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Freshwater Research

Moving Freshwater Science Forward

Our efforts at Stroud Water Research Center require intellectual curiosity, a systematic and rigorous approach to scientific research, and the drive to answer a series of challenging questions about freshwater ecosystems. The answers to these questions may take decades to fully understand, but it is critical that we persist, as they have the power to influence others in ways that positively affect the world’s finite supply of clean fresh water.

Map of Stroud Center research locations since 2009.

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Recent Publications

Soil iron oxides as geochemical filters in floodplain restorations: Key drivers, dynamics, and links to nutrients and metals

Inamdar, S., J.G. Galella, E.R. Moore, M.M. Rahman, M. Sena, B. Joshi, M. Peipoch, and J. Kan. 2026. Journal of Environmental Management 408: 129967.

Fish assemblage integrity and watershed urbanization across national parks of the National Capital Region, USA

Peipoch, M., D. Myers, M. Daniels, D. Oviedo-Vargas, and J.P. Schmit. 2026. River Research and Applications, early online access.

Interception of river sediment in estuaries revealed by microbial community source tracking

Kan, J., and S.H. Ensign. 2026. Estuaries and Coasts 49, 55.

View all publications


Freshwater Research News

Stroud Center entomologists have been sampling macroinvertebrates in the Susquehanna River near Procter & Gamble’s Mehoopany plant since 1974.
Fund Long-Term Research Like Infrastructure
Long-term environmental research is how communities detect risks early. It is how we make smarter decisions, reduce costs, and protect public well-being.
Jackson testifies on stream impairment before PA House Environmental Resources & Natural Protection Committee.
Stroud Center Scientist Testifies About Stream Impairment
Why are we not measuring more improvements among our impaired streams or seeing more streams removed from our list of impaired waters?
A small stream meanders through a Pennsylvania forest.
Small Streams Hold the Key to Healthy Rivers
New state water quality report confirms Stroud Center science: restoring healthy rivers demands upstream focus.
A scientist measures chlorophyll in a stream using a field fluorometer.
When Local News and Science Go Dark, the River Loses Its Voice
Supporting local journalism and local science is not charity. It is an investment in the data, transparency, and accountability that keep fresh water safe.
Scott Ensign with Open-Source River Camera and Altimetry (ORCA) for measuring river flooding.
Open Source Hardware Solves Flood Monitoring Challenges
Scientists and engineers at Stroud Water Research Center have developed a compact, inexpensive, and rapidly deployable tool for measuring river floods.
2025 Fall Salt Snapshot data map screenshot
What the Fall Salt Snapshot Revealed About Our Groundwater
Most stream sites sampled this fall exceeded at least one environmental chloride guideline — months after the last road salt was applied.