HYDROGEOLOGY AND WATER QUALITY AT 

THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EVALUATION 

AREA NEAR PIKETON, OHIO

By Martha L. Jagucki, Christopher D. Finton, Abraham E. Springer, 

and E. Scott Bair

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Water-Resources Investigations Report 95-4139

Columbus, Ohio 

1995
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GORDON P. EATON, Director

For additional information Copies of this report can be

write to: purchased from:

District Chief U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center

975 West Third Avenue ?pe?~rS£ ^°M7 r^i,, v^o OT-T xiQoio 3100 Box 25286, MS 517 Columbus, OH 43212-3192 Denyer Federal Building

	Denver, CO 80225
CONTENTS

Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................^ 1

Introduction....................................................................................._^ 2

Purpose and scope ...................................................................................................................................................... 2

Physical setting .......................................................................................................................................................... 2

Previous investigations .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................................................... 6

Methods of investigation ...................................................................................................................................................... 6

Precipitation measurement ......................................................................................................................................... 6

Discharge and stage measurement ............................................................................................................................. 6

Measurement of streambed hydraulic conductivity ................................................................................................... 6

Well installation.......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Water-level measurement and well instrumentation .................................................................................................. 7

Sediment sampling and analysis................................................................................................................................. 9

Water-quality sampling and analysis .......................................................................................................................... 10

Hydrogeology ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Geologic setting ......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Bedrock hydrostratigraphy................................................................................................................................ 11

Geomorphic history .......................................................................................................................................... 12

Outwash aquifer and alluvial deposits.............................................................................................................. 15

Selected aquifer characteristics .................................................................................................................................. 15

Grain-size distribution ...................................................................................................................................... 15

Hydraulic conductivity ..................................................................................................................................... 15

Grain-size distribution formulas ............................................................................................................ 20

Slug tests ................................................................................................................................................ 20

Specific-capacity tests ............................................................................................................................ 20

Multiple-well aquifer tests ..................................................................................................................... 22

Mineralogy of aquifer materials ....................................................................................................................... 23

Forms of carbon ................................................................................................................................................ 23

Total carbon ............................................................................................................................................ 23

Organic carbon ....................................................................................................................................... 27

Conceptual model of ground-water-flow system ....................................................................................................... 29

Horizontal flow ................................................................................................................................................ 29

Vertical flow .................................................................................................................................................... 32

Ground-water/surface-water interactions ............................................................................................... 32

Bedrock-outwash interaction ................................................................................................................. 38

Vertical flow gradients within the outwash deposits .............................................................................. 38

Ground-water budget ................................................................................................................................................. 42

Infiltration of precipitation ............................................................................................................................... 44

Leakage from bedrock ..................................................................................................................................... 45

Infiltration from Big Beaver Creek .................................................................................................................. 47

Discharge to the Scioto River........................................................................................................................... 48

Withdrawals from wells ................................................................................................................................... 50

Storage .............................................................................................................................................................. 50

Summary of ground-water budget ................................................................................................................... 51

Water quality ....................................................................................................................................................................... 51

Surface water.............................................................................................................................................................. 52

Ground water.............................................................................................................................................................. 52

Bedrock aquifer ................................................................................................................................................ 52

Distinguishing characteristics ................................................................................................................ 52

Areal differences and temporal variations ............................................................................................. 57

Outwash Aquifer .............................................................................................................................................. 57

Distinguishing characteristics ................................................................................................................ 57

Contents III
CONTENTS Continued

Spatial differences and temporal variations ........................................................................................... 58

Specific conductance, dissolved solids, and chloride .................................................................. 58

Sodium and potassium.................................................................................................................. 58

Alkalinity and pH ......................................................................................................................... 58

Eh ................................................................................................................................................. 62

Dissolved oxygen ......................................................................................................................... 62

Sulfate .......................................................................................................................................... 62

Nitrate ........................................................................................................................................... 62

Iron and manganese ..................................................................................................................... 65

Age of outwash and bedrock waters ............................................................................................................... 65

Controls on water quality ..................................................................................................................................................... 71

Surface water .............................................................................................................................................................. 72

Ground water ....................................................................................................................._^ 73

Mixing of bedrock and outwash aquifer waters ............................................................................................... 73

Rock-water interactions ................................................................................................................................... 75

Sources of silica ..................................................................................................................................... 81

Carbonate equilibria reactions ............................................................................................................... 81

Oxidation-reduction reactions........................................................................................................................... 81

Oxidation-reduction of organic carbon .................................................................................................. 81

Oxidation-reduction of iron and manganese .......................................................................................... 83

Oxidation-reduction of nitrogen.............................................................................................................. 84

Oxidation-reduction of sulfur.................................................................................................................. 87

Effect of surface water on ground-water chemistry......................................................................................... 87

Summary and conclusions ................................................................................................................................................... 87

References cited ................................................................................................................................................................... 90

FIGURES

1. Map showing location of the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.................................................... 3

2. Map showing data-collection network at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area..................................... 5

3. Diagram of generalized well construction, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area........................................ 8

4. Map showing ancestral Teays and Newark River Valleys in southern Ohio.............................................................. 13

5. Map showing bedrock topography in the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area........................................... 14

6. Map showing thickness of valley-fill sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area...................... 16

7. Map showing location of geologic sections and borings, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.................. 17

8. Geologic section A-A', Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area...................................................................... 18

9. Geologic section B-B', Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area....................................................................... 19

10. Graphs showing hydraulic conductivities, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area,

calculated for various sediment types........................................................................................................................ 21

11. Graphs showing relation of concentration of total carbon and organic carbon in alluvium and

outwash sediments as a function of depth below land surface................................................................................... 28

12. Map showing ground-water levels and ground-water-flow paths at the Ohio Management Systems

Evaluation Area, July 1-3,1991................................................................................................................................. 30

13. Diagrams showing vectors of hydraulic gradient at the water table for each farming plot,

Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, April 1991-October 1992.................................................................. 31

14. Hydrographs showing relation between stage of the Scioto River (observer data) and water levels 

in wells R6-WT, R5-WT and R4-WT, and R7-WT (continuous data logger), Ohio Management 

Systems Evaluation Area, August 1991-September 1992 ......................................................................................... 33

15. Map showing ground-water levels and apparent ground-water-flow paths at the Ohio Management

Systems Evaluation Area during a transient flow-reversal event, July 17,1992....................................................... 34

IV Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
FIGURES Continued

16. Hydrographs showing relation between stage of Big Beaver Creek (observer data) and water levels 

in the outwash aquifer at wells Rl-WT and R8-WT (continuous data logger), 

August 1991-September 1992.................................................................................................................................... 37

17. Hydrographs showing relation between water levels in the outwash aquifer and the bedrock aquifer

at well clusters Rl, R2, and R6, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area......................................................... 39

18. Map showing location of generalized potentiometric sections and sections showing vertical

variation in constituent concentrations, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area ............................................. 40

19. Potentiometric section along flow path through plot 300, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation

Area, June 3-5, 1991 .................................................................................................................................................. 41

20. Potentiometric section along flow path through plot 100, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation

Area, during June 3-5, 1991, and July 1-3, 1991 ....................................................................................................... 43

21. Hydrograph showing relation between precipitation and water level at well S5-WT, Ohio

Management Systems Evaluation Area, August 1991 - September 1992.................................................................. 45

22. Graph showing estimation of infiltration of precipitation and ground-water storage by use of 

hydrograph-separation methods, well S5-WT, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, 

October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992 ........................................................................................................................ 49

23. Piper diagram showing major cation and anion percentages of ground-water samples 

(November 1991) and surface-water samples (April-November 1991) collected at the 

Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area............................................................................................................. 53

24. Graphs showing water quality as a function of depth at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation

Area, October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992............................................................................................................... 54

25. Maps showing areal variation in specific conductance in the outwash aquifer near the water table

and at approximately 60 feet below land surface, June 1991..................................................................................... 59

26. Diagramatic section showing vertical variation in specific conductance approximately perpendicular

to flow in the outwash aquifer, June 1991.................................................................................................................. 60

27. Maps showing areal variation in sodium concentration and potassium concentration in the outwash

aquifer at approximately 60 feet below land surface, June 1991............................................................................... 61

28. Generalized section showing vertical variation in redox potential, parallel to flow in the outwash

aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991............................................................................. 63

29. Generalized section showing vertical variation in dissolved-oxygen concentration, parallel to flow

in the outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991..................................................... 64

30. Diagramatic section showing vertical variation in nitrate concentration in the outwash aquifer in

April, June, and November 1991, parallel to flow, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area............................ 66

31. Generalized section showing vertical variation in nitrate concentration, parallel to flow in the

outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991............................................................... 68

32. Generalized section showing vertical variation in dissolved-iron concentration, parallel to flow

in the outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991..................................................... 69

33. Graph showing estimates of concentration of tritium in precipitation for central Ohio, St. Louis, Mo.,

and Washington, D.C., 1953-1989 ............................................................................................................................. 70

34. Graph showing tritium concentration in ground water as a function of depth below land surface

at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, April 1991-September 1992.................................................... 72

35. Graph showing concentration of sodium as a function of chloride concentration and calculated 

percentage of bedrock water in the outwash aquifer at the Ohio Management Systems 

Evaluation Area, April-November 1991.................................................................................................................... 74

36. Map showing areal variation in percentage contribution of bedrock water to the outwash aquifer at

approximately 60 feet below land surface, April-November 1991............................................................................ 78

37. Generalized section showing vertical variation in contribution of bedrock water to the outwash aquifer................ 79

3 8. Graph showing concentration of calcium plus magnesium as a function of concentration of bicarbonate

in shallow, intermediate, and deep zones of the outwash aquifer, November 1991................................................... 82

39. Graph showing saturation index of siderite as a function of dissolved-solids concentration

in ground water at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, November 1991............................................. 84

Contents
TABLES

1. Summary of well construction at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area....................................................... 94

2. Generalized stratigraphic column of bedrock near the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area...................... 11

3. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity as determined from slug tests, specific-capacity tests, and

multiple-well aquifer tests at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area........................................................ 22

4. Mineralogy of aquifer sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area ............................................. 24

5. Carbon content of aquifer sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area........................................ 25

6. Daily linear gradient between the Scioto River and well R5-WT and cumulative distance traveled 

inland by a water particle during a flow-reversal event at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation 

Area, July 14-31, 1992..........................................................................................^^ 35

7. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of streambed of Big Beaver Creek at the Ohio Management Systems

Evaluation Area.......................................................................................................................................................... 38

8. Estimation of evapotranspiration and infiltration of precipitation at the Ohio Management Systems

Evaluation Area.......................................................................................................................................................... 46

9. Recharge rates for selected areas of Ohio and estimation methods used................................................................... 47

10. Stage, width, and discharge of Big Beaver Creek near the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation

Area in April, June, and November 1991................................................................................................................... 48

11. Areal variation in recharge and ground-water storage at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation

Area, October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992............................................................................................................... 50

12. Summary of ground-water budget for the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area,

October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992......................................................................................................................... 51

13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems

Evaluation Area.......................................................................................................................................................... 98

14. Tritium content of ground water at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.............................................. 71

15. Percentage ground water contributed by bedrock to wells at the Ohio Management Systems

Evaluation Area.......................................................................................................................................................... 76

16. Mineral saturation indices for ground water at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area,

November 1991.......................................................................................................................................................... 80

VI Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
CONVERSION FACTORS, VERTICAL DATUM, AND ABBREVIATED WATER-QUALITY UNITS

Multiply

inch (in.)

foot (ft)

mile (mi)

square foot (ft2)

square mile (mi2)

acre

inch per hour (in/h)

inch per year (in/yr)

foot per day (ft/d)

foot per mile (ft/mi)

foot squared per day (ft2/d)

cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

cubic foot per day (ft3/d)

gallon (gal)

gallon per minute (gal/min)

gallon per day (gal/d)

million gallons per day (Mgal/d)

By

2.54

0.3048

1.609

0.0929

2.589

4,047

2.54

2.54

0.3048

0.1894

0.0929

0.02832

0.02832

3.758

0.06308

3.785

3.785

To obtain

millimeter

meter

kilometer

square meter

square kilometer

square meter

centimeter per hour

centimeter per year

meter per day

meter per kilometer

meter squared per day

cubic meter per second

cubic meter per day

liter

liter per second

liter per day

million liters per day

Water and air temperatures in degrees Celsius (°C) can be convened to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) by the following equation:

°F=1.8(°C) + 32

Sea level: In this report, "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929) a geodetic datum derived 

from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929.

Abbreviated water-quality units used In this report: Concentrations of chemical constituents and temperatures of air and water are 

given in metric units. Concentration is given in milligrams per liter (mg/L); this unit expresses the concentration of chemical constituents 

in solution as weight (milligrams) of solute per unit volume (liter) of solution (water). For concentrations of dissolved solids in water less 

than 7,000 mg/L, the numerical values are, for practical purposes, the same as for concentrations in parts per millioa In places, concentrations are given in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Concentration of tritium, a radioisotope of hydrogen, is given in tritium units (TU).

Specific conductance of water is expressed in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (nS/cm). This unit is equivalent to 

micromhos per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (umho/cm), formerly used by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Pore sizes of membrane filters are given in micrometers (\im). Eh is expressed as millivolts (mv).

Contents VII

)4
Farm at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management 

Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio

By Martha L. Jagucki, Christopher D. Finton1 , Abraham E. Springer1 , andE. Scott Bair1

Abstract

This report presents the results of a study 

by the U.S. Geological Survey, The Ohio State 

University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to describe the hydrology, water quality, and 

geochemical factors controlling water quality at 

the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area 

(MSEA). The Ohio MSEA is located on a 

650-acre farm in the Scioto River Valley in Pike 

County, south-central Ohio. The farm is underlain by an incised bedrock valley filled with about 

70 feet of sand and gravel outwash deposits that 

are covered by a veneer of silty clay alluvium and 

silty loam and sandy loam soils. Outwash sediments are composed predominantly of dolomite, 

quartz, and calcite, and have a median organic 

carbon concentration of 0.39 weight percent. 

Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the sediments based on results of multiple-well aquifer 

tests ranges from 400 to 560 feet per day.

Ground-water flow is from east to westsouthwest at an average velocity of 1.5 to 2.5 feet 

per day. Ground water and surface water at the 

site are highly interconnected. Big Beaver Creek 

recharges the outwash aquifer along the eastern 

edge of the study area, and ground water discharges to the Scioto River at the western edge of 

the study area. High-stage events on the Scioto 

River cause frequent flow reversals in the aquifer 

that allow streamwater to travel a maximum 

observed distance of 190 feet inland. A zone of

1 The Ohio State University, Department of Geological 

Sciences, Columbus, Ohio.

oxidizing waters (characterized by high dissolved 

oxygen concentration and Eh) is found in shallow 

ground water for several hundred feet adjacent to 

Big Beaver Creek and the Scioto River. This zone 

of oxidizing ground water is caused by the 

periodic inflow of surface waters to the aquifer.

A ground-water budget for the study area 

indicates that the aquifer received 17.7 inches of 

recharge during water year 1992; of this amount, 

72 percent originated as infiltrating precipitation, 

28 percent as infiltration of surface water from 

Big Beaver Creek, and 0.2 percent as leakage 

from bedrock.

Areal variation in water quality is caused 

by areal differences in the relative importance of 

these three recharge sources. The effects of bedrock leakage are evident only in the northeast 

comer of the study area. Here, deep outwash 

waters are transitional in composition between the 

calcium magnesium bicarbonate waters found 

elsewhere in the outwash aquifer and the calcium 

sodium chloride waters of the bedrock aquifer. 

Mixing calculations indicate that these deep outwash waters are composed of as much as 

26 percent bedrock water. In the southern part of 

the MSEA, ground water is diluted by surface 

water from Big Beaver Creek as it recharges the 

aquifer through a sand and gravel streambed. At 

the northeast corner of the MSEA, however, 

Big Beaver Creek flows across a shale streambed 

through which no infiltration occurs.

Redox reactions in the outwash aquifer 

control variations in aquifer chemistry with depth. 

From the water table to about 40 feet below land 

surface, oxidizing conditions are characterized by

Abstract
the presence of dissolved oxygen and nitrates in 

ground water, Eh greater than 200 millivolts, ferrihydrite coatings on sediment grains, and the 

absence of dissolved iron and manganese. From 

about 40 feet below land surface to the base of the 

aquifer, reducing conditions are characterized by 

dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 

2 mg/L, Eh less than 200 millivolts, and the presence of dissolved iron and manganese. Denitrification in the reducing zone naturally remediates 

anthropogenic nitrate contamination of the 

aquifer while oxidizing pyrite in the aquifer sediments.

INTRODUCTION

Recent reconnaissance studies of ground-water 

and surface-water quality have created national concern about agricultural nonpoint-source contamination 

of water resources. The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency's National Pesticide Survey (1990) 

concluded that nitrate is present at detectable concentrations in water from more than 50 percent of the 

Nation's drinking-water wells. In addition, the survey 

estimated that pesticides are present at detectable concentrations in water from 10 percent of all community 

water-well systems in the United States. The 

U.S. Geological Survey's Midcontinental Herbicide 

Initiative, one purpose of which was to investigate the 

effects of agricultural nonpoint-source contamination 

on surface water, found detectable concentrations of 

pesticides in streams throughout the Midwest 

(Goolsby and Battaglin, 1993).

The Management Systems Evaluation Area 

(MSEA) project was established as part of the 

Presidential Initiative on Enhancing Water Quality 

(Bush, 1989) to address the concern about agricultural 

nonpoint-source contamination. MSEA's were established in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, and 

Ohio because, combined, the Corn Belt States2 are 

responsible for more than 59 percent of the Nation's 

total pesticide use (Gianessi and Puffer, 1988). The 

purpose of the MSEA studies is to investigate the 

effects of different agricultural management systems

2The Corn Belt States are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, 

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, 

South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

on ground-water quality in the Corn Belt and to investigate factors affecting the fate and transport of pesticides and nutrients.

Accurate evaluation of the effects of agricultural 

practices on ground-water quality requires quantification and description of the physical and chemical 

characteristics of the soil and geologic materials 

underlying each MSEA site. The hydrologic and 

water-quality characterization at the Ohio MSEA was 

part of a collaborative effort between the 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and The Ohio State 

University (OSU), Department of Geological 

Sciences. The overall MSEA program in Ohio is a 

cooperative research and educational effort of the 

Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center 

and the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service at OSU; 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, Cooperative State Research 

Service, and Extension Service; the USGS; and other 

State and Federal agencies.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this report is to (1) describe the 

geologic and hydrologic setting, including the groundwater budget, at the Ohio MSEA, and (2) characterize 

ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio 

MSEA. The report also includes a discussion of the 

geologic and geochemical factors controlling water 

quality in the subsurface materials. Spatial variability 

of physical aquifer characteristics and spatial and temporal variability of water-quality characteristics are 

emphasized.

This report presents findings from data collected 

during January 1991-September 1992 by the USGS 

and by personnel of OSU, the Piketon Research and 

Extension Center (PREC), and the USDA.

Physical Setting

The Ohio MSEA is on the 650-acre Van Meter 

farm in Pike County, south-central Ohio, approximately 1.2 mi south of Piketon (fig. 1). The farm is in 

the relatively flat Scioto River Valley, which is approximately 1.5 mi wide in the study area. The valley is 

bounded on both sides by uplands that rise as much as 

600 ft above the valley floor.

Geomorphic features on the valley floor include 

three terraces and numerous meander scars. The

2 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
830Q2'30" 83<>01'30"

39°03' L' :

39°02'

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER 

STUDY-AREA BOUNDARY

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lntervals, in feet 

above sea level, are the following:

Study Area rlOHIO f

~^S

GRAVEL ROAD 

LEVEE 

TERRACE 

BUILDING

100 feet 

20 feet 

10 feet

Figure 1. Location of the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

Introduction
farmhouse and outbuildings are on the uppermost terrace. The middle and lower terraces are separated by a 

5- to 8-ft-high bank. A particularly deep meander scar 

lies just west of the bank, on the north-central part of 

the farm. This historic meander is now partly filled 

with alluvial deposits. The Scioto River and its tributary, Big Beaver Creek, flow from north to south along 

the western and eastern edges of the valley, respectively. The valley slopes at an average of 6.4 ft/mi 

(0.12 percent) toward these streams. A wooded riparian wetland parallels the Scioto River and has a maximum width of 500 ft. The woods are bounded to the 

east by a low, earthen levee.

Approximately 134 acres on the middle terrace 

have been leased by the MSEA project to implement 

three different agricultural management practices. 

(See plots 100,200, and 300 in fig. 1.) The hydrologic 

and water-quality data described in this report, however, represent the entire farm. The area between plot 

100 and the uppermost terrace, as well as the land east 

of U.S. Highway 23, is used as pasture. The remainder of the site has been in agricultural production since 

1801. Since the early 1960's, crops have consisted 

predominantly of corn, soybeans, and wheat. Only 

part of the farm has ever been irrigated, and that irrigation was done only during the drought of 1987-89.

Near the farm buildings are a private watersupply well and septic system. A well field at the 

southwest corner of the property (fig. 2) provides 

about 1.9 Mgal/d of sanitary and process water to the 

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility, which is 

approximately 1.2 mi southeast of the Van Meter farm.

Soils at the MSEA consist of sandy loam and 

silt loam through which infiltration readily occurs. No 

subsurface drainage tile underlies the farm because 

waterlogging and soil erosion are not problems in this 

area (Ward and others, 1990). Site soils have been 

described in detail by Hendershot (1990) and the Soil 

Conservation Service (unpublished data on file at the 

Columbus, Ohio, office).

Mean annual precipitation for the study area 

was 40.14 in. for the period 1951-81, as recorded at 

the Waverly Waste Water Station of the National 

Weather Service (NWS) network (Hendershot, 1990, 

p. 154). Monthly precipitation in Pike County is typically greatest during March through August and least 

during October through February.

Previous Investigations

Descriptions of the five-state MSEA research 

project are given by Hatfield and others (1993) and 

Ward and others (1994). Objectives and methods of 

investigation specific to the Ohio MSEA are described 

by Ward and others (1990, 1993).

Geology and water-supply potential of the 

Scioto River Valley in Pike County have been extensively studied. Aquifer thickness and sediment characteristics west of Piketon and approximately 1.2 mi 

north of the MSEA site are described by Norris and 

Fidler (1969); also described are the hydraulic properties of the aquifer as determined by a 9-day multiplewell aquifer test The logs of test borings and test 

wells for the above study and the drawdown and 

recovery data from the aquifer test were published 

separately by Norris and Fidler in 1967. Norris 

(1983a, 1983b) also published results of 12 additional 

multiple-well aquifer tests in Pike County along the 

Scioto River, 2 of which were done in the current 

study area. Norris (1991) later reinterpreted these data 

by use of time-drawdown methods.

Two reports describe water quality in addition to 

the hydrology of the area. A map titled "GroundWater Resources of Pike County" (Raab, 1989) 

describes well yields and aquifer types in the county 

and includes chemical analyses of samples from five 

wells. Nortz (1991) simulated ground-water flow and 

characterized water quality in an 18-mi2 area surrounding the Piketon well field. Nortz's study area 

included the northernmost edge of the MSEA.

Despite all the available hydrologic and waterquality data cited above, not enough detailed information existed about subsurface conditions at the Ohio 

MSEA to document the effects of agricultural practices on the aquifer. Consequently, MSEA researchers 

studied several hydrochemical processes in order to 

understand how the physical characteristics of the site 

affected the fate and transport of agrochemicals. 

Salchow and Lal (1993) described the physical and 

hydrologic properties of soils in the leased MSEA 

plots. Nitrogen cycling in soils was examined by Dick 

and Jacinthe (1993), Subler and Chammas (1993), 

and Subler and others (1993). Workman (1993) 

studied the persistence of agrochemicals in surface 

soils. To determine a conservative rate of chemical 

transport through the unsaturated zone, Springer and 

others (1993) did a tracer test by means of surfaceapplied bromide. Biodegradation rates of pesticides in 

the subsurface were examined by McMahon and

4 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Al 

A2

39°03' -

39°02'

83002'30" 

I

83°01'30"

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

I I I l| ! I | I I I

0 1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

Study Area

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-interval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

GRAVEL ROAD 

LEVEE

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WATER-SUPPLY 

WELL

DOMESTIC WELL AND NUMBER 

Van Meter 

Ohio Department of Transportation

OR12 

 S1O

D R6

OBSERVATION WELLS AND LOCAL IDENTIFIERS 

S2 Multiport sampler 

Piezometer

Well cluster one well screened at water table; 

one multiport sampler

Well cluster one well screened at water table; 

one multiport sampler; one well completed 

in bedrock

SURFACE-WATER DATA-COLLECTION SITE

SEEPAGE-METER TEST LOCATION AND 

IDENTIFIER

Figure 2. Data-collection network at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

introduction
others (1992) and Radosevich and others (1993). 

O'Loughlin and others (1993a, b) also studied the spatial variability of atrazine and alachlor sorption in soils 

and aquifer sediments. Springer (1994) did a fieldscale tracer test to measure transport parameters for 

reactive and nonreactive species in the outwash 

aquifer.

Acknowledgments

The authors express appreciation to John Van 

Meter, Madera Brown, and the Ohio Department of 

Transportation for allowing access to their wells for 

water-level measurement. The authors also gratefully 

acknowledge the assistance of Tom Kramer of Martin 

Marietta, for providing pumping-rate information for 

the DOE wells; and Bill Sheppard, for his drill-rigtowing services.

METHODS OF INVESTIGATION

Buchanan and Somers (1969). Beginning in April 

1992, stream stage was measured daily on the Scioto 

River and Big Beaver Creek by PREC and USDA personnel. Stage measurements were made from surveyed reference marks on the bridges mentioned 

above.

Because stage data for the Scioto River measured by the NWS at its wire-weight gage in Piketon, 

Ohio, are more complete than stage data collected 

onsite, hydrographs of the Scioto River shown in this 

report are based on NWS data. Scioto River altitudes 

measured at the MSEA site were used to determine an 

average gradient correction factor of 3.71 ft between 

the NWS station in Piketon and the SR 124 bridge at 

the Ohio MSEA. Stream altitude adjacent to well cluster R6 was surveyed in December 1992 to obtain a 

gradient-correction factor of 1.39 ft between the surveyed location and the Scioto River at the SR 124 

bridge. Gradient-correction factors adjacent to wells 

R5 and R7 were interpolated from the known streamgradient data at the SR 124 bridge and adjacent to well 

R6.

Precipitation Measurement

Historic mean monthly precipitation and temperature for the area were obtained from the Waverly 

Waste Water Station, which is operated by the NWS 

and is about 6 mi north of the MSEA. Daily and 

monthly precipitation data were obtained from the 

NWS gage in Piketon, 1.2 mi north of the study site. 

The gage in Piketon has been measuring precipitation 

since 1942.

Discharge and Stage Measurement

Surface-water data were collected from two 

locations at the MSEA (fig. 2). Data on the Scioto 

River were collected from the SR 124 bridge over the 

Scioto River, 2.7 river mi southwest of Piketon and 

0.1 mi east of Jasper. Data on Big Beaver Creek were 

collected from the bridge where Cemetery Road 

crosses Big Beaver Creek, approximately 0.3 mi east 

of the intersection of U.S. Highway 23 and SR 124, 

1.4 mi south of Piketon and 2.9 mi upstream from the 

Scioto River.

Discharge data were collected three times (in 

April, June, and November 1991) at or near the above 

locations, according to methods described by

Measurement of Streambed Hydraulic 

Conductivity

Hydraulic conductivity (K) of the Big Beaver 

Creek streambed was determined by seepage-meter 

tests at three locations (fig. 2) in July 1991 and August 

1992. Seepage meters were designed according to 

specifications given by Lee and Cherry (1978), and 

details of the test methods used at the MSEA are 

described by Finton (1994). Adjacent to the seepage 

meter at each test location, a piezometer was driven 

approximately 3 ft into the streambed. Stream stage at 

each location and head in the piezometers were used to 

determine the vertical hydraulic gradient across the 

streambed.

The data from the seepage-meter tests were substituted into Darcy's equation,

Q = KA(dh/dl), (1)

where Q is the volume of water discharged into or 

from the seepage meter, A is the area of streambed 

covered by the seepage meter, and dh/dl is the 

measured vertical hydraulic gradient (Darcy, 1856). 

The equation was solved for K to generate a vertical 

streambed K for each test location.

6 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Well Installation

Figure 2 shows the location of the 2 domestic 

wells, 22 well clusters and (or) multiport samplers, 

and 4 piezometers used for data collection. The two 

domestic wells were installed in the 1950's for water 

supply; the other 37 wells were installed in clusters 

from January through March 1991. The four piezometers were installed after March 1991 to obtain additional water-level information. Well-construction 

details for each location are summarized in table 1 (at 

back of report).

One multiport well was completed in the outwash deposits at each of the 22 well-cluster locations 

to enable the collection of water-quality samples and 

water-level data at discrete depths. At 11 locations, a 

water-table well also was installed in the outwash, 

adjacent to the multiport well, to enable aquifer testing 

and instrumentation. Wells were completed in the 

bedrock at four of the clusters to allow investigation of 

bedrock-outwash relations. All boreholes in the cluster locations were drilled by cable-tool methods 

because of the noncohesive nature of the aquifer sediments. Water obtained from the Van Meter domestic 

well (fig. 2) was the only drilling fluid added to the 

boreholes. The piezometers were installed in boreholes drilled by means of a hollow-stem auger. All 

drilling tools were cleaned between cluster locations 

to avoid cross-contamination of potentially pesticidecontaining sediments.

A sample well-construction log of each of the 

three well types (bedrock, multiport, and water table) 

is shown in figure 3. The annular space opposite the 

screened zones of all wells was packed with pure 

quartz sand, and a fine quartz sand of a smaller diameter than the surrounding aquifer material was added as 

a permeability boundary above and (or) between the 

screened zone(s). Permeability boundaries were used 

instead of bentonite seals because of the absence of 

confining units in the aquifer and the tendency for 

organic compounds to adsorb to bentonite and potentially alter the ground-water chemistry. Aquifer materials were allowed to collapse around the casing and, 

at a minimum, the uppermost 5 ft of each borehole 

was grouted with a mixture of cement and 2 percent 

bentonite. A cement seal was added at land surface. 

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) casing, when used, was 

flush threaded.

Each multiport well was constructed of a telescoping 2.5- to 3.0-in.3-diameter PVC casing string 

with sampling and water-level-measurement ports at

approximately 14, 18,22, and 26 ft below land surface. (For specific port depths, see table 1.) Ten wells 

had additional ports at approximately 40 and 60 ft 

below land surface. Each port consisted of a 

3/8-in.-diameter, 75-pm stainless-steel-mesh filter that 

is attached to a hollow stainless steel stem inside the 

PVC casing. Polyethylene tubing (3/8 in.) was 

clamped to the stainless steel stem and rises to land 

surface inside the sealed casing string. Each port 

screen was wrapped with filter cloth to keep silt from 

entering the opening. Sampling ports were equipped 

with a dedicated nitrogen-drive system consisting of 

two stainless steel, one-way check valves attached 

directly to the port stem.

The 11 water-table wells were constructed with 

6-in. PVC casing and completed in the outwash aquifer. A 20-ft-long, PVC, 0.10-in. slotted well screen 

was positioned to bracket the highest and lowest 

expected water-table altitudes in each well.

The four bedrock wells were constructed by 

driving 8-in. steel casing through the outwash sediments and into competent bedrock and then drilling 

another 15 ft into bedrock. A 4-in., 10-ft-long, 

0.10-in. slotted PVC screen was then placed in the bottom of the borehole (in the upper zone of the bedrock) 

and was sandpacked. A 4-in. PVC casing was 

installed inside the steel casing, and the annular space 

between the two casings was grouted to the surface 

with a mixture of cement and 2 percent bentonite.

The four piezometers were constructed with 

0.5-in. PVC casing. Each piezometer had a 5-ft-long, 

0.2-in. slotted screen. Screens were emplaced below 

the lowest expected altitude of the water table.

Water-Level Measurement and Well 

Instrumentation

The 11 water-table wells and 4 bedrock wells 

were instrumented with shaft encoders and electronic 

data loggers that recorded hourly water levels. Specific conductance and temperature also were recorded 

hourly in six of the water-table wells (table 1). 

Changes in water level, specific conductance, and temperature in the water-table wells were used to identify 

episodes of recharge to the outwash aquifer (hereafter 

called recharge events). These data were also

3 All pipe, tubing, and split-spoon sampler sizes mentioned in 

this report represent nominal inside diameters.

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8 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
collected so that hydrographs from paired water-table 

and bedrock wells could be compared and that interaction of the bedrock and outwash aquifers could be 

qualitatively defined.

To define vertical- and horizontal-flow 

gradients, investigators measured water levels in the 

22 multiport wells at least once a month beginning in 

April 1991. Water levels in the two domestic wells 

were measured monthly beginning in August 1991. 

Monthly measurement of water levels in the four piezometers began in June 1992. Measurements were 

made by use of an electric tape; measurement error 

was +0.03 ft.

Sediment Sampling and Analysis

Subsurface sediment samples for evaluating the 

spatial variability of physical aquifer characteristics 

were obtained at the time of well installation by use of 

a split-spoon sampler. Depending on sediment grain 

size, a split-spoon sampler of appropriate diameter 

(4-in. diameter by 3-ft long or a 2-in. diameter by 

2-ft long) was used for optimal sample recovery. Samples were collected at a maximum interval of every 

5 ft in the deepest borehole at each well-cluster location and were logged by an onsite geologist. If no 

major stratigraphic changes were observed within the 

sample, the length of the sample was composited; 

approximately 500 g of the composited sediment was 

placed in a plastic bag for analysis of grain-size distribution, and an additional 50 g was collected in an 

opaque polyethylene jar for determination of total carbon and organic carbon concentration. The organic 

carbon samples were refrigerated until time of analysis. If two or more sediment types were collected 

within a split-spoon sample, separate grain-size 

distribution and organic carbon analyses were done for 

each sediment type.

Grain-size samples were analyzed by dry-sieve 

methods at the Columbus, Ohio, office of the USGS 

according to methods described by W.S. Tyler, Inc. 

(1976) and Guy (1969). Sieve sizes were 64, 32, 16, 

8,4,2, 1.4, 1.0, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, and 0.063 mm. Clay, 

clayey silt, and bedrock samples were not suitable for 

analysis by this method.

Vertical variations in K were estimated by 

means of grain-size-distribution data. Estimation 

methods were developed by Hazen (1893) and by 

Norris and Fidler (1965). The Hazen method and the 

Norris and Fidler method are empirical relations based

on characteristics taken from grain-size distribution 

curves. The Hazen equation (eq. 2) is based on the 

measurement of effective grain size:

K = C(D10)2, (2)

where K is hydraulic conductivity (vectorless, in centimeters per second); DJQ is the effective grain size (in 

centimeters), defined as the particle size at which 

10 percent of the sample, by weight, is finer; and C is a 

coefficient (with units of l/(cm)(s)) based on observed 

grain-size distribution. According to Fetter (1988, 

p. 81-82), C for very fine to fine, poorly sorted sand is 

40 to 80; C for medium, well- sorted sand is 80 to 120; 

C for coarse, poorly sorted sand also is 80 to 120; and 

C for coarse, well- sorted sand is 120 to 150. For purposes of comparison in this report, K's calculated by 

use of the Hazen method were converted to units of 

feet per day.

The Norris and Fidler equation (eq. 3) is based 

on the determination of the uniformity coefficient 

obtained from grain-size distribution data:

= CU, (3)

where K is hydraulic conductivity (vectorless, in gallons per day per square foot); C is a constant ranging 

from 250 to 275 (250 was used for this study); and U 

is the uniformity coefficient, defined as D60/D10, or 

the ratio of the particle size (in millimeters) at which 

60 percent of the sample (by weight) is finer to the 

effective grain size (in millimeters).

Results of equations 2 and 3 can be affected by 

sampling bias. Use of a split-spoon sampler that is 

smaller in diameter than gravel clasts in the formation 

will exclude gravel from the sample, and the Hazen 

method of calculation will give artificially low K's. 

Alternatively, loss of fines from the split-spoon 

sampler will produce artificially high K's if the Hazen 

method is used. The effects of sampling bias on K's 

calculated by use of the Norris and Fidler method vary 

with the degree of sorting of the sediment sample.

Carbon analyses were done at the Soil 

Characterization Laboratory, OSU Department of 

Agronomy, Columbus, Ohio. The total carbon concentration was determined by the dry combustion 

method, as specified by the U.S. Soil Conservation 

Service (1967) and by Post (1958). The calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) of inorganic carbon was 

determined by gasometric evolution of carbon

Methods of Investigation 9
dioxide (CO2), and organic carbon was estimated as 

the difference between the total carbon and the inorganic carbon by use of the following equation:

OC = TC - [(CCE x 0.12) -0.34], (4)

where 0.12 is the gram atomic weight ratio of carbon 

to calcium carbonate and 0.34 is (CCE x 0.12) of an 

acid-washed sea-sand blank.

Water-Quality Sampling and Analysis

Water-quality data were used, in conjunction 

with other ground-water and surface-water data, to 

conceptualize the flow system, to identify anthropogenic inputs to the system, and to evaluate geochemical controls on the system. A total of 32 ground-water 

samples were collected by USGS personnel4 from 

10 well-cluster locations 3 times during the 1991 

growing season (April, preplanting; June, postplanting 

and agrochemical application; November, postharvest). Three zones within the outwash aquifer were 

sampled from the multiport wells. "Deep" samples 

were collected from approximately 60 ft below land 

surface (port 1), "intermediate" samples were obtained 

from approximately 40 ft below land surface (port 2), 

and "shallow" samples were collected from the uppermost saturated port (port 3,4, 5, or 6). Bedrock wells 

also were sampled where present. All samples were 

analyzed for specific conductance, pH, temperature, 

dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, major ions, iron, manganese, nutrients, organic carbon, and selected herbicides. (Redox potential was measured by USGS 

personnel during the November sampling only, by use 

of a platinum electrode.) Approximately 20 percent of 

the samples were also analyzed for tritium.

4The water-quality data presented in this report represent, for 

the most part, data collected and analyzed by USGS personnel. 

Additional ground-water-quality samples have been collected 

every 2 to 4 weeks since April 1991 by OSU, PREC, and USDA 

personnel and are handled and analyzed according to methods 

described by Beak and others (1993) and Springer (1993). These 

additional water-quality data are unpublished but are on file at the 

Environmental Quality Laboratory at the OSU School of Natural 

Resources in Columbus, Ohio. The unpublished data were used to 

supplement USGS-determined redox potentials for April and June 

and were also used as additional data points in figures showing 

contoured constituent concentrations that are presented in the 

"Water Quality" section of this report.

Ground-water samples were collected from the 

multiport wells by use of a peristaltic pump, with dedicated C-flex5 tubing attached to the polyethylene riser 

on each port to eliminate potential cross-contamination of samples. When the water table fell to more 

than 30 ft below land surface, a dedicated nitrogen-lift 

pump was used to collect samples. Ground-water 

samples were collected from bedrock wells by use of a 

submersible pump. Samples were not collected until 

at least three well volumes had been purged from each 

well and specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, 

water temperature, and pH had stabilized. Stability 

was reached when three successive measurements 

made at intervals of 5 minutes or more differed by less 

than the following amounts: specific conductance, 

1 percent; pH, 0.1 unit; temperature, 0.1°C; dissolved 

oxygen, 0.1 mg/L; and redox potential (when measured), 10 mv. These ground-water characteristics 

were monitored in an inline flow chamber. Samples 

were collected from multiport wells at a flow rate of 

approximately 0.09 gal/min and from bedrock wells at 

a flow rate of less than 1 gal/min.

Samples to be analyzed for dissolved constituents were pumped through an inline, 0.45-^im filter 

before they were discharged into the sample bottle. 

Samples for analysis of metals were preserved with 

nitric acid to a pH less than 2 and were chilled to 4°C 

before being transported to the lab. Nutrient samples 

were preserved with mercuric chloride to prevent 

microbial degradation of the sample, and alkalinity 

titrations were done in the field to minimize evolution 

of CO2 before sample analysis. Replicate samples and 

equipment blanks were obtained at a rate of 5 percent 

for quality control. Tritium analyses were done by the 

USGS low-level tritium laboratory in Reston, Va. All 

other samples were analyzed by the USGS National 

Water Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colo.

Surface-water samples were collected immediately after measurement of stream discharge by use of 

the equal discharge increment method described by 

Guy and Norman (1970, p. 31-32). The same analytes 

and sample-handling, preservation, and analytical 

methods that were used for ground-water samples also 

were used for surface-water samples.

5The use of brand, trade, or firm names in this report is for 

identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement 

by the U.S. Geological Survey.

10 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
HYDROGEOLOGY

The hydrogeology of the study area was characterized by means of (1) a literature review of the geologic materials and geomorphic history of the area and 

(2) an analysis of spatial variations in grain-size distribution, hydraulic conductivity, mineralogy, and 

organic carbon concentration of the unconsolidated 

sediments at the MSEA. A conceptual model of the 

ground-water-flow system was developed from analysis of ground-water levels and comparison of groundwater levels to surface-water stage. In addition, a 

ground-water budget was developed to help determine 

the sources of recharge to the unconsolidated sediments and the relative magnitudes of these sources.

Geologic Setting

Bedrock Hydrostratigraphy

The bedrock in the study area was deposited in a 

shallow, nearshore marine environment during the 

Devonian and Mississippian Periods. Bedrock units in 

southern Ohio typically dip and thicken to the southeast toward the Appalachian Basin. A generalized 

stratigraphic column is shown in table 2.

The lowermost unit of interest in this study is 

the Cleveland Member of the Ohio Shale. The

Ohio Shale is of Devonian age and is approximately 

300 ft thick in Pike County (Lamborn and others, 

1938, p. 35); it thickens to the east by about 20 to 

30 ft/mi (Stout and others, 1943, p. 131). The altitude 

of the top of the Ohio Shale along the east valley wall 

at the MSEA is about 520 ft. The Cleveland Member, 

the uppermost unit of the Ohio Shale, is typically 

black to dark bluish gray in the study area, is approximately 60 ft thick (Honeycutt, 1982), and is arenaceous, calcareous, and fissile. The Cleveland Member 

has a high organic-matter concentration, which was 

evident by an oily sheen on shale cuttings brought up 

during drilling at the Ohio MSEA. Pyrite also is a 

common accessory mineral in the formation (Lamborn 

and others, 1938, p. 36). The shale yields very little 

water except along joints and bedding planes (Stout 

and others, 1943, p. 131). Wells completed in the 

Cleveland Member at the MSEA yield, at best, only 

about 1 gal/min, probably from intersecting joints and 

fractures in the shale.

The Bedford Shale of Mississippian age 

(table 2) averages 100 ft in thickness and conformably 

overlies the Ohio Shale (Law Engineering Testing 

Company, 1978). The top of the Bedford Shale is at 

an altitude of about 620 ft on the east valley wall, or 

about 60 ft above Big Beaver Creek at the northeast 

corner of the MSEA. Previous studies (Geraghty and 

Miller, Inc., 1990; Stout and others, 1943; Lamborn

Table 2. Generalized stratigraphic column of bedrock near the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

System

Mississippian

Devonian

Formation

Cuyahoga 

Formation

Sunbuty Shale

Berea 

Sandstone

Bedford Shale

Ohio Shale

Member

Portsmouth 

Shale

Buena Vista 

Sandstone

Henley Shale

Cleveland

Description

Laminated, siliceous, blue-gray shales, interbedded with thin sandstone lenses. 70 to 120 feet thick.

Hard, fine-grained, bluish-gray to yellow sandstone. Beds are 1 to 

2 feet thick, interbedded with shales of varying thickness. 60 to 

100 feet thick.

Gray shale with thin sandstone lenses. 30 to 50 feet thick.

Fissile, black shale, rich in organics. 0 to 20 feet thick. Not a 

source of water.

Hard, light-gray sandstone with siliceous, gray shale partings. 30 

feet thick. Wells yield 1 gal/min.

Hard, arenaceous and calcareous, gray to brown shale, interbedded 

with thin, ripple-marked, gray sandstone and siltstone. 100 feet 

thick. Wells yield 0.5 gal/min.

Fissile, calcareous, black to dark bluish-gray shale, high in organic 

content. Pyrite is a common impurity. 60 feet thick. Wells yield 

0.0006 gal/min to 0.8 gal/min.

Hydrogeology 11
and others, 1938) indicate that, in southern Ohio, the 

Bedford Shale consists of hard, gray to brown arenaceous and calcareous shale with thin interbeds of gray, 

ripple-marked sandstone and siltstone. Law Engineering Testing Company (1978) estimates that 33 to 

50 percent of the formation is sandstone in the study 

area, although these sandstone units are so tight and 

dense that they supply little or no water (Stout and 

others, 1943). Sandstone interbeds increase in number 

upward in the stratigraphic section. Law Engineering 

Testing Company (1978) noted crude oil saturation of 

the sandstone units below an altitude of 570 ft in three 

borings near the study area. The Bedford Shale is 

used for private water supply by homeowners who live 

in the uplands surrounding the study area, away from 

outwash deposits. Typical yields for wells completed 

in the Bedford Shale are approximately 0.5 gal/min, as 

determined from drillers' logs.

The top of the Bedford Shale grades into the 

overlying Berea Sandstone (table 2), which averages 

30 ft in thickness in the uplands. The Berea Sandstone 

is composed of hard, light-gray sandstone with gray, 

siliceous shale partings (Geraghty and Miller, Inc., 

1990). Water yields from the Berea Sandstone are low 

(Stout and others, 1943).

Overlying the Berea Sandstone is the Sunbury 

Shale (table 2), which ranges from 0 to 20 ft in thickness in the uplands near the study area. The Sunbury 

Shale is black, fissile, and rich in organics. Pyrite is 

also abundant in the Sunbury Shale especially in the 

basal 1 to 3 in. of the formation, where a thin zone of 

sulfide mineralization marks the contact between the 

Sunbury and the Bedford Shales (Geraghty and 

Miller, Inc., 1990). The Sunbury Shale is not a source 

of water for Pike County residents.

The Cuyahoga Formation (table 2), overlies the 

Sunbury Shale and is the uppermost bedrock unit in 

the uplands bordering the study area. It reaches a 

thickness of 300 ft between Chillicothe and Waverly 

(Lamborn and others, 1938). The Cuyahoga 

Formation consists of gray, thinly bedded shale with 

thin lenses of fine-grained sandstone at its base 

(Geraghty and Miller, Inc., 1990). The sandstone beds 

increase in abundance and thickness upward in the formation (Stout and others, 1943).

Geomorphic History

Prior to glaciation, the ancestral Portsmouth 

River flowed northward along a path roughly parallel 

to that of the present-day Scioto River but at an

altitude approximately 150 ft higher than the presentday river valley (Stout and others, 1943, p. 61-63) and 

along a course about 2 mi east (Geraghty and Miller, 

Inc., 1990). The Portsmouth River was a short tributary that emptied into the ancestral Teays River at a 

point 5 mi north of Piketon, near Waverly. When the 

Teays drainage was disrupted by the Kansan glacial 

advance, flow was reversed in the former Portsmouth 

River Valley, and the ancestral Newark River was 

formed (fig. 4). The Newark River was a major stream 

that drained a large area of central and southern Ohio 

and was a tributary to the ancestral Cincinnati River. 

It generally followed the course of the older stream but 

cut a new channel west of the Portsmouth River channel near Piketon (Stout and others, 1943, p. 81-82).

Regional uplift occurred after the Newark River 

was established, causing downcutting of the stream 

into a deep, narrow valley with steep walls (Stout and 

others, 1943, p. 78). Most of the bedrock features 

shown on the bedrock-surface contour map (fig. 5) 

probably reflect this stage of channel development. 

The Newark River cut through at least 55 ft of Ohio 

Shale to an altitude of approximately 465 ft in the 

study area. The ancestral river flowed near the west 

valley wall in the study area, as does the present-day 

Scioto River. The valley floor was broad and relatively flat floored, with very steep sides, especially 

along the west valley wall. Locally high erosional 

remnants were located under the current DOE well 

field and just north of U.S. Highway 124. Very steep 

channel walls near well Rl may have been caused by 

the entrance of a tributary to the valley at this point. 

Evidence of weathering of the valley floor includes 

areas of soft, gray shale found above competent shale 

during the drilling operations, as well as discontinuous 

pockets of bluish-gray to dusky yellowish-brown clay 

at the top of the shale.

The second (Illinoian) and third (Wisconsinan) 

glacial advances both halted about 20 mi north of 

Piketon. As the glaciers melted, outwash filled the 

Newark River Valley with 100 ft or more of sand, 

gravel, and silt. The modern Scioto River came into 

existence during the final retreat of the Wisconsinan 

glacier and has since removed 20 to 30 ft of the original outwash deposits (Norris and Fidler, 1969; Stout 

and others, 1943). Original outwash levels are marked 

by the uppermost terrace at the MSEA (fig. 1).

12 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
39030'

83017'30"

. /[~~~ 

f -«-iROSS COUNTY

390

10 20 MILES

10 20 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

STUDY AREA

DIRECTION OF FLOW OF TEAYS RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES

DIRECTION OF FLOW OF NEWARK RIVER

Figure 4. Ancestral Teays and Newark River Valleys in southern Ohio. (Modified from Norris 

and Fidler, 1969.)

Hydrogeology 13
83002'30" 83°01'30"

39°03'

39002'

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

Study Area

EXPLANATION

 480 

BEDROCK OUTCROP

TOP-OF-BEDROCK CONTOUR-Shows 

altitude of the top of bedrock, in feet 

above sea level. Dashed where inferred. 

Contour interval 5 feet

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lnterval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

GRAVEL ROAD

A 

A

LEVEE

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BOREHOLE 

(1976-77 unpublished data on file at 

the Columbus, Ohio office of the 

Water Resources Division)

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EVALUATION 

AREA WELL

DOMESTIC OR SANITARY WATER-SUPPLY

Figure 5. Bedrock topography in the Ohio Managment Systems Evaluation Area.

14 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Outwash Aquifer and Alluvial Deposits

The unconsolidated sediments at the site range 

in total thickness from 61.5 to 83.5 ft. Unconsolidated 

sediments are thickest at the northwest corner of the 

site, overlying a deeply incised section of the ancient 

Newark River Valley. Sediments generally thin to the 

north-central part of the site and also to the southwest, 

where bedrock highs underlie the MSEA (fig. 6).

The valley-fill stratigraphy is illustrated by generalized geologic sections (figs. 7-9). Outwash sediments consist predominantly of discontinuous 

interbeds of sand, gravelly sand, and sandy gravel, 

indicating deposition in a high-energy environment. 

C lasts are subrounded, as large as 5 in. in diameter, 

and composed predominantly of carbonates, siltstone, 

chert, tillite, granite, and gneiss. Sediments undergo a 

distinct color change from moderate yellowish-brown 

near land surface to gray at depth. In many places, the 

color change is abrupt. The color boundary ranges in 

depth from 12 to 15 ft below land surface near the east 

edge of the site to generally between 25 and 45 ft 

below land surface on the west edge, near the Scioto 

River.

With the exception of thin, discontinuous clay 

layers overlying the bedrock surface at the base of the 

outwash deposits, few clay or silt layers are present in 

the valley at depths greater than 26 ft below land surface. In fact, a discontinuous silty clay layer was 

found at depth only at well R2 (fig. 2) at 48-58 ft 

below land surface. Wood fragments were commonly 

found at depth in the outwash aquifer.

Recent flooding of the Scioto River and Big 

Beaver Creek has overlain the outwash deposits with a 

veneer of alluvium composed of clay and silty clay. 

This alluvium is of varied thickness, but generally 

interbeds with sand and gravelly sand to a depth less 

than 11 ft below land surface. Greater thicknesses of 

alluvium interbedded with coarse-grained deposits to 

depths as great as 17 ft below land surface are found 

near the Scioto River, in old meander scars, and 

between U.S. Highway 23 and Big Beaver Creek. Of 

the three leased MSEA test fields, plot 100 has the 

overall greatest thickness of alluvium, and plot 300 

has the thinnest alluvial cover.

Because of its high yields, the outwash aquifer 

in the Scioto River Valley is widely used as a source of 

public and private water supply. One of the DOE 

sanitary supply wells at the southwest corner of the 

MSEA (fig. 2) yields as much as 1,300 gal/min. Wells

in the Scioto River Valley also are used for rural water 

supply, industrial process water, and aquaculture.

Selected Aquifer Characteristics

Selected aquifer characteristics known to affect 

the fate and transport of water and agrochemicals were 

analyzed to determine their spatial variability in the 

subsurface. Analyses of grain-size distribution, 

hydraulic conductivity, sediment mineralogy, and 

organic-carbon concentration are described in the sections that follow.

Grain-size Distribution

Knowledge of grain-size distribution enhances 

stratigraphic definition of the unconsolidated deposits 

and identifies areas where high content of silt and clay 

may cause sorption of dissolved organics and chemical reactions with sediments to occur more readily 

than elsewhere. A total of 98 sediment samples were 

analyzed for grain-size distribution. A complete listing of grain-size distribution results was published in 

Shindel and others (1993, p. 437-439). From these 

results, sediments at the Ohio MSEA were grouped 

into the following categories: poorly permeable materials (clay and silt); very fine to fine sand; fine to 

coarse sand with less than 10 percent gravel; gravelly 

sand (medium to coarse sand with 10 to 50 percent 

gravel); and sandy gravel (50 percent or more gravel 

with medium to coarse sand). These sediment groupings were used to delineate the hydrostratigraphic 

units shown in the geologic sections (figs. 8 and 9).

Clay and silt content of the outwash sediments 

did not vary greatly. Units identified on well logs and 

the cross sections as sands or sand and gravel units 

contained 0.4 to 9.1 percent clay by weight. Alluvium 

deposits and fine sands contained 8.5 to 20.5 percent 

silt and clay by weight. Grain-size distribution of very 

clayey samples could not be determined by use of the 

dry-sieve methods used in this study.

Hydraulic Conductivity

Hydraulic conductivity (K) is a coefficient that 

describes the rate at which water can move through a 

permeable medium. An understanding of spatial variability in K beneath the various farming plots at the 

MSEA is crucial to the interpretation of agrochemical 

impacts of fanning practices. K affects ground-waterflow rates, as well as ground-water-flow paths and

Hydrogeology 15
83002'30" 83°01'30'

39°03' L

39°02'

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

I_____I_____I

1.000 METERS

Study Area

EXPLANATION

 70 

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER

ISOPACH OF VALLEY-FILL SEDIMENT-Shows 

thickness of valley-fill sediment. Dashed 

where inferred. Interval 5 feet. Hachures 

indicate enclosed area of decreasing 

thickness

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lnterval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

GRAVEL ROAD

LEVEE

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BOREHOLE 

(1976-77 unpublished data on file at 

the Columbus, Ohio, office of the 

Water Resources Division)

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EVALUATION 

AREA WELL

DOMESTIC OR SANITARY WATER-SUPPLY 

WELL

Figure 6. Thickness of valley-fill sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

16 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
39°03' -

39^02'

83002'30" 

I

83°01'30"

T~T

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

I . . t| , I I I I

0 1,000 METERS

Study Area

EXPLANATION

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER

A\ \A' TRACE OF GEOLOGIC SECTION

 TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lnterval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

 S-28 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BOREHOLE AND 

IDENTIFIER (1976-77 unpublished data on 

file at the Columbus, Ohio, office of the 

Water Resources Division)

A R4 MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EVALUATION 

AREA WELL AND IDENTIFIER

GRAVEL ROAD 

LEVEE

Figure 7. Location of geologic sections and borings, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

Hydrogeology 17
FEET 

580 i®

560 

540

520 

500 

480 

460 

5 Norfolk & A' 

 §> Western 

in eg /Railroad

440

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

POORLY PERMEABLE MATERIALS 

(CLAY, SILT, AND ALLUVIAL SOIL)

VERY FINE TO FINE SAND

1 FINE TO COARSE SAND-less than 10 

percent gravel

MEDIUM TO COARSE SAND-10 to 50 

percent gravel

GRAVEL AND MEDIUM TO COARSE 

SAND-50 percent or more gravel

SHALE BEDROCK

- SEDIMENT-Color change from moderate 

yellowish brown (above line) to gray 

(below line)

» WELL/BpRING LOCATION AND IDENTIFIERAsterisk indicates unpublished boring (data 

on file with the U.S. Geological Survey, 

Columbus, Ohio, office of the Water 

Resources Division). Dashed well has 

been projected onto section line

-- Sampling port

Well screen-For well clusters, screened 

interval shown is that of the 

deepest well

Figure 8. Geologic section A-A', Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area. (Section trace shown 

on fig. 7.)

18 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
B

480

460 

440

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

POORLY PERMEABLE MATERIALS 

(CLAY, SILT, AND ALLUVIAL SOIL)

VERY FINE TO FINE SAND

FINE TO COARSE SAND-less than 10 

percent gravel

MEDIUM TO COARSE SAND-10 to 50 

percent gravel

GRAVEL AND MEDIUM TO COARSE 

SAND-50 percent or more gravel

] SHALE BEDROCK

SEDIMENT-Color change from moderate 

yellowish brown (above line) to gray 

(below line)

WELL/BORING LOCATION AND IDENTIFIERAsterisk indicates unpublished boring (data 

on file with the U.S. Geological Survey, 

Columbus, Ohio, office of the Water 

Resources Division). Dashed well has 

been projected onto section line

-- Sampling port

Well screen-For well clusters, screened 

interval shown is that of the 

deepest well

Figure 9. Geologic section B-B', Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area. (Section trace 

shown on fig. 7.)

Hydrogeology 19
recharge rates. K is generally one of the most sensitive input parameters in a ground-water-flow model 

(Finton, 1994; Dumouchelle and others, 1993; Nortz, 

1991). Spatial variations in K at the Ohio MSEA were 

evaluated at several different scales by use of the following methods: grain-size distribution formulas, 

slug tests, specific-capacity tests, and multiple-well 

aquifer tests.

Grain-Size Distribution Formulas

The methods of Hazen and Norris and Fidler 

were used to estimate K's for 94 sediment samples. 

Results of these analyses are contained in Finton 

(1994). Variations in K with sediment depth and 

stratigraphic unit at three wells are shown in figure 10. 

Although the two methods of calculation result in similar vertical trends in K for many of the boreholes, 

actual KHazen and KNorris and Fidler values are poorly 

correlated (Spearman's rho = 0.292). The reason for 

this lack of correlation may be that the results derived 

from the Norris and Fidler equation are much more 

responsive to poor sorting and gravel content than 

results from the Hazen equation are.

Results from both methods show that K varies 

significantly with stratigraphic unit. A Mann-Whitney 

analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare 

the median K's calculated for the five sediment types 

shown in figures 8 and 9. At 95-percent confidence, 

sand, gravelly sand, and sandy gravel sediments had 

significantly different K's that increased with gravel 

content. However, the median K of very fine to fine 

sand did not differ significantly from that of sand. 

Mann-Whitney test results were the same regardless of 

which method was used to derive K. Results for silts 

and clays could not be tested by statistical methods, 

owing to insufficient amounts of data.

K's calculated by grain-size-distribution 

methods are not accurate at a site scale because of 

sampling-bias effects and because structural features 

within the sediments that may affect K (such as bedding planes) are ignored by such methods. However, 

grain-size-distribution methods reveal valuable information about K variability with depth and between 

stratigraphic units. As figures 8, 9, and 10 all show, 

relatively high-K, sandy-gravel and gravelly-sand 

units present from approximately 5 to 20 ft below land 

surface and near the base of the outwash aquifer are 

separated by lower-K, gravel-poor sands in the center 

of the outwash aquifer. Areally, higher K's are

expected near SR 124 and also near well S10, owing 

to the gravel-rich sediments at these locations.

Slug Tests

A total of 39 slug tests were done in the 

11 water-table wells at the MSEA (fig. 2) to examine 

areal variations in horizontal K6. Slug tests provide 

information on the hydraulics of aquifer materials 

located within a few feet of the well screen. All of the 

tested wells were identical in construction and were 

completed at approximately the same depth. Two to 

five replicate tests were done at each well to ensure 

validity of the results and to enable an evaluation of 

variability within replicate measurements. A 4-in. 

diameter, 5-ft long PVC slug was used in the tests. 

Water-table response to the withdrawal of the slug was 

monitored by use of a pressure transducer and was 

recorded by use of a data logger. Complete descriptions of the slug tests can be found in Finton (1994). 

Data were interpreted by use of the Bouwer and Rice 

method (1976), accounting for the well-construction 

specifications and the partial penetration of the tested 

wells. The mean K's as determined from replicate 

slug tests at each well are listed in table 3. The lowest 

horizontal K was measured at well cluster Rl, where 

silt and clay interbeds intersect the well screen. The 

highest horizontal K was measured at well S10, which 

intersects 15 ft of gravelly sand. Coefficients of variance for the replicate tests at a given well ranged from 

1 to 13 percent (mean, 5 percent), indicating that precision of the slug-test method was good.

Specific-Capacity Tests

To examine areal variations in horizontal K at 

an even larger scale, the investigators did three 7-hour 

specific-capacity tests between December 1991 and 

July 1992. Tests were done in water-table wells S5, 

S10, and SI 4, each of which is near the center of one 

of the three management-practices plots (fig. 2). 

Pumping rates used in the tests ranged from approximately 45 to 60 gal/min. Step-drawdown tests were 

done prior to the specific-capacity tests to evaluate the 

efficiency of each well. Water-table response in the 

step-drawdown and the specific-capacity tests was

6A11 subsequent references to K's determined by means of 

slug tests, specific-capacity tests, or multiple-well aquifer tests will 

be horizontal K's unless otherwise specified. K's estimated by 

grain-size-distribution methods are vectorless.

20 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio
WELL R2 WELL R7

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

1

__

i

T\

1 ' 1 '

]

]

\

r

i,i,

 . 

 ..._

£k-o -

<m> c.0 , T-0 *^; 

k°?.

o*'O >

O-tb &0 , £?-$

in

.v-fcijy^ 

^Kf

^M

 ... 

_.........._

^ s-o *

^d 0.0

silt loam

silty clay

yellowish brown

sandy clay

gravelly sand

sand fine to med

gravelly sand

sand 

medium to 

coarse

silty clay

conrH/ cili

sand 

fine to medium

gravelly sand

0 200 400 600

VECTORLESS

HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY, 

IN FEET PER DAY

0

5

10

LLJ 

LU

20

LU 

0

CO 

Q

LU

0

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

silt loam____ 

silty day____

sand fine to med.

gravelly sand

sand

fine to medium 

gray

gravelly sand

_ _ _ clay

 shale dark gray

0 200 400 600

VECTORLESS

HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY, 

IN FEET PER DAY

WELLS10

LU

ID 

CO

CD

5.

10

15

20

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

.00 <

>? o

sandy loam

sand, fine

sandy clay

silty clay

gravelly sand 

fine to coarse

sand 

fine to medium

;thin layer of 

gravelly sand

EXPLANATION

H I- VECTORESS HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY 

CALCULATED BY USE OF 

HAZEN'S METHOD (1893)

Q ED VECTORLESS HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY 

CALCULATED BY USE OF NORRIS AND 

FIDLER'S METHOD (1965)

0 200 400 600 8001,000

VECTORLESS

HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY, 

IN FEET PER DAY

Figure 10. Hydraulic conductivities, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, calculated for 

various sediment types.

Hydrogeology 21
monitored by use of a pressure transducer and 

recorded by use of a data logger. Complete descriptions of each of the specific-capacity tests can be 

found in Finton( 1994).

Data from the step-drawdown tests were interpreted by means of methods described by Bear 

(1972). Data from the specific-capacity tests were 

interpreted by use of a PC-based computer code developed by Bradbury and Rothschild (1985). K's estimated from the specific-capacity-test data ranged from 

320 to 815 ft/d and are listed in table 3. The relative 

ranking of K's determined by means of this method 

agree with the ranking obtained by use of slug-test

methods (Kwell S io-wr > Kweii ss-wr > Kweii SH-WT)' 

however, the K's based on specific-capacity tests are 

approximately twice those obtained by slug-test

Table 3. Horizontal hydraulic conductivity as determined 

from slug tests, specific-capacity tests, and multiple-well 

aquifer tests at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation 

Area

[Well locations shown in figure 2. Slug-test data analyzed by use of the 

method described by Bouwer and Rice (1976). Horizontal hydraulic conductivity given for each well is the mean of two to five replicate slug tests. 

Data from specific-capacity tests analyzed by use of computer code developed by Bradbury and Rothschild (1985). Details of the multiple-well 

aquifer tests and analysis of the distance-drawdown data by use of the 

Rorabaugh method (1956) are described by Norris (1983a). Abbreviations: 

ft/d, feet per day; , test not done at this well]

Horizontal hydraulic conductivity 

(ft/d)

Well number

Slug test Specific- Multiple-well 

capacity test aquifer test

Rl-WT

R2-WT

R3-WT

R4-WT

R5-WT

R6-WT

R7-WT

R8-WT

S5-WT

S10-WT

S14-WT

11

69

216

36

210

42

176

172

247

443

113

-

-

--

-

401

--

555

-

451

815

320

Mean 158 529 478

analysis. Thus, the slug-test results can be used to 

determine relative areal differences in K across the 

study area, but the specific-capacity results are more 

useful for estimating K at the site scale.

Multiple-Well Aquifer Tests

Site-specific K's determined by means of slugtest and specific-capacity methods were compared to 

published information from multiple-well aquifer 

tests. Between 1953 and 1979, the USGS did 

13 multiple-well aquifer tests at 11 sites in the Scioto 

River Valley. The tests were done along the east side 

of a 7-mi reach of the Scioto River, extending south 

from Piketon. Results of the aquifer tests were 

included in several published articles (Norris and 

Fidler, 1967,1969; Norris 1983a, 1983b). A complete 

description of each aquifer test can be found in these 

references. Initial interpretation of the aquifer-test 

data was done by USGS personnel by plotting 

distance-drawdown data and by means of an interpretation method developed by Rorabaugh (1956). Later, 

time-drawdown data were plotted and analyzed by use 

of the Neuman method (1975) as part of a report on 

regional aquifer-test analyses prepared for the Ohio 

MSEA project (Norris, 1991).

The two methods of data analysis produced similar results. The mean horizontal K calculated for the 

7-mi reach from distance-drawdown data is 466 ft/d, 

and the standard deviation is 118 ft/d. (In the timedrawdown analysis, the mean K is 489 ft/d, and the 

standard deviation is 100 ft/d.) Of the seven sites, only 

two were on the MSEA. One aquifer-test site was in 

the southwest corner of the study area, near MSEA 

well R7 and the sanitary well field presently operated 

by DOE for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. 

Another site was on the west border of the study area, 

near MSEA well R5. Calculated K's from distancedrawdown data gathered from tests near wells R5 and 

R7 were 401 and 555 ft/day, respectively (table 3). 

K could not be calculated by time-drawdown methods 

for the site near well R7 because the data do not correspond to assumptions required by Neuman. However, 

a K of 474 ft/d was calculated from the timedrawdown data obtained from the aquifer test near 

well R5. A comparison of the mean K for the 7-mi 

reach (466 ft/d) with results of the two onsite aquifer 

tests (401 and 555 ft/d) indicates that K's at the MSEA 

are typical of the Scioto River Valley in Pike County.

Multiple-well aquifer tests near wells R5 and R7 

yielded K's two to three times those determined by

22 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
slug-test methods (table 3). K's derived from specificcapacity tests were comparable to K's derived from 

multiple-well aquifer tests; thus, K's derived from 

specific-capacity tests can be appropriately used to 

model flow at the site scale. One exception was the 

K of 815 ft/d determined from the specific-capacity 

test at well S10 (table 3), which seems to be somewhat 

higher than K's determined for the aquifer by the 

multiple-well aquifer tests. It should be noted that the 

specific-capacity test evaluated only the uppermost 

15 ft of the aquifer (which contains much gravel at 

well S10), whereas the multiple-well aquifer tests 

evaluated the entire saturated thickness of the aquifer.

Mineralogy of Aquifer Materials

Aquifer mineralogy was analyzed to (1) identify 

reactive phases that may be controlling aqueous chemistry in the various stratigraphic units of the outwash 

aquifer and bedrock, and (2) determine if the color 

change observed in the outwash sediments is controlled by mineralogy. Considered to be the most 

chemically reactive size fraction, the silt and clay 

matrix (<0.063-mm size fraction) of sediment samples 

from selected boreholes was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at the USGS laboratory in 

Sacramento, Calif., to determine aquifer mineralogy. 

Results are summarized in table 4, where minerals are 

listed in order of apparent relative abundance. Relative abundance of minerals is only approximate and 

was based on the intensity of the most prominent 

peaks on the diffractograph, as well as the completeness of the diffractograph pattern when compared to 

the standard patterns. The relative efficiency for diffraction by different classes of minerals was not considered. The detection limit of XRD analysis is 5 

percent by volume.

Mineralogical analyses show that the Ohio 

Shale is composed predominantly of quartz but also 

contains moderate amounts of muscovite and illite and 

lesser amounts of kaolinite and albite. The mineralogical analyses of the sand and gravel samples reveal 

that outwash sediments are composed primarily of 

dolomite and quartz. Spatial variations in the outwash 

mineralogy are minimal, except that quartz is somewhat more abundant in the gray sediments of the intermediate and deep zones of the outwash aquifer, and 

dolomite is more abundant in the yellowish-brown 

sand and gravel deposits of the shallow zone of the 

outwash aquifer. Analysis of the sand samples by 

optical microscopy shows that most of the quartz

grains in the gray sand and gravelly sand units are 

clear, whereas quartz grains in the shallow, yellowishbrown samples are iron stained. Thus, the color variation in the sediments with depth appears to be due to 

lack of iron staining at depth and likely is not due to 

mineralogical variations in the outwash caused by different depositional sources.

Several iron- and magnesium-bearing minerals 

are present in the very fine sand fraction (0.063 to 

0.125-mm) of the outwash sediments. The very fine 

sand fraction from the four sand and gravel samples 

listed in table 4 was composited, and the strongly 

magnetic minerals in the composite sample were collected by means of a strong hand magnet. XRD analysis revealed these magnetic minerals to be magnetite 

(Fe3O4), orthopyroxene ((Mg,Fe)SiO3), and amphibole((Ca,Na)2.3(Mg,Fe,Al)5(Si,Al)2022(OH)2).

Mineralogy of the surficial alluvium is similar to 

that of the outwash, except that quartz is the dominant 

component of the silty clays and dolomite is only 

moderately abundant. Despite the prevalence of claysized particles in the alluvium, only trace amounts of a 

clay mineral (kaolinite) were detected.

Forms of Carbon

Organic carbon has long been linked with the 

oxidizing capacity of sediments and the ability of sediments to adsorb organic compounds (Armstrong and 

others, 1967). Organic carbon also is used by 

microbes as the electron donor in many redox reactions such as denitrification and sulfate reduction. 

Owing to these factors, the presence or absence of 

organic carbon may exert a strong influence on 

ground-water chemistry and on the fate and transport 

of agrochemicals in the aquifer. Total carbon data 

were needed to evaluate organic carbon concentration 

and to help provide insights into carbonate equilibrium 

reactions occurring at the site. The total carbon and 

organic carbon concentrations of subsurface sediments 

at the Ohio MSEA are summarized in table 5.

Total Carbon

Total carbon concentrations range from 0.23 to 

5.99 weight percent; the median concentration is 

2.72 weight percent. A nonlinear, nonmonotonic relation of total carbon to depth is evident in figure 11. At 

depths of less than 10 ft below land surface, where 

alluvium consisting of silty clay is the predominant 

sediment type, total carbon concentration of sediment

Hydrogeology 23
Table 4. Mineralogy of aquifer sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

[Mineralogy determined by X-ray diffraction of silt and clay matrix of sediment samples. Minerals listed in order of apparent decreasing 

abundance for each sediment type. Sample locations are shown on figure 2. Sample depth is given as feet below land surface]

.. .. Sediment . .- , . Formation location(s)

**pe and depth

Alluvium Siltyclay R4, 11- 13 ft

Outwash Yellowish- S 1 4, 1 1 - 1 4 ft 

(shallow zone) brown sand 

R7, 14ft

Outwash Gray sand S14, 38-41 ft 

(intermediate 

and deep R7, 59-60.5 ft

zones)

Ohio Shale Shale R2, 70-78 ft

Minerals 

present

Quartz

Dolomite

Albite

Muscovite

Calcite

Kaolinite

Dolomite 

Quartz

Calcite

Albite

Orthoclase

Muscovite

Kaolinite

Quartz 

Dolomite

Calcite

Albite

Muscovite

Kaolinite

Quartz

Muscovite

Illite

Kaolinite

Albite

Chemical formula

Si02

CaMg(C03)2

NaAlSi3O8

KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH, F)2

CaCO3

Al2Si205(OH)4

CaMg(C03)2 

SiO2

CaCO3

NaAlSi3O8

KAlSi308

KAl2(AISi3010XOH, F)2

Al2Si2O5(OH)4

Si02 

CaMg(C03)2

CaCO3

NaAlSi3O8

KAI2(AISi3010XOH, F)2

Al2Si205(OH)4

SiO2

KAl2(AlSi3010)(OH, F)2

(Ca, Mg,K)Al2(Si40,0XOH)2

Al2 Si205(OH)4

NaAISi3O8

Relative 

abundance

Dominant

Moderate

Scant

Scant

Scant

Scant

Dominant 

Dominant

Moderate

Scant

Scant

Scant

Scant

Dominant 

Dominant

Moderate

Moderate/ 

Scant

Scant

Scant

Dominant

Moderate

Moderate

Scant

Scant

24 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 5. Carbon content of aquifer sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

[Sample locations correspond to well locations shown in figure 2. Detection limit of analytical method is 0.01 percent of the pretreated 

and dried sample weight]

Sample depth _ . 

Sample location (feet below land , lotai carbon 

surface) (percentage of dry weight)

Rl 5

12

26

38

R2 8.5 -

12

40

50

58

R3 7

13

28

59

R4 5

29

45.5 -

59

R5 5

11

20

38

59

R6 5

15

39

59

61.5 -

73

R7 5

5.5 -

14

26

44

61

R8 4

13

14

28

7.5

14.5

29

41

10

15

42

52

60

9

15

29.5

61

8

32

47

62

8

14

23

41

62

7

16

40.5

60.5

62

74

5.5

8

15

27.5

46

62

6

14

15

29.5

0.83

.46

4.43

4.13

.25

3.12

3.29

.48

.31

2.82

2.73

3.07

1.49

1.67

3.40

3.00

.91

2.16

2.34

3.39

3.15

1.75

2.39

3.06

3.14

3.28

2.87

1.59

1.25

1.51

2.95

3.46

3.27

.61

2.38

2.66

2.51

3.76

Organic carbon 

(percentage of dry weight)

0.65

.31

.47

.58

.19

.35

.55

.49

.35

.33

.25

.24

.42

.52

.46

.50

.15

.43

.43

.49

.41

.29

1.21

1.42

.43

.46

.40

.56

.74

.29

.13

.67

.38

.33

.19

.08

.01

.39

Hydrogeology 25
Table 5. Carbon content of aquifer sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Sample location

SI

S2

S3

S4

S5

S7

S8

S9

S10

Sll

S12

Sample depth _ . . . 

« » iT i T j Total carbon

' s!±e> (percentag. of dnr weight)

5

7

11

25

5

12

24

5

6

17.5 -

5

13

8.5 -

12

39

56

5

14

22.5 -

5

6

14

15.5 -

26

5

12.5 -

13.1 -

25

5

43

58

5

14

6.4 -

12.5 -

24

7

8

14

26

7

13

25.5

8

6

19

6

14

10

15

42

59

6.5

16

23.5

6

7.5

17

15.5

29

7.5

13

13.5

26

7.5

45

59.5

8

15

9

15

26

0.78

2.12

3.03

3.08

1.10

4.08

3.34

1.70

1.99

3.23

1.16

3.98

1.85

3.32

2.79

.23

.81

2.50

3.38

1.93

2.10

2.77

2.22

4.37

2.10

2.27

2.57

5.99

1.96

2.72

3.61

1.44

2.06

1.86

1.70

3.83

Organic carbon 

(percentage of dry weight)

0.74

.32

1.14

.43

.03

<.01

1.39

.57

1.83

.27

.98

.30

.31

.13

.74

.14

.60

.14

.38

.20

.01

.05

.36

.59

.38

.27

.06

.22

.30

.61

.63

.06

.38

.24

.10

.61

26 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio
Table 5. Carbon content of aquifer sediments at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Sample location

so

S14

Sam pie depth _ . . . it . : i i j Total carbon (feet below land , _ . . .... surface) (percentage of dry weight)

5

14

24

6.5 -

11

32

38

60.5 -

7.5

15.5

25.5

8

14

35

41

62

2.07

3.40

4.05

2.13

2.75

3.36

3.23

3.78

Organic carbon 

(percentage of dry weight)

0.32

.16

.50

.33

.03

.44

.65

.39

is less than 2.82 percent. From 10 to about 26 ft below 

land surface (where yellowish-brown outwash sediments predominate), total carbon concentration of sediments increases with depth, and a maximum 

concentration of 5.99 weight percent is found in this 

depth range at well S9. At about 26 ft below land surface, where the color of outwash sediments changes 

from yellowish-brown to gray, the total carbon concentration of sediments generally begins to decrease 

with increasing depth. Minimum concentrations are 

found from 50 to 75 ft below land surface. An exception to this general trend is found at well locations Rl, 

S10, and SI4, where total carbon concentration does 

not decrease significantly with depth below 26 ft.

The observed changes in total carbon concentration with depth are consistent with the relative abundance of carbonate minerals found with increasing 

depth in the aquifer (table 4), in that dolomite is the 

predominant mineral in alluvium and shallow outwash 

samples but not in the intermediate to deep, gray outwash sediments. The assertion that total carbon concentration is dependent on depth rather than on grain 

size of the sediments is supported by the MannWhitney test, which indicated no statistically significant difference (at 95-percent confidence) in total carbon concentration of very fine to fine sands, medium 

to coarse sands, gravelly sands, and sandy gravels (as 

shown in geologic sections, figs. 8 and 9).

Organic Carbon

As indicated by geologic descriptions and by the 

oily sheen found on cuttings during drilling operations, the Ohio Shale is highly carbonaceous. The

organic carbon concentration of the one shale sample 

analyzed is 3.43 weight percent.

Contrastingly, unconsolidated sediments at the 

site have a median organic carbon concentration of 

0.39 weight percent; concentrations range from less 

than 0.01 to 1.83 percent As shown in figure 11, 

organic carbon concentration is generally highest in 

shallow (less than 10 ft below land surface), finegrained alluvium samples. The lowest organic carbon 

concentrations (less than 0.5 percent) are present at 

approximately 15 ft below land surface, near the water 

table in the outwash deposits. Below 15 ft, organic 

carbon concentration has a nonlinear relation to depth 

similar to that displayed by total carbon. Organic carbon concentration increases to about 26 ft below land 

surface (the approximate depth of the sediment color 

change) and then generally begins to decrease with 

depth in the outwash deposits.

As with total carbon, organic carbon concentrations appear to be dependent on depth rather than on 

the grain size of sediments. The Mann-Whitney test 

indicated no statistically significant difference (at 

95-percent confidence) between the organic carbon 

concentration of very fine to fine sands, medium to 

coarse sands, gravelly sands, and sandy gravels. 

Owing to the paucity of carbon analyses of silt and 

clay samples, this sediment size was excluded from 

the statistical evaluations.

Relatively high organic carbon concentration 

(1.21 to 1.42 percent) in shallow samples from borehole R6 may be due to the proximity of this well to the 

Scioto River. The charcoal-containing sediment sample collected in borehole S3 at a depth of 6 ft below 

land surface does have an elevated organic carbon

Hydrogeology 27
b 

5

HT PERCENT

^

IN WEIG

CO

FAL CARBON, 

ro

P1

n

Alluvium

_

ft*

r

i

i w

Yellowish-brown 

outwash

d

 b 

++ "* 

 v

i

i i i i i

Gray outwash

1 

 +

* + fa* * *

J 

. .." 

2.0

Alluvium

-

- t

. i

jf.

i

Yellowish-brown 

outwash

9

{

v-. :

1 1 1 1 1

SAMPLES FROM WELL 

 Location R3, R4, R5, R6, 

R7, R8, S1 , S2, S3, S4, 

Gray outwash S5, S7, S8, S9, S1 1 , Si 2. 

andS13

+ Location R1 , S1 0, and S1 4

-

: :".* > r « * f*

 * 

i i i i i i

I 1-5 

cc

LU 

O_

LU

- 1.0 Z~

OC$

o

z

I 0.5 

O

10 20 30 40 50

DEPTH, IN FEET BELOW LAND SURFACE

60 70 80

Figure 11. Relation of concentration of total carbon and organic carbon in alluvium and outwash 

sediments as a function of depth below land surface.

28 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
concentration of 1.83 percent, but not enough samples 

were collected near wood fragments to analyze the 

effects of these fragments on carbon concentration in 

nearby sediment.

Conceptual Model of Ground-Water-Flow 

System

Solute transport and fate, in addition to being 

affected by the distribution of physical aquifer properties, also are controlled by spatial and temporal variations in ground-water-flow directions and rates. Thus, 

a conceptual model of the ground-water-flow system 

at the Ohio MSEA was developed to aid in interpretation of agricultural effects on water quality and to 

guide the construction of the regional flow model that 

was developed by Finton (1994). A conceptual model 

is a working hypothesis of a process that cannot be 

observed directly or is difficult to observe directly. 

The conceptual model of ground-water flow at the 

Ohio MSEA was derived by collecting and synthesizing data on ground-water levels, stream-aquifer relations, and leakage from underlying geologic units.

Horizontal Flow

The direction of ground-water flow at the 

MSEA can be estimated from water-level contour 

maps, given that ground water flows from areas of 

high hydraulic head to areas of low hydraulic head. 

Under isotropic aquifer conditions, ground water will 

move along paths perpendicular to water-level contours (lines of equal hydraulic head).

Ground water in the outwash aquifer at the 

MSEA typically flows from east to west-southwest 

and perpendicular to the terrace ridge, as shown in 

figure 12. The water table typically is about 15 ft 

below land surface. Altitude of the water table fluctuates approximately 4 ft annually beneath the eastern 

half of the valley; fluctuations are greater closer to the 

Scioto River. The water-table altitude near the river 

varies as much as 12 ft annually. A cone of depression 

around the DOE wellfield at the southwestern corner 

of the property (figures 2 and 12) captures some of the 

ground water that would normally flow to the Scioto 

River.

Vectors of hydraulic gradient for each of the 

three MSEA farming plots are shown in figure 13. 

Vectors were constructed by use of water-level data 

measured monthly from April 1991 through

October 1992 in the water-table wells and (or) the 

uppermost saturated port of the multiport wells. Vector length indicates the magnitude of the gradient at 

the water table, and vector orientation indicates flow 

direction as calculated by Cramer's Rule (Finder and 

Abriola, 1982). Water-table gradients in the study area 

are a function of the altitude of ground water and the 

stage of the Scioto River. Periods of heavy rainfall 

recharge the outwash aquifer and, at the same time, 

produce high river stage. High river stage can result in 

low water-table gradients across the site. After a 

storm passes, river stage drops much faster than 

ground-water levels do, resulting in high water-table 

gradients near the river that then propagate upgradient. 

Direction of ground-water flow beneath the MSEA 

generally becomes more southwesterly as water-table 

gradients increase, especially beneath plot 300. 

Periods of little precipitation cause ground-water 

levels to decline gradually and river stage to remain 

low. During such periods, water-table gradients gradually decrease. At all times, ground-water gradients on 

the lower terrace are greater than those on the middle 

terrace, and gradients are greatest at the southwest end 

of the lower terrace because of the pumping of wells at 

the DOE well field. During the period of study, watertable gradients beneath the middle terrace varied temporally and spatially from approximately 4 x 10"4 

(2 ft/mi) to 1.8 x 10'3 (9.5 ft/mi), and flow directions 

varied from approximately S. 47°W. to N. 72°W.

Advective ground-water-flow velocity (v) can 

be calculated by means of the following equation:

= (K/ne)(dh/dl), (5)

where K is hydraulic conductivity, ne is the effective 

porosity of the aquifer sediments, and dh/dl is the 

water-table gradient. Advective flow velocities for 

shallow ground water beneath the three MSEA 

research plots were calculated by use of (1) K's 

obtained from the specific-capacity tests done at each 

of the three fanning plots (table 3), (2) an assumed 

effective porosity of 0.257, and (3) the mean hydraulic 

gradient for each plot measured from April 1991

7In 1969, Morris and Fidler determined specific yields from 

time-drawdown data in 10 wells about 2 mi north of the MSEA. 

Specific yields ranged from 0.18 to 0.22 and averaged 0.20. 

Because specific yield underestimates formation porosity, the 

value of 0.25 is used in this report as a reasonable approximation 

of effective porosity in the outwash aquifer.

Hydrogeology 29
83QQ2'30" 83°01'30"

39°03'

39002'

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974 Study Area

1,000 

. I

2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

I 

1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

 536-

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER 

BEDROCK OUTCROP

GROUND-WATER-LEVEL CONTOUR-Shows 

altitude of water table in the outwash 

aquifer. Dashed where inferred. Contour 

interval 1 foot. Datum is sea level

GENERAL DIRECTION OF GROUND-WATER 

FLOW

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lnterval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

n

GRAVEL ROAD 

LEVEE

OBSERVATION WELL 

Multiport sampler

Well cluster-one well screened at water-table; 

one multiport sampler

Well cluster one well screened at water-table; 

one multiport sampler; one well completed 

in bedrock

SURFACE-WATER DATA-COLLECTION SITE

Figure 12. Ground-water levels and ground-water-flow paths at the Ohio Management Systems 

Evaluation Area, July 1-3, 1991.

30 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
PLOT 100

270

180

270

270

PLOT 200

PLOT 300

90

180

EXPLANATION

AREA USED IN GRADIENT CALCULATIONS

VECTOR OF HYDRAULIC GRADIENT

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EVAULATION AREA WELL--Circled 

well is origin of vectors shown in corresponding diagram

Figure 13. Vectors of hydraulic gradient at the water table for each farming plot, Ohio 

Management Systems Evaluation Area, April 1991-October 1992. (Locations of plots 100, 

200, and 300 are shown on fig.1.)

Hydrogeology 31
through October 1992. On the basis of these calculations, the average linear flow velocity for shallow 

ground water beneath plot 200 (fig. 12) is about 

3.3 ft/d, compared to an average ground-water-flow 

velocity of about 1.7 ft/d beneath plots 100 and 300. 

Through the use of a steady-state numerical groundwater-flow model, Finton (1994) estimated that 2.1 to 

8.8 years would be required for water particles originating at the downgradient edges of the plots to travel 

to their discharge points at the Scioto River or the 

DOE well field.

Vertical Flow

The vertical component of ground-water flow 

was assessed by measuring the difference between 

river stage and water levels in the outwash aquifer, 

between water levels in paired wells completed in the 

bedrock and outwash aquifers, and in multilevel well 

ports completed at different depths throughout the outwash aquifer. Heads that decrease with depth indicate 

a downward component of flow in the system (downflow), whereas an upward flow component (upflow) is 

indicated by heads that increase with depth. Verticalflow data were used to assess ground-water/surfacewater interactions, bedrock-outwash relations, and 

flow paths within the outwash aquifer. These interpretations are corroborated by chemical data later in this 

report.

Ground-Water/Surface-Water Interactions

The drainage area for the Scioto River upgradient of the MSEA is about 5,800 mi2 of farmed river 

valley and till plains, plus some forested bedrock 

upland areas. The maximum measured discharge of 

the Scioto River at the MSEA during the period of 

study was 5,750 ftVs in April 1991. Discharge 

decreased through the 1991 growing season to 

676 frVs in November 1991.

To determine the relation between the Scioto 

River and the ground-water-flow system, the investigators compared ground-water levels in the watertable wells near the river to stage of the Scioto River. 

Hydrographs from wells R4, R5, and R6 and the river 

(fig. 14) show that the water-table surface was generally higher than the Scioto River stage (but by less 

than 0.2 ft) from August through November 1991, 

indicating that water from the shallow zone of the outwash aquifer discharges to the river during low 

streamflow. Water-table altitude in the outwash

aquifer at well R7 (fig. 14) follows a pattern similar to 

that for wells R5 and R6. However, during 

September 1991-March 1992, water levels at R7 were 

generally below those of the Scioto River, indicating 

that pumping of the nearby DOE sanitary supply wells 

was producing a cone of depression encompassing 

well R7 and creating the potential for induced infiltration from the river into the aquifer at this location.

All of the near-river hydrographs are characterized by rapid fluctuations in response to changing 

river stage (especially during December 1991- 

August 1992), an indication that the riverbed is relatively permeable and the outwash aquifer and the river 

are in close hydraulic connection. At high river stage, 

ground-water levels are lower than surface-water 

stage, and flow is temporarily reversed as water from 

the Scioto River infiltrates the surrounding aquifer and 

is temporarily stored in the streambanks. The effects 

of bank storage on the flow system can be seen in 

figure 15. During very high river stage, ground-water 

flow away from the river causes a potentiometric 

trough to develop in the center of the lower terrace, 

and ground-water flow from the upper terrace as well 

as from the river banks is temporarily directed toward 

this trough.

Bank-storage events occur frequently, as evidenced by records from electronic data loggers at the 

site. In water year 1991, approximately 19 flow reversals occurred (fig. 14). Events in which water levels in 

well R5 were less than those of the river and less than 

those in well R4 resulted in small, short-lived potentiometric troughs that formed near the river. Only when 

levels in well R5 surpassed those in well R4 did a 

major trough, like the one shown in figure 15, develop.

The maximum duration of a flow-reversal event 

during the study period was 17 days in July and 

August 1992. The difference in head between the 

river and well R5-WT during each day of this event is 

listed in table 6, as well as a computed linear gradient 

between the river and well R5-WT. A simple calculation by use of these gradient data, a K of 401 ft/d 

(table 3, multiple-well aquifer test data, well R5-WT), 

and an assumed porosity of 0.25 indicates that a 

particle of water could have migrated about 190 ft 

inland through the outwash aquifer during this flowreversal event. This calculated migration distance is a 

maximum because the vertical K of the streambed is 

likely much lower than the horizontal K of the 

outwash aquifer; thus, the traveltime through the 

streambed would be correspondingly less.

32 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
545

540

535

530

525

SCIOTO RIVER 

WELL R6-WT

545

540

LLJ 

(0 

LLJ

gm

O 

<

,- 535

 SCIOTO RIVER

. . WELLR5-WT

- .. WELLR4-WT

530

525

545

540

535

530

525

 SCIOTO RIVER 

. . WELLR7-WT

Figure 14. Hydrographs showing relation between stage of the Scioto River (observer data) and water 

levels in wells R6-WT, R5-WT and R4-WT, and R7-WT (continuous data logger), Ohio Management 

Systems Evaluation Area, August 1991-September 1992.

Hydrogeology 33
83QQ2'30" 83°01'30"

39°03'

39°02'

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

 I I I I r4-1 i < i \

1,000 METERS

Study Area

EXPLANATION

 536 

BEDROCK OUTCROP

GROUND-WATER-LEVEL CONTOUR-Shows 

altitude of water table in the outwash 

aquifer. Contour interval, in feet, is 

variable. Datum is sea level

APPARENT GROUND-WATER-FLOW PATH 

AND DIRECTION

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lnterval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

IR4

DR6

GRAVEL ROAD

LEVEE

OBSERVATION WELLS AND LOCAL IDENTIFIERS

Well cluster one well screened at water table; 

one multiport sampler

Well cluster one well screened at water table; 

one multiport sampler; one well completed 

in bedrock

Figure 15. Ground-water levels and apparent ground-water-flow paths at the Ohio Management 

Systems Evaluation Area during a transient flow-reversal event, July 17, 1992.

34 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 6. Daily linear gradient between the Scioto River and well R5-WT and cumulative distance traveled inland by a 

water particle during a flow-reversal event at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, July 14-31,1992

[The location of well R5-WT in relation to the Scioto River is shown in figure 2. A negative head difference and gradient means that ground water 

was flowing toward the Scioto River. A positive head difference and gradient means that ground water was flowing away from the Scioto River, 

toward well R5-WT. Gradient was calculated from measured head differences between the Scioto River and well R5-WT, located 475 feet inland 

Velocity was calculated from an assumed effective porosity of 0.25 and a hydraulic conductivity of 401 feet per day, as determined by Norris 

(1991) from analysis of aquifer-test data from near well cluster R5 (table 3). Cumulative distance traveled inland is based on the assumption that 

flow is directly toward well from river. Abbreviations: ft, feet; ft/d, feet per day]

Date

07/14/92

07/15/92

07/1 6/92

07/17/92

07/18/92

07/19/92

07/20/92

07/21/92

07/22/92

07/23/92

07/24/92

07/25/92

07/26/92

07/27/92

07/28/92

07/29/92

07/30/92

07/31/92

Head difference 

between river and 

well R5-WT (ft)

0.20

7.94

6.68

5.26

3.74

4.64

4.80

4.25

1.61

2.42

.88

3.24

-1.28

6.03

3.61

2.09

.68

.25

Hydraulic 

gradient

0.0004

.0167

.0141

.0111

.0079

.0098

.0101

.0089

.0034

.0051

.0019

.0068

-.0027

.0127

.0076

.0044

.0014

.0005

Velocity (ft/d)

0.64

27

23

18

13

16

16

14

5.4

8.2

3.0

11

-4.3

20

12

7.0

2.2

.80

Cumulative distance 

traveled inland (ft)

0.64

28

51

69

82

98

110

130

a130

140

a140

160

150

170

180

190

a190

a190

' Distance traveled was too small to be reflected in rounded number.

Although hydrographs from the water-table 

wells provide data on interactions of shallow ground 

water with the Scioto River, head data from multiport 

well R6, 150 ft from the river, provide further information about the effects of the river on ground-water flow 

in the deep and intermediate zones of the aquifer. 

These data show that ground-water flow only 150 ft 

from the river is predominantly horizontal throughout 

the depth of the aquifer, as evidenced by the slight 

differences in head measured at the different depths.

Deep waters between ports 1 and 2 (40 and 60 ft below 

land surface) generally have an upward component of 

flow (a mean measured head difference of 0.04 ft and a 

mean vertical gradient of 0.0028). The vertical

8Measured head differences between ports 1 and 2 ranged 

from less than 0.03 ft (within measurement error) to 0.09 ft. 

Thus, vertical hydraulic gradients between ports ranged from 

OtoSx 10'3 .

References Cited 35
component of flow between the uppermost saturated 

port and port 2 (40 ft below land surface) is highly 

variable in direction, but slight downflow generally 

occurs in this zone, likely caused by numerous, 

repeated bank-storage events. The maximum 

measured upward and downward gradients between 

the uppermost saturated port and port 2 were 0.009 

(maximum head difference of 0.10 ft; distance 

between ports of 10.98 ft). (Even an assumed constant 

upward gradient of 0.009 in this zone multiplied by 

the distance between the river and well R6 (150 ft) 

would yield an estimate that a particle of water originating 30 ft below land surface at well R6 would travel 

only 1.35 ft upward by the time it reached the edge of 

the Scioto River.) Thus, given the absence of consistent, significant upflow throughout the outwash 

aquifer at well R6, and the fact that the Scioto River is 

the only discharge area for ground water in the valley, 

one might infer that dramatic upflow of ground water 

occurs directly beneath the Scioto River and (or) deep 

ground water in the sand and gravel aquifer turns 

abruptly south beneath the river and flows downvalley 

before eventually discharging to the Scioto River.

In addition to investigating discharge to the 

Scioto River at the west edge of the study area, the 

nature of ground-water interaction with Big Beaver 

Creek (on the east edge of the study area) was evaluated. Big Beaver Creek drains an area composed predominantly of the poorly permeable bedrock uplands 

from which runoff is rapid and bank storage is minimal. This set of conditions produces rapid stage fluctuations in the creek during storms and only intermittent flow during dry summer months.

Big Beaver Creek seems to be recharging the 

outwash aquifer on the basis of the following waterlevel evidence obtained from wells Rl and R8, stage 

data from Big Beaver Creek, and results of seepagemeter tests:

1. The altitude of the Big Beaver Creek streambed 

was, for the period of record, generally higher 

than water-table altitude in well Rl-WT, located 

near the creek (fig. 16). This relation indicates 

that Big Beaver Creek cannot be fed by groundwater discharge from the outwash aquifer under 

typical ground-water conditions. The stage of 

Big Beaver Creek was also higher than the watertable altitude at well R8-WT (fig. 16) an

indication that water flows from the creek to the 

aquifer at this location also.

2. Hydrographs for the water-table wells at clusters 

Rl and R8 (fig. 16) show a greater number of 

small water-level rises (representing recharge to 

the water table) than hydrographs for wells not 

located near a surface-water body (for example, 

well R4, figure 14). This finding indicates that 

the area near Big Beaver Creek is a recharge 

zone. Stage data for Big Beaver are not complete 

enough to correlate to ground-water-level hydrographs for wells Rl and R8.

3. Head measurements in the multiport well at cluster Rl show that flow, although predominantly 

horizontal, has a consistent component of downflow from the water table to 40 ft below land surface. Vertical gradients range from a minimum 

of 9 x 10'4 (4.75 ft/mi) during September and 

November of 1991 (when Big Beaver Creek was 

dry) to a maximum of 0.021 (110.9 ft/mi) on 

August 4, 1992, following heavy rains that 

resulted in high creek stage. Ground-water flow 

deeper than 40 ft below land surface has no vertical flow component that exceeds the water-level 

measurement error. Vertical flow in well R8 is 

rare.

