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:
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Use of hydrophone telemetry with USGS streamflow gages to detect radiotagged invasive carp
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Geochemical aspects of carbon dioxide at a potential invasive species barrier site in Illinois
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Near-real time reporting of groundwater levels from a dam mitigation site, Kentucky
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Continuous surface-water quality monitoring and microbial evaluations of onshore groundwater and beach sediment at Lake Michigan beaches affected by E. coli
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Groundwater hydrology and quality of carbonate aquifers and alluvial deposits
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Boron isotope geochemistry and contaminant source evaluation
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Occurrence, environmental fate, and tracer applications of volatile organic, wastewater and pharmaceutical compounds
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Application of elemental ratios to evaluate oil and gas brine and salinity sources
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Groundwater-age estimates using tritium and fluorocarbon tracers.
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Groundwater-surface water interactions and their relation to wetland restoration
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Wastewater compounds in surface water from a restored wetland and in Lake Michigan tributaries
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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.
Science and Products
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater from the Great Miami buried-valley aquifer, southwestern Ohio, 2019–20
Microbial source tracking and evaluation of best management practices for restoring degraded beaches of Lake Michigan
Supporting data and simulation of hypothetical bighead carp egg and larvae development and transport in the Ohio River between Markland Locks and Dam and McAlpine Locks and Dam, Kentucky and Indiana, by use of the Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator
Geochemical characterization of iron and steel slag and its potential to remove phosphate and neutralize acid
Geochemistry and microbiology of groundwater and solids from extraction and monitoring wells and their relation to well efficiency at a Federally operated confined disposal facility, East Chicago, Indiana
Identifying and eliminating sources of recreational water quality degradation along an urban coast
Application of hydrogeology and groundwater-age estimates to assess the travel time of groundwater at the site of a landfill to the Mahomet Aquifer, near Clinton, Illinois
Relation of hydrologic processes to groundwater and surface-water levels and flow directions in a dune-beach complex at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Beverly Shores, Indiana
Estimates of groundwater age from till and carbonate bedrock hydrogeologic units at Jefferson Proving Ground, Southeastern Indiana, 2007-08
Waste-indicator and pharmaceutical compounds in landfill-leachate-affected ground water near Elkhart, Indiana, 2000-2002
Evaluation of ground-water and boron sources by use of boron stable-isotope ratios, tritium, and selected water-chemistry constituents near Beverly Shores, northwestern Indiana, 2004
Hydrogeology, Ground-Water-Age Dating, Water Quality, and Vulnerability of Ground Water to Contamination in a Part of the Whitewater Valley Aquifer System near Richmond, Indiana, 2002-2003
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Indiana Harbor Canal at East Chicago, IN
Urban Waters Federal Partnership—Little Calumet River (Northwest Indiana)
Invasive Carp
Evaluating Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Great Lakes Tributary Monitoring
Continuous meteorological and soil data to support understanding of nutrient and sediment loads from overland and subsurface-tile flow at paired edge-of-field agricultural sites, 2015–21, Black Creek watershed, near Harlan, Indiana, USA
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Concentrations, Age Estimates, Redox Categories, and Related Data for Groundwater from the Great Miami Buried-Valley Aquifer, Southwestern Ohio, 2019–20
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 23
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater from the Great Miami buried-valley aquifer, southwestern Ohio, 2019–20
Groundwater samples were collected during 2019 and 2020 from 23 wells in the Great Miami buried-valley aquifer (GM-BVA) in southwestern Ohio by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Miami Conservancy District, Dayton, Ohio, to determine concentrations of selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The GM-BVA is a glacial outwash and alluvial fill aquifer that is the sole souAuthorsPaul M. Buszka, Brian E. Mailot, Neal A. MathesMicrobial source tracking and evaluation of best management practices for restoring degraded beaches of Lake Michigan
