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USGS1984

Appraisal of the surficial aquifers in the Pomme de Terre and Chippewa River Valleys, western Minnesota

The surf icial sands in the Pomme de Terre and Chippewa River valleys in Grant, Pope, Stevens, and Swift Counties have been studied to determine the occurrence, availability, and quality of ground water in these aquifers. In the northern part of the Pomme de Terre and Chippewa River valleys, the aquifers consist of coarse sand and gravel ranging from 0 to 100 feet in thickness; transmissivities range from 0 to 35,000 feet squared per day in narrow, steep-sided erosional valleys. In the north, well yields commonly exceed 1,000 gallons per minute and may be as much as 4,000 gallons per minute locally. Farther south, the deposits are medium to fine grained, range from 0 to 90 feet thick, and reach a maximum width of 10 miles near Benson, Minnesota. Transmissivities range from 0 to 25,000 feet squared per day. Wells may yield as much as 1,500 gallons per minute locally. Southeast of Clontarf, well yields generally do not exceed 500 gallons per minute because the deposits are thinly saturated and fine grained. Ground water in the surf icial aquifer is a mixed calcium magnesium-sulf ate bicarbonate type that is chemically suitable for most uses. Concentrations of most constituents analyzed were below limits recommended by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for drinking water, but concentrations of manganese, iron, nitrite plus nitrate, and dissolved solids exceed recommended limits locally. Salinity, as indicated by the specific conductance (values ranged from 580 to 1,000 micromhos per centimeter) was in the medium to high range at several locations. An analytical model was used to estimate the effect on streamflow of pumpage from the surficial aquifer in the narrow, 50-mile reach of the Pomme de Terre River valley in Stevens and Grant Counties. The model indicates that the 43 existing wells pumping at maximum potential yields could reduce streamflow by 55 cubic feet per second. Addition of 23 wells also pumping at maximum potential yields could reduce streamflow by 77 cubic feet per second; this rate exceeds low base flow of the Pomme de Terre River. Finite-difference models were used to simulate flow in the surficial aquifer along the Pomme de Terre River near Appleton in Swift County and along the Chippewa River between Cyrus in Pope County and Danvers in Swift County. In the Appleton area/ model analyses indicate that pumping lowered water levels as much as 3 feet from 1973-80 and reduced streamflow by about 14 cubic feet per second. Additional regional water-level declines of 1 to 2 feet/ and up to 4 feet locally near aquifer-till boundaries, can be expected after about 4 years if pumping continues at the 1980 rate and area! recharge from precipitation is near normal. However/ simulation of increased pumping rates and decreased area! recharge during a 3-year drought indicates that water levels may decline as much as 9 feet near aquifer-till boundaries and streamflow may be reduced by about 41 cubic feet per second, which is about 95 percent of the available flow in the Pomme de Terre River at the 55-percent flow duration. Model results also suggest that/ during the first year of a drought/ the combined pumpage from wells operated during 1980 along the Pomme de Terre River in Stevens and Grant Counties and in the Appleton area could reduce streamflow to zero during base flow. Model-computed streamflow deficiencies are 48 and 60 cubic feet per second at the 55- and 70-percent flow duration/ respectively. Under such conditions/ pumping could not be sustained at the rates simulated unless there was sufficient water stored in the stream channel or streamflow was augmented. In the Cyrus-Benson area/ model results indicate that tinder 1980 development and average area! recharge/ dynamic equilibrium would be reached in less than 4 years and additional drawdown would be less than 2 feet. A 3-year drought coupled with increased pumping from irrigation wells operated during 1980 would lower water levels as much as 6 feet and reduce flow in the Chippewa River by about 26 cubic feet per second. At maximum hypothetical development in terms of the number of wells and normal area! recharge/ water levels would be lowered as much as 9 feet and streamflow would be reduced about 12 cubic feet per second. At maximum hypothetical development/ drought conditions and increased pumping would lower water levels as much as 12 feet and reduce flow in the Chippewa River by about 30 cubic feet per second/ which equals about 75 percent of available streamflow at the 70-percent flow duration.

Minnesota↗

USGS2005

Simulated water-level responses, ground-water fluxes, and storage changes for recharge scenarios along Rillito Creek, Tucson, Arizona

A local ground-water flow model is used to simulate four recharge scenarios along Rillito Creek in northern Tucson to evaluate mitigating effects on ground-water deficits and water-level declines in Tucson's Central Well Field. The local model, which derives boundary conditions from a basin-scale model, spans the 12-mile reach of Rillito Creek and extends 9 miles south into the Central Well Field. Recharge scenarios along Rillito Creek range from 5,000 to 60,000 acre-feet per year and are simulated to begin in 2005 and extend through 2225 to estimate long-term changes in ground-water level, ground-water storage, ground-water flux, and evapotranspiration. The base case for comparison of simulated water levels and flows, referred to as scenario A, uses a long-term recharge rate of 5,000 acre-feet per year to 2225. Scenario B, which increases the recharge along Rillito Creek by 9,500 acre-feet per year, has simulated water-level rises beneath Rillito Creek that range from about 53 feet to 86 feet. Water-level rises within the Central Well Field range from about 60 feet to 80 feet. More than half of these rises occur by 2050, and more than 95 percent occur by 2188. Scenario C, which increases the recharge along Rillito Creek by 16,700 acre-feet per year relative to scenario A, has simulated water-level rises beneath Rillito Creek that range from about 71 feet to 102 feet. Water-level rises within the Central Well Field range from about 80 feet to 95 feet. More than half of the rises occur by 2036, and more than 95 percent occur by 2100. Scenario D, which initially increases the recharge rate by about 55,000 acre-feet per year relative to scenario A, resulted in simulated water levels that rise to land surface along Rillito Creek. This rise in water level resulted in rejected recharge. As the water table continued to rise, the area of stream-channel surface intersected by the water table increased causing continual decline in the recharge rate until a long-term recharge rate of about 34,000 acre-feet per year was sustained. The long-term recharge rate for scenario D is about 29,000 acre-feet per year greater than the long-term recharge rate for scenario A. Simulated long-term water-level rises beneath Rillito Creek range from about 97 feet to 131 feet, resulting in water levels near or at the land surface. Shallow depths to water associated with this scenario have implications for contamination owing to the presence of landfills within or adjacent to Rillito Creek. Water-level rises for cells within the Central Well Field range from about 96 feet to 109 feet. More than half of the water-level rises occur by 2018 and more than 95 percent occur by 2041. Almost all the increased water added to the ground-water system in the recharge scenarios can be accounted for by a combination of increased storage near Rillito Creek, ground-water flux to the south, ground-water flux to the northwest, and increased discharge as evapotranspiration along Rillito Creek. The percentage of newly added water accounted for by storage changes is large relative to the percentage accounted for by changes in flux and evapotranspiration at the onset of each scenario; however, the changes in storage become smaller throughout the simulation, and the long-term component accounted for by storage is minimal. Long-term ground-water fluxes to the south increase by about 3,300, 4,840, and 7,500 acre-feet per year for scenarios B, C, and D, respectively. The percentage of increased recharge that flows south toward the Central Well Field, therefore, is 35, 29, and 26 percent for scenarios B, C, and D, respectively. Long-term ground-water fluxes to the northwest increase by about 3,100, 3,900, and 6,980 acre-feet per year for scenarios B, C, and D, respectively. The long-term percentage of increased recharge flowing northwestward is about 31, 25, and 21 percent for scenarios B, C, and D, respectively. Shallow ground-water evapotranspiration along Rillito Creek incr

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2007

Assessment of Areal Recharge to the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, Spokane County, Washington, and Bonner and Kootenai Counties, Idaho

