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Glen B. Carleton

Publications and source records attributed to Glen B. Carleton.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2023

Updates to the regional groundwater-flow model of the New Jersey Coastal Plain, 1980–2013

A 21-layer three-dimensional transient groundwater-flow model of the New Jersey Coastal Plain was developed and calibrated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to simulate groundwater-flow conditions during 1980–2013, incorporating average annual groundwater withdrawals and average annual groundwater recharge. This model is the third version of the New Jersey Coastal Plain regional groundwater-flow model that was initially developed as part of the USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis (RASA) program. The model simulates groundwater flow in 11 aquifers and 10 intervening confining units of the New Jersey Coastal Plain to provide a regional overview of groundwater conditions. Averaged groundwater withdrawal data for 1980 to 2013 were used in the model. The 11 aquifers in New Jersey are, from shallowest to deepest, the Holly Beach water-bearing zone and the confined Cohansey aquifer in Cape May County; the Rio Grande water-bearing zone; the Atlantic City 800-foot sand; the Piney Point, Vincentown, and Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifers; the Englishtown aquifer system; and the upper, middle, and lower aquifers of the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy (PRM) aquifer system. The model was developed with the MODFLOW–2005 numerical code and the UCODE parameter estimation technique and calibrated using water-level and base-flow observations. A total of 3,453 water-level observations from 392 wells in New Jersey and 48 wells in Delaware from 1983 to 2013 were used in model calibration, which includes historical water-level trends for 29 wells in New Jersey during 1980–2013 presented in time-series hydrographs. In addition, derived observations also were included by calculating the vertical gradient at 33 pairs of nested observation wells in New Jersey, for a total of 210 observations. Changes in water levels over time were calculated for 134 wells in New Jersey and four wells in Delaware where water levels had varied substantially (approximately 10 ft) over the 30-year span of synoptic water-level measurements, for a total of 767 observations. A total of 1,485 base-flow observations in 47 surface-water basins in New Jersey from 1980 to 2013 were used in model calibration. Updates to the groundwater-flow model include the conversion to a fully three-dimensional model from the previous quasi-three-dimensional model. The new model will allow for potential future uses such as particle tracking or simulation of variable-density groundwater flow that could not be accomplished with earlier versions of the model. Spatially and temporally variable recharge estimated by using a soil-water balance model resulted in a spatially and temporally finer discretization. The Rio Grande water-bearing zone was added to the model as an aquifer layer to refine estimates of simulated flow in Atlantic and Cape May Counties, New Jersey. Hydrogeologic parameters were updated to include the confining units in New Jersey and corresponding hydrogeologic units in Delaware and eastern Maryland. The simulated water levels for the New Jersey Coastal Plain aquifers were compared to water-level measurements made during 1980–2013. The average residual for 4,243 water-level observations for New Jersey (simulated water levels minus measured water levels) is 1.5 feet. The simulated water-level contours for the confined aquifers for 2013 were compared to potentiometric surfaces produced from water levels measured during 2013. Simulated water levels generally matched the 2013 potentiometric surfaces of the confined aquifers in the areas of large withdrawals. Hydrographs of wells in the confined Coastal Plain aquifers of New Jersey show that simulated water levels generally match the magnitude and seasonal variation of the observed water levels. Hydrographs of base flow for the 47 streamgaging stations in New Jersey indicate that most of the simulated and estimated data match reasonably well. Groundwater withdrawals are an important resource for water supply, agricultural, industrial, and commercial needs in the New Jersey Coastal Plain. Groundwater withdrawals from the New Jersey Coastal Plain aquifers have resulted in persistent, regionally extensive cones of depression in the Englishtown aquifer system and Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer in Ocean and Monmouth Counties; Wenonah-Mount Laurel and upper, middle, and lower PRM aquifers in Camden County; and Atlantic City 800-foot sand in Atlantic County. Because hydrologic stresses and water-management needs change with time, periodic updates to the groundwater-flow model are required to provide current information about hydrologic conditions in the New Jersey Coastal Plain and to maintain its usefulness as a tool to manage water resources and develop water-resource strategies. The current updates will support the continued application of this model as a tool for evaluating the regional effects of changes in groundwater withdrawals and of current and potential future water-management strategies on groundwater levels in the New Jersey Coastal Plain.

