Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water 

Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, 

Erie County, New York

By William M. Kappel, and Todd S. Miller

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Water-Resources Investigations Report 96-4193

Prepared in cooperation with the

ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING

Ithaca, New York 

1996
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: be purchased from:

Subdlstrlct Chief U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services

903 Hanshaw Road Box 25286

Ithaca, NY 14850-1573 Denver, CO 80225-0286

ii Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
CONTENTS

Page

Abstract .......................................................................... 1

Introduction ....................................................................... 1

Purpose and scope .............................................................. 4

Acknowledgments .............................................................. 4

Methods of investigation ............................................................. 4

Borehole geophysics ............................................................ 4

Surface geophysics. ............................................................. 5

Streamflow measurements ........................................................ 5

Geology .......................................................................... 6

Bedrock geometry .............................................................. 6

Bedrocklithology. .............................................................. 6

Onondaga Limestone ....................................................... 6

Akron Dolomite-Bertie Limestone............................................. 9

Camillus Shale ............................................................ 9

Hydrology......................................................................... 9

Ground water in fractures ........................................................ 9

Bedding-plane fractures ..................................................... 10

Near-vertical fractures ...................................................... 10

Weathered and fractured top of bedrock. ........................................ 12

Well-yield characteristics. ........................................................ 13

Ground-water quality............................................................ 13

Ground-water/surface-water interaction. ............................................. 16

Ground-water flow ............................................................. 17

Summary and conclusion ............................................................. 20

References cited .................................................................... 20

FIGURES

1. Map showing principal geographic features of Erie County, N.Y., including unconsolidated and

bedrock aquifers and location of study areas ........................................... 2

2. Map showing principal geographic features near Akron study area in eastern Erie County, N.Y., 

including Akron water-supply reservoir and municipal well, surficial bedrock units, and streamflowmeasurement sites. ...................... ^........................................ 3

3. Schematic diagram showing square-array resistivity layout, size of squares, and rotation of

squares around the array centerpoint ................................................. 5

4. North-south geologic section along Crittenden/Scotland Roads near Akron, N.Y., area showing

locations of wells with gamma-ray profiles and the contacts between major bedrock units. ....... 7

5. Map showing locations of all wells used for data collection in Akron study area Erie County, N.Y.,

and location of geologic section A-A' ................................................ 8

6. Diagrams showing square-array apparent resistivity plotted against azimuth for squares of 46.2, 65.6, 

98.2, and 115.8 feet measured near the Village of Akron's municipal well, Erie County, N,Y.. .... 11

Contents
FIGURES (continued)

7. Piper diagram showing chemical characteristics of water from Akron municipal well in 

relation to water from the Onondaga Limestone and unconsolidated deposits in 

surrounding area as compiled by Miller and Staubitz (1985) .............................. 14

8. Stiff diagrams showing median anion and cation concentrations in water from Akron municipal

well Erie County, N.Y., and reported results from several other aquifers in the Akron area ...... 15

9. North-south geologic section east of Crittenden/Scotland Roads showing ground-water flowpaths

and the three major bedrock discharge locations in the Akron study area .................... 17

10. Map showing potentiometric-surf ace altitude in upper bedrock and locations of ground-water

divides north and south of Akron municipal well, Erie County, N.Y.. ....................... 19

TABLES

1. Summary of bedrock units in the Akron study area in eastern Erie County, N.Y..

2. Azimuthal apparent-resistivity measurements collected near the Village of Akron's municipal

well field, Erie County, N.Y........................................................... 12

3. Ratio of sodium and chloride (by mass) in water from the Akron municipal well, Erie County, N.Y.

February 1981 through October 1985 ................................................... 15

4. Results of streamflow measurements on Murder Creek and selected tributaries, Erie County, N.Y.,

September 12 and 13, 1994 ........................................................... 16

iv Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
CONVERSION FACTORS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND VERTICAL DATUM

Multiply

inch (in.) 

foot (ft) 

mile (mi)

foot per mile (ft/mi)

square mile (mi2) 

acre

o

cubic foot per second (ft /s)

inch per year (in/yr)

million gallons per day (Mgal/d)

gallons per day (gal/d)

gallons per minute (gal/min)

gallons per second (gal/s)

cubic foot per second per square mile (ft3/s/mi2) 0.0109267

By

Length

2.54

0.3048

1.609

Slope 

0.1894 

Area

2.59

0.40483

Flow

0.02832

25.4

.003785

3.785

0.06309

0.0010515

To Obtain

cubic feet (ft3) 

cubic yards (yd3)

degrees Fahrenheit (°F)

Volume 

0.02832

centimeter

meter

kilometer

meter per kilometer

square kilometer 

hectare

cubic meter per second 

millimeter per year 

cubic meters per day 

liters per day 

liter per second 

liter per second

cubic meter per second per 

square kilometer

cubic meters

Temperature

°C = 5/9 ("F-32) degrees Celsius 

Specific Conductance

microsiemens per centimeter at 25° Celsius (|j,S/cm) 

Equivalent Concentration Terms

milligrams per liter (mg/L) = parts per million 

micrograms per liter (ug/L) = parts per billion

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

from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea 

Level Datum of 1929.

Contents
Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow 

near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, 

New York

By William M. Kappel and Todd S. Miller

Abstract

The Village of Akron, in northeastern Erie 

County, N.Y., uses ground water to supplement its 

surface-water supply, but the yield of ground water 

and its protection from contamination is of concern. 

Bedrock wells in the Akron area obtain water from 

fractures within and below the Onondaga 

Limestone. An extensive unconformity and associated bedding-plane fracture at the contact between 

the Onondaga Limestone and the underlying Akron 

Dolomite probably is the primary water-bearing 

zone that contributes water to the municipal watersupply well for Akron. Results of a square-array 

resistivity survey indicate weakly developed, nearvertical fractures in the Onondaga Limestone that 

strike along azimuth 075° in the Akron area ; these 

fractures probably have only a minor role in 

regional ground-water flow patterns, however.

The major source of recharge to the Onondaga 

Limestone in the Akron area is precipitation. 

Streamflow measurements along Murder Creek 

indicate a downstream increase in ground-water 

discharge as the creek approaches the Onondaga 

Escarpment; therefore, little or no infiltration of 

water from Murder Creek to the Akron municipal 

well is likely. Chemical analyses of water from this 

well indicate that most recharge consists of freshwater flowing downdip (southward) from the 

Onondaga Escarpment area along the contact 

between the Onondaga Limestone and the Akron 

Dolomite, but some water also comes from the 

upper, weathered Onondaga Limestone. The well 

also receives some brackish water from a deep 

bedrock source; this water apparently moves updip 

from the southwest along the Onondaga-Akron 

bedding-plane fracture.

INTRODUCTION

The Erie County Department of Environment 

and Planning is promoting the development of 

Wellhead Protection strategies for municipal 

wellfields in the county. In 1994, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Erie County 

Department of Environment and Planning, began a 1- 

year study to investigate factors that affect the areas 

that contribute recharge to wells in four municipalities in Erie County the Villages of Alden and 

Akron, and the Towns of Collins and Holland (fig. 1). 

Municipal wells for Alden, Collins, and Holland tap 

glacial-drift aquifers, but the Akron municipal well 

taps the Onondaga Limestone aquifer. Hydrologic 

data for the three municipalities whose wells tap 

glacial-drift aquifers are sufficient to construct 

numerical ground-water flow models that could be 

used to investigate contributing areas to those wells, 

but data on the fractured bedrock aquifer in the 

Akron area are insufficient for model construction.

The Akron Reservoir, in the headwaters of Murder 

Creek (fig. 2) in the northwestern part of Wyoming 

County, to the southeast, is a 75-acre impoundment 

with a safe yield of more than 700,000 gal/d (Daniel 

Huff, Superintendent of Public Works, Village of 

Akron, written commun., 1995). This supply is 

supplemented by a 70-ft-deep municipal well that is 

completed in the Onondaga Limestone and can pump 

as much as 140,000 gal/d. This well is along 

Crittenden Road, 1 mi southeast of the village (fig. 2).

The Onondaga Limestone is a fractured-bedrock 

aquifer that has solution-widened openings (Staubitz 

and Miller, 1987). Most recharge to the aquifer 

consists of precipitation that infiltrates through 

fractures at or near the land surface. Water levels in 

this aquifer typically fluctuate 5 to 10 ft annually, 

except near a 2.2-mi-long "channel-like depression

Introduction
NIAGARA 

COUNTY

EXPLANATION

Unconsolidated aquifer

Akron Dolomite - Bertie Limestone

Onondaga Limestone 

Direction of streamflow 

O Municipal well ERIE 

COUNTY

LAKE ERIE

HoIIan

study

area

Collins

study

area

CATTARAUGUS 

COUNTY

42:30'

Base modified from U. S. Geological Survey digital data. 1:100.000.1983 

New York coordinate system, West zone

Figure 1. Principal geographic features of Erie County, N.Y., including unconsolidated and bedrock aquifers and 

location of study areas.

Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
78^30' 78 "22 30

43'

42-52 '30

New York BtatV 

Route 93 !" > 

New York StatejThruwav IEXPLANATION

Camillus Shale 

Akron Dolomite -Bertie Limestone 

D Onondaga Limestone

Hamilton Group Shales 

l-r-fT Onondaga Escarpment

Streamflow gaging station and number

Streamflow-measurement site and number

Municipal well

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey

Digital Line Graph,1:100.000,1983

State Plane Coordinate System, New York, West

4 MILES

4 KILOMETERS

Figure 2. Principal geographic features near Akron study area in eastern Erie County, N.Y., including Akron water-supply 

reservoir and municipal well, surficial bedrock units, and streamflow-measurement sites. (Location is shown in fig. 1.)

Introduction
area" of sinkholes and disappearing streams 2 mi 

south of Akron (fig. 2), where water-level fluctuations can exceed 40 ft (Staubitz and Miller, 1987). 

Movement of ground water along the high-angle and 

bedding-plane fractures are the only pathways for 

water to move from areas of recharge to areas of 

discharge in the bedrock, or to wells that supply 

many of the homes in the Akron area.

Land use in the study area is a mixture of agriculture (dairy farms) and low-density residential. Mining 

of gypsum deposits in the Camillus Shale north of the 

Onondaga Escarpment was historically important but 

ceased in the mid-1970's. Sand and gravel mining and 

limestone quarrying continue today. Interstate 90 

(New York State Thruway) traverses the study area 

south of the Village of Akron.

Purpose and Scope

This report (1) defines the geometry of the 

Onondaga Limestone aquifer and describes the 

fractured-bedrock flow system, (2) presents maps and 

geologic sections of the Onondaga Limestone and 

deeper bedrock units, (3) presents vertical-fractureorientation plots derived from surface geophysical 

surveys near the municipal well, (4) presents natural 

gamma-ray borehole geophysical logs of selected 

wells along Crittenden and Scotland Roads, and (5) 

presents a conceptualized geologic section indicating 

ground-water flowpaths to the Akron municipal well.

Acknowledgments

Spencer Schofield of the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning initiated this 

study and facilitated communication between 

Federal, State and local governmental agencies. 

Daniel Huff, Akron Superintendent of Public Works, 

and his staff, provided data and field assistance 

throughout the project. Mark Pearce of U.S. Gypsum 

Energy Company provided natural-gamma logs of 

gas wells drilled in the study area, and the owners of 

County Line Stone Quarry provided access to the 

quarry and to monitoring wells surrounding the 

quarry. William Frey, of Frey Well Drilling, provided 

drilling records of domestic wells near the Akron 

municipal well.

METHODS OF INVESTIGATION

Several approaches were used to characterize the 

geologic and hydrologic conditions in the Akron 

area:

(1) Borehole- and surface-geophysical techniques 

were used to evaluate the extent of nearhorizontal bedding-plane fractures and the orientation of near-vertical fractures in the bedrock;

(2) supplemental borehole geophysical logs (natural 

gamma-ray emission) from nearby natural-gas 

wells were used to define the regional bedrock 

stratigraphy;

(3) streamflow measurements were made to identify 

gaining or losing reaches of Murder Creek and 

selected tributaries; and

(4) drilling logs and water-quality data, supplied by 

the Village of Akron, were analyzed to determine 

the source and chemical quality of ground water 

in the vicinity of the municipal-well.

Borehole Geophysics

Borehole geophysical methods are used in 

ground-water investigations to obtain information on 

well construction, rock lithology, location and orientation of fractures and transmissive zones, and 

chemical quality of ground water. The geophysical 

methods entail use of logging tools that are lowered 

into a well and transmit electronic signals to aboveground recording and processing equipment. 

Geophysical logging methods and their application 

to ground-water investigations are described in 

detail by Keys (1990). The most useful types of 

geophysical logs collected in this study were the 

following:

Caliper /ogs-Caliper logs record borehole 

diameter. Changes in borehole diameter are related 

to well construction, such as casing or drilling-bit 

size, and the occurrence of fractures or caving along 

the borehole wall.

Gamma logs-Gamma logs record the amount of 

natural gamma radiation emitted by rocks surrounding the borehole. The most significant naturally 

occurring sources of gamma radiation are clay- and 

shale-bearing rocks, which are easily distinguished 

from limestone and dolomite, which emit relatively 

low gamma radiation.

Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
Temperature /ogs-Temperature logs record the 

temperature of water in the borehole and are useful 

for delineating water-bearing zones and identifying 

vertical flow in the borehole. Borehole flow between 

zones can be indicated by changes in the temperature gradient of the well

Flow-meter /ogs-Flow-meter logs record the 

direction and rate of vertical flow in the borehole. 

Borehole-flow rates can be calculated from 

downhole-velocity measurements and the borehole 

diameter recorded by the caliper log.

Video-camera logs-Video-camera logs record a 

color image of the borehole. Well construction, 

lithology, fractures, water level, cascading water 

from above the water level, and changes in borehole 

water quality with depth (chemical precipitates, 

suspended particles, and gas) can often be seen in 

the video record.

Surface Geophysics

Surface geophysical methods are used in 

ground-water investigations to obtain information on 

physical properties and structure of the bedrock 

below land surface. The method used in this study 

was azimuthal square-array direct current (dc) resistivity, where resistivity soundings were used to 

detect the orientation of near-vertical fractures in 

bedrock. This method is described in detail by Lane 

and others (1995).

Square-array resistivity soundings were used in 

an open field about 300 ft east of the municipal well 

to detect the strike of near-vertical fractures in 

bedrock. Techniques for analyzing the apparent 

resistivity data collected by the square-array method 

have been developed by Habberjam (1972) and been 

tested and used successfully at a crystalline rock site 

at Mirror Lake, N.H., by Lane and others (1995).

The resistivity measurement is assigned to the 

centerpoint of the square array (fig. 3), which is 

expanded and rotated about the centerpoint; eight 

squares measuring 11.6 ft, 16.4 ft, 23.3 ft, 32.8 ft, 

46.2 ft, 65.6 ft, 92.8 ft, and 115.8 ft constitute one 

set of measurements. The squares are positioned 

such that increasing volumes (depths) of earth 

materials are penetrated as the square is expanded. 

