Johanna M. Blake, Ph.D.
Dr. Johanna Blake is a Research Hydrologist with geochemical expertise at the USGS New Mexico Water Science Center.
Water Quality After Wildfire
Water Quality After Wildfire
Wildfires pose a substantial risk to water supplies because they can lead to severe flooding, erosion, and delivery of sediment, nutrients, and metals to rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The USGS works with federal and state land managers and local water providers to monitor and assess water quality after wildfires in order to help protect our Nation’s water resources.
Minerals Science Team
Minerals Science Team
The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any.
Investigations of Sources of Contaminants of Concern in the San Juan River
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.
Johanna Blake 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 geochemistry related to mining, sediment, and wildfires and specializes in elements including uranium, arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, lead, chromium, and rare earth elements. 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. She is the co-lead for a large project working to track the source(s) of metals to the San Juan River through Navajo Nation. In addition, Johanna works on wildfires and water quality including identifying mechanisms of element mobility from ash especially related to systems with multi-stressors including drought, flood, wildfire, and mining. More recently, Johanna has joined a multi-disciplinary team to understand the effects of coal mining on a transboundary reservoir in Canada and Montana.
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
Post-doctoral fellow, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, 2014-2015
2009 to 2014, Teaching Assistant, Lehigh University
2008 to 2009, Research Assistant, Lehigh University
2007 to 2008, Chemist; Radiochemistry
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, 2014
M.S., Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, 2010
B.S., Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2007
B.A., Psychology, Washington College, 1999
Affiliations and Memberships*
2016 to present, Adjunct Faculty, Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2015 to present, Geochemical Society
2009 to present, Geological Society of America
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 16
Scanning electron microscopy data from sediments collected in ephemeral channels, Four Corners region, USA, 2021-2022 Scanning electron microscopy data from sediments collected in ephemeral channels, Four Corners region, USA, 2021-2022
The San Juan River is a major water source for communities in the Four Corners region of the United States (parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) and is a vital source of water for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA) periodically samples surface water on the Navajo Nation and has found that some elements exceed NNEPA surface water...
Sediment descriptions, sediment core and pore water chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station reservoir, Waterflow, NM Sediment descriptions, sediment core and pore water chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station reservoir, Waterflow, NM
As part of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, the Bureau of Reclamation was tasked with design and construction of infrastructure to treat and deliver potable water to the communities of Navajo Nation, parts of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and City of Gallup. The Bureau of Reclamation has been evaluating the Public Service Company of New Mexico's (PNM) San Juan Generating Station...
Farmington Lake Sediment Descriptions, Total Sediment Chemistry, and Batch Experiment Chemistry Farmington Lake Sediment Descriptions, Total Sediment Chemistry, and Batch Experiment Chemistry
These datasets provide information about the physical properties, total sediment chemistry, and batch experiment chemistry (to evaluate element mobility) of sediment cores from the Farmington Lake reservoir in Farmington, NM. The sediment cores were collected in November 2019.
Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021 Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021
The San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow, NM, owned by the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is a coal-fired power plant that operates on coal mined on the same property. This plant is scheduled to shut down in 2022. In light of this impending closure, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is interested in purchasing the plant's raw-water reservoir for use in the Navajo...
Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021 Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021
The San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow, NM, owned by the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is a coal-fired power plant that operates on coal mined on the same property. This plant is scheduled to shut down in 2022. In light of this impending closure, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is interested in purchasing the plant's raw-water reservoir for use in the Navajo...
Rock and Calcite Chemistry Within and Surrounding Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave Rock and Calcite Chemistry Within and Surrounding Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave
The Fort Stanton-Snowy River cave system (FSC) is located in Lincoln County, New Mexico in the upper Rio Hondo Basin. The entrance of the cave is on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land near the site of historic Fort Stanton. In 2001, the Snowy River Formation was discovered. This formation, a white calcite deposit that lines a streambed within the cave, is now considered to be the...
Filter Total Items: 22
A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized...
Authors
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast
Geoenvironmental models were formulated by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1990s to describe potential environmental effects of extracting different types of ore deposits in different geologic and climatic regions. This paper presents a geoenvironmental model for roll-front (roll-type) uranium deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain. The model reviews descriptive and quantitative...
