Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Geophysical Logs of Selected Test Wells at the Diaz 

Chemical Superfund Site in Holley, New York 

Open-File Report 2007-1081 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 
Cover photo. The Diaz Chemical Superfund Site in Holley, New York 
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Geophysical Logs of Selected Test Wells at the Diaz 

Chemical Superfund Site in Holley, New York 

By David A.V. Eckhardt and J. Alton Anderson 

Open-File Report 2007-1081 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 

i
U.S. Department of the Interior 

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Mark D. Myers, Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2007 

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its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: 

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov 

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS 

Suggested citation: 

Eckhardt, D.A. and Anderson, J.A., 2007, Geophysical logs of selected test wells at the Diaz Chemical 

Superfund Site in Holley, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1081, 15 p., online only

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 

copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. 

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Contents 

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

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

Study Area .......................................................................................................................................................................1

Description of Wells.......................................................................................................................................................2

Description of Logs ............................................................................................................................................................4

Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................................................................5

References Cited ................................................................................................................................................................5

Geophysical logs of selected test wells at the Diaz Chemical Superfund site at Holley, N.Y..............................7

Figures 

1. Map showing location of study area and wells that were logged at the Diaz Chemical Superfund Site, 

Holley, N.Y. .............................................................................................................................................................2

Tables 

1. Well information and types of geophysical logs collected from test wells at the Diaz Chemical 

Superfund Site, Holley, New York ....................................................................................................................3

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Conversion Factors and Datum 

Multiply By To obtain 

Length 

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm) 

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm) 

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) 

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) 

Area 

acre (ac) 4,047 square meter (m2) 

acre (ac) 0.4047 hectare (ha) 

Volume 

gallon (gal) 3.785 liter (L) 

Flow rate 

gallon per minute (gal/min) 0.06309 liter per second (L/s) 

Transmissivity* 

foot squared per day (ft2/d) 0.09290 meter squared per day (m2/d) 

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows: 

 °F=(1.8×°C)+32 

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). 

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). 

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum. 

*Transmissivity: The standard unit for transmissivity is cubic foot per day per square foot times foot of aquifer thickness 

[(ft3

/d)/ft2]ft. In this report, the mathematically reduced form, foot squared per day (ft2/d), is used for convenience. 

Fluid conductivity (specific conductance) is given in microSiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (μS/cm at 25 °C). 

iv
Geophysical Logs of Selected Test Wells at the Diaz 

Chemical Superfund Site in Holley, New York 

By David A.V. Eckhardt and J. Alton Anderson 

Abstract 

In June and July 2006, geophysical logs were collected and analyzed along with rock-core 

samples to define the bedrock stratigraphy and flow zones penetrated by four test wells at the Diaz 

Chemical Superfund site at Holley in eastern Orleans County, New York. The work was completed as a 

preliminary part of the investigation of contamination by organic compounds in the shale, mudstone, 

and sandstone bedrock. The geophysical logs included natural-gamma, caliper, borehole image, fluid 

properties, and flowmeter data. The orientation of fractures in the boreholes was inferred from the log 

data and summarized in stereo and tadpole plots; the transmissivity and hydraulic head was also 

determined for fracture zones that were observed to be hydraulically active through the flowmeter logs. 

The data are intended in part for use in the remediation of the site. 

Introduction 

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) have been 

detected in ground water sampled at the Diaz Chemical Superfund site in the Village of Holley in 

Orleans County, N.Y. (fig. 1). The area was declared a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (USEPA) and listed on the National Priorities List 

(http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl.htm) in 2004. 

In June and July 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the USEPA collected advanced 

borehole-geophysical logs from four test wells as a preliminary part of the investigation of VOC and 

SVOC contamination in the bedrock aquifer that underlies the site. The USGS analyzed the geophysical 

logs along with core samples and outcrops of the bedrock to define the rock fractures and flow zones 

penetrated by the wells. This report describes the geophysical methods and presents the borehole logs 

collected during the study. The logs are available upon request in .wcl (WellCAD, version 4.1) format, 

which allows the logs to be viewed in a tabular form or displayed and printed at user-specified vertical 

scales. 

Study Area 

The Diaz Chemical Superfund site occupies about 6 acresin the Village of Holley in eastern 

Orleans County, New York (fig. 1). The area is within the Lake Ontario Plain physiographic region and 

lies between the cities of Rochester to the east and Buffalo to the west. The site and its history are 

described by Lockheed Martin Technology Services (2005), New York State (2002), and Haley & 

Aldrich of New York, Inc. (2000). 

The local topography consists of relatively flat terrain that is transected by a 40-ft deep 

ravine to the east of the site. The site is underlain by unconsolidated lacustrine silt and clay with some 

interbedded sand. The unconsolidated deposits range in thickness from 10 to 35 ft and overlie the 

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2

Geophysical logs were collected from four test wells (locations shown in fig. 1). Construction 

and water-level information at the time of logging and the types of geophysical logs collected from the 

wells are given in table 1. Each well was constructed by the USEPA as a four-inch diameter test well 

with an open borehole below steel casing that terminated in bedrock. After completion of logging, each 

test well was converted to a two-inch monitor well with a grouted PVC casing and a screened, sandpacked interval.

Description of Wells 

Queenston shale of upper Ordovician age. The Queenston shale consists of shales and subordinate finegrained sandstones devoid of fossils (Brett and others, 1994; Goodman, 2005). At the site, the 

Queenston shale consists of mudstone with some thin-bedded sandstone. The shallow bedrock near its 

contact with the unconsolidated deposits is weathered into red clay. The deeper non-weathered rock is 

dense and has a low permeability. The mudstone and sandstone layers are relatively flat lying, and the 

main hydraulic permeability is likely along nearly-horizontal bedding planes; some sets of moderate- to 

high-angle fractures may also be hydraulically active. The site is directly adjacent to the ClarendonLinden fault system, which is a series of north-striking, east-dipping normal faults in western New York 

(Fakundiny and Myers, 1978; Cannon and Noll, 2004). 

Figure 1. Map showing location of study area and wells that were logged 

at the Diaz Chemical Superfund Site, Holley, N.Y. 
Table 1. Well information and types of geophysical logs collected from test wells at the Diaz Chemical Sup

New York

Type of L

Well number Lat / Lon 

Casing 

depth (ft)

Depth to 

bedrock (ft)

Well 

depth (ft)

Natural 

gamma 

 Mech

cal 

 Acou

cal ATV

HPFM

-am

b

H

-p

EPA-7DC 43 13 21.5 / 078 01 40.4 40 33 80 X X X X X EPA-8D 43 13 19.8 / 078 01 39.7 30 24 80 X X X X X 

EPA-9D 43 13 24.0 / 078 01 40.0 26 21 76 X X 

EPA-10D 43 13 20.1 / 078 01 35.9 19.5 12 79.5 X X X X X 

Explanation

Lat / Lon, Latitude and longitude coordinates in degrees-minutes-seconds, North American Datum of 1983 

Natural gamma, natural-gamma radiation in counts per second (cps) 

Mech cal, mechanical three-arm caliper diameter in inches (in) 

Acou cal, acoustic caliper borehole diameter in inches (in)

ATV, acoustic televiewer HPFM, heat-pulse flowmeter in gallons per min (gal/min) [-amb, ambient conditions; -pmp, pumped conditions; -rec

Cond, fluid conductivity in microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm) 

Temp, fluid temperature in degrees Celsius (deg C) 

Fracture stereo and strike/dip logs show azimuth (0-360 deg.) and dip angle (0-90 deg.) of fractures observed throu

hydraulically active fractures (blue) or inactive fractures (gray) inferred through flowmeter logs

To access ground-water information in the National Water Information System (NWIS) through http://nwis.waterdat

use the following 15-digit station identifiers: 

EPA-7Dc, 431321078014001 

EPA-8D, 431320078014001 

EPA-9D, 431324078014001 

EPA-10D, 431320078013601 

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Unstable borehole conditions in test well EPA-9D created collapse zones that prevented 

collection of acoustic televiewer and flow logs. Well yields less than 0.2 gal/min at EPA-7DC and 

EPA-8D prevented flow logs under steady pumped conditions; therefore, flow logs were completed 

during water-level recovery after pumping the wells. The measured flow rates were then normalized to 

represent a steady drawdown level. Pumped flow logs obtained at EPA-10D were collected at a steady 

pumping rate of 0.4 gal/min. 

Description of Logs 

The geophysical logs collected from the wells are presented in the appendix and include naturalgamma, caliper, borehole-image, fluid-conductivity and temperature, and heat-pulse-flowmeter data. 

