U.S.Department of the Interior

U.S.Geological Survey

Water and Bed-Sediment Quality in the

Vicinity of Berlin Lake,Ohio, 2001

Water-Resources Investigations Report 02 4246

In cooperation with the

U.S.Department of the Interior,

Bureau of Land Management
A

B

C

D

A. USGS scientist prepares to collect a surface-water sample at the Mahoning River below Berlin Dam.

B. View of Berlin Dam from the left bank of the Mahoning River.

C. and D. USGS scientist collects a water sample (to be analyzed for chloride and bromide) at a culvert o

north side of Berlin Lake, then records field notes.
U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey

Water and Bed-Sediment Quality in the Vicinity 

of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001 

By Robert A. Darner

Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4246 

In cooperation with the

U.S. Department of the Interior,

Bureau of Land Managment
U.S. Department of the Interior 

Gale A. Norton, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey

Charles G. Groat, Director

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for 

descriptive purposes only and does not imply

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

For additional information write to:

District Chief

U.S. Geological Survey

6480 Doubletree Avenue

Columbus, OH 43229-1111 

Copies of this report can be purchased from:

U.S.Geological Survey

Branch of Information Services

Box 25286

Denver, CO 80225-0286

Columbus, Ohio

2002 
Contents III

CONTENTS

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

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

Purpose and scope ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

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

Description of study area ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

Berlin Lake hydrology ................................................................................................................................................ 5

Geology ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Bedrock ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Glacial ............................................................................................................................................................... 8

Soils ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Methods of study .................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Collection and analyses of ground water samples ...................................................................................................... 8

Collection and analyses of surface water samples ...................................................................................................... 10

Collection and analyses of bed-sediment samples ...................................................................................................... 10

Water and bed-sediment quality ........................................................................................................................................... 10

pH ................................................................................................................................................................................ 14

Specific conductance ................................................................................................................................................... 14

Major anions and cations ............................................................................................................................................ 14

Chloride-to-bromide ratios .......................................................................................................................................... 15

Ground water .................................................................................................................................................... 15

Surface water .................................................................................................................................................... 18

Historical chloride concentrations .............................................................................................................................. 18

polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ............................................................................................................................ 19

Anthracene ........................................................................................................................................................ 20

Benz[a]anthracene ............................................................................................................................................ 20

Benzo[a]pyrene ................................................................................................................................................ 20

Chrysene ........................................................................................................................................................... 20

Phenanthrene .................................................................................................................................................... 20

Summary and conclusions .................................................................................................................................................... 20

References cited .................................................................................................................................................................... 21

ILLUSTRATIONS

1-3. Location of:

1. Sampling sites, Berlin Lake area, Ohio, 2001 .................................................................................................. 2

 2. Oil and gas wells and test borings in the vicinity of Berlin Lake .................................................................... 3

3. Several domestic water wells in Stark and Portage Counties in the vicinity of Berlin Lake ........................... 4

4. Land use and land cover based on 30-meter Landsat thematic mapper data: (A) Mahoning River 

Basin above Berlin Dam and (B) Berlin Lake area ................................................................................................... 6

5. Glacial geology of the Berlin Lake area .................................................................................................................... 9

6. Daily mean discharge and surface-water sampling dates at Eagle Creek near Phalanx Station ................................ 10

7. Chemical constituents delineated by sample types, Berlin Lake area ....................................................................... 12

8. Trilinear diagram of chemical differences in water samples collected in the Berlin Lake area, Ohio, 

July, August, and November 2001 ............................................................................................................................ 16

9. Binary mixing curves for chloride-to-bromide ratios, Berlin Lake area ground-water samples, 2001 ..................... 17

10. Top of the Berea Sandstone in the Berlin Lake area .................................................................................................. 18
IV Contents

11. Average instantaneous chloride discharge for three surface-water sites near Berlin Lake ....................................... 19

TABLES

1. Summary of geologic units and associated properties, Berlin Lake area .................................................................. 7

2. Physical characteristics of wells sampled in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, July and August 2001 ............................. 11

3. Location of surface-water and bed-material sites where samples were collected in the vicinity of

Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and August 2001 ................................................................................................................. 11

4. Physical and chemical characteristics of ground-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake,

Ohio, July and August 2001 ...................................................................................................................................... 24

5. Physical and chemical characteristics of surface-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake,

Ohio, July and August 2001 ...................................................................................................................................... 26

6. Summary of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds found in bed sediment in the vicinity of

Berlin Lake, September 2001 .................................................................................................................................... 29

7. Concentration limits defined by primary and secondary public drinking-water regulations for selected

properties and chemical constituents in water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio,

June and November, 2001 ......................................................................................................................................... 31

8. Historical chloride concentrations and instantaneous chloride discharge at three sites near Berlin Lake ................ 19
Contents V

CONVERSION FACTORS, DATUMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS

Temperature is given in degrees Celsius (°C), which can be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) by use of the following equation:

°F = 1.8(°C) + 32

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

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

Datum of 1929. Horizontial coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83).

Abbreviated water-quality units used in this report: Water volumes and chemical concentrations referred to in water-quality 

discussions are given in metric units. Volume is given in milliliters (mL). Chemical concentration is given in milligrams per liter 

(mg/L), micrograms per liter (μg/L), or milliequivalents per liter (meq/L). Milligrams per liter is a unit expressing the concentration of chemical constituents in solution as weight (milligrams) of solute per unit volume (liter) of water. One thousand micrograms per liter is equivalent to one milligram per liter. For concentrations less than 7,000 mg/L, the numerical value is 

approximately the same as for concentrations in parts per million. Milliequivalents per liter is the concentration in milligrams per 

liter divided by the equivalent weight of the ion of interest. Filter paper pore size is given in micrometers (μm). Instantaneous daily 

load is given in kilograms per day (kg/d).

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

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

Pore size of filters is given in micrometers (μm).

Other abbreviations used in this report:

 

Multiply By To obtain

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter

foot (ft) 5,280 miles

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer

foot per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meter per kilometer

acre 0.4047 square hectometer

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer

gallon (gal) 3.785 liter

acre-foot 1,233 cubic meters

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 28.32 liter

cubic foot per day (ft3/d) 0.02832 cubic meter per day

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

million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 0.04381 cubic meter per second

Cl:Br Chloride to Bromide

EWI Equal-Width-Increment

MCF Million Cubic Feet

MCL Maximum Contaminant Level

NPL National Priorities List

OEPA Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

PAH Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon

PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyl

SMCL Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level

USEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

VOC Volatile Organic Compound
Abstract 1

Water and Bed-Sediment Quality in the Vicinity of Berlin 

Lake, Ohio, 2001

By Robert A. Darner

Abstract

Berlin Lake, in northeast Ohio, was created by the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1943 and is used primarily for flood control for the upper reaches of the 

Mahoning River. The area surrounding and under the 

lake has been tapped for oil and natural gas production. One of the by-products of oil and gas production 

is concentrated salt water or brine, which might have 

an effect on the chemical quality of area potable-water 

sources. This report presents the results of a U.S. Geological Survey baseline study to collect current (2001) 

water and sediment-quality data and to characterize 

water quality in the Berlin Lake watershed.

Chloride-to-bromide ratios were used to detect 

the presence of brine in water samples and to indicate 

possible adverse effects on water quality. Analyses of 

ground-water samples from domestic wells in the area 

indicate a source of chloride and bromide, but defining 

the source would require more data collection. 

Analyses of specific conductance and dissolved 

solids indicate that 78 percent (14 of 18) of the 

ground-water samples exceeded the Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level for dissolved solids in public 

water supplies of 500 milligrams per liter (mg/L), 

compared to 6 percent of samples exceeding 500 mg/L 

in two nearby studies.

Surface water was analyzed twice, once each 

during low-flow and surface runoff conditions. A comparison of the 2001 data to historical chloride concentrations, accounting for seasonal changes, does not 

indicate an increase in chloride loads for surface water 

in the area of Berlin Lake. 

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found in 

bed-sediment samples collected from the mouths of 

major tributaries to Berlin Lake. Polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons are produced during the incomplete 

combustion of organic carbon materials such as wood 

and fossil fuels, and they are components of petroleum 

products.

Introduction

As of 1999, records of the Ohio Department of Natural 

Resources (1999) indicated that 267,966 oil and gas wells 

were completed in Ohio, of which 63,122 were actively producing. During calendar year 2000, a total of 6,573,881 barrels of crude oil was produced, along with 98,550,667 

million cubic feet of natural gas (Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 2000, p. 21). A side effect of oil and gas production can be degradation of water quality. Leaking well 

casings or spills of oil or brine can adversely affect water 

quality. The potential effects of oil and gas production on 

water quality are of current (2001) concern in the area surrounding Berlin Lake, in northeastern Ohio.

The Berlin Lake Project was authorized by the Flood 

Control Act of 1938 as 1 of 16 projects within the Pittsburgh 

District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Project, in 

Mahoning, Portage, and Stark Counties (fig. 1), covers 

some 7,984 acres, including both lake and land. The lake, 

which at the normal summer pool level covers 3,590 acres, 

has a drainage area above the dam of 249 mi2 (U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, 2000).

Approximately 6,885 acres of the Project are owned 
2 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Figure 1. Location of sampling sites, Berlin Lake area, Ohio, 2001.

Island C r eek

Wi llow

Cr eek

Little Beech Creek

Mahoning River

Mahoning River

Mill

Creek

Turkey

Broth Creek

Beech Creek

Deer Creek

POR TAGE

S TAR K

MAHONING

534

183

14

225

14

224

224

S ummit National

U.S . E nvironmental P rotection Agency S uperfund S ite

ALLIANCE

0 1 2 3 4 MILE S

0 1 2 3 4 KILOME TE R S

81°7'30" 81°

°56'15"

41°

1°3'45"

Base from U.S . Geological S urvey

1:24000 Digital Data

S tate P lane P rojection

NAD 1983, Ohio North S tudy area

OHIO

F i 1 L ti f li it B li L k Ohi 2001

Walborn Reservoir dam

Deer Creek

Lake

Berlin Lake

Berlin Lake

S D1

S D2

S D3

S D4

S D5

S D1 BE D S E DIME NT

S AMP LING S ITE TYP E AND IDE NTIF ICATION NUMBE R

MA-17

MA-15

MA-14

MA-13

S T-138

S T-137

S T-136

S T-135 S T-134

S T-133

S T-132

S T-131

PO-136

PO-135

PO-134

PO-133

PO-132

PO-131

PO-137

MA-15 GR OUND-WATE R

PO-137 BR INE S AMP LE

S W6

S W8

S W2

S W16

S W13

S W12

S W4

S W14

S W1

S W10

S W11

S W15

S W3

S W5

S W7

S W9

S W1 S UR FACE -WATE R

E XP LANATION

in fee by the Federal government, whereas the remaining 

1,099 acres are flowage easements in which the surface and 

mineral ownership are non-Federal. In the early 1960s and

mid-1980s, Federal oil and gas leases were issued for

approximately 3,500 acres of the project. As of 1990, ten

Federal oil and gas wells were operating on these leases. In 

late 1990, approximately 3,300 additional acres were 

offered for lease. After the 1990 leasing, 38 new Federal 

wells were drilled at the Project; 22 of these wells were on

the Project and 16 were drilled directionally under the lake 

from adjacent private land (Becky Metz, Bureau of Land 

Management, written commun., 2002).

