R. T. Miller 1982 <p>The Pelican River sand-plain area includes approximately 200 square miles of outwash deposits in parts of Decker, Otter Tail, and Clay Counties in west-central Minnesota. Saturated thickness of the outwash is as much as 140 feet and yields of properly constructed wells locally may exceed 1,200 gallons per minute.</p> <p>Recharge to the outwash from snowmelt and rain ranged from 3.2 to 6.1 inches during 1979-80. Discharge from the aquifer, as base flow of the Pelican River, averaged 2.0 inches during 1979-80. Evapotranspiration is 22.4 inches per year. The chemical quality of ground water is suitable for irrigation, as measured by sodium-adsorption ratios, but locally high concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate may cause clogging of well screens.</p> <p>Mathematical models of parts of the ground-water-flow system indicate that lake levels and streamflow may decline because of pumping wells. The exact water-level decline depends on the total number of wells, pumping rates, location of pumping wells with respect to one another and to surface-water bodies, duration of pumping, and the quantity of ground-water recharge. Sensitivity analyses of the models indicates that additional data on hydraulic conductivity, evapotranspiration, and recharge may increase the reliability of model results.</p> <p>Buried aquifers are known to be present in the area. Aquifer-test results showed that pumping from a buried aquifer had no effect on water levels in the unconfined aquifer.</p> application/pdf 10.3133/ofr82347 en U.S. Geological Survey Appraisal of the Pelican River sand-plain aquifer, western Minnesota reports