Search USGS⌕ Search

Geology topics

David L. Mazzaferro

Publications and source records attributed to David L. Mazzaferro.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1980

Ground-water availability and water quality in Farmington, Connecticut

The strataified-drift aquifer in Farmington, Conn., is capable of yielding large amounts of water to individual wells. About 14 square miles of Farmington is underlain by stratified-drift deposits which, in places, are more than 450 feet thick. The most productive deposits are found in the Farmington River valley, from Unionville to River Glen, and along Scott Swamp Brook. In these areas, saturated, coarse-grained, stratified-drift deosits exceed 80 feet in thickness and estimated yields to individual wells ranged from 250 to 1,000 gallons per minute. Results of mathematical model analysis of three of the most favorable ground-water areas indicate that long-term yields range from 1.2 to 2.5 million gallons per day. Water in the Framington and Pequabuck Rivers meets the Connecticut Drinking Water Standards, assuming complete conventional treatment, for coliform orgaisms, color, trubidity, chloride, copper, and nitrate. Coliform bacteria concentrations in the Pequabuck river (12-month geometric mean of about 6,800 colonies per 100 milliliters of water) indicate a potential problem. Water in the stratified-drift aquifer is of good quality with the exception of manganese; 10 of 11 wells sampled had maganese concentrations above 0.05 milligram per liter. (USGS)

Connecticut↗
USGS1978

Water resources inventory of Connecticut Part 8: Quinnipiac River basin

The Quinnipiac River basin area in southcentral Connecticut covers 363 square miles, and includes all drainage basins that enter Long Island Sound from the Branford to the Wepawaug Rivers. Its population in 1970 was estimated at 535,000. Precipitation averages 47 inches per year and provides an abundant supply of water. Twenty-one inches returns to the atmosphere as evapotranspiration; the remainder flows directly to streams or percolates to the water table and discharges to Long Island Sound. Small amounts of water are exported from the basin by the New Britain Water Department, and small amounts are imported to the basin by the New Haven Water Company. The amount of water that can be developed at a given place depends upon precipitation, variability of streamflow, hydraulic properties and areal extent of the aquifers, and hydraulic connection between the aquifers and major streams. The quality of the water is determined by the physical environment and the effects of man. Stratified drift is the only aquifer capable of large sustained yields of water to individual wells. Yields of 64 screened wells tapping stratified drift range from 17 to 2,000 gpm (gallons per minute); their median yield is 500 gpm. Till is widespread and generally provides only small amounts of water. Wells in till normally yield only a few hundred gallons of water daily and commonly are inadequate during dry periods. Till is generally used only as an emergency or secondary source of water. Bedrock aquifers underlie the entire report area and include sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock types. These aquifers supply small but reliable quantities of water to wells throughout the basin and are the chief source for many nonurban homes and farms. About 90 percent of the wells tapping bedrock yield at least 2 pgm, and much larger yields are occasionally reported. Maximum well yields of 305 gpm for sedimentary, 75 gpm for igneous, and 200 gpm for metamorphic bedrock have been reported. Water potentially available from stratified drift was estimated on the basis of hydraulic characteristics of the aquifers and evaluation of natural and induced recharge. Long-term yields estimated for 14 favorable areas of stratified drift range from 0.8 to 16.1 mgd (million gallons per day), but detailed verification studies are needed before development. The natural quality of water in the report area is good. The water is generally low in dissolved solid and is soft to moderately hard. Surface water is less mineralized than ground water, especially during high flow when it is primarily surface runoff. A median dissolved-solids concentration of 117 mg/l (milligrams per liter) and a median hardness of 58 mg/l was determined for water samples collected at 20 sites on 16 streams during high flow. A median dissolved-solids concentration of 146 mg/l and a median hardness of 82 mg/l was determined for samples collected at the same sites during low flow. In contrast water from 130 wells had a median dissolved-solids concentration of 188 mg/l and a median hardness of 110 mg/l. Iron and manganese occur in objectionable concentrations in parts of the report area, particularly in water from streams draining swamps and in water from aquifers rich in iron- and manganese-bearing minerals. Concentrations of iron in excess of 0.3 mg/l were found in 40 percent of the high-streamflow samples, 59 percent of the low-streamflow samples and 20 percent of the ground-water samples. Human activities have modified the quality of water in much of the basin. Wide and erratic fluctuations in concentration of dissolved solids in streams, high bacterial content of the Quinnipiac River, and locally high nitrate and chloride concentrations in ground water are evidence of man's influence. Streams, wetlands, and some aquifers along the southern boundary of the basin contain salty water. Overpumping has caused extensive saltwater intrusion in aquifers in the southern and eastern parts of New Haven. The total amount of fresh water used in the area during 1970 is estimated at 35,710 million gallons, or 183 gallons per day per capita. Public water-supply systems met the domestic requirements of about 90 percent of the population; all the systems supplied water that met the drinking water standards of the Connecticut Department of Health.

