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E. Randall Bayless

Publications and source records attributed to E. Randall Bayless.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2001

An evaluation of borehole flowmeters used to measure horizontal ground-water flow in limestones of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, 1999

Three borehole flowmeters and hydrophysical logging were used to measure ground-water flow in carbonate bedrock at sites in southeastern Indiana and on the west-central border of Kentucky and Tennessee. The three flowmeters make point measurements of the direction and magnitude of horizontal flow, and hydrophysical logging measures the magnitude of horizontal flowover an interval. The directional flowmeters evaluated include a horizontal heat-pulse flowmeter, an acoustic Doppler velocimeter, and a colloidal borescope flowmeter. Each method was used to measure flow in selected zones where previous geophysical logging had indicated water-producing beds, bedding planes, or other permeable features that made conditions favorable for horizontal-flow measurements. Background geophysical logging indicated that ground-water production from the Indiana test wells was characterized by inflow from a single, 20-foot-thick limestone bed. The Kentucky/Tennessee test wells produced water from one or more bedding planes where geophysical logs indicated the bedding planes had been enlarged by dissolution. Two of the three test wells at the latter site contained measurable vertical flow between two or more bedding planes under ambient hydraulic head conditions. Field measurements and data analyses for each flow-measurement technique were completed by a developer of the technology or by a contractor with extensive experience in the application of that specific technology. Comparison of the horizontal-flow measurements indicated that the three point-measurement techniques rarely measured the same velocities and flow directions at the same measurement stations. Repeat measurements at selected depth stations also failed to consistently reproduce either flow direction, flow magnitude, or both. At a few test stations, two of the techniques provided similar flow magnitude or direction but usually not both. Some of this variability may be attributed to naturally occurring changes in hydraulic conditions during the 1-month study period in August and September 1999. The actual velocities and flow directions are unknown; therefore, it is uncertain which technique provided the most accurate measurements of horizontal flow in the boreholes and which measurements were most representative of flow in the aquifers. The horizontal heat-pulse flowmeter consistently yielded flow magnitudes considerably less than those provided by the acoustic Doppler velocimeter and colloidal borescope. The design of the horizontal heat-pulse flowmeter compensates for the local acceleration of ground-water velocity in the open borehole. The magnitude of the velocities estimated from the hydrophysical logging were comparable to those of the horizontal heat-pulse flowmeter, presumably because the hydrophysical logging also effectively compensates for the effect of the borehole on the flow field and averages velocity over a length of borehole rather than at a point. The acoustic Doppler velocimeter and colloidal borescope have discrete sampling points that allow for measuring preferential flow velocities that can be substantially higher than the average velocity through a length of borehole. The acoustic Doppler velocimeter and colloidal borescope also measure flow at the center of the borehole where the acceleration of the flow field should be greatest. Of the three techniques capable of measuring direction and magnitude of horizontal flow, only the acoustic Doppler velocimeter measured vertical flow. The acoustic Doppler velocimeter consistently measured downward velocity in all test wells. This apparent downward flow was attributed, in part, to particles falling through the water column as a result of mechanical disturbance during logging. Hydrophysical logging yielded estimates of vertical flow in the Kentucky/Tennessee test wells. In two of the test wells, the hydrophysical logging involved deliberate isolation of water-producing bedding planes with a packer to ensure that small horizontal flow could be quantified without the presence of vertical flow. The presence of vertical flow in the Kentucky/Tennessee test wells may preclude the definitive measurement of horizontal flow without the use of effective packer devices. None of the point-measurement techniques used a packer, but each technique used baffle devices to help suppress the vertical flow. The effectiveness of these baffle devices is not known; therefore, the effect of vertical flow on the measurements cannot be quantified. The general lack of agreement among the point-measurement techniques in this study highlights the difficulty of using measurements at a single depth point in a borehole to characterize the average horizontal flow in a heterogeneous aquifer. The effective measurement of horizontal flow may depend on the precise depth at which measurements are made, and the measurements at a given depth may vary over time as hydraulic head conditions change. The various measurements also demonstrate that the magnitude and possibly the direction of horizontal flow are affected by the presence of the open borehole. Although there is a lack of agreement among the measurement techniques, these results could mean that effective characterization of horizontal flow in heterogeneous aquifers might be possible if data from many depth stations and from repeat measurements can be averaged over an extended time period. Complications related to vertical flow in the borehole highlights the importance of using background logging methods like vertical flowmeters or hydrophysical logging to characterize the borehole environment before horizontal-flow measurements are attempted. If vertical flow is present, a packer device may be needed to acquire definitive measurements of horizontal flow. Because hydrophysical logging provides a complete depth profile of the borehole, a strength of this technique is in identifying horizontal- and vertical-flow zones in a well. Hydrophysical logging may be most applicable as a screening method. Horizontal- flow zones identified with the hydrophysical logging then could be evaluated with one of the point-measurement techniques for quantifying preferential flow zones and flow directions. Additional research is needed to determine how measurements of flow in boreholes relate to flow in bedrock aquifers. The flowmeters may need to be evaluated under controlled laboratory conditions to determine which of the methods accurately measure ground-water velocities and flow directions. Additional research also is needed to investigate variations in flow direction with time, daily changes in velocity, velocity corrections for fractured bedrock aquifers and unconsolidated aquifers, and directional differences in individual wells for hydraulically separated flow zones.

Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee↗
USGS1999

A Study of Natural and Restored Wetland Hydrology

The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are jointly studying the hydrology of a long-existing natural wetland and a recently restored wetland in the Kankakee River Valley in northwestern Indiana. In characterizing the two wetlands, project investigators are testing innovative methods to identify the analytical tools best suited for evaluating the success of wetland restoration. Investigators also are examining and comparing the relations between hydrology and restored wetland vegetation.

Indiana↗
USGS1999

Environmental setting and natural factors and human influences affecting water quality in the White River Basin, Indiana

The White River Basin drains 11,349 square miles of central and southern Indiana and is one of 59 Study Units selected for water-quality assessment as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National WaterQuality Assessment Program. Defining the environmental setting of the basin and identifying the natural factors and human influences that affect water quality are important parts of the assessment. Interrelated natural factors help determine the quality of surface and ground water in a river basin. The White River Basin has a humid continental climate, characterized by well-defined winter and summer seasons. Geologic features in the basin include glaciated and nonglaciated areas; a region of karst geomorphology that is characterized by caves and sinkholes; and a thick, sedimentary bedrock sequence underlying the entire basin. Unconsolidated glacial deposits of clay, silt, sand and gravel cover more than 60 percent of the basin. Soils developed in unconsolidated glacial deposits are typically fertile, naturally or artificially well drained, and farmed. Soils in the unglaciated south-central part of the basin are thin, have low fertility, and are best suited for forest or pasture. Agriculture is the principal land use in the White River Basin. Approximately 70 percent of the basin is used for agriculture, and about 50 percent of the basin is cropland. Corn and soybeans are the major crops. Other significant land uses are forest (22 percent) and urban and residential (7 percent). The population of the basin was 2.1 million in 1990. Water use in the White River Basin totaled 1,284 million gallons per day in 1995, of which 84.5 percent was surface water and 15.5 percent was ground water. Despite the predominant use of surface water, ground water was the primary source of drinking water for approximately 56 percent of the population. The general water chemistry in the White River Basin is determined by natural factors such as soils and geologic materials that water contacts as it moves through the hydrologic system. In the southern part of the basin, bedrock upland areas are dominated by non-carbonate bedrock, thin soils, and high runoff-rainfall ratios. These areas have small chemical concentrations in streamwater. Conversely, in the northern part of the basin where glacial deposits are thick and in the southwestern part of the basin where loess deposits are thick, water has longer periods of time to react with soils and aquifers and to acquire substantial quantities of dissolved constituents. As a result, streams in the till plain and glacial lowland have higher concentrations of most constituents than streams in the unglaciated parts of the basin. Water quality is significantly modified by human influences. Water quality is affected locally by point sources of contamination that include combined-sewer overflows, power-generation-plant cooling stations, and wastewater-treatment-plant effluents that are generally associated with densely populated areas. Water quality is additionally affected by non-point sources of contamination related to agriculture, urban runoff, and mining. Six hydrogeomorphic regions of the White River Basin are delineated on the basis of distinct and relatively homogeneous natural characteristics. These six regions are used in the White River Basin study as a framework for examining the effects of natural factors on water quality in the basin. Bedrock is exposed or near the surface in three hydrogeomorphic regions the bedrock uplands, bedrock lowland and plain, and karst plain; streams and shallow aquifers in these regions are susceptible to contamination, especially in the karst plain, and show rapid response to rainfall. The other three hydrogeomorphic regions the fluvial deposits, till plain, and glacial lowland are in the glaciated part of the basin. Where thick fine-grained unconsolidated sediments are present, primarily in the till plain, ground-water supplies are protected from contamination, and extreme high and low streamflows are moderated.

