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USGS2009

Three-dimensional numerical model of ground-water flow in northern Utah Valley, Utah County, Utah

A three-dimensional, finite-difference, numerical model was developed to simulate ground-water flow in northern Utah Valley, Utah. The model includes expanded areal boundaries as compared to a previous ground-water flow model of the valley and incorporates more than 20 years of additional hydrologic data. The model boundary was generally expanded to include the bedrock in the surrounding mountain block as far as the surface-water divide. New wells have been drilled in basin-fill deposits near the consolidated-rock boundary. Simulating the hydrologic conditions within the bedrock allows for improved simulation of the effect of withdrawal from these wells. The inclusion of bedrock also allowed for the use of a recharge model that provided an alternative method for spatially distributing areal recharge over the mountains. The model was calibrated to steady- and transient-state conditions. The steady-state simulation was developed and calibrated by using hydrologic data that represented average conditions for 1947. The transient-state simulation was developed and calibrated by using hydrologic data collected from 1947 to 2004. Areally, the model grid is 79 rows by 70 columns, with variable cell size. Cells throughout most of the model domain represent 0.3 mile on each side. The largest cells are rectangular with dimensions of about 0.3 by 0.6 mile. The largest cells represent the mountain block on the eastern edge of the model domain where the least hydrologic data are available. Vertically, the aquifer system is divided into 4 layers which incorporate 11 hydrogeologic units. The model simulates recharge to the ground-water flow system as (1) infiltration of precipitation over the mountain block, (2) infiltration of precipitation over the valley floor, (3) infiltration of unconsumed irrigation water from fields, lawns, and gardens, (4) seepage from streams and canals, and (5) subsurface inflow from Cedar Valley. Discharge of ground water is simulated by the model to (1) flowing and pumping wells, (2) drains and springs, (3) evapotranspiration, (4) Utah Lake, (5) the Jordan River and mountain streams, and (6) Salt Lake Valley by subsurface outflow through the Jordan Narrows. During steady-state calibration, variables were adjusted within probable ranges to minimize differences between model-computed and measured water levels as well as between model-computed and independently estimated flows that include: recharge by seepage from individual streams and canals, discharge by seepage to individual streams and the Jordan River, discharge to Utah Lake, discharge to drains and springs, discharge by evapotranspiration, and subsurface flows into and out of northern Utah Valley from Cedar Valley and to Salt Lake Valley, respectively. The transient-state simulation was calibrated to measured water levels and water-level changes with consideration given to annual changes in the flows listed above.

Utah↗

USGS2010

Hydrology of Eagle Creek Basin and effects of groundwater pumping on streamflow, 1969-2009

Urban and resort development and drought conditions have placed increasing demands on the surface-water and groundwater resources of the Eagle Creek Basin, in southcentral New Mexico. The Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, obtains 60-70 percent of its water from the Eagle Creek Basin. The village drilled four production wells on Forest Service land along North Fork Eagle Creek; three of the four wells were put into service in 1988 and remain in use. Local citizens have raised questions as to the effects of North Fork well pumping on flow in Eagle Creek. In response to these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Village of Ruidoso, conducted a hydrologic investigation from 2007 through 2009 of the potential effect of the North Fork well field on streamflow in North Fork Eagle Creek. Mean annual precipitation for the period of record (1942-2008) at the Ruidoso climate station is 22.21 inches per year with a range from 12.27 inches in 1970 to 34.81 inches in 1965. Base-flow analysis indicates that the 1970-80 mean annual discharge, direct runoff, and base flow were 2,260, 1,440, and 819 acre-ft/yr, respectively, and for 1989-2008 were 1,290, 871, and 417 acre-ft/yr, respectively. These results indicate that mean annual discharge, direct runoff, and base flow were less during the 1989-2008 period than during the 1970-80 period. Mean annual precipitation volume for the study area was estimated to be 12,200 acre-feet. Estimated annual evapotranspiration for the study area ranged from 8,730 to 8,890 acre-feet. Estimated annual basin yield for the study area was 3,390 acre-ft or about 28 percent of precipitation. On the basis of basin-yield computations, annual recharge was estimated to be 1,950 acre-ft, about 16 percent of precipitation. Using a chloride mass-balance method, groundwater recharge over the study area was estimated to average 490 acre-ft, about 4.0 percent of precipitation. Because the North Fork wells began pumping in 1988, 1969-80 represents the pre-groundwater-pumping period, and 1988-2009 represents the groundwater-pumping period. The 5-year moving average for precipitation at the Ruidoso climate station shows years of below-average precipitation during both time periods, but no days of zero flow were recorded for the 11-year period 1970-80 and no-flow days were recorded in 11 of 20 years for the 1988-2009 period. View report for unabridged abstract.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2008

Hydrogeologic Setting, Ground-Water Flow, and Ground-Water Quality at the Langtree Peninsula Research Station, Iredell County, North Carolina, 2000-2005

A 6-year intensive field study (2000-2005) of a complex, regolith-fractured bedrock ground-water system was conducted at the Langtree Peninsula research station on the Davidson College Lake Campus in Iredell County, North Carolina. This research station was constructed as part of the Piedmont and Mountains Resource Evaluation Program, a cooperative study being conducted by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey. Results of the study characterize the distinction and interaction of a two-component ground-water system in a quartz diorite rock type. The Langtree Peninsula research station includes 17 monitoring wells and 12 piezometers, including 2 well transects along high to low topographic settings, drilled into separate parts of the ground-water-flow system. The location of the research station is representative of a metaigneous intermediate (composition) regional hydrogeologic unit. The primary rock type is mafic quartz diorite that has steeply dipping foliation. Primary and secondary foliations are present in the quartz diorite at the site, and both have an average strike of about N. 12 degree E. and dip about 60 degree in opposite directions to the southeast (primary) and the northwest (secondary). This rock is cut by granitic dikes (intrusions) ranging in thickness from 2 to 50 feet and having an average strike of N. 20 degree W. and an average dip of 66 degree to the southwest. Depth to consolidated bedrock is considered moderate to deep, ranging from about 24 to 76 feet below land surface. The transition zone was delineated and described in each corehole near the well clusters but had a highly variable thickness ranging from about 1 to 20 feet. Thickness of the regolith (23 to 68 feet) and the transition zone do not appear to be related to topographic setting. Delineated bedrock fractures are dominantly low angle (possibly stress relief), which were observed to be open to partially open at depths of as much as 479 feet below land surface. Well yields ranged from about 3 to 50 gallons per minute. The connection of fracture zones at depth was demonstrated in three bedrock wells during a 48-hour aquifer test, and drawdown curves were similar for all three wells. General findings of this study help characterize ground-water flow in the Piedmont and Mountains ground-water systems. Ground-water flow generally is from high to low topographic settings. Ground-water flow discharges toward a surface-water boundary (Lake Norman), and vertical hydraulic gradients generally are downward in recharge areas and upward in discharge areas. Dominant water types are calcium-bicarbonate and are similar in all three zones (regolith, transition zone, and bedrock) of the ground-water system. Results of continuous ground-water-quality monitoring indicate that ground-water recharge may occur seasonally over a period of several months or after heavy rainfall periods over a shorter period of a few to several weeks.

