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Ken Belitz

​​Kenneth Belitz is a Research Hydrologist Emeritus with the Earth Systems Processes Division of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.

​​As a USGS scientist, Ken has simultaneously conducted hydrogeologic research and provided leadership for scientific teams addressing practical problems. His current focus is the development of a three-dimensional digital representation of the subsurface of the United States, otherwise known as the National Extent Hydrogeologic Framework. The framework will be used in support of Integrated Water Availability Assessments. 

​Ken has previously led two large USGS groundwater assessment efforts: He was the lead scientist and manager of the Groundwater Ambient and Monitoring Assessment (GAMA) Program, designed to assess the quality of California’s groundwater; and he was the Chief for Groundwater Assessments for the 3rd decade of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program.  Together, these efforts represent ~$150 million of data collection and scientific interpretation. The GAMA and NAWQA groundwater teams published ~230 USGS reports and journal articles, and the findings have been widely covered in both the print and broadcast media. 

Ken is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and was the 2023 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer.  In 2024, Ken was the recipient of the Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award.  His papers have more than 10,000 citations.

*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

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