Jennifer Wilson is a Science and Quality Assurance Section Chief in Austin, TX.
Jennifer has been a studies section chief since 2016. Before then, she worked on a wide variety of water-quality projects. She studied water quality in groundwater and surface water plus sediment-associated contaminants in lakes, reservoirs, streams, and stormwater runoff. She was part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Contaminated Trends in Lake Sediments Project that collected and analyzed sediment cores from over 130 lakes/reservoirs across 37 states in the U.S. from 1992 to 2014.
Education and Certifications
Jennifer earned an MS in Geological Sciences in 2001 and a BS in Geological Sciences in 1995 both from the University of Texas at Austin.
Affiliations and Memberships*
Licensed by the Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists, 2003 to present.
Honors and Awards
In 2013, Jennifer was a recipient of the DOI and USGS Environmental Achievement Award.
Science and Products
Timescales of water-quality change in a karst aquifer, south-central Texas
Continuing progress toward a national assessment of water availability and use
Selected streambed sediment compounds and water toxicity results for Westside Creeks, San Antonio, Texas, 2014
Occurrence and concentrations of selected trace elements, halogenated organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in streambed sediments and results of water-toxicity testing in Westside Creeks and the San Antonio River, San Antonio, Texas, 20
Occurrence and concentrations of selected trace elements and halogenated organic compounds in stream sediments and potential sources of polychlorinated biphenyls, Leon Creek, San Antonio, Texas, 2012–14
Grain-size distribution and selected major and trace element concentrations in bed-sediment cores from the Lower Granite Reservoir and Snake and Clearwater Rivers, eastern Washington and northern Idaho, 2010
Volatilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from coal-tar-sealed pavement
PAH volatilization following application of coal-tar-based pavement sealant
Occurrence, distribution, and concentrations of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09
Assessment of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09
Polychlorinated Biphenyls in suspended-sediment samples from outfalls to Meandering Road Creek at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003-08
Influence of coal-tar sealcoat and other carbonaceous materials on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon loading in an urban watershed
Salado Creek Bacteria Source Tracking
Red River Focus Area Study
Hydrogeologic and Geochemical Investigation of the Trinity and Northern Segment Edwards Aquifers
City of Austin Water Quality Data Review and Analysis
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 43
Timescales of water-quality change in a karst aquifer, south-central Texas
Understanding the drivers and timescales over which groundwater quality changes informs groundwater management, use, and protection. To better understand timescales of water-quality change over short (daily to monthly) and long (seasonal to decadal) timescales, the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Enhanced Trends Network (ETN) program instrumented and sampled threContinuing progress toward a national assessment of water availability and use
Executive SummaryThe Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111—11) was passed into law on March 30, 2009. Subtitle F, also known as the SECURE Water Act, calls for the establishment of a “national water availability and use assessment program” within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS issued the first report on the program in 2013. Program progress over the period 2013–17Selected streambed sediment compounds and water toxicity results for Westside Creeks, San Antonio, Texas, 2014
IntroductionThe Alazán, Apache, Martínez, and San Pedro Creeks in San Antonio, Texas, are part of a network of urban tributaries to the San Antonio River, known locally as the Westside Creeks. The Westside Creeks flow through some of the oldest neighborhoods in San Antonio. The disruption of streambed sediment is anticipated during a planned restoration to improve and restore the environmental conOccurrence and concentrations of selected trace elements, halogenated organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in streambed sediments and results of water-toxicity testing in Westside Creeks and the San Antonio River, San Antonio, Texas, 20
Sediment samples and samples for water-toxicity testing were collected during 2014 from several streams in San Antonio, Texas, known locally as the Westside Creeks (Alazán, Apache, Martínez, and San Pedro Creeks) and from the San Antonio River. Samples were collected during base flow and after periods of stormwater runoff (poststorm conditions) to determine baseline sediment- and water-quality conOccurrence and concentrations of selected trace elements and halogenated organic compounds in stream sediments and potential sources of polychlorinated biphenyls, Leon Creek, San Antonio, Texas, 2012–14
The Texas Department of State Health Services issued fish consumption advisories in 2003 and 2010 for Leon Creek in San Antonio, Texas, based on elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish tissues. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured elevated PCB concentrations in stream-sediment samples collected during 2007–9 from Leon Creek at Lackland Air Force Base (now known asGrain-size distribution and selected major and trace element concentrations in bed-sediment cores from the Lower Granite Reservoir and Snake and Clearwater Rivers, eastern Washington and northern Idaho, 2010
Lower Granite Dam impounds the Snake and Clearwater Rivers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, forming Lower Granite Reservoir. Since 1975, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has dredged sediment from the Lower Granite Reservoir and the Snake and Clearwater Rivers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho to keep navigation channels clear and to maintain the flow capacity. In recent years, otheVolatilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from coal-tar-sealed pavement
Coal-tar-based pavement sealants, a major source of PAHs to urban water bodies, are a potential source of volatile PAHs to the atmosphere. An initial assessment of volatilization of PAHs from coal-tar-sealed pavement is presented here in which we measured summertime gas-phase PAH concentrations 0.03 m and 1.28 m above the pavement surface of seven sealed (six with coal-tar-based sealant and one wiPAH volatilization following application of coal-tar-based pavement sealant
Coal-tar-based pavement sealants, a major source of PAHs to urban water bodies, have recently been identified as a source of volatile PAHs to the atmosphere. We tracked the volatilization of PAHs for 1 year after application of a coal-tar-based pavement sealant by measuring gas-phase PAH concentrations above the pavement surface and solid-phase PAH concentrations in sealant scraped from the surfacOccurrence, distribution, and concentrations of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09
High concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants are typically associated with urban areas such as San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, the seventh most populous city in the United States. U.S. Geological Survey personnel periodically collected surficial streambed-sediment samples during 2007-09 and collected suspended-sediment samples from selected streams after storms during 2008 and 2009Assessment of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09
Elevated concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants are typically associated with urban areas such as San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, the seventh most populous city in the United States. This report describes an assessment of selected sediment-associated contaminants in samples collected in Bexar County from sites on the following streams: Medio Creek, Medina River, Elm Creek, MartinePolychlorinated Biphenyls in suspended-sediment samples from outfalls to Meandering Road Creek at Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth, Texas, 2003-08
Meandering Road Creek is an intermittent stream and tributary to Lake Worth, a reservoir on the West Fork Trinity River on the western edge of Fort Worth, Texas. U.S. Air Force Plant 4 (AFP4) is on the eastern shore of Woods Inlet, an arm of Lake Worth. Meandering Road Creek gains inflow from several stormwater outfalls as it flows across AFP4. Several studies have characterized polychlorinated biInfluence of coal-tar sealcoat and other carbonaceous materials on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon loading in an urban watershed
Carbonaceous material (CM) particles are the principal vectors transporting polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into urban waters via runoff; however, characteristics of CM particles in urban watersheds and their relative contributions to PAH contamination remain unclear. Our objectives were to identify the sources and distribution of CM particles in an urban watershed and to determine the typ - Science
Salado Creek Bacteria Source Tracking
THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN 2019.Red River Focus Area Study
The USGS is undertaking a 3-year study of water use, availability, and change in the Red River basin in one of several national “Focus Area Studies” in the Department of Interior’s WaterSMART initiative . The Red River basin covers more than 93,000 square miles in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana with a population of about 4.3 million people. Water resources in the basin are...Hydrogeologic and Geochemical Investigation of the Trinity and Northern Segment Edwards Aquifers
The USGS Texas Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District and Bell County Adaptive Management Coalition, is evaluating the hydrogeology and water quality of the Northern segment of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers in Bell County to provide regional resource managers responsible for regulation of water use and drought management strategies with...City of Austin Water Quality Data Review and Analysis
The USGS and City of Austin have been working together on water-quality sampling and studies of surface-water and groundwater sites in the Austin area for many years. A large variety of water-quality samples have been collected over a range of hydrologic conditions and submitted for numerous laboratory analyses. Both agencies are interested in exploring existing data for potential insight on... - Multimedia
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government