Water Quality and Ecology

What is a Super Gage? A gage at which continuous flow and water level are determined, along with continuous traditional water-quality (water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, and/or turbidity) and either of the following criteria: at least one other less-traditional continuous water-quality parameter (orthophosphate, nitrate concentration) and/or where surrogates (developed...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anthropogenic emerging contaminants. Some PFAS have been voluntarily phased out, as exposure has been linked to adverse human health effects.

Most rural residents in Pennsylvania use groundwater from domestic supply wells for drinking, cleaning and other purposes. Some groundwater samples have been analyzed for private purposes, but those results generally are not readily available to the public. Many of the publicly available water-quality samples from rural areas were collected more than 30 years ago. Quality-assured groundwater...

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.

Pennsylvania’s Statewide Surface Water-Quality Monitoring Network (WQN) currently consists of 124 sites that are sampled between 6 and 20 times a year. Chemical analysis includes nutrient, major ions, and selected metals. Pesticide sampling is conducted twice a year at 5 locations. Biological sampling for benthic macroinvertebrates is conducted annually at 80 sites. The WQN was established to...

Newly developed PHREEQ-N-AMDTreat water-quality prediction tools indicate potential changes in pH, dissolved metals, and associated solute concentrations resulting from passive and active treatment of coal-mine drainage.

The U.S. Geological Survey is collaborating with State and local partners to develop models that provide real-time estimates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) (for pathogens) and (or) microcystin (for freshwater cyanotoxins) levels at Great Lakes beaches and drinking-water intakes.

USGS and Pennsylvania Geological Survey analyzed rock cuttings, geophysical logs, water quality, water-bearing zones, gas-isotope, and other data from deep test holes drilled in fractured bedrock in north-central Pennsylvania. The results of this study helped to quantify the depth and character of fresh and saline groundwater in areas of shale-gas exploration and development.

The USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center conducts research on geochemical and hydrological processes that control water quality, including the sources, transport, and attenuation of metals and nutrients in undisturbed and mining-impacted watersheds and aquifers. Results apply to scientific and regulatory programs for the prevention and remediation of aquatic contamination.

Since 2019, the USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center has been cooperating with York County, Pennsylvania to implement in-stream monitoring to produce surrogate regression equations to compute, in real time, the concentration and load of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and suspended sediment for 6 major watersheds in York County, Pennsylvania. This partnership provides the York County Planning...

In partnership with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Susquehanna River Basin Commission, rigorous and innovative PFAS sampling techniques were created for low-level detections.

Water-Quality Monitoring