Laura DeCicco
Laura DeCicco is a Civil Engineer with the Upper Midwest Water Science Center.
Professional Experience
2019 - present, Upper Midwest Water Science Center (UMid WSC)
2018 - 2019, Integrated Information Dissemination Division (IIDD), Data Science Branch
2014 - 2018, Office of Water Information (OWI)
2010 - 2014, Center for Integrated Data Analytics (CIDA)
Education and Certifications
Professional Engineer, State of Wisconsin, 2011
(Formally Laura Kranendonk)
Post Doc, Oak Ridge National Lab, 2007-2009
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering - University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2006
M.S. Biomedical Engineering - University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2001
B.S. Mechanical Engineering - University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1999
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
Prioritizing chemicals of ecological concern in Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput screening data and adverse outcome pathways Prioritizing chemicals of ecological concern in Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput screening data and adverse outcome pathways
Chemical monitoring data were collected in surface waters from 57 Great Lakes tributaries from 2010-13 to identify chemicals of potential biological relevance and sites at which these chemicals occur. Traditional water-quality benchmarks for aquatic life based on in vivo toxicity data were available for 34 of 67 evaluated chemicals. To expand evaluation of potential biological effects...
Authors
Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Brett Blackwell, Kellie Fay, Gerald Ankley, Austin Baldwin
Use of high-throughput screening results to prioritize chemicals for potential adverse biological effects within a West Virginia Watershed Use of high-throughput screening results to prioritize chemicals for potential adverse biological effects within a West Virginia Watershed
Organic chemicals from industrial, agricultural, and residential activities can enter surface waters through regulated and unregulated discharges, combined sewer overflows, stormwater runoff, accidental spills, and leaking septic-conveyance systems on a daily basis. The impact of point and nonpoint contaminant sources can result in adverse biological effects for organisms living in or...
Authors
Levi Rose, Denise Akob, Shea Tuberty, Jeff Colby, Derek Martin, Steven Corsi, Laura DeCicco
Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams
Complex chemical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams but relatively little work has been done to characterize them and assess their potential effects in headwaterstreams. In 2014, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) sampled 54 Piedmont streams over ten weeks and measured 475 unique organic compounds using five analytical methods. Maximum and median exposure...
Authors
Paul Bradley, Celeste Journey, Jason Berninger, Daniel Button, Jimmy Clark, Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Kristina Hopkins, Bradley Huffman, Naomi Nakagaki, Julia Norman, Lisa Nowell, Sharon Qi, Peter Van Metre, Ian Waite
Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States
Safe drinking water at the point-of-use (tapwater, TW) is a United States public health priority. Multiple lines of evidence were used to evaluate potential human health concerns of 482 organics and 19 inorganics in TW from 13 (7 public supply, 6 private well self-supply) home and 12 (public supply) workplace locations in 11 states. Only uranium (61.9 μg L–1, private well) exceeded a...
Authors
Paul Bradley, Dana Kolpin, Kristin Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael Focazio, Juliane Brown, Mary Cardon, Kurt Carpenter, Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Julie Dietze, Nicola Evans, Edward Furlong, Carrie E. Givens, James Gray, Dale Griffin, Christopher Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste Journey, Kathryn Kuivila, Jason Masoner, Carrie McDonough, Michael Meyer, James Orlando, Mark Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie Wilson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Plains Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory
An “EAR” on environmental surveillance and monitoring: A case study on the use of Exposure–Activity Ratios (EARs) to prioritize sites, chemicals, and bioactivities of concern in Great Lakes waters An “EAR” on environmental surveillance and monitoring: A case study on the use of Exposure–Activity Ratios (EARs) to prioritize sites, chemicals, and bioactivities of concern in Great Lakes waters
Current environmental monitoring approaches focus primarily on chemical occurrence. However, based on concentration alone, it can be difficult to identify which compounds may be of toxicological concern and should be prioritized for further monitoring, in-depth testing, or management. This can be problematic because toxicological characterization is lacking for many emerging contaminants...
Authors
Brett R. Blackwell, Gerald T. Ankley, Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Kieth A. Houck, Richard Judson, Shibin Li, Matthew Martin, Elizabeth Murphy, Anthony Schroeder, Edwin R. Smith, Joe Swintek, Daniel Villeneuve
Water-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results Water-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results
Since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, Federal, State, and local governments have invested billions of dollars to reduce pollution entering rivers and streams. To understand the return on these investments and to effectively manage and protect the Nation’s water resources in the future, we need to know how and why water quality has been changing over time. As part of the National...
Authors
Gretchen Oelsner, Lori Sprague, Jennifer Murphy, Robert Zuellig, Henry Johnson, Karen Ryberg, James Falcone, Edward Stets, Aldo Vecchia, Melissa Riskin, Laura A. De Cicco, Taylor Mills, William Farmer
Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal
Aquatic systems are critical to food, security, and society. But, water data are collected by hundreds of research groups and organizations, many of which use nonstandard or inconsistent data descriptions and dissemination, and disparities across different types of water observation systems represent a major challenge for freshwater research. To address this issue, the Water Quality...
Authors
Emily Read, Lindsay Carr, Laura DeCicco, Hilary Dugan, Paul Hanson, Julia Hart, James Kreft, Jordan Read, Luke Winslow
Organic contaminants in Great Lakes tributaries: Prevalence and potential aquatic toxicity Organic contaminants in Great Lakes tributaries: Prevalence and potential aquatic toxicity
Organic compounds used in agriculture, industry, and households make their way into surface waters through runoff, leaking septic-conveyance systems, regulated and unregulated discharges, and combined sewer overflows, among other sources. Concentrations of these organic waste compounds (OWCs) in some Great Lakes tributaries indicate a high potential for adverse impacts on aquatic...
Authors
Austin Baldwin, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. De Cicco, Peter Lenaker, Michelle Lutz, Daniel Sullivan, Kevin Richards
A bootstrap method for estimating uncertainty of water quality trends A bootstrap method for estimating uncertainty of water quality trends
Estimation of the direction and magnitude of trends in surface water quality remains a problem of great scientific and practical interest. The Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) method was recently introduced as an exploratory data analysis tool to provide flexible and robust estimates of water quality trends. This paper enhances the WRTDS method through the...
Authors
Robert Hirsch, Stacey Archfield, Laura DeCicco
River chloride trends in snow-affected urban watersheds: increasing concentrations outpace urban growth rate and are common among all seasons River chloride trends in snow-affected urban watersheds: increasing concentrations outpace urban growth rate and are common among all seasons
Chloride concentrations in northern U.S. included in this study have increased substantially over time with average concentrations approximately doubling from 1990 to 2011, outpacing the rate of urbanization in the northern U.S. Historical data were examined for 30 monitoring sites on 19 streams that had chloride concentration and flow records of 18 to 49 years. Chloride concentrations...
Authors
Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. De Cicco, Michelle A. Lutz, Robert Hirsch
User guide to Exploration and Graphics for RivEr Trends (EGRET) and dataRetrieval: R packages for hydrologic data User guide to Exploration and Graphics for RivEr Trends (EGRET) and dataRetrieval: R packages for hydrologic data
Evaluating long-term changes in river conditions (water quality and discharge) is an important use of hydrologic data. To carry out such evaluations, the hydrologist needs tools to facilitate several key steps in the process: acquiring the data records from a variety of sources, structuring it in ways that facilitate the analysis, processing the data with routines that extract...
Authors
Robert Hirsch, Laura A. De Cicco
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
Prioritizing chemicals of ecological concern in Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput screening data and adverse outcome pathways Prioritizing chemicals of ecological concern in Great Lakes tributaries using high-throughput screening data and adverse outcome pathways
Chemical monitoring data were collected in surface waters from 57 Great Lakes tributaries from 2010-13 to identify chemicals of potential biological relevance and sites at which these chemicals occur. Traditional water-quality benchmarks for aquatic life based on in vivo toxicity data were available for 34 of 67 evaluated chemicals. To expand evaluation of potential biological effects...
Authors
Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Daniel L. Villeneuve, Brett Blackwell, Kellie Fay, Gerald Ankley, Austin Baldwin
Use of high-throughput screening results to prioritize chemicals for potential adverse biological effects within a West Virginia Watershed Use of high-throughput screening results to prioritize chemicals for potential adverse biological effects within a West Virginia Watershed
Organic chemicals from industrial, agricultural, and residential activities can enter surface waters through regulated and unregulated discharges, combined sewer overflows, stormwater runoff, accidental spills, and leaking septic-conveyance systems on a daily basis. The impact of point and nonpoint contaminant sources can result in adverse biological effects for organisms living in or...
Authors
Levi Rose, Denise Akob, Shea Tuberty, Jeff Colby, Derek Martin, Steven Corsi, Laura DeCicco
Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams
Complex chemical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams but relatively little work has been done to characterize them and assess their potential effects in headwaterstreams. In 2014, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) sampled 54 Piedmont streams over ten weeks and measured 475 unique organic compounds using five analytical methods. Maximum and median exposure...
Authors
Paul Bradley, Celeste Journey, Jason Berninger, Daniel Button, Jimmy Clark, Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Kristina Hopkins, Bradley Huffman, Naomi Nakagaki, Julia Norman, Lisa Nowell, Sharon Qi, Peter Van Metre, Ian Waite
Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States Reconnaissance of mixed organic and inorganic chemicals in private and public supply tapwaters at selected residential and workplace sites in the United States
Safe drinking water at the point-of-use (tapwater, TW) is a United States public health priority. Multiple lines of evidence were used to evaluate potential human health concerns of 482 organics and 19 inorganics in TW from 13 (7 public supply, 6 private well self-supply) home and 12 (public supply) workplace locations in 11 states. Only uranium (61.9 μg L–1, private well) exceeded a...
