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| Publications— Scientific Investigations Reports |
In cooperation with the ClearWater Conservancy
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5091
By John W. Fulton, Edward H. Koerkle, Steven D. McAuley, Scott A. Hoffman, and Linda F. Zarr
This report is available online in Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, it is available for free download from Adobe Systems Incorporated.
View the full report in PDF 5,878 KB
The Spring Creek Basin, Centre County, Pa., is experiencing some of the most rapid growth and development within the Commonwealth. This trend has resulted in land-use changes and increased water use, which will affect the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff, surface water, ground water, and aquatic resources within the basin. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the ClearWater Conservancy (CWC), Spring Creek Watershed Community (SCWC), and Spring Creek Watershed Commission (SCWCm), has developed a Watershed Plan (Plan) to assist decision makers in water-resources planning. One element of the Plan is to provide a summary of the basin characteristics and a conceptual model that incorporates the hydrogeologic characteristics of the basin. The report presents hydrogeologic data for the basin and presents a conceptual model that can be used as the basis for simulating surface-water and ground-water flow within the basin. Basin characteristics; sources of data referenced in this text; physical characteristics such as climate, physiography, topography, and land use; hydrogeologic characteristics; and water-quality characteristics are discussed. A conceptual model is a simplified description of the physical components and interaction of the surface- and ground-water systems. The purpose for constructing a conceptual model is to simplify the problem and to organize the available data so that the system can be analyzed accurately. Simplification is necessary, because a complete accounting of a system, such as Spring Creek, is not possible. The data and the conceptual model could be used in development of a fully coupled numerical model that dynamically links surface water, ground water, and land-use changes. The model could be used by decision makers to manage water resources within the basin and as a prototype that is transferable to other watersheds.
Abstract
Introduction
Purpose and Scope
Description of Study Area
Physical Characteristics of Spring Creek Basin
Climate
Precipitation
Air Temperature
Humidity
Solar Radiation
Evaporation
Physiography
Topography
Land Use
Hydrogeologic Setting of Spring Creek Basin
Soils
Geology
Surface Water
Ground Water
Aquifer Properties
Water Levels
Wells and Springs
Water Quality
Surface Water
Ground Water
Conceptual Hydrologic Model of Spring Creek Basin
Precipitation, Runoff, Infiltration, and Streamflow
Siliciclastic-Bedrock Uplands
Hydrologic Boundaries
Surface Water
Ground Water
Carbonate-Bedrock Valleys
Hydrologic Boundaries
Surface Water
Ground Water
Suggestions for Future Work
Summary and Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References Cited
This report is available online in Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, it is available for free download from Adobe Systems Incorporated.
View the full report in PDF 5,878 KB
Download the Appendix to this report (zip file 158MB)
For more information about USGS activities in Pennsylvania contact:
Director
USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center
215 Limekiln Road
New Cumberland, Pennsylvania 17070
Telephone: (717) 730-6960
Fax: (717) 730-6997
or access the USGS Water Resources of Pennsylvania home page at:
http://pa.water.usgs.gov/.