The measurements for one set of eight squares are

collected; then the square is rotated 15 degrees and 

another set of eight expanding-square measurements 

is taken. Six sets of expanding-square measurements 

(fig. 3) are then plotted on polar coordinate paper to 

indicate the orientation of any near-vertical 

fractures.

True north

* Array rotated at 

15° increments

Not to scale

Figure 3. Schematic diagram showing square-array resistivity layout, size of squares (11.6 to 115.8 feet), and 

rotation of squares (in 15-degree increments) around the 

array centerpoint.

Streamflow Measurements

Ten sites along Murder Creek and its tributaries 

were chosen for streamflow measurements (to calculate gains or losses) by methods described in Rantz 

and others (1982), but only six locations (fig. 2) had 

flowing water during the autumn low-flow period of 

September 1994. The drainage area upstream from 

each measurement site was determined from 

topographic maps, and changes in streamflow from 

site to site were compared on a volume per unitdrainage-area basis to indicate relative gains or losses 

in streamflow between measurement locations.

Methods of Investigation 5
GEOLOGY

Bedrock units of upper Silurian to lower 

Devonian age strike roughly east-west and dip to the 

south-southwest at 40 to 50 ft/mi (Staubitz, and 

Miller, 1987). The uppermost bedrock unit in the 

study area is the Onondaga Limestone, which is 

overlain by till in the north and by till and lacustrine 

deposits of variable thickness in the south. Glacialdrift deposits near the Onondaga Escarpment in the 

north (fig. 2) are thin (0 to 5 ft thick) but thicken to 

the south, where they are generally more than 25 ft 

thick.

Bedrock Geometry

The geometry of the bedrock units was defined 

though an analysis of geophysical logs obtained by 

the USGS and logs of natural-gas wells in the Akron 

area obtained by U.S. Gypsum Energy Company. 

Natural-gamma ray logs were used to determine 

lithologic boundaries of major bedrock units. The 

major lithologic contacts that are readily apparent in 

natural gamma-ray logs are between (1) the bottom 

of the Onondaga Limestone and the top of the Akron 

Dolomite, (2) the bottom of the Akron Dolomite and 

the top of the Bertie Limestone and, (3) the bottom of 

the Bertie Limestone and the top of the Camillus 

Shale (fig. 4). This three-peak gamma signature was 

observed on all gamma-ray logs from boreholes that 

penetrated the Akron Dolomite through Camillus 

Shale bedrock sequence the peaks at the top and 

bottom of the Akron Dolomite are related to thin, 

shaley beds (Cassa, 1980) and sometimes to naturally 

occurring organic (petroliferous) material (Dunn, 

1992), whereas the peak at the Bertie Limestone 

Camillus Shale contact reflects the lithologic change 

from gamma-poor limestone to gamma-rich shale. 

The geophysical logs for test holes and wells drilled 

along Crittenden Road show that the dip and relative 

thickness of the bedrock units in this area are fairly 

uniform (fig. 4).

The strike and dip of the bedrock were estimated 

by applying the three-point method of Compton 

(1985) to the altitudes of gamma-ray peaks at the 

contact between the Onondaga Limestone and Akron 

Dolomite and between the Bertie Limestone and 

Camillus Shale. The six wells that were used to 

determine strike and dip of the bedrock were along 

Crittenden Road and New York State Route 5 

(fig. 5). The Onondaga/Akron contact strikes S 63° E

and dips 37 ft/mi to the southwest. The Bertie 

Limestone and Camillus Shale contact has a similar 

strike at S 65° E and dips 38 ft/mi to the southwest; 

these numbers are similar to those reported by 

Staubitz and Miller (1987). The average dip of the 

bedrock along the geologic section that parallels 

Crittenden and Scotland Roads (A-A' in fig. 5) is 

33.5 ft/mi.

Bedrock Lithology

The lowest (oldest) bedrock unit in the Akron area 

is the Camillus Shale of upper Silurian age, which 

underlies the Akron Dolomite and Bertie Limestone 

units of upper Silurian age (table 1). The Akron-Bertie 

unit is unconformably overlain by the Onondaga 

Limestone of lower Devonian age. (An unconformity 

is an erosional surface on which sediments were 

deposited and then eroded away in the geologic past 

and now represents an area where units of the regional 

bedrock sequence are missing.) In the southern part of 

the study area, the Onondaga Limestone is overlain by 

the lower part of the Hamilton Group shales of lower 

Devonian age (fig. 4), whereas in the central and 

northern parts of the study area, the Onondaga is at or 

near land surface. The underlying Akron-Bertie unit is 

exposed along the base of the Onondaga Escarpment 

and within the Akron Gorge (fig. 2) just south of the 

Village of Akron. The thickness and erosion-resistant 

nature of the Onondaga Limestone and underlying 

Akron Dolomite-Bertie Limestone unit are the reason 

for the east-west trending Onondaga Escarpment at 

the northern extent of the study area. North of the 

escarpment the Camillus Shale is at or near the land 

surface.

Onondaga Limestone

The Onondaga Limestone is a massive, argillaceous to cherty limestone that is about 140 ft thick 

where all members are present. The upper part of the 

Onondaga Limestone (Seneca and Moorehouse 

members [95 ft thick], table 1) is fairly massive but 

prone to dissolution and the development of karstlike 

solution features. The Clarence member (40 ft thick) 

can be as much as 75 percent chert within the 

limestone matrix and is massive and competent; 

dissolution is limited by the high chert content. The 

lower Edgecliff member (5 ft thick) is less cherty 

than the Clarence member and locally contains 

dissolution features.

Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
SOUTH 

A

FEET 

840

800 -

760-

720 -

680 -

640

Limestone

Quarry (projected) Unconsolidated Glacial Deposits

NORTH 

A'

932

600 -

Separated I r>nor\da9a

for clarity * u

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 45

EXPLANATION

i r

0 0.5 1.0 KILOMETERS

GEOLOGIC CONTACT 

between bedrock units GAMMA LOG PROFILE : total well depth and complete 

gamma-ray log not shown

GEOLOGIC UNCONFORMITY 

between bedrock units

LJTHOLOGIC CONTACT within 

Onondaga Limestone

931

WELL AND NUMBER - County prefix ommitted

Figure 4. North-south geologic section along Crittenden/Scotland Roads near Akron, N.Y., showing locations of 

wells with gamma-ray profiles and the contacts between major bedrock units. (Location of section is shown in fig. 

5.)

In the northern part of the study area, the cherty 

Clarence member is the upper bedrock unit and is 

typically less than 20 ft thick near the escarpment, 

where the Seneca and Moorehouse members have 

been removed by glaciation and erosion. The 

Onondaga Limestone thickens to the south, where it 

reaches its full thickness near the County Line Stone 

quarry (fig. 4).

In the southern half of the study area (south of 

New York State Route 5 and generally west of 

Crittenden Road), the Seneca and Moorehouse

members of the Onondaga form the upper bedrock 

unit and have poorly to moderately developed karst 

features indicative of limestone dissolution. A series 

of sinkholes southwest of the study area can be seen 

on topographic maps, and Staubitz and Miller (1987) 

reported disappearing streams and solution-widened 

joints in a "channel-like depression area" within the 

Onondaga Limestone (fig. 2). Widespread water-level 

declines were reported in and near this area after a 

stream was diverted away from a series of sinkholes 

along its eastern end in 1981.

Geology 7
78'29'32' 78*2732

42'59'45"-

42 '57 '45

Base from U.S. Geological Survey scanned topographii 

maps at 1:24,000:Akron, NY, Corfu, NY., 

Wolcottsville, NY, and Clarence, NY. SCALE 

1

EXPLANATION 

I T I Onondaga Escarpment

. . ., Line of geologic sectionshown in figure 4

D Square-array test site

WELLS, with County well number

ft 941

" Akron Municipal Well

940

939

933

Observation Well

Recharge Well

Gas Well

MILES

KILOMETERS

Figure 5. Locations of all wells used for data collection in Akron study area Erie County, N.Y. and location of geologic section 

A-A' (Geologic section is shown in fig. 4.)

8 Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
Table 1. Summary of bedrock units in the Akron study area in eastern Erie County. N.Y. 

[Modified from Staubitz and Miller, 1987.]

Period

D 

e

V

o 

n 

i 

a 

n

S

i 

1 

u 

r 

i 

a 

n

Formation

Onondaga 

Limestone

Member

Seneca

Moorehouse

Clarence

Edgecliff

Thickness 

(feet)

40

55

40

5

Description

Olive-gray, massive bedded limestone, contains abundant dark 

nodular chert (5 to 25 percent)

Olive-gray to light olive-gray, fine-grained, massive bedded limestone, contains abundant dark nodular chert (5 to 50 percent)

Olive-gray, fine-grained, massive bedded limestone, contains 

extremely abundant dark nodular chert (25 to 75 percent)

Light gray, coarsely crystalline, massive bedded limestone, and 

some nodular chert (5 to 25 percent)

- - Unconformity ~ ~

Akron 

Dolomite

Bertie 

Limestone

Camillas 

Shale

8

55

400

Greenish-gray to light buff, mottled and banded fine-grained 

dolomite

Gray to dark gray, thin to medium bedded, fine-grained dolomite, 

dolomitic limestone and shaley limestone

Gray to brownish gray, thin to massive bedding, shale with some 

interbedded limestone and dolomite, contains abundant gypsum 

with beds up to 5 ft thick

Akron Dolomite - Bertie Limestone unit

Underlying the Onondaga Limestone are the 

Akron Dolomite and Bertie Limestone, which 

together are about 60 ft thick (fig. 4). This unit 

consists of limestone and shaley to nearly pure 

dolomite mixed with some dolomitic limestone. The 

Akron-Bertie unit was mined for water-lime (cement) 

in the 1800's in the Akron Gorge, in the village of 

Akron, and elsewhere along the Onondaga 

Escarpment.

Camillus Shale

The 400-ft thick Camillus Shale lies below the 

Akron-Bertie unit south of the Onondaga Escarpment 

(north of the escarpment, the Camillus is exposed 

near land surface). The upper part of the Camillus 

consists of beds of limestone, dolomite, and beds of 

gypsum that were mined near the Akron area. The 

last Akron-area mine closed in 1975. The upper part 

of the Camillus Shale is highly permeable where 

weathering and dissolution of gypsum and other 

mineral salts takes place.

HYDROLOGY

Ground water in bedrock is recharged by precipitation that falls directly on bedrock exposures near the 

Onondaga Escarpment and by infiltration of precipitation through the unconsolidated deposits that overlie 

the bedrock. The Onondaga Limestone has little 

primary permeability, therefore, ground-water flows 

through fractures. Secondary permeability (fracture 

flow) is enhanced by dissolution of calcium carbonate, 

gypsum, and other soluble minerals. The chemical 

quality of ground water generally results from interactions between water and minerals as water moves 

through unconsolidated deposits and bedrock fractures 

to points of discharge.

Ground Water in Fractures

The primary conduits for ground-water flow in 

the Akron area are fractures in the Onondaga 

Limestone. Fracture characteristics that affect 

ground-water flow include orientation, connectivity, 

aperture (size of fracture opening), roughness, length,

Hydrology 9
and spatial distribution. Gently dipping bedding-plane 

fractures were observed to be the major water-bearing 

zones in bedrock in this study area; steeply dipping 

(near-vertical) fractures are secondary flowpaths, 

especially near land surface, where aperture widening 

through physical and chemical weathering (solutioning) can increase ground-water flow in bedrock 

(Yager and Kappel, 1987).

Bedding-plane Fractures

Borehole-camera and flowmeter logs of wells 

along Crittenden Road and Scotland Road were 

recorded at four sites to indicate the water-bearing 

characteristics of bedding-plane fractures in the 

Onondaga Limestone. (Well locations are shown in 

fig- 5.)

Well 940 - Borehole logs from this 52-ft-deep 

monitoring well, about 25 ft from the Akron municipal 

well (well 941), indicated no significantLbedding-plane 

fractures, and no vertical flow was detected in the 

borehole while the municipal well was pumped. The 

municipal well is 70 ft deep, about 20 ft deeper than the 

monitoring well, and the major fracture(s) that transmit 

water to the municipal well are between the 52- and 70- 

ft depth. The likely major bedding plane at this depth is 

at the regional unconformity between the Onondaga 

Limestone and the Akron Dolomite (table 1).

Well 939 - This domestic dewatering well, about 1 

mi north of the4nunicipal well and just northeast of the 

Akron gorge, is drilled through the Onondaga 

Limestone into the upper part of the Camillus Shale. 

The borehole camera log indicates that ground water 

flows into the borehole at the Onondaga/Akron contact 

and flows down to a standing water level in the urjper 

Camillus Shale. The homeowners indicated that, 

before the installation of this borehole, their basement 

flooded every spring as water flowed from the 

Onondaga bedrock into their basement. This dewatering well drains water from the base of the Onondaga to 

the top of the more permeable Camillus Shale. This 

and several other dewatering wells apparently alleviate 

seasonal basement flooding in the Akron area. A small 

amount of water was draining from the base of the 

Onondaga Limestone during the October 1994 

borehole-camera survey, when ground-water levels are 

generally lowest. The presence of excessive amounts 

of water in the spring, when ground-water levels are 

highest, suggests a seasonal pattern of water 

movement along the Onondaga/Akron bedding plane 

in this area.

Wells 942 and 943 - No significant flow along 

bedding-plane fractures was observed or detected by 

borehole geophysical methods in wells north and east 

of the limestone quarry, even though Staubitz and 

Miller (1987) observed in their 1984-86 study that 

the daily discharge from bedrock in the older, southern part of the quarry was, on average, 3.5 Mgal/d. 

Lack of visual or measured flow in the logged wells 

may indicate that flow along bedding-plane fractures 

in the Akron area occurs along discrete zones within 

the bedding planes or originates from a deeper 

source. The quarry floor is at least 50 ft above the 

Onondaga/Akron contact, but the water in the older 

part of the quarry may be discharging from the 

contact between the Moorehouse member (little 

chert) and Clarence member (much chert) of the 

Onondaga Limestone (tablel).

Near-vertical Fractures

Steeply dipping fractures can affect the general 

direction of ground-water flow. Square-array resistivity soundings were made to detect the orientation of 

any near-vertical fractures in the bedrock near the 

Akron municipal well. (Apparent-resistivity data are 

given in table 2.) The four smallest array sizes (11.6-, 

16.4-, 23.3-, and 32.8-ft squares) provided data on 

the shallow unconsolidated deposits and were not 

analyzed, but the 46.2- and 65.6-ft squares represent 

apparent-resistivity measurements of the subsurface 

that included the unconsolidated deposits and the 

Onondaga Limestone (figs. 6A, 6B). These measurements, plotted on polar-coordinate graphs, indicate a 

small resistivity peak trending at azimuth 345°; this 

trend was interpreted as a weakly developed, steeply 

dipping fracture(s) in the Onondaga Limestone with 

a strike of azimuth 75°. (Fractures are perpendicular 

to the trend of maximum apparent resistivity.)

