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Research about Indiana

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Indiana.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
USGS2006

Recharge rates of principal aquifers in Lake County, Indiana

The upper 350 to 400 feet of rocks underlying Lake County , Indiana , form a single but complex hydrologic system. The rock units composing this system consist ( in ascending order) of dolomite, clay till (unit 4), glaciofluvial sand (unit 3), clay till (unit 2), and lacustrine sand, silt, and clay (unit 1). The dolomite and unit 3 form the principal aquifers and the clay tills, units 4 and 2, the confining layers. The geohydrology of the confining layers controls to a large extent the rate at which the aquifers are recharged from local precipitation and, thereby, their potential yield. Unit 4, the dolomite's confining layer, has an estimated average vertical permeability of about 0.003 gpd (gallon per day) per square foot. Under present conditions of head difference, the rate of recharge to the dolomite through unit 4 is estimated to average 20,000 gpd per square mile. Unit 2, the confining layer for unit 3, has an average estimated vertical permeability of about 0.007 gpd per square foot. Under present conditions of head difference the recharge through unit 3's confining layer is estimated to average about 100,000 gpd per square mile. However, these rates of recharge can be expected to increase as the head difference across each confining layer increases with extensive development of the aquifer .

Indiana↗
USGS2006

Agricultural Chemicals in Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, 2003-04

Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, is part of an Agricultural Chemicals: Source, Transport, and Fate study conducted by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Water-quality samples were collected in Leary Weber Ditch and in the major hydrologic compartments of the Leary Weber Ditch Basin during 2003 and 2004. Hydrologic compartments that contribute water and agricultural chemicals to Leary Weber Ditch are rain water, overland-flow water, soil water, tile-drain water, and ground water. Samples were analyzed for selected pesticides, nutrients, and major ions.

Indiana↗
USGS2006

Methods Used to Assess the Susceptibility to Contamination of Transient, Non-Community Public Ground-Water Supplies in Indiana

The Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974 as amended in 1996 gave each State the responsibility of developing a Source-Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) that is designed to protect public-water supplies from contamination. Each SWAP must include three elements: (1) a delineation of the source-water protection area, (2) an inventory of potential sources of contaminants within the area, and (3) a determination of the susceptibility of the public-water supply to contamination from the inventoried sources. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) was responsible for preparing a SWAP for all public-water supplies in Indiana, including about 2,400 small public ground-water supplies that are designated transient, non-community (TNC) supplies. In cooperation with IDEM, the U.S. Geological Survey compiled information on conditions near the TNC supplies and helped IDEM complete source-water assessments for each TNC supply. The delineation of a source-water protection area (called the assessment area) for each TNC ground-water supply was defined by IDEM as a circular area enclosed by a 300-foot radius centered at the TNC supply well. Contaminants of concern (COCs) were defined by IDEM as any of the 90 contaminants for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established primary drinking-water standards. Two of these, nitrate as nitrogen and total coliform bacteria, are Indiana State-regulated contaminants for TNC water supplies. IDEM representatives identified potential point and nonpoint sources of COCs within the assessment area, and computer database retrievals were used to identify potential point sources of COCs in the area outside the assessment area. Two types of methods-subjective and subjective hybrid-were used in the SWAP to determine susceptibility to contamination. Subjective methods involve decisions based upon professional judgment, prior experience, and (or) the application of a fundamental understanding of processes without the collection and analysis of data for a specific condition. Subjective hybrid methods combine subjective methods with quantitative hydrologic analyses. The subjective methods included an inventory of potential sources and associated contaminants, and a qualitative description of the inherent susceptibility of the area around the TNC supply. The description relies on a classification of the hydrogeologic and geomorphic characteristics of the general area around the TNC supply in terms of its surficial geology, regional aquifer system, the occurrence of fine- and coarse-grained geologic materials above the screen of the TNC well, and the potential for infiltration of contaminants. The subjective hybrid method combined the results of a logistic regression analysis with a subjective analysis of susceptibility and a subjective set of definitions that classify the thickness of fine-grained geologic materials above the screen of a TNC well in terms of impedance to vertical flow. The logistic regression determined the probability of elevated concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen (greater than or equal to 3 milligrams per liter) in ground water associated with specific thicknesses of fine-grained geologic materials above the screen of a TNC well. In this report, fine-grained geologic materials are referred to as a geologic barrier that generally impedes vertical flow through an aquifer. A geologic barrier was defined to be thin for fine-grained materials between 0 and 45 feet thick, moderate for materials between 45 and 75 feet thick, and thick if the fine-grained materials were greater than 75 feet thick. A flow chart was used to determine the susceptibility rating for each TNC supply. The flow chart indicated a susceptibility rating using (1) concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen and total coliform bacteria reported from routine compliance monitoring of the TNC supply, (2) the presence or absence of potential sources of regulated contaminants (nitrate as nitrogen and coliform bac

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USGS2006

Environmental Setting of the Sugar Creek and Leary Weber Ditch Basins, Indiana, 2002-04

The Leary Weber Ditch Basin is nested within the Sugar Creek Basin in central Indiana. These basins make up one of the five study sites in the Nation selected for the Agricultural Chemicals: Sources, Transport, and Fate topical study, a part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment Program. In this topical study, identifying the natural factors and human influences affecting water quality in the Leary Weber Ditch and Sugar Creek Basins are the focus of the assessment. A detailed comparison between the environmental settings of these basins is presented. Specifics of the topical study design as implemented in the Leary Weber Ditch and Sugar Creek Basins are described. The Leary Weber Ditch and Sugar Creek Basins have moderate temperatures with well-defined winter and summer seasons. The mean annual precipitation is 39.5 inches, with the majority of rainfall in spring and early summer and the lowest amount of precipitation in winter. Yearly, an average of 25 inches of moisture moves into the atmosphere as a result of evapotranspiration. Physiographically, both basins are contained completely within the New Castle Till Plains and Drainageways. The gradients of the valleys of Leary Weber Ditch and Sugar Creek differ substantially. Most of the Sugar Creek Basin and the entire Leary Weber Ditch Basin overlie a combination of Devonian limestone and dolomite bedrock. Unconsolidated materials (sand and gravel) overlie much of the bedrock in the basins. Soils are either loam or silt loam, generally deep, poorly drained, medium textured, and nearly level. The potential for surface erosion is negligible because runoff is slow. Available water capacity is high. Natural fertility and organic matter are moderate. Soils are naturally suited to row crops. Agriculture is the principal land use in the Leary Weber Ditch and Sugar Creek Basins. Respectively, 87 percent and 75 percent of the total land area in these basins are used for row crops. The cropped areas within the basins are divided nearly equally between corn and soybeans. Farming practices in the area employ a wide range of tools to promote growth and inhibit vegetative competition; these include the use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Tile drains are used extensively to improve yields and make the soils farmable. Irrigation and manure application in the study area are minimal. Most of the study area is in Hancock County, Indiana. The county population is approximately 61,000. There are no large cities in either basin; most residents live in small communities or rural areas. Water use in Hancock County totalled 6.37 million gallons per day during 2002. Drinking water comes entirely from ground water. The U.S. Geological Survey operates streamflow-gaging stations at Sugar Creek at New Palestine and at Leary Weber Ditch at Mohawk within the study area. Mean daily streamflow for Sugar Creek is higher than streamflow at Leary Weber Ditch. Through most of its length, Sugar Creek is a gaining stream and base flow is supported by ground-water sources. At Leary Weber Ditch, there is little to no streamflow when tile drains are dry. Modifications to the natural hydrology of the study area include a large system of tile drains, the intersection of Sugar Creek by several major roads, and outflows from nearby wastewater-treatment plants. Leary Weber Ditch is affected only by tile drains.

