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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.