New Jersey Coastal Plain↗
USGS2023

Hydrologic effects of possible changes in water-supply withdrawals from, and effluent recharge to, the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, Winslow Township, Camden County, New Jersey

Winslow Township and the Camden County Municipal Utility Authority (CCMUA) developed a plan to shut down the Winslow sewage-treatment facility and associated effluent infiltration facility and transfer the effluent to the CCMUA sewage-treatment facility on the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey. Winslow Township reduced groundwater withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system to offset groundwater recharge lost with the cessation of effluent infiltration. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Winslow Township and the CCMUA, collected data to evaluate conditions prior to cessation of effluent infiltration and installed two continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations. Streamflow measurements also were made at two low-flow partial-record sites, and groundwater levels were measured in 17 wells at high and low water-level periods (May and September 2010). A groundwater-flow model provides estimated changes in base flow of the Great Egg Harbor River under several groundwater-withdrawal and effluent infiltration scenarios. Water levels were measured in an observation well 480 feet (ft) from the infiltration lagoons during 1971–2010. A downward trend in water levels in the well prior to 1985 is attributed in part to increased impervious surfaces and groundwater withdrawals associated with development in the area that began in the early 1970s. From late 1985 to 2010, there was an upward trend in water levels in the well that is attributed to the construction of nearby effluent infiltration lagoons in 1985 and the increasing rate of effluent infiltration during the period. Recent and historical measurements made at the four surface-water sites were correlated with same-day discharges measured at three nearby index stations to estimate continuous low-flow record at the sites. Effects on base flow caused by reductions in groundwater withdrawals or the cessation of effluent infiltration in Winslow Township could not be ascertained from the available data with the statistical and analysis methods used. Groundwater discharge to streams (base flow) was simulated with a groundwater-flow model of the Great Egg Harbor and Mullica River Basins. Simulated monthly base flows using 2008–10 withdrawal rates and effluent recharge (Scenario 1) are generally about 1.5 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) greater than simulated base flows using 2003–07 withdrawal rates (Baseline Scenario) because of the 1.57 Mgal/d reduction in average withdrawals by Winslow Township from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system from 2003–07 to 2008–10. Simulated monthly base flows using 2008–10 withdrawals but without effluent infiltration (Scenario 2) are very similar to, but typically slightly lower than, Baseline Scenario base flows. Three hypothetical future distributions of groundwater withdrawals from existing Winslow Township wells are simulated, each without effluent infiltration and using the same groundwater withdrawal rate as Scenario 2, but with different hypothetical distributions of withdrawals among existing Winslow Township wells. The Scenario 3 and 4 base flows are greater than the Baseline Scenario base flows in all months, and the Scenario 5 base flows are less than the Baseline Scenario base flows in all months. The simulation results indicate that a reduction in average withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system by 1.57 Mgal/d offsets the reduction of effluent infiltration by about the same rate, resulting in nearly unchanged base flows in the Great Egg Harbor River near Blue Anchor (01410820).

New Jersey↗
USGS2021

Simulation of potential water allocation changes, Cape May County, New Jersey

Saltwater intrusion and declining water levels have been a water-supply problem in Cape May County, New Jersey, for decades. Cape May County is surrounded by saltwater on three sides. Several communities in the county have only one aquifer from which freshwater withdrawals can be made, and that sole source is threatened by saltwater intrusion and (or) substantial declines in water levels caused by groundwater withdrawals. Growth of the year-round and summer tourism populations have caused water demand for some purveyors to approach the full-allocation withdrawal rates set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, leading these purveyors to request increases in allocations. Simulated water levels resulting from withdrawals including proposed increases in allocations by four purveyors and a shift of some withdrawals from one aquifer to another by a fifth purveyor were compared to simulated baseline water levels with withdrawals at 2012 full-allocation rates. The Lower Township Scenario simulates proposed full-allocation withdrawals of 1,079 million gallons per year (Mgal/yr) from the Cohansey aquifer, 211 Mgal/yr (24 percent) higher than the 2012 full allocation withdrawals. Lower Township Scenario simulated water levels are between 2 and 4 feet (ft) lower than those of the shallow-aquifer-system Baseline Scenario simulation in much of Lower Township. The simulated 250-milligrams per liter (mg/L) isochlor is a maximum of 750 ft farther eastward than the simulated position in the shallow-aquifer-system Baseline Scenario, and the isochlor is simulated to be 700 ft from the northwestern-most Lower Township Municipal Utility Authority well at the airport in 2050. The Wildwood Scenario simulates proposed full-allocation withdrawals of 388 Mgal/yr at the Wildwood Water Utility Rio Grande well field in Middle Township from the Rio Grande water-bearing zone (upper Kirkwood Formation) and 776 Mgal/yr from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand (lower Kirkwood Formation). Simulated water levels in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand near the well field are 30–55 ft lower than in the deep-aquifer-system Baseline Scenario, more than 15 ft lower south and west of Cape May Court House, and 5–10 ft lower between Cape May Court House and Woodbine and Upper Township. The Avalon Scenario simulates proposed full-allocation withdrawals from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand in Avalon Borough of 495 Mgal/yr, which is 141 Mgal/yr (40 percent) higher than the 2012 full-allocation withdrawals. The Cape May Court House Scenario simulates proposed full-allocation withdrawals near Cape May Court House from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand of 495 Mgal/yr, which is 150 Mgal/yr (64 percent) higher than 2012 full-allocation withdrawals. The Strathmere Scenario simulates proposed full-allocation withdrawals in Strathmere from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand of 30 Mgal/yr, which is 11 Mgal/yr (58 percent) higher than 2012 full-allocation withdrawals. All three of these scenarios generally show simulated water levels to be less than 10 ft lower compared to the deep-aquifer-system Baseline Scenario. The Combined Scenario simulates proposed full-allocation withdrawals, including increased withdrawals from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand in all four locations—the Rio Grande well field, Avalon, Cape May Court House, and Strathmere. Water levels from the Combined Scenario are 40–65 ft lower than those from the deep-aquifer-system Baseline Scenario near the Wildwood Water Utility Rio Grande well field, 15–40 ft lower south of Dennis Township, and 5–15 ft lower in much of the rest of Cape May County.

