Leslie A DeSimone
Leslie DeSimone is a Hydrologist in the New England Water Science Center.
Leslie serves as the Center Water-Quality Specialist and as an analyst for the National Water-Quality Assessment Project.
Leslie started with USGS in 1988 and has worked on a broad range of studies on topics such as contaminant occurrence and transport in groundwater, surface-water quality trends and loads, and groundwater flow and availability.
Current work includes:
- Machine-learning models of groundwater quality in the mid-Atlantic region
- Technical assistance on water-quality data and studies in New England
- Water-quality database management
Recent work includes:
- National compilations of water quality in U.S. Principal Aquifers and in domestic wells
- Mapping bedrock well yield in eastern Massachusetts
Professional Experience
Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, New England Water Science Center, 1988 to Present
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geology, Boston University
M.A. Geology, Boston University
B.A. Geology, St. John's College, Annapolis, MD
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
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 were collected from 559 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from January through December 2014. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study...
Bedrock well yield, lineaments, and ancillary data in the Nashoba Terrane, central and eastern Massachusetts
This data release contains well yield and ancillary data for 7,287 bedrock wells used in an analysis of bedrock well yield in the Nashoba Terrane and surrounding area in eastern and central Massachusetts. The data release also contains Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers of lineaments delineated from aerial photographs and digital elevation data for a part of the Nashoba...
Groundwater Quality Data from the National Water Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013
Groundwater-quality data were collected from 748 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from May 2012 through December 2013. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study...
Filter Total Items: 37
The quality of our Nation's waters: Water quality in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010
About 130 million people in the United States rely on groundwater for drinking water, and the need for high-quality drinking-water supplies becomes more urgent as our population grows. Although groundwater is a safe, reliable source of drinking water for millions of people nationwide, high concentrations of some chemical constituents can pose potential human-health concerns. Some of...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Peter B. McMahon, Michael R. Rosen
Yield of bedrock wells in the Nashoba terrane, central and eastern Massachusetts
The yield of bedrock wells in the fractured-bedrock aquifers of the Nashoba terrane and surrounding area, central and eastern Massachusetts, was investigated with analyses of existing data. Reported well yield was compiled for 7,287 wells from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Geological Survey databases. Yield of these wells ranged from 0.04 to 625 gallons...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Jeffrey R. Barbaro
Indicators of streamflow alteration, habitat fragmentation, impervious cover, and water quality for Massachusetts stream basins
Massachusetts streams and stream basins have been subjected to a wide variety of human alterations since colonial times. These alterations include water withdrawals, treated wastewater discharges, construction of onsite septic systems and dams, forest clearing, and urbanization—all of which have the potential to affect streamflow regimes, water quality, and habitat integrity for fish and...
Authors
Peter K. Weiskel, Sara L. Brandt, Leslie A. DeSimone, Lance J. Ostiguy, Stacey A. Archfield
Quality of Water from Domestic Wells in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2004
As part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), water samples were collected during 1991-2004 from domestic wells (private wells used for household drinking water) for analysis of drinking-water contaminants, where contaminants are considered, as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act, to be all substances in water. Physical properties and...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone
The quality of our nation’s waters: Quality of water from domestic wells in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991–2004— Overview of major findings
More than 43 million people - about 15 percent of the U.S. population - rely on domestic wells as their source of drinking water (Hutson and others, 2004). The quality and safety of water from domestic wells, also known as private wells, are not regulated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act or, in most cases, by state laws. Rather, individual homeowners are responsible for maintaining...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Pixie A. Hamilton, Robert J. Gilliom
Water Withdrawals, Use, and Wastewater Return Flows in the Concord River Basin, Eastern Massachusetts, 1996-2000
Water withdrawals, use, and wastewater return flows for the Concord River Basin were estimated for the period 1996-2000. The study area in eastern Massachusetts is 400 square miles in area and includes the basins of two major tributaries, the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers, along with the Concord River, which starts at the confluence of the two tributaries. About 400,000 people lived in the...
Authors
Lora K. Barlow, Linda M. Hutchins, Leslie A. DeSimone
Quality of ground water from private domestic wells
This article highlights major findings from two USGS reports: DeSimone (2009) and DeSimone and others (2009). These reports can be accessed at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa. This article is followed by a summary of treatment considerations and options for owners of private domestic wells, written by Cliff Treyens of the National Ground Water Association.
