USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.
Current and Past News...
Celebrate Earth Science Week – October 12-18, 2008.
10/01/2008
--“No
Child Left Inside” is the theme for this year’s
Earth Science Week. The
USGS is a proud partner of this annual international event sponsored by the
American Geological Institute. Earth Science Week promotes responsible
stewardship of the Earth and encourages children and adults alike to explore the
earth sciences. Staff from the USGS Ohio Water Science Center are participating
in the event through
Darby Creek Day, Sunday, October 5, at
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. There are many other Earth Science Week
events in Ohio and throughout the country. We’ll see you outside!
How Dry Is It?
09/05/2008
--Exactly how dry (or wet) has it
been lately? To help answer that question,
duration hydrographs have been added as a new option under the drought watch
pick list on the USGS
WaterWatch Web page for Ohio. You can input a stream name or gaging station
number and also select a 7-, 14-, or 28-day averaging period. An example for a
streamflow gaging station (the Scioto River at Prospect, Ohio) is shown here.
The plot shows a trace of the running 7-day average streamflow (the black line
beginning on January 1 of the previous calendar year) as well as colored bands
that represent historical percentile ranges of streamflow for each calendar day. (more).
Is It Safe to Swim at the Beach?
06/12/2008
--Concern about water
quality at recreational beaches along the Great Lakes is the focus of a new
collaborative project aimed at improving information for beach managers faced
with deciding whether to close beaches or issue advisories to protect public
health. USGS scientists will focus on real-time assessments of water
quality--such as the
Nowcast
system used at two Ohio Lake Erie beaches--by enhancing and expanding models
that help beach managers decide if beach advisories or closures are necessary.
They will continue to evaluate rapid analytical methods for bacterial
indicators, such as E. coli, and identify processes that influence the
occurrence and abundance of pathogens and
bacterial indicators at
beaches. This project is funded through
the President's Ocean Action Plan and draws on the expertise of the USGS and
other federal, state and local agencies. (more).
How Much Water is Consumed?
05/22/2008
--
Ever
wonder how much water is withdrawn for everyday uses such as food,
ethanol, household chemicals, or paper products and is not returned? Or what
type of uses are most likely to cause these losses? Information about
consumptive water use (see images for
examples) in the Great Lakes Basin can be found in a newly released
fact sheet and
report. Ohio Water Science Center hydrologists Kim Shaffer and Donna Runkle
compiled and analyzed consumptive water use numbers from more than 100 sources
to help determine the amount of water consumed in seven water-use categories.
The fact sheet and report are among a series of products by the U.S. Geological
Survey's
National Assessment of Water Availability and Use Program for the Great Lakes
Basin, a program designed to gain a clearer understanding of water-use,
land-use, and climatic trends in our Nation’s water resources. (more).
Recreational Water Illness Prevention Week, May 19-25, 2008.
05/15/2008
--
Sponsored by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Recreational Water Illness Prevention Week highlights the importance of
healthy swimming behaviors to prevent illness. The USGS Ohio Water Science
Center is involved with several
beach monitoring research projects to strengthen the science of beach
water-quality monitoring. The “nowcasting”
systems on Lake Erie at the bathing beaches of
Edgewater (Cleveland, Ohio) and Huntington (Bay Village, Ohio) provide near-real-time
estimates of water quality to the beach-going public.
National Drinking Water Week – May 4-10, 2008.
05/05/2008
--
Celebrate
drinking water, our most precious natural resource. The event is sponsored by
the American Water Works Association and provides people with the opportunity to
recognize the importance of safe and reliable drinking water. Do you know where
your water comes from and how you can help protect it? More information about
drinking water and this event can be found at the
U.S. EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water and
American Water Works Association web pages. Only Tap Water Delivers!
Our Foyer Gets a Facelift.
04/17/2008
--
Visitors to the USGS Ohio Water Science Center are now greeted by a beautiful wall mural. Local artist Virginia Ball painted the stream scene, which highlights the surface water, ground water, and ecology of Ohio.
Ohio Water Science Center Hosts Microbiology Workshop.
