Unified Interior Regions
Maine
Maine is the northernmost and least densely populated state in the contiguous United States east of the Great Lakes. It is known for its jagged rocky coastline; low rolling mountains; heavily forested interior and picturesque waterways. Geologists describe this type of landscape as a "drowned coast", where a rising sea level has invaded former land features, creating bays out of valleys.
New England Water Science Center - Maine
196 Whitten Rd
Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: 207 622-8201
New England WaterStates L2 Landing Page Tabs
Maine is the northernmost and least densely populated state in the contiguous United States east of the Great Lakes. It is known for its jagged rocky coastline; low rolling mountains; heavily forested interior and picturesque waterways. Geologists describe this type of landscape as a "drowned coast", where a rising sea level has invaded former land features, creating bays out of valleys.
News
WaterMarks Newsletter - Spring 2021
In this issue of the USGS New England WSC Newsletter, we spotlight recent field activities, our Hydrologic Interpretive Program, a new report about arsenic in groundwater, and research at the Sleepers River Research Watershed. I hope you enjoy the articles about some of the great work our folks are doing and exploring the links to this quarter’s publications. Thanks for making us part of your day!
Potential drought conditions developing in New England
Recent surface-water, groundwater, and precipitation data indicate that drought conditions may presently be developing in parts of New England.
New England WSC Data Releases and Publications in the first quarter of 2021
List of data releases and publications from the New England Water Science Center released in the first quarter of 2021.
Publications
Reduction in drinking water arsenic exposure and health risk through arsenic treatment among private well households in Maine and New Jersey, USA
Over 2 million people in the United States (U.S.) drink water from private wells that contain arsenic (As) exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 micrograms per liter (μg/L). While there are a number of commercially available treatment technologies for removing As from drinking water, it is...
Yang, Qiang; Flanagan, Sara V.; Chillrud, Steven; Ross, James; Zeng, Wenke; Culbertson, Charles W.; Spayd, Steve; Backer, Lorraine C.; Smith, Andrew E.; Zheng, Yan Simple metrics predict salt-marsh sediment fluxes
The growth (or decay) of salt marshes depends on suspended-sediment flux into and out of the marsh. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) is a key element of the flux, and SSC-based metrics reflect the long-term sediment-flux trajectories of a variety of salt marshes. One metric, the flood–ebb SSC differential, correlates with area-normalized...
Nowacki, Daniel J. ; Ganju, Neil Kamal
Estimation of unregulated monthly, annual, and peak streamflows in Forest City Stream and lake levels in East Grand Lake, United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, compiled historical data on regulated streamflows and lake levels and estimated unregulated streamflows and lake levels on Forest City Stream at Forest City, Maine, and East Grand Lake on the United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick to study the...
Lombard, Pamela J.
Use of Structured Decision Making to Optimize Salt Marsh Management Decisions at Northeastern National Wildlife Refuges
US Fish and Wildlife Service completed a regional assessment of salt marsh integrity (SMI) on 15 National Wildlife Refuges/Refuge Complexes in the northeastern US. Developed within a structured decision making (SDM) framework, the SMI assessment provides essential baseline data on salt marsh condition relative to regional management objectives. These data now provide the basis for applying...
Hydrologic Interpretive Program
The mission of the Hydrologic Interpretive Program is to work with stakeholders to design, carry out, and publish scientific studies addressing critical water-resources issues facing New England and the Nation.
Landsat Benefits, State By State
From mapping wildfires and permafrost thaw in Alaska to tracking algal blooms and Gypsy moth invasions in Ohio, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Program offers an expansive list of benefits across all 50 States. Click the publications tab above to download each fact sheet!
New England Drought, 2020
Below average and infrequent rainfall from May through September 2020 led to an extreme hydrologic drought across much of New England, with some areas experiencing a flash (quick-onset) drought.
New England Water Use in 2015 Geonarrative
The New England Water Science Center has collected, reviewed, and aggregated water-withdrawal data in each of the six States every 5 years since 1950. The most recent water-use compilation was completed in 2015, and its summary is presented in this geonarrative.
New England Drought Information
Droughts are among the most costly hydrologic hazards in the United States. They are generally slow in developing, frequently occur over a long period of time, and can affect large areas and populations. The severity of a hydrologic drought is not always obvious until these water supplies are seriously depleted.
Vernal Pool Inundation Models
The Response of Coastal Wetlands to Sea-level Rise: Understanding how Macroscale Drivers Influence Local Processes and Feedbacks
The purpose of this work is to advance our understanding of how coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise (SLR) within the conterminous United States are likely to vary as a function of local, regional, and macroscale drivers, including climate. Based on our interactions with managers and decision makers, as well as our knowledge of the current state of the science, we propose to: (a)...