The increased resistivity values in the 92.8-ft and 

115.8-ft array squares (table 2) indicate that the 

apparent-resistivity measurements represent all units 

down through the Akron-Bertie; decreased apparent 

resistivity values would have indicated that the 

measurements had penetrated the Camillus Shale 

because shale has lower resistivity properties than 

limestone. Polar coordinate plots of apparent-resistivity measurements for these two squares (figs. 6C, 

6D) indicate a well-developed resistivity peak trending at azimuth 000°. This trend is interpreted as a 

well-developed, steeply dipping, fracture within the 

Akron-Bertie unit with a strike of azimuth 090°.

10 Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
Azimuth Azimuth

Square = 46.2 feet

A

Azimuth Azimuth

270 090

Square = 92.8 feet

090

Square =115.8 feet

D

EXPLANATION

030 COMPASS AZIMUTH, in degrees

/ 100 \ LINE OF EQUAL APPARENT 

\ } RESISTIVITY, in ohm meters

DATA POINT - indicates apparent 

resistivity of bedrock at corresponding 

azimuthal direction

INTERPRETED FRACTURE STRIKE

INTERPRETED SECONDARY 

FRACTURE STRIKE

Figure 6. Square-array apparent resistivity plotted against azimuth for squares of: (A) 46.2 feet, (B) 65.6 feet, (C) 98.2 feet, 

(D) 115.8 feet, measured near Village of Akron's municipal well, Erie County, N.Y. (Site location is shown in fig. 5.)

Hydrology 11
Table 2. Azimuthal apparent-resisitivity measurements made near the Village of Akron's municipal well field, 

Erie County, N. Y

Size of 

square 

(feet)

11.6

16.4

23.3

32.8

46.2

65.6

92.8

115.8

Geometric 

mean

105

107

119

153

202

270

359

424

Azimuthal pparent resistivity, in ohm-meters

0°

73

83

109

150

213

309

430

508

15°

78

88

115

155

217

298

408

493

30°

80

91

115

158

217

289

396

483

45°

308

291

220

202

209

230

288

346

60°

87

105

123

159

196

254

332

392

75°

143

113

119

150

188

242

312

365

90°

82

94

113

146

197

253

319

380

105°

78

90

107

143

192

258

333

433

120°

76

87

108

142

192

268

378

399

135°

104

98

104

140

185

252

338

385

150°

103

101

111

145

204

282

384

447

165°

197

130

118

156

220

314

423

504

Results of the square-array analyses closely 

agree with those joint sets of greatest prominence 

(azimuths 075° and 090°) shown for the study area in 

a bedrock-joint (fracture) map of New York (Isachsen 

and McKendree, 1977). Predominant bedrock joint 

sets that trend at azimuth 075° in the Onondaga 

Limestone in Erie County were also reported by 

Goldberg-Zoino Associates (1984). The Onondaga 

Escarpment itself also trends at azimuth 075° in Erie 

County and western Genesee County.

Joint measurements were made during this study 

at the Akron Gorge in the Village of Akron for 

comparison with interpretations of the square-array 

data. The trend of predominant joint sets in the 

Onondaga Limestone was between azimuth 064° and 

074°, and that in the Akron-Bertie unit was between 

azimuth 080° and 088°. The unconformity between 

the Onondaga Limestone and underlying Akron 

Limestone might help explain the small difference in 

orientation of near-vertical fractures in those two 

units, in that the two fracture orientations may have 

been induced by differing directions of stress during 

the lower Devonian and upper Silurian times.

The stronger resistivity response in the AkronBertie unit than in the Onondaga suggests the 

presence of well-developed, near-vertical fractures 

that could affect the hydraulic properties of the 

Akron-Bertie unit. The weak, nearly homogeneous 

resistivity response in the Onondaga Limestone 

suggest that either (1) the Onondaga response is 

masked by the unconsolidated deposits, or (2) major 

near-vertical fractures are few and would have only a 

minor effect on ground-water flow in this unit.

Weathered and Fractured Top of Bedrock

The upper 10 to 15 feet of bedrock in the Akron 

area, regardless of lithology, is moderately fractured 

and weathered from the past effects of glaciation, 

postglacial uplift, and subsequent physical and chemical actions of water moving through these fractures. 

The bedrock surface south of New York State Route 5 

represents the upper part of the Onondaga Limestone 

and is highly weathered and contains karstlike 

features-sinkholes, disappearing streams, and dissolution channels. This highly fractured and solutioned 

zone probably extends to depths of more than 15 ft. 

Preferential movement of runoff probably caused the 

"channel-like depression area," which contains a series 

of sinkholes (fig. 2) and a solution-enhanced zone of 

ground-water movement, as described by Staubitz and 

Miller (1987).

The bedrock surface in the northern part of the 

study area consists of the lower, cherty member of the 

Onondaga Limestone (Clarence member, table 1), 

which underlies the unconsolidated deposits. The high 

chert content (greater than 50 percent) of the Clarence 

member impedes the effects of weathering and results 

in a thinner weathered and fractured zone than found 

in the south-typically less than 10 ft from the top of 

bedrock. Borehole-camera logs of wells along 

Scotland Road and the northern part of Crittenden 

Road (fig. 2), and observations of vertical fractures at 

rock exposures along the Onondaga Escarpment, also 

indicate only a thin weathered zone in the Clarence 

member. Results of the square-array study (described 

above) also suggest a poorly developed system of 

fractures in the upper bedrock near the municipal well.

12 Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
Flow conditions through the upper 20 ft of 

bedrock (Clarence member) at the Akron municipal 

well were noted in March 1995, during the testing of a 

new pump. The monitoring well (well 940), 25 ft from 

the municipal well, was measured for water-level 

declines as the new pump was being tested. The 

monitoring well is 20 ft shallower than the municipal 

well and does not penetrate the Onondaga/Akron 

bedding plane; therefore, the water-level response in 

the monitoring well would reflect the degree of 

connection among fractures in the upper fractured and 

weathered bedrock between the two wells.

Water levels in the monitoring well responded 

slowly to changes in the pumping rate (from 55 gal/ 

min, to 75 gal/min and, finally, 100 gal/min during the 

1.5-hour test), and total drawdown at the monitoring 

well was nearly 6 ft after 90 min. Total drawdown in 

the municipal well was about 24 ft, but the draw-down 

data from that well were too limited to yield reliable 

hydraulic values for the aquifer. Results did show, 

however, that the weathered upper part of bedrock 

provides some water to the Akron municipal well.

Well-Yield Characteristics

The Akron municipal well (12-in. diameter) was 

drilled in 1969 to a depth of 70 ft. The drilling log for 

this well indicates that the unconsolidated deposits are 

29 ft thick and that the Onondaga Limestone extends 

from 29 ft to 70 ft below land surface. The reported 

yield exceeded 200 gal/min when this well was 

initially tested in 1969 (Daniel Huff, written commun., 

1995).

Drillers' records from more than 60 domestic 

wells within a 2-mi radius of the Akron municipal well 

indicate that the average depth for a standard 6-in. 

domestic water-supply well is about 73 ft, and the 

average yield is about 15 gal/min. (Locations of waterproduction zones at the domestic wells were not 

identified in the well reports, and the availability of 

well-completion depths varies form one locality to the 

next; the informal well-yield data provided by the 

driller are also variable and seasonally dependent; 

therefore, most water-producing zones are assumed to 

be in the upper, weathered and fractured-bedrock part 

of each drillhole and represent the average well yield 

from this zone.) Although the 12-in diameter of the 

Akron municipal well could account for some increase 

in the reported well yield, only one domestic well 

within the 2-mi radius had a reported yield greater 

than 100 gal/min. Results of this domestic-well survey

indicate that the Akron municipal well has a relatively 

high yield for the Akron area.