Authors
Katherine Walton-Day, Johanna Blake, Robert R. Seal,, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jean Dupree, Kent D Becher
A novel method for conducting a geoenvironmental assessment of undiscovered ISR-amenable uranium Resources: Proof-of-concept in the Texas Coastal Plain A novel method for conducting a geoenvironmental assessment of undiscovered ISR-amenable uranium Resources: Proof-of-concept in the Texas Coastal Plain
A geoenvironmental assessment methodology was developed to estimate waste quantities and disturbances that could be associated with the extraction of undiscovered uranium resources and identify areas on the landscape where uranium and other constituents of potential concern (COPCs) that may co-occur with uranium deposits in this region are likely to persist, if introduced into the...
Authors
Tanya J. Gallegos, Victoria G. Stengel, Katherine Walton-Day, Johanna Blake, Andrew Teeple, Delbert G Humberson, Steven M. Cahan, Douglas Yager, Kent D Becher
Hydrogeology and groundwater quality in the San Agustin Basin, New Mexico, 1975–2019 Hydrogeology and groundwater quality in the San Agustin Basin, New Mexico, 1975–2019
This report describes the findings of a U.S. Geological Survey study, completed in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, focused on better understanding the present-day (1975–2019) hydrogeology and groundwater quality of the San Agustin Basin in west-central New Mexico to support sustainable groundwater resource management. The basin hosts a relatively undeveloped basin-fill...
Authors
Jeff D. Pepin, Rebecca E. Travis, Johanna M. Blake, Alex Rinehart, Daniel Koning
Fort Stanton cave science conference field guide Fort Stanton cave science conference field guide
No abstract available.
Authors
Steve Peerman, Johanna Blake, Christina L. Ferguson, Penelope J. Boston, Cynthia Connolly, K. E. Miltenberger, Talon Newton, Mike Spilde
Tracking the source of metals to the San Juan River Tracking the source of metals to the San Juan River
Introduction The San Juan River is a major water source for communities in the Four Corners Region of the United States (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) and is a vital source of water for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA) periodically samples surface water on the Navajo Nation and has found that some elements exceed NNEPA surface water...
Authors
Johanna M. Blake, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Anne-Marie Matherne
Non-USGS Publications**
Blake, J.M., DeVore, C., Avasarala, S., Ali, A.S., Spilde, M., Roldan, C.*, Bowers, F.*, Artyushkova, K., and Cerrato, J.M. 2017. Uranium transport along the Rio Paguate, Jackpile Mine, Laguna Reservation. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. DOI: 10.1039/c6em00612d
Blake, J.M., Peters, S.C., and Johannesson, K. 2017. Application of REE geochemical signatures for sediment provenance to the Gettysburg Basin. Sedimentary Geology. DOI: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2016.12.009
Cerrato, J.M., Blake, J., Hirani, C., Clark, A., Ali, A., Artyushkova, Peterson, E., and Bixby, R. 2016. Wildfires and water chemistry: Effect of metals associated with wood ash. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. 18, 1078-1089. DOI: 10.1039/C6EM00123H
Blake, J.M., Avasarala, S., Artyushkova, K., Ali, A.S., Brearly, A.J., Shuey,C., Robinson, W.P., Bill, S., Lewis, J., Hirani, C.*, Lezama-Pacheco, J.S., and Cerrato, J.M. 2015. Elevated concentrations of U and co-occurring metals in abandoned mine wastes in a Northeastern Arizona Native American community. Environmental Science and Technology. 49, 8506−8514. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01408
Blake, J.M., Peters, S.C., and Casteel, A.*, 2015. Zinc, copper, nickel, and arsenic monitoring in natural streams using in-situ iron-manganese oxide coated stream pebbles. Journal of Geochemical Exploration. 158, 168-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2015.07.013
Blake, J.M. and Peters, S.C. 2015. The occurrence of and dominant controls on arsenic in the Newark and Gettysburg Basins. Science of the Total Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.013
Avasarala, S.M., Lichtner, P.C., Ali, A.S., Gonzalez-Pinzon, R., Blake, J.M., and Cerratoo, J.M. 2017. Reactive transport of U and V from abandoned uranium mine wastes. Environmental Science and Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03823
Blake, J.M., Brown, J.E., Ferguson, C.L. et al. Sediment cores in a municipal drinking-water reservoir as a record of geochemical transport within a watershed, Farmington Lake, New Mexico, USA. Environ Earth Sci 81, 96 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10227-w
Blake, J.M., Brown, J.E., Ferguson, C.L. et al. Sediment record of mining legacy and water quality from a drinking-water reservoir, Aztec, New Mexico, USA. Environ Earth Sci 79, 404 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-09126-9
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Restoration of the Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area, Valles Caldera National Preserve: Evaluation of surface water quality and geothermal resources before, during, and after restoration Restoration of the Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area, Valles Caldera National Preserve: Evaluation of surface water quality and geothermal resources before, during, and after restoration
VALL recently received National Park Service (NPS) funding to restore the Sulphur Springs area to pre-mining conditions. Restoration will include removing the old buildings and debris, plugging geothermal wells and grading the mine overburden piles and other disturbed earth to a more natural angle of repose, followed by revegetation,
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 16
Scanning electron microscopy data from sediments collected in ephemeral channels, Four Corners region, USA, 2021-2022 Scanning electron microscopy data from sediments collected in ephemeral channels, Four Corners region, USA, 2021-2022
The San Juan River is a major water source for communities in the Four Corners region of the United States (parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) and is a vital source of water for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA) periodically samples surface water on the Navajo Nation and has found that some elements exceed NNEPA surface water...
