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Distribution, source,
and significance of selected organic compounds in water from the Castle
Hayne aquifer, Cherry Point, North Carolina
Proceedings of the AWRA Symposium on Coastal Water Resources, Wilmington N.C.
By O.B. Lloyd, Jr. and C.C. Daniel, III
Abstract
From 1941-1987, groundwater withdrawals at Cherry Point have
lowered hydraulic heads as much as 30 feet around wells pumping
from the Castle Hayne aquifer, one of the most important
freshwater aquifers in coastal North Carolina. These head
declines have created or increased the potential for downward
movement of water from the surficial aquifer to the Castle Hayne
aquifer at Cherry Point. Former landfills and other waste
disposal sites are located near water supply wells at Cherry
Point and are suspected as sources of groundwater contamination
in the surficioal aquifer. The total thickness of confining
units occurring between land surface and the top of the Castle
Hayne aquifer ranges from 20 to 70 feet. Where thinnest, some of
the individual confining units are discontinuous, providing an
opportunity for relatively unimpeded downward movement of water
from the surficial aquifer to the Castle Hayne aquifer. Analyses
of water samples from wells tapping the Castle Hayne reveal the
presence of benzene and fatty acids, and related derivatives.
The benzene occurs where confining units are thin and
discontinuous; concentrations range from less than 0.2 to 1.9
micrograms/L. The fatty acids and derivatives occur in water
from wells near an old landfill where the confining units are 40
to 50 feet in total thickness; concentrations range from less
than 1 to 28 micrograms/L. The low level occurrence of these
contaminants in water from the Castle Hayne aquifer illustrates
the vulnerability of this important aquifer to contamination by
man 's activities.
Citation:
Lloyd, O.B., Jr., and Daniel, C.C., III, 1988, Distribution, source, and significance of selected organic compounds in water from the Castle Hayne aquifer, Cherry Point, North Carolina, in Lyke, W.L., and Hoban, T.J., Proceedings of the AWRA Symposium on Coastal Water Resources, Wilmington N.C., May 22-25, 1988: Bethesda, Md., American Water Resources Association, p. 519-530.
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