Blaine McCleskey is a Research Chemist for the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
Blaine McCleskey started his career with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1997 as a chemist in the National Research Program. In 2010, he obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado where he developed a method to calculate the electrical conductivity of natural waters from its chemical composition. He is currently involved in several research projects in Yellowstone National Park, a wildfire affected watershed, and acid mine drainage sites.
Education
B.S. - Biochemistry, College of Charleston, SC, 1995
M.S. - Environmental Studies (Science track), University of Charleston, SC, 1997
Ph.D. - Environmental Engineering (Hydrologic Sciences Program), University of Colorado, 2010
Blaine McCleskey also runs and maintains the USGS Redox Chemistry Laboratory, where analytical methods for determining the redox distributions of iron, arsenic, chromium, and antimony have been developed (see puplished methods below). In addition, the lab supports many USGS projects by providing iron, arsenic, chromium, antimony, and selenium redox determinations. The lab is equipped with an ICP-AES, IC, GFAAS, HGAAS, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, and an autotitrator and we are capable of determining most inorganic constituents and specialize in difficult matrices (acid mine waters, geothermal waters, and saline waters).
Science and Products
Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source
Water Chemistry Data for Selected Springs, Geysers, and Streams in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Beginning 2009
Elemental and Strontium Isotopic Composition of Select Central Plateau and Upper Basin Member Rhyolites, Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Salinity and total dissolved solid determinations using PHREEQCI
Target-Chemical Concentrations and Microbiological Results for Assessment of Mixed Contaminant and Biological Exposures in Bottled Water, 2020
Discrete Metals and Ancillary Data Used in the Development of Surrogate Models for Estimating Metals Concentration in Surface Water of Three Hydrologic Basins (Delaware River, Illinois River and Upper Colorado River)
Synoptic sampling data from upper Cement Creek near Gladstone, Colorado, October 2012, September 2019, and September 2020
Water-Chemistry and Isotope Data for Selected Springs, Geysers, Streams, and Rivers in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Water-quality results from a wastewater reuse study: Inorganic and organic compositions of wastewater effluent and select urban and agricultural water types during rain-induced runoff, Chickasha, Oklahoma, 2018-2019
Inorganic Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
Concentrations of organic and inorganic constituents in tapwater samples from California in 2020-21 (ver. 3, September 2022)
Isotopic Examination of Mercury Methylation and Demethylation Rates in Yellowstone National Park Thermal Features
Yellowstone Thermal Feature Mercury and Methylmercury Characterization
Temporal Viral Viability Data from Avian Influenza A Viruses Maintained in Alaska Wetlands Under Experimental and Environmental Conditions
Juxtaposition of intensive agriculture, vulnerable aquifers, and mixed chemical/microbial exposures in private-well tapwater in northeast Iowa
Contaminant exposure and transport from three potential reuse waters within a single watershed
The source, fate, and transport of arsenic in the Yellowstone hydrothermal system - An overview
Bottled water contaminant exposures and potential human effects
Tapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations
Food, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams
Quantifying non-thermal silicate weathering using Ge/Si and Si isotopes in rivers draining the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
The structure and volume of large geysers in Yellowstone National Park, USA and the mineralogy and chemistry of their silica sinter deposits
Evidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
The systematics of chlorine, lithium, and boron and δ37Cl, δ7Li, and δ11B in the hydrothermal system of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Public and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
Science and Products
- Science
Collaborative Science Provides Understanding of Contaminants in Bottled Water-an Increasingly Common Alternate Drinking Water Source
U.S. Geological Survey researchers and public health experts collaborated to determine what contaminants occur in bottled water, which is an increasingly common alternate drinking water source, to broaden their understanding of human exposure to contaminants in drinking water supply chains. Bottled water, like public-supply and private-well tap water supply chains, contained multiple organic...Water Chemistry Data for Selected Springs, Geysers, and Streams in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Beginning 2009
Results of water analyses conducted on numerous thermal and non-thermal features in Yellowstone National Park beginning in 2009. Water samples were collected and analyzed as part of research investigations on arsenic, iron, nitrogen, and sulfur redox species in hot springs and overflow drainages; the occurrence and distribution of dissolved mercury; and general hydrogeochemistry of hot springs. - Data
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Elemental and Strontium Isotopic Composition of Select Central Plateau and Upper Basin Member Rhyolites, Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
The Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic field consists of lavas from the last two million years. The most recent volcanic units are the Central Plateau Member and the older Upper Basin Member rhyolites (Christiansen, 2001). Investigations into the elemental and isotopic composition of these lavas can provide insight into the recent volcanic history of the different eruptive episodes and provide constrainSalinity and total dissolved solid determinations using PHREEQCI
