The Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling (WQMM) Team conducts water quality monitoring on rivers in Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, using USGS protocols that include ultra-clean techniques and a strong attention to data accuracy and precision. Chemical and biological constituents include nutrients, trace metals, bacteria, suspended sediment, major ions, and organic wastewater compounds such pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, and industrial compounds. For selected sites, continuous data sets exist for up to 35 years.

The team specializes in continuous water quality monitoring for physical conditions including water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and turbidity. New technology has enhanced realtime-data collection with measurements of nitrate and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM).

The WQMM Team conducts investigative studies that combine discrete and continuous water quality data to model stream processes and impacts from land use and climate change. Continuous data also are used to compute and assess status, trends, yields, and loads for nutrients and sediment. These data also can be evaluated to rapidly alert public-water suppliers of events that may adversely affect water supplies.

Team funding is mainly through agreements with County and State or District agencies with matching cooperative funds from USGS.

To learn more about the WQMM Team, please visit the links in the left menu.