Connecticut↗
USGS1973

Hydrogeologic data for the Quinnipiac River basin, Connecticut

This report contains geologic, ground-water, and quality-of-water data collected for the ground-water part of a water-resources inventory of the Quinnipiac River basin, Connecticut. The study was made by the U.S. Geological Survey in fiscal cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Collection sites for data used in the study are shown in plate A. A companion report interprets the ground-water, quality-of-water, and surfacewater data collected for the study (Connecticut Water Resources Bulletin No. 27, in parparation). The Quinnipiac River basin~ as used in this report~ is a 360-square-mile area in south-central Connecticut drained principally by the Quinnipiac River and its tributaries and several smaller streams~ which drain directly to Long Island Sound. (See front cover and plate A.) The study area includes all or parts of the following towns: Ansonia, Berlin, Bethany, Branford, Bristol, Cheshire, Derby, Durham, East Haven, Farmington, Guilford, Hamden, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, New Britain, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Plainville, Prospect, Southington, Wallingford, West Haven, Wolcott, and Woodbridge. Data collected for this investigation from July 1969 to December 1971 were supplemented by data collected during previous investigations. This report includes some records of wells and test holes published in Connecticut Water Resources Bulletin No. 5 and also includes some records used but not published in Connecticut Water Resources Bulletin No. 14. Table 5 contains old but previously unpublished analyses of water from wells in New Haven collected primarily from 1938 to 1949. Ownership of the sampled wells, as shown in table 1 and table 5, was determined at the time of the original inventory, and this information may now be outdated. Many of these wells have been destroyed since they were last sampled and others, though still in existence, are no longer in use.

