Geology and GroundWater Resources of 

Fond du Lac County, 

Wisconsin

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604

Prepared in cooperation with the Geological and Natural History Survey, 

University of Wisconsin, and the city of 

Fond du Lac
Geology and Ground 

Water Resources of 

Fond du Lac County, 

Wisconsin

By THOMAS G. NEWPORT

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604

Special reference is given to the area of 

the city of Fond du Lac. Prepared in 

cooperation with the Geological and 

Natural History Survey, University of 

Wisconsin, and the city of Fond du Lac

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Thomas B. Nolan, Director

The U.S. Geological Survey Library catalog card for this publication appears on

page 52.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington 25, D.C.
CONTENTS

Page

Abstract. _______________________-----_________--_________________ 1

Introduction ______________________________________________________ 2

Purpose and scope of investigation.______________________________ 2

Description of the area_____________________________________ 2

Location and population.___________________________________ 2

Economic development_____________________________________ 3

Topography and drainage.._________________________________ 3

Climate __________________________________________________ 4

Previous investigations. _ ________________________________ 4

Numbering system. ____________________________________________ 4

Acknowledgments _____________________________________________ 6

Geologic formations and their water-bearing properties,________________ 6

Precambrian rocks_____________________________________________ 11

Cambrian system. _____________________________________________ 12

Dresbach group ___________________________________________ 13

Eau Claire sandstone.__________________________________ 13

Galesville sandstone__________ __________________________ 13

Franconia sandstone _______________________________________ 14

Trempealeau formation..--_________________________________ 14

Ordovician system.____________________________________________ 14

Prairie du Chien group,____________________________________ 15

St. Peter sandstone ________________________________________ 15

Platteville formation and Galena dolomite.___________________ 16

Maquoketa shale __________________________________________ 17

Neda formation ___________________________________________ 17

Silurian system._______________________________________________ 18

Niagara dolomite__________________________________________ 18

Quaternary system. ____________________________________________ 19

Ground water.____________________________________________________ 20

Source and occurrence. _________________________________________ 20

Artesian conditions ________________________________________ 21

Water-table conditions _____________________________________ 22

Recharge of ground water ______________________________________ 22

Discharge of ground water_________________________________ 23

Movement of ground water_____________________________________ 24

Water levels and their significance-______________________________ 25

Aquifer tests. _ ________________________________________________ 30

Sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages at Fond du Lac___ 33

Analysis of data_______________________________________ 33

Application of coefficients to past records-________________ 35

Application of coefficients to future conditions.____________ 37

Niagara dolomite._ ________________________________________ 38

Specific capacity of wells_______________________________________ 41

Utilization of water____________________________________________ 44

Domestic and stock supplies ________________________________ 44

Public supplies- ---_-___-__-__-_________________-_-__---_-_ 45

Industrial supplies.________________________________________ 46

Chemical character of water ____________________________________ 47

in
IV CONTENTS

Page 

Conclusions and recommendations___________________________________ 48

References_______________________________________________________ 50

ILLUSTRATIONS

[Plates are in pocket]

PLATE 1. Map of Fond du Lac County, Wis., showing location of wells, test 

holes, and springs.

2. Map showing bedrock geology.

3. Stratigraphic sections from Fairwater to Campbelhport, Waupun 

to Pipe, and Ripon to Mount Calvary.

4. Map showing piezometric surface in area west of Niagara escarpment.

5. Map showing piezometric surface in area east of Niagara escarpment.

Page 

FIGURE 1. Average monthly precipitation at Eldorado, Fond du Lac,

and Ripon___________________________________________ 4

2. Annual precipitation at Eldorado, Fond du Lac, and Ripon__ 5

3. Contact of Platteville formation and St. Peter sandstone____ 16

4. Outcrop of Maquoketa shale_-_----_--_-_-----_----______ 18

5. A small reef structure in the Niagara dolomite___________ 19

6. Fluctuations of water levels in four wells, and monthly precipitation and cumulative departure from average monthly 

precipitation. ________________________________________ 27

7. Hydrograph of well FL 8--____-______-____._____________ 28

8. Hydrograph of well FL 9_______.______________________ 28

9. Hydrograph of well FL 24_______________________________ 29

10. Hydrograph of well FL 31__________.___________ 30

11. Hydrograph of well FL 32___________________________ 31

12. Hydrograph of well FL 59___-____-____________________ 31

13. Hydrograph of well FL 20-_____.__________________ 32

14. Hydrograph of well FL 21________________________ 32

15. Hydrograph of well FL 19___--.__________________ 32

16. Map of the Fond du Lac area showing location of wells for

aquifer tests---_------__----__________-______________ 34

17. Pumpage from deep wells______________________________ 36

18. Theoretical drawdown in an infinite aquifer__._____________ 37

19. Map of Niagara dolomite test area_ ______________________ 39

20. Map of Niagara dolomite test area showing extent of marshes

in 1910-_____________________________ 42

21. Map of Niagara dolomite test area showing extent of marshes

in 1955____________-___-___________________ 42

TABLES

TABLE 1. Sample logs of selected wells and test holes in Fonc1 du Lac

County, Wis___________________________________ 8

2. Summary of coefficients of transmissibility and storage of 

sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages computed from 

aquifer tests at Fond du Lac___________________________ 35

3. Specific capacity of wells in Fond du Lac County___________ 44

4. Municipal pumpage of ground water in Fond du Lac County,

1957___________________________.____________________ 45
GEOLOGY AND GROUND-WATER RESOURCES OF 

FOND DU LAG COUNTY, WISCONSIN

By THOMAS G. NEWPORT

ABSTRACT

The principal water-bearing rocks underlying Fond du Lac County, Wis., 

are sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician age and dolomite of Silurian age. 

Other aquifers include dolomite of Ordovician age and sand and gravel of 

Quaternary age. Crystalline rocks of Precambrian age, which underlie all 

the water-bearing formations, form a practically impermeable basement complex 

and yield little or no water to wells.

Ground water is the source of all public and most private and industrial 

water supplies in the county. The municipalities and industries obtain water 

chiefly from wells that penetrate the sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician 

age. The Platteville formation and Galena dolomite of Ordovician age and 

the Niagara dolomite of Silurian age supply water to most domestic and stock 

wells and to a few industrial wells. Several buried valleys in the bedrock 

surface contain water-bearing deposits of sand and gravel.

The source of the ground water in Fond du Lac County is local precipitation. 

Recharge to the water-bearing beds occurs in most of the county but is greatest 

where the bedrock formations are near the surface. Ground water is discharged 

by seeps and springs, by evaporation and transpiration, and by wells.

Ground-water levels in wells fluctuate in response to recharge and to natural 

discharge and pumping. In areas not affected by pumping, water levels generally 

decline through the summer months because of natural discharge and lack of 

recharge, recover slightly in the fall after the first killing frost, decline during 

the winter, and recover in the spring when recharge is greatest. In areas of 

heavy pumping, the water levels are lowest in late summer and highest in 

late winter. Water levels in wells in the Fond du Lac area were about 5 to 50 

feet above the land surface in 1885, but they had declined to as low as 185 feet 

below the land surface by 1957.

Coefficients of transmissibility and storage of the sandstones of Cambrian 

and Ordovician age were determined by making controlled aquifer tests at 

Fond du Lac. The coefficients were verified by comparing computed water-level 

declines with actual declines. The computed values were within about 30 

percent of the actual values, a reasonable agreement for coefficients of this type.

Probable declines of water levels by 1966 were computed, using the same 

coefficients of transmissibility and storage. If the distribution of well? and 

the rate of pumping remain the same in 1957-66 as they were in 1956, the 

water levels will decline about 5 feet more by 1966. If, however, the distribution 

of pumped wells remains the same but the pumping by the city of Fond du Lac 

increases at a uniform rate from the 3 ingd (million gallons per day) pumped 

in 1956 to 5 mgd in 1966, the water levels in 1966 will be at least 60 feet below
2 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC CCTJNTY, WIS.

those of 1956. Dispersal of wells to the northwest toward the recharge area 

would reduce the water-level declines.

The results of pumping tests of test holes tapping the Niagara dolomite 

indicate that wells producing at least 200 gpm (gallons per minute) could be 

developed east of the Niagara escarpment.

The ground water in Fond du Lac County is, in general, a hard calcium and 

magnesium bicarbonate water, which contains excessive iron in some areas.

INTRODUCTION

Water levels in deep artesian wells in the Fond du Lac area, Wisconsin, have been declining Gradually for many years. The continuing 

decline caused concern among ground-water users in the area, and it 

became apparent that a comprehensive investigation of the groundwater resources of Fond du Lac County would be essential to the 

orderly planning of future water supplies.

In 1946 the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, University of Wisconsin, began a program of ground-water studies in Wisconsin. The 

investigation of the geology and ground-water resources of Fond du 

Lac County, begun in September 1953 and completed in February 

1959, was a part of this statewide program. The city of Fond du Lac 

contributed funds to the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History 

Survey for cooperation between that agency and the U.S. Geological 

Survey to defray part of the cost of the investigation.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the thickness, 

character, and a real extent of the water-bearing beds underlying Fond 

du Lac County with special reference to the Fond du Lac area; to 

determine the capacity of the beds to absorb, store, transmit, and discharge water; and to determine the chemical character of the ground 

water. A detailed study was made of the geology and ground-water 

resources of the sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician age and the 

Niagara dolomite of Silurian age in the vicinity of Fond du Lac. and 

reconnaissance studies were made of all the water-bearing beds 

throughout the county.

The investigation was planned cooperatively with George F. Hanson. State Geologist. It was conducted under the immediate supervision of W. J. Drescher. district engineer, and C. L. R. Holt, Jr.. 

district geologist, who succeeded Mr. Drescher in 1957.

DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA 

LOCATION AND POPULATION

Fond du Lac Count}7 is in east-central Wisconsin at the southern 

end of Lake Winnebago. It is bounded on the north by Winnebago
INTRODUCTION 3

and Calumet Cotmties, on the east by Calumet and Sheboygan 

Counties, on the south by Washington and Dodge Counties, ?nd on 

the west by Green Lake County. The distance across the county is 

36 miles from east to west and 18 to 27 miles from north to south. 

The county has an area of approximately 760 square miles.

In 1950, the population of Fond du Lac County was 67,829, of 

which 29,936 (44 percent) resided in the city of Fond du Lac.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The economy of the county is chiefly agricultural. Dairying is of 

major importance and sweet corn, peas, oats, and barley are grown 

extensively. There are several canning factories and many small 

milk-processing and cheese plants in the county. Repair shops for 

two railroads are located at North Fond du Lac. In 1958, ther*1 were 

approximately 15 industrial plants in the city of Fond du Lac.

TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE

The most pronounced topographic feature in the county is a westfacing escarpment of Niagara dolomite (pi. 2). It extends from south 

of Pipe to Eden, thence south west ward to Oakfield and south to the 

Dodge County line. The top of the escarpment ranges from about 50 

to 150 feet above the general level of the area to the west.

The area east of the escarpment is higher and more rolling than the 

area to the west. The so-called Kettle Moraine area in the southeastern 

part of the country is rolling to hilly. To the north, the surface is 

gently rolling and is characterized by numerous hills, or drumlins, and 

by a few relatively flat areas.

A large flat plain, 3 to 8 miles wide, lies immediately west of the 

escarpment and extends southward from Lake Winnebago to a few 

miles north of the Dodge County line. West of this plain the surface 

is gently rolling.

Most of the streams that drain the county originate within its 

boundaries. The area east of the escarpment is drained by the Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Milwaukee Rivers and their tributaries into 

Lake Michigan. The flat plain in the central part of the county is 

drained by the East Branch of the Fond du Lac River and De 

Neveu Creek and their tributaries into Lake Winnebago. 

The West Branch of the Fond du Lac River and Anderson Creek 

drain the north-central part of the county, also into Lake Y^innebago. The extreme northwestern part of the county is drained by 

Silver Creek and the west-central part by Grand River. Both streams 

flow into the Fox River in Winnebago County and thence into Lake 

Winebago. The headwaters of the Rock River drain the southwestern 

and south-central parts of the county southward to the Mississippi 

River.
4 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

CLIMATE

The climate of Fond du Lac County is characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature recorded 

at Fond du Lac is 46.6°F. Temperature extremes range from a 

high of 106°F, recorded in 1916, to 

a low of 41 °F, recorded in January 1951.

The average monthly precipitation at Eldorado, Fond du Lac, and 

Eipon are shown in figure 1; the 

annual precipitation at these stations for the periods of record are 

shown in figure 2. About 50 percent of the precipitation falls from 

May to August during the principal growing season.

PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS

The general features of the geology and the occurrence of ground 

water in Fond du Lac County are 

described in reports by Chamberlin 

(1877), Weidman and Schultz 

(1915), and Alden (1918). In 

1950 Spicer made an electricalresistivity survey to determine the 

depths to the Precambrian basement complex in the Eipon-Fond 

du Lac area, and in 1954 Woollard 

and Hanson made a seismic investigation to determine the thickness 

of the glacial deposits in the Campbellsport area.