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Pixie A. Hamilton, Robert J. Gilliom
Simulated Effects of Year 2030 Water-Use and Land-Use Changes on Streamflow near the Interstate-495 Corridor, Assabet and Upper Charles River Basins, Eastern Massachusetts
Continued population growth and land development for commercial, industrial, and residential uses have created concerns regarding the future supply of potable water and the quantity of ground water discharging to streams in the area of Interstate 495 in eastern Massachusetts. Two ground-water models developed in 2002-2004 for the Assabet and Upper Charles River Basins were used to...
Authors
Carl S. Carlson, Leslie A. DeSimone, Peter K. Weiskel
Water-Quality Conditions and Constituent Loads, Water Years 1996-2002, and Water-Quality Trends, Water Years 1983-2002, in the Scituate Reservoir Drainage Area, Rhode Island
The Scituate Reservoir is the primary source of drinking water for more than 60 percent of the population of Rhode Island. Water-quality data and streamflow data collected at 37 surface-water monitoring stations in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, from October 1, 1995 through September 30, 2002, (water years (WY) 1996-2002) were analyzed to determine water-quality...
Authors
Mark T. Nimiroski, Leslie A. DeSimone, Marcus C. Waldron
Water use regimes: Characterizing direct human interaction with hydrologic systems
The sustainability of human water use practices is a rapidly growing concern in the United States and around the world. To better characterize direct human interaction with hydrologic systems (stream basins and aquifers), we introduce the concept of the water use regime. Unlike scalar indicators of anthropogenic hydrologic stress in the literature, the water use regime is a two...
Authors
Peter K. Weiskel, Richard M. Vogel, Peter A. Steeves, Philip J. Zarriello, Leslie A. DeSimone, Kernell G. Ries
People and water in the Assabet River basin, eastern Massachusetts
An accounting of the inflows, outflows, and uses of water in the rapidly developing Assabet River Basin, along Interstate 495 in eastern Massachusetts, was done to quantify how people's activities alter the hydrologic system. The study identified subbasins and seasons in which outflows resulting from people's activities were relatively large percentages of total flows, and quantified the...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone
Simulation of ground-water flow and evaluation of water-management alternatives in the Assabet River Basin, Eastern Massachusetts
Water-supply withdrawals and wastewater disposal in the Assabet River Basin in eastern Massachusetts alter the flow and water quality in the basin. Wastewater discharges and stream-flow depletion from ground-water withdrawals adversely affect water quality in the Assabet River, especially during low-flow months (late summer) and in headwater areas. Streamflow depletion also contributes...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
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 were collected from 559 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from January through December 2014. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study...
Bedrock well yield, lineaments, and ancillary data in the Nashoba Terrane, central and eastern Massachusetts
This data release contains well yield and ancillary data for 7,287 bedrock wells used in an analysis of bedrock well yield in the Nashoba Terrane and surrounding area in eastern and central Massachusetts. The data release also contains Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers of lineaments delineated from aerial photographs and digital elevation data for a part of the Nashoba...
Groundwater Quality Data from the National Water Quality Assessment Project, May 2012 through December 2013
Groundwater-quality data were collected from 748 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Program from May 2012 through December 2013. The data were collected from four types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study...
Filter Total Items: 37
The quality of our Nation's waters: Water quality in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991-2010
About 130 million people in the United States rely on groundwater for drinking water, and the need for high-quality drinking-water supplies becomes more urgent as our population grows. Although groundwater is a safe, reliable source of drinking water for millions of people nationwide, high concentrations of some chemical constituents can pose potential human-health concerns. Some of...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Peter B. McMahon, Michael R. Rosen
Yield of bedrock wells in the Nashoba terrane, central and eastern Massachusetts
The yield of bedrock wells in the fractured-bedrock aquifers of the Nashoba terrane and surrounding area, central and eastern Massachusetts, was investigated with analyses of existing data. Reported well yield was compiled for 7,287 wells from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Geological Survey databases. Yield of these wells ranged from 0.04 to 625 gallons...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Jeffrey R. Barbaro
Indicators of streamflow alteration, habitat fragmentation, impervious cover, and water quality for Massachusetts stream basins
Massachusetts streams and stream basins have been subjected to a wide variety of human alterations since colonial times. These alterations include water withdrawals, treated wastewater discharges, construction of onsite septic systems and dams, forest clearing, and urbanization—all of which have the potential to affect streamflow regimes, water quality, and habitat integrity for fish and...
