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Rhode Island

Rhode Island, smallest of the 50 states, is densely populated and highly industrialized. It is a major center for jewelry manufacturing, electronics, metal and plastic products, as well as boat and ship construction . Officially nicknamed "The Ocean State", the state's geography contains several large bays and inlets that amount to about 14% of its 1,241 square miles.

News

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Native American Research Assistantship Student Learns USGS Water Science

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Record Low Water Levels Outlined in 2022 New England Drought Report

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Deicing New England’s Roads, Parking Areas, and Walkways is Changing the Region’s Water Quality

Publications

Approaches for assessing flows, concentrations, and loads of highway and urban runoff and receiving-stream stormwater in southern New England with the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM)

The Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model (SELDM) was designed to help quantify the risk of adverse effects of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such management measures for reducing these risks. SELDM is calibrated using representative hydrological and water-quality input statistics. This report by the U.S. Geologi
Authors
Gregory E. Granato, Alana B. Spaetzel, Lillian C. Jeznach

Assessment of factors that influence human water demand for Providence, Rhode Island

To determine the most relevant climatic and economic factors driving water demand for Providence, Rhode Island, and to further the understanding of human interactions with water availability, linear regression models were developed to estimate single-family and multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial water demand for the service area of Providence Water for 2014–21. Monthly water use d
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Timothy J. Stagnitta, Laura Medalie

Assessing potential effects of climate change on highway-runoff flows and loads in southern New England by using planning-level space-for-time analyses

Transportation agencies need information about the potential effects of climate change on the volume, quality, and treatment of stormwater to mitigate potential effects of runoff on receiving waters. To address these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Federal Highway Administration used the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project tool and the Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model
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Lillian C. Jeznach, Gregory E. Granato, Daniel Sharar-Salgado, Susan C. Jones, Daniel Imig

Science

Long Island Sound Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) Models

The U.S. Geological Survey, New England Water Science Center, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is modeling seasonal nutrient loads to Long Island Sound (LIS). Nutrients that originate from within the 41,867-square-mile section of the LIS watershed that is north of the Sound include both point (specific) and nonpoint (widespread) sources. Dynamic modeling of the...
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Long Island Sound Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) Models

The U.S. Geological Survey, New England Water Science Center, in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is modeling seasonal nutrient loads to Long Island Sound (LIS). Nutrients that originate from within the 41,867-square-mile section of the LIS watershed that is north of the Sound include both point (specific) and nonpoint (widespread) sources. Dynamic modeling of the...
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Predictive Analysis of Water Demand for Providence, Rhode Island

The Providence Water Supply Board (Providence Water) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are collaborating on a study to predict future water demand in and around the city of Providence.
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Predictive Analysis of Water Demand for Providence, Rhode Island

The Providence Water Supply Board (Providence Water) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are collaborating on a study to predict future water demand in and around the city of Providence.
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Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the New England Water Science Center

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of over 4,000 different compounds. Since the 1940s, PFAS have been manufactured and used around the globe, including in the United States. PFAS are resistant to chemical and thermal breakdown and impart stain and water-resistance properties, making them useful for a variety of commercial applications, but also persistent in the...
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Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the New England Water Science Center

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of over 4,000 different compounds. Since the 1940s, PFAS have been manufactured and used around the globe, including in the United States. PFAS are resistant to chemical and thermal breakdown and impart stain and water-resistance properties, making them useful for a variety of commercial applications, but also persistent in the...
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