Rebecca Travis, LPG
Biography
Rebecca Travis started her USGS career in 2012 working at the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center as a Physical Scientist working on projects ranging from air quality monitoring at a combined disposal facility in East Chicago, Indiana to groundwater level monitoring for a network of wells in Carmel, Indiana. In 2016, she began work as a Hydrologist at the New Mexico Water Science where she has focused her efforts on studying anthropogenic contamination and focuses studies in the designated Urban Waters area of Albuquerque, NM. These studies have involved innovative passive sampling of groundwater and surface water, sampling of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and the study of geochemical processes using geochemical and age dating tracers for groundwater. Prior to working for the USGS, she spent 11 years working on source water protection and remediation projects for the state of Indiana. She has a Masters of Science in Geological Sciences from Indiana University - Bloomington.
Education:
- M.S. Geological Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 2001
- B.S. Geological Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1998
Professional Experience:
- 2016-present: Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New Mexico Water Science Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 2012-2016: Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
- 2001-2012: Environmental Manager, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Indianapolis, Indiana
Science and Products
Microbial Source Tracking and Escherichia coli Monitoring in the Rio Grande in the South Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Rio Grande, in southern Albuquerque, is an impaired reach for bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are elevated in this reach of the Rio Grande even without stormwater present, during what is referred to as “dry season”. Samples will be collected over a range of flows including during the dry season (November 1st-June30th). Water samples will be analyzed for E. coli and microbial...
Microbial Source Tracking and Escherichia coli Monitoring in the Rio Grande in the South Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Rio Grande, in southern Albuquerque, is an impaired reach for bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are elevated in this reach of the Rio Grande even without stormwater present, during what is referred to as “dry season”. Samples will be collected over a range of flows including during the dry season (November 1st-June30th). Water samples will be analyzed for E. coli and microbial...
Ecohydrologic and Water Quality Data Collection at Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge and the Albuquerque South Valley Community Commons
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) New Mexico Water Science Center (NM WSC), in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority (AMAFCA), and Bernalillo County (BERNCO), will measure and...
Urban Waters Federal Partnership—Middle Rio Grande (Albuquerque, N. Mex.)
The Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, just 7 miles south of downtown Albuquerque on the Rio Grande, will reconnect people, especially young people, with nature in this highly populated area. The USGS is gathering data that will help gauge the success of habitat restoration efforts.
National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Rio Grande Valley Study
The New Mexico Water Science Center (NMWSC) has historically conducted NAWQA data collection of groundwater and surface water-data within the former Rio Grande Valley (RIOG) study unit, which covers about 45,700 square miles in Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.
Utilizing multiple hydrogeologic and anthropogenic indicators to understand zones of groundwater contribution to water-supply wells near Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico
In 1999, a jet-fuels release was discovered at the Bulk Fuels Facility on Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contaminants had reached the water table and migrated north-northeast toward water-supply wells. Monitoring wells were installed downgradient from the facility to determine the primary zones of groundwater production for...
Travis, Rebecca E.; Bell, Meghan T.; Linhoff, Benjamin S.; Beisner, Kimberly R.
Comparison of passive and pumped sampling methods for analysis of groundwater quality, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2019
A plume of ethylene dibromide (EDB) dissolved in groundwater extends northeast from the Bulk Fuels Facility on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The leading edge of the EDB plume is upgradient from several water-supply wells. In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility...
Travis, Rebecca E.; Wilkins, Kate
Hydraulic and water-quality indicators of aquifer zones contributing groundwater flow to wells in the Santa Fe Group aquifer system near southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2013–16
An ethylene dibromide (EDB) plume extends approximately 5,880 feet northeast from the Bulk Fuels Facility on Kirtland Air Force Base. The leading edge of the EDB plume is about 3,700 feet upgradient from several water-supply wells. The water-supply wells are screened in the upper Santa Fe Group aquifer system. Within the upper Santa Fe Group, two...
Travis, Rebecca E.; Myers, Nathan C.
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
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...
Bayless, E. Randall; Cole, Travis R.; Lampe, David C.; Travis, Rebecca E.; Schulz, Marjorie S.; Buszka, Paul M.