The total concentration of dissolved constituents in water is routinely quantified by measurements of salinity or total dissolved solids (TDS). However, salinity and TDS are operationally defined by their analytical methods and are not equivalent for most waters. Furthermore, multiple methods are available to determine salinity and TDS, and these methods have inherent differences. TDS is defined aTarget-Chemical Concentrations and Microbiological Results for Assessment of Mixed Contaminant and Biological Exposures in Bottled Water, 2020
This data release contains concentration and quality-assurance results for inorganic, organic analytes and microbiological pathogens collected from 30 different commercial bottled water sources. Samples were processed on July 20 and August 17, 2020 at the New Jersey Water Science Center and analyzed at various U.S. Geological Survey laboratories. Samples were analyzed for nutrients, cations and anDiscrete Metals and Ancillary Data Used in the Development of Surrogate Models for Estimating Metals Concentration in Surface Water of Three Hydrologic Basins (Delaware River, Illinois River and Upper Colorado River)
The release of metals (or metalloids) to surface water can involve both natural and anthropogenic sources. Elevated metals concentrations can pose a risk to human health, wildlife, and ecosystem health, with the modes of toxicity and extent of risk varying as a function of the specific metal, its chemical form and the matrix with which it is associated (for example, dissolved versus particulate).Synoptic sampling data from upper Cement Creek near Gladstone, Colorado, October 2012, September 2019, and September 2020
Three synoptic sampling campaigns were conducted on upper Cement Creek, near Gladstone, Colorado, under low-flow conditions. The first campaign, conducted October 2012, was part of a larger campaign to characterize low-flow water quality in the entire Cement Creek watershed. The second campaign, conducted in September 2019, was designed to quantify metal loading and identify sources of contaminatiWater-Chemistry and Isotope Data for Selected Springs, Geysers, Streams, and Rivers in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), where waters have pH values ranging from about 1 to 10 and surface temperatures up to 95 °C. Active geothermal areas in YNP provide insight into a variety of processes occurring at depth, such as water-rock and oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions, the formation of alteration minerals, and microbial (thermophile)Water-quality results from a wastewater reuse study: Inorganic and organic compositions of wastewater effluent and select urban and agricultural water types during rain-induced runoff, Chickasha, Oklahoma, 2018-2019
Oklahoma State University South-Central Research Station (SCRS) was used to conduct research to understand the chemical composition of various water types and their potential environmental and human health effects. The study area provided the opportunity to study five water types: (1) receiving surface water (Washita River), (2) urban stormwater, (3) wastewater treatment plant effluent used for irInorganic Concentration Results for Assessment of Mixed Organic/Inorganic Chemical and Biological Exposures in North Dakota and South Dakota Tapwater, 2019
This data set reports results for inorganic constituents analyzed at the Redox Chemistry Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, for the 2019 tapwater study conducted in North Dakota and South Dakota, USA. This project is part of the U.S. Geological Survey, Ecosystems Mission Area, Environmental Health Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Program.Concentrations of organic and inorganic constituents in tapwater samples from California in 2020-21 (ver. 3, September 2022)
This dataset contains the trace elements, cations, anions, disinfection by-products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceutical and pesticide concentration results for the tapwater study conducted in California, November, 2020 through May, 2021. Trace elements, cations and anions were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey Redox Chemistry Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado. The disiIsotopic Examination of Mercury Methylation and Demethylation Rates in Yellowstone National Park Thermal Features
Data in this data release were obtained for water samples collected under Yellowstone National Park Research Permit YELL-05194 in 2017 through the Integrated Yellowstone Studies Project funded by the Mineral Resources Program. Isotope-spiked incubations were carried out to determine methylation and demethylation potential for Frying Pan spring, Crystal Sister East, Crystal Sister West, and TurbuleYellowstone Thermal Feature Mercury and Methylmercury Characterization
Data in this data release were obtained from water samples collected under Yellowstone National Park (YNP) Research Permit YELL-05194 in 2017, 2019, and 2020 through the Integrated Yellowstone Studies Project funded by the Mineral Resources Program. These samples were used to assess mercury cycling within YNP. Water samples were analyzed for total mercury and methylmercury, the bioaccumulated formTemporal Viral Viability Data from Avian Influenza A Viruses Maintained in Alaska Wetlands Under Experimental and Environmental Conditions
Data sets containing: (1) sample collection and influenza A virus (IAV) screening information for wild ducks, (2) water temperature data from four wetlands within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, USA (3) water quality measurement from four wetlands within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, USA, (4) genetic sequence data for IAVs recovered from replicate samples of wild - Multimedia
- Publications
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Juxtaposition of intensive agriculture, vulnerable aquifers, and mixed chemical/microbial exposures in private-well tapwater in northeast Iowa
