1

U.S. Department of Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

 May 2005

Science Center Web Site: http://il.water.usgs.gov/ Compiled by D.M. Ayers

Illinois Water Science Center

1201 W University Ave Ste 100

Urbana IL 61801-2347

Water Resources Update

USGS Illinois Water Science Center Newsletter

“What’s in a name? That which we 

call a rose, by any other word would 

smell as sweet.” (from Romeo and 

Juliet -- II, ii, 1-2)

With apologies to Shakespeare, I 

wanted to take this opportunity to both 

point out our Center’s name change 

made a few months back and provide 

some explanation as to the reasons 

behind the name change. Our name has 

been changed from the “U.S. Geological Survey Illinois District” to the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS) Illinois 

Water Science Center.” This change, 

taking place nationally, also involves 

changing my title from “District Chief,” 

to “Director, USGS Illinois Water Science Center.” Our two satellite offices 

in DeKalb and Mt. Vernon will be 

known as USGS Illinois Water Science 

Center, DeKalb Office, and USGS Illinois Water Science Center, Mt. Vernon 

Office, respectively.

The USGS has had a water-resources 

presence in Illinois since January 1903, 

when the first USGS Illinois office was 

established in Chicago. The focus of 

the water-resources offices in Illinois 

has been and continues to be waterresources data collection, investigations, and research. Around 5 years 

ago, USGS began a reorganization process, brought about by the need for better integration of our science across the 

entire spectrum of USGS activities 

(biology, geology, geography, and 

water). As such, the USGS organizational hierarchy above the waterresources District Offices had been and 

continues to be realigned to enable better collaboration across discipline 

boundaries.

As USGS continues to strive for an 

integration of our disciplines, we have 

been finding that the water offices are 

not working with a broader spectrum of 

agencies and the public. To this new 

broadening spectrum of partners, the 

name “District” does not reflect what 

the water offices actually do. In addition, there have been instances where 

the name “District” has served as a 

point of confusion to some as it often 

implies a smaller subdivision and is 

shared by many of the local entities we 

cooperate with, such as the Soil and 

Water Conservation Districts. Lastly, 

USGS senior managers realized that 

the name “District” can imply to some 

that all USGS activities occurring in a 

particular State fall under the oversight 

of the water District office, which is not 

the case. With this name change, USGS 

is more accurately portraying the role 

and scope that our office plays in Illinois, as well as it employs a naming 

convention that is consistent with other 

USGS centers in the country. It is also 

important to note that inclusion of 

“USGS” in the title is a critical part of 

this new naming convention. Leaving 

“USGS” out of the name could give 

the false implication that USGS is the 

only agency doing water science in 

Illinois; clearly, this is not the case. 

Please be assured that this name 

change will in no way adversely affect 

the water-resources activities carried 

out by the USGS in Illinois.

Robert R. Holmes, Jr., PhD, P.E.

Director, USGS, Illinois Water 

Science Center

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from the Director. . . . . . 1

Record Flooding in Illinois During 

January 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Employee Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Midwest Groundwater Conference4

Newsletter Format Preference . . . 4

Assessing the Effectiveness of Multiple 

Methods for Characterizing the 

Galena-Platteville Aquifer in Illinois 

and Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Illinois Streamflow Conditions for the 

Past 12 Months. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

USGS Illinois Water Science Center 

Open House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

U.S. Geological Survey Publication 

Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

USGS Illinois Water Science Center 

Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2

RECORD FLOODING IN ILLINOIS DURING JANUARY 2005

BY

JOHN K. LATOUR, HYDROLOGIST, AND GARY P. JOHNSON, SUPERVISORY HYDROLOGIST

During the first week of January 

2005, widespread flooding in many 

streams in central and southern Illinois resulted from persistent rain on 

top of saturated soils from snowmelt. 

During the period, the entire region 

received about 3 inches of rain, 

while in some local areas, over 6 

inches of rain fell. Historically, rainfall for the month of January only 

averages slightly less than 2 inches.

USGS Streamgage Peaks of 

Record During the Flooding

The USGS streamgaging station 

McKee Creek at Chambersburg 

reported the highest flow on record. 

The Ohio River at Shawneetown 

peaked at 50.67 feet (ft) on January 

17, which is the highest peak since 

USGS installed its automated gage 

in 2000. The upper reaches of the 

Sangamon River, Embarras River at 

Lawrenceville, Shoal Creek, and Silver Creek experienced the second 

highest flows on record. Kaskaskia 

River at Chesterville, Kickapoo 

Creek at Waynesville, and Judy’s 

Branch at Route 157 at Glen Carbon 

were the 3rd highest flow on record. 

The Iroquois River reached the 4th

highest stage on record, whereas the 

Kankakee, Mackinaw, and Vermilion Rivers were the 5th highest.

USGS Data-Collection Efforts 

During the Flooding

The USGS Illinois Water Science Center made 58 discharge measurements during the flooding in 

order to keep various Federal, State, 

and local agencies informed about 

conditions, including (but not limited to) the National Weather Service; the Illinois Department of 

Natural Resources, Office of Water 

Resources; and the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (Louisville, St. Louis, 

Rock Island, and Chicago Districts). 

A partial list of sites where measurements were made that exceeded the 

top five measurements ever made are 

listed in Table 1 (rank number 1 

means the highest measurement ever 

made and so forth).

USGS Data Dissemination and 

Outreach During the Flooding

The USGS Illinois Water Science Center relied heavily upon the 

“Current Illinois Flooding” Web 

page to disseminate information and 

news to Federal, State, and local 

agencies and the public. The Web 

page listed all the measurements, 

peaks, and observations, as well as a 

running log of the Center’s efforts, 

inquiries, and plans during the flooding. The Web page can be accessed 

at http://il.water.usgs.gov/flooddata/.

In addition, various interviews 

were given to the media, including 

AP press writers and local affiliate 

TV news channels. Several newspaper articles were written containing 

USGS data and personnel. Several 

members of the media and a staffer 

for Congressman John Shimkus 

accompanied USGS personnel on 

board the research boat M/V Iroquois while discharge measurements 

were made.

Hydrologist Kevin Johnson holds the boat (M/V 

Iroquois) steady while Dr. Robert Holmes, Director of the USGS Illinois Water Science Center, is 

interviewed by TV news crew on the banks of the 

Ohio River at Shawneetown, Illinois. In the background is the Illinois State Route 13 bridge linking 

Illinois and Kentucky.
3

Contacts for Further Information or Questions

For further questions about the January 2005 flooding in Illinois, please call Gary Johnson (Chief, Hydrologic Data 

Collection and Analysis Section) at (217) 344-0037, extension 3009 or Dr. Robert R. Holmes, Jr. (Director, USGS Illinois Water Science Center), extension 3005.

Table 1. Partial List of Sites Measured by USGS during the January 2005 Flooding.

Site Rank

Number Site RankNumber

Ohio River at Old Shawneetown 1 Kankakee River at Momence 3

Iroquois River near Iroquois 1 Kankakee River near Wilmington 3

North Fork Vermilion River near Charlotte 1 Iroquois River at Iroquois 3

Mackinaw River near Green Valley 1 Lake Fork near Cornland 3

Shoal Creek near Pierron 1 Salt Creek near Greenview 3

Silver Creek near Troy 1 Deer Creek near Chicago 4

Salt Fork near St. Joseph 2 Kickapoo Creek at Peoria 4

North Fork Embarras River near Oblong 2 Sangamon River at Monticello 4

Embarras River at Lawrenceville 2 Salt Creek near Rowell 4

Farm Creek at Farmdale 2 Judy’s Branch at Route 157 at Glen Carbon 5

Sangamon River at Fisher 2 Kaskaskia River at Vandalia 5

Kickapoo Creek at Waynesville 2

USGS Illinois Water Science Center 

boat underway on the Ohio River at 

Shawneetown. Note the telephone/light 

pole in the center of the photo.
4

Angel Martin, Jr. began his career 

at the USGS Indiana District in Indianapolis in 1976 as a hydrologist. He 

worked on various projects related to 

ground-water, surface-water, and 

water-quality issues, including groundwater-flow models at county scales in 

central and northern Indiana. Some 

work included simulation of groundwater flow with electric analogs. In 

1982, Martin transferred to the Baton 

Rouge, Louisiana District Office where 

he was the project chief of the Louisiana portion of the Gulf Coast Regional 

Aquifer Systems Analysis study. Martin also worked on a variety of county- 

(parish) scale modeling studies in central and southern Louisiana including 

studies involving freshwater-saltwater 

interaction. Martin transferred to the 

USGS Illinois Water Science Center in 

1990 as Chief, Investigations Section. 

He also served as Ground-Water Specialist for the Center until 2004. During 1990-2004, Martin supervised 

various hydrologists, engineers, and 

students on a wide variety of groundwater, surface-water, and water-quality 

investigations.

Presently, Martin serves as the 

Reports Specialist for the Center and is 

the Reports Specialist for the 

USGS/National Drilling Program 

Ground-Water Resources Program of 

the United Arab Emirates. He also is 

an approving official for USGS reports 

nationwide. This work involves 

reviewing and approving a wide variety of USGS technical documents prior 

to publication. Martin has performed 

other international duties as he has completed hydrologic work in Paraguay and 

has assisted visiting engineers from 

Ecuador on ground-water issues in the 

1970s and 1980s, respectively. Martin is 

an author of over 25 reports and articles 

primarily dealing with ground-water 

flow and contamination.

Martin obtained a B.A. degree in 

Interdisciplinary Math/Physics from the 

University of South Florida and an M.S. 

in Applied Physics from the Technical 

University of Valencia, Spain in the 

1970s. Martin came to the United States 

in the early 1960s as a Cuban refugee 

and became a naturalized American in 

1970. Martin enjoys playing soccer, softball, and tennis, and learning and speaking various languages (French, Italian, 

Portuguese, and Spanish).

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

ANGEL MARTIN, JR. (REPORTS SPECIALIST)

Newsletter Format Preference

Beginning with our November 2005 issue, you will have a choice in how your receive the newsletter: hard copy as 

we have been doing, or electronically. If you wish to continue receiving a hard copy, you need to do nothing. If, however, 

you prefer electronic copy, please send an e-mail to Donna Ayers at dmayers@usgs.gov indicating you wish to receive 

the newsletter electronically. When the November 2005 issues is ready, you will receive an e-mail with the newsletter 

attached as a PDF along with instructions on how to access the current newsletter and back copies in PDF format from 

the USGS Illinois Water Science Center Web page.

The golden anniversary of the Midwest Groundwater Conference will be celebrated at the annual meeting in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, November 1-3, 2005. The Midwest Groundwater Conference began 50 years ago with a meeting in 

Champaign-Urbana. The focus of the group is on ground-water science in eight Midwestern States. This year the USGS, 

Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois Water Resources Center, Illinois Department of Agriculture, and the Illinois Groundwater Association will be organizing the conference with session topics on ground-water 

quality and monitoring, ground-water quantity, innovative field methods, water use, and governmental data. Abstracts for 

the presentation are due on June 30, 2005. Additional information about the conference can be found on the Internet at 

http://MidwestGroundwater.org.

MIDWEST GROUNDWATER CONFERENCE
5

Our ability to understand groundwater flow and contaminant transport in 

fractured-rock aquifers is limited by the 

complex flow through the fractures, 

vugs, and solution openings in these 

types of aquifers and the inability of 

many currently available investigative 

methods to quickly and accurately identify and assess these flow pathways 

under a range of hydrogeologic conditions. Investigations performed by the 

USGS and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the fractured GalenaPlatteville Aquifer at Superfund sites in 

Illinois and Wisconsin indicate that various investigative methods can be used 

to characterize fractured-rock aquifers. 

The effectiveness of these methods varies with the hydrogeology of the site. 

The completeness of the characterization improved with an increase in the 

amount of data available, in terms of the 

number of data points, the period of data 

collection, and the number of methods 

applied. The characterization also was 

improved by comparison of data collected with different methods.

Collection and analysis of information from government databases, previous investigations, topographic maps, 

aerial photographs, and outcrops and 

quarries prior to the initiation of any 

investigation is considered essential to 

obtaining a preliminary understanding 

of the hydrogeology and water quality. 

This understanding is essential to understanding the problems associated with 

the site and for planning the investigation.

The utility of surface geophysical 

methods for the characterization of the 

secondary-permeability network (fractures, vugs, and solution openings) was 

limited by site geology and cultural 

interference at the sites investigated. 

Surface ground-penetrating radar 

provided no information at the sites 

where it was applied. Square-array 

resistivity provided information on 

the orientation of vertical fracture 

sets that may or may not have been 

accurate. Lithologic logging was 

essential to the hydrogeologic characterization of every site. Core analysis typically was useful for 

stratigraphic interpretation and geotechnical measurements.

Geologic characterization was 

improved by geophysical logging. 

Natural-gamma logging identified 

lithologic variations that, in combination with other data, provided 

insight into the lithologic factors that 

affect the location of secondary-permeability features. Three-arm caliper 

logging was used to identify the presence and location of fractures and 

solution openings. Neutron logs were 

effective in evaluating trends in the 

primary porosity at sites where clay 

minerals or variable saturation did 

not substantially affect the log 

response. Acoustic-televiewer logs 

identified the largest number of secondary-permeability features, as well 

as the type and orientation of these 

features. Televiewer logging was 

considered the best single method for 

the thorough characterization of the 

secondary-permeability network. 

Borehole-camera logs provided substantial insight into the location of 

secondary-permeability features in 

boreholes with clear water. Singleborehole ground-penetrating radar 

(GPR) surveys identified potential 

lithologic and secondary-permeability features tens of feet beyond the 

boreholes. However, the presence of 

some of these features was not confirmed by other methods. Crossborehole GPR surveys identified 

the location and extent of secondary-permeability features 

between boreholes, as well as 

porosity variations. Cross-hole 

GPR logging done in conjunction 

with tracer testing identified flow 

pathways and was used to calculate the effective porosity of the 

aquifer.

Characterization of groundwater flow was accomplished by 

a number of investigative methods. Water-level measurements 

and the location of contaminants 

and other water-quality constituents identified vertical and horizontal directions of ground-water 

flow over areas of tens to thousands of feet. Water-level measurements and water-quality data 

also provided insight into the distribution of aquifer permeability 

and the location of permeable 

fractures in some locations.

Characterization of groundwater flow was improved by 

lithologic, temperature, spontaneous-potential, and fluid-resistivity 

logging. However, the utility of 

these logs varied with the hydrogeologic conditions. Single-hole 

flowmeter logging under a combination of ambient and pumping 

conditions was the most costeffective method of identifying 

the location of permeable features 

in the Galena-Platteville aquifer 

of any geophysical method used. 

The utility of the flowmeter logging was affected by uniformly 

low permeability, an absence of 

vertical hydraulic gradient, large 

contrasts in permeability, and the 

ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MULTIPLE METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING THE

GALENA-PLATTEVILLE AQUIFER IN ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN

BY

ROBERT T. KAY AND PATRICK C. MILLS, HYDROLOGISTS
6

vertical distribution of permeable features. Cross-hole flowmeter logging provided the greatest amount of insight into 

the location of permeable features in 

individual boreholes, as well as insight 

into the hydraulic interconnection of 

these features.

Characterization of ground-water 

flow also was improved by performance 

of aquifer tests. Slug tests provided 

insight into permeability variations with 

location and stratigraphy and are the 

only method that could quantify the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the 

entire aquifer. Slug tests performed by 

use of a packer assembly provided the 

most complete characterization of the 

location of permeable (or impermeable) 

intervals in the aquifer, but are expensive 

in comparison to flowmeter logging. 

Specific-capacity tests allowed for 

quantification of aquifer transmissivity where resources were insufficient 

for detailed aquifer testing. Multiplewell, constant-discharge aquifer tests 

identified the presence and location 

of hydraulically interconnected features in the Galena-Platteville aquifer, as well as the presence and 

orientation of heterogeneity and 

anisotropy. The amount of information that could be obtained from the 

multiple-well aquifer tests was 

increased by the amount of aquifer 

that could be tested discretely. However, reliable estimates of transmissivity and storage coefficient could 

not always be obtained. Tracer tests 

allowed estimation of the effective 

porosity of parts of the aquifer and 

indicated the presence of hydraulic interaction between the fractures and matrix. Tracer testing 

done in conjunction with crossborehole GRP identified discrete 

flow pathways within the aquifer.

A detailed description of the 

various methods used for characterization of the Galena-Platteville aquifer, the effectiveness 

of each method, and the hydrogeologic processes that affect the 

methods is available in Scientific 

Investigations Report 2004-5136, 

“A Cross-Site Comparison of 

Methods used for Hydrogeologic 

Characterization of the GalenaPlatteville Aquifer in Illinois and 

Wisconsin, with Examples from 

Selected Superfund Sites.”

Location of Superfund site overlying the Galena-Platteville aquifer in Illinois and Wisconsin investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency.
7

ILLINOIS STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS FOR MARCH 2004 THROUGH MARCH 2005

Daily mean discharge from March 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005 compared with percentile distribution of mean daily discharges for the 30-year period, 1961-90, for 3 representative streamgaging stations. A daily mean discharge is in the deficient-flow range if its value is less than or equal to the 25th percentile, in the normal-flow range if its value is between 25th

and 75th percentiles, and in the excessive-flow range if its value is equal to or greater than the 75th percentile.
8

extension 3053 or by e-mail at dmayers@usgs.gov. Reports also can be 

found at: http://il.water.usgs.gov/pubs/

search.html.

FY 2005

SIR 2004-5103, Estimating FloodPeak Discharge Magnitudes and 

Frequencies for Rural Streams in 

Illinois, by D.T. Soong, A.L. Ishii, 

J.B. Sharpe, and C.F. Avery

SIR 2004-5136, A Cross-Site Comparison of Methods Used for 

Hydrogeologic Characterization 

of the Galena-Platteville Aquifer 

in Illinois and Wisconsin, with 

Examples from Selected Superfund Sites, by R.T. Kay, P.C. 

Mills, C.P. Dunning, D.J. Yeskis, 

J.R. Ursic, and M. Vendl

OFR 2005-1020, Comparison of 

Potential Evapotranspiration Calculated by the LXPET (Lamoreux Potential Evapotranspiration) 

Program and by the WDMUtil 

(Watershed Data Management 

Utility) Program, by E.A. Murphy

USGS ILLINOIS WATER

SCIENCE CENTER

PUBLICATIONS

Listed below are publications that 

were published recently. Federal Fiscal Year (FY) covers October 1 

through September 30. Our policy is to 

provide copies of our publications to 

requestors at no cost as long as the 

publication is in stock in the USGS 

Illinois Water Science Center. To 

obtain copies of the following, or any 

other USGS Illinois Water Science 

Center publication, you may contact 

Donna Ayers at (217) 344-0037, 

The USGS Illinois Water Science 

Center hosted an open house on April 

14, 2005. USGS Deputy Director 

Robert Doyle and University of Illinois Chancellor Richard Herman 

spoke at the dedication ceremony. 

Several talks were held with speakers 

from the USGS Illinois Water Science 

Center, USGS Michigan Water Science Center, USGS National Geospatial Program Office, USGS Eastern 

Region Geology, and the USGS Office 

of Surface Water.

USGS ILLINOIS WATER SCIENCE CENTER OPEN HOUSE

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PUBLICATION CHANGES

Recently, the USGS changed some publications series. Changes were made because: some of the previous series were 

redundant; some series were not clearly defined; some series titles indicated ownership by specific USGS Discipline (for 

example, the Water-Resources Investigations Report series); of inconsistent series titles and numbering USGS-wide; interdisciplinary science requires series that are broadly usable by all USGS Disciplines (Biological Resources, Geography, 

Geology, and Water Resources). The new series (for example, the Scientific Investigations Report series) eliminates “formal” and “informal” report designations. Information concerning USGS publications series can be found at the USGS “Publications Warehouse” at http://infotrek.er.usgs.gov/pubs/.