USGS Newsroom

Arsenic Likely in Nearly 40 Percent of New Hampshire's Groundwater

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 4 Dec 2012 13:26:35 EDT

The report and data are posted online.

PEMBROKE, N.H. –Nearly 40 percent of New Hampshire's bedrock groundwater likely contains at least low levels of naturally occurring arsenic, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.

Groundwater supplies likely to have high arsenic levels can be found in scattered locations throughout the state, but are more frequent in densely populated Merrimack, Rockingham, Stafford, and Hillsborough counties in the southeast, the findings and accompanying maps show.

"Arsenic is naturally occurring in the bedrock of New Hampshire, and under certain conditions more or less of it will leach from the rocks into the groundwater that people drink, making it a human health hazard if left untreated," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "The contribution from this new study is that it alerts people across the state who may not previously have thought that they were at any risk that it would be wise to get their water tested."

Arsenic levels are largely controlled by bedrock type and by fractures, but are associated with other factors including groundwater chemistry, hydrology, topography, land use and demographics, according to the study done in cooperation with the New Hampshire Departments of Health and Human Services, and Environmental Services.

"We knew from previous studies that arsenic is a regional problem in New Hampshire, but we were surprised that low arsenic levels are widespread across the state," said USGS scientist Joe Ayotte, who led the study. Previous USGS studies have shown private groundwater wells in New Hampshire may have arsenic at concentrations close to or above health-based safety standards for public water supplies.

"Arsenic in ground water used for private or a public water supply is a public health concern in New Hampshire," said the state’s public health director, Dr. Jose Montero. "To protect families, the State of New Hampshire recommends that private well owners test their drinking water for arsenic every three-to-five years."

Arsenic in drinking water has been linked to several types of cancer, reproductive problems, diabetes, a weakened immune system, and developmental delays in children. Arsenic can be reduced or eliminated in tap water through treatment. Private well owners can find information on well testing and treatment online.

"The geology and fractures in New Hampshire's bedrock are complex, so homeowners should not rely on the results from neighboring wells to determine if their own well water is safe," Ayotte explained. "The data are intended to inform public health research and decision makers, and may be useful to medical practitioners where patients rely on private wells for drinking water."

"This mapping project is intended to help planners and health officials understand the widespread nature of certain contaminants in New Hampshire's drinking water," said Matthew Cahillane, Program Manager of the New Hampshire Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. "It provides a very useful picture of where arsenic levels might be higher or lower in groundwater. We hope the results also encourage all well owners to test their individual water supplies."

The information will become part of the collection of data assembled and housed by the Public Health Tracking Program, which was initiated and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Private wells supply drinking water for about 40 percent of the population of northern New England and bedrock aquifer wells – often known as rock, deep, or artesian wells – are the most common type of well installed for homes in the state. Bedrock groundwater is the main source for the region's drinking water supplies.

Health Information Summaries on arsenic can be found online:

Birds at Sea and Offshore Wind Energy

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 4 Dec 2012 11:59:28 EDT

Topic of Free Lecture Wednesday

Reston, Va. – Offshore wind energy development and migratory birds is the topic of a free public lecture Wednesday, December 5, at 7 p.m. at the U.S. Geological Survey National Center in Reston, Va.

Titled, "Birds at Sea and Offshore Wind Energy," the lecture takes place in a federal facility and a valid photo ID is required for entry by attendees 18 years of age and older. Attendees should plan to arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes early to process through security.

For this lecture, USGS scientists Alicia Berlin and Allan O'Connell will discuss efforts to determine the potential effects of offshore wind energy development on more than 60 different sea-bird species along the Atlantic coast. USGS collaborative research on the migratory routes and patterns of sea birds is being used to help inform decisions on potential locations of wind farms in Atlantic waters.

For more information and directions visit the Public Lecture Series website.

Those unable to attend the lecture in person can follow it live on Twitter @USGSLive

These evening events are free to the public and intended to familiarize a general audience with science issues that are meaningful to their daily lives. USGS speakers are selected for their ability and enthusiasm to share their expertise with an audience that may be unfamiliar with the topic.

The series provides the public an opportunity to interact with USGS scientists and ask questions about recent developments in Natural Hazards; Water; Energy Minerals and Environmental Health; Climate and Land Use Change; Ecosystems; and Core Science Systems. Ultimately, the goal is to create a better understanding of the importance and value of USGS science in action.

New Flood Mapping Tool Helps Prepare Suncook Area for Future Floods

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 8:30:00 EDT

PEMBROKE, N.H. -- A new flood preparedness tool that will help emergency managers improve flood warnings and response is now available for a 16.5-mile reach of the Suncook River in southeastern New Hampshire that has frequently flooded adjacent homes.

The new web-based tool, developed by U.S. Geological Survey scientists, shows flood inundation maps to identify where the potential threat of floodwaters is greatest. The maps show the land areas and features that would likely be submerged and the expected depth of the floodwaters when a streamflow gauge upstream rises. The maps are part of a national USGS effort to help emergency managers quickly assess evacuation routes, determine when and how to evacuate residents threatened as floodwaters rise, and better focus flood response and recovery efforts.

"Floods are the most expensive natural disaster that we face in the U.S., affecting all 50 states and costing more than $2.7 billion dollars annually averaged over the past 10 years according to government estimates," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Investing in science-based preparedness tools like the online flood inundation maps is a smart way to help everyone know the quick decisions to make to spare lives and property."

The USGS is partnering with the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA to develop comparable flood inundation maps in locations across the country identified to be at high risk for flooding.

The USGS completed the Suncook River maps in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The maps extend from the USGS streamgage at Depot Road in North Chichester to the Merrimack River. They include portions of the towns of Chichester, Epsom, Allenstown, and Pembroke and the community of Suncook. The maps show the extent and depth of flooding expected in these towns, for 10 river levels, starting when the North Chichester gauge reaches seven feet, up to a crest of 18 feet. Flood stage is at seven feet.

