Water Quality in the Long Island–New Jersey Coastal Drainages New Jersey and New York, 1996–98

By Mark A. Ayers, Jonathan G. Kennen, and Paul E. Stackelberg

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 1201

The full report is available in pdf.  Links to the pdf.

A contribution of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program

• NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
• SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS
  • Stream and River Highlights
  • Ground-Water Highlights
• INTRODUCTION TO THE LONG ISLAND–NEW JERSEY STUDY AREA
  • Environmental Setting and Hydrologic Conditions
  • Water-Quality Issues
• MAJOR FINDINGS
  • Stream Conditions for Fish Have Improved Since the 1970s
  • Aquatic Invertebrate Communities Differ Naturally Across the Study Area
  • Fish and Aquatic Invertebrate Communities Are Impaired in Urban Areas
  • Characteristics of Urban Landscapes That Affect Aquatic Communities
  • Organochlorine Compounds Were Detected in Streambed Sediment and in Fish Tissue
  • Trace-Element Concentrations Were Elevated in Streambed Sediment, Fish Tissue, and Ground Water
  • Nutrients Were Detected in Streams and Ground Water
  • Predicting Changes in Nitrate Concentrations in Streams and Wells
  • Pesticides Were Detected in Streams and Ground Water
  • Pesticide Detections Vary by Season and in Response to Land Use
  • Pesticide Detections in Ground Water Are Related to Pesticide Properties
  • Organochlorine Insecticides Were Detected in Streams and Ground Water
  • Pesticide Metabolites Were Frequently Detected in Ground Water
  • VOCs Were Detected in Streams and Ground Water
  • VOC Detections Vary by Season and in Response to Land Use
  • Public-Supply Wells in Surficial Aquifers Are Vulnerable to VOCs
  • VOCs and Pesticides Occur Together in Ground Water
  • Implications of Findings for the Management of Water and Ecological Resources
• NATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON WATER-QUALITY CONDITIONS—
• Aquatic-Community Status in a National Context
• Mercury Concentrations in Fish Tissue Were Related to Methylmercury Concentrations in Water
• History of Chemical Use Is Evident in Lake-Sediment Cores
• DESIGN OF THE LONG ISLAND-NEW JERSEY STUDY
• APPENDIX--WATER-QUALITY DATA FROM THE LONG ISLAND–NEW JERSEY COASTAL DRAINAGES IN A NATIONAL CONTEXT
  • Chemical in Water
  • Chemical in Fish Tissue and Bed Sediment
  • Biological Indicators
• References
• A Coordinated Efffort
• Glossary