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W. G. Batten

Publications and source records attributed to W. G. Batten.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1999

Hydrogeologic properties of the Ordovician Sinnipee Group at test well BN-483, Better Brite Superfund Site, De Pere, Wisconsin

Test well BN-483, near the Better Brite Superfund Site, was drilled to a total depth of 169 feet below land surface. The Ordovician-age Sinnipee Group, which includes the Galena Dolomite, and the Decorah and Platteville Formations, was encountered from about 25 feet below land surface to a depth of about 160 feet. Analysis of core samples and single-well aquifer tests of the dolomites indicate low matrix porosity (1.8 to 7.7 percent) and low horizontal hydraulic conductivity (5.0 x 10 -4 to 3.4 x 10 -3 feet per day). Significant differences in hydraulic head between Sinnipee Group dolomites and the underlying Sandstone Aquifer (represented by the Glenwood Formation sandstones in test well BN-483) are the result of municipal pumping from the Sandstone Aquifer. The difference in hydraulic head, along with the low porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the Sinnipee Group dolomites, indicates limited hydraulic connection between the Sandstone Aquifer and the shallow aquifer within the glacial sediments. Because of the low hydraulic conductivity of the dolomites, sufficient water for analysis was recovered from only the uppermost interval of test well BN-483 at a depth of 35-52 feet. No inorganic contaminants of environmental concern were detected. Toluene was the only VOC identified, at an estimated concentration of about 2 micrograms/liter.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1997

Rock-stratigraphic nomenclature, lithology, and subcrop area of the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit in Illinois and Wisconsin

The Galena-Platteville bedrock unit is a dependable source of ground water for many private well owners and some municipal-water-supply systems in northern Illinois (Hackett, 1960) and in Wisconsin. The carbonate lithology of the unit contributes to the availability of ground water and also to the susceptibility of the unit to ground-water contamination. Susceptibility to contamination is greatest in areas where the unit is overlain by only a thin layer (less than 50 feet) of soil or unconsolidated glacial deposits. Within the study area in Illinois and Wisconsin (fig. 1), volatile organic compounds and other contaminants have been detected in groundwater samples from various sites (Kay and others, 1989; Mills, 1993a, 1993b; Kay and others, 1994). Known and suspected sources of contaminants are numerous, including landfills and industrial facilities. To determine the possible effects of contamination on the ground-water supply, an understanding of the regional hydrogeologic framework of the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit is needed. Published map and point data describing the geologic and hydrologic properties of the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit are available from many sources. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5, has selected and compiled pertinent data. The objective of this study is to publish these data in a series of concise map reports and a bibliographic report listing available sources of information by county for the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit. Investigators involved in site-specific studies within the subcrop area will be able to utilize these reports to design effective site investigations. This report presents the rock-stratigraphic nomenclature of the lithologic units that make up the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit (fig.2) and provides a brief, generalized description of the lithologic characteristics of each unit. Sources with more detailed descriptions of lithology can be found below in SELECTED REFERENCES. Figure 3 is a map, created from published maps of various scales, showing the areal extent of the Galena-Platteville subcrop and major known geologic structural features in Illinois and Wisconsin. The subcrop area of the Galena-Platteville bedrock unit is that area where the unit crops out, or is the uppermost bedrock unit and is overlain by soil or glacial deposits. The unit is present at depth under younger bedrock units south and east of the subcrop area and is absent north and west of the subcrop area. Data sources used to prepare the map are included in SELECTED REFERENCES.

