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Problem The Tully Valley, located in southern Onondaga County has been the source of sediment and brackish water discharge to Onondaga Creek, a tributary to the Seneca and Oswego Rivers and eventually Lake Ontario. Information on the origin of the Tully Valley mudboils, their persistence, and the possible extent of their migration within the Tully Valley is needed to mitigate or remediate (1)the discharge of turbid water and fine-grained sediment from the mudboils, (2) land-surface subsidence caused by the removal of sediment from below the land surface, and (3) degradation of Onondaga Creek by turbidity, fine-sediment deposition, and chloride loading. Objectives To define the glacial stratigraphy and hydraulic-head...
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Background Heavy metals, phosphorus, and organic contaminants in water and sediments of the lower Genesee River, resulted in the designation of fourteen beneficial uses as impaired in the Rochester Embayment Area of Concern (AOC). The benthic macroinvertebrate community or “benthos” Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) was designated as degraded in the Genesee River because the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) impairment metrics generally identified slight to moderate impacts through the 1990s and 2000s. Accumulation of “sediments on more suitable substrates” and “contaminants in sediment of the Genesee River related to past municipal and industrial waste-water treatment plant discharges...
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Problem Sediment transport is a serious concern in the upper Esopus Creek watershed. The creek is a well-documented source of sediment and turbidity to the Ashokan Reservoir, which is part of the New York City water supply system. During the last 2 decades there has been a series of stream stabilization and sediment reduction projects completed in the upper Esopus Creek watershed intended to reduce the suspended sediment load and turbidity levels delivered to the reservoir. During the last 7 years there has been a concerted effort to measure the effect of these projects on turbidity and suspended sediment. There is currently a large, long-term turbidity and suspended sediment study underway within the upper Esopus...
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Problem Tribal Lands of the Shinnecock Nation Tribal community were inundated during Hurricane Sandy’s storm tide, resulting in detrimental effects on the Tribal Land’s natural resources. The existing science being used to inform decisions on remediation is biased toward activities are necessarily focused on the immediate aftermath of storms An assessment of the sources of contaminants that may have been introduced from inundation is needed to provide a context with which the Tribal community can better understand how to prioritize and manage the sources and minimize risk. Objectives This project will evaluate key human- and ecological-health concerns related to transport and persistence of...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, Shapefile; Tags: Climate Impacts, Climate Impacts, Climate impacts, Contaminants, Emerging, Contaminants, Emerging, All tags...
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Introduction The upper Esopus Creek watershed is located in the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York State and covers 497 km2 from Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills at 1,274 m, to the Ashokan Reservoir at 193 m elevation (fig. 1). Suspended sediment and turbidity are primary water quality concerns in the Ashokan Reservoir watershed, part of the New York City Catskill-Delaware water supply system that supplies more than 10 million people a day with clean drinking water. Stream corridor assessments of tributaries to the Upper Esopus Creek by Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and State University of New York at New Paltz summer...
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Background Past water-quality issues in the St. Lawrence River at Massena, NY resulted in a determination that selected beneficial uses were impaired in a surrounding Area of Concern (AOC) and on the Canadian side of the international boundary (Cornwall, Ontario). The benthic macroinvertebrate community or “benthos” Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) was designated degraded because impairment metrics were unavailable or inconclusive. Recent sampling efforts by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as part of their Rotating Integrated Basin Studies (RIBS) program indicate that macroinvertebrate communities in some sections of the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries in the Massena AOC are...
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Background : Contaminated bed sediments in much of the Buffalo River AOC (Figure 1A, 1B) were removed (dredged) between 2011 and 2015. Plans to monitor and assess the effectiveness of this management action on 8 of 9 beneficial-use-impairments (BUI), included the benthic macroinvertebrate (benthos) BUI, were revised by the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper (Riverkeeper, 2014). Funds needed to implement various monitoring efforts proposed in this plan, however, were not available at that time. The USGS-New York Water Science Center (NYWSC) and the NYSDEC propose a collaborative study to evaluate multiple lines of evidence (toxicity of sediments and the condition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities) to determine...
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Background Industrial discharges of toxic and bio-accumulating compounds to the Niagara River and its tributaries have occurred over many decades. High concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in samples of fish tissue from many locations, including three tributaries to the Niagara River: Tonawanda Creek, Two mile Creek, and Rattlesnake Creek (study reaches listed in Table 1). Study site for SPMD sampler in a tributary to the Niagara River High PCB concentrations have also been found in mussel tissues during in situ experiments in the latter two creeks PCBs have been detected in sediments from many locations, but they were generally lower than expected given the elevated PCB concentrations...
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Problem Coastal communities are susceptible to damage from coastal storms and associated storm surge, and although tidal wetlands provide a buffer against shoreline erosion and aid in shoreline stabilization, they too are vulnerable to the action of storms. Tidal wetland dynamics need to be better understood, as they are also intrinsically valuable as nursery, feeding, and refuge areas for many commercial and recreational fisheries, and significantly contribute to the base of the marine food web. Wetlands trap sediments, reduce turbidity, and absorb nutrients and pollutants thereby improving water quality, and they provide many recreational opportunities. Tidal wetland stability needs to be assessed using a sediment...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, Shapefile; Tags: Beach and Barrier dynamics, Climate and Land-Use Change, Climate and Land-Use Change, Climate and Land-Use Change, Coastal Science, All tags...
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Background: The USGS propose a collaborative investigation with the NYSDEC and NOAA to evaluate the current condition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and toxicity of bed sediments in the Niagara River Area of Concern (AOC). Using a probabilistic study design, sediment-toxicity data compiled by the USGS, invertebrate community data collected by NYSDEC, and sediment-chemistry data collected by NOAA will be assimilated using a Sediment Quality Triad approach (Chapman et al., 1992; USEPA, 1992) to provide a sediment-quality baseline needed to gauge changes expected to follow remediation of contaminated sediments in parts of the AOC. These data will also be used directly to confirm that the macroinvertebrate...
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Background - Turbid waters originating in the Schoharie Reservoir allegedly impair habitat and resident trout populations in Upper Esopus Creek; however, to date no scientific studies have documented adverse affects of altered thermal, suspended sediment (turbidity), and flow regimes on survival, growth, or behavior of trout or the health of their populations. The 424 mi2 Esopus Creek watershed is a tributary to the Hudson River in the south-central Catskill Mountains of New York State and is often considered to be two systems separated by the Ashokan Reservoir. The Upper Esopus Creek is considered the reach between its source, Winisook Lake, and the reservoir. Flows in the Upper Esopus Creek are supplemented by...
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Problem - The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) Stream Management Program, in cooperation with local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, is implementing stream-restoration demonstration projects to decrease channel bed and bank erosion and improve water quality (lower suspended sediment and turbidity) in several priority streams of the Catskill Mountain Region (Fig. 1). A variety of issues relating to (a) the hydraulic geometry of stable and unstable stream channels, (b) validation of underlying assumptions used to characterize channel stability and design, and (c) the effects of restoration on stream-channel geomorphology, stability, biota, and sediment transport have not been...
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Introduction Mosquitoes are the principle vector of the West Nile Virus (WNV) which causes infections in humans and animals and has emerged as a public health threat throughout Long Island, NY. The WNV was first detected among birds and mosquitoes by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) in 2000. In response to the public health concern, the USGS in cooperation with the SCDHS, began a 3-year study in 2002 to sample surface waters in selected wetlands for insecticides which were sprayed seasonally from a truck or helicopter as part of the county's vector-control program. These insecticides include Altosid (methoprene) and Scourge [1:3 ratio of resmethrin and piperonyl butoxide (PBO)]. Methoprene...
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Problem Suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) and turbidity are primary water-quality concerns in New York City’s (NYC) water-supply system (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). In the NYC water-supply system turbidity is largely caused by clay and silt rather than organic material (Effler et al. 1998, Peng et al. 2002, 2004). Sediment can originate from the watershed land surface and the active stream corridor (the stream bed and its adjacent banks and hillslopes) (Walling 2005). In the upper Esopus Creek watershed, the main source of water to the Ashokan Reservoir, the active stream corridor is the primary source of sediment and turbidity to the stream. Terrestrial sources of sediment and turbidity are...
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Background The Long Island-New Jersey (LINJ) coastal drainages NAWQA study is one of the 1994 set and is coordinated from our West Trenton, NJ office. Tasks for the first two years, 1994-95, included staffing, developing a liaison process, analyzing existing data, and designing a data collection program that started in 1996. These planning activities lead to the study design for 3 years of intensive data collection in 1996-98. The intensive efforts includes multi-scale study approaches to collect samples of water, suspended and bed sediment, biologic tissues, and aquatic communities. The LINJ NAWQA study is scheduled to enter a low-intensity phase of monitoring and report writing in 1999 and return to another...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, Shapefile; Tags: Climate and Land-Use Change, Climate and Land-Use Change, Climate and Land-Use Change, Coastal Science, Coastal Science, All tags...
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Background The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Department of Health (NYSDOH), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) plan to obtain data on chemical contaminants in fish from multiple Areas of Concern (AOCs) in New York State and use this information to evaluate fish consumption advisories, which are a critical component of most removal criteria for “Restriction on Fish and Wildlife Consumption” beneficial use impairments (BUI). The first project will be implemented in the Buffalo River AOC during summer 2017. This project will help determine if current fish consumption advisories each AOC are appropriate, if they can be modified, and if they support or do not support BUI removal...
