Every five years teams supporting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Aquatic Resource Survey—consisting of tribal, state, and federal partners—collect samples from over 2000 river and stream reaches throughout the United States. CSS analytical chemists support this effort by processing the samples and then analyzing them for various chemicals to help characterize their water quality.  The data are available at the U.S. EPA National Aquatic Resource Survey website where more information is provided on this program.

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split pane with 1-meter land cover data on left showing details of roads, buildings, creeks, and wetlands. 30-meter land cover data on right showing blocky colors that don't provide details.

New Heavily Desired High Resolution Land Cover Data for the U.S. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the launch of the long desired high-resolution coastal land cover data. This highly anticipated data are available for most coastal areas of the U.S., including Alaska and the U.S. territories.    CSS employee owners contributed to the release of this data set by participating in production activities and…

Contributing to Wind Energy Area Designations 

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently announced two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. The WEAs are located off the coasts of Galveston, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and have the potential to power nearly three million homes.   BOEM collaborated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify…

Entrance to an abandoned mine in a hillside

Assessing Contamination in Abandoned Mines

CSS supports the Environmental Protection Agency with assessing contamination within abandoned mines. There are thousands of abandoned mines throughout the western United States. Many of these mines are leaching heavy metals into nearby streams or have contaminated soils causing vegetation die off.   CSS employee owners conduct field work to assess the extent of this contamination.…