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D. J. Morrissey

Publications and source records attributed to D. J. Morrissey.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1996

Recharge of valley-fill aquifers in the glaciated northeast from upland runoff

Channeled and unchanneled runoff from till-covered bedrock uplands is a major source of recharge to valley-fill aquifers in the glaciated northeastern United States. Streamflow measurements and model simulation of average steady-state conditions indicate that upland runoff accounted for more recharge to two valley-fill aquifers in moderately high topographic-relief settings than did direct infiltration of precipitation. Recharge from upland runoff to a modeled valley-fill aquifer in an area of lower relief was significant but less than that from direct infiltration of precipitation. The amount of upland runoff available for recharging valley-fill aquifers in the glaciated Northeast ranges from about 1.5 to 2.5 cubic feet per second per square mile of drainage area that borders the aquifer. Stream losses from tributaries that drain the uplands commonly range from 0.3 to 1.5 cubic feet per second per 1,000 feet of wetted channel where the tributaries cross alluvial fans in the main valleys. Recharge of valley-fill aquifers from channeled runoff was estimated from measured losses and average runoff rates and was represented in aquifer models as specified fluxes or simulated by head-dependent fluxes with streamflow routing in the model cells that represent the tributary streams. Unchanneled upland runoff, which includes overland and subsurface flow, recharges the valley-fill aquifers at the contact between the aquifer and uplands near the base of the bordering till-covered hillslopes. Recharge from unchanneled runoff was estimated from average runoff rates and the hillslope area that borders the aquifer and was represented as specified fluxes to model-boundary cells along the valley walls.

ASTM Special Technical Publication↗
USGS1987

Estimation of the recharge area contributing water to a pumped well in a glacial-drift, river-valley aquifer

The highly permeable, unconfined, glacial drift aquifers that occupy most New England river valleys constitute the principal source of drinking water for many communities that obtain part or all of their public water supply from groundwater. Analytical , two-dimensional numerical and three-dimensional numerical models were used to delineate contributing areas of groundwater pollution. These methods of analysis were compared by applying them to hypothetical aquifer having the dimensions and geometry of a typical glacial drift, river valley aquifer. In the model analyses, factors that control the size and shape of a contributing area were varied over ranges of values common to glacial drift aquifers in New England. These controlling factors include the rate of well discharge, rate of recharge to the aquifer from precipitation and from adjacent till and bedrock uplands, distance of a pumping well from a stream or other potential source of induced recharge, degree of hydraulic connection of the aquifer with a stream, horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer, ratio of horizontal to vertical hydraulic conductivity, and degree of well penetration. Numerical models of valley aquifers are deemed best suited to determine the approximate contributing area of a well because of their capability to simulate more accurately the variable geohydrologic conditions typical of glacial drift valley aquifers. On the basis of results obtained with the two-dimensional numerical model, for which a wide range of hydrologic conditions were simulated, the contributing area in a typical glacial drift, river valley setting for a well pumped at a rate of 1.0 million gal/day--a common pumping rate--can be expected to range from about 0.9 to 1.8 sq mi. Model analysis also shows that the contributing area of pumped wells may be expected to extend to the opposite side of the river and to include significant areas of till uplands adjacent to the aquifer on both sides of the valley. Simulations with the three-dimensional model allow a full delineation of the zone of contribution for a pumped well. For the relatively thin (100 ft or less) unconfined aquifers considered in this analysis, the model showed that the zone of contribution extended throughout the entire saturated thickness of aquifer. (Lantz-PTT)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1987

Hydrogeologic for the Saco River valley glacial aquifer from Bartlett, New Hampshire to Fryeburg, Maine; October 1983 through January 1986

Hydrogeologic data was collected for a study of the Saco River valley glacial aquifer. The study area extends along the Saco River from Bartlett, New Hampshire to Fryeburg, Maine. The study was done in cooperation with the Maine Geological Survey (Department of Conservation), the New Hampshire Water Supply and Pollution Control Commission, the New Hampshire Water Resources Board, and the Town of Conway, New Hampshire. The data include information on 54 well-inventory sites, 69 exploration-hole logs , analyses of grain-size distribution in 130 samples of glacial sediments, monthly water-table measurements in 100 wells, and continuous water-table measurements in 7 wells. Discharge data are presented from 6 stream-gaging stations operated for this study during the 1984 and 1985 water years. Data from 50 sets of seepage runs and 15 miscellaneous discharge measurements conducted on the mainstream of the Saco River and on 7 tributary streams during the 1984 and 1985 water years are also presented. Water quality analyses of groundwater samples from 92 sites and surface water samples from 12 sites are presented. Field determinations include pH, temperature, and specific conductance. Laboratory determinations include nutrients, common inorganic anions and cations, selected volatile organic compounds, and detergents. Maps show the locations of data-collection sites. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1983

Hydrology of the Little Androscoggin River Valley aquifer, Oxford County, Maine

The Little Androscoggin River valley aquifer, a 15-square-mile sand and gravel valley-fill aquifer in southwestern Maine, is the source of water for the towns of Norway, Oxford, and South Paris. Estimated inflows to the aquifer during the 1981 water year were 16.4 cubic feet per second from precipitation directly on the aquifer, 11.2 cubic feet per second from till covered uplands adjacent to the aquifer, and 1.4 cubic feet per second from surface-water leakage. Outflows from the aquifer were 26.7 cubic feet per second to surface water and 2.3 cubic feet per second to wells. A finite-difference ground-water flow model was used to simulate conditions observed in the aquifer during 1981. Model conditions observed in the aquifer during 1981. Model simulations indicate that a 50 percent reduction of average 1981 recharge to the aquifer would cause water level declines of up to 20 feet in some areas. Model simulations of increased pumping at a high yield well in the northern part of the aquifer indicate that resulting changes in the water table will not be sufficient to intercept groundwater contaminated by a sludge disposal site. Water in the aquifer is low in dissolved solids (average for 38 samples was 67 mg/L), slightly acidic and soft. Ground-water contamination has occurred near a sludge-disposal site and in the vicinity of a sanitary landfill. Dissolved solids in ground water near the sludge disposal site were as much as ten times greater than average background values for the aquifer. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