NUMBERING SYSTEM

The wells, test holes, and springs 

are numbered in the order that they 

were visited during the field investigation. The letters that precede 

the numbers designate the counties 

as follows: FL, Fond du Lac; Dg,

Dodge; GL, Green Lake; Wi, FIGURE 1. Average monthly precipitaWinnebago. Because of space lim- tion at Eldorado, Ford du Lac, and

.... °, . Ripon, in Fond du Lac County, Wis. 

ItatlOnS, the prefixes are Omitted From records of U.S. leather Bureau.
INTRODUCTION

AVERAGE 

28.55 INCHES

ELDORADO

AVERAGE 

29.53 INCHES

FOND DU LAC

AVERAGE 

28.40 INCHES

RIPON

FIGUEE 2. Annual precipitation at Eldorado, Fond du Lac, and 

Ripon, in Fond du Lac County, Wis. From records of U.S. 

Weather Bureau.

604855 O 61-
6 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

from several of the illustrations. The location of the wells, test holes, 

and springs is shown on plate 1.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The writer wishes to thank the many persons who have contributed information and assistance during the field investigation 

and preparation of this report. Acknowledgment is made to the municipal employees, particularly the former superintendent, Mr. E. J. 

Braun, and the present superintendent, Mr. H. D. Elmer, of the Fond 

du Lac Water Department, for supplying data on water levels, 

pumpage, and locations of wells; to well drillers, well owners, and 

consulting engineers for furnishing well logs, records of water levels, 

pumpage, and other data; and to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of 

Hygiene for making chemical analyses of the water samples collected 

during this investigation. Thanks are also expressed to Mr. G. F. 

Hanson, State Geologist, for his review of this report; to Mr. F. T. 

Thwaites, retired professor of geology at the LTniversity of Wisconsin, to Mr. J. B. Steuerwald, State Geological and Xatural History 

Survey, for preparing the sample logs of wells and supplying geologic 

data; and to Mr. O. J. Muegge, State Sanitary Engineer, for supplying well records from the files of the State Board of Health.

GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS AND THEIR WATER-BEARING

PROPERTIES

The map showing the bedrock geology of Fond du Lac County 

(pi. 2) was modified from the "Geologic Map of Wisconsin7 ' (Bean, 

1949) using sample logs (logs compiled by Wisconsin Geological and 

Natural History Survey from examination of well samples) of wells 

and test holes and field observations.

The rocks underlying Fond du Lac County range in age from Precambrian to Quaternary and are of sedimentary, metamorphic, and 

igneous origin. A generalized description of the rock units and their 

water-bearing characteristics is given below. The sample logs of 

wells FL 22, FL 31, FL 33, FL 50, FL 59, FL 125. and test hole FL 

300 are given in table 1. The bedrock formations dip gently to the 

east and southeast (pi. 3).
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES

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8 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS. 

TABLE 1. Sample logs of selected wells and test holes in Fond du Lac County, Wis.

Thickness 

(feet)

Depth 

(feet)

PL 22, NW^NW1^ sec. 36, T. 15 N., R. 14 E. Surface altitude, 990 feet.

Quaternary system:

Pleistocene deposits:

Clay, gray, some boulders. ________________________ 15

Ordovician system:

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation:

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 185

Dolomite, gray, sandy__.-_-----___--______________ 15

Prairie du Chien group:

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 65

Dolomite, gray, cherty.___________________________ 10

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 45

Shale, green, very dolomitic-_--_-_-_-______________ 5

Cambrian system:

Trempealeau formation:

Shale, red, dolomitic-_____________________________ 5

Siltstone, pink, sandy, dolpmitic____________ ________ 45

Siltstone, dark-red, dolomitic, glauconitic-__-____.___ 25

Franconia sandstone:

Sandstone, pink, fine-grained, slightly silty___________ 155

Galesville sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, silty, fine- to medium-grained___--__ 210 

Siltstone, pink, sandy._---_____-_-__-_____________ 20

Sandstone, pink, fine- to medium-grained. ___________ 25

Conglomerate, quartzite pebbles.___________________ 20

Siltstone, pink; some shale, red____-_--_____________ 10

Precambrian:

Quartzite, pink.__.____-_____-.__-__-____-_-____._ 28

PL 31, NW%SE% sec. 10, T. 15 N., R. 17 E. Surface altitude 754 feet

Quaternary system:

Pleistocene deposits:

Clay, red, dolomitic____-__________________________ 35

Clay, gray, dolomitic___-_-___--_--_-._-______---__ 70

Ordovician system:

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation:

Dolomite, gray,__________________________________ 185

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, fine- to medium-grained- __ 10

St. Peter sandstone:

Sandstone, gray to pink, fine- to medium-grained.____ 130

Shale, red.________.___._______.__..__.____._... 40

Cambrian system:

Trempealeau formation:

Sandstone, gray to pink___________________________ 20

Dolomite, gray.____-____-_-_--_--___-_______----_ 5

Franconia sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, very fine-grained.________ 25

Siltstone, pink, doloniitic__-_----_-----_----_-_-__- 45

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic.________-_-__-__.__-_-_- 10

Galesville sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, very fine- to fine-grained. ___-_-____ 165 

Precambrian:

Quartzite, gray____._-__.______-_----____--__-_-_- 5
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES 9

TABLE 1. Sample logs of selected wells and test holes in Fond du Lac County,

Wis. Continued

Thickness 

(feet)

Depth

(feet)

FL 33, SW^NW1! sec. 15, T. 15 N., R. 17 E. Surface altitude, 760 feet.

Ordovician system: 

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation: 

Dolomite, gray _ _ _ _

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, medium- to coarse-grained.

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, very fine-grained.

St. Peter sandstone: 

Sandstone, gray to white, fine- to medium-grained ____

Shale, red___ ________ ___

Prairie du Chien group:

Precambrian:

65

175 

5 

10 

15

75 

5 

10 

10

40 

5

10

65

240 

245 

255 

270

345 

350 

360 

370

410 

415

425

FL 50, SE%NW% sec. 22, T. 16 N., R. 14 E. Surface altitude, 929 feet.

No samples. _______ _______________ _ --_-___ _ _ - __

Ordovician system: 

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation:

St. Peter sandstone:

Prairie du Chien group: 

Dolomite, gray.-.-. ._- -_--________

Cambrian system: 

Trempealeau formation: 

Sandstone, pink, dolomitic, fine- to medium-grained __

Franconia sandstone: 

Sandstone, pink, dolomitic, glauconitic, fine-grained _

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, fine- to medium-grained. __

Galesville sandstone: 

Sandstone, gray, fine- to medium-grained __ __ ___ _

25

40

45 

5

20 

10

75

20 

40

30 

5 

65 

15 

25

75

25

65

110 

115

135 

145 

220

240 

280

310 

315 

380 

395 

420

495
10 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

TABLE 1. Sample logs of selected wells and, test holes in Fond du Lac County,

Wis. Continued

Thickness Depth 

(feet) (feet)

FL 59, NE^4SE% sec. 11, T. 15 N., R. 17 B. Surface altitude, 757 feet.

Quaternary system:

Pleistocene deposits:

Clay, red, dolomitic___---___-__-__--______________ 15

Clay, gray, dolomitic, boulder______________________ 90

Ordovician system:

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation:

Dolomite, gray___________-_______________________ 225

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, fine- to coarse-grained. ___ 15

St. Peter sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, fine- to medium-grained.___________ 110

Shale, red, dolomitic ______________________________ 50

Cambrian system:

Trempealeau formation:

Siltstone, gray to pink, dolomitic_ __________________ 35

Franconia sandstone:

Sandstone, pink, dolomitic, very fine to fine grained-__ 55 

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, fine- to medium-grained--_ 25

Galesville sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, fine- to medium-grained___-________ 190

Sandstone, red, fine to very coarse grained___________ 15

Precambrian:

Quartzite, pink_______________________________________ 10

FL 125, NE%NE% sec. 13, T. 13 N., R. 18 E. Surface altitude, 1038 feet

I

No samples____._____--_____-_--_-__---_-_____----_______ 20

Silurian system:

Niagara dolomite:

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 312

Ordovician system:

Neda formation:

Shale, hematitic, oolitic, dolomitic, hard.____________ 3

Shale, dark-reddish-brown, hematitic, slightly dolomitic_____--_-_--------__----_---___--_--______ 15

Maquoketa shale:

Shale, gray, dolomitic-____________________________ 30

Dolomite, gray.__________________________________ 10

Shale, gray, dolomitic-__-__--_---______-__________ 50

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 20

Shale, gray, dolomitic-____________________________ 20

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 5

Shale, gray, dolomitic-____________________________ 133

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation:

Dolomite, gray_______-___-___-__-______--_____-__ 217

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, fine- to coarse-grained-___ 20

St. Peter sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, fine-grained____--_--____-____-_-__ 10

Siltstone, gray, very dolomitic____________________ 5

Sandstone, gray, fine- to medium-grained------------ 80
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES

TABLE 1. Sample logs of selected wells and test holes in Fond du Lac County,

Wis. Continued

Thickness 

(feet)

Depth

(feet)

FL 125, NEi4NEi/i sec. 13, T. 13 N., R. 18 E. Surface altitude, 1038 feet Continued

Cambrian system:

Trempealeau formation:

Dolomite, gray___________________________________ 55 1, 005

Franconia sandstone:

Siltstone, greenish-gray, very dolomitic______________ 10 1,015

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, fine- to coarse-grained_ ___ 25 1, 040

Siltstone, gray, very dolomitic______________________ 10 1,050

Sandstone, gray, very dolomitic, fine-grained_________ 20 1, 070

Sandstone, white, medium- to coarse-grained,________ 5 1, 075

Sandstone, gray, dolomitic, very fine to medium

grained______'________--_---_--_________________ 25 1,100

Galesville sandstone:

Sandstone, white, fine- to medium-grained___________ 75 1, 175

Eau Claire sandstone:

Sandstone, gray, very dolomitic-___________________ 40 1,215

Shale, gray, dolomitic _____________________________ 10 1, 225

Sandstone, fine- to medium-grained _________________ 75 1, 300

Test hole FL 300, NW^SW 1/! sec. 11, T. 15 N., R. 18 E. Surface altitude, 994 feet.

Quaternary system:

Pleistocene deposits:

Clay, dark-gray __________________________________ 10 10

Gravel, light-gray, sandy_ _________________________ 5 15

Silurian system:

Niagara dolomite:

Dolomite, light-gray____--_--_----_-_-_--_______-_ 30 45

Dolomite, light-gray; some chert____________________ 50 95

Dolomite, light-gray______________________________ 10 105

Dolomite, light-gray; some chert____________________ 30 135

Dolomite, light-gray, cherty______________._________ 40 175

Dolomite, light-gray_ _____________________________ 15 190

Ordovician system: 

Maquoketa shale:

Shale, light-gray, dolomitic__ ______________________ 5 195

Dolomite, light-gray, pyritic_______________________ 5 200

Shale, light-gray, dolomitic-_______________________ 10 210

PRECAMBRIAN ROCKS

Crystalline rocks of Precambrian age such as quartzite, granite, 

schist, and gneiss, which are estimated to be several thousand feet 

thick, underlie with a major unconformity the sedimentaiy rocks of 

Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, and Quaternary ages. One of the 

units of crystalline rock, the Utley metarhyolite, is exposed in Green 

Lake County approximately 1.5 miles southwest of Fairwater, but 

none are exposed in Fond du Lac County.

Although the surface of the crystalline rocks has a regional slope 

of about 20 to 30 feet per mile toward the east and south, the surface 

in Fond du Lac County is uneven, with slopes ranging from a few feet
12 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

to several hundred feet per mile. This surface has a relief of at least 

1,100 feet in Fond du Lac County (pi. 3, section C-C'}.

In the southwestern part of the city of Fond du Lac quartzite was 

found in wells FL 30, FL 33, FL 34, and FL 35 at depths of 400^40 

feet or about 315-360 feet above mean sea level. The sample log of 

well FL 33 is given in table 1. Less than a mile northeast of these 

wells, quartzite was found in well FL 31 at a depth of 740 feet or at 

approximately 10 feet above mean sea level (table 1). The city's 

wells north and northeast of well FL 31 tapped quartzite at elevations 

below mean sea level. Quartzite was found at a depth of 555 feet or 

200-225 feet above mean sea level in test holes FL 37, and FL 38, 

1 mile north and 1% miles east of well FL 30 respectively. Based on 

the limited data from wells, it is believed that the structural high in 

the crystalline rocks near the southern part of the city of Fond du Lac 

(pi. 3, section B-B') is steep-sided to the north.

Another structural high in the crystalline rocks is centered approximately 10 miles west of Fond du Lac and 2 miles south of Rosendale. 