Illinois, Wisconsin↗
USGS1996

Water resources of the Lac Du Flambeau Indian Reservation, Wisconsin, 1981-86

Unconsolidated glacial sand and gravel deposits provide virtually all water used by residents of the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation. Well yields of 10 to 20 gallons per minutecan be obtained from these deposits throughoutthe reservation. Yields of 1,200 gallons perminute are obtained from wells for a fish-rearingfacility near the village of Lac du Flambeau. Thesaturated thickness of glacial deposits rangesfrom 100 to just less than 200 feet throughout thereservation. Domestic water-supply wells aretypically 50 to 150 feet deep. Estimates of the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of glacial deposits generally range from about 1 to 50 feet per day and average about 20 feet per day. However, a horizontal hydraulicconductivity of about 950 feet per day and atransmissivity of about 71,000 feet squared perday were calculated from aquifer-test data at thefish-rearing facility. Lakes cover about 20 percent of the reservation. Many of these lakes are smallseepage lakes or drainage lakes with surfaceareas less than 100 acres. Depth profiles oftemperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specificconductance show that all lakes more than25 feet deep are thermally stratified duringsummer months. The median alkalinity andhardness for 34 lake-water samples were 30 and31 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate,respectively. The median dissolved-solids concentration was only 50 milligrams per liter. Total phosphorus concentrations in water samples are high enough to classify some lakes as eutrophic. Calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate and, to a lesser extent, chloride and sulfate are the major dissolved ions in ground water and surface water.Concentrations of these ions in ground water aretwice those in lake water. Nitrate and chloride concentrations in ground-water samples from 25 wells in the reservation were less than the maximum concentrations allowed by Wisconsin drinking-water standards. Iron and, to a lesserextent, manganese seem to be the only constituentspresent at high enough concentrations tosignificantly affect drinking-water supplies onthe reservation. The maximum concentration of dissolved solids found in ground water on the reservation was 198 milligrams per liter, the median was 86 milligrams per liter. The relatively small amount of dissolved solids in ground water and surface water on the reservation is typical of water quality in northeastern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1995

Simulation of stage and the the hydrologic budget of Devils Lake, Sauk County, Wisconsin

Water clarity of Devils Lake, in the Driftless Area of southwestern Wisconsin, has been decreasing because of blue-green algal blooms. An understanding of the hydrology of Devils Lake is needed to develop a mitigation plan to reduce phosphorus input. A model was developed to test the current understanding of the hydrology of the lake including stage and hydrologic budget and to estimate the effects of proposed mitigation plans on lake stage. Daily lake stage was simulated in the model by summing estimates of hydrologic-budget components. The Devils Lake hydrologic-budget components are precipitation on the lake surface, evaporation from the lake surface, runoff (consisting of overland flow to the lake and an intermittent stream flowing into the lake), and ground-water flow into and out of the lake. The model was calibrated to measured lake stage for the period 1980-92. Simulated stage compares reasonably well with historical stage data for Devils Lake. The root mean square of the differences of simulated and measured daily lake stages for the period 1980-92 is 0.83 foot. Simulated lake stage is very sensitive to small changes in runoff and evaporation coefficients, and ground-waterflow rates used in the model. The average model-calculated annual amounts of each hydrologic-budget component for the 1980-92 simulation period, in order of increasing volume, are evaporation (791 acre-feet), precipitation (973 acre-feet), runoff (1,107 acre-feet), and net ground-water flow, which is out of the lake (1,323 acre-feet). Three mitigation plans were simulated. Mitigation plan 3, which includes the addition of water from a basin adjacent to the northeastern side of the Devils Lake Basin, allows for withdrawals of hypolimnetic water and maintaining lake stage closer to optimal levels than would result without mitigation.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1995

