Deep groundwater total dissolved solids mapping in the Dakota Group, Williston Basin, USA

Groundwater
By: , and 

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Abstract

Growing concern about the quantity of available freshwater around the world has led to interest in surveying groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) below water well depths. Deep TDS has not been systematically mapped, and there is much to learn about the distribution and controls on deeper groundwater. In sedimentary basins across the United States, groundwater resources often overlie hydrocarbon resources, providing an opportunity to use borehole geophysical data collected for hydrocarbons to characterize groundwater and pore space resources. This study adapts a recently developed subsurface geostatistical and geophysical modeling approach to continuously map groundwater TDS, porosity, and temperature in the Dakota Group of the Williston Basin—an undercharacterized regional aquifer system overlying deeper hydrocarbon reservoirs. Groundwater TDS in the Dakota Group ranges from approximately 4800 to 26,900 mg/L. TDS patterns are stratified with higher TDS in the lower and upper Dakota Group, and relatively lower TDS in the middle Dakota Group. The lower TDS in the middle zone may represent a preferential regional flow path for lower-TDS meteoric recharge from the west. The alternating pattern of TDS may also be evidence of higher-TDS inflows into the Dakota Group from underlying and potentially from overlying aquifers. Porosity is lower near the center of the Williston Basin and tends to be higher to the east, which may be related to grain size distributions. The new regional TDS and porosity modeling serves as a quantitative reference for water users and provides supporting evidence for hypotheses on Dakota Group recharge.

Suggested Citation

Stephens, M.J., Hoogenboom, B.E., Ball, L.B., and Chang, W., 2026, Deep groundwater total dissolved solids mapping in the Dakota Group, Williston Basin, USA: Groundwater, https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.70066.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Deep groundwater total dissolved solids mapping in the Dakota Group, Williston Basin, USA
Series title Groundwater
DOI 10.1111/gwat.70066
Edition Online First
Publication Date April 03, 2026
Year Published 2026
Language English
Publisher National Groundwater Association
Contributing office(s) California Water Science Center
Country United States
State Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota
Other Geospatial Williston Basin
Additional publication details