Daniel Deeds, Phd Email & Phone Number

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Supervising the Hydrologic Studies unit in the USGS Pittsburgh field office [PA Water Science Center].Seven direct reports (6 hydrologists, 1 hydrotech) working on routine water quality monitoring across PA, the development of sediment-nutrient regression models for select watersheds and machine learning tools to predict groundwater levels, PFAS monitoring downstream of industrial sources and airfields, and assessing baseflow contributions to stream hydrographs. Serving as Project Chief for the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority's (ALCOSAN's) Consent Decree Water Quality Monitoring effort. This is a multi-million dollar project targeting 27 monitoring locations within the Ohio-Allegheny-Monongahela Rivers and their tributaries, studying water quality impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSO) during wet weather events, and changes in CSO water quality impacts post-infrastructure upgrades that ALCOSAN plans to complete in 2016. First round of sampling expected for September 2024.I continue to be a co-PI on my Reclamation studies as they wrap up this fiscal year. I also am a co-PI on two new studies! : 1) understanding variability in methane fluxes from Klamath River reservoirs during decommissioning, and 2) describing strontium isotope variability in San Joaquin Valley waterways as a function of human activity (ag discharges, reservoir ops) and understanding its implications when tracking anadromous fish migration.Reports Specialist for the Pennsylvania Water Science Center. I'm drafting guidance on document tracking within the center, ensuring that the process of document drafting and revision is standardized for all authors, ensuring that the process is easy to understand and that the rigorous USGS review process does not represent a stumbling block to providing our collaborators with critical information they need.

Sacramento, California, United States

Serving voluntarily on Reclamation's Peer Review Council. Duties include attending Reclamation-wide peer review meetings and providing guidance to peer review team leads on Reclamation peer review policy (CMP P14). - Moderator/facilitator for day-2 case study breakout room in a 3-day peer review virtual workshop -Served as team leader for a peer review of the Pacheco Creek Steelhead Habitat Suitability Model.-Consulting member of Peer Review Committee for Water Temperature Model Development for the Central Valley Project-Started and am leading a monthly Peer Review Community of Practice meeting for USBR in the California-Great Basin Region

I managed ~14 direct-reports in environmental monitoring, quality assurance, data management and hazardous materials teams. The branch works with Federal and State clients to meet their monitoring needs for regulatory compliance and best management of limited resources (e.g. refuge water). HazMat staff regularly audit area offices to ensure compliance and perform Phase I's/II's of properties. Activities of note:1) I worked with a budget analyst and my investigation leads to manage branch accounts totaling roughly $3M/yr. Specific acts included implementing a branch overhead to support administrative tasks (and close a $300k gap in the budget), right-sizing blanket purchase agreements for analytical labs, identifying and addressing fund shortages and using outreach to identify and secure additional mission-critical projects. 2) I served as the principal environmental monitoring SME for the California-Great Basin region.3) I established document version and data control standards for the group. 4) I led the group through a transition to electronic fieldsheets and the implementation of a new environmental database.5) I used extra funding to support Tribal monitoring of invasive species in Pyramid Lake, NV.6) I secured over $860k in funding to support research pertinent to Reclamation. Research Topics include:Studying metabolomics of smelt species for chemical detection in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (collaboration with UC Davis).Developing a low-cost UV-spectrophotometer for real-time detection of harmful algal blooms (collaboration with UC Davis).Assessing water quality impacts associated with dredging of mercury-rich sediments (collaboration with the USGS).Assessing water quality impacts associated with wildfire mitigation efforts (collaboration with the BLM).Using lichen as a bioindicator of atmospheric mercury deposition to vulnerable watersheds downstream of historical mining sites (collaboration with UCSC).

