Heather Preisendanz, Ph.D.

Heather Preisendanz, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
  • Natural Resource Engineering
  • Director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science
252 Agricultural Engineering Building
Shortlidge Road

University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Emerging Contaminants
  • Contaminant Fate and Transport
  • Environmental Hydrology

Education

  • B.S. Civil Engineering, Rutgers University, May 2007
  • M.S. Civil Engineering, Purdue University, Dec 2008
  • Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Purdue University, May 2011

Research Interests

Our research group seeks to understand the factors that affect the presence, movement, and ecological impacts of traditional and emerging contaminants in the environment and design solutions to reduce their impact.

Trace-level organic contaminants with endocrine disrupting properties are known to impact aquatic ecosystems at concentrations on the ng-ug/L level. While many laboratory studies have been conducted to estimate physicochemical parameters (i.e., half-lives, sorption coefficients, etc.) that should predict their transport in the environment, these chemicals are found nearly ubiquitously in the environment and persist longer than laboratory studies suggest they should. Our research group conducts field and modeling-based studies to understand how land management practices, biogeochemical processes, hydrologic transport pathways, and water treatment technologies affect the occurrence, persistence, and potential impacts of emerging contaminants in aquatic environments. As the general public becomes increasingly aware of the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and novel pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids) in the environment, our recent efforts have expanded to include community-based science initiatives.

EDC Footprint Calculator

Products we use in our everyday lives can be a source of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment. Access our Endocrine Disrupting Compounds Footprint Calculator to estimate the amount of EDCs in your personal care and household products. You can watch a webinar on the topic, too!

Publications

Incorporating the benefits of vegetative filter strips into risk assessment and risk management of pesticides
Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Chen, Huajin, Carley, Danesha Seth, Muñoz-Carpena, Rafael, Ferruzzi, Giulio, Yuan, Yongping, Henry, Eric, Blankinship, Amy, Veith, Tamie L., Breckels, Ross, Fox, Garey, Luo, Yuzhou, Osmond, Deanna, Preisendanz, Heather E., Tang, Zhenxu, Armbrust, Kevin, Costello, Kevin, McConnell, Laura L., Rice, Patricia, Westgate, Johnny, Whiteside, Mélanie, 2024

Prioritizing conservation practice locations for effective water quality improvement using the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT)
Journal of Environmental Management, Rohith, A. N., Karki, R., Veith, T. L., Preisendanz, H. E., Duncan, J. M., Kleinman, Peter J A, Cibin, R., 2024

A Review of Data Quality and Cost Considerations for Water Quality Monitoring at the Field Scale and in Small Watersheds
Water (Switzerland), Harmel, Robert Daren, Preisendanz, Heather Elise, King, Kevin Wayne, Busch, Dennis, Birgand, Francois, Sahoo, Debabrata, 2023

Fixed bed column experiments using cotton gin waste and walnut shells-derived biochar as low-cost solutions to removing pharmaceuticals from aqueous solutions
Chemosphere, Preisendanz, Heather, Ndoun, Marlene C., Knopf, Allan, Ndoun, Marlene, Knopf, Allan, Preisendanz, Heather E., Vozenilek, Natasha, Elliott, Herschel A., Elliot, Herschel, Mashtare, Michael L., Velegol, Stephanie, Veith, Tamie L., Williams, Clinton F., 2023

Optimization and reflexivity in interdisciplinary agri-environmental scholarship
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Chiles, Robert Magneson, Drohan, Patrick, Cibin, Raj, O’Sullivan, Lilian, O'Sullivan, Lilian, Doody, Donnacha, Schulte, Rogier, Grady, Caitlin, Jiang, Fei, Preisendanz, Heather E., Gall, H, Dingkuhn, Elsa Ligaya, Veith, Tamie, Anderson, Aine, 2023

PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOCHAR DERIVED FROM THE PYROLYSIS OF COTTON GIN WASTE AND WALNUT SHELLS
Journal of the ASABE, Ndoun, Marlene C., Knopf, Allan, Preisendanz, Heather E., Vozenilek, Natasha, Elliott, Herschel A., Veith, Tamie L., Mashtare, Michael L., Velegol, Stephanie, Williams, Clinton F., 2023