New England Water Use
Background: The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled the Nation's water-use data at the county, State, and national levels every 5 years since 1950. The most recent estimated water-use compilation was completed in 2015. A summary for New England is presented on this web page.
The Issue: Comprehensive water-use data analysis is needed to quantify the...
Maine Water Use
Background: The U.S. Geological Survey has compiled the Nation's water-use data at the county, State, and national levels every 5 years since 1950. The most recent estimated water-use compilation was completed in 2015. A summary for Maine is presented on this web page.
The Issue: Comprehensive water-use data analysis is needed to quantify the stress on...
Information by Region - Maine
United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources
USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World. This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
High-resolution geophysical data collected in the Belfast Bay, Maine pockmark field in 2006, 2008, and 2009 by the U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center in cooperation with the University of Maine mapped approximately 50 square kilometers of the seafloor within Belfast Bay, Maine. Three geophysical surveys conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2009 collected swath bathymetric (2006 and 2008) and chirp seismic reflection profile data (2006 and 2009).
New England Below Normal 28-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of year
Below Normal 28-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of year
Global Geochemical Database for Critical Minerals in Archived Mine Samples
The Critical Minerals in Archived Mine Samples Database (CMDB) contains chemistry and geologic information for historic ore and ore-related rock samples from mineral deposits in the United States. In addition, the database contains samples from archetypal deposits from 27 other countries in North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Samples were obtained from archived ore
Domestic Wells in the United States
Domestic wells provide drinking water supply for approximately 40 million people in the United States. Knowing the location of these wells, and the populations they serve, is important for identifying heavily used aquifers, locations susceptible to contamination, and populations potentially impacted by poor-quality groundwater.
Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System
Information about scientific data collected through field activities conducted by scientists in the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources program
Drought Streamflow Probabilities in Northeast Region
Maximum likelihood logistic regression (MLLR) is used to estimate drought probabilities for selected Northeast rivers and streams. Winter streamflows are used to estimate the chance of hydrologic drought during summer months. This application allows the display and query of these drought streamflow probabilities for Northeastern streams.
National Water Information System (NWIS) Mapper
The NWIS mapper provides access to over 1.5 million sites contained in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), including sites where current and historical surface-water, groundwater, springs, and atmospheric data has been collected. Users can search by site type, data type, site number, or place.
USGS Domestic Continuous (Unconventional) Oil & Gas Assessments, 2000-Present
Interactively explore assessment summary information for continuous (unconventional) assessments conducted at the USGS from 2000-2018. The assessment results data used to generate this visualization can be downloaded here in Excel Format. These data represent all assessment results...
Water Use Data for Maine
The link provides access to the 5-year water-use compilations (between 1985 and 2015) data for Maine on the National Water Information System (NWIS) web interface.
The presented data were compiled and published by the USGS's National Water Use Information Program (NWUIP).
Coastal and Marine Geology Program Internet Map Server and GIS Data
The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) Internet Map Server is an interactive mapping service which allows the user to explore and download GIS data sets published by CMGP.
Oblique Aerial Photography Viewer
Obique photos offer a unique perspective of the coast. Features such as beach erosion or accretion, dune erosion and overwash can all be clearly characterized in this imagery. It also documents coastal infrastructure, as well as the damage that infrastructure may incur as the result of an impacting hurricane.
National Water Information System web interface (NWISweb)
The National Water Information System (NWIS) web application provides access to real-time and historical surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites across all 50 states.
The New England Water Science Center has collected, reviewed, and aggregated water-withdrawal data in each of the six States every 5 years since 1950. The most recent water-use compilation was completed in 2015, and its summary is presented in this geonarrative.
Domestic wells provide drinking water supply for approximately 40 million people in the United States. Knowing the location of these wells, and the populations they serve, is important for identifying heavily used aquifers, locations susceptible to contamination, and populations potentially impacted by poor-quality groundwater.
Locations of active wells (at least one measurement during the previous year) in the New England groundwater level network at the end of 2017. The dataset contains 104 wells with continuous water-level measurements (15-minute to hourly measurements), 182 wells with discrete water-level measurements (monthly measurements at most locations), and 95 wells with intermittent water-level measurements.
USGS Flood Inundation Mapper Web Application
This map shows the provinces assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources.
The National Water Information System (NWIS) Mapper provides access to water-resources data at over 1.5 million sites across the U.S., including current and historical data. Users can search by site type, data type, site number, or place.
New England Current Water Conditions (Groundwater, Surface Water and Water-Quality) Maps
StreamStats is a Web-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) application that provides users with access to an assortment of analytical tools that are useful for a variety of water-resources planning and management purposes.