Quartzite was found in well FL 212 at a depth of 65 feet or 870 feet 

above mean sea level, and at a depth of 102-140 feet or about 800-835 

feet above mean sea level in wells FL 74, FL 210, and FL 211. Well 

FL 55 in Rosendale tapped quartzite at a depth of 420 feet or approximately 500 feet above mean sea level.

During the spring of 1957, 21 electrical-resistivity profiles were 

made in the area between well FL 212 and Fond du Lac by H. C. Spicer 

and G. J. Edwards, of the U.S. Geological Survey, to determine the 

depth to the surface of the crystalline rock. The analysis of the 

resistivity data by Spicer (1950), and an analysis made independently 

by Woollard (Woollard and Hanson, 1954), suggested an eastwardtrending structural high in the surface of the crystalline rocks south 

of Rosendale. The results of the resistivity studies were inconclusive, 

however, and test drilling will be necessary to determine accurately 

the configuration of the crystalline-rock surface.

The rocks of Precambrian age do not yield water and form a practically impermeable basement complex below the sedimentary rocks.

CAMBRIAN SYSTEM

Sandstones of Cambrian age unconformably overlie the crystalline rocks of Precambrian age, and are in turn overlain by younger 

formations. The sandstones filled in the depressions and covered 

most of the high areas on the Precambrian surface. The rocks of 

Cambrian age penetrated by wells in Fond du Lac County are, in 

ascending order, the Eau Claire sandstone, the Galesville sandstone, 

the Franconia sandstone, and the Trempealeau formation. The 

Galesville sandstone, Eau Clarie sandstone, and Mount Gimon sandstone are formations of Dresbach group. The name Dresbach has
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES 13

long had formational status in U.S. Geological Survey nomenclature 

as the Dresbach sandstone, and it- is here redesignated a group. 

Trowbridge and Atwater (193i) proposed the name Galesville member for beds then called Dresbach sandstone by the U.S. Geological 

Survey; the name Galesville is here assigned formational status as 

the Galesville sandstone. Although the Eau Claire sandstone was 

found in only one well and the Mount Simon sandstone has been absent in wells in Fond du Lac County, they are known to be present 

to the south and to the east.

The thickness of the rocks of Cambrian age, which range? from 0 

to 515 feet, differs greatly throughout the county because of the irregular upper surface of the Precambrian rocks. The rocks of 

Cambrian age are thin or absent in the areas where mounds or ridges 

occur in the crystalline rocks (FL 33 and FL 300, table 1, g-nd pi. 3, 

sections B-B' and C-C'.

DRESBACH GROUP

EAU CLAIRE SANDSTONE

The Eau Claire sandstone is a fine- to medium-grained dolomitic 

sandstone that is wT ell consolidated and does not cave into uncased 

wells. It is generally light gray, but may be white to moderate pink.

The Eau Claire sandstone was identified only in well FL 125 at 

Campbellsport, where the top of the formation was 1,175 feet below the 

land surface (pi. 3, section A-A'). The well was drilled through 125 

feet of the Eau Claire but did not penetrate it completely (table 1).

GALESVILLE SANDSTONE

The Galesville sandstone consists mostly of fine- to medium-grained 

sandstone. It it chiefly light gray but includes a few zones that are 

pale pink. Some of the beds are well cemented with silica or dolomite 

and are difficult to drill. A few thin beds of siltstone, generally less 

than 5 feet thick, are present. Detailed descriptions of Galesville 

sandsone are given in logs of wells FL 22, FL 31, FL 50, FL 59, and 

FL125 (table 1).

The Galesville sandstone underlies all of Fond du Lac County, except in those areas underlain by structural highs in the Precambrian 

rocks, where it was not deposited. The sandstone was completely 

penetrated by wells at Fairwater, Brandon, Fond du Lac, Rosendale, 

Campbellsport, and Waupun. The greatest thickness penetrated was 

285 feet in well FL 22 at Brandon (table 1 and pi. 3, section A-A'}.

The Galesville sandstone is believed to be the most productive 

water-bearing formation in the Fond du Lac area. Its permeability 

is variable, especially in a vertical direction, because of changes in 

the sorting of the sand and the presence of layers of dolomite and 

siltstone.

604855 0^61 3
14 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTS, WIS. 

FRANCONIA SANDSTONE

The Franconia, sandstone is a fine- to medium-grained sandstone 

that is silty and dolomitic. Thin beds of siltstone and dolomite, generally less than 10 feet thick, occur within the formation. T1 N °, color of 

the Franconia is predominantly light gray, but white, moderate pink, 

and moderate red also occur. The sandstone is cemented by dolomite 

but is not difficult to drill. Detailed descriptions of Franconia sandstone are given in logs of wells FL 22, FL 31, FL 50, FL 59, and FL 

125 (table 1).

The known thickness of the Franconia sandstone ranges from 0, in 

areas underlain by structural highs in the Precambrian rocks, to 185 

feet, in well FL 15 at Ripon; however, the entire thickness of the formation was not penetrated in well FL 15. Where the Franconia sandstone is not present, it was not deposited or was removed by erosion 

before deposition of the Trempealeau formation.

The Franconia sandstone is believed to rank next to the Galesville 

sandstone in importance as a source of water to wells in the Fond du 

Lac area. The permeability of the sandstone is variable, especially 

in a vertical direction, because of changes in the sorting of the sand 

and the presence of thin beds of dolomite and siltstone.

TREMPEALEAU FORMATION

The Trempealeau formation is the uppermost unit of the Cambrian 

system in the Fond du Lac area. Although the formation does not 

crop out in Fond du Lac County, it is covered by only about 20 feet 

of glacial drift in the valley of Silver Creek about a mile west of 

Ripon in Green Lake County.

The Trempealeau formation consists of light-gray very fine to 

medium grained dolomitic sandstone and moderate-pink or moderatered siltstone. Detailed description of the Trempealeau formation are 

given in logs of wells FL 22, FL 31, FL 50, FL 59, and FL 125 (table 

1). The known thickness of the formation in the county ranges from 

0, in well 51 at Ripon, to 105 feet, in well FL 10 at Fond du Lac. The 

Trempealeau was probably removed by erosion in the vicinity of 

well FL 51.

The Trempealeau formation probably has a low permeability because the unit consists chiefly of very fine grained sandstone interbedded with siltstone. It is believed to yield only relatively small 

quantities of water to wells.

OBDOVICIAN SYSTEM

The rock units of the Ordovician system, in ascending order, are 

the Prairie du Chien group, St. Peter sandstone, Platteville formation 

and Galena dolomite, Maquoketa shale, and Neda formation. These 

formations successively overlie the rocks of Cambrian age and are ex-
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES 15

posed locally, with the exception of the Neda formation, in the 

county (pi. 2). They are overlain by deposits of Pleistocene age in 

most of the western part of the county and by the Niagara, dolomite 

in the eastern part. The rocks of the Prairie du Chien group, the St. 

Peter sandstone, and the Platteville formation and Galena dolomite are 

believed to be hydraulically connected with each other and with the 

underlying rocks of Cambrian age.

PRAIRIE DTJ CHIEN GROUP

The Prairie du Chien group consists of cherty dolomite and thin 

beds of shale. The dolomite is light gray to white, hard, and dense. 

It contains nodules of gray to white chert and a few thin beds of 

sandstone. A few exposures of the Prairie du Chien group occur 

near Ripon (pi. 2). Detailed descriptions of the Prairie du Chien 

group are given in logs of well FL 22, FL 33, and FL 50 (table 1).

The rocks of the Prairie du Chien group range greatly in thickness 

within relatively short distances because their upper surface is very 

irregular. In several areas, the rocks of this group were completely 

removed prior to the deposition of the St. Peter sandstone. For 

example, the Prairie du Chien group was absent in well FL 51 at 

Ripon, but in well FL 18, 1% miles southeast of FL 51, it was 160 

feet thick. In Fond du Lac County the Prairie du Chien is thickest 

(240 feet) in well FL 16, about 2 miles southwest of Campbellsport.

The rocks of the Prairie du Chien group have a low perir eability 

but yield small quantities of water to wells from openings along 

fractures and bedding planes.

ST. PETER SANDSTONE

The St. Peter sandstone consists of fine- to medium-graired consolidated sandstone that is dolomitic in some places. It is chief y white 

to light gray, and contains small lenses of reddish slightly dolomitic 

shale near the base of the formation. Although the sandstone does 

not generally cave into uncased wells, drillers report that where 

shale is penetrated in the St. Peter sandstone it must be cased off to 

prevent caving. The upper part of the St. Peter sandstone is exposed 

in several road cuts near Ripon (pi. 2). Detailed descriptiors of the 

St. Peter sandstone are given in logs of wells FL 31, FL 33, FL 50 

FL 59, and FL 125 (table 1).

The St. Peter sandstone was deposited on the eroded surface of the 

rocks of the Prairie du Chien group and thus has an irregulr.r lower 

surface. The upper surface, however, is relatively even. Where the 

Prairie du Chien group is uncommonly thick, the St. Peter sandstone 

generally is thin or is missing. Similarly, where the rocks of the 

Prairie du Chien group are thin or missing the St. Peter sandstone is 

thick. In those areas where the St. Peter is missing, the Platteville 

formation rests directly upon the rocks of the Prairie du Chien group,
16 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

and where the Prairie du Chien is missing the St. Peter sandrtone is in 

contact with the rocks of Cambrian age. In Fond du Lac County the 

maximum thickness of the St. Peter sandstone penetrated in the subsurface was 260 feet in test hole FL 52 at Ripon.

Most of the wells in Fond du Lac County that obtain water from 

the St. Peter sandstone also obtain port of their supply from overlying and underlying formations. Well FL 135 at Ripon is open 

opposite the Platteville formation and Galena dolomite as well as the 

St. Peter sandstone, but it is believed to obtain most of its water supply 

from the sandstone. This well was reported pumped at 200 gpm for 24 

hours with a drawdown in water level of 31 feet, indicating a specific 

capacity of 6.4 gpm per foot of drawdown.

PLATTEVILLE FORMATION AND GALENA DOLOMITE

The Platteville formation and Galena dolomite have not been differentiated in the subsurface in the Fond du Lac area, and are considered as a unit in this report.

The Platteville formation and Galena dolomite consist of light-gray 

to medium-bluish-gray dolomite. The beds in the Galena dolomite 

are thicker than in the Platteville. The contact between the Platteville formation and the underlying St. Peter sandstone is exposed in 

a road cut near Ripon in the NEVi sec, 19, T. 16 N., R. 14 E. (fig. 3). 

Detailed descriptions of the Platteville formation and Galena dolomite are given in logs of wells FL 22, FL 31, FL 33, FL 50, FL 59, 

andFL 125 (table 1).

FIGURE 3. Contact of Platteville formation and St. Peter sandstone in road cut near 

Ripon in NE& sec. 19, T. 16 N., R. 14 E.
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIES 17

The Platteville formation and Galena dolomite underlie Fond du Lac 

County except in a small area in the northwestern corner of the 

county near Ripon and in the valley of Grand River near Fairwater, 

where they have been removed by erosion. The unit is thickest (265 

feet) in well FL 310 at Campbellsport. The most common thickness 

is about 200 feet.

Ground water in the dolomite occurs in solutionally enlarged openings along fractures and bedding planes. Drillers report that 

domestic and stock wells completed in the dolomite generally yield 

from about 2 to 15 gpm. However, most of these wells do not penetrate the full thickness of this unit. Well FL 41 at Fonc1 du Lac 

was reported pumped at a rate of 40 gpm for 10 hours and had a 

drawdown in water level of 31 feet, indicating a specific capacity of 

1.3 gpm per foot of drawdown.

MAQUOKETA SHALE

The Maquoketa shale is a medium-bluish-gray soft dolomitic shale 

interstratified with thin beds of light-gray and medium-gray dolomite. 

It must be cased off in wells to prevent caving.

The formation is absent in the western part of the county, is concealed by glacial drift and slumped fragments of Niagara dolomite 

in a narrow belt (y2 to 3 miles wide) along the western edge of the 

Niagara escarpment, and underlies the Niagara dolomite east of the 

escarpment. The shale is well exposed in a quarry of the Oakfield 

Brick Co. near Oakfield (fig. 4). Detailed descriptions of the 

Maquoketa shale are given in logs of wells FL 125 and FL 300 

,(table 1).

FIGURE 4. Outcrop of Maquoketa shale in a quarry near Oakfield, Vis.
18 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

The Maquoketa shale yields very small quantities of water to wells 

in some parts of Wisconsin. Kecords are not available, however, of 

any well in Fond du Lac County that obtains water from this formation. Along the Niagara escarpment, many seeps and spr; ngs issue 

from the Niagara dolomite at or near the contact between the dolomite 

and the Maquoketa shale. The shale underlies and forms a relatively 

impermeable base for the water-bearing Niagara dolomite. The 

greatest thickness of Maquoketa shale penetrated was 365 fe^.t in well 

FL 130 at Mount Calvary (pi. 3, section C-C'}.