A numerical flow model of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie aquifer currently (2007) being developed requires the input of values for areally-distributed recharge, a parameter that is often the most uncertain component of water budgets and ground-water flow models because it is virtually impossible to measure over large areas. Data from six active weather stations in and near the study area were used in four recharge-calculation techniques or approaches; the Langbein method, in which recharge is estimated on the basis of empirical data from other basins; a method developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in which crop consumptive use and effective precipitation are first calculated and then subtracted from actual precipitation to yield an estimate of recharge; an approach developed as part of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Model (ESPAM) Enhancement Project in which recharge is calculated on the basis of precipitation-recharge relations from other basins; and an approach in which reference evapotranspiration is calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Penman-Monteith equation, crop consumptive use is determined (using a single or dual coefficient approach), and recharge is calculated. Annual recharge calculated by the Langbein method for the six weather stations was 4 percent of annual mean precipitation, yielding the lowest values of the methods discussed in this report, however, the Langbein method can be only applied to annual time periods. Mean monthly recharge calculated by the USDA method ranged from 53 to 73 percent of mean monthly precipitation. Mean annual recharge ranged from 64 to 69 percent of mean annual precipitation. Separate mean monthly recharge calculations were made with the ESPAM method using initial input parameters to represent thin-soil, thick-soil, and lava-rock conditions. The lava-rock parameters yielded the highest recharge values and the thick-soil parameters the lowest. For thin-soil parameters, calculated monthly recharge ranged from 10 to 29 percent of mean monthly precipitation and annual recharge ranged from 16 to 23 percent of mean annual precipitation. For thick-soil parameters, calculated monthly recharge ranged from 1 to 5 percent of mean monthly precipitation and mean annual recharge ranged from 2 to 4 percent of mean annual precipitation. For lava-rock parameters, calculated mean monthly recharge ranged from 37 to 57 percent of mean monthly precipitation and mean annual recharge ranged from 45 to 52 percent of mean annual precipitation. Single-coefficient (crop coefficient) FAO Penman-Monteith mean monthly recharge values were calculated for Spokane Weather Service Office (WSO) Airport, the only station for which the necessary meteorological data were available. Grass-referenced values of mean monthly recharge ranged from 0 to 81 percent of mean monthly precipitation and mean annual recharge was 21 percent of mean annual precipitation; alfalfa-referenced values of mean monthly recharge ranged from 0 to 85 percent of mean monthly precipitation and mean annual recharge was 24 percent of mean annual precipitation. Single-coefficient FAO Penman-Monteith calculations yielded a mean monthly recharge of zero during the eight warmest and driest months of the year (March-October). In order to refine the mean monthly recharge estimates, dual-coefficient (basal crop and soil evaporation coefficients) FAO Penman-Monteith dual-crop evapotranspiration and deep-percolation calculations were applied to daily values from the Spokane WSO Airport for January 1990 through December 2005. The resultant monthly totals display a temporal variability that is absent from the mean monthly values and demonstrate that the daily amount and timing of precipitation dramatically affect calculated recharge. The dual-coefficient FAO Penman-Monteith calculations were made for the remaining five stations using wind-speed values for Spokane WSO Airport and other assumptions regarding

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2004

Simulation of solute transport of tetrachloroethylene in ground water of the glacial-drift aquifer at the Savage Municipal Well Superfund Site, Milford, New Hampshire, 1960-2000

The Savage Municipal Well Superfund site, named after the former municipal water-supply well for the town of Milford, is underlain by a 0.5-square mile plume of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The plume occurs mostly within a highly transmissive sand-and-gravel unit, but also extends to an underlying till and bedrock unit. The plume logistically is divided into two areas termed Operable Unit No. 1 (OU1), which contains the primary source area, and Operable Unit No. 2 (OU2), which is the extended plume area. PCE concentrations in excess of 100,000 parts per billion (ppb) had been detected in the OU1 area in 1995, indicating a likely Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) source. In the fall of 1998, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) installed a remedial system in OU1. The OU1 remedial system includes a low-permeability barrier that encircles the highest detected concentrations of PCE, and a series of injection and extraction wells. The barrier primarily sits atop bedrock and penetrates the full thickness of the sand and gravel; and in some places, the full thickness of the underlying basal till. The sand and gravel unit and the till comprise the aquifer termed the Milford-Souhegan glacial-drift aquifer (MSGD). Two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite-difference solute-transport models of the unconsolidated sediments (MSGD aquifer) were constructed to help evaluate solute-transport processes, assess the effectiveness of remedial activities in OU1, and to help design remedial strategies in OU2. The solute-transport models simulate PCE concentrations, and model results were compared to observed concentrations of PCE. Simulations were grouped into the following three time periods: an historical calibration of the distribution of PCE from the initial input (circa 1960) of PCE into the subsurface to the 1990s, a pre-remedial calibration from 1995 to 1998, and a remedial (post-barrier wall) calibration from 1998 to 1999. Model results also were checked against observed PCE concentrations from May and June 2000 as a post-audit of model performance. Results of the simulations of the two-dimensional model for the historical calibration indicate that the model-computed length of the plume is affected by the retardation factor (retardation). Values of retardation greater than 3 caused the longitudinal length of the computed plume to be too short compared to the observed plume. A retardation of 2-2.5 produced a reasonable comparison between computed and observed PCE concentrations. Testing of different starting times and rates of mass input of PCE indicated that the plume reaches a quasi steady-state distribution in about 20 years regardless of the rate of mass input or values of the solute-transport parameters (retardation, dispersion, and irreversible reaction) assigned the model. Results of the simulations of the three-dimensional model for the pre-remedial (1995-98) calibration of PCE for the OU2 area identified some spatial biases in computed concentrations that generally were unaffected by changes in retardation. The computed PCE concentrations exceeded observed concentrations along the northern part of the plume in OU2, where PCE increases were observed in a bedrock well. These results indicate that some PCE in this area may be entering the bedrock, which is not simulated in the model. Conversely, computed PCE concentrations were less than observed concentrations along the southern part of the plume in OU2. Because testing of high (above 4) values of retardation did little to reduce residuals, it is concluded that the low computed PCE concentrations along the southern flank are likely the result of an underestimation of the initial PCE mass in this area or an unaccounted source of PCE. Results of the simulations of the three-dimensional model for the remedial calibration period (1998-99) and po

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2009

Occurrence and distribution of iron, manganese, and selected trace elements in ground water in the glacial aquifer system of the northern United States

Dissolved trace elements, including iron and manganese, are often an important factor in use of ground water for drinking-water supplies in the glacial aquifer system of the United States. The glacial aquifer system underlies most of New England, extends through the Midwest, and underlies portions of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Concentrations of dissolved trace elements in ground water can vary over several orders of magnitude across local well networks as well as across regions of the United States. Characterization of this variability is a step toward a regional screening-level assessment of potential human-health implications. Ground-water sampling, from 1991 through 2003, of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey determined trace element concentrations in water from 847 wells in the glacial aquifer system. Dissolved iron and manganese concentrations were analyzed in those well samples and in water from an additional 743 NAWQA land-use and major-aquifer survey wells. The samples are from monitoring and water-supply wells. Concentrations of antimony, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, strontium, thallium, uranium, and zinc vary as much within NAWQA study units (local scale; ranging in size from a few thousand to tens of thousands of square miles) as over the entire glacial aquifer system. Patterns of trace element concentrations in glacial aquifer system ground water were examined by using techniques suitable for a dataset with zero to 80 percent of analytical results reported as below detection. During the period of sampling, the analytical techniques changed, which generally improved the analytical sensitivity. Multiple reporting limits complicated the comparison of detections and concentrations. Regression on Order Statistics was used to model probability distributions and estimate the medians and other quantiles of the trace element concentrations. Strontium and barium were the most frequently detected and usually were present in the highest concentrations. Iron and manganese were the next most commonly detected and next highest in concentrations. Iron concentrations were the most variable with respect to the range of variations (both within local networks and aquifer-wide) and with respect to the disparity between magnitude of concentrations (detections) and the frequency of samples below reporting limits (nondetections). Antimony, beryllium, cadmium, silver, and thallium were detected too infrequently for substantial interpretation of their occurrence or distributions or potential human-health implications. For those elements that were more frequently detected, there are some geographic patterns in their occurrence that primarily reflect climate effects. The highest concentrations of several elements were found in the West-Central glacial framework area (High Plains and northern Plains areas). There are few important patterns for any element in relation to land use, well type, or network type. Shallow land-use (monitor) wells had iron concentrations generally lower than the glacial aquifer system wells overall and much lower than major-aquifer survey wells, which comprise mostly private- and public-supply wells. Unlike those for iron, concentration patterns for manganese were similar among shallow land-use wells and major-aquifer survey wells. An apparent relation between low pH and relatively low concentrations of many elements, except lead, may be more indicative of the relatively low dissolved-solids content in wells in the Northeastern United States that comprise the majority of low pH wells, than of a pH dependent pattern. Iron and manganese have higher concentrations and larger ranges of concentrations especially under more reducing conditions. Dissolved oxygen and well depth were related to iron and manganese concentrations. Redox conditions also affect several trace elements such as arsenic and copper; however, a comparison of redox categories, based in part on iron and manganese concentrations, indicated that the concentrations of many redox-sensitive elements were not significantly different among redox categories. Some of the redox-related patterns were not what would be expected on the basis of solubility constraints. Furthermore, barium is affected by redox conditions in at least one well network even though it is not a redox-sensitive element. Concentrations of barium in portions of the glacial aquifer system are limited by sulfate, which is strongly affected by redox conditions. Few samples had concentrations of any trace element that exceeded drinking-water standards (Maximum Contaminant Levels), for compounds regulated in drinking water or Health-Based Screening Levels for unregulated trace elements. More unregulated trace elements had concentrations greater than benchmarks than regulated trace elements. More samples had manganese concentrations greater its benchmark than any other element in the glacial aquifer system wells. Of the 1,590 wells sampled for manganese, only 556 are for private or public drinking-water supplies, and of those, 9.9 percent (55) exceeded the manganese Lifetime Health Advisory. Concentrations of arsenic, selenium, and uranium less frequently exceeded Maximum Contaminant Levels. There are 29 wells that had 2 element concentrations that exceeded their respective benchmarks. Most concentrations that exceeded a health-based benchmark were from wells in the West-Central area (Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas); however, there is little geographical pattern to the wells with element concentrations of concern.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2011

