
Refined Model Provides a Screening Tool to Understand Exposure to Contaminants from Incidental Wastewater Reuse
Refinement of the existing national-scale “de facto reuse incidence in our nation’s consumable supply” (DRINCS) model, complemented by field measurements, provides a screening tool to understand human and wildlife exposure to toxicants and pathogens associated with the incidental reuse of treated wastewater in the Shenandoah River watershed. The model results can be accessed in a companion web...River Continuum Concept Ecological Limit Functions for Fish and Benthic Data in Virginia
The ecological limit functions (ELF) developed in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are a graphical representation of the current and historical state of aquatic biota in Virginia streams. The goal of this study was to quantify the potential species richness and habitat response to flow alteration using available long-term ecological data. Fish and benthic...GIS-based landscape analysis to identify sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals
A key component to assessing the contaminant exposure pathways in streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay is using GIS-based landscape analysis to identify sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges are potentially major sources of EDCs to streams, and therefore understanding the de facto wastewater reuse (represented as...Clinch River Water Quality and Mussel Health
The Clinch and Powell Rivers flowing from southwestern Virginia through parts of East Tennessee (see Figure 1) support unique and nationally significant endemic and endangered populations of fresh-water mussels and other aquatic fauna. Surveys of mussel and fish community structure over past decades have shown a pattern of decline throughout the Powell River and on parts of the upper Clinch that...James River Research Corridor: Mountains to Sea Innovative Water Quality Network
This successful partnership brings together Randolph-Macon College (RMC), Washington and Lee University (W&L), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to foster growth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) through summer student internship experience, awareness of USGS science in the classroom, and increased understanding of...Shenandoah River Instream Flow Studies
As urban and rural growth continues, competition for clean water expands into stream areas previously capable of meeting local water-use demands. Conflicts among instream and offstream users of streamflow increase as flows decrease. This research enhances understanding of summer low-flow conditions in the North Fork, South Fork, and Shenandoah Rivers, relating water availability to physical...Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring for the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project
This project: (1) initiates a continuous water-quality monitoring study for the Roanoke River in the area upstream and downstream of the RRFRP project area; (2) provides a mechanism for detecting short- and long-term changes in Roanoke River suspended sediment water quality during and after the RRFRP implementation; and (3) assesses trends in suspended sediment water quality in this section of the...Roanoke River Study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District and the City of Roanoke, Virginia began construction of a congressionally authorized Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project (RRFRP) in 2005. RRFRP implementation activities include: construction activities, stream bank vegetation changes, and floodplain geometry changes which are occurring in a complicated urban river system. These...Virginia Bankfull Regional Curves Project
Properly developed regional curves for a specific hydro-physiographic province are an invaluable tool for stream restoration design. Development of regional curves specifically for physiographic provinces of Virginia will enhance the ability to develop successful natural channel designs based on climatic, geologic, and hydrologic characteristics of specific regions of the state. - Data
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