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At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
USGS1994

Selected ground-water information for the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Washington and Oregon, 1982-1985; Volume III, Ground-water quality data

The data report presents ground-water information collected and analyzed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program. The information was gathered from July 1982 through September 1985 in the part of the aquifer system located in central and eastern Washington and north-central and northeastern Oregon. The report consists of three volumes: volume I, geohydrology; volume II, water levels; and volume III, ground-water quality. This volume, III, presents ground-water quality data gathered from about 570 wells during the study.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

Summary of ground-water conditions in the Jaffna Peninsula, Republic of Sri Lanka, with a plan for investigating feasibility of ground-water development

Ground water in the Jaffna Peninsula of Sri Lanka, Ceylon, occurs within solution openings of the Jaffna Limestone of Miocene age. The freshwater forms a complex of lenses up to 25 meters thick overlying saline water derived from the sea. Salt-water intrusion and upconing of the salt water has occurred at several locations primarily along the coast. Recharge to the aquifer occurs during October-December. Discharge is primarily to wells and to springs along the north coast. Spring discharge is small compared to withdrawal from wells. Pumping from wells in an intensively studied 142-square-kilometer area of the Peninsula was 55.5 million cubic meters in 1976, whereas discharge to visible springs was an estimated 9.3 million cubic meters. Pumping during January-September removes water from storage causing heads to decline and the salt water-freshwater interface to rise. The storage is replenished as heads increase and the interface is depressed during the following October-December. Consequently, most of the recharge goes into storage rather than discharging to the sea. (Woodard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1994

Geohydrology and ground-water quality in the vicinity of a ground-water-contamination site in Rockford, Illinois

A geohydrologic investigation was performed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to determine the distribution of volatile organic compounds in a fractured-rock aquifer near the Southeast Rockford Groundwater Contamination Site in Rockford, Ill. The geologic units of concern are the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation; the dolomites of the Platteville and Galena Groups of Ordovician age; and the sands, gravels, silts, and clays of Quaternary age. The hydraulic units of concern are the unconsolidated aquifer, composed of sand and gravel; the fractured- dolomite aquifer, composed of the Galena and Platteville Groups and the dolomitic sections of the Glenwood Formation; and the sandstone aquifer, composed of the St. Peter Sandstone and the sandstone beds in the Glenwood Formation. The dolomite aquifer is well connected hydraulically to the overlying unconsolidated aquifer and the underlying sandstone aquifer. Caliper and acoustic-televiewer logs show several subhorizontal fractures in the dolomite that can be correlated throughout the study area. Comparison of televiewer and flowmeter logs indicates that most of the flow in the dolomite aquifer is through these fractures. Ground-water flow through two of the fractures can be correlated over large parts of the study area. Volatile organic compounds, in concentrations exceeding 2,000 micrograms per liter, were detected within the entire thickness of the dolomite aquifer where flow is measurable. Volatile organic compounds were detected in an area of the aquifer where they were thought to be absent in previous investigations.

Illinois↗
USGS1990

Effects of storm-water runoff on local ground-water quality, Clarksville, Tennessee

Storm-related water-quality data were collected at a drainage-well site and at a spring site in Clarksville, Tennessee, to define the effects of storm-water runoff on the quality of ground water in the area. A dye-trace test verified the direct hydraulic connection between the drainage well and Mobley Spring. Samples of storm run off and spring flow were collected at these sites for nine storms during the period February to October 1988. Water samples were collected also from Mobley Spring and two other springs and two observation wells in the area during dry-weather conditions to assess the general quality of ground water in an urban karst terrain. Evaluation of the effect of storm-water runoff on the quality of local ground water is complicated by the presence of other sources of contaminants in the area Concentrations and load for most major constituents were much smaller in storm-water runoff at the drainage well than in the discharge of Mobley Spring, indicating that much of the chemical constituent load discharged from the spring comes from sources other than the drainage well. However, for some of the minor constituents associated with roadway runoff (arsenic, copper, lead, organic carbon, and oil and grease), the drainage well contributed relatively large amounts of these constituents to local ground water during storms. The close correlation between concentrations of total organic carbon and concentrations of most trace metals at the drainage-well and Mobley Spring sites indicates that these constituents are transported together. Many trace metals were flushed early during each runoff event. Mean storm loads for copper, lead, zinc, and four nutrient species (total nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and orthophosphorus) in storm-water runoff at the drainage-well site were lower than mean storm load predicted from an existing regression model. The overprediction by the model may be a result of the small size of the drainage area relative to the range of drainage areas used in the development of the models, or to the below-normal amounts of rainfall during the period of sampling for this investigation. Loads& in storm-water runoff for 22 constituents were extrapolated from sampled storms to total loads for the period February to October 1988. Calculated loads for trace metals for the period ranged from 0.030pound.s for cadmium to 12pound.s for strontium. Loads of the primary nutrients ranged from 0.97pounds for nitrite as nitrogen to 34pounds of organic nitrogen. Storm-water quality at the drainage-well and Mobley Spring sites was compared to background water quality of the local aquifer; as characterized by dry-weather samples from three springs and two observation wells in the Clarksville area. Concentrations of total-recoverable cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, and nickel were higher in many stormwater samples from both the drainage-well and Mobley Spring sites than in samples from any other site. In addition, concentrations of total organic carbon, methylene blue active substances, and total-recoverable oil and grease were generally higher in storm-water samples from the drainage-well site than in any ground-water sample. Densities of fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria and concentrations of total recoverable iron, manganese, and methylene blue active substances in storm samples from the drainage-well site exceeded the maximum contaminant levels listed in Tennessee’s drinking-water standards (1988) by as much as 2,500 and 5,500 colonies per 100 milliliters, and 2.7, 0.29, and 0.05 milligrams per liter, respectively. Densities of fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria and concentrations of total-recoverable iron, manganese, and lead in storm samples from Mobley Spring exceeded the maximum contaminant levels by as much as 500 and 4,500 colonies per 100 milliliters, and 18.7,0.65, and 0.02 milligrams per liter, respectively. For iron, manganese, and bacteria, these undesirable levels are not necessarily attributable to storm-water recharge, because concentrations of these constituents also exceeded drinking-water standards in one or more of the dry-weather samples from selected springs and observation wells in the area.

Tennessee↗
USGS1955

Water rights in areas of ground-water mining

Ground-water mining, the progressive depletion of storage in a ground-water reservoir, has been going on for several years in some areas, chiefly in the Southwestern States. In some of these States a water right is based on ownership of land overlying the ground-water reservoir and does not depend upon putting the water to use; in some States a right is based upon priority of appropriation and use and may be forfeited if the water is allowed to go unused for a specified period, but ownership of land is not essential; and in several States both these doctrines or modifications thereof are accepted, and each applies to certain classes of water or to certain conditions of development. Experience to date indicates that a cure for ground-water mining does not necessarily depend upon the water-rights doctrine that is accepted in the area. Indeed, some recent court decisions have incorporated both the areal factor of the landownership doctrines and the time factor of the appropriation doctrine. Overdraft can be eliminated if water is available from another source to replace some of the water taken from the affected aquifer. In areas where no alternate source of supply is available at reasonable cost, public opinion so far appears to favor treating ground water as a nonrenewable resource comparable to petroleum and metals, and mining it until the supply is exhausted, rather than curbing the withdrawals at an earlier date.

Circular↗
USGS1996

Water-quality and ground-water-level data, Bernalillo County, central New Mexico, 1995

Water-quality and ground-water-level data were collected in two areas of eastern Bernalillo County in central New Mexico between March and July of 1995. Fifty-one wells, two springs, and the Ojo Grande Acequia in the east mountain area of Bernalillo County and nine wells in the northeast area of the city of Albuquerque were sampled. The water samples were analyzed for selected nutrient species; total organic carbon; major dissolved constituents; dissolved arsenic, boron, iron, and manganese; and methylene blue active substances. Analytical results were used to compute hardness, sodium adsorption ratio, and dissolved solids. Specific conductance, pH, temperature, and alkalinity were measured in the field at the time of sample collection. Ground- water-level and well-depth measurements were made at the time of sample collection when possible. Water-quality data, ground- water-level data, and well-depth data are presented in tabular form.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Water-quality characteristics and ground water quantity of the Fraser River watershed, Grand County, Colorado, 1998-2001

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Grand County Board of County Commissioners, conducted a 4-year study to assess ground- and surface-water-quality conditions and ground-water quantity in the 302-square-mile Fraser River watershed in north-central Colorado. The Fraser River flows north about 28 miles from the headwaters near the Continental Divide, through the towns of Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, and Granby, and is one of the major tributaries to the Upper Colorado River. Increasing urban development, as well as the seasonal influx of tourists, is placing more demands on the water resources in the Fraser River watershed. A ground-water sampling network of 11 wells was established to represent different aquifer systems (alluvial, Troublesome Formation, Precambrian granite), land uses (urban, nonurban), and areas with or without individual septic disposal system use. The well network was sampled for ground-water quality on a semiannual basis from August 1998 through September 2001. The sampling included field properties and the collection of water samples for analysis of major ions, trace elements, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, bacteria, methylene blue active substances, and radon-222. One surface-water site, on the Fraser River just downstream from the town of Tabernash, Colorado, was sampled bimonthly from August 1998 through September 2001 to assess the cumulative effects of natural and human processes on water quality in the upper part of the Fraser River watershed. Surface-water-quality sampling included field properties and the collection of water-quality samples for analysis of major ions, trace elements, nutrients, organic carbon, and bacteria. Ground water was a calcium-bicarbonate type water and is suitable as a drinking-water, domestic, municipal, industrial, and irrigation source. In general, no widespread ground-water-quality problems were indicated. All pH values and concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, fluoride, sulfate, nitrite, and nitrate in the ground-water samples met or were substantially less than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards and health advisories or State of Colorado water-quality standards. Federal standards for turbidity and concentrations of iron, manganese, methylene blue active substances, and radon-222 were not met in water samples from at least one well. The only ground-water-quality concern assessed by this study is radon-222, which was detected in all radon- analyzed samples from 10 wells at levels exceeding the proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standard of 300 picocuries per liter. Concentrations of chloride, magnesium, and sulfate were statistically different (higher) in ground-water samples from wells completed in the alluvial aquifer, urbanized areas, and areas with individual septic disposal system use than those from wells completed in the Troublesome Formation, nonurban areas, and areas without individual septic disposal system use. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations were statistically higher in ground-water samples from wells completed in the alluvial aquifer and areas without individual septic disposal system use than those from wells completed in the Troublesome Formation and areas with individual septic disposal system use. Differences in dissolved organic-carbon concentrations between the latter category and areas without septic systems likely had no environmental significance. Surface water at the site Fraser River below Crooked Creek at Tabernash was a calcium-bicarbonate type water and is suitable as a drinking-water, residential, commercial, and irrigation resource. All pH values and concentrations of dissolved oxygen were within the State of Colorado instream water-quality standards, and all concentrations of chloride, sulfate, iron, manganese, un-ionized ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and fecal coliform bacteria met State standards. Seasonal changes in the values or conc

Colorado↗
USGS1990

Ground-water levels in water year 1987 and estimated ground-water pumpage in water years 1986-87, Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada

Groundwater levels were measured at 58 wells during water year 1987 and a summary of estimated pumpage is given for water years 1986 and 1987 in Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada. The data were collected to provide a record of groundwater changes over the long-term and pumpage estimates that can be incorporated into an existing groundwater model. The estimated total pumpage in water year 1986 was 10,200 acre-ft and in water year 1987 was 13,400 acre-ft. Groundwater levels exhibited seasonal fluctuations but remained relatively stable over the reporting period throughout most of the valley. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1998

Results of the U.S. Geological Survey's analytical evaluation program for standard reference samples : T-151(trace constituents), M-144 (major constituents), N-55 (nutrient constituents), N-56 (nutrient constituents), P-29 (low ionic strength constituents), GWT-2 (ground-water trace constituents), GWM-2 (ground-water major constituents), AMW-4 (acid mine water constituents), and Hg-25 (mercury) distributed in September 1997

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Open-File Report↗
USGS1989

Ground-water levels, spring 1985, and ground-water level changes, spring 1983 to spring 1985, in three basalt units underlying the Columbia Plateau, Washington and Oregon

Groundwater level contour maps for three basalt units of the Columbia Plateau regional aquifer system were constructed by using water levels measured in 1,105 wells during 1985. These measurements then were compared with similar measurements from spring 1983 to assess the changes in groundwater levels over the 2-year period for each of the basalt units. Configuration of the groundwater contours and water level changes reflect (1) recharge and discharge; (2) hydraulic conductivity; (3) use of imported surface water for irrigation; and (4) pumpage of groundwater. The movement of groundwater within each basalt unit is controlled mainly by the major rivers, streams, and coulees, whereas variations in flow directions between units are related to the occurrence, extent, and hydraulic conductivity of the basalt units and sedimentary interbeds and to differences in the amounts of recharge to each unit.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS1987

Effects of land use on ground-water quality in central Florida — Preliminary results: U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Waste — Ground-water Contamination Program

Groundwater is the principal source of drinking water in central Florida. The most important hydrogeologic unit is the Floridan aquifer system, consisting of fractured limestone and dolomite limestone. Activities of man in areas of recharge to the Floridian aquifer system that may be affecting groundwater quality include: (1) the use of drainage wells for stormwater disposal in urban areas, (2) the use of pesticides and fertilizers in citrus groves, and (3) the mining and processing of phosphate ore in mining areas. Preliminary findings about the impacts of these land uses on ground-water quality by comparison with a fourth land use representing the absence of human activity in another area of recharge are presented. Drainage wells convey excess urban stormwater directly to the Upper Floridian aquifer. The volatile organic compounds are the most common contaminants in ground water. Trace elements such as chromium and lead are entering the aquifer but their movement is apparently attenuated by precipitation reactions associated with high pH or by cation-exchange reactions. Among the trace elements and organic chemicals, most ground-water contamination in citrus production areas is caused by pesticides, which include the organic compounds simazine, ametryne, chlordane, DDE , bromacil, aldicarb, EDB, trifluralin, and diazinon, and the trace elements zinc and copper; other contaminants include benzene, toluene, napthalene, and indene compounds. In the phosphate mining area, constituents of concern are arsenic, selenium, and mercury, and secondarily lead, chromium, cadmium, and others. Organic compounds such as fluorene, naphthalene, di-n-butyl phthalate, alkylated benzenes and naphthalenes, and indene compounds also are entering groundwater. (Author 's abstract)

Florida↗
USGS1966

Ground-water development in the high plains of Colorado, with a section on chemical quality of the ground water

The High Plains of Colorado includes all or part of 11 counties and has an area of about 9,500 square miles. The land surface slopes eastward and in most areas is gently rolling owing to erosion by ephemeral streams. The Ogallala Formation, of Pliocene age, is the principal aquifer. In pierces it is overlain by dune sand, alluvium, or loess. The Ogallala is semiconsolidated and consists of sand, gravel, silt, clay, and caliche. The Ogallala Formation is recharged by precipitation at a rate of about 0.85 inch per year. The water table slopes generally eastward. The major use of ground water is for irrigation. About 72,500 acre-feet of water was pumped from 428 wells to irrigate about 56,600 acres in 1962. Estimates of consumptive use made by the Blaney-Criddle method show that the optimum amount of water is being used to irrigate parts of the High Plains. At the end of the 1963 irrigation season, 525 irrigation wells each pumped more than 300 gallons per minute. Water levels decline as much as 10 feet in some places during the irrigation season but return almost to normal at the completion of pumping. By prorating transmissibility on the basis of lithologic descriptions from well logs, the average permeability of the Ogallala Formation in various places can be estimated. Most water from the Ogallala Formation in the High Plains is a calcium bicarbonate solution having a dissolved-solids content ranging from 100 to 600 parts per million. The water is generally hard; its calcium carbonate hardness ranges from 100 to 350 parts per million. Except for some ground water in the area south of the Cheyenne-Kiowa County line, the ground water analyzed was suitable for all uses.

Colorado↗
USGS2006

Questa baseline and premining ground-water quality investigation 18. Characterization of brittle structures in the Questa Caldera and their potential influence on bedrock ground-water flow, Red River Valley, New Mexico

This report presents a field-based characterization of fractured and faulted crystalline bedrock in the southern portion of the Questa caldera and its margin. The focus is (1) the identification and description of brittle geological structures and (2) speculation on the potential effects and controls that these structures might have on the potential fluxes of paleo to present-day ground water in relation to natural or mining-related metal and acid loads to surface and ground water. The entire study area is pervasively jointed with a few distinctive patterns such as orthogonal, oblique orthogonal, and conjugate joint sets. Joint intensity, the number of joints measured per unit line length, is high to extreme. Three types of fault zones are present that include partially silicified, low- and high-angle faults with well-developed damage zones and clay-rich cores and high-angle, unsilicified open faults. Conceptually, the joint networks can be thought of as providing the background porosity and permeability structure of the bedrock aquifer system. This background is cut by discrete entities such as the faults with clay-rich cores and open faults that may act as important hydrologic heterogeneities. The southern caldera margin runs parallel to the course of the Red River Valley, whose incision has left an extreme topographic gradient at high angles to the river. Many of the faults and fault intersections run parallel to this assumed hydraulic gradient; thus, these structures have great potential to provide paleo and present-day, discrete and anisotropic pathways for solute transport within the otherwise relatively low porosity and permeability bedrock background aquifer system. Although brittle fracture networks and faults are pervasive and complex, simple Darcy calculations are used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity and potential ground-water discharges of the bedrock aquifer, caldera margin, and other faults in order to gain insight into the potential contributions of these features to the ground-water and surface-water flow systems. These calculations show that, because all of these features are found along the Red River in the Cabin Springs-Columbine Park-Goat Hill fan area, their combined effect increases the probability that the bedrock aquifer ground-water flow system provides discharge to the Red River along this reach.

New Mexico↗
USGS1955

Ground-water resources of the Middle Loup division of the lower Platte River basin, Nebraska, with a section on Chemical quality of the ground water

The Middle Loup division of the lower Platte River basin is an area of 650 square miles which includes the Middle Loup River valley from the confluence of the Middle and North Loup Rivers in Howard County, Nebr., to the site of the diversion dam that the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation proposes to construct in Blaine County near Milburn, Nebr. It also includes land in Howard and Sherman Counties designated by the Bureau of Reclamation as the Farwell unit. Irrigable land in this division is present on both sides of the Middle Loup River and along its tributaries. Most of the Middle Loup River valley is already irrigated by the Middle Loup Public Power and Irrigation District, which is strictly an irrigation enterprise. The uplands are not irrigated. Loess, dune sand, gravel, silt, and clay of Pleistocene or Recent age are exposed in the report area. These unconsolidated sediments rest on bedrock consisting of alternating layers of shale, mudstone, sandstone, and limestone, which are essentially fiat lying or slightly warped. The Ogallala formation, of Tertiary (Pliocene) age, immediately underlies the Pleistocene sediments and rests on the Pierre shale of Cretaceous age. Belts of alluvium occupy the Middle Loup River valley and the valleys of the principal streams in the area. The soils, dune sand, and terrace deposits are the most recent deposits. The Ogallala formation is water bearing and is the source of supply for some domestic and livestock wells. The saturated part of the sand and gravel formations of Pleistocene age, which yields water freely to wells, is the most important aquifer in the Middle Loup division. The water generally is under water-table conditions. The yields of properly constructed wells range from a few gallons per minute (gpm) to as much as 1,800 gpm. Some wells tap water in both the sand and gravel of Pleistocene age and in the underlying Ogallala formation. No wells are known to penetrate into formations older than the Ogallala. Fluctuations of the water table indicate changes in the amount of ground water stored in the water-bearing formations. The principal factors controlling the rise of the water table are the amount of precipitation within the area, the quantity of water coming into the area as underflow from the west and northwest, seepage from the Middle Loup River at times when the water surface in the river is higher than the adjoining water table, and the infiltration of irrigation water not utilized by vegetation or lost by runoff or evaporation. The principal factors controlling the decline of the water table are the discharge as effluent seepage into the Middle Loup River and its tributaries, the amount of water pumped from wells, evapotranspiration losses, and the amount of water leaving the area as underflow. Periodic water-level measurements were made in a total of 241 observation wells during the period 1948-50. Hydrographs of three observation wells having a longer period of record (1934-50) indicate that the water table rose slightly from 1934 until 1950 and that it remained nearly constant during the 1950 water year. The configuration of the water table in the Middle Loup division shows that, except north and northwest of Sargent, the Middle Loup River is an effluent, or gaining, stream throughout its entire length in this area. Thus any rise or fall in the ground-water level will increase or decrease the discharge of the river. The river recharges the ground- water reservoir only during periods when it is at flood stage. The depth to the water table from the land surface is governed largely by irregularities in topography. The depth to water is less than 10 feet near the river and increases to as much as 60 feet near the valley margins and the bordering intermediate slopes. In the Far- well unit the depth to water is more than 100 feet and in some parts more than 150 feet. Ground water pumped from wells is the source of supply for the principal municipalities in th

Water Supply Paper↗