04/11/2008
--
USGS Ohio WSC scientists
Rebecca Bushon, Amie Brady, Chris Kephart, and Don Stoeckel hosted and presented
a series of talks and provided hands-on analytical experience to 20 students
from nine states. Workshop attendees representing Federal, State, and local
agencies, universities, and a consulting group, learned about microbial sample
collection, analytical methods and techniques, recreational water regulations,
rapid-detection methods, and microbial source tracking. More information about
the projects, services, and methods of the USGS
Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory is available. The
Environmental Pathogens Information Network (EPI-Net) with Purdue University
sponsored the workshop.
National Flood Safety Awareness Week, March 17-21, 2008.
03/17/2008
--
Water is
Ohio’s greatest natural hazard. Flooding is a threat in Ohio and throughout the
Nation.
National Flood Safety Awareness Week, sponsored by the National Weather
Service, highlights some of the causes of floods, hazards of floods, and things
people can do to save lives and property. A map of current flood and high-flow
conditions is available from the
USGS Water Watch. USGS Science in
Ohio (503 Kb .pdf) and the
Nation (2.35 MB .pdf)
helps reduce flood related death and damage.
Pharmaceuticals And Other Emerging Contaminants In Water.
03/14/2008
--
Chemical compounds such as prescription and
nonprescription pharmaceuticals, hormones, detergents, disinfectants,
fragrances, plasticizers, insecticides, and fire retardants are widely used in
homes as well as in industrial and agricultural settings. Not surprisingly, some
of these compounds or their degradation products make their way into wastewater
or runoff. (more
...)
National Ground Water Awareness Week – March 9-15, 2008.
03/06/2008
--
Ground
water is the water that seeps into the ground and fills the spaces and cracks in
the rocks below the surface. It is not typically an underground river or lake.
Ohio is one of the top 10 states in the Nation for public- and self-supplied
domestic water withdrawals. Ground water was the source of 34 percent of all
Ohio public-supply water (about 500 Mgal/d) and 98 percent of self-supplied
domestic water (about 130 Mgal/d) in 2000. Ground water in Ohio is also
withdrawn for livestock, aquaculture, and irrigation. The USGS Ohio Water
Science Center is involved with
several ground-water studies. National Ground Water Awareness Week is
sponsored by the
National Groundwater Awareness Organization
(NGWA). More information on ground water can be found at the
USGS Ground Water Information Page and the
Groundwater Foundation.
Thinking About Water.
02/26/2008
--
“Water” is the theme of this year’s Girl Scouts World Thinking Day 2008. Staff from the USGS Ohio Water Science Center presented USGS water science to several hundred Girl Scouts in Worthington, Ohio, for Girl Scouts World Thinking Day 2008. Don Stoeckel and Marge Tibbetts tested water from various sources for fecal contamination to show that water quality cannot be determined by how clean the water looks. More information about the Girl Scouts World Thinking Day 2008 is available
here.
A Flood Warning System for Findlay, Ohio.
02/13/2008
--
With the
recent flooding, the residents of Findlay, Ohio, are having flashbacks to
the
August 2007 floods in northwestern Ohio.
The USGS and the City of Findlay have devised an innovative way to alert
residents and emergency personnel when floodwaters from the Blanchard River are
expected to reach critical levels. The USGS recently installed four new
streamflow and rain gages, which will enhance the National Weather Service's
ability to accurately forecast flood peaks in the Findlay area and provide
additional early-warning capabilities. A
News
release and article in the
Water Management Association of Ohio’s (WMAO)
Winter 2008 issue of “The Ohio
Water Table” further describe the effort. Photos by Mary Terry,
courtesy of City of Findlay Engineer’s Office.
2007 Peter G. Finke Award.
12/28/2007
--
K. Scott Jackson, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Ohio Water
Science Center, was presented the 2007 Peter G. Finke Award for Most Valuable
Contribution to Floodplain Management. Each year at the Ohio Statewide
Floodplain Management Conference, the
Ohio Floodplain Management Association acknowledges individuals for their
dedication and service in floodplain management by presenting Recognition
Awards. Congratulations, Scott!
