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Research about Lower Susquehanna River Basin

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Lower Susquehanna River Basin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1997

Water-quality assessment of the Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland: Design and implementation of water-quality studies, 1992-95

From 1992 through 1995, nearly 1,200 water-quality samples from about 500 sites were collected, processed, and analyzed for the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Sites were selected and samples were collected for 28 integrated water-quality studies designed to provide a comprehensive and nationally consistent description of current water-quality conditions, to begin to identify trends in water quality, and to determine the major factors that affect observed water quality. To achieve this, stream-water, ground-water, streambed-sediment, and biota samples were collected, and habitat assessments were conducted at selected data-collection sites. This report discusses the water-quality study design, site-selection strategy, and implementation steps used to obtain water-quality and related data. Methods employed to collect, process, and analyze samples, characterize sites, and assess habitat are described. A comprehensive list of all sites employed in these studies and their characteristics is provided. Sample analyses conducted for the water-quality studies described in this report, including nutrients, pesticides, major ions, volatile organic compounds (VOC's), and trace elements, as well as measured or observed physical properties and habitat characteristics, also are listed.

Maryland, Pennsylvania↗
USGS1997

Nitrate in ground water and stream base flow in the lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland

High concentrations of nitrate in both ground and surface water have been identified as a significant water-quality issue in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin. This report uses data collected by the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in the basin and compares nitrate concentrations found in ground water and surface water on both a spatial and temporal basis and relates nitrate concentrations to land use. Nitrate concentrations in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin in Pennsylvania and Maryland were higher in ground water than in surface water in agricultural areas underlain by carbonate bedrock and agricultural areas underlain by crystalline bedrock. Nitrate concentrations were higher in surface water than in ground water in urban areas underlain by carbonate bedrock. Nitrate concentrations also were higher in surface water than ground water in both agricultural and forested areas underlain by sandstone and shale. Nitrate concentrations in ground water vary in areas with different land use and bedrock type. Ground-water nitrate concentrations were highest in agricultural areas underlain by carbonate bedrock, where 45 percent of the samples exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 mg/L (milligrams per liter as N). Waters from 36 percent of the wells in agricultural areas underlain by crystalline bedrock also had nitrate concentrations greater than 10 mg/L. Nitrate concentrations in water from wells in urban areas underlain by carbonate bedrock and in forested and agricultural areas underlain by sandstone and shale seldom exceeded the MCL. Nitrate concentrations were generally higher in surface water in areas underlain by carbonate bedrock than in areas underlain by noncarbonate bedrock; however, when an agricultural area underlain by carbonate bedrock and an agricultural area underlain by sandstone and shale with similar manure application rates were compared, nitrate concentrations in surface water were not significantly different. A comparison of three agricultural areas underlain by carbonate bedrock shows that the manure application rate is strongly correlated with nitrate concentration. Nitrate concentrations in stream base flow at seven sites where samples were collected throughout the year were commonly higher in the winter months than in the summer months. A statistically significant correlation between streamflow and nitrate concentration existed for six of the seven sites, indicating that seasonal variability in precipitation may be the cause of some of the seasonal variation in concentration. Other possible explanations for this variation include the seasonal cycle in plant uptake of nitrogen and seasonal fluctuations in uptake of nitrate by algae in streams. Because no information was available about the traveltime for ground water, interpretation of this temporal variation was not conclusive. Estimates of base-flow loads and yields of nitrate showed that agricultural areas underlain by carbonate bedrock provide the highest yield of nitrate when compared with the other areas studied. Agricultural areas underlain by sandstone and shale and crystalline bedrock also provide large amounts of nitrate to the river. The large amount of nitrate in the water from these areas cause a significant increase in nitrate loads transported by the Susquehanna River to the Chesapeake Bay. Urban areas underlain by carbonate bedrock had a high yield of nitrate but comprise such a small part of the basin that the nitrate load from these areas was small. In contrast, forested areas underlain by sandstone and shale bedrock had low base-flow nitrate yields, but these areas comprise a large percentage of the basin, making the overall nitrate load from these areas high.

Maryland, Pennsylvania↗
USGS1996

Occurrence and concentrations of volatile organic compounds in shallow ground water in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania and Maryland

This report presents the results of a regional assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) in ground water from six sampling areas within the Lower Susquehanna River Basin. The sampling areas, selected to represent aquifers where ground water is used as a drinking water supply, include four areas underlain by limestone, one area underlain by crystalline bedrock, and one area underlain by interbedded sandstone and shale. The land use is rural in five areas and urban in one area. Samples were collected in 1993-95 from 118 wells ranging from 30 to 226 feet deep. Analyses for 60 VOC's at detection levels ranging from 0.05 to 0.2 mg/L (micrograms per liter) reveal the presence of 24 compounds. The compounds were present in water from 32 of the 118 wells. Methyl tert-butyl ether was the most commonly detected compound. Concentrations of methyl tert-butyl ether, found in 16 of the 118 wells, ranged from 0.11 to 51 mg/L. Chloroform was the second most commonly detected compound. The highest concentration detected in a water sample was 61 mg/L of chloroform. None of the detections in samples from wells used as drinking water supplies exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Levels or Lifetime Health Advisory Levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, the 51 mg/L of methyl tert-butyl ether, detected in water from a monitoring well, is in the 20 to 200 mg/L range proposed for a Lifetime Health Advisory Level. The occurrence of VOC's in limestone aquifers in the Great Valley near Harrisburg, Pa., is influenced by land use. VOC's occur more frequently in the urban area than in the agricultural area. Within the urban area, analyses of samples from wells, springs, and a spring-fed stream show contaminated ground water discharging from springs and flowing into the stream.

Maryland, Pennsylvania↗
USGS1965

An appraisal of the ground-water resources of the lower Susquehanna River basin (An interim report)

This report describes the availability, quantity, quality, variability, and cost of development of the ground-water resources in the lower Susquehanna River basin. The report has been prepared for and under specifications established by the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, and the Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. A comprehensive study of the water and related land resources of the Susquehanna River basin was authorized by the Congress of the United States in October 1961, and the task of preparing a report and of coordinating the work being done by others in support of the study was assigned to the Corps of Engineers. The comprehensive study is being conducted by several Federal departments and independent agencies in cooperation with the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The Public Health Service under its authority in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (P. L. 660) initiated a comprehensive water quality control program for the Chesapeake drainage basin, which includes the Susquehanna River basin. This report is intended to serve the specific needs for ground-water information of both the Corps of Engineers and the Public Health Service, as well as those of the other participating Federal and State agencies.

Pennsylvania↗