USGS - science for a changing world

South Atlantic Water Science Center - North Carolina Office

South Atlantic WSC Home Data Projects Publications Drought Floods Media About Us Contact [an error occurred while processing this directive]   Internal

Picture of the main North Carolina Water Science Center office.

PUBLICATIONS

Annual Water Data Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

USGS IN YOUR STATE

USGS Water Science Centers are located in each state.

There is a USGS Water Science Center office in each State. Washington Oregon California Idaho Nevada Montana Wyoming Utah Colorado Arizona New Mexico North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Minnesota Iowa Missouri Arkansas Louisiana Wisconsin Illinois Mississippi Michigan Indiana Ohio Kentucky Tennessee Alabama Pennsylvania West Virginia Georgia Florida Caribbean Alaska Hawaii New York Vermont New Hampshire Maine Massachusetts South Carolina North Carolina Rhode Island Virginia Connecticut New Jersey Maryland-Delaware-D.C.

Design of a monitoring network to detect the effects of land use on ground water quality and describe the contaminant flow system in the Piedmont of North Carolina

Proceedings of the Sixth National Symposium and Exposition on Aquifer Restoration and Ground Water Monitoring
By Douglas A. Harned


Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey is investigating the relation of ground -water quality and land use in the combined regolith and fractured rock ground water system of the North Carolina Piedmont. The study provides a description of the flow system, review of available data, and hypothesis formulation, used to determine a water-quality monitoring network design for detailed study of selected areas.

The Piedmont of North Carolina covers an area of approximately 20,000 square miles, or about 38 percent of the State. About half of the population within the Piedmont of North Carolina uses ground water for water supply. The igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Piedmont are mantled nearly everywhere by a cover of their own weathering products. The solid bedrock grades upwards into unweathered fractured rock, covered by a transition zone of highly-fractured, partially weathered rock, clay-rich-saprolite, and the soil. The fractured bedrock, transition zone, saprolite, and soil make up a complex aquifer system.

A review of available ground water quality data for the Piedmont shows a lack of information about organic compounds and trace metals that may be present in ground water. In addition, there is little information about variation of ground water quality with depth.

There are two principal hypotheses to be tested during the study: (1) the amount and type of ground water contamination in the system can be related to land use, and (2) the transition zone between bedrock and regolith, when present, serves as a primary transmitter of ground water and dissolved contaminants.

The water-quality monitoring network design covers basins with five land uses in North Carolina. Monitoring of basins containing old industrial, new industrial, downtown urban, residential in Mecklenburg County, and agricultural land uses in Guilford County, will help define the relation of ground water quality to land use. Water samples will be collected from a network of wells augered into the top of the saturated zone. Sampling wells open to different depths in the regolith and fractured rock system will help test the hypothesis that the transition zone is a primary transmitter of contaminated ground water. Sampling of streams during base flow will accompany sampling of wells.


Citation:

Harned, D.A., 1986, Design of a monitoring network to detect the effects of land use on ground water quality and describe the contaminant flow system in the Piedmont of North Carolina, in Proceedings of the Sixth National Symposium and Exposition on Aquifer Restoration and Ground Water Monitoring, Columbus, Ohio, May 19-22, 1986: Dublin, Ohio, National Water Well Association, p. 120-137.


For more information, contact To order printed copies, contact
North Carolina Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
3916 Sunset Ridge Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
(919) 571-4000
E-mail
North Carolina Water Science Center
U.S. Geological Survey
3916 Sunset Ridge Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
(919) 571-4037
E-mail
U.S. Geological Survey
Information Services
Box 25286, Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
 
1-888-ASK USGS

USGS Home Water Climate Change Core Science Ecosystems Energy and Minerals Env. Health Hazards

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

Take Pride in America logo USA.gov logo U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: https://nc.water.usgs.gov/reports/abstracts/GWdesign.html
Page Contact Information: North Carolina Web Development Team
Page Last Modified: Tuesday, 06-Dec-2016 10:49:55 EST