Unified Interior Regions
District of Columbia
Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States is located in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast and had an estimated population of 672,228 as of July 2015. The Potomac River forms the District's border with Virginia and has two major tributaries: the Anacostia River and Rock Creek.The District has 7,464 acres of parkland, occupying about 19% of the city's total area.
Maryland - Delaware - Washington D.C. Water Science Center
5522 Research Park Drive
Catonsville, MD 21228
Phone: 443-498-5500
Fax: 442-498-5510
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Coastal Monitoring Tide Gage Sites in Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.
Vital coastal storm-tide information needed to help guide storm response efforts following major storms affecting Maryland will be more accessible than ever due to a new monitoring network the U.S. Geological Survey is currently building.
A team from the USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center is surveying 63 locations in the state, determining their elevations and installing receiving...
Water Use
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates water use by state, source of water, and category of use every 5 years. The withdrawals for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia are available in the tables below.
In 2010, 1,472 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of freshwater were withdrawn from surface water and groundwater sources in Maryland, 300 Mgal/d in Delaware, and 0.10...
Monitoring Water-Quality Response of Conservation Practices in the Bucks Branch Watershed, Sussex County, Delaware
The Bucks Branch sub watershed in the Nanticoke River basin has been identified as having one of the highest concentrations of nitrate in surface water of all sites sampled in Delaware.
Changes in water quality related to changes in agricultural conservation practices will be seen first in shallow groundwater as groundwater is the major source of nitrate in surface water.
Very...
Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality of the Anacostia River Watershed
The Anacostia River has been subjected to dredging, filling, contamination, and other human influences for over 200 years. The result of these activities is that the river has been seriously degraded from its natural state. Many groups have been working to reduce the effects of environmental degradation on the water quality and living resources of the Anacostia River, primarily by focusing on...
MD-DE-DC WSC Groundwater Studies Team
The U.S. Geological Survey provides unbiased, timely, and relevant information, studies, and data about groundwater resources of the Nation. The USGS monitors groundwater levels in thousands of wells across the U.S. Hundreds of these wells are located in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. The MD-DE-DC Water Science Center logs data on approximately 370 groundwater wells...
Summary of Nutrient and Sediment Loads and Trends in the Cheseapeake Watershed
Changes in nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended-sediment loads in rivers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed have been calculated using monitoring data from the Chesapeake Bay Nontidal Water-Quality Monitoring Network (NTN). These results are used to help assess efforts to decrease nutrient and sediment loads being delivered to the bay. Additional information for each monitoring station is...
Load and Trends Results Through Water Year 2015
Changes in nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended-sediment loads in rivers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed have been calculated using monitoring data from the nine Chesapeake Bay River Input Monitoring (RIM) stations.
Population Genetics and Emergency Management of Two Kauai Island Endangered Species
The Challenge: The Akeke’e (Loxops caeruleirostris) and the Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi), two species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, are critically endangered bird species endemic to high elevation ohia forests on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Both species have suffered severe population declines and range contractions in recent decades. Akeke’e are currently thought to number ca. 950 wild...
Analyzing the Gut Microbiome of Urban Canada Geese
The Challenge: The Canada Goose Branta canadensis was historically a highly migratory species. However, this species has recently established resident populations in urban, suburban, and agricultural areas in many parts of the U.S., including the Chesapeake Bay region. The enormous success of these populations has led to consideration of this species as a nuisance, largely due to its...
Geomorphic Responses to Stream Channel Restoration at Minebank Run, Baltimore County, Maryland
Urban streams frequently undergo severe incision and erosion due to flashy streamflows caused by impervious surfaces in the watershed. The study was designed to investigate the hydrodynamics and geomorphology of a selected reach of Minebank Run before and after stream restoration, in order to determine the effect that stream restoration had on sediment processes in the stream.
Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrologic (SWaTH) Network in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia
Many U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Centers have responsibilities for coastal regions within their mission areas. The integrated Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrologic (SWaTH) Network has been developed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to support model development and verification for coastal regions, detection of hydrologic trends, and early warning of hydrologic hazards in the northeast from...
HDgov: Multi-agency Website for Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
HDgov is an interactive and mobile-responsive online portal to interagency, academic, and non-government resources focused on the human dimensions of natural resource management. The web portal provides easy access to tools, publications, data, and methods that help ensure that the people side of natural resources is considered throughout the entire natural resource management process. The...
Department of the Interior scientists are generating and sharing critical information to aid the recovery of the areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy, helping to protect our valuable coastal resources and to make communities more resilient against future extreme storms.
Vital coastal storm-tide information needed to help guide storm response efforts following major storms affecting District of Columbia will be more accessible than ever due to a new monitoring network the U.S. Geological Survey is currently building.
On the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today released a new report showing that forests, wetlands and farms in the eastern United States naturally store 300 million tons of carbon a year (1,100 million tons of CO2 equivalent).
Stronger storms, rising seas, and flooding are placing hundreds of millions people at risk around the world, and big part of the solution to decrease those risks is just off shore. A new study finds that coral reefs reduce the wave energy that would otherwise impact coastlines by 97 percent.
Oyster aquaculture in the Potomac River estuary could result in significant improvements to water quality, according to a new NOAA and U.S. Geological Survey study published in the journal Aquatic Geochemistry.
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the Northeast Midwest Institute invite you to a briefing by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) on findings of trends in nutrients and pesticides in the Nation's streams and rivers.
A virus that can cause disease in largemouth bass has now been identified in otherwise apparently healthy northern snakeheads taken from two Potomac River tributaries in Virginia, the U.S. Geological Survey announced today.
The U.S. Geological Survey in Reston is cancelling its participation in the annual science camp it hosts in partnership with the Reston Association and closing its visitors center as part of its implementation of the sequester.
The U.S. Geological Survey is cancelling its March 6 public lecture, "Space Weather and Magnetic Storms," due to travel restrictions the agency has implemented in preparation for the potential sequestration.
Reston, Va. – Offshore wind energy development and migratory birds is the topic of a free public lecture Wednesday, December 5, at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Geological Survey National Center in Reston, Va.
Reston, Va.—Are you prepared for future earthquakes? Earthquake experts from the USGS and FEMA will be with students at Langston Hughes Middle School as they participate in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on October 18, 2012.
Imagine if doctors had time to stop delicate procedures before an earthquake. And if emergency responders had a few extra moments to gear up, airplane landings could be postponed, trains slowed, and people could move to safer locations. Come learn how the USGS and its partners are helping provide critical seconds of notification through an earthquake early warning system in the United States.
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Locations
MD-DE-DC Water Science Center
information@usgs.gov
Phone: 443-498-5500
Fax: 442-498-5510
Contacts
Maryland - Delaware - Washington D.C. Water Science Center
5522 Research Park Drive
Catonsville, MD 21228
Phone: 443-498-5500
Fax: 442-498-5510