Geology topics

Research about Indiana

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Indiana.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

USGS1980

Reassessment of the effects of construction dewatering on ground-water levels in the Cowles Unit, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana : Supplement to Geological Survey Water Resources Investigations 78-138

A revised dewatering plan for the construction of a nuclear power plant at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company 's (NIPSCO) Bailly Generating Station and evidence that suggests that a change in the characteristics of the confining unit 2 in and near Cowles Bog National Landmark may exist have resulted in a reassessment of the effects of construction dewatering on ground-water levels in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Model results indicate that the revision in the dewatering plan produces water-level declines that do not differ significantly from those described previously. However, when the change in the confining unit beneath Cowles Bog is considered, simulations of the simultaneous decline of a seepage mound after sealing of the fly-ash-ponds and the second phase of construction dewatering indicate that the simulated water-level declines in the aquifer unit 1 at Cowles Bog may be below the water levels tolerated by the National Park Service after 18 months. The water levels may even decline below the tolerable levels in spite of NIPSCO 's proposed plan of artificially recharging the aquifer unit 1 near the excavation site at 400 gal/min. The magnitude of the simulated water-level declines in unit 1 within the Lakeshore, caused by pumping from the excavation, depends on the relation in time between the second phase of dewatering and the decline of the seepage mound after sealing of the fly-ash-ponds, but not on the duration of dewatering beyond 18 months. (USGS)

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USGS1980

Hydrologic evaluation of a hypothetical coal-mining site near Chrisney, Spencer County, Indiana

Protecting the water resources of the Nation is a major emphasis of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, PL 95-87. Permanent regulations established for this Act by the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) require the issuance of a permit before mining begins. An application for a mining permit must include an assessment of the hydrologic characteristics of the mining site and adjacent area, and a projection of the potential impacts of mining activities on surface water and ground water. OSM's permanent regulations and guidelines provide little insight on the "how to" aspect of making the required hydrologic assessment. This investigation was completed to improve the understanding of the kinds of information needed to make such assessments by: (a) reviewing the regulations to determine what hydrologic information is required; (b) preparing an example hydrologic assessment based on the regulations; and (c) using the experience gained in (a) and (b) to identify areas lacking or needing additional data to make the required assessment. Hydrologic data for the study area were obtained from published and unpublished reports, maps, aerial photographs, personal interviews with residents in the area of the hypothetical mine site, and discussions with experts in the field. Where data were unavailable, "synthetic" data were generated by extrapolation from proximate or similar watersheds and (or) by assumptions based on experience or theory. Some field data were collected to corroborate and augment information originating from all these sources.

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USGS1980

Floods in Indiana, June-August 1979

This report documents rainstorms and resultant floods in central and southern Indiana during the summer of 1979. Major flooding was caused by three storms, one in June and two in July 1979, centered primarily in central and southern Indiana. Peak discharge exceeded the 100-year recurrence interval at 16 sites in this area. State Civil Defense officials estimated that almost 50-million dollars damage was attributable to the July floods. Hydrologic data have been tabulated for streamflow sites in the areas of flooding. Reservoir storage volumes, observation-well data, rainfall totals, and discharge hydrographs are presented to show the intensity and time of the storms and resultant floods. (USGS)

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USGS1980

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for Duck Creek, Madison, Tipton, and Hamilton counties, Indiana

The Indiana State Board of Health is developing a State water-quality plan that includes establishing limits for wastewater effluents discharged into Indiana streams. A digital model calibrated to conditions in Duck Creek was used to develop alternatives for future waste loadings that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. The major point-source waste load affecting Duck Creek is the Elwood wastewater-treatment facility. Natural streamflow during the low flow is zero, so no benefit from dilution is provided. Natural reaeration at the low-flow condition (approximately 3 cubic feet per second), also low, is estimated to be less than 1 per day (base e at 20 Celsius). Consequently, the wasteload assimilative capacity of the stream is low. Effluent ammonia-nitrogen concentrations, projected by the Indiana State Board of Health, will result in stream ammonia-nitrogen concentrations that exceed the State ammonia-nitrogen toxicity standards (2.5 milligrams per liter from April to October and 4.0 milligrams per liter from November through March). The projected effluent ammonia-nitrogen load will also result in the present Indiana stream dissolved-oxygen standard (5.0 milligrams per liter) not being met. Benthic-oxygen demand may also affect stream water quality. During the summer low-flow, a benthic-oxygen demand of only 0.6 gram per square meter per day would utilize all the streams 's available assimilative capacity. (USGS)

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USGS1980

Water-quality assessment of the Porter County watershed, Kankakee River basin, Porter County, Indiana

Water type in the 241-square mile Porter County watershed in Indiana, was calcium bicarbonate or mixed calcium bicarbonate and calcium sulfate. Concentrations of dissolved chemical constituents in surface water and contents of chlorinated hydrocarbons in streambed samples in the watershed were generally less than water-quality alert limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, except in Crooked Creek. During sampling, this stream was affected by sewage, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and two chemical spills. Ranges of on-site field measurements were: specific conductance, from 102 to 1,060 micromhos per centimeter at 25 Celcius; water temperature, from 7.0 to 31.8 Celsius; pH, from 6.8 to 8.9; dissolved oxygen, from 2.5 to 14.9 milligrams per liter and from 27 to 148% saturation; and instantaneous discharge from 0 to 101 cubic feet per second. Concentrations of most dissolved-inorganic constituents (heavy metals and major ions) and dissolved solids did not vary significantly from one sampling period to the next at each site. Dissolved constituents whose concentrations varied significantly were iron, manganese, organic carbon, ammonia, nitrate plus nitrite, organic nitrogen, Kjeldahl nitrogen, and phosphorus. Concentrations of dissolved manganese, organic carbon, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, and suspended sediment varied seasonally at most sites. Populations and identification of bacteria, phytoplankton, periphyton, and benthic invertebrates indicate a well-balanced environment at most sites, except in Crooked Creek.

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USGS1980

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for Little Lick and Big Lick Creeks, Blackford and Delaware counties, Indiana

The Indiana State Board of Health is developing a State water-quality management plan that includes establishing limits for liquid wastes discharged into Indiana streams. A digital computer model was used to predict alternatives for future waste loadings on Little Lick and Big Lick Creeks that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. The model parameters included atmospheric reaeration, carbonaceous and nitrogenous biochemical-oxygen demand, and benthic-oxygen demand. The model was calibrated with data collected during three water-quality surveys at low flow. Verification of the model was not possible owing to varied effluent discharge during sampling. During these surveys, in-stream dissolved-oxygen concentration averaged less than 3 milligrams per liter, well below the State minimum requirement of 5.0 milligrams per liter. The model indicated that these low concentrations were caused by high waste loadings, lack of dilution, low reaeration, and benthic-oxygen demand. The hypothetical summer waste-assimilation study assumed that future reductions in discharge Loadings would decrease carbonaceous and benthic decay and increase nitrogenous decay. This hypothetical study indicated that projected effluent waste loads that would provide acceptable in-stream dis-solved-oxygen concentrations are highly dependent on rates of nitrification. Ammonia toxicity became the limiting water-quality criterion at low nitrification rates. The hypothetical winter waste-assimilation study indicated that projected dissolved-oxygen concentrations in Little Lick and Big Lick Creeks did not fall below the State standard. Owing to a lack of dilution, however, ammonia-nitrogen concentrations would violate in-stream toxicity standards in both Little Lick and Big Lick Creeks. In order to quantify the results of the waste-assimilation study, it would be necessary to collect additional stream data.

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USGS1980

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for Little Laughery Creek, Ripley and Franklin counties, Indiana

The Indiana State Board of Health is developing a State water-quality management plan that includes establishing Limits for wastewater effluents discharged into Indiana streams. A digital model calibrated to conditions in Little Laughery Creek tributary and Little Laughery Creek was used to predict alternatives for future waste loadings that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. Natural streamflow during the summer and annual 7-day, 10-year low flow is zero. Headwater flow upstream from the wastewater-treatment facilities consists solely of process cooling water from an industrial discharger. This flow is usually Less than 0.5 cubic foot per second. Consequently, benefits from dilution are minimal. As a result, current and projected ammonia-nitrogen concentrations from the municipal discharges will result in in-stream ammonia-nitrogen concentrations that exceed the Indiana ammonia-nitrogen toxicity standards (maximum stream ammonia-nitrogen concentrations of 2.5 and 4.0 milligrams per liter during summer and winter low flows, respectively). This waste-Load assimilation study is not based on a verified model. The changes in stream water quality predicted by the model represent only possible stream responses to differing effluent conditions. Benthic-oxygen demand is probably the most significant factor affecting Little Laughery Creek and is probably responsible for the in-stream dis-solved-oxygen concentration being less than the Indiana stream dissolved-oxygen standard (5.0 milligrams per liter) during two water-quality surveys. After municipal dischargers complete advanced waste-treatment facilities, benthic-oxygen demand should be less significant in the stream dissolved-oxygen dynamics.

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USGS1980

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for Wabash River, Huntington County, Indiana

The Indiana State Board of Health is developing a State water-quality management plan that includes establishing limits for wastewater effluents discharged into Indiana streams. A digital model calibrated to conditions in the Wabash River in Huntington County, Ind., was used to predict alternatives for future waste loadings that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. The major point-source waste load affecting the Wabash River in Huntington County is the Huntington wastewater-treatment facility. The most significant factor potentially affecting the dissolved-oxygen concentration during summer low flows is nitrification. However, nitrification should not be a limiting factor on the allowable nitrogenous and carbonaceous waste loads for the Huntington wastewater-treatment facility during summer low flows if the ammonia-nitrogen toxicity standard for Indiana streams is met. This wasteload assimilation study is not based on a verified model. The changes in stream water quality predicted by the model represent only possible stream response to different effluent conditions. The dissolved-oxygen standard for Indiana streams, an average of 5.0 milligrams per liter, should be met during summer and winter Zow flows if the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System's 5-day, carbonaceous biochemical-oxygen demands of a monthly average concentration of 30 milligrams per liter and a maximum weekly average of 45 milligrams per liter are not exceeded.

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USGS1980

Quality of surface water in the coal-mining region, southwestern Indiana, March and May 1979

On August 3, 1977, the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act, Public Law 95-87 (the Act) was enacted by the 95th Congress. Under Section 507(b)(11) of the Act, an appropriate Federal or State agency must provide applicants for coal-mining permits hydrologic and water-quality information for the general use of proposed mining. To help meet the goals of the Act, the U.S. Geological Survey is designing a data-collection network in the coal-mining region of southwestern Indiana. The purpose of the network is to provide hydrologic and water-quality data on the ' general area ' for coal-mining permits. Because of the large size of the study area and the lack of hydrologic and water-quality data, a preliminary assessment is being done to determine the factors that affect water quality in the coal-mining region. This information will be used in designing a data network that will (1) provide the hydrologic and water-quality data needed by applicants for coal-mining permits and (2) determine the major factors that affect water quality. Reconnaissance data were collected at 293 sites in March, and hydrologic and water-quality data were collected at 84 synoptic sampling sites in May. (Synoptic sampling is the virtually simultaneous collection of data at specific sites.) In the reconnaissance, pH, specific conductance, dissolved-oxygen concentration, temperature, and Eh of streams were measured on site to provide general water-quality data. In the synoptic sampling, the preceding characteristics, as well as concentrations of various dissolved and suspended constituents of stream water and concentrations of heavy metals on streambed materials, were determined.

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USGS1980

Water resources data for Indiana, water year 1978

Water resources data for the 1978 water year for Indiana consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs, and water levels in wells. This report contains discharge records for 194 gaging stations, stage and contents for 13 lakes and reservoirs, water quality for 49 gaging stations, and water levels for 59 observation wells. Also included are 124 crest-stage partial-record stations and 49 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data-collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal Agencies in Indiana.

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USGS1980

Water resources data for Indiana, water year 1979

Water resources data for the 1979 water year for Indiana consists of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels in wells. This report contains discharge records for 186 gaging stations; stage and contents for 13 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 65 gaging stations; and water levels for 74 observation wells. Also included are 98 crest-stage partial-record stations and 82 low-flow partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data-collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Indiana.