Geohydrology, simulation of regional groundwater flow, and assessment of water-management strategies, Twentynine Palms area, California

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California, overlies the Surprise Spring, Deadman, Mesquite, and Mainside subbasins of the Morongo groundwater basin in the southern Mojave Desert. Historically, the MCAGCC has relied on groundwater pumped from the Surprise Spring subbasin to provide all of its potable water supply. Groundwater pumpage in the Surprise Spring subbasin has caused groundwater levels in the subbasin to decline by as much as 190 feet (ft) from 1953 through 2007. Groundwater from the other subbasins contains relatively high concentrations of fluoride, arsenic, and (or) dissolved solids, making it unsuitable for potable uses without treatment. The potable groundwater supply in Surprise Spring subbasin is diminishing because of pumping-induced overdraft and because of more restrictive Federal drinking-water standards on arsenic concentrations. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the MCAGCC, completed this study to better understand groundwater resources in the area and to help establish a long-term strategy for regional water-resource development. The Surprise Spring, Deadman, Mesquite, and Mainside subbasins are filled with sedimentary deposits of Tertiary age, alluvial fan deposits of Quaternary-Tertiary age, and younger alluvial and playa deposits of Quaternary age. Combined, this sedimentary sequence reaches a maximum thickness of more than 16,000 ft in the Deadman and Mesquite subbasins. The sedimentary deposits of Tertiary age yield a small amount of water to wells, and this water commonly contains high concentrations of fluoride, arsenic, and dissolved solids. The alluvial fan deposits form the principal water-bearing unit in the study area and have a combined thickness of 250 to more than 1,000 ft. The younger alluvial and playa deposits are unsaturated throughout most of the study area. Lithologic and downhole geophysical logs were used to divide the Quaternary/ Tertiary alluvial fan deposits into two aquifers (referred to as the upper and the middle aquifers) and the Tertiary sedimentary deposits into a single aquifer (referred to as the lower aquifer). In general, wells perforated in the upper aquifer yield more water than wells perforated in the middle and lower aquifers. The study area is dominated by extensive faulting and moderate to intense folding that has displaced or deformed the pre-Tertiary basement complex as well as the overlying Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. Many of these faults act as barriers to the lateral movement of groundwater flow and form many of the boundaries of the groundwater subbasins. The principal recharge to the study area is groundwater underflow across the western and southern boundaries that originates as runoff in the surrounding mountains. Groundwater discharges naturally from the study area as spring flow, as groundwater underflow to downstream basins, and as water vapor to the atmosphere by transpiration of phreatophytes and direct evaporation from moist soil. The annual volume of water that naturally recharged to or discharged from the groundwater flow system in the study area during predevelopment conditions was estimated to be 1,010 acre-feet per year (acre-ft/yr). About 90 percent of this recharge originated as runoff from the Little San Bernardino and the Pinto Mountains to the south, and the remainder originated as runoff from the San Bernardino Mountains to the west. Evapotranspiration by phreatophytes near Mesquite Lake (dry) was the primary form of predevelopment groundwater discharge. From 1953 through 2007, approximately 139,400 acre-feet (acre-ft) of groundwater was pumped by the MCAGCC from the Surprise Spring subbasin. A regional-scale numerical groundwater flow model was developed using MODFLOW-2000 for the Surprise Spring, Deadman, Mesquite, and Mainside subbasins. The aquifer system was simulated by using three model layers representing the upper, middle, and lower aquifers. Measured groundwater levels

California↗

USGS2014

Delineation of marsh types of the Texas coast from Corpus Christi Bay to the Sabine River in 2010

Coastal zone managers and researchers often require detailed information regarding emergent marsh vegetation types for modeling habitat capacities and needs of marsh-reliant wildlife (such as waterfowl and alligator). Detailed information on the extent and distribution of marsh vegetation zones throughout the Texas coast has been historically unavailable. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation and collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via the Gulf Coast Joint Venture, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and Ducks Unlimited, Inc., has produced a classification of marsh vegetation types along the middle and upper Texas coast from Corpus Christi Bay to the Sabine River. This study incorporates approximately 1,000 ground reference locations collected via helicopter surveys in coastal marsh areas and about 2,000 supplemental locations from fresh marsh, water, and “other” (that is, nonmarsh) areas. About two-thirds of these data were used for training, and about one-third were used for assessing accuracy. Decision-tree analyses using Rulequest See5 were used to classify emergent marsh vegetation types by using these data, multitemporal satellite-based multispectral imagery from 2009 to 2011, a bare-earth digital elevation model (DEM) based on airborne light detection and ranging (lidar), alternative contemporary land cover classifications, and other spatially explicit variables believed to be important for delineating the extent and distribution of marsh vegetation communities. Image objects were generated from segmentation of high-resolution airborne imagery acquired in 2010 and were used to refine the classification. The classification is dated 2010 because the year is both the midpoint of the multitemporal satellite-based imagery (2009–11) classified and the date of the high-resolution airborne imagery that was used to develop image objects. Overall accuracy corrected for bias (accuracy estimate incorporates true marginal proportions) was 91 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 89.2–92.8), with a kappa statistic of 0.79 (95 percent CI: 0.77–0.81). The classification performed best for saline marsh (user’s accuracy 81.5 percent; producer’s accuracy corrected for bias 62.9 percent) but showed a lesser ability to discriminate intermediate marsh (user’s accuracy 47.7 percent; producer’s accuracy corrected for bias 49.5 percent). Because of confusion in intermediate and brackish marsh classes, an alternative classification containing only three marsh types was created in which intermediate and brackish marshes were combined into a single class. Image objects were reattributed by using this alternative three-marsh-type classification. Overall accuracy, corrected for bias, of this more general classification was 92.4 percent (95 percent CI: 90.7–94.2), and the kappa statistic was 0.83 (95 percent CI: 0.81–0.85). Mean user’s accuracy for marshes within the four-marsh-type and three-marsh-type classifications was 65.4 percent and 75.6 percent, respectively, whereas mean producer’s accuracy was 56.7 percent and 65.1 percent, respectively. This study provides a more objective and repeatable method for classifying marsh types of the middle and upper Texas coast at an extent and greater level of detail than previously available for the study area. The seamless classification produced through this work is now available to help State agencies (such as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) and landscape-scale conservation partnerships (such as the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative and the Gulf Coast Joint Venture) to develop and (or) refine conservation plans targeting priority natural resources. Moreover, these data may improve projections of landscape change and serve as a baseline for monitoring future changes resulting from chronic and episodic stressors.

Texas↗

USGS1999

Trends in base flows and extreme flows in the Beaver Kill Basin, Catskill Mountains, New York, 1915-94

Long-term records from five streamflow-gaging stations within and near the 300-square mile Beaver Kill Basin were analyzed to determine whether construction and presence of New York State Route 17 (NY 17), which was completed in the late 1960's, could have altered hydrologic processes in the basin and thereby adversely affected the basin's trout populations. The hypothesis investigated is that NY 17 has altered surface-water and shallow ground-water flowpaths where it parallels the stream and has increased runoff rates and thereby (1) increased the range in stream discharge (prolonged the base flows, decreased the low flows, and increased the high flows), and (2) altered stream-channel morphology through increased volume and velocity of stormflows. Analyses of base flows, discharge-duration curves, stage-to-discharge relations, peak and bankfull discharges, and flow extremes at a downstream (Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls) and a small tributary (Little Beaver Kill at Livingston Manor) site provide only limited evidence that NY 17 affected hydrologic processes within the basin. These effects are best indicated by significant increases in the magnitude and (or) the frequency of moderate to large discharges (exceedence probabilities) on an instantaneous basis at the Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls site after 1965. Increases in stormflows can not be attributed solely to NY 17, however, because the trend was evident long before NY 17 was constructed. Changes in land use in parts of the watershed may have contributed to gradual and continuous increases in stormflows throughout the entire 80 (plus) years of record. Changes in most base-flow and low-flow statistics for the downstream (Beaver Kill at Cooks Falls) site after 1965 are not statistically significant, but, changes in flow-duration curves and annual peak flows are evident. Flow-duration curves at this site indicate that there is a 16 percent increase in average daily flows after 1965. Annual peak flow data indicate that peak flows from storms recurring at 2-year (and longer) intervals after 1965 are significantly larger than those that recur at the same frequencies before 1965. The lack of comparable increases in peak flows from several nearby reference sites after 1965 indicate that the observed increases in peak flows may be unique to the Beaver Kill Basin. Flow-duration curves and many base-flow and high-flow statistics for the small tributary paralleled by NY 17 in the in the upper reaches of the basin (Little Beaver Kill at Livingston Manor) appear to be considerably altered since NY 17 was constructed. Flow-duration curves at this site indicate that there is about a 54 percent increase in average daily flows after 1965. Increases in the ratio of average annual base flow to average annual flow until 1965 then subsequent decreases suggest an extreme affect of NY 17 on hydrology of the subbasin. The effect of NY 17 on hydrology of the Little Beaver Kill subbasin cannot be defined with certainty, however, because the flow record after 1965 is too short; discharge monitoring was discontinued in 1981. The increases in peak stormflows in the lower Beaver Kill basin through the period of record may have increased the rates of bed-sediment erosion (degradation) and deposition and accelerated changes in stream-channel morphology, however, these possible effects were not examined. Suggestions for further investigation of the effects of NY 17 and of other factors on hydrology, channel morphology, fish habitat, and fish populations in the Beaver Kill Basin include (1) addition of streamflow gages or a creststage gage network at critical locations, (2) a review of engineering records and other aerial photographs for indications of changes in channel morphology, (3) compilation of temperature data and modeling spatial extent and magnitude of stressful summer temperatures (to selected trout species), and (4) confirming the extent and severity of toxic thermal episodes using in-situ fish toxicity tests.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2001

Aquifer-characteristics data for West Virginia

Specific-capacity, storage-coefficient, and specific-yield data for wells in West Virginia were compiled to provide a data set from which transmissivity could be estimated. This data can be used for analytical and mathematical groundwater flow modeling. Analysis of available storage-coefficient and (or) specific-yield data indicates the Ohio River alluvial aquifer has a median specific yield of 0.20, which is characteristic of an unconfined aquifer. The Kanawha River alluvial aquifer has a median specific yield of 0.003, which is characteristic of a semi-confined aquifer. The median storage coefficient of fractured-bedrock aquifers is only 0.007, which is characteristic of confined aquifers. The highest median transmissivity of a specific aquifer in West Virginia occurs in Ohio River alluvium (4,800 ft 2 /d); the second highest occurs in Kanawha River alluvium (1,600 ft 2 /d). The lowest median transmissivity (23 ft 2 /d) is for the McKenzie-Rose Hill-Tuscarora aquifer. Rocks of Cambrian age within the Waynesboro-Tomstown-Harpers-Weverton-Loudon aquifer had a low median transmissivity of only 67 ft 2 /d. Other aquifers with low transmissivities include the Hampshire Formation, Brallier-Harrell Formations, Mahantango Formations, Oriskany Sandstone, and the Conococheague Formation with median transmissivities of 74, 72, 92, 82, and 92 ft 2 /d, respectively. All other aquifers within the State had intermediate values of transmissivity (130-920 ft 2 /d). The highest median transmissivities among bedrock aquifers were those for aquifers within the Pennsylvanian age Pocahontas Formation (1,200 ft 2 /d) and Pottsville Group (1,300 ft 2 /d), and the Mississippian age Mauch Chunk Group (1,300 ft 2 /d). These rocks crop out primarily in the southern part of the State and to a lesser extent within the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The highest mean annual ground-water recharge rates within West Virginia (24.6 in.) occur within a band that extends through the central part of the State within the eastern part of the Kanawha River Basin. This area of relatively high relief has peaks higher than 4,000 ft and precipitation greater than 50 in./yr. The band of high recharge rates extends northward towards Pennsylvania and includes the Monongahela River Basin, which has a mean annual recharge of 21.4 inches. To the west of this central band lies a region of lower relief with much lower mean annual precipitation rates. Mean annual recharge for the Tug Fork, Twelvepole Creek, and Guyandotte River Basins is only 12.6 inches. For the western part of the Kanawha River Basin, mean recharge is 11.9 inches. The lowest mean annual recharge rates (8.4 in.) within the State occur in the Little Kanawha River Basin and the tributary streams in the region that discharge directly to the Ohio River. West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle is an area characterized by long linear northeast to southwest trending ridges and valleys. The mean annual ground-water recharge rate for this region, which is drained almost entirely by the Potomac River and its tributaries, is 9.4 inches. This area, which is located within a rain shadow resulting from orographic lifting in the higher altitude area to the west, receives less precipitation (approximately 30 in.) than the region to the west.

