Dr. Johanna Blake is a research hydrologist with geochemical expertise at the New Mexico Water Science Center. She received a Master's Degree and PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Lehigh University and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of New Mexico.
Johanna has devoted her career to understanding geochemical processes that may effect surface water and groundwater especially related to rock-water, sediment-water, and ash-water interactions. She focuses her research on inorganic chemistry related to mining, sediment, wildfires, and caves and specializes in contaminants such as uranium, arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, lead, and chromium. Johanna has worked on issues related to uranium mining in the Grants Mineral Belt, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, and along the Texas Gulf Coast. She has been the lead scientist in New Mexico working on post-Gold King Mine spill research in the Animas and San Juan Rivers and has worked on understanding potential effects of mining on two drinking water reservoirs along the Animas River. Johanna has done work on wildfires and water quality including identifying mechanisms of element mobility from ash. Additionally, she has been working on understanding the hydrology and geochemistry associated with the Snowy River Formation in the Fort Stanton Snowy River Cave in New Mexico.
Professional Experience
2017 to present, Research Hydrologist (geochemist), U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2015 to 2017, Hydrologist (geochemist), U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2009 to 2014, Teaching Assistant, Lehigh University
2008 to 2009, Research Assistant, Lehigh University
2007 to 2008, Chemist; Radiochemistry
Education and Certifications
Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, 2014-2015
Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, 2014
M.S., Earth and Environmental
Affiliations and Memberships*
2016 to present, Adjunct Faculty, Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Science and Products
Investigations of Sources of Contaminants of Concern in the San Juan River
Assessment of Hydrologic Resources and the Potential Effects from Oil and Gas Development in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Tri-County Planning Area, Sierra, Doña Ana, and Otero Counties, New Mexico
Monitoring for Potential Effects of the Gold King Mine Release on Water Quality in the Animas and San Juan Rivers in New Mexico using Continuous Monitors and Automatic Samplers
Science and Products
- Science
Investigations of Sources of Contaminants of Concern in the San Juan River
Metals attached to suspended sediments or dissolved in river water pose a potential health risk to communities that depend on that water for agricultural and domestic uses. Exceedances of Navajo Nation surface water quality standards for metals (especially lead and arsenic) indicate that communities on the Navajo Nation along the San Juan River are exposed to this potential risk. Sources for these...Assessment of Hydrologic Resources and the Potential Effects from Oil and Gas Development in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Tri-County Planning Area, Sierra, Doña Ana, and Otero Counties, New Mexico
The Tri-County Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS) “decision area” (the public lands and resources that are managed by the Bureau of Land Management in Sierra, Doña Ana, and Otero Counties) is a large (4,375 square miles) and varied landscape. The decision area contains both connected and closed surface-water and groundwater basins, some of which cross state and...Monitoring for Potential Effects of the Gold King Mine Release on Water Quality in the Animas and San Juan Rivers in New Mexico using Continuous Monitors and Automatic Samplers
On August 5, 2015, about three million gallons of water and sediment were released from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River. The New Mexico Environment Department, among other State, Tribal, and local entities in CO, NM, and UT, is concerned that metals associated with the water and sediment released from the Gold King Mine could have... - Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
*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