Attempts to mitigate shoreline microbial contamination require a thorough understanding of pollutant sources, which often requires multiple years of data collection (e.g., point/nonpoint) and the interacting factors that influence water quality. Because restoration efforts can alter shoreline or beach morphology, revisiting source inputs is often necessary. Microbial source tracking (MST) using soAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Paul M. Buszka, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Travis Cole, Steven R. Corsi, P. Ryan Jackson, Julie L. Kinzelman, Cindy H Nakatsu, Mantha S. PhanikumarSupporting data and simulation of hypothetical bighead carp egg and larvae development and transport in the Ohio River between Markland Locks and Dam and McAlpine Locks and Dam, Kentucky and Indiana, by use of the Fluvial Egg Drift Simulator
Data collection, along with hydraulic and fluvial egg transport modeling, was completed along a 70.9-mile reach of the Ohio River between Markland Locks and Dam and McAlpine Locks and Dam in Kentucky and Indiana. Water-quality data collected in this reach included surface measurements and vertical profiles of water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, relative chloroAuthorsChad J. Ostheimer, Justin A. Boldt, Paul M. BuszkaGeochemical characterization of iron and steel slag and its potential to remove phosphate and neutralize acid
Iron and steel slags from legacy and modern operations in the Chicago-Gary area of Illinois and Indiana, USA, are predominantly composed of Ca (10 - 44 wt. % CaO), Fe, (0.3 - 28 wt. % FeO), and Si (10 - 44 wt. % SiO2), with generally lesser amounts of Al (< 1 15 wt. % Al2O3), Mg (2 11 wt. % MgO), and Mn (0.3 9 wt. % MnO). Mineralogy is dominated by CaMgAl silicates, FeCa oxides, Ca-carbonates,AuthorsNadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal, Darryl Andre Hoppe, Carlin J. Green, Paul M. BuszkaGeochemistry and microbiology of groundwater and solids from extraction and monitoring wells and their relation to well efficiency at a Federally operated confined disposal facility, East Chicago, Indiana
In cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, the U.S. Geological Survey investigated the processes affecting water quality, geochemistry, and microbiology in representative extraction and monitoring wells at a confined disposal facility (CDF) in East Chicago, Indiana. The CDF is a 140-acre Federally-managed facility that was the former location of an oil refinery and isAuthorsRandall E. Bayless, Travis R. Cole, David C. Lampe, Rebecca E. Travis, Marjorie S. Schulz, Paul M. BuszkaIdentifying and eliminating sources of recreational water quality degradation along an urban coast
Restoration of highly degraded urban coastal waters often requires large-scale, complex projects, but in the interim, smaller-scale efforts can provide immediate improvements to water quality conditions for visitor use. We examined short-term efforts to improve recreational water quality near the Grand Calumet River (GC) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Identified as an Area of Concern (AOC) by theAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Dawn Shively, Paul M. Buszka, P. Ryan Jackson, Mantha S. PhanikumarApplication of hydrogeology and groundwater-age estimates to assess the travel time of groundwater at the site of a landfill to the Mahomet Aquifer, near Clinton, Illinois
The U.S. Geological Survey used interpretations of hydrogeologic conditions and tritium-based groundwater age estimates to assess the travel time of groundwater at a landfill site near Clinton, Illinois (the “Clinton site”) where a chemical waste unit (CWU) was proposed to be within the Clinton landfill unit #3 (CLU#3). Glacial deposits beneath the CWU consist predominantly of low-permeability silAuthorsRobert T. Kay, Paul M. BuszkaRelation of hydrologic processes to groundwater and surface-water levels and flow directions in a dune-beach complex at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Beverly Shores, Indiana
The potential for high groundwater levels to cause wet basements (groundwater flooding) is of concern to residents of communities in northwestern Indiana. Changes in recharge from precipitation increases during 2006-9, water-level changes from restoration of nearby wetlands in the Great Marsh in 1998-2002, and changes in recharge due to the end of groundwater withdrawals for water supply since 200AuthorsPaul M. Buszka, David A. Cohen, David C. Lampe, Noel B. PavlovicEstimates of groundwater age from till and carbonate bedrock hydrogeologic units at Jefferson Proving Ground, Southeastern Indiana, 2007-08
During 2007-08, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Army, conducted a study to evaluate the relative age of groundwater in Pre-Wisconsinan till and underlying shallow and deep carbonate bedrock units in and near an area at Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG), southeastern Indiana, which was used during 1984-94 to test fire depleted uranium (DU) penetrators. The shAuthorsPaul M. Buszka, David C. Lampe, Amanda L. EglerWaste-indicator and pharmaceutical compounds in landfill-leachate-affected ground water near Elkhart, Indiana, 2000-2002