4. Seepage-meter tests were done in July 1991 and 

August 1992 by OSU personnel to measure vertical K of the Big Beaver Creek streambed at three 

locations. Test locations are shown in figure 2, 

and data from the tests are summarized in table 7. 

These tests showed that, on the dates tested, the 

stream was losing water through the streambed to 

the underlying aquifer at the test locations. 

Streambed permeability as estimated by nine 

tests ranged from 0.89 to 19.9 ft/d; the mean vertical K for the three locations was 6.10 ft/d. 

Seepage meters could not be installed between 

S.R. 124 and test location 1 because the streambed between the two points is composed of shale. 

Elsewhere in the study area, Big Beaver Creek 

has a gravel streambed.

In summary, analysis of ground-water/surface-water 

interactions indicates that Big Beaver Creek is losing 

water to the outwash aquifer and that the Scioto River 

is gaining water from the outwash aquifer.

36 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
550

LU 

LU

LU 

O

m

545

I I I T I

BIG BEAVER CREEK 

WELLR1-WT

*«.

Elevation of Big Beaver Creek streambed near well R1

.. V.

I- 540

QC 

LJJ

535

530

550

LJJ 

LJJ

LJJ V) 545

LJJ

I- 540

LJJ

_ 

LJJ 

_J 

LJJ

535

530

 BIG BEAVER CREEK 

. WELLR8-WT

O 

1991

M M 

1992

A S

Figure 16. Hydrographs showing relation between stage of Big Beaver Creek (observer data) and water 

levels in the outwash aquifer at wells R1-WT and R8-WT (continuous data logger), August 1991- 

September 1992.

Hydrogeology 37
Table 7. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of streambed of Big Beaver Creek at the Ohio Management Systems 

Evaluation Area

[Vertical hydraulic conductivities were estimated from seepage-meter tests and water-level measurements in adjacent piezometers. Test 

locations are shown in figure 2. Abbreviations: ft., feet; ft/d, feet per day; SW., southwest]

Test . _. . ... 

. .. Location description Dateoftest

... Num,ber

replicate 

Tests

Range of vertical 

hydraulic gradients

Observed

Standard 

deviation of

(ft/d)

Downstream from shale 

streambed (east of well 

Rl)

7/11/91 0.088 0.088 1.55 0.69

2

3

East of Shepherd House

30ft SW. ofSR23

bridge

8/20/92

8/20/92

3

4

0.0033 -

0.011

0.0067

0.038

16.6

.147

4.1

.050

Bedrock-Outwash Interaction

Using techniques similar to those employed to 

examine ground-water/surface-water interactions, the 

investigators evaluated the relation of the bedrock and 

outwash aquifers. A comparison of hydrographs from 

paired wells completed in the bedrock and outwash 

aquifers at locations Rl, R2, and R69 (fig. 17) shows 

that vertical flow between the two aquifers varies in 

direction and magnitude across the study area. At well 

cluster Rl, potentiometric altitudes in the outwash 

aquifer are higher than those in the bedrock aquifer 

(fig. 17) and indicate that downflow from the outwash 

to the bedrock aquifer occurs consistently. Exceptions 

were observed during periods of rapidly rising water 

levels, when no flow between the two aquifers was 

measured. The maximum downward gradient from 

the water table in the outwash aquifer to the upper 

zone of the bedrock aquifer was 0.005 (26.4 ft/mi).

In contrast, higher head in the bedrock than in 

the outwash aquifer at well cluster R2 shows that consistent upflow from the bedrock to the outwash deposits occurs at this location beneath the middle terrace 

(fig. 17). In addition to the difference in vertical flow 

direction, gradients are much greater at R2 than at well 

Rl; the maximum observed gradient at R2 was 0.033

from well R7 were not used for this analysis because of 

the slow recovery time of the bedrock well after sampling; the 

hydrograph from well R7-BR does not represent undisturbed head 

conditions.

(174 ft/mi) on August 18, 1991, and was the largest 

vertical flow gradient observed at the MSEA.

Paired bedrock and outwash hydrographs from 

well R6 (fig. 17) show that upflow from the bedrock to 

the outwash aquifer generally occurs at this location; 

the maximum vertical gradient of 0.014 (73.9 ft/mi) 

was observed during base-flow conditions on 

October 1, 1991. During periods of bank storage in 

the outwash aquifer, however, vertical flow between 

the two formations is reversed, and gradients of as 

much as 0.023 are briefly observed as ground water 

flows from the outwash into the bedrock aquifer.

Vertical Flow Gradients within the Outwash Deposits

Data defining interactions of the outwash 

aquifer with streams and the bedrock aquifer were 

combined with head data obtained from multiport 

wells throughout outwash deposits to create an overview of vertical flow beneath the study area. The 

resulting potentiometric section through the study area 

(figs. 18 and 19) clearly illustrates that recharge to the 

aquifer occurs near Big Beaver Creek and the east 

edge of the study area. From this area, ground water 

flows beneath the terraces and shallow waters discharge to the Scioto River. Although horizontal flow 

dominates beneath the terraces, slight but temporally 

consistent vertical gradients are present near the base 

of the outwash aquifer at well R6. The upflow of deep 

outwash waters at well R6 is likely driven by upward 

leakage from the underlying bedrock. Moreover, the

38 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
545

540

535

530

525

LLJ 

HI

< 545

HI 

W 

HI

>

o

540

I- 535

missing data

WATER-TABLE WELL 

BEDROCK WELL

Rl

530

<

HI

HI 

HI

£ 525

R2

 Recovery from pumping

545

540

535

530

525

R6

SON 

1991

M M 

1992

Figure 17. Hydrographs showing relation between water levels in the outwash aquifer and the bedrock 

aquifer at well clusters R1, R2, and R6, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

Hydrogeology 39
83002'30" 83°01'30"

39°03'

39°02'

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

Study Area

EXPLANATION

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER 

BEDROCK OUTCROP 

C\ \C' TRACE OF GENERALIZED SECTION

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-lnterval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

GRAVEL ROAD

 S2

 S10

D R6

LEVEE

OBSERVATION WELLS AND LOCAL IDENTIFIERS 

Multiport sampler

Well cluster one well screened at water table; 

one multiport sampler

Well cluster one well screened at water table; 

one multiport sampler; one well completed 

in bedrock

Figure 18. Location of generalized potentiometric sections and sections showing vertical variation 

in constituent concentrations, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

40 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
c c

FEET

580 |

570

560 

550 

540 

530

520

510 

500 ,

490 

480 

470

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

EXPLANATION

1,000 METERS

I I SHALE

\7 WATER TABLE--Dashed where inferred

 536 POTENTIOMETRIC CONTOUR-Based on 

measured water levels. Shows altitude 

at which water level stands in tightly 

cased wells. Dashed where inferred

l/J t

APPARENT FLOW PATH AND DIRECTION-- 

Dashed where inferred

WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERHorizontal bars denote screen location. 

Dashed well has been projected onto 

section line

Figure 19. Potentiometric section along flow path through plot 300, Ohio Management Systems 

Evaluation Area, June 3-5, 1991. (Section trace shown on fig. 18.)

Hydrogeology 41
confluence of ground water flowing toward the Scioto 

from the west side of the valley provides an additional 

driving force for upward flow of water.

Near the water table are ephemeral, shallow 

flow cells that are affected by spatially variable infiltration of precipitation (likely caused by runoff from 

hillslopes and ponding of rainfall on the land surface). 

The existence of these flow cells and the influences on 

them are evidenced by temporally variable flow gradients observed in shallow multiport wells. For example, head measurements in wells R2, S2, and S6, in the 

northeast part of the middle terrace, all showed significant downflow on July 2, 1991. These wells are all at 

the base of a hillslope, so the recharge measured at 

these wells on July 2 may have been the result of runoff from a heavy rainfall on June 18. The only area 

where downflow is temporally consistent is the east 

edge of the valley, near Big Beaver Creek.

Intersection of the water table with land-surface 

topography also affects the shallow flow system. 

During April-June 1991 (when the water table was 

approximately 7 to 12 ft below land surface), two separate shallow flow cells were present beneath the 

middle and lower terraces. During this period, shallow ground water flowed horizontally beneath the 

middle terrace and discharged into the east side of the 

meander scar, at the base of the terrace bank (fig. 20). 

Water then discharged from the west side of the 

meander scar and flowed horizontally beneath the 

lower terrace until it discharged to the Scioto River. 

When the meander scar dried up at the end of June 

because of declining ground-water levels, vertical flow 

in wells S3 and R3 reversed direction as a deeper flow 

cell formed (fig. 20). The deeper flow cell was characterized by recharge on the middle terrace and slight 

upflow beneath the lower terrace that resulted in discharge to the Scioto River.

Ground-Water Budget

A ground-water budget is an accounting of all 

waters entering or leaving a ground-water-flow 

system. The water budget helps to refine the conceptual flow model and ensures that it is viable. The 

water-budget equation for a flow system is

For the water-budget calculations relevant to the 

Ohio MSEA, an area of 6.92 x 107 ft2 was considered, 

as outlined by the study area boundary in figure 1. 

The east boundary is the edge of the bedrock valley, 

and the west boundary of the area of interest is the 

center of the Scioto River. The area is bounded by a 

flow path north of the site and by a flow path south of 

the cone of depression that was created by pumping of 

the DOE wells (figs. 2, 12). Flow-path boundaries are 

used so that regional underflow is a possible equation 

parameter only beneath the Scioto River. Any underflow entering the study area beneath the Scioto River 

is assumed to equal the volume of underflow leaving 

the study area beneath the river; therefore, underflow 

is not included in the water-budget equation. Surface 

runoff is considered negligible at the MSEA; infiltration of precipitation is rapid over the unconsolidated 

deposits, and runoff from the uplands is channeled to 

Big Beaver Creek on the east and to the Scioto River 

on the west. Thus, runoff is not considered to be a 

separate source of inflow to the ground-water system. 

Finally, the water-budget equation relevant to the 

MSEA is based on the assumption that inflow to the 

aquifer from the Scioto River during periods of high 

stage equals outflow from bank storage to the Scioto 

River when river stage falls, so that net bank storage is 

zero.

Given the preceding assumptions, the major 

components of ground-water inflow and outflow to the 

outwash aquifer at the Ohio MSEA can be further subdivided into the following components:

Inflow

Infiltration of precipitation 

Leakage from bedrock 

Infiltration from Big Beaver Creek

Outflow

Discharge to Scioto River

Withdrawals from the DOE sanitary-supply weils 10

On the basis of these water sources and sinks, a water 

budget for water year 1992 was calculated. Where 

data permitted, component values were compared to

Inflow = Outflow + Storage. (6)

In calculations of well withdrawals from the outwash aquifer, 

induced infiltration from the Scioto River is subtracted from the total measured well withdrawals. Therefore, induced infiltration is not included as a 

separate inflow term.

42 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Middle Terrace 

State 

Route 124

D

FEET 

560 i

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 FEET

460

500 METERS

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL

470

460

 Lower Terrace 

VERTICAL SCA

SHALLOW FLOW CELL

SHALE

WATER TABLE

 536 

EXPLANATION

APPARENT FLOW PATH AND DIRECTION

POTENTIOMETRIC CONTOUR-Based on 

measured water levels. Shows 

altitude at which water level stands 

in tightly cased wells

WELL ON S

Horizontal 

Dashed we

section line

Figure 20. Potentiometric section along flow path through plot 100 (as shown on fig. 18), Ohio Managem

w Area, during (A) June 3-5, 1991, and (B) July 1-3, 1991.
those for water year 1991. Ground-water withdrawal 

from DOE wells (fig. 2) was the only budget component that could be measured directly. Estimation of the 

other formula parameters is described in the following 

sections. Estimation of the parameters was done by 

use of more than one method, when possible, to corroborate results.

Infiltration of Precipitation

Heavy rains and flooding occurred throughout 

much of Ohio in December 1990 and January 1991, 

and above-normal monthly rainfall continued through 

April 1991. Thus, ground water was at near-recordhigh levels in January 1991, at the beginning of the 

study period (Shindel and others, 1992). Weathersystem changes brought drought conditions in May of 

1991 that continued through 1992. Thus, the data presented in this report represent one wet and one dry 

year in south-central Ohio. Total precipitation at 

Piketon in water years 1991 and 1992 was 43.32 and 

38.33 in., respectively. The mean annual precipitation 

for south-central Ohio is 40.14 in. (Hendershot, 1990, 

p. 154).

The relation between precipitation and water 

levels beneath the middle terrace in the outwash 

aquifer is illustrated in figure 21. A muted water-level 

rise is apparent immediately after some of the precipitation events. The maximum immediate observed 

response to a precipitation event occurred on 

July 10, 1992, when water levels rose 1.2 in. in wells 

S5 and S10 in response to 1.55-in. of rain. If an effective porosity of 0.25 is assumed for the outwash 

aquifer and used as a multiplier for the observed 

water-level rise, then 0.30 in. of water reached the 

water table to cause the water-level rise. This calculation indicates that a maximum of 19 percent of the precipitation in the specified event reached the water table 

within 2.5 days.

Rapid infiltration of part of the precipitation at 

the site was also noted by Springer and others (1993) 

and Springer (1994), who applied a conservative bromide tracer to the surface of one-quarter of plot 100 

(fig. 1) in spring 1991. They observed that low concentrations of bromide were present at the water table 

beneath the treatment area after significant precipitation events. However, mass-balance calculations 

show that a maximum of 4 percent of the total applied 

mass of bromide was detected at the water table after 

any one precipitation event and that less than 

10 percent of the applied mass of bromide was

detected in ground-water samples collected between 

application and September 1992. Instead, analysis of 

bromide in soil cores has shown that the bulk of the 

bromide is moving slowly through the soil matrix and 

that the center of the bromide mass was only 6 to 7.5 ft 

below land surface in February 1994, roughly 

3.8 years after bromide application (unpublished data 

on file in the Environmental Chemistry Water Quality 

Analytical Laboratory at The Ohio State University, 

School of Natural Resources, Columbus, Ohio). Thus, 

the tracer tests and hydrograph analyses indirectly 

indicate that rapid infiltration of water and conservative solutes to the water table partially occurs along 

pathways of preferential flow through the unsaturated 

zone. The rest of the rainfall either infiltrates the 

unsaturated zone as matrix flow at the average rate of 

about 2 ft/yr or is lost as evapotranspiration during 

summer.

The amount of precipitation that infiltrates to the 

water table at the study area was estimated as the difference between the volume of precipitation and the 

volume of water lost as evapotranspiration. As previously stated, precipitation for water year 1992, as 

measured at the NWS station in Piketon, was 38.33 in. 

Monthly estimates of potential evapotranspiration 

(ET) were calculated by means of the modified 

Blaney-Criddle equation, as described in James 

(1988):

ET = KscsKtNP(T/Kl+K2), (7)

where Kscs is the crop coefficient for corn (James, 

1988, table C2, p. 432); Kt is equal to K3T + K4, 

where K3 is a constant equal to 0.0173 (James, 1988, 

table 1.14, p. 34), K4 is a constant equal to -0.314 

(James, 1988, table 1.14, p. 34), and T is the mean 

temperature for the month, in degrees Fahrenheit, as 

obtained from the NWS weather station in Waverly, 

Ohio; N is the number of days in the month; P is the 

mean daily percentage of annual daytime hours for the 

month; Kt is a constant equal to 100 (James, 1988, 

table 1.14, p. 34); and K2 is a constant equal to 0 

(James, 1988, table 1.14, p. 34).

Monthly temperature, precipitation, and ET for 

1991 and 1992 are shown in table 8. ET was highest 

during April through September each year. Total ET 

for water year 1992 was 25.63 in. Subtraction of 

estimated ET from the amount of total precipitation 

for water year 1992 (38.33 in.) yields 12.70 in. of

44 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
540

PRECIPITATION--as measured at National 

Weather Service Station in Piketon, Ohio

530

A M 

1992

Figure 21. Hydrograph showing relation between precipitation and water level at well S5-WT, Ohio 

Management Systems Evaluation Area, August 1991-September 1992.

water (33 percent of total precipitation) that was available to infiltrate to the water table.

An infiltration amount of 12.70 in. is reasonable 

for water year 1992 when compared to recharge rates 

estimated for outwash deposits elsewhere in Ohio, as 

listed in table 9. One would expect lower recharge 

rates in the Scioto River Valley of Franklin County 

than in Pike County because of the greater amount of 

urbanization in Franklin County and the presence of 

overlying till layers in southern Franklin County.

Leakage from Bedrock

To calculate leakage of ground water from the 

bedrock along the sides and bottom of the buried valley, the investigators determined K of the bedrock, 

hydraulic gradient across the bedrock-outwash contact, and area of the bedrock valley walls and valley 

floor. K of the bedrock was estimated by means of 

slug-test analysis at well R6-BR. Analysis of recovery 

of water levels in this well after pumping yielded a 

horizontal K (Kh) of 3.0 x 10'3 ft/d (Finton, 1994), a

reasonable value to use for determining leakage from 

the valley walls. To calculate leakage from the valley 

floor, the investigators used a vertical K (Kv) estimated to be one-tenth of the Kh, or 3.0 x 10"4 ft/d.

Data for hydraulic gradient across the bedrockoutwash contact was available only for along the valley floor. The maximum gradient measured between 

the bedrock and the deep outwash aquifer was 0.033, 

observed at well cluster R2 in August 1991. This 

maximum gradient was used in the calculation of bedrock leakage to produce a maximum rate of bedrock 

discharge.

The area of the east valley wall (Aw) in contact 

with the saturated part of the outwash aquifer was estimated as being equal to the length of the east valley 

wall within the study boundaries (1 x 104 ft) multiplied by the saturated thickness of the aquifer (approximately 55 ft), or a total of 5.5 x 105 ft2 . The area of 

the bedrock valley floor (Af) was calculated as being 

6.52 x 107 ft2, equal to the surface area of the study 

area (6.92 x 107 ft2) minus the area adjacent to 

Big Beaver Creek where downflow occurs. The area

Hydrogeology 45
Table 8. Estimation of evapotranspiration and infiltration of precipitation at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

[Monthly evapotranspiration = (crop coefficient)(Kt)(number of days in month)(mean daily percentage of annual daytime hoursXmean temperature)( 1/100 + 0), as estimated by the modified Blaney-Criddle method (James, 1988). Crop coefficient from James (1988, p. 432, table C2); Kt 

= 0.0173(mean temperature) + -0.314; mean temperature derived from the National Weather Service data from station in Waverly, Ohio; constants derived from James (1988, p. 34, table 1.14)]

Water _. Month 

year

1991 January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

1992 October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

Crop 

coefficient

0.05

.05

.25

.44

.58

.92

1.08

1.00

.85

.25

.05

.05

.05

.05

.25

.44

.58

.92

1.08

1.00

.85

... Number

l\i - .

of days

0.1998

.2742

.4316

.6410

.8866

.9281

.9818

.9333

.8001

.6064

.3607

.2880

.1912

.3036

.3728

.5458

.6825

.8070

.9333

.8486

.7638

31

28

31

30

31

30

31

31

30

31

30

31

31

28

31

30

31

30

31

31

30

Mean daily Monthly 

percentage mean tem' 

of annual perature 

daytime (degrees 

hours Fahrenheit)

0.22

.24

.27

.30

.32

.34

.33

.31

.28

.25

.22

.21

.22

.24

.27

.30

.32

.34

.33

.31

.28

29.7

34.0

43.1

55.2

69.4

71.8

74.9

72.1

64.4

53.2

39.0

34.8

29.2

35.7

39.7

49.7

57.6

64.8

72.1

67.2

62.3

Water year 

sum

Evapotranspiration 

(inches)

0.020

.031

.389

1.401

3.540

6.254

8.124

6.467

3.679

.625

.046

.033

.019

.038

.310

1.074

2.262

4.907

7.435

5.480

3.398

25.627

Precipitation 

(inches)

3.09

3.16

6.20

3.81

1.76

2.69

2.44

4.29

2.74

1.23

1.58

5.99

1.27

1.62

4.64

2.37

4.66

3.93

7.76

2.00

1.28

38.33

Infiltration 

(inches)

3.07

3.13

5.81

2.41

-1.78

-3.56

-5.68

-2.18

-.94

.60

1.53

5.96

1.25

1.58

4.33

1.30

2.40

-.98

.33

-3.48

-2.12

12.70

of downflow is assumed to be approximately 400 ft 

wide by 1 x 104 ft long (4.0 x 106 ft2).

Estimates of ground-water leakage from the 

bedrock valley wall (Qw) and valley floor (Qf) were 

calculated by means of Darcy's equation (eq. 1),

Qw = KhAwdh/dl

and 

Qf = KvAfdh/dl,

resulting in annual leakage amounts of 2.0 x 104 ft3 

and 2.4 x 105 ft3, respectively. Summing of valleywall and valley-floor leakage amounts produces a total 

bedrock leakage amount that can then be divided by 

the surface area within the study boundaries 

(6.92 x 107 ft2), resulting in an annual bedrock contribution to the outwash aquifer of approximately 

0.045 in.

46 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 9. Recharge rates for selected areas of Ohio and estimation methods used

Recharge rate 

(inches per year) Area Estimation method Reference

12 Dayton

9.4 Scioto River Valley, southern 

Franklin County

9 Scioto River Valley, southern 

Franklin County

Ground-water budget calculations, ground-water 

recession method, flow-model calibration

Base-flow separation of stream hydrographs

Digital flow model

Dumouchelle and 

others (1993)

Sedam and others 

(1988)

Infiltration from Big Beaver Creek

By measurement of streambed K, vertical 

hydraulic gradients in the streambed, and stream area 

of Big Beaver Creek, it is possible to use Darcy's 

equation (eq. 1) to estimate reasonable minimum and 

maximum volumes of water infiltrating from the creek 

into the outwash aquifer. Kv of the Big Beaver Creek 

streambed was determined by seepage-meter tests at 

three locations (fig. 2) in July 1991 and August 1992. 

A total of nine tests at these locations yielded Kv 's 

ranging from 0.089 to 19.9 ft/d; the mean for the three 

locations was 6.10 ft/d. Seepage meters could not be 

driven into the streambed north of well Rl, where the 

creek flows directly over shale. This reach of the 

creek was assumed to be impermeable relative to the 

reaches where the streambed is composed of gravel. 

The reach of the creek between wells Rl and R8 had a 

much greater Kv than the streambed adjacent to either 

well location (table 7). Vertical hydraulic gradients in 

the streambed, as measured during the seepage-meter 

tests, ranged from 3.3 x 10"3 to 0.088. Although the 

zone below the gravel reach of the streambed was saturated at the time of the seepage-meter tests (as indicated by flow of water into piezometers screened 3 ft 

below the streambed), this zone likely becomes variably saturated as ground-water levels decline (therefore, the moisture content of sediments beneath the 

stream varies areally and with time).

Minimum infiltration estimates were obtained 

by means of the minimum measured streambed Kv 

(0.089 ft/d) and the minimum vertical hydraulic gradient (3.3 x 10"3). Maximum estimates of infiltration 

from Big Beaver Creek were made by means of the 

maximum measured Kv (19.9 ft/d) and the maximum 

measured vertical gradient (0.088). Stream width and 

stage data from three time points in 1991, as given in 

table 10, were used to determine the average stream

area to be substituted into Darcy's equation. These 

data, which were obtained 50 to 200 ft from the 

Cemetery Road bridge, were then visually compared 

to a discontinuous stage hydrograph of Big Beaver 

Creek (fig. 16) (measured at the Cemetery Road 

bridge over a large pool that contains water even during periods of no flow) to determine that stream stage 

conditions in June 1991 can be considered average for 

the area. (August 1991-March 1992 data are missing 

from the Big Beaver hydrograph; however, it is reasonable to assume that flows in Big Beaver Creek 

would generally be low at this time, as were flows 

observed in the Scioto River (fig. 14) at this time.) 

Thus, an average stream width of 10 ft (similar to the 

width observed in June 1991) was assumed. Stream 

length in the study area is 12,000 ft; if 3,250 ft is subtracted (the reach length that flows over impermeable 

shale) and the resulting length (10,250 ft) is multiplied 

by the average stream width, then a stream area of 

88,000 ft2 is obtained.

Substituting the above values for K^ area, and 

hydraulic gradient into Darcy's equation (eq. 1) and 

solving for discharge (Q) results in minimum and 

maximum infiltration rates of 0.0016 in/yr and 

9.9 in/yr, respectively. The mean of these two values 

is 5.0 in/yr. Even the maximum infiltration value is 

only a small percentage (0.08 percent) of the total volume of water flowing in the stream under average conditions as exhibited in June 1991.

Stream-infiltration ranges calculated by use of 

Darcy's equation were compared to observed volumes 

of recharge to the aquifer determined by means of a 

ground-water hydrograph separation technique (modified from Johansson, 1987, p. 183-198; Lipinski, 

1985; Weiss and Razem, 1980, p. 9-10). This method 

was used to calculate total recharge to the outwash 

aquifer from all sources. Water-level rises above a 

recession curve on each of the water-table well

Hydrogeology 47
Table 10. Stage, width, and discharge of Big Beaver Creek near the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area in 

April, June, and November 1991

Date

April 1991

June 1991

November 1991

Stage of Big Beaver Creek 

(feet above streambed)

1.3

.52

0

Width of 

Big Beaver Creek 

(feet)

44

6.1

0

Discharge 

(cubic feet per second)

45

.67

0

hydrographs were summed for the year, then multiplied by an assumed effective porosity of 0.25 to estimate the recharge by infiltration for water year 1992 

(fig. 22). Because the extension of recession curves is 

subjective, no recession curve was drawn beyond that 

described by actual water-level data. Instead, a horizontal line was drawn from the base of each documented recession, and water-level rises were measured 

between the horizontal line and the water-level peak. 

This procedure had the effect of artificially minimizing the resulting water-level rises and subsequent 

recharge rates because, in reality, ground water would 

continue to flow out of the area in the absence of 

recharge, causing further declines in ground-water 

levels with time.

Results of the ground-water hydrograph separation are shown in table 11. Annual recharge was not 

calculated for wells R3 through R7 because of bankstorage effects in these wells caused by their proximity 

to the Scioto River. Annual recharge rates range from 

14.82 to 17.97 in. and reflect all water recharging 

the outwash aquifer, including infiltrating precipitation, leakage from bedrock, and infiltration from 

Big Beaver Creek. Recharge rates are highest at wells 

Rl and R8, adjacent to Big Beaver Creek. Recharge 

rates are lowest at well S10, downgradient from the 

reach of Big Beaver Creek that has a shale streambed. 

Subtraction of infiltrating precipitation (12.70 in.) and 

the mean estimate of bedrock leakage (0.045 in.), 

where appropriate, from the total recharge rates determined by ground-water hydrograph separation reveals 

that 2.08 to 5.27 in. (or 14 to 29 percent of the total 

annual recharge for water year 1992) is from infiltration from Big Beaver Creek. Unfortunately, no wells 

are adjacent to the most permeable streambed reaches 

to ascertain recharge from Big Beaver Creek in these 

areas. For this reason, and because the use of horizontal recession curves for the ground-water hydrograph

separation minimizes the total recharge rates calculated by hydrograph separation, the recharge from Big 

Beaver shown in table 11 should be considered minimum rates. These rates are between the minimum 

(0.0016 in/yr) and maximum (9.9 in/yr) infiltration 

estimates calculated by use of Darcy's equation. The 

mean estimate of infiltration from hydrograph separation is 3.64 in/yr, compared to the mean estimate of 

5.0 in/yr calculated from Darcy's equation. The latter 

value was used in the 1992 water budget summary 

presented at the end of this section because of the 

known conservative nature of the mean estimate 

derived from hydrograph separation.

Discharge to the Scioto River

Discharge from the outwash aquifer to the 

Scioto River was calculated by means of two methods: 

stream-hydrograph separation and a flux calculation. 

For the stream-hydrograph separation method, 

volumes of water discharged as base flow from the 

outwash aquifer into the Scioto River were calculated 

by means of historical discharge data (water years 

1931-92) from the Higby gaging station (03234500) 

approximately 14 mi upstream from the MSEA. 

Base-flow separation was done by use of HYSEP software (Sloto, 1991), a USGS adaptation of programs 

originally developed by Pettyjohn and Henning 

(1979). HYSEP calculates percentage of discharge 

from the aquifer to the stream by means of fixedinterval, sliding-interval, and local-minima methods. 

The median annual mean base flow at Higby is 5.58 in. 

(0.266 Mgal/d/mi2 ), or 47 percent of streamflow. The 

annual mean base flow calculated for water year 1992, 

4.77 in. (0.227 Mgal/d/mi2), was less than the median 

annual mean. In fact, 59 percent of the calculated 

annual mean base flows during water years 1931-92 at

48 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
540

_j 539

UJ 

LU

< 538

LU 

CO

> 537 

O

CD

H 536

LU 

LL

^ 535

!< 534

LU

533

LU 

LU

DC 

LU

532

531

530

ASTORAGE = Ah x EFFECTIVE POROSITY 

= 18 inches x 0.25 

= 4.5 inches

RECHARGE = SUM (Ah1+Ah2+Ah3, etc.) x EFFECTIVE POROSITY 

= (61.2 inches)(0.25) 

= 15.3 inches

Where ASTORAGE is change in storage and Ah 

is change in altitude (height) of water-table from 

10/1/91 to 9/30/92

Horizontal extension of recession curve

N

1991

M M 

1992

Figure 22. Estimation of infiltration of precipitation and ground-water storage by use of 

hydrograph-separation methods, well S5-WT, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, 

October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992.

Higby were greater than the 1992 annual mean base 

flow, an indication that 1992 was indeed a mild 

drought year.

The base flow to the Scioto River calculated 

from data at Higby is likely much lower than the discharge to the Scioto River at the MSEA because of the 

absence of surficial till deposits in the Piketon area and 

the presence of tills in much of the basin upgradient 

from Higby. Base flow is influenced by recharge, 

which is approximately 2 to 5 in. less in till-covered 

parts of the Scioto River Basin than in outwashcovered areas (Sedam and others, 1988; Stowe, 1979). 

Adding a correction factor of 2 to 5 in/yr to the annual 

mean base flow determined at Higby for water year 

1992 yields an estimated discharge to the Scioto River 

at the MSEA of 6.8 to 9.8 in/yr.

The flux method of calculating ground-water 

discharge to the Scioto River uses Darcy's equation 

(eq. 1) and is based on the assumption that all water 

present in the study area discharges to the Scioto

River. However, in this case, the cross-sectional area 

(A) is measured parallel to the Scioto River (9,000 ft 

in length) and does not include the stream length 

affected by the cone of depression created by the 

DOE well field. In addition, a saturated thickness of 

50 ft is assumed. A horizontal hydraulic gradient of 

1.1 x 10'3 is used, as measured in April 1992, and K is 

assumed to be equal to 401 ft/d (table 3, multiple-well 

aquifer test near well R5-WT). Flux calculations 

based on these parameters indicate that 7.3 x 107 ft3 of 

water was discharged from the unconsolidated aquifer 

beneath the study area to the Scioto River in water 

year 1992. This is equivalent to 12.6 in. of discharge 

per year.

For the 1992 water budget summary presented 

at the end of this section, the mean of all three values 

(6.8 in/yr, 9.8 in/yr and 12.6 in/yr) was used as the 

estimate of discharge of ground water to the Scioto 

River. This mean value is 9.7 in/yr.

Hydrogeology 49
Withdrawals From Wells

The only significant ground-water withdrawals 

from the site are at the DOE wells at the southwest 

corner of the farm. As determined from pumping 

records supplied by the DOE (unpublished data on file 

at the Columbus, Ohio, office of the USGS), the 

DOE withdraws approximately 9.22 x 107 ft 3 

(6.9 x 108 gal) of water per year from three wells 

(fig. 2) for sanitary supply and process water. Divided 

by the area of the MSEA, discharge due to well withdrawals is 16.0 in/yr. In addition to water withdrawn 

from the aquifer, this amount includes induced infiltration of water from the Scioto River. Nortz (1991) used 

the numerical model, MODFLOW (McDonald and 

Harbaugh, 1988), to determine percentage of induced 

infiltration in discharge to pumped wells approximately 2.2 mi north of the DOE well field, along the 

Scioto River. Nortz concluded that if a well of construction similar to that of the DOE wells and located 

200 ft to 1,000 ft from the Scioto River was pumped at 

a rate of 1.0 x 106 ftVd, then 50 to 70 percent of the 

water pumped from the well would be induced infiltration. If 60 percent induced infiltration is assumed for

the DOE wells at the MSEA, only 6.4 in. of the 

16.0 in. of water pumped from the DOE wells is actually discharge of ground water from the outwash 

aquifer.