North Carolina↗

USGS2008

Hydrogeologic Framework in Three Drainage Basins in the New Jersey Pinelands, 2004-06

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, began a multi-phase hydrologic investigation in 2004 to characterize the hydrologic system supporting the aquatic and wetland communities of the New Jersey Pinelands area (Pinelands). The Pinelands is an ecologically diverse area in the southern New Jersey Coastal Plain underlain by the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system. The demand for ground water from this aquifer system is increasing as local development increases. To assess the effects of ground-water withdrawals on Pinelands stream and wetland water levels, three drainage basins were selected for detailed hydrologic assessments, including the Albertson Brook, McDonalds Branch and the Morses Mill Stream basins. Study areas were defined surrounding the three drainage basins to provide sub-regional hydrogeologic data for the ground-water flow modeling phase of this study. In the first phase of the hydrologic assessments, a database of hydrogeologic information and a hydrogeologic framework model for each of the three study areas were produced. These framework models, which illustrate typical hydrogeologic variations among different geographic subregions of the Pinelands, are the structural foundation for predictive ground-water flow models to be used in assessing the hydrologic effects of increased ground-water withdrawals. During 2004-05, a hydrogeologic database was compiled using existing and new geophysical and lithologic data including suites of geophysical logs collected at 7 locations during the drilling of 21 wells and one deep boring within the three study areas. In addition, 27 miles of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surface geophysical data were collected and analyzed to determine the depth and extent of shallow clays in the general vicinity of the streams. On the basis of these data, the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system was divided into 7 layers to construct a hydrogeologic framework model for each study area. These layers are defined by their predominant sediment textures as aquifers and leaky confining layers. The confining layer at the base of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system, depending on location, is defined as one of two distinct clays of the Kirkwood Formation. The framework models are described using hydrogeologic sections, maps of structure tops of layers, and thickness maps showing variations of sediment textures of the various model layers. The three framework models are similar in structure but unique to their respective study areas. The hydraulic conductivity of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the vicinity of the three study areas was determined from analysis of 16 slug tests and 136 well-performance tests. The mean values for hydraulic conductivity in the three study areas ranged from about 84 feet per day to 130 feet per day. With the exception of the basal confining layers, the variable and discontinuous nature of clay layers within the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system was confirmed by the geophysical and lithologic records. Leaky confining layers and discontinuous clays are generally more common in the upper part of the aquifer system. Although the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system generally has been considered a water-table aquifer in most areas, localized clays in the aquifer layers and the effectiveness of the leaky confining layers may act to impede the flow of ground water in varying amounts depending on the degree of confinement and the location, duration, and magnitude of the hydraulic stresses applied. Considerable variability exists in the different sediment textures. The extent to which this hydrogeologic variability can be characterized is constrained by the extent of the available data. Thus, the hydraulic properties of the modeled layers were estimated on the basis of available horizontal hydraulic conductivity data and the range of sediment textures estimated from geophysical and lithologic data.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2010

Analysis of the Shallow Groundwater Flow System at Fire Island National Seashore, Suffolk County, New York

Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) occupies 42 kilometers of the barrier island for which it is named that lies off the southern shore of Suffolk County, N.Y. Freshwater in the highly permeable, sandy aquifer underlying Fire Island is bounded laterally by marine surface waters and at depth by saline groundwater. Interspersed throughout FIIS are 17 pre-existing residential communities that in summer months greatly increase in population through the arrival of summer residents and vacationers; in addition, the National Park Service (NPS) has established several facilities on the island to accommodate visitors to FIIS. The 2.2 million people estimated by the NPS to visit Fire Island annually impact groundwater quality through the release of waste-derived contaminants, such as nutrients, pathogens, and organic compounds, into the environment. Waste-contaminated groundwater can move through the aquifer and threaten the ecological health of the adjacent back-barrier estuaries to which much of the groundwater ultimately discharges. In 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the NPS, began a 3-year investigation to (1) collect groundwater levels and water-quality (nutrient) samples, (2) develop a three-dimensional model of the shallow (water-table) aquifer system and adjacent marine surface waters, and (3) calculate nitrogen loads in simulated groundwater discharges from the aquifer to back-barrier estuaries and the ocean. The hydrogeology of the shallow aquifer system was characterized from the results of exploratory drilling, geophysical surveying, water-level monitoring, and water-quality sampling. The investigation focused on four areas-the communities of Kismet and Robbins Rest, the NPS Visitor Center at Watch Hill, and the undeveloped Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness. Thirty-five observation wells were installed within FIIS to characterize subsurface hydrogeology and establish a water-table monitoring network in the four study areas. A variable-density model of the shallow aquifer system and adjacent marine surface waters was developed to simulate groundwater flow patterns and rates. Nitrogen loads from the shallow aquifer system were calculated from representative total nitrogen (TN) concentrations and simulated groundwater discharges to back-barrier estuaries and the ocean. The model simulates groundwater directions, velocities, and discharge rates under 2005 mean annual conditions. Groundwater budgets were developed for recharge areas of similar land use that contribute freshwater to back-barrier estuaries, the ocean, and subsea-discharge zones. Total freshwater discharge from the shallow aquifer system is about 43,500 cubic meters per day (m3/d) (79.8 percent) to back-barrier estuaries and about 10,200 m3/d (18.7 percent) to the ocean; about 836 m3/d (1.5 percent) may exit the system as subsea underflow. The total contribution of fresh groundwater to shoreline discharge zones amounts to about 53,700 m3/d (98.5 percent). The median age of freshwater discharged to back-barrier estuaries and the ocean was 3.4 years, and the 95th-percentile age was 20 years. The TN concentrations and loads under 2005 mean annual conditions for areas that contribute fresh groundwater to back-barrier estuaries and the ocean were calculated for the principal land uses on Fire Island. The overall TN load from the shallow aquifer system to shoreline discharge zones is about 16,200 kilograms per year (kg/yr) (82.2 percent) to back-barrier estuaries and about 3,500 kg/yr (17.8 percent) to the ocean. The overall TN load to marine surface waters amounts to about 19,700 kg/yr-roughly 6 percent of the annual TN load from shallow groundwater entering the South Shore Estuary Reserve (SSER) from the Suffolk County mainland, which is about 345,000 kg/yr. In contrast to the TN load from shallow groundwater for the SSER watershed, which annually yields about 353 kilograms per square kilometer (kg/km2), the overall TN loa