Sacramento, California Area

- Principal water quality (WQ) contact for the California-Great Basin region of the USBR- Subject matter expert for watershed WQ and California/Federal WQ policy- Organized/moderated Reclamation-led stakeholder meetings on controversial WQ subjects- Advised management on potential impact of new state/federal WQ regulations - Represented Reclamation interests at non-Reclamation WQ meetings- Coordinated with the regulating community to ensure that Reclamation meets existing WQ objectives - Identified scientific needs of Reclamation and facilitates research implementation.- Promoted inter-/intra-regional communication between Reclamation staff on WQ policySpecific ActivitiesMeeting Chair, Management Agency Agreement Quarterly Meeting between USBR and Central Valley Water Board - I took over meeting planning and held quarterly meetings with stakeholders.Meeting Chair, USBR Regional Water Quality Working Group for the California-Great Basin region - A new working group I established to discuss WQ topics with regional offices and to promote connections between area offices and the regional Environmental Affairs (monitoring) and Planning (modeling) branchesMember, Executive Committee, Central Valley Salinity Alternatives for Long-Term Sustainability - multi-stakeholder organization to develop long-term solutions for salinity accumulation in the Central ValleyFunding Acquired $70k: post-wildfire water quality impacts (with USGS)Grant ReviewerFY19 WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management ARCFY19 Applied Science ARC Red Flag ReviewFY19, FY20 Desalination/Water Purification Research ARC

Second 60-day (2 month) detail as a branch chief, this time with the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment branch. The EMA branch contains 14 employees divided into environmental monitoring, hazardous materials, quality assurance and data management teams. Regional water quality and invasive species monitoring is planned, coordinated and undertaken within the branch.Activities of note:1) A staff member was exposed to COVID-19. I coordinated with regional safety staff and performed contact tracing, followed up with potentially exposed staff and worked to ensure that COVID spread was minimized.2) Helped a worker who had been placed on permanent leave re-enter the workplace in a safe manner.3) Improved communications between team members in the environmental monitoring, quality assurance and data management teams.4) Led environmental monitoring staff in the development and execution of a special investigation of zooplankton biomass/diversity in the Sacramento River as part of the "Food for Fish" program. Tasks included guiding staff in developing a novel sampling methodology to address zooplankton collection in a lotic system.

Sacramento, California, United States

60-day (2 months) detail/duty promotion. - Supervised 2 staff managing water re-use and climate change adaptability projects.- Supervised USBR's program manager for Federal involvement in the multi-billion dollar North of Delta Off-river Storage (NODOS) project.- Represented Planning division at region-wide meetings with upper management.- Acted as Regional Planning Officer (RPO, GS-14) when current acting RPO was absent.I was asked to extend my detail another month but I declined, so I could take another acting branch chief detail that aligned with my strengths and interests.

Montreal, Canada Area

I helped with groundwater and soil sampling for phase II assessments. I occasionally provided expert insight into geochemical trends in PAHs and VOCs and on groundwater flow fields. We were developing a method for environmental remediation of organic contaminants in soil (initial tests indicated >99% reduction in select PAHs!), but the project was ongoing when I left for the BoR.

Montreal, Canada Area

I was offered a GS-11 position with the USGS California Water Science Center in late 2016 but I turned it down for family reasons. In order to stay afloat financially I took up landscaping and renovation work around town. I've learned a great deal about safe and effective power tool use, aesthetics, safe construction practices, and efficient time usage to meet tight deadlines. The work had me interacting directly with private individuals and corporate entities. Seeing things from a blue collar standpoint makes me appreciate how much we all add to undertakings, regardless of our background.

Montreal, Canada Area

I took over homeschooling of my two daughters while their mother pursued an exciting career opportunity. I was responsible for developing curriculum and scheduling activities.

Montreal, Quebec

I was the lead scientist on a project studying the production of inorganic mercury in indoor pool air and water. I established connections with staff at McGill University's Memorial Pool and with the City of Montréal's public pool system, getting access to both networks for sample collection. I provided management (PI) with budgeting and logistics. I installed air-sampling equipment and collected pool water samples for in-lab analysis, and included preliminary results in a manuscript for Analytical Chemistry (accepted in 2015, see publications below). I supervised one graduate student and mentored 3 graduate and undergraduate students during this time-period, setting short-term research goals, providing advice on manuscript and presentation preparation, solutions to laboratory problems, and proper sampling techniques and instrument use.