Storage

For a long-term water budget under steady-state 

aquifer conditions, the storage term is assumed to cancel from the budget equation. However, for an annual 

budget, storage is calculated by use of well-hydrograph separation methods. A storage value for water 

year 1992 was estimated from each well hydrograph 

by subtracting the ground-water altitude at the beginning of the water year (October 1, 1991) from the 

ground-water altitude at the end of the water year 

(September 30, 1992) and multiplying the difference 

by an assumed effective porosity of 0.25. Storage values for the wells are summarized in table 11. Precipitation late in 1992 produced partial recovery from the 

drought, causing a positive change in storage of 2.7 to 

4.6 in. in water year 1992. The mean of the storage 

values for the six wells presented in table 11 (4.2 in.)

Table 11. Areal variation in recharge and ground-water storage at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, 

October 1,1991-September 30,1992

[Well locations are shown in figure 2. Wells are listed in order of increasing distance from Big Beaver Creek. Total annual recharge 

was determined by separation of ground-water hydrograph as demonstrated in figure 22; infiltration of precipitation was estimated 

by subtraction of evapotranspiration from precipitation; bedrock leakage was estimated to be 0.045 inches by use of the Darcy 

equation; recharge from Big Beaver Creek was calculated by subtraction of infiltrating precipitation and bedrock leakage from total 

annual recharge; annual change in storage was estimated as difference between water level at beginning of water year and water 

level at end of water year multiplied by effective porosity]

Well number

Rl-WT

R8-WT

R2-WT

S10-WT

S14-WT

S5-WT

Total annual recharge 

(inches)

17.63

17.97

16.71

14.82

15.75

15.30

Annual infiltration of 

precipitation and 

bedrock leakage 

(inches)

a !2.70

b !2.70

12.74

12.74

12.74

12.74

Annual recharge from 

Big Beaver Creek 

(inches)

4.93

5.27

3.97

2.08

3.01

2.56

Annual change 

in storage 

(inches)

4.6

2.7

4.6

4.1

4.5

4.5

a A consistent downward component of flow is measured from the outwash aquifer to the bedrock aquifer at well Rl; therefore, bedrock leakage 

is assumed to be nonexistent at this location.

b Although no bedrock well exists at this location, the flow regime is assumed to be similar to that at well Rl and bedrock leakage is estimated to 

be nonexistent.

50 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio
was used as the estimate of the change in storage for 

the 1992 water-budget summary presented below.

Summary of Ground-Water Budget

Ground-water-budget components needed to 

solve equation 6 are summarized in table 12. When 

summed, the percent difference between water-budget 

inputs and outputs plus storage is 14 percent, which is 

within the range of error on individual component estimates.

According to the calculated budget, 72 percent 

of recharge to the outwash aquifer at the Ohio MSEA 

is derived from infiltrating precipitation, 0.2 percent is 

from bedrock leakage, and 28 percent is from infiltration of surface water from Big Beaver Creek. Twentyfour percent of the water recharged to the aquifer in 

water year 1992 (17.7 in.) was stored in the groundwater system at the end of the water year. Of the 

16.1 in. of water discharged from the aquifer,

60 percent exited as base flow to the Scioto River, and 

40 percent was withdrawn at the DOE well field.

WATER QUALITY

The goals of the water-quality data-collection 

program were to (1) characterize spatial and temporal 

variability in major-ion chemistry of ground water, 

with emphasis on constituents that could potentially 

affect the fate and transport of agrochemicals; 

(2) identify factors controlling ground-water chemistry; and (3) use the chemical data to help corroborate 

the conceptual flow model. To achieve this end, the 

investigators collected data on ground-water and 

surface-water quality.

Results of analyses of water-quality samples 

collected by USGS personnel at the MSEA are listed 

in table 13 (at end of report). As a preliminary overview of major-ion geochemistry in the study area,

Table 12. Summary of ground-water budget for the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, 

October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992

[Infiltration of precipitation was calculated by subtracting evapotranspiration from total precipitation; leakage from bedrock and 

infiltration from Big Beaver Creek were calculated by use of Darcy's equation (1856); discharge to the Scioto River was estimated 

as the mean value of stream-hydrograph-separation calculations and a flux calculation based on Darcy's equation; withdrawals 

from Department of Energy (DOE) well field were summed from pumping records; ground-water storage was estimated as mean 

of annual storage values presented in table 11]

Water source or destination Inches per unit study area

Inflow: Infiltration of precipitation 

Leakage from bedrock 

Infiltration from Big Beaver Creek 

Sum

12.7

.045

5.0

17.7

Outflow: Discharge to Scioto River 

Withdrawals from DOE well field3 

Sum

9.7

6.4

16.1

Storage: 4.2

' Corrected for induced infiltration from the Scioto River.

Water Quality 51
relative percentages of major ions in each sample 

were plotted on Piper diagrams (fig. 23). To examine 

variation in chemical composition of ground water 

with depth, the investigators constructed boxplots for 

each property and constituent of interest (fig. 24). The 

boxplots allow visual comparison of median concentration, interquartile range, and total range of 

measured values for analyses of the following waters: 

(1) surface water (samples collected from Big Beaver 

Creek and the Scioto River), (2) shallow water from 

the outwash aquifer (samples collected from the multilevel wells at ports 3, 4, 5, or 6 whichever was the 

uppermost saturated port at the time of sampling), 

(3) water from intermediate zones of the outwash 

aquifer (collected from approximately 40 ft below 

land surface at port 2 of the multilevel wells), (4) deep 

water from the outwash aquifer (samples collected 

from port 1 of the multilevel wells, at approximately 

60 ft below land surface, and (5) bedrock water collected from wells completed in the Ohio Shale. 

Grouping of samples by depth is valid for this aquifer 

because flow paths are primarily horizontal. Boxplots 

for each depth summarize data from all three sampling 

rounds.

Surface Water

Properties and constituents of surface water 

were determined to evaluate the effect of groundwater/surface-water interactions on quality of water in 

the outwash aquifer and in the streams bounding the 

study area. Results of analyses of samples collected at 

the two surface-water sites are included in table 13. 

No water-quality data are presented for Big Beaver 

Creek in November 1991 because the stream was not 

flowing at that time. The Piper diagram (fig. 23) 

shows that Big Beaver Creek waters are calcium magnesium sulfate bicarbonate type and that Scioto River 

waters are generally calcium magnesium bicarbonate 

type. In general, major ions in both streams became 

more concentrated from April to November throughout the 1991 growing season, as discharge decreased 

(table 13). The exception was silica, the concentration 

of which decreased with time. Dissolved oxygen and 

total iron concentrations also decreased with time.

Big Beaver Creek had much lower alkalinity 

and specific conductance, as well as lower concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfate, chloride, dissolved solids, nutrients, pesticides, and 

organic carbon than the Scioto River. Dissolved solids

and nutrient concentrations in Big Beaver Creek also 

were less than those in the shallow outwash aquifer. 

The maximum concentration of nitrates in Big Beaver 

Creek was detected in April, at 0.72 mg/L of nitratenitrogen. The only herbicide or herbicide-degradation 

product found in Big Beaver Creek (desethyl-atrazine) 

was also detected in April but was present near the 

detection limit at a concentration of 0.08 pg/L (detection limit = 0.05 ng/L).

In contrast, the maximum nutrient concentrations detected in the Scioto River were found in the 

fall (nitrate, 3.6 mg/L as N; dissolved phosphorous, 

0.32 mg/L), and the greatest herbicide concentrations 

were generally detected in June (atrazine, 2.7 ng/L; 

alachlor, = 0.3 ng/L). Atrazine was detected during all 

three sampling rounds, as was metolachlor. Metolachlor concentrations were greatest in November, at 

1.9 ng/L. (It should be noted that metolachlor was not 

applied at the MSEA.)

Ground Water

Distinguishing characteristics, as concluded 

from the Piper and boxplot diagrams, are discussed for 

each aquifer in the paragraphs that follow. Waterquality trends with depth within the outwash aquifer 

also are discussed, as are areal and temporal variations 

in ground-water quality.

Bedrock Aquifer

Distinguishing Characteristics

Several differences in the aqueous chemistry of 

bedrock and outwash waters can be discerned by use 

of the Piper diagram (fig. 23) and boxplots (fig. 24). 

Bedrock waters are classified as calcium sodium chloride waters in contrast to the calcium magnesium 

bicarbonate waters from the shallow part of the outwash aquifer. In addition, bedrock waters had specific 

conductances and concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, and dissolved solids that were more 

than double those measured in outwash-aquifer 

waters. The bedrock waters also had somewhat higher 

median calcium and magnesium concentrations than 

the outwash waters, somewhat lower alkalinity, and 

much lower sulfate concentrations. The median sulfate concentration in bedrock waters was 1.8 mg/L, 

compared to a median sulfate concentration of approximately 72 mg/L in the deep outwash. Nitrate was not

52 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
CALCIUM CHLORIDE AND NITRATE 

PERCENTAGE OF MILLIEQUIVALENTS

EXPLANATION

 SCIOTO RIVER

O BIG BEAVER CREEK

+ SHALLOW OUTWASH

V INTERMEDIATE OUTWASH

D DEEP OUTWASH

 BEDROCK

CATION WATER TYPE ANION WATER TYPE

Figure 23. Piper diagram showing major cation and anion percentages of ground-water 

samples (November 1991) and surface-water samples (April - November 1991) collected 

at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area.

Water Quality 53
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Figure 24. Water quality as a function of depth at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation 

Area, October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992.

54 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
POTASSIUM, 

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Figure 24. Water quality as a function of depth at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation 

Area, October 1, 1991-September 30, 1992--Continued.

detected in the bedrock aquifer; however, ammonia, a 

reduced form of nitrogen, was detected at a maximum 

concentration of 6.0 mg/L. In contrast, the maximum 

concentration of ammonia found in the outwash 

aquifer was 0.21 mg/L.

Areal Differences and Temporal Variations

The large interquartile range on some of the 

boxplots of bedrock data (fig. 24) can be attributed 

largely to areal differences in constituent concentrations within the bedrock aquifer. Bedrock water from 

well R2-BR consistently had greater specific conductance and greater concentrations of dissolved solids, 

chloride, and major cations than did water from other 

bedrock wells (table 13). Well Rl-BR consistently 

produced water with the least dissolved solids relative 

to the other bedrock wells, and water samples from 

wells R6-BR and R7-BR were intermediate in dissolved solids concentration. Areal differences in bedrock water quality were much more prevalent than 

temporal variations in constituent concentrations. For 

example, the largest absolute difference in concentration due to temporal variation was a 22-percent 

difference in potassium concentration at well R2-BR, 

whereas the percentage difference in potassium concentration due to areal differences (calculated between 

wells R2-BR and Rl-BR) was 127 percent.

Outwash Aquifer

Distinguishing Characteristics

Shallow outwash waters generally are classified 

as calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. Intermediate 

and deep outwash waters in the northeastern part of 

the study area have a composition that is transitional 

between calcium magnesium bicarbonate and calcium 

sodium chloride (or bedrock) waters (fig. 23). Deep 

outwash waters in this area closely approach the composition of bedrock water. Intermediate and deep 

waters beneath the southern part of the study area are 

similar in composition to the calcium magnesium 

bicarbonate waters of the shallow outwash aquifer.

A third distinct water type, calcium magnesium 

chloride, was found in the deep zone of the outwash 

aquifer at well S5. The relative percentage of chloride 

ions in this water (76 to 88 percent of total anions) was 

comparable to that of bedrock waters; however, the 

dominant cations in samples from well S5-MP1 were 

calcium and magnesium, in contrast to calcium and 

sodium (the dominant cations in bedrock waters). 

Water from well S5-MP1 was also characterized by 

anomalously low concentrations of sodium, potassium, and sulfate, and anomalously elevated concentrations of magnesium, calcium, iron, and manganese 

compared to the rest of the deep outwash aquifer. 

Magnesium, calcium, and sulfate concentrations at

References Cited 57
this location were intermediate between typical ion 

concentrations of the outwash and bedrock aquifers. 

Even though calcium magnesium chloride waters were 

found at only one location, results of chemical 

analyses from well S5-MP1 were consistent during all 

three sampling rounds, indicating that this is an actual 

anomaly and not a result of sampling error. In addition, cation/anion balances were within +10 percent as 

calculated by Hem's method (1989, p. 164), indicating 

that no significant errors were associated with the analytical results.

Spatial Differences and Temporal Variations

As indicated by the variation in dominant ions 

discussed above, water quality of the outwash aquifer 

is characterized by substantial spatial differences. 

These differences can be grouped into two types:

(1) properties and constituents found at much different 

levels in the northeastern part of the study area than 

elsewhere at the MSEA (includes specific conductance, dissolved solids, chloride, sodium, potassium, 

and alkalinity), and (2) properties and constituents 

found at different levels near the streams than elsewhere in the aquifer (includes Eh, dissolved oxygen, 

iron, and manganese in the intermediate and deep 

parts of the aquifer).

Differences in water quality with depth also 

were noted, as is illustrated by the boxplots (fig. 24). 

Differences with depth were of two types: (1) levels 

of properties and constituents that increased with 

depth in the northeastern part of the study area; and

(2) levels of properties and constituents that showed a 

trend with depth that was observed across most of the 

site. Temporal variation was generally greatest near 

the water table and was most pronounced for indicators of redox reactions, such as Eh, dissolved oxygen, 

and nitrate.

Properties and constituents having the most pronounced spatial differences and temporal variations 

are described in the paragraphs that follow. Herbicides and phosphorous were rarely detected in the outwash aquifer and therefore are not included in the 

following discussion. Organic carbon is also not 

included because concentrations were apparently 

unaffected by location, depth, or time.

Specific Conductance, Dissolved Solids, and Chloride

Specific conductance and dissolved solids 

are both proportional to the ionic concentration of a

solution; hence, they were highly correlated among 

samples from the MSEA (r = 0.99). Because chloride 

concentrations also were highly correlated with specific conductance (r = 0.99), spatial differences in outwash concentrations of dissolved solids and chloride 

follow the same pattern of areal differences found for 

specific conductance (fig. 25). These three characteristics all indicate a distinct zone of mineralized waters 

encompassing wells R2, S10, R4, and (in the deep 

zone of the outwash aquifer) well S5. Levels of these 

characteristics within the mineralized zone were more 

than twice those at the south end of the site in the deep 

outwash waters. The mineralized zone is approximately 1,500 ft wide and extends across the valley 

almost to the river. Two-dimensional spatial differences in specific conductance, dissolved solids, and 

chloride are typified by contoured specific conductances in a hydrogeologic section cutting north-south 

through the middle terrace (fig. 26). In general, 

specific conductance and dissolved solids and chloride 

concentration all increased with depth within the mineralized zone. Outside of the mineralized zone, however (from well S14 south), specific conductance and 

dissolved solids and chloride concentration decreased 

with depth. Levels of these characteristics in the deep 

outwash aquifer showed little temporal variation.

Sodium and Potassium

Maps showing distribution of the cations 

sodium and potassium (fig. 27) show elevated concentrations of both constituents in the northeastern part of 

the site; however, potassium concentrations were 

elevated in the deep zone of the aquifer only. The 

shape of the sodium and potassium contours is somewhat altered relative to the zone of elevated specific 

conductance, dissolved solids, and chloride, owing to 

the anomalous paucity of sodium and potassium ions 

in water from well S5-MP1.

Alkalinity and pH

The areal trend in alkalinity, in contrast to that 

for dissolved solids, chloride, sodium, and potassium, 

was inversely correlated with specific conductance. 

Instead of increasing to the northeast, alkalinity of 

shallow ground water decreased distinctly in the 

northeast corner of the MSEA. Alkalinity concentrations generally decreased with depth, whereas pH 

increased. Values for both properties showed little 

temporal variation during the period of study.

58 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
830Q2'30" 83°01'30" 83002'30" 

I 

o

§

39°03'

39°02'

Base map digitized from U S Geological Survey 

Plketon 1 24,000, 1961, photorevised 1974

Study Area

58°03'

39°02'

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET 

| ' -T- , , I 

0 1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

 600 SPECIFIC-CONDUCTANCE CONTOUR--in microsiemens per centimeter 

interval variable. Dashed where inferred

OBSERVATION WELLS

 Multiport sampler

 Well cluster-one well screened at water table; one multiport sampler

a Well cluster-one well screened at water table; one multiport sampler

Figure 25. Areal variation in specific conductance in the outwash aquifer (A) near the water table, and 

60 feet below land surface, June 1991.
FEET 

560 i

550 

540 

530 

520 

510 

500 

490 

480 

470

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

 800 

SHALE 

WATER TABLE

SPECIFIC-CONDUCTANCE CONTOUR--Shows 

specific conductance, in micro-Siemens per 

centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius, in the 

outwash aquifer. Dashed where inferred. 

Hachures indicate area of decreasing 

specific conductance. Contour interval is 

variable

--696

--(700)

WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERHorizontal bars denote screen location. 

Value is specific conductance (values 

in parentheses are unpublished data on 

file at the School of Natural Resources, 

The Ohio State University, Columbus, 

Ohio). Dashed well has been projected 

onto section line

Figure 26. Diagramatic section showing vertical variation in specific conductance approximately 

perpendicular to flow in the outwash aquifer, June 1991. (Section trace shown on fig. 18.)

60 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
83°02'30' 83°01'30" 83°02'30" 

o

i.

39°03'

39°02!

A

Base map digitized from U S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 124,000, 1961, photorevised 1974

Study Area

39°03'

39°02'

B

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

EXPLANATION

 20 CONCENTRATION CONTOUR--in milligrams per liter in the outwash aq

variable. Dashed where inferred

OBSERVATION WELLS

 Well cluster-one well screened at water table; one multiport sampler 

D Well cluster-one well screened at water table; one multiport sampler; 

Figure 27. Areal variation in (A) sodium concentration and (B) potassium concentration in the outwash 

60 feet below land surface, June 1991.
Eh

The redox potential, or Eh, of ground water 

measures the relative intensity of the oxidizing or 

reducing conditions within the system. A positive Eh 

indicates relatively oxidizing conditions, and a negative Eh indicates relatively reducing conditions. The 

interpretation of an Eh measurement in ground water 

is problematic because the Eh measured by the platinum electrode is really a mixed potential that is 

affected by all redox pairs present in the aquifer. Still, 

Eh measurements can provide useful information 

about relative variations in redox conditions spatially 

within the aquifer. All Eh's in the outwash aquifer 

were positive, although Eh generally decreased 

abruptly with depth between the water table and about 

40 ft below land surface (figs. 24 and 28). Significant 

areal differences in Eh also were found, but these differences are not related to the mineralized zone of 

water in the northeastern corner of the site. Instead, 

ground water in the northwestern part of the site (wells 

R3, R5, and R4) had consistently lower Eh at all 

depths than anywhere on the rest of the site. Shallow 

waters at R2 and S14 were consistently reduced relative to Eh at the same depth elsewhere on the middle 

terrace, whereas S6 and S4 waters were relatively oxidizing. On the lower terrace, Eh decreased along the 

ground-water flow path to the west. To the east, 

waters at well Rl (near Big Beaver Creek) were consistently more oxidizing at greater depths than waters 

from other wells at the site. Temporally, redox potential at all depths across the site dropped by about 

100 to 200 mv between April and November 1991 

(unpublished data on file at the Environmental 

Chemistry Water Quality Analytical Laboratory of 

The Ohio State University, School of Natural 

Resources, Columbus, Ohio).

Dissolved Oxygen

The maximum concentration of dissolved oxygen near the water table was 7.7 mg/L, and the mean 

concentration was 4.5 mg/L for the three time points 

sampled (fig. 24). Concentrations decreased to less 

than 1.0 mg/L at a depth of approximately 40 ft below 

land surface (fig. 29). The depth at which dissolved 

oxygen concentrations equal 1.0 mg/L (0.03 mmol/L) 

is known, for the purposes of this report, as the 

oxic/anoxic boundary. This boundary increased in 

depth to about 70 ft below land surface to the west 

(near the Scioto River) and to about 50 ft below land

surface to the east, near well Rl and Big Beaver 

Creek.

Areal differences in concentrations of dissolved 

oxygen in shallow waters were substantial. Concentrations were generally high at wells S6 and SI3, relative 

to the rest of the site, and generally low at wells R2 

and S4. Concentrations also varied temporally, as is 

expected of a constituent correlated with recharge. In 

shallow waters across the entire site, dissolved oxygen 

decreased by about 4 mg/L from April to November, 

consistent with the marked decline in Eh noted over 

the same time interval. However, decrease of dissolved oxygen in shallow waters did not affect the 

depth of the oxic/anoxic boundary, which remained 

fairly stable with time (except at well locations S6, 

S10,andR4).

Sulfate

Sulfate concentrations increased gradually with 

depth, from a median concentration of approximately 

48 mg/L in the shallow zone of the outwash aquifer to 

a median concentration of approximately 72 mg/L in 

the intermediate and deep zones of the outwash aquifer (fig. 24). Anomalously low concentrations (19 to 

32 mg/L) were found at well S5-MP1 (table 13). In 

general, sulfate concentrations did not vary much temporally.

Nitrate

Elevated concentrations of nitrate have been 

linked to methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) 

in infants and young children. Because of this health 

risk, the USEPA has set a maximum contaminant level 

(MCL) of 10 mg/L of nitrate as N for public drinkingwater supplies.

Nitrate was present in shallow outwash waters 

during the three sampling periods, as shown by plots 

of temporal changes in nitrate concentration along a 

flow path through plot 200 (fig. 30). In April and 

November, nitrate concentrations were below the 

MCL of 10 mg/L; however, in June, elevated nitrate 

concentrations were noted at wells S10 and S6. The 

highest concentration of nitrate was measured near the 

water table at S6, where 16.8 mg/L was detected 

(unpublished data on file at the Environmental 

Chemistry Water Quality Analytical Laboratory, 

School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State 

University, Columbus, Ohio).

62 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
c

FEET

580 i

570 

560 

550 

540 

530 

520 

510 

500 

490 

480 

470

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

EXPLANATION

1,000 METERS

I ............ I SHALE

V WATER TABLE-Dashed where inferred

 200 REDOX POTENTIAL CONTOUR-Shows 

redox potential, in millivolts, in the 

outwash aquifer. Dashed where 

inferred. Interval 50 millivolts

£ WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERCO Horizontal bars denote screen location.

Value is redox potential, in millivolts 

--(257) (values in parentheses are unpublished 

data on file at the School of Natural 

Resources, The Ohio State University, 

Columbus, Ohio). Dashed well has 

been projected onto section line

Figure 28. Generalized section showing vertical variation in redox potential, parrallej to flow in 

the outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991. (Section trace 

shown on fig. 18.)

Water Quality 63
530

GENERAL DIRECTION 

OF GROUND-WATER FLOW

490 

480

470

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

EXPLANATION

1,000 METERS

I ::::: I SHALE

^7 WATER TABLE-Dashed where inferred

 2.0 CONCENTRATION CONTOUR-Shows 

concentration of dissolved oxygen, in 

milligrams per liter, in the outwash 

aquifer. Dashed where inferred. 

Contour interval is variable

CO

--0.5

--(2.6)

WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERHorizontal bars denote screen location. 

Value is constituent concentration, in 

milligrams per liter (value is parentheses 

are unpublished data on file at the School 

of Natural Resources, The Ohio State 

University, Columbus, Ohio). Dashed well 

has been projected onto section line

Figure 29. Generalized section showing yertical variation in dissolved-oxygen concentration, 

parallel to flow in the outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991. 

(Section trace shown on fig. 18.)

64 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
The June nitrate data indicate a source of nitrogen beneath plot 200 that is available only in late 

spring or summer. This source may be 1.35 x 105 gal 

of dairy-cattle manure that was applied to plot 200 

after the first sampling round in April 1991. The fact 

that well S6 is just upgradient from plot 200 indicates 

a second nitrate source perhaps from fertilizertransfer activities either at the liquid manure tank near 

well S6 or at the bam upgradient from well S6.

Of particular note is the fact that the vertical 

hydraulic gradient indicated by the nitrate plume 

encompassing wells S6 and S10 is steeper than that 

indicated by monthly water-level measurements. 

Because vertical hydraulic gradients were measured 

only once per month at the site wells, chemical gradients likely are a more accurate, temporally averaged 

representation of the hydraulic gradients at the site 

than the widely spaced water-level measurements.

Vertically, nitrate concentrations decreased with 

depth from a median of 3.1 mg/L near the water table 

to below detection limits at approximately 40 ft below 

land surface (fig. 24). Detectable nitrates were present 

at depths greater than 40 ft below land surface at well 

S10 (fig. 30), at well R1 near Big Beaver Creek, and at 

wells R5 and R6 near the Scioto River (fig. 31).

Iron and Manganese

Iron and manganese concentrations in the outwash aquifer increased with depth in the outwash 

aquifer, as Eh and dissolved oxygen decreased 

(fig. 24). Generally, dissolved iron and manganese 

concentrations were near or below detection limits 

near the water table, except at well R2. (Here, dissolved iron concentrations of 100 to 200 jig/L and dissolved manganese concentrations of 430 to 1,000 ng/L 

were consistently measured in shallow waters.) 

Beneath the middle terrace, dissolved iron concentrations abruptly increased to 1,000 jig/L at about 40 ft 

below land surface (at the oxic/anoxic boundary; 

fig. 32), and manganese concentrations increased to 

approximately 40 jig/L. As with Eh and dissolved 

oxygen, iron concentrations at well Rl were anomalous; dissolved iron concentrations at well Rl were 

consistently near detection limits at all depths even 

though downgradient wells contained several thousand micrograms per liter of dissolved iron near the 

base of the aquifer. Manganese concentrations were 

also relatively low at all depths at well Rl. In addition, the depth to detectable iron concentrations 

increased to the west, near the Scioto River. Iron and

manganese concentrations were fairly consistent temporally.

Age of Outwash and Bedrock Waters

Tritium concentrations were used to assess the 

relative ages of ground water in different parts of the 

aquifer, thus providing further information on groundwater flow in the aquifer. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of 12.4 years. Low 

levels of tritium are produced naturally in the Earth's 

atmosphere by interaction of cosmic-ray neutrons with 

14N (Faure, 1977, p. 328). However, tests of large 

thermonuclear devices during late 1954 - 1963 

released large quantities of manmade tritium to the 

atmosphere. Tritium in the atmosphere enters the 

hydrologic cycle in precipitation.

It is estimated that the natural, pre-bomb tritium 

content of precipitation was about 2 to 10 tritium units 

(TU) (Thatcher, 1962). One tritium unit is equal to 

one tritium atom in 10 18 atoms of hydrogen, or 

3.24 picocuries per liter. After 1953, tritium concentrations in precipitation increased two to three orders 

of magnitude, peaking in 1962 and 1963 in response to 

large-scale testing (Michel, 1989). Then, with the 

cessation of nuclear atmospheric testing in the 

mid-1960's, tritium concentrations in precipitation 

began declining and are now approaching pre-Bomb 

levels.

Tritium concentrations in precipitation differ 

with latitude. Estimates of concentration of tritium in 

precipitation in central Ohio from 1953 to 1983 

(Michel, 1989) were corrected for radioactive decay 

through June 1991 and are shown in figure 33. Other 

than radioactive decay, tritium is not significantly 

affected by geochemical reactions; thus, it is useful for 

age-dating ground water. Considering the tritium halflife of 12.4 years (International Atomic Energy 

Agency, 1981), ground water that recharged the water 

table before 1953 should have had a tritium concentration of less than or equal to approximately 1 TU in 

1991. Therefore, if samples of ground water from 

south-central Ohio contain tritium concentrations at 

less than or equal to 1 TU, the water either originally 

entered the saturated zone some time before 1953 or 

mixed extensively with pre-1953 ground water. Similarly, ground water containing tritium at concentrations greater than 1 TU either initially recharged the 

water table some time after 1953 or mixed with a large 

fraction of post-1953 water. In ground-water-flow 

systems where no mixing of waters has occurred, the

Water Quality 65
B

Figure 30. Diagramatic section showing vertical variation in nitrate concentration in the outwash 

aquifer in (A) April, (B) June, and (C) November 1991, parallel to flow, Ohio Management 

Systems Evaluation Area. (Section trace shown on fig. 18.)

66 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
500 1,000 1,500 2,000 FEET

I__________I I

0 500 METERS

VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL

EXPLANATION

V WATER TABLE

 2.0 CONCENTRATION CONTOUR-Shows

concentration, in milligrams per liter, of 

nitrite plus nitrate as N in the outwash 

aquifer. Contours are interpolated 

between values in adjacent ports of 

projected wells. Contour interval is 

variable. Dashed where inferred

S6

-- 1.2

-L (1.0)

WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIER-- 

Horizontal bars denote screen location. Value 

is constituent concentration, in milligrams per 

liter (values in parentheses are unpublished 

data on file at the School of Natural Resources, 

The Ohio State University, Columbus, 

Ohio). Dashed well has been projected 

onto section line

Figure 30. Diagramatic section showing vertical variation in nitrate concentration in the outwash 

aquifer in (A) April, (B) June, and (C) November 1991, parallel to flow, Ohio Management 

Systems Evaluation Area. (Section trace shown on fig. 18.)--Continued.

Water Quality 67
c

530

GENERAL DIRECTION 

OF GROUND-WATER FLOW

510

490 

480 

470

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET

EXPLANATION

1,000 METERS

I ::::: I SHALE

\7 WATER TABLE-Dashed where inferred

 2.0 CONCENTRATION CpNTOUR-Shows 

concentration of nitrite plus nitrate, 

in milligrams per liter, in the outwash 

aquifer. Dashed where inferred. 

Contour interval is variable

c/)

--5.7

-(5.2)

WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERHorizontal bars denote screen location. 

Value is constituent concentration, in 

milligrams per liter (values in parentheses 

are unpublished data on file at the School 

of Natural Resources, The Ohio State 

University, Columbus, Ohio). Dashed well 

has been projected onto section line

Figure 31. Generalized section showing vertical variation in nitrate concentration, parallel to flow 

in the outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991. (Section trace 

shown on fig. 18.)

68 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
c c

530

GENERAL DIRECTION 

OF GROUND-WATER FLOW

490 

480 

470

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

1,000 2,000 3,000

EXPLANATION

4,000 FEET

1,000 METERS

-200-

SHALE

WATER TABLE-Dashed where inferred

CONCENTRATION CONTOUR--Shows 

concentration of dissolved iron, in 

micrograms per liter, in the outwash 

aquifer. Dashed where inferred. 

Contour interval is variable

* WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERco Horizontal bars denote screen location. 

Value is constituent concentration, in

--<3 micrograms per liter. Dashed well has 

been projected onto section line

Figure 32. Generalized section showing vertical variation in dissolyed-iron concentration, parallel 

to flow in the outwash aquifer, Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, June 1991. (Section 

trace shown on fig. 18.)

Water Quality 69
tritium-input curve (fig. 33) can be used to estimate 

the recharge age of waters. For example, figure 33 

shows that water containing more than 32 TU would 

have recharged the ground-water system some time 

between 1958 and 1972.

Results of tritium analyses of MSEA groundwater samples are summarized in table 14. MSEA 

samples fell into two categories based on tritium concentration: tritiated and untritiated. Ground waters 

with tritium concentrations below the detection limit 

of 1.8 TU included the bedrock wells at clusters Rl, 

R2, and R6. The untritiated nature of these bedrock 

wells indicates that shallow bedrock water at these 

locations entered the ground-water-flow system as 

recharge at an upgradient location before 1954.

The tritiation of well R7-BR (4.35 TU) likely 

was caused by inadvertent contamination of the well 

during development; it is unlikely bedrock water at 

well R7 would be naturally tritiated because upgradient bedrock wells are not tritiated and mixing with 

outwash waters is unlikely (based on the slow 

recovery of this well greater than 2 months after

pumping). Unlike other bedrock wells at the MSEA, 

well R7 was developed by jetting with water from a 

different well (one that is screened in the deep outwash aquifer); other (non-tritiated) bedrock wells were 

developed by use of a submersible pump.

The tritium content of samples collected from 

the outwash aquifer ranged from 8.6 to 33.1 ±2.8 TU, 

indicating a component of post-1953 recharge. 

Because all of the concentrations were less than 32 TU 

(when considered with the precision estimate), 

recharge dates could not be further specified. No 

trends in tritium concentration with depth are apparent 

(fig. 34). These data indicate that significant amounts 

of recharge water reach even the deepest and most 

downgradient zones of the outwash aquifer in less than 

38 years. This finding is in agreement with the high 

recharge rates estimated previously in this report and 

supports the chemical evidence (demonstrated by 

nitrate data, fig. 30) that vertical hydraulic gradients 

are steeper than indicated by monthly water-level data.

i ' i

CENTRAL OHIO 

ST. LOUIS, MO. 

