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Research about Ohio

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Ohio.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Ground-water hydrology before, during, and after coal strip mining of a small watershed in Coshocton County, Ohio

Ground-water conditions before, during, and after surface mining of a small watershed are described as part of a study to determine the effects of mining on hydrologic systems. The watershed was underlain by stratified sedimentary rocks containing three aquifers. The top and middle aquifers were perched above clay beds that underlay the major coal seams; the lowermost aquifer is part of a regional aquifer system and neither water levels nor water quality have been affected by mining. Replacement of the top aquifer by spoils during mining has caused many changes in the land surface, recharge rates, discharge rates, saturated thickness, water-table gradient, hydraulic conductivity, storage, and water quality. Changes in the middle aquifer include: the amount of recharge from precipitation, amount of leakage through the overlying clay bed, and water quality in some areas. Resaturation of the mining spoils during postmining has been slow and irregular, however, water levels in wells in the middle aquifer have remained virtually unchanged. The water quality in the mining spoils is significantly poorer than water in the original aquifer. Specific conductance concentration of water in the spoils is 2 ,020 micromhos per centimeter and sulfate is 940 milligrams per liter. Water levels and water quality in the deep aquifer have not been affected by mining. (USGS)

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Measurement of the reaeration coefficients of the North Fork Licking River at Utica, Ohio by radioactive tracers

Reaeration coefficients of the North Fork Licking River at Utica, Ohio were measured by the radioactive-tracer method. The tests were conducted on a 2.1-mile reach on September 23 and October 7, 1981, during low-flow conditions. Krypton-85 gas and tritium were the radioopactive tracers, which were used in conjunction with rhodamine-WT dye. The reaertion coefficients determined on September 23 were 3.09 days -1 (subreach 1-2) and 3.32 days -1 (subreach 2-3). On October 7, the values were 2.04 days -1 and 2.23 days -1 respectively.

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Assessment of water quality in streams draining coal-producing areas in Ohio

Quality of water in 150 sites in the coal-producing areas of eastern Ohio was studied in a two-phase investigation between May 1975 and August 1976. Results of phase one, a reconnaissance to determine the occurrence of certain inorganic and organic constituents and to relate their occurrence to coal mining, indicated that acid mine drainage generally occurred where abandoned drift or abandoned strip mines were located. Streams affected by such mines contained concentrations of dissolved sulfate and iron greater than 250 milligrams per liter and 5,000 micrograms per liter, respectively, and exhibited pH values less than 4.5. Areas characterized by reclaimed or active strip mines showed few instances of acid drainage (pH values were generally greater than 7.0). Iron concentrations in these regions generally were less than 500 micrograms per liter, with dissolved-sulfate concentrations ranging from 22 to 7,100 milligrams per liter. Phase two was a detailed study of four small basins sampled during the first phase and found to represent different types of mining. The objective was to determine whether water-quality degradation within the basins was due to coal mining. Flows from two basins, one containing abandoned drift mines and the other abandoned strip mines, became increasingly acidic (pH values less than 4.5) downstream, and had high iron and dissolved sulfate concentrations (above 5,000 micrograms per liter and 250 milligrams per liter, respectively). Sources of acidity were tributaries that drained directly from the mines. The other two basins, one containing reclaimed strip mines and the other active strip mines, exhibited no acidic drainage; streams in both basins had pH values greater than 7.0 and iron concentrations below 500 micrograms per liter. Presence of active surface mining seemed to have little effect on dissolved sulfate concentrations, as only streams in the reclaimed basin had high concentrations (usually over 2,000 milligrams per liter).

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Ground-water hydrology of strip-mine areas in eastern Ohio (conditions during mining of two watersheds in Coshocton and Muskingum counties)

Ground-water conditions during coal strip mining in two small watersheds are described as part of an ongoing study of effects of mining on hydrologic systems. Both watersheds were underlain by stratified sedimentary rocks containing two perched aquifers above clay beds which underlaid the major coal seams. Mining involved removing the overburden rocks, including the top aquifer, stripping the coal seam, and recontouring the overburden spoils to the approximate premining shape of the watershed. Water levels in the top aquifer declined as mining neared the watersheds, but destruction of observation wells precluded a record of any decline during mining in the watersheds. Depletion of the top aquifer was reflected in base flow of streams, which was reduced and more highly mineralized after mining. Initial saturated thickness of replaced overburden spoils ranged from 0 to 4 feet, based on data from observation wells installed immediately after reclamation. Down-hole specific-conductance measurements of water in the spoils suggest the presence of more highly mineralized water than that in the premining top aquifer. No significant effects of mining are evident on ground-water levels or quality beneath the stripped coal.

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Water resources data for Ohio, water year 1980: Volume 2. St. Lawrence River Basin

Water resources data for the 1980 water year for Ohio consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage and contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality of ground-water wells. This report in two volumes and one appendix contains records for water discharge at 169 gaging stations; stage and contents at 39 lakes and reservoirs; water quality at 57 gaging stations and 83 wells; and water levels at 183 observation wells. Also included are data from 84 crest-stage partial-record stations; 91 low-flow partial-record stations, and 537 coal hydrology synoptic sites. Additional water data were collected at various sites not involved in the systematic data-collection program and are published as miscellaneous measurements and analyses. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Ohio.

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Water use in Ohio, 1975

The estimated water use in Ohio for all purposes in 1975 was 16 ,431 million gallons per day. Of this total, 15,321 were taken from surface water while the remaining 1,110 represent ground-water withdrawals. Totals by category are as follows (in million gallons per day): Thermoelectric power generation, 12 ,404; self-supplied industrial use, 2,362: public water supplies , 1,423; rural domestic and livestock, 201; and irrigation, 40. Per capita water use was calculated to be 1,528 gallons per day for an Ohio population of 10,751,000 in 1975. Jefferson County led all Ohio counties in total water use with 3,447 million gallons per day. This was nearly three times the usage of second-ranking Gallia County where withdrawals were 1,242 million gallons per day. The heavy water use in both of these Ohio River counties is due to large withdrawals for thermoelectic power generation. Cuyahoga, Lorain, and Lake Counties, all in the Cleveland metropolitan area, rank third, fourth, and fifth in the State with respective totals of 1,061, 1,047, and 1,030 million gallons per day. Water use is more diverse in this area, with public supplies, industrial use, and thermoelectric power all making significant impacts. (USGS)

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Flood of June 18, 1978, on Honey Creek tributary at Thornville, Ohio

A high-intensity summer rain estimated at 8 inches in 2 hours caused flooding on a small stream near Thornville, Ohio, destroying a culvert and highway fill on State Route 188. Computation of peak discharges of 3,250 feet3 per second at a site 4,400 feet above and of 4,050 feet3 per second at a site 3,250 feet below the culvert indicates a greater than 100-year flood.

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