Occurrence of Anthropogenic Organic Compounds in Ground Water and Finished Water Described in Report.
12/18/2007
--
As part of a
Source Water Quality Assessment (SWQA) of the
USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, source water for 15
wells in the vicinity of Dayton, Ohio, was sampled for the occurrence of 258
anthropogenic organic compounds (AOCs). Source water is the raw (ambient) water
collected at the supply well prior to water treatment and delivery to consumers
as drinking water. As described in a new
report by M.A. Thomas, at least one AOC was detected in 12 of the 15
samples. Source water samples were then compared to samples of finished water
(treated water ready to delivery to the customer) associated with each well.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) detections were generally higher in finished
water than in source water, primarily due to compounds that can form during the
treatment process. Finally, concentrations of AOCs were compared to their
respective human-health benchmarks. Only three VOCs were detected at
concentrations that approach human-health benchmarks.
New USGS Ground Water Watch Web Pages Available.
12/05/2007
--
The
USGS Office of Ground Water recently released new Web pages for the
USGS Ground Water Watch. Ground-water networks represented include the
Active Water-Level Network, the Climate Response Network, and the Real-Time
Ground-Water Level Network. Nationally, the Active Water-Level Network contains
water levels and well information from more than 20,000 wells that have been
measured by the USGS or USGS cooperators at least once within the past 365 days
and entered into the USGS database.
Ohio has a total of 119 wells that are part of the Active Ground-Water Level
Network, including 11 real-time wells, 13 continuous wells, and 95 periodic
wells.
Historical Data Available on Web Plus 11 New Gages in Ohio.
11/20/2007
--
Streamgages operated by the USGS provide long-term,
accurate, unbiased
streamflow information to help protect life and property and manage the
Nation’s water resources. Historical instantaneous streamflow data are now
available by way of a
new USGS online database.
In 2007, eleven stream gages were installed,
reinstated, or upgraded in Ohio. These include four new gages as part of the
Licking County Flood Warning Network and four new and one upgraded gage as part
of the City of Findlay in Hancock County Flood Warning Network. Additionally, a
gage was installed in Butler County and an inactive gage restarted in Defiance
County. A
listof the
gages
with links to the site’s real-time data through the National Water Information
System Web Interface (NWISWeb) is provided.
2006 Flood in North-Central Ohio Documented in New Report.
New Technology Aims to Distinguish Sources of Fecal Contamination in Portage River Watershed.
10/11/2007
-- Microbiologists with the USGS Ohio Water Science Center have begun a study to test the usefulness of new microbial source tracking (MST) technologies to identify sources of
fecal contamination in the Portage River Watershed of northwestern Ohio. Possible sources of fecal bacteria in typical agricultural watersheds are discharges from home septic systems and small
wastewater treatment plants, runoff from small- and large-scale livestock operations, and pet and wildlife feces. As part of the research, samples from potential fecal contamination sources and
selected Portage River Watershed sites will be collected and analyzed for the presence of unique DNA markers.
More information about this research (85 KB .pdf) and
information about microbial source tracking are available.
10th Annual Earth Science Week – October 14-20, 2007.
New Report Examines Factors Associated with Elevated Arsenic Concentrations.
08/21/2007
-- More than 800 wells in the
glacial aquifer system of the Northern United States were sampled for
arsenic as part of USGS
National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) studies during 1991–2003. Arsenic,
which is detrimental to human health, is relatively abundant in nature and was
detected in 39 percent of the NAWQA water samples. Elevated arsenic
concentrations (greater than or equal to the
2006 USEPA arsenic standard of 10 µg/L)
were detected in 9 percent of samples. Domestic wells are not routinely tested
for arsenic, so homeowners may not know whether their wells have elevated
arsenic concentrations. A new
report assesses the relative significance of geochemistry, ground-water age,
depth, and other water-quality constituents as indicators of elevated arsenic.
Arsenic and redox (oxidation-reduction) conditions are compared among four broad
geographic areas of the glacial aquifer system. The findings are related to an
existing conceptual model for arsenic occurrence in ground water.
500-year Flood of 2006 in Painesville, Ohio Documented in New Report.
07/10/2007
-- On
July 27–28, 2006, storms left more than 11 inches of rain in parts of Lake
County, Ohio, and resulted in the home evacuation of about 600 people. On July
28, the USGS streamgage at Grand River near Painesville recorded a
peak streamflow of 35,000 cubic feet per second, which exceeds the 500-year
flood statistic. A 500-year flood—the maximum for which the USGS computes
statistics—is the peak streamflow that has only a 1 in 500 chance of being
equaled or exceeded in any given year. A
new report by scientists at the USGS Ohio Water Science Center and
National Weather Service, Cleveland Office discusses the meteorological
factors associated with the flood, along with a description of the flood––
including high-water marks, flood stages, streamflows, recurrence intervals, and
flood damages. (more).
Ohio WSC Hosts Training for Citizen Lake-Monitoring Efforts.
06/19/2007
--
Renowned biologist
Dr. Bob Carlson
taught
Ohio Lake Management Society (OLMS) board members, including OLMS President
and Ohio WSC biologist Julie Hambrook Berkman in the use of the
Secchi disk to measure the transparency of water. Water transparency, or how
deep the light penetrates the water, is an indicator of water quality. Trained
board members will teach volunteer monitors around Ohio in this technique.
Volunteers can take part in
The Great North American Secchi Dip-In (June 23–July 15, 2007) as well as
participate in OLMS’s
Citizen Lake Awareness and Monitoring (CLAM) program. This year,
CLAM volunteers will be collecting
Secchi and temperature data to add information to the 19 lakes and reservoirs
that
Ohio EPA will be sampling as part of the
USEPA’s National Lakes Survey for monitoring lake condition on a national
level.
Microbial Source Tracking Efforts Recognized.
06/01/2007
--
When water is polluted above fecal indicator bacteria standards, somebody has to
figure out the source of the contamination and fix it. The USGS is a leader in
the validation and application of microbial source tracking tools, which are
used to identify point and nonpoint sources of contamination. Common sources
include the feces of cattle, chickens, and pigs, as well as manure used as
fertilizer. Human waste is generally well controlled but sometimes, as with
combined sewer overflows and malfunctioning septic systems, human waste can be a
significant contamination source. Five
recently published reports highlight the
Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory’s collaborations with regional, Federal,
and academic partners.
One of these reports got special recognition from the
American Society of Agronomy. In 2001, Plum Creek, Nebraska was named the
most contaminated tributary to the middle reaches of the Platte River.
The researchers used two fecal source-tracking tools to analyze contaminated
water and stream-sediment samples in the Plum Creek watershed.
(More...)
Research Looks At Exposure To Low Levels Of
Pharmaceuticals.
05/07/2007 -- Biologists
from the Ohio Water Science Center tested new sampling
technology to look at the products of our times—from the drugs
prescribed for illness to the soap we use to wash our hands.
These chemicals enter our water supplies after use.
Polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) devices
were used in Tinkers Creek, the largest tributary to the
Cuyahoga River, to detect chemicals in concentrations much lower
than detectable using conventional methods. Previous biological
surveys in Tinkers Creek showed that the
Index of Biotic Integrity values for the fish populations
did not match the
Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index values, leading to the
question as to whether chronic exposure to low levels of
pharmaceuticals, health-care products, and organic-wastewater
compounds may be suppressing the spawning success of the fish. A
recent
article in People, Land & Water further describes this
study.
National Drinking Water Week – May 6-12.
05/03/2007 -- Celebrate drinking
water, our most precious natural resource. The American Water
Works Association is working with water utilities and customers
to recognize the importance of drinking water in our
communities. Do you know where your water comes from and how you
can help protect it? More information about drinking water and
this event can be found at the
U.S. EPA Ground Water and Drinking Water and
American Water Works Association web pages.
Newly Renovated Microbiology Web Site Available.
04/25/2007 -- The
redesigned
USGS Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory (OWML) Web site is now available.
Topics on the improved Web site include discussions of the analytical methods
used and the quality-assurance / quality-control (QA/QC) practices of the OWML.