In the United States and globally, contaminant exposure in unregulated private-well point-of-use tapwater (TW) is a recognized public-health data gap and an obstacle to both risk-management and homeowner decision making. To help address the lack of data on broad contaminant exposures in private-well TW from hydrologically-vulnerable (alluvial, karst) aquifers in agriculturally-intensive landscapesContaminant exposure and transport from three potential reuse waters within a single watershed
Global demand for safe and sustainable water supplies necessitates a better understanding of contaminant exposures in potential reuse waters. In this study, we compared exposures and load contributions to surface water from the discharge of three reuse waters (wastewater effluent, urban stormwater, and agricultural runoff). Results document substantial and varying organic-chemical contribution toByWater Resources Mission Area, Environmental Health Program, Colorado Water Science Center, Oklahoma Water Science Center, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Reston Biogeochemical Processes in Groundwater LaboratoryThe source, fate, and transport of arsenic in the Yellowstone hydrothermal system - An overview
The Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF) contains >10,000 thermal features including hot springs, pools, geysers, mud pots, and fumaroles with diverse chemical compositions. Arsenic (As) concentrations in YPVF thermal waters typically range from 0.005 to 4 mg/L, but an As concentration of 17 mg/L has been reported. Arsenic data from thermal springs, outflow drainages, rivers, and from volcaniBottled water contaminant exposures and potential human effects
Bottled water (BW) consumption in the United States and globally has increased amidst heightened concern about environmental contaminant exposures and health risks in drinking water supplies, despite a paucity of directly comparable, environmentally-relevant contaminant exposure data for BW. This study provides insight into exposures and cumulative risks to human health from inorganic/organic/micrTapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations
In the United States (US), private-supply tapwater (TW) is rarely monitored. This data gap undermines individual/community risk-management decision-making, leading to an increased probability of unrecognized contaminant exposures in rural and remote locations that rely on private wells. We assessed point-of-use (POU) TW in three northern plains Tribal Nations, where ongoing TW arsenic (As) interveFood, beverage, and feedstock processing facility wastewater: A unique and underappreciated source of contaminants to U.S. streams
Process wastewaters from food, beverage, and feedstock facilities, although regulated, are an under-investigated environmental contaminant source. Food process wastewaters (FPWWs) from 23 facilities in 17 U.S. states were sampled and documented for a plethora of chemical and microbial contaminants. Of the 576 analyzed organics, 184 (32%) were detected at least once, with concentrations as large asByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality LaboratoryQuantifying non-thermal silicate weathering using Ge/Si and Si isotopes in rivers draining the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
In active volcanic regions, high-temperature chemical reactions in the hydrothermal system consume CO2 sourced from magma or from the deep crust, whereas reactions with silicates at shallow depths mainly consume atmospheric CO2. Numerous studies have quantified the load of dissolved solids in rivers that drain volcanic regions to determine chemical weathering rates and atmospheric CO2 consumptionThe structure and volume of large geysers in Yellowstone National Park, USA and the mineralogy and chemistry of their silica sinter deposits
Siliceous sinter is formed by biogenic and abiogenic opal deposition around hot springs and geysers. Using Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry we generated three-dimensional models of Giant and Castle Geysers from the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. We use these models to calculate an approximate mass of sinter for each (~2 and ~ 5 kton, respectively) and estimate a range of plauEvidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) deposited by wild birds into the environment may lead to sporadic mortality events and economically costly outbreaks among domestic birds. There is a paucity of information, however, regarding the persistence of infectious IAVs within the environment following deposition. In this investigation, we assessed the persistence of 12 IAVs that were present in the cloaca and/orPilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic, 37 inorganic, and select microbioloThe systematics of chlorine, lithium, and boron and δ37Cl, δ7Li, and δ11B in the hydrothermal system of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field
Chlorine, lithium, and boron are trace elements in rhyolite but are enriched in groundwater flowing through rhyolite because they tend to partition into the fluid phase during high‐temperature fluid‐rock reactions. We present a large data set of major element and δ37Cl, δ7Li, and δ11B compositions of thermal water and rhyolite from Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field (YPVF). The Cl/B, Cl/Li, δ37ClPublic and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
BackgroundHumans are primary drivers of environmental contamination worldwide, including in drinking-water resources. In the United States (US), federal and state agencies regulate and monitor public-supply drinking water while private-supply monitoring is rare; the current lack of directly comparable information on contaminant-mixture exposures and risks between private- and public-supplies underByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, New England Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory - News