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Michael H. Frimpter

Publications and source records attributed to Michael H. Frimpter.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2006

Casing detector and self-potential logger

A simple and rapid method of determining casing length and permeable zones in wells tapping bedrock can be useful to well drillers and hydrologists. A device consisting of a galvanometer, a reel of insulated wire, and a copper electrode locates the casing depth, changes of lithology, and permeable zones. The small-diameter electrode permits measurement through well-seal access ports avoiding the expensive and time-consuming procedure of removing the seal and drop pipes to measure casing depth with a magnet. The measured electromotive force changes rapidly when the electrode passes the end of casing. Thus, the depth of casing is easily determined from the length of wire payed out. Changes in electromotive force measured within the uncased part of a well frequently indicate permeable zones, thereby aiding in choice of the most efficient drop-pipe length, and also yielding useful information for hydrogeologic studies.

Groundwater↗
USGS1994

A technique for estimating ground-water levels at sites in Rhode Island from observation-well data

Estimates of future high, median, and low ground-water levels in Rhode Island are needed for engineering and architectural design decisions and for appropriate selection of land uses. For example, the failure of individual underground sewage-disposal systems due to high ground-water levels can be avoided if accurate water-level estimates are available. Estimates of extreme or average conditions are needed because short-duration re-construction observations are unlikely to be representative. The technique described in this report utilizes a single water-level measurement at a site of interest, in combination with a long-term water-level record at an observation well, to estimate the long-term high, median, and low water levels at the site of interest. The transfer of information to the site of interest depends on four fundamental assumptions: (1) Water levels will fluctuate in the future as they have in the past, (2) Water levels fluctuate seasonally, (3) Ground-water fluctuations depend on site geology, and (4) Water levels throughout Rhode Island are affected by similar precipitation and climate. The technique is based on the equivalent relation between the ratio of potential water-level change to maximum annual water-level range at the site and the ratio of potential water-level change to annual water-level range at the observation well. Equations for estimating high, median, and low water levels, and graphs of probable annual water-level range are given for selecting representative ranges of water levels for sand and gravel and till in Rhode Island. The accuracy of the technique is evaluated by use of the equations to estimate water levels at long-term observation wells where high, median, and low water levels are known from monthly measurements over many years. As a test of the estimating procedure, 6,697 estimates each of high, median, and low water levels (depth to water level exceeded 95, 50, and 5 percent of the time, respectively) were compared with measured water levels exceeded 95, 50, and 5 percent of the time at 14 sites unaffected by pumping or other known factors. Mean squared errors (average differences squared, between estimated and measured water levels) for the estimates ranged from 0.34 to 1.53 ft 2 for high water levels, 0.30 to 1.22 ft 2 for median water levels, and 0.32 to 2.55 ft 2 for low water levels. All mean squared errors are less than the State required 3-foot separation between the bottom of the stone underlying the seepage system and the maximum altitude of the water table. This degree of accuracy is acceptable for many design purposes.

Rhode Island↗
USGS1985

Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Housatonic River and adjacent aquifer, Massachusetts

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) are sorbed to the fine-grained stream-bottom sediments along the Housatonic River from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, southward to the Massachusetts-Connecticut boundary. The highest PCB concentrations, up to 140,000 micrograms per kilogram, were found in samples of bottom material from a reach of the river between Pittsfield and Woods Pond Dam in Lee, Massachusetts. Sediments in Woods Pond have been estimated to contain about 11,000 pounds of PCB's. Approximately 490 pounds per year of PCB's have also been estimated to move past the Housatonic River gaging station at Great Barrington. The distribution of hydraulic heads, water temperatures, and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrate, iron, and manganese in ground water shows that industrial water-supply wells in a sand and gravel aquifer adjacent to a stretch of the river called Woods Pond have been inducing ground-water recharge through the PCB-contaminated bottom sediments of the pond since late 1956. These data indicate that, at one location along the shore of the pond, the upper 40 feet of the aquifer contains water derived from induced infiltration. However, this induced recharge has not moved PCB's from the bottom sediments into a vertical section of the aquifer located 5 feet downgradient from the edge of Woods Pond. Samples taken at selected intervals in this section showed that no PCB's sorbed to the aquifer material or dissolved in the ground water within the detection limits of the chemical analyses.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS1983

