Riverbank groundwater discharge faces are spatially extensive areas of preferential seepage that are exposed to air at low river flow. Some conceptual hydrologic models indicate discharge faces represent the spatial convergence of highly variable age and length groundwater flowpaths, while others indicate greater consistency in source groundwater characteristics. Our detailed field investigation of preferential discharge points nested across mainstem riverbank discharge faces was accomplished by: (1) leveraging new temperature-based recursive estimation (extended Kalman Filter) modelling methodology to evaluate seasonal, diurnal, and event-driven groundwater flux patterns, (2) developing a multi-parameter toolkit based on readily measured attributes to classify the general source groundwater flowpath depth and flowpath length scale, and, (3) assessing whether preferential flow points across discharge faces tend to represent common or convergent groundwater sources. Five major groundwater discharge faces were mapped along the Farmington River, CT, United States using thermal infrared imagery. We then installed vertical temperature profilers directly into 39 preferential discharge points for 4.5 months to track vertical discharge flux patterns. Monthly water chemistry was also collected at the discharge points along with one spatial synoptic of stable isotopes of water and dissolved radon gas. We found pervasive evidence of shallow groundwater sources at the upstream discharge faces along a wide valley section with deep bedrock, as primarily evidenced by pronounced diurnal discharge flux patterns. Discharge flux seasonal trends and bank storage transitions during large river flow events provided further indication of shallow, local sources. In contrast, downstream discharge faces associated with near surface cross cutting bedrock exhibited deep and regional source flowpath characteristics such as more stable discharge patterns and temperatures. However, many neighbouring points across discharge faces had similar discharge flux patterns that differed in chloride and radon concentrations, indicating the additional effects of localized flowpath heterogeneity overprinting on larger scale flowpath characteristics.
","language":"English","publisher":"Wiley","doi":"10.1002/hyp.14939","usgsCitation":"Haynes, A., Briggs, M., Moore, E., Jackson, K., Knighton, J., Rey, D., and Helton, A., 2023, Shallow and local or deep and regional? Inferring source groundwater characteristics across mainstem riverbank discharge faces: Hydrological Processes, v. 37, no. 7, e14939, 19 p., https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14939.","productDescription":"e14939, 19 p.","ipdsId":"IP-151076","costCenters":[{"id":37786,"text":"WMA - Observing Systems Division","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":442704,"rank":0,"type":{"id":40,"text":"Open Access Publisher Index Page"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14939","text":"Publisher Index Page"},{"id":419349,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg"}],"country":"United States","state":"Connecticut","otherGeospatial":"Farmington River","geographicExtents":"{\n \"type\": \"FeatureCollection\",\n \"features\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Feature\",\n \"properties\": {},\n \"geometry\": {\n \"coordinates\": [\n [\n [\n -72.716667,\n 41.933\n ],\n [\n -72.8333,\n 41.933\n ],\n [\n -72.8333,\n 41.7833\n ],\n [\n -72.716667,\n 41.7833\n ],\n [\n -72.716667,\n 41.933\n ]\n ]\n ],\n \"type\": \"Polygon\"\n }\n }\n ]\n}","volume":"37","issue":"7","noUsgsAuthors":false,"publicationDate":"2023-07-20","publicationStatus":"PW","contributors":{"authors":[{"text":"Haynes, Adam","contributorId":216657,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Haynes","given":"Adam","affiliations":[{"id":36710,"text":"University of Connecticut","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":879120,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":1},{"text":"Briggs, Martin A. 0000-0003-3206-4132","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3206-4132","contributorId":222759,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Briggs","given":"Martin A.","affiliations":[{"id":37277,"text":"WMA - Earth System Processes Division","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":879121,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":2},{"text":"Moore, Eric","contributorId":216658,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Moore","given":"Eric","affiliations":[{"id":36710,"text":"University of Connecticut","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":879122,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":3},{"text":"Jackson, Kevin","contributorId":317715,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Jackson","given":"Kevin","affiliations":[{"id":36710,"text":"University of Connecticut","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":879123,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":4},{"text":"Knighton, James","contributorId":317716,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Knighton","given":"James","email":"","affiliations":[{"id":36710,"text":"University of Connecticut","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":879124,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":5},{"text":"Rey, David M. 0000-0003-2629-365X","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2629-365X","contributorId":211848,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Rey","given":"David M.","affiliations":[{"id":37277,"text":"WMA - Earth System Processes Division","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":879125,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":6},{"text":"Helton, Ashley","contributorId":219741,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Helton","given":"Ashley","affiliations":[{"id":36710,"text":"University of Connecticut","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":879126,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":7}]}} ,{"id":70241601,"text":"70241601 - 2023 - Evolving radon diffusion through earthen barriers at uranium waste disposal sites","interactions":[],"lastModifiedDate":"2023-03-27T10:54:56.625544","indexId":"70241601","displayToPublicDate":"2023-03-21T09:15:13","publicationYear":"2023","noYear":false,"publicationType":{"id":2,"text":"Article"},"publicationSubtype":{"id":10,"text":"Journal Article"},"seriesTitle":{"id":2263,"text":"Journal of Environmental Radioactivity","active":true,"publicationSubtype":{"id":10}},"title":"Evolving radon diffusion through earthen barriers at uranium waste disposal sites","docAbstract":"Field measurements of Rn-222 fluxes from the tops and bottoms of compacted clay radon barriers were used to calculate effective Rn diffusion coefficients (DRn) at four uranium waste disposal sites in the western United States to assess cover performance after more than 20 years of service. Values of DRn ranged from 7.4 × 10−7 to 6.0 × 10−9 m2/s, averaging 1.42 × 10−7. Water saturation (SW) from soil cores indicated that there was relatively little control of DRn by SW, especially at higher moisture levels, in contrast to estimates from most steady-state diffusion models. This is attributed to preferential pathways intrinsic to construction of the barriers or to natural process that have developed over time including desiccation cracks, root channels, and insect burrows in the engineered earthen barriers. A modification to some models in which fast and slow pathway DRn values are partitioned appears to give a good representation of the data; 4% of the fast pathway was needed to fit the data regression. For locations with high Sw and highest DRn (and fluxes) at each site, the proportion of fast pathway ranged from 1.7% to 34%, but for many locations with lower fluxes, little if any fast pathway was needed.
","language":"English","publisher":"Elsevier","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107140","usgsCitation":"Fuhrmann, M., Caldwell, T., Likos, W.J., Waugh, W.J., Williams, M.M., and Benson, C.H., 2023, Evolving radon diffusion through earthen barriers at uranium waste disposal sites: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, v. 262, 107140, 7 p., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107140.","productDescription":"107140, 7 p.","ipdsId":"IP-140005","costCenters":[{"id":465,"text":"Nevada Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":444139,"rank":2,"type":{"id":41,"text":"Open Access External Repository Page"},"url":"https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2424456","text":"External Repository"},{"id":414702,"rank":1,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg"}],"volume":"262","noUsgsAuthors":false,"publicationStatus":"PW","contributors":{"authors":[{"text":"Fuhrmann, Mark","contributorId":293204,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Fuhrmann","given":"Mark","email":"","affiliations":[{"id":12536,"text":"U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":867453,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":1},{"text":"Caldwell, Todd 0000-0003-4068-0648","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4068-0648","contributorId":217924,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Caldwell","given":"Todd","email":"","affiliations":[{"id":465,"text":"Nevada Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":867454,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":2},{"text":"Likos, William J. 0000-0001-8177-6625","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8177-6625","contributorId":303390,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Likos","given":"William","email":"","middleInitial":"J.","affiliations":[{"id":16925,"text":"University of Wisconsin-Madison","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":867455,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":3},{"text":"Waugh, W. Jodi","contributorId":303391,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Waugh","given":"W.","email":"","middleInitial":"Jodi","affiliations":[{"id":65785,"text":"RSI Entech","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":867456,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":4},{"text":"Williams, Morgan M.","contributorId":303392,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Williams","given":"Morgan","email":"","middleInitial":"M.","affiliations":[{"id":65785,"text":"RSI Entech","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":867457,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":5},{"text":"Benson, Craig H. 0000-0001-8871-382X","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8871-382X","contributorId":303394,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Benson","given":"Craig","email":"","middleInitial":"H.","affiliations":[{"id":13562,"text":"University of Wisconsin, Madison","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":867458,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":6}]}} ,{"id":70240173,"text":"ofr20221021 - 2023 - Groundwater quality in the Mohawk and western New York River Basins, New York, 2016","interactions":[],"lastModifiedDate":"2026-02-10T20:44:20.499023","indexId":"ofr20221021","displayToPublicDate":"2023-02-02T11:30:00","publicationYear":"2023","noYear":false,"publicationType":{"id":18,"text":"Report"},"publicationSubtype":{"id":5,"text":"USGS Numbered Series"},"seriesTitle":{"id":330,"text":"Open-File Report","code":"OFR","onlineIssn":"2331-1258","printIssn":"0196-1497","active":true,"publicationSubtype":{"id":5}},"seriesNumber":"2022-1021","displayTitle":"Groundwater Quality in the Mohawk and Western New York River Basins, New York, 2016","title":"Groundwater quality in the Mohawk and western New York River Basins, New York, 2016","docAbstract":"Water samples were collected from July through December 2016 from 9 production wells and 13 domestic wells in the Mohawk River Basin, and from 17 production wells and 17 domestic wells in the western New York River Basins. The samples were collected and processed by using standard U.S. Geological Survey methods and were analyzed for 320 physicochemical properties and constituents, including dissolved gases, major ions, nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, radionuclides, and indicator bacteria, to characterize groundwater quality in the basins. Analytical results are provided in the companion U.S. Geological Survey data release titled “Groundwater Quality Data From the Mohawk and Western New York River Basins, New York, 2016.”
The Mohawk River Basin study area covers 3,500 square miles in New York. Of the 22 wells sampled in the Mohawk River Basin, 8 are completed in sand and gravel, and 14 are completed in bedrock aquifers. Most constituents in the samples from the Mohawk River Basin were present in concentrations below the maximum contaminant levels used in public supply drinking-water regulations by the New York State Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Values for some of the properties and concentrations of some constituents—pH, color, iron, manganese, aluminum, sodium, chloride, dissolved solids, radon-222, and heterotrophic plate count—sometimes equaled or exceeded primary, secondary, or proposed drinking-water standards.
The western New York River Basins study area covers 5,340 square miles in western New York and includes parts of the Lake Erie and Niagara River Basins, the western Lake Ontario Basin (between the Niagara River and Genesee River Basins), and the Allegheny River Basin. Of the 34 wells sampled in the western New York River Basins, 16 are completed in sand and gravel, and 18 are completed in bedrock aquifers. Most constituents in the samples from the western New York River Basins were present in concentrations below the maximum contaminant levels used in public supply drinking-water regulations by the New York State Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Values for some of the properties and concentrations of some constituents—color, chloride, sodium, dissolved solids, iron, manganese, aluminum, arsenic, barium, radon-222, methane, total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli bacteria—sometimes equaled or exceeded primary, secondary, or proposed drinking-water standards.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, VA","doi":"10.3133/ofr20221021","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation","usgsCitation":"Gaige, D.L., Scott, T.-M., Reddy, J.E., and Keefe, M.R., 2023, Groundwater quality in the Mohawk and western New York River Basins, New York, 2016: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2022–1021, 38 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20221021.","productDescription":"Report: viii, 38 p.; Data Release","numberOfPages":"38","onlineOnly":"Y","additionalOnlineFiles":"N","ipdsId":"IP-115618","costCenters":[{"id":474,"text":"New York Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":412503,"rank":6,"type":{"id":30,"text":"Data Release"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.5066/P9YNH96T","text":"USGS data release","linkHelpText":"Groundwater quality data from the Mohawk and western New York River Basins, New York, 2016"},{"id":412502,"rank":5,"type":{"id":34,"text":"Image Folder"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2022/1021/images/"},{"id":412500,"rank":3,"type":{"id":39,"text":"HTML Document"},"url":"https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20221021/full","text":"Report","linkFileType":{"id":5,"text":"html"},"description":"OFR 2022-1021"},{"id":412499,"rank":2,"type":{"id":11,"text":"Document"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2022/1021/ofr20221021.pdf","text":"Report","size":"19.3 MB","linkFileType":{"id":1,"text":"pdf"},"description":"OFR 2022-1021"},{"id":412498,"rank":1,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2022/1021/coverthb.jpg"},{"id":412501,"rank":4,"type":{"id":31,"text":"Publication XML"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2022/1021/ofr20221021.XML"},{"id":499717,"rank":7,"type":{"id":36,"text":"NGMDB Index Page"},"url":"https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_114305.htm","linkFileType":{"id":5,"text":"html"}}],"country":"United States","state":"New York","otherGeospatial":"Mohawk and New York River basins","geographicExtents":"{\n \"type\": \"FeatureCollection\",\n \"features\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Feature\",\n \"properties\": {},\n \"geometry\": {\n \"coordinates\": [\n [\n [\n -75.84977657608984,\n 43.556764188166994\n ],\n [\n -75.84977657608984,\n 41.81434325258104\n ],\n [\n -73.94567088326258,\n 41.81434325258104\n ],\n [\n -73.94567088326258,\n 43.556764188166994\n ],\n [\n -75.84977657608984,\n 43.556764188166994\n ]\n ]\n ],\n \"type\": \"Polygon\"\n }\n }\n ]\n}","contact":"Director, New York Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
425 Jordan Road
Troy, NY 12180–8349
The Riverton Processing site was a uranium mill 4 kilometers southwest of Riverton, Wyoming, that prepared uranium ore for nuclear reactors and weapons from 1958 to 1963. The U.S. Department of Energy completed surface remediation of the uranium tailings in 1989; however, groundwater below and downgradient from the tailings site and nearby Little Wind River was not remediated. Beginning in 2010, a series of floods along the Little Wind River began to mobilize contaminants in the unsaturated zone, resulting in substantial increases of uranium and other contaminants of concern in monitoring wells completed inside the contaminant plume. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy started a series of university and Government agency retrospective and field investigations to understand the processes controlling contaminant increases in the groundwater plume. The goals of the field investigations described in this report were to (1) identify and quantify the contaminant flux and potential associated biological effects from groundwater associated with the legacy plume as it enters a perennial stream reach, and (2) assess chemical exposure and potential effects to biological receptors from the interaction of the contaminant plume and the river.
Field investigations along the Little Wind River were completed by the U.S. Geological Survey during 2015–17 in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management to characterize: (1) seepage areas and seepage rates; (2) pore-water and bed sediment chemistry and hyporheic exchange and reactive loss; and (3) exposure pathways and biological receptors. All data collected during the study are contained in two U.S. Geological Survey data releases, available at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BR8QX4 and https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J9VJBR. A variety of tools and methods were used during the field characterizations. Streambed temperature mapping, electrical resistivity tomography, electromagnetic induction, fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing, tube seepage meters, vertical thermal sensor arrays, and an environmental tracer (radon) were used to identify areas of groundwater seepage and associated seepage rates along specific sections of the study reach of the river. Drive points, minipiezometers, diffusive equilibrium in thin-film/diffusive gradients in thin-film probes, bed-sediment samples, and equal discharge increment sampling methods were used to characterize pore-water chemistry, estimate hyporheic exchange and reactive loss of selected chemical constituents, and quantify contaminant loadings entering the study reach. Sampling and analysis of surface sediments, filamentous algae, periphytic algae, and macroinvertebrates were used to characterize biological exposure pathways, metal uptake, and receptors.
Areas of focused groundwater discharge identified by the fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing surveys corresponded closely with areas of elevated electrical conductivity identified by the electromagnetic induction survey results in the top 5 meters of sediment. During three monitoring periods in 2016, the mean vertical seepage rate measured with tube seepage meters was 0.45 meter per day, ranging from −0.02 to 1.55 meters per day. Five of the 11 locations where vertical thermal profile data were collected along the study reach during August 2017 indicated mean upwelling values ranging from 0.11 to 0.23 meter per day. Radon data collected from the Little Wind River during June, July, and August 2016 indicated a consistent inflow of groundwater to the central part of the study reach, in the area congruous with the center of the previously mapped groundwater plume discharge zone. During August 2017, the greatest attenuation of uranium from reactive loss in pore-water samples was observed at three locations along the study reach, at depths between 6 and 15 centimeters, and similar trends in molybdenum attenuation were also observed. Bed-sediment concentration profiles collected during 2017 also indicated attenuation of uranium and molybdenum from groundwater during hyporheic mixing of surface water with the legacy plume during groundwater upwelling into the river. Streamflow measurements combined with equal discharge increment water sampling along the study reach indicated an increase in dissolved uranium concentrations in the downstream direction during 2016 and 2017. Net uranium load entering the Little Wind River study reach was about 290 and 435 grams per day during 2016 and 2017, respectively. Biological samples indicated that low levels of uranium and molybdenum exposure were confined to the benthos in the Little Wind River within and immediately downstream from the perimeter of the groundwater plume. Concentrations of molybdenum and uranium in filamentous algae were consistently low at all sites in the study reach with no indication of increased exposure of dissolved bioavailable molybdenum or uranium at sites next to or downstream from the groundwater plume.
Comparison of the August 2017 results from electromagnetic induction, tube seepage meters, vertical thermal profiling, and pore-water chemistry surveys were in general agreement in identifying areas with upwelling groundwater conditions along the study reach. However, the electroconductivity values measured with electromagnetic induction in the top 100 centimeters of sediment did not agree with sodium concentrations measured in pore-water samples collected at similar streambed depths. Differences and similarities between multiple methods can result in additional insights into hydrologic and biogeochemical processes that may be occurring along a reach of a river system interacting with shallow groundwater inputs. It may be advantageous to apply a variety of geophysical, geochemical, hydrologic, and biological tools at other Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/10/f19/UMTRCA.pdf) sites during the investigation of legacy contaminant plume interactions with surface-water systems.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, Va.","doi":"10.3133/sir20225089","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy","usgsCitation":"Naftz, D.L., Fuller, C.C., Runkel, R.L., Solder, J., Gardner, W.P., Terry, N., Briggs, M.A., Short, T.M., Cain, D.J., Dam, W.L., Byrne, P.A., and Campbell, J.R., 2023, Interaction of a legacy groundwater contaminant plume with the Little Wind River from 2015 through 2017, Riverton Processing site, Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2022–5089, 66 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20225089.","productDescription":"Report: xi, 66 p.; 3 Datasets; 2 Data Releases","numberOfPages":"82","onlineOnly":"Y","ipdsId":"IP-123760","costCenters":[{"id":685,"text":"Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center","active":false,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":412328,"rank":5,"type":{"id":30,"text":"Data Release"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BR8QX4","text":"USGS data release","linkHelpText":"Hydrologic, biogeochemical, and radon data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming (ver. 1.1, January 2019)"},{"id":412329,"rank":6,"type":{"id":30,"text":"Data Release"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.5066/P9J9VJBR","text":"USGS data release","linkHelpText":"Geophysical data collected within and adjacent to the Little Wind River near Riverton, Wyoming"},{"id":412324,"rank":1,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2022/5089/coverthb.jpg"},{"id":412325,"rank":2,"type":{"id":11,"text":"Document"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2022/5089/sir20225089.pdf","text":"Report","size":"16.1 MB","linkFileType":{"id":1,"text":"pdf"},"description":"SIR 2022–5089"},{"id":412330,"rank":7,"type":{"id":28,"text":"Dataset"},"url":"https://gems.lm.doe.gov/","text":"U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management Geospatial Environmental Mapping System database","linkHelpText":"—Riverton, WY, Processing site"},{"id":412331,"rank":8,"type":{"id":28,"text":"Dataset"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.5066/F7P55KJN","text":"USGS National Water Information System database","linkHelpText":"—USGS water data for the Nation"},{"id":412332,"rank":9,"type":{"id":28,"text":"Dataset"},"url":"https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/","text":"USGS database","linkHelpText":"—EarthExplorer"},{"id":500452,"rank":10,"type":{"id":36,"text":"NGMDB Index Page"},"url":"https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_114285.htm","linkFileType":{"id":5,"text":"html"}},{"id":412327,"rank":4,"type":{"id":34,"text":"Image Folder"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2022/5089/images"},{"id":412326,"rank":3,"type":{"id":31,"text":"Publication XML"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2022/5089/sir20225089.XML"}],"country":"United States","state":"Wyoming","city":"Riverton","geographicExtents":"{\n \"type\": \"FeatureCollection\",\n \"features\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Feature\",\n \"properties\": {},\n \"geometry\": {\n \"coordinates\": [\n [\n [\n -109,\n 43.5\n ],\n [\n -109,\n 42.5\n ],\n [\n -107.5,\n 42.5\n ],\n [\n -107.5,\n 43.5\n ],\n [\n -109,\n 43.5\n ]\n ]\n ],\n \"type\": \"Polygon\"\n }\n }\n ]\n}","contact":"Director, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
3162 Bozeman Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
Two radioactive elements, uranium (U) and radon (Rn), which are of potential concern in New Hampshire (NH) groundwater, are investigated. Exceedance probability maps are tools to highlight locations where the concentrations of undesirable substances in the groundwater may be elevated. Two forms of statistical analysis are used to create exceedance probability maps for U and Rn in NH groundwater. The first, Boosted Regression Tree (BRT), was selected for estimating U exceedance values. It computes exceedance values directly using the Bernoulli distribution function. The second method of statistical analysis used for Rn to determine exceedance probabilities is ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. In the process of determining exceedance probabilities for U and Rn, the utility of a new dataset is investigated. That new predictor dataset is the Multi-Order Hydrologic Position (MOHP) dataset. MOHP raster datasets have been produced nationally for the conterminous United States at a 30-m resolution. The concept behind MOHP is that, for any given point on the earth's surface, there is the potential for a longer groundwater flow path as one goes deeper beneath the land surface. MOHP predictors were tested in both models. Three MOHP predictors were found useful in the BRT model and two in the OLS model. MOHP data were found useful as predictors along with other site characteristics in predicting U and Rn exceedance probabilities in New Hampshire groundwater.
Thirty rural residential water wells in the wet gas region of the Marcellus Shale oil and gas play in northwestern West Virginia were sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2018, in cooperation with West Virginia State agencies, to analyze for a range of water-quality constituents, including major ions, trace metals, radionuclides, bacteria, and methane and other dissolved hydrocarbon gases. The groundwater-quality data collected for this study were used to assess the overall quality of groundwater in the study area in relation to public drinking-water standards. The groundwater-quality data were also evaluated with respect to geology, well depth, topographic setting, and proximity to oil and gas wells to identify possible relations to these factors.
The presence of total coliform bacteria in groundwater is a potential indicator of surface contamination. The presence of Escherichia coli bacteria is indicative of fecal contamination of groundwater from either human or animal sources and may be considered an indicator of other related pathogens such as viruses. Total coliforms were detected in 26 of the 30 (87 percent) wells sampled. Eleven of the 30 (37 percent) wells sampled had detections of Escherichia coli bacteria.
Sodium concentrations in 24 of 30 (80 percent) samples exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 20-milligram per Liter (mg/L) health-based value (HBV). Manganese, aluminum, and iron concentrations exceeded the EPA 50, 2.0, and 300 micrograms per liter (μg/L) secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) drinking-water standards at 14 (47 percent), 7 (23 percent), and 5 (17 percent) of the 30 wells sampled. Two of the 30 (7 percent) wells sampled had concentrations of manganese that exceeded the 300-μg/L USGS health-based screening level (HBSL). Arsenic concentrations at 7 of 30 (23 percent) wells sampled exceeded the 10-μg/L EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) health-based drinking water standard. The EPA maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for arsenic is 0 μg/L and 29 of 30 wells sampled contained detectable concentrations of arsenic.
None of the 30 wells sampled exceeded the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) 28-mg/L immediate action level (IAL) for methane in groundwater and only 1 of 30 (3 percent) sites exceeded the 10-mg/L OSMRE level of concern (LOC) for methane in groundwater. Of the 28 wells sampled for radon-222 all 28 (100 percent) exceeded the EPA proposed 300-picocuries per liter (pCi/L) MCL for radon. None of the samples exceeded the 4,000-pCi/L alternate maximum contaminant level (AMCL) which is applicable to public drinking water systems that have adopted radon mitigation programs.
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests indicated statistically significant differences at a 95 percent confidence interval (p less than 0.05) in radium-226, barium, and ethane groundwater concentrations with respect to the density of oil and gas wells present within a 500-meter (m) radius around the rural residential wells sampled for the study. Samples from residential wells that had four or fewer oil and gas wells in the surrounding 500-m radius had statistically lower concentrations of radium-226, bromide, and ethane than samples from residential wells sampled that had five or more oil and gas wells in the surrounding 500-m radius. Given the available data, the relationship between concentrations of radium-226, bromide, and ethane for wells sampled in this study and oil and gas development or natural geochemical processes is not clear.
Groundwater-age tracers (chlorofluorocarbons, tritium, and sulfur hexafluoride) were sampled at 17 of the 30 wells. All 17 samples contained a fraction of young, post-1950s groundwater. Many of the groundwater samples collected for this study have high calcium to sodium ratios and low total dissolved solids concentrations, indicating they are dominated by recently recharged water. A subset of samples had chloride to bromide mass ratios between 70 and 200, indicating that deep Appalachian basin brines mixed with the shallow groundwater. For most of the samples in this study, the C1 through C6 hydrocarbons have characteristics that reflect a biogenic gas signature that has, to varying degrees, undergone oxidation processes during transport. None of the samples show a characteristic thermogenic cracking pattern among the hydrocarbon ratios.
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Waste isolation is a key strategy for mitigating risk from municipal solid waste (MSW) and hazardous waste streams. Conventional covers at MSW facilities are designed for a 30-yr post-closure period where compacted soils and geosynthetics are used to minimize percolation into buried waste. Recently, evapotranspiration (ET) covers have shown beneficial use for MSW management. Evapotranspiration covers encourage infiltration, storage, and transpiration of precipitation to minimize percolation. Such covers may also have beneficial use for long-term waste issues, such as at Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) sites. These sites were covered by a clay radon barrier to create tortuous flow paths that allow radioactive decay and attenuation of short-lived, radon-222 gas. For long-term waste isolation, an ET-radon cover may provide greater resilience by exploiting natural processes instead of resisting them. This update presents a review of the current state-of-the-science regarding ET covers and considerations for long-term applications.
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Sarah","contributorId":293202,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Tabatabai","given":"Sarah","email":"","affiliations":[{"id":12536,"text":"U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":846712,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":2},{"text":"Huntington, Jena 0000-0002-9291-1404","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9291-1404","contributorId":204033,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Huntington","given":"Jena","affiliations":[{"id":465,"text":"Nevada Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":846713,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":3},{"text":"Davies, Gwendolyn Elizabeth 0000-0003-1538-8610","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1538-8610","contributorId":293203,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Davies","given":"Gwendolyn","email":"","middleInitial":"Elizabeth","affiliations":[{"id":465,"text":"Nevada Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":846714,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":4},{"text":"Fuhrmann, Mark","contributorId":293204,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Fuhrmann","given":"Mark","email":"","affiliations":[{"id":12536,"text":"U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission","active":true,"usgs":false}],"preferred":false,"id":846715,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":5}]}} ,{"id":70239285,"text":"70239285 - 2022 - Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast","interactions":[],"lastModifiedDate":"2023-01-06T12:49:39.192331","indexId":"70239285","displayToPublicDate":"2022-06-20T06:46:20","publicationYear":"2022","noYear":false,"publicationType":{"id":2,"text":"Article"},"publicationSubtype":{"id":10,"text":"Journal Article"},"seriesTitle":{"id":5207,"text":"Minerals","active":true,"publicationSubtype":{"id":10}},"title":"Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf 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Water plays a crucial role throughout the ISR lifecycle of production and groundwater restoration yet neither the water use nor other environmental footprints have been well documented. The goal of this study is to examine historical records for all six ISR operations completed in the Goliad Sand to identify and quantify parameters that indicate the surface and aquifer disturbances, water use, and radon emissions. Overall, the average mine area was 0.00023 ± 0.00006 acres per pound (ac/lb) U3O8. The average mine pore volume was 48.9 ± 50 gal/lb U3O8 with a minimum affected aquifer volume of 0.51 ± 0.08 cubic feet per pound (cu ft/lb) U3O8. An average of 258 ± 40 gallons (gal) of fluid were disposed per pound (lb) U3O8, with an average of 169 ± 26 gal/lb U3O8 attributed to restoration and 89 ± 36 gal/lb U3O8 attributed to the uranium production phase. The average radon emitted was 1.06 × 10−3 ± 7.4 × 10−4 curies per pound (Ci/lb) U3O8. Goodness-of-fit (R2) values are ≥0.79 for linear regressions of the amount of uranium produced versus mine area, mine pore volumes, mine aquifer volumes, water pumped, and total water disposed. The R2 value for radon emitted was 0.68. However, the water disposed only during the uranium production phase is more strongly correlated to the number of production days (R2 = 0.96) than to uranium production (R2 = 0.84), whereas the volume of water disposed during restoration is more strongly correlated to the “pore volume” (R2 = 0.97) than to uranium production (R2 = 0.90). Pore volume is an industry term used to describe the amount of fluid circulated through the aquifer during the uranium production period and stipulated in bond agreements in order to satisfy groundwater restoration requirements. Models constructed in this study can be used to estimate probable water use and the extent of surface and aquifer disturbances associated with ISR-amenable undiscovered uranium resources in the Goliad Sand. The historical perspective offered by the data compiled and correlations may prove useful to both industry and regulators.
","language":"English","publisher":"Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute","doi":"10.3390/min12030369","usgsCitation":"Gallegos, T., Scott, A., Stengel, V.G., and Teeple, A., 2022, A methodology to assess the historical environmental footprint of in-situ recovery (ISR) of uranium: A demonstration in the Goliad Sand in the Texas Coastal Plain, USA: Minerals, v. 12, no. 3, 369, 29 p., https://doi.org/10.3390/min12030369.","productDescription":"369, 29 p.","ipdsId":"IP-132933","costCenters":[{"id":48595,"text":"Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true},{"id":49175,"text":"Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":448350,"rank":0,"type":{"id":40,"text":"Open Access Publisher Index Page"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/min12030369","text":"Publisher Index Page"},{"id":397704,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg"}],"country":"United States","state":"Texas","otherGeospatial":"Texas Coastal Plain","geographicExtents":"{\n \"type\": \"FeatureCollection\",\n \"features\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Feature\",\n \"properties\": {},\n \"geometry\": {\n \"type\": \"Polygon\",\n \"coordinates\": [\n [\n [\n -93.69140625,\n 31.44741029142872\n ],\n [\n -96.328125,\n 31.22219703210317\n ],\n [\n -99.65698242187499,\n 27.61540601339959\n ],\n [\n -99.525146484375,\n 27.45953933271788\n ],\n [\n -99.60205078124999,\n 27.332735136859146\n ],\n [\n -99.503173828125,\n 27.225325836903373\n ],\n [\n -99.481201171875,\n 27.039556602163195\n ],\n [\n -99.2724609375,\n 26.686729520004036\n ],\n [\n -99.129638671875,\n 26.362342068998764\n ],\n [\n -98.843994140625,\n 26.303264239389534\n ],\n [\n -98.69018554687499,\n 26.165298896316042\n ],\n [\n -98.58032226562499,\n 26.194876675795218\n ],\n [\n -98.250732421875,\n 25.987674852384966\n ],\n [\n -97.85522460937499,\n 25.987674852384966\n ],\n [\n -97.3828125,\n 25.77021384896025\n ],\n [\n -97.174072265625,\n 26.007424156802212\n ],\n [\n -97.152099609375,\n 26.352497858154024\n ],\n [\n -97.31689453125,\n 26.755420897359123\n ],\n [\n -97.294921875,\n 27.01998400798257\n ],\n [\n -97.283935546875,\n 27.342494467201007\n ],\n [\n -97.03125,\n 27.819644755099446\n ],\n [\n -96.734619140625,\n 28.091366281406945\n ],\n [\n -95.965576171875,\n 28.565225490654658\n ],\n [\n -95.38330078125,\n 28.76765910569123\n ],\n [\n -95.108642578125,\n 29.084976575985912\n ],\n [\n -94.7021484375,\n 29.31514119318728\n ],\n [\n -93.98803710937499,\n 29.640320395351402\n ],\n [\n -93.812255859375,\n 29.640320395351402\n ],\n [\n -93.84521484375,\n 29.79298413547051\n ],\n [\n -93.702392578125,\n 29.964452850852005\n ],\n [\n -93.66943359374999,\n 30.07860131571654\n ],\n [\n -93.66943359374999,\n 30.287531589298727\n ],\n [\n -93.66943359374999,\n 30.552800413453546\n ],\n [\n -93.50463867187499,\n 30.911651004518244\n ],\n [\n -93.482666015625,\n 31.21280145833882\n ],\n [\n -93.69140625,\n 31.44741029142872\n ]\n ]\n ]\n }\n }\n ]\n}","volume":"12","issue":"3","noUsgsAuthors":false,"publicationDate":"2022-03-17","publicationStatus":"PW","contributors":{"authors":[{"text":"Gallegos, Tanya J. 0000-0003-3350-6473","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3350-6473","contributorId":206859,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Gallegos","given":"Tanya J.","affiliations":[{"id":241,"text":"Eastern Energy Resources Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":838857,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":1},{"text":"Scott, Annie 0000-0001-7286-3698 annescott@usgs.gov","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7286-3698","contributorId":223421,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Scott","given":"Annie","email":"annescott@usgs.gov","affiliations":[{"id":241,"text":"Eastern Energy Resources Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":838858,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":2},{"text":"Stengel, Victoria G. 0000-0003-0481-3159 vstengel@usgs.gov","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0481-3159","contributorId":5932,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Stengel","given":"Victoria","email":"vstengel@usgs.gov","middleInitial":"G.","affiliations":[{"id":583,"text":"Texas Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":838859,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":3},{"text":"Teeple, Andrew 0000-0003-1781-8354 apteeple@usgs.gov","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1781-8354","contributorId":193061,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Teeple","given":"Andrew","email":"apteeple@usgs.gov","affiliations":[{"id":583,"text":"Texas Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"preferred":true,"id":838976,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":4}]}} ,{"id":70227367,"text":"sir20215119 - 2022 - Characterization of ambient groundwater quality within a statewide, fixed-station monitoring network in Pennsylvania, 2015–19","interactions":[],"lastModifiedDate":"2026-04-02T19:50:24.033174","indexId":"sir20215119","displayToPublicDate":"2022-01-18T09:40:00","publicationYear":"2022","noYear":false,"publicationType":{"id":18,"text":"Report"},"publicationSubtype":{"id":5,"text":"USGS Numbered Series"},"seriesTitle":{"id":334,"text":"Scientific Investigations Report","code":"SIR","onlineIssn":"2328-0328","printIssn":"2328-031X","active":true,"publicationSubtype":{"id":5}},"seriesNumber":"2021-5119","displayTitle":"Characterization of Ambient Groundwater Quality Within a Statewide, Fixed-Station Monitoring Network in Pennsylvania, 2015–19","title":"Characterization of ambient groundwater quality within a statewide, fixed-station monitoring network in Pennsylvania, 2015–19","docAbstract":"Pennsylvania leads the Nation in the number of individuals that use groundwater for private domestic water supply; more than 3 million rural and suburban Pennsylvania residents rely on private domestic supplies for drinking water. These supplies are not regulated nor routinely monitored; thus relevant groundwater-quality information is not widely available. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP) Safe Drinking Water Bureau, established a statewide, fixed-station ambient groundwater quality network in 2015. The goals for the Pennsylvania Groundwater Monitoring Network (GWMN) include characterizing ambient groundwater quality conditions in rural areas of the State and documenting potential changes in conditions over time. Seventeen wells were selected for monitoring at 6-month intervals beginning in 2015. Since then, several wells have been added to the GWMN, bringing the total number of wells sampled in the fall of 2019 to 28. Routinely monitored constituents included physical characteristics and chemical concentrations in filtered and unfiltered samples (major and trace elements, nutrients, and organic compounds). Samples for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), radionuclides, and dissolved hydrocarbon gases were collected during the first sampling event at each well.
To offer insights on the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in Pennsylvania, summary statistics for the 221 GWMN samples collected during 2015–19 are compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking-water standards, which are applicable to public water supplies. Results show that samples across the GWMN generally meet drinking-water standards for inorganic and organic constituents; however, a percentage of samples had concentrations that exceeded maximum contaminant level (MCL) thresholds for nitrate (3 percent) and secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) thresholds for iron (32 percent), manganese (36 percent), and aluminum (5 percent). Radon-222 activities, which were sampled only during the initial visit to a well, exceeded the lower proposed drinking water standard of 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) in 64 percent of wells in the GWMN; additionally, 7 percent of wells exceeded the higher proposed standard of 4,000 pCi/L. There were no exceedances for VOCs, but one well had a tribromomethane detection. Three wells had detectable concentrations of methane, with one sample exceeding the Pennsylvania action level of 7 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
The pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations varied widely across the GWMN and were correlated with dissolved metal concentrations and other chemical characteristics of groundwater samples. Considering all samples collected for the study, the pH ranged from 4.2 to 8.3; 42 percent of pH values were either above or below the SMCL range of 6.5–8.5. The highest pH values resulted from contamination of loose grout used in the construction of one well and decreased to levels consistent with other wells in the vicinity after repeated sampling rounds. Dissolved oxygen (DO), which ranged from 0 to 13.9 mg/L, influences the mobility and prevalence of constituents with variable oxidation state, including iron, manganese, and nitrogen species. Samples with acidic pH (less than 6.5) and (or) low DO had the highest concentrations of manganese and iron, whereas those with neutral to alkaline pH values had the highest concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and other major ions. Analysis of major ions indicates that calcium/bicarbonate water types are the most common, with a few characterized as calcium/chloride or sodium/chloride, and most others as mixed water types including calcium-magnesium/bicarbonate, sodium-magnesium/bicarbonate, and sodium/bicarbonate-chloride.
Nonparametric statistical methods were used to evaluate the data for spatial and temporal trends. A principal components analysis (PCA) model developed with ranked data values for the entire network resulted in three components, (1) dissolved solids, (2) redox, and (3) sodium-chloride, which explained 74.5 percent of variance in the dataset. On the basis of individual contributions to the PCA, certain wells were identified through hierarchical cluster analysis that shared relevant water-quality characteristics. The spatial distribution of sampling locations and the temporal trends of constituent concentrations indicate that hydrogeologic setting and topographic position as defined in the PCA model are important factors affecting the spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater quality in the GWMN.
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\"}}]}","contact":"Director, Pennsylvania Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
215 Limekiln Road
New Cumberland, PA 17070
Selenium is a water-quality constituent of concern for aquatic ecosystems in the lower Gunnison River Basin. Selenium is derived from bedrock of the Mancos Shale and is mobilized and transported to groundwater and surface water by application of irrigation water. Although it is recognized that groundwater contributes an appreciable amount of selenium to surface water, few studies have addressed interactions between the two. The U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board conducted a study during 2017–19 to characterize the quality and quantity of groundwater discharging to an agricultural drainage near Delta, Colorado, locally known as Sunflower Drain.
Water quality in the study area is characterized by high dissolved solids with elevated concentrations of selenium and nitrate resulting from dissolution of soluble salts in the Mancos Shale. Selenium concentrations have decreased by 50 percent since the early 2000s, possibly in response to irrigation system improvements. Stable water isotopes indicate streamflow is dominated by canal water during the irrigation season (April to October) and, during the nonirrigation season (November to March), is dominated by groundwater that has undergone some degree of evaporation. Pesticide and pharmaceutical compounds were infrequently detected, and results indicate they were derived from sources outside the study area such that they do not appear to be useful as tracers of groundwater sources. Stable isotopes of nitrate indicate that nitrate originates from the Mancos Shale, and the isotopic composition is enriched by denitrification in the groundwater system. Using a mass-balance approach, estimated groundwater discharge rates to Sunflower Drain ranged from 0.15 to 0.27 cubic feet per second per mile with one losing reach identified. Selenium, sulfate, and nitrate concentrations in groundwater estimated by mass-balance calculations were similar to concentrations measured in the Poly 17 observation well, located in a largely irrigated area in east tributary. One tributary reach had higher concentrations of selenium, sulfate, and nitrate likely reflecting localized inputs of more concentrated groundwater, similar to the concentrations in the Poly 7 observation well, which is downgradient from a residential area in the west tributary.
Three pilot studies were conducted, including fiber optic distributed temperature sensing to detect groundwater discharge zones in the stream channel, a passive seismic technique to estimate depth to bedrock, and use of radon-222 as a geochemical tracer of groundwater discharge. All three techniques show promise as additional approaches for investigating groundwater discharge surface-water systems in irrigated drainage areas on Mancos Shale.
The factors that affect groundwater movement mainly include when and where irrigation water is transported and applied, and the distribution of bedrock of the Mancos Shale and overlying alluvial deposits. The average groundwater recharge rate for the study area was estimated at 8.1 inches per year, based on mass balance calculations from synoptic survey data. Along the western tributary of Sunflower Drain, there was evidence that spills from the East Canal may recharge the groundwater aquifer adjacent to the stream channel. Groundwater movement to the stream channel may be controlled by the topography of the alluvial/bedrock interface or focused along human-made features, such as tile drains and ditches constructed around irrigated fields. On larger scales, the top of bedrock was also important, creating a topographic constriction that caused a zone of groundwater discharge. The groundwater system is complex, and further study could better define the system, possibly through application of a groundwater flow model and more extensive studies using some of the exploratory methods evaluated in this study.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston VA","doi":"10.3133/sir20205132","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with Colorado Water Conservation Board","usgsCitation":"Mast, M.A., 2021, Characterization of groundwater quality and discharge with emphasis on selenium in an irrigated agricultural drainage near Delta, Colorado, 2017–19: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5132, 34 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205132.","productDescription":"Report: vi, 34 p.; Data Release","onlineOnly":"Y","ipdsId":"IP-119514","costCenters":[{"id":191,"text":"Colorado Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":382809,"rank":3,"type":{"id":30,"text":"Data Release"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.5066/P9LKYX9H","text":"USGS data release","linkHelpText":"Near-surface geophysical data collected in the Sunflower Drain study area near Delta, Colorado, March 2018"},{"id":382805,"rank":1,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5132/coverthb.jpg"},{"id":382806,"rank":2,"type":{"id":11,"text":"Document"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5132/sir20205132.pdf","text":"Report","size":"5.79 MB","linkFileType":{"id":1,"text":"pdf"},"description":"SIR 2020-5132"}],"country":"United States","state":"Colorado","city":"Delta","geographicExtents":"{\n \"type\": \"FeatureCollection\",\n \"features\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Feature\",\n \"properties\": {},\n \"geometry\": {\n \"type\": \"Polygon\",\n \"coordinates\": [\n [\n [\n -108.21945190429688,\n 38.638327308061875\n ],\n [\n -107.97019958496094,\n 38.638327308061875\n ],\n [\n -107.97019958496094,\n 38.82205601494022\n ],\n [\n -108.21945190429688,\n 38.82205601494022\n ],\n [\n -108.21945190429688,\n 38.638327308061875\n ]\n ]\n ]\n }\n }\n ]\n}","contact":"Director, Colorado Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
Box 25046, MS-415
Denver, CO 80225
As part of a regional effort to characterize groundwater in rural areas of Pennsylvania, water samples from 47 domestic wells in Potter County were collected from May through September 2017. The sampled wells had depths ranging from 33 to 600 feet in sandstone, shale, or siltstone aquifers. Groundwater samples were analyzed for physicochemical properties that could be evaluated in relation to drinking-water health standards, geology, land use, and other environmental factors. Laboratory analyses included concentrations of major ions, nutrients, bacteria, trace elements, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ethylene and propylene glycol, alcohols, gross-alpha/beta-particle activity, uranium, radon-222, and dissolved gases. A subset of samples was analyzed for radium isotopes (radium-226 and -228) and for the isotopic composition of methane.
