Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the Endicott-Vestal area of southwestern Broome County, New York
Links
- Document: Report (3.75 MB pdf)
- Figures:
- Figure 2 - Location of sampling and monitoring sites (42"x32") (3.30 MB pdf)
- Figure 6A - Geologic section A–A′ (9.5"x6.5") (512 KB pdf)
- Figure 6B - Geologic section B–B′ (14"x8") (511 KB pdf)
- Figure 6C - Geologic section C–C′ (16.9"x7.58") (217 KB pdf)
- Figure 6D - Geologic section D–D′ (18.14"x7.5") (257 KB pdf)
- Appendixes:
- Appendix 1 - For printing as 8 1/2 x 11 pages (91 KB pdf)
- Appendix 1 - Record of wells and test holes (for viewing as a broad spreadsheet) (77 KB xlsx)
- Appendix 2 - Records of wells and test holes (for viewing as a Google Earth map with well sites, and with tabulated well records available) (47 KB kmz)
- Appendix 4 - For Printing as 8 1/2 x 11 pages (98 KB pdf)
- Appendix 4 - Physical and chemical properties of water samples - for viewing as a broad spreadsheet (22 KB xlsx)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The village of Endicott, New York, and the adjacent town of Vestal have historically used groundwater from the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system for municipal water supply, but parts of some aquifers in this urban area suffer from legacy contamination from varied sources. Endicott would like to identify sites distant from known contamination where productive aquifers could supply municipal wells with water that would not require intensive treatment. The distribution or geometry of aquifers within the Susquehanna River valley fill in western Endicott and northwestern Vestal are delineated in this report largely on the basis of abundant borehole data that have been compiled in a table of well records.
Early in deglaciation, meltwater deposited sand and gravel in channels within or beneath the decaying ice and as narrow terraces along the valley walls. These ice-contact deposits vary widely over short distances from clean (free of silt) and highly permeable to clogged with silt and poorly permeable, but collectively constitute the principal aquifers in Endicott and Vestal. Some ice-contact deposits form a buried ridge, deposited in a meltwater channel within the ice sheet, that approximately underlies the Susquehanna River and (or) its north bank from Endwell westward to Nanticoke Creek and has been tapped by several municipal and industrial wells. Similar but thinner ice-contact deposits discontinuously underlie the valley floor to the south in Vestal, and a smaller buried ridge of ice-contact deposits is likely beneath or west of Nanticoke Creek south of West Corners.
As deglaciation continued, a large lake developed; thick deposits of gray silt with red clay layers are continuous north of the Susquehanna River from Endwell to West Endicott, and similar deposits are present discontinuously elsewhere. Late in deglaciation, meltwater deposited highly permeable pebbly sand atop the valley fill, generally atop lacustrine silt. The saturated thickness of this surficial sand is seldom great enough to support large-capacity wells, but where it directly overlies ice-contact deposits it facilitates recharge from precipitation and infiltration of river water to the deeper aquifers.
Three localities in Endicott were identified where thick ice-contact deposits capable of supporting municipal supply wells are documented by test wells or extrapolated to be present from nearby data and depositional history. Chemical analyses of water samples disclosed no contaminants in these localities when sampled, but the presence of contaminants or natural high iron a few thousand feet away from each locality is documented.
Suggested Citation
Randall, A.D., and Kappel, W.M., 2015, Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the Endicott-Vestal area of southwestern Broome County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5078, 28 p. plus appendixes, http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155078.
ISSN: 2328-0328 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Data Collection
- Hydrogeologic Setting
- Aquifer Geometry in the Susquehanna River Valley-Fill Aquifer System
- Sources of Recharge
- Groundwater Levels
- Water Quality
- Prospects for Municipal Wells in Western Endicott
- Summary
- Acknowledgments
- References Cited
- Appendix 1. Tabulated Records of Wells and Test Holes in the Susquehanna River Valley-Fill Aquifer System, Southwestern Broome County, New York
- Appendix 2. Map of Records of Wells and Test Holes in the Susquehanna River Valley-Fill Aquifer System, Southwestern Broome County, New York
- Appendix 3. Detailed Logs by U.S. Geological Survey Personnel of Sediments Penetrated by Test Holes in the Susquehanna River Valley Fill, Southwestern Broome County, New York
- Appendix 4. Physical and Chemical Properties of Water Samples from the Susquehanna River Valley-Fill Aquifer System, and from the Susquehanna River Near Endicott, New York
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Hydrogeology of the Susquehanna River valley-fill aquifer system in the Endicott-Vestal area of southwestern Broome County, New York |
| Series title | Scientific Investigations Report |
| Series number | 2015-5078 |
| DOI | 10.3133/sir20155078 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | New York Water Science Center |
| Description | Report: v, 28 p.; 5 Figures: 18.14 inches x 8 inches or smaller; 3 Appendices |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Broome County |
| Other Geospatial | Susquehanna River |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |