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UDC
Research Portal

WRRI & CAUSES Research Projects

Active research initiatives from UDC's Water Resources Research Institute and the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability & Environmental Sciences. Addressing critical water quality, stormwater management, and environmental justice challenges in the District of Columbia.

Showing 6 of 6 projects
Active

Green Roof Stormwater Retention Analysis

Quantitative analysis of storm event water quality and retention from multiple design combinations of extensive green roofs, agricultural green roofs, and conventional roofs at UDC campus.

Dr. Tolessa Deksissa
WRRI / CAUSES
2024-092027-08
DC Government / DOEE
green infrastructurestormwaterwater quality
Active

Urban Food Hub Stormwater BMP Monitoring

Monitoring innovative BMPs at three UDC CAUSES urban Food Hubs in underserved areas of DC, integrating urban agriculture with green infrastructure for community-scale stormwater control.

Dr. Dwane Jones
CAUSES Land-Grant Programs
2025-012027-12
USDA NIFA / DC Government
urban agriculturegreen infrastructurecommunity
Active

Anacostia Watershed PFAS Assessment

Comprehensive assessment of PFAS contamination levels in the Anacostia River watershed, including source identification and risk characterization for communities in Wards 7 and 8.

Dr. Sarah Mitchell
Environmental Science
2025-062028-05
EPA / DC DOEE
pfasemerging contaminantsenvironmental justice
Active

Potomac Source Water Protection Partnership

Collaborative research between upstream agricultural communities and downstream urban communities to protect Potomac River drinking water sources through integrated watershed management.

Dr. Tolessa Deksissa
WRRI
2024-032026-12
DC Water / DOEE
drinking waterwatershed managementcollaboration
Active

Tree Cell Stormwater Filtration Effectiveness

Evaluating the effectiveness of tree cell systems installed in urban parking lots for filtering and absorbing stormwater runoff, in partnership with DOEE.

Dr. James Richardson
CURII
2025-032027-09
DC DOEE
green infrastructurestormwatertree cells
Active

Rainwater Reuse Safety Assessment

Evaluating the effectiveness and safety of rain garden systems for rainwater reuse in urban settings, including pathogen and contaminant analysis.

Dr. Maria Chen
EQTL / WRRI
2025-092028-03
EPA Region 3
rainwater reuserain gardenswater quality

Methodology & Data Dictionary

Sampling protocols, QA/QC procedures, parameter definitions, and EPA threshold documentation.

View documentation

Export Full Dataset

Download all water quality readings as CSV with citation metadata, source provenance, and station metadata.

Download CSV

API & Open Data

REST API access, Python/R analysis templates, and programmatic data retrieval for research integration.

Access API docs

Data Integration Sources

Partner organizations and external data feeds integrated into the dashboard

DC Dept. of Energy & Environment (DOEE)

River monitoring data, environmental permits, water quality assessments, and CSO tracking.

Water Quality DashboardRapid Stream AssessmentEnvironmental GIS

EPA Region 3

Federal water quality standards, NPDES permits, Clean Water Act compliance data.

STORET/WQXECHO DatabaseDrinking Water Watch

USGS Water Resources

Stream gauge data, groundwater monitoring, water use statistics, and flood alerts.

NWIS Real-TimeStream StatsNational Water Dashboard

Anacostia Riverkeeper

Community-based water quality monitoring, recreational safety data, and cleanup events.

Swim Guide DataMonitoring CooperativeCitizen Science

DC Water

Wastewater treatment data, CSO tunnel project updates, and sewer infrastructure data.

Clean Rivers ProjectTreatment Plant DataCSO Reports

UDC EQTL

Environmental Quality Testing Lab data including water sampling and contaminant analysis.

Lab Analysis ReportsField Sampling DataPFAS Testing