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USGS1980

Ground-water availability near Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana

A 3-year study to determine the groundwater potential of confined glacial aquifers in a large part of Allen County, Ind., was begun in July 1974 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Mapping of outwash sands and gravels delineated two distinct layers of sand and gravel in the southern and eastern parts of the county that merge into one aquifer more than 100 feet thick to the north and west. A digital model that simulates groundwater flow in three dimensions was used to integrate the geologic and hydrologic conditions into a suitable analog of the groundwater system surrounding Fort Wayne. The model consisted of three layers representing (1) the upper till, (2) the upper sand and gravel, and (3) the lower aquifer. The lower aquifer represents a combination of the lower sand and gravel and a section of limestone aquifer immediately underlying the glacial sediments. The model, calibrated against water-level and streamflow data collected during September 1976, was used to simulate pumping and to evaluate the effects of pumping on groundwater levels and streamflows. Two distribution schemes of pumping were tested, each with two different boundary conditions (constant heads and constant flows). The results of these simulated pumping schemes indicate that between 30 and 40 million gallons per day can be produced and that the streamflow losses resulting from this pumping would be between 17 and 25 million gallons per day. (USGS)

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USGS1980

Water-quality assessment of the Cypress Creek watershed, Warrick County, Indiana

The U.S. Soil Conservation Service needs chemical, biological, microbiological, and hydrological data to prepare an environmental evaluation of the water quality in the Cypress Creek watershed, Warrick County, Ind., before plans can be devised to (1) improve water quality, (2) minimize flooding, (3) reduce sedimentation, and (4) provide adequate outlets for drainage in the watershed. The U.S. Geological Survey obtained these data for the Soil Conservation Service in a water-quality survey of the watershed from March to August 1979. Past and present surface coal mining is the factor having the greatest impact on water quality in the watershed. The upper reaches of Cypress Creek receive acid-mine drainage from a coal-mine waste slurry during periods of intense rainfall. All the remaining tributaries, except Summer Pecka ditch, drain mined or reclaimed lands. The general water type of Cypress Creek and most of its tributaries is calcium and magnesium sulfate. In contrast, the water type at background site 21 on Summer Pecka ditch is calcium sulfate. Specific conductance ranged from 470 to 4,730 micromhos per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius, and pH ranged from 1.2 to 8.8. Specific conductance, hardness, and concentrations of major ions and dissolved solids were highest in tributaries affected by mining. The pH was lowest in the same tributaries. Concentrations of iron, manganese, and sulfate in water samples and chlordane, DDT, and PCB 's in streambed samples exceeded water-quality limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (USGS)

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USGS1980

Saline water at the base of the glacial-outwash aquifer near Vincennes, Knox County, Indiana

A plume of saline water at the base of the glacial outwash aquifer near Vincennes, Indiana, has been drawn into the municipal well field. However, the average chloride concentration of the municipal water, 30 + or - 5 milligrams per liter, did not change significantly from 1976 to 1979. The plume , and elongated lens approximately 6,500 feet long by 1,500 feet wide, is 4 feet thick near the well field, and the chloride concentration of the water is 3,500 milligrams per liter. Half a mile to the west the thickness is 18 feet, and the chloride concentration is 5,100 milligrams per liter. The saline water seems to be entering the outwash aquifer through bedrock fractures near abandoned oil wells west of the well field. The fractures probably intersect unplugged intervals of the abandoned oil wells that convey saline water from bedrock aquifers at unknown depths. Digital model analysis indicates that doubling the 1978 pumping rate in the well field would cause water-levels declines of generally less than 8 feet. Solute-transport model analyses indicate that the chloride concentration of the well-field water would be less than 250 milligrams per liter for a saline-water intrusion rate ten times the model-calibrated rate. (USGS)

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USGS1979

Seismicity map of the State of Indiana

The earthquake data shown on this map and listed in table 1 are a list of earthquakes that were originally used in preparing the Seismic Risk Studies in the United States (Algermissen, 1969) which have been recompiled and updated through 1977. The data have been reexamined and intensities assigned where none had been assigned before, on the basis of available data. Other intensity values were updated from new and additional data sources that were not available at the time of original compilation. Some epicenters were relocated on the basis of new information. The data shown in table 1 are estimates of the most accurate epicenter, magnitude, and intensity of each earthquake, on the basis of historical and current information. Some of the aftershocks from large earthquakes are listed but are incomplete in many instances, especially for ones that occurred before seismic instruments were in universal usage.

