Great Lakes basin water availability and use: a study of the National Assessment of Water Availability and Use Program
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Fact Sheet↗
Geology topics
Norman G. Grannemann
Publications and source records attributed to Norman G. Grannemann.
U.S. Geological Survey Ground-Water Resources Program, 2001
Ground water is among the Nation's most important natural resources. It provides drinking water to urban and rural communities, supports irrigation and industry, sustains the flow of streams and rivers, and maintains riparian and wetland ecosystems. In many areas of the Nation, the future sustainability of ground-water resources is at risk from over use and contamination. Because ground-water systems typically respond slowly to human actions and climate variability, a long-term perspective is needed to manage this valuable resource. The U.S. Geological Survey Ground-Water Resources Program provides regional evaluations, fundamental data, and predictive tools to help assure the sustainability of our Nation's ground-water resources.
Fact Sheet↗
Water resources of Lac Vieux Desert indian community and vicinity, western Upper Peninsula, Michigan
Lac Vieux Desert, a 6.6 square-mile lake on the Michigan-Wisconsin border, is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River. The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians have a number of homes and tribal property on the Lake's north shore. Most drinking water is obtained from wells drilled in unconsolidated glacial deposits. A gravel layer at or near the bedrock surface is the most productive aquifer on tribal property. Water quality of Lac Vieux Desert is a concern for tribal members. To assess general water-quality conditions, water samples were collected at three sites on the lake in March 1996 and at 10 sites in October 1996. Profiles of pH, dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, and temperature indicate that the lake is well mixed in the fall but not when the lake is ice covered in winter. Between 1913 and 1995, the minimum and maximum daily recorded lake levels were 1,679.28 feet (in 1925) and 1,682.16 feet (in 1951) above sea level. Since the early 1950's, the annual minimum lake-level has been lower and less variable than before the 1950's. Although the level of Lac Vieux Desert is regulated, historical levels show year-to-year fluctuations that reflect transient changes in precipitation amounts.
Michigan↗
Water supply potential of the Lake Sally System, Marquette County, Michigan
Six lakes in the headwaters of Ely Creek form the Lake Sally system. This system is the source of water for Ishpeming and several small communities in the central part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. During years of average precipitation, more water is used from the system than is supplied to it, and the quantity of water in lake storage is depleted. Below-normal precipitation in 1976 and early 1977 accelerated depletion and produced significantly lower lake levels, casting doubt on the system's ability to meet water demands. Because precipitation and overland runoff account for 93 percent of the water supplied to the Lake Sally system, the lake levels fluctuate according to precipitation patterns and are particularly sensitive to drought. Water supplied to the Lake Sally system when precipitation is average is estimated to be 2.57 ft 3 /s or 13.4 in/yr. Use of water by Ishpeming is about 3.5 ft 3 /s or 18.27 in/yr. When the Lake Sally system supply is insufficient, the city also obtains some water from Cedar Lake and Lake Angeline outside the Lake Sally system. Results of a base-flow investigation in 1977 on Ely Creek, the outlet of the Lake Sally system, indicate that ground-water flow to the lake system is between 0.08 and 0.17 ft 3 /s.
Michigan↗