Maps of flood and high flow conditions within New England
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
Links to publications that contain maps of the sea floor or lake beds and the digital data used to create them.
Reduction in drinking water arsenic exposure and health risk through arsenic treatment among private well households in Maine and New Jersey, USA
Over 2 million people in the United States (U.S.) drink water from private wells that contain arsenic (As) exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 micrograms per liter (μg/L). While there are a number of commercially available treatment technologies for removing As from drinking water, it is...
Yang, Qiang; Flanagan, Sara V.; Chillrud, Steven; Ross, James; Zeng, Wenke; Culbertson, Charles W.; Spayd, Steve; Backer, Lorraine C.; Smith, Andrew E.; Zheng, Yan Simple metrics predict salt-marsh sediment fluxes
The growth (or decay) of salt marshes depends on suspended-sediment flux into and out of the marsh. Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) is a key element of the flux, and SSC-based metrics reflect the long-term sediment-flux trajectories of a variety of salt marshes. One metric, the flood–ebb SSC differential, correlates with area-normalized...
Nowacki, Daniel J. ; Ganju, Neil Kamal Estimation of unregulated monthly, annual, and peak streamflows in Forest City Stream and lake levels in East Grand Lake, United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the International Joint Commission, compiled historical data on regulated streamflows and lake levels and estimated unregulated streamflows and lake levels on Forest City Stream at Forest City, Maine, and East Grand Lake on the United States-Canada border between Maine and New Brunswick to study the...
Lombard, Pamela J.
Preliminary stage and streamflow data at selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in Maine and New Hampshire for the flood of October 30–31, 2017
Rainfall from a storm on October 24–27, 2017, and Tropical Storm Philippe on October 29–30, created conditions that led to flooding across portions of New Hampshire and western Maine. On the basis of streamflow data collected at 30 selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages in the Androscoggin River, Connecticut River, Merrimack River, and...
Kiah, Richard G.; Stasulis, Nicholas W.
Quality of water from crystalline rock aquifers in New England, New Jersey, and New York, 1995-2007
Crystalline bedrock aquifers in New England and parts of New Jersey and New York (NECR aquifers) are a major source of drinking water. Because the quality of water in these aquifers is highly variable, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) statistically analyzed chemical data on samples of untreated groundwater collected from 117 domestic bedrock...
Flanagan, Sarah M.; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Robinson, Gilpin R.
Historical files from Federal Government mineral exploration-assistance programs, 1950 to 1974
The Defense Minerals Administration (DMA), Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), and Office of Minerals Exploration (OME) mineral exploration programs were active over the period 1950–1974. Under these programs, the Federal Government contributed financial assistance in the exploration for certain strategic and critical minerals. The...
Frank, David G.
Characterization of major-ion chemistry and nutrients in headwater streams along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and within adjacent watersheds, Maine to Georgia
An inventory of water-quality data on field parameters, major ions, and nutrients provided a summary of water quality in headwater (first- and second-order) streams within watersheds along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Appalachian Trail). Data from 1,817 sampling sites in 831 catchments were used for the water-quality summary. Catchment...
Argue, Denise M.; Pope, Jason P.; Dieffenbach, Fred Predators shape distribution and promote diversification of morphological defenses in Leucorrhinia , Odonata
Predators strongly influence species assemblages and shape morphological defenses of prey. Interestingly, adaptations that constitute effective defenses against one type of predator may render the prey susceptible to other types of predators. Hence, prey may evolve different strategies to escape predation, which may facilitate adaptive radiation...
Petrin, Zlatko; Schilling, Emily Gaenzle; Loftin, Cyndy; Johansson, Frank Effects of introduced fish on macroinvertebrate communities in historically fishless headwater and kettle lakes
Widespread fish introductions have led to a worldwide decline in the number of fishless lakes and their associated communities. Studies assessing effects of fish stocking on native communities in historically fishless lakes have been limited to high-elevation headwater lakes stocked with non-native trout. Little is known about the effect of fish...
Schilling, Emily Gaenzle; Loftin, Cynthia S.; Huryn, Alexander D.
National water summary 1987: Hydrologic events and water supply and use
Water use in the United States, as measured by freshwater withdrawals in 1985, averaged 338,000 Mgal/d (million gallons per day), which is enough water to cover the 48 conterminous States to a depth of about 2.4 inches. Only 92,300 Mgal/d, or 27.3 percent of the water withdrawn, was consumptive use and thus lost to immediate further use; the...
Carr, Jerry E.; Chase, Edith B.; Paulson, Richard W.; Moody, David W.