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2011

Regional groundwater-flow model of the Redwall-Muav, Coconino, and alluvial basin aquifer systems of northern and central Arizona

A numerical flow model (MODFLOW) of the groundwater flow system in the primary aquifers in northern Arizona was developed to simulate interactions between the aquifers, perennial streams, and springs for predevelopment and transient conditions during 1910 through 2005. Simulated aquifers include the Redwall-Muav, Coconino, and basin-fill aquifers. Perennial stream reaches and springs that derive base flow from the aquifers were simulated, including the Colorado River, Little Colorado River, Salt River, Verde River, and perennial reaches of tributary streams. Simulated major springs include Blue Spring, Del Rio Springs, Havasu Springs, Verde River headwater springs, several springs that discharge adjacent to major Verde River tributaries, and many springs that discharge to the Colorado River. Estimates of aquifer hydraulic properties and groundwater budgets were developed from published reports and groundwater-flow models. Spatial extents of aquifers and confining units were developed from geologic data, geophysical models, a groundwater-flow model for the Prescott Active Management Area, drill logs, geologic logs, and geophysical logs. Spatial and temporal distributions of natural recharge were developed by using a water-balance model that estimates recharge from direct infiltration. Additional natural recharge from ephemeral channel infiltration was simulated in alluvial basins. Recharge at wastewater treatment facilities and incidental recharge at agricultural fields and golf courses were also simulated. Estimates of predevelopment rates of groundwater discharge to streams, springs, and evapotranspiration by phreatophytes were derived from previous reports and on the basis of streamflow records at gages. Annual estimates of groundwater withdrawals for agriculture, municipal, industrial, and domestic uses were developed from several sources, including reported withdrawals for nonexempt wells, estimated crop requirements for agricultural wells, and estimated per capita water use for exempt wells. Accuracy of the simulated groundwater-flow system was evaluated by using observational control from water levels in wells, estimates of base flow from streamflow records, and estimates of spring discharge. Major results from the simulations include the importance of variations in recharge rates throughout the study area and recharge along ephemeral and losing stream reaches in alluvial basins. Insights about the groundwater-flow systems in individual basins include the hydrologic influence of geologic structures in some areas and that stream-aquifer interactions along the lower part of the Little Colorado River are an effective control on water level distributions throughout the Little Colorado River Plateau basin. Better information on several aspects of the groundwater flow system are needed to reduce uncertainty of the simulated system. Many areas lack documentation of the response of the groundwater system to changes in withdrawals and recharge. Data needed to define groundwater flow between vertically adjacent water-bearing units is lacking in many areas. Distributions of recharge along losing stream reaches are poorly defined. Extents of aquifers and alluvial lithologies are poorly defined in parts of the Big Chino and Verde Valley sub-basins. Aquifer storage properties are poorly defined throughout most of the study area. Little data exist to define the hydrologic importance of geologic structures such as faults and fractures. Discharge of regional groundwater flow to the Verde River is difficult to identify in the Verde Valley sub-basin because of unknown contributions from deep percolation of excess surface water irrigation.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2012

Hydrogeology and water quality of the Floridan aquifer system and effect of Lower Floridan aquifer pumping on the Upper Floridan aquifer, Pooler, Chatham County, Georgia, 2011–2012

Two test wells were completed in Pooler, Georgia, in 2011 to investigate the potential of using the Lower Floridan aquifer as a source of water for municipal use. One well was completed in the Lower Floridan aquifer at a depth of 1,120 feet (ft) below land surface; the other well was completed in the Upper Floridan aquifer at a depth of 486 ft below land surface. At the Pooler test site, the U.S. Geological Survey performed flowmeter surveys, packer-isolated slug tests within the Lower Floridan confining unit, slug tests of the entire Floridan aquifer system, and aquifer tests of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers. Drill cuttings, geophysical logs, and borehole flowmeter surveys indicate that the Upper Floridan aquifer extends 333 –515 ft below land surface, the Lower Floridan confining unit extends 515–702 ft below land surface, and the Lower Floridan aquifer extends 702–1,040 ft below land surface. Flowmeter surveys indicate that the Upper Floridan aquifer contains two water-bearing zones at depth intervals of 339 –350 and 375–515 ft; the Lower Floridan confining unit contains one zone at a depth interval of 550–620 ft; and the Lower Floridan aquifer contains five zones at depth intervals of 702–745, 745–925, 925–984, 984–1,015, and 1,015–1,040 ft. Flowmeter testing of the test borehole open to the entire Floridan aquifer system indicated that the Upper Floridan aquifer contributed 92.4 percent of the total flow rate of 708 gallons per minute; the Lower Floridan confining unit contributed 3.0 percent; and the Lower Floridan aquifer contributed 4.6 percent. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the Lower Floridan confining unit derived from slug tests within three packer-isolated intervals ranged from 0.5 to 10 feet per day (ft/d). Aquifer-test analyses yielded values of transmissivity for the Upper Floridan aquifer, Lower Floridan confining unit, and the Lower Floridan aquifer of 46,000, 700, and 4,000 feet squared per day (ft 2 /d), respectively. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of 4 ft/d for the Lower Floridan confining unit, derived from aquifer-test analyses, is near the midrange for values derived from packer-isolated slug tests. The transmissivity of the entire Floridan aquifer system derived from aquifer-test analyses totals about 51,000 ft 2 /d, similar to the value of 58,000 ft 2 /d derived from open slug tests on the entire Floridan aquifer system. Water-level data for each aquifer test were filtered for external influences such as barometric pressure, earth-tide effects, and long-term trends to enable detection of small (less than 1 foot) water-level responses to aquifer-test pumping. During the 72-hour aquifer test of pumping the Lower Floridan aquifer, a drawdown response of 51.7 ft was observed in the Lower Floridan pumped well and a drawdown response of 0.9 foot was observed in the Upper Floridan observation well located 85 ft from the pumped well.

Georgia↗

USGS2004

Geochemistry of Mercury and other trace elements in fluvial tailings upstream of Daguerre Point Dam, Yuba River, California, August 2001

This study was designed to characterize the particle-size distribution and the concentrations of total mercury (HgT), methylmercury (MeHg), and other constituents in sediments trapped behind Daguerre Point Dam, a 28-foot-high structure on the lower Yuba River in California. The results of the study will assist other agencies in evaluating potential environmental impacts from mobilization of sediments if Daguerre Point Dam is modified or removed to improve the passage of anadromous fish. Methylmercury is of particular concern owing to its toxicity and propensity to bioaccumulate. A limited amount of recent work on hydraulic and dredge tailings in other watersheds has indicated that mercury and MeHg concentrations may be elevated in the fine-grained fractions of placer mining debris, particularly clay and silt. Mercury associated with tailings from placer gold mines is a source of continued contamination in Sierra Nevada watersheds and downstream water bodies, including the Sacramento?San Joaquin Delta and the San Francisco Bay of northern California. Churn drilling was used to recover sediments and heavy minerals at 5-foot intervals from six locations upstream of Daguerre Point Dam. Maximum depth of penetration ranged from 17.5 to 35 feet below land surface, resulting in 31 discreet drilled intervals. Drilling in permeable, unconsolidated sediments below the streambed of the Yuba River released a significant volume of water along with the sediment, which complicated the sampling and characterization effort. Overflow of a silty fraction sampled at the drill site contained suspended sediment consisting predominantly of silt and clay, with HgT concentration ranging from 33 to 1,100 ng/g (nanogram per gram) dry weight. A sandy fraction, collected after sieving sediment through a 2-millimeter vibratory screen, contained from 14 to 82 percent sand and 1 to 29 percent silt plus clay, and had HgT concentrations ranging from 6.8 to 81 ng/g dry weight. A clay-silt fraction, sampled from material remaining in suspension after the sandy fraction settled for 15-20 minutes, contained mercury concentrations from 23 to 370 ng/g dry weight. Concentrations of MeHg were less than the detection limit (<0.001 ng/g dry weight) in 30 of 31 samples of the sandy fraction. In the suspended clay-silt fraction, MeHg was detected in 16 of 31 samples, in which it ranged in concentration from 0.04 (estimated) to 0.61 ng/g wet weight. Potential rates of mercury methylation and demethylation were evaluated in seven samples using radiotracer methods. Mercury methylation (MeHg production) potentials were generally low, ranging from less than 0.15 to about 1.6 ng/g/d (nanogram per gram of dry sediment per day). Mercury demethylation (MeHg degradation) potentials were moderately high, ranging from 1.0 to 2.2 ng/g/d. The ratio of methylation potential (MP) to demethylation potential (DP) ranged from less than 0.14 to about 1.4 (median = 0.24, mean = 0.44, number of samples = 7), suggesting that the potential for net production of MeHg in deep sediments is generally low. The MeHg production rates and MP/DP ratios were higher in the shallower interval in two of the three holes where two depth intervals were assessed, whereas the MeHg concentrations were higher in the shallower interval for all three holes. A similar spatial distribution was found for concentrations of solid-phase sulfide (measured as total reduced sulfur and likely representing iron-sulfide and iron-disulfide compounds), which were much higher in shallower samples (about 700 to about 2,100 nanomoles per gram, dry sediment) than in deeper samples (32 to 55 nanomoles per gram, dry sediment) in these three holes. If reduced sulfur compounds are oxidized to sulfate as a consequence of sediment disturbance, the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria might be stimulated, causing a short-term increase in methylation of inorganic Hg(II) (divalent mercury).

California↗

USGS2007

Geological assessment of cores from the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, New Hampshire

Geological sources of metals (especially arsenic and zinc) in aquifer bedrock were evaluated for their potential to contribute elevated values of metals to ground and surface waters in and around Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Ayotte and others (1999, 2003) had proposed that arsenic concentrations in ground water flowing through bedrock aquifers in eastern New England were elevated as a result of interaction with rocks. Specifically in southeastern New Hampshire, Montgomery and others (2003) established that nearly one-fifth of private bedrock wells had arsenic concentrations that exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum contamination level for public water supplies. Two wells drilled in coastal New Hampshire were sited to intersect metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks in the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Bulk chemistry, mineralogy, and mineral chemistry data were obtained on representative samples of cores extracted from the two boreholes in the Kittery and Eliot Formations. The results of this study have established that the primary geologic source of arsenic in ground waters sampled from the two well sites was iron-sulfide minerals, predominantly arsenic-bearing pyrite and lesser amounts of base-metal-sulfide and sulfosalt minerals that contain appreciable arsenic, including arsenopyrite, tetrahedrite, and cobaltite. Secondary minerals containing arsenic are apparently limited to iron-oxyhydroxide minerals. The geologic source of zinc was sphalerite, typically cadmium-bearing, which occurs with pyrite in core samples. Zinc also occurred as a secondary mineral in carbonate form. Oxidation of sulfides leading to the liberation of acid, iron, arsenic, zinc, and other metals was most prevalent in open fractures and vuggy zones in core intervals containing zones of high transmissivity in the two units. The presence of significant calcite and lesser amounts of other acid-neutralizing carbonate and silicate minerals, acting as a natural buffer to reduce acidity, forced precipitation of iron-oxyhydroxide minerals and the removal of trace elements, including arsenic and lead, from ground waters in the refuge. Zinc may have remained in solution to a greater extent because of complexing with carbonate and its solubility in near-neutral ground and surface waters. The regional link between anomalously high arsenic contents in ground water and a bedrock source as established by Ayotte and others (1999, 2003) and Montgomery and others (2003) was confirmed by the presence of some arsenic-bearing minerals in rocks of the Kittery and Eliot Formations. The relatively low amounts of arsenic and metals in wells in the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge as reported by Ayotte and others (U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Data, 2005) were likely controlled by local geochemical environments in partially filled fractures, fissures, and permeable zones within the bedrock formations. Carbonate and silicate gangue minerals that line fractures, fissures, and permeable zones likely limited the movement of arsenic from bedrock to ground water. Sources other than the two geologic formations might have been required to account for anomalously high arsenic contents measured in private bedrock aquifer wells of Rockingham County.

