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Surface-Water Quality and Ecology

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By Water Resources Mission Area February 27, 2019

Water quality of our streams and rivers

Current conditions and long-term trends

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Water quality and ecology of small streams

USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)

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Modeling contaminant loads in rivers and streams

SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models

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Research by the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project on water quality of rivers and streams covers a broad range of topics, from nonpoint pollution issues to vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems. Dive in and find out more about current water-quality conditions, how and where water quality is changing, and the latest information on pesticides, nutrients, and other contaminants.

Featured: Predicting Levels of Cyanotoxins From Real-Time Measurements

Cyanobacterial Bloom

A new study successfully predicts when mixtures of the toxins produced by these blooms in Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, will exceed drinking-water guidelines.

Learn more

Featured: Pesticide Transformation Products in Small U.S. Streams

Creek with prominent bank stabilitzation work; traffic bridge and shopping centers in the background

Pesticide transformation products are ubiquitous in small U.S. streams, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey, and could be a missing piece to the toxicity puzzle for aquatic life in headwater streams.

Learn More

The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource—they provide drinking water for a growing population, irrigation for crops, habitat for aquatic life, and countless recreational opportunities.

 

NAWQA research on surface-water quality is focusing on three areas:

Explore NAWQA science on topics related to water quality in streams and rivers

Relations between land use and surface-water quality 

   Urban Land Use and Water Quality

   Agricultural Contaminants

Contaminants in surface water

   Nutrients and Eutrophication

   Pesticides and Water Quality

   Emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, and more)

   Sediment-associated contaminants (metals, pesticides, PAHs, and more)

   Coal-Tar-Based Pavement Sealcoat, PAHs, and Environmental Health

   Mercury

Relations to aquatic life

   Stream ecology

   Streamflow alteration

   NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Drinking water issues

   Drinking Water and Source Water Research

   Chloride, Salinity, and Dissolved Solids

   Corrosivity

   Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants

Trends in water quality

   Water-Quality Trends from Lake Sediment Cores

   Water-Quality Trends

 

How do we do it?  

Access USGS publications and manuals on National Water-Quality Project sampling methods.

 

Looking for information on groundwater quality as well?  

Explore these links:

   Groundwater Quality Research

   Groundwater/Surface-water Interaction

Learn about topics and projects related to surface-water quality.

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Drinking water from tap

Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants

How does the water quality measure up? It all depends on what the water will be used for and what contaminants are of interest. Water-quality benchmarks are designed to protect drinking water, recreation, aquatic life, and wildlife. Here you’ll find links to some of the most widely used sets of water, sediment, and fish tissue benchmarks and general guidance about their interpretation.
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants

How does the water quality measure up? It all depends on what the water will be used for and what contaminants are of interest. Water-quality benchmarks are designed to protect drinking water, recreation, aquatic life, and wildlife. Here you’ll find links to some of the most widely used sets of water, sediment, and fish tissue benchmarks and general guidance about their interpretation.
Learn More
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Image showing a schematic of the SPARROW model components

SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport

SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) models estimate the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources. Interactive, online SPARROW mapping tools allow for easy access to explore relations between human activities, natural processes, and...
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Gulf of Mexico
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SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport

SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) models estimate the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources. Interactive, online SPARROW mapping tools allow for easy access to explore relations between human activities, natural processes, and...
Learn More
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Landsat Image of Cyanobacteria

NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are caused by a complex set of physical, chemical, biological, hydrological, and meteorological conditions. Many unanswered questions remain about occurrence, environmental triggers for toxicity, and the ability to predict the timing, duration, and toxicity of HABs.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are caused by a complex set of physical, chemical, biological, hydrological, and meteorological conditions. Many unanswered questions remain about occurrence, environmental triggers for toxicity, and the ability to predict the timing, duration, and toxicity of HABs.
Learn More
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Water-quality sampling on the Missouri River

Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers – Current Conditions and Long-Term Trends

The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource, but pollution from urban and agricultural areas pose a threat to our water quality. To understand the value of water quality, and to more effectively manage and protect the Nation's water resources, it's critical that we know the current status of water-quality conditions, and how and why those conditions have been changing over time.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
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Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers – Current Conditions and Long-Term Trends

The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource, but pollution from urban and agricultural areas pose a threat to our water quality. To understand the value of water quality, and to more effectively manage and protect the Nation's water resources, it's critical that we know the current status of water-quality conditions, and how and why those conditions have been changing over time.
Learn More
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Graph estimates of agricultural pesticide use in the conterminous US

Pesticides and Water Quality

Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill pests, including insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides). The USGS assesses the occurrence and behavior of pesticides in streams, lakes, and groundwater and the potential for pesticides to contaminate our drinking-water supplies or harm aquatic ecosystems.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Pesticides and Water Quality

Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill pests, including insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides). The USGS assesses the occurrence and behavior of pesticides in streams, lakes, and groundwater and the potential for pesticides to contaminate our drinking-water supplies or harm aquatic ecosystems.
Learn More
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The Chaudiere Dam diverts water from the Ottawa River, Canada

Streamflow Alteration

Humans, just like aquatic organisms, need water. Flood control, urban infrastructure, irrigation of agriculture, and myriad other ways we manage water affect the natural flow of streams and rivers. How do the ways we manage land and water affect the natural patterns of streamflow that ecosystems depend on?
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Streamflow Alteration

Humans, just like aquatic organisms, need water. Flood control, urban infrastructure, irrigation of agriculture, and myriad other ways we manage water affect the natural flow of streams and rivers. How do the ways we manage land and water affect the natural patterns of streamflow that ecosystems depend on?
Learn More
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Island near Durango, Colorado

Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)

The goals of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) are to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life (contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration) and to develop a better understanding of the relation of these stressors to ecological conditions in streams throughout the region.
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)

The goals of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) are to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life (contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration) and to develop a better understanding of the relation of these stressors to ecological conditions in streams throughout the region.
Learn More
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USGS employee collecting water quality sample at USGS gage 09359020 Animas River below Silverton, CO.

