Contour Dataset of the Potentiometric Surface of Groundwater-Level Altitudes Near the Planned Highway 270 Bypass, East of Hot Springs, Arkansas, July-August 2017

This dataset contains 50-ft contours for the Hot Springs shallowest unit of the Ouachita Mountains aquifer system potentiometric-surface map. The potentiometric-surface shows altitude at which the water level would have risen in tightly-cased wells and represents synoptic conditions during the summer of 2017. Contours were constructed from 59 water-level measurements measured in selected wells (locations in the well point dataset).  Major streams and creeks were selected in the study area from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset (U.S. Geological Survey, 2017), and the spring point dataset with 18 spring altitudes calculated from 10-meter digital elevation model (DEM) data (U.S. Geological Survey, 2015; U.S. Geological Survey, 2016). After collecting, processing, and plotting the data, a potentiometric surface was generated using the interpolation method Topo to Raster in ArcMap 10.5 (Esri, 2017a). This tool is specifically designed for the creation of digital elevation models and imposes constraints that ensure a connected drainage structure and a correct representation of the surface from the provided contour data (Esri, 2017a). Once the raster surface was created, 50-ft contour interval were generated using Contour (Spatial Analyst), a spatial analyst tool (available through ArcGIS 3D Analyst toolbox) that creates a line-feature class of contours (isolines) from the raster surface (Esri, 2017b). The Topo to Raster and contouring done by ArcMap 10.5 is a rapid way to interpolate data, but computer programs do not account for hydrologic connections between groundwater and surface water. For this reason, some contours were manually adjusted based on topographical influence, a comparison with the potentiometric surface of Kresse and Hays (2009), and data-point water-level altitudes to more accurately represent the potentiometric surface.  
Select References:  
Esri, 2017a, How Topo to Raster works—Help | ArcGIS Desktop, accessed December 5, 2017, at ArcGIS Pro at http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/3d-analyst/how-topo-to-raster-works.htm. 
Esri, 2017b, Contour—Help | ArcGIS Desktop, accessed December 5, 2017, at ArcGIS Pro Raster Surface toolset at http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/3d-analyst/contour.htm.  
Kresse, T.M., and Hays, P.D., 2009, Geochemistry, Comparative Analysis, and Physical and Chemical Characteristics of the Thermal Waters East of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, 2006-09: U.S. Geological Survey 2009–5263, 48 p., accessed November 28, 2017, at https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5263/. U.S. Geological Survey, 2015, USGS NED 1 arc-second n35w094 1 x 1 degree ArcGrid 2015, accessed December 5, 2017, at The National Map: Elevation at https://nationalmap.gov/elevation.html. U.S. Geological Survey, 2016, USGS NED 1 arc-second n35w093 1 x 1 degree ArcGrid 2016, accessed December 5, 2017, at The National Map: Elevation at https://nationalmap.gov/elevation.html.

Tags: aquifer, arkansas, elevation, garland, groundwater, groundwater-and-surface-water-interaction, groundwater-flow, groundwater-level, hot-springs, hydrogeology, usgs-5d9b8832e4b036616291b3b5
Organization: Department of the Interior