"I see these maps as a great new tool for local and state emergency personnel, residents, and landowners to prepare for, and respond to flooding," said Christopher Pope, Director of the NH Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

The North Chichester streamgage is also a National Weather Service flood forecast gauge. The NWS combines the current stage with its precipitation forecasts to predict the Suncook River’s crest at this location. Based on these predictions, anyone can use the new flood inundation maps to estimate areas along the Suncook River that would be flooded.

"A number of recent studies of the Suncook River since the flooding of 2006 and 2007 made the flood inundation mapping possible," said Robert Flynn, USGS hydrologist and author of the maps.

The area of the Suncook River shown on the maps has flooded many times, most notably in 2006, 2007, and 2010. On May 15, 2006, the flooded river changed course, forming a new river channel through a sand and gravel pit, shortening the river’s length, and increasing the potential flood hazards to communities downstream.

"This shortening of the river means that there is a greater potential for flooding to adjacent communities because of faster river flows in the vicinity of the sand pit, greater erosion of the river banks and stream channel, and piling up of sediment downstream," said Flynn.

The flood inundation map web-based tool can be found online. The Suncook River inundation report, which contains links to current USGS stream-stage data and forecasted stream-stage data from the NWS, is available online. NWS forecasted flood levels for the Suncook River are available online.

The Flood Inundation Map is one of a series of flood preparedness tools that the USGS has developed to help emergency and resource managers and the public prepare for potential flooding and track water levels as they rise. The map is based on data from the USGS's nationwide streamgage network that monitors the water level and flow of the nation's rivers and streams.

WaterAlert and StreaMail are two other online resources that provide residents with timely information about river conditions at important locations. Subscribers have a number of options to choose from on how to get the information, and can have emails or texts sent to them automatically whenever a critical threshold is reached. With these tools, emergency managers, resource managers and the public can stay informed and help keep themselves or others out of harm's way by keeping up to date of local conditions.

Study Confirms Presence of Contaminants in Some New England Bedrock Groundwater, ID's New Concerns, Determines Likely Locations

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:26:36 EDT

The report is posted online. The project website includes selected maps and more information.

PEMBROKE, N.H. -- Potentially harmful levels of naturally occurring arsenic, uranium, radium, radon and manganese have been found in some bedrock groundwater that supplies drinking water wells in New England, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.

While the presence of contaminants, such as arsenic, in some groundwater was already known, this new study identifies several that hadn’t been previously identified. This new report also provides information on the type of bedrock geologic formations where high concentrations are most likely to be found, which will help identify areas most at risk of contamination.

The results highlight the importance of private well owners testing and potentially treating their water. While public water supplies are treated to ensure that water reaching the tap of households meets federal requirements, there are no such requirements for private supplies, which serve more than 2.3 million people in the region. Private well owners can find information on how to have their wells tested here. All of the contaminants identified can be reduced or eliminated through a variety of treatments.

"The same geologic forces which gave rise to the spectacular mountains and architecturally significant rock quarries of New England are also responsible, over time, for leaching trace contaminants into the groundwater that can be harmful to human health," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "This study helps focus attention on where and what the risk factors are such that citizens who depend on private wells can get their water tested to ensure peace of mind."

Among the findings, arsenic in untreated samples exceeded federal safety standards for public drinking water at 13 percent of sites – nearly double the national rate. Manganese exceeded its human-health benchmark in more than 7 percent of wells tested. Radon exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed standards in 33 percent of wells. Additionally, uranium, which is easily measurable, was found to be a significant predictor of the presence of other forms of radioactivity (radon, radium, gross alpha radioactivity) that are a cause of concern for human health.

The study, part of an ongoing national effort by the USGS to systematically assess the quality of the Nation’s most important aquifers, is the most comprehensive study of the quality of New England’s bedrock groundwater to date.

“The concentrations above human health benchmarks and the wide variety of natural and man-made contaminants found show the vulnerability of crystalline rock aquifers that millions of people rely on to produce safe drinking water,” said USGS scientist and lead author Sarah Flanagan. “The well-to-well variability of water quality from bedrock aquifers in the region underscores the importance of testing public and private wells individually.”

"The bedrock aquifer in New England is a crucial drinking water resource, supplying water for the majority of our 2.3 million private well owners and many small public water systems in the region," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New England office. "This and other scientific studies on bedrock groundwater quality conducted by the USGS provide the scientific foundation for implementing protection programs to ensure that all New Englanders have access to safe, clean drinking water."

For this study, scientists examined water-quality data from more than 4,700 public-supply wells that were sampled for the USEPA Safe Drinking Water Program from 1997 to 2007 and 117 private wells sampled by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program from 1995 to 2007. The samples included only well water from crystalline rock aquifers found in most of New England and small portions of northern New Jersey and southern New York State.

Depending on concentrations and the period of time someone consumes the water, among the potential health issues associated with drinking water containing these contaminants at levels above human health benchmarks include various types of cancer; reproductive and developmental problems; kidney and blood diseases; diabetes; and a weakened immune system.

“This study confirmed many areas already known to have groundwater with high levels of arsenic and radiochemicals and revealed for the first time, the potential fluoride hotspots in parts of the White Mountain region of northern New Hampshire,” said Flanagan.

These hotspots are locations with naturally occurring fluoride that can exceed drinking water standards.

“We also found that high concentrations of many naturally occurring compounds in groundwater were related to specific bedrock formations,” added Flanagan.

In addition to natural sources, human activities affected the quality of groundwater from New England’s crystalline rock aquifers. The researchers found sodium and chloride in water sources, both naturally occurring as well as that from road salt; nitrates; MtBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) and chloroform; and, rarely, pesticides. The concentrations of these contaminants were all below levels of human health concern, but some, such as chloride, had the potential to impact aquatic organisms.

The complete results of the study, Quality of Water from Crystalline Rock Aquifers in New England, New Jersey, and New York, 1995-2007, by Sarah M. Flanagan, Joseph D. Ayotte, and Gilpin R. Robinson, Jr., are available online.

Private well owners in New England can contact their State Drinking Water Programs for guidance and information about well maintenance, testing, and in-home water treatment options.

Information about water quality nationwide is found on the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program website.