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A USGS biologist prepares to collect a sediment sample using a petit ponar dredge. Background:The Niagara River forms the boundary between the United States and Canada and was designated as a binational Area of Concern (AOC) in 1987 because past industrial discharges and hazardous waste sites had caused extensive degradation of aquatic habitats. Within the United States (eastern) portion of the AOC, seven Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) have been identified, including the degradation of the “benthos”, or the benthic macroinvertebrate community. Past assessments of macroinvertebrate community structure and sediment toxicity, which indicated that macroinvertebrate communities were adversely affected by contaminated...
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Lake Ontario is the easternmost Great Lake and has a direct drainage area of 24,720 square miles (mi2)(excluding the Niagara River and upper Great Lakes watershed), and is bounded by the Canadian Province of Ontario to the north and west and New York State to the south and east. Lake Ontario receives its primary inflow from the watersheds of the upper Great Lakes through the Niagara River near Youngstown, New York, a drainage area of 263,700 mi2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is administering a program called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the health of all the Great Lakes USEPA GLRI Action Plan I & II, (Great...
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Problem: The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was established to accelerate ecosystem restoration in the Great Lakes by confronting the most serious treats to the region, such as nonpoint source pollution, toxic sediments, and invasive species. Much of the effort associated with GLRI is being placed near the most impacted areas in the Great Lakes Basin. Priority Watersheds have been targeted by the Regional Working Group’s Phosphorus Reduction Work Group. These Priority Watersheds (Fox/Green Bay, Saginaw, Genessee, and Maumee) are characterized by having a high density of agricultural land use and have ecosystem impairments that have been clearly identified. The outlet of each of the Priority Watersheds...
    map background search result map search result map Geomorphology, Biology, & Stability of Catskill Mountain Streams, New York Effects of Stream Restoration and Bank Stabilization on Suspended Sediment in Tributaries to the Upper Esopus Creek Hydrogeology of the Tully Valley Mudboil Area, Southern Onondaga County, New York Sediment toxicity and status of benthic invertebrate communities in the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries within the Massena Area-of-Concern Sediment Toxicity and Condition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in the Rochester Embayment Area-of-Concern Estuarine Physical Response to Storms—Jamaica Bay Monitoring of Waterways for Mosquito Insecticides, Suffolk County, New York Use of telemetry to assess potential effects of Schoharie Reservoir waters on trout populations in the Upper Esopus Creek Water Quality Data for Tributaries to Lake Ontario in New York-- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Lakewide Impairment Study Long Island-New Jersey (LINJ) Coastal Drainages Study -- Land Use Study (NY) Status of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and toxicity of sediments in the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York Human- and Ecological-Health Concerns Related to Transport and Persistence of Contaminants on Shinnecock Nation Tribal Lands Stony Clove Basin Sediment and Turbidity Monitoring GLRI Edge of Field Watershed Monitoring Project Sediment toxicity and status of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the remediated Buffalo River Area-of-Concern Contaminants in fish tissues from AOCs in New York State: The Buffalo River AOC 2-year post remediation Niagara River AOC-wide Benthos BUI Assessment Upper Esopus Creek Tributary Bedload Pilot Study Track down survey of PCBs in three tributaries to the Niagara River Area of Concern (AOC) Hydrogeology of the Tully Valley Mudboil Area, Southern Onondaga County, New York Sediment toxicity and status of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the remediated Buffalo River Area-of-Concern Contaminants in fish tissues from AOCs in New York State: The Buffalo River AOC 2-year post remediation Sediment toxicity and status of benthic invertebrate communities in the St. Lawrence River and its tributaries within the Massena Area-of-Concern Estuarine Physical Response to Storms—Jamaica Bay Sediment Toxicity and Condition of Benthic Invertebrate Communities in the Rochester Embayment Area-of-Concern Use of telemetry to assess potential effects of Schoharie Reservoir waters on trout populations in the Upper Esopus Creek Status of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and toxicity of sediments in the Niagara River Area of Concern, New York Niagara River AOC-wide Benthos BUI Assessment Track down survey of PCBs in three tributaries to the Niagara River Area of Concern (AOC) Effects of Stream Restoration and Bank Stabilization on Suspended Sediment in Tributaries to the Upper Esopus Creek Stony Clove Basin Sediment and Turbidity Monitoring Upper Esopus Creek Tributary Bedload Pilot Study GLRI Edge of Field Watershed Monitoring Project Monitoring of Waterways for Mosquito Insecticides, Suffolk County, New York Geomorphology, Biology, & Stability of Catskill Mountain Streams, New York Water Quality Data for Tributaries to Lake Ontario in New York-- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Lakewide Impairment Study Long Island-New Jersey (LINJ) Coastal Drainages Study -- Land Use Study (NY)