Project Overview

Full Title
Atlantic Coastal Plain Ground-Water Availability

Location
 Coastal Plain aquifers of North and South Carolina

Cooperating Agencies
USGS Ground Water Resources Program

Project Chief
Alissa Coes

Period of Project
2004-2007

Regional Project Chief

Bruce Campbell
bcampbel@usgs.gov

Team Members
Jason Fine
Larry Harrelson

USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

Atlantic Coastal Plain Ground-Water Availability

Introduction

Approximate model boundary of the North and South Carolina Coastal Plain
Click on image for larger map

In January 2004, the U.S. Geological Survey began a 3-year study to combine and update the Regional Aquifer System Analysis (RASA) models of North and South Carolina in order to improve the understanding of ground-water availability in the Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system of both States. Increased ground-water withdrawals related to population growth and drought of the last few years have emphasized the need for more accurate, detailed information describing the ground-water resources in the Coastal Plain. Currently North Carolina and South Carolina do not have up-to-date ground-water flow models of the entire Coastal Plain aquifer system. Since completion of the RASA models, however, additional ground-water pumpage, water-level, and hydrogeologic framework data have been collected.

The North Carolina RASA model was one of the first developed in the national RASA Program (Giese and others, 1997). The Trescott (1975) code modified by Leahy (1982) was used in the computer model that was calibrated to predevelopment and 1980 ground-water conditions. The South Carolina RASA model was developed by Aucott (1988; 1996), calibrated to predevelopment and 1982 conditions, and later recalibrated by Campbell and van Heeswijk (1996) using data collected in 1989.