West Virginia↗

USGS2023

Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States

Executive Summary In 2022, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) established the Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment (IWAAs) to monitor and assess the hydrology of terminal lakes in the Great Basin and the migratory birds and other wildlife dependent on those habitats. Scientists from across the USGS (with specialties in water quantity, water quality, limnology, avian biology, data science, landscape ecology, and science communication) formed the Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAAs Team. The team has developed this regional strategic science plan to guide data collection and assessment activities at terminal lakes in the Great Basin. The U.S. Congress requested the USGS to establish the Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAAs in response to historically low water levels at terminal lakes and associated wetlands across the Great Basin. Not all Great Basin terminal lakes have high salinity; however, all terminal lakes occur in endorheic, closed, basins with no surface-water outflow. Low lake levels across the Great Basin are the result of increased water use for agriculture and municipalities, drought conditions, and a warming climate. Great Basin terminal lake water extents have decreased by as much as 90 percent over the last 150 years, and terminal lake wetlands have decreased in area by as much as 47 percent since 1984. Lake elevations and wetland areas are primarily supported by freshwater inputs from snowmelt feeding upgradient rivers, streams, and springs. These freshwater inputs have been severely reduced because of continued and increased surface-water diversions and surface-water capture through groundwater pumping for agriculture, mining, and public supply as well as unprecedented drought conditions and warming temperatures related to climate change. Water quality, specifically salinity, is highly variable for terminal lakes of the Great Basin, and this variability is a result of the balance between freshwater inflow and evaporation. Variability of salinity at each of the terminal lakes can be affected by lake morphology, hydrogeologic features of the basin, annual variability in weather patterns, and changes in upgradient water use. Hypersaline terminal lakes provide abundant food resources such as brine shrimp and brine flies that support nesting and migrating birds. The density and composition of invertebrates are closely tied to lake salinity. Increased salinity can exceed the tolerance of invertebrates, severely limiting their biomass. In contrast, decreased salinity can lead to altered invertebrate community composition, reducing the abundance of optimal avian prey resources. Great Basin terminal lake ecosystems, including open-water and adjacent aquatic and terrestrial environments, provide resources necessary to sustain many animal populations throughout the year. Although a variety of taxa use terminal lakes, these ecosystems are of acute importance for the millions of migratory waterbirds (for example, shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl) dependent on the network of terminal lakes and their associated wetlands. Migratory birds transiting the Pacific and Central Flyways use Great Basin terminal lake ecosystems throughout the year to feed, nest, and transit between wintering and breeding ranges. As such, successful conservation of birds and their habitats requires coordinated management of water and habitats across the Great Basin network of terminal lakes and wetlands. The linkages between water availability and ecosystem vulnerability of terminal lakes in the Great Basin are not well understood. The vulnerability of terminal lakes is related to the factors driving change and adaptive capacity of the lake ecosystem. Saline lake ecosystems are vulnerable when changes in water quantity affect ecosystem function. Water quantity affects salinity, which affects food webs and habitat; these linkages can be investigated with water-quality and food web monitoring. Water quantity also affects inundated habitat, which can be quantified through remote sensing. It is necessary to quantify hydroclimatic and water use controls on water availability to terminal lakes to assess the response of the ecosystems. Remotely sensed data can provide a broad-scale and long-term synoptic view of terminal lake hydrologic characteristics, but ground observations are required to interpret changes in water quality and ecological functions. Some terminal lake basins have ongoing monitoring and modeling efforts within the Great Basin (for example, Great Salt Lake, Carson River Basin), yet most monitoring locations are hydrologically upgradient and too far away from lake inflows to provide an accurate assessment of hydrological trends for the lake ecosystems. Other terminal lakes have no long-term hydrological monitoring in their respective watersheds (for example, Lake Abert). Ecological data collection in the Great Basin is also insufficient to understand how many birds exist on the landscape, how birds use the mosaic of terminal-lake habitats as an interconnected system, and how Great Basin terminal lakes are linked to the larger continental system of the Pacific and Central Flyways. Across agencies and organizations, tracking bird movement, abundance, and diversity is inconsistent, with some lakes having once- or twice-a-year bird survey efforts and a few locations having more intensive ecological data-gathering efforts (for example, Great Salt Lake, Lake Abert). Bridging hydrological and ecological information gaps will improve understanding of the trends in water supply and water quality, habitat availability and usage, and impacts on vulnerable waterbird species, all of which would be used by managers in coordinated conservation of this unique network of terminal-lake habitats. The terminal lakes of the Great Basin are part of the Basin and Range physiographic province that extends from the Colorado Plateau on the east to the Sierra Nevada on the west, and from the Snake River Plain on the north to the Garlock fault and the Mojave block on the south. The Great Basin is larger than 650,000 square kilometers and encompasses most of the State of Nevada but also extends to western Utah, eastern California, southeastern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, and southeastern Oregon. The climate is arid to semiarid with a hydrologic regime that is snowmelt dominated, providing as much as 75 percent of total annual runoff for the region. Terminal lakes of the Great Basin occupy the lowest areas of closed (endorheic) drainage basins, such that lake levels and water quality respond rapidly to surface-water inflow. Terminal lakes provide local and regional economic value to the States in the Great Basin, including mineral extraction, aquaculture, public works, and recreational uses. As an example, assessments of Great Salt Lake’s ecological health and economic impact find hemispheric importance for the former and regional importance for the latter. Great Salt Lake creates about 7,000 jobs and $2 billion of economic output per year, most of which would be lost with further declines in lake level. The objectives of this Science Strategy are threefold: (1) to identify how changing water availability affects the quality, diversity, and abundance of habitats supporting continental waterbird populations; (2) to highlight the scientific monitoring and assessment needs of Great Basin terminal lakes; and (3) to support coordinated management and conservation actions to benefit those ecosystems, migratory birds, and other wildlife. There are long-term hydrological, ecological, and societal challenges associated with terminal lakes ecosystems in the Great Basin. This Science Strategy benefits partners by providing a conceptual model, nested at different spatial extents, that identifies key scientific information needs to inform coordinated implementation of management and conservation plans within and among hydrologic basins to address these complex challenges.

California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming↗

USGS2010

Estimates of groundwater age from till and carbonate bedrock hydrogeologic units at Jefferson Proving Ground, Southeastern Indiana, 2007-08

During 2007-08, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Army, conducted a study to evaluate the relative age of groundwater in Pre-Wisconsinan till and underlying shallow and deep carbonate bedrock units in and near an area at Jefferson Proving Ground (JPG), southeastern Indiana, which was used during 1984-94 to test fire depleted uranium (DU) penetrators. The shallow carbonate unit includes about the upper 40 feet of bedrock below the bedrock-till surface; the deeper carbonate unit includes wells completed at greater depth. Samples collected during April 2008 from 15 wells were analyzed for field water-quality parameters, dissolved gases, tritium, and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds; samples from 14 additional wells were analyzed for tritium only. Water-level gradients in the Pre-Wisconsinan till and the shallow carbonate unit were from topographically higher areas toward Big Creek and Middle Fork Creek, and their tributaries. Vertical gradients were strongly downward from the shallow carbonate unit toward the deep carbonate unit at 3 of 4 paired wells where water levels recovered after development; indicating the general lack of flow between the two units. The lack of post development recovery of water levels at 4 other wells in the deep carbonate unit indicate that parts of that unit have no appreciable permeability. CFC and tritium-based age dates of Pre-Wisconsinan till groundwater are consistent with infiltration of younger (typically post-1960 age) recharge that 'mixes' with older recharge from less permeable or less interconnected strata. Part of the recharge to three till wells dated from the early to mid-1980s (JPG-DU-03O, JPG-DU-09O, and JPG-DU-10O). Age dates of young recharge in water from two till wells predated 1980 (JPG-DU-04O and JPG-DU-06O). Tritium-based age dates of water from seven other till wells indicated post-1972 age recharge. Most wells in the Pre-Wisconsinan till have the potential to produce groundwater that partially was recharged during or after DU penetrator testing; their water quality can indicate the presence of DU-related contaminants. The shallow carbonate unit near Big Creek is a karst flow system that may be recharged in part from areas with smaller thicknesses of overlying till or through more permeable parts of the till. This is indicated by CFC- and tritium-based piston-flow (non-mixing) model age dates of early-1980s for water from JPG-DU-02I, similar tritium-based ages of water produced from nearby wells MW-5 and MW-11, and cave development along the creek. The CFC and tritium-based age dates indicate that water samples from JPG-DU-01I and JPG-DU-03I were best described as mixtures of post-1984 modern recharge and submodern (1953 or older) recharge. These five wells produced groundwater that was recharged, at least partially, during or after DU-penetrator testing and are within or downgradient from the DU Impact Area with respect to groundwater flow directions inferred from water-level contours. Wells with groundwater age dates that are near to or after the onset (1984) of DU penetrator testing and that have a plausible connection to a contaminant source can be used to indicate the presence or absence of contaminants from DU penetrator or DU-related corrosion products in groundwater. Groundwater-age dates indicate that the ages of recharge sampled from shallow carbonate unit wells JPG-DU-04I, JPG-DU-05I, JPG-DU-06I, JPG-DU-09I, and JPG-DU-10D in easternmost (upgradient) and southernmost wells in the shallow carbonate unit are submodern (1953 or older) and predate the DU testing by at least 30 or more years. Water-quality data from these five wells are not likely to represent effects from DU-projectile testing or corrosion for years. Well JPG-DU-09D in the deep carbonate unit produced groundwater samples with a submodern (1953 or older) age date. The slow recovery of water levels in most wells in the deep carbonate unit is consis

Indiana↗

USGS1996

Hydrogeologic conditions and simulation of ground-water flow in the Greater Orlando Metropolitan Area, East-Central Florida

A finite-difference ground-water flow model was used to simulate the effects of both modern-day (1988) and projected 2010 ground-water withdrawals on the Floridan aquifer system in the greater Orlando metropolitan area. This area covers about 2,500 square miles and includes all of Orange and Seminole Counties and parts of Lake, Volusia, Brevard, Osceola, and Polk Counties. The hydrogeology of the area is characterized by a thin surficial aquifer underlain by the thick, highly productive rocks of the Floridan aquifer system. Water in the Upper Floridan aquifer is brackish (chloride concentrations greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter) in discharge areas beneath and near the St. Johns and Wekiva Rivers and is freshest (chloride concentrations less than 100 milligrams per liter) inrecharge areas. A slight trend toward increasing concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate has been observed at Upper Floridan aquifer springs. Chloride concentrations in the Upper Floridan aquifer measured between 1966 and 1993 at the Cocoa well field have increased from 50 milligrams per liter to 120 milligrams per liter; concentrations measured in the Lower Floridan aquifer between 1966 and 1993 have increasedfrom 600 milligrams per liter to 3,000 milligrams per liter. The flow model was calibrated by comparing (a) simulated and estimated Upper Floridan aquifer predevelopment (unstressed) potentiometric surfaces, (b) simulated and measured heads at 142 Upper Floridan aquifer monitoring wells in 1988 (averageabsolute error of 1.8 feet), (c) simulated and measured discharge rates at 15 Upper Floridan aquifer springs in 1988 (306 cubic feet per second), and (d) simulated and measured drawdowns at 134 Upper Floridan aquifer monitoring wells between 1988 and May 1990 (58 and 95 percent of simulated drawdowns were within plus or minus 25and 50 percent of measured drawdowns, respectively). Relative to predevelopment conditions, model simulations indicate that about half of the 305 million gallons per day of water pumped from the Floridan aquifer system in 1988 was accounted for by increased recharge from the surficial aquifer system. About 23 cubic feet persecond was derived from increased lateral inflow. A storage coefficient of 1x10-3 provided the best comparisons of measured-to-simulated data during the transient simulation from January to May 1990. This storativity probably is greater than the true storativity of the Upper Floridan aquifer because storage contributions from the intermediateconfining unit were not accounted for during model design and development. Calibrated transmissivity ranged from 10,000 to greater than 400,000 feet squared per day in the Upper Floridan aquifer, and from 5,000 to 600,000 feet squared per day in the Lower Floridan aquifer. Calibrated intermediate confining unit leakance ranged from 1x10-5 to 4x10-3 per day and was highest in areas where the unit is thin or has been breached by numerous sinkholes. In general,calibrated transmissivity and leakance values were higher than associated aquifer-test values. Simulated recharge rates to the Upper Floridan aquifer from the surficial aquifer system ranged from less than 3 to 21 inches per year. Recharge rates of greater than 10 inches per year were simulated in areas of west Seminole, west Orange, east Lake, and southwest Volusia Counties. Recharge rates of less than 3 inches per year were simulated in east Orange and northeast Osceola Counties. The calibrated model was used to simulate the effects of increased Floridan aquifer withdrawals in the year 2010 (542 million gallons per day) on water levels and spring flow. Projected effects were simulated for both "wet" conditions (using 1988 fixed-head arrays) and for "dry" conditions (using May 1990 fixed-head arrays), thus bracketing a potential range of effects. Relative to simulated 1988 conditions, simulated 2010 spring flow decreased by 43 cubic f

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2014

Conceptual model of the uppermost principal aquifer systems in the Williston and Powder River structural basins, United States and Canada

The three uppermost principal aquifer systems of the Northern Great Plains—the glacial, lower Tertiary, and Upper Cretaceous aquifer systems—are described in this report and provide water for irrigation, mining, public and domestic supply, livestock, and industrial uses. These aquifer systems primarily are present in two nationally important fossil-fuelproducing areas: the Williston and Powder River structural basins in the United States and Canada. The glacial aquifer system is contained within glacial deposits that overlie the lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous aquifer systems in the northeastern part of the Williston structural basin. Productive sand and gravel aquifers exist within this aquifer system. The Upper Cretaceous aquifer system is contained within bedrock lithostratigraphic units as deep as 2,850 and 8,500 feet below land surface in the Williston and Powder River structural basins, respectively. Petroleum extraction from much deeper formations, such as the Bakken Formation, is rapidly increasing because of recently improved hydraulic fracturing methods that require large volumes of relatively freshwater from shallow aquifers or surface water. Extraction of coalbed natural gas from within the lower Tertiary aquifer system requires removal of large volumes of groundwater to allow degasification. Recognizing the importance of understanding water resources in these energy-rich basins, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Groundwater Resources Program ( http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/ ) began a groundwater study of the Williston and Powder River structural basins in 2011 to quantify this groundwater resource, the results of which are described in this report. The overall objective of this study was to characterize, quantify, and provide an improved conceptual understanding of the three uppermost and principal aquifer systems in energy-resource areas of the Northern Great Plains to assist in groundwater-resource management for multiple uses. The study area includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming in the United States and Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada. The glacial aquifer system is contained within glacial drift consisting primarily of till, with smaller amounts of glacial outwash sand and gravel deposits. The lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous aquifer systems are contained within several formations of the Tertiary and Cretaceous geologic systems, which are hydraulically separated from underlying aquifers by a basal confining unit. The lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous aquifer systems each were divided into three hydrogeologic units that correspond to one or more lithostratigraphic units. The period prior to 1960 is defined as the predevelopment period when little groundwater was extracted. From 1960 through 1990, numerous flowing wells were installed near the Yellowstone, Little Missouri and Knife Rivers, resulting in local groundwater declines. Recently developed technologies for the extraction of petroleum resources, which largely have been applied in the study area since about 2005, require millions of gallons of water for construction of each well, with additional water needed for long-term operation; therefore, the potential for an increase in groundwater extraction is high. In this study, groundwater recharge and discharge components were estimated for the period 1981–2005. Groundwater recharge primarily occurs from infiltration of rainfall and snowmelt (precipitation recharge) and infiltration of streams into the ground (stream infiltration). Total estimated recharge to the Williston and Powder River control volumes is 4,560 and 1,500 cubic feet per second, respectively. Estimated precipitation recharge is 26 and 15 percent of total recharge for the Williston and Powder River control volumes, respectively. Estimated stream infiltration is 71 and 80 percent of total recharge for the Williston and Powder River control volumes, respectively. Groundwater discharge primarily is to streams and springs and is estimated to be about 97 and 92 percent of total discharge for the Williston and Powder River control volumes, respectively. Most of the remaining discharge results from pumped and flowing wells. Groundwater flow in the Williston structural basin generally is from the west and southwest toward the east, where discharge to streams occurs. Locally, in the uppermost hydrogeologic units, groundwater generally is unconfined and flows from topographically high to low areas, where discharge to streams occurs. Groundwater flow in the Powder River structural basin generally is toward the north, with local variations, particularly in the upper Fort Union aquifer, where flow is toward streams.

Manitoba;Montana;North Dakota;Saskatchewan;South D↗

USGS1989

Geohydrology of the alluvial and terrace deposits of the North Canadian River from Oklahoma City to Eufaula Lake, central Oklahoma

This investigation was undertaken to describe the geohydrology of the alluvial and terrace deposits along the North Canadian River between Lake Overholser and Eufaula Lake, an area of about 1,835 square miles, and to determine the maximum annual yield of ground water. A 1982 water-level map of the alluvial and terrace aquifer was prepared using field data and published records. Data from test holes and other data from the files of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Water Resources Board were used to establish the approximate thickness of the alluvial and terrace deposits. The North Canadian River from Lake Overholser, near Oklahoma City, to Eufaula Lake is paralleled by a 2- to 3-mile wide band of alluvium. Scattered terrace deposits on either side of the alluvium reach an extreme width of 8 miles. Rocks of Permian age bound the alluvial and terrace deposits from the west to the midpoint of the study area; Pennsylvanian rocks bound the alluvial and terrace deposits from that point eastward. Three major aquifers are present in the study area: the alluvial and terrace aquifer, consisting of alluvium and terrace deposits of Quaternary age in a narrow band on either side of the North Canadian River; the Garber-Wellington aquifer of Permian age, consisting of an upper unconfined zone and a lower confined zone separated by relatively impermeable shales; and the Ada-Vamoosa aquifer of Pennsylvanian age. At locations were the alluvial and terrace aquifer overlies either of the other aquifers, there is hydraulic continuity between the alluvial and terrace aquifer and the other aquifers, and water levels are the same. Most large-scale municipal and industrial pumping from the Garber-Wellington aquifer is from the lower zone and has little discernible effect upon the alluvial and terrace aquifer. The total estimated base flow of the North Canadian River for the studied reach is 264 cubic feet per second. Evapotranspiration from the basin in August is about 60 cubic feet per second for the North Canadian River from Lake Overholser to a measuring station above Eufaula Lake. Estimated recharge rates to the alluvial and terrace aquifer in the basin range from 1.7 inches at the west edge of the study area to 7.0 inches at the east edge. Total permitted withdrawal from the aquifer, according to records of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, ranged from 2,107 acre-feet per year in 1942 to about 21,415 acre-feet per year in 1982. Simulations of the alluvial and terrace aquifer from Lake Overholser to Eufaula Lake were made using a finite-difference model developed by McDonald and Harbaugh (1984). The area of the aquifers was subdivided into a finite-difference grid having 30 rows and 57 columns with cells measuring 1 mile in the north-south direction and 2 miles in the east-west direction. The model was calibrated in two steps: A steady-state calibration simulated head distribution prior to extensive pumping of the aquifer in 1942, and a transient calibration simulated head distribution after extensive pumpage. The final horizontal hydraulic conductivity used for the alluvial and terrace aquifer was 0.0036 feet per second (310 feet per day) at all locations. The recharge rate for the alluvial and terrace aquifer ranged from 1.7 inch per year in the west to 7.0 inches per year in the east, and averaged about 3.3 inches per year. A specific yield of 15 percent was used for the transient simulation. Permitted pumpage for 1942 through 1982 was used in the digital model to estimate the annual volume of water in storage in the alluvial and terrace aquifer for the years for this time period. The 1982 permitted pumpage rates were used for projections for 1983 to 2020. The estimated volume of water in storage was 1,940,000 acre-feet in 1982. Because the estimated recharge rate is equal to the allowed pumpage rate in 1982, the projected volume of water in storage in both 1993 and 2020 was 1,890,000 acre-feet.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2006

Diffuse-flow conceptualization and simulation of the Edwards aquifer, San Antonio region, Texas

A numerical ground-water-flow model (hereinafter, the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model) of the karstic Edwards aquifer in south-central Texas was developed for a previous study on the basis of a conceptualization emphasizing conduit development and conduit flow, and included simulating conduits as one-cell-wide, continuously connected features. Uncertainties regarding the degree to which conduits pervade the Edwards aquifer and influence ground-water flow, as well as other uncertainties inherent in simulating conduits, raised the question of whether a model based on the conduit-flow conceptualization was the optimum model for the Edwards aquifer. Accordingly, a model with an alternative hydraulic conductivity distribution without conduits was developed in a study conducted during 2004-05 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Antonio Water System. The hydraulic conductivity distribution for the modified Edwards aquifer model (hereinafter, the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model), based primarily on a conceptualization in which flow in the aquifer predominantly is through a network of numerous small fractures and openings, includes 38 zones, with hydraulic conductivities ranging from 3 to 50,000 feet per day. Revision of model input data for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model was limited to changes in the simulated hydraulic conductivity distribution. The root-mean-square error for 144 target wells for the calibrated steady-state simulation for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model is 20.9 feet. This error represents about 3 percent of the total head difference across the model area. The simulated springflows for Comal and San Marcos Springs for the calibrated steady-state simulation were within 2.4 and 15 percent of the median springflows for the two springs, respectively. The transient calibration period for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model was 1947-2000, with 648 monthly stress periods, the same as for the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model. The root-mean-square error for a period of drought (May-November 1956) for the calibrated transient simulation for 171 target wells is 33.4 feet, which represents about 5 percent of the total head difference across the model area. The root-mean-square error for a period of above-normal rainfall (November 1974-July 1975) for the calibrated transient simulation for 169 target wells is 25.8 feet, which represents about 4 percent of the total head difference across the model area. The root-mean-square error ranged from 6.3 to 30.4 feet in 12 target wells with long-term water-level measurements for varying periods during 1947-2000 for the calibrated transient simulation for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model, and these errors represent 5.0 to 31.3 percent of the range in water-level fluctuations of each of those wells. The root-mean-square errors for the five major springs in the San Antonio segment of the aquifer for the calibrated transient simulation, as a percentage of the range of discharge fluctuations measured at the springs, varied from 7.2 percent for San Marcos Springs and 8.1 percent for Comal Springs to 28.8 percent for Leona Springs. The root-mean-square errors for hydraulic heads for the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model are 27, 76, and 30 percent greater than those for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model for the steady-state, drought, and above-normal rainfall synoptic time periods, respectively. The goodness-of-fit between measured and simulated springflows is similar for Comal, San Marcos, and Leona Springs for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model and the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model. The root-mean-square errors for Comal and Leona Springs were 15.6 and 21.3 percent less, respectively, whereas the root-mean-square error for San Marcos Springs was 3.3 percent greater for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model compared to the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model. The root-mean-square errors for San Antonio and San Pedro Springs were appreciably greater, 80.2 and 51.0 percent, respectively, for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model. The simulated water budgets for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model are similar to those for the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model. Differences in percentage of total sources or discharges for a budget component are 2.0 percent or less for all budget components for the steady-state and transient simulations. The largest difference in terms of the magnitude of water budget components for the transient simulation for 1956 was a decrease of about 10,730 acre-feet per year (about 2 per-cent) in springflow for the diffuse-flow Edwards aquifer model compared to the conduit-flow Edwards aquifer model. This decrease in springflow (a water budget discharge) was largely offset by the decreased net loss of water from storage (a water budget source) of about 10,500 acre-feet per year.

Texas↗

USGS1995

Geohydrology, water quality, and conceptual model of the hydrologic system Saco Landfill area, Saco, Maine

A geohydrologic study of the Saco Municipal Landfill in Saco, Maine, was done during 1993-94 to provide a preliminary interpretation of the geology and hydrology needed to guide additional studies at the landfill as part of the Superfund Program. The Saco Landfill, which was active from the early 1960's until 1986, includes three disposal areas on a 90-acre parcel. Sandy Brook, a small perennial stream, flows from north to south through the land-fill between the disposal areas. Discharge of leachate from the disposal areas to aquifers and streams has been documented since 1974. The landfill was declared a Superfund site in 1990 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Multiple lines of evidence are used in this study to indicate areas of ground-water contamination and sources of water flow in Sandy Brook. The geohydrologic system on the east side of Sandy Brook consists of an upper water-table aquifer and a lower aquifer, separated by a thick sequence of glaciomarine silt and clay. Depths to bedrock range from 60 to more than 200 ft (feet), on the basis of data from seismic-refraction studies and drilling. The upper aquifer, which is generally less than 15 ft thick, consists of fine-to medium-grained sand deposited in a shallow postglacial marine environment. The lower aquifer, which was deposited as a series of glaciomarine fans, contains two sediment types: Well-sorted sand and gravel and unsorted sediments called diamict sediments. East of Sandy Brook, the thickness of the lower aquifer ranges from 25 to 100 ft, based on drilling at the landfill. The glaciomarine silts and clays (known as the presumpscot Formation) range from 50 to more than 100 ft thick. West of Sandy Brook, the glaciomarine silt and clay is largely absent, and fractured bedrock is very close to land surface under one of the disposal areas in the northwestern part of the property. The lower aquifer is unconfined in the southwestern side of the study area; bedrock slopes towards the south, and the aquifer thickens to 100 ft at the southwestern end of the study area. Preliminary estimates of mean annual streamflow in Sandy Brook, based on a partial year of continuous record, indicate that runoff increases from approximately 2.1 ft3/s (cubic feet per second) upstream from the landfill to 2.7 ft3/s downstream from the landfill, although the drainage area down-stream is only 11 percent greater than the drainage area upstream. A water-budget estimate based on available streamflow and climatic data indicates that Sandy Brook below the landfill gains about 80 million gallons per year from sources outside the drainage-basin boundary. Possible sources include the lower aquifer north or west of the landfill area and the fractured bedrock northwest of Sandy Brook. Specific conductance of water in Sandy Brook increases downstream from the landfill. In September 1993, specific conductance was 184 liS/cm (microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius) upstream from the landfill and 496 uS/cm downstream from the landfill. Continuous monitoring of specific conductance in Sandy Brook shows that the downstream increase is less during periods of stormflow because of dilution. Electromagnetic terrain-conductivity surveys, results of ground-water chemical analyses, and changes in streamwater quality have been used to identify areas of likely ground-water contamination. The specific conductance of ground water exceeds 2,000 uS/cm in some areas near the landfills. This compares to specific conductances of less than 200 uS/cm in water from most shallow wells that are considered to represent background water quality. Ground water in the upper aquifer east of Sandy Brook and in the lower aquifer west of Sandy Brook has been affected by leachate flowing from the landfill areas. The extent of contamination in bedrock, if any, is unknown. Water levels measured in 16 wells were used to help determine the direction of ground-water flow. The electromagnetic terrain-conduct surveys and stream specific-conductance data sup port the interpretation that water in the upper aqui fer flows radially away from the two disposal areas east of Sandy Brook towards Sandy Brook and other small surface-water bodies in the area. West of Sandy Brook, ground water under the third dis posal area moves in the lower aquifer northeast and southeast towards Sandy Brook, where it discharges to the stream.