The specific capacity of a well (in gallons per 

foot of drawdown, gal/ft) is a measure of the wells' 

productivity or yield. The company that maintains 

and services the Akron municipal well indicated that 

the specific capacity was 12.4 gal/ft in September 

1969, but had declined to about 5.4 gal/ft by December 1993. This loss in productivity may be due, in 

part, to clogging of the fractures by clay or residue 

from the limestone matrix as water moves through 

the fractures. Decreases in well productivity from 

increased pumping or reduced formation permeability are not unusual (Karanjac, 1972). Pumping rates 

greater than 100 gal/min have caused turbidity 

increases at the municipal well, as noted in the wellmaintenance reports (Daniel Huff, written commun., 

1995). The increased turbidity and decreased yield 

over time could prevent the well from sustaining its 

current pumping rate (about 100 gal/min) if clogging 

of the bedrock fractures continues to increase.

Ground-Water Quality

Water-quality data for the Akron municipal well 

(provided by the Village of Akron) indicate that the 

water pumped from this well meets New York State 

drinking-water standards. The area surrounding the 

municipal well is agricultural and low-density 

residential, and well-water analyses have not 

detected herbicides or pesticides.

Median concentrations of major cations and 

anions in samples from the Akron well were compared 

with those in samples from wells tapping the 

Onondaga Limestone and unconsolidated deposits in 

the surrounding area. A Piper diagram representing 53 

water samples collected by Miller and Staubitz during 

1982-84 (23 from bedrock, 30 from unconsolidated 

deposits), and median values of water from the Akron 

municipal well, are shown in figure 7. The median 

values for the Akron well samples reflect the chemical 

characteristics of Onondaga Limestone water; the high 

sodium and chloride concentrations in water from 

unconsolidated deposits (in the lower triangles of the 

plot) could be attributed to road salt.

Stiff diagrams depict water-quality data in a 

different way; five Stiff diagrams (fig. 8) indicate the 

median cation/anion concentrations of 9 water 

samples form the Akron municipal well, 23 samples 

from other wells completed in the Onondaga 

Limestone, 30 samples from wells completed in the

Hydrology 13
EXPLANATION

Onondaga Limestone Wells (1982-84) 

[from Miller and Staubitz, (1985)]

Unconsolidated-sediment Wells (1982-84) 

[from Miller and Staubitz, (1985)]

Akron Municipal Well (1981-85)

$

<2> % "e> ^ ^ <9 £> c§>

CALCIUM CHLORIDE 

PERCENT OF TOTAL MILLIEQUIVALENTS PER LITER

Figure 7. Piper diagram showing chemical characteristics of water from Akron, N.Y. municipal well in relation to water from 

the Onondaga Limestone and unconsolidated deposits in surrounding area, as compiled by Miller and Staubitz (1985).

unconsolidated aquifer, 2 samples from wells 

completed in the Akron Dolomite-Bertie Limestone 

unit; and 1 sample from a well completed in the 

Camillus Shale. The Stiff diagram for the Akron 

municipal well is similar to that for the 23 other wells 

completed in the Onondaga Limestone, in that calcium 

and bicarbonate have the highest milliequivalent 

concentrations, indicating a limestone-derived water 

source. Although the number of samples from the 

Akron-Bertie unit and the Camillus Shale is small, 

they indicate a calcium-sulfate type water and a 

gypsum-derived water source.

The Stiff diagram for water from the unconsolidated aquifer differs markedly from those for the 

bedrock aquifer diagrams-it indicates an admixture 

of magnesium with bicarbonate water and relatively 

high concentrations of sodium and chloride. The high 

bicarbonate concentrations probably indicate that the 

unconsolidated deposits contain pieces of Onondaga 

Limestone, Akron Dolomite, and Bertie Limestone,

which are being dissolved by ground water as it 

moves through the deposits. The elevated sodium and 

chloride concentrations suggest contamination by 

runoff containing road salt.

Sodium- and chloride-concentration data from the 

Akron well were examined to determine whether roadsalt-laden runoff could be entering the shallow 

bedrock aquifer. Leonard and Ward (1962) used the 

mass ratio of sodium to chloride to determine the 

source of salinity in a bedrock aquifer, and Richter and 

Kreitler (1991) indicated that sources of salinity can 

be identified by the ratios of specific chemical constituents such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, 

sodium, sulfate, and chloride. Halite (road salt) has a 

sodium to chloride ratio of 0.648 (by mass), and a ratio 

of less than 0.600 indicates a deep brine source, thus, a 

ratio between 0.630 and 0.650 is probably indicates 

road-salt contamination. The sodium-to-chloride ratios 

for water samples from the municipal well are given in 

table 3.

14 Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
Akron Municipal 

Well

(n = 9) EXPLANATION

I I I I I 0.1% 

10

Onondaga

Limestone (n = 23)

(Miller and Staubitz; 1985)

2.5%

Unconsolidated 

deposits

(Miller and Staubitz; 1985) 

Na

10

(n = 30)

26%

10

Akron-Bertie 

Limestones

(Staubitz and Miller, 1987)

(n = 2)

13%

10

Camillus Shale

(LaSala; 1968)

(n =

Figure 8. Stiff diagrams showing median anion and cation 

concentrations (in milliequivalents per liter) in water from 

Akron municipal well, Erie County, N.Y., and reported 

results from several other aquifers in the Akron area.

Aquifer

(Source of data)

CATIONS

Na (Sodium) r

Ca (Calcium) \ 

Mg (Magnesium) -"'

(n = number of samples)

ANIONS

~\- Cl (Chloride) + F (Fluoride)

y - HCO3 (Bicarbonate)

"~~^~ - SO4 (Sulfate) 

 . . n -\%.

_ ; Milliequivalents ' Ion Balance Ion Balance

(percentage of cations in 

concentrations greater than 

concentrations of anions, 

indicated here)

(percentage of anions in 

concentrations greater than 

concentrations of cations, 

indicated here)

The sodium-to-chloride mass ratio of all water 

samples collected from the Akron municipal well 

between February 1981 and October 1985 was less 

than 0.600 and averaged 0.309. The winter samples 

averaged 0.294, and the late-summer samples 

averaged 0.324. These ratios suggest that water of low 

salinity, probably derived from a highly dilute Appalachian-basin brine, is slowly moving updip (northward) 

along the Onondaga/Akron contact. The process of 

brine moving updip along bedding-plane fractures 

elsewhere in western New York has been documented 

by Siegel and others (1990) and Dr. William Goodman 

(University of Rochester, oral commun., 1995). Determination of the source and extent of this brine was 

beyond the scope of this project, however, because the 

salinity of the pumped water is low and greatly diluted 

by large quantities of freshwater moving downdip 

from the Onondaga Escarpment along this beddingplane fracture, and is not a threat at present.

Table 3. Ratio of sodium and chloride (by mass) in water 

samples from the Akron municipal well, Erie County, N.Y., 

February 1981 through October 1985.

[mg/L, milligrams per liter]

Concentration (mg/L)

Date

February 21, 1981

October 19, 1981

March 10, 1982

September 27, 1982

February 14, 1983

September 13, 1983

February 13, 1985

October 17, 1985

Sodium

26.1

29.0

29.1

37.4

35.1

30.5

41.6

33.0

Chloride

72.5

92.5

77.5

125.

150.

82.5

200.

105.

