WaterMarks Newsletter - Winter 2022
Meet our New Staff at the New England WSC - December 2022
Join us in welcoming our recently hired staff at the New England Water Science Center.
New Maps Predict Areas of Elevated Radon, Uranium in New Hampshire’s Groundwater
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have produced statewide maps that show where elevated concentrations of radon and uranium may occur in New Hampshire’s groundwater.
New Brochure Informs Public about Merrimack River Watershed Monitoring
The USGS New England Water Science Center has created an informational brochure about the current water-quality monitoring taking place in the Merrimack River watershed within Massachusetts. The brochure outlines the project’s goals, site locations and data collection methods.
Deicing New England’s Roads, Parking Areas, and Walkways is Changing the Region’s Water Quality
Geonarrative: Feasibility of Developing a GIS-Based Hydraulic Modeling Tool for Stream Crossing Projects in Massachusetts
This interactive geonarrative presents information on how feasible it is to develop a GIS-based hydraulic modeling tool for preliminary culvert designs for stream crossings in Massachusetts.
Regional Regression Equations for Estimating Selected Low-flow Statistics at Ungaged Stream Sites in Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Recreation and Conservation, Office of Water Resources, began a study in 2019 to update the regional regression equations for estimating selected low-flow statistics at ungaged sites in Massachusetts.
Water Quality Monitoring in the Cambridge Drinking-Water Source Area, Massachusetts
The Cambridge Water Department supplies approximately 13 million gallons per day of drinking water to more than 100,000 customers. Raw water is obtained from a serial system of three primary storage reservoirs—Cambridge Reservoir (also known as the Hobbs Brook Reservoir), Stony Brook Reservoir, and Fresh Pond Reservoir—in parts of Cambridge, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham, and Weston, Massachusetts. These reservoirs receive inflow from more than 13 subbasins within a source area of 23.7 square miles. The Cambridge drinking-water source area contains major transportation corridors including Interstate 95, State Routes 2, 2A, 20, and 117, and commuter railways as well as large impervious areas of industrial, commercial, and residential land use.
Effectiveness of Open-Graded Friction Course Pavement in Reducing Suspended-Sediment Loads Discharged from Massachusetts Highways
The U.S. Geological Survey New England Water Science Center, in cooperation with Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), is evaluating how a type of porous pavement affects the discharge of suspended sediment in comparison to the asphalt surface commonly used on Massachusetts highways. The project will expand the understanding of highway runoff concentrations of suspended sediment, how it moves through and across different pavement, and whether the porous pavement is effective in retaining highway sediments and associated constituents conveyed in stormwater runoff.
Remembering Hurricane Sandy Ten Years Later
USGS New England Water Science Center staff deployed storm-tide sensors and rapid deployment gauges ahead of Hurricane Sandy – and measured high water level marks and surveyed for elevation after the historic storm. These vital data are used to improve the accuracy of flood and coastal change models, which are critical to storm preparation and public safety.
New England WSC Products in the Fourth Quarter of 2022
List of products from the New England Water Science Center released in the fourth quarter of 2022.