Indiana↗
USGS2006

Hydrogeologic framework and ground-water Flow in quaternary deposits at the U.S. Army Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center near Edinburgh, Indiana, 2002-2003

A hydrogeologic framework was developed for unconsolidated Quaternary deposits at the U.S. Army Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center. The framework describes the potential for the occurrence of ground water on the basis of physiography and the distribution of geologic materials within the study area. Four geologic units-the Jessup, Trafalgar, Atherton, and Martinsville Formations-were identified, and their distribution was mapped as four hydrogeologic regions. The Jessup and Trafalgar Formations are fine-grained, poorly sorted tills. At least two facies of the Atherton Formation, the lacustrine and outwash facies, are in the study area. The Martinsville Formation includes materials deposited or reworked since the glacial period. With the exception of the Atherton Formation outwash facies, the Quaternary deposits are primarily fine-grained, silt- and clay-rich sediments that function as confining layers or aquitards. The Atherton Formation out-wash facies includes sand and gravel deposits that constitute the primary aquifers in the study area. The four hydrogeologic regions mapped in this investigation are designated as the Bedrock, Jessup Till, Trafalgar Till, and Atherton Outwash Regions. Each region represents an area with a distinctive physiographic expression and vertical sequence of Quaternary deposits. The Bedrock Region in the western and southwestern part of the study area commonly is underlain by 0 to 15 feet of Martinsville Formation resting directly on bedrock. Potential ground-water yields are limited. The Jessup Till Region in the southeastern part of the study area includes the uplands on either side of the stream valleys. Sediments commonly range from 30 to 90 feet in thickness. This region includes clay-rich till of the Jessup Formation and sand and gravel deposits of the Atherton Formation outwash facies; the Atherton Formation outwash facies tends to be thin, and ground-water yields will be moderate. The Trafalgar Till Region in the north and northwest-central part of the study area commonly is underlain by 10 to 30 feet of Trafalgar till or Trafalgar till over 25 to 50 feet of Jessup till. Within, separating, and beneath these tills are deposits of the Atherton Formation outwash facies-the sand and gravel deposits with the best potential to support a water-supply well. Generally, the outwash facies in this region are thin sand and gravel lenses, except in a few locations that are in excess of 30 feet thick. The Atherton Outwash Region is the lowland area associated with the major valleys in all but the far southwestern part of the study area. This region has the greatest thickness of outwash facies sands and gravels (often in excess of 20 feet), which are the primary aquifers. In the Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, the combined Atherton Outwash Region and the Trafalgar Till Region have the greatest potential as infiltration areas because of low topographic relief and(or) sandy soils. From water-level data collected in July and August 2003, horizontal ground-water flow was determined generally to be toward the Atherton Outwash Region and the valley of the Drift-wood River to the east. Vertical hydraulic gradients were documented at nested well pairs. At two sites, upwardly directed gradients are reflected by flowing wells. Ground-water discharge to surface water is likely in some eastern reaches of the valleys of Nineveh and Lick Creeks. In the valley of Nineveh Creek, potential for ground-water discharge is indicated by the presence of a flowing well, upwardly directed vertical hydraulic gradients, and ground-water heads that were higher than surface-water elevations. In the valley of Lick Creek, ground-water discharge also is indicated by the presence of flowing wells and ground-water heads that were higher than surface-water elevations.

Indiana↗
USGS2006

Hydrologic Characteristics of a Managed Wetland and a Natural Riverine Wetland along the Kankakee River in Northwestern Indiana

