Ken Belitz
Kenneth Belitz is a research hydrologist with the Earth Systems Processes Division of the USGS Water Resources Mission Area.
As a USGS scientist, Ken has simultaneously conducted hydrogeologic research and provided leadership for scientific teams addressing practical problems. He is currently the manager for the National Extent Hydrogeologic Framework project. The objective of the work is to develop a three-dimensional digital representation of the subsurface of the United States. The framework will be used in support of Integrated Water Availability Assessments.
Ken has previously led two large USGS groundwater assessment efforts: He was the lead scientist and manager of the Groundwater Ambient and Monitoring Assessment (GAMA) Program, designed to assess the quality of California’s groundwater; and he was the Chief for Groundwater Assessments for the 3rd decade of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Together, these efforts represent ~$150 million of data collection and scientific interpretation. The GAMA and NAWQA groundwater teams published ~230 USGS reports and journal articles, and the findings have been widely covered in both the print and broadcast media.
Ken is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, and was the 2023 Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer. His papers have nearly 10,000 citations.
Professional Experience
2021-present: Research Hydrologist, Earth Systems Processes Division, USGS Water Mission Area
2012-2021: Chief for Groundwater Assessment (Supervisory Hydrologist), USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program.
2003-2012: Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Chief (Supervisory Research Hydrologist), CA Water Science Center, USGS, San Diego.
1998-2003: Project Chief and Research Hydrologist, Santa Ana Basin Study Unit, USGS NAWQA Program, CA Water Science Center, San Diego
1997-1998: Associate Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, City University of NY
1990-1997: Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
1990-1998: Research Hydrologist, intermittent appointment, USGS
1985-1990: Hydrologist and Research Hydrologist, San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program, California District, Water Resources Division, USGS.
1988-1990: Consulting Professor, Applied Earth Sciences, Stanford University
Spring 1985: Visiting Lecturer, Earth Sciences, University of California-Santa Cruz
1981-1985: Hydrologist-student appointment, Water Resources Division, USGS, Menlo Park, CA
1980-1983: Teaching Assistant, Stanford University
Summer 1980: Geological Assistant, Chevron USA/Alaska Division, San Francisco, CA.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Hydrogeology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
B.S. Geology, Honors, State University of New York at Binghamton
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America (Fellow)
American Geophysical Union
National Ground Water Association
Sigma Xi (Scientific Research Society)
Honors and Awards
Birdsall-Dreiss Distinguished Lecturer, Geological Society of America Hydrogeology Division, 2023
USGS Office of Groundwater, Best Paper Award, 2010. Co-recipient.
Kevin J. Neese Award, Groundwater Resources Association of California, 2009. Co-recipient.
USGS Western Region Excellence in Science Award, 2004
USGS Water Resources Division Research Lecturer, 2001
Fellow, 1996, Geological Society of America
Phi Beta Kappa, 1979, State University of New York at Binghamton
Ralph E. Digman Prize for Excellence in Geology, 1979, SUNY - Binghamton
Graduation with Academic Honors, 1979, SUNY – Binghamton
New York State Regents Scholarship, 1975-1979
Scholarship, International Ladies Garment Workers Union, 1975-1979
Eagle Scout, Bronx, NY, 1974
Science and Products
Data for Assessing the Lead Solubility Potential of Untreated Groundwater of the United States
Domestic well locations and populations served in the contiguous U.S.: datasets for decadal years 2000 and 2010
Laboratory Quality-Control Data Associated with Groundwater Samples Collected for Hormones and Pharmaceuticals by the National Water-Quality Assessment Project in 2013-15
Environmental and Quality-Control Data Collected by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project for Hormones and Pharmaceuticals in Groundwater Used as a Source of Drinking Water Across the United States, 2013-15
Data for Elevated Manganese Concentrations in United States Groundwater, Role of Land Surface-Soil-Aquifer Connections
California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project Study Areas and grid cells for assessment of groundwater resources used for public drinking-water supply
Data from Decadal Change in Groundwater Quality Web Site, 1988-2012