Sediment descriptions, sediment core and pore water chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station reservoir, Waterflow, NM Sediment descriptions, sediment core and pore water chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station reservoir, Waterflow, NM
As part of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, the Bureau of Reclamation was tasked with design and construction of infrastructure to treat and deliver potable water to the communities of Navajo Nation, parts of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and City of Gallup. The Bureau of Reclamation has been evaluating the Public Service Company of New Mexico's (PNM) San Juan Generating Station...
Farmington Lake Sediment Descriptions, Total Sediment Chemistry, and Batch Experiment Chemistry Farmington Lake Sediment Descriptions, Total Sediment Chemistry, and Batch Experiment Chemistry
These datasets provide information about the physical properties, total sediment chemistry, and batch experiment chemistry (to evaluate element mobility) of sediment cores from the Farmington Lake reservoir in Farmington, NM. The sediment cores were collected in November 2019.
Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021 Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021
The San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow, NM, owned by the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is a coal-fired power plant that operates on coal mined on the same property. This plant is scheduled to shut down in 2022. In light of this impending closure, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is interested in purchasing the plant's raw-water reservoir for use in the Navajo...
Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021 Water and sediment leachate chemistry from the San Juan Generating Station, Waterflow, NM, January 2021
The San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow, NM, owned by the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is a coal-fired power plant that operates on coal mined on the same property. This plant is scheduled to shut down in 2022. In light of this impending closure, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is interested in purchasing the plant's raw-water reservoir for use in the Navajo...
Rock and Calcite Chemistry Within and Surrounding Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave Rock and Calcite Chemistry Within and Surrounding Fort Stanton-Snowy River Cave
The Fort Stanton-Snowy River cave system (FSC) is located in Lincoln County, New Mexico in the upper Rio Hondo Basin. The entrance of the cave is on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land near the site of historic Fort Stanton. In 2001, the Snowy River Formation was discovered. This formation, a white calcite deposit that lines a streambed within the cave, is now considered to be the...
Filter Total Items: 22
A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized...
Authors
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast
Geoenvironmental models were formulated by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1990s to describe potential environmental effects of extracting different types of ore deposits in different geologic and climatic regions. This paper presents a geoenvironmental model for roll-front (roll-type) uranium deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain. The model reviews descriptive and quantitative...
Authors
Katherine Walton-Day, Johanna Blake, Robert R. Seal,, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jean Dupree, Kent D Becher
A novel method for conducting a geoenvironmental assessment of undiscovered ISR-amenable uranium Resources: Proof-of-concept in the Texas Coastal Plain A novel method for conducting a geoenvironmental assessment of undiscovered ISR-amenable uranium Resources: Proof-of-concept in the Texas Coastal Plain
A geoenvironmental assessment methodology was developed to estimate waste quantities and disturbances that could be associated with the extraction of undiscovered uranium resources and identify areas on the landscape where uranium and other constituents of potential concern (COPCs) that may co-occur with uranium deposits in this region are likely to persist, if introduced into the...
