Pennsylvania Water Science Center
USGS Releases Products Documenting Effects of Hurricane Ida
Updating Pennsylvania Streamgage Datums
USGS is updating streamgage datums to reflect elevations in North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).
USGS is updating streamgage datums to reflect elevations in North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).
Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed - A Century of Change
Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed - A Century of Change
USGS Collects High-Quality Water-Resources Data for Pennsylvania
Streamflow, groundwater levels, water quality, precipitation, water use, and other related data, both real time and historic
Streamflow, groundwater levels, water quality, precipitation, water use, and other related data, both real time and historic
Hydrologic Studies, Research, and Tools for Pennsylvania
Water availability, groundwater contamination, nutrient loading in streams, effects of land use on water quality, and other water-resource topics
Water availability, groundwater contamination, nutrient loading in streams, effects of land use on water quality, and other water-resource topics
Pennsylvania Water Science Center
We work in cooperation with numerous federal, state, and local agencies to collect scientific data and conduct scientific studies of the source, quantity, quality, ecology, and use of Pennsylvania's water resources.
News
USGS Updates Pennsylvania Drought Condition Web Tool
USGS Updates Pennsylvania Drought Condition Web Tool
Drought Watch/Warning Lifted for all Pennsylvania Counties
Drought Watch/Warning Lifted for all Pennsylvania Counties
Testing New Water Quality Observation Methods In Philadelphia
Testing New Water Quality Observation Methods In Philadelphia
Publications
Estimation and comparison of 1-percent annual exceedance probability flood flows at Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance study flow locations across Pennsylvania
Flood-flow estimates were computed at over 5,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance study (FIS) flow locations across Pennsylvania for the 1-percent annual exceedance probability flood event (1-percent AEP). Depending on a point of interest’s proximity to a streamgage, weighting techniques may be applied to obtain flood-flow estimates for ungaged flow locations using observ
Results of 2018–19 water-quality and hydraulic characterization of aquifer intervals using packer tests and preliminary geophysical-log correlations for selected boreholes at and near the former Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster, Bucks County, Pennsylva
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected data on the vertical distribution of hydraulic head, specific capacity, and water quality using aquifer-interval-isolation tests and other vertical profiling methods in 15 boreholes completed in fractured sedimentary bedrock in Northampton, Warminster, and Warwick Townships, Bucks County, Pennsylvania during 2018–19. This work was done, in cooperation wi
Evaluating water-quality trends in agricultural watersheds prioritized for management-practice implementation
Many agricultural watersheds rely on the voluntary use of management practices (MPs) to reduce nonpoint source nutrient and sediment loads; however, the water-quality effects of MPs are uncertain. We interpreted water-quality responses from as early as 1985 through 2020 in three agricultural Chesapeake Bay watersheds that were prioritized for MP implementation, namely, the Smith Creek (Virginia),
Science
Phosphorus in the Susquehanna River may be tied to legacy sediment and changing pH
The Susquehanna River is the predominant source of freshwater and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay.
Contaminants in groundwater near former Navy bases in southeastern Pennsylvania
USGS has investigated groundwater flow and contaminant transport in the vicinity of former Navy bases in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. Additional cooperative support for these investigations has been provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bucks and Montgomery counties...
Groundwater Recharge - Pennsylvania
New baseflow and recharge estimates were published in a USGS data release in 2023 (see 'Data' tab). Recharge is the process of adding water to the saturated zone. Because it is almost impossible to measure directly, recharge is usually estimated by indirect means. Completed USGS studies provide estimates of groundwater recharge in Pennsylvania and methods for estimating recharge in humid regions.