As of July 2002, approximately 5,450 acres of the 

Project remains under lease with a total of 48 Federal oil 

and gas wells in production. Numerous private oil and gas 

wells adjacent to the Project participate in Federal Communications Agreements, which ensures that the Federal government is compensated for the Federal portion of the oil 

and gas drained through these private wells. Most of these 

wells were drilled after the 1990 leasing (Becky Metz, 

Bureau of Land Management, written commun., 2002).

The counties surrounding Berlin Lake have been 

peppered with oil and gas production wells, as well as test

borings and abandoned production wells (fig. 2). In Stark

and Portage Counties (Mahoning County data are unavailable at the time of report publication), the oil and gas drilling often is close to domestic water wells that are used for

drinking water (fig. 3). The effects of extensive development of oil and gas on the surface- and ground-water quality
Introduction 3

Figure 2. Location of oil and gas wells and test borings in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio.

has yet to be studied in this area. In 2000, 42 new oil and gas 

wells were drilled in Mahoning County, 33 in Stark County, 

and 14 in Portage County (Ohio Department of Natural 

Resources, 2000).

Few water-quality data are available for the area surrounding Berlin Lake, as are related data on chemical quality of streambed sediments near the lake. Therefore, the 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the 

U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 

investigated the water and sediment quality in the vicinity of 

Berlin Lake to provide baseline data before further oil and 

gas production takes place. The chemical analyses included 

properties and constituents related to oil and gas production, 

including pH, specific conductance, major ions in water, 

and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in streambed 

and lakebed sediment.

Purpose and scope

The purpose of this report is to present current (2001) water 

and sediment-quality data and to briefly characterize water 

quality in the Berlin Lake watershed. Emphasis is on providing baseline water quality that may be useful in assessing 

effects of past and continuing oil and gas production in 

the area.

The USGS collected 18 ground-water samples from 

domestic wells that were representative of aquifers within 

the watershed. One brine sample from an oil and gas well 

also was analyzed for major ions. To determine the quality 

of surface water, 14 samples were collected during low flow 

and 16 samples during periods of surface runoff; all samples 

were analyzed for major ions. The USGS collected five streambed- or lakebed-sediment (referred to simply as "bed 

sediment" hereafter) samples to be analyzed for PAHs. 

The results of the analyses are used herein to characterize area water quality with respect to historical data and 

probable sources of contamination. A comparison to historical data at three surface water sites is used to examine 
4 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Figure 3. Location of several domestic water wells in Stark and Portage Counties in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio. (Data for 

Mahoning County are unavailable).

temporal effects of urbanization and oil and gas production. 

An analysis of chloride to bromide (Cl:Br) ratios is used to 

determine the possible sources that affect current (2001) 

water quality.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the 20 homeowners who allowed USGS 

personnel to collect water samples from their wells. The 

personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office at 

Berlin Lake deserve special recognition for supplying local 

knowledge and assistance.

Description of study area

The study area lies entirely in the glaciated part of the 

Appalachian Plateaus. The area consists primarily of gentle 

slopes and moderate relief that typically does not exceed 

100 ft/mi (DeLong and White, 1963). Modification of the 

pre-Pleistocene surface by glacial erosion and the deposition of glacial drift have resulted in the current topography 

(Winslow and White, 1966). The thickness of the 

glacial deposits can be more than 200 ft in the buried valleys 

but nonexistent on the bedrock hills (DeLong and White, 

1963).

The upper part (Pennsylvanian) of the bedrock produces potable water. The lower bedrock formations consist 

of laterally stacked, discontinuous statigraphic traps that 

may contain gas and oil (U.S. Department of Interior, 

Bureau of Land Management, 1990).
Description of study area 5

Berlin Lake hydrology

The construction of Berlin Lake was authorized by the 

Flood Control Act of 1938. Berlin Dam, which has been in 

continuous operation since July 1943, is a concrete gravity 

dam with a controlled center spillway and random, rolled 

earth embankments. The overall length of the dam is 

5,750 ft, and the maximum height is 96 ft above the 

streambed (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2000). The dam 

is on the Mahoning River, 11 mi upstream from Lake Milton and 35 mi upstream from Warren, Ohio.

For flood-storage purposes, the lake level is held 

below 1,016.6 ft from late August through late March. 

Between late March and early May, the pool level is allowed 

to rise to 1,024.0 ft. The pool is held at 1,024.0 ft until late 

June. At a full pool elevation of 1,032.0 ft, Berlin Lake covers 5,510 acres and has a storage capacity of 91,150 acre-ft 

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2000). The lake has the 

capability to store 6.9 in. of precipitation over its 249-mi2

drainage area.

Mean annual precipitation at the National Weather 

Service station at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport 

(about 20 mi southwest of Berlin Lake) for 1961–90 was 

36.82 in. For the same period, mean annual precipitation at 

the National Weather Service station at the Youngstown 

Regional Airport (about 25 mi northeast of Berlin Lake) 

was 37.32 in. (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric 

Administration, National Data Center, 2001). 

Berlin Lake’s congressionally authorized purposes 

include

• flood control

• low-flow augmentation

• water-quality control

• indirect water-supply, flow augmentation

• fish and wildlife enhancement

• recreation

Fish and wildlife enhancement and recreation are the 

only purposes that do not have storage allocations. The primary effort during operation is to maximize the flood-storage capability and provide water-supply augmentation (U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, 2000). Berlin Lake does not 

directly supply water to any municipality, but the city of 

Alliance withdraws water from Deer Creek, Walborn and 

Westville Reservoirs, which are all in the Mahoning River 

watershed upstream from Berlin Lake. Also in the Mahoning River watershed, just downstream from Berlin Lake, is 

Lake Milton, which supplies water to Youngstown, Ohio.

The watershed upstream from Berlin Lake is mostly 

rural, dominated by forest and agriculture (fig. 4). In the 

early 1990s, the majority of the watershed (58 percent) was 

being used for agriculture. Agricultural activities can generate nonpoint sources for many contaminants, including but 

not limited to septic-system leachates, fertilizers, and pesticides. The next largest land use category in the Berlin Lake 

watershed is forest at 29 percent, followed by low-intensity 

residential and wetlands at 4 percent each. Commercial, 

industrial, and transportation classifications make up about 

1 percent of the watershed; most of the industrial development is along the Mahoning River in Alliance, Ohio, just 

upstream from Berlin Lake. Steel mills, textile production, 

and other manufacturing facilities have used the Mahoning 

River and Mill Creek as a source of water since the

mid-1800s.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA) (1998) listed the following possible sources of 

contamination of Berlin Lake:

• industrial point sources

• municipal point sources

• agriculture

• hydro modification

• atmospheric deposition

• spills

and the following sources of contamination to Mill Creek, 

an input to Berlin Lake:

• municipal point sources

• combined sewer overflows

• agriculture

• urban runoff

• channelization

• dam construction

• flow regulation/modification

The USEPA National Priorities List (NPL) is the list 

of national priorities among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories. 

The NPL is intended primarily to guide the USEPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000a). A USEPA NPL 

Superfund site is in the drainage of Berlin Lake at the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and State Route 225 (fig. 1). The 

site, known as Summit National (USEPA identification 

number OHD980609994), is a former coal surface mine 

containing a coal wash pond and a coal stockpile. For 5 

years in the mid-1970s, the site was used as a waste-disposal facility and received such wastes as oils, resins, paint, 

metal-plating sludges, flammable solvents, and chlorinated 

solvents. The ground water, soil, and surface water were 

contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 

phenols, phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 

heavy metals, including arsenic, chromium, and cadmium 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2000a).

Geology

The bedrock generally dips to the south at between 5 and 10 

ft/mi but may change locally because of slight flexures in 

the beds (Winslow and White, 1966, p. 8). The study area is 

covered by glacial deposits that are generally less than 20 ft 

thick. Although water can be found in localized areas of the 

glacial deposits, it is generally not considered an aquifer in 

the area surrounding Berlin lake. The glacial deposits
6 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Figure 4. Land use and land cover based on 30-meter Landsat thematic mapper data (1987-94): (A) Mahoning River Basin 

above Berlin Dam and (B) Berlin Lake area, Ohio.
Description of study area 7

are underlain by a series of sandstone and shale layers 

(table 1). 

Bedrock. The oldest and deepest rock unit of interest 

in this study is the Albion Group, a layer of sandstone that 

constitutes the primary oil and gas producing zone in Ohio. 

Most oil and gas wells in the vicinity of Berlin Lake

are finished in the upper sands of the Albion Group. Local 

drillers’ terminology for the upper sandstone part of the 

Albion Group is the "Clinton," not to be confused with the 

overlying Clinton Group (Delong and White, 1963). In this 

report, "Albion Group" will be used to refer to the entire 

Albion Group; caution should be used when referring to 

other regional reports that mention the "Clinton" of 

the drillers.

 The Clinton Group overlies the Albion Group and is 

made up of dolomite and the “Packer Shell” of the drillers 

(Delong and White, 1963). The Lockport Group includes 

the Lockport Dolomite and Guelph Dolomite and consists 

primarily of dolomite. The porous crystalline portion of this 

group is called the “Second Water” by drillers. The Bass 

Island and Salina Groups constitute the upper part of the 

Silurian-age rocks and are included in the drillers’ “Big 

Lime.” These groups are made up of interbedded dolomite, 

gypsum, salt, and shale.

The Silurian rocks are overlain by Devonian-age 

shale, sandstone, and limestone. The limestone sequence 

consists of the Helderberg Limestone, Oriskany Sandstone 

(drillers’ “First Water”), and the Onondaga Limestone

Table 1. Summary of geologic units and associated properties, Berlin Lake area, Ohio

[Modified from Winslow and White, 1966, and Delong and White, 1963; >, greater than.]

System Geologic unit

Approximate

maximum 

thickness

(in feet)

Character of deposits Properties

Quaternary 

(Pleistocene)

Glacial deposits 400 Clay, silt, sand, and gravel; deposited 

by ice and meltwater.

Few domestic wells; sand and gravel 

may yield 5 to 20 gallons per 

minute. Well must be drilled to 

bedrock when sand and gravel is 

thin or missing.

Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation:

Homewood Sandstone Member

Mercer Member

Connoquenessing Sandstone Member

Sharon Member

0-100

0-90

0-140

0-340

Sandstone; contains local channels of 

conglomerate and some shale where 

not removed by erosion.

Occasionally yield 100 gallons per 

minute but maximum reliable yield 

is closer to 25 gallons per minute.

Mississippian Cuyahoga Formation 0-250 Shale, siltstone, fine-grained 

sandstone conglomerate

Leaky confining unit on a regional 

scale; poorly productive aquifer on a 

local scale.

Sunbury Shale 15-95 Black to dark-gray shale

Berea Sandstone 10-100 White to light-gray, fine- to very fine 

grained sandstone

Saline to brackish water, reported to 

contain some gas.

Bedford Shale 2-10 Light- to medium-gray silty shale

Cussewago Sandstone 0-20 Fine- to coarse-grained loosely 

cemented rock

Small amounts of gas and oil have 

been produced from the sandstone.

Devonian Ohio Shale 1,600-2,400 Light gray shale increasing to black 

with depth, interbedded with shaly 

siltstone

Onondaga Limestone 170-245 Hard, dense, finely crystalline rock

Oriskany Sandstone 0-40 Loose, medium-grained sandstone Referred to by drillers as “First Water.” 

In this area the water is brine of 

weak to strong concentration (Stout 

and others, 1943).

Helderberg Limestone 100-200 Dense, very fine crystalline limestone

Silurian Bass Island and Salina Group 655-850 Interbedded dolomite, gypsum, salt, 

and shale

Lockport Group 255-340 White to light-gray dolomite Referred to by drillers as “Second 

Water”; also a brine-producing 

zone.

Clinton Group 120-230 Gray dolomitic shales and the “Packer 

Shell” limestone

Albion Group (“Clinton”) 25-175 Top - “Clinton” sandstone; 

bottom - shale and silty shale

Principal gas-producing zone in Ohio.
8 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

(table 1). The two limestones form a part of the drillers’ 

“Big Lime” section. (Delong and White, 1963). The top of 

the Devonian consists of 1,600 to 2,400 ft of the Ohio Shale 

(table 1). Where the Mississippian Cussewago Sandstone is 

present, the Devonian-Mississippian contact is definite; but 

elsewhere, the Bedford Shale of Mississippian age is so 

similar to the Ohio Shale that the units are indistinguishable.

The oldest members of the Mississippian-age bedrock that underlie the region are the Cussewago Sandstone 

and the Bedford Shale. The Cussewago Sandstone is 

described as poorly cemented medium- to coarse-sized 

quartz grains (Winslow and White, 1966 p. 9). The Bedford 

Shale primarily is shale interbedded with thin layers of 

sandstones and limy siltstones. In Stark County, just south 

of the study area, the Cussewago Sandstone produces small 

amounts of gas and oil.

In pockets of the study area, the Sunbury Shale, a 

black to dark gray shale, overlies the Berea Formation. 

Overlying the Bedford Shale is the Berea Sandstone. Water 

in the Berea Sandstone may be expected to be saline to 

brackish (Winslow and White, 1966, p. 9). The Berea Sandstone also is an oil- and gas-producing unit, although the 

hydrocarbon potential in Berlin Lake area is meager 

(DeLong and White, 1963, p. 102).

 The uppermost Mississippian unit is the Cuyahoga 

Formation, which consists primarily of shale to silty shale 

but may contain some fine-grained silty sandstone. This formation may contain some water, but most wells that do not 

provide sufficient water in the overlying glacial deposits or 

Pottsville Formation are drilled through to the units below 

the Cuyahoga.

The Pottsville Formation, of Pennsylvanian age, is 

the uppermost bedrock in the study area. This unit is mostly 

sandstone with a few discontinuous shale lenses and is the 

most extensively developed fresh-water aquifer in the area 

(table 1). The wells withdrawing water from the bedrock 

generally are cased through the glacial deposits into the top 

of the bedrock and then left open hole through the total 

depth of the well.

Glacial. The study area is predominately within the 

bounds of the Hiram Till (fig. 5). In the vicinity of Berlin 

Lake the glacial deposits typically are less than 15 ft thick; 

throughout its extent, the Hiram Till averages 6 ft in thickness (Totten and White, 1987).

The Hiram Till is clay rich with sparse pebbles, few 

cobbles, and few boulders (Winslow and White, 1966, p. 

34). The average composition of the till is 10 percent sand, 

48 percent silt, and 42 percent clay (Totten and White, 

1987). Sand or gravel lenses are rare but where present can 

produce 5 to 20 gal/min of freshwater (Walker, 1979). The 

glacial deposits only produce sufficient quantities of water 

in limited areas; therefore, most domestic water wells in the 

area are completed in the bedrock below, primarily in the 

Pottsville Formation.

Soils

Most soils near Berlin Lake formed in glacial till, and their 

permeabilities are low. For the most part, the soils are 

poorly to moderately well drained. The low permeability of 

the major soils in this area is a severe limitation for septicsystem filter fields.

Berlin Lake is bounded from the west to east around 

the north side of the lake by the Remsen-Geeburg-Trumbull 

association. This association consists of nearly level to gently sloping, moderately well drained to poorly drained soils 

that formed in the fine-textured glacial till (Ritchie and others, 1978). To the south, the lake is bounded by the Mahoning-Ellsworth association, consisting of nearly level to 

sloping, poorly drained and moderately well drained soils 

that formed mostly in moderately fine-textured glacial till 

(Lessig and others, 1971). To the southwest, in Stark 

County, a small section of the Remsen association bounds 

the lake. The Remsen is defined as deep, mainly nearly level 

to gently sloping, poorly drained soils that are dominated by 

clayey subsoil; Remsen soils formed in silty clay glacial till 

(Christman and others, 1971).

Poorly drained Lorain soils, poorly drained Sebring, 

Holly, and Montgomery soils; moderately well drained 

Bogart, soils and well-drained Chili soils are interspersed 

within the primary soil types and represent about 25 percent 

of the area (Ritchie and others, 1978).

Methods of study

A variety of environmental samples were collected during 

the study, including ground water, bed sediment, surface 

water during low-flow conditions, and surface-water runoff. 

Procedures used for each sample type are described below.

Collection and analyses of ground water samples

Ground-water samples were collected July 24 through 

August 9, 2001, from 18 domestic wells and 1 oil and gas 

well (fig. 1). Four quality-control duplicates were collected 

during this time period. Well selection was based on spatial 

distribution, completion of the well in a single unit, and 

access. An attempt was made to locate wells open to the glacial deposits, but only two wells were located that were 

accessible.

Domestic samples were collected from household 

spigots supplied by household plumbing and well-pump 

systems. Well owners identified spigots that bypassed water 

softeners, and USGS personnel inspected 15 of the 18 systems that were sampled.

Water samples were collected in accordance with 

USGS protocol for ground-water sampling of water-supply
Methods of study 9

Figure 5. Glacial geology of the Berlin Lake area, Ohio.

wells as described in Wilde and others (1999a). Measurements of pH, specific conductance, water temperature, and 

dissolved oxygen were made with a multiparameter probe 

that was field calibrated and fitted with a flowthrough cell. 

Most wells were purged by removing three times the standing volume of water in the well. In some cases, the owner 

requested that as little water as possible be withdrawn from 

the well. If the well was recently pumped through normal 

use, the judgement of the personnel onsite and the stability 

of pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and water 

temperature measured with the multiparameter probe were 

used to indicate the purge volume necessary to ensure that 

the samples reflected the water chemistry in the aquifer. 

Hoses, flowthrough chamber, and filtration equipment were decontaminated between each sample. Decontamination consisted of scrubbing and soaking the 

equipment in a detergent-water mixture and then rinsing 

with deionized water.

A different procedure was used to collect the sample 

from the oil and gas well (PO-137). The sample was collected from the discharge from a crude oil holding tank. A 

small amount of the brine was allowed to run into a holding 

tank to purge the pipes, and then the brine was collected in a 

clean sampling container. This unique sampling opportunity 

did not allow for multiparameter monitoring or water-level 
10 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

measurement, so the analysis was used only to determine 

the brine endpoint of a Cl:Br ratio analyses.

Samples that required filtration were filtered through 

a 0.45-μm inline plate filter, and samples that required preservation were acidified by use of nitric acid (Wilde and others, 1999b). Alkalinity was determined in the field by means 

of the incremental titration method (Wilde and Radtke, 

1998). All other properties and constituents were determined by the USGS National Water-Quality Laboratory in 

Denver, Colo.

Collection and analyses of surface water samples

Surface-water samples were collected under two different 

hydrologic conditions. The initial effort consisted of 14 

samples that were collected during low (base)-flow conditions, July 18–26, 2001. An effort was made to sample all 

the surface-water inputs to Berlin Lake. An additional 16 

samples were collected during a period of rainfall that produced surface runoff, November 27–29, 2001. The original 

14 sites were sampled, and 2 additional sites were added to 

obtain better coverage of the area (fig. 1).

The flow condition was determined by examining the 

discharge at the nearby USGS gaging station at Eagle Creek 

near Phalanx Station, Ohio (fig. 6.) The low-flow standard 

was set at 80 percent duration or 15 ft3

/s; the surface runoff 

samples were collected during a rain event that produced a 

daily mean flow of 146 ft3

/s for Eagle Creek, near the 50-

percent duration of 153 ft3/s. Eagle Creek near Phalanx Station was used as the index station for this study because it is 

the closest gaging station with real-time capabilities and, 

therefore, granted the best opportunity to sample a surface 

runoff event. It should be noted that the surface runoff samples collected below Berlin Dam and on Deer Creek above 

Deer Creek Reservoir were actually at a lower flow than the 

low-flow sample. The inputs to the lakes were picking up 

surface runoff; but because the area had been in drought, the 

reservoirs were low and the gates at the dams were 

restricted in an effort to resupply the reservoirs.

Surface-water samples were collected in accordance 

with USGS protocol for equal-width-increment (EWI) sampling methods, as described in Wilde and others (1999a). 

Measurements of pH, specific conductance, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen were made with a field-calibrated multiparameter probe.

Sampling devices and filtration equipment were 

decontaminated between each sample. Decontamination 

consisted of scrubbing and soaking the equipment in a 

detergent-water mixture and then rinsing with deionized 

water. Twenty 1-L sampling containers and nozzles were 

cleaned prior to sampling, and a separate set was used for 

each site. The surface-water samples were processed in the 

same manner as the ground-water samples and sent to the 

USGS National Water-Quality Laboratory in Denver, Colo.

Figure 6. Daily mean discharge and surface-water 

sampling dates at Eagle Creek near Phalanx Station, 

Ohio. (Exact dates and times of sampling are listed in 

table 5).

Collection and analyses of bed-sediment samples

Five bed-sediment samples were collected September 18 

and 19, 2001, near the mouths of the major inputs to Berlin 

Lake (fig. 1). These areas include the Mahoning River, Mill 

Creek, Deer Creek, Island Creek, and Willow Creek. The 

bed-sediment samples were collected and processed in the 

field in accordance with USGS protocol for streambed-sediment sampling as described in Radtke (1997).

The samples were collected with a stainless-steel 

core sampler driven to a depth of 15 to 18 in. The material 

was gathered in a stainless-steel bucket and thoroughly 

mixed with a stainless-steel spoon. The mixture then was 

run through a 2-mm stainless-steel sieve directly into the 

sample container. The samples were then chilled on ice and 

shipped to the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in 

Denver, Colo., for analyses for PAHs.

Water and bed-sediment quality

Physical characteristics of domestic wells and location of 

the surface-water and sediment sites are listed in tables 2 

and 3, respectively. The chemical analyses of the ground 

water, surface water, and streambed sediment are listed in 

tables 4, 5, and 6, respectively (at back of report). Information on concentration limits and water use implications for 

drinking water are given in table 7. Statistical summaries of 

the water-quality data are presented in the form of boxplots 

in figure 7. 

Every reasonable attempt was made to ensure that 

ground-water samples from domestic sources bypassed any
Water and bed-sediment quality 11

Table 2. Physical characteristics of wells sampled in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and August 2001

[--, unavailable for this well.]

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier Latitude Longitude

Casing 

diameter

(in inches)

Land 

surface 

datum

(in feet 

above sea 

level)

Measuring

point 

height

(in feet 

above 

land 

surface)

Primary 

geologic 

unit

Open interval

(in feet

below land surface)

Top Bottom

ST-131 405753081073900 40ο57’53" 81ο07’39" 5 1,046 -- glacial 56 56

ST-132 405824081085900 40ο58’24" 81ο08’59" 4 1,100 -- Pottsville 35 202

ST-133 405847081051800 40ο58’47" 81ο05’18" 4.2 1,060 1.6 Pottsville 76 138

ST-134 405725081084300 40ο57’25" 81ο08’43" 5 1,086 1.25 Pottsville 47 111

ST-135 405742081052700 40ο57’42" 81ο05’27" 5 1,060 .85 Pottsville 57 115

ST-136 405712081060600 40ο57’12" 81ο06’06" 5.5 1,072 -- glacial 89 89

ST-137 405852081113400 40ο58’52" 81ο11’34" 4 1,140 2.2 Pottsville 69 100

ST-138 405825081070100 40ο58’25" 81ο07’01" 5 1,040 1.65 Pottsville 170 186

PO-131 405943081033200 40ο59’43" 81ο03’32" 6 1,048 1.65 Pottsville 123 175

PO-132 410238081010400 41ο02’38" 81ο01’04" 5 1,077 -- Pottsville 32 124

PO-133 410019081040500 41ο00’19" 81ο04’05" 5 1,044 1.9 Pottsville 38 114

PO-134 410046081035100 41ο00’46" 81ο03’51" 6 1,050 2.1 Pottsville 30 100

PO-135 405919081015400 40ο59’19" 81ο01’54" 5.5 1,058 1.0 Pottsville 29 67

PO-136 405922081055400 40ο59’22" 81ο05’54" 5 1,059 1.4 Pottsville 75 105

PO-137 405805080543100 40ο58’05" 80ο54’31" -- -- Albion Group

MA-13 410048080590600 41ο00’48" 80ο59’06" 6 1,050 1.6 Pottsville 22 151

MA-14 405953080591300 40ο59’53" 80ο59’13" 4 1,088 1.2 Pottsville 182 203

MA-15 410221080590900 41ο02’21" 80ο59’09" 6 1,050 1.55 Pottsville 114 175

MA-17 405853081004500 40ο58’53" 81ο00’45" 5 1,074 1.3 Pottsville 40 315

Table 3. Location of surface-water and bed-material sites where samples were collected in the vicinity of

Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and August 2001

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier Station name Latitude Longitude

Surface-water sites

SW1 410037080572800 Unnamed tributary to Turkey Broth Creek at Berlin Station 41ο00’37" 80ο57’28"

SW2 03086500 Mahoning River at Alliance 41ο02’54" 81ο00’05"

SW3 405744081053300 Unnamed tributary at Greenbower Road 40ο57’44" 81ο05’33"

SW4 410121081020400 Unnamed tributary to Berlin Lake near Deerfield 41ο01’21" 81ο02’04"

SW5 405643081091500 Little Beech Creek at SR 619 40ο56’43" 81ο09’15"

SW6 03090500 Mahoning River below Berlin Dam near Berlin Center 41ο00’01" 80ο58’07"

SW7 405551081083400 Tributary to Beech Creek at Vine Street 40ο55’55" 81ο08’34"

SW8 03089500 Mill Creek near Berlin Center 40ο55’58" 81ο05’41"

SW9 405536081091400 Beech Creek at Freshley Ave 40ο55’36" 81ο09’14"

SW10 410025081055600 Unnamed tributary at SR 225 near Fewtown Road 41ο00’25" 81ο05’56"

SW11 405847081085300 Deer Creek above Deer Creek Reservoir at Limaville 40ο58’47" 81ο08’53"

SW12 410157081055500 Willow Creek at SR 225 41ο01’57" 81ο05’55"

SW13 410238081043900 Unnamed tributary at Notman Road 41ο02’38" 81ο04’39"

SW14 410105081052100 Tributary near Portage-Stark Range 41ο01’05" 81ο05’21"

SW15 405823081004700 Island Creek near North Benton 41ο58’23" 81ο00’47"

SW16 405944081021000 Unnamed tributary at Wagner Road 40ο59’44" 81ο02’10"

Bed-material sites

SD1 410021080592000 Berlin Lake near the Mouth of Mill Creek 41ο00’21" 80ο59’20"

SD2 410014081035900 Willow Creek at Berlin Lake 41ο00’14" 81ο03’59"

SD3 405739081064000 Mahoning River at Rockhill Road 40ο57’39" 81ο06’40"

SD4 405807081064000 Deer Creek Below Deer Creek Dam 40ο58’07" 81ο06’40"

SD5 405924081004900 Island Creek at Berlin Lake 40ο59’24" 81ο00’49"
12 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Figure 7. Chemical constituents delineated by sample types, Berlin Lake area, Ohio.
Water and bed-sediment quality 13

Figure 7. Chemical constituents delineated by sample types, Berlin Lake area, Ohio—Continued.
14 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

water-treatment system. However, in some cases the homeowner was not available or did not wish for USGS personnel 

to inspect the system. The samples from wells ST-134, PO133, MA-14, and PO-137, had significantly different concentrations of various constituents as compared to samples 

from other wells in the study. Samples from these wells may 

have passed through a water-treatment system. More information on this possibility is given below.

For wells ST-134, PO-133, and MA-14, concentrations of hardness, calcium, and magnesium all were less 

than the concentrations found in other samples (table 4). 

Water that has been softened by ion-exchange methods can 

result in the replacement of calcium, magnesium, and iron 

by sodium (Driscoll, 1986). Therefore, it is possible that 

these three samples were softened and, therefore, not representative of the aquifer water. For this reason, the sample 

results are not included in the following discussions, but the 

data are presented in table 4 and figure 8. 

The sample from well PO-137 is a brine sample that 

is used to determine an end-member for a CL:Br ratio analysis. The sample results were not used for any other comparison, but the data are presented in table 4 and figure 8.

To compare the quality of water in the vicinity of 

Berlin Lake to other regional waters, the data collected from 

this study were compared to data from other studies in 

northeastern Ohio. A report by Barton and others (1998) on 

the Mosquito Creek is similar in scope to this report, with 

comparable data; furthermore, Mosquito Creek is only 

about 25 mi northeast of Berlin Lake. Jagucki and Darner 

(2001) studied the ground-water quality on a countywide 

basis for Geauga County, Ohio, due north of Portage 

County. A study by Eberts (1990) in northern Portage 

County covered water quality in relation to deep-well brine 

injection.

pH

The pH of water sampled from all domestic wells ranged 

from 6.8 to 7.6, with a median value of 7.2 (table 4). Water 

from the two wells completed in the glacial deposit (ST-136 

and ST-131) had a pH of 6.8 and 7.1. Barton and others 

(1998) reported pH ranges of 6.8 to 8.1 for similar wells in 

the area of nearby Mosquito Creek, Trumbull County, Ohio. 

The brine sample from the oil and gas well (PO-137) had a 

pH of 3.2. The pH of three brine samples collected from 

wells completed in the Albion Group in nearby Trumbull 

County were reported by Barton and others (1998) as ranging from 3.7 to 4.5. 

The pH of surface-water samples collected during 

low flow ranged from 7.4 to 8.1 and during surface runoff 

ranged from 6.9 to 8.2 (table 5). Barton and others (1998) 

reported that pH for similar streams in northeastern Ohio 

ranged from 7.1 to 10.1. Surface-water samples collected 

during low-flow and surface-runoff conditions were more 

alkaline than the ground water, and the ground water was 

more alkaline than the brine (fig. 7).

Specific conductance

Specific conductance for ground water from domestic wells 

ranged from 630 to 5,060 μS/cm. The maximum specific 

conductance was at MA-17 a well completed at 315 ft. The 

specific conductance of the brine sample (PO-137) was 

212,000 μS/cm. Specific conductances of water samples 

collected from the glacial deposits (ST-131 and ST-136) 

were 1,100 and 1,590 μS/cm, respectively. 

Specific conductance often is used as an estimator 

for dissolved solids concentration (Hem, 1992). In a USGS 

study in nearby Geauga County, it was found that a specific 

conductance of 800 μS/cm correlates with a dissolved-solids concentration of 500 mg/L (Eberts, 1990). The U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (2002) Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) for dissolved solids in 

public water supplies is 500 mg/L. 

A ground-water study in northern Portage County 

(Eberts, 1990) found that 6 of nearly 100 samples (6 percent) from domestic wells had specific conductances that 

exceeded 800 μS/cm. Another study in Geauga County 

(Jagucki and Darner, 2001) found that 1 of 18 samples (6 

percent) collected from the glacial deposits and the Pottsville Formation had specific conductance that exceeded 800 

μS/cm. Of the 18 domestic-well samples in this study, 14 

samples (78 percent) had a specific conductance that 

exceeded 800 μS/cm. The same 14 samples also had dissolved-solids concentrations greater than 500 mg/L. 