Characteristics of ground-water/surface-water interactions were identified at a managed wetland (Hog Marsh) and a natural riverine wetland (LaSalle) located on the north and south sides, respectively, of the Kankakee River in northwestern Indiana. Hog Marsh covers about 390 hectares of the Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park. LaSalle covers about 100 hectares of the LaSalle State Fish and Wildlife Area, and is about 20 kilometers downstream of Hog Marsh. Hydrologic characteristics of the two wetlands were investigated using data from 1997 to 1999 for 22 wells adjacent to the Kankakee River in northwestern Indiana. Surface-water levels at the managed wetland were controlled by a system of channels, levees, and managed flooding. Surface-water levels at the natural riverine wetland were not controlled. Ground-water levels in the unconfined surficial aquifer beneath the two wetlands were analyzed by assessing water-level fluctuations. Fifteen wells at Hog Marsh and seven wells at LaSalle were monitored. The interquartile range in ground-water levels away from the river at Hog Marsh fluctuated less (from 0.4 to 0.7 meters) than all ground-water levels in the same aquifer beneath LaSalle (from 0.9 to 1.0 meters). The difference in the range of water-level fluctuation probably is attributable to the managed flooding of Hog Marsh units, which tends to maintain somewhat uniform water levels in that wetland. Ground-water-flow directions along a vertical section through the unconfined surficial aquifer at the managed wetland were more variable than those at the natural riverine wetland. During winter and spring, when flow in the Kankakee River is high, flow is from the Kankakee River into the adjacent surficial aquifer and towards a 2-meter-wide Brown Ditch on the north side of Hog Marsh. Water levels in Brown Ditch remain lower than those in the Kankakee River during this period. From June to December, when flow in the Kankakee River is moderate to low, a flow divide developed near the center of the managed wetland. Ground-water flow south of the divide is to the Kankakee River; north of the divide, it is toward Brown Ditch. Slight ground-water mounding near the center of the managed wetland is accentuated by water-management practices that intentionally flood that area. Ground-water flow in the surficial aquifer at the natural riverine wetland was not impeded by ditches or managed flooding, and a simple flow-through system from areas south of the Kankakee River to the river was observed. A ground-water flow model was constructed along a representative cross section through the surficial aquifer at the managed wetland and calibrated using data collected at the site. A no-flow boundary was used beneath the Kankakee River, and head-dependent boundaries were used along the north end of the model and at the base of the model. The model simulations indicated that artificial controls on the managed-wetland hydrology create sites of recharge to and discharge from the surficial aquifer that are absent at the natural riverine wetland. The steady-state flow simulation represented flow conditions following a 4-month period of no changes in hydrologic stresses. The simulation results indicated that flow paths originating from flooded areas near the center of the managed wetland are sources of aquifer recharge during the managed-flooding period. Brown Ditch captured almost all of the ground water north of the managed wetland. The simulated water budget along a well transect indicated that 88 percent of inflow to the surficial aquifer beneath the managed wetland was from a distribution channel and from flooding in the management units. These modeling results identify differences in flow patterns between the managed and natural riverine wetlands in addition to those identified by the water-level data. Results of transient simulations indicated that surface water from the Kankakee River penetrated only about 2 to 3 meters into the surficial aquif

Indiana↗
USGS2006

Occurrence and transport of agricultural chemicals in Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, 2003-04

Leary Weber Ditch Basin, Hancock County, Indiana, is one of seven first-order basins selected from across the United States as part of the Agricultural Chemicals: Source, Transport, and Fate study conducted by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The nationwide study was designed to increase the understanding of the links between the sources of water and agricultural chemicals (nutrients and pesticides) and the transport and fate of these chemicals through the environment. Agricultural chemicals were detected in Leary Weber Ditch and in every associated hydrologic compartment sampled during 2003 and 2004. Pesticides were detected more frequently in samples collected from overland flow and from the ditch itself and less frequently in ground-water samples. The lowest concentrations of pesticides and nutrients were detected in samples of rain, soil water, and ground water. The highest concentrations of pesticides and nutrients were detected in samples of tile-drain water, overland flow, and water from Leary Weber Ditch. Samples collected from the tile drain, overland flow and Leary Weber Ditch soon after chemical applications to the fields and coincident with rainfall and increased streamflow had higher concentrations of pesticides and nutrients than samples collected a longer time after the chemicals were applied. A mass-balance mixing analysis based on potassium concentrations indicated that tile drains are the primary contributor of water to Leary Weber Ditch, but overland flow is also an important contributor during periods of high-intensity rainfall. When maximum rainfall intensity was 0.5 inches per hour or lower, overland flow contributed about 10 percent and tile drains contributed about 90 percent of the flow to Leary Weber Ditch. When maximum rainfall intensity was 0.75 inches per hour or greater, overland flow contributed about 40 percent and tile drains contributed about 60 percent of the flow to the ditch. Ground-water flow to Leary Weber Ditch was negligible. Tile drains are an important agricultural-chemical transport path to Leary Weber Ditch, based on the hydrologic contributions of overland flow and tile drains to the ditch. Overland flow is also an important agricultural-chemical transport pathway during high-intensity rainfall; however, storms with high-intensity rainfall are sporadic throughout the year. Tile drains and the soil water moving to the tile drains are the primary transport pathway for agricultural-chemical transport to Leary Weber Ditch during most storms as well as between storms.

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USGS2005

Atrazine retention and degradation in the vadose zone at a till plain site in central Indiana

The vadose zone was examined as an environmental compartment where significant quantities of atrazine and its degradation compounds may be stored and transformed. The vadose zone was targeted because regional studies in the White River Basin indicated a large discrepancy between the mass of atrazine applied to fields and the amount of the pesticide and its degradation compounds that are measured in ground and surface water. A study site was established in a rotationally cropped field in the till plain of central Indiana. Data were gathered during the 1994 growing season to characterize the site hydrogeology and the distribution of atrazine, desethylatrazine, deisopropylatrazine, didealkylatrazine and hydroxyatrazine in runoff, pore water, and ground water. The data indicated that atrazine and its degradation compounds were transported from land surface to a depth of 1.5 m within 60 days of application, but were undetected in the saturated zone at nearby monitoring wells. A numerical model was developed, based on the field data, to provide information about processes that could retain and degrade atrazine in the vadose zone. Simulations indicated that evapotranspiration is responsible for surface directed soil-moisture flow during much of the growing season. This process causes retention and degradation of atrazine in the vadose zone. Increased residence time in the vadose zone leads to nearly complete transformation of atrazine and its degradation products to unquantified degradation compounds. As a result of mascropore flow, small quantities of atrazine and its degradation compounds may reach the saturated zone.

Indiana↗
USGS2005

Mercury in the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal and Lake Michigan, Lake County, Indiana, August 2001 and May 2002

Water samples from the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal and Lake Michigan in Lake County, Indiana, were collected and analyzed for mercury. Sampling was done with ultra-clean protocols, and mercury was analyzed by low-level methods during seasons of contrasting weather and streamflow conditions in August 2001 and May 2002. Total mercury concentrations in all the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal samples exceeded the 1.3 nanogram per liter Indiana water-quality standard for waters within the Great Lakes system. Total mercury concentrations in the Lake Michigan samples did not exceed the Indiana water-quality standard. Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations were larger in more samples collected during the wet-weather streamflow conditions in May 2002 than in samples collected during the dry-weather streamflow conditions in August 2001. The largest total mercury concentrations were in samples collected from the West Branch Grand Calumet River near wetlands and municipal-effluent outfalls (17.2 nanograms per liter) and in samples collected from the Indiana Harbor Canal near the confluence of the East Branch and West Branch Grand Calumet River (16.0 nanograms per liter). Particulate total mercury was the predominant form of total mercury detected in samples from the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal. Methylmercury concentrations were no more than 1.5 percent of the total mercury concentrations in August 2001 and no more than 6.2 percent in May 2002. Nearly all methylmercury was particulate and was correlated to concentrations of dissolved solids, total organic carbon, and sulfate. The estimated composition of most of the suspended solids in the water samples from the Grand Calumet River/ Indiana Harbor Canal was sediment larger than medium clay containing minimal organic carbon and plant matter. Total mercury loads in the Indiana Harbor Canal during the time of water sampling were as large as 703 milligrams per hour in August 2001 and 542 milligrams per hour in May 2002. As much as 21 percent of the instantaneous mercury load in some stream reaches could have come from ground-water discharge. Data from this study have implications for a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for mercury in the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal. Comparisons of data from this study with historical data do not show substantial changes in the distribution of mercury in the study area from 1994 through 2002. Treated municipal effluent had larger mercury concentrations than industrial effluent and presents a potential for larger mercury loads that could be controlled to achieve a TMDL, based on concentration. Mercury in ground-water discharge may be difficult to control to achieve a TMDL because of its diffuse and widespread distribution.

Indiana↗
USGS2005

Reconnaissance of surface-water and ground-water quality at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Lincoln City, Indiana, 2001-02

In cooperation with the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey investigated water quality of key water bodies at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial near Lincoln City in southwestern Indiana. The key water bodies were a stock pond, representing possible nonpoint agricultural effects on water quality; an ephemeral stream, representing the water quality of drainage from forested areas of the park; parking-lot runoff, representing water quality related to roads and parking lots; an unnamed ditch below the parking lot, representing the water quality of drainage from the parking lot and from an adjacent railroad track; and Lincoln Spring, a historical ground-water source representing ground-water conditions near a former diesel-fuel-spill site along a rail line. Water samples were analyzed for pH, temperature, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen and for concentrations of selected major ions and trace metals, nutrients, organic constituents, and Escherichia coli bacteria. Surface-water-quality data of water samples from the park represent baseline conditions for the area in relation to the data available from previous studies of area streams. Specific-conductance values and concentrations of most major ions and various nutrients in surface-water samples from the park were smaller than those reported for samples collected in other USGS studies in areas adjacent to the park. Water-quality-management issues identified by this investigation include potentially impaired water quality from parking-lot runoff, unknown effects on surface-water quality from adjacent railroads, and the potential impairment of water quality in Lincoln Spring from human influences. Parking-lot runoff is a source of calcium, alkalinity, iron, lead, and organic carbon in the water samples from the unnamed ditch. Detection of small concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in water from Lincoln Spring could indicate residual contamination from a 1995 diesel-fuel spill and cleanup. The concentration of nitrite plus nitrate in water from Lincoln Spring was 16.5 milligrams per liter as nitrogen, greater than the State of Indiana standard for nitrate in drinking water (10 milligrams per liter as nitrogen). Lead concentrations in samples from the stock pond, parking-lot runoff, and the unnamed ditch exceeded the Indiana chronic aquatic criteria.

Indiana↗
USGS2004

An Inventory of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates and Calculation of Selected Biotic Indices for the U.S. Army Atterbury Reserve Forces Training Area near Edinburgh, Indiana, September 2000 - August 2002

An investigation was conducted to establish an inventory of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the streams at the U.S. Army Atterbury Reserve Forces Training Area near Edinburgh, Indiana. The data used to develop this inventory were collected during two sampling efforts in September 2000 and July and August 2002. The inventory identified 173 distinct taxa within the study-area streams. Although no rare or endangered species were found, one identified species, Cordulegaster maculata Selys (a twin-spotted spiketail dragonfly), is recognized by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as being rare enough to warrant special concern. Biotic indices (indicators of water-quality conditions) were calculated from the macroinvertebrate data. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera Richness Index values calculated for 23 samples collected from 16 sites ranged from 5 to 15, with more than 75 percent of the values falling within the range of 7 to 11. Hilsenhoff Biotic Index scores and Invertebrate Community Index scores calculated for samples collected at three sites indicate that water quality at these sites ranged from good to poor. The one site with a poor water-quality index score had a small drainage area. The small drainage area and dry conditions during the sampling period may have contributed to the poor scores calculated for this site.

Indiana↗
USGS2004

Chemical and biological quality of surface water at the U.S. Army Atterbury Reserve Forces Training Area near Edinburgh, Indiana, September 2000 through July 2001

A base-wide assessment of surface-water quality at the U.S. Army Atterbury Reserve Forces Training Area near Edinburgh, Indiana, examined short-term and long-term quality of surface water flowing into, across, and out of a 33,760-acre study area. The 30-day geometric-mean concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria ( Escherichia coli ) in water samples from all 16 monitoring sites on streams in the study area were greater than the Indiana recreational water-quality standard. None of the bacteria concentrations in samples from four lakes exceeded the standard. Half the samples with bacteria concentrations greater than the single-sample standard contained chemical tracers potentially associated with human sewage. Increased turbidity of water samples was related statistically to increased bacteria concentration. Lead concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 micrograms per liter were detected in water samples at seven monitoring sites. Lead in one sample collected during high-streamflow conditions was greater than the calculated Indiana water-quality standard. With the exception of Escherichia coli and lead, 211 of 213 chemical constituents analyzed in water samples did not exceed Indiana water-quality standards. Out of 131 constituents analyzed in streambed-sediment and fish-tissue samples from three sites in the Common Impact Area for weapons training, the largest concentrations overall were detected for copper, lead, manganese, strontium, and zinc. Fish-community integrity, based on diversity and pollution tolerance, was rated poor at one of those three sites. Compared with State criteria, the fish-community data indicated 8 of 10 stream reaches in the study area could be categorized as "fully supporting" aquatic-life uses.

Indiana↗
USGS2003

Mineral precipitation and dissolution at two slag-disposal sites in northwestern Indiana, USA

Slag is a ubiquitous byproduct of the iron- and steel-refining industries. In northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois, slag has been deposited over more than 52 km2 of land surface. Despite the widespread use of slag for fill and construction purposes, little is known about its chemical effects on the environment. Two slagdisposal sites were examined in northwestern Indiana where slag was deposited over the native glacial deposits. At a third site, where slag was not present, background conditions were defined. Samples were collected from cores and drill cuttings and described with scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. Ground-water samples were collected and used to assess thermodynamic equilibria between authigenic minerals and existing conditions. Differences in the mineralogy at background and slag-affected sites were apparent. Calcite, dolomite, gypsum, iron oxides, and clay minerals were abundant in native sediments immediately beneath the slag. Mineral features indicated that these minerals precipitated rapidly from slag drainage and co-precipitated minor amounts of non-calcium metals and trace elements. Quartz fragments immediately beneath the slag showed extensive pitting that was not apparent in sediments from the background site, indicating chemical weathering by the hyperalkaline slag drainage. The environmental impacts of slag-related mineral precipitation include disruption of natural ground-water flow patterns and bed-sediment armoring in adjacent surface-water systems. Dissolution of native quartz by the hyperalkaline drainage may cause instability in structures situated over slag fill or in roadways comprised of slag aggregates.

Indiana↗
USGS2002

Documentation and analysis of a geographic information system application for combining data layers, using nonpoint-source pollution as an example

A geographical information system application has been developed that allows scientists to combine multiple data layers into a single data layer. This application provides an effective tool for identifying areas where the potential effect of the combination of data layers may be greater than any single data layer. Such a tool is useful in studying an activity that cannot be measured directly. Scientists wanting to identify areas where an activity may have the greatest effect can identify factors that directly or indirectly reflect the effect of the activity being studied. When combined, these factors would identify areas where the potential for the activity to have an effect are greatest. The data layers used to develop the single data layer determine the activity addressed by the application?the application was developed to identify areas where the potential for nonpoint-source pollution to affect areas of Indiana is greater relative to other areas in Indiana. To evaluate the potential in other states or areas, data layers for those states or areas would be used. To address a different activity, even activities not related to water resources, data layers that directly or indirectly reflect the effects of the activity being studied would be used in the application. The application was developed using Environmental System Research Institute's ArcView geographical information system and the ArcView extension, Spatial Analyst. To use the application, the user selects data layers related to the activity being studied, describes the variability of a data element between geographic areas on each data layer, assigns a relative importance factor to each data layer, and focuses the output by identifying a watershed of interest. The application then assigns a rank value to the features within each data layer on the basis of the spatial variation of the data layer. The data layers are converted to grids. The values of the grid cells are the product of the rank values and the importance factors. The cells for each data layer are combined to form a single grid. The combination is summarized to describe the spatial variation for the watershed of interest. The combined data layer does not show the actual potential effect of the selected factors but rather the relative difference in the potential effect among areas when all data layers are considered. An analysis of the application indicates that the selected data layers to be combined should be at the greatest spatial resolution possible; however, all data layers do not have to be at the same spatial resolution. The spatial variation of the data layers should be adequately defined. The size of each grid cell should be small enough to maintain the spatial definition of smaller features within the data layers. The most accurate results are shown to occur when the values for the grid cells representing the individual data layers are summed and the mean of the summed grid-cell values is used to describe the watershed of interest.