Q-D WASHINGTON, D.C

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

Figure 33. Estimates of concentration of tritium in precipitation for central Ohio, St. Louis, Mo. and 

Washington, D.C.,1953-89. (From Dumouchelle and others, 1993.)

70 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near PIketon, Ohio
Table 14. Tritium content of ground water at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

[Well locations are shown in fig. 2. Samples analyzed at laboratory of R.L. Michel, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. TU, tritium unit; 

one TU equals 3.24 picocuries per liter. Analytical detection limit is 1.8 TU]

Well number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP3

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP3

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP3

S10-MP2

S10-MP6

S12-MP1

S12-MP4

Date sample collected

9/10/92

8/12/92

8/12/92

6/17/91

6/17/91

6/17/91

6/17/91

9/01/92

8/05/92

8/05/92

9/02/92

9/02/92

9/02/92

4/02/91

4/02/91

4/03/91

4/03/91

Total tritium content (TU)

<1.8

10

8.6

0.0

25.3

25.5

17.6

<1.8

16

13

4.35

13.9

33.1

21.4

15.0

15.6

13.5

Precision estimate (TU)

1.2

1.6

1.4

.2

1.3

1.1

.8

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.6

1.6

2.8

.8

.7

.7

.8

Tritiated outwash waters also indicate that human 

activities at land surface have considerable potential 

for affecting ground-water quality beneath the study 

area. Ground water currently present beneath the 

study area recharged the aquifer since farming began 

at the site and also since agrochemical use became 

widespread in the 1950's. Atrazine application at the 

farm began in approximately 1964 (John Van Meter, 

farm owner, oral commun., 1992).

CONTROLS ON WATER QUALITY

Accurate interpretation of water-quality data 

requires a knowledge of the processes controlling 

water composition. Factors influencing surface-water 

and ground-water quality are discussed in the paragraphs that follow. In addition, instances where waterquality data support or contradict hydraulic data are 

noted.

Controls on Water Quality 71
35

30

25

~ 20

15

10

1 ' I ' ' I ' ' '

+ OUTWASH 

 BEDROCK

I .

10 20 30 40 50 60

DEPTH, IN FEET BELOW LAND SURFACE

70 80 90

Figure 34. Tritium concentration in ground water as a function of depth below land surface at the Ohio 

Management Systems Evaluation Area, April 1991-September 1992.

Surface Water

The water quality of the Scioto River and Big 

Beaver Creek is greatly affected by the contrasting 

drainage basins of the two streams. Major-ion 

chemistry of the streams is controlled largely by basin 

geology. For example, Big Beaver Creek is fed by 

rapid runoff from the virtually impermeable shales and 

siltstones that make up its drainage basin. The runoff 

has a short contact time with the rocks of the basin; 

therefore, only a small amount of dissolution of minerals can occur, and streamwater is characterized by low 

specific conductance and low concentrations of dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, chloride, and other major ions. These findings are 

consistent with the hydrograph and seepage-meter 

data presented earlier, which indicate that Big Beaver 

Creek receives no recharge from ground water.

In contrast to Big Beaver Creek, streamwater in 

the Scioto River consists of 48 percent ground-water 

discharge (median estimated for historic record at

Higby by use of the fixed-interval method of hydrograph separation). The long contact time of ground 

water with aquifer sediments allows dissolution of 

aquifer minerals to occur prior to discharge of ground 

water to the Scioto River as base flow. This dissolution, coupled with the greater amount of carbonate 

sediment in the Scioto Basin than in the Big Beaver 

Basin, contributes to the greater calcium, magnesium, 

and bicarbonate concentrations in the Scioto River. 

Although major-ion concentrations of the two 

streams are controlled largely by basin geology, nutrient and herbicide concentrations of the two streams 

are controlled by land use in the drainage basins. 

Greater concentrations of pesticides, nutrients, and 

organic carbon in the Scioto River than in Big Beaver 

Creek reflect the greater amounts of farmland and 

industry in the Scioto River Basin. Temporal variations in agrochemical levels of the Scioto River are 

consistent with observations of other Midwestern 

streams, where nitrate concentrations commonly 

increase in the fall after plant uptake of nitrogen

72 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
decreases and where herbicide concentrations increase 

in the spring and early summer because of runoff from 

fields after spring application of herbicides (Goolsby 

and Battaglin, 1993). The increase in the desethyl 

atrazine-to-atrazine ratio (DAR) from 0.05 to 0.25 

between June and November 1991 indicates that biodegradation of atrazine has occurred somewhere in the 

system during this time period (Thurman and others, 

1992). If the MSEA site is representative of the entire 

drainage basin (in that ground water is free of atrazine 

and its metabolite desethylatrazine), atrazine degradation must occur during the transient storage of fieldrunoff waters in the hyporheic sediments upstream 

from the site rather than being attibutable to an 

increase in the base-flow component of streamflow in 

November.

The observed decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration of surface water during the growing season 

was likely due to exsolution of oxygen as water temperatures rose throughout the summer and, in the 

Scioto River, to an increasing percentage of groundwater contribution as streamflow decreased throughout the summer.

Ground Water

Ground-water chemistry is a result of many concurrent influences, including mixing of waters from 

different sources, rock-water chemical interactions, 

redox reactions, anthropogenic inputs, and biological 

activity in the aquifer.

Mixing of Bedrock and Outwash Aquifer Waters

The fact that some intermediate and deep outwash waters have chemical characteristics of intermediate composition between those of bedrock water 

(calcium sodium chloride type) and shallow outwash 

water (calcium bicarbonate type), as evident in the 

Piper diagram (fig. 23), indicates that mixing of bedrock and outwash waters has an important effect on 

ground-water quality. (Mixing trends are denoted by 

lines on the Piper diagram.)

Chloride is the most conservative ion identified 

in the MSEA aquifer system, and its main source in 

the outwash aquifer beneath the MSEA seems to be an 

influx of bedrock waters. Sodium and chloride are the 

main ions in bedrock water at the site. Road salt is a 

common source of chloride and sodium in shallow 

aquifers; however, sodium and chloride concentrations

at the MSEA site are higher at the base of the aquifer 

than near the water table, indicating that the ion source 

is likely at the base of the aquifer and not at land surface. Therefore, the authors attributed sodium and 

chloride concentrations to influx of bedrock waters 

and not to contamination of waters by road salt. A 

plot of the relation between sodium and chloride was 

used to indicate the proportions of bedrock water in 

the outwash aquifer (fig. 35). The dashed line on the 

plot represents the changing Na:Cl ratios that would 

be observed in ground water affected by conservative 

mixing between the two end-members, bedrock and 

outwash water. Most of the outwash and bedrock 

samples plot along this line; however, samples from 

well S5-MP1 in the outwash aquifer plot significantly 

below the mixing line. Waters from well S5-MP1 

have a considerably lower Na:Cl ratio than can be 

explained by the two-endpoint mixing model, an indication of a major sodium sink at this location. 

Although mixing of bedrock and outwash waters may 

control chloride concentrations at S5-MP1, extensive 

exchange of sodium ions for calcium and magnesium 

ions would be required to create the unusual chemistry 

at this location. No stratigraphic data are available 

near the bedrock surface at location S5 to determine if 

an unusually thick clay layer overlies the bedrock that 

could provide a substrate for the ion exchange.

Mixing endpoints were chosen on the basis of 

field data and plotting location on figure 35. Because 

consistent upflow of waters from the bedrock to the 

outwash aquifer was measured at well cluster R2 and 

because waters from well R2-BR contain the highest 

sodium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, potassium, 

and dissolved solids concentrations, water samples 

from R2-BR are assumed to be representative of bedrock water that has not been significantly diluted by 

outwash water. Similarly, because well cluster Rl is 

in a recharge area and because R1-MP6 waters contain 

the lowest sodium and chloride concentrations, samples from R1-MP6 are assumed to be representative of 

outwash water unaffected by mixing with bedrock 

water. Proportions of bedrock water in each well sampled were estimated by means of these two endpoints 

and the following formula:

Estimated percentage of bedrock water in well 

(by volume) = (Clw-Clow)/(ClBR-Clow)> (8)

where Clw is the chloride concentration in the well of 

interest (in millimoles per liter), Clow IS me chloride

Controls on Water Quality 73
0)

Q.

I

o

ff

A

m 

1

I

o

2

I

O 

f

100

50

DC

20 

tr

UJ 

0.

UJ

_i 

O

10 IU

5

DC

UJ 

O

z 

O

o

0.5

0.2

0.1

 SURFACE WATER

+ SHALLOW OUTWASH

V INTERMEDIATE OUTWASH

D DEEP OUTWASH

 BEDROCK

R1 + 

+ (ENDPOINT)

S5-M

0.1 1 10 

CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION, IN MILLIMOLES PER LITER

Figure 35. Concentration of sodium as a function of chloride concentration and calculated percentage o

the outwash aquifer at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, April-November 1991.
concentration in pure outwash water (in millimoles per 

liter), and C1BR is the chloride concentration in pure 

bedrock water (in millimoles per liter). For each of 

the endpoint concentrations, the average of the three 

temporal samples was used. Results of the calculation 

for all wells are summarized in table 15. A range of 

values calculated by use of the chloride concentrations 

from three time points per well is shown.

Results of the mixing calculations agree with 

measured vertical hydraulic gradients between the 

bedrock and outwash aquifers. These results show 

that the bedrock aquifer has been diluted by water 

from the outwash aquifer in areas where downflow 

from the outwash to the bedrock was measured. Consistent downflow has created a mixture of 18 percent 

bedrock water and 82 percent outwash water at well 

Rl-BR (the most dilute location), whereas periodic 

flow reversals near the Scioto River have resulted in 

30 percent bedrock water and 70 percent outwash 

water at well R6-BR.

Of the four bedrock samples analyzed, the fact 

that the diluted bedrock wells are not tritiated indicates 

that flow of water between the bedrock and outwash 

units is very slow. A maximum flow velocity can be 

calculated for bedrock waters if a completely vertical, 

downward gradient in the bedrock aquifer is assumed 

and if the difference between the top of the bedrock 

and the midpoint of the well screen is used as the 

travel distance. The travel distance divided by a travel 

period of 38 years (the time period between 1991, 

when MSEA ground-water samples were collected for 

tritium analysis, and 1954, the most recent possible 

year that bedrock waters could have recharged without 

being tritiated) yields a maximum flow velocity of 

0.2 ft/yr.

Mixing calculations also indicate that upward 

leakage of bedrock water into the outwash aquifer 

occurs at some locations. The effects of upward leakage seem to be most pronounced at the northeastern 

part of the site, where water levels in well cluster R2 

indicated consistent upflow from bedrock to the outwash aquifer. Waters at approximately 60 ft below 

land surface in the northeast corner consist of 5 to 

28 percent bedrock waters (fig. 36). Deep outwash 

waters in this area also have elevated specific conductance; elevated dissolved solids, sodium, and potassium concentrations; and low alkalinity (figs. 25 and 

27) all distinguishing features of the bedrock 

water. Elsewhere beneath the MSEA, deep outwash 

waters consist of less than 5 percent bedrock water.

Percentage of bedrock-water contribution to groundwater chemistry decreases with decreasing depth in 

the aquifer (fig. 37).

The greater percentage of bedrock water in the 

outwash at the northeast part of the site than elsewhere 

at the MSEA could be caused by a local bedrock discharge area between wells S5 and R2 that is affected 

by the bedrock high immediately north of SR 124 

(fig. 5). It seems more likely, however, that a local 

zone of dilution is present at the south end of the site 

(from well S14 south), caused by increased leakage 

from Big Beaver Creek where the streambed changes 

from shale to gravel. (This change in streambed is at 

about the same latitude as well Rl.) This interpretation 

is consistent with data from seepage-meter tests and 

ground-water hydrograph separations presented previously in the report, which indicate that Big Beaver 

Creek is a losing stream along the southern half of the 

study site.

Rock-Water Interactions

Rock-water interactions include dissolution, 

precipitation, sorption, cation exchange, and redox 

reactions. Dissolution-precipitation reactions can be 

examined quantitatively by means of the USGS 

computer program WATEQ4F (Ball and Nordstrom, 

1991), which uses field measurements of temperature, 

pH, Eh, dissolved oxygen, and alkalinity and the 

chemical composition of water to compute the distribution of aqueous species, the activity of dissolved 

constituents, and, most importantly, mineral saturation 

indices.

The saturation index for a mineral phase is 

defined as

SI = log (IAP/Kt), (9)

where IAP is the ion-activity product of the reactants 

and Kt is the thermodynamic equilibrium constant of 

the reaction determined at the temperature of the water 

sample. The saturation indices (Si's) for a water sample indicate the tendency of the analyzed water to dissolve or precipitate specific minerals. An SI less than 

zero indicates that the mineral is undersaturated in the 

aqueous phase and that dissolution of the mineral is 

possible. An SI greater than zero means that the water 

is supersaturated with respect to the mineral and that 

precipitation of the mineral is possible. An SI of zero 

indicates that the ground water and the mineral are in 

equilibrium and that this equilibrium reaction may be

Controls on Water Quality 75
Table 15. Percentage of ground water contributed by bedrock to wells at the Ohio Management Systems 

Evaluation Area

[Well locations are shown in figure 2. Chloride concentrations presented are the range determined during three sampling rounds in 

April, June, and November 1991. Exceptions are wells R3 and R5; because the U.S. Geological Survey did not sample these wells, 

chloride concentrations were obtained from The Ohio State University for November 1991 only (unpublished data on file at the 

Environmental Chemistry Water Quality Analytical Laboratory, The Ohio State University, School of Natural Resources, Columbus, Ohio). 

Percentage of bedrock contribution was calculated by use of the average R2-BR concentration of chloride as the pure bedrock end-member, 

and the average R1-MP4-6 concentration as the pure outwash end-member]

Well Number8

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP4-6

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP4-6

R3-MP1

R3-MP2

R3-MP4-6

R4-MP1

R4-MP2

R4-MP4-6

R5-MP1

R5-MP2

R5-MP3-6

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3-6

Range of chloride concentration 

(millimoles per liter)

9.9 - 11.0

.5 - 1.1

2 - .3

.1 - .2

56.4 - 59.2

7.3 - 8.2

1.8 - 3.1

.1 - 2.8

1.0

1.1

1.4

3.4 - 4.0

1.7 - 2.3

.5 - 1.5

9

1.1

.4

15.8 - 17.5

.8 - 1.1

.3 - .5

.3 - .5

Range of percentage of ground water 

contributed by bedrock

17 -

1

0 -

0

99 -

13 -

3 -

0 -

2

2

2

6 -

3 -

1 -

2

2

1

28 -

2

1

1

19

2

1

104

14

5

5

7

4

3

31

76 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio
Table 15. Percentage of ground water contributed by bedrock to wells at the Ohio Management Systems 

Evaluation Area Continued

Well Number8

Range of chloride concentration 

(millimoles per liter)

Range of percentage of ground water 

contributed by bedrock

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

R7-MP4-6

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4-6

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

S10-MP4-6

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4-6

15.5

.6

.7

.3

14.4

3.7

.6

6.2

1.8

.6

.6

.7

.3

1.9

.8

.5

- 15.8

1.3

6.5

1.9

- 2.0

.7

.8

1.0

27

1

1

1

25 -

6

1

11

3

1

1

1

1 -

3

28

2

4

2

2

a Abbreviations: BR, bedrock well; MP, multiport well completed in the outwash aquifer. Well numbers ending in "MP1" indicate 

that the well port is completed at a depth of approximately 60 feet below land surface; "MP2", completion depth is approximately 40 feet 

below land surface; "MP3-6", uppermost saturated port (exact completion depth is listed in table 1 at back of report).

controlling solute concentrations in the ground water. 

Complete equilibrium between ground water and 

aquifer minerals is the exception not the rule. Total 

equilibrium is uncommon because the reaction rates 

for some minerals are slow compared to the groundwater residence time. Minerals most likely to be in 

equilibrium with ground water are ones that form at 

temperatures and pressures found at the Earth's 

surface.

Results of SI calculations for the minerals dolomite, quartz, and calcite (the most commonly detected 

minerals in the outwash aquifer, as is evident from 

table 4) are listed in table 16, in addition to Si's for the 

minerals chalcedony, ferrihydrite, and siderite. 

Because ferrihydrite is amorphous, its presence cannot 

be confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), however, 

the yellowish-brown stain observed on quartz grains 

from shallow sediment samples is likely ferrihydrite or 

other oxyhydroxide minerals. Siderite and chalcedony

are common, reactive minerals formed in lowtemperature aqueous environments, and they may be 

present in the outwash aquifer below the XRD detection limit of 5 percent by volume. Similarly, pyrite is 

likely present below the XRD detection limit in the 

study area because pyrite is widely distributed in 

Paleozoic sedimentary rocks throughout Ohio 

(Botoman and Stieglitz, 1978); these Paleozoic rocks 

are the source for 96 percent of the mineral material in 

glacial deposits within the State (Strobel, 1990). The 

SI of pyrite could not be determined because of insufficient sulfide data. Lastly, partial pressure of carbon 

dioxide (pCO2) was calculated from pH and alkalinity 

measurements and is listed in table 16. The pCC>2 in 

ground water is used to evaluate reactions involving 

carbonate minerals and the oxidation of organic 

matter. Similarly, results of the SI calculations are 

used to evaluate the equilibrium reactions proposed in 

the paragraphs that follow.

References Cited 77
39°03'

39°02' -

83002'30" 

I

83°01'30"

Base map digitized from U.S. Geological Survey 

Piketon 1:24,000; 1961, photorevised 1974

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 FEET 

. , i I_____I_____I_____I

1,000 METERS

Study Area

EXPLANATION

RESEARCH PLOT AND NUMBER

TOPOGRAPHIC CONTOUR-interval 100 feet. 

Datum is sea level

GRAVEL ROAD 

LEVEE

 10 CONTRIBUTION CONTOUR-Shows percentage 

of water in deep outwash aquifer that 

is derived from upflow of water from 

the bedrock aquifer. Contour 

interval 5 percent

 1.6 WELL AND PERCENTAGE OF BEDROCKWATER CONTRIBUTION

Figure 36. Areal variation in percentage contribution of bedrock water to the outwash aquifer at 

approximately 60 feet below land surface, April-November 1991.

78 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
WEST EAST

500

470 

460

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

500 1,000 1,500 

I____!_

2,000 FEET 

__I

500 METERS

EXPLANATION

SHALE 

WATER TABLE

CONCENTRATION CONTOUR-Shows 

percentage of water in the outwash 

aquifer derived from upflow of water 

from the bedrock aquifer. Contour 

interval 5 percent. Dashed 

where inferred

R4

--3.4

-L6-7

WELL ON SECTION LINE AND IDENTIFIERHorizontal bars denote screen location. 

Value is percentage of water at sampling 

location derived from bedrock contribution. 

May have a range of contribution values 

for three sampling rounds in April, June, 

and November 1991

Figure 37. Generalized section showing vertical variation in contribution of bedrock water to the 

outwash aquifer.

Controls on Water Quality 79
Table 16. Mineral saturation indices for ground water at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, 

November 1991

[Well locations are shown in figure 2. Abbreviations: pCO2, partial pressure of carbon dioxide; atm, atmospheres; NA, saturation index could not 

be calculated because one or more mineral component was not detected]

Well number8

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP5

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R4-MP1

R4-MP2

R4-MP4

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R7-MP2

R7-MP4

R8-MP3

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

S10-MP5

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4

Errorb

Log pCO2 

(atm)

-2.04

-2.02

-1.30

-2.34

-2.21

-1.33

-1.90

-1.41

-1.35

-1.86

-1.64

-2.53

-1.79

-1.92

-2.08

-2.18

-2.27

-1.94

-2.23

-2.12

-1.71

-2.07

-1.91

-1.83

.20

Calcite

0.29

.34

-.11

.23

.11

-.38

.08

-.24

-.15

.10

-.08

.80

.25

.29

-.02

.32

.29

.22

.10

.24

.14

.03

.00

.17

.10

Dolomite 

(crystalline)

0.28

.38

-.44

.09

-.18

-1.12

-.22

-.83

-.64

-.15

-.51

1.24

.14

.21

-.27

.25

.16

.15

-.20

.11

-.08

-.32

-.38

.01

.20

Chalcedony

-0.15

-.16

-.17

-.08

-.09

-.12

-.07

-.10

-.01

-.11

-.12

-.10

-.12

-.14

-.16

-.35

-.08

-.06

-.10

-.10

-.06

-.09

-.07

-.05

.20

Quartz

0.32

.30

.30

.39

.39

.35

.40

.37

.46

.36

.35

.38

.35

.33

.31

.38

.39

.40

.37

.37

.40

.44

.41

.41

.20

Ferrihydrite

-1.06

-.20

-.56

2.06

1.47

-.42

.15

-1.00

-1.75

1.75

-1.23

1.77

1.14

NA

.57

1.87

2.01

NA

3.34

NA

NA

1.09

.95

.26

.50

Slderite 

(disordered)

-2.13

-2.12

-2.70

.41

.04

-1.61

.26

-.65

-2.49

.11

-2.68

-1.87

.05

NA

-2.42

.49

.38

NA

.00

NA

NA

.24

-.11

-2.28

.50

a Well numbers ending in "MP1" indicate that the sampling port is screened approximately 60 ft below land surface; "MP2", screened zone 

is approximately 40 ft below land surface; "MP3", "MP4", and (or) "MP5", uppermost saturated port.

b Combined uncertainty of the mineral equilibrium constant and analytical error (from Dumouchelle and others, 1993, table 16, p. 118-119).

80 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio
Sources of Silica

Waters are generally saturated with respect to 

chalcedony (within the range of error on the SI calculations), and oversaturated with respect to quartz 

(table 16). Although oversaturation with respect to 

quartz is common in natural waters, the kinetics of 

quartz make it unlikely to precipitate at surface temperatures (Hem, 1989, p. 71). Instead, SI calculations 

indicate that chalcedony may be controlling silica concentrations in ground water at the site.

Carbonate Equilibria Reactions

Many of the reactions controlling the aqueous 

chemistry at the site are caused by recharge across the 

face of the unconfined aquifer. As carbon dioxide 

from the atmosphere and produced by plants and 

microbial activity is leached from the soil zone by 

infiltrating precipitation, carbonic acid is produced:

H2O + CO2 = H2CO3 (carbonic acid) =

(10)

The acid dissociates into bicarbonate and hydrogen, 

thereby decreasing pH of ground water with respect to 

surface water.

One consequence of the presence of carbonic 

acid in waters recharging the aquifer is the dissolution 

of carbonate minerals. The dissolution reaction for 

dolomite (the dominant carbonate mineral in the outwash aquifer, as identified by XRD) can be written as 

follows:

CaMg(CO3)2 (s) + 2H2CO3 =

2+ 2+ Ca + Mg + + 4HCO3 (11)

This reaction increases the bicarbonate concentration 

in the aquifer. Bicarbonate then acts to neutralize pH 

with depth, as shown by the boxplot data (fig. 24). 

The neutralization reaction also causes alkalinity to 

decrease with depth. To test whether the dissolution of 

dolomite is controlling concentrations of calcium, 

magnesium, and bicarbonate in the outwash aquifer at 

the MSEA, the investigators plotted molar concentrations of cations for dolomite as a function of the anion 

bicarbonate (fig. 38) for the shallow, intermediate, and 

deep zones of the aquifer. As indicated by the stoichiometry of equation 11, dissolution of dolomite would 

yield a molar ratio of calcium plus magnesium to 

bicarbonate of 1:2. Therefore, the ions in figure 38, if

affected by carbonate dissolution, should plot along a 

line with a slope of 0.5.

Linear-regression analysis of calcium plus magnesium concentration as a function of bicarbonate concentration for the shallow aquifer data (fig. 38) yields 

a slope of 0.38 and a correlation coefficient of 0.62. 

Departure from the predicted slope of 0.5 indicates 

that other, concurrent reactions may be affecting calcium, magnesium, or bicarbonate concentrations in the 

aquifer. Several possible reactions involving bicarbonate are discussed later in this section. Departure 

from the predicted slope increases with depth below 

land surface; data from the deep zone of the outwash 

aquifer yield a slope of only 0.25 and a correlation 

coefficient of only 0.34.

Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

Oxidation of Organic Carbon

Like carbon dioxide, oxygen enters the groundwater system through infiltrating recharge and by 

movement of air through unsaturated material above 

the water table, so it is most concentrated in recharge 

areas. Atmospheric oxygen in contact with water 

becomes dissolved in the water at an equilibrium concentration that is a function of temperature and pressure. Areas where dissolved oxygen concentration in 

ground water are similar to atmospheric equilibrium 

concentrations indicate areas of rapid recharge.

Once dissolved oxygen enters the ground-water 

system, it may be depleted by biologically mediated 

reactions involving the oxidation of organic materials 

present in subsurface sediments. This process can be 

expressed as

CH2 0 (organic matter) + 02 (aq) = 

CO2 (g) + H2 O = HCO3- + H+ (12)

The reaction depicted in equation 12 consumes 

organic carbon and dissolved oxygen in ground water 

and produces carbon dioxide in the form of carbonic 

acid, which can then react with available carbonate 

minerals to produce bicarbonate. Naturally, the magnitude of the reaction is greatest in areas where the 

reactants (organic carbon and dissolved oxygen) are 

most abundant. The occurrence of this reaction in the 

shallow aquifer is consistent with dissolved oxygen, 

organic carbon, and pCO2 data. Dissolved oxygen 

profiles in the aquifer (fig. 29) show that dissolved

Controls on Water Quality 81
SHALLOW AQUIFER

a.

CO 

LLI

. I I I I 11 I I 11 I I I I I 11111 

INTERMEDIATE AQUIFER

,- 4

< tr

LLI

o

8

CO 

LLJ

|

CO

ID

= 1.46+0.37* 

r2 = 0.35

A A

O DEEP AQUIFER

i......... 

34567 

i......... i......... i......... i......... i

BICARBONATE CONCENTRATION, IN MILLIMOLES PER LITER

Figure 38. Concentration of calcium plus magnesium as a function of concentration of bicarbonate in 

shallow, intermediate, and deep zones of the outwash aquifer, November 1991.

82 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio
oxygen becomes depleted with depth. Similarly, 

organic carbon profiles (fig. 11) show that organic 

carbon concentration is highest in the unsaturated 

zone, near the source of decaying vegetative matter. 

At the water table, where moisture facilitates chemical 

reactions and dissolved oxygen is abundant, organic 

carbon concentrations are near zero, likely because 

of the rapid oxidation of organic carbon to carbon 

dioxide. As the oxidation of organic carbon slows 

between the water table and about 40 ft below land 

surface as a result of the depletion of dissolved oxygen, organic carbon concentrations in the sediments 

increase as more of the originally deposited organic 

carbon in the sediments is left unoxidized.

As data in table 16 indicate, outwash waters 

have abundant carbon dioxide, with partial pressures 

of carbon dioxide one to two orders of magnitude 

greater than water in equilibrium with the atmosphere 

(pco2atm = ~3 -5 at 25 °C) (Breen, 1988). Thus, a 

source of carbon dioxide other than atmospheric, such 

as that described by equation 12, must be adding carbon dioxide to the system. PCO2 is highest near the 

water table and generally decreases with depth 

(table 16).

The reaction described by equation 12 also 

explains the decrease in dissolved oxygen concentrations observed from April through November in the 

shallow outwash aquifer. Dissolved oxygen introduced 

in April by recharge to the aquifer was depleted by 

oxidation of organic matter. The subsequent onset of 

drought reduced the replenishment of dissolved oxygen to the aquifer. The decrease in dissolved oxygen 

concentrations also reduced the oxidizing potential of 

the aquifer, causing the observed decrease in Eh 

throughout the 1991 growing season.

Oxidation-Reduction of Iron and Manganese

In addition to the oxidation of organic carbon 

discussed above, several other redox reactions consume dissolved oxygen, including the oxidation of 

iron and manganese. Dissolved iron in ground water 

can have many sources, including (1) dissolution of 

iron-bearing calcite or dolomite, (2) dissolution of 

iron-bearing igneous and metamorphic minerals in 

outwash sediments, (3) dissolution of siderite, or 

(4) oxidation of pyrite.

After ferrous iron enters the ground-water 

system, it is oxidized according to reactions 13 and 14:

0.5 O2(aq) + 2H+ = H20; (13)

2Fe3+ + 6H2O = 2Fe(OH)3(ferrihydrite) + 6H+. (14)

Iron oxidation consumes dissolved oxygen, removes 

dissolved iron from the system by precipitating amorphous ferrihydrite, and results in a net decrease in pH. 

Evidence of iron oxidation at the MSEA can be 

obtained from a visual inspection of geochemical 

cross sections (figs. 28, 29, and 32). These plots show 

that dissolved iron generally is not present in the 

shallow outwash where oxygenated conditions (dissolved oxygen greater than 1 mg/L) and Eh greater 

than 200 mv prevail. Moreover, the transitional zone 

of the aquifer where dissolved iron concentrations go 

from below detection limits to greater than 1,000 ng/L 

corresponds fairly well to the observed color change 

from yellowish brown to gray in the aquifer sediments 

(and the associated change from stained to clear quartz 

grains). The yellowish-brown grain coatings are 

likely ferrihydrite or other oxy hydroxides. (A notable 

exception to the correlation of detectable dissolved 

iron concentrations and the presence of yellowishbrown sediments was drill cuttings from well Rl, 

which were gray at altitudes well above those at which 

iron was detected in ground water. One explanation is 

that easily oxidized iron was already oxidized and 

flushed from the system in this recharge area.) Ferrihydrite coatings in the unsaturated zone and the 

shallow outwash aquifer are significant because they 

are highly absorptive (Hem, 1989) and may limit the 

movement of triazine herbicides in the unsaturated 

zone and in the shallow outwash aquifer (Armstrong 

and others, 1967).

In most intermediate and deep waters in the outwash aquifer, where dissolved iron is present, Si's for 

siderite (fig. 39) show that the iron carbonate is in 

equilibrium and, therefore, could be controlling the 

iron concentrations in this zone of the aquifer. In contrast, siderite is undersaturated (and therefore favored 

to dissolve) in shallow outwash waters, as well as in 

deep and intermediate levels, respectively, of wells Rl 

(near Big Beaver Creek) and R6 (near the Scioto 

River). The zones of siderite undersaturation in the 

aquifer correspond with oxidizing areas within the 

aquifer, where the ferrous iron in siderite would be 

thermodynamically unstable.

Controls on Water Quality 83
Dissolved manganese in the aquifer has a similar distribution to that of dissolved iron, but it is 

present at somewhat lower concentrations. Sources of 

manganese in the aquifer may include substitution of 

small amounts of manganese for calcium in dolomite 

and limestone, or weathering of pyroxene and amphibole sand grains (Hem, 1989, p. 85). Dissolved manganese, which is not as easily oxidized as ferrous iron, 

will generally precipitate as a coating of manganese 

dioxide in the presence of elevated dissolved oxygen 

(Hem, 1989, p. 86). Manganese is one of the metals 

that commonly coprecipitates with iron.

Oxidation-Reduction of Nitrogen

Nitrogen, like iron, manganese, dissolved oxygen, and organic carbon, is influenced by redox 

reactions. Nitrogen fixation by legumes and application of synthetic fertilizer and manure are likely 

sources of nitrogen at the MSEA. In the oxidizing 

conditions found in the unsaturated zone and the

shallow outwash aquifer, nitrogen entering the system 

in reduced organic forms can be converted by soil bacteria into the anionic forms, nitrite and nitrate, through 

a process known as nitrification. Nitrite is metastable 

in oxygenated water and therefore is rarely detected. 

Nitrate is the form most commonly found in natural 

waters. Its presence in the outwash aquifer at the Ohio 

MSEA is correlated with oxic conditions.

As previously stated, flow of ground water 

across the oxic-anoxic boundary is indicated by 

tritium data (which indicate that the aquifer is well 

mixed) and by the vertical hydraulic gradients of 

chemical plumes (which are assumed to be more accurate in the long term than those indicated by monthly 

calculations of the gradient based on measured water 

levels). Because this site has been fanned since 1801, 

nitrates should be found in all tritiated waters if nitrate 

concentrations are being conserved in ground water. 