Specific conductance in low-flow surface-water samples ranged from 489 to 2,060 μS/cm (table 5), with a 

median of 867 μS/cm. In samples collected during surfacerunoff conditions, specific conductance ranged from 550 to 

1560 μS/cm (table 5), with a median of 705 μS/cm. Barton 

and others (1998) reported specific conductance values for 

similar streams in northeastern Ohio as ranging from 240 to 

2,210 μS/cm.

Major anions and cations

Water with a hardness concentration of greater than 180

mg/L is considered very hard water (table 7). The median 

hardness concentration for ground-water samples in this 

study is 400 mg/L (fig. 7). Surface-water samples also were 

very hard, with median concentrations for low-flow and surface runoff conditions of 311 mg/L and 262 mg/L, respectively. Boxplots for calcium and magnesium (fig. 7) are 

similar in composition to the hardness boxplot, because 

hardness is based primarily on calcium and magnesium concentrations (Hem, 1992).

The character or type of water with regard to proportions of major anions and cations can be assessed by the use 

of trilinear diagrams, constructed by converting concentra-
Water and bed-sediment quality 15

tions of anions and cations to milliequilavents per liter 

(meq/L) and plotting relative percentages of the major cations on the lower left equilateral triangle and the major 

anions on the lower right equilateral triangle (Hem, 1992). 

Each corner on the triangles represents 100 percent of a particular type (or types) of ion(s). The cation and anion compositions then are projected along a line parallel to the outer 

edge of the equilateral triangles until the cation and anion 

projections intersect on a third, diamond-shaped diagram. A

trilinear diagram representing all samples collected for this 

study is shown in figure 8. 

The trilinear diagram does not indicate a single water 

type for the area but rather a wide range of waters. The first 

pattern to note in the trilinear diagram is the three groundwater samples that appear to be softened, ST-134, PO-133, 

and MA-14, located near the bottom point of the diamond. 

The position of these samples on the diagram correlates 

with softened samples diagrammed in Jagucki and Darner 

(2001). The brine sample (PO-137) plots to the far right of 

the anion triangle. The sample from well MA-17 plots in a 

similar position on the anion triangle, indicating a possible 

influence of brine. 

The composition of the cation triangle is similar to 

what Jagucki and Darner (2001) found in nearby Geauga 

County, Ohio. A common natural process that supports this 

trend is dissolution of carbonate minerals combined with 

cation exchange (Eberts and others, 1990; Lesney, 1992). In 

cation exchange, calcium and magnesium ions are removed 

from solution and replaced by sodium ions on exchangeable 

sites in clay minerals. As the reaction proceeds, the ratio of 

calcium ions to sodium ions remaining in solution decreases 

(Jagucki and Darner, 2001). The longer the residence time, 

the greater the effect of the process on calcium and sodium 

concentrations.

Chloride-to-bromide ratios

A method developed by Whittemore (1988) for characterizing waters with respect to sources and mixing was used by 

and described in Jagucki and Darner (2001) and was modified for this study. Simple binary mixing curves (fig. 9) 

were prepared to show how the Cl:Br ratio of dilute groundwater changes with the addition of increasing amounts of 

three concentrated solutions: saturated halite solution, oilfield brine, and domestic sewage. These solutions, as well as 

the dilute, unaffected ground water, are referred to as “endmembers” because they represent the starting and stopping 

points of the possible mixing process.

The sample from well ST-137 was chosen as the 

dilute ground water end-member because it had the lowest 

Cl:Br ratio and the lowest chloride concentration. The Cl:Br 

ratio of the brine end-member was estimated as the mean of 

PO-137 and three samples of brine collected by Eberts and 

others (1990) from oil and gas wells in Geauga County. 

Upper and lower limits were added to the ground-waterplus-brine mixing curve by adding 15 percent to the endmember value to account for natural variation and 

analytical error. 

The Cl:Br ratio of the saturated halite solution was 

computed as the mean of three samples of road salt applied 

in northeastern Ohio (collected by Knuth and others, 1990). 

The Cl:Br ratio of the domestic sewage end-member was 

selected as the midpoint of the range (300-600) reported by 

Davis and others (1998), based on limited analyses of urban 

sewage from England and the United States. The chloride 

concentration of the sewage end-member was estimated as 

the midpoint of the range 37-101 mg/L, reported by Peavy 

(1978; cited in Canter and Knox, 1986). 

The shaded area designated as dilute ground water in 

figure 9 is based on Cl:Br ratios reported by Davis and others (1998) and on chloride concentrations reported by Jones 

and Sroka (1997). Davis and others (1998) reported that 

shallow ground water, unaffected or only minimally 

affected by dissolution of halite, generally has a Cl:Br ratio 

of 100 to 200. Davis and others (1998) also reported that 

Cl:Br ratios of atmospheric precipitation are generally 

between 50 and 150, with ratios highest near the coast and 

decreasing inland. Jones and Sroka (1997) estimated that 

water samples from shallow wells in Ohio that were unaffected by halite dissolution had chloride concentrations less 

than 10 mg/L.

Ground water. Waters that have Cl:Br ratios exceeding 400 and plot near or between the mixing lines may indicate effects of road salt or sewage from malfunctioning 

septic systems (Jagucki and Darner, 2001). An example is 

the sample from well MA-13, which plots near the sewageplus-halite mixing line with a Cl:Br ratio of 1,017. MA-13 

is 151 ft deep and completed in a sandstone member of the 

Pottsville Formation. The casing length is 22 ft and, if the 

well was not properly constructed or has been damaged, 

would be a relatively short path (compared to natural

flowpaths) for water at land surface to affect ground water 

near the well. 

Five other samples plot outside the dilute groundwater area and between the brine and ground-water-plussewage mixing lines. Samples from these wells may be 

affected by a combination of brine and infiltration from 

malfunctioning septic-systems. The two wells completed in 

the glacial deposits (ST-131 and ST-136) are included in this 

group. The glacial-deposit wells are completed to depths of 

56 and 89 ft, respectively.

The samples from two wells, ST-133 and ST-135, 

plot along the mixing curve between dilute ground water 

and brine. Both wells are completed in a shale member of 

the Pottsville Formation at depths of 138 ft and 115 ft, 

respectively. The sample from PO-131 plots very close to 

the mixing line; the well is completed at a depth of 175 ft 

and penetrates a shale member of the Pottsville Formation. 
16 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Figure 8. Trilinear diagram of chemical differences in water samples collected in the Berlin Lake area, Ohio, July, August, and 

November 2001.
Water and bed-sediment quality 17

Figure 9. Binary mixing curves for chloride-to-bromide ratios, Berlin Lake area ground-water samples, Ohio, 2001. (Halite endmember from Knuth and others, 1990; domestic sewage end-member from Davis and others, 1998, and Peavy, 1978; brine endmembers from Eberts and others, 1990 and PO-137).

The sample at well MA-17 plots to the right of dilute 

ground water and near the brine mixing line. The water 

from this well contains natural gas, has a salty taste, and a 

specific conductance of 5,060 μS/cm. The top of well MA17 is at an altitude of 1,074 ft, and the well is 315 ft deep 

(table 2); the well is near the 660-ft contour of the top of the 

Berea Sandstone (fig. 10), leaving about 99 ft from the bottom of the well to the top of the Berea. The bottom of well 

PO-131 is 168 ft from the top of the Berea, the next closest 

well to the top of the Berea, but the chemical characteristics 

of the water from PO-131 and MA-17 are different (fig. 6). 

As previously noted, the Berea Sandstone in this area has 

some potential for gas and oil production, and water from 

the Berea may be affecting water in this well. A more 

detailed study, focusing on deeper wells, would need to be 

done to determine the effects of withdrawing water from 

near the top of the Berea.

The positions of the samples from these wells (MA13, ST-131, ST-135, PO-131, and MA-17) on the mixing 

diagram indicate some effect from a chloride and/or bromide source. The source could be upflow of water from the 

Berea Sandstone or recharge from contaminated water at 

land surface. Another process that could produce these 

results could be the dissolution and cation exchange method 

discussed in the major anions and cations section. A study 

of synoptic water-level measurements, designed to obtain a 

better understanding of ground-water flow, both horizontally and vertically, would benefit possible water-quality 

studies in the area.
18 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Figure 10. Top of the Berea Sandstone in the Berlin Lake area, Ohio.

Surface water. Northeastern Ohio has been drilled 

for oil since the mid-1800s; therefore, background, dilute 

surface water is difficult to define. A similar analysis as 

described for the ground-water samples was done for the 

surface water, and the dilute surface water end-member was 

chosen to be the lowest chloride concentration: 7.3 mg/L, 

with a Cl:Br of 730 (bromide concentration was less than 

the detection limit of 0.01 mg/L.)

 According to Davis and others (1998), most streams 

have chloride concentrations less than 100 mg/L and Cl:Br 

ratios reflecting regional precipitation (about 50 for areas 

that are more than about 125 miles inland). For the 14 samples in which the bromide exceeded the detection limit 

(table 4), the median chloride concentration was 80.5 mg/L, 

and the median Cl:Br ratio was 1,810. The addition of 

brines to the surface water would tend to elevate the chloride concentration and reduce the Cl:Br ratio, which is not 

the case here. The high Cl:Br ratio would indicate that the 

elevated Cl:Br ratio from the 14 samples could be the result 

of sewage and road-salt-affected waters mixing with the surface water, which could overpower any effect of brine.

Historical chloride concentrations

Three of the surface-water sites sampled for this investigation were sampled previously by USGS personnel. The 

Mahoning River at Alliance (SW2), Mill Creek near Berlin 

Center (SW8), and the Mahoning River below Berlin Dam 

(SW6) (fig. 1) were sampled in the late 1960s and early 

1970s for various constituents, including chloride. Many of 

the samples were targeted for events (extremely high- or 

low-flow condition) and may represent higher or lower than 
Water and bed-sediment quality 19

normal chloride concentrations. To make the data more 

comparable to current data, an instantaneous chloride discharge was computed on the basis of chloride concentration, 

streamflow and the conversion of time to days:

, (1)

where ICD is the instantaneous chloride discharge, in kilograms per day, Cl is the chloride concentration, in milligrams per liter, and Q is the streamflow, in cubic feet 

per second.

For example, a chloride concentration of 35 mg/L 

and a discharge of 5.6 ft3

/s calculates as an instantaneous 

chloride discharge of 480 kg/d. Summary statistics for chloride concentrations and instantaneous chloride discharges 

for the three sites in the Berlin Lake area are presented in 

table 8.

A seasonal analysis of the historical data indicates 

that, for the Mahoning River above the dam (site SW2) and 

below the dam (site SW6), chloride discharges in the early 

spring were higher than other seasons of the year (fig. 11); 

most likely because of road salt in surface runoff. The data 

from 2001 at these three sites do not indicate chloride discharges outside the historical range for the months of July 

and November (table 8). With only two samples at each site, 

no conclusions about the overall chloride discharges are justifiable. More sampling, focusing on different streamflows 

and seasonal changes, would need to be done to indicate any 

overall change (or lack of change) from the 1960s–70s to 

the present.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a large group 

of environmentally important compounds that result from 

the incomplete combustion of organic carbon, such as that 

in wood and fossil fuels. PAHs are considered to be the most 

acutely toxic component of petroleum products, and they 

also are associated with chronic and carcinogenic effects 

(Irwin and others, 1998). Acute toxicity because of exposure to a single PAH is rare, so PAHs are more frequently 

associated with long-term chronic toxicity (Irwin and others, 1997). PAHs have a low solubility in water and a high 

affinity for sorbing to sediment-associated organic matter; 

therefore, bed sediments tend to act as reservoirs for PAHs 

(Smith and others, 1988). These samples provide a baseline 

for comparison to future work and a method for comparison 

with other regional studies.

Figure 11. Average instantaneous chloride discharge 

for three surface-water sites near Berlin Lake, Ohio.

The data set of five bed-sediment samples analyzed 

for PAHs is too small for statistical analysis; therefore, the 

following discussion (modeled after a discussion in 

Rheaume and others, 2000) gives a brief description of 

selected constituents (those found to exceed the labs detection limit), detection frequency, maximum concentration, 

and a comparison with the detection frequency among sites 

in the Lake Erie-Lake Saint Clair Drainages. The data for all

ICD Cl

1 106

× kg

mg

-------

------------------------- Q × 28.32 L

ft3 -----     86 400 s

d , --     =

Table 8. Historical chloride concentrations and instantaneous chloride discharge at three sites near Berlin Lake, Ohio

[NA, not applicable.]

Map 

Identifier

Time

period

Number of 

samples

Chloride concentration

(in milligrams per liter)

 Instantaneous chloride discharge

(in kilograms per day)

Minimum Median Maximum Minimum Median Maximum

SW8 1965-73 20 13 20 90 0.4 122 2,690

2001 2 57.0 NA 74.8 11 NA 933

SW2 1965-77 38 18 28 59 191 2,520 30,200

2001 2 48.8 NA 60.8 1,060 NA 10,900

SW6 1965-77 38 18 26 43 1,040 9,800 105,000

2001 2 58.7 NA 64.9 36 NA 168
20 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

PAHs analyzed for are presented by site in table 6.

Anthracene. Anthracene is a low-molecular-weight, 

three-ring PAH. Wastewaters from synthetic fuel industries 

are most likely to contain anthracene (Irwin and others, 

1998). The sampling at Berlin Lake found detectable levels 

of anthracene in three of the five samples with a maximum 

concentration of 310 μg/kg at the Mahoning River at Rockhill Road site. Rheaume and others (2000) found anthracene 

in 76 of 392 bed-sediment samples collected in the Lake 

Erie-Lake Saint Clair Drainages.

Benz[a]anthracene. Benz[a]anthracene is a highmolecular-weight, four-ring PAH. Benz[a]anthracene is 

formed when gasoline, garbage, or any animal or plant 

material burns, and it usually is found in smoke and soot. It 

also is found in creosote. In 1990, benz[a]anthracene was 

found in 62 of the 1,177 sites on the NPL of hazardous 

waste sites in the United States (Irwin and others, 1998). 

The sampling at Berlin Lake found detectable levels of 

benz[a]anthracene in all of the five samples, with a maximum concentration of 830 μg/kg at the Mahoning River at 

Rockhill Road. Rheaume and others (2000) found 

benz[a]anthracene in 158 of 393 bed-sediment samples collected in the Lake Erie-Lake Saint Clair Drainages. 

Benzo[a]pyrene. Benzo[a]pyrene is a high-molecular-weight, five-ring PAH. Benzo[a]pyrene is widespread in 

the environment because it is a product of incomplete combustion. Natural sources include volcanoes and forest fires, 

but it also is produced from gasoline, motor oil, diesel oil, 

asphalt, and coal tar pitch (Irwin and others, 1998). The 

sampling at Berlin Lake found detectable levels of 

benzo[a]pyrene in all of the five samples, with a maximum 

concentration of 940 μg/kg at the Mahoning River at Rockhill Road. Rheaume and others (2000) found benz[a]pyrene 

in 147 of 388 bed-sediment samples collected in the Lake 

Erie-Lake Saint Clair Drainages.

Chrysene. Chrysene is a component in coal tar and is 

present in exhaust from gasoline engines. The sampling at 

Berlin Lake found detectable levels of chrysene in three of 

the five samples, with a maximum concentration of 760

μg/kg at the Mahoning River at Rockhill Road. Rheaume 

and others (2000) found chrysene in 189 of 396 bed-sediment samples collected in the Lake Erie-Lake Saint Clair 

Drainages.

Phenanthrene. Phenanthrene is present naturally in 

coal and petroleum and is used in the synthesis of dyes and 

drugs (Parker, 1984). It also is a high-temperature combustion product of coal and petroleum. The sampling at Berlin 

Lake found detectable levels of phenanthrene in four of the 

five samples, with a maximum concentration of 2,100 μg/kg 

at the Mahoning River at Rockhill Road. Rheaume and others (2000) found phenanthrene in 187 of 298 bed-sediment 

samples collected in the Lake Erie-Lake Saint Clair Drainages.

Summary and conclusions

Berlin Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water-control project on the Mahoning River in northeastern Ohio. 

The area, encompassing parts of Stark, Mahoning, and Portage Counties, has been heavily developed for oil and gas 

production. This development could lead to potential contamination of water resources with hydrocarbons and (or) 

brine from oil and gas production. In cooperation with the 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed 

ground-water, surface-water, and bed-sediment samples to 

determine the current (2001) water and sediment quality.

When compared to results from other studies in the 

region, the pH of ground- and surface-water samples did not 

indicate any anomalies. An analyses of specific conductance 

and dissolved solids indicate that 78 percent (14 of 18) of 

the ground-water samples exceeded the USEPA (2002) Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level for dissolved solids in 

public water supplies (500 mg/L). This result compares to 6 

percent found in two nearby studies.

A graphical analysis of major ions indicates a wide 

range of waters in the region, and no specific aquifer or area 

produces a single type of water. Water with a hardness concentration of greater than 180 mg/L is considered very hard 

water, and the median hardness concentration for groundwater samples in this study is 400 mg/L. The analysis also 

indicates that three ground-water samples were softened. 

The sample from another well plots near a brine sample, 

indicating a possible effect of brine. 

An analysis of the cations showed some signs that 

are seen in other studies in the region: a pattern of losing 

calcium and magnesium cations to sodium ions. A common 

natural process that supports this pattern is dissolution of 

carbonate minerals combined with cation exchange. Cation 

exchange is a process in which calcium and magnesium ions 

are removed from solution and replaced by sodium ions on 

exchangeable sites in clay minerals. As the reaction proceeds, the ratio of calcium ions to sodium ions remaining in 

solution decreases.

Chloride-to-bromide ratios were used to determine 

effects of road salt, domestic sewage (septic-system 

leachate), and oil and gas brine on dilute water. Groundwater-sample results from one well indicate an effect from 

oil and gas brine, either from upwelling from deeper ground 

waters or recharge from contaminated surface water, or the 

dissolution of carbonate minerals combined with cation 

exchange. Four other samples plot outside the diluteground-water area and between the brine and sewage mixing lines. These wells may be affected by a combination of 

brine and infiltration from malfunctioning septic systems. 

The two wells completed in the glacial deposits are included 

in this group. The other two samples, from wells completed 

in the Pottsville Formation, plot along the mixing curve 

between dilute ground water and brine.
References cited 21

For the 14 surface-water samples in which the bromide exceeded the detection limit, the median chloride concentration was 80.5 mg/L and the median Cl:Br ratio was 

1,810. The addition of brines to the surface water would 

tend to elevate the chloride concentration and draw down 

the Cl:Br ratio. The elevated Cl:Br ratio from the 14 samples could be the result of sewage and road-salt-affected 

waters mixing with the surface water, which would overpower any effect of the brine.

Three of the surface-water sites sampled for this 

investigation were previously sampled by USGS personnel 

in the late 1960s and early 1970s for many constituents, 

including chloride. A seasonal analysis of the data indicated 

elevated instantaneous chloride discharges in the early 

spring for the Mahoning River above and below the dam, 

most likely because of road salt in surface-water runoff. The 

limited data from the 2001 sampling, compared to the historical data for these three sites, do not indicate an increase 

in chloride concentration or discharges for the months of 

July and November. Examining the seasonal change in chloride concentrations would require more to indicate an overall change in concentrations.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large 

group of environmentally important compounds that result 

from the incomplete combustion of organic carbon such as 

wood and fossil fuels. PAHs are considered to be the most 

acutely toxic component of petroleum products, and they 

also are associated with chronic and carcinogenic effects. 

PAHs have a low solubility in water and a high affinity for 

sorbing to sediment-associated organic matter; therefore, 

bed sediments tend to act as reservoirs for PAHs. With only 

five samples collected during the study, a statistical analyses 

would be nearly insignificant in any finding; therefore, a 

comparison to other regional studies was done. An analyses 

comparing the concentration of selected polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons in streambed sediments does not indicate that 

the sites near Berlin Lake are different than other regional 

sites.

Further research in the vicinity of Berlin Lake would 

benefit from synoptic water-level measurements designed to 

obtain a general understanding of the ground-water-flow 

direction. A more detailed water-quality study, focusing on 

water wells open to waters near the top of the Berea, may 

give insight into the effects of the deeper waters on drinking 

water. Continued water-quality sampling at the three surface-water sites with historical data may help define a trend 

in chloride discharges for surface water in the vicinity of 

Berlin Lake.

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Back of report 24

Back of report

Table 4. Physical and chemical characteristics of ground-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and 

August 2001

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celcius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; --, not analyzed; <, less than.]