Development and Demonstration of an Endocrine-Disrupting Compound Footprint Calculator
Water (Switzerland), Taylor, Rachel, Hayden, Kathryn, Gluberman, Marc, Garcia, Laura, Gorucu, Serap, Swistock, Bryan, Preisendanz, Heather, 2022

Meeting the Moment: Leveraging Temporal Inequality for Temporal Targeting to Achieve Water-Quality Load-Reduction Goals
Water (Switzerland), Opalinski, Nicole, Schultz, Daniel, Veith, Tamie L., Royer, Matt, Preisendanz, Heather E., 2022

Culturable antibiotic-resistant fecal coliform bacteria in soil and surface runoff after liquid dairy manure surface application and subsurface injection
Journal of Environmental Quality, Hilaire, Sheldon Shervon, Chen, Chaoqi, Radolinski, Jesse, Leventhal, Talia, Preisendanz, Heather, Kleinman, Peter J.A., Maguire, Rory, Stewart, Ryan D., Saporito, Lou S., Xia, Kang, 2022

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmaceuticals in wastewater treated for beneficial reuse: Two case studies in central Pennsylvania
Journal of Environmental Quality, Hayden, Kathryn, Jones, Matthew, Elkin, Kyle, Shreve, Michael, Clees, William, Clark, Shirley, Mashtare, Michael L., Veith, Tamie, Elliott, Hershel, Watson, J, Silverman, Justin, Richard, Thomas L., Read, Andrew F., Preisendanz, Heather E., 2022

Comparison of POCIS and grab sampling techniques for monitoring PPCPs in vernal pools in central Pennsylvania
Science of the Total Environment, Hayden, Kathryn R., Preisendanz, Heather E., Elkin, Kyle R., Saleh, Laura B., Weikel, Jamie, Veith, Tamie L., Elliott, Herschel Adams, Watson, John E., 2022

Toward a Robust Land Suitability Framework for Manure Management: Modeling Impacts and Evaluating Biophysical Characteristics
Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Saha, Gourab K., Cibin, Raj, Elliott, Herschel Adams, Preisendanz, Heather E., 2022

Linking water quality stressors and macroinvertebrate diversity in central Pennsylvania using passive samplers, Ferguson, Francesca M., Elkin, Kyle R., Stout, Robert, Veith, Tamie L., Tooker, John F., Preisendanz, Heather E., 2022

Physicochemical characterization of biochar derived from the pyrolysis of cotton gin waste and walnut shells, Ndoun, Marlene C., Williams, Clinton F., Knopf, Allan, Elliott, Herschel A., Mashtare, Michael L., Vozenilek, Natasha, Velegol, Stephanie, Veith, Tamie L., Preisendanz, Heather E., 2022

Spatiotemporal patterns of PFAS in water and crop tissue at a beneficial wastewater reuse site in central Pennsylvania
Journal of Environmental Quality, Mroczko, Olivia, Preisendanz, Heather E., Wilson, Christopher, Mashtare, Michael L., Elliott, Herschel A., Veith, Tamie L., Soder, Kathy J., Watson, John E., 2022

From waste to wisdom: The utility of wastewater surveillance for community-level health information, Clark, S, Dahal, S, Preisendanz, Heather, Shreve, M, Hayden, K, Jones, M, Read, A, Richard, T, Silverman, J, Seidl-Adams, I, 2022

Mitigating lake eutrophication through stakeholder-driven hydrologic modeling of agricultural conservation practices: A case study of Lake Macatawa, Michigan
Journal of Great Lakes Research, Iavorivska, Lidiia, Veith, Tamie L., Cibin, Raj, Preisendanz, Heather, Steinman, Alan D., 2021

Nevertheless, They Persisted: Can Hyporheic Zones Increase the Persistence of Estrogens in Streams?
Water Resources Research, Cheng, Frederick Y., Preisendanz, Heather, Mashtare, Michael L., Lee, Linda S., Basu, Nandita B., 2021

