Paul Buszka

Paul is a Scientist Emeritus (Hydrologist) in the Hydrologic Investigations Section. Paul has worked with USGS in Texas (1984-1993) and in Indianapolis (1993-present) on groundwater, water chemistry, and invasive carp studies in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. He also worked as a Hydrogeologist with STS Consultants in Green Bay, Wisconsin (1982-84).

Paul works with USGS scientific staff, chiefly in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio 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 include:

Use of hydrophone telemetry with USGS streamflow gages to detect radiotagged invasive carp
Geochemical aspects of carbon dioxide at a potential invasive species barrier site in 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
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

Application of elemental ratios 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
Wastewater compounds in surface water from a restored wetland and in Lake Michigan tributaries
Occurrence of per-and polyfluorinated substances in domestic wells, southwestern Ohio

Cooperative relationships with numerous Federal, State, local and private partners were established or renewed during my term as Supervisory Hydrologist (1993-2019) in Indianapolis.  

Education

Attended Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (B.S., Geology, 1979) and University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, M.Sc., Hydrogeology and Environmental Geochemistry, 1982. M.Sc. research was on fate and transport of leachate contaminants from a landfill in a terrain that was depleted in carbonate minerals.