Results of this 2017 study show that groundwater quality generally met most drinking-water standards that apply to public water supplies. However, a percentage of samples exceeded maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for total coliform bacteria (69.6 percent), Escherichia coli (30.4 percent), arsenic, and barium; and secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCLs) for field pH, manganese, sodium, iron, total dissolved solids, aluminum, and chloride. All of the analyzed VOCs were below limits of detection and associated drinking water criteria. Radon-222 activities exceeded the proposed drinking-water standard of 300 picocuries per liter in 80.9 percent of the samples.
The field pH of the groundwater ranged from 4.6 to 9.0. Generally, the lower pH samples had greater potential for elevated concentrations of dissolved metals, including beryllium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc, whereas the higher pH samples had greater potential for elevated concentrations of total dissolved solids, sodium, fluoride, boron, and uranium. Near-neutral samples (pH 6.5 to 7.5) had greater hardness and alkalinity concentrations than other samples with pH values outside this range. Calcium/bicarbonate waters were the predominant hydrochemical type for the sampled aquifers, with mixed water types for many samples, including variable contributions from calcium, magnesium, and sodium combined with bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride, and nitrate.
Water from 45 wells had concentrations of methane greater than the 0.0002 milligrams per liter (mg/L) detection limit. One sample had the maximum value of 11 mg/L, which exceeds the Pennsylvania action level of 7 mg/L. Additionally, three other samples had concentrations of methane greater than 4 mg/L. Outgassing of such levels of methane from the water to air within a confined space can result in a potential hazard. The elevated concentrations of methane generally were associated with suboxic groundwater (dissolved oxygen less than 0.5 mg/L) that had near-neutral to alkaline pH with relatively elevated concentrations of iron, manganese, ammonia, lithium, fluoride, and boron. Other constituents, including barium, sodium, chloride, and bromide, commonly were elevated, but not limited to, those well-water samples with elevated methane. Low levels of ethane (as much as 1.2 mg/L) were present in eight samples with the highest methane concentrations. Five samples were analyzed for methane isotopes. The isotopic and hydrocarbon compositions in these five samples suggest the methane may be of microbial origin or a mixture of thermogenic and microbial gas, but differed from the compositions reported for mud-gas logging samples collected during drilling of gas wells.
The concentrations of sodium (median 8.2 mg/L), chloride (median 7.64 mg/L), and bromide (median 0.02 mg/L) for the 47 groundwater samples collected for this study ranged widely and were positively correlated with one another and with specific conductance and associated measures of ionic strength. Sixty percent of the Potter County well-water samples had chloride concentrations less than 10 mg/L. Samples with higher chloride concentrations had variable bromide concentrations and corresponding chloride/bromide ratios that are consistent with sources such as road-deicing salt and septic effluent (low bromide) or brine (high bromide). Brines are naturally present in deeper parts of the regional groundwater system and, in some cases, may be mobilized by gas drilling. It is also possible that valley wells were drilled close to or into the brine-freshwater interface, so brine signatures do not necessarily indicate contamination due to drilling. The chloride, bromide, and other constituents in road-deicing salt or brine solutions tend to be diluted by mixing with fresh groundwater in shallow aquifers used for water supply. Although 1 of 8 groundwater samples with the highest methane concentrations (greater than 0.2 mg/L) had concentrations of chloride and bromide with corresponding chloride/bromide ratios that indicated mixing with road-deicing salt, the other 7 of 8 samples with elevated methane had concentrations of chloride and bromide with corresponding chloride/bromide ratios that indicated mixing with a small amount of brine (0.02 percent or less) similar in composition to those reported for gas and oil well brines in Pennsylvania. In several eastern Pennsylvania counties where gas drilling is absent, groundwater with comparable chloride/bromide ratios and chloride concentrations have been reported. Approximately 50 percent of Potter County well-water samples, including two samples with the fourth (72.9 mg/L) and fifth (47.0 mg/L) highest chloride concentrations, have chloride/bromide ratios that indicate predominantly anthropogenic sources of chloride, such as road-deicing salt or septic effluent.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, VA","doi":"10.3133/sir20205038","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with the County of Potter","usgsCitation":"Galeone, D.G., Cravotta, C.A., III, and Risser, D.W., 2020, Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and hydrogeologic and geochemical characteristics for 47 domestic wells in\nPotter County, Pennsylvania, 2017: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5038, p.67, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205038.","productDescription":"Report: viii, 67 p.; 2 Appendixes, Data Release","numberOfPages":"67","onlineOnly":"Y","additionalOnlineFiles":"Y","ipdsId":"IP-111083","costCenters":[{"id":532,"text":"Pennsylvania Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":377852,"rank":1,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5038/coverthb.jpg"},{"id":377854,"rank":2,"type":{"id":11,"text":"Document"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5038/sir20205038.pdf","text":"Report","size":"8.77 MB","linkFileType":{"id":1,"text":"pdf"},"description":"SIR 2020-5038"},{"id":377855,"rank":3,"type":{"id":3,"text":"Appendix"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5038/sir20205038_appendix3.xlsx","text":"Appendix 3","size":"30.3 KB","linkFileType":{"id":3,"text":"xlsx"},"linkHelpText":"- Excel file"},{"id":377856,"rank":4,"type":{"id":3,"text":"Appendix"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5038/sir20205038_appendix3.csv","text":"Appendix 3","size":"9.00 KB","linkFileType":{"id":7,"text":"csv"},"linkHelpText":"- CSV file"},{"id":377857,"rank":5,"type":{"id":30,"text":"Data Release"},"url":"https://doi.org/10.5066/P9EBORD5","text":"USGS data release","linkHelpText":"Compilation of wells sampled, physical characteristics of wells, links to water-quality data, and quality assurance and quality control data for domestic wells sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in Potter County, Pennsylvania, April–September 2017"}],"country":"United States","state":"Pennsylvania","county":"Potter County","geographicExtents":"{\"type\":\"FeatureCollection\",\"features\":[{\"type\":\"Feature\",\"geometry\":{\"type\":\"Polygon\",\"coordinates\":[[[-77.7513,41.999],[-77.7031,41.9991],[-77.6884,41.9992],[-77.6096,41.9998],[-77.6077,41.9211],[-77.6076,41.9174],[-77.6076,41.9015],[-77.6063,41.8402],[-77.6057,41.8334],[-77.6056,41.8121],[-77.6056,41.8093],[-77.605,41.8007],[-77.605,41.7944],[-77.6043,41.7558],[-77.6043,41.7499],[-77.6043,41.7472],[-77.603,41.7186],[-77.603,41.6999],[-77.6017,41.6518],[-77.6017,41.6437],[-77.601,41.6128],[-77.601,41.5987],[-77.5997,41.5497],[-77.5991,41.5424],[-77.5991,41.5256],[-77.5991,41.5211],[-77.5984,41.5002],[-77.5978,41.4784],[-77.6155,41.4784],[-77.664,41.4784],[-77.6977,41.4779],[-77.6989,41.4779],[-77.7093,41.4778],[-77.7498,41.4778],[-77.7645,41.4777],[-77.7774,41.4772],[-77.8006,41.4772],[-77.8123,41.4772],[-77.8282,41.4767],[-77.8454,41.4766],[-77.8742,41.4761],[-77.903,41.476],[-77.922,41.4755],[-77.9514,41.4754],[-77.9796,41.4757],[-77.9876,41.4757],[-78.0513,41.4768],[-78.0643,41.4881],[-78.0773,41.5003],[-78.094,41.5157],[-78.0958,41.5175],[-78.0977,41.5193],[-78.1107,41.5315],[-78.1119,41.5328],[-78.1243,41.5437],[-78.1379,41.5568],[-78.1769,41.5933],[-78.1831,41.5992],[-78.1862,41.6019],[-78.1992,41.6136],[-78.2035,41.6177],[-78.2054,41.619],[-78.2048,41.625],[-78.2062,41.6967],[-78.2065,41.7875],[-78.2065,41.7925],[-78.2066,41.8029],[-78.2068,41.8197],[-78.2071,41.8479],[-78.2073,41.866],[-78.2067,41.8697],[-78.2068,41.881],[-78.2075,41.8865],[-78.2078,41.9196],[-78.2078,41.9786],[-78.2085,41.9859],[-78.2086,42],[-77.9943,41.999],[-77.9662,41.9988],[-77.8686,41.9989],[-77.7513,41.999]]]},\"properties\":{\"name\":\"Potter\",\"state\":\"PA\"}}]}","contact":"Director, Pennsylvania Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
215 Limekiln Road
New Cumberland, PA 17070
Despite the reliance on groundwater by approximately 2.4 million rural Pennsylvania residents, publicly available data to characterize the quality of private well water are limited. As part of a regional effort to characterize groundwater in rural areas of Pennsylvania, samples from 54 domestic wells in Clinton County were collected and analyzed in 2017. The samples were evaluated for a wide range of constituents and compared to drinking-water health standards and geochemical characteristics. The sampled wells were completed to depths ranging from 46 to 500 feet in bedrock that was of predominantly sandstone, shale, or carbonate lithology. Results of this study show that the sampled groundwater quality in Clinton County generally met most drinking-water standards that apply to public water supplies. However, a percentage of samples exceeded drinking-water maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for total coliform bacteria (57.4 percent), Escherichia coli (E. coli) (25.9 percent), nitrate (1.9 percent), and arsenic (1.9 percent); and secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCLs) for pH (31.5 percent), manganese (29.6 percent), iron (13 percent), total dissolved solids (7.4 percent), aluminum (1.9 percent), and chloride (1.9 percent). Sodium concentrations exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water advisory recommendation in 16.7 percent of the samples. Radon-222 activities exceeded the proposed drinking-water standard of 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) in 59.3 percent of the samples. The only volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected were acetone and methyl ethyl ketone in two separate samples; neither constituent exceeded drinking-water standards.
Higher median nitrate concentrations were found in the carbonate (3.26 milligrams per liter [mg/L]) versus shale (less than 0.04 mg/L) and sandstone (0.27 mg/L) aquifer subsets. Most of the elevated nitrate concentrations were associated with E. coli detections in the carbonate aquifers, where transmissive bedrock can facilitate groundwater contamination by human activities at the land surface.
The median pH of groundwater from the sandstone aquifers (6.53) was less than those for the shale aquifers (7.31) and carbonate aquifers (7.43). Generally, the lower pH samples had greater potential for elevated concentrations of dissolved metals, including beryllium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc, whereas the higher pH samples had greater potential for elevated concentrations of total dissolved solids, sodium, fluoride, boron, and uranium. Near-neutral samples (pH 6.5 to 7.5) had greater hardness and alkalinity concentrations than other samples with pH outside this range. Many samples from the shale or sandstone aquifers, particularly those with pH less than 6.5, were identified as having serious potential corrosivity based on the combination of the calcite saturation index and the chloride to sulfate mass ratio; however, none of the samples from the carbonate aquifers was identified as seriously corrosive.
Groundwater from 3.7 percent of the wells had concentrations of methane greater than the Pennsylvania action level of 7 mg/L, and 48 of the 54 wells (88.9 percent) had detectable concentrations of methane greater than the 0.0002 mg/L detection limit. Greater methane concentrations were found more frequently in groundwater sampled from the shale aquifers than the carbonate or sandstone aquifers in the study area. Most of the samples containing elevated methane (greater than 0.2 mg/L) were located outside the area of the Appalachian Plateaus. The elevated concentrations of methane generally were associated with suboxic groundwater (dissolved oxygen less than 0.5 mg/L) that had near-neutral to alkaline pH and were correlated with concentrations of iron, manganese, ammonia, sodium, lithium, barium, fluoride, and boron. The stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of methane in two of four samples analyzed for isotopes were consistent with compositions reported for mud-gas logging samples from gas-bearing geologic units (thermogenic gas) in the Appalachian Plateaus region, whereas two others were consistent with methane of microbial origin or a mixture of microbial and thermogenic gas.
Forty-two percent of samples had chloride concentrations greater than 20 mg/L with variable bromide concentrations. Corresponding chloride/bromide ratios are consistent with low-bromide sources such as road-deicing salt and septic effluent or animal waste, or, in a few cases, high-bromide brine. Brines characterized by relatively high bromide are naturally present in deeper parts of the regional groundwater system and, in some cases, may be mobilized by gas drilling. The chloride, bromide, and other constituents in road-deicing salt or brine solutions tend to be diluted by mixing with fresh groundwater in shallow aquifers used for water supply. One of the four groundwater samples with methane concentrations greater than 4 mg/L had chloride and bromide concentrations and a chloride/bromide ratio that indicates mixing with a salinity source such as road-deicing salt, whereas the chloride and bromide concentrations and ratios for the other three high-methane samples indicate mixing with a small amount of brine (0.03 percent or less). In two other eastern Pennsylvania county studies where gas drilling is absent, groundwater with comparable chloride/bromide ratios, bromide, and chloride concentrations plus other element associations have been reported. Additional sampling and analysis, such as isotopic analysis of the dissolved gas, fracture analysis, and more detailed evaluation of surrounding land uses, may be warranted to better understand the origin of the methane and brine constituents in groundwater at specific locations.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, VA","doi":"10.3133/sir20205022","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with the Clinton County Commissioners","usgsCitation":"Clune, J.W., and Cravotta, C.A., III, 2020, Groundwater quality in relation to drinking water health standards and geochemical characteristics for 54 domestic wells in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, 2017 (ver 1.1, July 2020): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2020–5022, 72 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20205022.","productDescription":"Report: vii, 72 p.; Data Release; Appendix","numberOfPages":"84","onlineOnly":"Y","additionalOnlineFiles":"N","ipdsId":"IP-109062","costCenters":[{"id":532,"text":"Pennsylvania Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":376698,"rank":5,"type":{"id":3,"text":"Appendix"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2020/5022/sir20205022_appendix3.pdf","text":"Appendix 3","size":"130 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U.S. Geological Survey
215 Limekiln Road
New Cumberland, PA 17070
This report presents a novel conceptual framework and approach for conducting a geologically based environmental assessment, or geoenvironmental assessment, of undiscovered uranium resources within an area likely to contain uranium deposits. The framework is based on a source-to-receptor model that prioritizes the most likely contaminant sources, contaminant pathways, and affected environmental media for three common uranium extraction methods—open pit or underground mining with milling and in situ recovery (ISR). Data on regional geology, hydrology, and climate, as well as historical uranium mining and milling records are used to estimate the probable amounts of waste rock, tailings, wastewater, surface land disturbance, and subsurface aquifer disturbance for likely mining methods. Constituents of concern that might take the form of leachates, dust, radon, and sediments formed by chemical and physical weathering are also identified in the geoenvironmental assessment. Finally, areas where constituents of concern are likely to occur and persist in air, land, surface water, and groundwater are indicated by the potential for dispersion of dust by wind, accumulation of radon because of air stagnation, dispersion of sediments and wastewater by runoff, and infiltration of wastewater or leachates with consideration of the likely mobility of contaminants in surface water and groundwater. The geoenvironmental assessment output can be summarized in the following primary products: (1) a descriptive geoenvironmental model; (2) maps and statistics of variables that indicate the potential for constituents of concern to occur and persist in air, land, surface water, and groundwater within a tract that is geologically permissive for the occurrence of uranium; and (3) tables providing estimated or indicated quantities of waste rock, tailings, wastewater, dust, and radon emissions that could be associated with undiscovered uranium resources, if extracted, for each permissive tract. The uranium geoenvironmental assessment could help natural resource managers to prioritize and (or) identify (1) important potential contaminant pathways, (2) management practices required depending on the types of constituents that could be of concern, (3) areas for response in the event of accidental release, and (4) future directions for study. Furthermore, indicators of rock and water volumes potentially associated with an undiscovered uranium deposit may be evaluated to make quantitative comparisons of water required for uranium production or potential waste products generated during uranium extraction from areas permissive for uranium resource occurrence throughout the United States.
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Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192
On the basis of lifetime cancer risks, lead-210 (210Pb) and polonium-210 (210Po) ≥ 1.0 and 0.7 pCi/L (picocuries per liter), respectively, in drinking-water supplies may pose human-health concerns. 210Pb and 210Po were detected at concentrations greater than these thresholds at 3.7 and 1.5%, respectively, of filtered untreated groundwater samples from 1263 public-supply wells in 19 principal aquifers across the United States. Nationally, 72% of samples with radon-222 (222Rn) concentrations > 4000 pCi/L had 210Pb ≥ 1.0 pCi/L. 210Pb is mobilized by alpha recoil associated with the decay of 222Rn and short-lived progeny. 210Pb concentrations ≥ 1.0 pCi/L occurred most frequently where acidic groundwaters inhibited 210Pb readsorption (felsic-crystalline rocks) and where reducing alkaline conditions favored dissolution of iron–manganese- (Fe–Mn-) oxyhydroxides (which adsorb 210Pb) and formation of lead–carbonate complexes (enhancing lead (Pb) mobility). 210Po concentrations ≥ 0.7 pCi/L occurred almost exclusively in confined Coastal Plain aquifers where old (low percent-modern carbon-14) groundwaters were reducing, with high pH (>7.5) and high sodium/chloride (Na/Cl) ratios resulting from cation exchange. In high-pH environments, aqueous polonium (Po) is poorly sorbed, occurring as dihydrogen polonate (H2PoO3(aq)) or, under strongly reducing conditions, as a hydrogen-polonide anion (HPo–). Fe–Mn- and sulfate-reduction and cation-exchange processes may mobilize polonium from mineral surfaces. Po2+ occurrence in low-to-neutral-pH waters is attenuated by adsorption.
Radon (Rnair) was monitored in open air in publicly accessible areas surrounding the Pinenut uranium (U) mine during mining and reclamation activities in 2015–16 to address concerns about mining related effects to areas surrounding Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP) in Arizona, USA. During July 2015, Rnair concentrations associated with the ore storage pile monitoring site were larger than those at the mine vent monitoring site and likely resulted from the relatively large amount of ore stored on site during this period. Higher wind velocities at the ore pile monitoring site generally resulted in lower Rnair concentrations; however, wind velocity did not appear to be an important factor in controlling Rnair concentrations at the mine vent monitoring site. Physical disturbances of the ore pile by heavy equipment did not coincide with elevated Rnair concentrations at the ore storage pile or mine vent monitoring sites. The relative size of the ore storage pile showed a positive trend with the daily mean Rnair concentration measured at the ore pile monitoring site. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the ore pile and mine vent multivariate data sets for simultaneous comparison of all measured variables during 230 days of the study period. A significant positive coefficient for Rnair was associated with a significant negative coefficient for wind speed for principal component (PC) 2ore pile. Significant, positive PC2mine vent coefficients included Rnair, wind direction, and relative ore pile size indicating that Rnair variations at the mine vent monitoring site may be affected by Rn sourced from the ore pile. The ore pile is located about 200 m south of the mine vent Rn monitor with the prevalent wind direction coming from the south. All data generated during the field study and laboratory verification tests were published by Naftz et al. (2018) and are available online at:
Background: Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer worldwide and represents a major health concern within and outside the United States. Mitigating exposure to radon is especially critical in places with high rates of tobacco smoking (e.g., Kentucky, USA), as radon-induced lung cancer is markedly greater among people exposed to tobacco smoke. Despite homes being a common source of radon exposure, convincing homeowners to test and mitigate for radon remains a challenge. A new communication strategy to increase radon testing among Kentucky homeowners utilizes fine-scale geologic map data to create detailed radon risk potential maps. We assessed the health benefits of this strategy via avoided lung cancer and associated premature mortality and quantified the economic value of these benefits to indicate the potential utility of using geologic map data in radon communication strategies. Methods: We estimated the change in radon testing among all 120 counties in Kentucky following a new communication strategy reliant on geologic maps. We approximated the resultant potential change in radon mitigation rates and subsequent expected lung cancer cases and mortality avoided among smokers and non-smokers exposed to ≥4 pCi/L of radon in the home. We then applied the value of a statistical life to derive the economic value of the expected avoided mortality. Results: The new communication strategy is estimated to help 75 Kentucky residents in one year avoid exposure to harmful radon levels via increased testing and mitigation rates. This equated to the potential avoidance of approximately one premature death due to lung cancer, with a net present value of \\$3.4 to \\$8.5 million (2016 USD). Conclusions: Our analysis illustrates the potential economic value of health benefits associated with geologic map data used as part of a communication strategy conveying radon risk to the public. Geologic map data are freely available in varying resolutions throughout the United States, suggesting Kentucky’s radon communication strategy using geologic maps can be employed in other states to educate the public about radon. As this is only a single application, in a single state, the economic and health benefits of geologic map data in educating the public about radon are likely to exceed our estimates.
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Jr.","contributorId":51406,"corporation":false,"usgs":true,"family":"Andrews","given":"William","suffix":"Jr.","email":"","middleInitial":"M.","affiliations":[],"preferred":false,"id":786544,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":7},{"text":"Hahn, Ellen J.","contributorId":223882,"corporation":false,"usgs":false,"family":"Hahn","given":"Ellen","email":"","middleInitial":"J.","affiliations":[],"preferred":false,"id":786545,"contributorType":{"id":1,"text":"Authors"},"rank":8}]}} ,{"id":70203860,"text":"sir20195059 - 2020 - Groundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields","interactions":[],"lastModifiedDate":"2023-03-03T15:42:41.455704","indexId":"sir20195059","displayToPublicDate":"2020-03-12T13:15:00","publicationYear":"2020","noYear":false,"publicationType":{"id":18,"text":"Report"},"publicationSubtype":{"id":5,"text":"USGS Numbered Series"},"seriesTitle":{"id":334,"text":"Scientific Investigations Report","code":"SIR","onlineIssn":"2328-0328","printIssn":"2328-031X","active":true,"publicationSubtype":{"id":5}},"seriesNumber":"2019-5059","displayTitle":"Groundwater Quality and Geochemistry of West Virginia’s Southern Coal Fields","title":"Groundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields","docAbstract":"Coal mining has been the dominant industry and land use in West Virginia’s southern coal fields since the mid-1800s. Mortality rates for a variety of serious chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer in Appalachian coal mining regions, are higher than in areas lacking substantial coal mining activity within the Appalachian Region or elsewhere in the United States. Causes of the increased mortality and morbidity are not clear, but poor diet, high rates of smoking, socioeconomic factors, and the quality of groundwater used by area residents are all possible contributing factors. This study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, with grant support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assess the quality of groundwater in southern West Virginia. The data from this assessment of groundwater quality may be used by the CDC and other agencies to potentially investigate the role or lack thereof of groundwater quality with respect to mortality and morbidity rates in the region. The study was conducted in a region where a high density of current or past coal mining combined with a lack of advanced sewage treatment could affect concentrations of commonly occurring constituents plus contaminants, including nitrate, trace metals, major ions, indicator bacteria, radon, hydrogen sulfide, and dissolved hydrocarbons.
Because rural residential wells and mine outfalls are considered private sources of water in the region, and are therefore unregulated and unmonitored, water-quality data are sparse. To fill the data gap and assess the groundwater quality in the region, water-quality samples were collected from 60 sites in a 10-county area. The 60 sites sampled included 46 rural residential homeowner wells and 14 mine outfall discharges used for residential supply. For this study, all samples were collected prior to any filtration or other treatments, typically at the pressure tank, and are indicative of total and dissolved constituents in the untreated water.
Generally, data for the 60 sites indicate that most waters sampled do not exceed thresholds for most U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking-water standards and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) drinking-water screening criteria. However, there were several notable exceptions. Turbidity exceeded the 5-Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) EPA treatment technique (TT) drinking-water standard in 14 of 60 (23 percent) sites sampled and exceeded the 1-NTU TT standard in 51 of 60 (85 percent) sites sampled. Turbidity is common in many wells in southern West Virginia and may be attributed to iron oxyhydroxide precipitates, sediment carried into the aquifers from the shallow soil zone due to improperly constructed or cased wells or transported to the aquifer in shallow stress-relief fracture zones or through permeable bedding-plane partings. For the sites sampled, 31 of 60 (52 percent) had pH values at, above, or below the upper and lower range of the EPA Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL, 6.5–8.5 standard units). Of those 31 sites, 28 (90 percent) were indicative of acidic corrosive water and 3 (10 percent) were indicative of alkaline water.
The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI), which is a measure of the corrosivity of the water, was computed for all sites sampled for the study. Eighty-two percent of the sites sampled had waters that were classified as corrosive, based on a LSI less than −0.5. Corrosive water has the potential to leach lead, copper, and other metals from lead, copper, galvanized, or lead-tin soldered connections in water lines. The chloride to sulfate mass ratio also was assessed with the alkalinity to indicate the potential to promote galvanic corrosion (PPGC) of water lines and plumbing fixtures. Only one of the sites (1.7 percent) classified as a corrosive water site, had a PPGC considered high; the remaining sites were classified as having either a moderate (53.3 percent) or low (45 percent) PPGC. Therefore, the type of plumbing systems sampled for this study may be affected by corrosive water, but the potential for leaching trace metals and other constituents from residential plumbing systems containing older galvanized pipes or lead-tin soldered copper pipes is moderate to low.
The indicator bacteria total coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) also were detected in groundwater samples to varying degrees. Total coliforms, which are a broad class of indicator bacteria, are common in groundwater in southern West Virginia and were detected in 39 of the 60 sites (65 percent) sampled. The presence of total coliform bacteria is a potential indicator of surface contamination, due to improperly constructed or cased wells, or infiltration of soil or other surface contaminants into the aquifer or well bore. E. coli bacteria, however, are much more indicative of fecal contamination of groundwater from either human or animal sources, and 14 of the 60 (23 percent) sites sampled had detections of E. coli. Although only a few strains of E. coli are known pathogens, their presence in groundwater may be an indicator of other related pathogens such as viruses and should be regarded as a serious potential issue. Water treatment such as chlorination, ozonation, or ultraviolet light may be appropriate to kill potential pathogenic bacteria or viruses in the source water.
Manganese and iron were prevalent contaminants in the groundwater samples collected for this study, with 30 of 60 (50 percent) sites analyzed for manganese and 25 of 60 (42 percent) sites analyzed for iron exceeding the proposed 50- and 300-micrograms per liter (µg/L) SMCL drinking-water standards, respectively, for aesthetic criteria such as taste, odor, or staining of plumbing fixtures. Fourteen of the 60 sites sampled (23 percent) had concentrations of manganese that exceeded the 300-µg/L USGS health-based screening level, and 1 site exceeded the 1,600-µg/L EPA drinking-water equivalent level, which is based on a lifetime exposure level. Sodium is another common constituent in groundwater within the study area. Sodium has an EPA health-based value (HBV) of 20 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for individuals who are on a sodium-restricted diet for blood pressure or other health reasons. Sodium concentrations exceeded the 20-mg/L EPA HBV in 27 of 60 (45 percent) samples.
Radon, a naturally occurring carcinogenic radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer, was detected at concentrations at or exceeding the proposed 300-picocuries per liter (pCi/L) EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) in 12 of the 60 (20 percent) sites sampled. Sites with radon gas concentrations exceeding the 300-pCi/L proposed MCL have the potential for airborne concentrations of radon to exceed the 4-pCi/L indoor air standard. Inhalation of radon can cause lung cancer, and the 4-pCi/L indoor air standard is based on an inhalation standard. Therefore, homeowners whose wells have radon gas concentrations exceeding 300 pCi/L may be advised to have their indoor air tested to determine if indoor air concentrations exceed the 4-pCi/L indoor air standard established by the EPA.
Various factors were analyzed statistically and graphically to determine whether they have an influence on groundwater quality within the study area, including topographic setting, well depth, type of mining (surface or underground), type of site (well or mine outfall), and geologic formation. Only geologic formation and the type of site sampled had strong statistical correlations with one or more of the constituents of concern for this study. The overall chemistry of outfalls (mine outfalls) and wells was significantly different, with a much higher dissolved oxygen content in outfalls than in wells. The dissolved oxygen content is the primary component driving the oxidation and reduction of minerals, and the precipitation of minerals that are saturated or super saturated with respect to various cations and anions. Median dissolved oxygen concentrations for the outfalls sampled was 8.75 mg/L, and only 0.4 mg/L for the wells sampled.
Median concentrations of sulfate and selenium were much higher in waters from the outfalls sampled, with median concentrations of 73.75 mg/L and 2.35 µg/L, respectively, compared to the wells sampled, which had median concentrations of 18.3 mg/L and less than (<) the 0.05-µg/L method detection limit, respectively. The maximum selenium concentration was for a well, with a concentration of 16.6 µg/L. The geochemical processes that control sulfate and selenium concentrations in groundwater are similar and are the result of the oxidation of sulfide minerals such as pyrite and ferroselite. Iron and manganese concentrations were elevated in most of the wells sampled, with median concentrations of 269.5 and 124.5 µg/L, respectively, but were rarely detected in the outfalls sampled, with median concentrations of < 4.0 and < 0.4 µg/L, respectively. The difference in iron and manganese between wells and outfalls is indicative of the role of dissolved oxygen on processes controlling groundwater chemistry in the region.
Three principal geologic formations were assessed for the study, and the overall chemistry for the Pocahontas, New River, and Kanawha Formations varied substantially with respect to several constituents. Concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and total dissolved solids were highest for sites sampled in the Pocahontas Formation, with median concentrations of 41.9, 18.6, and 312 mg/L, respectively. For constituents that are commonly associated with mining activity, the highest concentrations were for sites sampled in the New River Formation, with median concentrations of iron and manganese of 2,450 µg/L and 482 µg/L, respectively, and a median pH of 6.35 standard units. Concentrations of barium also were elevated in samples collected from sites in the New River Formation, with a median barium concentration of 184 µg/L. The source of the barium is not fully known but may be associated with commingling of shallow groundwater with deeper brines or dissolution of the mineral barite. The highest median sulfate concentrations were from sites sampled in the Pocahontas Formation, with a median concentration of 64.0 mg/L. Of the 12 sites at or exceeding the 300-pCi/L proposed drinking-water standard for radon, 8 (67 percent of MCL exceedances) were for sites deriving water from the Kanawha Formation, 3 (25 percent of MCL exceedances) were for sites deriving water from the New River Formation, and only 1 site was for water from the Pocahontas Formation (8 percent of proposed MCL exceedances).
Dissolved hydrocarbons, including methane, ethane, propane, propene, n- and i-butane, 1-butene, n- and i-pentane, pentane, 2- and 3-ethyl pentane, hexane, and benzene were analyzed in samples collected from 59 of the 60 sites to assess the potential occurrence and sources of these trace gases in groundwater within the study area. Results of the analysis indicate that most of the gas is of shallow biogenic origin, possibly associated with coal-bed methane, but a subset of samples has a gas signature and a chloride to bromide ratio indicative of potential mixing with deeper thermogenic gases. Only 2 of the 59 (3.3 percent) sites sampled had concentrations of methane gas, which is a highly combustible and explosive gas, exceeding the 10 milligrams per kilogram level of concern established by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.