Datasets from Groundwater-Quality Data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and Select Quality-Control Data from May 2012 through December 2014
Groundwater Quality Data from the National Water Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013
Classification of Chloride-to-Sulfate Mass Ratio for U.S. Groundwater With Respect to the Potential to Promote Galvanic Corrosion of Lead, 1991-2015; Water Well Data and Characteristic Values for States
Langelier Saturation Indices Computed for U.S. Groundwater, 1991-2015; Water Well Data and Characteristic Values for States
Populations using public-supply groundwater in the conterminous U.S. 2010; Identifying the wells, hydrogeologic regions, and hydrogeologic mapping units
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January 2017 through December 2019
Evaluation of six methods for correcting bias in estimates from ensemble tree machine learning regression model
Lithium in groundwater used for drinking-water supply in the United States
Pesticides and pesticide degradates in groundwater used for public supply across the United States: Occurrence and human-health context
Machine learning predictions of pH in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern USA
Geochemistry and age of groundwater in the Williston Basin, USA: Assessing potential effects of shale-oil production on groundwater quality
Quality of pesticide data for groundwater analyzed for the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, 2013–18
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2016, and previously unpublished data from 2013 to 2015
Fluoride occurrence in United States groundwater
Multiorder hydrologic position in the conterminous United States: A set of metrics in support of groundwater mapping at regional and national scales
Regionalization of groundwater residence time using metamodeling
Science and Products
Data for Assessing the Lead Solubility Potential of Untreated Groundwater of the United States
Domestic well locations and populations served in the contiguous U.S.: datasets for decadal years 2000 and 2010
Laboratory Quality-Control Data Associated with Groundwater Samples Collected for Hormones and Pharmaceuticals by the National Water-Quality Assessment Project in 2013-15
Environmental and Quality-Control Data Collected by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Project for Hormones and Pharmaceuticals in Groundwater Used as a Source of Drinking Water Across the United States, 2013-15
Data for Elevated Manganese Concentrations in United States Groundwater, Role of Land Surface-Soil-Aquifer Connections
California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project Study Areas and grid cells for assessment of groundwater resources used for public drinking-water supply
Data from Decadal Change in Groundwater Quality Web Site, 1988-2012
Datasets from Groundwater-Quality Data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2014 and Select Quality-Control Data from May 2012 through December 2014
Groundwater Quality Data from the National Water Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013
Classification of Chloride-to-Sulfate Mass Ratio for U.S. Groundwater With Respect to the Potential to Promote Galvanic Corrosion of Lead, 1991-2015; Water Well Data and Characteristic Values for States
Langelier Saturation Indices Computed for U.S. Groundwater, 1991-2015; Water Well Data and Characteristic Values for States
Populations using public-supply groundwater in the conterminous U.S. 2010; Identifying the wells, hydrogeologic regions, and hydrogeologic mapping units
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January 2017 through December 2019
Evaluation of six methods for correcting bias in estimates from ensemble tree machine learning regression model
Lithium in groundwater used for drinking-water supply in the United States
Pesticides and pesticide degradates in groundwater used for public supply across the United States: Occurrence and human-health context
Machine learning predictions of pH in the Glacial Aquifer System, Northern USA
Geochemistry and age of groundwater in the Williston Basin, USA: Assessing potential effects of shale-oil production on groundwater quality
Quality of pesticide data for groundwater analyzed for the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, 2013–18
Groundwater-quality and select quality-control data from the National Water-Quality Assessment Project, January through December 2016, and previously unpublished data from 2013 to 2015
Fluoride occurrence in United States groundwater
Multiorder hydrologic position in the conterminous United States: A set of metrics in support of groundwater mapping at regional and national scales
Regionalization of groundwater residence time using metamodeling
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government