MODFLOW-NWT and MODPATH groundwater flow models of steady-state conditions in coastal Connecticut and adjacent areas of New York and Rhode Island, as well as a nitrogen transport model of the Niantic River watershed

A steady-state groundwater flow model, using MODFLOW-NWT, was developed to better understand groundwater flow in coastal Connecticut and adjacent areas of New York and Rhode Island. Aquatic systems in and around Long Island Sound (LIS) provide a variety of ecological and economic benefits such as flood and storm protection, water filtration, recreation, habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish and bird populations, and carbon sequestration. In some areas of LIS and in many embayments along the Connecticut coastline, aquatic ecosystems are degraded due to excess nitrogen from sources such as waste-water treatment plants, septic systems, and fertilizer. A substantial fraction of total nitrogen inputs to LIS are transported [...]