Geology and ground-water conditions in the southern part of the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, Morrison County, Minnesota

J.R. Jones; P.D. Akin; Robert Schneider

doi:10.3133/wsp1669a

Home/Archive/USGS

USGS · wsp1669A

Geology and ground-water conditions in the southern part of the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, Morrison County, Minnesota

J.R. Jones·P.D. Akin·Robert Schneider

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The southern part of the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, in central Minnesota, includes an area of about 20 square miles. This investigation was conducted to assist the U.S. National Guard Bureau in locating adequate water supplies for expansion and standby needs. Bedrock in the area consists of Precambrian phyllite which is equivalent to the Virginia slate. The area is covered largely by Pleistocene deposits in the form of moraines, ice-contact features, outwash plains, and the valley train of the Mississippi River. Almost all the surface deposits consist of outwash-plain and valley-train sediments that are generally permeable. Test drilling and an electrical-resistivity survey indicate that the post area, in the southeast part of the reservation, is underlain by about 50 to 115 feet of glacial drift. The west side of the post area is underlain by a bedrock valley filled in part by permeable glaciofluvial deposits in which there is a narrow, highly permeable channel deposit of sand and gravel. Aquifers of this type are probably the most important source of ground water in the area, although substantial quantities of water also may be obtained from other types of glacial aquifers. Properly constructed and developed wells tapping the channel deposits should yield 2,000 to 3,000 gallons per minute, or more. Recharge to the aquifers in the reservation is derived from the downward percolation of local precipitation. Most recharge occurs during the spring breakup when accumulated winter snows melt and during the warmer months when the heaviest rains occur. Sufficient water is stored in sands and gravels in the area to support substantial water-supply developments for several years, even without normal recharge. The water is harder than is desirable for domestic uses, and it is relatively highly colored, probably owing to the presence of iron. Otherwise, the water is satisfactory for most domestic purposes as it contains only about 250 parts per million of dissolved solids.

Explore related subjects

Water Supply Paper Report

Source-reported bounding extent: 46.070551078344444° to 46.10400631094191° latitude; -94.37504768371582° to -94.32929992675781° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

J.R. Jones, P.D. Akin, Robert Schneider. 1963. Geology and ground-water conditions in the southern part of the Camp Ripley Military Reservation, Morrison County, Minnesota. https://doi.org/10.3133/wsp1669a

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related USGS reports

USGS2004

Basic ground-water hydrology

Ground water is one of the Nation's most valuable natural resources. It is the source of about 40 percent of the water used for all purposes exclusive of hydropower generation and electric powerplant cooling. Surprisingly, for a resource that is so widely used and so important to the health and to the economy of the country, the occurrence of ground water is not only poorly understood but is also, in fact, the subject of many widespread misconceptions. Common misconceptions include the belief that ground water occurs in underground rivers resembling surface streams whose presence can be detected by certain individuals. These misconceptions and others have hampered the development and conservation of ground water and have adversely affected the protection of its quality. In order for the Nation to receive maximum benefit from its ground-water resource, it is essential that everyone, from the rural homeowner to managers of industrial and municipal water supplies to heads of Federal and State water-regulatory agencies, become more knowledgeable about the occurrence, development, and protection of ground water. This report has been prepared to help meet the needs of these groups, as well as the needs of hydrologists, well drillers, and others engaged in the study and development of ground-water supplies. It consists of 45 sections on the basic elements of ground-water hydrology, arranged in order from the most basic aspects of the subject through a discussion of the methods used to determine the yield of aquifers to a discussion of common problems encountered in the operation of ground-water supplies. Each section consists of a brief text and one or more drawings or maps that illustrate the main points covered in the text. Because the text is, in effect, an expanded discussion of the illustrations, most of the illustrations are not captioned. However, where more than one drawing is included in a section, each drawing is assigned a number, given in parentheses, and these numbers are inserted at places in the text where the reader should refer to the drawing. In accordance with U.S. Geological Survey policy to encourage the use of metric units, these units are used in most sections. In the sections dealing with the analysis of aquifer (pumping) test data, equations are given in both consistent units and in the inconsistent inch-pound units still in relatively common use among ground-water hydrologists and well drillers. As an aid to those who are not familiar with metric units and with the conversion of ground-water hydraulic units from inch-pound units to metric units, conversion tables are given on the inside back cover. Definitions of ground-water terms are given where the terms are first introduced. Because some of these terms will be new to many readers, abbreviated definitions are also given on the inside front cover for convenient reference by those who wish to review the definitions from time to time as they read the text. Finally, for those who need to review some of the simple mathematical operations that are used in ground-water hydrology, a section on numbers, equations, and conversions is included at the end of the text.

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS2002

Use of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur to identify sources of nitrogen in surface waters in the lower Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania

With the exception of sewage and septic effluents, most nitrogen sources and soils contain larger proportions of organic and reduced forms of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur than inorganic, oxidized forms. In contrast, most surface water and ground water contains larger proportions of dissolved inorganic carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur forms than organic forms. Data indicate that carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur are extensively processed in soils and streams.

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS2001

Validation of a numerical modeling method for simulating rainfall-runoff relations for headwater basins in western King and Snohomish Counties, Washington

The validity of a previously determined numerical modeling method was assessed. Numerical models for 11 drainage basins were constructed with the Hydrologic Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) with parameter values that were generalized for the physiographic region. Large and recurrent simulation errors were initially identified, but three systematic modifications of the models corrected those errors for 10 out of the 11 basins. The validity of the numerical modeling method for simulating rainfall-runoff relations in the study area, as modified during this investigation, was not rejected, but observed streamflow data were needed to apply the method.

Water Supply Paper↗