Water resources of the Bad River Indian Reservation, northern Wisconsin

Water-resources data were collected in the Bad River Indian Reservation of northern Wisconsin from 1983 through 1987. Some data are interpreted to describe ground-water flow, groundwater quality, streamflow, and surface-water quality. Data also are presented in tables and appendixes for baseline reference. Precambrian sandstone and basalt underlie varying thicknesses of sandy till, outwash sand and gravel, and clay deposited in glacial meltwater lakes. The thickness of glacial deposits generally ranges from 100 to 300 ft but reaches a known thickness of almost 1,000 ft on the east-central edge of the Reservation. Sand and gravel deposits are generally buried beneath 50 to 150 ft of glacial lake clays and silts throughout most of the Reservation. These buried sand and gravel deposits lie directly on Precambrian sandstone of unknown thickness in the northern half of the Reservation. The sand and gravel deposits and the sandstone form a single aquifer system confined by the overlying clay deposits. In and near the village of Odanah, numerous wells finished in either the sand and gravel or in the sandstone flow above land surface. Estimates of the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the sand and gravel based on 30 specific- capacity tests range from about 2 to 700 ft per day with a median value of about 80 ft per day. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity estimates for the sandstone range from about 1 to 360 ft per day with a median of about 2 ft per day. These estimates are based on 42 specific-capacity tests of wells open only to the upper 20 to 60 ft of sandstone. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the sandstone appears to decrease with depth; highest estimates were determined for wells open only to the upper 20 ft of sandstone. Ground water in the confined aquifer system is a calcium magnesium bicarbonate type with relatively low total dissolved solids concentrations. The median total dissolved solids concentration of water from 17 sand and gravel wells is about 150 milligrams per liter and the median for water from 21 sandstone wells is about 244 milligrams per liter. High concentrations of iron and manganese were found in water from 12 of 36 sampled wells. Total recoverable concentrations of iron exceeded 500 micrograms per liter in 5 wells and concentrations of manganese exceeded 50 micrograms per liter in 7 wells. Streamflow has been continuously measured at a streamflow-gaging station in the Bad River near Odanah for much of the time since 1914. This station monitors drainage from a basin with an area of 597 square miles and the average daily discharge of the Bad River at this gaging station is 622 cubic feet per second. The peak instantaneous flow at the station was 27,700 cubic feet per second on April 24, 1960 and the minimum instantaneous flow was 34 cubic feet per second on November 8,1976. Analysis of water samples collected at 12 sites at 10 small streams during base-flow conditions indicate that the concentrations of common chemical constituents are similar to but lower than those found in ground water. The median concentration of total dissolved solids was about 110 milligrams per liter as compared to about 155 milligrams per liter in ground-water samples from wells finished in sand and gravel.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1993

Hydrogeology of glacial deposits in a preglacial bedrock valley, Waukesha County, Wisconsin

This report describes the areal extent, thickness, and hydraulic properties of glacial deposits in a preglacial bedrock valley south of the city of Waukesha in southeastern Wisconsin. In the 40- square-mile study area, the preglacial bedrock valley underlies an area across which the Fox River flows. A previous regional study of the area indicated that extensive glacial sand and gravel deposits may exist in the preglacial bedrock valley. New test-hole, well-construction, and seismic data collected from 1986 through 1991 showed that the preglacial bedrock valley immediately south of the city of Waukesha is narrower and shallower than previously thought. However, these data indicate that thicknesses of saturated glacial deposits in excess of 250 feet exist in a 1- to 2-mile-wide part of the valley in the southern part of the study area. Test-hole logs indicate that clean sand and gravel deposits are present in a shallow part of the preglacial bedrock valley. Fifty to sixty feet of silty and clayey sand and gravel deposits appear to underlie varying thicknesses of relatively impermeable clay till in the center of the study area. Ground water flows from upland areas on the eastern and western sides of the Fox River and discharges to the Fox River and wetlands adjacent to the river. Results of a 6.5-hour aquifer test indicate that the silty sand and gravel deposits have an average transmissivity of about 140 feet squared per day and an average storage coefficient of about 1.2x10"3 at one location. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of these deposits averages about 4 feet per day. Analysis of drawdown indicates that these deposits are part of a leaky confined-aquifer system and that some water is derived from storage in an overlying clay layer. The transmissivity value determined from this aquifer test and a lack of clean sand and gravel encountered in other test holes indicate that glacial deposits at these sites may not yield enough water for a large municipal water supply. Sand and gravel deposits, capable of development as a municipal supply, may be present in the southern part of the study area. However, additional test holes are needed to determine whether adequate sand and gravel deposits underlie this area.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1989

