Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5295
Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5295
By Jack R. Eggleston, Peter E. Church, and Jeffrey R. Barbaro
The report is available in PDF format (3,440 KB)
Plate 1. Water-table altitudes in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island PDF format (5,993 KB)
Plate 2. Aquifer transmissivity in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island PDF format (5,413 KB)
Ground water provides about 7.7 million gallons per day, or 28 percent of total water use in the Rhode Island part of the Blackstone River Basin. Primary aquifers in the basin are stratified glacial deposits, composed mostly of sand and gravel along valley bottoms. The ground-water and surface-water system in the Blackstone River Basin is under stress due to population growth, out-of-basin water transfers, industrialization, and changing land-use patterns. Streamflow periodically drops below the Aquatic Base Flow standard, and ground-water withdrawals add to stress on aquatic habitat during low-flow periods.
Existing hydrogeologic data were reviewed to examine historical water-level trends and to generate contour maps of water-table altitudes and transmissivity of the sand and gravel aquifer in the Blackstone River Basin in Rhode Island. On the basis of data from four long-term observation wells, water levels appear to have risen slightly in the study area during the past 55 years. Analysis of available data indicates that increased rainfall during the same period is a likely contributor to the water-level rise. Spatial patterns of transmissivity are shown over larger areas and have been refined on the basis of more detailed data coverage as compared to previous mapping studies.
Abstract
Introduction
Purpose and Scope
Previous Investigations
Description of the Study Area
Land Use and Water Use
Hydrogeology
Precipitation
Data Compilation
Ground-Water Levels
Transmissivity
Ground-Water Levels and Transmissivity in the Blackstone River Basin in Northern Rhode Island
Ground-Water Levels
Satial Patterns
Long-Term Trends
Uncertainty in Water Levels
Movement of Ground Water
Transmissivity
Summary
References Cited
Glossary
Appendix. Hydrogeologic Data for the Blackstone River Basin, Northern Rhode Island
1. Water-table altitudes in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island
2. Aquifer transmissivity in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island
1. Map showing Blackstone River Basin and study area, northern Rhode Island
2–4. Graphs showing:
2. Water-table altitudes for the 1940s through 2003 in wells RI-LIW-84, RI-CUW-265, RI-NSW-21, and RI-BUW-187, Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island
3. Seasonal changes in the altitude of the water table in North Smithfield well 21 (RI-NSW-21) for 1947–2003, Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island
4. Annual precipitation at climatological station 379423 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island for 1949–2003
1. Lithologic categories and assigned hydraulic conductivity values in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island.
2. Descriptive statistics for transmissivity values in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island
Eggleston, J.R., Church, P.E., and Barbaro, J.R., 2007, Long-term ground-water levels and transmissivity in the Blackstone River Basin, northern Rhode Island: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2006–5295, 40 p., 2 pls.
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URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2006/5295
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