NEDA FORMATION

The Neda formation is composed of lenticular beds of oolitic, dolomitic, hematitic, red shale. It was penetrated by wells only at Campbellsport in the southeastern part of Fond du Lac County, where it 

had a maximum thickness of 18 feet (well FL 125, table 1) but it is 

not exposed in the county. This formation is not important as an 

aquifer in Fond du Lac County because it is limited in areal extent, 

is thin, and probably has a low permeability.

SILURIAN SYSTEM 

NIAGARA DOLOMITE

The Niagara dolomite of Silurian age unconformably overlies the 

Maquoketa shale and dips gently eastward. It is medium gray to 

white and contains some coral reefs. Detailed descriptions of the 

Niagara dolomite are given in logs of wells FL 125 and FL 300 (table 

1). The beds are generally massive and are intersected by joints. 

Although fracturing is greatest in the upper part of the dolomite, 

drillers and well owners have reported large openings throughout 

the entire thickness of the formation. The distribution of the fracturing is variable and a regional pattern is not discernible.

The Niagara dolomite is present in the eastern part of t\ n, county, 

east of the Niagara escarpment (pi. 2). It crops out along the 

escarpment and at a few places to the east (pi. 2), but in most of the 

area is covered by a varied thickness of Pleistocene deposits. The 

Niagara dolomite is best exposed south of Fond du Lac in quarries 

of the Fond du Lac Stone Co. and the Marblehead Lime Co. A small 

reef structure in the dolomite is exposed in the quarry of the Fond du 

Lac Stone Co. in the SEi^NWi/i sec. 10, T. 14 N., K. 17 E. (fig. 5).

In general, the Niagara dolomite is thinnest along the Niagara 

escarpment and is thickest along the eastern boundary of the county. 

The known thickness of the dolomite ranges from 1 foot in well FL 

178 near Peebles to 324 feet in well FL 130 at Mount Calvary (pi. 3, 

section C-C').

Ground water in the Niagara dolomite occurs in openings along 

fractures and bedding planes, many of which have been enlarged by 

the solvent action of circulating ground water. The yield-* of wells
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS, THEIR WATER-BEARING PROPERTIED 19

FIGURE 5. A small reef structure in the Niagara dolomite in the quarry of the Fond du 

Lac Stone Co. in the SE%NW% sec. 10, T. 14 N., R. 17 E.

tapping the dolomite generally range from about 5 to more than 400 

gpm. The large yields are obtained from wells that intersect zones 

of relatively high permeability.

The water in the dolomite may occur under either water-table or 

artesian conditions. Most of the flowing artesian wells are more than 

100 feet in depth. Water from test hole FL 302, 7 miles east of Fond 

du Lac, drilled to a depth of 210 feet, flowed 142 gpm and had a pressure head of more than 19 feet above land surface. The total pressure 

could not be measured because part of the pressure was dissipated 

when some of the water flowed outside the casing and upward through 

the glacial drift. In June 1956 this well was pumped at a rate of 

400 gpm and had a specific capacity of about 6 gpm per foot of 

drawdown.

QUATERNARY SYSTEM

Unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age overlie the consolidated 

rocks in most of Fond du Lac County. These deposits, largely of 

glacial origin and of Pleistocene age, consist of stratified clay, sand, 

and gravel, and unstratified till, which is an unsorted mixture of 

glacial sediments. All sediments deposited by or from glacial ice or 

in water derived from the melting of the ice are termed "drift." Drift 

of the Gary and Valders substages of the Wisconsin stage of glaciation 

form prominent topographic features. These features have been 

mapped and are described in detail by Alden (1918).

The Pleistocene deposits are thickest in preglacial valleys which 

carried melt water from ice sheets. It is believed these deposits may
20 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

be as much as 300 feet thick in eastern Fond du Lac County. The 

Pleistocene deposits are reported at least 222 feet thick (their entire 

thickness was not penetrated) in well FL 190, northeast of Calvary, 

in the northeastern part of the county. The thickness of sand and 

gravel in well FL 190 was reported to be 140 feet.

The stratified and well-sorted sediments are very permeable and, 

where sufficiently thick and adequately recharged, may supply large 

quantities of water to wells. The water-bearing beds of sand and 

gravel in eastern Fond du Lac County are saturated to levels near 

the land surface and are readily recharged. Large supplies of water 

might be developed locally by penetrating and adequately developing 

the full thickness of these deposits.

Deposits of clay, silt, sand, and gravel of Recent age underlie flood 

plains in the valleys of the larger streams. Recent deposits of clay, 

peat, and silt occur in some of the valleys between the hills of till. 

The Recent sediments in the county have a maximum thickness of 

about 10 feet, and because they are thin and limited in areal extent 

yield only small amounts of water to wells.

GROUND WATER

SOURCE AND OCCURRENCE

The source of all ground water in Fond du Lac County is precipitation in the form of rain and snow. A part of the precipitation flows 

into streams and lakes as direct runoff, a part returns to the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration, and a part seeps downward through the soil and rocks to the zone of saturation to become 

ground water. The top of the zone of saturation is called the water 

table, and its position is show^n by the level at which water stands in 

nonartesian wells. All openings in the zone of saturation are filled 

with water, and it is water in the zone of saturation that can be 

obtained by wells and that flows from springs.

Ground water occupies pores, fractures, and bedding-plane openings in the rocks. The size, shape, and distribution of the openings 

in the rocks vary considerably from place to place, and they control 

the storage and movement of water. The amount of water that can 

be stored in a rock depends on the porosity of the rock. The porosity 

of a rock is its property of containing interstices or open spaces and 

is the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the open space in a rock to 

its total volume.

The permeability of a rock is a measure of its capacity to transmit 

water under a hydraulic gradient. Permeability may be expressed as 

a coefficient that denotes the rate in gallons per day at which water 

will move thrqugh a cross section of the rock (1 foot squr-re, ipider a 

hydraulic gradient of 1 foot per foot loss in head of 1 foot for each 

foot of travel of the water, whatever the direction of movement).
GROUND WATER 21

Clay and shale generally have high porosity but low permeability 

because their pore spaces, though numerous, are very small. A sand 

or gravel may have a lower porosity than clay or shale but have a high 

permeability because the interconnected open spaces are large. 

Permeable rock zones through which ground water moves freely 

enough to supply wells are called aquifers.

ARTESIAN CONDITIONS

Water in an aquifer under artesian pressure is restricted in direction 

of movement by relatively impermeable overlying and underlying 

rocks. Recharge seeps into the aquifer where it is at or near the land 

surface and moves down gradient to become confined under pressure 

between relatively impermeable rocks. Ground water moves from 

areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

When a well penetrates a confined aquifer downdip from its intake 

area, hydrostatic pressure causes the water to rise above the bottom 

of the confining layer. The imaginary surface to which water will 

rise in tightly cased artesian wells is called the piezometric surface of 

the confined water. An artesian wT ell will flow if the piezometric 

surface is above the land surface.

The rocks underlying Fond du Lac County consist of alternating 

strata of relatively permeable rock, principally sandstone, and relatively impermeable rock, chiefly dolomite, shale, or clay. Water in 

the permeable beds is generally under artesian pressure.

The sandstones of Cambrian age and the St. Peter sandstone of 

Ordovician age are the most productive water-bearing units in the 

county. The sandstones are hyclraulically connected, and water moves 

from one sandstone layer to another whenever there is a difference in 

head. East of the Niagara escarpment, the Maquoketa shale forms a 

relatively impermeable seal above the sandstones and maintains artesian pressure. In the area west of the Niagara escarpment, the 

Platteville formation and Galena dolomite are less permeable trail the 

underlying sandstones and locally maintain the artesian pressure in the 

sandstones.

Water in the Platteville formation and Galena dolomite is under artesian pressure except in the areas of outcrop and in areas where they 

are overlain by relatively thin drift. Even in these areas, the water in 

the low^r part of this unit is generally under artesian pressure because 

the upper beds of dolomite are dense and leakage probably occurs from 

the underlying sandstones.

Water in the Niagara dolomite is under artesian pressure except 

locally in the areas of outcrop and in those areas where the dolomite is 

overlain by relatively thin deposits of peat or drift. In general, the 

water in the lower part of the formation is confined under artesian 

pressure.
22 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

Artesian conditions occur locally in the Pleistocene deposits where 

sand and gravel deposits are confined between silt and clr.y.

WATER-TABLE CONDITIONS

The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation except 

where that surface is formed by a bed of relatively impermeable 

material which confines the water under artesian pressure. Unconfined water in the zone of saturation moves slowly through the rocks 

in a direction determined by the slope of the water table. The water 

table is not a level or stationary surface; variations from place to 

place and time to time in its shape and altitude occur as a result of 

such factors as variation in the permeability and structure of the 

rocks, variations in the rate of withdrawal of water from wells and 

by springs, and variations in precipitation which affect the rate of 

recharge.

Water in the rocks of the Prairie du Chien group, the St. Peter 

sandstone, the Platteville formation and Galena dolomite, and the 

Niagara dolomite is under water-table conditions in areas where these 

formations crop out or where they are covered by only a thin mantle 

of Quaternary deposits. Water in the deposits of Quaternary age 

also is under water-table conditions.

RECHARGE OF GROUND WATER

The ground-water reservoirs in Fond du Lac County are recharged 

chiefly by the direct downward percolation of precipitation through 

the unsaturated zone to the water table. A small amount of recharge 

water also may be infiltrated from streams and depression ponds. 

Upon reaching the zone of saturation the water becomes a part of the 

ground-water reservoir and moves down the slope of the water table 

or the piezometric surface.

Recharge to the bedrock formations occurs in most of the county 

but is greatest in areas where these units are near the surface. The 

sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages that supply v^ater to the 

Fond du Lac city wells are recharged over an area of about 250 square 

miles. This recharge area extends westward from the Niagara escarpment to the ground-water divides (pi. 4) in the western and southwestern parts of the county. Water enters the sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages through the overlying consolidated rocks 

and glacial drift and moves down the slope of the hydraulic gradient 

principally toward the city of Fond du Lac.

If as much as 10 percent, or about 3 inches, of the annual precipitation (probably a conservative estimate) reaches the water table in the 

250-square-mile recharge area, the recharge would be abcut 36 mgd. 

In 1956, withdrawals in the vicinity of the city of Fond du Lac were 

about 3 mgd.
GROUND WATER 23

The configuration of the piezometric surface (pi. 4) indicates that 

the sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages are not being recharged in substantial amount from Lake Winnebago. The clay and 

marl bottom of the lake restricts water from moving downward and recharging the underlying formations. The surface of Lake Winnebago 

is approximately 100 feet above the piezometric surface.

The Niagara dolomite is recharged in most of the area east of the 

Niagara escarpment. Water enters the dolomite where it crops out 

or through overlying deposits of Pleistocene age. A grounc1 -water 

divide lies east of the Niagara escarpment (pi. 5).

DISCHARGE OF GROUND WATER

Ground water may be discharged naturally by flow through seeps 

and springs and by evaporation and transpiration, and artificially by 

wells.

The springs in Fond clu Lac County are gravity springs; that is, 

water does not issue under artesian pressure but is caused by the water 

table intersecting the land surface. The water of a gravity spring 

percolates from permeable material or flows from an opening in a rock 

formation, under the action of gravity, as a surface stream flows 

down its channel (Meinzer, 1923b, p. 51). The gravity springs in 

Fond du Lac County are divided into (a) depression springs, where 

water flows to the surface from permeable material simply Hcause 

the surface intersects the water table and (b) contact springs, where 

water flows to the surface from permeable material overlying less 

permeable or impermeable material that retards or prevents downward percolation of the groud water and thus deflects it to the surface.

Many small contact springs and seeps occur along the Niagara 

escarpment in the eastern and southern parts of the county. The 

water issues from the Niagara dolomite near the contact of thQ, dolomite with the underlying Maquoketa shale. A few depression springs 

occur along Rock River and Silver Creek and their tributaries in the 

western part of the county, and along the margins of water-table 

lakes in the eastern part. The depression springs along Rock River 

and Silver Creek issue chiefly from the Platteville formation and 

Galena dolomite; those along the margins of the water-taKh lakes 

issue from sand and gravel deposits of Pleistocene age. 

Although most springs in the county flow less than 1 gpm, a few 

discharge as much as 60 gpm. A few springs have been improved 

and the water is used for domestic or stock supply. The water from 

most of the springs, however, is lost by transpiration, evaporation, 

and infiltration into the ground downslope from the springs.

In Fond du Lac County, the discharge of ground water by 

evaporation and transpiration is greatest in areas where the water 

table is shallow, such as marshes and undrained depression ponds.
24 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUFTY, WIS.

Ground water from wells is used for nearly all domestic, stock, 

public supply, and industrial supplies in Fond du Lac County. The 

combined ground-water withdrawals from all wells in the county 

is estimated to have averaged about 10 ingd in 1957.