Water-Quality Trends

Is water quality getting better or worse? Answering this deceptively simple question has been a fundamental objective of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project’s research. Learn about trends in contaminants in the nation’s streams and rivers, trends in contaminants that collect in the bed sediment of streams and lakes, and changes in the quality of the nation’s groundwater.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Water-Quality Trends

Is water quality getting better or worse? Answering this deceptively simple question has been a fundamental objective of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project’s research. Learn about trends in contaminants in the nation’s streams and rivers, trends in contaminants that collect in the bed sediment of streams and lakes, and changes in the quality of the nation’s groundwater.
Learn More
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Examining sediment core

Sediment-Associated Contaminants

Stream, river, and lake bed sediment are reservoirs for many contaminants. These contaminants include some “legacy” contaminants, like DDT, PCBs, and chlordane, and chemicals currently in use, like the insecticide bifenthrin and many flame retardants. Learn about techniques used to study sediment-associated contaminants and their importance to aquatic biota.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Sediment-Associated Contaminants

Stream, river, and lake bed sediment are reservoirs for many contaminants. These contaminants include some “legacy” contaminants, like DDT, PCBs, and chlordane, and chemicals currently in use, like the insecticide bifenthrin and many flame retardants. Learn about techniques used to study sediment-associated contaminants and their importance to aquatic biota.
Learn More
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Sampling during ecological surveys as part of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment

Stream Ecology

Who lives in your stream? Rivers and streams, even small ones, are teeming with a vast number of species, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae. Stream ecology is the study of those aquatic species, the way they interrelate, and their interactions with all aspects of these flowing water systems.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Stream Ecology

Who lives in your stream? Rivers and streams, even small ones, are teeming with a vast number of species, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae. Stream ecology is the study of those aquatic species, the way they interrelate, and their interactions with all aspects of these flowing water systems.
Learn More

Access USGS data on surface-water quality and ecology using the links below. 

Explore more data releases at Science Base
Filter Total Items: 22

Data and model archive for multiple linear regression models for prediction of weighted cyanotoxin mixture concentrations and microcystin concentrations at three recurring bloom sites in Kabetogama Lake in Minnesota

Multiple linear regression models were developed using data collected in 2016 and 2017 from three recurring bloom sites in Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota. These models were developed to predict concentrations of cyanotoxins (anatoxin-a, microcystin, and saxitoxin) that occur within the blooms. Virtual Beach software (version 3.0.6) was used to develop four models: two cyanotoxin mixture (MI
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Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Concentrations of Pesticide, Pharmaceutical, and Organic Wastewater Contaminants from a Multi-Regional Assessment of Wadeable USA Streams, 2014-17

Human-use pharmaceutical, pesticide, and wastewater indicator compounds were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water Quality Laboratory, Denver, Colorado, in wadeable streams in 4 Regional Stream Quality Assessments: Northeast (NESQA), Southeast (SESQA), Pacific Northwest (PNSQA) and California (CSQA). Multiple (with few exceptions) samplings occurred at each site, during base flow,
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South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Pesticide and transformation product concentrations and risk quotients in U.S. headwater streams

This dataset includes a subset of previously released pesticide data (Morace and others, 2020) from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) project and the corresponding hazard index results calculated using the R package toxEval, which are relevant to Mahler and others, 2020. Pesticide and transformation product
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Data set for an ecological risk assessment of Firpronil compounds in US streams

The phenylpyrazole insecticide fipronil and its degradates are a potential surface-water contaminant and toxicant to nontarget species such as aquatic macroinvertebrates. To better understand how fipronil, fipronil sulfide, fipronil sulfone, desulfinyl fipronil, and fipronil amide affect aquatic communities, a 30-day mesocosm experiment was run. Rock trays were colonized with natural benthic commu
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Colorado Water Science Center

Dissolved Pesticides in Weekly Water Samples from the NAWQA Regional Stream Quality Assessments (2013-2017)

Dissolved pesticides were measured in weekly water samples from 482 wadeable streams in five regions of the United States during 2013-2017, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA). One study was conducted each year, starting with the Midwest (2013), followed by the Southeast Piedmont (2014), Pacific Northwest (2015), Northeast (2016), and Central Ca
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Oregon Water Science Center

Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) and maximum Toxic Unit (TUmax) scores and information for fish, cladocerans, and benthic invertebrates from water samples collected at National Water Quality Network sites during Water Years 2013-2017

During 2013-2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, collected water samples year-round from the National Water Quality Network - Rivers and Streams (NWQN) and reported on 221 pesticides at 72 sites across the US in agricultural, developed, and mixed land use watersheds. Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) scores, a screening-level tool that uses an additive,
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Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Concentrations of pesticides associated with streambed sediment and biofilm in California streams, 2017

Hydrophobic (sediment-associated) pesticides were measured in sediment samples collected from 82 wadeable streams and in biofilm in 54 of those streams in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains ecoregion.115 current-use and 3 legacy pesticides were measured in stream sediment; 93 of the current-use pesticides and the same 3 legacy pesticides were measured in biofilm. On average 4 t

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Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Urban sediment and fallout radionuclide input characteristics of Dead Run watershed in Catonsville, Maryland for 2017-2018 (ver. 1.1, March 2020)

This metadata record documents two comma delimited tables that contain information on fallout radionuclides and urban sediments within Dead Run watershed in Catonsville, Baltimore County, Maryland. Measurements include radiological activity for rainwater and sediment samples, sediment particle size information, suspended sediment concentration measurements, elemental composition of sediments, and
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Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

Pesticides in Daily and Weekly Water Samples from the NAWQA Midwest and Southeast Stream Quality Assessments (2013-2014)

