Geology topics

Richard J. Mandle

Publications and source records attributed to Richard J. Mandle.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1996

Predevelopment freshwater heads in the glaciofluvial, Saginaw, and Marshall aquifers in the Michigan Basin

Maps showing predevelopment freshwater heads were developed for the major aquifers in the Michigan Basin. The Michigan Basin is an isolated, regional ground-water-flow system consisting of a glaciofluvial aquifer and three bedrock aquifers separated by confining units. The bedrock aquifers investigated are the Saginaw, Parma-Bayport, and Marshall aquifers. Fractured sandstones within the bedrock aquifers comprise the principal water-bearing zones. Withdrawals from supply wells in the glaciofluvial aquifer, and more so from the Saginaw and Marshall aquifers, have lowered the potentiometric surface in several areas. The Marshall aquifer is a highly developed natural resource. Locally, extensive withdrawals of brine and natural gas from the Marshall aquifer have lowered the potentiometric surface to below pre-1890's predevelopment levels. The maps of freshwater heads were prepared from hydraulic-head measurements made from the late 1800's through 1976. Lake and river stages also were used to prepare a water-table map.

Michigan↗

USGS1992

Municipal ground-water development and withdrawals in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan, 1870-1987

Municipal water-supply systems in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan were categorized into four regions on the basis of source of water for 1987. These categories included water systems that obtained water from aquifers in glacial drift, bedrock, or both, as well as those that obtained water from surface-water sources. Data on ground-water development were collected for 182 municipal water-supply systems for the period 1870-1987. Of the 182 systems, 135 used ground water for supply. Wells in glacial-drift aquifers supplied water for 60 municipalities; wells in bedrock aquifers supplied 58 municipalities. Combinations of wells in bedrock and glacial-drift aquifers supplied 17 municipalities. Surface-water sources supplied 45 municipalities; two municipalities used surface water and ground water. Of the 182 municipal systems, withdrawal data were available for only 145. Withdrawal data were collected for the period 1903-1985. Analysis of annual ground-water withdrawal data for the 145 municipal water-supply systems indicates that average annual per capita municipal ground-water withdrawal ranged from 60 gallons per day per person in 1915 to 166 gallons per day per person in 1973. The maximum reported groundwater withdrawal for the area was 103 million gallons per day in 1979. Records from most municipalities include long periods for which no ground-water withdrawal data are available. The average annual per capita data among the municipalities varies over the period of record because of incomplete reporting of pumping rates, unusually high pumping rates, short-term economic changes, and other changes not associated with local population changes.

Michigan↗

USGS1986

Plan of study for the regional aquifer systems analysis of the Michigan Basin

Quaternary glacial deposits and Pennsylvanian and Mississippian sandstones, -the Saginaw Formation and Marshall Sandstone- are the major aquifers in the Michigan basin. These aquifers supply approximately 188 million gal/day to municipalities in the 29 ,000 sq mi study area. The most significant problems related to groundwater supplies are the identification of potable sources of groundwater in large quantities and the migration of saline groundwater toward pumping centers. Saline water underlies the entire lower Peninsula of Michigan at indeterminate depth in the deeper parts of the Saginaw Formation and Marshall Sandstone in the center of the Michigan basin. In places, saline water is present in glacial deposits. Overdraft has resulted in severe drawdown in the Lansing area and the abandonment of wells near Flint because of saline water encroachment. Increased demand on the groundwater resources of the study area are expected to cause further problems. In 1985, the U.S. Geological Survey began a 5-yr study to define the geohydrologic framework, describe the geochemistry of groundwater in the glacial and bedrock aquifers, and analyze regional groundwater flow patterns. The scope, plan of study, organization and work elements are described in this report.

Michigan↗

USGS1980

Data-base system for northern Midwest regional aquifer-system analysis

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a study of the Cambrian and Ordovician aquifer system of the northern Midwest as part of a national series of Regional Aquifer-Systems Analysis (RASA). An integral part of this study will be a simulation of the ground-water flow regime using the Geological Survey's three-dimensional finite-difference model. The first step in the modeling effort is the design and development of a systematic set of processes to facilitate the collection, evaluation, manipulation, and use of large quantities of information. A computerized data-base system to accomplish these goals has been completed for the northern Midwest RASA. The input to the data-base system consists of either point values or contour maps of the hydrogeologic data required by the model. Digital samples of contoured surfaces are obtained by machine digitization. Uniformly spaced model-node values are then computed from the discrete data by two-dimensional interpolation. The interpolator uses the regional (long wavelength) characteristics of the data to compute a surface with minimum total curvature. Local (short wavelength) data are merged with the regional surface to produce the model-node values at the desired spacing. Nonuniformly spaced nodal values may be obtained by fitting two-dimensional polynomials (bicubic splines) to surfaces formed by uniformly spaced points and solving for the surface values at the node locations. The uniformly or nonuniformly spaced node values constitute the output of the data-base system and in turn are the input arrays of data values for the ground-water flow model. Management of the data base is facilitated by forming a data file for each model input parameter and for other hydrogeologic data used in the study. The data files are subdivided into elements consisting of individual model-layer arrays. In this form the data base can be readily accessed and edited. In addition to the interpolation programs, software components of the system include programs: (1) to transform geographic coordinates on a Lambert conformal conic projection to cartesian coordinates and vice versa, (2) to machine contour gridded data, (3) to expedite manipulation and editing of data, and (4) to perform various interarray computations. The data-base system has the following attributes: (1) manual handling of data is minimized and machine handling of data is maximized, (2) given unequally spaced point data over the extent of a study area, model input arrays for any reasonable uniform node spacing can be rapidly computed, (3) accuracy of computed node values are generally compatible with accuracy and spatial distribution of point data, (4) a relatively large class of nonuniformly spaced node configurations can be computed, (5) data within data-base files can be easily accessed and readily edited, and (6) the occurrence of data processing errors at various stages of data-base generation is monitored by machine contouring the computed grids. Functioning of the data-base system is illustrated by the sequence of steps required to produce a model-input array of transmissivity, given raw geologic and hydraulic conductivity data.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