Current microbiology projects are described, and a list of OWML-authored
publications for public health microbiology is provided. Three research topics
are specifically discussed—beach monitoring research information is available
now, and rapid-methods and source-tracking discussions are in development.
Located in the Ohio Water Science Center, the OWML addresses
water-related public-health concerns for Ohio and the rest of
the Nation. The OWML works with government agencies, academic
institutions, and other partners to study the quality of
national, state, and local water resources. The OWML provides
water-quality data on three major groups of microorganisms—
protozoa, bacteria, and viruses.
Hydrologic Models Presented At National Surface-Water
Conference.
04/10/2007 -- Hydrologists
from the USGS Ohio Water Science Center gave two presentations at the
2007 National Surface-Water Conference and Hydroacoustics Workshop. Barry
Puskas presented a hydrologic model for forecasting floods by use of
near-real-time data in the Great Miami River Watershed, Ohio, and Matt
Whitehead talked about modeling flood profiles in an urban area with long
culverts and overland flow. The conference was attended by over 400 surface-water
scientists and managers from around the world, representing several levels of
government, universities, and the private sector.
Ohio’s Aquatic Biodiversity And Conservation Status
Assessed In New Report.
03/16/2007 --
The goal of the USGS
Gap Analysis Program is to “keep common species common” through the
identification of gaps in the conservation of native species. Ohio Aquatic GAP’s
new online
USGS report assesses the biodiversity and conservation status of native
riverine fish, crayfish, and freshwater bivalves in Ohio. This was accomplished
through the development of predictive distribution models which were based on
species’ sampling locations and a classification of the physical habitat of the
streams. The modeled habitat locations were analyzed and then compared with a
map of public and private conservation lands. A wealth of maps and GIS data
accompany the report.
National Ground Water Awareness Week – March 11-17,
2007.
03/07/2007 --
Have you ever had the pleasure of drinking water pumped from a well? Did you
know you were probably drinking ground water? Ground water is the water that
seeps into the ground and fills the pores and cracks in the rocks below the
surface. In Ohio, ground water makes up more than a third of the water used for
public-supply use and 98 percent of self-supplied
domestic water use. That's more than 630 million gallons per day! That's
enough water to fill
Ohio Stadium to the top, if it was a container, every day. Ohio is one of
the top 10 states in the Nation for public- and self-supplied domestic water
withdrawals (2000 data). The USGS Ohio Water Science Center is involved with
several ground-water studies, including The
National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program’s
Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants to Supply Wells (TANC)
study. National Ground Water Awareness Week is sponsored by the
National Ground Water Association (NGWA).
More information on ground water can be found at the
USGS Ground Water Information Page and
the
Groundwater Foundation.
Awesome Aquifers! Hydrologists
Judge Two Science Olympiad Competitions.
02/27/2007 -- USGS scientists Sandra Eberts, Rodney Sheets (event supervisors),
Sandy Coen, and Donna Runkle judged teams for the
Ohio Science Olympiad
Awesome Aquifer competition at Columbus’ Ridgeview Middle School
invitational tournament on February 10 and at the Grandview Heights Regional
tournament on February 24. Awesome Aquifers is designed to increase middle
school students' understanding of
ground-water concepts such as the physical makeup of an aquifer,
ground-water’s place in the
hydrologic cycle, and changes to the ground-water system. The Immaculate
Conception team won the Awesome Aquifiers invitational event. Grandview Heights
Middle School won the Awesome Aquifiers regional tournament event and 23-event
competition and will proceed to the state Science Olympiad Tournament, to be
held at The Ohio State University April 14, 2007 (schedule).
Winners of the state tournament compete in the
National Science Olympiad in Wichita, Kansas, May 18-19.
First Annual National Streamflow Summary Of 2006-Water Year.
01/17/2007
-- USGS released a new
web site depicting summary streamflow conditions for water year 2006 (October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2006) in the context of the 77-year period 1930-2006. Data are from the USGS
National Streamflow Information Program and show maps and charts of statewide ranks, regional patterns, seasonal characteristics, and record high and low flows.
(more...)