Current WRRC-Sponsored Research:

• Elucidation of the Rates and Extents of Pharmaceutical Biotransformation during Nitrification
  Dr. Andrew Ramsburg, Tufts University.
• Assessing Human Impacts and Contaminant Trapping within Oxbow Lake, Northampton, Massachusetts
  Dr. Jonathan Woodruff, Dept. of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Authentic Research Projects for Undergraduates based on Groundwater Contamination Issues Related to Arsenic
  Dr. Julian Tyson, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• A Remote Sensing Algal Production Model to Monitor Water Quality and Nonpoint Pollution in New England Lakes
  Dr. Mi-Hyun Park, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Monitoring and Understanding Water Quality at Three Potential Charles River Swimming Sites
  Dr. Ferdi Hellweger, Northeastern University Civil & Environmental Engineering.
• Developing a physically-based and policy-relevant river classification scheme for sustainable water and ecosystem management decisions
  Dr. Ellen Douglas, Dept. of Environmental, Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston
• An Assessment Methodology for Differential Impact on Environmental Justice Populations of Releases of Industrial Toxics to Water in Massachusetts
  Dr. Michael Ash, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Impact of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid on the Water Cycle in New England: Differences in Hydrologic Fluxes Between Hemlock and Deciduous Forest Stands
  Dr. Andrew Guswa, Smith College
• Monitoring and Modeling Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter in Neponset River and Boston Harbor Using GIS and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing
  Qian Yu, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Surface Water-Groundwater Interactions on the Deerfield River
  Dr. David Boutt, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Assessing the Transport and Fate of Effluent Organic Nitrogen in the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound Using Mass-Mapping Proteomics Technology
  Dr. Chul Park, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Recent WRRC-Sponsored Research:

• Bacterial Toxicity of Oxide Nanoparticles and Their Adhesion
  Dr. Baoshan Xing, Dept. of Plant, Soil, Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
  
• Impact of Nanoparticles on the Activated Sludge Process Effects on Microbial Community Structure and Function.  
  Dr. Juliette N. Rooney-Varga, Deepankar Goyal, Dept. of Biological Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Characterization of Flow and Water Quality of Stormwater Runoff from a Green Roof
  Suzanne LePage, Dr. Paul Mathisen, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Characterizing and Quantifying Recharge at the Bedrock Interface
  Dr. David Boutt, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Environmental Behaviors of Engineered Nanoparticles in Water
  Dr. Baoshan Xing, Dept. of Plant, Soil, Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Quantifying Sediment Transport in Red Brook, Wareham, Massachusetts: Impacts of Dam Removal
  Steven Kichefski, Dr. Ellen Douglas, Dr. Allen Gontz, Dept. of Environmental, Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston
  
• Estimation of Climatic and Anthropogenic Influences on Freshwater Availability
  Yushiou Tsai, Dr. Richard Vogel, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Tufts University
• Toxicity of Carbon Nanotubes to the Activated Sludge Process: Protective Ability of Extracellular Polymeric Substances
  Lauren Luongo, Dr. Xiaoqi (Jackie) Zhang, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Characterization of wastewater effluent from Western Massachusetts publicly owned treatment works using metaproteomic analysis
  Pamela Westgate, Dr. Chul Park, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Using Hydromorphological Signatures to Determine Flow Related Habitat Thresholds for Instream Communities, 2006-2008
  Piotr Parasiewicz, Research Associate Professor, Natural Resources Conservation
  Northeast Instream Habitat Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Christina M. Cianfrani
  Assistant Professor, School of Natural Science, Hampshire College, and Scott D. Jackson, Director of Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation Program, UMass Extension, University of Massachusetts Amherst. See Abstract.
• Development of a Standardized Protocol for Fish Bioassays Detecting Estrogenic Exposure
  ($5,000 one-year graduate student grant)
  Lauren Moffatt, PhD Candidate, and Dr. Kathleen Arcaro, Assistant Professor, Animal Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
• Perchlorate Reduction in Groundwater Using Elemental Sulfur, 2006-2007
  Ashish K Sahu, Doctoral Candidate, and Dr. Sarina Ergas, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. See Abstract.
• Monitoring Estrogenic Hormones - Undesired Fish Contraceptives, and Investigating Their Sources, Transportation and Fate in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, 2005-2007
  Yuegang Zuo, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,Graduate School of Marine Sciences and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. See Abstract.
• Sources of E. coli during Wet-Weather Events, 2005-2006
  Sarah Dorner, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health - Environmental Health Sciences Concentration, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst. See Abstract.
• Cryptic Marsh Birds as Bioindicators of Wetland Health, 2005-2006
  Brian Tavernia, Graduate Student, Department of Biology, Tufts University. See Abstract.
• Copper Removal by Biofilms, 2003-2006
  Xiaoqi (Jackie) Zhang, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UMass Lowell. See Report.
• Potential Movement of Pesticides Related with Dissolved Organic Matter from Organic Fertilizer Application on Turf, 2003-2006. See Report.
  Baoshan Xing and William Torello, 2003 Dept. of Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences, UMass Amherst
• Monitoring Disinfection Byproducts in Drinking Water: Strategies for Small Utilities, 2000-2002
  David Reckhow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UMass Amherst. See Report.
• Sources and Behavior of Copper-binding Compounds in Rivers and Estuaries, 2001
  Bettina M. Voelker, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. See Report.

Research Sponsored from other sources:

The Acid Rain Monitoring Project (Sponsored by Mass. Dept of Environmental Protection)

Phase IV of the ARM Project, begun in April 2001, trackss the trends in water quality in a subset of Massachusetts water bodies to document the effects of acid deposition on our surface waters. About 150 sites (mostly streams) are sampled by volunteer collectors and tested for pH and alkalinity by volunteer labs. Of those, 26 long-term sites are analyzed for the full suite of major cations and anions as well as color. Click here to find out more and to volunteer.