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HIGH-RESOLUTION MONITORING OF ANTHROPOGENIC GROUNDWATER FLOW MODIFICATION: MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA

Check, Daniel F.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1185476150

Abstract Details

2007, Master of Science, University of Akron, Geology-Environmental Geology.
In 1997, the drilling of a residential well resulted in catastrophic, ongoing groundwater leakage into Scott Hollow Cave, at a depth of approximately 120 meters below the land surface. The cave system is on the Appalachian Plateau in southeastern West Virginia, within the Hillsdale Limestone and Maccrady Shale. Initial spot measurements of solutes showed that the leaking water had low nitrate, high sulfate, and was saturated with respect to calcite. This indicated long aquifer residence time, and minimal recharge from overlying agricultural lands. Spot measurements of discharge showed a trend of generally decreasing flow. This, in concert with loss of yield from surrounding wells, suggested that the drainage was causing substantial dewatering of one or more aquifers. To evaluate the long term effects on the aquifer(s), high-resolution monitoring of the leaking water was undertaken. A custom-built orifice weir, a transducer stage recorder, and conductivity and temperature sensors were installed in order to undertake the monitoring. The parameters were collected in both long-term (20-minute) and short-term (8 second) intervals on data loggers. In addition, grab samples were acquired at irregular intervals to measure pH and major ion concentrations, which allowed for conductance to be used as a proxy for overall water chemistry. Discharge has varied between 4.4 and 8.3 m3/hr over the approximately one-year period of investigation. The data show a rich structure not apparent from the initial spot interval sampling. Several different patterns of flow variance occur. The first pattern involves frequent downward spikes of magnitude 0.10 to 1.77 m3/hr, which last less than one time interval (20 minutes), and recur on the scale of minutes to hours. This pattern is caused by the pumping of a nearby residential well. A second pattern is a pseudo-sinusoidal undulation that is superimposed upon the long-term discharge, occurring for periods of hours to days, with a variation of up to +/- 0.25 m3/hr. This pattern is due to atmospheric loading caused by fluctuations in barometric (atmospheric) pressure. Finally, on a scale of months, a trend of long-term declining discharge, which consists of a gentle downward slope of approximately 0.2 m3/hr per month is seen. This pattern shows the continuous drainage and decline of one or more aquifers. Long-term measurements of conductivity and temperature also displayed short-term spikes, with the conductivity spikes occurring in a downward direction and the temperature spikes occurring in an upward direction. Conductivity spikes varied in magnitude between a drop of 0.687 µS/cm for the smallest spikes and a drop of 15.85 µS/cm for the largest spikes. Temperature spikes varied between an increase of 0.0047 °C and 0.0284 °C throughout the period of the study. High-resolution (8-second interval) monitoring of the parameters discharge, conductivity, and temperature was also undertaken. This monitoring revealed a connection between the major spikes of each of the parameters being monitored, where all three spikes occur nearly simultaneously. The drop in total head that occurs when the residential well is pumped causes a decrease in flow to the Spigot, and a corresponding short-term drop in water level (which relates to a drop discharge). The drop in water level corresponds to a drop in conductivity, which is due to the diminished mixing of two aquifers with slightly different water chemistry that occurs during pumping conditions. A small upward temperature spike is caused by the heating of the motor within the well pump. The installation of a current detector within the residential well shows that this well is the sole contributor to discharge spikes at the Spigot, and is therefore also likely related to the initial leakage in 1997. The aquifer providing the majority of water being discharged at the Spigot is probably a fractured-shale aquifer, even though there are adjacent karst features. This is based on the invariant geochemistry of the water samples collected at the Spigot, and the nature of the flow response during atmospheric loading.
Ira Sasowsky (Advisor)
Karst; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Well

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Citations

  • Check, D. F. (2007). HIGH-RESOLUTION MONITORING OF ANTHROPOGENIC GROUNDWATER FLOW MODIFICATION: MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1185476150

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Check, Daniel. HIGH-RESOLUTION MONITORING OF ANTHROPOGENIC GROUNDWATER FLOW MODIFICATION: MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA. 2007. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1185476150.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Check, Daniel. "HIGH-RESOLUTION MONITORING OF ANTHROPOGENIC GROUNDWATER FLOW MODIFICATION: MONROE COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1185476150

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.