Pennsylvania
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Surface Water-Quality Monitoring Network (WQN)
Overview
Pennsylvania’s Statewide Surface Water-Quality Monitoring Network (WQN) currently consists of 124 sites that are sampled between 6 and 20 times a year. Chemical analysis includes nutrient, major ions, and selected metals. Pesticide sampling is conducted twice a year at 5 locations. Biological sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates is conducted annually at 80 sites.
The...
Contaminants in groundwater near North Penn Area Superfund sites
USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of Superfund sites in Montgomery County, southeastern Pennsylvania, in cooperation with EPA. Additional cooperative support for these investigations has been provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County, and local government agencies.
Contaminants in groundwater near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania
USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of former Navy bases in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. Additional cooperative support for these investigations has been provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and local government agencies....
Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network
Overview
Pennsylvania’s Statewide Fixed Station Groundwater Quality Monitoring Network (GWMN) currently consists of a set of 27 groundwater wells located in 26 counties that are sampled twice a year for a host of chemical constituents. The GWMN was established to characterize the ambient groundwater quality of Pennsylvania aquifers and to provide a temporal dataset to address seasonal...
Piedmont and Blue Ridge Project
The Piedmont and Blue Ridge Project is a geologic mapping project supported by the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. The Piedmont Blue Ridge Project aims to understand the geologic framework and tectonic evolution of terranes and basins in the Appalachian Piedmont and Blue Ridge, and their significance for water, mineral and energy resources, natural hazards, and engineering/...
Bird Banding Laboratory
The Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is an integrated scientific program established in 1920 supporting the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of information from banded and marked birds in North America. This information is used to monitor the status and trends of resident and migratory bird populations. Because birds are good indicators of the health of the environment, the...
GIS Data
PA GIS Data and Resources
Water-Quality Monitoring
Water-Quality Monitoring
Groundwater Monitoring
Groundwater Monitoring and Tools for Pennsylvania
Surface Water Monitoring
Surface Water Data and Monitoring tools for Pennsylvania
Tidal Freshwater Ecosystems
This habitat system is characterized as tidally influenced freshwater systems, which provide critical habitat for many migratory (diadromous) fish species. Characteristic species that inhabit this zone include mussels, sturgeon, shad, herring, alewife, American eel, striped bass, and perch.
Freshwater Mussel Physiology
Freshwater mussels are considered ecosystems engineers benefiting the streams and rivers they inhabit through filtration, biodeposition, and nutrient cycling, thereby influencing water quality. However, many of these species are rapidly declining due to shifting environmental conditions and habitat loss. Researchers at Leetown Science Center are evaluating how different species of mussels...