Map 

Identifier Date

Water level, 

depth

below land 

surface

(feet)

Depth

of well,

total 

(feet)

Specific

conductance

(μS/cm)

pH,

water whole, 

field 

(standard 

units)

Temperature,

water 

(degrees

Celsius)

Oxygen,

dissolved

(mg/L)

Hardness, 

total

(mg/L as 

CaCO3)

ST-131 07-24-2001 -- 56 1,100 7.1 12.8 0.4 569

ST-132 07-25-2001 25.73 202 630 6.9 12.4 5.1 341

ST-133 07-25-2001 31.59 134 1,760 7.4 11.8 <.1 329

ST-134a 07-25-2001 38.90 111 712 8.7 12.9 2.7 3.07

ST-135 07-25-2001 35.77 115 1,400 7.6 12.1 <.1 191

ST-136 07-25-2001 -- 89 1,590 6.8 14.7 2.7 949

ST-137 08-08-2001 7.09 100 721 6.9 14.3 .1 390

ST-138 08-08-2001 7.09 186 1,150 7.2 12.2 <.1 480

PO-131 07-24-2001 30.85 175 2,430 7.2 14.3 .4 869

PO-132 07-25-2001 -- 124 1,630 7.0 12.0 1.7 470

PO-133a 07-25-2001 22.49 114 1,200 7.1 12.3 <.1 68.4

PO-134 07-26-2001 9.59 100 1,690 7.1 11.1 .9 321

PO-135 07-26-2001 14.28 67 930 7.2 12.0 5.8 499

PO-136 08-08-2001 30.81 105 950 7.2 12.3 .1 400

PO-137b 08-09-2001 -- 5,450 212,000 3.2 -- -- 146,000

MA-13 07-20-2001 36.35 151 1,020 7.5 11.7 1.4 435

MA-14a 07-20-2001 66.70 203 1,180 8.9 13.3 .5 19

MA-15 07-25-2001 67.31 175 764 7.6 12.1 .4 317

MA-17 08-09-2001 114.80 315 5,060 7.4 12.9 <.1 175

Map 

Identifier

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as

Ca)

Magnesium,

dissolved 

(mg/L as 

Mg)

Sodium, 

dissolved

(mg/L as

Na)

Potassium,

dissolved

(mg/L as

K)

Bicarbonate,

water,

field

(mg/L as 

HCO3)

Alkalinity,

water, 

ield

(mg/L as 

CaCO3)

Sulfate,

dissolved

(mg/L as 

SO4)

Chloride,

dissolved

(mg/L as

Cl)

ST-131 139 53.7 39.4 3.9 498 409 235 11.5

ST-132 91 27.7 10.8 1.68 296 243 104 3.5

ST-133 84.5 28.5 312 5.6 604 498 465 27.2

ST-134a .73 .301 177 1.43 407 344 41.2 2.3

ST-135 49.1 16.5 259 4.68 657 542 177 37.3

ST-136 262 71.7 12.9 5.21 282 232 723 20.4

ST-137 111 28.5 7.5 2.28 444 365 90.6 2.1

ST-138 117 45.3 75.9 3.81 512 421 184 52.3

PO-131 195 92.7 231 8.42 789 648 778 16.9

PO-132 122 41 221 9.39 771 633 295 16.1

PO-133a 14.8 7.6 281 5.07 834 685 1.6 15.1

PO-134 75.8 31.9 291 8.3 839 690 310 9.6

PO-135 135 39.6 19 2.95 364 299 184 46.2

PO-136 99 37 63.3 5.26 389 320 230 6.2

PO-137b 49,800 5,290 56,600 3,960 -- -- 214 199,000

MA-13 132 25.6 34.7 2.6 317 65.9 122

MA-14a 5.39 1.35 282 2.22 617 529 .6 58.6

MA-15 84.5 25.8 48.9 4.26 323 266 148 2.8

MA-17 49.7 12.4 996 6.37 454 375 .9c 1,450
Back of report 25

Map 

Identifier Bromide,

dissolved

(mg/L as

Br)

Silica,

dissolved

(mg/L as 

SiO2)

Solids,

residue

at 180

degrees

Celsius,

dissolved

(mg/L)

Fluoride,

dissolved

(mg/L as

F)

Iron,

dissolved

(μg/L as

Fe)

Manganese,

dissolved

(μg/L as

Mn)

ST-131 0.1 18.3 747 0.1c 510 335

ST-132 .05 14.9 400 .3 260 394

ST-133 .3 11.4 1230 .8 180 112

ST-134a .08 7.4 432 1.5 7.6c 2.0c

ST-135 .46 8.2 877 1.6 80 45.1

ST-136 .15 14.7 1250 .1c 3510 1710

ST-137 .03 15.4 477 .2 1130 78.9

ST-138 .36 19 752 .1c 1700 26.4

PO-131 .18 10.5 1720 .4 80 69.7

PO-132 .12 8.8 1090 .5 30 135

PO-133a .2 6.6 743 .6 280 18.3

PO-134 .12 7.2 1150 .5 340 110

PO-135 .25 13.2 619 .2 770 67.8

PO-136 .08 12 645 .2 590 41.5

PO-137b 2,900 14 -- 8 146 49.8

MA-13 .12 14.6 553 .2 <10 <3.0

MA-14a .57 6.9 663 1.7 30 5

MA-15 .04 14.6 489 .2 570 77.7

MA-17 .81 7.3 -- .4 450 25.3

a Although efforts were made to collect untreated water that would be representative of the aquifer, the high sodium concentration and 

unusually low concentrations of hardness, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and strontium suggest that this water sample was

softened by ion-exchange methods. b The sample collected from PO-137 is a brine sample from waters in the Albion Group. c Estimated value.

Table 4. Physical and chemical characteristics of ground-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and 

August 2001—Continued

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celcius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; --, not analyzed; <, less than.]
26 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Table 5. Physical and chemical characteristics of surface-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and 

August 2001

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celcius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; --, not 

analyzed; <, less than.]

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier Date

Discharge

(ft3/s)

Specific

conductance

(μS/cm)

pH,

water, whole, 

field 

(standard 

units)

Temperature,

water 

(degrees

Celsius)

Oxygen,

dissolved

(mg/L)

Hardness, 

total

(mg/L as 

CaCO3)

SW1 410037080572800 07-18-2001 0.02 565 8.0 17.3 7.8 286

11-27-2001 .21 670 7.2 9.5 9.4 246

SW2 03086500 07-18-2001 7.07a 823 8.1 25.9 8.6 307

11-28-2001 91a 590 7.6 9.8 9.8 237

SW3 405744081053300 07-18-2001 .001 1,410 7.4 22.3 5.1 672

11-28-2001 .05 1,560 7.1 7.6 7.4 821

SW4 410121081020400 07-17-2001 .007 1,410 7.9 22.8 8.9 --

11-27-2001 .34 990 6.9 10.2 8.9 281

SW5 405643081091500 07-19-2001 .21 720 7.7 21 4.9 305

11-28-2001 3.1 824 7.8 7.8 11.6 301

SW6 03090500 07-19-2001 168b 560 7.4 17.8 7.2 186

11-29-2001 36b 580 7.9 9.6 11.3 192

SW7 405551081083400 07-19-2001 .03 910 8.0 20.8 7.5 275

11-28-2001 .34 1,200 8.0 8.8 9.8 304

SW8 03089500 07-18-2001 .08 782 7.8 20.5 4.7 314

11-27-2001 5.1 740 7.6 9.6 9.8 278

SW9 405536081091400 07-19-2001 .22 795 7.8 22 5.9 293

11-28-2001 9.4 610 8.2 8.1 12.3 221

SW10 410025081055600 07-25-2001 .18 1,080 7.9 19.8 7.8 590

11-28-2001 .25 900 7.7 7.6 11.1 422

SW11 405847081085300 07-24-2001 13.3 489 7.8 28.4 5.8 162

11-28-2001 3.9 570 7.7 8.2 9.9 209

SW12 410157081055500 07-24-2001 .01c 1,280 7.8 25.5 7.4 660

11-28-2001 3.8 550 7.4 7.8 10.8 152

SW13 410238081043900 07-24-2001 .02 2,060 8.1 25.7 9.4 520

11-28-2001 3.1 630 7.4 8.3 10.3 170

SW14 410105081052100 07-26-2001 3 1,800 7.8 -- -- 913

11-29-2001 0.07 1,410 7.4 7.4 8.8 675

SW15 405823081004700 11-28-2001 1.5 990 7.7 8.2 9.7 300

SW16 405944081021000 11-29-2001 .04 590 7.2 8.1 7.5 190
Back of report 27

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as

Ca)

Magnesium,

dissolved 

(mg/L as

Mg)

Sodium, 

dissolved

(mg/L as

Na)

Potassium,

dissolved

(mg/L as

K)

Bicarbonate,

water, field

(mg/L as 

HCO3)

Alkalinity,

water, field

(mg/L as 

CaCO3)

Sulfate,

dissolved

(mg/L as 

SO4)

SW1 410037080572800 75.5 23.7 9.4 2.24 244 202 57.5

69.6 17.5 40.3 3.76 185 152 72.7

SW2 03086500 82.2 24.7 45.1 7.14 182 152 140

65.0 18.3 27.5 5.95 163 134 103

SW3 405744081053300 150 72.4 50.2 7.83 149 123 569

191 83.5 42.7 7.47 70 58 834

SW4 410121081020400 -- -- -- -- 437 367 --

75.2 22.6 87.3 8.47 162 133 139

SW5 405643081091500 82.3 24.1 27.2 3.05 292 242 72

80.3 24.4 53.4 5.54 207 171 116

SW6 03090500 50.7 14.4 33.3 5.05 129 106 70.6

50.5 16 37.9 6.1 101 122 93.9

SW7 405551081083400 78.4 19.1 73.8 3.61 259 215 58.9

89.2 19.7 124 4.22 248 205 95.1

SW8 03089500 81 27.2 36.1 5.99 231 191 78.8

73.7 22.8 37.9 10.2 179 148 121

SW9 405536081091400 81.3 21.8 47.3 4.7 288 238 72.5

62.9 15.6 36.9 5.96 166 138 75.7

SW10 410025081055600 150 52 17.7 7.5 240 199 384

104 39.6 21.0 6.07 156 130 272

SW11 405847081085300 43.7 12.8 30.1 4.45 136 113 38.8

55.2 17.2 35.0 3.90 168 138 61.6

SW12 410157081055500 153 67.5 35.9 5.12 278 233 445

37.6 14.2 40.8 5.62 45 37 100

SW13 410238081043900 122 52.5 226 18.4 336 280 335

41.0 16.0 55.0 5.10 86 71 110

SW14 410105081052100 249 70.5 56.3 11.7 154 127 762

182 53.4 39.3 9.17 150 124 566

SW15 405823081004700 75.5 27.0 79.1 8.40 147 121 158

SW16 405944081021000 47.0 17.0 22.0 33.0 102 84 120

Table 5. Physical and chemical characteristics of surface-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and 

August 2001—Continued

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celcius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; --, not 

analyzed; <, less than.]
28 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier Chloride,

dissolved

(mg/L as

Cl)

Bromide,

dissolved

(mg/L as

Br)

Silica,

dissolved

(mg/L as 

SiO2)

Solids,

residue

at 180

degrees

Celsius,

dissolved

(mg/L)

Fluoride,

dissolved

(mg/L as

F)

Iron,

dissolved

(μg/L as

Fe)

Manganese,

dissolved

(μg/L as

Mn)

