Geology topics

D. L. Bergman

Publications and source records attributed to D. L. Bergman.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1997

Hydrogeologic data for the Blaine aquifer and associated units in southwestern Oklahoma and northwestern Texas

This report is a compilation of hydrogeologic data collected for an areal ground-water investigation of the Blaine aquifer and associated units in southwestern Oklahoma and northwestern Texas. The study area includes parts of Greer, Harmon, and Jackson counties in Oklahoma and parts of Childress, Collingsworth, Hall, Hardeman, and Wilbarger counties in Texas. The Blaine aquifer consists of cavernous gypsum and dolomite beds. Water from the Blaine aquifer supports a local agriculture based mainly on irrigated cotton and wheat. The purpose of the study was to determine the availability, quantity, and quality of ground water from the Blaine aquifer and associated units. This report provides a reference for some of the data that was used as input into a computer ground-water flow model that simulates ground-water flow in the Blaine aquifer. The data in this report consists of: (1) Monthly or periodic water-level measurements in 134 wells; (2) daily mean water-level measurements for 11 wells equipped with water-level recorders; (3) daily total precipitation measurements from five precipitation gages; (4) low-flow stream-discharge measurements for 89 stream sites; (5) miscellaneous stream-discharge measurements at seven stream sites; (6) chemical analyses of surface water from 78 stream sites during low-flow periods; (7) chemical analyses of ground water from 41 wells; and (8) chemical analyses of runoff water collected at five sites.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1996

Geohydrology of alluvium and terrace deposits of the Cimarron River from freedom to Guthrie, Oklahoma

Ground water in 1,305 square miles of Quaternary alluvium and terrace deposits along the Cimarron River from Freedom to Guthrie, Oklahoma, is used for irrigation, municipal, stock, and domestic supplies. As much as 120 feet of clay, silt, sand, and gravel form an unconfined aquifer with an average saturated thickness of 28 feet. The 1985-86 water in storage, assuming a specific yield of 0.20, was 4.47 million acre-feet. The aquifer is bounded laterally and underlain by relatively impermeable Permian geologic units. Regional ground-water flow is generally southeast to southwest toward the Cimarron River, except where the flow direction is affected by perennial tributaries. Estimated average recharge to the aquifer is 207 cubic feet per second. Estimated average discharge from the aquifer by seepage and evapotranspiration is 173 cubic feet per second. Estimated 1985 discharge by withdrawals from wells was 24.43 cubic feet per second. Most water in the terrace deposits varied from a calcium bicarbonate to mixed bicarbonate type, with median dissolved-solids concentration of 538 milligrams per liter. Cimarron River water is a sodium chloride type with up to 16,600 milligrams per liter dissolved solids. A finite-difference ground-water flow model was developed and calibrated to test the conceptual model of the aquifer under steady-state conditions. The model was calibrated to match 1985-86 aquifer heads and discharge to the Cimarron River between Waynoka and Dover.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1994

Hydrologic data for the alluvium and terrace deposits of the Cimarron River from Freedom to Guthrie, Oklahoma

Ground water in the Quaternary alluvium and terrace deposits associated with the Cimarron River in northwestern Oklahoma is used extensively for irrigation, municipal, stock, and domestic supplies. The data in this report were collected as part of an investigation to provide State water managers with the quantitative knowledge necessary to manage the ground-water resource effectively. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The information presented in this report include data collected in the field from 1985 through 1989, and unpublished data compiled from files of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Data include well and test-bole records, consisting of ground-water levels, depth of wells, principal aquifer, and primary use of water. Water levels include continuous, daily, monthly, and periodic measure- ments for selected wells. Concentrations of common chemical constituents, selected trace elements, organic analyses, and tritium analyses of water samples from wells completed in the Cimarron River alluvium and terrace deposits and Permian geologic units are reported. Winter and summer base-flow discharge measurements of the Cimarron River and its Tributaries are presented together with water-quality data from the measuring sites. Continuous water-level and precipitation-gage data are presented graphically. Locations of data- collection sites are shown on plates.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1994

Effects of municipal ground-water withdrawals on the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma

The Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer in south-central Oklahoma consists of a thick sequence of folded and faulted carbonate and clastic rocks of Upper Cambrian to Middle Ordovician age. Fractures and karst features locally increase the aquifer's capacity to transmit and store ground water. The aquifer is a principal source of water for municipal and rural users. A hydrologic study was conducted to evaluate the effects of municipal ground-water withdrawal from the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer on local ground-water levels and discharge from nearby springs and streams in south-central Pontotoc County. A municipal well was pumped for 63 hours at an average rate of 1,170 gallons per minute. A maximum observed drawdown of 0.3 feet was recorded half a mile from the pumping well. Drawdown was observed as far as 1.2 miles from the pumping well. No measurable response was observed at any of the surface-water-discharge measurement sites; however, recharge from precipitation may have masked any decreases in discharge caused by the pumping. Simultaneous pumping of two municipal wells for 241 hours at average rates of 1,170 and 2,730 gallons per minute resulted in a maximum observed drawdown of 1.3 feet recorded at an average distance of 0.80 miles from the pumping wells. The most distant drawdown observed was at an average distance 1.1 miles from the pumped wells. Less that 2 days after pumping stopped, increases in springflow were recorded at two springs; it is unknown whether these discharge responses reflect the effects of recharge from precipitation, or the combined effects of precipitation and the cessation of ground-water withdrawal. The effects of the stress tests on the hydrologic system were offset by recharge from concurrent precipitation. The maximum observed drawdown represents about 6 percent of the median natural water-level fluctuation during the study period. The effect of drawdown could become critical during extended periods of low precipitation, if water levels are already near the bottom of domestic wells in the area. However, a comparison of maximum observed drawdown (1.3 ft) with the minimum saturated thickness of fresh ground water (1,500 ft) suggests that municipal pumping had little effect on the amount of ground water stored in the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer in the study area. This evaluation is based on the limited pumping rates and times of the stress tests.

Oklahoma↗

USGS1983

Urban flood analysis in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Flood insurance study information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is utilized to estimate future flood hazard in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Techniques are described for estimating future urban runoff estimates. A method of developing stream cross section rating curves is explained. Future runoff estimates are used in conjuction with the rating curves to develop an estimate of 50- and 100- year flood profiles that would result from future urban development.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1983

Preliminary appraisal of the hydrology of the Red Oak area, Latimer County, Oklahoma

Bed rock in the Red Oak area consists of shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the McAlester and Savanna Formations of Pennsylvanian age. Water in bedrock occurs in bedding planes, joints, and fractures and is confined. The potentiometric surface generally is less than 20 feet below the land surface. Wells yield enough water for domestic and stock use, but larger amounts of ground water are not available. Ground water commonly is a sodium or mixed cation carbonate/bicarbonate type with dissolved-solids concentrations ranging from 321 to 714 milligrams per liter. Although variable in quality, ground water generally is suitable for domestic use. No relationship between water chemistry and well depth or location is apparent. Brazil Creek, the principal stream in the area, has no flow 15 percent of the time, and flow is less than 1 cubic foot per second about 25 percent of the time. Water in Brazil Creek is a mixed cation carbonate/bicarbonate type. Dissolved-solids concentrations in Brazil Creek upstream from areas of old and recent mining ranged from 31 to 99 milligrams per liter with a mean of 58 milligrams per liter, whereas concentrations downstream from the mine areas ranged from 49 to 596 milligrams per liter with a mean of 132 milligrams per liter. Water in Brazil and Rock Creeks had concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury that exceeded maximum contaminant levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at least once during the 1979-81 water years. Maximum suspended-sediment discharge, in tons per day, was 2,500 for Brazil Creek and 3,318 for Rock Creek. Silt-clay particles (diameters less than 0.062 millimeter) were the dominant sediment size. A significant hydrologic effect of surface mining is creation of additional water storage in mine ponds; one such pond supplies water for the town of Red Oak. Other effects or potential effects of surface mining include changes in rock permeability and ground-water storage, changes in drainage patterns, and changes in the chemical quality and sediment loads of streams.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS1981

Rainfall-runoff hydrographs and basin characteristics data for small streams in Oklahoma

Rainfall with concordant runoff events recorded at 45 gages located in drainage basins of less than 30 square miles in Oklahoma are summarized. Selected basin characteristics which relate to storm runoff are described and tabulated for each gage site summarized. A tabulation is included which identifies drainage basins that produce atypical rainfall-runoff distribution as a result of regulation by upstream flood-retention structures.

Open-File Report↗