Indiana↗
USGS2002

Water resources data, Indiana, water year 2001

Water resources data for the 2001 water year for Indiana consists of records of discharge, stage, and water quality of streams and wells; reservoir stage and contents; and water levels in lakes and wells. This report contains records of discharge for 163 stream-gaging stations, stage for 8 stream stations, stage and contents for 1 reservoir, water quality for 1 stream, water temperature at 11 sites, sediment analysis for 1 stream, water levels for 78 lakes and 88 observation wells. Also included are records of miscellaneous discharge measurements, miscellaneous levels and miscellaneous water-quality, not part of the systematic data-collection program. Data contained in this report represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey in Indiana in cooperation with State and Federal agencies.

Indiana↗
USGS2002

Geohydrology, water quality, and simulation of ground-water flow in the vicinity of a former waste-oil refinery near Westville, Indiana, 1997–2000

Geohydrologic and water-quality data collected during 1997 through 2000 in the vicinity of a former waste-oil refinery near Westville, Indiana, define a plume of 1,4-dioxane in ground water that extends to the southwest approximately 0.8 miles from the refinery site. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane in the plume ranged from 3 to 31,000 micrograms per liter. Ground water containing 1,4-dioxane is discharged to Crumpacker Ditch, approximately one-half mile west of the refinery site. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane detected in surface water ranged from 8 to 140 micrograms per liter; 1,4-dioxane also is transported in ground water beneath the ditch. The study area is underlain by glacial deposits of sand and gravel that overlie lacustrine clay and shale. The sand and gravel deposits form an extensive aquifer ranging from 148 to 215 feet thick in the study area. Ground water generally flows from northeast to southwest and the depth to water ranges from about 3 to 36 feet below land surface. The average horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer, determined from a multiple-well aquifer test, was 121 feet per day, and the transmissivity was 18,600 feet squared per day. Vertical hydraulic conductivity ranged from 24 to 36 feet per day and specific yield ranged from 0.05 to 0.08. Analysis of single-well aquifer tests indicated that horizontal hydraulic conductivity ranged from 0.6 to 127 feet per day and was largest in the lower part of the aquifer. Horizontal gradients averaged about 0.001 feet per foot; estimated ground-water- flow velocities averaged about 0.1 feet per day in the upper and middle parts of the glacial aquifer and about 0.4 feet per day near the bottom of the aquifer. Analytical results of water samples indicate the ground water generally is a calcium-bicarbonate type with a nearly neutral pH. Specific conductivity ranged from 437 to 1,030 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius in water from wells upgradient from the refinery site and 330 to 3,780 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius in water from downgradient wells. Barium, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc commonly were detected in samples of ground water. Volatile organic compounds (including chlorinated solvents and aromatic hydrocarbons) were consistently detected in samples from shallow wells near the boundaries of the former refinery site. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane were detected in water from wells screened in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the aquifer downgradient from the site and in samples of surface water collected approximately 5 miles downstream from where the plume intersects Crumpacker Ditch. A three-dimensional, four layer groundwater- flow model was constructed and calibrated to match ground-water levels and streamflow measured during December 1997. The model was used to simulate possible mechanisms of contaminant release, the effect of increased pumpage from water-supply wells, and pumping at the leading edge of the plume as a possible means of remediation. Based on simulation of three waste-oil lagoons, a vertical hydraulic conductivity of 0.2 feet per day was required to move contaminants into the bottom layer of the model at a constant leakage rate of about 98 gallons per minute. Simulations of a disposal well in layer 3 of the model indicated an injection rate of 50 gallons per minute was necessary to spread contaminants vertically in the aquifer. Simulated pumping rates of about 300 and 1,000 gallons per minute were required for water supply wells at the Town of Westville and the Westville Correctional Facility to draw water from the plume of 1,4-dioxane. Simulated pumping from hypothetical wells at the leading edge of the plume indicated that three wells, each pumping 25 gallons per minute from model layer 3, would capture the plume of 1,4-dioxane.

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