Geology topics

Research about Geauga County, Ohio

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Geauga County, Ohio.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2001

Ground-water quality in Geauga County, Ohio — Review of previous studies, status in 1999, and comparison of 1986 and 1999 data

Most residents in Geauga County, Ohio, rely on ground water as their primary source of drinking water. With population growing at a steady rate, the possibility that human activity will affect ground-water quality becomes considerable. This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Geauga County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners, to provide a brief synopsis of work previously done within the county, to assess the present (1999) ground-water quality, and to determine any changes in groundwater quality between 1986 and 1999. Previous studies of ground-water quality in the county have consistently reported that manganese and iron concentrations in ground water in Geauga County often exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL). Road salt and, less commonly, oil-field brines and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been found in ground water at isolated locations. Nitrate has not been detected above the USEPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 milligrams per liter as N; however, nitrate has been found in some locations at levels that may indicate the effects of fertilizer application or effluent from septic systems. Between June 7 and July 1, 1999, USGS personnel collected a total of 31 water-quality samples from wells completed in glacial deposits, the Pottsville Formation, the Cuyahoga Group, and the Berea Sandstone. All samples were analyzed for VOCs, sulfide, dissolved organic carbon, major ions, trace elements, alkalinity, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli bacteria. Fourteen of the samples also were analyzed for tritium. Water-quality data were used to determine (1) suitability of water for drinking, (2) age of ground water, (3) stratigraphic variation in water quality, (4) controls on water quality, and (5) temporal variation in water quality. Water from 16 of the 31 samples exceeded the Geauga County General Health District’s standard of 0 colonies of total coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters of water. Esthetically based SMCLs were exceeded in the indicated number of wells for pH (8), sulfate (1), dissolved solids (3), iron (19), and manganese (18). Hydrogen sulfide was detected at or above the detection limit of 0.01 milligram per liter in 17 of the 31 water samples. A range of water types was found among and within the four principal stratigraphic units. The waters can be categorized in three groups based on predominant anion type: bicarbonatetype waters, chloride-type waters, and sulfatetype waters. Chloride-to-bromide ratio analyses indicate that water from 8 of the 31 wells is in some way affected by human activity. Five other samples were in a chloride-to-bromide ratio range that could indicate possible effects of human activity. Ground-water-quality data from the current study were compared to data collected in 1986. Statistical analyses of data from the 16 wells that were sampled in both years did not indicate any significant changes that could be attributed to human activity.

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USGS1995

Ground-water levels and directions of flow in Geauga County, Ohio, September 1994, and changes in ground-water levels, 1986-94

This report presents the results of a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Geauga County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners, to determine directions of ground-water flow and to assess differences from 1986 to 1994 in groundwater levels in the glacial deposits and Pottsville Formation, Cuyahoga Group, and the Berea Sandstone. Water levels were measured in 219 wells in Geauga County, Ohio, in September 1994. Water levels measured in January and February 1986 in 88 of the 219 wells were used for comparison. Water-level maps constructed from measurements made in September 1994 show that ground-water levels in the Pottsville Formation and the glacial deposits generally correspond to the land-surface configuration and that ground water flows from the uplands to adjacent streams and buried valleys. Ground-water flow in the Cuyahoga Group is generally downward from the Pottsville Formation to the Berea Sandstone. Directions of ground-water flow in the Berea Sandstone are toward outcrop areas at the north and east edges of Geauga County and toward subcrops beneath buried glacial valley deposits in Chardon, Chester, Munson, and Russell Townships and along the west edge of the county. A comparison of water level measurements in 1986 and 1994 indicates that water levels declined in 70 percent of the measured wells and increased in 30 percent. The change in water levels from 1986 to 1994 ranged from an increase of 13.58 feet to a decrease of 29.25 feet. Thirty percent of all water-level changes were less than 1 foot in magnitude. In nearly 80 percent of the wells, water-level changes were within the range of plus or minus 5 feet. Among the wells for which two or more historical measurements were available, the 1994 water levels in 54 percent were outside the range of water-levels observed in previous studies (only 24 percent were greater than 1 foot outside of the previously-observed range). Water-level declines of greater than 10 feet were primarily in the Cuyahoga Group and Berea Sandstone. Some factors considered in the analysis of the differences in water levels in 1986 and 1994 were changes in water use, population, and the amount of available recharge. Water level differences could not be correlated to population changes between the 1980 and 1990 censuses. A decrease in the available recharge from 1986 to 1994 may be part of the cause for the decrease in water levels observed in two-thirds of the wells in and adjacent to Geauga County. Effects of withdrawal rates due to population increase on water levels, if present, are overshadowed by the effects of annual variations in precipitation.

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USGS1980

Ground-water levels and chemical quality in Geauga County, Ohio, 1978

Most ground water used in Geauga County, Ohio, is withdrawn from bedrock aquifers, chiefly sandstones of the Pottsville and Cuyahoga Formations of Pennsylvanian and Mississippian age, respectively. Two potentiometric-surface maps were constructed from water-level measurements of 77 wells and 2 springs made in June and October 1978. The potentiometric surface did not change more than a few feet between June and October except in four distantly spaced wells where water levels changed not more than 17 feet, probably due to nearby pumping. The ground water is generally of good quality for domestic use based on guidelines set by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some water samples contained high concentrations of dissolved iron and manganese. These metals could have been contributed by deteriorating well casings, bacteria, or iron- and manganese-rich aquifer rocks.

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