Jessica A Maurer

Jessica is a biologist at the USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center and is located in Lansing, MI. She started her career as a biology trainee student in 2008 with the USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center (Dover, DE field office). She was then converted to a hydrologic technician in which she gained invaluable groundwater and surface water experience collecting groundwater levels, making discharge measurements, collecting water quality samples and monitoring real-time water quality sites. Her hazardous materials (HAZMAT) certification, as an Emergency Management Journeyman in the Air Force, coupled nicely with her biology and environmental science education which led to her participation in the USGS Fate and Bioremediation project at The Standard Chlorine of Delaware Superfund Site. This particular project, NAWQA Ecology work and many other water quality-related projects has led Jessica's interests in the direction of conducting more investigative studies in the area of ecological effects of emerging contaminants in groundwater and surface water. 

Education

M.S. in Environmental Science, Wesley College, Dover, Delaware, 2011 (Effects of Nutrient Concentrations on Maximum Production (Pmax) and Maximum Respiration (Rmax) Rates in a Coastal Plain River; Nanticoke River near Bridgeville, DE)

B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Delaware, 2009

A.S. in Emergency Management, Community College of the Air Force, 2006

Professional Experience

2015 - present              Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, USGS Michigan Water Science Center

2012 - 2015                  Hydrologic Technician, U.S. Geological Survey, USGS Michigan Water Science Center

2009 - 2012                  Hydrologic Technician, U.S. Geological Survey, USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center

2008 - 2009                  Student (Biology Trainee)

Professional Focus: Ecological effects of emerging contaminants in surface water and groundwater

Projects

• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Area of Concern Restoration: Groundwater Flux and Nutrient Loading in the Northeast Section of Bear Lake, Muskegon County, MI
• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Tributary Monitoring 
  • Real-time water quality monitoring and water quality sampling for estimating loads of toxic substances flowing into the Great Lakes
• Great lakes Restoration Initiatve (GLRI) Edge of Field (EOF) 
  • Real-time water quality monitoring, baseflow and event sampling for estimating daily and annual loads for suspended sediment, chloride, nitrate + nitrite, total nitrogen, TKN, orthophosphate and total phosphorus.
• National Water Quality Program (NWQP) Groundwater Assessment
  • Collect water quality samples in Southeastern Michigan as part of a National Groundwater Assessment 
• National Water Quality Program (NWQP) Surface Water Assesment: Ecology
  • Collect Invertebrate and algal samples and habitat and fish data in the Potomac River Basin and Delmarva Peninsula Study Units
• Standard Chlorine DE City Superfund Site
  • Fate and bioremediation sampling and data collection
• Delaware Real-Time Water Quality
  • Monitor and service 6 real-time water quality sites
• Delaware and Maryland Groundwater Networks
  • -Collect, manage and process groundwater data on real-time and discrete water levels for publication in the Annual Data Report
• Ocean City, Maryland
  • Collect, manage and process groundwater data on continuous and discrete water levels along with annual chloride sampling.