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Digital Mapping Techniques '01 -- Workshop Proceedings
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 01-223

Brief Summaries from the New Jersey Geological Survey

3DwellField

By Gregory C. Herman

NJ Department of Environmental Protection
NJ Geological Survey
PO Box 427 29 Arctic Parkway
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Telephone: (609) 984-6587
Fax: (609) 633-1004
e-mail: gregh@njgs.dep.state.nj.us

3DWellField.avx. is an ArcView 3.x Extension used for generating and visualizing 3D shapefiles of well-field well-construction parts, inclined planes, packer-test results, and geophysical logs based on borehole and rock-core records. Data required for shapefile generation can be compiled outside of ArcView, then joined with a two-dimensional (2D) coverage of well locations inside ArcView in order to generate and visualize the well-field components. The extension generates 3D multipart shapefiles of well parts for cased, open, screened, and packer-tested intervals, 3D plane shapefiles of inclined stratigraphic contacts, water-bearing zones, and borehole fractures, and 3D polyline shapefiles of geophysical borehole logs. The extension also provides a tool for calculating the depth(s) of intersection for an inclined plane of known location and orientation for each well in the well field.

Surficial Geology of the Highstown Quadrangle, Middlesex and Mercer Counties, New Jersey

By Scott D. Stanford

NJ Department of Environmental Protection
NJ Geological Survey
PO Box 427 29 Arctic Parkway
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Telephone: (609) 292-2576
Fax: (609) 633-1004
e-mail: scotts@njgs.dep.state.nj.us

Pliocene fluvial sand of the Pensauken Formation is the dominant surficial deposit in this quadrangle. This sand covers the underlying bedrock formations, which consist of Cretaceous sand and clay onlapping Triassic sandstone. The Cretaceous sands are important aquifers. Recharge to these aquifers moves through the Pensauken Formation. The configuration of paleochannels at the base of the Pensauken is an important control on how water enters the Cretaceous sands. These paleochannels are mapped using records of several hundred wells and test borings, which are shown on the map. Elevation of the base of the Pensauken, which traces the channel forms, is shown by red contours. Overprint patterns show small topographic depressions formed by permafrost processes during the last glacial maximum about 20,000 years ago. These depressions are seasonally wet and support distinctive plant communities.

Ground-Water Recharge and Aquifer Recharge Potential for Monmouth County, New Jersey

By Mark A. French

NJ Department of Environmental Protection
NJ Geological Survey
PO Box 427 29 Arctic Parkway
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Telephone: (609) 984-6587
Fax: (609) 633-1004
e-mail: markf@njgs.dep.state.nj.us

The purpose of this map is to show ground-water recharge and aquifer-recharge potential. Ground-water recharge is calculated and ranked using the methodology found in New Jersey Geological Survey (NJGS) Report GSR-32 "A Method for Evaluating Ground-Water Recharge Areas in New Jersey" by Emmanual G. Charles and others, 1993. The method estimates ground-water recharge rather than aquifer recharge. Ground-water recharge includes but does not distiguish between recharge to aquifer and non-aquifers.

The methodology used a soil moisture budget to simulate recharge for all combinations of soils, land use and land cover (LULC) and climate. These estimates showed that long term recharge could be made using factors developed for climate, soil and LULC. Using tables of recharge constants, climate and recharge factors, ground-water recharge can be estimated using a simple formula:

Recharge = (recharge factor x climate factor) - recharge constant

The result is a range of recharge in inches/year for areas on the map. These values are then ranked into 5 catagories using the volumetric ranking as describe in Charles and others (1993) based upon the natural breaks in the volumetric data. The resulting map was shaded based upon these rankings.

Aquifer-recharge potential was appraised by examining non-domestic well-yield data. Using a statewide aquifer listing and map developed by Greg Herman and others (NJGS Open File Map OFM-25 "Aquifers of New Jersey," 1998); a 5-tier rankings system was developed for each aquifer, for which there were data, using median yield. For aquifers without data, rankings were developed based upon the professional judgement of NJGS geologic and hydrogeologic staff. Well yield data were used because it was the most comprehensive set of data available about aquifers.

Once the aquifer rankings were established, these were combined with the ground-water-recharge rankings to produce the aquifer-recharge potential map. The combination produced a 5x5 matrix of ground-water recharge versus aquifer recharge rankings. The map shows how ground-water recharge rates relate to the quality (as measured by well yield) of the underlying aquifer.

Fossil Dinosaur Tracks: Newly Found Fossil Dinosaur Track and Geologic Setting in Newark Basin

By Zehdreh Allen-Lafayette

NJ Department of Environmental Protection
NJ Geological Survey
PO Box 427 29 Arctic Parkway
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Telephone: (609) 292-2576
Fax: (609) 633-1004
e-mail: zehdreh@njgs.dep.state.nj.us

The AFossil Dinosaur Tracks@ poster was created for a science fair for 4th graders at Washington Crossing State Park. It was a short term project (1 1/2 days) that needed revision and tweaking. I had the chance to revamp it for Earth Science week. NJGS had a display at the New Jersey State Museum that included this poster and a fossil trackway found in northern New Jersey, which was on loan from Rutgers University. This poster focuses on the Hadrosaurus which is the New Jersey state dinosaur and a herbivore. This poster is nicknamed the veggiesaurus poster.

The ANewly Found Fossil Dinosaur Track@ poster was created for the Earth Day 2000 festivities at DEP, using the previous poster as a template. The State Museum loaned the fossil track and museum employees wrote text to suit. Since the track is thought to have been made by a Dilophosaurus-like dinosaur the poster focuses on the Dilophosaurus, a carnivore. This poster was nicknamed the Hello-I-love-you-you're-meat-osaurus poster.

Drought Indicators for New Jersey

By Jeffrey L. Hoffman

NJ Department of Environmental Protection
NJ Geological Survey
PO Box 427 29 Arctic Parkway
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Telephone: (609) 292-2576
Fax: (609) 633-1004
e-mail: jeffh@njgs.dep.state.nj.us

New Jersey is divided into 6 drought regions. The drought condition in each region is based on specific water-supply indicators in each region. These include precipitation and streamflow deficits, reservoir levels, and ground-water levels. Based on these indicators, best professional judgement, and consultation with appropriate parties, DEP staff determine the drought condition in each region.

This plot summarizes the indicators. Reservoir levels are given both for New Jersey reservoirs as well as the Delaware River Basin reservoirs in New York. DRBC reservoirs are critical to the water supply of the Delaware River Basin and the Delaware & Raritan Canal and thus to New Jersey. Indicators are shown only for those water resources significant to each drought region.

A number of blocks show other data relevant to droughts in New Jersey. The "U.S. Drought Monitor" is a summary of current national conditions. The "Declared Drought Status in Neighboring Areas" block summarizes declared drought status in nearby areas. The "90-Day Precipitation Deficits" is a county-based summary of recent precipitation deficits. The "Average Source of Potable Withdrawals" block shows the sources of potable water withdrawn in each county on average over the period 1990-1996. The "Resource Importance as a NJ Water Source" block is an evaluation of the importance of each resource to a region compared to other sources of water to that region. The "Work Underway" block describes the current efforts by NJDEP to expand the data networks currently monitoring NJ's water supply and drought condition. The "Water Transfers" block shows the volume of water transferred between drought regions during normal and emergency operations. These are approximate numbers.

This approach does not address the issues of ecological droughts or water supplies from confined aquifers.

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