The caliper logs were collected by mechanical and acoustical methods. Borehole-image logs were 

collected with an acoustic televiewer (ATV). Borehole-deviation logs were collected with three-axis 

fluxgate magnetometers and vertical inclinometers that are incorporated in the ATV probe. Fluidproperty logs included fluid-conductance and temperature measurements of the borehole water. 

Flowmeter logs were collected by heat-pulse methods. The types and sources of geophysical logs 

collected in each well are listed in table 1. Applications of geophysical logs in ground-water studies are 

described by Williams and Lane (1998) and Keys (1990). The geophysical logs used in this 

investigation are described briefly below. 

Natural-gamma logs measure the gamma radiation of the rock units penetrated by the borehole. 

Major gamma emitters are uranium, thorium, and daughter products of potassium-40. Sedimentary 

rocks with relatively high gamma radiation when compared to other lithologic units include shales, 

mudstones, bentonites, and other argillaceous units, as well as phosphate-rich zones. The gamma tool 

has a vertical resolution of 1 to 2 ft. Gamma logs collected in open boreholes and through steel casing 

may be used for lithologic identification and stratigraphic correlation. 

Mechanical (mech) and acoustic (acou) caliper logs record the diameter of the borehole. 

Changes in borehole diameter are related to drilling and construction procedures and competency of 

lithologic units, fractures, and solution features. Mechanical-caliper logs were collected with a springloaded, three-arm averaging tool; acoustic-caliper logs were calculated from acoustic travel times 

collected with the ATV tool. Caliper logs were used in the delineation of fractures, solution features, 

and lithology, and to confirm well and casing depths and diameters. 

Acoustic-televiewer (ATV) logs record a 360-degree magnetically oriented acoustic image of the 

borehole wall (Williams and Johnson, 2000). ATV logs can be collected in clear or murky water. 

Features with widths greater than 0.01 ft can be identified. Acoustic-televiewer logs were used to 

characterize bedding and lithology, fracture aperture and orientation, solution features, and boreholewall rugosity. 

Fluid-conductivity (Cond) logs record the electrical conductance of water in the borehole. 

Electrical conductance is directly related to the concentration of dissolved solids in the water. Slope 

changes in fluid-conductivity logs may indicate zones of inflow to or outflow from the borehole. Fluidconductivity logs were used to delineate possible changes in borehole flow. 

Temperature (Temp) logs record the temperature of air and water in the borehole. Temperature 

gradients that are smaller than the geothermal gradient may indicate intervals of borehole flow. 

Temperature logs were used to delineate the water level and possible changes in borehole flow. 

Heat-pulse flowmeter (HPFM) logs record the direction and rate of vertical flow in the borehole. 

Vertical flow occurs in wells that penetrate more than one water-producing fracture zone under differing 

hydraulic head (water level). Flow in the borehole is from zones of higher head to zones of lower head. 

The HPFM (Hess, 1982) measures the traveltime of a thermal pulse between a set of upper and lower 

heat sensors (thermistors). The flow meter was used with flexible rubber diverters fitted to the nominal 

4
borehole diameter and has a measurement range of 0.01 to 1.5 gal/min in a stationary mode. Flow logs 

and fluid-property logs were obtained (when possible) under (1) steady-ambient (amb) conditions, and 

(2) steady-pumping (pmp) or transient-recovery (rec) conditions to provide a contrast of flow-rate gain 

or loss at discrete fracture zones with the boreholes (Paillet, 2000; 2001). 

Flow-Zone logs for 3 of the 4 test wells are presented in the appendix and define the distribution 

and relative hydraulic head of fracture-flow zones penetrated by the boreholes (flow logs were not 

obtained at EPA-9D). Zones of inflow to and outflow from the borehole under ambient conditions were 

defined by the integrated analysis of the caliper, borehole-image, flowmeter, fluid-property logs, and 

water levels. The water levels measured during flow logging are composite head values that reflect the 

transmissivity-weighted average of the hydraulic heads of the flow zones open to the borehole (Bennett 

and others, 1982). Zones of inflow had heads higher than the composite water level, and zones of 

outflow had heads lower than the composite water level. 

Transmissivity (Trans), in square feet per day (ft2/d), and water level, in feet below land surface 

(ft-bls), of the flow zones were estimated by analysis of flowmeter data. Measured ambient and stressed 

flows were matched to simulated flows by trial and error adjustment of flow-zone transmissivity and 

water level (Paillet, 2000; 2001). Estimated ambient water-level values were based upon the hydrologic 

conditions at the time of logging. 

Fracture Stereo and Strike/Dip (S/D) logs present the inferred strike and dip of fractures 

observed through the ATV logs. The dip azimuth (0 to 360 degrees) and the dip angle (0 to 90 degrees) 

are shown in tadpole plots and lower-hemisphere stereo-net diagrams. The blue symbols signify 

fracture zones that were observed to be hydraulically active through the flowmeter logs; the gray 

symbols signify fracture zones with no indication of flow. 

Acknowledgments 

The authors thank the following individuals for their cooperation and assistance: Jeff 

Catanzarita and John DiMartino of the USEPA; Grant Anderson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; 

Kenneth Woodruff of Lockheed Martin Technology Services; John Dougherty of Camp, Dresser, and 

McKee, Inc.; and William M. Goodman of RESPEC, Inc. 

References Cited 

Bennett, G.D., Kontis, A.L., and Larson, S.P., 1982, Representation of multiaquifer-well effects in 

three-dimensional ground-water flow simulation: Ground Water, v. 20, no. 3, p. 334-341. 

Brett, C.E., Goodman, W.M., Loduca, S.T., and Lehmann, D.F., 1994, Ordovician and Silurian strata in 

the Genesee Valley area -- Sequences, cycles, and facies, in New York State Geological Association 

66nd Annual Meeting Field Trip Guidebook: Rochester, N.Y., University of Rochester, p. 381-442. 

Cannon, D.L. and Noll, M.R., 2004, Geochemical evidence for dolomitization along the ClarendonLinden fault in western New York: Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, November, 

2004, Denver, Colo. 

Fakundiny, R.H. and Myers, J.T., 1978, Structural instability features in the vicinity of the ClarendonLinden fault system western New York and Lake Ontario: Advances in analysis of geotechnical 

instabilities, University Of Waterloo Press, SM Study No. 13, Paper 4, p. 121-171. 

Goodman, W.M., 2005, Bedrock exposures in the lower Genesee River gorge – Their context within the 

stratigraphic framework for the Niagara region: Rochester, N.Y., Rochester Committee for Scientific 

Information, Bulletin 329, 30 p. 

Haley & Aldrich of New York, Inc., 2000, Report on remedial investigation, Diaz Plant, Holley, New 

York, Site No. 837009, February 2000: Rochester, N.Y., 230 p. 

5
Hess, A.E., 1982, A heat-pulse flowmeter for measuring low velocities in boreholes: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 82-699, 44 p. 

Keys, W.S., 1990, Borehole geophysics applied to ground-water investigations: U.S. Geological Survey 

Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations, book 2, chap. E2, p. 150. 

Lockheed Martin Technology Services, 2005, Review of remedial investigations/feasibility studies, 

Diaz Superfund Site, Holley, New York, March 2005: Edison, N.J., 6 p. 

New York State, 2002, Record of Decision, Diaz Chemical Corporation Site, Village of Holley, Orleans 

County, Site No. 8-37-009, March 2002: Albany, N.Y., Department of Environmental Conservation, 

60 p. 

Paillet, F.L., 2000, A field technique for estimating aquifer parameters using flow log data: Ground 

Water, v. 38, no. 4, pp. 510-521. 

Paillet, F.L., 2001, Hydraulic head applications of flow logs in the study of heterogeneous aquifers: 

Ground Water, v. 39, no. 5, p. 667-675. 

Williams, J.H. and Johnson, C.D., 2000, Borehole-wall imaging with acoustic and optical televiewers 

for fractured-bedrock aquifer investigations, in Proceedings of the 7th Minerals and Geotechnical 

Logging Symposium: Golden, Colo., Minerals and Geotechnical Logging Society, p. 43-53. 

Williams, J.H. and Lane, J.W., 1998, Advances in borehole geophysics for ground-water investigations: 

U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 002-98, 4 p. 

6
Appendix 

Geophysical logs of selected test wells at the Diaz Chemical Superfund site 

at Holley, N.Y. 

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For additional information write to: 

New York Water Science Center 

U.S. Geological Survey 

30 Brown Rd. 

Ithaca, N.Y. 14850 

Information requests: 

(518) 285-5602 

or visit our Web site at http://ny.water.usgs.gov 
Eckhardt Geophysical Logs of Selected Test Wells at the Diaz Chemical Superfund Site in Holley, New York–U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1081