Indiana↗
USGS1998

Hydrology and geochemistry of a slag-affected aquifer and chemical characteristics of slag-affected ground water, northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois

Slag is a by-product of steel manufacturing and a ubiquitous fill material in northwestern Indiana. Ground water associated with slag deposits generally is characterized by high pH and elevated concentrations of many inorganic water-quality constituents. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, conducted a study in northwestern Indiana from June 1995 to September 1996 to improve understanding of the effects of slag deposits on the water quality of a glacial-outwash aquifer. The Bairstow Landfill, a slag-fill deposit overlying the Calumet aquifer near Hammond, Indiana, was studied to represent conditions in slag-deposit settings that are common in northwestern Indiana. Ground water from 10 observation wells, located in four nests at the site, and surface water from the adjacent Lake George were analyzed for values of field-measured parameters and concentrations of major ions, nutrients, trace elements, and bulk properties. Solid-phase samples of slag and aquifer sediment collected during drilling were examined with X-ray diffraction and geochemical digestion and analysis. Concentrations of calcium, potassium, sodium, and sulfate were highest in wells screened partly or fully in slag. Potassium concentrations in ground water ranged from 2.9 to 120 milligrams per liter (mg/L), were highest in water from slag deposits, and decreased with depth. The highest concentrations for aluminum, barium, molybdenum, nickel, and selenium were in water from the slag. Silica concentrations were highest in wells screened directly beneath the slag-aquifer interface, and magnesium concentrations were highest in intermediate and deep aquifer wells. Silica concentrations in shallow and intermediate aquifer wells ranged from 27 to 41 mg/L and were about 10 times greater than those in water from slag deposits. The highest concentrations for chromium, lead, and zinc were in ground water from immediately below the slag-aquifer interface. The solid-phase analyses indicated that calcite, dolomite, and quartz generally were present throughout the slag-aquifer system; barian celestite, cristobalite, manganese-bearing calcite, and minrecordite were present in fewer samples. Trace elements that are liberated from the slag may be incorporated as impurities during precipitation of major minerals, sorbed onto clays and other grainsize fractions not analyzed as part of this study, or present in low-abundance minerals that were not detected by the X-ray analysis. Mass-balance and speciation programs were used to identify geochemical processes that may be occurring as water infiltrates through the slag, flows into the aquifer, and discharges into Lake George. The geochemical models indicate that precipitation of calcite may be occurring where slag-affected water enters the aquifer. Models also indicate that dolomite precipitation and clay-mineral dissolution may be occurring at the slag-aquifer interface; however, dolomite precipitation is generally believed to require geologically long time periods. Silica may be dissolving where slag-affected ground water enters the aquifer and may be precipitating where slag-affected ground water discharges to the lakebed of Lake George. In addition to the site-specific study, a statistical analysis of regional water quality was done to compare ground water in wells affected and unaffected by slag. When com-pared to wells in background locations in the Calumet aquifer, wells screened in slag across northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois generally had relatively higher pH and specific-conductance values and relatively higher concentrations of alkalinity, dissolved solids, suspended solids, total organic carbon, calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride, aluminum, barium, and possibly magnesium, sulfate, chromium, cobalt, copper, cyanide, manganese, mercury, nickel, and vanadium. When compared to wells in slag and wells in background locations, ground water from immediately beneath or immediately downgradient from slag had relatively high concentrations of arsenic and silica. Water-quality characteristics in ground water at the Bairstow Landfill were similar to water-quality characteristics in slag-contact and slag-affected wells throughout northwestern Indiana.

Illinois, Indiana↗
USGS1996

Hydrogeology and simulated ground-water flow through the unconsolidated aquifers of northeastern St. Joseph County, Indiana

The U.S. Geological Survey investigated ground-water resources of northeastern St. Joseph County, Indiana, during 1990-93. The investigation included field measurements of water levels and numerical models of ground-water flow. This report documents results of that work and includes descriptions of (1) hydrogeologic framework, (2) water levels, (3) model sensitivity to variations in hydrogeologic parameters, (4) simulated aquifer response to increased ground-water withdrawals, (5) recharge areas for significant water- withdrawal facilities, (6) flow paths and discharge points for ground-water solutes originating beneath known contamination sites. Water-level data indicated (1) regional ground- water flow towards the St. Joseph River, (2) depth to water is small in the St. Joseph aquifer system compared to that in the Hilltop and Nappanee aquifer systems, (3) water levels in deep and shallow parts of the aquifer system are not equal where a confining unit is present. Model results indicate increasing withdrawals by 50 percent at significant water-withdrawal facilities would cause drawdowns less than 6 feet in the 1/4-square-mile area surrounding pumping sites. The response of Juday Creek and the St. Joseph River to increased ground-water pumpage is reductions of ground-water contribution to streamflow of 23 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Particle-tracking analyses indicate flow paths for solutes originating beneath known contamination sites may pass near to, or be intercepted by, significant water-withdrawal facilities. Most particles are discharged to the St. Joseph River but some may be discharged to Juday Creek.