Information about the USEPA’s New England Drinking Water Program can be found online.

Access the USGS New Hampshire Water Science Center for more information about water in New England.

Low April Streamflows Not Necessarily an Indicator of Summer Drought

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

The low streamflows seen throughout much of New England this April do not foreshadow a summer drought, as researchers have determined summer rainfall plays a bigger role than snowmelt runoff in determining streamflows in the summer.

In a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey, scientists also looked at how streamflow during April is influenced by both winter air temperature and precipitation. They concluded that April streamflow is more sensitive to changes in temperature than to changes in winter precipitation in southern New England.

While streamflow in April is more sensitive to changes in temperature, summer streamflows are more dependent on precipitation.

Understanding the sensitivity of streamflow to climatic variation is important because people and aquatic ecosystems are dependent upon water supplies, particularly in summer low-flow seasons.

"This valuable scientific investigation demonstrates the ability of USGS researchers to rapidly respond to a sudden and troubling anomaly, in this case southern New England streamflows lower than 90 percent of historical April flows, and by May we were able to produce a useful report getting to the heart of the issue," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "Their work uncovers new feedbacks relevant to climate change impacts on stream flows while demonstrating the return-on-investment from our long-term streamgaging program."

"In this study, we found that warm March air temperatures this year in southern New England contributed to low April streamflows," said USGS scientist Glenn Hodgkins, who is the lead author of this report. "It is well known that precipitation affects streamflows, but it has been less well known that air temperature can affect flows too."

Warmer air temperatures cause snowpack to melt earlier, with most runoff then occurring prior to April in southern New England. Winter precipitation is still a contributing influence, as lower precipitation results in lower snowpack accumulation and less water available for spring runoff.

"With warmer winters predicted in the future, spring streamflows in New England could continue to change," said Robert Lent, USGS Maine Water Science Director. "This study helps us to understand that relationship and provides information to those who manage water resources."

The USGS has been collecting continuous streamflow data for 50 to 100 years at many rivers in New England. Scientists analyzed April flows from 31 streamgages in areas that are not strongly influenced by direct human watershed changes such as reservoir regulation or urbanization.

Using these data, they analyzed year-to-year correlations between April flows and winter precipitation and air temperature from nearby meteorological sites. They also looked at year-to-year correlations between April flows and late-spring and summer flows.

The study focused on the New England region, which includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Read the USGS report, “Relations between Winter Climatic Variables and April Streamflows in New England and Implications for Summer Streamflows.”

The USGS has around 7,800 streamgages across the nation. Learn more by visiting the National Water Information System website.

A Big Day for Science: Citizens Have Contributed One Million Observations to Top Nature Database

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 3 May 2012 9:00:00 EDT

RESTON, Va. — Thanks to citizen-scientists around the country, the USA National Phenology Network hit a major milestone this week by reaching its one millionth nature observation.

The millionth observation was done by Lucille Tower, a citizen-scientist in Portland, Ore., who entered a record about seeing maple vines flowering. Her data, like all of the entries, came in through USA-NPN’s online observation program, Nature's Notebook, which engages more than 4,000 volunteers across the country to observe and record phenology – the timing of the recurring life events of plants and animals such as when cherry trees or lilacs blossom, when robins build their nests, when salmon swim upstream to spawn or when leaves turn colors in the fall.

Each record not only represents a single data point — the status of a specific life stage of an individual plant or animal on one day – but also benefits both science and society by helping researchers understand how plants and animals are responding to climate change and, in turn, how those responses are affecting people and ecological systems.

"My dream is that through the wonders of modern technology and the National Phenology Network we could turn the more than six billion people on the planet into components of our scientific observing system," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "We could make giant leaps in science education, improve the spatial and temporal coverage of the planet, lower the cost of scientific data collection, and all while making ordinary citizens feel a part of the scientific process."

Jake Weltzin, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist and the executive director of USA-NPN, concurs. "Hitting the one millionth observation is exciting because researchers and decision-makers need more information to understand and respond to our rapidly changing planet. More information means better-informed decisions that ensure the continued vitality of our natural areas that we all depend on and enjoy."

For example, said Weltzin, the data in Nature's Notebook are already being used to benefit society, including the development of more accurate indicators of spring, forecasting the onset of allergy seasons or the chances of western wildfires, managing wildlife and invasive plants, and setting goals for habitat restoration. Ultimately, such information can be used for better managing water resources, wildlife and ecosystem management, and even help farmers and ranchers across the nation.

Changes in phenology are among the most sensitive biological indicators of global change. Across the world, many springtime events are occurring earlier — and fall events happening later — than in the past. These changes are happening quickly for some species and more slowly, or not at all, for others, altering relationships and processes that have been dynamically stable for thousands of years. Some wildlife —like caribou and butterflies — are becoming mismatched from their plant food resources, which are responding differently. Migrations for some birds are changing too, as they can now overwinter instead of moving south for the winter, or as they fly north more quickly to keep pace with an advancing front of spring flowering.

Because of this, said Weltzin, scientists need more and better information about the pace and pattern of nature — locally to nationally — to answer important scientific and societal questions, and to build the tools and models needed to help people understand and adapt to the changes.

"So much of our improved understanding about global environmental changes is driven by varied and valuable sources of information that include networks of citizen-scientists," said John Wingfield, National Science Foundation’s assistant director for biological sciences. "The public at large has played an important role collecting observations and data for a hundred years and more. Knowledge and data gained from their work will continue to have a lasting effect on how we understand regularly recurring biological phenomena for hundreds of plant and animal species and contribute to the policy arena."

Gwen Lundburg in Seattle is one citizen-scientist who has contributed hundreds of entries into Nature’s Notebook. "Just noticing small changes like tiny purple lilac buds suddenly turning green has taught me to look more closely at my plants," Lundburg said. "I see things in my garden I never saw before."

With the help of citizen-scientist volunteers, working in concert with professionals, the USA-NPN, which was established in 2007, collects, stores and freely shares phenological data on more than 800 species of plants and animals. The Nature’s Notebook observing program has been in operation since 2009. The coordinating office of the organization is located at 1955 E. 6^th St., Tucson, Ariz., 85721. For more information, visit the USA National Phenology Network, or contact Jake Weltzin at 520-626-3821 or jweltzin@usgs.gov.

River Levels Set Records in 10 States

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:26:07 EDT

USGS Continues to Monitor East Coast Rivers for Flooding

Editors note: this news release will be updated online with more information on the streamgage records being set by state as it becomes available.

Updated September 1: includes more information on streamgage records set in each state. Also includes information on records set in Puerto Rico.

Rivers and streams are reaching record levels as a result of Hurricane Irene’s rainfall, with more than 80 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages measuring record peaks.

The northeast is seeing the bulk of the records, as higher than average precipitation the past few weeks had saturated the ground in many locations prior to Irene’s arrival.

While some rivers have already crested, or reached their highest levels, other rivers are still expected to rise.

Immediately after the worst of the storm had passed, USGS hydrologists from North Carolina to Maine deployed to measure high-water marks at rivers and streams and to verify high river flows and peak stages. The crews also calibrated and repaired streamgages damaged by the storm to ensure they continued to transmit information in real time to users working to protect lives and property.

To date, records have been set on rivers and streams in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Puerto Rico.

The USGS, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, operates a nationwide network of more than 7,000 streamgages on inland rivers and streams. These gauges provide real-time data important to the National Weather Service, FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other state and local partners involved in issuing flood and evacuation warnings, coordinating emergency responses to communities, and operating flood-control reservoirs.

Real-time information from these streamgages can be seen here.

Flooding information and records known so far:

Information on record peaks and flows is still being gathered and is subject to change.

In Connecticut, a new record was set on the Naugatuck River
In Delaware, records were set at three streamgages on the St. Jones River, Beaverdam Branch at Houston and Silver Lake tributary
In Maine, the fastest flowing water was recorded on the border with New Hampshire with at least one record set on the Wild River
In Maryland, records were set at six streamgages on the Choptank River, James Run, Tuckahoe Creek, Three Bridges Branch, Swan Creek and St. Clement Creek
In Massachusetts, records were set at eight streamgages on the Deerfield, North, South, Green, Mill and Housatonic rivers
In New Hampshire, records were set at five streamgages on the Saco, Pemigewasset, Cockermouth and Connecticut rivers
In New Jersey, records were set at 34 streamgages on the Papakating Creek, Hackensack River, Passaic River, Green Pond, Rockaway River, Whippany River, Pequannock River, Wanaque River, Ringwood Creek, Ramapo River, Peckman River, Saddle River, Elizabeth River, Rahway River, Raritan River, Stonybrook at Princeton, Millstone River, Middlebrook River, Bound Brook, Lawrence Brook, Manasquan River, Metedeconk River, Little Ease Run, Musconetcong River, Crosswicks Creek, McDonalds Branch and Racoon Creek
In New York, records were set at 37 streamgages the Cold Spring Brook, Battenkill River, Canajoharie Creek, Schoharie Creek, West Kill River, Bear Kill River, Manor Kill Stream, Platter Kill Stream, Mine Kill Stream, Schoharie Creek, Esopus Creek, Hollow Tree Brook, Stony Clove Creek, Bush Kill Stream, Rondout Creek, Croton River, Titicus River, Cross River, Hackensack River, Ramapo River, Mahwah River, Delaware River, Dry Brook, Neversink River, Ausable River, Mettawee River, Birch Creek
In Pennsylvania, a record was set on the Schuykill River
In Puerto Rico, records were set at two streamgages on the Gurabo and Guayanes rivers
In Vermont, records were set at eight streamgages on the Saxtons River, Little River, Ayers Brook, Williams River, Walloomsac River, Otter Creek, Dog River, and Mad River

This monitoring is part of the federal government’s broad efforts to ensure public safety to support the state, tribal, and local response to the storm.

For more information on being prepared for storms go to ready.gov.

Bats Worth Billions to Agriculture: Pest-control Services at Risk

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:38:46 EDT

Additional Media Contacts:

Paul Cryan, USGS, 970-226-9389, cryanp@usgs.gov
Gary McCracken, University of Tennessee, 865-974-3065, gmccrack@utk.edu
Thomas Kunz, Boston University, 617-353-2474, kunz@bu.edu

Pest-control services provided by insect-eating bats in the United States likely save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year, and yet insectivorous bats are among the most overlooked economically important, non-domesticated animals in North America, according to an analysis published in this week’s Science magazine Policy Forum.

"People often ask why we should care about bats,” said Paul Cryan, a U.S. Geological Survey research scientist and one of the study’s authors. “This analysis suggests that bats are saving us big bucks by gobbling up insects that eat or damage our crops. It is obviously beneficial that insectivorous bats are patrolling the skies at night above our fields and forests — these bats deserve help."

Related Podcasts

Beyond Billions: Threatened Bats are Worth Billions to Agriculture

Download directly | Details

or subscribe by e-mail.

The value of the pest-control services to agriculture provided by bats in the U.S. alone range from a low of $3.7 billion to a high of $53 billion a year, estimated the study’s authors, scientists from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), USGS, University of Tennessee and Boston University. They also warned that noticeable economic losses to North American agriculture could occur in the next 4 to 5 years as a result of emerging threats to bat populations.

“Bats eat tremendous quantities of flying pest insects, so the loss of bats is likely to have long-term effects on agricultural and ecological systems,” said Justin Boyles, a researcher with the University of Pretoria and the lead author of the study. “Consequently, not only is the conservation of bats important for the well-being of ecosystems, but it is also in the best interest of national and international economies.”

A single little brown bat, which has a body no bigger than an adult’s thumb, can eat 4 to 8 grams (the weight of about a grape or two) of insects each night, the authors wrote. Although this may not sound like much, it adds up — the loss of the one million bats in the Northeast has probably resulted in between 660 and 1320 metric tons of insects no longer being eaten each year by bats in the region.

“Additionally, because the agricultural value of bats in the Northeast is small compared with other parts of the country, such losses could be even more substantial in the extensive agricultural regions in the Midwest and the Great Plains where wind-energy development is booming and the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome was recently detected,” said Tom Kunz, a professor of ecology at Boston University, another co-author.

Although these estimates include the costs of pesticide applications that are not needed because of the pest-control services bats provide, Boyles and his colleagues said they did not account for the detrimental effects of pesticides on ecosystems nor the economic benefits of bats suppressing pest insects in forests, both of which may be considerable.

Bat populations are at risk in some areas of the country as a result of the emerging disease of white-nose syndrome. The loss of bats to white-nose syndrome has largely occurred during the past 4 years, after the disease first appeared in upstate New York. Since then, the fungus thought to cause white-nose syndrome has spread southward and westward and has now been found in 16 states and 3 Canadian provinces. Bat declines in the Northeast, the most severely affected region in the U.S. thus far, have exceeded 70 percent. Populations of at least one species, the little brown bat, have declined so precipitously that scientists expect the species to disappear from the region within the next 20 years.

Scientists are also concerned with the potential for losses of certain species of migratory bats at wind-energy facilities. By one estimate, published by Kunz and colleagues in 2007, about 33,000 to 111,000 bats will die each year by 2020 just in the mountainous region of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands from direct collisions with wind turbines as well as lung damage caused by pressure changes bats experience when flying near moving turbine blades. The issue raised by the authors is that the impacts on bat populations from white nose syndrome and wind turbines are just beginning to interact and might result in economic consequences.

“We hope that our analysis gets people thinking more about the value of bats and why their conservation is important,” said Gary McCracken, a University of Tennessee professor and co-author of the analysis. “The bottom line is that the natural pest-control services provided by bats save farmers a lot of money.”

The authors conclude that solutions to reduce threats to bat populations may be possible in the coming years, but that such work is most likely to be driven by public support that will require a wider awareness of the benefits of insectivorous bats.

The article, “Economic importance of bats in agriculture,” appears in the April 1 edition of Science. Authors are J.G. Boyles, P. Cryan, G. McCracken and T. Kunz.

68 Percent of New England and Mid-Atlantic Beaches Eroding

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 8:00:00 EDT

WOODS HOLE, Mass. -- An assessment of coastal change over the past 150 years has found 68 percent of beaches in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region are eroding, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report released today.

Scientists studied more than 650 miles of the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts and found the average rate of coastal change – taking into account beaches that are both eroding and prograding -- was negative 1.6 feet per year. Of those beaches eroding, the most extreme case exceeded 60 feet per year.

The past 25 to 30 years saw a small reduction in the percentage of beaches eroding – dropping to 60 percent, possibly as a result of beach restoration activities such as adding sand to beaches.

“This report provides invaluable objective data to help scientists and managers better understand natural changes to and human impacts on the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts,” said Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. “The information gathered can inform decisions about future land use, transportation corridors, and restoration projects.”

Beaches change in response to a variety of factors, including changes in the amount of available sand, storms, sea-level rise and human activities. How much a beach is eroding or prograding in any given location is due to some combination of these factors, which vary from place to place.

The Mid-Atlantic coast – from Long Island, N.Y. to the Virginia-North Carolina border -- is eroding at higher average rates than the New England coast. The difference in the type of coastline, with sandy areas being more vulnerable to erosion than areas with a greater concentration of rocky coasts, was the primary factor.

The researchers found that, although coastal change is highly variable, the majority of the coast is eroding throughout both regions, indicating erosion hazards are widespread.

"There is increasing need for this kind of comprehensive assessment in all coastal environments to guide managed response to sea-level rise," said Dr. Cheryl Hapke of the USGS, lead author of the new report. "It is very difficult to predict what may happen in the future without a solid understanding of what has happened in the past.”

The researchers used historical data sources such as maps and aerial photographs, as well as modern data like lidar, or “light detection and ranging,” to measure shoreline change at more than 21,000 locations.

This analysis of past and present trends of shoreline movement is designed to allow for future repeatable analyses of shoreline movement, coastal erosion, and land loss. The results of the study provide a baseline for coastal change information that can be used to inform a wide variety of coastal management decisions, Hapke said.

The report, titled "National Assessment of Shoreline Change: Historical Shoreline Change along the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts," is the fifth report produced as part of the USGS’s National Assessment of Shoreline Change project. An accompanying report that provides the geographic information system (GIS) data used to conduct the coastal change analysis is being released simultaneously.

Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded by White-Nose Syndrome's Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:47:54 EDT

Madison, Wisconsin—Damage to bat wings from the fungus associated with white-nose syndrome (WNS) may cause catastrophic imbalance in life-support processes, according to newly published research.

This imbalance may be to blame for the more than 1 million deaths of bats due to WNS thus far, proposes Carol Meteyer, a pathologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center and a lead author of the research published in BMC Biology.

Physiological problems caused by the novel fungus, may, in fact, represent a completely new disease paradigm for mammals, Meteyer and her colleagues wrote. Other skin infections in mammals due to fungi (ringworm, athlete’s foot) remain superficial and do not invade living tissue—typically they only affect the surface of skin, hair and nails.

Not so for the aptly named Geomyces destructans.

Related Podcasts

Tattered Wings: Bats Grounded by White-Nose Syndrome’s Lethal Effects on Life-Support Functions of Wings

Download directly | Details

or subscribe by e-mail.

“This fungus is amazingly destructive — it digests, erodes, and invades the skin — particularly the wings — of hibernating bats,” said Meteyer. “The ability of this fungus to invade bats’ wing skin is unlike that of any known skin fungal pathogen in land mammals.”

The authors examined nearly 200 bats that had died from WNS, and also reviewed the critical function and physiology of bat wings during hibernation. As a result, they propose that G. destructans may cause unsustainable dehydration in hibernating bats, triggering thirst-associated arousals. In addition to the direct damage to the wings that would alter flight control, the erosion and invasion of skin may also cause significant changes in circulation, body-temperature regulation and respiratory function.

Since signs of the disease were first observed in New York during the winter of 2006-07, the fungus has spread through 11 states and 2 Canadian provinces, resulting in the first sustained high-mortality disease affecting bats in recorded history. Biologists assume that as the disease spreads to new areas, cave-hibernating bats in those areas will also be at risk, including some that are endangered.

“The high number of bat deaths and range of species being affected far exceeds the rate and magnitude of any previously known natural or human-caused mortality event in bats, and possibly in any other mammals,” said Paul Cryan, a lead author of the paper and a USGS bat ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center.

Although the powdery white muzzles of affected bats gave the disease its name, the authors believe that the skin of bat wings is the most significant, though often less obvious, target of the fungus.

The order of bats is called Chiroptera, Greek for “hand-wing,” appropriately named since bat wings are essentially modified arms. Imagine, for a moment, your human hand with its fingers spread apart. Then imagine your fingers are 6 feet long, and the whole skeletal affair is covered with two layers of thin, somewhat transparent membranes attached to the sides of your torso and legs. Sandwiched between the membranes are blood and lymphatic vessels, delicate nerves, muscles and special connective tissues that help you fly and help keep you physiologically healthy.

“The disproportionately large areas of exposed skin that make up bat wings play critical roles in maintaining safe internal body conditions during hibernation,” noted Cryan. “Healthy wings are essential for day-to-day survival, even during winter when bats are mostly just hanging around. Wings damaged by the fungus may not always look so bad to the naked eye, but under the microscope things get ugly fast.”

When Meteyer examined wings of diseased bats microscopically, she discovered wing damage was often so severe that it led her and her colleagues to suggest multiple life-threatening effects on hibernating bats.

“A bat’s wings,” said Meteyer, “are obviously critical for flying, but they also play a vital part in essential functions such as body temperature, blood pressure, water balance and blood and gas circulation and exchange.”

Healthy bats occasionally rouse themselves from hibernation, probably to change roosts, drink, mate and even overcome sleep deprivation, biologists think. But bats afflicted with WNS arouse much more often. In fact, a characteristic of hibernation sites with WNS is daytime flights of affected bats outside caves.

“The prevailing hypothesis is that daytime winter flight is a last-ditch effort for starving bats to find insect prey,” Cryan said. “What we propose is that thirst, and maybe not always hunger, is driving these arousals. Unusual thirst during hibernation may result from water essentially leaking out of wings damaged by the fungus.”

Anecdotally, bats at hibernacula affected by WNS are sometimes seen flying over and drinking from water surfaces or eating snow, highlighting the plausibility of this hypothesis, the authors noted.

Hibernation itself is one reason this emerging disease is so successful. During hibernation, a bat’s immune function and metabolism are dramatically reduced, and body temperature drops significantly. Also, some of the worst-affected bat species roost in humid areas in dense clusters to conserve energy and decrease moisture loss.

“These ideal environmental conditions, combined with the hibernating bat’s suppressed immune system, likely allow the fungus to invade body tissues for nutrients without resistance, making the hibernating bat a most accommodating host for this new disease,” Meteyer said.

The researchers compare the ability of this novel bat fungus to destabilize internal functions with the electrolyte imbalance that occurs in frogs infected by chytrid fungus, which, like G. destructans, is a novel disease of vertebrates. Chytrid infection impairs the ability of frog skin to regulate hydration and internal equilibrium, causing electrolyte imbalance and ultimately cardiac arrest.

“The skin plays a critical role in the physiology of both amphibians and bats,” Meteyer said. “We suggest that a similar, but less subtle, disturbance could be occurring in the wing membranes of bats with WNS.”

The journal article can be accessed online.

[Access images for this release at: &amp;lt;a href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_12_14" _mce_href="http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_12_14"&amp;gt;http://gallery.usgs.gov/tags/NR2010_12_14&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;]

High Flows in New Hampshire from Weekend Storm Estimated

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:45:55 EDT

The March 14-15 storm that brought rains of 7 inches or more in southeastern New Hampshire caused stream flooding throughout the Seacoast and southern regions of the state, according to preliminary estimates released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

These high flows on many rivers came only 2 weeks after another coastal storm caused high flows in the same region. “The peak flows in the Exeter and Spicket Rivers had up to a 1 in 50 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year,” said Ken Toppin of the USGS New Hampshire-Vermont Water Science Center. “The Lamprey River had up to a 1 in 25 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year; and the Oyster, Cocheco, Suncook, South Branch Piscataquog, and Contoocook Rivers had up to a 1 in 10 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year,” Toppin noted.

Peak flows recorded on March 15:

The Exeter River near Brentwood had the third highest flow measured during 13 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 3,010 cubic feet per second (cfs).
The Oyster River near Durham had its seventh highest flow during 75 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 658 cfs.
The Cocheco River near Rochester had the fourth highest flow measured during 17 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 3,590 cfs.
The Suncook River near North Chichester had the fifth highest flow measured during 52 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 5,270 cfs.
The South Branch Piscataquog River had the third highest flow measured during 40 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 4,940 cfs.
The Contoocook River at Peterborough had the fifth highest flow measured during 65 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 2,710 cfs.

Peak flows recorded on March 16:

The Spicket River near Salem had the second highest flow measured during 10 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 1,710 cfs.
The Lamprey River at Newmarket had the fifth highest flow measured during 75 years of data collection at the streamgage, measuring 6,760 cfs.

During and after storms and floods, USGS hydrologic technicians from the New Hampshire-Vermont Water Science Center measure the flow and peak heights of rivers. This information is important because it is used to issue flood warnings and to characterize flood hazards.

Graphs and tables showing the real-time streamflow data collected at USGS gages in New Hampshire for the last 120 days, and for the historical periods of record, can be found on the Real-Time Data for New Hampshire Web page.

High Flows in New Hampshire from Recent Storm Estimated

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Tue, 9 Mar 2010 9:00:00 EDT

The February 25 storm that brought heavy rain and wind to the area resulted in high flows for southeastern New Hampshire rivers, according preliminary estimates released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The Oyster River near Durham had its fourth highest flow over the past 75 years on February 26, measuring 864 cubic feet per second (cfs). The Lamprey River at Newmarket had the sixth greatest flow ever recorded at the location on February 28, measuring 5,190 cfs. The Exeter River at Haigh Road near Brentwood had the fourth highest flow measured during 13 years, estimated to be 2,150 cfs on February 27.