Assessing surface and subsurface transport of neonicotinoid insecticides from no-till crop fields
Journal of Environmental Quality, Frame, Sarah T., Pearsons, Kirsten A., Elkin, Kyle R., Saporito, Louis S., Preisendanz, Heather E., Karsten, Heather D., Tooker, John F., 2021

Role of concentrated flow pathways on the movement of pesticides through agricultural fields and riparian buffer zones
Transactions of the ASABE, Chandler, Joseph W., Preisendanz, Heather E., Veith, Tamie L., Elkin, Kyle R., Elliott, Herschel A., Watson, John E., Kleinman, Peter J.A., 2021

A Conceptual Framework for Social, Behavioral, and Environmental Change through Stakeholder Engagement in Water Resource Management
Society and Natural Resources, Eaton, Weston M., Brasier, Kathryn J., Burbach, Mark E., Whitmer, Walt, Engle, Elyzabeth W., Burnham, Morey, Quimby, Barbara, Kumar Chaudhary, Anil, Kumary Chaudhary, A, Whitley, Hannah, Delozier, Jodi, Fowler, Lara B., Wutich, Amber, Bausch, Julia C., Beresford, Melissa, Hinrichs, C. Clare, Burkhart-Kriesel, Cheryl, Gall, H, Preisendanz, Heather E., Williams, Clinton, Watson, J, Weigle, Jason, 2021

Spatial and temporal patterns of PFAS occurrence at a wastewater beneficial reuse site in central Pennsylvania, Mroczko, Olivia, Preisendanz, Heather E., Wilson, Christopher, Veith, Tamie L., Mashtare, Michael L., Watson, Jack E., Elliott, Herschel A., 2021

Integrating daily CO2 concentrations in SWAT-VSA to examine climate change impacts on hydrology in a karst watershed
Transactions of the ASABE, Gunn, Kpoti M., Buda, Anthony R., Preisendanz, Heather E., Cibin, Raj, Kennedy, Casey D., Veith, Tamie L., 2021

Cover cropping and interseeding management practices to improve runoff quality from dairy farms in central Pennsylvania
Transactions of the ASABE, Barnes, Ryan G., Gall, H, Rotz, C. Alan, Rotz, C., Preisendanz, Heather E., Watson, Jack E., Elliott, Herschel A., Veith, Tamie L., Williams, Clinton, Brasier, Kathryn J., 2021

The emergence, trajectory, and impacts of emerging contaminants publications in the Journal of Environmental Quality
Journal of Environmental Quality, Preisendanz, Heather E., Barnes, Ryan G., Mashtare, Michael L., Lintern, Anna, Mina, Odette, Williams, Clinton, Elliott, Herschel Adams, 2021

Adsorption of pharmaceuticals from aqueous solutions using biochar derived from cotton gin waste and guayule bagasse
Biochar, Ndoun, Marlene C., Elliott, Herschel A., Preisendanz, H, Williams, Clinton F., Knopf, Allan, Watson, John E., 2021

Development of a land suitability framework for sustainable manure utilization
Transactions of the ASABE, Saha, Gourab, Cibin, R., Raj, Cibin, Elliott, Herschel, Preisendanz, H, Gall, H, Preisendanz, Heather, Elliott, H, 2021

Reallocating crop rotation patterns improves water quality and maintains crop yield
Agricultural Systems, Jiang, Fei, Drohan, Patrick, Cibin, Raj, Preisendanz, H, Gall, H, White, Charles M., Veith, Tamie, 2021

Temporal inequality of nutrient and sediment transport: A decision-making framework for temporal targeting of load reduction goals
Environmental Research Letters, Preisendanz, Heather E., Veith, Tamie L., Zhang, Qian, Shortle, James, 2020

Modeling carbamazepine transport in wastewater-irrigated soil under different land uses
Journal of Environmental Quality, Filipović, Lana, Filipović, Vilim, Walker, Charles W., Williams, Clinton, Preisdanz, Heather E., Watson, John E., 2020

