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Richard J. Reynolds

Publications and source records attributed to Richard J. Reynolds.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2010

Hydrogeology of the potsdam sandstone in northern New York

The Potsdam Sandstone of Cambrian age forms a transboundary aquifer that extends across northern New York and into southern Quebec. The Potsdam Sandstone is a gently dipping sequence of arkose, subarkose, and orthoquartzite that unconformably overlies Precambrian metamorphic bedrock. The Potsdam irregularly grades upward over a thickness of 450 m from a heterogeneous feldspathic and argillaceous rock to a homogeneous, quartz-rich and matrix-poor rock. The hydrogeological framework of the Potsdam Sandstone was investigated through an analysis of records from 1,500 wells and geophysical logs from 40 wells, and through compilation of GIS coverages of bedrock and surficial geology, examination of bedrock cores, and construction of hydrogeological sections. The upper several metres of the sandstone typically is weathered and fractured and, where saturated, readily transmits groundwater. Bedding-related fractures in the sandstone commonly form sub-horizontal flow zones of relatively high transmissivity. The vertical distribution of sub-horizontal flow zones is variable; spacings of less than 10 m are common. Transmissivity of individual flow zones may be more than 100 m 2 /d but typically is less than 10 m 2 /d. High angle fractures, including joints and faults, locally provide vertical hydraulic connection between flow zones. Hydraulic head gradients in the aquifer commonly are downward; a laterally extensive series of sub-horizontal flow zones serve as drains for the groundwater flow system. Vertical hydraulic head differences between shallow and deep flow zones range from 1 m to more than 20 m. The maximum head differences are in recharge areas upgradient from the area where the Chateauguay and Chazy Rivers, and their tributaries, have cut into till and bedrock. Till overlies the sandstone in much of the study area; its thickness is generally greatest in the western part, where it may exceed 50 m. A discontinuous belt of bedrock pavements stripped of glacial drift extends across the eastern part of the study area; the largest of these is Altona Flat Rock. Most recharge to the sandstone aquifer occurs in areas of thin, discontinuous till and exposed bedrock; little recharge occurs in areas where this unit is overlain by thick till and clay. Discharge from the sandstone aquifer provides stream and river baseflow and is the source of many springs. A series of springs that are used for municipal bottled water and fish-hatchery supply discharge from 1,000 to 5,000 L/min adjacent to several tributaries east of the Chateauguay River. The major recharge areas for the Chateauguay springs are probably upgradient to the southeast, where the till cover is thin or absent.

New York↗
USGS2007

Hydrogeologic Appraisal of the Valley-Fill Aquifer in the Port Jervis Trough, Sullivan and Ulster Counties, New York

The nature and extent of valley-fill aquifers in the Port Jervis Trough was evaluated for a 16 mile section of this valley from the Orange-Sullivan County line near Westbrookville to the village of Napanoch in Ulster County as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program in New York State. The principal aquifer in the Port Jervis Trough is a 50 feet thick outwash aquifer that extends from the Phillipsport Moraine near Summitville, southward through the study area to Port Jervis, N.Y. Previous studies had estimated as much as 500 feet of saturated drift in parts of the Trough, but new well data show that much of the valley fill consists of fine-grained lacustrine sediments. Drillers' logs show that the outwash aquifer south of Summitville is underlain by as much as 275 feet of lacustrine silt and clay. North of the Phillipsport Moraine, three large glaciolacustrine deltas that were built into Glacial Lake Wawarsing provide some local and discontinuous confined aquifers through their coarser bottomset beds. Elsewhere in the Trough, collapsed and buried portions of kame deltas and terraces provide local confined aquifers. The outwash aquifer appears to be very transmissive, as evidenced by the high specific capacity of 130 gallons per minute per foot [(gal/min)/ft] of a commercial test well screened in the aquifer.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS2003

Geohydrology of the Valley-Fill aquifer in the Norwich-Oxford-Brisben area, Chenango County, New York

This set of maps and geohydrologic sections depicts the geology and hydrology of aquifers in the 21.9-square-mile reach of the Chenango River valley between Brisben and North Norwich, N.Y. This report depicts the principal geographic features of the study area; locations of domestic, commercial, and municipal wells from which data were obtained to construct water-table and saturated-thickness maps and five geohydrologic sections; surficial geology; water-table altitude; generalized saturated thickness of the unconfined (water-table) aquifer; generalized thickness of the discontinuous series of confined aquifers; and five geohydrologic sections, all of which are in the northern part of the study area. The unconsolidated material in the Chenango River valley consists primarily of three types of deposits: (1) glaciofluvial material consisting of stratified coarse-grained sediment (sand and gravel) that was deposited by meltwater streams flowing above, below, or next to a glacier; (2) glaciolacustrine material consisting of stratified fine-grained sediment (very fine sand, silt, and clay) that was deposited in lakes that formed at the front of a glacier; and (3) recent alluvial material consisting of stratified fine-to-medium grained sediment (fine-to-medium sand and silt) that was deposited on flood plains. The water-table map was compiled from water-level data obtained from wells completed in the unconfined aquifer, and from altitudes of stream and river surfaces indicated on 1:24,000-scale topographic maps. Depth to the water table ranged from less than 5 feet below land surface near major streams to more than 75 feet on some of the kame terraces along the valley walls. Saturated thickness of the unconfined aquifer ranged from less than 1 foot near Norwich to more than 200 feet at a kame delta north of Oxford. A discontinuous series of confined aquifers is present throughout much of the Chenango River valley north of Oxford. These aquifers consist of kame deposits, eskers, and subglacial outwash sand and gravel deposits that are overlain and confined by lacustrine fine sand, silt, and clay. The saturated thickness of these aquifers is as much as 150 feet near North Norwich.

New York↗
USGS2000

Evaluation of the Federal-State Cooperative observation well network in upstate New York, 1995-97

The U.S. Geological Survey?s Federal-State cooperative observation well network in upstate New York was evaluated in terms of areal coverage, objectives, and short- and long-term expansion plans. This report presents a history of the observation well network in upstate New York and depicts, on maps, the distribution of observation wells with respect to climatic regions, physiographic regions, and aquifer type (bedrock, till, and stratified drift) within New York State. It also describes siting criteria for observation wells, outlines the objectives of three types of observation well subnetworks, and offers suggestions for short- and long-term improvements of the current network. Two appendixes contain (1) a table of selected well data, and (2) hydrographs and boxplots that show median monthly water levels and monthly percentile statistics for water levels in the 46 observation wells.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2000

Hydrogeology of the Beaver Kill Basin in Sullivan, Delaware, and Ulster Counties, New York

The hydrogeology of the 299-square-mile Beaver Kill basin in the southwestern Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York is depicted in a surficial geologic map and five geologic sections, and is summarized through an analysis of low-flow statistics for the Beaver Kill and its major tributary, Willowemoc Creek. Surficial geologic data indicate that the most widespread geologic units within the basin are ablation and lodgment till. Large masses of ablation till as much as 450 feet thick were deposited as lateral embankments within the narrow Beaver Kill and Willowemoc Creek valleys and have displaced the modern stream courses by as much as 1,000 feet from the preglacial bedrock-valley axis. Low-flow statistics for the Beaver Kill and Willowemoc Creeks indicate that the base flows (discharges that are exceeded 90 percent of the time) of these two streams—0.36 and 0.39 cubic feet per square mile,respectively—are the highest of 13 Catskill Mountain streams studied. High base flows elsewhere in the glaciated northeastern United States are generally associated with large stratified-drift aquifers, however, stratified drift in these two basins accounts for only about 5 percent and 4.4 percent of their respective surface areas, respectively. The high base flows in these two basins appear to correlate with an equally high percentage of massive sandstone members of the Catskill Formation, which underlies the entire region. Ground-water seepage from these sandstone members may be responsible for the high base flows of these two streams.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1999

Hydrogeology of the Schodack-Kinderhook Area, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York