New Hampshire↗

USGS2021

Groundwater conditions and trends, 2009–19, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Groundwater is the primary source of municipal water for Saipan. Nearly all groundwater for the municipal water supply is withdrawn from a freshwater-lens system with a limited amount of freshwater that is susceptible to saltwater intrusion. The status of Saipan’s groundwater resources has not been thoroughly assessed since 2003. The U.S. Geological Survey—in cooperation with the Office of Grants Management, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and in collaboration with the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation—assessed the status and characteristics of Saipan’s groundwater resources by (1) evaluating groundwater withdrawals from municipal production wells during 2014–19, (2) evaluating chloride concentrations of municipal groundwater withdrawals during 2009–19, and (3) collecting salinity profiles at selected groundwater-monitoring wells during 2018–19. At the time of preparation of this report (2019), the periods of groundwater-withdrawal and chloride-concentration data represent the only periods of data available since 2003. During 2014–19, groundwater for the municipal water supply was withdrawn from about 143 production wells. Most of the wells are drilled into limestone formations in the southern plateau and the Kagman Peninsula and generally have withdrawal rates of about 40–60 gallons per minute. Records of monthly groundwater withdrawals from municipal production wells were available for May 2014–March 2019; during that period, monthly withdrawals ranged from 5.7 to 12.8 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) and averaged 9.3 Mgal/d, although records were unavailable for 9 months (May 2015–January 2016). Private wells, mainly located on the western coastal plain, currently are permitted to withdraw a total of about 7 Mgal/d of groundwater. Actual groundwater withdrawals from private wells, however, are uncertain because withdrawal records for private wells are not available. The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation measured the chloride concentration of groundwater pumped from each of its production wells about twice a year from 2009–19; during this period, 146 production wells were active and sampled. Only 32 of the 146 (22 percent) municipal production wells had median chloride concentrations less than or equal to 250 milligrams per liter (mg/L), the secondary drinking water standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Eighty-one wells (55 percent) pumped water with median chloride concentrations above 500 mg/L. The Mann-Kendall test was used to determine if chloride concentrations of groundwater withdrawals at 146 municipal production wells had statistically significant trends during December 2009–February 2019. Trends were considered statistically significant for probability values (p-values) less than or equal to 0.05. Test results indicate an upward trend at 9 wells, a downward trend at 52 wells, and no trend at 85 wells. Salinity profiles were measured in 12 selected monitor wells during July–August 2018 and were measured in six of the twelve selected monitor wells during March 2019. The salinity profiles were used to estimate the thickness of the freshwater lens at 10 monitor wells; freshwater-lens thickness was greatest (46 ft) in a monitor well in the Dan Dan well field near the northern part of the southern plateau. Freshwater-lens-thickness estimates elsewhere were (1) between 0 and 28 ft for the remaining monitor wells on the southern plateau, (2) between 19 and 21 ft for monitor wells on the Kagman Peninsula, (3) 2 ft for a monitor well in the Sablan Quarry well field on west-central Saipan, and (4) 8 ft for a monitor well in the Marpi Quarry well field on northern Saipan.

Commonwealth of the Norhtern Marianas Islands, Sai↗

USGS2023

Geology and assessment of coal resources for the Cherokee coal bed in the Fort Union Formation, south-central Wyoming

The Cherokee coal bed is a locally thick and laterally continuous coal bed in the Overland Member of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in south-central Wyoming. It represents a significant resource that is easily accessible and may be extractable through both surface and underground mining methods. A database of more than 600 data points, comprising coalbed methane wells, coal exploration drill holes, and measured sections, was compiled from a previously released geologic database and reinterpreted to provide a more detailed geologic model for the Cherokee coal bed. The thickest part of the Cherokee coal bed lies along the crest of the Wamsutter arch, an east-west trending anticlinal feature that separates the Great Divide subbasin to north from the Washakie subbasin to the south. The Cherokee coal bed consists of several laterally persistent benches separated by partings that range in thickness from one inch to greater than 100 feet. A series of detailed geologic cross sections through the study area show both the structural geology and the distribution and areal extent of the individual coal benches of the Cherokee coal bed. Data generated from the geologic model were used in stochastic geostatistical analyses to estimate the remaining or in-place coal resources. Certain parameters, as described later in the text, were applied to calculate available coal resources for surface and underground mining. This study is part of an ongoing process by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to transition from a distance-based approach to a probabilistic approach for determining uncertainty in coal resource assessment. This probabilistic approach uses quantitative statistical methods to determine the potential range of uncertainty in coal resource estimates, whereas the distance-based approach does not provide any mathematical method to determine the range of uncertainty. Using stochastic geostatistical methods, utilizing 100 realizations or gridding iterations of the data, in-place resources were calculated, with a 90 percent probability, to be 15.261 ± 0.464 billion short tons (bst). Available coal resources tonnages were calculated using separate sets of criteria for surface and underground mining methods, based on probable mining parameters. Tonnage values were calculated based on estimated coal densities determined from available coal quality data. Available coal resources that meet the parameters for surface mining methods were calculated, with a 90 percent probability, to be 0.813 ± 0.038 bst. Available coal resources that meet the parameters for underground mining methods were calculated, with a 90 percent probability, to be 2.393 ± 0.055 bst. The calculations were based on estimates of the resources that meet the parameters for the optimum mining of the thickest coal benches of the Cherokee coal bed. This is depicted in a series of cross sections through the study area that show projected underground mining horizons in the Cherokee coal bed, based on the thickest combinations of individual coal benches.

Wyoming↗

USGS2006

Numerical Simulation of the Hydrologic Effects of Redistributed and Additional Ground-Water Withdrawal, Island of Molokai, Hawaii

Because of increased demand for water associated with a growing population, projected increases in demand over the next few decades, and rising salinity of the water pumped from some existing wells, the County of Maui Department of Water Supply (DWS) is currently (2006) considering drilling additional wells to replace or supplement existing wells on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii. Redistributed and additional ground-water withdrawals will affect ground-water levels, discharge of ground water to the nearshore environment, and, possibly, salinity of the water pumped from existing wells. For this study, an existing numerical ground-water-flow model was used to estimate water-level and coastal-discharge changes, relative to 2005 base-case conditions, caused by withdrawals in the area between Kualapuu and Ualapue on Molokai. For most of the scenarios tested, total withdrawals were either equal to or 0.28 million gallons per day greater than those in the 2005 base case. Model results indicate that a redistribution of withdrawals causes a corresponding redistribution of water levels and coastal discharge. Water levels rise and coastal discharge increases near sites of reduced withdrawal, whereas water levels decline and coastal discharge decreases near sites of increased withdrawal. The magnitude and areal extent of hydrologic changes caused by a redistribution of withdrawals increase with larger changes in withdrawal rates. Simulated water-level changes are greatest at withdrawal sites and decrease outward with distance elsewhere. Simulated water-level declines at proposed withdrawal sites generally were less than 0.5 feet. The low-permeability dike complex of East Molokai Volcano impedes the spread of water-level changes to perennial streams in the northeastern part of the island, and discharge to these streams in the dike complex therefore is unaffected by the proposed withdrawals. Simulated coastal-discharge changes generally are greatest immediately downgradient from sites of withdrawal change. Simulated coastal-discharge reductions generally are less than 30,000 gallons per day (and everywhere less than 75,000 gallons per day) within model elements for scenarios that exclude the Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands reservation (2.905 million gallons per day). (Model elements cover discrete 1,640-feet by 1,640-feet square areas.) Simulated coastal-discharge reductions generally represent less than 5 percent change relative to 2005 base-case conditions. Simulated discharge to some fishponds and springs increased in response to decreased withdrawal at upgradient sites, and simulated discharge to other fishponds and springs decreased in response to increased withdrawal. Simulated water-level declines associated with the Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands reservation were as much as 4 feet at three arbitrarily selected withdrawal sites, and simulated reductions in coastal discharge between Umipaa and Kamiloloa along the south coast exceeded 200,000 gallons per day from several model elements.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2025

