Paul Buszka

Paul works with USGS scientific staff, chiefly in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and elsewhere and with USGS partners to identify, facilitate and pursue scientific investigations intended to increase understanding of the quantity, quality and availability of groundwater and surface water in the Nation. Topics of these investigations included:

• Groundwater-surface water interactions and hydrologic changes at a long-term (20-year) riverbank filtration project, Ohio River alluvial aquifer, Kentucky 

• Per-and polyfluorinated substances in groundwater, southwestern Ohio, including analytical method comparison 

• Field-scale nutrient and sediment pathways to a Lake Erie tributary, Indiana 

• Geochemical aspects of carbon dioxide at a potential invasive species barrier site, Illinois  

• Near-real time reporting of groundwater levels from a dam mitigation site, Kentucky  

• Continuous surface-water quality monitoring and microbial evaluations of onshore groundwater and beach sediment at Lake Michigan beaches affected by E. coli  

• Use of hydrophone telemetry with USGS streamflow gages to detect radiotagged invasive carp  

• Groundwater hydrology and quality of carbonate aquifers and alluvial deposits  

• Boron isotope geochemistry and contaminant source evaluation 

• Occurrence, environmental fate, and tracer applications of volatile organic, wastewater and pharmaceutical compounds  

• Elemental ratios in groundwater to evaluate oil and gas brine and salinity sources  

• Groundwater-age estimates using tritium and fluorocarbon tracers.   

• Groundwater-surface water interactions and their relation to wetland restoration, Indiana 

• Emerging contaminants in water at a restored wetland and in Lake Michigan tributaries, Indiana

Cooperative relationships with numerous Federal, State, local and private partners were established or renewed during my term as Supervisory Hydrologist (1993-2019) in Indianapolis. 
 
Recipient of USGS 2023 Dallas Peck Outstanding Scientist Emeritus Award 

Co-recipient with national Urban Waters Federal Partnership team (through Northwest Indiana team) of 2017 People’s Choice Award, Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal