U.S. Geological Survey ground-water studies in Mississippi
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Geology topics
Publications and source records attributed to A. G. Lamonds.
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This report describes the activities of the Water Resources Division in Mississippi. It summarizes progress made in water-resources investigations and related activities in the current fiscal year ending September 30, 1984, and outlines the work to be accomplished during the fiscal year ending September 30, 1985. Its specific purpose is to inform cooperating State, local, and other Federal agencies about all activities of this Division in water investigations in Mississippi and to give those cooperators a better understanding of how their participation fits into the total USGS program of water resources investigations. (USGS)
A proposed navigation project on the Yazoo River between Vicksburg and Greenwood, Mississippi, will increase minimum river stages by more than 19 feet at the site of the proposed lock and dam near Vicksburg, and will decrease minimum river stages by 2 to 7 feet in much of the upper reach of the river. Water-level data for 65 observation wells in the alluvial aquifer in the vicinity of the proposed project indicate that post-project minimum ground-water levels in wells very near the river will range from more than 19 feet higher than pre-project minimum levels near Vicksburg to about 7 feet lower than pre-project levels at Greenwood. Post-project ground-water levels will generally be between 15 and 25 feet below land surface during the dry season but will be at or near land surface during the wet season. The change in ground-water levels will decrease with distance from the river but may extend as far as the Bluff Hills to the east and the auxiliary channel or other major drainage features to the west. In the upper reach of the river the decrease in ground-water levels may extend beyond the auxiliary channel to the areas of large ground-water withdrawals several miles to the west of the river. (USGS)
Located in a closed basin, near Orlands, Fla., Lake Faith, Hope, and Charity cover a combined area of 132 acres and are surrounded by residential, citrus grove and undeveloped areas. All of these areas affect the water quality of the lakes through storm runoff and transport of windborne material. During a study from April 1971 to June 1974, stages of Lakes Faith, Hope, and Charity declined 1.5, 1.4, and 3.0 ft, respectively, because the rainfall was 3.78 in. below average for the area. Inflow to the lakes during this 3-year period was approximately 1,966 acre-ft of which 84 percent was by rainfall and 16 percent was by storm runoff. Rainfall and runoff brought in 82 tons of dissolved solids of which storm runoff carried 51 tons and bulk precipitation carried 32 tons. Dissolved solids concentrations in the lakes were relatively low, averaging 91, 132, and 212 mg/liter for Lakes Faith, Hope, and Charity, respecetively. Major ions, trace elements and nutrients were present in the lakes in relatively low concentrations. Phytoplankton and coliform population showed sharp seasonal fluctuations with the maximum population generally occurring during the warmer months. Blue-green algae predominated in all three lakes. (Woodard-USGS)
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Historical water quality data from about 100 sampling stations on streams, canals and lakes in central and southern Florida were analyzed for areal and temporal variations in water quality, statistical measures of the data, relationships between water quality variables, and long term changes or trends in water quality. Included in the analysis were data on the major inorganic chemical constituents, temperature, nitrogen and phosphorus species, trace metals, pesticides, organic carbon and biochemical oxygen demand. Based on the results of the analysis, a network was designed which would provide data to meet six specific objectives: (1) water quality accounting, (2) areal assessments (3) detection of gross long-term trends, (4) detection of toxic and deleterious substances, (5) establish a limnological data base on lakes and (6) furnish data on chemical inputs from the atmosphere.
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After the construction of a storm drain designed to carry runoff from the southeastern part of the city of Eustis into Lake Dicie, algal blooms occurred in the lake. In order to determine the nature and extent of these blooms, the quality of both the lake and storm runoff into the lake was monitored from March 1971 through June 1973. Surface runoff makes up about 65 percent of the total input to the lake and the storm drain probably contributes about half of the total input. Average concentrations of the major ions in samples of storm runoff collected from the storm drain were not appreciably different from concentrations found in Lake Dicie. However, the storm runoff contained high concentrations of suspended sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, lead and other trace elements. Most of the sediment and trace elements and much of the phosphorus carried into the lake by storm runoff were trapped in the bottom sediments. The only appreciable change in the quality of the lake since it was first sampled in 1969 is a reduction in the concentration of phosphorus. The amount of inorganic nitrogen and soluble orthophosphate carried into the lake during this investigation was equivalent to about 3,500 pounds (1,600 kilograms) of 6-6-6 commercial fertilizer. Most of these nutrients were taken up by the large phytoplankton population and eventually incorporated into the bottom sediments in Lake Dicie. During much of the year Lake Dicie is thermally stratified and the water near the bottom becomes enriched with nutrients, particularly nitrogen, from the decomposition of algal cells and other organic matter. In the winter months, the water cools and the lake slowly "turns over." The mixing of the nitrogen-rich bottom water with the water in the upper part of the lake where the dissolved oxygen and light penetration are sufficient to support algae often results in explosive algal growth, commonly called a bloom. The two highest concentrations of phytoplankton observed in Lake Dicie during the investigation occurred in December when the lake was not stratified. In Big Bass Lake, a control lake which receives no street runoff, the phytoplankton population is much smaller than in Lake Dicie. Variations in the concentration of phytoplankton appear to be more closely related to rainfall (the major source of nitrogen and phosphorus for Big Bass Lake) than to the seasonal turnover in the lake.
During the summer and fall, seepage and evaporation losses from Horseshoe Lake, an oxbow or an 'old river' lake adjacent to the Mississippi River, exceed inflow to the lake, and seasonal declines of 2.5-3.0 feet in the lake level are common. In exceptionally dry years, the minimum lake level has been as much as 4 feet below the normal seasonal low. These low levels severely affect the recreational uses of the lake. Seepage and evaporation rates at Horseshoe Lake were determined from hydrologic and meteorologic data. Analysis of these data indicates that the direction of seepage is out of the lake except for a period of about 2 months in the spring, when the stage of the Mississippi River is high. The lake can be maintained at a constant level by supplementing the inflow to the lake with surface or ground water. Contributions to the lake from local drainage can be increased, but this water contains undesirable amounts of pesticides, herbicides, and plant nutrients, and the flow is insufficient to eliminate seasonal declines in the lake level. Water from r the Mississippi River can be used to maintain a given lake level, but the bacteriological quality of water from the river makes this an undesirable source of supplemental water. Water from the Quaternary alluvium contains troublesome amounts of iron, but it probably is free of pesticides, herbicides, and coliform bacteria which are commonly found in surface water. An electric-analog model was used to determine the rate at which inflow to the lake must be supplemented to maintain various lake levels. During this investigation, the lake could have been maintained very near the normal spring level by supplementing the inflow at a maximum rate of 10,600 gallons per minute. The analog model was also used to determine the effects of pumping wells on seepage. With the exception of wells near the southeast end of the lake, wells located within one-half mile of the lake would obtain more than 50 percent of their yield from the lake after pumping for 90 days.
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Water is used at an average rate of almost 27 million gallons per day in Randolph and Lawrence Counties, and quantities sufficient for any foreseeable use are available. Supplies for the large uses--municipal, industrial, and irrigation--can best be obtained from wells in .he Coastal Plain part of the counties and from streams in the Interior Highlands part. The counties have abundant supplies of hard but otherwise good-quality surface water, particularly in the Interior Highlands and along the western boundary of the Coastal Plain. Minimum recorded flows of four streams (Black, Current, Eleven Point, and Spring Rivers) exceeded 200 cubic feet per second, or 129 million gallons per day. Five other streams have flows in excess of 13 cubic feet per second 95 percent of the time. Water supplies can be obtained without storage from the larger streams in the area. Many of the smaller streams in the Interior Highlands also have large water-supply potential because of the excellent impoundment possibilities. Most of the water used in the .two counties is obtained from ground-water reservoirs in the Coastal Plain. Wells that tap alluvial deposits of Quaternary age commonly yield 1,000 gallons per minute. However, the water often is unsuitable for many uses unless treated to remove hardness, iron, and manganese. Water possibly may be obtained in the southeastern part of the area from the Wilcox Group of Tertiary age and the Nacatoch Sand of Cretaceous age, but these formations have not been explored in the report area. Wells in the Interior Highlands generally are less than 200 feet deep and yield 10 gallons per minute, or less. It may be possible to obtain greater amounts of ground water from two unexplored formations, the Roubidox and the Gunter Sandstone Member of the Van Buren Formation, in the Interior Highlands. Ground water in the Interior Highlands is very hard and is more susceptible to local bacterial contamination than is ground water in the Coastal Plain. However, with proper sanitary safeguards against contamination and with treatment for reduction of hardness, ground water in the Interior Highlands is suitable for most uses.