MOVEMENT OF GROUND WATER

The movement of ground water is controlled by discharge, recharge, topography, and the structure and permeability of the rocks, 

and is altered artificially by local pumping and by discharge to or 

recharge from manmade reservoirs. The direction of movement 

of ground water in Fond du Lac County is shown by the piezometric 

maps (pis. 4 and 5). These maps, constructed from water-level 

measurements made in wells, show, by contour lines, the configuration 

of the piezometric surface. Water flows down the slope of the 

hydraulic gradient from points of higher altitude to points of lower 

altitude, roughly at right angles to the contour lines.

The piezometric map in the area west of the Niagara escarpment 

(pi. 4) does not represent the piezometric surface of any one geologic 

unit as it was compiled from water-level measurements made in wells 

tapping the rocks of Cambrian age, the Prairie du Chier group, the 

St. Peter sandstone, the Platteville formation and Galera dolomite, 

or a combination of these units. The rock units, however, are believed 

to be hydraulically connected and can be considered a single aquifer.

Movement of the ground water is dominantly eastward toward 

Fond du Lac from two ground-water divides in the western and southwestern parts of the country (pi. 4). One of these divides trends 

southwestward across the western part of the county. T7est of this 

divide movement of ground water is principally westward toward 

Eipon and Fairwater. A second ground-water divide trends eastward from near Fairwater to Lagoda and thence southward to the 

Fond du Lac County-Dodge County boundary. In this area movement of ground water is generally southward toward Waupun. The 

two ground-water divides roughly parallel topographic divides.

A deep cone of depression, caused by pumping large quantities of 

water for municipal and industrial use, underlies the city of Fond du 

Lac (pi. 4). In the area affected by the Fond du Lac pumping, the 

general eastward direction of movement of water is interrupted and 

water moves toward the center of the cone of depression from all 

sides.

The map showing the piezometric surface in the area east of the 

Niagara escarpment (pi. 5) is based chiefly on water-level measurements in shallow wells that penetrate only the upper part of the 

dolomite. A ground-water divide approximately parallels the Niagara 

escarpment and is 1 to 5 miles to the east. Its location varies seasonally and with long-term changes in recharge and discharge. East
GROUND WATER 25

of the ground-water divide, movement of ground water is dominantly 

eastward. West of the divide, ground water moves towards the 

Niagara escarpment where it is discharged as spring flow or seepage.

The movement of ground water from one water-bearing bed to 

another is governed largely by the difference in pressure head of 

the water in the beds and by the permeability of the intervening 

material. The movement probably is large in areas where two 

permeable beds are in direct contact, such as in the western part of 

Fond du Lac County where the Galena and Platteville unit lie 

directly upon the St. Peter sandstone and the head in the, Galena 

and Platteville is appreciably higher than in the St. Peter. Movement from one permeable bed to another in places where they are 

separated by a confining layer of low permeability probably is small, 

but, nevertheless, the ground water does move through a confining 

layer, albeit slowly, if there is a difference in pressure head of the 

water in the two aquifers.

The continuous movement of water between the various reck units 

in Fond du Lac County does not represent net addition to or depletion of the total ground-water supply. However, the piezometric 

maps (pis. 4 and 5) show that ground w^ater moves out of th°, county 

to the east, south, and west.

WATER LEVELS AND THEIR, SIGNIFICANCE

An essential part of a study of the ground-water resource? of any 

area is the collection of data on water levels over as long a period as 

possible. The purpose of collecting information on water levels is to 

determine short-term changes and long-range trends in ground-water 

levels in wells, and to relate this information to changes in storage in 

the ground-water reservoirs. Detailed records of water levels in a few 

wells in the Fond du Lac area have been collected since 1948. Kecords 

in less detail are available for a longer period.

The water table and the piezometric surfaces of artesian aquifers 

in Fond du Lac County are not stationary, but rise or decline depending upon the amount of recharge to or discharge from the groundwater reservoirs. When recharge exceeds discharge water levels in 

wells rise, and when discharge exceeds recharge water levels decline. 

Because recharge is greater during some seasons of the year than 

during other seasons, water levels are said to fluctuate. In r,reas not 

affected by pumping, water levels generally rise in the spring, owing 

to thawing of the frost which permits recharge from melting snow 

and rainfall; gradually decline during the growing season when the 

natural discharge exceeds the recharge; often rise in the fall after 

vegetation has been killed by the frost; and decline during the winter 

when frost in the soil prevents recharge. In areas affected by pumping, the decline in water levels may be accentuated during periods of
26 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

above-normal temperature when the demand for water is great. Such 

periods commonly correspond to periods of reduced recharge.

The first deep wells at Fond du Lac were drilled in 1885 into 

sandstones of Cambrian age and they flowed naturally. Weidman 

and Schultz (1915, p. 333) reported that the static water levels were 

25 to 50 feet above the level of Lake Winnebago prior to 1885. As 

the demands for water for municipal and industrial use increased 

during later years, additional deep wells were drilled and natural flow 

ceased. Prior to 1945, the municipal wells were concentrated within 

an area of half a square mile in the vicinity of the municipal pumping plant. The wells that have been drilled since 1945 are spaced half 

a mile or more apart.

The increasing withdrawal of ground water at Fond du Lac, chiefly 

for municipal use, has created a gradually expanding and deepening 

cone of depression in the piezometric surface. By 1951, the nonpumping (static) water levels in wells near the center of pumping 

had declined to as much as 125 feet below land surface; ard by 1957, 

to as much as 175 feet below land surface. The maximum decline in 

artesian pressure has been about 200 feet since the first deep wells were 

drilled in 1885. The extent of the cone of depression in the Fond du 

Lac area in 1956 is shown on plate 4.

The fluctuation of water levels in four typical wells in Fend du Lac 

County and the precipitation at Fond du Lac are shown in figure 6. 

The hydrographs of well FL 14 at Waupun, well FL 81 near Ladoga, 

and well FL 89 near Marytown show seasonal fluctuations in water 

levels that correspond to seasonal changes in recharge. Water levels in 

these wells declined through the summer of 1954 and rose rapidly in 

the early fall when precipitation was above average. In 1955 the 

levels declined throughout most of the year because the precipitation 

was below average. In 1956 the hydrographs show the normal spring 

rise in water levels caused by snowmelt and precipitation. The water 

level in well FL 29, 2 miles east of Fond du Lac, declined approximately 15 feet during 1953-56 as a result of pumping in th?. Fond du 

Lac area.

Hydrographs of eight wells in Fond du Lac are shown in figures 7 

through 14. The water level in well FL 8 (city well 10), approximately a half mile northeast of the center of pumping, while fluctuating seasonally, declined only about 5 feet from 1951 to 1955 (fig. 

7), but in 1955, the water level rapidly declined about 40 feet to the 

top of the pump bowls owing to an increase in the rate of pumping. 

In 1956 and 1957 the rate of pumping was reduced to maintain the 

pumping level at the top of the pump bowls. The hydrograph of 

well FL 9 (city well 11) near the center of pumping, shews no net 

decline in water level in 1951 and 1952 (fig. 8). From 1952 to 1957, 

however, the water level declined about 60 feet owing to the increased
GROUND WATER 27

20

30

40

Well FL 14 Sandstones of Cambrian age

1953 1954 1955 1956

FIGURE 6. Fluctuations of water levels in four wells in Fond du Lac County, Tis., and 

monthly precipitation and cumulative departure from average monthly precipitation 

at Fond du Lac.
DEPTH TO WATER, IN FEET BELOW LAND SURFACE
GROUND WATER 29

rate of pumping. The water level in well FL 24 (city well 15), also 

near the center of pumping, declined about 20 feet from 195" to 1957 

(fig. 9). The smaller decline in water levels in well FL 24 than in 

well FL 9 was caused by a gradual reduction in the pumping rate of 

well FL 24 from 700 gpm in 1953 to 450 gpm in 1957. The hydrograph of well FL 31 (city well 12), also near the center of pimping, 

shows that the water level declined approximately 40 feet from 1951 

to 1956 (fig. 10). Most of the decline in water level occurred in 1955 

and was caused by increasing the rate of discharge after the pump 

had been lowered. The hydrograph of well FL 32 (city T^ell 13), 

about a mile north of the center of pumping, shows a decline of 

about 30 feet from 1951 to 1957 (fig. 11). The rate of pumping 

gradually declined from 700 gpm in 1951 to 550 gpm in 1957. The 

hydrograph of well FL 59 (city well 14), about a mile eart of the 

center of pumping, shows a decline of approximately 45 feet from 

1953 to 1956, but little or no decline in 1956 and 1957 (fig. 12). The 

change in trend of the water level in 1956 and 1957 was due to a reduction in the rate of pumping. The hydrographs of well FL 20 

(fig. 13), about a mile northwest of the center of pumping, and well 

FL 21 (fig. 14), in North Fond du Lac, show that the water levels 

rose from 1950 to 1953. Precipitation was above average and the 

temperature was below average during the summer months, which

no

120

130

140

150

160

170

FIGURE 9. Hydrograph showing fluctuations of water level in well FL 24, Fond du Lac

city well 15.
30 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

resulted in a decrease in pumping of water for cooling purposes and 

for sprinkling. From 1953 to 1956, water levels gradually declined 

in response to an increase in pumping. Water levels rose in the latter 

part of 1956 and fluctuated only slightly in 1957, owing to a slight 

reduction in pumping.

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

FIGURE 10. Hydrograph showing fluctuations of water level in well FL 31, Fond du Lac

city well 12.

The hydrograph of well FL 19 (fig. 15), 13 miles northeast of 

Fond du Lac, shows a steady 13-foot decline in water level from 1948 

through 1957.

AQUIFER TESTS

Aquifer tests of the sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages 

were made in May 1954 at Fond du Lac and in May 195£ at Ripon. 

Aquifer tests of the Niagara dolomite were made in 1956 in an area 

east of Fond du Lac. The purpose of the tests was to determine the 

hydraulic characteristics the coefficients of transmissibility and storage of the aquifers. The coefficients in turn are used in predicting 

the rate and the amount of lowering of water levels to b?, expected 

at various rates of pumping.
DEPTH TO WATER, IN FEET BELOW LAND SURFACE

0.2
DEPTH TO WATER, IN FEET BELOW 

LAND SURFACE

DEPTH TO WATER, IN FEET B

LAND SURFACE
GROUND WATER 33

The coefficient of transmissibility is expressed as the rate of flow 

of water, at the prevailing water temperature, in gallons per day, 

through a vertical strip of the aquifer 1 foot wide and extending the 

full saturated height of the aquifer, under a hydraulic gradient of 

100 percent ( 1 foot per foot) . The coefficient of storage of an aq uif er 

is defined as the volume of water it releases from or takes into storage 

per unit surface area of the aquifer per unit change in the component 

of head normal to that surface.

Each test consisted of starting or stopping the pump in a well and 

measuring the amount and rate of change in water level in the pumped 

well and in each of several observation wells. The discharge from 

the pumped well was measured by recording meters in the discharge 

line or by the change in volume of water in storage reservoirs. Measurements of depth to water were made with a steel tape or by s,n air 

line and pressure gage except in wells FL 10 and FL 12, which were 

equipped with recording gages.

SANDSTONES OP CAMBRIAN AND ORDOVICIAN AGES AT POND DTT L«AC

ANALYSES OF DATA

The aquifer tests were analyzed by the nonequilibrium formula, 

first developed by Theis (1935). The nonequilibrium formula is

114.6Q TJ7/ N

where W(u)= =-0.5772- loge

, 1.87r2S and u= 

s drawdown, in feet, at any point of observation in the .vicinity

of a well discharging at a constant rate; 

Q=discharge, in gallons per minute;

T= coefficient of transmissibility, gallons per day per foot; 

r distance, in feet, from discharging well to the point of observation;

S= coefficient of storage, expressed as a decimal fraction; 

/ = time in days since pumping started.

The nonequilibrium formula assumes that the aquifer is infinite 

in areal extent, that it is homogenous and isotropic (transmits water 

in all directions with equal facility), that its coefficients of transmissibility and storage are constant, that it is confined between impermeable beds, that the discharging well penetrates the entire 

thickness of the aquifer, and that the discharged water is released 

from storage instantaneously with decline in head. None of these con-
34 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COrNTY, WIS.

ditions is fully met in nature, and considerable judgment is necessary 

to decide the extent to which it can be assumed that they apply in any 

particular area.

A summary of the values of the coefficients of transmissibility and 

storage determined from the aquifer tests at Fond du Lac is given in 

table 2. The coefficients of transmissibility and storage averaged 

25,000 gpd per foot and 0.0002, respectively. The locations of the 

wells used for the aquifer tests are shown in figure 16.

