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W. S. Parks

Publications and source records attributed to W. S. Parks.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1993

Evaluation of subsurface exploration, sampling, and water-quality-analysis methods at an abandoned wood-preserving plant site at Jackson, Tennessee

Direct Push Technology (DPT) and a modified-auger method of sampling were used at an abandoned wood-preserving plant site at Jackson, Tennessee, to collect lithologic data and ground-water samples in an area known to be affected by a subsurface creosote plume. The groundwater samples were analyzed using (1) gas chromatography with photo-ionization detection (GS/PID), (2) high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), (3) colonmetric phenol analysis, and (4) toxicity bioassay. DPT piezocone and cone-penetrometer-type tools provided lithologic data and ground-water samples at two onsite stations to a depth of refusal of about 35 feet below land surface. With the assistance of an auger rig, this depth was extended to about 65 feet by pushing the tools in advance of the augers. Following the DPT work, a modified-auger method was tested by the USGS. This method left doubt as to the integrity of the samples collected once zones of contamination were penetrated. GC/PID and HPLC methods of water-quality analysis provided the most data concerning contaminants in the ground-water and proved to be the most effective in creosote plume detection. Analyses from these methods showed that the highest concentrations of contaminants were detected at depths less than about 35 feet below land surface. Phenol analyses provided data supplemental to the HPLC analyses. Bioassay data indicated that toxicity associated with the plume extended to depths of about 55 feet below land surface.

Tennessee↗
USGS1993

Hydrogeology, ground-water quality, and potential for water-supply contamination near an abandoned wood-preserving plant site at Jackson, Tennessee

Hydrogeologic and ground-water-quality data were collected near an abandoned wood-preserving plant site at Jackson, Tennessee to determine the extent and magnitude of ground-water contamination in offsite areas and to assess the potential for contamination of nearby water-supply wells. New methods were used to collect ground-water samples from the alluvial aquifer at six offsite stations at depths of less than about 40 feet below land surface. In addition, 36 offsite wells were installed at these stations to collect samples from the alluvial aquifer and to depths of about 150 feet in the deeper Fort Pillow aquifer. Ground-water samples collected by the new methods and from the 36 offsite wells were analyzed for selected volatile and semi-volatile compounds. The samples collected from the 36 wells also were analyzed for major and trace inorganic constituents. Naphthalene and some volatile organic compounds were detected at low concentrations in samples from both the alluvial aquifer and the Fort Pillow aquifer. To assess the potential for water-supply contamination from the site, four water-supply wells to the east (upgradient) and three wells to the west (down- gradient) of the abandoned plant site were sampled. These samples were analyzed for the same analytes as the samples from the 36 wells. Although volatile organic compounds and elevated concentrations of trace and major inorganic constituents were measured in samples from some wells east of the site, no organic compounds associated with the wood- preserving process were detected. No contaminants from the site were detected in samples from wells west of the site.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1992

Hydrogeology, ground-water quality, and potential for water-supply contamination near the Shelby County landfill in Memphis, Tennessee

An investigation was conducted from 1989 to 1991 to collect and interpret hydrogeologic and ground-water-quality data specific to the Shelby County landfill in east Memphis, Tennessee. Eighteen wells were installed in the alluvial and Memphis aquifers at the landfill. Hydrogeologic data collected showed that the confining unit separating the alluvial aquifer from the Memphis aquifer was thin or absent just north of the landfill and elsewhere consists predominantly of fine sand and silt with lenses of clay. A water-table map of the landfill vicinity confirms the existence of a depression in the water table north and northeast of the landfill and indicates that ground water flows northeast from the Wolf River passing beneath the landfill toward the depression in the water table. A map of the potentiometric surface of the Memphis aquifer shows that water levels were anomalously high just north of the landfill, indicating downward leakage of water from the alluvial aquifer to the Memphis aquifer. An analysis of water-quality data for major and trace inorganic constituents and nutrients confirms that leachate from the landfill has migrated northeastward in the alluvial aquifer toward the depression in the water table and that contaminants in the alluvial aquifer have migrated downward into the Memphis aquifer. The leachate plume can be characterized by concentrations of certain major and trace inorganic constituents that are 2 to 20 times higher than samples from upgradient and background alluvial aquifer wells. The major and trace constituents that best characterize the leachate plume are total organic carbon, chloride, dissolved solids, iron, ammonia nitrogen, calcium, sodium, iodide, barium, strontium, boron, and cadmium. Several of these constituents (specifically dissolved solids, calcium, sodium, and possibly ammonia nitrogen, chloride, barium, and strontium) were detected in elevated concentrations in samples from certain Memphis aquifer wells. Elevated concentrations were detected in samples from the Memphis aquifer beneath the leachate plume where the confining unit is thin or absent. The distribution of halogenated alkanes (specifically dichlorodifluoromethane and trichlorofluoromethane) and halogenated alkenes (specifically 1,2-trans-dichloroethene and vinyl chloride) in samples from wells screened in both the alluvial and Memphis aquifers is similar to the distribution of major and trace inorganic constituents that characterize the leachate plume. The ground-water supply most susceptible to contamination from the Shelby County landfill is the Sheahan well field of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. This well field is about 5 miles downgradient from the landfill in the direction of ground-water flow. Based on an estimated velocity of 0.5 to 1.5 feet per day, ground water would require about 50 to 150 years to travel from the Shelby County landfill to the Sheahan wellfield. Given the time and distance of transport, any contaminants in the ground water would not likely persistto reach this well field because of the effects of various physical, chemical, and biological processes, including dilution and adsorption.

Tennessee↗
USGS1990

Altitude of potentiometric surface, fall 1985, and historic water-level changes in the Memphis aquifer in western Tennessee

Recharge to the Memphis aquifer of Tertiary age is from precipitation on the outcrop, which forms a broad belt across western Tennessee, or by downward infiltration of water from the overlying fluvial deposits of Tertiary(?) and Quaternary age and alluvium of Quaternary age. In the outcrop-recharge belt, where the Memphis aquifer is under water-table conditions, the potentiometic surface is complex and generally conforms to the topography. To the west of the outcrop-recharge belt where the Memphis aquifer is confined, the potentiometric surface gently slopes westward, and water moves slowly in that direction. A major cone of depression in the potentiometric surface in the Memphis area is the result of long-term (1886-present) pumping at municipal and industrial well fields. Data from five observation wells in the Memphis aquifer indicate that water levels have declined at average rates ranging from less than 0.1 to 1.3 feet per year during the period 1928-85. The largest declines have been in the Memphis area, where withdrawals averaged about 191 million gallons per day in 1985. The record from an observation well located near the center of the major cone of depression in the Memphis area indicates that water levels ceased to decline in about 1975 and that the center of the cone essentially has stabilized. The record from another well away from the center of the cone indicates that water levels are still declining at a low rate, and that the cone is still expanding as a result of the effects of pumping. Water levels in large areas of western Tennessee, away from the effects of pumping, have fluctuated only in response to long-term variations in precipitation on the outcrop-recharge belt. Long-term changes in water levels in these areas have been small.

Tennessee↗
USGS1990

Geology and ground-water resources of the Cockfield Formation in western Tennessee

The Cockfield Formation of the Claiborne Group of Tertiary age underlies approximately 4,000 sq mi in western Tennessee. The formation consists primarily of lenticular beds of very fine to coarse sand, silt, clay, and lignite. The Cockfield Formation has been extensively eroded, and the original thickness is preserved only in a few areas where the formation ranges from 235 to 270 ft in thickness. Recharge to the Cockfield aquifer is from precipitation on sparse outcrops or by downward infiltration of water from the overlying fluvial deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age and alluvium of Quaternary age or, where present, the overlying Jackson Formation of Tertiary age. Data from two observation wells indicate that water levels have risen at average rates of about 0.5 and 0.7 ft/year during the period 1980-85. Water from the Cockfield aquifer is a calcium bicarbonate type that contains low concentrations of most major constituents, and generally is suitable for most uses. Dissolved-solids concentrations range from 44 to 218 mg/L. Data from two aquifer tests indicate transmissivities of 2,500 and 6 ,000 sq ft/day and storage coefficients of 0.0003 and 0.0007, respectively. The Cockfield aquifer presently provides small to moderate quantities of water for several public and industrial water supplies and small quantities to numerous domestic and farm wells. Withdrawals for public and industrial supplies in 1983 averaged about 3.3 million gal/day. (USGS)

Tennessee↗
USGS1990

Altitude of potentiometric surface, fall 1985, and historic water-level changes in the Fort Pillow aquifer in western Tennessee

Recharge to the Fort Pillow aquifer of Tertiary age is from precipitation on the outcrop, which forms a narrow belt across western Tennessee, and by downward infiltration of water from the overlying fluvial deposits of Tertiary(?) and Quaternary age and alluvium of Quaternary age or, where the upper confining unit is absent, from the overlying Memphis aquifer of Tertiary age. The potentiometric surface in the Fort Pillow aquifer slopes gently westward from the outcrop-recharge area, and the water moves slowly in that direction. A depression in the potentiometric surface in the Memphis area is the result of past pumping at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division well fields (1924-74), past and present pumping at an industrial well field at Memphis, and the municipal well field at West Memphis, Ark. Withdrawals from the Fort Pillow aquifer in western Tennessee in 1985 averaged about 12 million gallons per day. Water-level data from four observation wells, all in areas affected by pumping, indicate that water levels have declined at average rates ranging from about 0.4 to 0.9footperyearduring the past 40years (1945-85). The greatest rate of decline was as much as 4.0 feet per year between 1945 and 1954 in an observation well in a well field of Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division at Memphis. In 1971, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division ceased pumping from the Fort Pillow aquifer at this well field, and between 1971 and 1976, water levels rose about 28 feet in this well. Water levels in the Fort Pillow aquifer in large areas of western Tennessee away from the effects of pumping have fluctuated only in response to long-term variations in precipitation on the outcrop-recharge belt. Long-term changes in water levels in these areas have been small.

Tennessee↗
USGS1990

Hydrogeology and preliminary assessment of the potential for contamination of the Memphis aquifer in the Memphis area, Tennessee

Detailed maps of the thickness of the Jackson-upper Claiborne confining unit and the altitude of the water table in the alluvium and fluvial deposits provide much new information concerning areas where downward leakage is or may be occurring from the water-table aquifers to the Memphis aquifer in the Memphis area. A detailed map of the altitude of the potentiometric surface of the Memphis aquifer and the locations of 44 sites where contaminants have been detected in the water-table aquifers indicate that many of these sites are located in areas where the direction of ground-water flow in the Memphis aquifer is toward municipal well fields. Consequently, if contaminants enter the Memphis aquifer, a hydraulic potential exists for their transport to those wellfields. Recently (1986-88), volatile organic compounds were detected in water from five municipal wells screened in the Memphis aquifer - three in the Allen well field of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division at Memphis and two in the west well field at Collierville. Concentrations of seven volatile organic compounds totaled about 11 micrograms per liter in a sample from one well in the Allen wellfield at Memphis, and the concentration of one compound was 25 micrograms per liter in a sample from one well at Collierville. These are the first reported occurrences of synthetic organic compounds in the Memphis aquifer and prove that the principal aquifer in the Memphis area is vulnerable to contamination.

Tennessee↗
USGS1989

Geology and ground-water resources of the Fort Pillow Sand in western Tennessee

This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Gulf Coast Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (GC RASA) program. The GC RASA study area covers about 230,000 mi 2 onshore in Louisiana and parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. About 60,000 mi 2 offshore on the continental shelf also are included because the aquifers extend beyond the coast line beneath the Gulf of Mexico. The study is limited to the Coastal Plain sediments of Tertiary and younger age, except for an area in the Mississippi embayment where Upper Cretaceous sediments supply ground water in parts of several States. The objectives of the GC RASA study are to define the geohydrologic framework, to describe the chemistry of the ground water, and to analyze the regional ground-water flow system (Grubb, 1984).

Tennessee↗
USGS1987

Quality of water from freshwater aquifers and principal well fields in the Memphis Area, Tennessee

Water from the freshwater aquifers in the Memphis area is suitable for most uses. Freshwater aquifers are the alluvium and fluvial (terrace) deposits of Quaternary age, the Memphis Sand and Fort Pillow Sand of Tertiary age, and the Ripley Formation and McNairy Sand of Cretaceous age. About 180 million gallons/day (mgd) of freshwater are withdrawn from the Memphis Sand, primarily for municipal and industrial use; the Memphis Sand is the principal aquifer supplying the City of Memphis. The alluvium provides water for irrigation and some industrial uses, and the fluvial deposits provide water for domestic use in rural areas. The Fort Pillow Sand supplies water for some municipal and industrial uses. The Ripley-McNairy aquifer is not used as a source of water. Water from the alluvium, fluvial deposits, and Memphis Sand is a calcium bicarbonate type, and water from the Fort Pillow Sand and Ripley-McNairy aquifer is a sodium bicarbonate type. Dissolved solids concentrations are low in the Memphis Sand, with a median value of 83 mg/L, and are high in the Ripley-McNairy aquifer with a value of about 1,000 mg/L. Water is very soft in the Fort Pillow Sand with a median hardness value of 9 mg/L as CaCO3 and is very hard in the alluvium with a median value of 285 mg/L. Iron concentrations are low in the fluvial deposits with a median value of 50 micrograms/L and are high in the alluvium with a median value of 5,200 micrograms/L. Temperature of the water generally increases with depth, ranging from 16.0 C in the alluvium and fluvial deposits to about 32.0 C in the Ripley-McNairy aquifer. Water from the Memphis Sand at Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division well fields has very low mineralization. Median values are 79 mg/L dissolved solids concentrations, 56 mg/L alkalinity as CaCO3, 46 mg/L hardness as CaCO3, 4 mg/L chloride, 3.5 mg/L sulfate, and 600 micrograms/L iron.

Tennessee↗
USGS1986

Potential for leakage among principal aquifers in the Memphis area, Tennessee

The principal aquifers in the Memphis area consist primarily of sand or sand and gravel, and the confining beds consist of clay, silt, sand, and lignite. The Jackson Formation and upper part of the Claiborne Group serve as the confining bed separating the water table aquifers from the Memphis Sand; the Flour Island Formation separates the Memphis Sand from the Fort Pillow Sand. Differences in total hydraulic head among the principal aquifers in the Memphis urban area result in vertical hydraulic gradients which create a potential for inter-aquifer exchange of water. Throughout this area, the gradient is downward from the water table aquifers to the Memphis Sand. In the central part of the Memphis urban area, the vertical hydraulic gradient is upward from the Fort Pillow Sand to the Memphis Sand, and in the eastern and western parts, it is downward from the Memphis Sand to the Fort Pillow Sand. The vertical distribution of carbon-14 data for water from the fluvial deposits, Memphis Sand, and Fort Pillow Sand shows an increase in the relative age of the water with depth. The areal distribution of carbon-14 data for water from the upper part of the Memphis Sand indicates that relatively recent water has been brought into the major cone of depression in the potentiometric surface of the Memphis Sand, either by horizontal movement or from downward vertical leakage. The normal, near-surface geothermal gradient in the Memphis area was determined to be 0.6 C/100 ft. Deviations from the normal geothermal gradient, in areas affected by intense pumping from the Memphis Sand, indicate that downward vertical leakage occurs from the water table aquifers through the Jackson-upper Claiborne confining bed to the Memphis Sand. The velocity of downward vertical leakage of water from the Memphis Sand through the Flour Island confining bed to the Fort Pillow Sand was determined to be 0.0066 ft/day by analysis of borehole temperature data from an observation well in the northeastern part of the Memphis area. From this velocity and the head difference between the Memphis Sand and the Fort Pillow Sand at this locality, the hydraulic conductivity of the Flour Island confining bed was determined to be 0.00114 ft/day. (Lantz-PTT)

Tennessee↗
USGS1985

Preliminary assessment of ground-water resources of Lauderdale County, Tennessee

The ground-water resource in Lauderdale County is in a rudimentary stage of development. The principal shallow aquifers are the Mississippi alluvial deposits of Quaternary age and the Cockfield Formation, Memphis Sand, and Fort Pillow Sand of Tertiary age. Water levels fluctuate seasonally. High water levels generally occur in the winter, spring, or early summer, and low water levels occur in the fall or early winter. Water from the Mississippi alluvial deposits, Cockfield Formation, and Memphis Sand is a calcium bicarbonate type and is generally of good quality. Undesirable parameters from the standpoint of use are hardness and concentrations of dissolved iron and dissolved solids. The Fort Pillow Sand, as yet untapped, has potential to yield a sodium bicarbonate type of water of somewhat better quality than is available from the shallow aquifers. Estimated values of transmissivity from single-well pumping tests are highest for the Mississippi alluvial deposits and lowest for the Cockfield. Several north-northeast and west-northwest trending faults cross the country.

Tennessee↗
USGS1982

Installation and sampling of observation wells and analyses of water from the shallow aquifer at selected waste-disposal sites in the Memphis area, Tennessee

Observation wells were installed and sampled at six abandoned waste-disposal sites in the Memphis area that have been identified as having received unknown quantities and types of industrial wastes. These sites are: (1) Bellevue Dump, (2) Brooks Road Dump, (3) Hollywood Dump, (4) Jackson Pit Dump, (5) Millington Dump-Landfill, and (6) Old Ordnance Dump. Ten wells were installed adjacent to and downgradient from these sites in the shallow water-table aquifer. This aquifer is made up chiefly of the alluvium and fluvial (terrace) deposits of Quaternary age, but locally may include sand in the uppermost part of the Jackson Formation and Claiborne Group of Tertiary age. Water samples were collected from these 10 wells and from two other wells in the shallow water-table aquifer at the Hollywood Dump. Most wells were sampled twice --initially in the early summer when water levels were high and again in the fall when water levels were low. Other wells were sampled only once in either summer or fall. The water was analyzed for common constituents, selected trace constituents, and selected organic compounds.

Tennessee↗