INCORPORATING AN EPA WATERSHED INITIATIVE DESIGNATION INTO RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AT BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY

The Upper Susquehanna River Basin in New York and Pennsylvania is one of twenty watersheds in the United States that has been selected for study through the EPA Watershed Initiative. Water quality and quantity from flooding, sediment and nutrient perspectives are the major issues of concern within the watershed. Wetland creation, development and functioning demonstration projects are a focus of the initiative which will provide internship opportunities for undergraduates and research projects for graduate students. The Center for Integrated Watershed Studies at Binghamton University provides the interdisciplinary training needed for the students to study watersheds in rural as well as urban locations from biology, geology, and geography perspectives. The Fuller Hollow Creek Watershed on which the university campus is located is used as the base location for education and training activities associated with the initiative. Examples of results from ongoing monitoring and modeling activities within the Upper Susquehanna River Basin including GIS based in-stream geomorphology assessments, predicting and evaluating peak flow attenuation by wetlands, hydrograph separation techniques for stormwater runoff events, and seasonal trends in metal concentrations from a bioavailability perspective will be presented.