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Walter R. Aucott

Publications and source records attributed to Walter R. Aucott.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2010

Status of groundwater levels and storage volume in the Equus Beds aquifer near Wichita, Kansas, January 2006 to January 2010

A part of the Equus Beds aquifer in southwestern Harvey County and northwestern Sedgwick County was developed to supply water to residents of Wichita and for irrigation in south-central Kansas. Groundwater pumping for city and agricultural use caused water levels to decline in a large part of the aquifer northwest of Wichita. In 1965, the city of Wichita began using water from Cheney Reservoir in addition to water from the Equus Beds aquifer to meet the city's increasing demand for water. Irrigation pumpage in the area increased substantially during the 1970s and 1980s and contributed to the water-level declines. Water-level declines reached their maximum to date in October 1992. Proposals to artificially recharge the aquifer have been made since the 1950s to meet future water-supply needs and to protect the aquifer from the intrusion of saltwater from sources to the south and west. In 2007, Wichita implemented Phase 1 of the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project for large-scale artificial recharge of the aquifer. A period of water-level rises associated with greater-than-average precipitation and decreased city pumpage from the area began in 1993 and continued through January 2010. During January 2010, the direction of ground-water flow in the Equus Beds aquifer in the area was generally from west to east, similar to the direction prior to development of the aquifer. Water-level changes since 1940 for the period January 2006 to January 2010 ranged from a decline of more than 30 feet to a rise of more than 4 feet. Almost all wells in the area had cumulative water-level rises from October 1992 (period of maximum storage loss) to January 2010 and from January 2007 (beginning of large-scale artificial recharge) to January 2010. The average cumulative water-level change from October 1992 to January 2010 was a rise of about 8.7 feet and from January 2007 to January 2010 was a rise of about 3.2 feet. The storage-volume change in the study area for the period October 1992 to January 2010 represented a recovery of about 183,000 acre-feet, or about 65 percent of the storage volume previously lost from August 1940 to October 1992, and was the largest recovery since October 1992 to date. Decreased city pumpage and artificial recharge during 1993-2009 and 2007-09 contributed to the recovery of storage volume in both periods, but artificial recharge's contribution was much smaller. Irrigation pumpage, because it increased during 1993-2009, did not contribute to the recovery of storage volume from October 1992 to January 2010. Recharge from excess precipitation contributed to the recovery of storage volume in both periods because precipitation averaged about 2 and 6 inches per year more than the annual long-term average of 31.52 inches during 1993-2009 and 2007-09, respectively. Sustainable yield for the Equus Beds aquifer in the study area was estimated to be about 57,000 acre-feet per year using two different methods. The sum of permitted annual irrigation (about 45,600 acre-feet) and city (about 31,400 acre-feet) pumpage of 77,000 acre-feet per year greatly exceeds the estimated sustainable yield. Effective water management, including additions to the water budget such as those from the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery project, can help produce the most water for beneficial use in a more sustainable way.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2004

Status of ground-water levels and storage volume in the Equus Beds aquifer near Wichita, Kansas, January 2000-January 2003

The Equus Beds aquifer northwest of Wichita, Kansas, was developed to supply water to Wichita residents and for irrigation in south-central Kansas beginning on September 1, 1940. Ground-water pumping for city and agricultural use from the aquifer caused water levels to decline in a large part of the area. Irrigation pumpage in the area increased substantially during the 1970s and 1980s and accelerated water-level declines. A period of water-level rises associated with greater-than-average precipitation and decreased city pumpage from the study area began in 1993. An important factor in the decreased city pumpage was increased use of Cheney Reservoir as a water-supply source by the city of Wichita; as a result, city pumpage from the Equus Beds aquifer during 1993-2002 went from being greater than one-half to slightly less than one-third of Wichita's water usage. Since 1995, the city also has been investigating the use of artificial recharge in the study area to meet future water-supply needs and to protect the aquifer from the intrusion of saltwater from natural and human-related sources to the west. During January 2003, the direction of ground-water flow in the Equus Beds aquifer in the area was generally from west to east similar to predevelopment of the aquifer. The maximum water-level decline since 1940 for the period January 2000 to January 2003 was 29.54 feet in July 2002 at well 3 in the northern part of the area. Cumulative water-level changes from January 2000 to January 2003 typically were less than 4 feet with rises of less than 4 feet common in the central part of the area; however, declines of more than 4 feet occurred in the northwestern and southern parts of the area. The recovery of water levels and aquifer storage volumes from record low levels in October 1992 generally continued to April 2000. The recovery of about 182,000 acre-feet of storage volume in the area from October 1992 to April 2000 represents about a 64-percent recovery of the storage depletion that occurred from August 1940 to October 1992. About 47 percent of this recovery was lost from April 2000 to October 2002 when storage volume in the area decreased by about 86,000 acre-feet. Major contributors to the decreases in water levels and storage volumes were reduced recharge associated with precipitation that was less than in the preceding 5 years and increased irrigation pumpage. The loss of storage probably would have been larger if the continued decrease in city pumpage, which is closely associated with the water-level rises in the central part of the study area, and increased city use of water from Cheney Reservoir had not occurred. The effect of artificial recharge on water levels and storage volume probably was masked by the generally larger decreases in city pumpage in the area.

Kansas↗
USGS1996

Hydrology of the southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system in South Carolina and parts of Georgia and North Carolina

The wedge of sediments present beneath the Coastal Plain of South Carolina and adjacent parts of Georgia and North Carolina consists of sand, silt, clay, and limestone. These strata have been subdivided into six regional aquifers: the surficial aquifer, the Floridan aquifer system, the Tertiary sand aquifer, the Black Creek aquifer, the Middendorf aquifer, and the Cape Fear aquifer. Intervening confining units separate the aquifers, except for the Floridan aquifer system and the Tertiary sand aquifer, which together function as a single hydrologic unit. The quality of ground water from the Coastal Plain aquifers of South Carolina generally is acceptable for most uses in most areas. The water in most aquifers under most of the Coastal Plain contains low concentrations of dissolved solids (less than 500 milligrams per liter) and no dominant constituents in the recharge areas. Downgradient, the water is a calcium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate type throughout most of the Coastal Plain. Sodium-chloride-type water is present still farther downgradient, near the coast. A quasi-three-dimensional, finite-difference digital ground-water flow model was constructed to simulate flow in the Coastal Plain aquifers prior to development. The model also was used to evaluate the hydraulic responses to pumping that have occurred up to November 1982. The model consisted of five layers and a 48 by 63 node grid with a uniform square grid cell of 4 miles on a side. The Coastal Plain aquifers are recharged primarily by precipitation in their outcrop areas. Discharge is primarily as base flow to upper Coastal Plain rivers, to overlying aquifers by leakage through confining units, and to wells. Total simulated flow in the deep ground-water system was 967 cubic feet per second at the end of the transient simulation (1982). Recharge to the deep flow system simulated by the model was 793 cubic feet per second in the study area in 1982. Simulated aquifer discharge to large rivers was 660 cubic feet per second. Discharge to smaller rivers was not simulated because of the scale of the model. Changes resulting from ground-water pumping were significant as of 1982. The simulated water budget indicates that in 1982, 249 cubic feet per second were discharged from the aquifer system by wells. This pumping was balanced by the following changes from predevelopment conditions: 110 cubic feet per second derived from storage, 67 cubic feet per second decrease in aquifer-to-river discharge, 44 cubic feet per second increase in net inflow from source-sinks, and a net increase in inflow of 28 cubic feet per second across boundaries. Head declines in the Black Creek and Middendorf aquifers have occurred throughout much of the eastern part of the Coastal Plain of South Carolina as a result of pumping in the Myrtle Beach and Florence areas. Simulation indicates that the dominant sources of water for upper Coastal Plain pumping centers such as the city of Florence are decrease in flow to rivers in the upper Coastal Plain and water derived from storage. The dominant sources of water for pumping centers in the Myrtle Beach area are water derived from storage, leakage from overlying aquifers, and net increases in inflow across boundaries. Transmissivity values used in the flow simulation range from less than 1,000 feet squared per day near the updip limit of most aquifers to about 30,000 feet squared per day in the Middendorf aquifer in the Savannah River Plant area. Vertical hydraulic conductivity values used in simulation of confining units range from about 6x10 -7 feet per day for the confining unit between the Middendorf and Black Creek aquifers in coastal areas to 3x10 -2 feet per day for most of the confining units near their updip limits. Storage coefficients used in transient simulations were 0.15 where unconfined conditions exist and 0.0005 where confined conditions exist.

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina↗
USGS1994

Effects of sediment depositional environment and ground-water flow on the quality and geochemistry of water in aquifers in sediments of Cretaceous age in the coastal plain of South Carolina

The quality and geochemistry of ground water are significantly affected by the depositional environment of aquifer sediments. Cretaceous sediments in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina have been deposited in fluvial, delta-plain, marginal-marine, and marine environments. Depositional environments of sediments within a single aquifer may grade from nonmarine, fluvial, or upper delta plain near the updip limit of the aquifer to transitional, lower delta plain and to marine toward the coast. In nonmarine sediments the major source of inorganic carbon in the water is the decomposition of organic material. The major aqueous geochemical processes are the dissolution and alteration of silicate minerals. Silica makes up a major part of the dissolved constituents in water from these sediments. In transitional and marine sediments the major aqueous geochemical processes are (1) the dissolution of calcium carbonate by hydrolysis and by carbonic acid derived from the decomposition of organic material and (2) the exchange of calcium in solution for sodium on the marine-clay minerals. The clay minerals may also serve as buffers by neutralizing the hydroxyl ion produced by hydrolysis. The effects of incompletely flushed dilute saltwater on water quality increase toward the coast and toward the northeast.

South Carolina↗
USGS1988

Areal variation in recharge to and discharge from the Floridan aquifer system in Florida

This report is a revision and update of existing recharge maps of the Floridan aquifer system to include quantitative information derived from Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis models as well as other recent information and also includes information on discharge from the system. The report represents predevelopment conditions with inset map that describes the change in recharge resulting from development. Recharge is greater in areas where the Floridan is unconfined, poorly confined, or the overlying confining layer is breached by sinkholes, such as is commonly found in the area extending from Tallahassee to Tampa. Discharge from the Floridan is dominated by spring flow. Spring flow is common in the area between Tallahassee and Tampa. Offshore discharge by upward leakage and submarine springs also is an important component of the flow system. Little inflow or outflow occurs from the Floridan in large areas of Florida, including south Florida and the extreme panhandle. The principal factors affecting recharge to the Florida aquifer system are the thickness and hydraulic conductivity of the overlying confining bed. Other factors of importance include the vertical hydraulic gradient, water available for recharge, and aquifer transmissivity.

Florida↗
USGS1987

Geohydrologic framework of the coastal plain aquifers of South Carolina

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a series of investigations of aquifers throughout the United States as a part of the RASA (Regional Aquifer System Analysis) program. These investigations provide a comprehensive regional understanding of groundwater resources throughout the Nation. The Coastal Plain aquifers in South Carolina are being studied as a part of this program. An important part of a description of the groundwater resources is the development of a geohydrologic framework. Such a framework delineates the aquifers through which groundwater flows and the confining units which retard the flow of groundwater between aquifers. The Coastal Plain of South Carolina is underlain by a wedge of sediments that thickens from its inner margin, the Fall Line, to the coast and consists of sand, silt, clay, and limestone of Late Cretaceous to Holocene age. These sediments are underlain by pre-Cretaceous rocks consisting of consolidated sedimentary rocks of Triassic age and a complex of metamorphic and igneous rocks similar to those found near the surface in the Piedmont province of the State. The geohydrologic framework that divides the sediments of the South Carolina Coastal Plain into the Coastal Plain aquifer system is delineated by eleven geohydrologic sections and four maps showing the configuration of the top or base of individual aquifers. Although flow within the Coastal Plain aquifer system is three dimensional, simplifying the system by dividing it into a framework of discrete hydrologic units can aid significantly in understanding the hydrology of the system. This framework is the basis for the aquifers used in potentiometric mapping, transmissivity mapping, geochemical analysis, and groundwater flow modeling for the South Carolina RASA program. (Lantz-PTT)

South Carolina↗
USGS1985

Potentiometric surfaces of the coastal plain aquifers of South Carolina prior to development

Characteristics of the Coastal Plains aquifers of South Carolina are being studied as a part of the Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis program of the U.S. Geological Survey. A framework has been developed to best represent the hydrology of the Coastal Plain aquifers by dividing them into a system of five aquifers. This framework includes a surficial aquifer consisting of coastal terrace deposits, a limestone and stratigraphically equivalent sand aquifer of Eocene age, and three sand aquifers of Cretaceous age. This report presents a general description of the aquifer framework, potentiometric maps for the aquifers of Eocene and Cretaceous age prior to development, and a general description of the flow system prior to development. In the lower Coastal Plain, flow in the aquifer of Eocene age is generally perpendicular to the coast but is almost parallel to the coast in the aquifers of Cretaceous age. (USGS)

South Carolina↗
USGS1985

Potentiometric surfaces of November 1982 and declines in the potentiometric surfaces between the period prior to development and November 1982 for the coastal plain aquifers of South Carolina

Characteristics of the Coastal Plains aquifer of South Carolina are being studied as a part of the Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis program of the U.S. Geological Survey. A framework has been developed to best represent the hydrology of the State by dividing the aquifers into a system of five aquifers. This framework includes a surficial aquifer consisting of coastal terrace deposits, a limestone and stratigraphically equivalent sand aquifer of Eocene age, and three sand aquifers of Cretaceous age. (USGS)

South Carolina↗
USGS1985

Approximate potentiometric surface for the aquifer unit A4, southeastern coastal plain aquifer system of the United States, prior to development

A generalized potentiometric surface map prepared as part of a regional analysis of sand aquifer system defines the altitude of water levels under pre-development conditions for aquifer unit A4, the lowermost group of aquifers in the sand aquifer system. Aquifer unit A4, consisting of Upper and Lower Cretaceous sands, is under artesian conditions except locally in the recharge areas. The regional flow direction is to the rivers in the area where the unit outcrops and southward to the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi, Alabama, and West Georgia. In coastal Georgia and South Carolina, the direction of flow is east northeast parallel to the coast and into North Carolina. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1984

Water-Level Measurements for the Coastal Plain Aquifers of South Carolina Prior to Development

Tabulations of water-level measurements for the Coastal Plain aquifers of South Carolina representing water levels prior to man-made development are presented. Included with the tabulations are local well number, location, land-surface altitude, well depth, screened interval, depth to water, water- level altitude, and date measured. These water-level measurements were used in compiling regional potentiometric maps for the Coastal Plain aquifers. This data set will be useful in the planning for future water-resource development.

South Carolina↗