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Geology topics

P.A. Kammerer

Publications and source records attributed to P.A. Kammerer.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Geology, ground-water flow, and dissolved-solids concentrations in ground water along hydrogeologic sections through Wisconsin aquifers

A cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was begun with the objectives of describing water quality and its relation to the hydrology of Wisconsin's principal aquifers and summarizing instances of ground-water contamination and quality problems from information available in DNR files. The first objective was met by a hydrologic investigation done by the USGS, and the second, by preparation of a report by the DNR, for their internal use, that describes the State's water resources and known ground-water quality and contamination problems and makes policy recommendations for ground-water management. The USGS investigation was divided into two phases. The first phase consisted of compiling available water-quality and hydrogeologic data and collecting new data to describe general regional water-quality and hydrogeologic relations within and between Wisconsin aquifers. The second phase began concurrently with the later part of the first phase and consisted of an areal description of water quality and flow in the State's shallow aquifer system (Kammerer, 1995). The overall purpose of this investigation was to provide a regional framework that could serve as a basis for intensive local and site specific ground-water investigations by State and local government agencies. This report presents the results of the first phase of the USGS investigation. Regional hydrogeologic and water-quality relations within and between aquifers are shown along 15 hydrogeologic sections that traverse the State. Maps are used to show surficial geology of bedrock and unconsolidated deposits and horizontal direction of ground-water flow. Interpretations on the maps and hydrogeologic sections are based on data from a variety of sources and provide the basis for the areal appraisal of water quality in the State's shallow aquifer system in the second phase of the investigation.

Wisconsin

Hydrology and water quality of Park Lake, south-central Wisconsin

Park Lake extends to the northeast from the village of Pardeeville in Columbia County (fig. 1). Local residents perceive water-quality problems in the lake that include excessive algae and aquatic plant growth. Algae and plant growth in a lake are controlled, in part, by the availability of phosphorus in the water. However, no measurements of phosphorus enter- ing the lake or of other factors that affect lake-water quality had been made, and available data on water quality were limited to 2 years of measurements at one site in the lake in 1986- 87. To obtain the data and in- formation needed to address the water-quality problems at Park Lake and to develop a management plan that would limit the input of phosphorus to the lake, the U.S. Geologi- cal Survey, in cooperation with the Park Lake Management District, studied the hydrology of the lake and collected data needed to determine sources and amount of phosphorus en- tering the lake. This Fact Sheet summarizes the results of that study. Data collected during the study were published in a separate report (Holmstrom and others, 1994, p. 70-85).

Wisconsin

Water-quality and lake-stage data for Wisconsin lakes, water year 1994

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with local and other agencies, collects data at selected lakes throughout Wisconsin. These data, accumulated over many yes rs, provide a data base for developing an improved understanding of the water quality of lakes\ To make these data available to interested parties outside the USGS, the data are published annually in this report series. The location of surface water-quality and lake-stage stations in Wisconsin for water year 1994 are shown in figure 1. A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30. It is designated by the calendar year in which it ends and which includes 9 of the 12 months. Thus the period October 1, 1993 through September 30, 1994, is called "water year 1994." The purpose of this report is to provide information about the physical, che-nical, and biological characteristics of Wisconsin lakes. Data that have been collected at specific lakes, and information to aid in the interpretation of those data, are included in this report. Data collected includes measurements of lake stage and in-lake water quality. Graphs of Secchi depths, and total-phosphorus and chlorophyll-a concentrations versus time are included for lakes with two or more years of data. Descriptive information for each lake includes location of the lake, drainage area of the lake's watershed, period for which data are available, revisions to previously published records, and pertinent remarks. Additional data, such as streamflow and water quality in tributary and outlet streams of some of the lakes, are published in two other volunres: "Water Resources Data-Wisconsin, 1994, St. Lawrence River Basin" (Volume 1) and "Water Resources Data-Wisconsin, 1994, Upper Mississippi River Basin" (Volume 2).

