Of Interest...

Celebrate Earth Science Week – October 14-20, 2012.

10/14/2012 -- “Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences” is the theme for this year’s Earth Science Week. The USGS is a longstanding partner in this annual international event sponsored by the American Geological Institute.  Earth Science Week promotes responsible stewardship of the Earth and encourages children and adults alike to explore the geosciences. There are many Earth Science Week events in Ohio and throughout the world open to the public.

Ohio’s Greatest Natural Disaster - New Video.

9/19/2012 -- The March 1913 statewide flood remains Ohio’s Greatest Natural Disaster (video). More than 40,000 homes were flooded, and more than 400 people died. Warning of the unprecedented rain and imminent flooding was limited primarily to word-of-mouth, church bells, and police sirens. In the aftermath of the 1913 flood, State and Federal funds were allocated for the installation of a streamgage network to monitor the water level and flow of Ohio's rivers and streams.  “May it never happen again.”

The Magic Of Groundwater.

9/10/2012 -- In 1861 the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that groundwater was too secret and occult to be adjudicated by law, and water witching was a common method to identify groundwater (more). Though USGS published reports in 1917 and more recently in 1977  discredited water witching, the properties of groundwater continue to be misunderstood by many people. Groundwater contamination can occur because the composition of groundwater reflects the environment in which it travels.  Naturally occurring contaminants in groundwater can include microorganisms, radionuclides, and heavy metals such as arsenic. USGS scientists in Ohio are investigating arsenic concentrations in domestic wells as part of a broader effort to understand which parts of the groundwater system are most vulnerable to contamination from naturally occurring arsenic. Contamination can also be caused by human activities. More information on groundwater, water wells, and Protect Your Groundwater Day can be found at the National Ground Water Association, Wellowner.org, and the USGS Groundwater Information Pages.

Removing Viruses From Municipal Wastewater.

7/27/2012 -- The effectiveness of membrane bioreactors (MBRs), a relatively new wastewater-treatment technology in which conventional secondary treatment is replaced by a membrane separation process, was studied by USGS scientists in Ohio and several collaborators. The study spanned three recreational seasons (May–October), when disinfection of effluents is required in Ohio, and evaluated removals of bacterial indicators, coliphage (indicator viruses), and human enteric viruses in three MBR and two conventional secondary activated-sludge municipal wastewater treatment plants. The study team determined that that (1) removals of all organisms were higher across secondary treatment for MBR plants than for conventional plants, (2) although culturable viruses were found in 63 percent of samples collected after primary treatment, they were not detected in any samples receiving further treatment, and (3) ultraviolet disinfection after MBR treatment provided little additional removal of any organism except for coliphage. A recent article and USGS report describe the study

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