Well number used in report

.32

Pumped well

O 12 

Observation well

A 

Hypothetical well

FIGURE 16. Map of the Fond du Lac area showing location of wells for aquifer tests.
GROUND WATER 35

TABLE 2. Summary of coefficients of transmissibility and storage of sandstones 

of Cambrian and Ordovician ages computed from aquifer tests at Fond du 

Lac

Well

FL 3_._- ---------------------

FL 8_ ---------------------

FL 9_ ---------------------

FL 10_._. __---------_--_---.-

FL 12.... ---__-.-__..._..----

FL 24.. .._----..._--.--...__.

FL 31. --.-------__----._----_

FL 32... ...-.--....._-_--._..

FL 59. --------------------

Average ____ ____

Coefficient of transmissibility

Number of 

tests

2 

5

2 

1 

2

8 

4 

4 

2

Average

24, 400 

27, 200 

36, 800 

6,600 

26, 000 

31, 800 

54, 600 

16, 800 

5,400

25, 000

Coefficient of storage

Number of 

tests

2

1 

2 

4 

2 

1

Average

0 0001

6662

0001 

0002 

00035 

0001

0 0002

APPLICATION OF COEFFICIENTS TO FAST RECORDS

It is desirable to verify the values of the coefficients of transmissibility and storage computed from short-term aquifer tests by applying the coefficients to an analysis of available long-term records of 

pumpage and water levels.

The decline in water level in well FL 31 from 1885, when large 

ground-water withdrawals began in the area, to the end of 19£6 was 

computed by applying the nonequilibrium formula to the pumpage 

data shown in figure 17. For example: The average rate of pumping 

for 1885 to 1914 was 0.75 mgd. This rate was used to calculate the first 

increment of decline from 1885 through 1956, a period of 72 years. 

A rate of 0.9 mgd (the increase in the average rate from 0.75 to 1.65 

mgd) was used to compute the second increment of decline f rom 1914 

to 1956. Six increments of pumping were used to compute the total 

decline. The sum of the computed increments of decline, less the effect 

of recharge, should be equal to the actual decline in water levelr since 

1885.

The effective recharge area is the area in which water enters the 

rocks of Cambrian and Ordovician ages from the surface or from 

overlying rocks and from which the water moves eastward in the direction of the hydraulic gradient toward the Fond du Lac area. The 

ground-water divides (pi. 4) delineate the western extent of the recharge area. They are approximately parallel to the contours on the 

piezometric surface west of the area of withdrawal. In the western 

part of the recharge area, little or no fluctuation of water levelr takes 

place except that typical of water-table wells.

The effects of recharge were computed using the method of images 

(Ferris, 1948). That is, the effect of recharge on the drawdown
36 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

FIGURE 17. Pumpage from deep wells in the Fond du Lac area, 1885-1956. Municipal 

ipumpage for Fond du Lac was metered from July 1912 through December 1956 ; all 

other pumpage was estimated.

produced by a pumping well is the same as though the aquifer were 

infinite and a like recharging well or source were located on a line 

perpendicular to and an equal distance on the opposite side of the 

recharge boundary. The same increments of pumping applied to 

compute the declines were used in determining the effects of recharge. 

The hypothetical net computed decline in water level in well FL 31 for 

1885 through 1925 was 64 feet and for 1885 through 1956 was 91 feet. 

The altitude of the water level at the site of well FL 31 was 762 feet 

in 1885; it was 695 feet in October 1925 and 630 feet in December 

1956. Thus, the actual decline in water level in well FL 31 was 67 

feet from 1885 to 1925 and 132 feet from 1885 to 1956. The actual 

decline in water level at well FL 31 was larger than the computed 

decline by about 5 percent from 1885 to 1925 and about 80 percent 

from 1885 to 1956.

The difference in the actual and computed declines for the two 

periods of withdrawals are reasonable, considering the deficiencies in 

hydrologic and geologic data. It is believed that the average coefficients determined for the Fond du Lac area are approximately correct and may be applied with reasonable accuracy to estimate shortperiod changes in water levels that will result from any given 

condition of pumping.
GROUND WATER 37

The thinning of the sandstone over the structural high in the 

crystalline rocks in the southern part of the Fond du Lac area (pi. 3, 

section B-B') would result in a decrease in the transmissibility of the 

sandstone in that area. Although this decrease in transmissibility 

was not considered in computing the decline in w^ater level, it may 

account for part of the difference in the computed and actual decline.

The aquifer tests indicated a lower transmissibility of the sandstones 

in the vicinity of wells FL 10 and FL 59 (table 2). Sample logs of 

these wells indicate that the sandstones are finer grained than the 

sandstones to the west. During the deposition of the sandstones, the 

crystalline-rock "highs" may have created barriers to the movement 

of water and resulted in the deposition of finer grained sand end silt 

locally. In the area north and east of these barriers test drilling is 

needed to determine the extent of the local change in character of the 

sandstone.

APPLICATION OF COEFFICIENTS TO FUTURE CONDITIONS

The lowering in water levels that will occur at distances of 100 to 

20,000 feet from a well pumped continuously at 1 mgd for 1 month, 

6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years are shown in figure 18. 

The graph is based on the average coefficients of transmissibility and 

storage determined for the Fond du Lac area and on the assumption 

that the aquifer is infinite and all the pumped water is withdrawn 

from storage (no recharge). Estimates of the decline in water level 

at any well can be made by adding together the drawdown effects

24 6 8 10 12 14 16 

DISTANCE, r, IN THOUSANDS OF FEET FROM PUMPED WELL

18 20

FIGURE 18. Theoretical drawdown in an infinite aquifer, based on coefficients of transmissibility and storage determined for sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovicirn ages at 

Fond du Lac, Wis.
38 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

caused by surrounding pumped wells. These estimates will be larger 

than the probable actual decline in water level, as the effects of recharge were not considered in preparing figure 18.

In order to estimate future declines in water levels in the Fond du 

Lac area, it is necessary to estimate future ground-water withdrawals. 

It is estimated the municipal pumpage by Fond du Lac will increase 

at a nearly uniform rate from the 3 mgd pumped in 1956 to about 5 

mgd in 1966, and that the distribution and amount of the withdrawals 

for other uses will remain about the same as in 1956 (fig. 17).

If the distribution and amount of pumpage in the area in 1957-66 

should remain the same as in 1956, the w^ater level in well FL 31 

could be expected to decline about 5 feet more by 1966. If, however, 

the distribution of pumped wells remains the same but the pumping 

by Fond du Lac increases at a uniform rate to 5 mgd in 1966, the 

decline in water level in well FL 31 should be about 60 feet below 

the level of 1956. Static levels in other wells in the area would 

decline a like or lesser amount, according to the nearness of the wells 

to the center of the cone of depression. Pumping levels should decline 

by approximately the same amount as the static levels if the present 

rates of pumping from individual wells are maintained.

In order to show the advantage of adequate spacing of wells, it 

is assumed that the present rate of pumping from existing wells 

will continue and that the increased withdrawals will be supplied by 

hypothetical wells at points A, 13, and C as shown on figure 16. 

These hypothetical wells were arbitrarily located for purposes of 

illustration only; if wells were to be drilled near these sites geologic, 

economic, and other factors should be considered. Assuming that 

hypothetical wells A, B, and C were pumped at 4GO gpm each, the 

combined rate of pumping would be about 2 mgd. If the wells were 

put into use at 214-year intervals, adding well A in July 1959, well 

B in January 1961, and well C in July 1963, the water level in well 

FL 31 by 1966 would be about 30 feet below the 1956 level, instead 

of the 60 feet that would occur if the additional water had been 

pumped from the existing wells. The static levels in wells A, B, and 

C would have declined about 65 feet by 1966. By that year the pumping of the three hypothetical wells would have caused a decline of 

about 35 feet below the level of 1956 in the North Fond du Lac 

municipal wells.

NIAGARA DOLOMITE

In 1956 the city of Fond du Lac drilled three test holes to determine 

if sufficient water were available from the Niagara dolomite for a 

supplemental water supply. Test holes FL 300, FL 302, and FL 303 

were drilled approximately 3 miles east of the Niagara escarpment 

(fig. 19) and 5i/£ miles east of Fond du Lac.
GROUND WATER 

R.18 E.

39

19 21 _Q_ 22 23 24

30

266 184

26 27 26

0255

33

188

0

34 35

286

285

307 306 ° 30*3

3 

186

304

r281 288

274 289° °287

296

9 0

D94 294 11 O 93

279

26 295 300 299

280 D

18

15 282

297

16 0

293 0 

92 0 ° O

0 o o

115 292

291 

O, 

290 302

O 14

284

19 21 22 23

29 28

213

27 26

301

 300 

Test hole

O287 

Observation well

1 MILE

34 35 O90 36

FIGURF 19. Map of Niagara dolomite test area showing location of wells and test holes

for aquifer tests.
40 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

Test hole FL 300 was pumped on April 24-26, 1956, for 2 hours at 

50 gpm, 2 hours at 100 gpm, 2 hours at 150 gpm, and about 39 hours 

at 200 gpm. The water level declined 47.5 feet during the period 

of pumping. The water level in well FL 299, 4,600 feet east of well 

FL 300, declined 4.5 feet; the water level in well FL 280, 1,600 feet 

southwest, declined 1.5 feet; and the water level in well FL 283, 5,200 

feet southwest, declined 0.1 foot. Measurable declines did not occur 

in wells FL 281 (3,000 feet northwest of well FL 300), FL 290 (5,000 

feet south), FL 292 (5,800 feet southwest), and FL 293 (6,000 feet 

southwest). The well in which the largest decline was measured is 

east of the test hole, which direction corresponds to the local orientation of major joints in the Niagara dolomite.

Test hole FL 302, 4,600 feet southeast of test hole FL 300, was 

completed in May 1956 at a depth of 210 feet. At this depth an opening was found and water began to flow at a rate of 150 gpm. The 

test hole was pumped for successive 2-hour intervals at rates of 200, 

275, and 350 gpm. The pumping rate was then increased to 400 gpm 

and the test continued for 24 hours more. By the end of the period 

of pumping the water level had declined to 39 feet below land surface, 

about 65 feet below the estimated static water level. The water level 

in well FL 283, 3,800 feet west of test hole FL 302, declined 42 feet; 

the water level in well FL 284, 3,500 feet west, declined 31 feet; and 

the water level in well FL 293, 6,100 feet west, declined 8 feet. 

After pumping stopped, the water level in test hole FL 302 recovered 

to 19 feet above the land surface, and water began to flow from 

cracks in the ground at a distance of several feet from the well. To 

prevent possible caving around the well, the valve was opened to 

allow the water to flow.

Test hole FL 303, 4,300 feet northwest of test hole FL 300, was 

drilled in July 1956. The water level in this test hole declined 32 

feet during 24 hours of pumping at 100 gpm. The water level declined about 1 foot in test hole FL 300, 4,300 feet southeast of test 

hole FL 303, and in well FL 304, 950 feet northeast of FL 303.

Ground water of economic importance in the Niagara dolomite 

is confined to solution ally enlarged openings along fractures and 

bedding planes. Wells that fail to intersect such openings yield only 

small amounts of water.

The pumping of test holes FL 300 and FL 302 showed the controlling effect that the local east-west orientation of joints has on the 

movement of ground water. Water levels in wells east ard west of 

the test holes were affected more than were the water levels in wells 

to the north and south.

The results of the pumping tests on the test holes in th°, Niagara 

dolomite indicate that wells producing at least 200 gpm could be
GROUND WATER 41

developed in the area east of the Niagara escarpment. Because of 

the variability of the joints and fractures in the dolomite, te?t holes 

should be drilled through the full thickness of the Niagara prior to 

any large-scale development.

The Niagara dolomite in the test area is recharged by local precipitation. Recharge takes place most readily where the dolomite is 

near the land surface.

The extent of marshes in the area in 1910 is shown in figure 20. 

Subsequently the area was drained by ditches, and the extent of the 

marshes in 1955 is shown in figure 21. The draining is reported to 

have lowered the water table 5 to 15 feet and has decreased the potential amount of water available to recharge the dolomite.

Additional work is needed to determine the recharge to and discharge from the Niagara dolomite.

SPECIFIC CAPACITY OF WELLS

The relation between the discharge and the resultant drawdown 

in water level in a pumped well is known as the specific capacity and 

is generally expressed in gallons per minute per foot of drawdown. 

For example, if a well is pumped at a rate of 1,000 gpm and the 

water level is thereby lowered 200 feet, the specific capacity of the 

well is 5 gpm per foot of drawdown. In a like manner, if the specific 

capacity of a well is 5 gpm per foot of drawdown, there is an implication that, within certain limits, the discharge of the well will be 

increased 5 gpm for every foot of increased drawdown.

The specific capacity of a well depends both on the coefficients 

of transmissibility and storage and on the construction and development of the well. Specific capacities computed for the wells pumped 

during the aquifer tests at Fond du Lac and Ripon and in the Niagara 

dolomite and reported by well owners or well drillers for wells in 

other areas of the county are presented in table 3.
42 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

R.18 E.

FIGURE 20. Map of Niagara dolomite test area showing extent of marshes in 1910.
GROUXD WATER 

R.18 E.

