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Welcome to the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center

Consider this site your source for water-related information, collected and interpreted by the USGS in MD, DE, and Washington, DC

WE ARE WATER SCIENCE

Soaking Up Stormwater In Clarksburg

A 20-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Montgomery County, Maryland assesses ecosystem response to different types of stormwater management.

LEARN MORE & WATCH THE VIDEO

MD-DE-DC WSC Capabilities Sites

A new series of microsites featuring in-depth assessments of our center's abilities

SEE OUR CAPABILITIES

MD-DE-DC Seminar Series

Seminars presented by great scientific minds, hosted by the MD-DE-DC Water Science Center

SEE OUR SEMINARS...

MD-DE-DC Stream Gaging Network

The USGS operates thousands of stream gages throughout the US. See how our science center does our part!

EXPLORE OUR NETWORKS

Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

Welcome to the USGS Water Science Center serving Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. We operate streamgages, observation wells, and monitoring stations that provide the reliable scientific information needed to understand our natural world.

See our video: Working with the USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center

Explore Our Capabilities

Chesapeake Bay at Edgewater, MD

We’ve created a series of websites thematically named to characterize our work as “Capabilities”. Our highly skilled staff work with diverse groups of cooperative partners, producing the high-quality output for which the USGS is world-renown.

SEE OUR CAPABILITIES

Local Water Conditions

MD Surface Water Conditions Screenshot

Explore real-time streamflow, groundwater, and water-quality conditions and access data for MD, DE, and DC with our new interactive map application. This application offers data displays on multiple device platforms with various basemap options.

MD Surface Water

QUICK LINKS

Featured below are some popular features on the MD-DE-DC Water Science site. To better navigate our pages, please use the vertical header listing to the left side of this window.

OUR NEW NWIS-MAPPER

News

Testing New Water Quality Observation Methods In Philadelphia

Testing New Water Quality Observation Methods In Philadelphia

Fall 2023 - In The Flow - USGS Maryland-Delaware-Washington DC Water Science Newsletter

Fall 2023 - In The Flow - USGS Maryland-Delaware-Washington DC Water Science Newsletter

2023 Center Awards

2023 Center Awards

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Publications

Remotely mapping gullying and incision in Maryland Piedmont headwater streams using repeat airborne lidar

Headwater streams can contribute significant amounts of fine sediment to downstream waterways, especially when severely eroded and incised. Potential upstream sediment source identification is crucial for effective management of water quality, aquatic habitat, and sediment loads in a watershed. This study explored topographic openness (TO) derived from 1-m lidar for its ability to predict incision
Authors
Marina Metes, Andrew J. Miller, Matthew E. Baker, Kristina G. Hopkins, Daniel Jones
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center

Monitoring of wave, current, and sediment dynamics along the Fog Point Living Shoreline, Glenn Martin National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland

Living shorelines with salt marsh species, rock breakwaters, and sand nourishment were built along the coastal areas in the Glenn Martin National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland, in 2016 in response to Hurricane Sandy (2012). The Fog Point living shoreline at Glenn Martin National Wildlife Refuge was designed with the “headland - breakwater - embayment” pattern. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Surve
Authors
H. Wang, Q. Chen, W.D. Capurso, N. Wang, L.M. Niemoczynski, M. Whitbeck, L. Zhu, G.A. Snedden, C.A. Wilson, M.S. Brownley
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Legacy sediment as a potential source of orthophosphate: Preliminary conceptual and geochemical models for the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA

Nutrient pollution from agriculture and urban areas plus acid mine drainage (AMD) from legacy coal mines are primary causes of water-quality impairment in the Susquehanna River, which is the predominant source of freshwater and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. Recent increases in the delivery of dissolved orthophosphate (PO4) from the river to the bay may be linked to long-term increases in

Authors
Charles A. Cravotta, Travis L. Tasker, Peter M. Smyntek, Joel Blomquist, John Clune, Qian Zhang, Noah Schmadel, Natalie Katrina Schmer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center
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Science

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Micro level satellite image of watershed location with location pinned in larger watershed map in corner

New study highlights impact of current and historic land use on stream incision in Maryland Piedmont headwaters

A new method was developed to remotely identify small, eroding streams and measure change over time.
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center
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New study highlights impact of current and historic land use on stream incision in Maryland Piedmont headwaters

A new method was developed to remotely identify small, eroding streams and measure change over time.
Learn More
link
Corn field in front of barn, silo, and houses

New study evaluates effects of agricultural conservation practices on nitrogen in streams of the Chesapeake Bay

Issue: Adaptive management in support of Chesapeake Bay restoration is complicated by uncertainty about the effects of agricultural management practices on water quality. Despite increasing investment, effects of agricultural conservation practices on regional water quality remain difficult to quantify due to factors such as groundwater travel times, varying modes-of-action, and the general lack...
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center
link

New study evaluates effects of agricultural conservation practices on nitrogen in streams of the Chesapeake Bay

Issue: Adaptive management in support of Chesapeake Bay restoration is complicated by uncertainty about the effects of agricultural management practices on water quality. Despite increasing investment, effects of agricultural conservation practices on regional water quality remain difficult to quantify due to factors such as groundwater travel times, varying modes-of-action, and the general lack...
Learn More
link
Photograph of road cut showing fractured sedimentary rocks

A Field Method to Quantify Chlorinated Solvent Diffusion, Sorption, Abiotic and Biotic Degradation in Low-Permeability Zones

Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program project ER-2533 In chlorinated-solvent-contaminated fractured-sedimentary-rock aquifers, low-permeability (low-K) strata typically act as long-term or secondary sources of contamination to mobile groundwater in the high-permeability fractures. The fate of dissolved trichloroethene (TCE) in the low-K matrix is controlled by abiotic...
By
Toxic Substances Hydrology, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center
link

A Field Method to Quantify Chlorinated Solvent Diffusion, Sorption, Abiotic and Biotic Degradation in Low-Permeability Zones

Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program project ER-2533 In chlorinated-solvent-contaminated fractured-sedimentary-rock aquifers, low-permeability (low-K) strata typically act as long-term or secondary sources of contamination to mobile groundwater in the high-permeability fractures. The fate of dissolved trichloroethene (TCE) in the low-K matrix is controlled by abiotic...
Learn More
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