Estimating highest ground-water levels for construction and land use planning — A Cape Cod, Massachusetts, example

High ground water is a major cause of septic-system failures, wet basements, and other problems for suburban and rural residents. A technique for estimating the level to which groundwater can rise as a consequence of weather and seasonal factors has been developed. Water-level records from about 160 sites were used to make four maps of ranges of annual water-level change: 0-2 feet, 2-3 feet, 3-4 feet, 4-5 feet, and 5-6 feet. Nine observation wells with 16 or more years of record were used to index water-level fluctuations throughout Cape Cod. To estimate high water levels, measurements of the current depth to water at test sites are cross referenced with current depth to water in the index wells. The technique assumes good correlation between water-level fluctuations at septic-system sites and the index wells. Eighty-seven percent of the correlation coefficients determined from correlating water-level fluctuations from 146 sites with water-level fluctuations in the index wells were greater than 0.8.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1980

Probable high ground-water levels on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Water-level records from 146 short-term (1 year) observation wells and 13 long-term (16-28 years) observation wells were used to estimate the probable high ground-water level that could occur at any site on Cape Cod. The estimation was based on correlation of a single water-level measurement from a test site with water-level records of the nine index wells. Maps showing areas of Cape Cod represented by the nine index wells and showing five ranges of water-level fluctuation are used in conjunction with tables of water-level adjustments to make the estimates. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1979

Geohydrologic impacts of coal development in the Narragansett Basin, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The hydrologic impacts of possible coal mining in the 900-square-mile Carboniferous Narragansett Basin in southeastern New England are described. Geophysical tests and hydrologic observations were made in thirteen 3-inch-diameter test holes which were 330 to 1,500 feet deep. Fractures and lithology, including graphite and coal, were identified and located from interpretation of geophysical logs. Ground-water levels measured in 1976-77 were less than 15 feet below land surface at all test sites. Specific capacities of the test holes to yield water ranged from 0.01 to 5.7 gallons per minute per foot of drawdown after short (2-5-hour) pumping periods. In a test hole in Halifax, Massachusetts, water levels showing drawdown caused by pumping nearby domestic-supply wells indicate that mine dewatering would reduce yields of private wells tapping bedrock. In test holes near Narragansett Bay, ground water was brackish, and water levels fluctuated with about one-fifth the magnitude of the tide in the bay. These conditions suggest that there is potential for a high rate of mine seepage from the bay. As a result of mining, the iron disulfide minerals, pyrite and marcasite, react with air and water to produce acid water containing iron. However, acid mine water is not expected to be as serious a problem in the Narragansett Basin as it is in the Appalachian coal fields. No marcasite and only small amounts of coarsely crystalline pyrite have been observed in the metamorphosed sediments of the basin.

Massachusetts, Rhode Island↗
USGS1974

Evaluation of data availability and examples of modeling for ground-water management on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Cod is a seashore resort area of national renown. It is a hookshaped peninsula which extends 40 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and is separated from the mainland by Cape Cod Canal, a salt-water channel connecting Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay (fig. 1). It is 440 square miles in area and is underlain by unconsolidated earth materials that contain a lens-like reservoir of fresh ground water "floating" on salty ground water. The fresh ground-water reservoir is the principal source of supply for the rapidly growing population of Cape Cod. Because of increasing resident population and increasing numbers of summer vacationers, there is local and State concern for problems of meeting increased water demands, deterioration of water quality, changes of water table and pond levels, and changes in ecology owing to changes in salinity of water in brackish-water bodies.

Massachusetts↗