43

FIGI-EK 21 Map of Niagara dolomite test area showing1 extent of marshes in 3955.
44 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

TABLE 3. Specific capacity of wells in Fond, du Lac County, Wis.

'Geologic source of water: Cu, sandstones of Cambrian age; Ogp, Galena dolomite and Plat*<:ville formation; 

Osp, St. Peter sandstone; Sn, Niagara dolomite]

Well

1

2

3

4

5

*6

7

*8

*9

22

*24

28

30

*31

32

34

40

41

42

43

*48

49

*50

*51

54

55

56

58

*59

*117

135

*300

*302

*303

308

309

310

Geologic source of water

Osp, Cu- ----__---_----_-

Osp, Cu---- - -------

Osp, Cu--_ - _ - -

Osp, Cu-. _ ___

Osp, Cu-------_-------_-

Osp, Cu__ ___ 

Osp, CuOsp, Cu-- _ ._

Cu 

Osp, Cu- ----------------

Osp - -- 

Osp, Cu- ----------------

Osp____-. -------------

Cu 

Ogp 

Osp-__- --------------- --

Cu ---------

Osp -- _

Osp_-______--- --__--__--

Cu - _ 

Osp, Cu- ----------------

Cu - _______ 

Osp, Cu. ---_____--_ --__-

Cu -- 

Cu __

Osp, Cu_- -_ _.

Osp-_--- ----------------

Osp- - 

Sn. .-.----___-_-..-...-.

Sn____ _ - __ __

Sn._. .-___---__._..__. -

Osp____-_-----_-___-__--

Osp. --_----__-_______-..

Osp-____----__--_-_____-

Drawdown (feet)

13

72

34

18

68

72

31

92

62

41

73

83

124

44

92

39

41

31

16

89

62

35

64

102

16

122

91

20

143

74

31

48

65

32

5

90

191

Discharge (gpm)

363

279

945

363

774

300

594

472

922

267

516

100

411

508

625

165

90

40

100

500

550

300

340

635

430

1,280

235

473

385

340

200

200

400

100

60

300

325

Specific capacity 

(gpm per foot)

28

4

00

20

11

4

19

5

15

7

7

1

3

12

7

4

2

1

6

6

9

9

5

6

27

10

3

24

3

5

6

4

6

3

12

3

9

*Data from aquifer test.

UTILIZATION OF WATER

Of the wells and springs inventoried, 169 supplied water for 

domestic and stock use, 78 for public use, and 34 for industrial use. 

The inventory included most of the industrial and public-supply 

wells, selected domestic and stock wells, and a few of the springs. 

The combined average daily pumpage from all wells in Fond du 

Lac County in 1957 is estimated at 10 million gallons.

DOMESTIC AND STOCK SUPPLIES

Most of the domestic and stock wrells listed are 6 inches or less in 

diameter, and they range in depth from 6 to 702 feet. T" XQ, domestic
GROUND WATER 45

wells are generally equipped with jet, cylinder, or submersible pumps 

operated by electric motors and connected to pressure system?. The 

stock wells are generally equipped with cylinder pumps operated by 

hand, wind, or electric motors. The yields of individual we 1 Is are 

small, generally less than 10 gpm.

PUBLIC SUPPLIES

The cities of Brandon, Campbellsport, Fond du Lac, North Fond du 

Lac, Oakfield, Ripon, and Waupun have municipal water supplies 

obtained from wells. The municipal pumpage in 1957 ranged from 

about. 16 million gallons at Oakfield to 1,163 million gallons at 

Fond du Lac (table 4).

TABLE 4. Municipal pumpaffe of ground water in Fond du Lac County, Wis.,

1957

[Data from Wisconsin State Board of Health, Section on Sanitary Engineerncc]

City

North Fond du Lac.,.. 

Oakfleld

Total... .-_--.._.

Number of 

wells

1

2 

6 

2 

1 

3 

2

17

Pumpage, in thousands of gallons

Minimum 

daily 

amount

32 

30 

2,353 

76

7 

349 

262

Date

1- 6 

10-22 

4-21 

1-31 

10-25 

12- 1 9-22

Maximum 

daily 

amount

170 

210 

4,430 

177 

297 

1,256 

883

Date

8- 5 

8- 3 

8-22 

6-31 

7-30 

9 15

7-24

Average 

daily

47 

134 

3, 186 

130 

43 

714 

426

4,680

Total

17,000 

49, 000 

1,163,000 

47. 000 

16, 000 

260, 000 

155,000

1,707,000

The water supply for Brandon (population 728) is obtained from 

well FL 22, which is 883 feet in depth and taps water in sandstone 

of Cambrian age. The well was reportedly pumped at 267 gpm 

with a drawdown in water level of 41 feet in 1956. In 1957, the 

daily pumpage ranged from 32 to 170 thousand gallons and averaged 

47 thousand gallons.

The water for Campbellsport (population 1,254) is supplied by 

wells FL 125 and FL 310. Well FL 125, tapping sandstone of Cambrian age, is 1,300 feet in depth. Well FL 310, tapping the St. Peter 

sandstone, is 875 feet in depth, and in 1957 it was reportedly pumped 

at 325 gpm with a drawdown in wrater level of 191 feet. In 1957 the 

combined daily pumpage from both wrells ranged from 30 to 210 

thousand gallons and averaged 134 thousand gallons.

The water supply for Fond du Lac (population 29,936) comes 

from 6 wells (wells FL 8, 9, 24, 31, 32, and 59) that penetrate the 

full thickness of the standstones of Cambrian age and range in depth 

from 760 to 885 feet. The wells are reportedly pumped at rates 

ranging from about 350 to 950 gpm; their yield-drawdown character-
46 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

istics are given in table 3. In 1957 the total pumpage ranged from 

about 2.4 to 4.4 mgd and averaged 3.2 mgd.

The water for North Fond du Lac (population 2,291) is supplied 

by wells FL 43 and FL 309. Well FL 43, tapping sandstone of 

Cambrian age, is 655 feet in depth and is reportedly pumped at 

500 gpm. Well FL 309, 367 feet deep, obtains water from the St. 

Peter sandstone and in 1956 was reportedly pumped rt 300 gpm 

with a drawdown in water level of 89.5 feet. In 1957 the daily 

pumpage ranged from 76 to 177 thousand gallons and averaged 130 

thousand gallons.

The water supply for Oakfield (population 697) comes from well 

FL 47, which is 439 feet deep and obtains water from the St. Peter 

sandstone. The daily pumpage in 1957'ranged from 7 to 297 thousand 

gallons and averaged 43 thousand gallons.

Ripon (population 5,619) is supplied water by wells FL 15, FL 48, 

and FL 51. The wells range in depth from 185 to 490 feet and obtain 

water from sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages. During 

an aquifer test in 1955, well FL 48 was pumped at 550 gpri and had a 

drawdown in water level of 62 feet, and well FL 51 was pumped at 

635 gpm and had a drawdown of 102 feet. In 1957 the daily pumpage 

ranged from 349 to 1,256 thousand gallons and averaged 714 thousand 

gallons.

Waupun (population 1,998) is supplied by wells FL 14 and FL 23, 

965 and 755 feet deep, which obtain water from the sandstones of 

Cambrian age. Well FL 14 was reported to yield 680 gpm. The 

daily pumpag-e in 1957 ranged from 262 to 883 thousand gallons and 

averaged 426 thousand gallons.

There are 39 schools in the rural areas of Fond du Lac County, all 

of which obtain their water supply from wells. Two of the wells 

draw from deposits of Pleistocene a<re, 8 from the Niagara dolomite, 

23 from the Galena dolomite and Platteville formation, and 6 from 

the St. Peter sandstone. The yields of individual wells are small, as 

only small amounts of water are required,

INDUSTRIAL, SUPPLIES

The water used for industrial purposes in Fond du Lac County is 

ground water from public water supplies or from privately owned 

industrial wells. The largest industrial use of water is in the processing of dairy products and the processing and canning of food. 

There are 8 large and 18 small milk-processing plants and 6 canning 

plants in the county. It is estimated that the industrial use of ground 

water in Fond du Lac County in 1957 averaged about 3 mgd.
GROUND WATER 47 

CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF WATER

Chemical analyses were made of samples of ground \vater from 52 

selected wells and test holes and 2 springs in Fond du Lac County. 

The location of the wells, test holes and springs sampled is shown 

on plate 1. The analyses show the dissolved mineral content of the 

water but not the bacterial or sanitary quality.

As rain falls through the atmosphere it dissolves small amounts 

of gases and mineral matter. Upon reaching the ground it begins 

to dissolve minerals from the soil and rocks through which it moves. 

The amount and kind of dissolved mineral matter contained in ground 

water differ greatly from place to place as a result of many factors: 

such as, the type of organic material in the soil, the kind and amount 

of soluble mineral matter present in the rocks through and over which 

the water moves, the length of time the water is in contact with soil 

or rocks, and the temperature and pressure of the water. Some rocks 

contain readily soluble salts, and water in contact with th?m will 

become highly mineralized. Other rocks consist of relatively insoluble minerals, and water in contact with them tend to dissclve only 

small amounts of mineral matter. Calcium, present in nearly all 

ground water, is dissolved from limestone, gypsum, dolomite, and 

other rocks containing calcium. Other constituents commonly found 

in ground water include sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, and silica.

The chemical character of water may restrict its use for municipal, industrial, and domestic supply, or for irrigation. The standards of water quality for a particular purpose are not easily defined; 

however, the chemical character of water for municipal supplies is 

commonly judged by standards promulgated by the U.S. Public Health 

Service (1946) for water used by common carriers in interstate commerce. According to these standards, iron and manganese together 

should not exceed 0.3 ppm (part per million) ; magnesium, 125 ppm; 

chloride, 250 ppm; and sulfate, 250 ppm. Dissolved solids preferably should not exceed 500 ppm; although if water of such quality 

is not available, a dissolved solids content of as much as 1,000 ppm 

may be permitted. The average individual, however, can become 

adjusted to drinking water considerable higher in content of most 

of the constituents listed than the values specified in these standards.

Hardness is of primary importance and is generally recognized 

in water by its soap consuming properties or by deposits of insoluble 

salts formed when the water is heated or evaporated. Calcium and 

magnesium cause most of the hardness of natural waters. Other 

constituents also cause hardness, but they are generally present in 

such small quantities in most natural waters as to have little effect 

on hardness. Specific limits cannot be set for hardness, but wrater
48 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

having a hardness of less than 60 ppm is generally considered soft. 

Water having a hardness of 61 to 120 ppm is rated as rioderately 

hard, but is usable for most purposes. Water whose hardness is 

121 to 200 ppm is considered hard and softening is necessary for 

industries using soap. Water having a hardness of more than 200 

ppm is considered very hard and generally requires softening before 

being satisfactory for most uses.

The hardness of the 54 samples of water collected in Fond du Lac 

County ranged from 55 to 598 ppm and averaged about 330 ppm. 

The water from most of the wells sampled is very hard; only 5 samples 

had a hardness of less than 200 ppm.

Iron is derived from practically all rocks and soils and is a common constituent in most natural waters. When iron or manganese 

is present in water in excess of 0.3 ppm, it will stain fabrics, utensils, 

and fixtures. If sufficient iron or manganese is present to give a 

disagreeable taste to water and to cause staining it can be removed 

by aeration and nitration. The iron content of the 54 samples of 

water ranged from 0 to 4.4 ppm and averaged about 1 ppm. Ten 

of the samples contained no iron, 7 contained 0.1 ppm of iron, 2 

contained 0.2 ppm, 6 contained 0.3 ppm, 10 contained 0.4 to 1.0 ppm, 

and 19 contained more than 1.0 ppm.

Fluoride in drinking water in excess of 1.5 ppm may cause mottled 

enamel on children's teeth if the water is used during the period of 

calcification of the teeth that is. roughly during the first 6 to 8 years 

of life (Dean and others, 1942). The fluoride content of the 54 

samples of water collected in Fond du Lac County ranged from 

less than 0.1 to 1.4 ppm and averaged 0.3 ppm.

The ground water in Fond du Lac County is very hard and in 

some areas it contains excessive iron, but otherwise it is satisfactory 

for most uses. The dissolved solids content of the 54 samples of 

water collected ranged from 256 to 1,060 ppm and averaged 455 ppm.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Much of Fond du Lac County is underlain by thick sandstone beds 

of Cambrian and Ordovician ages. These supply most of the water 

now withdrawn by industrial and public-supply wells. The water 

in the sandstones is under artesian pressure, although the pressure 

head has declined in the vicinity of the city of Fond du Lac. Consolidated rocks of the Prairie du Chien group, the St. Peter sandstone, 

the Platteville formation and Galena dolomite, and the Niagara 

dolomite and unconsolidatecl deposits of Pleistocene age supply 

adequate water to most domestic and farm wells.

