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H. W. Anderson

Publications and source records attributed to H. W. Anderson.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1993

Effects of agricultural and residential land use on ground-water quality, Anoka Sand Plain Aquifer, east-central Minnesota

Water quality in the 1,700-square-mile Anoka Sand Plain aquifer is affected by irrigated and nonirrigated agriculture and by residential land use. Concentrations of sulfate, chloride, nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, and pesticides in ground water are related to human activities; nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations are affected more than concentrations of other chemical constituents. Of the water samples collected from 100 wells during this study, samples from 30 wells had concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen greater than 10 mg/L (milligrams per liter), which is the limit recommended for drinking water by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Analysis of 360 water samples indicated that the median concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen for undeveloped, nonirrigated-cultivated, irrigated, and residential lands were 0.22,2.0,5.3, and 4.2 mg/L, respectively. Differences in nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations at various depths below the water table were statistically significant. Median concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen in groundwater samples less than 10 feet, 10 to 20 feet, and more than 20 feet below the water table were 5.1 mg/L, 2.7 mg/L, and less than 0.1 mg/L, respectively. Seasonal fluctuations in nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations at many wells were as great or greater than long-term change; however, the springtime median concentration of nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen increased steadily from 1984 (4.8 mg/L) through 1987 (5.5 mg/L). Triazine herbicides were detected in 11 of 18 samples analyzed for pesticides. Concentrations of atrazine were less than the 3 (J-g/L maximum contaminant level set for atrazine by the Minnesota Department of Health and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Minnesota↗
USGS1989

Effects of controlled agricultural practices on water quality in the Minnesota sand-plain aquifer

Recent studies of Minnesota's sand plains indicate that ground-water chemistry is related to agricultural practices. Surficial sand-plain aquifers cover 8,000,000 acres of Minnesota and are a major source of water for domestic use, irrigation, and some municipal systems. The sand-plain aquifers consist of sand and gravel deposits that are from 20 to greater than 100 feet thick and are covered by a thin sandy loam that generally is less than 2 feet thick. Sand-plain aquifers are recharged by the downward percolation of precipitation through the soil root zone and the unsaturated zone in the sand to the water table. The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation and forms the top of the sand-plain aquifer. Sand-plain aquifers are susceptible to contamination by agricultural chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides), if downward-percolating recharge water contains these chemicals. The concentrations of nitrate, pesticides, and some other chemical constituents fluctuate seasonally and differ with depth below the water table (Anderson, 1989). Despite the availability of water-quality data for about 260 wells that were collected during previous studies in three U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project areas in Minnesota, it is not known how concentrations of agricultural chemicals in ground water relate to the rate and timing of fertilizer and pesticide application or to the tillage practices used. Field-scale research is needed to determine the effects of different farming practices on the concentrations of nitrate, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals in ground water in the unsaturated and saturated zones.

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USGS1989

Effects of agriculture on quality of water in surficial sand-plain aquifers in Douglas, Kandiyohi, Pope, and Stearns counties, Minnesota

The 245 water samples collected from 56 wells at 45 sites in surficial sand-plain aquifers that underlie 600 square miles of Douglas, Kandiyohi, Pope, and Stearns Counties in west-central Minnesota contained wide ranges in concentrations of some constituents--sulfate 2 to 160 mg/L (milligrams per liter), chloride 1.6 to 64 mg/L, nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen < (less than) 0.1 to 72 mg/L, ammonia <0.01 to 3.3 mg/L , iron <0.003 to 8.6 mg/L, and managanese <0.001 to 1.5 mg/L . Substantial fluctuations in these constituents over time were observed. Nitrate concentrations exceeded the Minnesota drinking-water standard of 10 mg/L (as N) in 50 percent of the wells sampled. Differences in concentrations of nitrate with depth below the water table were observed at 11 paired-well sites where one well was screened near the water table and another well was screened 10 or more feet below the water table. Similar differences in concentration with depth were observed in specific conductance, iron, chloride, and sulfate, but not as consistently. At eight sites, nitrate concentrations were higher at the water table (4.3 to 72 mg/L) than deeper in the aquifer (<0.1 to 27 mg/L). At the other three sites, nitrate concentrations were greater at depth than at the water table, although the contrast in concentrations was not as large. Increased concentration at depth is attributed to vertical mixing at the three sites, possibly caused by rapid infiltration of more dilute water from ephemeral ponds following storms. The more dilute water displaces the high-nitrate water to greater depth. Nitrate concentrations fluctuated seasonally in response to the combined effects of precipitation and agricultural practices (irrigation and fertilization). Nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations in one Stearns County well fluctuated from 35 mg/L in August 1982, to 72 mg/L in May 1983, to 18 mg/L in May 1984. In 12 wells for which historical data were available, the mean nitrate concentration during this study (1982-84) was greater than the mean concentration during previous studies (1965-78), although the amount of increase in nitrate concentrations observed over the previous 10 or more years was not as great as the seasonal fluctuations observed during this study. Short-term seasonal fluctuations are greater than apparent historical increases in nitrate concentration. Concentrations of sulfate, chloride, and, especially, nitrate were significantly higher in irrigated areas than in uncultivated areas. Mean nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentrations were 4.3 mg/L in uncultivated (natural) areas relatively unaffected by agriculture, 5.4 mg/L in nonirrigated cultivated areas, and 17 mg/L in irrigated cultivated areas. The mean nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen concentration in uncultivated areas was greater than the usually observed background levels of less than 1 mg/L (as nitrogen), which may indicate that areas thought to be natural actually are affected by agricultural land use. Several statistical tests indicate that nitrate concentrations are significantly higher in irrigated cultivated areas than in nonirrigated cultivated areas. The difference in nitrate concentrations between irrigated and nonirrigated areas suggests that nitrate from agricultural fertilizer is being leached during heavy rainfall or irrigation periods as a result of higher concentrations of nitrogen being maintained in the soil to enhance yields of corn and potatoes. Four of eight wells sampled for herbicides in west-central Minnesota had detectable concentrations of the triazine herbicide atrazine that ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 micrograms per liter. These concentrations were well below the water-quality guidelines published by the Canadian Inland Waters Directorate, Water Quality Branch, which specify 100 micrograms per liter as the maximum permissible concentration for the group of triazine herbicides in a raw drinking-water supply.