Characterizing transport of natural and anthropogenic constituents in a long-term agricultural watershed in the northeastern United States
Journal of Soils and Water Conservation, Veith, T. L., Preisendanz, H. E., Elkin, K. R., 2020

Role of concentrated flow pathways on the movement of pesticides through agricultural fields and riparian buffer zones, Chandler, Joseph W., Preisendanz, Heather E., Veith, Tamie L., Elkin, Kyle R., Elliott, Herschel A., Watson, John E., Kleinman, Peter J.A., 2020

Riparian buffer effectiveness as a function of buffer design and input loads
Journal of Environmental Quality, Jiang, Fei, Gall, H, Preisendanz, Heather E., Veith, Tamie, Raj, Cibin, Cibin, Raj, Drohan, Patrick, 2020

Influence of hydrologic and anthropogenic drivers on emerging organic contaminants in drinking water sources in the Susquehanna River Basin
Chemosphere, Kibuye, Faith, Gall, Heather E., Veith, Tamie, Elkin, Kyle, Elliott, Herschel, Harper, Jeremy, Watson, John E., 2020

Fate of pharmaceuticals in a spray-irrigation system: From wastewater to groundwater
Science of the Total Environment, Kibuye, Faith, Gall, Heather E., Elkin, Kyle, Ayers, Brittany, Veith, Tamie, Miller, Megan, Jacob, Shannon, Hayden, Kathryn, Watson, John E., Elliott, Herschel A., 2019

Load-discharge relationships reveal the efficacy of manure application practices on phosphorus and total solids losses from agricultural fields
Agro-Ecosystems, Miller, Melissa D., Gall, Heather E., Buda, Anthony R., Saporito, Lou S., Veith, Tamie L., White, Charles M., Williams, Clinton F., Brasier, Kathryn J., Kleinman, Peter J.A., Watson, John E., 2019

Seasonal hydroclimatic ensemble forecasts anticipate nutrient and suspended sediment loads using a dynamical-statistical approach
Environmental Research Letters, Sharm, S, Sharma, S, Gall, Heather, Gironás, Jorge, Gironas, J, Mejia, A, 2019

Occurrence, concentrations, and risks of pharmaceutical compounds in private wells in central Pennsylvania
Journal of Environmental Quality, Kibuye, Faith, Gall, Heather, Elkin, Kyle, Swistock, Bryan, Veith, Tamie, Watson, John E., Elliott, Herschel A., 2019

Seasonal variations of emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in drinking water sources in the Susquehanna River Basin
American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Kibuye, Faith, Gall, Heather E., Veith, Tamie, Elkin, Kyle, Harper, Jeremy, Elliott, H, Watson, J, 2019

The effects of disproportional load contributions on quantifying vegetated filter strip sediment trapping efficiencies
Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, Gall, Heather E., Schultz, Daniel, Veith, Tamie L., Goslee, Sarah C., Mejia, Alfonso, Harman, Ciaran J., Raj, Cibin, Patterson, Paul H., 2018

Estrogen occurrence and persistence in vernal pools impacted by wastewater irrigation practices
Agro-Ecosystems, Mina, Odette, Gall, Heather E., Elliott, Herschel A., Watson, John E., Mashtare, Michael L., Langkilde, Tracy, Harper, Jeremy P., Boyer, Elizabeth W., 2018

Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient Reveal Hot Spots and Hot Moments for Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Saha, Debasish, Kemanian, Armen R., Montes, Felipe, Gall, Heather, Adler, Paul R., Rau, Benjamin M., 2018

The importance of intra-management practice variability in sediment and phosphorus loss from agricultural fields, Miller, Melissa D., Saporito, Lou S., Buda, Anthony R., Gall, Heather E., Veith, Tamie L., White, Charles M., Williams, Clinton F., Brasier, Kathryn J., Kleinman, Peter J.A., Watson, John E., 2018

Geospatial landscape analysis for livestock manure management in Western Pennsylvania, Saha, Gourab, Elkin, None, Raj, Cibin, Elliott, Herschel, Shortle, J, Gall, Heather, Abler, D, Shortle, Jim, Alber, David, Abler, D, 2018

Occurrence and concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in private wells in Central Pennsylvania, Kibuye, Faith A., Elkin, Kyle R., Gall, Heather, Elliott, Herschel A., Watson, John E., Swistock, Bryan, 2018

Continuous hydrologic and water quality monitoring of vernal ponds
Journal of Visualized Experiments, Mina, Odette, Gall, Heather E., Chandler, Joseph W., Harper, Jeremy, Taylor, Malcolm, 2017

Complexity as a streamflow metric of hydrologic alteration
Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, Jovanovic, Tijana, García, Susana, Gall, Heather, Mejía, Alfonso, 2017

Relative role of transport and source-limited controls for estrogen, TDP, and DOC export for two manure application methods
Agro-Ecosystems, Mina, O., Gall, H. E., Saporito, L. S., Elliott, H. A., Kleinman, P. J.A., 2017

Calculate the impact of your household products: Endocrine Disrupting Compounds Footprint Calculator, Gall, Heather, Garcia, L, Gluberman, M, Taylor, R, Schultz, D, Gorucu, S, 2017

Pharmaceuticals at Penn State's living filter: From wastewater to groundwater, Ayers, Brittany, Elkin, Kyle, Kibuye, Faith, Gall, Heather E., 2017

Complexity as a streamflow metric of hydrologic alteration
Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, Jovanovic, T, García, Susan, Gall, Heather, Mejía, A, 2016

Effect of urbanization on the long-term persistence of streamflow records
Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Jovanovic, Tijana, Mejia, Alfonso Ignacio, Gall, Heather Elise, Gironás, Jorge, 2016

Assessing the impacts of anthropogenic and hydro-climatic drivers on estrogen legacies and trajectories
Advances in Water Resources, Gall, Heather E., Basu, Nandita B., Mashtare, Michael L., C. Rao, P. Suresh, Lee, Linda S., 2016

Estrogen transport in surface runoff from agricultural fields treated with two application methods of dairy manure
Journal of Environmental Quality, Mina, Odette, Gall, Heather E., Saporito, Louis S., Peter, Kleinman A., 2016

Development of a decision-making framework for BMP design to reduce loads during "Hot Moments", Opalinski, Nicole, Schultz, Daniel, Gall, Heather, Royer, Matthew, 2016

Development of an endocrine disrupting compounds footprint calculator, Gluberman, Marc, Mandia, Laura Garcia, Taylor, Rachel, Gall, Heather, 2016

Comparison of export dynamics of nutrients and animal-borne estrogens from a tile-drained Midwestern agroecosystem
Water Research, Gall, Heather E., Sassman, Stephen A., Jenkinson, Byron, Lee, Linda S., Jafvert, Chad T., 2015

Implications of hydrologic connectivity between hillslopes and riparian zones on streamflow composition
Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Von Freyberg, Jana, Radny, Dirk, Gall, Heather E., Schirmer, Mario, 2014

Hormone loads exported by a tile-drained agroecosystem receiving animal wastes
Hydrological Processes, Gall, Heather E., Sassman, Stephen A., Jenkinson, Byron, Lee, Linda S., Jafvert, Chad T., 2014

The fate, transport, and impact of estrogens applied during wastewater irrigatio
Resource: Engineering and Technology for Sustainable World, Gall, Heather, Elliott, Herschel, 2014

Landscape filtering of hydrologic and biogeochemical responses in managed landscapes
Landscape Ecology, Gall, Heather, Park, J, Harman, C, Rao, P, Jawitz, J, 2014

A preliminary assessment of endocrine disrupting compounds in vernal ponds in central Pennsylvania, Mina, Odette, Gall, Heather Elise, Carlson, Bradley, Langkilde, Tracy Lee, 2014

Coping with emerging contaminants in potable water sources, Gall, Heather E., Mina, Odette, 2014

Coping with emerging contaminants in potable water sources, Gall, Heather, Mina, O, 2014