The fact that ground-water flow must be occurring 

across the oxic-anoxic boundary, and that nitrate is 

present in the oxic zone and absent in the anoxic zone

1.0

0.5

UPPER ERROR LIMIT -Q 

EQUILIBRIUM

x

UJ

o

z

DC

-0.5

-1.0

w -1.5

-2.0

-2.5

-3.0

LOWER ERROR LIMIT

R1-MP2 VD R1-MP1

R6-MP2

+ SHALLOW OUTWASH - 

V INTERMEDIATE OUTWASH 

D DEEP OUTWASH

200 400 600 800 1,000 

DISSOLVED-SOLIDS CONCENTRATION, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER

1,200

Figure 39. Saturation index of siderite as a function of dissolved-solids concentration in ground water 

at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area, November 1991.

84 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
(figs. 30 and 31), indicates that reduction of nitrate 

(denitrification) must be occurring at or below the 

oxic-anoxic boundary.

To prove unequivocally that denitrification is 

occurring at the MSEA site would require more data 

concerning the nitrogen chemistry of the MSEA 

ground water, such as dissolved-gas data (to indicate 

the presence of excess nitrogen gas in the anoxic zone) 

or nitrogen isotope data. Although such data are 

unavailable, the following necessary conditions for 

denitrification do exist at the site:

1. Anoxic conditions exist at depth. Dissolved oxygen is thermodynamically favored to be reduced 

by microbes before nitrates are, therefore, anoxic 

conditions are necessary for denitrification to 

occur. Gilham and Cherry (1978) found that in 

an unconfined sandy aquifer, denitrification 

occurred at dissolved oxygen concentrations less 

than or equal to 2.0 mg/L.

2. Suitable electron donors are present in ground 

water and (or) aquifer sediments to enable the 

reduction of nitrates; such donors include organic 

carbon and reduced manganese, iron, and 

sulfides. One unit mass of organic carbon typically can reduce less than one unit mass of 

nitrate-nitrogen (Korom, 1992). Because ground 

water in the outwash aquifer typically contains 

about 0.7 mg/L of dissolved organic carbon and 

the median concentration of nitrate in shallow 

outwash water is 3.1 mg/L (with a maximum of 

16 mg/L), less than one-fourth of the nitrate ions 

can be reduced by oxidation of organic carbon 

dissolved in ground water. Abundant organic 

carbon is present in the aquifer sediments 

(median concentration, 3.9 g/kg). Although little 

is known about the availability of organic matter 

in aquifers for use by bacteria (Postma and 

others, 1991), the decrease in organic carbon 

concentration of the aquifer sediments at depths 

greater than about 40 ft below land surface corresponds with the zone of iron and manganese 

reduction and the absence of nitrates in the 

ground water. This combination of factors indicates that organic matter in the sediments may be 

bioavailable and could be disappearing because 

of use as the electron donor for reduction of 

nitrate, iron, and (or) manganese oxides.

Another necessary condition for denitrification is the 

presence of bacteria with the metabolic capability of 

reducing nitrates. Although isolation of such bacteria 

was not attempted at the MSEA, it is reasonable to 

assume that denitrifying bacteria are widespread in 

aquifers (Starr and Gillham, 1993; Korom, 1991, 

1992).

Denitrification at the MSEA was qualitatively 

tested according to two scenarios for donation of electrons to the nitrate ion: (1) oxidation of organic carbon and (2) oxidation of py rite. The denitrification 

reaction using organic matter as the main electron 

donor can be written

5C + 4N03- + 2H20 = 2N2(g) + 4HC03- + C02 (15)

where C is an organic compound with an oxidation 

state of zero (Korom, 1992, p. 1,660).

Oxidation of pyrite is microbially catalyzed 

(Kolle and others, 1987) and likely occurs in the shallow alluvial aquifer according to equation 16,

FeS2(pyrite) + 3.5 02 (aq) + H2 0 =

Fe5+ + 2S042' + 2H+, (16)

providing a source of iron to the system as well as sulfur. Pyrite is a likely source of sulfur in the outwash 

aquifer, as indicated by sulfur isotope data from 

glacial deposits and underlying Silurian and Devonian 

carbonate bedrock from western Ohio. Isotope 

samples from parts of Ohio not proximate to Lake Erie 

were generally negative (-10.4 to -5.8 permil), indicating that a major source of sulfate in the aquifers is oxidation of pyrite (Lori L. Lesney, U.S. Geological 

Survey, oral commun., 1994; unpublished data on file 

at the Columbus, Ohio, office of the U.S. Geological 

Survey). Oxidation of pyrite consumes dissolved 

oxygen in the aquifer while lowering pH. Although 

the reaction specified in equation 16 may be occurring 

in the shallow outwash aquifer, increasing sulfate concentrations with depth in the outwash aquifer indicate 

that the oxidation of sulfides occurs even in the anoxic 

zone of the aquifer.

Autotrophic oxidation of pyrite concurrent with 

denitrification in the anoxic zone of the outwash 

aquifer can be written as

5FeS2 + 14N03- + 4H+ = 

7N2 + 10S042' + 5Fe2+ + 2H2 0. (17)

Controls on Water Quality 85
This reaction has been reported to occur in the Fuhrberger Feld aquifer in northern Germany (Kolle and 

others, 1985). Bottcher and others (1989) and Frind 

and others (1990) determined that, in the Fuhrberger 

Feld aquifer, this reaction has a half-life of 1.2 to 

2.1 years, proving that it is a kinetically feasible reaction. Korom (1992) also verified the ability of some 

bacteria to reduce nitrates, using sulfides as electron 

donors. In the reaction specified by equation 17, sulfate is produced and nitrate is the electron acceptor. 

Chemical profiles in the outwash aquifer are consistent 

with the reaction proposed in equation 17 in that pH 

and concentrations of sulfate and dissolved iron 

increase with depth in the aquifer as nitrate concentrations decrease.

Denitrification (according to eqs. 15 and 17) 

was evaluated by use of the geochemical modeling 

program, NETPATH (Plummer and others, 1991). 

NETPATH helps quantify the net masses of minerals 

required to dissolve or precipitate along a hydrologic 

flow path to account for the observed differences in 

constituent concentrations between an initial and final 

water. The chemical evolution of water along the flow 

path, as calculated by NETPATH, is constrained by 

chemical mass balances involving element or electron 

balances. Input to the model includes initial and final 

water composition, sets of elemental constraints, and a 

set of phases considered to be appropriate for the reactions under consideration. Because water quality data 

were not available for wells directly on a flow path 

(see fig. 12), samples from wells S5-MP5 and R4-MP2 

(June 1991) (fig. 2) were chosen as being representative of the chemical trends observed for ground water 

flowing from oxic to anoxic zones in the glacial 

aquifer. Elemental and electron mass-balances were 

used to constrain the mass-transfer models; phases 

selected were minerals and gases known to be present 

in the glacial aquifer, including phases hypothesized to 

be involved in denitrification reactions (eqs. 15 and 

17) and phases involved in carbonate equilibria reactions and iron and manganese redox reactions proposed previously in this report. Results of previous SI 

calculations were used to constrain selected minerals 

phases to either dissolve or precipitate so that models 

that were not favored thermodynamically did not 

result (for example, precipitation of goethite 11 in the 

anoxic zone).

For the NETPATH modeling, goethite (also an oxihydroxide mineral) was substituted for ferrihydrite.

The mass-transfer equations resulting from 

NETPATH represent the net millimoles of each phase 

entering (left side of the equation) or leaving (right 

side of the equation) a kilogram of water by dissolution or precipitation as the kilogram of water moves 

from the upgradient well to the downgradient well. 

Two NETPATH models were generated, one using 

CH2O as a reacting phase to simulate organic matter 

with a carbon valence of zero (eq. 18) and one with no 

organic matter to act as an electron donor (eq. 19). 

Thus, a kilogram of water moving along the flow path 

from well S5-MP5 to well R4-MP2 would evolve 

according to the following net reactions:

S5-MP5 water + 0.33 pyrite + 0.041 dolomite +

0.56 calcite + 1.2 CH2O + 0.0086 MnOOH +

1.2 O2(g) = R4-MP2 water + 0.39 N2 (g) +

0.31siderite (18)

or

S5-MP5 water + 0.14 goethite + 0.33 pyrite +

0.041 dolomite +0.56 calcite + 1.3 CO2(g) +

0.0086 MnOOH = R4-MP2 water +

0.39 N2(g) + 0.45 siderite. (19)

Equation 18, which uses organic matter as the 

predominant electron donor for redox reactions, is not 

realistic as written because it requires an unreasonable 

amount of O2 to be added to the system (1.2 mmol, or 

39 ppm dissolved oxygen). The highest concentration 

of dissolved oxygen measured in water recharging the 

water table at the MSEA was 0.24 mmol/L, or 

7.7 ppm.

The mass-transfer modeling indicates that denitrification at the MSEA site may be largely driven by 

the autotrophic oxidation of pyrite present in aquifer 

sediments (eqs. 17 and 19). It also indicates that pyrite 

reserves in the sand and gravel aquifer may be critical 

to the remediation of anthropogenic nitrate contamination at the MSEA. Postma and others (1991) studied 

an unconfined sandy aquifer in western Denmark and 

found pyrite to be by far the dominant electron donor 

for nitrate reduction, even though organic carbon was 

abundant in the aquifer. It should be noted that no 

models could be generated by NETPATH (electrons 

could not be balanced) if nitrogen was not included as 

a reacting phase and a constraint.

Denitrification at depth creates a natural zone 

of remediation, where deleterious nitrates from

86 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
anthropogenic and natural sources are removed from 

the ground-water system. Generally, drinking water in 

this area of the Scioto River Valley is free of nitrates 

because most drinking-water wells in the valley are 

screened in the deep zone of the outwash aquifer. In 

the shallow aquifer, the presence of nitrates increases 

the oxidation potential of the aquifer, because nitrate is 

an electron acceptor.

In addition to reduction of nitrates to nitrogen 

gas, nitrates are sometimes reduced to ammonia 

(Korom, 1992). Such a process could be the source of 

ammonia that is found in bedrock waters at the MSEA 

(table 13, fig. 24); however the ammonia could also be 

formed by the microbial mineralization of organic 

nitrogen in the carbonaceous Ohio Shale to inorganic 

nitrogen. The latter process is the more likely, because 

connate water has very low nitrate concentrations to 

begin with. However, analysis of nitrogen isotopes 

would be required to verify the dominant process in 

the bedrock aquifer.

Oxidation-Reduction of Sulfur

Ground-water samples were not analyzed for 

hydrogen sulfide, which contains a reduced form of 

sulfur; however, this compound has a distinctive 

rotten-egg odor that is detectable to most humans at 

concentrations of a few tenths of a milligram per liter 

(Hem, 1989, p. 117). A hydrogen sulfide odor was 

noted only once in the outwash aquifer, at well 

S5-MP1. Sulfate reduction probably does occur in the 

bedrock aquifer, however. This interpretation is based 

on the odor of hydrogen sulfide detected in water from 

bedrock wells, the absence of sulfates above concentrations found in precipitation, and measured Eh 

values in bedrock water that fall within the prescribed 

range for sulfate reduction.

Effect of Surface Water on Ground-Water 

Chemistry

The chemistry of the outwash aquifer, in 

addition to being affected by rock-water interactions 

and bedrock mixing, is also affected by surface-water 

contributions from the streams bounding the study 

area. The presence of elevated dissolved oxygen concentrations and Eh and relatively low concentrations 

of dissolved iron and manganese at unusual depths 

near Big Beaver Creek and the Scioto River indicates 

that a zone of oxidized ground water surrounds the 

streams. The reducing zone that is observed beneath

the middle terrace at about 40 ft below land surface is 

absent at well cluster Rl, near Big Beaver Creek, and 

is present only at depths greater than approximately 

60 ft below land surface near the Scioto River. The 

oxidizing zone around the streams indicates one of the 

following scenarios:

1. Downflow of oxygenated recharge occurs at 

these locations, at least periodically. At Rl, 

advection and dispersion transport oxygen to the 

base of the aquifer.

2. Organic carbon concentration in Rl, R5, and R6 

sediments is less than that observed at other locations in the aquifer. Therefore, less oxidation of 

organic carbon occurs, and dissolved oxygen 

concentrations in the ground water are depleted 

less rapidly at these locations. Data in table 5 

show that this is not the case; organic carbon concentration near the streams is greater than or 

equal to that observed at other aquifer locations.

3. The most reactive components of organic carbon 

have already been removed in these recharge 

areas. The remaining carbon is not easily 

oxidized and therefore does not deplete dissolved 

oxygen in the ground water.

A combination of scenarios 1 and 3 is the most likely 

explanation. Thus, the chemical data independently 

support the hydraulic evidence that recharge is occurring beneath Big Beaver Creek and that bank storage 

periodically recharges the alluvial aquifer adjacent to 

the Scioto River. However, differences in conservative ion concentrations in surface water and shallow 

outwash waters are not great enough to determine 

mixing percentages of surface water and ground water.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Five Management Systems Evaluation Areas 

(MSEA's) were established in the Midwestern United 

States in 1990 to address growing public concern 

about agricultural nonpoint-source contamination of 

ground-water resources. The purpose of the MSEA 

program is to investigate the effects of various agricultural management systems on ground-water quality 

and to identify factors affecting the fate and transport 

of pesticides and nutrients.

Summary and Conclusions 87
The Ohio MSEA is located on a 650-acre farm 

in the Scioto River Valley in Pike County, southcentral Ohio. Three farming plots as well as small 

replicate plots were established at the site in 1991.

The farm is underlain by an incised bedrock 

valley composed of Ohio Shale. When melting of the 

Wisconsinian glaciers began, the valley was filled with 

about 70 ft of outwash sediments. The outwash is 

composed predominantly of discontinuous interbeds 

of sand, gravelly sand, and sandy gravel with few 

intervening silt or clay layers. The outwash deposits 

are overlain by a veneer of recent alluvium that is generally less than 11 ft thick and is composed of silty 

clay and some sand interbeds. Soils overlying the 

alluvium are silt loam and sandy loam. Wells in the 

Scioto River Valley yield as much as 1,300 gal/min 

and are used for public and private water supply, 

industrial process water, and aquaculture.

The hydraulic conductivity of sediments in the 

study area, as determined from equations based on 

grain-size distribution, increases with gravel content 

and, therefore, is greatest in shallow and deep zones of 

the outwash aquifer and lowest at intermediate depths. 

Hydraulic conductivities (K's) at the site were also 

evaluated by slug, specific-capacity, and regional 

aquifer tests. Although K's measured at a given 

location can vary with the scale of the test method, 

relative variation in K's determined by specificcapacity tests and slug tests is the same areally beneath 

the three research plots. Specifically, materials 

beneath plot 200 have the greatest K, followed by 

those at plot 100 and plot 300. Distance-drawdown 

data from USGS aquifer tests show K to range from 

401 to 555 ft/d at the scale of the entire site.

Outwash sediments are composed predominantly of dolomite, quartz, and calcite. The median 

concentration of organic carbon in subsurface sediments was 0.39 weight percent, with concentrations 

ranging from less than 0.01 to 1.83 percent. No statistically significant correlation was found between 

organic carbon concentration and grain-size distribution. Instead, subsurface distribution of organic carbon differed with depth, and changes in concentration 

could generally be explained by redox reactions in the 

aquifer that consume organic carbon.

Ground water beneath the MSEA flows from 

east to west-southwest, except during periods of high 

stage on the Scioto River. Ground-water-flow 

velocities range from about 3.3 ft/d beneath plot 200 

to an average flow velocity of about 1.7 ft/d beneath

plots 100 and 300. Horizontal hydraulic gradients 

beneath the plots range from 5 x 10"4 to 0.002. A 

nitrate plume observed at the site indicates a steeper 

component of downflow in the aquifer than is indicated by monthly water-level measurements. It is 

assumed that the chemical data more accurately represent the long-term, average vertical hydraulic gradient 

than do the computations of gradient obtained from 

monthly water-level data. Tritium data also support 

the existence of a vertical component of flow by indicating that the aquifer is well mixed. Even the deepest 

and most downgradient parts of the aquifer contain 

water that has recharged the system since 1953.

Ground water and surface water at the site are 

highly interconnected. Comparison of ground-water 

and surface-water hydrographs shows that shallow 

ground water at the west edge of the site discharges to 

the Scioto River, except during frequent times of high 

river stage. At these times, flow reverses and water 

moves away from the stream into the riverbanks. The 

maximum observed duration of a flow reversal was 

17 days, during which time a particle of water could 

have migrated about 190 ft inland.

Big Beaver Creek recharges the outwash aquifer 

on the southeastern edge of the study area, as indicated 

by seepage-meter tests, surface-water-stage and 

ground-water-head data, and water-quality data. A 

zone of oxidizing waters (high in dissolved oxygen 

and Eh) surrounding Big Beaver Creek and the Scioto 

River is caused by the periodic inflow of surface 

waters to the outwash aquifer.

Direction and magnitude of vertical groundwater flow between the bedrock and outwash aquifers 

differs areally across the site. Consistent downward 

gradients between the outwash and bedrock aquifers 

were measured at well Rl near Big Beaver Creek; 

consistent upward gradients from bedrock to outwash 

were measured at well R2. Direction of vertical flow 

between aquifers was variable near the Scioto River, 

owing to frequent episodes of high river stage. Areas 

in the bedrock unit where periodic or consistent downflow occurs are indicated by spatial differences in 

chloride concentration where bedrock waters have 

been diluted by outwash waters. This finding indicates not only that pressure gradients exist between the 

aquifers but also that flow between the two aquifers 

occurs. The untritiated nature of ground water in the 

bedrock aquifer, however, indicates that flow rates are 

very slow and may approach a maximum of only 

0.2 ft/yr.

88 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
A ground-water budget for water year 1992 

indicates that only 0.02 percent of recharge to the outwash aquifer was from leakage of bedrock waters. 

Infiltrating precipitation accounted for 72 percent 

(12.70 in.) of recharge, and infiltration of surface 

water from Big Beaver Creek accounted for 28 percent 

(5.0 in.). Twenty-four percent of water recharged to 

the aquifer in water year 1992 was stored in the 

ground-water system at the end of the year. Of the 

16.2 in. of water discharged from the aquifer, 

60 percent exited as base flow to the Scioto River, and 

40 percent was withdrawn from the DOE well field.

Areal variation in water quality at the site is 

caused by areal differences in the relative importance 

of the 3 recharge sources. Most outwash waters are 

calcium magnesium bicarbonate type, whereas deep 

outwash waters in the northeast corner of the study 

area are transitional between calcium magnesium 

bicarbonate waters and the calcium sodium chloride 

waters of the bedrock aquifer. These deep waters are 

also high in specific conductance, dissolved solids, 

and potassium, and low in alkalinity all distinguishing characteristics of water from the bedrock aquifer. 

Mixing calculations by use of the conservative constituent chloride indicate that deep waters in the northeast 

corner of the MSEA consist of as much as 26 percent 

bedrock water. The effect of bedrock water on the 

deep outwash waters in this part of the study area is 

likely caused by the lack of dilution by waters from 

Big Beaver Creek. In the central and southern parts of 

the study area, Big Beaver Creek flows over a sand 

and gravel streambed through which infiltration 

readily occurs, thereby quickly flushing from the outwash aquifer any evidence of bedrock upflow. However, in the northeastern part of the study area, the 

streambed of Big Beaver Creek is composed of shale; 

no infiltration occurs in this area.

Although mixing of bedrock and outwash 

waters appears to be the dominant process in the 

northeast corner of the study area, the distribution of 

aqueous constituents throughout the outwash aquifer 

is also affected by rock-water interactions. Chalcedony is in equilibrium with ground water at the site, an 

indication that dissolution and precipitation of chalcedony likely control silica concentrations in ground 

water. Calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate concentrations in ground water are controlled by dissolution 

of dolomite, and concurrent processes such as 

bedrock mixing also affect concentrations of these 

constituents. Siderite is also in equilibrium with deep

and intermediate ground water and, therefore, likely 

controls concentrations of iron in these zones of the 

aquifer.

Redox reactions in the outwash aquifer seem to 

be largely responsible for the observed variations in 

water quality with depth. The dissolved oxygen that 

enters the ground-water system as recharge is consumed by oxidation of organic carbon, iron, and manganese. Many of these reactions release H* ions, 

thereby lowering the pH of shallow ground water. 

(The pH of shallow ground water is also lowered by 

the leaching of carbonic acid from the soil zone to the 

water table. Neutralization of pH at depth is a result of 

the dissolution of dolomite.) Oxidized iron is precipitated as amorphous ferrihydrite, resulting in the iron 

staining observed on quartz grains in the shallow 

aquifer sediments. Also present in the shallow, oxidized zone of the aquifer are nitrates, formed by the 

oxidation of fertilizers and the bacterially fixed 

atmospheric nitrogen. The median concentration of 

nitrates in 1991 was 3.1 mg/L; the maximum concentration was 16 mg/L during the three sampling rounds.

At approximately 40 ft below land surface, most 

of the dissolved oxygen in ground water has been consumed; here, bacteria switch from using dissolved 

oxygen to using nitrate as the electron acceptor for 

their metabolic reactions. At depths greater than 

40 ft below land surface, the reduction of nitrates 

(denitrification) is linked with the oxidation of pyrite. 

The oxidation of pyrite releases sulfates to the deep 

aquifer waters. Geochemical modeling indicates that 

organic carbon is not the predominant electron donor 

in this zone of the aquifer. Once nitrates are consumed, iron and manganese are reduced by microbially mediated redox reactions.

Surface-water quality reflects the drainage-basin 

geology and residence time of waters in the subsurface 

materials before being discharged to the stream. Thus, 

waters of the Scioto River are similar in chemical 

composition to waters of the outwash aquifer, whereas 

waters from Big Beaver Creek are much more dilute. 

Land use in the drainage basin also affects water quality of the streams. The abundance of farming in the 

Scioto River Valley is evidenced by the year-round 

presence of the herbicides atrazine and metolachlor in 

the Scioto River, with peak concentrations occurring 

in June. Herbicides are not detected in ground water 

at the Ohio MSEA.

Summary and Conclusions 89
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pesticide fate and transport in a shallow, unconfined 

aquifer: Columbus, Ohio, The Ohio State Universiy, 

Ph.D. dissertation, 217 p.

Starr, R.C., and Gillham, R.W., 1993, Denitrification and 

organic carbon availability in two aquifers: Ground 

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Geology of water in Ohio a basic report: Ohio 

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Stowe, S.M., 1979, The hydrogeology of the Scioto River 

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104 p.

Strobel, M.L., 1990, Characteristics affecting the vertical 

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92 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
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References Cited 93
Table 1. Summary of well construction at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

[Well locations are shown in figure 2. Abbreviations: BR, bedrock well; MP, multiport well; WT, water-table well; P, piezometer, USGS, 

U.S. Geological Survey: ft, feet; QW, water quality; WL, water level SPC, specific conductance; T, water temperature. Screened interval begins 

at base of well. Instrumentation refers to data recorded hourly by electronic data loggers; K determination refers to slug and (or) specific-capacity 

tests to estimate hydraulic conductivity off the screened interval]

Local well 

number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP3

R1-MP4

R1-MP5

R1-MP6

Rl-WT

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP3

R2-MP4

R2-MP5

R2-MP6

R2-WT

R3-MP1

R3-MP2

R3-MP3

R3-MP4

R3-MP5

R3-MP6

R3-WT

R4-MP1

R4-MP2

R4-MP3

R4-MP4

R4-MP5

R4-MP6

R4-WT

R5-MP1

R5-MP2

R5-MP3

R5-MP4

R5-MP5

R5-MP6

R5-WT

USGS identification 

number

390227083013330

390227083013311

390227083013312

390227083013313

390227083013314

390227083013315

390227083013316

390227083013320

390239083015130

390239083015111

390239083015112

390239083015113

390239083015114

390239083015115

390239083015116

390239083015120

390244083023011

390244083023012

390244083023013

390244083023014

390244083023015

390244083023016

390244083023020

390229083022911

390229083022912

390229083022913

390229083022914

390229083022915

390229083022916

390229083022920

390229083025011

390229083025012

390229083025013

390229083025014

390229083025015

390229083025016

390229083025020

Land 

surface 

elevation 

(ft)

550.93

551.03

551.03

551.03

551.03

551.03

551.03

551.07

552.09

551.22

551.22

551.22

551.22

551.22

551.22

549.90

548.77

548.77

548.77

548.77

548.77

548.77

548.56

549.18

549.18

549.18

549.18

549.18

549.18

549.22

545.80

545.80

545.80

545.80

545.80

545.80

546.21

Total depth 

(ft below 

land 

surface)

83.25

59.94

39.34

25.57

22.06

17.51

12.97

28

90

60.83

40.30

25.50

20.95

16.49

11.65

34.8

60.75

40.08

29.37

24.72

20.28

15.44

31

60.91

40.41

25.56

21.05

16.48

11.62

32

59.5

39

21.5

17

12.50

8

28

Screen 

length 

(ft)

10

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

10

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

Well use 

and 

instrumentation

QW; instrumented for WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

Instrumented for WL, SPC,

QW; instrumented for WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW,WL

QW, WL

QW,WL

QW,WL

Instrumented for WL, SPC,

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW,WL

QW, WL

T; K determination

T; K determination

Instrumented for WL; K determination

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW,WL

QW, WL

Instrumented for WL;K determination

QWWL

QWWL

QWWL

QWWL

QWWL

QW,WL

Instrumented for WL; K determination

94 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 1. Summary of well construction at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local well 

number

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R6-MP4

R6-MP5

R6-MP6

R6-WT

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

R7-MP3

R7-MP4

R7-MP5

R7-MP6

R7-WT

R8-MP1

R8-MP2

R8-MP3

R8-MP4

R8-WT

R9-P

R10-P

R12-P

R13-P

S1-MP1

S1-MP2

S1-MP3

S1-MP4

S2-MP1

S2-MP2

S2-MP3

S2-MP4

S3-MP1

S3-MP2

S3-MP3

S3-MP4

USGS identification 

number

390207083024030

390207083024011

390207083024012

390207083024013

390207083024014

390207083024015

390207083024016

390207083024020

390156083022830

390156083022811

390156083022812

390156083022813

390156083022814

390156083022815

390156083022816

390156083022820

390156083014311

390156083014312

390156083014313

390156083014314

390156083014320

--

--

--

--

390242083015611

390242083015612

390242083015613

390242083015614

390245083020211

390245083020212

390245083020213

390245083020214

390241083021411

390241083021412

390241083021413

390241083021414

Land 

surface 

elevation 

(ft)

552.79

552.68

552.68

552.68

552.68

552.68

552.68

552.35

544.80

544.74

544.74

544.74

544.74

544.74

544.74

544.75

553.02

553.02

553.02

553.02

552.74

556.19

546.08

551.86

568.69

550.32

550.32

550.32

550.32

550.14

550.14

550.14

550.14

548.76

548.76

548.76

548.76

Total depth 

(ft below 

land 

surface)

89.5

60.16

41.72

30.74

26.25

21.83

17.45

31.40

81

62.14

41.48

26.78

22.19

17.72

12.89

32

28.56

24.06

19.52

14.70

32

25

25

25

35

26.28

21.79

17.31

12.47

26.46

21.92

17.38

12.62

26.86

21.36

17.82

13.02

Screen 

length 

(ft)

10

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

10

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

5

5

5

5

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

Well use 

and 

Instrumentation

QW; instrumented for WL; K determination

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

Instrumented for WL, SPC, T; K determination

QW; instrumented for WL

QW,WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

Instrumented for WL, SPC,

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

T; K determination

Instrumented for WL; K determination

WL

WL

WL

WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QWWL

QW, WL

QWWL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

Table 1 95
Table 1. Summary of well construction at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local well 

number

S4-MP1

S4-MP2

S4-MP3

S4-MP4

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP3

S5-MP4

S5-MP5

S5-MP6

S5-WT

S6-MP1

S6-MP2

S6-MP3

S6-MP4

S7-MP1

S7-MP2

S7-MP3

S7-MP4

S8-MP1

S8-MP2

S8-MP3

S8-MP4

S9-MP1

S9-MP2

S9-MP3

S9-MP4

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

S10-MP3

S10-MP4

S10-MP5

S10-MP6

S10-WT

S11-MP1

S11-MP2

S11-MP3

S11-MP4

USGS identification 

number

390237083020611

390237083020612

390237083020613

390237083020614

390241083020511

390241083020512

390241083020513

390241083020514

390241083020515

390241083020516

390241083020520

390234083014611

390234083014612

390234083014613

390234083014614

390236083015011

390236083015012

390236083015013

390236083015014

390232083020411

390232083020412

390232083020413

390232083020414

390229083015811

390229083015812

390229083015813

390229083015814

390233083015511

390233083015512

390233083015513

390233083015514

390233083015515

390233083015516

390233083015520

390224083015511

390224083015512

390224083015513

390224083015514

Land 

surface 

elevation 

(ft)

547.23

547.23

547.23

547.23

549.88

549.88

549.88

549.88

549.88

549.88

550.03

553.33

553.33

553.33

553.33

548.27

548.27

548.27

548.27

553.56

553.56

553.56

553.56

555.55

555.55

555.55

555.55

553.66

553.66

553.66

553.66

553.66

553.66

553.68

553.49

553.49

553.49

553.49

Total depth 

(ft below 

land 

surface)

26.47

22.02

17.55

12.83

62.01

41.51

24.68

20.11

15.59

10.86

36

24.57

20.01

15.55

10.74

26.57

22.06

17.49

12.73

29.44

24.92

20.37

15.52

28.33

23.95

19.35

15.23

60.34

40.16

29.70

25.29

20.74

15.81

35

27.17

22.68

18.17

13.38

Screen 

length 

(ft)

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

.03

.03

.03

.03

Well use 

and 

instrumentation

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW,WL

QW*

QW

QW

QW3

QW3

QW3

Instrumented for WL; K determination

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QWWL

QW, WL

QWWL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QWWL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW*

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QWWL

QW, WL

Instrumented for WL, SPC, T; K determination

QWWL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

96 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 1. Summary of well construction at Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local well 

number

S12-MP1

S12-MP2

S12-MP3

S12-MP4

S13-MP1

S13-MP2

S13-MP3

S13-MP4

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP3

S14-MP4

S14-MP5

S14-MP6

S14-WT

USGS identification 

number

390223083020611

390223083020612

390223083020613

390223083020614

390216083020011

390216083020012

390216083020013

390216083020014

390224083020111

390224083020112

390224083020113

390224083020114

390224083020115

390224083020116

390224083020120

Land 

surface 

elevation

(ft)

552.12

552.12

552.12

552.12

551.70

551.70

551.70

551.70

553.75

553.75

553.75

553.75

553.75

553.75

553.44

Total depth 

(ft below 

land 

surface)

28.81

24.29

19.80

14.96

28.29

23.82

19.35

14.44

61.37

40.83

25.92

21.30

16.75

11.89

29

Screen 

length

(ft)

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

.03

20

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QW, WL

QWWL

Well use 

and 

Instrumentation

Instrumented for WL, SPC, T; K determination

S15-WT - 553.95 60

VanMeter 390238083014100 571.18 72

ODOT - 577.76 78

Brown -- 594.27 85

40 K determination

10 WL; drilling fluid; domestic water-supply

WL; water-supply 

5 WL; domestic water-supply

aTwisted tubing inside multiport well prevented measurement of water levels at this port.

Table 1 97
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area

[Well locations and surface-water sampling sites are shown in figure 2; bis, below land surface; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; ms/cm, microsiemens per 

centimeter; deg C, degrees Celsius: v, volts; mg/L milligrams per liter; mg/L, microgramper liter; , not analyzed for]

L°.cal U.S. Geological surface- Survey surfacewater . ' . .. water station or station or . 

 . well number well number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP5

R1-MP6

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R2-MP6

R4-MP1

390227083013330

390227083013311

390227083013312

390227083013315

390227083013316

390239083015130

390239083015111

390239083015112

390239083015115

390239083015116

390229083022911

Water 

level (feet 

Date bis) or 

discharge 

(ftVs)

06-19-91

11-12-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

11-15-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

04-01-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

11.04

16.05

7.54

-

15.80

7.53

-

15.80

15.80

7.44

11.40

10.19

10.52

15.46

7.73

11.69

16.64

7.84

11.78

16.64

11.74

16.64

7.79

9.57

13.87

17.97

Specific 

conductance 

(ms/cm)

1,650

1,680

610

762

709

660

688

677

767

798

637

6,100

5,910

6,400

1,340

1,370

1,460

111

712

869

1,030

940

586

934

939

979

pH, 

field 

(standard 

units)

7.4

7.3

7.5

7.5

7.5

7.5

7.4

7.5

6.9

6.5

7.4

7.4

7.8

7.4

7.9

7.7

7.6

7.6

7.7

7.5

7.3

6.8

7.3

7.6

7.4

7.3

Temperature 

(degC)

13.5

12.5

12.0

14.5

12.5

14.0

13.0

13.0

13.5

10.0

17.0

13.5

16.5

13.0

11.5

14.5

12.0

11.5

14.0

12.0

13.0

10.5

11.0

15.0

15.0

12.0

ph Oxygen, 

. " dissolved 

(V) (mg/L)

0.1

-

1.1

.7

0.113 .5

1.5

1.2

.162 1.5

.249 1.0

3.2

7.3

.9

.5

--

.0

.1

.124 .1

.0

.2

.124 .2

1.4

.200 7.1

.5

.7

.1

.066 .1

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asCa)

93

94

76

89

86

89

98

91

98

110

90

410

370

390

75

80

100

61

59

85

99

97

85

100

110

99

Magnesium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asMg)

27

28

27

31

29

30

33

30

38

42

34

100

100

110

20

21

30

16

16

23

30

32

24

30

30

29

98 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well number

R4-MP2

R4-MP4

R4-MP5

R4-MP6

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R6-MP4

R6-MP5

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390229083022912

390229083022914

390229083022915

390229083022916

390207083024030

390207083024011

390207083024012

390207083024013

390207083024014

390207083024015

390156083022830

390156083022811

390156083022812

Date

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

11-07-91

06-12-91

04-09-91

04.04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

11-14-91

06-19-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

Water 

level (feet 

bis) or 

discharge 

(ft3/.)