Authors
Peter K. Weiskel, Sara L. Brandt, Leslie A. DeSimone, Lance J. Ostiguy, Stacey A. Archfield
Quality of Water from Domestic Wells in Principal Aquifers of the United States, 1991-2004
As part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), water samples were collected during 1991-2004 from domestic wells (private wells used for household drinking water) for analysis of drinking-water contaminants, where contaminants are considered, as defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act, to be all substances in water. Physical properties and...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone
The quality of our nation’s waters: Quality of water from domestic wells in principal aquifers of the United States, 1991–2004— Overview of major findings
More than 43 million people - about 15 percent of the U.S. population - rely on domestic wells as their source of drinking water (Hutson and others, 2004). The quality and safety of water from domestic wells, also known as private wells, are not regulated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act or, in most cases, by state laws. Rather, individual homeowners are responsible for maintaining...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Pixie A. Hamilton, Robert J. Gilliom
Water Withdrawals, Use, and Wastewater Return Flows in the Concord River Basin, Eastern Massachusetts, 1996-2000
Water withdrawals, use, and wastewater return flows for the Concord River Basin were estimated for the period 1996-2000. The study area in eastern Massachusetts is 400 square miles in area and includes the basins of two major tributaries, the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers, along with the Concord River, which starts at the confluence of the two tributaries. About 400,000 people lived in the...
Authors
Lora K. Barlow, Linda M. Hutchins, Leslie A. DeSimone
Quality of ground water from private domestic wells
This article highlights major findings from two USGS reports: DeSimone (2009) and DeSimone and others (2009). These reports can be accessed at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa. This article is followed by a summary of treatment considerations and options for owners of private domestic wells, written by Cliff Treyens of the National Ground Water Association.
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone, Pixie A. Hamilton, Robert J. Gilliom
Simulated Effects of Year 2030 Water-Use and Land-Use Changes on Streamflow near the Interstate-495 Corridor, Assabet and Upper Charles River Basins, Eastern Massachusetts
Continued population growth and land development for commercial, industrial, and residential uses have created concerns regarding the future supply of potable water and the quantity of ground water discharging to streams in the area of Interstate 495 in eastern Massachusetts. Two ground-water models developed in 2002-2004 for the Assabet and Upper Charles River Basins were used to...
Authors
Carl S. Carlson, Leslie A. DeSimone, Peter K. Weiskel
Water-Quality Conditions and Constituent Loads, Water Years 1996-2002, and Water-Quality Trends, Water Years 1983-2002, in the Scituate Reservoir Drainage Area, Rhode Island
The Scituate Reservoir is the primary source of drinking water for more than 60 percent of the population of Rhode Island. Water-quality data and streamflow data collected at 37 surface-water monitoring stations in the Scituate Reservoir drainage area, Rhode Island, from October 1, 1995 through September 30, 2002, (water years (WY) 1996-2002) were analyzed to determine water-quality...
Authors
Mark T. Nimiroski, Leslie A. DeSimone, Marcus C. Waldron
Water use regimes: Characterizing direct human interaction with hydrologic systems
The sustainability of human water use practices is a rapidly growing concern in the United States and around the world. To better characterize direct human interaction with hydrologic systems (stream basins and aquifers), we introduce the concept of the water use regime. Unlike scalar indicators of anthropogenic hydrologic stress in the literature, the water use regime is a two...
Authors
Peter K. Weiskel, Richard M. Vogel, Peter A. Steeves, Philip J. Zarriello, Leslie A. DeSimone, Kernell G. Ries
People and water in the Assabet River basin, eastern Massachusetts
An accounting of the inflows, outflows, and uses of water in the rapidly developing Assabet River Basin, along Interstate 495 in eastern Massachusetts, was done to quantify how people's activities alter the hydrologic system. The study identified subbasins and seasons in which outflows resulting from people's activities were relatively large percentages of total flows, and quantified the...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone
Simulation of ground-water flow and evaluation of water-management alternatives in the Assabet River Basin, Eastern Massachusetts
Water-supply withdrawals and wastewater disposal in the Assabet River Basin in eastern Massachusetts alter the flow and water quality in the basin. Wastewater discharges and stream-flow depletion from ground-water withdrawals adversely affect water quality in the Assabet River, especially during low-flow months (late summer) and in headwater areas. Streamflow depletion also contributes...
Authors
Leslie A. DeSimone