Factors affecting the distribution of water-bearing fractures in the bedrock aquifers of West Virginia

Bedrock aquifers cover 23,601 square miles within the State of West Virginia and comprise 97.4 percent of the surficial area within the State; the remaining 2.6 percent (621 square miles) consists of alluvial sand-and-gravel and glacial outwash aquifers bordering the State’s major rivers. While West Virginia’s alluvial aquifers have been studied extensively, bedrock aquifers have only been characterized for studies completed in a few areas in Jefferson, McDowell, and Monroe Counties. Bedrock aquifers are water supplies for public supply, agriculture, industry, and residential homeowner use. In this study, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Division of Water and Waste Management, provides a statewide assessment of the occurrence and distribution of fractures within bedrock aquifers of the State and the various topographic, physiographic, and lithologic influences controlling the occurrence and distribution of bedrock fractures. The results of this study provide an increased understanding of the distribution of fractures in bedrock aquifers in West Virginia and help to verify trends that have been suspected for many years but were never well documented or verified by data. The results confirmed that the density of fractures and those that were determined to be water bearing decrease significantly with depth. A statistically significant difference in the density of fractures was observed at a depth of 215 feet for wells in the Appalachian Plateaus Physiographic Province’s and in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province’s aquifers; a higher density of fractures and water-bearing fractures were above a depth of 215 feet than below that depth. This is an important consideration when drilling wells for residential, commercial, industrial, or agricultural water supply. Abandoned underground coal mines are commonly believed to form large pools of water in the interconnected mine entries in abandoned room and pillar coal mines. Such pools of water can and do exist in abandoned underground coal mines, but many mines lack open entries and are held up by overburden strata and pillars that can collapse and form aquifers comprised of vast interconnected rubble zones (gob), especially in older mines. Data assessed for this study showed that shale-corrected values of effective porosity for limestone aquifers in West Virginia had a median value of 2 percent and an average value of 4 percent and generally are mineralized with low effective porosity. Argillaceous or sandy limestone has a median shale-corrected porosity of 4 percent and an average shale-corrected porosity of 5 percent. The median and average shale-corrected porosity of sandstone aquifers was estimated to be 14 percent, but the median shale-corrected porosity for argillaceous or calcareous sandstone was 5 percent and the average shale-corrected porosity for argillaceous or calcareous sandstone was 6 percent. Even though shale has a relatively high total sonic porosity compared to other lithologies, shale and siltstone had relatively low shale-corrected porosity, ranging from 0 to 2 percent. Well yields were previously documented to be highest in valley settings, lowest on hilltops, and intermediate on hillsides. Transmissivity data provided by this study confirm this general pattern within the Appalachian Plateaus Province; however, the Valley and Ridge Province does not follow this pattern. While still lowest on hilltop settings, the highest well yields were in hillside settings. The trend for the Valley and Ridge Province was likely skewed because of 9 high-yield wells specifically targeting deeper thin limestone units, such as the Tonoloway and Helderberg Limestones, at depths with transmissivity in excess of 2,000 feet squared per day in Mineral County, West Virginia, or targeting karst aquifers in Berkeley, Jefferson, or Greenbrier Counties, West Virginia. Finally, water-bearing fractures have been hypothesized to comprise a small number of all fractures within a typical bedrock well in West Virginia. Data collected for this study support this theory. A total of 3,403 fractures were identified during this study; 3,151 (92.6 percent) of those fractures are low-transmissive, and only 252 (7.4 percent) fractures are water-bearing. Even though a well may contain many fractures, less than 8 percent are considered water-bearing fractures.

West Virginia↗

USGS2024

Spatial distribution of API gravity and gas/oil ratios for petroleum accumulations in Upper Cretaceous strata of the San Miguel, Olmos, and Escondido Formations of the south Texas Maverick Basin—Implications for petroleum migration and charge history

The Maverick Basin of south Texas is currently undergoing active exploration and production of gas and oil from tight sandstone reservoirs. The most productive tight sandstones in the basin are in the Upper Cretaceous San Miguel, Olmos, and Escondido Formations. These units are second only to the Eagle Ford Shale in terms of cumulative production volumes. The structural history of the Maverick Basin, from rifting to subsidence to exhumation, has had a profound effect on the characteristics of these reservoirs and the petroleum resources contained therein. This U.S. Geological Survey review of the production history of these strata reflects a recent shift from conventional production to horizontal drilling (unconventional) that exploits low permeability reservoirs in previously overlooked areas of existing oil and gas fields in southern Texas, typically outside of established field boundaries. To investigate the physical properties of the Maverick Basin hydrocarbon accumulations, this case study compiled American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity measurements and calculated cumulative gas/oil ratios (GOR) for thousands of producing wells from the San Miguel, Olmos, and Escondido Formations. Maps were generated from the compiled well production data to show the spatial heterogeneity of API gravity and GOR values for the three formations within the Maverick Basin and immediately outside the basin to the northeast. Within the Maverick Basin, the spatial patterns of API gravity values indicate lighter oils downdip towards the southern basin edge. GOR values indicative of wet and dry gases within the basin are seen interspersed, with values that correspond to black and heavy oils. Differences in the spatial patterns of the petroleum properties within the Maverick Basin are interpreted as effects of Eocene basin inversion caused by Laramide orogenic deformation, and the resulting reservoir exhumation of basin strata. East of the Maverick Basin, spatial distributions of API gravity and GOR values show progressively heavier oils updip to the northwest, grading to dry gases downdip to the southeast, which correlates to the oil and gas windows of the underlying Eagle Ford Shale. Correlation of API gravity and GOR values from the San Miguel, Olmos, and Escondido Formations with thermal maturity data from the Eagle Ford Shale suggests that the Eagle Ford Shale is the petroleum source, and that petroleum migration was approximately vertical for areas to the east of the Maverick Basin. The discontinuity of API gravity and GOR properties within the Maverick Basin implies a complex petroleum charge history, possibly involving the remigration of petroleum and the addition of petroleum from other source intervals in Mexico, to the southwest. Depressurization of exhumed, overpressured reservoirs of the San Miguel, Olmos, and Escondido Formations can explain the intermittent occurrence of gas production throughout the southern Maverick Basin by exsolution of gas from formation brines and the resulting dry gas flushing of hydrocarbon-charged reservoirs. The introduction of dry gas through flushing can, in turn, explain why the patterns of API gravity and GOR values are so dissimilar in the Maverick Basin. This process has implications for possible future production of unconventional resources from undiscovered tight-gas reservoirs in strata of the San Miguel, Olmos, and Escondido Formations, and a different approach to petroleum exploration may be needed in the Maverick Basin relative to exploration techniques applied in other basins within the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Texas↗