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USGS1979

A one-dimensional, steady-state dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for Cedar Creek, Dekalb and Allen counties, Indiana

The Indiana State Board of Health is developing a State water-quality management plan that includes the establishing of limits for wastewater effluents discharged into Indiana streams. A digital model calibrated to conditions in Cedar Creek was used to develop alternatives for future waste loadings that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. All point-source waste loads affecting Cedar Creek are in the four incorporated municipalities of Auburn, Garrett, Huntertown, and Waterloo, in a primarily agricultural area. Avilla, because of its distance from Cedar Creek, does not significantly affect the water quality of the modeled segment. The model indicates that the dissolved-oxygen concentration of the Auburn wastewater effluent and nitrification are the most significant factors affecting the dissolved-oxygen concentration in Cedar Creek during summer low flows. The observed dissolved-oxygen concentration of the Auburn wastewater effluent was low, and averaged 30 percent of saturation. Whether the effluent is aerated before discharge will ultimately define the waste-load assimilative capacity of Cedar Creek. Projected nitrogenous biochemical-oxygen demand loads, from the Indiana State Board of Health, for the Auburn and Waterloo wastewater-treatment facilities will result in violations of the current instream dissolved-oxygen standard (5 milligrams per liter), even with an effluent dissolved-oxygen concentration of 80 percent saturation. Natural streamflow for Cedar Creek upstream from the confluence of Willow and Little Cedar Creeks is small compared with the waste discharge, so benefits of dilution for Waterloo and Auburn are minimal. Stream reaeration capacity is not sufficient to maintain an average dissolved-oxygen concentration of at least 5 milligrams per liter, the State's water-quality standard for streams. The model also indicates that, during winter low flows, ammonia toxicity, rather than dissolved oxygen, is the limiting water-quality criterion in the reach of Cedar Creek downstream from the wastewater-treatment facility at Auburn and the confluence of Garrett ditch. Ammonia-nitrogen concentrations predicted for 2978 through 2000 downstream from the Waterloo wastewater-treatment facility do not exceed Indiana water-quality standards for streams. Calculations of the stream's assimilative capacity indicate that future waste discharge in the Cedar Creek basin will be limited to the reaches between the Auburn wastewater-treatment facility and County Road 68.

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USGS1979

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for East Fork White River, Bartholomew County, Indiana

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USGS1979

A one-dimensional, steady-state, dissolved-oxygen model and waste-load assimilation study for South Fork Wildcat Creek, Clinton County, Indiana

The Indiana State Board of Health is developing a State water-quality management plan that includes establishing limits for wastewater effluents discharged into Indiana streams. A digital model calibrated to conditions in South Fork Wildcat Creek was used to predict alternatives for future waste loadings that would be compatible with Indiana stream water-quality standards defined for two critical hydrologic conditions, summer and winter low flows. Natural streamflow during the 7-day, 10-year low flow is zero, so no benefit from dilution is provided. The Indiana State Board of Health's projected ammonia-nitrogen concentration for the Frankfort wastewater-treatment facility will violate the in-stream total ammonia-nitrogen standards of 2.5 milligrams per liter and 4.0 milligrams per liter during summer and winter low flows, respectively. The model indicates that nitrification and algal respiration were significant factors affecting the dissolved-oxygen dynamics of South Fork Wildcat Creek during two water-quality surveys. Stream water quality during the two water-quality surveys was degraded by the discharge of wastewater receiving only primary treatment. Benthic deposits resulting from this wastewater discharge seem to exert a considerable oxygen demand. The discharge of partially treated wastewater should be eliminated when a new wastewater-treatment facility becomes operational in mid-1979. Therefore, benthic-oxygen demand due to benthic deposits should become negligible at that time.

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