These datasets are one component of the multistressor studies conducted in Midwest streams in 2013 (MSQA) and in Southeast streams in 2014 (SESQA) by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Project. High-frequency small-volume autosamplers were deployed at 7 sites each in MSQA and SESQA that collected daily and weekly composite water samples, which were analyzed for 225 pestic
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Oregon Water Science Center

Estimating the presence of paved surface parking lots in the conterminous U.S. from land use coefficients for 1974, 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012

Parking lots may be a significant source of pollution. Oil, sediments, and heavy metals may accumulate on their surface, then be flushed into rivers, streams, and lakes via rainfall. At present no dataset provides a mapping or estimation of parking lot area or locations nationwide. This product consists of a time series of five national 60-meter raster datasets which estimate the proportion of eac
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

Water-quality trends and trend component estimates for the Nation's rivers and streams using Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) models and generalized flow normalization, 1972-2012

Nonstationary streamflow due to environmental and human-induced causes can affect water quality over time, yet these effects are poorly accounted for in water-quality trend models. This data release provides instream water-quality trends and estimates of two components of change, for sites across the Nation previously presented in Oelsner et al. (2017). We used previously calibrated Weighted Regre
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Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

Changes in anthropogenic influences on streams and rivers in the conterminous U.S. over the last 40 years, derived for 16 data themes

This product consists of time-series calculations of anthropogenic characteristics derived for 16 data themes for multiple scales covering the conterminous United States. The characteristics are those which (a) have consistent data sources, and (b) have the potential to affect the water quality of streams and rivers. All 16 data themes are provided for Hydrologic Unit Code level-10 (HUC-10) bounda
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

Below, you’ll find the latest in peer-reviewed journal articles and USGS reports on water-quality issues in streams and rivers. 

Search the USGS Publications Warehouse

Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality

Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and longterm economic,
Authors
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Water Science School
Filter Total Items: 49

Inclusion of pesticide transformation products is key to estimating pesticide exposures and effects in small U.S. streams

Improved analytical methods can quantify hundreds of pesticide transformation products (TPs), but understanding of TP occurrence and potential toxicity in aquatic ecosystems remains limited. We quantified 108 parent pesticides and 116 TPs in more than 3 700 samples from 442 small streams in mostly urban basins across five major regions of the United States. TPs were detected nearly as frequently a
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Mark W. Sandstrom, Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Christopher Konrad, Peter Van Metre
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Washington Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory

Cyanotoxin mixture models: Relating environmental variables and toxin co-occurrence to human exposure risk

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms, often containing multiple toxins, are a serious public health issue. However, there are no known models that predict a cyanotoxin mixture (anatoxin-a, microcystin, saxitoxin). This paper presents two cyanotoxin mixture models (MIX) and compares them to two microcystin (MC) models from data collected in 2016–2017 from three recurring cyanobacterial bloom locations in Ka

Authors
Victoria Christensen, Erin A. Stelzer, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Hayley T. Olds, Jaime F. LeDuc, Ryan P. Maki, Jack E. Norland, Eakalak Khan
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

Nitrogen and phosphorus sources and delivery from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin: An update using 2012 SPARROW models

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) have been linked to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia and water‐quality problems throughout the MARB. To describe N and P loading throughout the MARB, SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models were previously developed based on nutrient inputs and management similar to 1992 and
Authors
Dale M. Robertson, David A. Saad
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mississippi River

Multi-region assessment of chemical mixture exposures and predicted cumulative effects in USA wadeable urban/agriculture-gradient streams

Chemical-contaminant mixtures are widely reported in large stream reaches in urban/agriculture-developed watersheds, but mixture compositions and aggregate biological effects are less well understood in corresponding smaller headwaters, which comprise most of stream length, riparian connectivity, and spatial biodiversity. During 2014–2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured 389 unique orga

Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Kristin M. Romanok, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Daniel T. Button, Daren M. Carlisle, Bradley Huffman, Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Sharon L. Qi, Kelly L. Smalling, Ian R. Waite, Peter C. Van Metre
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Changing climate drives future streamflow declines and challenges in meeting water demand across the southwestern United States

Society and the environment in the arid southwestern United States depend on reliable water availability, yet current water use outpaces supply. Water demand is projected to grow in the future and climate change is expected to reduce supply. To adapt, water managers need robust estimates of future regional water supply to support management decisions. To address this need, we estimate future strea
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Annie L. Putman, Jay R. Alder, Matthew P. Miller, Daniel Jones, Daniel Wise
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Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Utah Water Science Center

Nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions as an indicator of legacy nitrate

Winter low‐flow (LF) conditions in streams provide a potential opportunity to evaluate the importance of legacy nitrate in catchments due to the dominance of slow‐flow transport pathways and lowered biotic activity. In this study, the concentration, flux, and trend of nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions were analyzed at 320 sites in the conterminous United States. LF flow‐normaliz
Authors
Henry M. Johnson, Edward G. Stets
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center

Biofilms provide new insight into pesticide occurrence in streams and links to aquatic ecological communities

Streambed sediment is commonly analyzed to assess occurrence of hydrophobic pesticides and risks to aquatic communities. However, stream biofilms also have the potential to accumulate pesticides and may be consumed by aquatic organisms. To better characterize risks to aquatic life, the U.S. Geological Survey Regional Stream Quality Assessment measured 93 current-use and 3 legacy pesticides in bed
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Travis S. Schmidt, Lisa H. Nowell, Sharon L. Qi, Peter C. Van Metre, Michelle Hladik, Daren M. Carlisle, Mark D. Munn, Jason May
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Landscape drivers of dynamic change in water quality of US rivers