USGS2023

Completion summary for Borehole TAN-2336 at Test Area North, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, drilled and constructed borehole TAN-2336 for stratigraphic framework analyses and long-term groundwater monitoring of the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory in southeastern Idaho. Borehole TAN-2336 initially was cored from the depths of 34.0–255.8 ft below land surface (BLS) to collect continuous geologic data and then redrilled to complete construction as a monitoring well completed to about 255 ft BLS. Three sediment layers are described in geophysical data, but only one was recovered in core and described as fine sand with evidence of ash (pumice) near 203 ft BLS. Basalt texture for borehole TAN-2336 generally was described as aphanitic, phaneritic, diktytaxitic, and porphyritic. Basalt flows varied from highly fractured to dense with high to low vesiculation. Geophysical data were examined with photographed core material to make lithologic descriptions as well as suggest zones where groundwater flow was anticipated. Primary pathways for groundwater, fractured basalt, occur in two areas with the first occurrence near 232.0 ft BLS and the second occurrence near 248.6 ft BLS in borehole TAN-2336. The first occurrence was identified near the top of the water column (232.0 ft BLS) and is more pronounced than the bottom interval (248.6 ft BLS). The location of these fractures in borehole TAN-2336 appear to impact the aquifer tests that were conducted following final well construction. Single-well aquifer tests were completed July 14, 2021, to provide estimates of transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity. Estimates for transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity during aquifer test 1 were 1.24×103 feet squared per day (ft 2 /d) and 1.76 feet per day (ft/d), respectively. Estimates for transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity during aquifer test 2 were 1.22×103 ft 2 /d and 1.75 ft/d, respectively. The transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity estimates for well TAN-2336 were within range of those considered from previous aquifer tests in other wells near Test Area North. Water-quality samples were analyzed for cations, anions, metals, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, stable isotopes, and radionuclides. Water samples for select inorganic constituents showed concentrations consistent with signatures from regional groundwater. Water-quality samples analyzed for stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen are consistent with signatures from irrigation and agricultural recharge inputs to the aquifer. Results for trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and strontium-90 were all measured above their respective maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for public drinking water supplies. The nutrient concentration results are likely being impacted by the remediation amendment introduced to the aquifer to address trichloroethylene concentrations from past waste-disposal activities. These waste-disposal activities have resulted in volatile organic compound and radiochemical detections in groundwater samples collected at well TAN-2336.

Idaho↗

USGS2009

Sidescan Sonar Imagery of the Escanaba Trough, Southern Gorda Ridge, Offshore Northern California

This map features sidescan imagery of the northern Escanaba (NESCA) site at the Escanaba Trough, southern Gorda Ridge, offshore northern California. The Escanaba Trough, a largely sediment-covered seafloor spreading center, contains at least six large massive sulfide deposits. It is a slow spreading center (2.5 cm/yr) with axial depths locally exceeding 3,300 m. Discrete igneous centers occur at 5- to 10-km intervals along this slow-spreading ridge. Basaltic magma intrudes the sediment fill of the axial valley, creating uplifted sediment hills, and, in some areas, erupts onto the sea floor. Large massive sulfide deposits occur along the margins of the uplifted sediment hills. The only active hydrothermal system is located on Central Hill where 220 deg C fluids construct anhydrite chimneys on pyrrhotite-rich massive sulfide mounds (Campbell and others, 1994). Central Hill is bounded by both ridge-parallel basement faults and a concentric set of faults that rim the top of the hill and may be associated with sill intrusion. Central Hill was one of the primary drill sites for Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 169. The sidescan sonar data (mosaics A, B, C, D) were collected aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel Discoverer in the summer of 1996 with a 60-kHz system towed 100 to 200 m above the sea floor. Major faults and contacts are interpreted from the sidescan mosaics and 4.5-kHz seismic profiles collected simultaneously, as well as from previously conducted camera transects and submersible dives. The seismic profiles (lines 9, 11, 13) provide high-resolution subbottom structure and stratigraphy to a depth of about 50 m. In the sidescan images (mosaics A, B, C, D), bright areas denote high-energy returns from hard reflectors such as volcanic flows, sulfide deposits, or seafloor scarps. Dark areas denote low-energy returns and generally signify relatively undisturbed surface sediment. The grid lines mark one-minute intervals of latitude and longitude. The large sidescan sonar image (mosaic A) is centered on the NESCA igneous center. The spreading axis is flanked on either side by uplifted, sediment-covered terraces that show relatively continuous and undisturbed turbiditic sediment. These terraces bound the 4- to 5-km-wide neotectonic zone that is characterized by more closely spaced, small offset (<20 m) faults, volcanic flows (brightest area of backscatter), and areas where the seismic layering of the turbidites has been partially to completely disrupted by the intrusion of basaltic sills. The most prominent bathymetric features are the three uplifted sediment hills: Central Hill, Southwest Hill, and an unnamed uplifted hill to the north. These features are interpreted to be uplifted above large-volume basaltic intrusions emplaced near the basalt/sediment interface. Southwest Hill is adjacent to the zone of most recent faulting. This hill no longer retains the circular shape of the other hills due to slumps (lines 9, 11), which may have failed along faults related to the most recent spreading. Central Hill is interpreted to be the most recently uplifted sediment hill based on the morphology of the hill and the presence of an active hydrothermal system. The generally continuous area of volcanic basalt flow east of Central Hill appears as a distinct, bright sonar reflector stretching for approximately 6 km along axis (red contact on mosaic A). This flow may be related to the intrusion that is presumed to have uplifted Central Hill. Submersible observations indicate that lava flowed around the sediment hills and ponded against the eastern up-faulted turbidite-covered sediment terrace. Previously collected, deep-penetration seismic data indicate that the lavas overlie about 450 m of sediment (Morton and Fox, 1994). Late-stage emplacement of magma in the shallow subsurface beneath the exposed lava flow is interpreted to have domed the lava flow, forming the east-west-