Four wells downgradient from a landfill near Elkhart, Indiana were sampled during 2000–2002 to evaluate the presence of waste-indicator and pharmaceutical compounds in landfill-leachate-affected ground water. Compounds detected in leachate-affected ground water included detergent metabolites (p-nonylphenol, nonylphenol monoethoxylate, nonylphenol diethoxylate, and octylphenol monoethoxylate), plasAuthorsP.M. Buszka, D. J. Yeskis, D.W. Kolpin, E. T. Furlong, S.D. Zaugg, M. T. MeyerEvaluation of ground-water and boron sources by use of boron stable-isotope ratios, tritium, and selected water-chemistry constituents near Beverly Shores, northwestern Indiana, 2004
Concentrations of boron greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 900 μg/L removal action level (RAL) standard were detected in water sampled by the USEPA in 2004 from three domestic wells near Beverly Shores, Indiana. The RAL regulates only human-affected concentrations of a constituent. A lack of well logs and screened depth information precluded identification of whether watAuthorsPaul M. Buszka, John A. Fitzpatrick, Lee R. Watson, Robert T. KayHydrogeology, Ground-Water-Age Dating, Water Quality, and Vulnerability of Ground Water to Contamination in a Part of the Whitewater Valley Aquifer System near Richmond, Indiana, 2002-2003
Assessments of the vulnerability to contamination of ground-water sources used by public-water systems, as mandated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996, commonly have involved qualitative evaluations based on existing information on the geologic and hydrologic setting. The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program has identified ground-water-age dating;AuthorsPaul M. Buszka, Lee R. Watson, Theodore K. GreemanNon-USGS Publications**
Bassett, R.L., Buszka, P.M., Davidson, G.L. and Chong-Diaz, Damaris, 1995, Identification of groundwater solute sources using boron isotopic composition, Environmental Science and Technology, v. 29, no. 12, pp. 2915-2922.Brobst, R.B. and Buszka, P.M., 1986, The effect of three drilling fluids on ground-water sample chemistry: Worthington, Ohio, Water Well Journal Pub. Co.-Nat'l. Water Well Assoc., Ground Water Monitoring Review, v. 6, no. 1, 9 p.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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Indiana Harbor Canal at East Chicago, IN
Water-quality “super” gages (also known as “sentry” gages) provide real-time, continuous measurements of the physical and chemical characteristics of stream water at or near selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. A super gage includes streamflow and water-quality instrumentation and representative stream sample collection for laboratory analysis. USGS...Urban Waters Federal Partnership—Little Calumet River (Northwest Indiana)
The USGS works with a wide range of cooperators to investigate many aspects of water quality. The newly integrated USGS Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center is assisting in furthering urban water-quality research in Northwest Indiana.Invasive Carp
Adult bighead, silver, and hybrid carp are invavsive species of fish that spread quickly once they are established in a water body. These carp damage habitat and reduce water-quality for native fish. Invasive carp have been confirmed within the Wabash River basin for at least 15 years. Scientists and natural resource managers are extremely concerned about the carp migrating to the Great Lakes...Evaluating Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Scientists are assessing the impacts of contaminants of emerging concern on Great Lakes fish, wildlife, and water quality by collecting and analyzing samples from tributaries to the Great Lakes.Great Lakes Tributary Monitoring
IN-KY scientists collect monthly chemical/suspended sediment and flow data as part of the Great Lakes Tributary Monitoring program. As part of the Great Lakes Research Initiative, the data we provide is used for long-term trends analysis. - Data
Continuous meteorological and soil data to support understanding of nutrient and sediment loads from overland and subsurface-tile flow at paired edge-of-field agricultural sites, 2015–21, Black Creek watershed, near Harlan, Indiana, USA
This data release includes meteorological and soil information collected from calendar years 2015 to 2021 (water years 2016 to 2021) that include air temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture and solar radiation monitored at a site in the Black Creek subwatershed near Harlan, Allen County, Indiana (USGS 411228084541703 MET STATION WEST OF BULL RAPIDS RD NR HARLAN, IN). Meteorological and soil mPer- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Concentrations, Age Estimates, Redox Categories, and Related Data for Groundwater from the Great Miami Buried-Valley Aquifer, Southwestern Ohio, 2019–20
This data release presents results of chemical analyses of groundwater sampled during summer and autumn of 2019 and spring of 2020 from 23 wells in the Great Miami buried-valley aquifer (GM-BVA) of southwestern Ohio. Groundwater and quality-control samples were analyzed to determine concentrations of selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Groundwater and related quality-control sampl