SW1 410037080572800 7.3 <0.01 15.5 313 0.4 10 135

81.3 <.06 12.9 389 .2 40 92.2

SW2 03086500 60.8 .02 7.1 459 .4 9.3c 140

48.8 .02c 7.2 356 .2 60 176

SW3 405744081053300 48.8 <.01 4.3 981 .4 50 4,750

49.2 <.03 6.4 1,250 .2 40 279

SW4 410121081020400 28.6 .02 -- -- -- -- --

135 .05 10.2 558 .3 100 35

SW5 405643081091500 47.6 <.01 8.6 408 .2 20 508

89.2 .02c 7.5 478 .2 50 64.7

SW6 03090500 58.7 <.01 2.8 299 .2 7.3c 672

64.9 <.03 1.5 321 .3 20 43.5

SW7 405551081083400 117 .06 10.3 488 .3 20 117

208 .16 10.2 673 .3 30 102

SW8 03089500 57 <.01 8.0 409 .3 <10 295

74.8 .03c 8.0 437 .2 60 58.5

SW9 405536081091400 71.8 <.01 5.4 441 .3 10 250

63.9 <.03 7.1 350 .2 100 53.2

SW10 410025081055600 20.6 .03 8.3 758 .3 <10 174

29.0 <.03 7.6 556 .2 10 140

SW11 405847081085300 53.9 <.01 1.5 253 .2 <10 142

64.0 <.03 2.8 323 .2 20 163

SW12 410157081055500 33.5 .02 3.9 882 .3 <10 346

79.5 <.03 8.6 309 .1c 220 76.6

SW13 410238081043900 256 .19 7.5 1,180 .2 <30 17.9

83.0 <.06 6.1 355 .1 97 46

SW14 410105081052100 86.2 .14 8.2 1,320 1.4 <10 619

64.4 .09 7.5 998 .9 10 590

SW15 405823081004700 135 .02c 5.2 561 .3 70 56.3

SW16 405944081021000 54.0 <.15 4.4 345 .2 99 63

a Discharge from U.S. Geological Survey rating curve. b Discharge from rating curve provided by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

c Estimated value.

Table 5. Physical and chemical characteristics of surface-water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, July and 

August 2001—Continued

[ft3/s, cubic feet per second; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celcius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; --, not 

analyzed; <, less than.]
Back of report 29

Table 6. Summary of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds found in bed sediment in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio,

September 2001

[ws, wet sieve; mm, millimeters; dw, dry weight; rec, recoverable; μg/kg, micrograms per kilogram; <, less than; E, estimated; M, detected at 

concentrations so low that quantities are not reported.]

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

Acenaphthylene,

ws, <2mm

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Acenaphthene,

ws, <2mm

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Acridine,

ws

<2mm dw, 

rec

(μg/kg)

C8-Alkyl

phenol,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Anthracene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

9,10

Anthraquinone,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Azobenzene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Benz[a]

anthracene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 E20

SD2 410014081035900 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 E20

SD3 405739081064000 E30 140 50 E20 310 340 <50 830

SD4 405807081064000 E5 <50 <50 <50 E10 40 <50 50

SD5 405924081004900 E8 E7 <50 E20 E40 E50 <50 100

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

Benzocinnoline,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Benzo[b]

fluoranthene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Benzo[k]

fluoranthene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Benzo 

[g,h,i] 

perylene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Benzo[a]

pyrene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2, 2’-

Biquinoline,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

4-Bromophenylphenylether,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Butylbenzylphthalate,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 <50 E20 M E40 E20 <50 <50 E40

SD2 410014081035900 <50 E20 <50 E10 E20 <50 <50 50

SD3 405739081064000 <50 820 700 440 760 <50 <50 <50

SD4 405807081064000 <50 80 60 60 60 <50 <50 50

SD5 405924081004900 <50 120 100 190 120 <50 <50 50

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier Carbazole,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Bis

(2-chloroethoxy)

methane,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

4-Chloro3-methylphenol,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2-Chloronaphthalene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2-Chlorophenol,

 ws

<2mm dw 

rec

(μg/kg)

4-Chlorophenylphenyl

ether, ws

<2mm dw, 

rec

(μg/kg)

Chrysene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

p-Cresol,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 M <50

SD2 410014081035900 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD3 405739081064000 250 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 940 110

SD4 405807081064000 M <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 60 E50

SD5 405924081004900 M <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 120 E30

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

Dibenz 

[a,h]

anthracene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

 Dibenzothiophene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Di-n

butylphthalate,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1,2-

Dichlorobenzene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1,3- 

Dichlorobenzene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1,4-

Dichlorobenzene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Diethylphthalate,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1,2-

Dimethylnaphthalene,

 ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 <50 <50 M <50 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD2 410014081035900 <50 <50 E10 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD3 405739081064000 160 100 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 E40

SD4 405807081064000 60 <50 E10 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD5 405924081004900 E30 E10 E20 <50 <50 <50 M E40
30 Water and bed-sediment quality in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, 2001

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

1,6-

Dimethylnaphthalene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2,6-

Dimethylnaphthalene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

3,5-

Dimethylphenol,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Dimethyl

phthalate,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2,4-

Dinitrotoluene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2,6- 

Dinitrotoluene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Di-n-octylphthalate,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Bis(2-

ethylhexyl)

phthalate,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 E10 E10 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 70

SD2 410014081035900 <50 M <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 120

SD3 405739081064000 110 150 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 400

SD4 405807081064000 E10 E40 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 130

SD5 405924081004900 110 130 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 E50

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

Fluoranthene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Fluorene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Hexachlorobenzene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Indeno

[1,2,3- cd]

pyrene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Isophorone,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Isoquinoline,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2-Methylanthracene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

4,5-

Methylenephenanthrene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 20 <50 <50 E30 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD2 410014081035900 E20 <50 <50 E30 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD3 405739081064000 2,400 190 <50 580 <50 <50 80 <50

SD4 405807081064000 110 <50 <50 80 <50 <50 E20 M

SD5 405924081004900 200 30 <50 100 <50 <50 E20 E10

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

1-Methyl9h-fluorene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1-Methylphenanthrene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1-Methylpyrene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Naphthalene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Nitrobenzene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

N-Nitrosodiphenylamine,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Pentachloroanisole,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 <50 M M E20 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD2 410014081035900 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD3 405739081064000 E50 140 100 230 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD4 405807081064000 <50 M E10 E20 <50 <50 <50 <50

SD5 405924081004900 E30 60 E50 160 <50 <50 <50 <50

Map 

identifier

Site

identifier

Pentachloronitrobenzene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Phenanthrene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Phenanthridine,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Phenol,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Pyrene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

Quinoline,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

1,2,4-

Trichloro

benzene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

2,3,6

Trimethylnaphthalene,

ws <2mm 

dw, rec

(μg/kg)

SD1 410021080592000 <50 E40 <50 E20 E20 <50 <50 <50

SD2 410014081035900 <50 <50 <50 E30 E10 <50 <50 <50

SD3 405739081064000 <50 2,100 50 E40 1,900 E10 <50 60

SD4 405807081064000 <50 E40 <50 E30 90 <50 <50 M

SD5 405924081004900 <50 250 <50 E30 190 <50 <50 E40

Table 6. Summary of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds found in bed sediment in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio,

September 2001—Continued

[ws, wet sieve; mm, millimeters; dw, dry weight; rec, recoverable; μg/kg, micrograms per kilogram; <, less than; E, estimated; M, detected at 

concentrations so low that quantities are not reported.]
Back of report 31

Table 7. Concentration limits defined by primary and secondary public drinking-water regulations for selected properties and 

chemical constituents in water samples collected in the vicinity of Berlin Lake, Ohio, June and November 2001.

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; mg/L, milligrams per liter; USEPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; OEPA, 

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; SMCL, Secondary maximum contaminant level; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; 

CaCO3, calcium carbonate; >, greater than. SMCLs based on standards set by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (1994). Secondary 

Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) is a nonenforceable, esthetically based standard set by the U.S. Environment al Protection Agency for public 

drinking water. SMCLs are established for constituents that can adversely affect the odor or appearance of water (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 2000b).]

Constituent or 

property Concentration limits and water-use implications

Specific conductance, 

μS/cm

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water.

pH, standard units The SMCL requires values between 7.0 and 10.5. Values outside this range may be corrosive to metal well 

casings and pipes, creating costly replacement problems. A pH below 6.5 can generate health-related problems 

by dissolving small quantities of trace metals such as lead, especially in a house built before lead solder was 

banned in 1987.

Temperature,

degrees Celsius

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water.

Dissolved oxygen,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water.

Hardness,

mg/L as CaCO3

Upon heating and evaporation, hard water precipitates carbonate mineral deposits, scale, and crusts on pipes, hot 

water heaters, boilers, and cooking utensils. Also causes increased soap consumption. Dufor and Becker 

(1964) give the following hardness classification:

Hardness Range Description

 0 - 60 Soft

 61 -120 Moderately hard

121 -180 Hard

More than 180 Very hard

Calcium, dissolved,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water. Major contributor to hardness and scale 

formation.

Magnesium, dissolved,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water. Contributes to hardness and scale formation. 

At high concentrations (>125 mg/L) may cause laxative effects, especially to transient users.

Sodium, dissolved,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water, but sodium is listed on the U.S. EPA 

Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) as a Research Priority.

Potassium, dissolved,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water. 

Alkalinity,

mg/L as CaCO3

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water. Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of 

water to neutralize acid.

Fluoride, dissolved,

mg/L

The SMCL is 2.0 mg/L.

Sulfate, dissolved,

mg/L as SO4

The SMCL is 250 mg/L. Combines with calcium to form scale in water heaters and boilers. At concentrations 

exceeding 500-600 mg/L, imparts a bitter taste and may cause laxative effects in some individuals. 

Chloride, dissolved, 

mg/L

The SMCL is 250 mg/L. At concentrations greater than 250 to 400 mg/L, imparts a salty taste to water depending 

on individual tolerance. High concentrations are corrosive to most metals.

Bromide, dissolved,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water.

Silica, dissolved,

mg/L

Regulatory standards not established with respect to drinking water

Dissolved solids, 

residue at 180oC

The SMCL is 500 mg/L. Concentrations greater than 1,000 mg/L may cause objectionable tastes and laxative 

effects. May also cause foaming or may corrode some metals.

Iron, dissolved,

μg/L

The SMCL is 300 ìg/L. At concentrations exceeding the SMCL, iron contributes to staining of fixtures, utensils, 

and laundry. Higher concentrations form reddish-brown sediment and water-line deposits. At concentration 

greater than 1,800 ìg/L, the water has a metallic taste (Fetter,1980 ,p. 355).

Manganese, dissolved,

μg/L

The SMCL is 50 μg/L. At concentrations exceeding the SMCL, manganese may cause dark-brown or black 

staining of fixtures, utensils, and laundry.