Hydrogeology of Wood County, Wisconsin

The presence of low-permeability Precambrian rocks near land surface limits ground-water availability in the northern two-thirds of Wood County. Sand and gravel deposits provide large amounts of water (more than 500 gallons per minute) to some wells in the southeastern part of the county. Fine-grained unconsolidated deposits generally are less than 20 feet thick in the northern two-thirds of the county, but sand and gravel deposits 40- to 100-feet thick underlie the extreme southeastern part of the county. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the sand and gravel deposits ranges from about 155 to about 280 feet per day. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity of fine-grained unconsolidated deposits in the northern part of the county ranges from about 0.02 to 2 feet per day. Where unconsolidated deposits do not yield dependable water supplies, wells are finished in Precambrian rocks. Fractures occurring at shallow depths are the primary source of water for wells finished in Precambrian rocks. Because the number of fractures tends to decrease with depth, the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of these rocks generally decreases from about 11 feet per day in wells less than 50-feet deep to about 0.02 foot per day in wells greater than 160 feet deep. Estimates of ground-water recharge to sand and gravel deposits in the southeastern part of the county range from about 7 to 12 inches per year. Recharge estimates for the central and northern parts of the county range from about 1 to 4 inches per year. The total dissolved-solids concentration in ground water in Wood County is relatively low. Concentrations in water samples from 124 wells ranged from 21 to 578 milligrams per liter, with a median concentration of about 190 milligrams per liter. Major dissolved constituents are calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate; sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfate are present in low concentrations. The most common water-quality problem in Wood County is elevated iron concentrations. Iron concentrations greater than 300 micrograms per liter were found in 54 of 124 samples, and 15 samples contained iron concentrations greater than 5,000 micrograms per liter. Nitrate as nitrogen concentrations exceeded Wisconsin's drinking-water standard (10 milligrams per liter) in water from just 4 of 124 wells. The pesticide aldicarb was detected in 7 of 36 samples, and various volatile organic compounds were detected in 24 of 102 ground-water samples collected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since 1980. Wells in which these chemicals were detected are near irrigated agricultural fields and in commercially developed areas where buried gasoline-storage tanks and chemical spills are more likely to occur. A reconnaissance approach combining electromagnetic surveys and sampling for water-quality indicators was used to assess effects of leachate on ground water near seven landfills. Results of the electromagnetic surveys were used to site water-quality observation wells. Total dissolved-solids concentrations and concentrations of volatile organic compounds, chloride, sulfate, iron, chemical oxygen demand, and organic carbon are some of the chemical constituents analyzed in samples collected from these wells. The average rate of ground·water pumpage in Wood County in 1985 was 9.7 million gallons per day. Of this rate, about 6 million gallons per day is pumped from municipal-supply wells in seven communities.An additional 1.08 million gallons per day is pumped for agricultural irrigation.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1980

Ground-water resources and geology of Washington and Ozaukee Counties, Wisconsin

Population growth is placing increased demands on water supplies in Washington and Ozaukee Counties. Water from three principal aquifers supplies most municipal, industrial, irrigation, residential, and farm water needs in these counties. These are the sand-and-gravel, Niagara, and sandstone aquifers. As much as 15 gallons per minute can be obtained from wells almost everywhere in these counties. Yields of 500 to 1,000 gallons per minute are available from the sand-and-gravel aquifer in parts of Washington County. The Niagara aquifer underlies most of the area and can yield as much as 500 gallons per minute in most of Ozaukee and eastern Washington Counties. It yields less than 100 gallons per minute in some areas, notably eastern Mequon in Ozaukee County and parts of western Washington County. The sandstone aquifer underlies the entire area and generally can yield more than 1,000 gallons per minute to wells. However, yields of less than 500 gallons per minute are common in southwestern Washington County, where the aquifer is thinnest.

Wisconsin↗