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The United States Geological Survey (USGS)
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are many water resources organizations out there that help
volunteers, collect samples, assess our waterways, and set
the course for the restoration and protection of our water
resources. One that may not immediately come to your mind
however, is probably one of the most important…the United
States Geological Survey, or USGS.
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you may think that the USGS is responsible for geological
data and topographical mapping, and they are. But they are
also responsible for organizing and maintaining over 60 different
programs relating to water quality and quantity in Pennsylvania.
In a previous feature on Watershed Weekly, you read about
the well monitoring program that USGS is partnering on with
the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA
DEP), but that's not all they're up to. USGS staff are out
there in the field taking water velocity measurements, dealing
with abandoned mine drainage, evaluating the effects of removing
abandoned dams from our streams, using BMP's to improve water
quality in agricultural areas, providing technical assistance
to watershed groups, and collecting data on water levels and
water qualities to report back to over 60 state, local and
federal agencies in Pennsylvania along with the general public.
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of the most unique ways they are providing this information
to the public is through the Internet. The USGS monitors stream
levels throughout the state, recording the velocities of the
stream flow, and then reports that information back to the
public using real-time data systems. This service began in
the mid1990's and began as a way to monitor floods. Since
then, fisherman, canoeists, whitewater kayakers and other
recreational and sports minded people have also tapped into
the information for their personal use. The USGS not only
monitors stream levels, but they also evaluate our ground
water quantity resources by monitoring wells throughout the
state. Through this system, they are able to monitor rain
events and water levels so specifically that they are able
to tell whether precipitation has actually made its way through
the ground to finally reach the aquifer. They are also able
to look at bacteria counts to monitor environments that seem
to have high counts so that a determination can be made on
what levels may be becoming a health hazard to the community.
All of this data is available through on-line databases.
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do all of this throughout the state of Pennsylvania and have
offices in four locations: Malvern, Pittsburgh, Williamsport,
and their district office in the Harrisburg are. While the
district office has been located in New Cumberland for some
time, they recently moved into a new facility located near
the banks of the Yellow Breeches. If you know that name, it's
because stretches of the Yellow Breeches are classified as
Exceptional Value in the state, and so it's a pretty unique
waterway. They also operate an office in Milford, Pa, which
is responsible for monitoring the flow of the Delaware to
be sure there's adequate flow both for water supply needs
in New York City and for people living within the Delaware
River Basin.
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October 17th, the new district office held an open house for
the public to stop in and learn more about their programs,
and that's when my eyes were opened to all that the USGS is
doing in the field of water resources. Since that day, I have
been learning more and more about the USGS and their programs,
and have met up with several of their staff members including
the man at the helm - Bill Werkheiser, District Chief. Bill
invited me to tag along with the USGS technicians for a day
on the Susquehanna. The Susquehanna being one of my favorite
waterways, I jumped at the chance to be out on the river!
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I didn't realize was that I was about to develop a whole new
fondness for technology. I was introduced to the "Acoustic
Doppler Current Profiler." Yes, it's that serious, and
it's highly technical. But I'll try to explain it as best
I can. This new technology is used to measure the velocity
of a river to give an accurate picture of the characteristics
of the waterway, is used to calculate how much water is in
a stream at any given time, and is replacing the previous
form of water velocity metering, current meters, which have
been used for over 100 years.
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Doppler unit is attached to the side of a boat, which then
travels slowly across the waterway measuring the width, area,
and velocity of the waterway which when totaled together gives
you the total flow of the stream. The Doppler unit measures
the velocity of water in an entire 'column' of water by emitting
sound waves from the bottom of the unit toward the riverbed,
and then converts those sound waves into usable data. This
is a big advance in technology as the unit computes all of
these factors automatically. For the past 100 years or so
this same information had to be prepared manually using separate
data for all those factors. |
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it doesn't make all that much sense, take a look at some of
the photos and video footage I shot during my adventure and
that may help to give you a better understanding, at least
a visual one. But the main point I'd like to convey is that
the USGS is using advanced technology, highly trained staff,
data collection and water monitoring programs, and offices
throughout the state to provide information that can help
not only state and federal programs, but also local watershed
volunteer groups. If you haven't been to their website, be
sure to check it out, especially the real-time data. You can
also contact their district office for more specific information
about their programs.
By Producer, Kelly Meinhart |
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