Water security is a top concern for social well-being and dramatic changes in the availability of freshwater have occurred as a result of human uses and landscape management. Elevated nutrient loading and perturbations to major ion composition have resulted from human activities and have degraded freshwater resources. This study addresses the emerging nature of stream water quality in the 21st ce
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Lori A. Sprague, Gretchen P. Oelsner, Henry M. Johnson, Jennifer C. Murphy, Karen R. Ryberg, Aldo V. Vecchia, Robert E. Zuellig, James A. Falcone, Melissa L. Riskin
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Jersey Water Science Center

Changing suspended sediment in United States rivers and streams: Linking sediment trends to changes in land use/cover, hydrology and climate

Sediment is one of the leading pollutants in rivers and streams across the United States (US) and the world. Between 1992 and 2012, concentrations of annual mean suspended sediment decreased at over half of the 137 stream sites assessed across the contiguous US. Increases occurred at less than 25 % of the sites, and the direction of change was uncertain at the remaining 25 %. Sediment trends were
Authors
Jennifer C. Murphy
By
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

Causal factors for pesticide trends in streams of the United States: Atrazine and deethylatrazine

Pesticides are important for agriculture in the United States, and atrazine is one of the most widely used and widely detected pesticides in surface water. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which atrazine and its degradation product, deethylatrazine, increase and decrease in surface waters can help inform future decisions for water-quality improvement. This study considers causal factors
Authors
Karen R. Ryberg, Wesley W. Stone, Nancy T. Baker
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Multi-region assessment of pharmaceutical exposures and predicted effects in USA wadeable urban-gradient streams

Human-use pharmaceuticals in urban streams link aquatic-ecosystem health to human health. Pharmaceutical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams due to historical emphasis on wastewater-treatment plant (WWTP) sources, with limited investigation of pharmaceutical exposures and potential effects in smaller headwater streams. In 2014–2017, the United States Geological Survey measured 111
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Daniel T. Button, Daren Carlisle, B. J. Huffman, Sharon L. Qi, Kristin M. Romanok, Peter C. Van Metre
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Cyanotoxin occurrence in large rivers of the United States

Cyanotoxins occur in rivers worldwide but are understudied in lotic ecosystems relative to lakes and reservoirs. Eleven large river sites located throughout the United States were sampled during June–September 2017 to determine the occurrence of cyanobacteria with known cyanotoxin-producing strains, cyanotoxin synthetase genes, and cyanotoxins. Chlorophyll-a concentrations spanned the range from o

Authors
Jennifer L. Graham, Neil Dubrovsky, Guy Foster, Lindsey R. King, Keith Loftin, Barry Rosen, Erin Stelzer
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Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

RSPARROW

RSPARROW, now available on the USGS GitLab repository, provides the first open-source version of the USGS SPARROW water-quality model

By
Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

SPARROW Modeling Program

SPARROW is a popular watershed modeling technique, distributed by the USGS, that estimates the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources.

By
Water Resources Mission Area
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Ecological survey of an urban stream during NESQA

Isotopic tracers in fish in Northeast provide clue to mercury sources

Isotopes of mercury in fish can indicate the source of that mercury, reports a new study from the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment. 

By
Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
Filter Total Items: 25
Nitrate loads entering the Gulf of Mexico have not changed despite reductions at local scales

Nitrate loads entering the Gulf of Mexico have not changed despite reductions at local scales

Reducing delivery of nitrate to the Gulf of Mexico is critical to decreasing the size of the “dead zone”—an area of hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen...

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New USGS online tools for watershed managers

New USGS online tools for watershed managers

SPARROW models, tools, and maps of streamflow, nutrients, and sediment for streams in five major U.S. regions

Read Article
What's In Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!

What's In Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!

A new update to an online interactive tool for learning about pesticides, nutrients, and overall stream health in major regions of the U.S. is...

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Estimates of areal extent of U.S. parking lots now available

Estimates of areal extent of U.S. parking lots now available

Parking lots may be a significant source of pollution, but up until now there has been no quantitative estimate of the areal extent of parking lots in...

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Sampling design brings insights to changing stream quality

Sampling design brings insights to changing stream quality

How does the choice of sampling approach affect our perception of whether water quality in streams and rivers has changed over time? A new joint U.S...

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Massive changes over last 50 years in human influences that affect water quality

Massive changes over last 50 years in human influences that affect water quality

Some of the major human influences on water quality, in particular the ways we use land, water, and chemicals, have undergone dramatic changes over...

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First-of-its-kind Interactive Map Brings Together 40 Years of Water-Quality Data

First-of-its-kind Interactive Map Brings Together 40 Years of Water-Quality Data

USGS provides a long-term look at changes in the quality of our nation’s rivers and streams

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The Challenge of Tracking Nutrient Pollution 2,300 Miles

The Challenge of Tracking Nutrient Pollution 2,300 Miles

Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients—yet too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. Scientists are investigating nutrient...

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Nation’s River Quality Data Could Power Deeper Science Insights

Nation’s River Quality Data Could Power Deeper Science Insights

Challenges remain in combining data from multiple organizations

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The Science of Harmful Algal Blooms

The Science of Harmful Algal Blooms

Building knowledge to protect ecological and human health

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Common Insecticide Identified in Midwestern Streams

Common Insecticide Identified in Midwestern Streams

Bifenthrin combats pests, but may harm aquatic ecosystems

Read Article
Rainfall Following Drought Linked to Historic Nitrate Levels in Some Midwest Streams in 2013

Rainfall Following Drought Linked to Historic Nitrate Levels in Some Midwest Streams in 2013

Highest concentrations found in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. 

Read Article

Research by the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project on water quality of rivers and streams covers a broad range of topics, from nonpoint pollution issues to vulnerability of aquatic ecosystems. Dive in and find out more about current water-quality conditions, how and where water quality is changing, and the latest information on pesticides, nutrients, and other contaminants.

Featured: Predicting Levels of Cyanotoxins From Real-Time Measurements

Cyanobacterial Bloom

A new study successfully predicts when mixtures of the toxins produced by these blooms in Kabetogama Lake, Voyageurs National Park, will exceed drinking-water guidelines.