Image of the Week - Tides in the Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy in Canada has a unique geography funneling the Atlantic Ocean into some of the world's highest tides. At some points the water level can rise and fall over forty feet. The water's edge at Minas Basin shown in these Landsat 8 images changes dramatically depending on the day and time. Because Landsat 8 passes over quickly, the imagery cannot reveal the
Groundwater Science in the Snow
No matter the season, groundwater science continues! In this March photo, Hydrologic Technician Jeremiah Pomerleau is making groundwater measurements and inspecting the USGS groundwater site monitoring equipment. Due to snowy terrain, Pomerleau used a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to access the well, requiring a trek of about 15 miles from the main road. Data from this
...
Hydrologic technician drills holes for a measurement
Hydrologic technician drills holes for a measurement at the U.S. Geological Survey station on the Sandy River near Madrid, Maine (station 01047200), in late February 2021.
Our Director: A Vision for Our Center (New England WSC)
An introduction to the New England Water Science Center's Director and his vision for the Center.
Timing is Everything: Fish, Wildlife, and Timing of Life Events
Timing is Everything: How Fish and Wildlife are Responding to Climate Change Through Shifts in the Timing of Life Events
Changes in phenology, or the seasonal timing of recurring life history events such as breeding, feeding, and movements, have emerged as a primary indicator of species’ responses to climate change. In terrestrial environments,
Modeling FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps
Surface Water Modeling for FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
USGS employee using survey data to model water surface elevation for different storm events.
Checking preliminary maps
FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
USGS Employee is checking Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps before a meeting.
USGS Tests drone-based ground-penetrating radar for bathymetry
USGS hydrographers collect tens of thousands of streamflow measurements every year. In-water work by personnel is one of the most dangerous aspects of USGS hydrologic studies, especially during high-flow conditions. In May 2019, USGS continued testing of a light-weight, self-contained ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system that can be mounted on a small drone. We are
...
USGS Groundwater Monitoring in Winter
Groundwater science doesn't take a winter vacation! In this photo, USGS hdyrologic technician Jeffrey Kinsey is snowshoeing to a USGS groundwater monitoring site in Maine. USGS scientists visit USGS groundwater observation wells year-round to measure water levels and maintain equipment. You can view or download USGS groundwater-level data from the
...
USGS Groundwater Monitoring in Winter
Groundwater science doesn't take a winter vacation! In this photo, USGS hdyrologic technician Jeremiah Pomerleau has snowshoed to a USGS groundwater monitoring site in Eustis, Maine. USGS scientists visit USGS groundwater observation wells year-round to measure water levels and maintain equipment. You can view or download USGS groundwater-level data from the
...
Toni Lyn Morelli, Research Ecologist
Biography of scientist featured in Circular 1443 about STEM and related careers in USGS, to be used for recruitment into STEM careers.
Surveying Branch Brook near Kennebunk, Maine
Hydrologic technicians Terrence Talbot and Jeff Kinsey visited our station on Branch Brook near Kennebunk (ID 01069700) to conduct some surveying. In this photo, Terrence is setting up a high precision GPS unit to help the crew establish elevation before their survey.
In this issue of the USGS New England WSC Newsletter, we spotlight recent field activities, our Hydrologic Interpretive Program, a new report about arsenic in groundwater, and research at the Sleepers River Research Watershed. I hope you enjoy the articles about some of the great work our folks are doing and exploring the links to this quarter’s publications. Thanks for making us part of your day!
Recent surface-water, groundwater, and precipitation data indicate that drought conditions may presently be developing in parts of New England.
List of data releases and publications from the New England Water Science Center released in the first quarter of 2021.
Hydrologic Monitoring Program Highlights
In this issue we introduce our new director, John Bumgarner, presenting his vision for the center. We also feature our hydrologic monitoring program, a recap of the 2020 drought, current work on the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance maps, two geonarratives, and we provide links to our 2020 staff publications and data releases.
List of data releases and publications from the New England Water Science Center released in 2020.
The Hydrologic Monitoring Program (HMP) conducts hydrologic surveillance and investigation in all six New England States.
A total of $118,479 will fund new research and preserve important data across the Pine Tree State
The New England Water Science Center has collected, reviewed, and aggregated water-withdrawal data in each of the six New England States every 5 years since 1950. The most recent water-use compilation was completed in 2015, and its summary is presented in this geonarrative.
Current information to help with understanding the extent and severity of the recent drought in New England.
Summary statistics are now available for this challenge. Thanks again to everyone who contributed!
This challenge is complete! Thank you to everyone who contributed!
Social Media
Locations
New England Water Science Center - Maine Office
Phone: 207-626-6600
Fax: 207-622-8204
New England Water Science Center - Maine
196 Whitten Rd
Augusta, ME 04330
Phone: 207 622-8201
New England Water