Authors
Paul Bradley, Dana Kolpin, Kristin Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Michael Focazio, Juliane Brown, Mary Cardon, Kurt Carpenter, Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Julie Dietze, Nicola Evans, Edward Furlong, Carrie E. Givens, James Gray, Dale Griffin, Christopher Higgins, Michelle L. Hladik, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Celeste Journey, Kathryn Kuivila, Jason Masoner, Carrie McDonough, Michael Meyer, James Orlando, Mark Strynar, Christopher P. Weis, Vickie Wilson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Plains Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory
An “EAR” on environmental surveillance and monitoring: A case study on the use of Exposure–Activity Ratios (EARs) to prioritize sites, chemicals, and bioactivities of concern in Great Lakes waters An “EAR” on environmental surveillance and monitoring: A case study on the use of Exposure–Activity Ratios (EARs) to prioritize sites, chemicals, and bioactivities of concern in Great Lakes waters
Current environmental monitoring approaches focus primarily on chemical occurrence. However, based on concentration alone, it can be difficult to identify which compounds may be of toxicological concern and should be prioritized for further monitoring, in-depth testing, or management. This can be problematic because toxicological characterization is lacking for many emerging contaminants...
Authors
Brett R. Blackwell, Gerald T. Ankley, Steven R. Corsi, Laura DeCicco, Kieth A. Houck, Richard Judson, Shibin Li, Matthew Martin, Elizabeth Murphy, Anthony Schroeder, Edwin R. Smith, Joe Swintek, Daniel Villeneuve
Water-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results Water-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results
Since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, Federal, State, and local governments have invested billions of dollars to reduce pollution entering rivers and streams. To understand the return on these investments and to effectively manage and protect the Nation’s water resources in the future, we need to know how and why water quality has been changing over time. As part of the National...
Authors
Gretchen Oelsner, Lori Sprague, Jennifer Murphy, Robert Zuellig, Henry Johnson, Karen Ryberg, James Falcone, Edward Stets, Aldo Vecchia, Melissa Riskin, Laura A. De Cicco, Taylor Mills, William Farmer
Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal Water quality data for national-scale aquatic research: The Water Quality Portal
Aquatic systems are critical to food, security, and society. But, water data are collected by hundreds of research groups and organizations, many of which use nonstandard or inconsistent data descriptions and dissemination, and disparities across different types of water observation systems represent a major challenge for freshwater research. To address this issue, the Water Quality...
Authors
Emily Read, Lindsay Carr, Laura DeCicco, Hilary Dugan, Paul Hanson, Julia Hart, James Kreft, Jordan Read, Luke Winslow
Organic contaminants in Great Lakes tributaries: Prevalence and potential aquatic toxicity Organic contaminants in Great Lakes tributaries: Prevalence and potential aquatic toxicity
Organic compounds used in agriculture, industry, and households make their way into surface waters through runoff, leaking septic-conveyance systems, regulated and unregulated discharges, and combined sewer overflows, among other sources. Concentrations of these organic waste compounds (OWCs) in some Great Lakes tributaries indicate a high potential for adverse impacts on aquatic...
Authors
Austin Baldwin, Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. De Cicco, Peter Lenaker, Michelle Lutz, Daniel Sullivan, Kevin Richards
A bootstrap method for estimating uncertainty of water quality trends A bootstrap method for estimating uncertainty of water quality trends
Estimation of the direction and magnitude of trends in surface water quality remains a problem of great scientific and practical interest. The Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) method was recently introduced as an exploratory data analysis tool to provide flexible and robust estimates of water quality trends. This paper enhances the WRTDS method through the...
Authors
Robert Hirsch, Stacey Archfield, Laura DeCicco
River chloride trends in snow-affected urban watersheds: increasing concentrations outpace urban growth rate and are common among all seasons River chloride trends in snow-affected urban watersheds: increasing concentrations outpace urban growth rate and are common among all seasons
Chloride concentrations in northern U.S. included in this study have increased substantially over time with average concentrations approximately doubling from 1990 to 2011, outpacing the rate of urbanization in the northern U.S. Historical data were examined for 30 monitoring sites on 19 streams that had chloride concentration and flow records of 18 to 49 years. Chloride concentrations...
Authors
Steven R. Corsi, Laura A. De Cicco, Michelle A. Lutz, Robert Hirsch
User guide to Exploration and Graphics for RivEr Trends (EGRET) and dataRetrieval: R packages for hydrologic data User guide to Exploration and Graphics for RivEr Trends (EGRET) and dataRetrieval: R packages for hydrologic data
Evaluating long-term changes in river conditions (water quality and discharge) is an important use of hydrologic data. To carry out such evaluations, the hydrologist needs tools to facilitate several key steps in the process: acquiring the data records from a variety of sources, structuring it in ways that facilitate the analysis, processing the data with routines that extract...
Authors
Robert Hirsch, Laura A. De Cicco