Learn more

Featured: Pesticide Transformation Products in Small U.S. Streams

Creek with prominent bank stabilitzation work; traffic bridge and shopping centers in the background

Pesticide transformation products are ubiquitous in small U.S. streams, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey, and could be a missing piece to the toxicity puzzle for aquatic life in headwater streams.

Learn More

The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource—they provide drinking water for a growing population, irrigation for crops, habitat for aquatic life, and countless recreational opportunities.

 

NAWQA research on surface-water quality is focusing on three areas:

Explore NAWQA science on topics related to water quality in streams and rivers

Relations between land use and surface-water quality 

   Urban Land Use and Water Quality

   Agricultural Contaminants

Contaminants in surface water

   Nutrients and Eutrophication

   Pesticides and Water Quality

   Emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, and more)

   Sediment-associated contaminants (metals, pesticides, PAHs, and more)

   Coal-Tar-Based Pavement Sealcoat, PAHs, and Environmental Health

   Mercury

Relations to aquatic life

   Stream ecology

   Streamflow alteration

   NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Drinking water issues

   Drinking Water and Source Water Research

   Chloride, Salinity, and Dissolved Solids

   Corrosivity

   Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants

Trends in water quality

   Water-Quality Trends from Lake Sediment Cores

   Water-Quality Trends

 

How do we do it?  

Access USGS publications and manuals on National Water-Quality Project sampling methods.

 

Looking for information on groundwater quality as well?  

Explore these links:

   Groundwater Quality Research

   Groundwater/Surface-water Interaction

Learn about topics and projects related to surface-water quality.

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Drinking water from tap

Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants

How does the water quality measure up? It all depends on what the water will be used for and what contaminants are of interest. Water-quality benchmarks are designed to protect drinking water, recreation, aquatic life, and wildlife. Here you’ll find links to some of the most widely used sets of water, sediment, and fish tissue benchmarks and general guidance about their interpretation.
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Water-Quality Benchmarks for Contaminants

How does the water quality measure up? It all depends on what the water will be used for and what contaminants are of interest. Water-quality benchmarks are designed to protect drinking water, recreation, aquatic life, and wildlife. Here you’ll find links to some of the most widely used sets of water, sediment, and fish tissue benchmarks and general guidance about their interpretation.
Learn More
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Image showing a schematic of the SPARROW model components

SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport

SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) models estimate the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources. Interactive, online SPARROW mapping tools allow for easy access to explore relations between human activities, natural processes, and...
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Gulf of Mexico
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SPARROW modeling: Estimating nutrient, sediment, and dissolved solids transport

SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) models estimate the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources. Interactive, online SPARROW mapping tools allow for easy access to explore relations between human activities, natural processes, and...
Learn More
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Landsat Image of Cyanobacteria

NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are caused by a complex set of physical, chemical, biological, hydrological, and meteorological conditions. Many unanswered questions remain about occurrence, environmental triggers for toxicity, and the ability to predict the timing, duration, and toxicity of HABs.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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NWQP Research on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are caused by a complex set of physical, chemical, biological, hydrological, and meteorological conditions. Many unanswered questions remain about occurrence, environmental triggers for toxicity, and the ability to predict the timing, duration, and toxicity of HABs.
Learn More
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Water-quality sampling on the Missouri River

Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers – Current Conditions and Long-Term Trends

The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource, but pollution from urban and agricultural areas pose a threat to our water quality. To understand the value of water quality, and to more effectively manage and protect the Nation's water resources, it's critical that we know the current status of water-quality conditions, and how and why those conditions have been changing over time.
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Rivers – Current Conditions and Long-Term Trends

The Nation's rivers and streams are a priceless resource, but pollution from urban and agricultural areas pose a threat to our water quality. To understand the value of water quality, and to more effectively manage and protect the Nation's water resources, it's critical that we know the current status of water-quality conditions, and how and why those conditions have been changing over time.
Learn More
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Graph estimates of agricultural pesticide use in the conterminous US

Pesticides and Water Quality

Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill pests, including insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides). The USGS assesses the occurrence and behavior of pesticides in streams, lakes, and groundwater and the potential for pesticides to contaminate our drinking-water supplies or harm aquatic ecosystems.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Pesticides and Water Quality

Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill pests, including insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides). The USGS assesses the occurrence and behavior of pesticides in streams, lakes, and groundwater and the potential for pesticides to contaminate our drinking-water supplies or harm aquatic ecosystems.
Learn More
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The Chaudiere Dam diverts water from the Ottawa River, Canada

Streamflow Alteration

Humans, just like aquatic organisms, need water. Flood control, urban infrastructure, irrigation of agriculture, and myriad other ways we manage water affect the natural flow of streams and rivers. How do the ways we manage land and water affect the natural patterns of streamflow that ecosystems depend on?
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Streamflow Alteration

Humans, just like aquatic organisms, need water. Flood control, urban infrastructure, irrigation of agriculture, and myriad other ways we manage water affect the natural flow of streams and rivers. How do the ways we manage land and water affect the natural patterns of streamflow that ecosystems depend on?
Learn More
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Island near Durango, Colorado

Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)

The goals of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) are to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life (contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration) and to develop a better understanding of the relation of these stressors to ecological conditions in streams throughout the region.
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Water Resources Mission Area
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Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA)

The goals of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) are to characterize multiple water-quality factors that are stressors to aquatic life (contaminants, nutrients, sediment, and streamflow alteration) and to develop a better understanding of the relation of these stressors to ecological conditions in streams throughout the region.
Learn More
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USGS employee collecting water quality sample at USGS gage 09359020 Animas River below Silverton, CO.

Water-Quality Trends

Is water quality getting better or worse? Answering this deceptively simple question has been a fundamental objective of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project’s research. Learn about trends in contaminants in the nation’s streams and rivers, trends in contaminants that collect in the bed sediment of streams and lakes, and changes in the quality of the nation’s groundwater.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Water-Quality Trends

Is water quality getting better or worse? Answering this deceptively simple question has been a fundamental objective of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project’s research. Learn about trends in contaminants in the nation’s streams and rivers, trends in contaminants that collect in the bed sediment of streams and lakes, and changes in the quality of the nation’s groundwater.
Learn More
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Examining sediment core

Sediment-Associated Contaminants

Stream, river, and lake bed sediment are reservoirs for many contaminants. These contaminants include some “legacy” contaminants, like DDT, PCBs, and chlordane, and chemicals currently in use, like the insecticide bifenthrin and many flame retardants. Learn about techniques used to study sediment-associated contaminants and their importance to aquatic biota.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Sediment-Associated Contaminants

Stream, river, and lake bed sediment are reservoirs for many contaminants. These contaminants include some “legacy” contaminants, like DDT, PCBs, and chlordane, and chemicals currently in use, like the insecticide bifenthrin and many flame retardants. Learn about techniques used to study sediment-associated contaminants and their importance to aquatic biota.
Learn More
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Sampling during ecological surveys as part of the Regional Stream Quality Assessment

Stream Ecology

Who lives in your stream? Rivers and streams, even small ones, are teeming with a vast number of species, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae. Stream ecology is the study of those aquatic species, the way they interrelate, and their interactions with all aspects of these flowing water systems.
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
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Stream Ecology

Who lives in your stream? Rivers and streams, even small ones, are teeming with a vast number of species, including fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae. Stream ecology is the study of those aquatic species, the way they interrelate, and their interactions with all aspects of these flowing water systems.
Learn More

Access USGS data on surface-water quality and ecology using the links below. 

Explore more data releases at Science Base
Filter Total Items: 22

Data and model archive for multiple linear regression models for prediction of weighted cyanotoxin mixture concentrations and microcystin concentrations at three recurring bloom sites in Kabetogama Lake in Minnesota

Multiple linear regression models were developed using data collected in 2016 and 2017 from three recurring bloom sites in Kabetogama Lake in northern Minnesota. These models were developed to predict concentrations of cyanotoxins (anatoxin-a, microcystin, and saxitoxin) that occur within the blooms. Virtual Beach software (version 3.0.6) was used to develop four models: two cyanotoxin mixture (MI
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Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Concentrations of Pesticide, Pharmaceutical, and Organic Wastewater Contaminants from a Multi-Regional Assessment of Wadeable USA Streams, 2014-17

Human-use pharmaceutical, pesticide, and wastewater indicator compounds were analyzed at the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water Quality Laboratory, Denver, Colorado, in wadeable streams in 4 Regional Stream Quality Assessments: Northeast (NESQA), Southeast (SESQA), Pacific Northwest (PNSQA) and California (CSQA). Multiple (with few exceptions) samplings occurred at each site, during base flow,
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South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Pesticide and transformation product concentrations and risk quotients in U.S. headwater streams

This dataset includes a subset of previously released pesticide data (Morace and others, 2020) from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA) project and the corresponding hazard index results calculated using the R package toxEval, which are relevant to Mahler and others, 2020. Pesticide and transformation product
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Data set for an ecological risk assessment of Firpronil compounds in US streams

The phenylpyrazole insecticide fipronil and its degradates are a potential surface-water contaminant and toxicant to nontarget species such as aquatic macroinvertebrates. To better understand how fipronil, fipronil sulfide, fipronil sulfone, desulfinyl fipronil, and fipronil amide affect aquatic communities, a 30-day mesocosm experiment was run. Rock trays were colonized with natural benthic commu
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Colorado Water Science Center

Dissolved Pesticides in Weekly Water Samples from the NAWQA Regional Stream Quality Assessments (2013-2017)

Dissolved pesticides were measured in weekly water samples from 482 wadeable streams in five regions of the United States during 2013-2017, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Regional Stream Quality Assessment (RSQA). One study was conducted each year, starting with the Midwest (2013), followed by the Southeast Piedmont (2014), Pacific Northwest (2015), Northeast (2016), and Central Ca
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Oregon Water Science Center

Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) and maximum Toxic Unit (TUmax) scores and information for fish, cladocerans, and benthic invertebrates from water samples collected at National Water Quality Network sites during Water Years 2013-2017

During 2013-2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project, collected water samples year-round from the National Water Quality Network - Rivers and Streams (NWQN) and reported on 221 pesticides at 72 sites across the US in agricultural, developed, and mixed land use watersheds. Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI) scores, a screening-level tool that uses an additive,
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Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Concentrations of pesticides associated with streambed sediment and biofilm in California streams, 2017

Hydrophobic (sediment-associated) pesticides were measured in sediment samples collected from 82 wadeable streams and in biofilm in 54 of those streams in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains ecoregion.115 current-use and 3 legacy pesticides were measured in stream sediment; 93 of the current-use pesticides and the same 3 legacy pesticides were measured in biofilm. On average 4 t

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Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center

Urban sediment and fallout radionuclide input characteristics of Dead Run watershed in Catonsville, Maryland for 2017-2018 (ver. 1.1, March 2020)

This metadata record documents two comma delimited tables that contain information on fallout radionuclides and urban sediments within Dead Run watershed in Catonsville, Baltimore County, Maryland. Measurements include radiological activity for rainwater and sediment samples, sediment particle size information, suspended sediment concentration measurements, elemental composition of sediments, and
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Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

Pesticides in Daily and Weekly Water Samples from the NAWQA Midwest and Southeast Stream Quality Assessments (2013-2014)

These datasets are one component of the multistressor studies conducted in Midwest streams in 2013 (MSQA) and in Southeast streams in 2014 (SESQA) by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Project. High-frequency small-volume autosamplers were deployed at 7 sites each in MSQA and SESQA that collected daily and weekly composite water samples, which were analyzed for 225 pestic
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Oregon Water Science Center

Estimating the presence of paved surface parking lots in the conterminous U.S. from land use coefficients for 1974, 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012

Parking lots may be a significant source of pollution. Oil, sediments, and heavy metals may accumulate on their surface, then be flushed into rivers, streams, and lakes via rainfall. At present no dataset provides a mapping or estimation of parking lot area or locations nationwide. This product consists of a time series of five national 60-meter raster datasets which estimate the proportion of eac
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

Water-quality trends and trend component estimates for the Nation's rivers and streams using Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season (WRTDS) models and generalized flow normalization, 1972-2012

Nonstationary streamflow due to environmental and human-induced causes can affect water quality over time, yet these effects are poorly accounted for in water-quality trend models. This data release provides instream water-quality trends and estimates of two components of change, for sites across the Nation previously presented in Oelsner et al. (2017). We used previously calibrated Weighted Regre
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Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

Changes in anthropogenic influences on streams and rivers in the conterminous U.S. over the last 40 years, derived for 16 data themes

This product consists of time-series calculations of anthropogenic characteristics derived for 16 data themes for multiple scales covering the conterminous United States. The characteristics are those which (a) have consistent data sources, and (b) have the potential to affect the water quality of streams and rivers. All 16 data themes are provided for Hydrologic Unit Code level-10 (HUC-10) bounda
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Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

Below, you’ll find the latest in peer-reviewed journal articles and USGS reports on water-quality issues in streams and rivers. 

Search the USGS Publications Warehouse

Agriculture — A river runs through it — The connections between agriculture and water quality

Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and longterm economic,
Authors
Paul D. Capel, Kathleen A. McCarthy, Richard H. Coupe, Katia M. Grey, Sheila E. Amenumey, Nancy T. Baker, Richard L. Johnson
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Water Science School
Filter Total Items: 49

Inclusion of pesticide transformation products is key to estimating pesticide exposures and effects in small U.S. streams

Improved analytical methods can quantify hundreds of pesticide transformation products (TPs), but understanding of TP occurrence and potential toxicity in aquatic ecosystems remains limited. We quantified 108 parent pesticides and 116 TPs in more than 3 700 samples from 442 small streams in mostly urban basins across five major regions of the United States. TPs were detected nearly as frequently a
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Mark W. Sandstrom, Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Christopher Konrad, Peter Van Metre
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Washington Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory

Cyanotoxin mixture models: Relating environmental variables and toxin co-occurrence to human exposure risk

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms, often containing multiple toxins, are a serious public health issue. However, there are no known models that predict a cyanotoxin mixture (anatoxin-a, microcystin, saxitoxin). This paper presents two cyanotoxin mixture models (MIX) and compares them to two microcystin (MC) models from data collected in 2016–2017 from three recurring cyanobacterial bloom locations in Ka

Authors
Victoria Christensen, Erin A. Stelzer, Barbara C. Scudder Eikenberry, Hayley T. Olds, Jaime F. LeDuc, Ryan P. Maki, Jack E. Norland, Eakalak Khan
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

Nitrogen and phosphorus sources and delivery from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin: An update using 2012 SPARROW models

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs throughout the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) have been linked to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia and water‐quality problems throughout the MARB. To describe N and P loading throughout the MARB, SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models were previously developed based on nutrient inputs and management similar to 1992 and
Authors
Dale M. Robertson, David A. Saad
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Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Mississippi River

Multi-region assessment of chemical mixture exposures and predicted cumulative effects in USA wadeable urban/agriculture-gradient streams

Chemical-contaminant mixtures are widely reported in large stream reaches in urban/agriculture-developed watersheds, but mixture compositions and aggregate biological effects are less well understood in corresponding smaller headwaters, which comprise most of stream length, riparian connectivity, and spatial biodiversity. During 2014–2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured 389 unique orga

Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Kristin M. Romanok, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Daniel T. Button, Daren M. Carlisle, Bradley Huffman, Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Sharon L. Qi, Kelly L. Smalling, Ian R. Waite, Peter C. Van Metre
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Changing climate drives future streamflow declines and challenges in meeting water demand across the southwestern United States

Society and the environment in the arid southwestern United States depend on reliable water availability, yet current water use outpaces supply. Water demand is projected to grow in the future and climate change is expected to reduce supply. To adapt, water managers need robust estimates of future regional water supply to support management decisions. To address this need, we estimate future strea
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Annie L. Putman, Jay R. Alder, Matthew P. Miller, Daniel Jones, Daniel Wise
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Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Utah Water Science Center

Nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions as an indicator of legacy nitrate

Winter low‐flow (LF) conditions in streams provide a potential opportunity to evaluate the importance of legacy nitrate in catchments due to the dominance of slow‐flow transport pathways and lowered biotic activity. In this study, the concentration, flux, and trend of nitrate in streams during winter low‐flow conditions were analyzed at 320 sites in the conterminous United States. LF flow‐normaliz
Authors
Henry M. Johnson, Edward G. Stets
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center

Biofilms provide new insight into pesticide occurrence in streams and links to aquatic ecological communities

Streambed sediment is commonly analyzed to assess occurrence of hydrophobic pesticides and risks to aquatic communities. However, stream biofilms also have the potential to accumulate pesticides and may be consumed by aquatic organisms. To better characterize risks to aquatic life, the U.S. Geological Survey Regional Stream Quality Assessment measured 93 current-use and 3 legacy pesticides in bed
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Travis S. Schmidt, Lisa H. Nowell, Sharon L. Qi, Peter C. Van Metre, Michelle Hladik, Daren M. Carlisle, Mark D. Munn, Jason May
By
Water Resources Mission Area

Landscape drivers of dynamic change in water quality of US rivers

Water security is a top concern for social well-being and dramatic changes in the availability of freshwater have occurred as a result of human uses and landscape management. Elevated nutrient loading and perturbations to major ion composition have resulted from human activities and have degraded freshwater resources. This study addresses the emerging nature of stream water quality in the 21st ce
Authors
Edward G. Stets, Lori A. Sprague, Gretchen P. Oelsner, Henry M. Johnson, Jennifer C. Murphy, Karen R. Ryberg, Aldo V. Vecchia, Robert E. Zuellig, James A. Falcone, Melissa L. Riskin
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Jersey Water Science Center

Changing suspended sediment in United States rivers and streams: Linking sediment trends to changes in land use/cover, hydrology and climate

Sediment is one of the leading pollutants in rivers and streams across the United States (US) and the world. Between 1992 and 2012, concentrations of annual mean suspended sediment decreased at over half of the 137 stream sites assessed across the contiguous US. Increases occurred at less than 25 % of the sites, and the direction of change was uncertain at the remaining 25 %. Sediment trends were
Authors
Jennifer C. Murphy
By
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

Causal factors for pesticide trends in streams of the United States: Atrazine and deethylatrazine

Pesticides are important for agriculture in the United States, and atrazine is one of the most widely used and widely detected pesticides in surface water. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which atrazine and its degradation product, deethylatrazine, increase and decrease in surface waters can help inform future decisions for water-quality improvement. This study considers causal factors
Authors
Karen R. Ryberg, Wesley W. Stone, Nancy T. Baker
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Multi-region assessment of pharmaceutical exposures and predicted effects in USA wadeable urban-gradient streams

Human-use pharmaceuticals in urban streams link aquatic-ecosystem health to human health. Pharmaceutical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams due to historical emphasis on wastewater-treatment plant (WWTP) sources, with limited investigation of pharmaceutical exposures and potential effects in smaller headwater streams. In 2014–2017, the United States Geological Survey measured 111
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Celeste A. Journey, Daniel T. Button, Daren Carlisle, B. J. Huffman, Sharon L. Qi, Kristin M. Romanok, Peter C. Van Metre
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

Cyanotoxin occurrence in large rivers of the United States

Cyanotoxins occur in rivers worldwide but are understudied in lotic ecosystems relative to lakes and reservoirs. Eleven large river sites located throughout the United States were sampled during June–September 2017 to determine the occurrence of cyanobacteria with known cyanotoxin-producing strains, cyanotoxin synthetase genes, and cyanotoxins. Chlorophyll-a concentrations spanned the range from o

Authors
Jennifer L. Graham, Neil Dubrovsky, Guy Foster, Lindsey R. King, Keith Loftin, Barry Rosen, Erin Stelzer
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Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

RSPARROW

RSPARROW, now available on the USGS GitLab repository, provides the first open-source version of the USGS SPARROW water-quality model

By
Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program

SPARROW Modeling Program

SPARROW is a popular watershed modeling technique, distributed by the USGS, that estimates the amount of a contaminant transported from inland watersheds to larger water bodies by linking monitoring data with information on watershed characteristics and contaminant sources.

By
Water Resources Mission Area
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Ecological survey of an urban stream during NESQA

Isotopic tracers in fish in Northeast provide clue to mercury sources

Isotopes of mercury in fish can indicate the source of that mercury, reports a new study from the USGS Regional Stream Quality Assessment. 

By
Water Resources Mission Area, National Water Quality Program
Filter Total Items: 25
Nitrate loads entering the Gulf of Mexico have not changed despite reductions at local scales

Nitrate loads entering the Gulf of Mexico have not changed despite reductions at local scales

Reducing delivery of nitrate to the Gulf of Mexico is critical to decreasing the size of the “dead zone”—an area of hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen...

Read Article
New USGS online tools for watershed managers

New USGS online tools for watershed managers

SPARROW models, tools, and maps of streamflow, nutrients, and sediment for streams in five major U.S. regions

Read Article
What's In Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!

What's In Your Stream? Get Online to Find Out!

A new update to an online interactive tool for learning about pesticides, nutrients, and overall stream health in major regions of the U.S. is...

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Estimates of areal extent of U.S. parking lots now available

Estimates of areal extent of U.S. parking lots now available

Parking lots may be a significant source of pollution, but up until now there has been no quantitative estimate of the areal extent of parking lots in...

Read Article
Sampling design brings insights to changing stream quality

Sampling design brings insights to changing stream quality

How does the choice of sampling approach affect our perception of whether water quality in streams and rivers has changed over time? A new joint U.S...

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Massive changes over last 50 years in human influences that affect water quality

Massive changes over last 50 years in human influences that affect water quality

Some of the major human influences on water quality, in particular the ways we use land, water, and chemicals, have undergone dramatic changes over...

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First-of-its-kind Interactive Map Brings Together 40 Years of Water-Quality Data

First-of-its-kind Interactive Map Brings Together 40 Years of Water-Quality Data

USGS provides a long-term look at changes in the quality of our nation’s rivers and streams

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The Challenge of Tracking Nutrient Pollution 2,300 Miles

The Challenge of Tracking Nutrient Pollution 2,300 Miles

Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients—yet too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. Scientists are investigating nutrient...

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Nation’s River Quality Data Could Power Deeper Science Insights

Nation’s River Quality Data Could Power Deeper Science Insights

Challenges remain in combining data from multiple organizations

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The Science of Harmful Algal Blooms

The Science of Harmful Algal Blooms

Building knowledge to protect ecological and human health

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Common Insecticide Identified in Midwestern Streams

Common Insecticide Identified in Midwestern Streams

Bifenthrin combats pests, but may harm aquatic ecosystems

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Rainfall Following Drought Linked to Historic Nitrate Levels in Some Midwest Streams in 2013

Rainfall Following Drought Linked to Historic Nitrate Levels in Some Midwest Streams in 2013

Highest concentrations found in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. 

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