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USGS1986

Hydrogeologic and water-quality characteristics of the Cretaceous aquifer, southwestern Minnesota

The Cretaceous aquifer in southwest Minnesota consists of discontinuous, basal sandstone beds in the Dakota Formation and the overlying Codell Sandstone Member of the Carlile Shale of the Colorado Group. These sandstone beds are not laterally or vertically persistent throughout the area and generally are separated shale beds in the Dakota Formation and in the overlying Colorado Group of Cretaceous age. Water in the Cretaceous aquifer is confined by overlying shale and by overlying till as much as 700 feet thick. Locally where the drift is permeable and thin and where the shale is missing, water in the aquifer is unconfined. Groundwater moves away from the Sioux Quartzite Ridge north toward the Minnesota River, south toward Iowa, and eastward toward the Mississippi River. Recharge to the aquifer primarily is by infiltration of precipitation that percolates through the overlying drift and underflow in the aquifer from South Dakota. Water in the Cretaceous aquifer consists of five chemical types based on predominant ions; including calcium-magnesium bicarbonate, calcium-magnesium sulfate, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium sulfate type waters. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations in the aquifer locally exceed standards recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for public supplies, particularly in areas southwest of the Minnesota River.

Minnesota↗
USGS1986

Hydrogeologic and water-quality characteristics of crystalline-rock aquifers of Archean and Proterozoic age, Minnesota

Five aquifers in crystalline rocks of Archean and Proterozoic age in Minnesota include in descending order the North Shore Volcanic, Sioux Quartzite, Proterozoic metasedimentary, Biwabik Iron formation and undifferentiated Precambrian aquifers. The North Shore Volcanic aquifer generally yields < 15 gal/min to wells from interflow sediments and fractures in the basaltic lava flows along the northern shore of Lake Superior and along the upper St. Croix River. Dissolved solids concentrations range from 91 to 74,300 mg/L, and the water is of several chemical types. The Sioux Quartzite aquifer yields from 1 to 450 gal/min to wells open to joints and fractures and loose sand zones in the predominantly pink orthoquartzite in southwestern Minnesota. Dissolved solids concentrations range from 237 mg/L in water from wells in outcrop areas to 2,300 mg/L from wells where the Sioux Quartzite aquifer underlies Cretaceous rocks or thick Des Moines drift. The water generally is a calcium sulfate type. The Proterozoic metasedimentary aquifer generally yields < 20 gal/min to wells in weathered regolith and fractures in thin-bedded gray to black argillite in north-central Minnesota. Dissolved solids concentrations generally range from 126 to 340 mg/L, and the water is a calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. The Biwabik Iron formation aquifer yields 1,000 gal/min to wells in leached zones in the ferruginous chert and interbedded hematite and magnitite iron ore in north-central Minnesota. Dissolved solids range from 157 to 388 mg/L in water that is a calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. The undifferentiated Precambrian aquifer generally yields < 25 gal/min to wells from fractures and the weathered regolith developed on a variety of crystalline-rock types. Wells have been developed in parts of the aquifer throughout the State except in the southeast where it is too deeply buried. Dissolved solids concentrations average < 400 mg/L in central and northeastern Minnesota, but average about 700 mg/L in the northwest and 900 mg/L in the south west. The water is a calcium magnesium bicarbonate type in central and northeastern Minnesota and a variety of mixed water types in northwestern and Southwestern Minnesota.

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USGS1975

Water resources of the Zumbro River watershed, southeastern Minnesota

The Zumbro River drains 1,428 square miles and falls from about 1,300 feet altitude in its headwaters to 665 feet at its mouth. The remaining 248 square miles included in the watershed is drained by small creeks flowing directly into the Mississippi River. Distribution of water use is about as follows: domestic, 50 percent; farm (for irrigation and livestock), 18 percent; and industrial, 32 percent. Total usage, in water-budget terms, is 0.24 inch over the entire watershed, or less than 1 percent of inflow (average annual precipitation). Total quantity of water, thus, is of lesser concern than local availability and quality of water. The dominant ions (calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate) and dissolved solids are reduced by dilution during periods of high water discharge in the Zumbro River at Zumbro Falls. Similarly, in the South Fork Zumbro River near Rochester, dominant ions, dissolved solids, and those ions that are increased by waste disposal (sodium, chloride, and nitrates) are all reduced by dilution at high water discharge. For the Zumbro River the smallest monthly range and the most uniform daily mean discharge usually occurs in January, whereas the greatest range usually occurs in March. The lowest flows usually occur in the winter and the highest during the spring ice breakup. The lowest observed flow, 47 cfs, occurred on February 18, 1961 and the highest, 23,600 cfs, occurred on March 29, 1962. Seventeen of 22 municipalities obtain at least part of their water supply from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer. Although only one town uses the Galena aquifer, a large number of private domestic wells are completed in it in the western part of the watershed. (Woodard-USGS)

Minnesota↗
USGS1975

Water resources of the Root River watershed, southeastern Minnesota

This Hydrologic Atlas is one of a series describing the 39 watersheds in Minnesota. The Root River watershed includes Houston, Winona, and parts of the surrounding counties. The 2 ,570 square miles in the watershed varies from gently rolling prairie in the west to an area of plateaus separated by valleys deeply incised into bedrock in the north and east. The average annual water budget for 30 years shows 29.5 inches of precipitation, 7.2 inches of surface runoff, and 22.3 inches of evapotranspiration. Water use in millions of gallons for 1970 was established at 7,310 of ground water and 6,700 of surface water. Domestic supplies accounted for less than one fourth and thermoelectric power for about one half of the total use. All 33 municipalities use ground water from bedrock aquifers, and 21 of those obtain at least part of their supply from the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer. Many private domestic wells are completed in a shallow limestone aquifer. The ground-water system is recharged primarily by infiltrating precipitation in upland areas Ground-water movement is indicated by water-table and potentiometric maps and section diagrams. Water from bedrock and glacial aquifers generally is of acceptable quality for domestic use, dissolved solids generally less than 400 mg/liter very hard , and locally high iron content. The Mount Simon-Red clastics aquifer is locally saline. Runoff is greatest during the spring when snowmelt occurs and the soils are generally saturated.

Minnesota↗
USGS1975

Water resources of the Cedar River watershed, southeastern Minnesota

The Cedar River Watershed Unit (as established by the states of Minnesota) consists of 1,204 square miles (3,118 square kilometres) of flat or gently undulating plain. The watershed is drained by the Cedar River and several smaller streams that flow south into Iowa and eventually into the Mississippi River. Its easternmost neck is part of a broad, flat, well-drained plain, covered by a thin sheet of glacial drift. Sinkholes have formed in the near surface carbonate bedrock, and a karst topography is developing. Farther north, along the east boundary, the drift is more than 200 feet (61 m) thick, and the land surface reaches altitudes of more than 1,450 feet (442 m) &ndash; the highest area in southeastern Minnesota. In the central part of the watershed in the southern flood plain of the Cedar River, the drift is less than 100 feet (30 m) thick, and the land surface altitude is less than 1,140 feet (347 m). The western part is dominated by a terminal moraine of the last Wisconsin glacier. Here the drift is more than 300 feet (91 m) thick, is poorly drained, and has numerous lakes. The watershed is mostly prairie and is well suited for farming, which is the dominant economic activity. Topographic quadrangle maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey are available for the entire watershed.

Minnesota↗
USGS1974

Water resources of the Cannon River watershed, southeastern Minnesota

The 1,462 square miles of land surface in the Cannon River watershed varies considerably from areas of low hills and plains to areas dominated by streams deeply incised into bedrock. Much of the south-central part of the area consists of a till plain that ranges in altitude from 1,100 to 1,200 feet above mean sea level. This plain is bordered by end moraines that form ridges on the east, west, and south. The eastern moraine marks the maximum eastward extend of the Wisconsin glacier, rising to more than 1,300 feet above sea level and forming ridges 50 to 100 feet above the till plain. In the northwest, the end moraine ridges are less obvious but extend directly north across the Cannon River valley. The end moraine ridges were cut by glacial melt water, which also deepened the pre-existing Cannon River valley. This deeply incised valley captures some of the streams that flow westward off the end moraines. East of the end moraines, pre-Wisconsin age glacial deposits are relatively thin and deeply weathered and eroded. Lard glacial melt-water valleys, around Cannon Falls and extending several miles to the west and south west, are characterized by broad valley floors underlain by outwash sand and gravel. The Cannon River flows out of the watershed and enters the Mississippi River at about 660 feet altitude.

Minnesota↗