13.83

17.97

17.97

13.80

9.51

17.26

22.88

24.66

19.44

25.01

19.44

26.90

25.02

25.06

23.49

19.35

18.50

25.97

_.

18.28

18.47

18.39

18.47

Specific 

conductance 

(ms/cm)

927

889

914

893

860

775

2,260

2,270

2,280

758

756

759

683

643

580

680

689

630

2,090

2,210

760

845

806

660

699

761

pH, 

field 

(standard 

units)

7.0

7.3

6.9

6.9

7.2

7.1

7.7

7.4

7.4

7.3

7.1

7.3

7.4

7.4

7.1

8.0

7.3

7.0

7.9

7.7

6.9

7.3

7.3

7.6

7.3

7.3

Temperature 

(degC)

14.5

14.5

12.0

11.0

14.0

12.0

14.0

14.5

13.5

13.5

17.5

12.5

13.5

16.0

12.0

10.5

16.0

14.0

15.5

13.0

14.0

16.0

13.0

14.5

14.5

13.5

Oxygen, 

. . dissolved 

(V) (mg/L)

5.7

1.4

.103 1.1

.168 4.3

6.2

6.4

.4

.6

-

.2

1.2

.167 .1

5.7

4.6

.180 3.2

.203 .2

5.3

7.0

.2

-

1.5

.5

.102 .0

2.6

0.2

.139 2.2

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asCa)

100

98

98

110

110

110

120

120

120

100

100

93

95

97

91

90

99

94

140

150

110

120

110

89

98

110

Magnesium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asMg)

33

32

31

36

37

36

33

33

33

31

32

29

29

30

28

29

31

30

38

42

30

36

30

26

30

32

Table 13 99
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well number

R7-MP4

R7-MP6

R8-MP1

R8-MP3

R8-MP4

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4

S5-MP5

S5-MP6

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

S10-MP5

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390156083022814

390156083022816

390156083014311

390156083014313

390156083014314

390241083020511

390241083020512

390241083020514

390241083020515

390241083020516

390233083015511

390233083015512

390233083015515

Date

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

04-05-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

04-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-12-91

04-03-91

04-10-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

04-02-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

11-06-91

Water 

level (feet 

Ms) or 

discharge

(ftVs)

18.27

18.47

11.08

..

14.92

18.02

14.85

18.02

--

7.46

11.42

16.54

_

11.41

16.54

16.54

11.41

-

11.05

-

19.73

10.97

14.67

19.73

19.73

Specific 

conductance 

(ms/cm)

671

722

585

687

717

627

828

606

697

1,850

1,890

1,920

864

944

892

787

679

674

1,150

1,170

1,140

711

972

799

892

PH, 

field 

(standard 

units)

7.5

7.4

7.6

7.4

7.6

7.4

7.1

7.4

7.3

7.6

7.5

7.4

7.7

7.6

7.6

7.4

7.4

--

7.6

8.0

7.5

7.6

7.5

7.5

7.2

Temperature 

(degC)

17.0

14.0

10.0

12.5

13.5

13.5

17.0

14.0

11.0

14.5

16.0

13.0

14.5

16.0

12.5

14.5

13.5

11.5

12.0

15.0

12.5

13.0

18.0

13.0

14.5

Oxygen, 

 dissolved 

() (mg/L)

3.6

.184 4.6

6.7

.2

.3

.400 .5

3.7

.225 .8

7.1

.3

.2

.128 .3

.3

.0

.126 .6

.209 3.4

5.6

4.2

1.9

.0

.231 .3

.4

.1

.258 0.3

.278 1.4

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asCa)

98

100

82

81

92

77

100

70

100

220

220

220

98

110

94

88

76

62

110

88

89

95

120

92

110

Magnesium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asMg)

25

27

24

29

32

26

37

26

30

66

64

61

26

25

24

28

32

27

30

25

24

27

35

26

31

100 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well number

S10-MP6

S12-MP1

S12-MP3

S12-MP4

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4

S14-MP5

S14-MP6

VAN

METER

WATERSUPPLY

WELL

BIG

BEAVER

CREEK

SC1OTO

RIVER

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390233083015516

390223083020611

390223083020613

390223083020614

390224083020111

390224083020112

390224083020114

390224083020115

390224083020116

390238083014100

390241083011801

390250083030001

Date

04-02-91

06-10-91

04-03-91

06-13-91

06-13-91

04-03-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-13-91

04-02-91

12-04-90

04-04-91

06-11-91

04-03-91

06-11-91

11-19-91

Water 

level (feet 

bis) or 

discharge

(frVs)

10.96

14.70

15.04

14.80

--

11.45

15.81

20.38

11.44

15.79

20.38

20.38

15.79

11.56

32.84

45

.67

5,750

1,780

675.5

Specific 

conductance 

(ms/cm)

796

889

761

718

699

647

534

587

577

583

625

619

684

696

643

775

231

385

538

671

907

PH, 

field 

(standard 

units)

7.7

7.4

7.4

7.2

7.3

7.4

7.7

7.6

7.4

7.5

7.3

7.3

7.3

7.4

7.7

7.4

8.5

7.9

8.0

8.7

8.2

Temperature 

(degC)

12.0

14.5

14.0

14.0

14.0

12.0

13.0

15.0

12.5

13.0

14.0

11.5

14.0

16.0

10.5

12.5

14.5

23.5

13.5

27.5

15.5

Eh Oxygen, 

dissolved 

(V) (mg/L)

3.5

2.8

1.1

5.3

7.3

7.3

.2

1.0

.105 .0

.1

.5

.132 .5

.219 4.8

7.1

7.7

1.7

11.0

8.1

11.3

10.0

10.1

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asCa)

110

110

94

96

94

91

77

77

77

82

81

83

98

93

82

73

16

30

64

75

79

Magnesium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asMg)

46

42

28

30

30

27

22

21

22

24

24

24

29

31

31

20

13

19

22

26

28

Table 13 101
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP5

R1-MP6

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R2-MP6

R4-MP1

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390227083013330

390227083013311

390227083013312

390227083013315

390227083013316

390239083015130

390239083015111

390239083015112

390239083015115

390239083015116

390229083022911

Date

06-19-91

11-12-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

11-15-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

04-01-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

Sodium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asNa)

180

170

18

20

20

9.9

8.4

8.9

3.8

4.0

3.3

660

670

770

150

160

150

72

65

66

78

68

6.0

44

40

53

Potassium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asK)

9.1

10

3.5

3.5

3.9

3.4

3.1

3.3

2.3

3.1

2.3

35

33

41

5.5

5.6

6.0

6.0

5.8

6.7

3.5

2.0

1.4

5.0

4.5

5.3

Alkalinity, 

field 

(mg/L as 

CaC03)

260

340

290

270

290

280

310

300

390

370

330

160

170

140

190

190

190

220

230

200

300

300

240

240

240

260

Sulfate, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

SC-4)

0.7

.4

81

68

71

82

64

70

37

41

21

7.5

7.1

<.l

72

68

58

77

71

65

76

74

72

63

65

72

Chloride, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Cl)

350

390

19

37

39

8.8

12

12

8.3

5.5

5.3

2,000

2,100

2,000

260

270

290

77

64

110

100

80

4.5

140

120

140

Silica, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Si02)

11

9.7

8.6

9.1

8.4

8.9

9.4

8.3

8.3

8.6

8.3

9.7

9.9

11

9.2

9.8

9.7

8.9

9.5

9.6

10

8.4

8.7

11

12

10

Solids, 

residue 

at 180 

deg.C 

dissolved 

(mg/L)

876

882

354

414

429

475

400

410

437

431

352

3,410

4,080

3,930

712

728

840

441

397

520

590

564

348

550

500

588

Nitrogen, 

nitrite, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asN)

<0.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.01

<.01

0.02

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.03

.37

<.01

<.01

.02

<.01

102 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R4-MP2

R4-MP4

R4-MP5

R4-MP6

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R6-MP4

R6-MP5

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390229083022912

390229083022914

390229083022915

390229083022916

390207083024030

390207083024011

390207083024012

390207083024013

390207083024014

390207083024015

390156083022830

390156083022811

390156083022812

Date

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

11-07-91

06-12-91

04-09-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

11-14-91

06-19-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

Sodium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asNa)

52

49

49

28

23

12

260

270

260

16

15

18

7.3

7.1

7.4

8.7

8.1

6.1

190

210

11

9.8

13

17

16

11

Potassium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asK)

4.8

4.4

4.3

2.7

2.2

1.1

13

12

13

3.0

2.9

3.1

1.9

1.5

1.8

1.9

1.5

1.5

20

17

2.4

2.4

2.5

2.7

2.5

2.7

Alkalinity, 

field 

(mg/L as 

CaC03)

320

360

310

370

380

390

230

250

230

310

280

280

300

290

290

300

320

300

190

190

320

380

370

240

290

320

Sulfate, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

S04)

99

86

95

60

49

33

96

1.0

<0.1

97

93

94

39

44

35

49

46

34

14

2.6

71

69

79

110

81

75

Chloride, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Cl)

77

59

80

53

34

18

620

600

560

30

31

38

13

16

12

17

16

12

550

550

26

23

67

25

27

25

Silica, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Si02)

10

11

9.3

11

11

10

11

12

11

10

11

9.2

9.8

9.9

8.9

9.0

10

9.5

10

10

12

12

11

9.8

10

9.3

Solids, 

residue 

at 180 

deg.C 

dissolved 

(mg/L)

588

471

460

525

474

477

1,240

1,300

1,280

450

443

456

384

387

406

412

402

385

1,310

1,300

466

487

492

389

436

390

Nitrogen, 

nitrite, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asN)

<.01

.01

<.01

<.01

.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

Table 13 103
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R7-MP4

R7-MP6

R8-MP1

R8-MP3

R8-MP4

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4

S5-MP5

S5-MP6

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390156083022814

390156083022816

390156083014311

390156083014313

390156083014314

390241083020511

390241083020512

390241083020514

390241083020515

390241083020516

390233083015511

390233083015512

Date

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

04-05-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

04-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-12-91

04-03-91

04-10-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

04-02-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

Sodium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asNa)

11

9.6

6.3

27

25

20

25

19

7.3

17

17

16

41

43

50

33

18

27

85

100

100

33

37

30

Potassium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asK)

1.6

1.8

1.2

3.2

2.9

2.9

2.0

2.9

1.3

4.3

3.7

4.0

4.0

4.0

4.4

3.0

7.8

-

5.4

5.2

5.4

7.2

7.1

6.8

Alkalinity, 

field 

(mg/L as 

CaC03)

270

300

230

280

280

270

380

210

320

88

110

180

220

240

220

290

270

210

210

180

190

240

280

240

Sulfate, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

S04)

49

66

51

53

56

73

29

94

44

19

28

32

62

67

68

53

36

75

78

76

80

85

72

83

Chloride, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as CD

19

18

11

30

45

30

32

38

11

560

550

510

130

130

130

46

21

21

230

220

230

65

69

65

Silica, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Si02)

9.1

9.1

7.4

9.5

10

9.0

12

8.7

11

10

11

9.7

10

11

9.9

11

9.7

7.6

9.8

9.8

9.4

10

11

9.6

Solids, 

residue 

at 180 

deg.C 

dissolved 

(mg/L)

377

412

321

402

415

378

459

362

406

1,120

1,100

1,150

514

525

506

438

391

427

670

653

640

467

575

484

Nitrogen, 

nitrite, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asN)

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.03

<.01

.02

<.01

<.01

<.01

.02

<.01

<.01

0.020

<.01

<.01

.06

0.56

.01

<.01

<.01

.03

.06

.07

S10-MP5 390233083015515 11-06-91 32 12 310 83 70 11 571

104 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

S10-MP6

S12-MP1

S12-MP3

S12-MP4

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4

S14-MP5

S14-MP6

VAN

METER

WATERSUPPLYWELL

BIG

BEAVER

CREEK

SCIOTO

RIVER

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390233083015516

390223083020611

390223083020613

390223083020614

390224083020111

390224083020112

390224083020114

390224083020115

390224083020116

390238083014100

390241083011801

390250083030001

Date

04-02-91

06-10-91

04-03-91

06-13-91

06-13-91

04-03-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-13-91

04-02-91

12-04-90

04-04-91

06-11-91

04-03-91

06-11-91

11-19-91

Sodium,

(mg/L 

asNa)

8.0

14

15

14

12

9.1

13

12

15

18

16

17

20

14

5.3

60

8.5

14

16

34

72

Potassium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asK)

1.0

4.1

3.3

2.9

2.5

1.7

.6

3.2

3.1

3.7

3.7

3.7

2.9

2.3

.5

4.2

2.0

3.8

2.6

4.3

6.8

Alkalinity, 

field 

(mg/L as 

CaC03)

370

330

260

290

280

280

210

270

220

250

250

250

300

280

270

140

23

96

190

220

220

Sulfate, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

804)

47

45

57

49

44

40

78

85

76

74

72

79

64

62

29

80

47

74

58

93

140

Chloride, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Cl)

22

33

37

34

23

18

23

24

21

26

26

25

35

26

12

135

5.0

11

24

25

68

Silica, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

SiO2)

13

13

10

11

10

9.6

10

11

11

9.9

10

9.9

11

11

8.6

..

9.3

6.6

7.0

4.5

2.8

Solids, 

residue 

at 180 

deg. C 

dissolved 

(mg/L)

498

484

415

416

408

381

341

329

344

386

333

367

432

419

362

498

158

211

339

417

523

Nitrogen, 

nitrite, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

asN)

.03

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.01

<.01

<.01

<.o,

<.o,

<..,

<02

<.01

<.01

.02

.01

.02

Table 13 105
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP5

R1-MP6

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R2-MP6

R4-MP1

U.S.Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390227083013330

390227083013311

390227083013312

390227083013315

390227083013316

390239083015130

390239083015111

390239083015112

390239083015115

390239083015116

39022908302291 1

1 

Date

06-19-91

11-12-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

11-15-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

04-01-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

NO2+NO3 

dissolved

0.06

<.05

.32

.40

.44

1.1

.37

.69

1.2

0.92

2.0

<.ll

.06

<.05

<.05

<.05

.13

<.05

<.05

1.4

8.4

4.1

.23

<.05

<.05

.22

Nitrogen, Phosphorus 

' ammonia, dissolved

(mg/L as N) as P)

1.5

1.7

<.01

.01

<.01

<.01

.01

.02

.02

<.01

.01

3.9

4.9

6.0

.25

.24

.28

.06

.08

.09

.03

.05

.02

.10

.08

.07

.01

.02

.03

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.02

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

.02

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

..° ,°' . total dissolved dissolved

as9R as Fe) as Fe)

<.01 280

<.01 320

<.01 50

<.01 <10

<.01 30

<.01 <10

<.01 <10

< .01 80

< .01 20

<.01 10

<.oi <io

<.01 320

<.01 740

<.01 2,700

< .01 2,000

.01 1,900

.02 2,400

< .01 760

.01 700

.01 1,100

.01 240

<.o.

<.01 280

< .01 2,600

<.01 2,500

.03 2,800

290

310

6

<3

6

3

<3

6

5

<3

3

14

70

790

1,800

1,800

2,500

740

720

1,200

190

100

200

2,600

2,800

2,600

Manganese, .. f . . Manganese, total ... j 

. . dissolved

a'stn, <^L «Mn>

160

180

<10

<10

<10

50

<10

<10

<10

<10

<10

260

240

1,200

260

250

330

780

370

510

940

830

440

440

440

440

160

170

4

<1

2

55

15

8

2

2

<l

250

280

770

250

270

340

790

390

550

1,000

810

430

460

480

450

Table 13 106
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R4-MP2

R4-MP4

R4-MP5

R4-MP6

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R6-MP4

R6-MP5

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

U.S.Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390229083022912

390229083022914

390229083022915

390229083022916

390207083024030

390207083024011

390207083024012

390207083024013

390207083024014

390207083024015

390156083022830

390156083022811

390156083022812

Nitrogen, k ... . . N02+N03 Nltr°9en' Phosphorus

Date dissolved rm<?nia' dissolved 

. dissolved (mg/L

N) (mg/L as N) asP)

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

11-07-91

06-12-91

04-09-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

11-14-91

06-19-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

.19

<.05

<.05

3.1

3.4

1.2

<.05

<.05

<.05

.06

.13

<.05

1.2

5.2

<.05

4.4

5.4

5.1

.06

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

.10

.04 <.01

.01 <.01

.05 <.01

<.o, <.o,

<.o, <.o,

.03 <.01

.40 < .01

2.1 <.01

2.2 <.01

.01 <.01

.02 <.01

.05 <.01

<.01 <.01

.01 <.01

<.01 .01

.02 <.01

<.o, <.o,

<.o, <.o,

1.7 <.01

2.0 <.01

.05 <.01

.06 <.01

.10 <.01

.03 <.01

.04 < .01

.06 < .01

Phosphorus, , , 

 >, ^7. Iron, Iron,

dissolved ,tota' disso'ved

fmn/L (U9/L (U9/L lifly/u i ...

p as Fe) as Fe)

<.01

<.01

<.01

.02

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.()!

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.()!

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

930 980

840 930

680

<10 9

20 <3

<10 8

410 510

410 410

410 430

1,900 1,900

1,800 1,900

2,000 1,700

<10 <3

<10 <3

30 4

14

<10 7

<10 5

150 7

330 270

5,800 5,300

5,800 6,100

5,300 5,500

1,800 1,700

1,300 1,300

1,400 1,300

Manganese, -.

r!°J? dissolved ' 

M ) (u9/L as Mn)

470

380

380

<,0

<,0

10

80

140

510

480

460

<10

<10

<10

-

<,.

<,0

330

710

460

400

380

490

500

600

480

410

380

«

«

10

85

83

120

530

530

480

6

<1

3

3

«

3

360

660

470

440

390

520

540

560

107 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R7-MP4

R7-MP6

R8-MP1

R8-MP3

R8-MP4

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4

S5-MP5

S5-MP6

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

U.S.Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390156083022814

390156083022816

390156083014311

390156083014313

390156083014314

390241083020511

390241083020512

390241083020514

390241083020515

390241083020516

390233083015511

390233083015512

Nitrogen, 

NO2+NO3, 

Date dissolved 

(mg/L as 

N)

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

04-05-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

04-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-12-91

04-03-91

04-10-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

04-02-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

4.8

2.9

2.3

1.4

1.1

1.3

1.2

.27

.70

<.05

<.05

.77

<.05

<.05

.40

4.5

11.0

9.7

<.05

.05

.21

2.7

10.0

5.5

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, ^. Iron, Iron, Manganese, .. 

 j« i j ortho, . . ' . . ' . . . Manganese, ammonia, dissolved .. , ' total dissolved total .. , . 

.. . ! , dissolved . ,. . ,. . ., dissolved dissolved (mg/L . (|^g/L (ug/L d-iQ/L . .. ... / / K» nt (ing/L i ,- * mm \ (v^Qi*- 38 Mm (mg/L as N) as P) *_. as Fe) as Fe) as Mn) rs*

.02 < .01

.00 < .01

<.., <.o,

.02 < .01

.01 <.01

.03 < .01

<.01 <.01

.03 < .01

.01 <.01

.30 <.01

.29 < .01

.35 <.01

.07 < .01

.05 < .01

.10 <.01

.03 < .01

<.o, <. 

.11 <.01

.40 < .01

.30 <.01

.39 <.01

.02 < .01

.02 .01

.02 < .01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<.01

<10 <3 <10

20 <3 <10

570 4 20

70 26 510

20 5 370

<10 -- 150

<10 <3 <10

10 6 <10

70 22 90

4,400 4,100 1,500

4,400 4,900 1,200

5,500 5,300 1,100

2,200 2,100

2,400 2,400 380

2,000 2,000 350

<,0 - <,0

<,. <3 <,0

<,. - <,.

1,300 1,100 850

1,600 1,400 580

1,900 1,800 450

140 160 180

<10 <3 120

10 <3 120

<!

<!

11

520

370

150

2

<l

88

1,500

1,200

1,100

510

400

350

1

6

13

900

580

460

180

130

110

S10-MP5 390233083015515 11-06-91 3.7 .21 <3 40 <1

Table 13 108
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

S10-MP6

S12-MP1

S12-MP3

S12-MP4

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4

S14-MP5

S14-MP6

VAN

METERWATERSUPPLY

WELL

BIG

BEAVER

CREEK

SCIOTO

RIVER

U.S.Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390233083015516

390223083020611

390223083020613

390223083020614

390224083020111

390224083020112

390224083020114

390224083020115

390224083020116

390238083014100

390241083011801

390250083030001

Date

04-02-91

06-10-91

04-03-91

06-13-91

06-13-91

04-03-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-13-91

04-02-91

12-04-90

04-04-91

06-11-91

04-03-91

06-11-91

11-19-91

Nitrogen, 

NO2+NO3, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

N)

2.8

8.8

4.3

6.2

6.8

1.4

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

.05

2.9

5.7

2.2

<.01

.72

.10

2.8

2.3

3.6

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Pho^orus, 

 _« j ortho, ammonia, dissolved 

dissolved (mg/L a'ss°'vea 

(mg/L as N) as P) ^

.03 < .01 < .01

.03 <.01 <.01

<.o. <.o. <.oi

.02 < .01 < .01

.02 <.01 <.01

<,, <.o,

.07 <.01 <.01

.08 < .01 < .01

.11 <.01 <.01

.04 < .01 < .01

.04 < .01 < .01

.04 <.01 <.01

.03 <.01 <.01

.02 <.01 <-01

<, <,,

.06 <.05

.01 <.01 <.01

.04 <.01 <.01

.09 .07 .06

.05 .05 .05

.04 .32 .28

Iron, Iron, 

total dissolved

(f^g/L (f^g/L 

as Fe) as Fe)

<10 8

<10 <3

<10 7

<10 4

40 <3

<10 5

1,600 1,600

1,900 2,000

2,100 2,100

1,000 960

1,000 1,000

1,200 1,100

<10 7

20 <3

160 4

1,160 850

920 160

230 18

1,600 76

1,200 9

360 60

Manganese, 

total

asMn)

290

90

70

10

10

80

430

300

330

370

270

290

<,.

10

<,.

250

110

120

60

70

100

Manganese, 

dissolved 

(ng/L as Mn)

290

79

54

7

<>

89

410

320

330

380

280

270

1

< 

7

255

100

91

25

5

89

109 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP5

R1-MP6

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R2-MP6

R4-MP1

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390227083013330

390227083013311

390227083013312

390227083013315

390227083013316

390239083015130

390239083015111

390239083015112

390239083015115

390239083015116

390229083022911

Date

06-19-91

11-12-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

11-15-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

04-01-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

Carbon, 

organic, 

total 

(mg/L 

asC)

.6

1.8

.7

.9

1.0

1.0

.8

1.2

1.0

1.0

.6

.9

.6

2.7

0.9

0.7

1.4

0.7

0.9

1.5

0.7

1.8

0.8

1.4

0.4

0.8

Carbon, ., .. Alachlor, organic, .. . ' 

... ' dissolved dissolved . .

(mg/L as C) (^g/L)

<0.05

1.3 <.05

< .05

< .05

<.05

< .05

< .05

<.05

<.05

< .05

< .05

< .05

< .05

<.05

< .05

< .05

1.2 <.05

< .05

< .05

1.0 <.05

< .05

1.0 <.05

< .05

< .05

< .05

.9 < .05

Ametryn, 

dissolved

(M9/L)

<0.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Atrazlne, 

dissolved

(M9/L)

< 0.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Cyanazine, 

dissolved

(M9/L)

<0.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.05

<.20

<.05

Desethylatrazine, 

dissolved

(H9/L)

<0.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Table 13 110
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R4-MP2

R4-MP4

R4-MP5

R4-MP6

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R6-MP4

R6-MP5

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390229083022912

390229083022914

390229083022915

390229083022916

390207083024030

390207083024011

390207083024012

390207083024013

390207083024014

390207083024015

390156083022830

390156083022811

390156083022812

Date

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

11-07-91

06-12-91

04-09-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

11-14-91

06-19-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

Carbon, 

organic, 

total 

(mg/L 

asC)

0.8

0.3

0.7

0.7

0.4

0.9

0.3

0.2

0.8

0.4

0.3

.6

0.7

0.5

0.7

-

0.3

0.4

1.0

1.6

1.0

0.6

0.9

1.0

0.8

1.4

Carbon' Alachlor,

/or«anlc' dissolved 

dissolved . ,

(mg/L as C) (WJ/L)

< .05

<.05

.7 < .05

.6 < .05

<.05

< .05

< .05

< .05

<.05

< .05

< .05

<.05

<.05

< .05

<.05

<.05

< .05

< .05

< .05

<05

< .05

< .05

1.0 <.05

< .05

<.05

1.0 <.05

Ametryn, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Atrazine, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Cyanazine, 

dissolved

(H9/L)

<.05

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

Desethylatrazine, 

dissolved 

(H9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

111 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R7-MP4

R7-MP6

R8-MP1

R8-MP3

R8-MP4

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4

S5-MP5

S5-MP6

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390156083022814

390156083022816

390156083014311

390156083014313

390156083014314

390241083020511

390241083020512

390241083020514

390241083020515

390241083020516

390233083015511

390233083015512

Date

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

04-05-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

04-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-12-91

04-03-91

04-10-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

04-02-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

Carbon, _ . Carbon, "sr ; » * 

. .. dissolved 

££ (mg/LasC)

0.5

0.6 .6

0.8

0.6

0.7

1.3 .8

0.6

1.1 .7

0.8

0.5

0.4

0.7

0.6

0.6

1.1

1.0

0.5

1.3

1.3

0.9

1.2 1.0

0.5

0.8

1.2 .9

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Ametryn, 

1 dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.o5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Atrazine, 

dissolved 

(WJ/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

0.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Cyanazine, 

dissolved

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.05

<.05

Desethylatrazine, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

S10-MP5 390233083015515 11-06-91 1.0 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.20 <.05

Table 13 112
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

S10-MP6

S12-MP1

S12-MP3

S12-MP4

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4

S14-MP5

S14-MP6

VAN

METER

WATERSUPPLY

WELL

BIG

BEAVER

CREEK

SCIOTO

RIVER

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390233083015516

390223083020611

390223083020613

390223083020614

390224083020111

390224083020112

390224083020114

390224083020115

390224083020116

390238083014100

390241083011801

390250083030001

Date

04-02-91

06-10-91

04-03-91

06-13-91

06-13-91

04-03-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-13-91

04-02-91

12-04-90

04-04-91

06-11-91

04-03-91

06-11-91

11-19-91

Carbon, 

organic, 

total 

(mg/L 

asC)

0.5

0.5

1.4

0.4

0.4

0.5

0.8

0.9

1.2

0.8

0.9

1.2

1.0

0.6

0.5

<5

2.0

4.0

5.8

9.0

11

Carbon' Alachlor,

Horga"lc' dissolved 

dissolved . .. .

(mg/LasC) (w>/L)

< .05

< .05

< .05

< .05

< .05

< .05

< .05

< .05

1.1 <.05

< .05

< .05

1.0 <.05

.7 < .05

< .05

< .05

..

< .05

< .05

< .05

.3

9.1 <.05

Ametryn, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

..

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Atrazine, 

dissolved

(ng/U

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

..

<.05

<.05

0.17

2.7

1.9

Cyanazine, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.05

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.05

<.20

_

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

<.20

Desethylatrazine, 

dissolved

(ng/U

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

_

.08

<.05

<.05

.13

.47

113 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

Rl-BR

R1-MP1

R1-MP2

R1-MP5

R1-MP6

R2-BR

R2-MP1

R2-MP2

R2-MP5

R2-MP6

R4-MP1

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390227083013330

390227083013311

390227083013312

390227083013315

390227083013316

390239083015130

390239083015111

390239083015112

390239083015115

390239083015116

390229083022911

Date

06-19-91

11-12-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

11-14-91

11-15-91

04-08-91

06-19-91

04-01-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

06-17-91

11-04-91

04-01-91

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

Desisopropyl 

atrazine, 

dissolved 

(M9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.(>5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Metolachlor, 

dissolved 

(M9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Metribuzin, 

dissolved 

(H9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometon, 

dissolved 

(M9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.(>5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometryn, 

dissolved

(H9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Propazine, 

dissolved

(H9/L)

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Simazine, 

dissolved

(M9/D

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Table 13 114
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well 

number

R4-MP2

R4-MP4

R4-MP5

R4-MP6

R6-BR

R6-MP1

R6-MP2

R6-MP3

R6-MP4

R6-MP5

R7-BR

R7-MP1

R7-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390229083022912

390229083022914

390229083022915

390229083022916

390207083024030

390207083024011

390207083024012

390207083024013

390207083024014

390207083024015

390156083022830

390156083022811

390156083022812

Date

04-09-91

06-12-91

11-07-91

11-07-91

06-12-91

04-09-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

04-04-91

06-18-91

11-13-91

11-14-91

06-19-91

04-04-91

06-19-91

11-13-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

06-18-91

11-14-91

Desisopropyl 

atrazine, 

dissolved 

(M9/U

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

Metolachlor, 

dissolved

(Mfl/U

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

Metribuzln, 

dissolved

fog/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.()5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometon, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometryn, 

dissolved

(M9/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Propazine, 

dissolved

<ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Slmazine, 

dissolved

(H9/I)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

115 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Piketon, Ohio
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well

number

R7-MP4

R7-MP6

R8-MP1

R8-MP3

R8-MP4

S5-MP1

S5-MP2

S5-MP4

S5-MP5

S5-MP6

S10-MP1

S10-MP2

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390156083022814

390156083022816

390156083014311

390156083014313

390156083014314

390241083020511

390241083020512

390241083020514

390241083020515

390241083020516

390233083015511

390233083015512

Date

06-18-91

11-14-91

04-09-91

04-05-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

06-11-91

11-06-91

04-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

04-03-91

06-12-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-12-91

04-03-91

04-10-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

04-02-91

06-10-91

11-06-91

Desisopropyl 

atrazine, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Metolachlor, 

dissolved 

(Mfl/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Metribuzin, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometon, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometryn, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Propazine, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

SI marine, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

S10-MP5 390233083015515 11-06-91 < .05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05

Table 13 116
Table 13. Summary of ground-water and surface-water quality at the Ohio Management Systems Evaluation Area-^Continued

Local 

surfacewater 

station or 

well

number

S10-MP6

S12-MP1

S12-MP3

S12-MP4

S14-MP1

S14-MP2

S14-MP4

S14-MP5

S14-MP6

VAN

METER

WATERSUPPLY

WELL

BIG

BEAVER

CREEK

SCIOTO

RIVER

U.S. Geological 

Survey surfacewater station or 

well number

390233083015516

390223083020611

390223083020613

390223083020614

390224083020111

390224083020112

390224083020114

390224083020115

390224083020116

390238083014100

390241083011801

390250083030001

Date

04-02-91

06-10-91

04-03-91

06-13-91

06-13-91

04-03-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

04-02-91

06-13-91

11-05-91

11-05-91

06-13-91

04-02-91

12-04-90

04-04-91

06-11-91

04-03-91

06-11-91

11-19-91

Desisopropyl 

atrazine, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

.28

Metolachlor, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

.12

1.8

1.9

Metrlbuzln, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.(»5

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

.1

<.05

Prometon, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Prometryn, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Propazlne, 

dissolved

(ng/L)

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

Slmazlne, 

dissolved

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

<.05

_

<.05

<.05

.06

<.05

.09

117 Hydrogeology and Water Quality at the Management Systems Evaluation Area near Plketon, Ohio