The distribution of seepage within lakebeds

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey
By:  and 

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Abstract

The mutual exchange of water between lakes and contiguous permeable ground-water bodies, which are thin relative to the diameter of the lakes, was modeled digitally. A significant rate of seepage was found to extend only a relatively short distance from shore, thus forming a narrow band around the lake's perimeter. This near-shore concentration of seepage is an effect only of the geometry of the ground-water flow system, which is governed by the geometry of the body of permeable material, the spatial distribution of permeability within it, and the form of the water table. Near-shore seepage occurs independently of the presence of fine-grained, lowpermeability sedimentary bottom materials in the central part of the lake. Digital modeling indicates that the velocity of seepage generally decreases at an exponential rate as a function of distance from shore. Field measurements of seepage rates through the bottom of Lake Sallie, west-central Minnesota, confirm the model results by demonstrating that both the near-shore seepage band and the exponential decrease in seepage velocity actually exist.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The distribution of seepage within lakebeds
Series title Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey
Volume 3
Issue 5
Year Published 1975
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Description 8 p.
First page 505
Last page 512
Country United States
State Minnesota, Wisconsin
Other Geospatial Lake Sallie
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
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