California Water Science Center, San Diego

I was a research hydrologist brought into the CWSC as part of the USGS Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA PBP). My work was independent with periodic debriefing of supervising scientists (Drs. Justin Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz and Wes Danskin). Under GAMA, I used semi-parametric statistics to assess groundwater vulnerability across California using parts-per-quadrillion concentrations of halogenated volatile organic compounds (hVOCs). I found that >80% of Californian groundwaters are vulnerable, and communicated the statistical methodology and findings of this work in a publication for Environmental Science and Technology (published in 2012), and orally at a scientific conference (AGU). I identified several sources of contamination/error in hVOC sampling techniques, communicated these weaknesses to USGS sampling teams and proposed corrective actions for future work.As a side project under GAMA, I constrained tetrafluoromethane (CF4) emissions through the Big Bend section of the San Andreas Fault System (SAFS) from dissolved CF4 concentrations in Cuyama, Mil Potrero and Cuddy Valley groundwaters. I instructed USGS sampling teams on proper groundwater sampling for CF4 and analysed collected samples in collaboration with university scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I determined that the SAFS is a significant driver of crustal CF4 emissions across California and that tectonics may play an important role in the natural geochemistry of CF4 on geologic timescales. I communicated this work in a publication to Earth and Planetary Science Letters in early 2015. This work was highlighted in Science News (see publications).I also participated in the Optimal Basin Management project. I traced the movement of artificial recharge through the Bunker Hill aquifer using chemical, radioisotope and stable isotope tracers. I communicated findings to senior scientists and to San Bernardino Valley Water District officials.

My postdoctoral research at McGill University focussed on the development of a mass spectrometric method to measure picogram per cubic meter concentrations of mercury halides in air. I successfully identified both mercury chloride and mercury bromide in Montreal urban air in 2013-2014 using sorbent trapping coupled with soft ionization mass spectrometric detection, marking a significant step towards closing a crucial gap in our understanding of mercury in the atmosphere. I communicated the methodology and initial results in a manuscript in press in Analytical Chemistry (see below) and in presentations at scientific conferences (MOCA, AGU, ICMGP).In collaboration with Environment Canada and industry scientists (Ontario Power Generation) I used aircraft-based and stack measurements of elemental, oxidized and particulate mercury to investigate changes in in-plume mercury mass balance down-wind of the largest coal-fired power plant in North America (Nanticoke). I showed that in the immediate vicinity of the plant the partitioning of mercury between different reservoirs was essentially fixed, with in-plume and in-stack discrepancies attributable to differences in mercury measurement. My interpretation allowed Environment Canada to select between multiple Hg deposition scenarios, improving Hg deposition estimates for nearby aquatic environments (e.g. Lake Erie).During my time at McGill I also supervised or mentored 6 undergraduate students and 4 graduate students. I set long- and short-term goals, instructed on safe and proper laboratory practices and instrument use, and gave advice on manuscript and presentation preparation.I also served as a guest lecturer in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Chemistry Departments. In a survey of attendants in the most recent lecture (11 total) I scored an overall average score of 9.2/10 as a lecturer, with the majority of respondents willing/interested in attending future lectures or classes.

La Jolla

At SIO I developed a method to strip and preconcentrate dissolved gases from groundwater samples for GC-MS analysis. I lead or co-led eight sampling trips to collect groundwater, seawater and volcanic gases from Mammoth Mountain, Mojave Desert, the deep North Pacific (in collaboration with the University of Hawaii) and the summit of Kilauea Volcano (in collaboration with the USGS and National Park Service). My duties included budgeting, logistics, sample collection and analysis, and interpretation of the resulting data. My principal focus was on tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and suflur hexafluoride (SF6), two extremely potent greenhouse gases with long atmospheric residence times. I constrained CF4 and SF6 emissions from the continental and oceanic crust and underlying mantle, bringing solid Earth emissions and atmospheric losses into balance and reconciling the natural geochemistry of these gases and improving our ability to forecast atmospheric perfluorinated gas abundances into the future. I presented the findings of this research in two publications (GCA and GRL) and at a scientific conference (AGU).

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), Geological And Earth Sciences/Geosciences

Analysis of long-lived greenhouse gases CF4 and SF6 in ancient groundwaters, volcanic gases and deep North Pacific seawater to constrain.

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), Chemistry

Minor in Earth Science. I worked as an undergraduate researcher with Professor Ron Cohen for the last two years of the degree. I was.