Scientific Investigations Map↗

USGS2007

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation 15.—Methods of phase II and III well installation and development and results of well logging, hydraulic testing, and water-level measurements in the Red River Valley, New Mexico, 2002-04

In April 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey and the New Mexico Environment Department began a cooperative study to infer the pre-mining ground-water chemistry at the Molycorp molybdenum mine site in the Red River Valley of north- central New Mexico. This report is one in a series of reports that can be used to determine pre-mining ground-water conditions at the mine site. Weathering of hydrothermally altered bedrock in the study area has resulted in steep, highly erosive, and sparsely vegetated scar areas that are clearly visible from the ground and in aerial photographs. Runoff from intense summer rainfall over tributary drainages containing scar areas can transport large quantities of sediment and form debris fans where these tributaries join the Red River. Twenty-nine observation wells were installed in three phases as part of this study in the Red River Valley and tributary drainages. Eight Phase II observation wells were drilled using an air-rotary/hammer rig. Three Phase II and 10 phase III small-diameter wells were installed using a direct-push rig. Lithologic logs were recorded for all eight Phase II drilled wells. Borehole geophysical logging (including natural gamma, induction, and single-detector neutron) was conducted in three Phase II wells. Aquifer tests conducted during 2003 to estimate the hydraulic properties of debris-flow and Red River alluvial deposits in and near Straight Creek included a flow-meter survey, slug tests, and a pumping test. Results of a flow-meter survey in well SC-7A indicated that about 77 percent of the water entered the well from a 10-foot-thick zone near the top of the screened interval and about 23 percent of the water entered the well from a 15-foot-thick zone near the bottom of the screened interval. Slug tests, performed in 11 wells during June 3-5, 2003, indicated that the mean and median estimated hydraulic conductivities for debris-flow deposits were 15.25 and 15.35 feet per day, respectively, for bedrock were 0.12 and 0.08 feet per day, respectively, and for mixed debris flow and Red River alluvium were 73-207 (estimated range) and 80 feet per day. In general, bedrock has the smallest hydraulic conductivity, debris-flow material has the next highest hydraulic conductivity, and mixed debris flow and Red River alluvium has the largest hydraulic conductivity. A pumping test conducted December 3-4, 2003, using well AWWT-1 as the pumped well, and wells AWWT-2, SC-5A, SC-5B, SC-7A, and SC-8A as observation wells, indicated estimated transmissivity of 12,000 to 34,000 feet squared per day and estimated hydraulic conductivity of 230 to 340 feet per day. Water-level measurements in wells SC-6A, SC-7A, SC-8A, and the Hottentot, Hansen, and La Bobita wells show that water levels typically rose rapidly during melting of the winter snowpack in the springtime and then generally declined during the rest of the year. The water-level rise in response to spring snowmelt occurred earlier and was smaller at larger distances from the Red River. Differences between the stage in the Red River and water levels in wells SC-8A and SC-9A, and the absence of water in well SC-9A at the time of well completion, indicate that the Red River has a poor hydraulic connection to the underlying ground-water system and the surface-water system is perched above the ground-water system at this site. Water levels in Phase III wells indicate that the Red River and the shallow ground-water system are connected hydraulically from near wells 4-1D and 4-1S downstream to near wells 2-1 and 2-2 but are poorly connected near the La Bobita well and well 1.

New Mexico↗

USGS2013

Baseline groundwater quality from 20 domestic wells in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, 2012

Water samples were collected from 20 domestic wells during August and September 2012 and analyzed for 47 constituents and properties, including nutrients, major ions, metals and trace elements, radioactivity, and dissolved gases, including methane and radon-222. This study, done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey (Pennsylvania Geological Survey), provides a groundwater-quality baseline for central and southern Sullivan County prior to drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. The analytical results for the 20 groundwater samples collected during this study indicate that only one constituent (gross-alpha radioactivity) in one sample was found to exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) primary drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL). Water samples from 85 percent of the sampled wells exceeded the proposed USEPA MCL of 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) for radon-222; however, only two water samples (10 percent of sampled wells) exceeded the proposed USEPA alternate maximum contaminant level (AMCL) of 4,000 pCi/L for radon-222. In a few samples, the concentrations of total dissolved solids, iron, manganese, and chloride exceeded USEPA secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCL). In addition, water samples from two wells contained methane concentrations greater than 1 milligram per liter (mg/L). In general, most of the water-quality problems involve aesthetic considerations, such as taste or odor from elevated concentrations of total dissolved solids, iron, manganese, and chloride that develop from natural interactions of water and rock minerals in the subsurface. The total dissolved solids concentration ranged from 31 to 664 mg/L; the median was 130 mg/L. The total dissolved solids concentration in one water sample exceeded the USEPA SMCL of 500 mg/L. Chloride concentrations ranged from 0.59 to 342 mg/L; the median was 12.9 mg/L. The concentration of chloride in one water sample exceeded the USEPA SMCL of 250 mg/L. Concentrations of dissolved iron ranged from less than 3.2 to 6,590 micrograms per liter (µg/L); the median was 11.5 µg/L. The iron concentration in samples from 20 percent of the sampled wells exceeded the USEPA SMCL of 300 µg/L. Concentrations of dissolved manganese ranged from less than 0.13 to 1,710 µg/L; the median was 38.5 µg/L. The manganese concentration in samples from 35 percent of the sampled wells exceeded the USEPA SMCL of 50 µg/L. Activities of radon-222 ranged from 169 to 15,300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L); the median was 990 pCi/L. The gross alpha-particle radioactivity ranged from below detection to 33 pCi/L; the median was 1.5 pCi/L. The gross alpha-particle radioactivity of one water sample exceeded the USEPA MCL of 15 pCi/L. Concentrations of dissolved methane ranged from less than 0.001 to 51.1 mg/L. Methane was not detected in water samples from 13 wells, and the methane concentration was less than 0.07 mg/L in samples from five wells. The highest dissolved methane concentrations were 4.1 and 51.1 mg/L, and the pH of the water from both wells was greater than 8. Water samples from these wells were analyzed for isotopes of carbon and hydrogen in the methane. The isotopic ratio values fell in the range for a thermogenic (natural gas) source. The water samples from these two wells had the highest concentrations of arsenic, boron, bromide, chloride, fluoride, lithium, molybdenum, and sodium of the 20 wells sampled.

Pennsylvania↗