Hydrologic, Water-Quality, and Meteorological Data for the Cambridge, Massachusetts, Drinking-Water Source Area, Water Year 2005

Abstract

Physical properties and concentrations of major inorganic constituents, nutrients, trace metals, suspended sediments, Escherichia coli bacteria, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and polar pesticides and metabolites for base-flow and stormflow water samples collected in four subbasins and the Fresh Pond intake structure in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, drinking-water source area for water year 2005 ....99 16. Concentrations of Escherichia coli for water samples collected during base flow

Loads and yields of deicing compounds and total phosphorus in the Cambridge drinking-water source area, Massachusetts, water years 2009–15

“…The USGS, in cooperation with the CWD, continues to operate and maintain a monitoring network in the drinkingwater source area (table 1). Streamflow, water-quality, and meteorological data from this network are available to the public through the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS; https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/ma/rt) and in various reports (Socolow and others, 1999(Socolow and others, , 2000(Socolow and others, , 2001(Socolow and others, , 2002(Socolow and others, , 2003(Socolow and others, , 2004Smith, , 2007Smith, , 2008Smith, , 2011Smith, , 2013U.S. Geological Survey, 2009).…”

“…Elevated concentrations of Cl and Na are of special concern in the Cambridge drinking-water source area (Smith, 2007) because they are not readily removed by conventional treatment processes. High concentrations of Cl can affect the taste of finished drinking water, and high concentrations of Na contribute to hypertension in susceptible individuals (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).…”

“…Secondary drinking-water regulations (SDWRs) are non-mandatory water-quality guidelines established by the EPA and are designed to assist public water suppliers in managing aesthetic aspects of water, such as taste, odor, color, foaming, corrosivity, staining, scaling, and sedimentation; the regulations are not related to risk to human health (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). Although these guidelines typically are applied to finished water, the presence of these constituents at concentrations exceeding SDWRs can result in damage to equipment and reduce the effectiveness of treatment for other constituents (Smith, 2007). The EPA SDWRs and guidelines for drinking water are useful benchmarks used for comparison with constituent concentrations in the drinking-water source area.…”

“…In 1997, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the CWD, began operation of continuous waterquality monitoring stations (streamflow, water temperature, and specific conductance; hereafter referred to as stations) at various locations in the drinking-water source area (Socolow and others, 1999(Socolow and others, , 2000(Socolow and others, , 2001(Socolow and others, , 2002(Socolow and others, , 2003(Socolow and others, , 2004Smith, , 2007Smith, , 2008Smith, , 2011Smith, , 2013U.S. Geological Survey, 2009).…”