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R. J. Wolf

Publications and source records attributed to R. J. Wolf.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1981

Hydrogeology of the Buffalo aquifer, Clay and Wilkin Counties, West-Central Minnesota

The Buffalo aquifer is the principal source of ground-water supplies in the Moorhead, Minnesota area. The aquifer is an elongate deposit of sand and gravel, which locally contains water under confined conditions. Although the Buffalo aquifer contains about 270 billion gallons of water in storage, only 120 billion gallons could be withdrawn. Largest well yields occur along the deep trough in the center of the aquifer. Induced streambed infiltration may be possible in certain areas where the stream overlies the aquifer and where the intervening lake sediments are thin or absent. A numerical model constructed for aquifer evaluation has shown that a considerable amount of ground water is discharged through the confining bed to the stream or leaves the area as underflow to the west. Water from the Buffalo aquifer generally is very hard and of the calcium bicarbonate type. The average discharge of the Buffalo River for the base period 1946-78 ranges from 0.229 cubic foot per second per square mile near Hawley to 0.108 cubic foot per second per square mile at Sabin. Surface water in the Buffalo River drainage system is dominantly a calcium bicarbonate type similar to ground water of the area, especially at low flow in the upper reaches of the tributaries.

Minnesota↗
USGS1981

Designation of principal water-supply aquifers in Minnesota

Fourteen aquifers, ranging from Quaternary to Precambrian in age, have been identified as the principal sources of water to wells in Minnesota. Half the municipal population anc nearly all the rural population depend on water from these aquifers. Buried and surficial sand and gravel aquifers of Quaternary age occur in nearly all areas of the State and are composed of outwash, beach-ridge, valley-train, and ice-contact deposits. Cretaceous aquifers, absent in the northeast, are nearly continuous in the western half, and are thin or discontinuous in the central and southeast areas. Sandstone and carbonate rocks of Paleozoic and late Precambrian age in southeastern and northwestern Minnesota comprise the Cedar Valley-Maquoketa-Dubuque-Galena, Red River-Winnipeg, St. Peter, Prairie du Chien-Jordan, Franconia-Ironton-Galesville, and Mount Simon-Hinckley-Fond du Lac aquifers. Aquifers of early Precambrian age occur in all but southeastern Minnesota and include the North Shore Volcanic Group, Sioux Quartzite, Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks, Biwabik Iron-formatIon, and undifferentiated Precambrian rocks. The State's ground water generally contains less than 1,000 milligrams per liter of dissolved solids, except in the extreme southwest, northeast, and western areas. Mineralized water is present at depth throughout the State. Freshwater extends to depths of about 1,000 feet in the center of the Hollandale embayment and in the Twin Cities basin. Six principal water-quality types are present in the .aquifers. Calcium magnesium bicarbonate type water, the most common, is generally present throughout the upper part of the ground-water system.

Minnesota↗
USGS1976

Buried aquifers in the Brooten-Belgrade and Lake Emily areas, west-central Minnesota--Factors related to developing water for irrigation

Irrigation has given a substantial boost to the economy in the Brooten-Belgrade and Lake Emily areas of Minnesota. The surficial outwash aquifer is capable of yielding sufficient quantities of water for irrigation over half of its area; the remaining part may be supplied by deep aquifers. Buried glacial outwash and Cretaceous sand aquifers, as thick as 50 feet occur to depths of 300 feet. In places, the buried aquifers are sufficiently thick and permeable to yield large quantities of water to wells. The buried aquifers are probably narrow, elongate, truncated bodies enclosed by clay till. The Precambrian surface, ranging from 190 to 350 feet below the land surface, is the lower limit of the buried aquifers. Water in the buried-drift aquifers is a very hard calcium magnesium bicarbonate type, suitable for irrigation needs. Water in Cretaceous aquifers, although untested, is expected to be higher in dissolved solids. Potential water problems include slow rate of recharge to buried aquifers, and head loss caused by screening of the surficial and buried aquifers in the same well, and by allowing well to flow unabated. Another potential problem is possible pollution of the buried aquifers through the boreholes of multiaquifer wells.

Minnesota↗
USGS1975

Digital models of a glacial outwash aquifer in the Pearl-Sallie Lakes area, west-central Minnesota

-p^e need for study of lake-ground-water interchange has been accentuated by eutrophication of lakes in the Pearl-Sallie Lakes area of west-central Minnesota. The local ground-water flow system is dominated by an outwash aquifer that is sandwiched between two till layers in the western part of the area and exposed at the land surface in the eastern part. Ground water discharges from the aquifer into lakes in the outwash area but is recharged from lakes in the till-covered area. Irregular aquifer geometry resulted in a complex ground-water flow system. Simulation of the system by areal and vertical-section models showed that the lakes significantly control groundwater flow near their boundaries. Inadequate field data and complex geology caused difficulty in obtaining solutions with the vertical-section model. The models may be used to guide collection and interpretation of field data, and quantification of the ground-water flow system. With modification, they could be used to predict aquifer response to transient stresses. They also could be incorporated into more complex models to determine the movement of solutes in the ground-water system.

Minnesota↗
USGS1971

Water resources of the upper White River basin, east-central Indiana

Ground-water discharge to the streams sustains year-round streamflow in the upper White River basin. This discharge, referred to as ground-water runoff or base runoff, is considered to be an index to the amount of g ound water available for development. A comparison of the variations of groundwater runoff and aquifer distribution in the basin shows that the areas of best development potential are areas where thick sand and gravel aquifers are adjacent to the streams. The average ground-water runoff for these areas is between 400,000 and 500,000 gallons per day per square mile. The most permeable aquifers in the basin are the sand and gravel deposits of Quaternary age. These aquifers occur mainly as relatively thick elongate bodies along bedrock valleys and as relatively thin sheetlike deposits at or near land surface. The representative hydraulic conductivity of these aquifers ranges from 1,500 to 2,500 gallons per day per square foot. The limestone and dolomite formations of the bedrock are a source of moderate quar tities of water. The long-term average streamflow in the basin is approximately 0.9 cubic feet per second per square mile. The yearly average discharge varies from about one-fourth to twice the long-term average. The 7-day 10-year low flow ranges from about 0.01 to 0.3 cubic feet per second per square mile; the main-stem flow ranges from 0.10 to 0.13 cubic feet per second per square mile. The water in the aquifers is predominately a very hard calcium bicarbonate type; it is generally high in iron and contains a moderate amount of dissolved solids. Fresh water (1,000 milligrams per liter dissolved solids or less) is present to depths of approximately 400 feet below land surface. In the tributaries and in the headwaters region of the White River, the composition of surface water is very similar to that of ground water. The quality cf the water in the White River deteriorates in the downstream direction owing to the cumulative effects of sewage effluent.

Indiana↗