Contaminant Trace Element Loads at the Susquehanna River Fall Line during theSpring, 1993 High Flow Event. Addendum to the Fall Line Toxics 1992 Final Report

摘要

The largest freshwater discharge event on record to the Chesapeake Bay occurredin the spring of 1993 as a result of several climatological factors. In 1993, as much as 92 inches of snow was recorded for the winter in some parts of the upper Susquehanna River watershed. This snowpack was washed out by a single strong rainstorm that lasted approximately nine days. The total stormflow for the Susquehanna River from this storm exceeded that of the flow from Hurricane Agnes, a devastating storm that occurred in 1973. In order to study the dynamics of contaminant transport and to calculate accurate loads during this period of high flow in 1993, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a short-term intensive water quality sampling study on the Susquehanna River at the Conowingo Dam in Maryland.