Recharge occurs throughout most of the county but is greatest in 

areas where the bedrock formations are near the surface. Essentially all recharge is derived from local precipitation. It is estimated
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 49

that the sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages from which 

water is pumped by the city of Fond du Lac are recharged over an 

area of about 250 square miles.

If the distribution of wells and the rate of pumping, about 3.8 

mgd, in the Fond du Lac area remain the same as they were in 1956, 

the water-level decline from 1956 to 1966 will be about 5 feet. If, 

however, the distribution of pumped wells remains the same but the 

amount of municipal pumpage by Fond du Lac increases at a uniform rate from 3 mgd in 1956 to 5 mgd in 1966, the water levels in 

1966 will be at least 60 feet below the levels of 1956. Dispersal of 

wells so as to enlarge the area of withdrawal would lessen interference between wells and thereby reduce the decline of water levels in 

wells near the center of the cone of depression. Dispersal of wells 

to the northwest, toward the recharge area, would be more effective 

in reducing water-level decline than dispersal in any other direction. 

The thinning of the sandstone over the structural high in the crystalline rocks in the southern part, of Fond du Lac makes locating of wells 

to the south and southwest less practical. Test holes should be 

drilled to determine the thickness of the aquifer and the availability 

of ground water in any specific locality where large-capacity wells 

are desired.

The results of pumping tests of wells in the Niagara dolomite 

indicate that wells producing at least 200 gpm could be developed in 

the area east of the Niagara escarpment. Because of the variability 

of water-bearing openings in the dolomite, test holes should be drilled 

prior to any large-scale development. Additional studies are needed 

to determine the quantity of water that may be available f ^om the 

Niagara dolomite. The springs and streams issuing from the Niagara escarpment should be studied with regard to amount of flow, 

quality, source, and temperature.

It is recommended that water-level measurements in wells tapping 

sandstones of Cambrian and Ordovician ages and the Niagara dolomite in Fond du Lac County be continued. These measurements are 

necessary to determine water-level trends and the declines of water 

level that will result from additional development. Data or pumpage should continue to be collected and correlated with changes in 

water levels.

The results of studies to January 1957 lead to the general conclusion that ample ground water is available to meet foreseeable future 

needs in Fond du Lac County, provided that pumped wells are dispersed sufficiently that excessive local declines in water level can be 

avoided. Whether such dispersal is economically feasible in comparison with other means for obtaining water to meet future increased 

needs is an economic question that is beyond the scope of this 

investigation.
50 GEOLOGY, WATER RESOURCES, FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WIS.

REFERENCES

Alden, W. C., 1918, The Quaternary geology of southeastern Wisconsin: U.S.

Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 106, 356 p. 

Bean, E. F., 1949, Geologic map of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geol. and Nat. History

Survey.

Birge, E. A., and Juday, Chancey, 1914, The inland lakes of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geol. and Nat. History Survey Bull. 27, p. 96-98. 

Chamberlin, T. C., 1877, Geology of eastern Wisconsin, in Geology of Wisconsin:

Wisconsin Geol. and Nat. History Survey, v. 2, pt. 2, p. 93 405. 

Darton, N. H., 1905, Preliminary list of deep borings in the United States:

U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 149, 175 p. 

Dean, H. T., Arnold, F. A., Elvove, Elias. Jolmston, D. C., and Short, E. M., 1942,

Domestic water and dental caries: U.S. Public Health Repts., v. 57, no. 32,

p. 1176-1177. 

Drescher, W. J., 1956, Ground water in Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geol. Survey

Inf. Circ. 3, 36 p. 

Ferris, J. G., 1948, Ground-water hydraulics as a geophysical aic1 : Michigan

Dept. Conserv., Geol. Survey Div. Tech. Kept. 1, 12 p. 

Kirchoffer, W. G., 1905, The sources of water supply in Wisconsin: Wisconsin

Univ. Bull. 106, Eng. Ser., v. 3, no. 2, p. 163-249. 

Martin, Lawrence, 1932. The physical geography of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geol.

and Nat. History Survey Bull. 36. 446 p. 

Meinzer, O. E., 1923a. The occurrence of ground water in the United States,

with a discussion of principles: U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 489,

321 p.

 1923b, Outline of ground-water hydrology, with definitions: U.S. Geol. 

Survey Water-Supply Paper 494, 71 p.

 ed., 1942, Hydrology, pt. 9 of Physics of the earth; New York, McGrawHill Book Co., Inc., p. 385-477.

Spicer, H. C., 1950, Investigation of bedrock depths by electrical-resistivity methods in the Rlpon-Fond du Lac area, Wisconsin: U.S. Geol. Survey Circ.

69, 37 p. 

Theis, C. V., 1935, The relation between the lowering of the piezometric surface

and the rate and duration of discharge of a well using ground-water

storage : Am. Geophys. Union Trans. p. 519-524. 

Thwaites, F. T., 1923, The Paleozoic rocks found in deep wells in Wisconsin

and northern Illinois : Jour. Geology, v. 31, p. 529-555. 

 1940, Buried pre-Cambrian of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Acad. Sci., Arts,

and Letters Trans., v. 32, p. 233-242. 

Trowbridge, A. C. and Atwater, G. I., 1934, Stratigraphic problems in the upper

Mississippi valley : Geol. Soc. America Bull. v. 45, p. 21-80. 

United States Public Health Service, 1946, Drinking water standards: Public

Health Repts., v. 61, no. 11, p. 371-384, Repr. 2697. 

Weidman, Samuel, and Schultz, A. R., 1915, The underground and surface

water supplies of Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geol. and Nat. History Survey

Bull. 35, p. 330-343.

Whitson, A. R., and others, 1914, Soil survey of Fond du Lac Courty, Wisconsin : Wisconsin Geol. and Nat. History Survey Bull. 37, Soil Ser. no. 7, 85 p. 

Wisconsin State Board of Health, Bureau of Sanitary Engineering, 1935, Public

water supplies of Wisconsin : Madison, Wis., 31 p.
REFERENCES 51

Wisconsin State Department of Agriculture, 1952, Fond du Lac County agriculture : County Agr. Statistics Ser.. 62 p.

Woollard, G. P., and Hanson, G. F., 1954, Geophysical methods applied to 

geologic problems in Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geol. Survey Bull. 78, !?ci. Ser. 

no. 15, p. 68-78.
52 REFERENCES

Newport, Thomas Gwynn, 1922-

Geology and ground-water resources of Fond du Lac 

County, Wisconsin. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 

1962.

iv, 51 p. illus., maps (part col., part in pocket) diagrs., tables. 

25 cm. (U.S. Geological Survey. Water-supply paper 1604)

Prepared in cooperation with the Geological and Natural History 

Survey, University of Wisconsin, and the city of Fond c'u Lac. 

Bibliography: p. 50-51.

1.Geology Wisconsin Fond du Lac Co. 2.Water, Underground 

Wisconsin Fond du Lac Co. 3.Water-supply Wisconsin Fond du 

Lac Co. I.Wisconsin. Geological and Natural History Survey. 

II.Title : Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.

(Series)

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1962 O 604855
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604 

PLATE 1

ALUMET_COUNTY ~

O169 0140

Rosendale 

Center /'"" " > 

'

', St Cloud J

Mount I. 

Calvary

77 ' North ^ 

Fond du Lac/ /

West 

Rosendale,

Peebles O 188

4£^ >&

0249 6?0\ ^207 ^

L227 L323 226

IS ^^ N^

£)254 -

O" O222

1^

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Ledar / /s /

..^29

Center (O;

DODGE COUNT

Caraphellsport t

EXPLANATION

Mauth

Lake

Dg * 279Cb278 299

Dodge County

Wi 

Winnebago County

GL 

Green Lake County

- ^'^,1 "" --XA250

I

^-"x

WISCONSIN

-V. ___

v* Fond du Lac

1 County

X

(

"~ X

^7V

 / 44

^ /

i

INSET OF WELLS

50 100 MILES

O194 St Killian

f""\ _ __ __

^J~~ R. 18 E. WASHINGTON COUNTY R. 19 E.

INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WASHINGTON, D. C. 1O461

Base compiled from maps of the 

State Highway Commission of 

Wisconsin and field notes

MAP OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WISCONSIN, SHOWING LOCATION OF WELLS, TEST HOLES, AND SPRINGS

5 MILES 

J

DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604 

PLATE 2

WINNEBAGO COUNTY

R. 16 E 

EXPLANATION

Contact

Dashed where inferred

WASHINGTON COUNTY R.19 E.

INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. WASHINGTON. D. C. 1O461

Base compiled from maps of the 

State Highway Commission of 

Wisconsin and field notes

Modified from Geologic Map of 

Wisconsin, E. F. Bean (1949)

MAP OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WISCONSIN, SHOWING BEDROCK GEOLOGY

5 MILES

DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604

PLATE 3

A'

FEET

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

SEA LEVEL

200

400

FAIRWATER

CAMBELLSPORT

INDEX MAP SHOWING LOCATION 

OF WELLS IN SECTIONX-A'

SECT ION A-A'

FEET

1200

1000

800'

600

400

200

SEA LEVEL

200

 I 400

B

FEET

1000

800

600

400

200

SEA LEVEL

200

400

o

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/ 

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\

\

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\

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sandstone

Prairie

SECTIONS -B'

PIPE

Galena dolomite and Platteville formation

du Chien group

Trempealeau formation

Franconia sandstone

Galesville sandstone

221 .^' 271 Fond du Lac County

Dg 53 

B

INDEX MAP SHOWING LOCATION 

OF WELLS IN SECTION B-B'

B'

FEET

1000

800

600

400

200

SEA LEVEL

200

400

MOUNT CALVARY

C

FEET

1000

800

600

400

200

SEA LEVEL

200

400 ' 

RIPON

15 \._ 55 

s,212 76" rr\\;'7"<r~'

37 

5 10 MILES

Fond du Lac County

City of 

Fond du Lac

INDEX MAP SHOWING LOCATION 

OF WELLS IN SECTION C-C'

\

 " X^

" \^

" ^\

" \ *^'

" \ 

\

\ 

\

St 

sar

St. Peter 

sandstone

ID i Pleistocene 

deposits

SECTION C-C'

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f'cv

FEET 

1000

800

600

400

200

SEA LEVEL

200

400

STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS FROM FAIRWATER TO CAMPBELLSPORT, WAUPUN TO PIPE, AND RIPON TO MOUNT CALVARY, WISCONSIN

1 0 5 MILES 

I ... I I I I I I

604855 O -6Z (In Pocket)
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604 

PLATE 4

CALUMET COUNTY 

Caiunretvifle

;GL 19

840.

ALTITUDE 747 FEET

Wi 40 

WINNEBAGO COUNTY O s<94

Rush Lalce/ 

X

773 I

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Center ('

233_ c 

05- 135

Mount 

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IO

Kettle Moraine

Lake

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872

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DODGE COUNTY

EXPLANATION Pr°spect,A Forest

221 Campbellsport

Q 873

Well

GL 

Contour drawn on the Green Lake County

piezometric surface in 

August 1956. Dashed 

where inferred. Contour interval 20 feet

Man the 

\ Lake

256 

^935

Spring

Upper figure /s well or spring 

number; lower figure /s altitude 

of piezometric surface, in feet

Wi 

Winnebago County

Niagara escarpment

Ground-water divide

St Killian

R. 18 F WASHINGTON COUNTY R.19 E.

INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. WASHINGTON, D C. 1O461

Base compiled from maps of the 

State Highway Commission of 

Wisconsin and field notes

MAP OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WISCONSIN, SHOWING PIEZOMETRIC SURFACE OF WATER IN THE CAMBRIAN

AND ORDOVICIAN ROCKS IN THE AREA WEST OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT

5 MILES

J

DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1604 

PLATE 5

CALUMET COUNTY

WINNEBAGO COUNTY

Rosendak Center' /"'

,, North 

Fond du La

West 

Rosendaie, \

Taycheedah

315-T o V 

910+

FONO DU LAC

Dotyville 

298Q

149 Armstrong

1032 6) r^^ ic

Lake ( 3/\\l028

Kettle Moraine

. South

Q 014- rt i Byron 1

DODGE COUNTY

EXPLANATION

Campbellsport_

129 i

/ 02 7' -270 

O/O32

Contour drawn on the

piezometric surface in

August 1956. Contour

interval 20 feet

Mauthe

\ Lake

^

Spring

Upper figure /s well or spring 

number; lower figure /s altitude 

of piezometric surface, in feet

Niagara escarpment

...

251

o975/'

.

Ground-water divide

WASHINGTON COUNTY R.19 E.

INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, WASHINGTON. D. C. 1O461

Base compiled from maps of the 

State Highway Commission of 

Wisconsin and field notes

MAP OF FOND DU LAC COUNTY, WISCONSIN, SHOWING PIEZOMETRIC SURFACE OF WATER 

IN THE NIAGARA DOLOMITE IN THE AREA EAST OF THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT

i o

I . , , i i____ i

5 MILES 

J

DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL