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At least 1,081 records · Page 60Linked to original sources
USGS1998

Recharge-area delineation and hydrology, McCraken Springs, Fort Knox Military Reservation, Meade County, Kentucky

McCraken Springs, consisting of three perennial springs - Main, Bat Cave, and Rocky Springs—and several intermittent springs, are used as a source of public water by the Fort Knox Military Reservation in Meade County, Ky. The water supply provided by McCraken Springs is potentially vulnerable to natural and induced stresses on the karst aquifer and to degradation by contaminants introduced by stormwater entering sinkholes and a large sinking stream in the Springs' recharge area. The U.S. Department of the Army is preparing a spring-basin protection plan for McCraken Springs, in accordance with State water-supply regulations and as specified under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines for the Wellhead Protection Program (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). In order to provide the information needed to prepare the plan, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducted a hydrogeologic study of the McCraken Springs in 1997-98. This report presents the results of that investigation. Ground-water-tracer tests and the results of potentiometric-surface mapping were used to identify ground-water basins drained by major perennial springs and to delineate the approximate boundaries of the recharge area for McCraken Springs. Additional hydrologic data were collected to determine the discharge and recharge characteristics of the Springs. Karst aquifers and springs are widely recognized as being more sensitive to degradation to point- and nonpoint-source contamination than most granular and fractured-rock aquifers (Field, 1990). Delineation of the geographic area contributing recharge to a water-supply spring is a principal step in identifying potential sources of ground-water contamination and developing a strategy to ensure the availability and protect the sustainability of the water supply. Conventional methods of aquifer testing and numerical modeling are not sufficient to determine the flow boundaries of ground-water basins in conduit-dominated karst aquifers. Previous studies published by Quinlan and Ewers (1989); Mull and others (1990); Bayless and others (1994); and Schindel and others (1995) demonstrate the utility of ground-water tracer tests, used in combination with potentiometric-surface mapping, to identify flow directions in karst aquifers, and to delineate karst ground-water-basin boundaries.

Kentucky↗
USGS1980

A statistical analysis of the quality of surface water in Nebraska

This report provides descriptive statistics for 29 chemical or biological constituents for 109 stream sites in Nebraska sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey beginning in 1946. Also provided for each site are regression equations relating specific conductance to each of 12 chemical constituents and a regression equation relating specific conductance to stream discharge. The descriptive statistics are presented by river basins. Water leaving these basins that has the lowest mean specific conductance (266 umho/cm) is from the Niobrara River at Verdel, and water that has the highest (1,890 umho/cm) is from the South Platte River at Roscoe. Statewide, the principal cations in streamflow are calcium and sodium, and the principal anions are bicarbonate and sulfate. Calcium and bicarbonate usually predominate where mean specific conductance is less than 1,000 umho/cm, and sodium and sulfate predominate where the mean exceeds 1,000 umho/cm. Based on regression equations, dissolved solids, hardness, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate, with some exceptions, correlate well with specific conductance for all stream sites. Illustrations of how regression equations may be used to estimate water quality of streamflow are given and are compared with values from actual analyses.

Nebraska↗
USGS2000

Use of a ground-penetrating radar system to detect pre- and post-flood scour at selected bridge sites in New Hampshire, 1996-98

Ground-penetrating radar was used to measure the depth and extent of existing and infilled scour holes and previous scour surfaces at seven bridges in New Hampshire from April 1996 to November 1998. Ground-penetrating-radar survey techniques initially were used by the U.S. Geological Survey to study streambed scour at 30 bridges. Sixteen of the 30 bridges were re-surveyed where floods exceeded a 2-year recurrence interval. A 300-megahertz signal was used in the ground-penetrating radar system that penetrated through depths as great as 20 feet of water and as great as 32 feet of streambed materials. Existing scour-hole dimensions, infilled thickness, previous scour surfaces, and streambed materials were detected using ground-penetrating radar. Depths to riprap materials and pier footings were identified and verified with bridge plans. Post data-collection-processing techniques were applied to assist in the interpretation of the data, and the processed data were displayed and printed as line plots. Processing included distance normalization, migration, and filtering but processing was kept to a minimum and some interference from multiple reflections was left in the record. Of the 16 post-flood bridges, 22 ground-penetrating-radar cross sections at 7 bridges were compared and presented in this report. Existing scour holes were detected during 1996 (pre-flood) data collection in nine cross sections where scour depths ranged from 1 to 3 feet. New scour holes were detected during 1998 (post-flood) data collection in four cross sections where scour depths were as great as 4 feet deep. Infilled scour holes were detected in seven cross sections, where depths of infilling ranged from less than 1 to 4 feet. Depth of infilling by means of steel rod and hammer was difficult to verify in the field because of cobble and boulder streambeds or deep water. Previous scour surfaces in streambed materials were identified in 15 cross sections and the depths to these surfaces ranged from 1 to 10 feet below the streambed. Riprap materials or pier footings were identified in all cross sections. Calculated record depths generally agree with bridge plans. Pier footings were exposed at two bridges and steel pile was exposed at one bridge. Exposures were verified by field observations.

New Hampshire↗
USGS1995

Streamflow analysis of the Apalachicola, Pearl, Trinity, and Nueces River basins, southeastern United States

Annual mean streamflow and annual minimum and maximum daily mean streamflows were compared with associated annual index precipitation for sites on the main channels and tributaries of four major rivers that discharge directly into the Gulf of Mexico. Long- and short-term precipitation trends were identified for selected streamflow stations with at least 40 years of record. Long-term temporal trends in annual mean streamflow and annual maximum daily mean streamflow to the Gulf were not identified from the Apalachicola River Basin for the period of record studied. Annual mean and maximum streamflow to the Gulf increased with time from the Pearl River Basin and decreased from the Trinity River Basin. Annual mean streamflow showed varied trends and annual maximum streamflow decreased from the Nueces River Basin. Annual minimum streamflow to the Gulf increased in all of the basins studied. The annual index precipitation associated with the most downstream station also increased during the periods of record studied in all four of the basins. Short-term trends in streamflow generally corresponded to trends in associated annual index precipitation for each station. For some streamflow stations in the Trinity River Basin, short-term trends in annual minimum streamflow increased while annual maximum streamflow decreased. Total reported surface-water withdrawals have increased more than fourfold in the Trinity River Basin since 1940. Surface-water withdrawals from the Trinity River Basin in 1988 represent about one-fourth of the annual mean streamflow near the mouth. Total withdrawals increased more than eightfold in the Nueces River Basin since 1940. Surface-water withdrawals from the Nueces River Basin in 1988 represent about one-third of the annual mean streamflow near the mouth. Effects of selected reservoirs on streamflow in the four basins also were studied. Predicted peak streamflow into the Gulf from the Apalachicola River was about 23 percent less for the 50- year peak streamflow after reservoir construction. Although one large reservoir was built on the Pearl River and many reservoirs have been built on the Trinity River and its tributaries, peak streamflow into the Gulf of Mexico from these rivers has not been affected during the past 50 years. Estimates from a water-budget analysis showed that the annual mean streamflow to the Gulf from the Nueces River was reduced by about 24 percent from 1985 through 1990 as a result of filling and evaporation at Choke Canyon Reservoir.

Apalachicola, Nueces, Pearl, and Trinity River bas↗
USGS1984

Ground-water quality in Wyoming

This report graphically summarizes ground-water quality from selected chemical-quality data for about 2,300 ground-water sites in Wyoming. Dissolved-solids, nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, iron, and manganese concentrations are summarized on a statewide basis. The major chemical-quality problem that limits the use of Wyoming ground-water is excessive dissolved-solids concentrations. The aquifers with the best quality water, based on the lowest median dissolved-solids concentration of water in aquifers with 20 or more sampled sites, are Holocene lacustrine deposits, the upper Testiary Ogallala Formation and Arikaree Formation, and the Mississippian Madison Limestone. The counties with the best quality water, based on the lowest median dissolved-solids concentrations are Teton County and Laramie County. Hot Springs County and Natrona County have the highest median dissolved-solids concentrations. About 3 percent of the nitrate concentrations of ground-water samples exceeded the national primary drinking-water standard of 10 milligrams per liter. Fluoride concentrations exceeded the national primary drinking-water standard in 14 percent of the ground-water samples. Except for selenium, toxic trace elements generally have not been found in concentrations in excess of the drinking-water standards. About 19 percent of the iron and about 30 percent of the manganese concentrations in ground-water samples exceeded the national secondary drinking-water standards. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1985

Hydrology of coal-lease areas near Durango, Colorado

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management leases Federal lands and minerals for coal mining near Durango, Colorado. This report addresses the hydrologic suitability of those lands for coal leasing; the report describes the general hydrology of the Durango area and, more specifically, the hydrology of the Stollsteimer Creek study area 32 miles east of the Durango and the Hay Gulch study area, 12 miles southwest of Durango. The most productive aquifers in the Durango study area are Quaternary alluvium and the tertiary Animas Formation. Water wells completed in alluvium typically yield 5 to 20 gallons/min; wells completed is the Animas Formation yield as much as 50 gallons/min. Water quality in these aquifers is variable, but it generally is suitable for domestic use. The coal-bearing Cretaceous Fruitland and Menefee Formations are mined by surface methods at the Chimney Rock Mine in the Stollsteimer Creek study area and by underground methods at the National King Coal Mine in the Hay Gulch study area. Effects of surface mining in the Stollsteimer Creek area are: (1) Dewatering of an alluvial aquifer; and (2) Local degradation of alluvium water quality by spoil-pile effluent. Effects of underground mining in the Hay Gulch area are: (1) Introduction of water with greater dissolved-solids concentrations into the upper Hay Gulch alluvium from mine runoff; (2) Subsidence fracturing which could dewater streams and the alluvial aquifer. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2002

Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Berlin Lake, in northeast Ohio, was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1943 and is used primarily for flood control for the upper reaches of the Mahoning River. The area surrounding and under the lake has been tapped for oil and natural gas production. One of the by-products of oil and gas production is concentrated salt water or brine, which might have an effect on the chemical quality of area potable-water sources. This report presents the results of a U.S. Geological Survey baseline study to collect current (2001) water and sediment-quality data and to characterize water quality in the Berlin Lake watershed. Chloride-to-bromide ratios were used to detect the presence of brine in water samples and to indicate possible adverse effects on water quality. Analyses of ground-water samples from domestic wells in the area indicate a source of chloride and bromide, but defining the source would require more data collection. Analyses of specific conductance and dissolved solids indicate that 78 percent (14 of 18) of the ground-water samples exceeded the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level for dissolved solids in public water supplies of 500 milligrams per liter (mg/L), compared to 6 percent of samples exceeding 500 mg/L in two nearby studies. Surface water was analyzed twice, once each during low-flow and surface runoff conditions. A comparison of the 2001 data to historical chloride concentrations, accounting for seasonal changes, does not indicate an increase in chloride loads for surface water in the area of Berlin Lake. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found in bed-sediment samples collected from the mouths of major tributaries to Berlin Lake. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are produced during the incomplete combustion of organic carbon materials such as wood and fossil fuels, and they are components of petroleum products.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1988

Geohydrology of the Furnace Creek basin and vicinity, Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon counties, Pennsylvania

The Furnace Creek basin is an area of 8.95 square miles, about three- fourths of which is underlain by metamorphic rocks of low permeability. Reported yields for 14 wells in these rocks range from 1 to 60 gal/min (gallons per minute), with a median of 7.5 gal/min. The northern part of the study area consists of highly permeable carbonate rocks. Nondomestic wells in these rocks typically yield from 200 to 300 gal/min and one well yields 1,200 gal/min. Ground-water discharge from a 4.18-square-mile drainage area underlain by Precambrian granitic and hornblende gneiss averaged 868,000 gallons per day per square mile from October 1983 through September 1985. Thus, as much as 3,630,000 gallons per day could be pumped from wells in this area on a sustained basis. However, pumping this amount would have major adverse effects on streamflow. A water-budget analysis for March 1984 to February 1985 showed that precipitation was 52.16 inches, streamflow was 26.38 inches, evapotranspiration was 29.29 inches, ground-water storage decreased by 5.94 inches and diversions made by Womelsdorf-Robesonia Joint Authority for water supply totaled 2.43 inches. Precipitation during this period was above normal. Four of 18 wells sampled for water quality had iron, manganese, or nitrate concentrations above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limits. The crystalline rocks in the study area yield soft to moderately hard water that is generally acidic.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1974

Water quality in Rhode River at Smithsonian Institution Pier near Annapolis, Maryland, April 1970 through December 1973

Water temperature, salinity (computed from specific conductance data), turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and water level data were collected by a continuously recording water quality monitor located in the Rhode River, at the Smithsonian Institution's pier near Annapolis, Md., from April 1970 through December 1973. Data, as presented in this report, consist of daily maximum and minimum values summarized by week to give weekly averages and extremes. Temperatures showed an overall range from 0.7 to 32.6°C. The water temperature data indicate successively warmer winters. Salinity ranged from 1.05 to 14.03 parts per thousand. In June 1972, salinity dropped markedly as fresh water from tropical storm Agnes entered the Rhode River from Chesapeake Bay. Most of the fresh water entering upper Chesapeake Bay as a result of tropical storm Agnes came from the Susquehanna River. Turbidity was usually low, averaging about 14 Jackson Turbidity Units; however, during spring and early summer of 1972, values averaged about 23 Jackson Turbidity Units. This increase in turbidity was due to the high Susquehanna River flows during that period. Extremes of turbidity ranged from about 5 to 80 Jackson Turbidity Units. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 0.0 to 19.8 milligrams per litre. Large daily changes in oxygen indicated a high state of biological metabolism. Values of pH ranged from 6.8 to 10.1 and daily changes coincided with oxygen changes. Tide-dominated water levels had an overall range of 5.9 feet (1.8 metres) and a mean tidal range of 1.5 feet (0.46 metres).

Maryland↗
USGS1985

Water-resources activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in Wyoming; fiscal year 1985

This report contains lists and location maps of streamflow and reservoir stations, water quality stations, sediment stations, and groundwater observation wells where data are currently being collected. Water resources appraisal projects in Wyoming are described, including many that are related to development of energy resources. The general locations of most projects are shown on maps. The U.S. Geological Survey is striving to coordinate its water resources activities with those of other agencies. This report is one phase of that coordination effort, and serves as an annual progress report to cooperators and the public. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1993

Historical saturated thickness of the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system and selected contiguous hydraulically connected units, west-central Texas

The Edwards-Trinity Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) is one of 25 completed or ongoing studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey on regional aquifer systems that individually provide essential quantities of ground water to large parts of the country. Underlying about 42,000 mi 2 of west-central Texas, the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system extends approximately from Atascosa County in the southeast to Culberson County in the northwest and from the Rio Grande in the southwest to the Colorado River in the northeast (sheet 2). The Edwards-Trinity aquifer system spans four geographic subareas: Trans-Pecos, Edwards Plateau, Hill Country, and Balcones fault zone (fig. 1). The names of all aquifers in the study area were adopted for RASA purposes directly from nomenclature mandated by the Texas Water Plan (Texas Water Development Board, 1990). The Cretaceous rocks that compose the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system are primarily limestone and dolomite rock, with lesser quantities of terrigenous sand. Although the lithology varies locally and the rocks are not everywhere permeable in all directions, they combine to form a single regional aquifer system. The aquifer system comprises three aquifers and two confining units (figs. 2 and 3). The water-yielding units are the Edwards aquifer of the Balcones fault zone, the Trinity aquifer of the Balcones fault zone and Hill Country, and the Edwards-Trinity aquifer of the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos. The confining units are the Hammett confining unit, which confines basal parts of the Trinity aquifer in the Hill Country and the Edwards-Trinity aquifer in the eastern part of the Edwards Plateau, and the Navarro-Del Rio confining unit, which confines the Edwards and Trinity aquifers along the southeastern margin of the Balcones fault zone. Parts of the aquifer system not overlain by one of these confining units are unconfined, or nearly so. The purposes of this report are to illustrate the historical distribution of saturated thickness (hereafter referred to as the saturated thickness) in the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system, summarize the reasons for the variation in the saturated thickness, and relate the regional effects of this variation to the distribution of transmissivity. The saturated thickness map (sheet 2) was determined for most of the area by subtracting the altitude of the base of the aquifer system (Barker and Ardis, 1992) from the altitude of the historical potentiometric surface (Bush and others, 1993). Where the Edwards and Trinity aquifers are confined in the Balcones fault zone, the saturated thickness is defined by the thickness of the aquifer system, which was determined by subtracting the altitude of the base of the aquifer system from the altitude of the base of the Navarro-Del Rio confining unit (G.E. Groschen and W.G. Stein, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun, 1990).

Texas↗
USGS1996

Geohydrologic units and water-level conditions in the Terrace alluvial aquifer and Paluxy Aquifer, May 1993 and February 1994, near Air Force Plant 4, Fort Worth area, Texas

The terrace alluvial aquifer underlying Air Force Plant 4 and the adjacent Naval Air Station (formerly Carswell Air Force Base) in the Fort Worth area, Texas, is contaminated locally with organic and metal compounds. Residents south and west of Air Force Plant 4 and the Naval Air Station are concerned that contaminants might enter the underlying Paluxy aquifer, which provides water to the city of White Settlement, south of Air Force Plant 4, and to residents west of Air Force Plant 4. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has qualified Air Force Plant 4 for Superfund cleanup. The pertinent geologic units include -A~rom oldest to youngest the Glen Rose, Paluxy, and Walnut Formations, Goodland Limestone, and terrace alluvial deposits. Except for the Glen Rose Formation, all units crop out at or near Air Force Plant 4 and the Naval Air Station. The terrace alluvial deposits, which nearly everywhere form the land surface, range from 0 to about 60 feet thick. These deposits comprise a mostly unconsolidated mixture of gravel, sand, silt, and clay. Mudstone and sandstone of the Paluxy Formation crop out north, west, and southwest of Lake Worth and total between about 130 and about 175 feet thick. The terrace alluvial deposits and the Paluxy Formation comprise the terrace alluvial aquifer and the Paluxy aquifer, respectively. These aquifers are separated by the Goodland-Walnut confining unit, composed of the Goodland Limestone and (or) Walnut Formation. Below the Paluxy aquifer, the Glen Rose Formation forms the Glen Rose confining unit. Water-level measurements during May 1993 and February 1994 from wells in the terrace alluvial aquifer indicate that, regionally, ground water flows toward the east-southeast beneath Air Force Plant 4 and the Naval Air Station. Locally, water appears to flow outward from ground-water mounds maintained by the localized infiltration of precipitation and reportedly by leaking water pipes and sanitary and (or) storm sewer lines beneath the assembly building at Air Force Plant 4. North of Farmers Branch, the terrace alluvial aquifer discharges into Lake Worth, Meandering Road Creek, Farmers Branch, and the West Fork Trinity River. South of Farmers Branch, ground water appears to flow mostly north-northeastward. Greater precipitation prior to the May 1993 measurements caused water levels to average approximately 5 ft higher in May 1993 than in February 1994. Regional ground-water gradients indicate west to east-southeastward flow in the Paluxy aquifer, with a dominant southeastward component beneath Air Force Plant 4. Water-level maps for the Paluxy "upper sand" reveal an elongated groundwater mound beneath southeastern parts of Air Force Plant 4, which indicates a localized, vertical conduit through which contaminated water from the terrace alluvial aquifer might enter upper parts of the Paluxy aquifer. The Paluxy "upper sand" apparently is mostly unsaturated and hydraulically separated from the deeper, regionally extensive parts of the Paluxy aquifer, most of which are fully saturated. While water levels in the "upper sand" were as much as 10 ft higher in May 1993 than in February 1994, water levels in most deeper parts of the Paluxy aquifer were slightly higher in February 1994 than they were in May 1993.

Texas↗
USGS2026

Hydrogeology of the Tully Valley and characterization of mudboil activity, Onondaga County, New York