“The peak flows in the Oyster River had a 1 in 25 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, termed the 4% annual exceedance probability,” said Keith Robinson, USGS New Hampshire-Vermont Water Science Center Director. “The peaks flows in the Lamprey and Exeter Rivers had a 1 in 10 chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, or also known as a 10% annual exceedance probability,” Robinson noted. Exceedance probabilities describe the magnitude and frequency of streamflows and represent the percent of time over which flows of similar magnitudes are expected to occur annually; these exceedence probabilities are based on historical streamflow data.

USGS hydrologic technicians from the New Hampshire-Vermont Water Science Center measured the flows and height (termed stage) of the rivers during and following the storm to be able to accurately define the peak flows.

View graphs and tables showing the real-time streamflow data collected at USGS gages in New Hampshire for the last 120 days, and for the historical periods of record.

New One-Stop Source for Scientific Information about U.S. Oceans and Waters

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:57:15 EDT

A one-stop source for biogeographic information collected from U.S. waters and oceanic regions is now available from the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Program.

The OBIS-USA website offers a unique combination of tools, resources, and biodiversity information to aide scientists, resource managers and decision makers in the research and analyses critical to sustaining the nation’s valued marine ecosystems.

OBIS-USA was established in 2006 in cooperation with the U.S. National Committee for the Census of Marine Life a committee composed of renowned marine community leaders. OBIS-USA – a partnership of state, federal and scientific organizations -- is the United States’ contribution to the International Ocean Biogeographic Information System, an effort led by the Census of Marine Life to provide “open access” to global biodiversity data on the myriad of marine life that inhabits the ocean.

Sea angel (Clione limacina), the most common shell-less pteropod of arctic waters. Courtesy of the census of Marine Life Arctic Ocean Diversity project, © Kevin Raskoff. (Full size image)

Green sea turtle, Hawaii. Photo by Paul Wang. (Full size image)

“The world’s ocean is critically important, not only because of how it influences the climate, but also because it provides the resources for commercial, recreational, cultural, scientific, conservation, and national security activities,”” said John Mosesso, OBIS-USA co-lead. “At the same time, the ocean is threatened by a variety of changes, including warming temperatures, increasing ocean acidity, invasion by non-native species, overharvesting, and loss of habitat for species of concern.”

OBIS-USA provides data and functional tools to address key questions and information needs related to scientific understanding of sustainable and resilient ecosystems, marine spatial planning, climate change, ocean acidification, invasive species, and managing the nation’s fisheries. To address these ocean threats requires access to critical information on marine biodiversity, Mosesso noted.

OBIS-USA data holdings comprise millions of individual records supplied by marine data sponsors from across the nation. The site provides a work space for visitors to search and manipulate that data. This is accomplished in collaboration with data providers to produce a compilation of data in a common format. Data are interoperable and can be consistently viewed and applied by researchers, decision makers and resource managers.

Users can search and download data and metadata describing when and where species were observed or collected. The site’s offerings are available through an atlas (where users can review and select specific data sets). Individual or composite data sets (user-created selections from the entire holdings) may be viewed through several functions, including:

data dashboard - provides a pictorial view of data attributes that lets users assess their utility;
data richness - assesses how well the data are populated for selected elements;
data quality - provides key data collection information;
duplication status - indicates if a data set may contain duplicate records;
general metadata – displays the Federal Geographic Data Committee data record;
geographic coverage – displays data collection sites spatially;
participants - names OBIS-USA participants, with the option to connect back to the atlas, dashboard, and metadata functions; and
taxonomic depth - table shows the levels of taxonomic hierarchy for each organism.

OBIS-USA goals this year include an increase to over 10 million total data records and expanded functionality to address needs such as integration with non-biological data and further capability regarding species distributions.

To learn more about OBIS-USA, including growing its list of data and exploring partnerships, contact the NBII’s Mark Fornwall or John Mosesso.

Coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey, the NBII is a broad, collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation's biological resources.

OBIS-USA screen shot showing 396 observations of sea angel (Clione limacina). (Data set searched: ArcOD - the Census of Marine Life Arctic Ocean Diversity project) (Full size image)

Chloride Found at Levels that Can Harm Aquatic Life in Urban Streams of the Northern U.S.--Winter Deicing a Major Source

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 9:00:00 EDT

The USGS report and maps of monitoring sites are available online.

Levels of chloride, a component of salt, are elevated in many urban streams and groundwater across the northern U.S., according to a new government study.

Chloride levels above the recommended federal criteria set to protect aquatic life were found in more than 40 percent of urban streams tested. The study was released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Elevated chloride can inhibit plant growth, impair reproduction, and reduce the diversity of organisms in streams.

The effect of chloride on drinking-water wells was lower. Scientists found chloride levels greater than federal standards set for human consumption in fewer than 2 percent of drinking-water wells sampled in the USGS study.

Use of salt for deicing roads and parking lots in the winter is a major source of chloride. Other sources include wastewater treatment, septic systems, and farming operations.

“Safe transportation is a top priority of state and local officials when they use road salt. And clearly salt is an effective deicer that prevents accidents, saves lives, and reduces property losses,” said Matthew C. Larsen, USGS Associate Director for Water. “These findings are not surprising, but rather remind us of the unintended consequences that salt use for deicing may have on our waters. Transportation officials continue to implement innovative alternatives that reduce salt use without compromising safety.”

This comprehensive study examines chloride concentrations in the northern U.S. covering parts of 19 States, including 1,329 wells and 100 streams.

Selected Highlights

Land use matters

Chloride yields (the amount of chloride delivered per square mile of drainage area) were substantially higher in cities than in farmlands and forests. Urban streams carried 88 tons of chloride per square mile of drainage area. Forest streams carried about 6 tons of chloride per square mile.
Only 4 percent of the streams in agricultural areas had chloride levels that exceeded the recommended federal criteria set to protect aquatic life (compared to more than 40 percent of urban streams). Overall, 15 percent of all streams had chloride levels exceeding the criteria.
Chloride concentrations in shallow groundwater (not used for drinking) were 16 times greater in urban areas than in forests, and 4 times greater in urban areas than in agricultural areas.

Highest levels in streams in the winter

In urban streams, the highest levels of chloride (as great as 4,000 parts per million, which is about 20 times higher than the recommended federal criteria) were measured during winter months when salt and other chemicals are used for deicing.

Increases over time

Increases in chloride levels in streams during the last two decades are consistent with overall increases in salt use in the U.S. for deicing.
Increasing chloride yields are linked to the expansion of road networks and parking lots that require deicing, increases in the number of septic systems, increases in wastewater discharge, and increases in saline groundwater from landfills.

Sources can vary locally

Chloride in ground and surface waters comes from many sources including the use and storage of salt for deicing roads, septic systems, wastewater treatment facilities, water softening, animal waste, fertilizers, discharge from landfills, natural sources of salt and brine in geologic deposits, and from natural and human sources in precipitation.

Growing Demand and Climate Change Likely Means Less Water for New Hampshire�s Seacoast Region by 2025

OC_Web@usgs.gov (Office of Communications and Publishing) — Thu, 9 Jul 2009 8:33:14 EDT

Increased demand for water and a warmer climate will likely decrease the amount of water available in the streams and aquifers of southeast New Hampshire’s Seacoast region. Summer stream flows could be 10 percent less by 2025 than they are now and groundwater levels will likely drop if demand continues to grow as projected. Climate change could reduce water supplies even further because warmer air temperatures increase evaporation and lengthen the growing season. These findings were released today by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

“The effects of increased water demands, such as reduced stream flows and lower groundwater levels, may become apparent in the next 10 years and be reduced further by 2025,” said USGS hydrologist Thomas Mack, author of the study. "Reductions in streamflows and groundwater levels that may happen because of potential climate changes would affect a large area, while the effects of increased groundwater demand would be local," said Mack.

For this study, scientists calculated changes in groundwater recharge and stream flows resulting from increased demands and under climate changes projected to 2025 by previous studies. Climate changes include changes in precipitation amounts and patterns, increased evaporation and a longer growing season. To isolate the effects of climate change, the calculation assumed current water use.

“About half of the water that recharges the bedrock aquifer in the Seacoast area annually is during snowmelt in the spring,” said Mack. “With increasing air temperatures expected from climate change, the peak recharge period would likely occur earlier in the year. This is a concern because the bedrock aquifers of the region have a low water storage capability. A shift to an earlier peak recharge may lower groundwater levels in the summer months when water demand increases,” added Mack.

Total annual recharge was estimated to decrease by about 5 percent in the year 2025; this equates to more than a billion gallons per year that would not be available as groundwater. The warming trend associated with possible climate change would also lead to an increase in evaporation and water uptake by plants, termed evapotranspiration, and a 50 percent reduction in spring recharge. Combined, these impacts would likely lead to a reduction in groundwater availability by lowering groundwater levels and would reduce the amount of groundwater contributing to streamflows. Simulated streamflows in the Winnicut River were estimated to increase in February but decrease by 20 to 30 percent in July and August.

Currently, groundwater in the Seacoast region is more plentiful in the shallow layers of the groundwater system. Groundwater in the shallow sand and gravel deposits, soils, till, and the upper bedrock is also much easier to reach. But an exact accounting of the amount of groundwater in the Seacoast is difficult because of the highly variable nature of the geology and rocks found.

The amount of recharge that enters the bedrock aquifer is highly variable from place to place because of variability in the rock type, the pattern of fractures in the rock, how water flows locally, and how much groundwater is used in the area. Recharge can range from near zero to almost all of the rain and snow that falls on a particular point.

All of this variation tends to limit the geographic extent of some groundwater issues, while making them particularly acute in the area affected. For example, increasing withdrawals at large groundwater-well fields will likely lower groundwater locally, not regionally.

One problem many coastal communities face when groundwater-levels decline is saltwater intrusion into freshwater aquifers. But widespread intrusion in the region’s bedrock aquifer is not likely. Currently, saltwater contamination is limited to isolated home supply wells adjacent to saltwater bays and streams.

“This regional assessment of groundwater in the Seacoast Region of the state points to how inter-connected our surface and groundwaters are,” said Tom Burack, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). “As a result, we need to manage and protect our water resources so that using water in one area does not result in shortages in another. This new study will help us design water resources management activities in the future that protect both our surface and groundwaters,” said Burack.

Scientists constructed a computer simulation of the complex groundwater system using data from a variety of sources. They collected groundwater levels and stream-flow measurements, and obtained additional hydrologic data from towns and consultants. The New Hampshire Geological Survey provided well reports and geologic maps. A companion investigation, released by the USGS in 2008, provided information on current and future water demand in the region.

The Seacoast groundwater availability study covers a 160-square-mile area of coastal New Hampshire and includes the towns of Seabrook, South Hampton, East Kingston, Kensington, Hampton Falls, Hampton, Exeter, Stratham, North Hampton, Greenland, Rye, Newington, Portsmouth, and New Castle.

The study is part of a larger multi-agency effort to assess groundwater availability in southeastern New Hampshire. Concerns about the ability of towns and water suppliers to meet future water needs in this rapidly developing region of the state fueled the need for the study. Done in cooperation with the NHDES, this study is the most comprehensive regional examination to date of groundwater availability in the bedrock aquifer in the state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the USGS, NHDES and 21 towns in the Seacoast Region helped to fund the study.

The following information is available online:

The USGS report, “Assessment of groundwater resources in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire.”
Information on the Seacoast groundwater availability studies.
Information on studies of the USGS in New Hampshire is available on the USGS Water Resources of New Hampshire and Vermont Web site.
Information on the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
Sustainability of Ground Water Resources in Southeastern New Hampshire (Fact Sheet PDF)