Two glaciodeltaic outwash terraces in southern Rensselaer and northern Columbia Counties, known locally as the Schodack and Kinderhook terraces, consist of ice-contact and outwash sand and gravel and together form a regional, unconfined, stratified-drift aquifer with a combined area of 18.75 square miles. The hydrogeology of these aquifers is summarized on four maps at 1:24,000 scale, that depict (1) locations of wells and test holes, (2) surficial geology, (3) altitude of the water table, and (4) altitude of the bedrock surface. Both terraces are associated with a thin and probably discontinuous confined aquifer consisting of beds of glaciofluvial sand and gravel derived from the outwash deltas that form the two terraces. The confined aquifer is overlain by thick deposits of lacustrine silt and clay. Consultants? estimates of average hydraulic conductivity, based on aquifer tests conducted at four test wells screened in thicker sections of the confined aquifer, range from 430 to 2,360 ft/d (feet per day), with a mean of 1,150 ft/d. The mean estimate of hydraulic conductivity derived from specific-capacity data from 16 test wells screened in confined and unconfined sections of the aquifer is 640 ft/d. Reported yields for domestic wells completed in unconfined sections of the Schodack and Kinderhook terrace aquifers average 16.1 and 18.3 gal/min (gallons per minute), respectively, and reported yields of domestic wells completed in hydraulically confined sections of these terraces average 15.3 and 12.8 gal/ min, respectively. Yields from public-supply wells screened in the confined sections of the Schodack Terrace aquifer range from 50 to 1,050 gal/min and average 305 gal/min. Average annual recharge to the Schodack Terrace aquifer and adjacent upland till deposits, as estimated in a 1960 U.S. Geological Survey study, were 16.3 and 7.1 inches per square mile, respectively. Bedrock that underlies the study area has been highly modified by tectonic activity, differential weathering, and preglacial erosion which produced about 900 ft of relief on the bedrock surface. A major thrust fault that runs north-south through the area separates autocthonous Ordovician rock units to the west from allocthonous Cambrian (Taconic) rocks to the east.

New York↗
USGS1985

Hydrogeology of the Clifton Park area, Saratoga County, New York

The hydrogeology of the 75-square mile Clifton Park suburban area near Albany, N.Y., is presented in six maps at 1:24,000 scale. The maps show: (1) location of wells and test holes; (2) bedrock topography; (3) surficial geology and geologic sections; (4) saturated thickness of the confined aquifer; (5) generalized soil permeability; and (6) land use. The aquifers in the Clifton Park area serve approximately 22,000 people through 32 public distribution systems. Average daily pumpage from these systems is approximately 1.85 million gallons per day. The most productive aquifer is the Colonie Channel aquifer, a confined, buried bedrock channel aquifer of glacial material from which wells may yield more than 500 gallons per minute. A water-table aquifer of fine sand is present over most of the area and is separated from the confined aquifer by a thick sequence of lacustrine silt and clay. Recharge to the confined aquifer occurs primarily where kame-delta deposits that are exposed at land surface are hydraulically connected to the buried aquifer. Saturated thickness of the confined aquifer varies from less than 5 feet to approximately 70 feet. In recharge areas, where the aquifer is locally under water-table conditions, saturated thickness may exceed 100 feet. Pumping interference between wells tapping the confined aquifer has been observed over distances of 3/4 mile. (USGS)

New York↗
USGS1982

Base flow of streams on Long Island, New York

On Long Island, base flow under nonurbanized conditions constitutes 90 to 95% of total stream discharge. Base-flow data from 19 continuously gaged streams are presented as monthly mean and annual mean discharge for water years 1960-75, which includes the 1962-66 drought. The data were derived by hydrograph-separation procedures that isolate mean daily base flow from mean daily discharge. A close empirical relationship between annual mean base flow and stream discharge at the 55-% duration point facilities estimation of average base flow and can be used in place of the more time-consuming hydrograph-separation technique. These data are needed in calibration of computer models that will be used to predict the effects of hydrologic stresses, such as sewering, on the Long Island ground-water system. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