Wisconsin

Ground-water flow and quality in Wisconsin's shallow aquifer system

The areal concentration distribution of commonmineral constituents and properties of ground water in Wisconsin's shallow aquifer system are described in this report. Maps depicting the water quality and the altitude of the water table are included. The shallow aquifer system in Wisconsin, composed of unconsolidated sand and gravel and shallow bedrock, is the source of most potable ground-water supplies in the State. Most ground water in the shallow aquifer system moves in local flow systems, but it interacts with regional flow systems in some areas. In terms of chemical quality, the water is suitable for potable supply and most other uses, but objectionable hardness in large areas and concen- trations of iron and manganese that exceed State drinking-water standards cause aesthetic problems that may require treatment of the water for some uses. Concentrations of major dissolved constitu- ents (calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate), hard- ness, alkalinity, and dissolved solids are highest where the bedrock component of the aquifer is dolo- mite and lowest where the shallow aquifer is almost entirely sand and gravel. Concentrations of other minor constituents (sodium, potassium, sulfate, chloride, and fluoride) are less closely related to common minerals that compose the aquifer system. Sulfate and fluoride concentrations exceed State drinking-water standards locally. Extreme variability in concentrations of iron and manganese are common locally. Iron and manganese concentra- tions exceed State drinking-water standards in water from one-third and one-quarter of the wells, respectively. Likely causes of nitrate-nitrogen con- centrations that exceed State drinking-water stan- dards include local contamination from plant fertilizers, animal wastes, waste water disposed of on land, and septic systems. Water quality in the shallow aquifer system has been affected by saline water from underlying aquifers, primarily along the eastern and western boundaries of the State where the thickness of Paleozoic rocks is greatest.

Wisconsin

Water resources of the Menominee Indian Reservation of Wisconsin

Water resources of the Menominee Indian Reservation, Wisconsin, were investigated during the period October 1981 through September 1987. The report presents baseline data and some interpretation of ground- and surface-water hydrology and quality of the Reservation. The area stratigraphy consists of basal Precambrian crystalline bedrock and overlying till and sand and gravel deposits. In the Reservation, the glacial deposits range in thickness from zero to 180 feet. The bedrock aquifer is composed of fractured and weathered Precambrian bedrock within about 20 feet of the upper bedrock surface. The sand and gravel aquifer is composed of saturated, permeable sand and gravel that occurs as layers, lenses, terrace deposits, and valley fillings. The glacial material has a saturated thickness ranging from approximately 150 feet to zero feet in areas where the Precambrian bedrock crops out. Water-table conditions commonly occur in both aquifers. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the sand and gravel and bedrock aquifers is estimated to be 5 and 0.3 feet per day, respectively. The Wolf River and its tributaries drain the Reservation except for the eastern quarter, which is drained by the South Branch of the Oconto River. The average discharge of the Wolf River, monitored continuously during 1907-85 at Keshena Falls near Keshena, was 762 ft 3/s (cubic feet per second). Maximum instantaneous discharge was 5,200 ft3/s recorded on March 15, 1973, and the minimum was 91 ft3/s recorded on December 22,1939. Low flow and flood-frequency characteristics for the Wolf River were estimated using mean-daily discharge for the period of record at Keshena Falls. Ground water from the sand and gravel and bedrock aquifers is a calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. The composition of waters from the two aquifers is similar because water recharging the bedrock aquifer is from the overlying sand and gravel aquifer. Iron or manganese concentrations exceeding secondary maximum contaminant levels were found in water samples from approximately one-quarter to one-half of the wells sampled. Approximately three-quarters of the groundwater sampled during the study is moderately hard to very hard, with a median hardness equal to 171 mg/L (milligrams per liter) (as calcium carbonate)for the sand and gravel aquifer and 165mg/L (as calcium carbonate) for the bedrock aquifer. Alkalinity of the ground water ranged from26 to 211 mg/L, with a median value of 182 mg/L(as calcium carbonate) for the sand and gravel aquifer and ranged from 72 to 250 mg/L, with a median value of 170 mg/L (as calcium carbonate)for the bedrock aquifer. Water samples collected from Reservation streams and lakes were similar to ground water (calcium magnesium bicarbonate type), reflecting the strong surface-water/ground-water interaction in the study area. The chemical composition of water from lakes having inlets or outlets indicate that they are not influenced by precipitation as much as lakes that do not have inlets or outlets.

Wisconsin