New Jersey↗
USGS2021

Simulation of water-table response to sea-level rise and change in recharge, Sandy Hook unit, Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey

The Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area (hereafter Sandy Hook) in New Jersey is a 10-kilometer-long spit visited by thousands of people each year who take advantage of the historical and natural resources and recreational opportunities. The historical and natural resources are threatened by global climate change, including sea-level rise (SLR), changes in precipitation and groundwater recharge, and changes in the frequency and severity of coastal storms. Fresh groundwater resources are important to the ecosystems of Sandy Hook. The Bayside Holly Forest, one of only two known old-growth American holly ( Ilex opaca ) maritime forests, is particularly vulnerable to global climate change because of the proximity of the water table to land surface in low-lying areas and the potential for saltwater intrusion and inundation. The shallow groundwater-flow system on Sandy Hook is dominated by recharge from precipitation, fresh groundwater discharge to evapotranspiration (ET), discharge to surface seeps, and submarine groundwater discharge (groundwater discharging directly to the ocean). A three-dimensional groundwater-flow model that simulates the shallow groundwater-flow system and interaction with surrounding saltwater boundaries was constructed to simulate multi-density groundwater flow, treating the freshwater/saltwater transition zone as a sharp interface that represents the half-seawater surface. Groundwater-flow simulations completed for this study include a Baseline scenario, three SLR scenarios (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 meter [m]), two Recharge scenarios—a 10-percent Increased Recharge scenario and a 10-percent Decreased Recharge scenario—and a scenario with 0.6 m of SLR and 10-percent increase in recharge. The Recharge scenarios indicate the system is not sensitive to a 10-percent increase or decrease in recharge from the Baseline scenario. In the SLR scenarios, SLR causes the water table to rise, resulting in increased fresh groundwater discharge to ET and seeps, and reduced submarine discharge compared to the Baseline scenario. The increased discharge to ET and seeps causes the magnitude of water-table rise to be less than that of SLR, which in turn causes the thickness of the freshwater lens to thin, reducing the depth to the half-seawater surface. Water-table rise associated with SLR diminishes the thickness of the unsaturated zone; comparing the Baseline and the 0.6-m SLR scenarios, the area where the simulated water table is above land surface increases by 50.6 hectares, from about 0.9 to 7.4 percent of the land area of Sandy Hook. Areas where the simulated water table is above land surface are likely to be emergent wetlands and contain freshwater if they are tens of meters or more from the shoreline. The steady-state simulations indicate that the percentage of land where the half-seawater surface is less than 9 m below the water table increases from about 2.5 percent (20 hectares) to about 9 percent (74 hectares) with 0.6 m of SLR. In low-lying areas close to the Sandy Hook Bay shoreline, the half-seawater surface is simulated to be as much as 20 m closer to the water table with SLR of 0.6 m. Transient salinization, if any, of shallow groundwater from increased frequency or severity of storm-driven inundation is not included in the analysis. Natural resources on Sandy Hook, particularly the Bayside Holly Forest, may be adversely affected by the rising water table associated with SLR. Freshwater emergent wetlands may increase in area at the expense of other ecosystem assemblages occurring in or on the edges of low-lying enclosed depressions. Cultural resources close to the water table, such as existing basements of structures, may be adversely affected.

New Jersey↗
USGS2021

Water-level conditions in the confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain, 2013

The Coastal Plain aquifers of New Jersey provide an important source of water for more than 3.5 million people. In 2013, groundwater withdrawals from 10 confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain totaled about 190 million gallons per day. Steadily increasing withdrawals from the late 1800s to the early 1990s resulted in declining water levels and the formation of regional cones of depression in many confined Coastal Plain aquifers. Starting in 1978, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began mapping the potentiometric surfaces of the major confined Coastal Plain aquifers every 5 years to provide a regional assessment of groundwater conditions. In a study conducted by the USGS, in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, water levels in 10 confined aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain were measured and evaluated to provide a regional overview of groundwater conditions during fall 2013. Water levels were measured in 987 wells in New Jersey, and parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Potentiometric-surface maps were prepared for, in ascending order of age, the confined Cohansey aquifer of Cape May County, Rio Grande water-bearing zone, Atlantic City 800-foot sand, Piney Point aquifer, Vincentown aquifer, Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer, Englishtown aquifer system, and the Upper, Middle, and Lower aquifers of the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy (PRM) aquifer system. Persistent, regionally extensive cones of depression were present in the potentiometric surfaces of the Englishtown aquifer system and Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer in Ocean and Monmouth Counties; Wenonah-Mount Laurel and Upper, Middle, and Lower PRM aquifers in Camden County; and Atlantic City 800-foot sand in Atlantic County. Changes in water levels from 2008 to 2013 were measured in many Coastal Plain aquifers in New Jersey. In some areas, water levels continued to decline as a result of pumping, but in other areas water levels continued to recover as a result of regulated decreases in groundwater withdrawals. Since 2008, in the confined Cohansey aquifer in Cape May County, water levels generally did not change; however, cones of depression in the potentiometric surface of the Piney Point aquifer in some areas of Cumberland County deepened by more than 20 feet (ft). In Critical Area 1, an area of restricted withdrawals, measured water levels in the Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer declined in parts of southern Monmouth County by more than 10 ft; however, rises in water levels of more than 10 ft were measured in parts of northern Ocean and Monmouth Counties. Since 2008, in Critical Area 2, also an area of restricted withdrawals, measured water levels in the Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer rose more than 20 ft in parts of western Burlington County and more than 20 ft in parts of western Camden County. Since 2008, in Critical Area 1, measured water levels in the Englishtown aquifer system declined in parts of eastern Ocean County by more than 10 ft and in southeastern Monmouth County by more than 20 ft; however, rises in water levels of more than 10 ft were measured in other parts of Ocean and Monmouth Counties. In general, since 2008 in Critical Area 2, in the Upper PRM aquifer, measured water levels continued to rise by 10 ft or more in central and western Burlington and central Camden Counties. In the Middle PRM aquifer in Critical Area 2, measured water levels rose in parts of central Camden County by 10 ft or more. However, measured water levels in the Lower PRM aquifer in Critical Area 2 were more than 10 ft lower in the center of the cone of depression in central Camden County, but measured water levels continued to rise updip from this area in Critical Area 2. Seasonal water-level fluctuations are presented in time-series hydrographs for 77 wells during 1978–2013. Analyses of long-term water-level changes for the period 2008–13 indicate downward water-level trends at 14 wells (18 percent), upward trends at 34 wells (44 percent), and no substantial change at 29 wells (38 percent). Downward trends were most often observed for wells screened in the Piney Point aquifer and the Atlantic City 800-foot sand. Upward water-level trends were most often measured for wells screened in the PRM aquifer system. Upward water-level trends also were measured for wells in the Englishtown aquifer system and the Wenonah-Mount Laurel aquifer in Critical Area 1 in some areas; however, downward trends and no substantial changes were measured in other areas.

New Jersey↗
USGS2012

Simulated effects of alternative withdrawal strategies on groundwater flow in the unconfined Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, the Rio Grande water-bearing zone, and the Atlantic City 800-foot sand in the Great Egg Harbor and Mullica River Basins, New Jersey

Groundwater is essential for water supply and plays a critical role in maintaining the environmental health of freshwater and estuarine ecosystems in the Atlantic Coastal basins of New Jersey. The unconfined Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system and the confined Atlantic City 800-foot sand are major sources of groundwater in the area, and each faces different water-supply concerns. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), conducted a study to simulate the effects of withdrawals in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, the Atlantic City 800-foot sand, and the Rio Grande water-bearing zone and to evaluate potential scenarios. The study area encompasses Atlantic County and parts of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Ocean, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties. The major hydrogeologic units affecting water supply in the study area are the surficial Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, a thick diatomaceous clay confining unit in the upper part of Kirkwood Formation; the Rio Grande water-bearing zone; and the Atlantic City 800-foot sand of the Kirkwood Formation. Hydrogeologic data from 18 aquifer tests and specific capacity data from 230 wells were analyzed to provide horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the aquifers. Groundwater withdrawals are greatest from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, and 65 percent of the water is used for public supply. Groundwater withdrawals from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand are about half those from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system. Ninety-five percent of the withdrawals from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand is used for public supply. Data from six streamgaging stations and 51 low-flow partial record sites were used to estimate base flow in the area. Base flow ranges from 60 to 92 percent of streamflow. A groundwater flow model of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, the Rio Grande water-bearing zone, and the Atlantic City 800-foot sand was developed and calibrated using water-level data from 148 wells and base-flow data from 22 gaging or low-flow partial record stations. The Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system within the Great Egg Harbor River and the Mullica River Basins was simulated on a monthly basis from 1998 through 2006. An existing regional model of the New Jersey Coastal Plain was revised to provide boundary conditions for the Great Egg Harbor and Mullica River Basin model (referred to as the Great Egg-Mullica model). In the Great Egg-Mullica model, monthly groundwater recharge rates used in the model ranged from 10-15 inches per year in 2001 to 20-25 inches per year in 2005. The mean-absolute error for 10 of the 14 long-term hydrographs used in model calibration was less than 5 ft. Groundwater flow budgets for the Great Egg-Mullica model calibration periods, May 2005 and September 2006, and for the entire model calibration period 1998 to 2006, showed that nearly 70 percent of the water entering the Atlantic City 800-foot sand came from the horizontal connection with the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in updip areas. The groundwater flow model was used to simulate scenarios under three possible conditions: average 1998 to 2006 withdrawals (Average scenario), full-allocation withdrawals (Full Allocation scenario), and projected 2050-demand withdrawals (2050 Demand scenario). Withdrawals in the Full Allocation scenario are nearly twice the withdrawals from the Average scenario, primarily because of the potential for large agricultural withdrawals if all allocations are used. Withdrawals for the 2050 Demand scenario are about 50 percent greater than those for the Average scenario, primarily due to expected increases in withdrawals for public supply. Monthly base-flow depletion criteria were determined using the Low-Flow Margin method, currently under consideration by NJDEP, to estimate available water on an annual basis at the Hydrologic Unit Code 11 (HUC11) level and to determine whether a water-supply deficit exists. Simulations of various groundwater-withdrawal scenarios were made using the calibrated model, and results were compared with baseline conditions (no withdrawals) to determine where and when base-flow deficits may be occurring and may be expected to occur in the future. Scenarios were simulated to assess base-flow depletion that could occur from different groundwater-withdrawal situations. In the Average scenario, deficits occurred in 7 of the 14 subbasins. In the Full Allocation scenario, deficits occurred in 11 of the subbasins. In the 2050 Demand scenario, deficits occurred in 9 of the 14 subbasins. The largest deficits occurred in the Absecon Creek subbasin because the base-flow depletion criteria for this subbasin is small due to the surface-water diversions that are already occurring there and because existing groundwater withdrawals in the subbasin have resulted in base-flow depletion under current (1998-2006) conditions. Three adjusted scenarios, variations of the Average, Full Allocation, and 2050 Demand scenarios, were simulated; for the adjusted scenarios, the withdrawals were modified in stages with the intent to successively eliminate or minimize the base-flow deficits. Modifications included shifting withdrawals to a deeper part of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, implementing seasonal conjunctive use of shallow and deep aquifers, and specifying reductions in withdrawals within a HUC11 subbasin in deficit. The adjusted scenarios are intended to show the relative effectiveness of each of the three approaches in reducing the deficits. Most of the deficits under the Average, Full Allocation, and 2050 Demand scenarios were eliminated by reductions in withdrawals or allocations. Shifting withdrawals to a deeper part of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system or seasonal conjunctive use did not eliminate deficits for any subbasin. Reductions in withdrawals accounted for more than 95 percent of the total reduction of deficits in all but one subbasin.

New Jersey↗
USGS2010

Simulation of Groundwater Mounding Beneath Hypothetical Stormwater Infiltration Basins

Groundwater mounding occurs beneath stormwater management structures designed to infiltrate stormwater runoff. Concentrating recharge in a small area can cause groundwater mounding that affects the basements of nearby homes and other structures. Methods for quantitatively predicting the height and extent of groundwater mounding beneath and near stormwater Finite-difference groundwater-flow simulations of infiltration from hypothetical stormwater infiltration structures (which are typically constructed as basins or dry wells) were done for 10-acre and 1-acre developments. Aquifer and stormwater-runoff characteristics in the model were changed to determine which factors are most likely to have the greatest effect on simulating the maximum height and maximum extent of groundwater mounding. Aquifer characteristics that were changed include soil permeability, aquifer thickness, and specific yield. Stormwater-runoff variables that were changed include magnitude of design storm, percentage of impervious area, infiltration-structure depth (maximum depth of standing water), and infiltration-basin shape. Values used for all variables are representative of typical physical conditions and stormwater management designs in New Jersey but do not include all possible values. Results are considered to be a representative, but not all-inclusive, subset of likely results. Maximum heights of simulated groundwater mounds beneath stormwater infiltration structures are the most sensitive to (show the greatest change with changes to) soil permeability. The maximum height of the groundwater mound is higher when values of soil permeability, aquifer thickness, or specific yield are decreased or when basin depth is increased or the basin shape is square (and values of other variables are held constant). Changing soil permeability, aquifer thickness, specific yield, infiltration-structure depth, or infiltration-structure shape does not change the volume of water infiltrated, it changes the shape or height of the groundwater mound resulting from the infiltration. An aquifer with a greater soil permeability or aquifer thickness has an increased ability to transmit water away from the source of infiltration than aquifers with lower soil permeability; therefore, the maximum height of the groundwater mound will be lower, and the areal extent of mounding will be larger. The maximum height of groundwater mounding is higher when values of design storm magnitude or percentage of impervious cover (from which runoff is captured) are increased (and other variables are held constant) because the total volume of water to be infiltrated is larger. The larger the volume of infiltrated water the higher the head required to move that water away from the source of recharge if the physical characteristics of the aquifer are unchanged. The areal extent of groundwater mounding increases when soil permeability, aquifer thickness, design-storm magnitude, or percentage of impervious cover are increased (and values of other variables are held constant). For 10-acre sites, the maximum heights of the simulated groundwater mound range from 0.1 to 18.5 feet (ft). The median of the maximum-height distribution from 576 simulations is 1.8 ft. The maximum areal extent (measured from the edge of the infiltration basins) of groundwater mounding of 0.25-ft ranges from 0 to 300 ft with a median of 51 ft for 576 simulations. Stormwater infiltration at a 1-acre development was simulated, incorporating the assumption that the hypothetical infiltration structure would be a pre-cast concrete dry well having side openings and an open bottom. The maximum heights of the simulated groundwater-mounds range from 0.01 to 14.0 ft. The median of the maximum-height distribution from 432 simulations is 1.0 ft. The maximum areal extent of groundwater mounding of 0.25-ft ranges from 0 to 100 ft with a median of 10 ft for 432 simulations. Simulated height and extent of groundwater mounding associ

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

Future water-supply scenarios, Cape May County, New Jersey, 2003-2050

Stewards of the water supply in New Jersey are interested in developing a plan to supply potable and non-potable water to residents and businesses of Cape May County until at least 2050. The ideal plan would meet projected demands and minimize adverse effects on currently used sources of potable, non-potable, and ecological water supplies. This report documents past and projected potable, non-potable, and ecological water-supply demands. Past and ongoing adverse effects to production and domestic wells caused by withdrawals include saltwater intrusion and water-level declines in the freshwater aquifers. Adverse effects on the ecological water supplies caused by groundwater withdrawals include premature drying of seasonal wetlands, delayed recovery of water levels in the water-table aquifer, and reduced streamflow. To predict the effects of future actions on the water supplies, three baseline and six future scenarios were created and simulated. Baseline Scenarios 1, 2, and 3 represent withdrawals using existing wells projected until 2050. Baseline Scenario 1 represents average 1998-2003 withdrawals, and Scenario 2 represents New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) full allocation withdrawals. These withdrawals do not meet projected future water demands. Baseline Scenario 3 represents the estimated full build-out water demands. Results of simulations of the three baseline scenarios indicate that saltwater would intrude into the Cohansey aquifer as much as 7,100 feet (ft) to adversely affect production wells used by Lower Township and the Wildwoods, as well as some other near-shore domestic wells; water-level altitudes in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand would decline to -156 ft; base flow in streams would be depleted by 0 to 26 percent; and water levels in the water-table aquifer would decline as much as 0.7ft. [Specific water-level altitudes, land-surface altitudes, and present sea level when used in this report are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).] Future scenarios 4 to 9 represent withdrawals and the effects on the water supply while using estimated full build-out water demands. In most townships, existing wells would be used for withdrawals in the simulation. However, in Lower and Middle Townships, the Wildwoods, and the Cape Mays, withdrawals from some wells would be terminated, reduced, or increased. Depending on the scenario, proposed production wells would be installed in locations far from the saltwater fronts, in deep freshwater aquifers, in deeper saltwater aquifers, or proposed injection wells would be installed to inject reused water to create a freshwater barrier to saltwater intrusion. Simulations indicate that future Scenarios 4 to 9 would reduce many of the adverse effects of Scenarios 1, 2, and 3. No future scenario will minimize all adverse impacts. In Scenario 4, Lower Township would drill two production wells in the Cohansey aquifer farther from the Delaware shoreline than existing wells and reduce withdrawals from wells near the shoreline. Wildwood Water Utility (WWU) would reduce withdrawals from existing wells in the Cohansey aquifer and increase withdrawals from wells in the Rio Grande water-bearing zone. Results of the simulation indicate that saltwater intrusion and ecological-water supply problems would be reduced but not as much as in Scenarios 5, 7, 8, and 9. In Scenario 5, the Wildwoods and Lower Township each would install a desalination plant and drill two wells to withdraw saltwater from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand. Saltwater intrusion problems would be reduced to the greatest extent with this scenario. Ecological water supplies remain constant or decline from 2003 baseline values. Water-level altitudes would decline to -193 ft in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand, the deepest potentiometric level for all scenarios. In Scenario 6, Lower Township would build a tertiary treatment system and drill three wells open to the Cohanse

New Jersey↗
USGS2007

Hydrogeology of, and simulation of ground-water flow In, the Pohatcong Valley, Warren County, New Jersey

A numerical ground-water-flow model was constructed to simulate ground-water flow in the Pohatcong Valley, including the area within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pohatcong Valley Ground Water Contamination Site. The area is underlain by glacial till, alluvial sediments, and weathered and competent carbonate bedrock. The northwestern and southeastern valley boundaries are regional-scale thrust faults and ridges underlain by crystalline rocks. The unconsolidated sediments and weathered bedrock form a minor surficial aquifer and the carbonate rocks form a highly transmissive fractured-rock aquifer. Ground-water flow in the carbonate rocks is primarily downvalley towards the Delaware River, but the water discharges through the surficial aquifer to Pohatcong Creek under typical conditions. The hydraulic characteristics of the carbonate-rock aquifer are highly heterogeneous. Horizontal hydraulic conductivities span nearly five orders of magnitude, from 0.5 feet per day (ft/d) to 1,800 ft/d. The maximum transmissivity calculated is 37,000 feet squared per day. The horizontal hydraulic conductivities calculated from aquifer tests using public supply wells open to the Leithsville Formation and Allentown Dolomite are 34 ft/d (effective hydraulic conductivity) and 85 to 190 ft/d (minimum and maximum hydraulic conductivity, respectively, yielding a horizontal anisotropy ratio of 0.46). Stream base-flow data were used to estimate the net gain (or loss) for selected reaches on Brass Castle Creek, Shabbecong Creek, three smaller tributaries to Pohatcong Creek, and for five reaches on Pohatcong Creek. Estimated mean annual base flows for Brass Castle Creek, Pohatcong Creek at New Village, and Pohatcong Creek at Carpentersville (from correlations of partial- and continuous-record stations) are 2.4, 25, and 45 cubic feet per second (ft3/s) (10, 10, and 11 inches per year (in/yr)), respectively. Ground-water ages estimated using sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), and tritium-helium age-dating techniques range from 0 to 27 years, with a median age of 6 years. Land-surface and ground-water water budgets were calculated, yielding an estimated rate of direct recharge tothe surficial aquifer of about 23 in/yr, and an estimated net recharge to the ground-water system within the area underlain by carbonate rock (11.4 mi2) of 29 in/yr (10 in/yr over the entire 33.3 mi2 basin). A finite-difference, numerical model was developed to simulate ground-water flow in the Pohatcong Valley. The four-layer model encompasses the entire carbonate-rock part of the valley. The carbonate-rock aquifer was modeled as horizontally anisotropic, with the direction of maximum transmissivity aligned with the longitudinal axis of the valley. All lateral boundaries are no-flow boundaries. Recharge was applied uniformly to the topmost active layer with additional recharge added near the lateral boundaries to represent infiltration of runoff from adjacent crystalline-rock areas. The model was calibrated to June 2001 water levels in wells completed in the carbonate-rock aquifer, August 2000 stream base-flow measurements, and the approximate ground-water age. The ground-water-flow model was constructed in part to test possible site contamination remediation alternatives. Four previously determined ground-water remediation alternatives (GW1, GW2, GW3, and GW4) were simulated. For GW1, the no-action alternative, simulated pathlines originating in the tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) source areas within the Ground-Water Contamination Site end at Pohatcong Creek near the confluence with Shabbecong Creek, although some particles went deeper in the aquifer system and ultimately discharge to Pohatcong Creek about 10 miles downvalley in Pohatcong Township. Remediation alternatives GW2, GW3, and GW4 include ground-water withdrawal, treatment, and reinjection. The design for GW2 includes wells in the TCE and PCE source areas that wit

New Jersey↗
USGS2006

Hydraulic and solute-transport properties and simulated advective transport of contaminated ground water in a fractured-rock aquifer at the Naval Air Warfare Center, West Trenton, New Jersey, 2003