Mudboil activity in the Tully Valley, in central New York, is causing turbidity in nearby Onondaga Creek, where it has caused a bridge to collapse; it also has threatened or damaged other structures and has caused extensive land subsidence. Mudboil activity was intermittent from its first reported appearance in the 1890's until the 1970's, when the rates of mudboil discharge and land subsidence began to increase. Historically, the water discharged from mudboils was reported as fresh, but chemical analyses in the late 1970's indicated an increase in specific conductance and chloride concentration. Mudboil discharge is driven by artesian pressure in unconsolidated sediments that are confined by a 60-foot layer of silt and red clay. This process, once begun, has been self-propagating. Artesian pressures are about 20 feet above land surface over most of the valley floor but exceed 30 feet above land surface along Onondaga Creek where Rattlesnake Gulf and Rainbow Creek enter the Tully Valley. The source of artesian pressure is recharge from the Tully (Valley Heads) Moraine at the south end of the valley, and the alluvial fans of Rattlesnake Gulf and Rainbow Creek. The mudboils are found within a 300-foot-wide by 1,500-foot-long corridor along Onondaga Creek just upstream from the two alluvial fans, and in a 5-acre subsided area just west of that corridor. Remediation efforts have entailed (1) diversion of flow from the tributary that feeds the subsided area, (2) installation of depressurizing wells at several locations, and (3) construction of a dam and settling impoundment to detain mudboil sediment that would normally discharge to Onondaga Creek. These efforts have been partly successful, but further work is needed to slow the mudboil activity, which is expected to persist in both areas. Mudboil activity is normally greatest during the early spring and late fall, when artesian pressures increase in response to seasonal ground-water recharge. Suspended-sediment concentrations at the out-flow of the subsidence area ranged from 31,210 mg/L (milligrams per liter) in October 1991 to 17 mg/L after remediation efforts in the summer of 1993. Yearly average suspended-sediment loads to Onondaga Creek from the subsidence area for water years 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995 were 29.8, 9.75, 1.41, and 1.80 tons per day, respectively. Sediment discharged from the mudboils initially was 30 to 60 percent clay and 80 to 100 percent silt-sized or smaller sediment, and the sand fraction never exceeded 20 percent. After the remediation projects, 50 to 80 percent was clay, and nearly all sediment was silt size or smaller. Analyses of water from upstream and downstream of the subsidence area, as well as from mudboil vents within that area, indicate that the source of water for some mudboils is a confined freshwater aquifer, whereas for others it is an underlying, brackish-water aquifer. Water from the freshwater aquifer has specific conductance values ranging from about 400 ( μS /cm (microsiemens per centimeter at 25° Celsius) to almost 900 ( μS /cm, dissolved chloride concentrations range from 37 to 430 mg/L, and dissolved-solids concentrations range from 215 to 463 mg/L. Specific conductance of water from the brackish-water aquifer ranges from 17,000 to 28,000 ( μS /cm, chloride concentrations range from 2,000 to 7,100 mg/L, and dissolved-solids concentrations range from 4,200 to 12,800 mg/L. The largest landslide in New York State in the last 75 years occurred at the foot of Bare Mountain, 1 mile downstream from the mudboil area, in April 1993 and was the fourth in a series of slides that have occurred at the base of this hill. Slope instability was reported as early as May 1990. After the slide, intermittent mudboil-like activity was observed at several springs within the backscarp of the slide; water from these springs ranged from fresh to brackish. The chemical similarity between water from some springs in the backscarp area and water in the lower (brackish) aquifer beneath the mudboil area may indicate a hydraulic connection between this aquifer and the surficial deposits. Hydrologic changes in the valley during the last 100 years have been attributed to salt-solution mining in the upstream (southern) end of the valley. The removal of nearly 150 feet of salt from four evaporite beds in the Syracuse Shale of the Salina Group has caused the collapse of bedrock and unconsolidated deposits in and near the brine field, 3 miles south of the mudboil area. These collapses have created a hydraulic connection among bedding plane aquifers in the bedrock and increased the hydraulic connection with unconsolidated aquifers. The ground-water flow system after brine field closure in 1988 may have reached a new semiequilibrium, but mudboil activity will likely continue because artesian pressures remain. Whether mudboils were present before salt solution-mining began is unknown.

New York↗
USGS1987

Ground-water-withdrawal and water-level data used to simulate regional flow in the major coastal plain aquifers of New Jersey

The report documents groundwater withdrawal and level data for the major aquifers of the New Jersey Coastal Plain. These data have been used in the Regional Aquifer System Analysis flow model of 10 major aquifers in the New Jersey Coastal Plain. Groundwater withdrawal data from more than 1,400 wells are tabulated by year for 1956 through 1980. Total yearly withdrawals for 171 public supply and industrial purveyors for 1918 through 1955 are documented. Best estimates are given for percentages of total withdrawals by aquifer for the 1918 through 1955 data. Groundwater withdrawal data is also tabulated yearly from 1918 through 1980 by county for each aquifer. Long-term hydrographs for 89 Coastal Plain wells provide information on water level fluctuations over time. Potentiometric maps showing earliest recorded water levels in Coastal Plain aquifers delineate prepumping conditions. Groundwater withdrawals from the Coastal Plain have increased from less than 50 million gal/day in 1918 to more than 350 million gal/day in 1980. In response to these increased withdrawals, groundwater levels have been steadily declining. In some areas where wells once flowed freely, water levels are now 100 to 200 ft below land surface. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1996

Compilation and preliminary interpretations of hydrologic and water-quality data from the Railroad Industrial Area, Fairbanks, Alaska, 1993-94

Commercial and industrial activities in the Railroad Industrial Area in Fairbanks, Alaska, have resulted in accidental releases of chemicals to the subsurface. Such releases have generated concern regarding local ground-water quality and the potential impact on nearby water-supply wells. Consequently, a study is being conducted to characterize the environmental and hydrologic conditions in the area. Existing reports from numerous previous investigations in the area were reviewed and relevant information from these documents was compiled. Both ground- and surface-water elevations were measured approximately monthly at as many as 50 sites during mass measurements. Selected sites were measured more frequently to assess short-term changes in the ground- and surface-water systems. Supplemental data were also collected outside of the study area to aid in interpretation. Ground water was sampled and analyzed to define the extent of the area affected by petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents. Data show that water levels in nearby rivers and sloughs have a considerable influence on ground-water flow in the study area. Seasonal and shorter term changes in river stage frequently alter and even reverse the direction of ground-water flow. The local ground-water system typically has an upward flow component, but this component is reversed in the upper part of the aquifer during periods of high water levels in the Chena River. These periodic changes in the magnitude and direction of ground-water flow have a considerable influence on the transport of dissolved hydrocarbons in the subsurface. Both petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents were found in ground water at the study area. Typical degradation products of these compounds were also found, indicating that biodegradation by indigenous microorganisms is occurring.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2003

Peak-flow characteristics of Wyoming streams

Peak-flow characteristics for unregulated streams in Wyoming are described in this report. Frequency relations for annual peak flows through water year 2000 at 364 streamflow-gaging stations in and near Wyoming were evaluated and revised or updated as needed. Analyses of historical floods, temporal trends, and generalized skew were included in the evaluation. Physical and climatic basin characteristics were determined for each gaging station using a geographic information system. Gaging stations with similar peak-flow and basin characteristics were grouped into six hydrologic regions. Regional statistical relations between peak-flow and basin characteristics were explored using multiple-regression techniques. Generalized least squares regression equations for estimating magnitudes of annual peak flows with selected recurrence intervals from 1.5 to 500 years were developed for each region. Average standard errors of estimate range from 34 to 131 percent. Average standard errors of prediction range from 35 to 135 percent. Several statistics for evaluating and comparing the errors in these estimates are described. Limitations of the equations are described. Methods for applying the regional equations for various circumstances are listed and examples are given.

Wyoming↗
USGS1996

Trends in chloride, dissolved-solids, and nitrate concentrations in ground water, Carson Valley and Topaz Lake Areas, Douglas County, Nevada, 1959-88

Rapid population growth in Douglas County, an area of approximately 750 square miles in west-central Nevada, has led to concern about the present and future effects of development on ground water. This report describes the results of two nonparametric statistical procedures applied to detect trends in concentrations of chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate in ground water. The water-quality data consist of analytical results from ground-water samples collected and analyzed by the U. S. Geological Survey and ground-water-quality data provided by the Nevada Bureau of Health Protection Services for the Carson Valley and Topaz Lake areas of Douglas County, Nevada. For purposes of this study, statistical significance, expressed as the p-value, was set at 0.1. The Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxan rank-sum test detected increasing step-trends for nitrate in one of seven residential areas and for dissolved-solids concentrations throughout the study area. Decreasing step-trends for chloride and dissolved-solids concentrations were detected in the west Carson Valley area. Kendall's Tau detected monotonic trends for increasing nitrate concentrations at four domestic wells and for increasing dissolved-solids concentrations at two domestic wells. No other statistically significant trends were indicated by either test. Land-use relations to areas where increasing trends were detected suggest that the density of individual wastewater-treatment systems may exceed the capacity of soils to treat wastewater leachate.

Nevada↗
USGS1978

Hydrologic monitoring of a deep-well waste-injection system near Pensacola, Florida, March 1970 - March 1977

This report presents hydraulic and chemical data collected at a deep-well waste-injection system near Pensacola, Florida. Since injection began in July 1963, about 13.3 billion gallons of industrial acidic waste containing nitric acid, inorganic salts and numerous organic compounds have been injected into a saline-water-filled limestone aquifer. Wellhead pressure at two injection wells averaged 180 pounds per square inch in March 1977 and the hydraulic pressure gradient was 0.53 pound per square inch per foot of depth to the top of the injection zone. Increases in pressure since 1970 at two wells used to monitor the injection zone at sites located 1.9 miles north and 1.5 miles south of the injection site have been about 22 and 29 pounds per square inch. The pressure in a shallow monitor well, penetrating the first permeable zone above the 220-foot-thick confining bed, declined about 4 pounds per square inch. No changes were detected in the chemical character of water from the shallow monitor well and the north monitor well, but since late 1973, concentrations of bicarbonate and dissolved organic carbon in water from the south monitor well have increased. (Woodard-USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