What kind of water-quality information does the NAWQA Program provide? Water-quality assessments by a single program cannot possibly address all of the Nation's water-resources needs and issues. Therefore, it is necessary to define the context within which NAWQA information is most useful. • Total resource assessment-NAWQA assessments are long-term and interdisciplinary, and include information on water chemistry, hydrology, land use, stream habitat, and aquatic life. Assessments are not limited to a specific geographic area or water-resource problem at a specific time. Therefore, the findings describe the general health of the total water resource, as well as emerging water issues, thereby helping managers and decision makers to set priorities. • Source-water characterization-Assessments focus on the quality of the available, untreated resource and thereby complement (rather than duplicate) Federal, State, and local programs that monitor drinking water. Findings are compared to drinking-water standards and health advisories as a way to characterize the resource. • Compounds studied-Assessments focus on chemical compounds that have wellestablished methods of investigation. It is not financially or technically feasible to assess all the contaminants in our Nation's waters. In general, the NAWQA Program investigates those pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and metals that have been or are currently used commonly in agricultural and urban areas across the Nation. A complete list of compounds studied is on the NAWQA Web site at water.usgs.gov/nawqa. • Detection relative to risk-Compounds are measured at very low concentrations, often 10 to 100 times lower than Federal or State standards and health advisories. Detection of compounds, therefore, does not necessarily translate to risks to human health or aquatic life. However, these analyses are useful for identifying and evaluating emerging issues, as well as for tracking contaminant levels over time. • Multiple scales-Assessments are guided by a nationally consistent study design and uniform methods of sampling and analysis. Findings thereby pertain not only to water quality of a particular stream or aquifer, but also contribute to the larger picture of how and why water quality varies regionally and nationally. This consistent, multiscale approach helps to determine if a water-quality issue is isolated or pervasive. It also allows direct comparisons of how human activities and natural processes affect water quality in the Nation's diverse environmental settings.

Automated routines for calculating whole-stream metabolism-Theoretical background and user's guide: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 4-C2, 33 p. (online at http://pubs.water. usgs.gov/tm4c2/) iii Foreword The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is committed to providing the Nation with credible scientific information that helps to enhance and protect the overall quality of life and that facilitates effective management of water, biological, energy, and mineral resources (http:// www.usgs.gov/). Information on the Nation's water resources is critical to ensuring long-term availability of water that is safe for drinking and recreation and is suitable for industry, irrigation, and fish and wildlife. Population growth and increasing demands for water make the availability of that water, now measured in terms of quantity and quality, even more essential to the long-term sustainability of our communities and ecosystems. The USGS implemented the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in 1991 to support national, regional, State, and local information needs and decisions related to water-quality management and policy (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa). The NAWQA Program is designed to answer: What is the condition of our Nation's streams and ground water? How are conditions changing over time? How do natural features and human activities affect the quality of streams and ground water, and where are those effects most pronounced? By combining information on water chemistry, physical characteristics, stream habitat, and aquatic life, the NAWQA Program aims to provide science-based insights for current and emerging water issues and priorities. From 1991-2001, the NAWQA Program completed interdisciplinary assessments and established a baseline understanding of water-quality conditions in 51 of the Nation's river basins and aquifers, referred to as Study Units (http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/studyu.html). Multiple national and regional assessments are ongoing in the second decade (2001-2012) of the NAWQA Program as 42 of the 51 Study Units are reassessed. These assessments extend the findings in the Study Units by determining status and trends at sites that have been consistently monitored for more than a decade, and filling critical gaps in characterizing the quality of surface water and ground water. For example, increased emphasis has been placed on assessing the quality of source water and finished water associated with many of the Nation's largest community water systems. During the second decade, NAWQA is addressing five national priority topics that build an understanding of how natural features and human activities affect water quality, and establish links between sources of contaminants, the transport of those contaminants through the hydrologic system, and the potential effects of contaminants on humans and aquatic ecosystems. Included are topics on the fate of agricultural chemicals, effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems, bioaccumulation of mercury in stream ecosystems, effects of nutrient enrichme...

No abstract

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment-visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://store.usgs.gov.

(ver. 1.1), online For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS.For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.Suggested citation: Masterson, J.P., Pope, J.P., Monti, Jack, Jr., Nardi, M.R., Finkelstein, J.S., and McCoy, K.J., 2015, Hydrogeology and hydrologic conditions of the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina (ver. 1.1, September 2015): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5133, 76 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20135133. ISSN 2328-031X (print) ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii AcknowledgementsThe authors wish to thank the following individuals for their assistance and guidance throughout this investigation: Martha Watt, Jennifer Bonin, Fredrick Stumm, Jessica Carpenter, and Tom Reilly (emeritus) of the U.S. Geological Survey. The authors also would like to thank David Andreasen of the Maryland Geological Survey and Randy McFarland and Howard Reeves of the U.S. Geological Survey for providing technical reviews for this report. AbstractThe seaward-dipping sedimentary wedge that underlies