Volatile organic compounds, predominantly trichloroethylene and its degradation products, have been detected in ground water at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), West Trenton, New Jersey. An air-stripping pump-and-treat system has been in operation at the NAWC since 1998. An existing ground-water-flow model was used to evaluate the effect of a change in the configuration of the network of recovery wells in the pump-and-treat system on flow paths of contaminated ground water. The NAWC is underlain by a fractured-rock aquifer composed of dipping layers of sedimentary rocks of the Lockatong and Stockton Formations. Hydraulic and solute-transport properties of the part of the aquifer composed of the Lockatong Formation were measured using aquifer tests and tracer tests. The heterogeneity of the rocks causes a wide range of values of each parameter measured. Transmissivity ranges from 95 to 1,300 feet squared per day; the storage coefficient ranges from 9 x 10-5 to 5 x 10-3; and the effective porosity ranges from 0.0003 to 0.002. The average linear velocity of contaminated ground water was determined for ambient conditions (when no wells at the site are pumped) using an existing ground-water-flow model, particle-tracking techniques, and the porosity values determined in this study. The average linear velocity of flow paths beginning at each contaminated well and ending at the streams where the flow paths terminate ranges from 0.08 to 130 feet per day. As a result of a change in the pump-and-treat system (adding a 165-foot-deep well pumped at 5 gallons per minute and reducing the pumping rate at a nearby 41-foot-deep well by the same amount), water in the vicinity of three 100- to 165-foot-deep wells flows to the deep well rather than the shallower well.

New Jersey↗
USGS2002

Hydrogeologic framework, availability of water supplies, and saltwater intrusion, Cape May County, New Jersey

During 1960-90, saltwater intrusion forced the abandonment of at least 10 public-supply wells, 3 industrial-supply wells, and more than 100 domestic-supply wells in Cape May County, N.J. Actual or imminent ground-water contamination caused by land-use practices and human activities has forced the closure of at least six shallow public-supply wells and many domestic-supply wells. Freshwater in Cape May County flows in many small streams and is held in wetlands and natural and artificial ponds. More importantly, freshwater from precipitation passes through and is stored in five aquifers-- Holly Beach water-bearing zone, estuarine sand aquifer, Cohansey aquifer, Rio Grande water-bearing zone, and Atlantic City 800-foot sand. Surface-water discharges were measured at 14 stream sites. The Tuckahoe River is the largest stream in Cape May County. The mean annual discharge for the Tuckahoe River at Head of River was 43.8 ft3/s (cubic feet per second) or 10,800 Mgal/yr (million gallons per year) during the period of record (1969-93). Mean daily discharge ranged from 25 ft3/s or 16 Mgal/d in September to 73 ft3/s or 47 Mgal/d in April. Mean daily discharge at the eight largest streams wholly within the county ranged from 15.9 to 3.05 ft3/s (3,750 to 720 Mgal/yr). Total water use in the county was about 8,600 Mgal/yr in 1990, including about 25 Mgal/yr of surface water, 3,000 Mgal/yr from the Holly Beach water-bearing zone, 1,000 Mgal/yr from the estuarine sand aquifer, 2,200 Mgal/yr from the Cohansey aquifer, 200 Mgal/yr from the Rio Grande water-bearing zone, and 2,200 Mgal/yr from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand. Water-level data collected during April 1991 for more than 200 wells show that in some locations ground-water flow directions and rates have changed when compared with those shown on historical potentiometric-surface maps. In 1991, water levels in the Holly Beach water-bearing zone were nearly identical to levels prior to development. A cone of depression has developed in the estuarine sand aquifer; the water-level altitude near the center of the cone was about -5 ft in 1991. An extensive cone of depression has developed in the Cohansey aquifer; the water-level altitude near the center of the cone was about -20 ft. A small cone of depression has developed in the Rio Grande water-bearing zone; the altitude near the center was -5 ft. An elongated cone of depression has developed in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand; the water-level altitude was about -70 ft in Ocean City and -20 ft in Stone Harbor. Waterlevel maps from predevelopment, 1958, 1978, 1983, and 1988 show that the cones of depression are getting deeper and are expanding in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand. The 250-mg/L (milligram per liter) line of equal chloride concentration and 50 mg/L line of equal sodium concentration have moved inland, possibly since the early 1900's. Chloride concentrations have increased in many wells in the confined aquifers along the coastline in the southern part of the county. Nitrate concentrations greater than 1 mg/L were present in water samples collected from 10 wells that tap the Holly Beach water-bearing zone. Concentrations of nitrate greater than 10 mg/L in samples collected in Lower, Middle, Upper, and Dennis Townships may result from effluent from septic systems or from agricultural activities. A water budget shows that the mean annual precipitation is about 42 in., and about 119,000 Mgal falls each year on uplands and freshwater wetlands in the county. About 63,600 Mgal/yr is evapotranspired, 8,200 Mgal/yr becomes overland flow, and 47,200 Mgal/yr recharges the Holly Beach water-bearing zone. In northern Cape MayCounty, most recharge ultimately is discharged to streams. In southern Cape May County, about 20 percent of recharge is diverted to withdrawal wells. Because saltwater intrusion has occurred in the confined aquifers along the Atlantic and Delaware Bay coastlines, new supply wells placed along th

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