Sodium-tochloride ratio 

(mass)

0.360

.314

.375

.299

.234

.370

.208

.314

Ground-Water Quality 15
Ground-Water/Surface-Water Interaction

The surface-water reservoir and the municipal 

well that supply water to the Village of Akron are 

within the Murder Creek watershed (fig. 2). The

r\

upper 2.5 mi of the Murder Creek drainage is 

impounded and serves as the contributing watershed 

to the Akron surface-water reservoir. Streamflow 

measurements were made under low-flow conditions on September 12 and 13, 1994, to determine 

the amount of gain or loss of water along Murder 

Creek and selected tributaries where they flow over 

the Onondaga Limestone. Ten sites were chosen 

between the village of Corfu, in the south (fig. 2), to 

the stream-gaging station north of the Village of 

Akron, but only six sites had measurable flow. 

Results (table 4) indicate that the unit yield (flow 

per square mile) increases nearly eightfold in the 

1 1 mi from Corfu to the Onondaga Escarpmentfrom 8.28 x 10 ~ 3 (ft3/s)/mi2 to 3.08 x 10 ~ 2 (ft3/s)/

ry

mi at Akron, then sharply increases (by an order of -1 magnitude) to 1.0 x 10 - (ft/s)/mi at the USGS 

gaging station 1 .5 mi downstream. The large

downstream increase (2.69 x 10" 1 (ft3/s)/mi2) is due 

to: (1) industrial cooling-water discharges to Cedar 

Creek from the abandoned gypsum mines, and 

(2) discharge from the Village of Akron sewagetreatment plant to Murder Creek. Subtracting these 

supplementary flows from the total measured flow 

of Murder Creek at the gaging station reduces the 

unit yield to 2.82 x 10 ~ 2 (ft3/s)/mi2, which indicates 

ground-water discharge similar to that measured 

just upstream of the escarpment. The consistent 

increase in unit yield of Murder Creek south of the 

escarpment indicates that the creek and its tributaries are being recharged from the bedrock. Even 

though no measurements of Streamflow were made 

near the municipal well in Murder Creek because 

the gradient is flat and the flow sluggish, the overall 

gain in Streamflow in this section (between sites 2 

and 4 in fig. 2) suggests that the Akron municipal 

well is not causing induced infiltration from Murder 

Creek. Gabbey Brook, which is east of the municipal well and in a similar geographic setting, has a 

unit yield 3.05 x 10 "2 (ft3/s)/mi2, similar to that 

between sites 4 and 2.

Table 4. Results of Streamflow measurements on Murder Creek and selected tributaries, 

Erie County, N.Y., September 12-13, 1994

[mi2, square mile. Dashes ( ) indicate no data. Location is shown in fig. 2.]

Discharge

Site 

number

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

7a

Site name

Murder Creek at Corfu

Murder Creek near Pembroke 

Gain (site 2 minus site 1)

Gabbey Brook at Pembroke Station

Murder Creek at Akron 

Gain (site 4 minus site 2)

Sewage Treatment Plant Discharge (estimated)

Cedar Brook at Akron (cooling- water discharges)

Murder Creek near Akron (Station 04217750)

Murder Creek near Akron (minus supplementary flows)

Gain (site 7a minus site 4)

Drainage 

area1 

(mi2>

32.5

41.1

8.60

4.36

53.3

12.2

1.28

56.3

56.3

3.0

Cubic feet 

per 

second

0.269

.408 

.139

.133

.784 

.376

.464

3.58

5.63

159

.806

Cubic feet per 

second per 

square mile

8.28 xlO'3

9.93 x 10'3 

1.62 xlO'2

3.05xlO-2

1.47xlO'2 

3.08x10-*

2.80

l.OxlO' 1

2.82 x 10" 1

2.69X10'1

Drainage area of Murder Creek does not include the 2.5 mi2 headwater drainage area of Murder Creek, 

which supplies the Akron water-supply reservoir

16 Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
Ground-Water Flow

Ground water in bedrock in the Akron area 

moves primarily along five zones: (1) the beddingplane fracture between the Camillus Shale and Bertie 

Limestone, (2) the bedding-plane fracture between 

the Bertie Limestone and Akron Dolpmite, (3) the 

bedding-plane fracture along the regional unconformity between the Akron Dolomite and Onondaga 

Limestone, (4) the bedding plane between the top of 

the Clarence and the bottom of the Moorehouse 

members of the Onondaga Limestone, and (5) within 

the weathered and highly fractured upper part of the 

bedrock (see table 1).

A conceptual diagram of ground-water flow in 

bedrock in the Akron area is presented in figure 9. 

Ground-water flow in the bedding-plane fracture

between the Camillus Shale and the Bertie 

Limestone is greatest near the Onondaga Escarpment and within the old gypsum mines because 

dissolution of mineral salts (gypsum) has increased 

the permeability in the upper Camillus Formation. 

Permeability along this bedding plane further south 

is lower because the weight of rock has reduced 

fracture openings. The abandoned gypsum mines 

below the Bertie-Camillus contact are currently 

being used for process-cooling waters, and several 

industries together remove as much as 4.0 Mgal/d, 

of which half is reinjected to the mines, and the 

remainder is discharged to Cedar Creek. This 

cycling of water could increase the dissolution of 

gypsum salts in the abandoned mine by inducing 

infiltration of fresher water that is undersaturated 

with gypsum salts.

NORTH 

Ground-water

divide- B' Gypsum Mines 

2.0 Mgal/d

Ground-water 

divide"

Akron Municipal Well 

0.15 Mgal/d

LimestonfgQuarry

3.5 Mgal/d

,-w-,-?*;

DATUM IS SEA LEVEL VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 55

720 -

680

EXPLANATION

D

UNCONSOUDATED GLACIAL 

DEPOSITS

WEATHERED AND FRACTURED ZONE IN 

UPPER PART OF BEDROCK

1.0 KILOMETERS

DIRECTION OF GROUND-WATER FLOW, 

size of arrow indicates relative rate of flow

 ^ _ APPROXIMATE WATER-TABLE ELEVATION, 

^ " arrows indicate direction of flow

~ ~~ ~ ~~ GEOLOGIC CONTACT between bedrock units

 sxxxxx-s GEOLOGIC UNCONFORMITY between bedrock units

- - - - UTHOLOGIC CONTACT in Onondaga Limestone

0.15 Mgal/d

LOCATION AND RATE OF AVERAGE DAILY 

DISCHARGE FROM BEDROCK, in millions of 

gallons per day

RATE OF GROUND-WATER RECHARGE, dependent 

on thickness and permeability of soil, and amount of 

precipitation or snowmelt. Number of arrows indicates 

relative rate.

Figure 9. North-south geologic section east of Critenden/Scotland Roads showing ground-water flowpaths and the three 

major bedrock discharge locations in the Akron study area. (Location of section is shown in fig. 10.)

Ground-water Flow 17
Water movement probably also occurs at the 

bedding-plane fracture between the Bertie Limestone 

and the Akron Dolomite. Ground-water flow is 

greatest near the escarpment, where the density of 

fractures is greatest, but ground-water movement 

along this contact is probably much less than that 

along the Camillus-Bertie contact because it is not an 

unconformity and because bedding-plane fractures 

are less likely to form when adjacent units have a 

similar composition (less cherty limestone-dolomite) 

than that of the Camillus-Bertie (shale-limestone) 

contact.

The bedding-plane fracture at the Onondaga 

Limestone/Akron Dolomite contact is a regional 

unconformity and is probably the zone of greatest 

ground-water movement in the Akron area. At the 

Onondaga Escarpment, this bedding plane is near 

land surface, where precipitation directly recharges 

the Onondaga Limestone. The pumping of the 

Akron municipal well causes water that infiltrates 

near the escarpment north and east of the well to 

move along the bedding plane toward the well. 

Movement from the northwest is cut off by the 

Akron Gorge, and infiltration of precipitation south 

of the municipal well is impeded by the increased 

thickness of relatively impermeable soils that 

overlie the bedrock and the increasing thickness of 

bedrock that isolates the Onondaga-Akron contact 

from surface infiltration.

The bedding plane between the Clarence and 

Moorehouse members of the Onondaga Limestone is 

a possible water-bearing zone. Staubitz and Miller 

(1987) found that the bedding plane had been 

widened in quarries and along the Onondaga Escarpment by the dissolution process through preferential 

horizontal movement of water between the cherty 

Clarence member and the less-cherty Moorehouse 

member of the Onondaga Limestone. A large void 

near the bedrock surface at the Akron municipal well, 

detected in the borehole-video camera log could be 

the physical expression of this contact.

The uppermost flow system in the Akron area is 

the highly weathered and fractured upper bedrock 

surface, and the fracturing and weathering are greatest near the escarpment, where the soil cover is 

thinnest. A ground-water divide less than 0.5 mi. 

south of the escarpment (fig. 9) separates northward 

ground-water flow, which may appear as springs at 

the base of the escarpment, from southward flow

that moves (a) through the moderately weathered, 

cherty, upper bedrock and (b) to bedding-plane 

fractures that dip to the south. Another ground-water 

divide in the upper bedrock was located by Staubitz 

and Miller (1987) roughly parallel to New York 

State Route 5, west of Crittenden Road (fig. 10). 

This divide separates ground-water flow that moves 

south toward the stone quarry and the channel-like 

depression area south of Route 5 (fig. 2) from 

ground-water flow that moves north toward the 

Akron Gorge and the Village of Akron. The two 

ground-water divides (fig. 10) form the limits of the 

shallow-bedrock flow system that might supply 

water to the Akron municipal well.

The primary water-bearing zones tapped by the 

Akron municipal well appear to be the OnondagaAkron bedding-plane fracture and the upper, weathered bedrock. The land-surface area contributing 

recharge to these two zones is difficult to characterize 

because the percent contribution of water from each 

zone is unknown, and fracture patterns in the bedrock 

have not been fully delineated, among many other 

factors. The areal extent of the contributing area can 

be approximated, however, from an average recharge 

rate and a projected annual rate of withdrawal from 

the Akron municipal well, as follows:.

Recharge rate. - Most soils in the study area are 

low permeability clay and silt that overlie a layer of 

dense, clayey till. A recharge rate of 10 in/yr was 

chosen on the basis of similar fine-grained glacial 

sediments in the Niagara Falls area 15 miles to the 

northwest (fig. 1), (E. C. Jordan Co., 1985; 

Cnnestoga-Rovers and Associates and WoodwardClyde Consultants, 1990).

Withdrawal rate. - The maximum monthly 

pumpage from December 1994 through November 

1995 occurred in May 1995 (2.6 Mgal/d) (Daniel 

Huff, written commun., 1996).

Calculation. - Projecting this maximum monthly 

pumpage to an entire year results in a volume of 31

(\ *\ Mgal or 4.1 xlO ft . Dividing this volume by the 

projected annual recharge of 0.83 ft (10 in.) yields an 

area of about 4.9 x 106 ft2, or about 115 acres. The 

relative size of the area is shown in figure 10. Allocation of the contributing area to each zone tapped by 

the Akron municipal well would be difficult in this 

fractured-rock environment and was beyond the 

scope of this study. D

18 Geology, Hydrology, and Ground-Water Flow near the Akron Municipal Well, Erie County, New York
78 27 '32"

42 -59 '45 " ST

42 "57 '45 " ~

Base from U.S. Geological Survey 

Digital Line Graph,1:100,000,1983

SCALE 

1

Water-level contours modified from 

Staubitz W.W. and Miller. T.S.. 

1987, scale 1:24,000.

2 MILES

2 KILOMETERS

1,250ft 

radius

Relative size of area that would be 

needed to contribute recharge to the 

Akron municipal well.

EXPLANATION

-800- POTENIOMETRIC CONTOUR in 

upper bedrock. Dashed where 

inferred. Contour interval is 10 feet.

GROUND-WATER DIVIDE

-i r ONONDAGA ESCARPMENT

DIRECTION OFGROUND-WATER 

 FLOW

D|__|R ' LINE OF GEOLOGIC SECTION 

D'D Shown in figure 9

C?41 AKRON MUNICIPAL WELL 

12

OBSERVATION WELL 

5939 RECHARGE WELL 

GAS WELL 

SQUARE-ARRAY TEST SITE

DATA POINTS used to develop 

water-level contours (from 

Staubitz and Miller, 1987)

Figure 10. Potentiometric-surface altitude in upper bedrock and locations of ground-water divides north and south of Akron 

municipal well, Erie County, N.Y.

Ground-water Flow
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The Village of Akron water system uses a municipal well to supplement its surface-water supply, but 

the ground water is from several sources, and its 

continued yield and protection from contamination 

are of concern. The contact between the Onondaga 

Limestone and the underlying Akron Dolomite-a 

regional unconformity and the location of a major 

bedding-plane fracture, is a primary pathway for 

ground-water flow in the Akron area. The Akron 

municipal well has a current yield of about 

100 gal/min; in contrast, the average yield of about 

60 domestic wells surrounding the municipal well is 

about 15 gal/min.

The current pumping rate of the municipal well 

is only half the rate obtained when the well was 

drilled in 1969 because bedrock fractures have 

become clogged with clay and solution residue from 

the Onondaga Limestone and Akron Dolomite. This 

could, in time, decrease the well's ability to 

adequately supplement the surface-water supply.

Results of water-quality analyses indicate that 

water recharging the municipal well flows mainly 

downdip (southward), from the Onondaga Escarpment, along the Onondaga Limestone and Akron 

Dolomite bedding-plane fracture, and is supplemented by a minor contribution from the upper, 

weathered Onondaga bedrock surface. Even though 

Murder Creek is just 1,000 ft east of the municipal 

well, streamflow measurements along the creek 

indicate that ground water is discharging to the 

Murder Creek; thus, only limited, if any, recharge 

from Murder Creek is flowing to the municipal well.

The area that recharges the Onondaga/Akron 

bedding-plane fracture is north and east of the 

municipal well, where soils are thin, and this 

bedding-plane fracture is near land surface. The well 

is also recharged from the upper, weathered, and 

fractured bedrock surface and by water from nearvertical fractures that are oriented along azimuth 

075°, as calculated from results of a square-array 

resistivity survey. Although the municipal well's 

ground-water-contributing area could not be delineated, owing to the complexity of the bedrock flow 

system, infiltration of precipitation over an area of 

about 115 acres could supply enough water to 

maintain the current yield of the municipal well, as 

calculated from past pumping rates and an estimated 

recharge rate of about 10 in/yr.

Water-quality data indicate that a small amount 

of brackish water moves updip from the south along 

the Onondaga/Akron bedding-plane fracture. The 

low sodium-to-chloride ratio identifies this water as 

recharge from deep basin brines, but this water 

constitutes only a small percentage of the water 

pumped from the municipal well and is not a threat. 

Runoff containing road salt does not appear to affect 

water from this well.

The predominant land use in the area surrounding the municipal well is agricultural and low-density 

residential; therefore, protection of this area from 

exposure to fertilizers, pesticides, and other contaminants associated with farming and development is 

critical to the protection of the aquifer.

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