Principal components analysis was used to assess the primary geochemical processes occurring in the aquifers sampled. The first principal component had significant positive loadings for bromide, chloride, silica, ammonia, barium, iron, manganese, and arsenic, and significant negative loadings for dissolved oxygen, potassium, nitrate, and uranium, and reflects reduction and oxidation (redox) processes occurring in deeper anoxic groundwater or shallow oxic groundwater. The strong positive loadings for iron, manganese, barium, and arsenic are correlated with reducing conditions often found deeper in the aquifer. More oxic water is correlated with oxidation of nitrogen species to nitrate and environmental mobilization of uranium and sulfate in shallow wells and mine outfalls.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, VA","doi":"10.3133/sir20195059","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Environmental Health Services and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water and Waste Management","usgsCitation":"Kozar, M.D., McAdoo, M.A., and Haase, K.B., 2020, Groundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields (ver. 1.1, March 2020): U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019−5059, 78 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195059.","productDescription":"x, 78 p.","numberOfPages":"92","onlineOnly":"N","additionalOnlineFiles":"N","ipdsId":"IP-103597","costCenters":[{"id":37280,"text":"Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center ","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":399535,"rank":4,"type":{"id":36,"text":"NGMDB Index 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1.1: March 2020; Version 1.0: February 2020","contact":"Director, Virginia/West Virginia Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
11 Dunbar Street
Charleston, WV 25301
Uranium is a radioactive element (radionuclide) that occurs naturally in rock, soil, and water, usually in low concentrations. Radionuclides are unstable atoms with excess energy and as radionuclides decay, they emit radiation. The uranium decay sequence also includes other radionuclides of concern such as radium and radon. This fact sheet addresses naturally occurring uranium in groundwater in northeastern Washington.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, VA","doi":"10.3133/fs20193069","usgsCitation":"Kahle, S.C., 2019, Naturally occurring uranium in groundwater in northeastern Washington State: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2019–3069, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20193069.","productDescription":"4 p.","ipdsId":"IP-109656","costCenters":[{"id":622,"text":"Washington Water Science Center","active":true,"usgs":true}],"links":[{"id":380610,"rank":3,"type":{"id":2,"text":"Additional Report Piece"},"url":"https://wim.usgs.gov/geonarrative/uraniumgw/","text":"USGS geo-narrative —","description":"USGS Geo-Narrative","linkHelpText":"Naturally occurring uranium in groundwater in northeastern Washington State"},{"id":369098,"rank":2,"type":{"id":11,"text":"Document"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2019/3069/fs20193069.pdf","text":"Report","size":"2.3 MB","linkFileType":{"id":1,"text":"pdf"},"description":"FS 2019-3069"},{"id":369097,"rank":1,"type":{"id":24,"text":"Thumbnail"},"url":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2019/3069/coverthb.jpg"}],"country":"United States","state":"Washington","geographicExtents":"{\n \"type\": \"FeatureCollection\",\n \"features\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Feature\",\n \"properties\": {},\n \"geometry\": {\n \"type\": \"Polygon\",\n \"coordinates\": [\n [\n [\n -117.01538085937499,\n 48.96579381461063\n ],\n [\n -120.684814453125,\n 49.001843917978526\n ],\n [\n -120.59692382812499,\n 46.77749276376827\n ],\n [\n -117.05932617187499,\n 46.76996843356982\n ],\n [\n -117.01538085937499,\n 48.96579381461063\n ]\n ]\n ]\n }\n }\n ]\n}","contact":"Director, Washington Water Science Center
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The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, collected groundwater samples from 5 production wells and 5 domestic wells in the Delaware River Basin, 8 production wells and 7 domestic wells in the Genesee River Basin, and 1 municipal well, 7 production wells, and 13 domestic wells in the St. Lawrence River Basin in New York. All samples were collected from May through November 2015 in an effort to characterize groundwater quality in these basins. The samples were collected and processed by using standard U.S. Geological Survey procedures and were analyzed for 148 physiochemical properties and constituents, including dissolved gases, major ions, nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, radionuclides, and indicator bacteria.
The Delaware River Basin study area covers 2,360 square miles (mi2) in southeastern New York. Of the 10 wells sampled in the Delaware River Basin, 3 are completed in sand and gravel, and 7 are completed in bedrock. Groundwater in the Delaware River Basin was generally of good quality, although properties and concentrations of some constituents—pH, iron, manganese, aluminum, radon-222, and total coliform bacteria—sometimes equaled or exceeded primary, secondary, or proposed drinking-water standards. The constituent most frequently detected in concentrations exceeding drinking-water standards (10 of 10 samples) was radon-222.
The Genesee River Basin study area includes the entire 2,439 mi2 of the basin in western New York. Of the 15 wells sampled in the Genesee River Basin, 6 are completed in sand and gravel, and 9 are completed in bedrock. Groundwater in the Genesee River Basin was generally of good quality, although properties and concentrations of some constituents—chloride, sodium, dissolved solids, iron, manganese, aluminum, arsenic, radon-222, methane, total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli bacteria—sometimes equaled or exceeded primary, secondary, or proposed drinking-water standards. The constituent most frequently detected in concentrations exceeding drinking-water standards (12 of 15 samples) was radon-222.
The St. Lawrence River Basin study area includes the entire 5,650 mi2 of the basin in northeastern New York. Of the 21 wells sampled in the St. Lawrence River Basin, 7 are completed in sand and gravel, and 14 are completed in bedrock. Groundwater in the St. Lawrence River Basin was generally of good quality, although properties and concentrations of some constituents—pH, chloride, sodium, dissolved solids, iron, manganese, sulfate, nitrate, radon-222, total coliform bacteria, fecal coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli bacteria—sometimes equaled or exceeded primary, secondary, or proposed drinking-water standards. The constituent most frequently detected in concentrations exceeding drinking-water standards (14 of 21 samples) was radon-222.
","language":"English","publisher":"U.S. Geological Survey","publisherLocation":"Reston, VA","doi":"10.3133/ofr20191005","collaboration":"Prepared in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ","usgsCitation":"Scott, T.-M., Nystrom, E.A., and Reddy, J.E., 2019, Groundwater quality in the Delaware, Genesee, and St. Lawrence River Basins, New York, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1005, 42 p., 2 app., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191005. 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York\",\"nation\":\"USA \"}}]}","contact":"Director, New York Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
425 Jordan Road
Troy, NY 12180
Pennsylvania has the second highest number of residential wells of any state in the Nation with approximately 2.4 million residents that depend on groundwater for their domestic water supply. Despite the widespread reliance on groundwater in rural areas of the state, publicly available data to characterize the quality of private well water are limited. In Bradford County, more than half of the residents use groundwater from private domestic-supply wells as their primary drinking source. The quality of private well water is influenced by the regional and local setting, including the surrounding soil, geology, land use, household plumbing, and well construction. The groundwater used for domestic water supply in Bradford County is obtained primarily from shallow bedrock and from unconsolidated (glacial) deposits that overlie the bedrock. Historical land use has been predominately forested, agricultural, and residential, but more recently unconventional oil/gas development has been distributed throughout the landscape. Pennsylvania is one of only two states in the Nation without statewide water-well construction standards.
To better assess the quality of groundwater used for drinking water supply in Bradford County, data for 72 domestic wells were collected and analyzed for a wide range of constituents that could be evaluated in relation to drinking water health standards, geology, land use, and other environmental factors. Groundwater samples were collected from May through August 2016 and analyzed for physical and chemical properties, including major ions, nutrients, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, ethylene and propylene glycol, alcohols, gross-alpha/beta-particle activity, uranium, radon-222, and dissolved gases. A subset of samples was analyzed for radium isotopes (radium-226 and -228) and for the isotopic composition of methane. This study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission and is part of a regional effort to characterize groundwater in rural areas of Pennsylvania.
Results of the 2016 study show that groundwater quality generally met most drinking-water standards. However, a percentage of samples failed to meet maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for total coliform bacteria (49.3 percent), Escherichia coli (8.5 percent), barium (2.8 percent), and arsenic (2.8 percent); and secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCL) for sodium (48.6 percent), manganese (30.6 percent), gross alpha and beta activity (16.7 percent), iron (11.1 percent), pH (8.3 percent), total dissolved solids (5.6 percent), chloride (1.4 percent), and aluminum (1.4 percent). Radon-222 activities exceeded the proposed drinking-water standard of 300 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) in 70.4 percent of the samples. There were no exceedances of drinking water health standards for any volatile organic compounds, and the only detections were for three trihalomethanes in one sample.
The pH of the groundwater had a large influence on chemical characteristics and ranged from 6.18 to 9.31. Generally, the higher pH samples had higher potential for elevated concentrations of several constituents, including total dissolved solids, sodium, lithium, chloride, fluoride, boron, arsenic, and methane. For the Bradford County well-water samples, calcium/bicarbonate type waters were most abundant, with others classified as sodium/bicarbonate or mixed water types including calcium-sodium/bicarbonate, calcium-sodium/bicarbonate-chloride, sodium/bicarbonate-chloride, sodium/bicarbonate-sulfate, or sodium/chloride types. Six principal components (pH, redox, hardness, chloride-bromide, strontium-barium, and molybdenum-arsenic) explained nearly 78.3 percent of the variance in the groundwater dataset.
Groundwater from 12.5 percent of the wells had concentrations of methane greater than the Pennsylvania action level of 7 milligrams per liter (mg/L); detectable methane concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 77 mg/L. In addition, low levels of ethane (as much as 0.13 mg/L) were present in seven samples with the highest methane concentrations. The isotopic composition of methane in five of these groundwater samples was consistent with the isotopic compositions reported for mud-gas logging samples from these geologic units and a thermogenic source. Isotopic composition from a sixth sample suggested the methane in that sample may be of microbial origin. Well-water samples with the higher methane concentrations also had higher pH values and elevated concentrations of sodium, lithium, boron, fluoride, arsenic, and bromide. Relatively elevated concentrations of some other constituents, such as barium and chloride, commonly were present in, but not limited to, those well-water samples with elevated methane.
Four of the six groundwater samples with the highest methane concentrations had chloride/bromide ratios that indicate mixing with a small amount of brine (0.02 percent or less) similar in composition to those reported for gas and oil well brines in Pennsylvania. In several other eastern Pennsylvania counties where gas drilling is absent, groundwater with comparable chloride/bromide ratios and chloride concentrations have been reported, implying a potential natural source of brine. Most of Bradford County well-water samples have chloride concentrations less than 20 mg/L, and those with higher chloride concentrations have chloride/bromide ratios that indicate anthropogenic sources (such as road-deicing salt and septic effluent) or brine. Brines that are naturally present may originate from deeper parts of the aquifer system, whereas anthropogenic sources are more likely to affect shallow groundwater because they occur on or near the land surface.
The available data for this study indicate that no one physical factor, such as the topographic setting, well depth, or altitude at the bottom of the well, was particularly useful for predicting those well locations with an elevated dissolved concentration of methane. The 2016 assessment of groundwater quality in Bradford County shows groundwater is generally of good quality, but methane and some constituents that occur in high concentration in naturally occurring brine and also in produced waters may be present at low to moderate concentrations in groundwater in various parts of the aquifer.
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U.S. Geological Survey
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