Connecticut↗
USGS1972

Water resources inventory of Connecticut Part 6: Upper Housatonic River basin

The upper Housatonic River basin report area has an abundant supply of water of generally good quality, which is derived from precipitation on the area and streams entering the area. Annual precipitation has averaged about 46 inches over a 30-year period. Of this, approximately 22 inches of water is returned to the atmosphere each year by evaporation and transpiration; the remainder flows overland to streams or percolates downward to the water table and ultimately flows out of the report area in the Housatonic River or in smaller streams tributary to the Hudson River. During the autumn and winter precipitation normally is sufficient to cause a substantial increase in the amount of water stored in surface reservoirs and in aquifers, whereas in the summer, losses through evaporation and transpiration result in sharply reduced streamflow and lowered ground-water levels. Mean monthly storage of water in November is 2.8 inches more than it is in June. The amount of water that flows into, through, and out of the report area represents the total amount potentially available for use ignoring reuse. For the 30-year period 1931 through 1960, the annual runoff from precipitation has averaged 24 inches (294 billion gallons). During the same period, inflows from Massachusetts and New York have averaged 220 and 64 billion gallons per year, respectively. A total average annual runoff of 578 billion gallons is therefore available. Although runoff indicates the total amount of water potentially available, it is rarely feasible to use all of it. On the other hand, with increased development, some water may be reused several times. The water availability may be tapped as it flows through the area or is temporarily stored in streams, lakes, and aquifers. The amounts that can be developed differ from place to place and time to time, depending on the amount of precipitation, on the size of drainage area, on the thickness, transmissivity, and areal extent of aquifers, and on the variations in chemical and physical quality of water. Differences in precipitation cause differences in the amount of streamflow whereas differences in the proportion of stratified drift affect its timing. Water can be obtained from wells almost anywhere in the area, but the amount obtainable at any particular point depends on the type and water-bearing properties of the aquifers tapped. Stratified-drift aquifers are the only ones generally capable of yielding more than 100 gpm (gallons per minute) to individual wells. Drilled, screened wells tapping this unit yield from 17 to 1,400 gpm, with a median yield of 200 gpm. Till and bedrock are widespread but generally provide only small supplies of water. Till is tapped in a few places by dug wells, which can yield small supplies of only a few hundred gallons per day throughout all or most of the year. Bedrock is the chief aquifer for privately owned domestic and rural supplies; it is tapped by drilled wells, about 90 percent of which will supply at least 2 gpm. Only 1 of 10 bedrock wells, however, will supply more than 30 gpm. The amount of ground water potentially available in the report area depends upon the thickness and hydraulic properties of aquifers, the amount of salvageable natural discharge of ground water, and the quantity of water available by induced infiltration from streams and lakes. From data on transmissivity, thickness, recharge, well performance, and streamflow, preliminary estimates of ground-water availability can be made for most stratified-drift aquifers in the report area. Long-term yields estimated for eight areas of stratified drift especially favorable for development of large ground-water supplies ranged from 0.6 to 5 mgd (million gallons per day). Detailed site studies are needed to verity these estimates and to determine optimum yields, drawdowns, and spacing of individual wells before major ground-water development is undertaken in these or other areas. The chemical quality of water in the report area is generally good; carbonate-bedrock units exert considerable local influence on water quality. Samples of naturally occurring surface water collected at 24 sites during low flow averaged 90 mg/l (milligrams per liter) dissolved solids and 60 mg/l hardness. Water from wells is generally more highly mineralized than naturally occurring water from streams. About 37 percent of the wells sampled yielded water with more than 200 mg/l dissolved solids and 50 percent yielded water with more than 120 mg/l hardness. These concentrations reflect the high degree of mineralization of ground water in carbonate bedrock and unconsolidated deposits derived from this bedrock. The larger streams, which transport varying amounts of industrial and domestic effluents, averaged about 150 mg/l dissolved solids and 90 mg/l hardness. Iron and manganese concentrations in both ground water and surface water at some places exceed recommended limits for domestic and industrial use. Most wells in the report area yield water with little or no iron or manganese. In certain localities however, the probability is high of encountering water with excessive concentrations of these constituents. Schists, especially the unit in the northwestern corner of the basin, are the likely sources of water with excessive iron and manganese. Iron concentrations in naturally occurring stream water exceed 0.3 mg/l under low-flow conditions at 29 percent of the sites sampled. These excessive concentrations result from discharge of iron-bearing water from aquifers or from swamps where iron is released from decaying vegetation. Water temperature in the larger streams ranges from 0°C (degrees Celsius) to about 28°C. Ground water between 30 feet and 200 feet below the land surface has a relatively constant temperature, usually between 8°C and 11°C. The quantity of suspended sediment transported by streams under natural conditions is negligible. Even in streams affected by man, turbidity is rarely a problem. The total amount of water used in the report area for all purposes during 1967 was about 6,360 million gallons, or 140 gpd per person. Public supplies furnished the domestic needs of nearly half the population of the area. All of the 14 public supplies sampled provided water that meets the drinking water standards of the U.S. Public Health Service.

Connecticut↗