Maine↗

USGS2005

Summary of hydraulic properties of the Floridan Aquifer system in coastal Georgia and adjacent parts of South Carolina and Florida

Hydraulic-property data for the Floridan aquifer system and equivalent clastic sediments in a 67-county area of coastal Georgia and adjacent parts of South Carolina and Florida were evaluated to provide data necessary for development of ground-water flow and solute-transport models. Data include transmissivity at 324 wells, storage coefficient at 115 wells, and vertical hydraulic conductivity of 72 core samples from 27 sites. Hydraulic properties of the Upper Floridan aquifer vary greatly in the study area due to the heterogeneity (and locally to anisotropy) of the aquifer and to variations in the degree of confinement provided by confining units. Prominent structural features in the areathe Southeast Georgia Embayment, the Beaufort Arch, and the Gulf Troughinfluence the thickness and hydraulic properties of the sediments comprising the Floridan aquifer system. Transmissivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer and equivalent updip units was compiled for 239 wells and ranges from 530 feet squared per day (ft2/d) at Beaufort County, South Carolina, to 600,000 ft2/d in Coffee County, Georgia. In carbonate rock settings of the lower Coastal Plain, transmissivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer generally is greater than 20,000 ft2/d, with values exceeding 100,000 ft2/d in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the study area (generally coinciding with the area of greatest aquifer thickness). Transmissivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer generally is less than 10,000 ft2/d in and near the upper Coastal Plain, where the aquifer is thin and consists largely of clastic sediments, and in the vicinity of the Gulf Trough, where the aquifer consists of low permeability rocks and sediments. Large variability in the range of transmissivity in Camden and Glynn Counties, Georgia, and Nassau County, Florida, demonstrates the anisotropic distribution of hydraulic properties that may result from fractures or solution openings in the carbonate rocks. Storage coefficient of the Upper Floridan aquifer was compiled for 106 wells and ranges from about 0.00004 at Beaufort County, South Carolina, to 0.04 in Baker County, Florida. Transmissivity of the Lower Floridan aquifer and equivalent updip clastic units was compiled for 53 wells and ranges from about 170 ft2/d in Barnwell County, South Carolina, to about 43,000 ft2/d in Camden County, Georgia. Transmissivity of the Lower Floridan aquifer is greatest where the aquifer is thickest in southeastern Georgia and northeastern Floridawhere estimates are greater than 10,000 ft2/d; at one well in southeastern Georgia transmissivity was estimated to be as high as 200,000 ft2/d. Storage-coefficient data for the Lower Floridan aquifer are limited to three estimates in Barnwell and Allendale Counties, South Carolina, and to estimates determined from six multi-aquifer tests in Duval County, Florida. In the South Carolina tests, storage coefficient ranges from 0.0003 to 0.0004; this range is indicative of a confined aquifer. The storage coefficient for the combined Upper and Lower Floridan wells in Duval County, Florida, ranges from 0.00002 to 0.02. Vertical hydraulic conductivity was compiled from core samples collected at 27 sites. For the Upper Floridan confining unit, values from 39 core samples at 17 sites range from 0.0002 to 3 feet per day (ft/d). For the Lower Floridan confining unit, values from 10 core samples at 9 sites range from about 0.000004 to 0.16 ft/d. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of the Upper Floridan aquifer was compiled from 16 core samples at five sites, mostly in the Brunswick, Georgia, area and values range from 0.00134 to 160.4 ft/d. Vertical hydraulic conductivity for the semiconfining unit separating the upper and lower water-bearing zones of the Upper Floridan at Brunswick, Georgia, compiled from 6 core samples at three sites ranges from 0.000008 to 0.000134 ft/d. The vertical hydraulic conductivity of the Lower Floridan aquifer in a core sample from a well at Brunswick, G

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina↗

USGS1999

Hydrogeology, water use, and simulation of flow in the High Plains aquifer in northwestern Oklahoma, southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, northeastern New Mexico, and northwestern Texas

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, began a three-year study of the High Plains aquifer in northwestern Oklahoma in 1996. The primary purpose of this study was to develop a ground-water flow model to provide the Water Board with the information it needs to manage the quantity of water withdrawn from the aquifer. The study area consists of about 7,100 square miles in Oklahoma and about 20,800 square miles in adjacent states to provide appropriate hydrologic boundaries for the flow model. The High Plains aquifer includes all sediments from the base of the Ogallala Formation to the potentiometric surface. The saturated thickness in Oklahoma ranges from more than 400 feet to less than 50 feet. Natural recharge to the aquifer from precipitation occurs throughout the area but is extremely variable. Dryland agricultural practices appear to enhance recharge from precipitation, and part of the water pumped for irrigation also recharges the aquifer. Natural discharge occurs as discharge to streams, evapotranspiration where the depth to water is shallow, and diffuse ground-water flow across the eastern boundary. Artificial discharge occurs as discharge to wells. Irrigation accounted for 96 percent of all use of water from the High Plains aquifer in the Oklahoma portion of the study area in 1992 and 93 percent in 1997. Total estimated water use in 1992 for the Oklahoma portion of the study area was 396,000 acre-feet and was about 3.2 million acre-feet for the entire study area. Since development of the aquifer, water levels have declined more than 100 feet in small areas of Texas County, Oklahoma, and more than 50 feet in areas of Cimarron County. Only a small area of Beaver County had declines of more than 10 feet, and Ellis County had rises of more than 10 feet. A flow model constructed using the MODFLOW computer code had 21,073 active cells in one layer and had a 6,000- foot grid in both the north-south and east-west directions. The model was used to simulate the period before major development of the aquifer and the period of development. The model was calibrated using observed conditions available as of 1998. The predevelopment-period model integrated data or estimates on the base of aquifer, hydraulic conductivity, streambed and drain conductances, and recharge from precipitation to calculate the predevelopment altitude of the water table, discharge to the rivers and streams, and other discharges. Hydraulic conductivity, recharge, and streambed conductance were varied during calibration so that the model produced a reasonable representation of the observed water table altitude and the estimated discharge to streams. Hydraulic conductivity was reduced in the area of salt dissolution in underlying Permianage rocks. Recharge from precipitation was estimated to be 4.0 percent of precipitation in greater recharge zones and 0.37 percent in lesser recharge zones. Within Oklahoma, the mean difference between water levels simulated by the model and measured water levels at 86 observation points is -2.8 feet, the mean absolute difference is 44.1 feet, and the root mean square difference is 52.0 feet. The simulated discharge is much larger than the estimated discharge for the Beaver River, is somewhat larger for Cimarron River and Wolf Creek, and is about the same for Crooked Creek. The development-period model added specific yield, pumpage, and recharge due to irrigation and dryland cultivation to simulate the period 1946 through 1997. During calibration, estimated specific yield was reduced by 15 percent in Oklahoma east of the Cimarron-Texas County line. Simulated recharge due to irrigation ranges from 24 percent for the 1940s and 1950s to 2 percent for the 1990s. Estimated recharge due to dryland cultivation is about 3.9 percent of precipitation. The mean difference between the simulated and observed waterlevel changes from predevelopment to 1998 at 162 observation points in Oklahoma is less than 0.01 foot, the mean absolute difference is 13.1 feet, and the root mean square difference is 17.9 feet. The model simulates 7.8 cubic feet per second discharge to the Beaver River above Optima Reservoir at the end of 1997, whereas the river was actually dry to this point by this time. The model simulates a decrease in discharge to the Cimarron River and Wolf Creek that appears to be reasonable. The sensitivity of the predevelopment-period model to changes in recharge and hydraulic conductivity was tested. Simulated water levels are sensitive to changes in both recharge and hydraulic conductivity. Simulated discharge to streams is sensitive to recharge but is insensitive to hydraulic conductivity. Recharge and hydraulic conductivity are closely related with respect to water levels but are not related with respect to discharge to streams. The sensitivity of the development-period model to changes in specific yield and recharge due to dryland cultivation was tested. The model appears more sensitive to specific yield, but the two inputs were not varied over the same range in percent change. The calibrated development-period model was used to simulate water-level changes from 1998 to 2020 using mean 1996-97 pumpage. The largest simulated water-level changes in Oklahoma occur in Texas County where water levels are simulated to decline 25 to 50 additional feet over a large area. Water levels also are simulated to decline 10 to 25 additional feet in two large areas of Cimarron County, two areas in Beaver County, and one area in Ellis County, all in Oklahoma. Water levels are simulated to decline more than 100 additional feet in several areas in Kansas and were simulated to decline 50 to 100 additional feet in several areas in Texas.

Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas↗