Authors
Tanya J. Gallegos, Victoria G. Stengel, Katherine Walton-Day, Johanna Blake, Andrew Teeple, Delbert G Humberson, Steven M. Cahan, Douglas Yager, Kent D Becher
Hydrogeology and groundwater quality in the San Agustin Basin, New Mexico, 1975–2019 Hydrogeology and groundwater quality in the San Agustin Basin, New Mexico, 1975–2019
This report describes the findings of a U.S. Geological Survey study, completed in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, focused on better understanding the present-day (1975–2019) hydrogeology and groundwater quality of the San Agustin Basin in west-central New Mexico to support sustainable groundwater resource management. The basin hosts a relatively undeveloped basin-fill...
Authors
Jeff D. Pepin, Rebecca E. Travis, Johanna M. Blake, Alex Rinehart, Daniel Koning
Fort Stanton cave science conference field guide Fort Stanton cave science conference field guide
No abstract available.
Authors
Steve Peerman, Johanna Blake, Christina L. Ferguson, Penelope J. Boston, Cynthia Connolly, K. E. Miltenberger, Talon Newton, Mike Spilde
Tracking the source of metals to the San Juan River Tracking the source of metals to the San Juan River
Introduction The San Juan River is a major water source for communities in the Four Corners Region of the United States (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) and is a vital source of water for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA) periodically samples surface water on the Navajo Nation and has found that some elements exceed NNEPA surface water...
Authors
Johanna M. Blake, Shaleene B. Chavarria, Anne-Marie Matherne
Non-USGS Publications**
Blake, J.M., DeVore, C., Avasarala, S., Ali, A.S., Spilde, M., Roldan, C.*, Bowers, F.*, Artyushkova, K., and Cerrato, J.M. 2017. Uranium transport along the Rio Paguate, Jackpile Mine, Laguna Reservation. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. DOI: 10.1039/c6em00612d
Blake, J.M., Peters, S.C., and Johannesson, K. 2017. Application of REE geochemical signatures for sediment provenance to the Gettysburg Basin. Sedimentary Geology. DOI: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2016.12.009
Cerrato, J.M., Blake, J., Hirani, C., Clark, A., Ali, A., Artyushkova, Peterson, E., and Bixby, R. 2016. Wildfires and water chemistry: Effect of metals associated with wood ash. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. 18, 1078-1089. DOI: 10.1039/C6EM00123H
Blake, J.M., Avasarala, S., Artyushkova, K., Ali, A.S., Brearly, A.J., Shuey,C., Robinson, W.P., Bill, S., Lewis, J., Hirani, C.*, Lezama-Pacheco, J.S., and Cerrato, J.M. 2015. Elevated concentrations of U and co-occurring metals in abandoned mine wastes in a Northeastern Arizona Native American community. Environmental Science and Technology. 49, 8506−8514. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b01408
Blake, J.M., Peters, S.C., and Casteel, A.*, 2015. Zinc, copper, nickel, and arsenic monitoring in natural streams using in-situ iron-manganese oxide coated stream pebbles. Journal of Geochemical Exploration. 158, 168-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2015.07.013
Blake, J.M. and Peters, S.C. 2015. The occurrence of and dominant controls on arsenic in the Newark and Gettysburg Basins. Science of the Total Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.013
Avasarala, S.M., Lichtner, P.C., Ali, A.S., Gonzalez-Pinzon, R., Blake, J.M., and Cerratoo, J.M. 2017. Reactive transport of U and V from abandoned uranium mine wastes. Environmental Science and Technology. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03823
Blake, J.M., Brown, J.E., Ferguson, C.L. et al. Sediment cores in a municipal drinking-water reservoir as a record of geochemical transport within a watershed, Farmington Lake, New Mexico, USA. Environ Earth Sci 81, 96 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10227-w
Blake, J.M., Brown, J.E., Ferguson, C.L. et al. Sediment record of mining legacy and water quality from a drinking-water reservoir, Aztec, New Mexico, USA. Environ Earth Sci 79, 404 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-09126-9
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Restoration of the Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area, Valles Caldera National Preserve: Evaluation of surface water quality and geothermal resources before, during, and after restoration Restoration of the Sulphur Springs Geothermal Area, Valles Caldera National Preserve: Evaluation of surface water quality and geothermal resources before, during, and after restoration
VALL recently received National Park Service (NPS) funding to restore the Sulphur Springs area to pre-mining conditions. Restoration will include removing the old buildings and debris, plugging geothermal wells and grading the mine overburden piles and other disturbed earth to a more natural angle of repose, followed by revegetation,
*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