Indiana↗
USGS1995

Use of surface and borehole geophysics to delineate the glacial-drift stratigraphy of northeastern St. Joseph County, Indiana

Inverse models of direct current electrical- resistivity sounding data and normal-resistivity and natural-gamma logs were used to assist delineation of the glacial-drift stratigraphy in a 580-square- kilometer area of northeastern St. Joseph County, Indiana. Unconsolidated deposits in the study area are composed of glacial-drift, including outwash, till, and lacustrine sediments; thicknesses range from about 15 to more than 70 meters. The glacial outwash deposits are mostly composed of sand and gravel and are the primary source of drinking water to northeastern St. Joseph County. The glacial till and glacio-lacustrine deposits contain a larger fraction of clay than the outwash deposits and may retard ground-water flow between shallow and deeper sand and gravel aquifers. Results of the geophysical measurements collected during this study indicate that glacial-drift deposits in the area north and east of the St. Joseph River are mostly composed of sand and gravel with inter-layered clay-rich deposits that are laterally discontinuous. In the area south of the St. Joseph River, the thickness of sand and gravel deposits diminishes, and clay-rich deposits dominate the stratigraphy. The presence of an electrically conductive bedrock, the Ellsworth Shale, beneath the glacial-drift deposits is identified in inverse models of direct current electrical-resistivity sounding data.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1995

Ground-water quality in northeastern St. Joseph County, Indiana

This report describes the ground-water quality of a 220-square-mile area in northeastern St. Joseph County, Indiana. Ground-water samples were collected from 30 monitoring wells at 20 sites during May 1992; the wells were screened in either a shallow or a deep sand and gravel aquifer. Samples were analyzed for general water-quality properties, nutrients, major ions, trace elements, industrial organic compounds, and pesticides. In general, the ground water is a slightly basic, very hard calcium bicarbonate water with a median dissolved-solids concentration of 310 milligrams per liter. The only constituent to exceed a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level in the water samples was nitrate (which was exceeded in water samples from two wells). Concentrations of methylene-blue-active substances (detergent additives), chloride, and nitrate plus nitrite in the shallow aquifer were significantly higher (at the 0.05 probability level) than in the deep aquifer. The higher concentrations of these constituents in the shallow aquifer may be attributable to human activities. Concentrations of silica, ammonia, arsenic, antimony, barium, iron, and manganese in the deep aquifer were significantly higher than in the shallow aquifer; with the exception of ammonia, most or all of these constituents are probably from natural sources. No industrial organic compounds were detected in the water samples. Four pesticides - alachlor, carbofuran, metolachlor, and triazines - were detected in water samples; the highest pesticide concentration in a water sample was 1.0 microgram per liter of alachlor.

Indiana↗
USGS1994

Directions of ground-water flow and locations of ground-water divides in the Lost River Watershed near Orleans, Indiana

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducted a study during October 1993-April 1994 to improve an understanding of the hydrology of the Lost River watershed near Orleans, Ind. Elements of the study included: (1) constructing a map of the composite ground-water potentiometric-surface of the study area, (2) injecting and recovering fluorescent dyes at karst features in the study area to help locate ground-water-flow paths and drainage divides, (3) compiling a bibliography of references describing the study area, and (4) constructing a map of karst features. The composite ground- water-potentiometric surface map and the eight dye traces done as part of this study indicate the approximate locations of the subsurface drainage divides near Orleans. Subsurface drainage near Orleans flows primarily southwest to a reemergence at Orangeville Rise, Orangeville, Ind. Dye clouds injected north of the Orangeville Rise drainage basin reemerged in the Hamer Cave outlet stream, Spring Mill State Park, Ind. The drainage divide that separates subsurface flow to Orangeville Rise from flow to Hamer Cave does not coincide with the surface-water drainage divide. Several factors may contribute to the flooding in Orleans, including: (1) an overtaxed storm sewer system, (2) location of the town in a karst valley, (3) a high runoff- rainfall relation for a 1oess- and residuum-covered area that drains into an occluded sinkhole near the center of Orleans, and (4) an overtaxed subsurface drainage system during periods of intense rainfall.

Indiana↗