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Pennsylvania Water Science Center

We work in cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies to collect scientific data and conduct scientific studies of the source, quantity, quality, ecology, and use of Pennsylvania's water resources.

News

Pennsylvania Waters - Spring 2025 - Issue 14

Drought Watch/Warning Continues for 29 Pennsylvania Counties

Drought Watch/Warning Continues for 29 Pennsylvania Counties

York County Water Quality Monitoring

York County Water Quality Monitoring

Publications

A geospatial analysis of water-quality threats from orphan wells in principal and secondary aquifers of the United States

Throughout the history of oil and gas production in the United States, millions of wells have been drilled for exploration and energy production. Hundreds of thousands of unplugged wells are no longer actively producing and are currently under orphan status, with no responsible party obligated for plugging. Orphan wells can pose threats to water resources by providing pathways for...
Authors
Joshua C. Woda, Karl B. Haase, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Kalle Jahn, Kristina Marie Gutchess

Tapwater exposures, residential risk, and mitigation in a PFAS-impacted-groundwater community

Tapwater (TW) safety and sustainability are priorities in the United States. Per/polyfluoroalkyl substance(s) (PFAS) contamination is a growing public-health concern due to prolific use, widespread TW exposures, and mounting human-health concerns. Historically-rural, actively-urbanizing communities that rely on surficial-aquifer private wells incur elevated risks of unrecognized TW...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Lee Donahue, Mark P. Gaikowski, Randy K. Hines, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Stephanie Gordon, Keith Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Shannon M. Meppelink, Molly L. Schreiner

Time of travel of releases from Lake Wallenpaupack to the U.S. Geological Survey’s streamgage monitoring location on the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey

In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) carried out a hydraulic study within the upper Delaware River Basin for the purpose of determining the time of travel for water releases from the Brookfield Renewable U.S. hydroelectric plant at Lake Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania, to reach the USGS streamgage located on the Delaware River at Montague, New Jersey (site number 01438500). From...
Authors
Jaclynne Polcino, John J. Trainor, Jerilyn V. Collenburg

Science

Three Rivers Region Water Quality Monitoring with Allegheny County Sanitary Authority

USGS, in cooperation with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN), is monitoring water quality changes related to wastewater infrastructure improvements in the Three Rivers region in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Three Rivers Region Water Quality Monitoring with Allegheny County Sanitary Authority

USGS, in cooperation with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN), is monitoring water quality changes related to wastewater infrastructure improvements in the Three Rivers region in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Shale Gas and Water Resources in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Water Science Center and other USGS scientists are studying water availability, use, quality, and ecology associated with development of shale-gas energy resources in Pennsylvania.
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Shale Gas and Water Resources in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Water Science Center and other USGS scientists are studying water availability, use, quality, and ecology associated with development of shale-gas energy resources in Pennsylvania.
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Informing Chesapeake Bay Watershed Management by Monitoring Trends in River Nutrient and Sediment Loads

The USGS has computed nutrient and suspended-sediment loads and trends through water year 2023 in Chesapeake Bay rivers. These monitoring-based estimates help federal, state, and local managers evaluate and plan water-quality restoration strategies.
link

Informing Chesapeake Bay Watershed Management by Monitoring Trends in River Nutrient and Sediment Loads

The USGS has computed nutrient and suspended-sediment loads and trends through water year 2023 in Chesapeake Bay rivers. These monitoring-based estimates help federal, state, and local managers evaluate and plan water-quality restoration strategies.
Learn More
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